《Using entries to cultivate immortality in chaotic times》


 Chapter 1 This Immortal has a filthy mouth.

    Fufeng City, under the setting sun.Chen Qiu, dressed in hemp garments, was staring blankly toward the nearby city gate, where a sect called "Sky-bursting Gang" was recruiting disciples en masse. A chubby man, who claimed to be an elder of the outer sect, was enthusiastically shouting through a wooden megaphone.


    "The annual disciple recruitment event of the Sky-bursting Gang has begun!"


    "Don''t miss out as you pass by!"


    "The day of becoming an Immortal is today!"


    "Just by joining the sect, you''ll instantly receive 100 coins!"


    ...


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had transmigrated not long ago.


    Today was his thirty-first day since arriving, and after thirty days of hard labor chopping wood, he had finally saved up over two thousand coins, allowing him to rent a small house for himself in this unfamiliar city.


    Chopping wood was a physically demanding job.


    The employer specifically requested "Iron Wood," a type of tree extremely hard to chop, and the areas where these trees grew were monopolized by local tyrants, charging an entrance fee for anyone wishing to chop wood on their land.


    He spent 29 days only managing to scrape together scraps of Iron Wood that the local tyrants neglected, competing with villagers for the sparse growth and earning barely enough daily to make ends meet.


    He was somewhat clumsy and really couldn''t master the skill of chopping wood. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fortunately, on the 30th day, he learned how to chop people.


    That''s how he made a small fortune.


    ...


    Since he had a good day starting his work yesterday, he took a day off for himself today; spending 300 coins to rent a small house, wandered around during the day, and spent a few more coins on pork head meat, peanuts, and a half jin of liquor to celebrate in his house.


    He took a break for the day and would chop wood again tomorrow.


    He was looking forward to this feast, the most sumptuous dinner since his transmigration.


    It seemed a small step.


    But it represented a significant step in establishing himself in this strange world.


    His mood was quite good all the way, even excited to hear that a theatrical troupe from the Capital would soon enter the city; he went specifically to join the crowd. Before this, his mood had been very good, until he heard the three words "Sky-bursting Gang."


    He began to feel a bit dazed.


    This oddly familiar unfamiliarity almost made him wonder if he hadn''t transmigrated but had fallen asleep instead.


    This world had Immortals, he knew.


    But he rarely entertained the thought of pursuing Cultivation; he just wanted to survive, and if he could be slightly extravagant, to have pork head meat at every meal and to never get caught for chopping people, because even securing food and warmth was hard, let alone dare to think about Cultivation.


    And this "Sky-bursting Gang" sect felt tacky to him: even a mere external elder was an Immortal, but why was he shouting so vulgarly like a peddler?


    Most of the people around merely glanced and passed by; for so long, not a single one paused, maybe this world''s longing for Cultivation was really that low?


    Chen Qiu shook his head and did not linger much longer; perhaps it was just a coincidence in name. At that moment, the theatrical troupe also made a grand entry into the city surrounded by a bustling crowd.


    The status of performers in this world was not high.


    But it couldn''t hold back the fact that this troupe had a famous Capital singer, who performed without selling her body. It was said that a high-ranking official from the Capital once offered three Spirit Stones for a night of romance but was tactfully refused, naturally, many wanted to see what this woman worth three Spirit Stones looked like.


    He tiptoed for a glance and thought she was alright; it seemed like people in this world hadn''t seen much luxury.


    ...


    After watching the spectacle, Chen Qiu didn''t linger and directly turned and walked towards the inner city.


    Just then¡ª


    Perhaps he had stood still for too long, or maybe because he was moving against the flow in the crowd, in any case, the shouting elder of the "Sky-bursting Gang" noticed him, bellowed, and quickly ran toward him.


    "Fellow Daoist, halt!"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s mouth twitched slightly, holding the oil-paper wrapped pork head and the porcelain bottle of liquor, without any hesitation, he turned and walked away.


    "Fellow Daoist, please halt."


    The voice behind him grew louder.


    His stride also increased.


    But after all, being an Immortal, the elder was faster and quickly caught up, panting and angrily accosting him with hands on his hips, "What the hell are you running for?"


    This Immortal really had a foul mouth.


    Since he couldn''t outrun him, Chen Qiu no longer struggled; instead, he changed his expression to one of sincere dread, bowed deeply, and carefully said, "Forgive me, Immortal. I didn''t realize the Immortal was calling out to me. May I know what commands you have?"


    But unbeknownst to the man, Chen Qiu''s eyebrows furrowed slightly.


    An Immortal?


    An Immortal who could barely run a few steps without gasping for breath? That was a pretty lame Immortal.


    "Don''t play dumb!"


    The chubby man, irate, pointed at Chen Qiu''s nose and scolded, "I am the outer sect elder of the ''Sky-bursting Gang,'' responsible for recruiting disciples in Fufeng City. To Cultivate or not, just say the word!"


    A vulgar and physically weak Immortal.


    Seemed like he could be killed with just a couple of swings.


    Chen Qiu unconsciously felt for his wood-chopping knife, yet his expression remained respectful as he straightened up and explained, "Respectfully, Immortal, I was born without any Cultivation Talent, so I never thought about stepping onto the path of seeking Immortality..."


    "Forget it, never mind."


    After the man took a few deep breaths, just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly turned peculiar, "Dude, what did you just say? Cultivation Talent?"


    Chen Qiu was slightly startled, at a loss for words for a moment - were the Immortals in this world so down-to-earth? To use the word "dude" when talking to mortals?


    Although slightly perplexed, he still instinctively responded, "Yes."


    "Hahahaha!!"


    Upon hearing this, the plump man drenched in cold sweat wiped his forehead, snatched the pig''s head meat from Chen Qiu''s hand without caring about his image, tore open the oil paper, and began chewing vigorously, noticeably excited, "Very good, very good!"


    "..."


    What the man didn''t see, however,


    was that Chen Qiu''s expression had visibly cooled. This pig''s head meat was something he had been looking forward to for a month, possibly the happiest event since he had traveled through time. Everything he had done today was in preparation for enjoying this meal.


    And now...


    His cherished pig''s head meat had just been snatched away by this pig-headed man in front of him, inspiring a hatred far surpassing that of a cuckolded husband.


    Chen Qiu scanned the surroundings. Since a troupe had entered the city today, the city gate was crowded with onlookers. The place was bustling, and quite a few soldiers were maintaining order, making it inconvenient to start a fight here.


    There was a bamboo grove not far away, which might suffice for a chopping spree.


    Just as he was calculating where to strike, the man finally wiped the grease from his mouth corners, "Big hammer 80, how much for the small one?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu was stunned, a trace of disbelief flashing through his eyes, thinking he was the only one who had traveled through time, but apparently, it was a group!"


    After hesitating for a moment,


    "40?"


    "Palace Jade Liquor, what comes next?"


    "One hundred and eight per cup."


    "Good brother." The plump man contentedly hugged Chen Qiu''s shoulders, then, after packing up his ''Sky-bursting Gang'' flag at his stall, led Chen Qiu to the nearby bamboo grove.


    ...


    "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Fat Long. Back on Blue Star, I was a startup company CEO. How should I address you, brother?"


    "My name is Chen Qiu. Back on Blue Star...I was self-employed."


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, getting a preliminary hold on this chubby man¡ªan entrepreneurial company, likely one barely afloat.


    Outsourced all financing; never paid social security.


    Guaranteed no holidays on Saturdays; no guarantees of holidays on Sundays.


    Employees would file lawsuits just as the company was about to collapse.


    "But are you sure your name is Fat Long? Does Blue Star even have that surname?"


    "No."


    Fat Long nodded confidently, "I picked it myself. When you''re away from home, you craft your own identity. It''s so hard to recruit disciples these days. If you don''t create a prominent name for yourself, who would follow you?"


    "The story I made up for myself goes like this, ''When I was born, a celestial phenomenon appeared in the sky, a fat five-clawed dragon circled the sky nine times before entering my body, proving that one day I would rise to greatness!''"


    "People can find messages in fish, so a birth accompanied by a five-clawed golden dragon seems reasonable, right?"


    After taking a deep breath, Fat Long casually took the liquor from Chen Qiu''s hand, drank it in one gulp, then contentedly burped, "It''s been a long time since I had such good food and drink."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the now empty porcelain bottle, touched the woodcutter''s hatchet he had in his clothes calmly, glanced around without saying a word, and softly asked, "Aren''t you an outer sect elder of the Sky-bursting Gang? Can''t you afford pig''s head meat?"


    "Didn''t I tell you, when you''re out, identities are what you make of them; Sky-bursting Gang is just me."


    "So you mean you have no sect? Nor are you an outer sect elder?"


    "No."


    "You recruit disciples without a sect?"


    "With disciples, doesn''t a sect naturally form?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu fell silent again, saying nothing. Most people would think to establish a sect before recruiting disciples. This man''s idea was to have disciples first and the sect would naturally exist. He wouldn''t judge who was right or wrong but could only say this man had guts.


    "Then you promise to give 100 wen just for joining? Do you have the money?"


    "No money, ah."


    Fat Long nodded seriously, "But I always send new disciples into the Secret Realm. If they survive, they get paid afterward. If they die, no need to pay. And if they survive, the treasures they bring out from the Secret Realm will be worth far more than 100 wen."


    "Is the mortality rate in the Secret Realm very high?"


    "Very high."


    "What if they survive and refuse to give you the treasures?"


    "I''m in the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm, definitely stronger than the newbies. If they don''t give, I can just take it by force."


    "If you''re already at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, why don''t you enter the Secret Realm yourself?"


    "Didn''t I mention, the mortality rate in Secret Realm is very high, I''m a bit afraid of dying, aren''t you?"


    "I am too."


    "Even so, how will you handle your sect''s mountain gate? A sect must have a mountain gate, right?"


    "Our sect focuses on having outer disciples travel abroad. Only when promoted to Inner Sect Disciple can one see the Mountain Gate."


    The two exchanged glances, and Chen Qiu found himself momentarily at a loss for words.


    He just knew it, none of these startup CEOs were trustworthy.


    This isn''t recruiting disciples at all, this is just recruiting people to die for you, and you only offer them cakes without any tangible benefits¡ªno wonder no one is joining. If anyone actually joined, it would be a miracle.

 Chapter 2 Entry Name Step by Step.

    "Alright."Fat Long took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Since we are compatriots in this foreign world, we are practically family now. It looks like you don''t quite understand this world yet; otherwise, you wouldn''t have mentioned ''Cultivation Talent.'' Let me give you a rough idea of what this world is like."


    "This is a Cultivation World."


    "But it''s not quite the same as the worlds we''ve seen in Cultivation novels. There''s no such thing as ''talent'' here; anyone can cultivate if they are willing, or it depends on whether their Initial Entry is suitable for cultivation."


    "Entry?"


    "Exactly!"


    Fat Long nodded vigorously, "This world is like a massive Cultivation game, with Secret Realms even having fixed opening times, and there are various leaderboards, such as the ''Heavenly Pride Leaderboard,'' ''Beauty Leaderboard,'' ''Cultivation Leaderboard,'' and so on."


    "Every now and then, there are regional announcements indicating when and where opportunities will arise, and countless cultivators will gather at these locations."


    "There are also things like ''Sect Establishment Order,'' ''City Building Order,'' ''Country Establishment Order,'' and if you''re wanted, you''ll have a red name displayed above your head."


    "Right now, I am at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, having just broken through. It''s been almost five months since I came to this world."


    "When I first got my entry, I thought it was my golden finger, but later I found out that everyone has this thing."


    "Everyone who breaks through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm will get an entry, which is totally random. Most of them are the lowest white entries, like ''Logging Sacred Body,'' which can chop wood much faster than others."


    "Like ''Medicinal Herb Saint Hand,'' it significantly increases the survival rate of planting Spirit Grass. It''s not quite suitable for cultivation, but it can also enter the cultivation world to serve Alchemists."


    "Basically, the entry you get when you break through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm will determine most mortals'' future career path."


    "The entry gained at the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm is mostly unrelated to combat power; they are basic entries. Only after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage do you have the chance to get some awesome entries. Many originally unremarkable fellow Daoists, after breaking through to Foundation Establishment Stage, luck out and get an extremely awesome entry, and then suddenly take off."


    "After Qi Refinement Realm, every time you break through a Great Realm, you can choose one entry out of three random ones, such as the stages of Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and so on."


    "To survive in this world, you must become an Immortal, otherwise, someone with Cultivation like mine can easily kill you. Think about it, isn''t that dangerous?"


    Chen Qiu nodded, although he did not understand why an Immortal at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm would be so frail, he did not agree with Fat Long''s claim that killing him would be easy.


    That was what he thought internally, but verbally he did not object. He roughly understood the situation of this world¡ªit was like a game, yet it was reality, a fusion of game and Cultivation World.


    "So, what was the entry you got when you broke through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm?"


    "This..."


    Fat Long''s face suddenly showed a hint of difficulty, and after hesitating for a long time, he sighed deeply, "Well, showing you won''t hurt. My luck wasn''t very good; otherwise, I wouldn''t have planned to establish a sect to pave the way for my Cultivation."


    With a wave of his large hand,


    a semi-transparent panel enveloped in mist suddenly appeared in mid-air. This sort of technique did indeed seem like something an Immortal would use.


    ''Entry Name'': Nine Ox Power.


    ''Entry Level'': White.


    ''Entry Effect'': Possess nine oxen.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s mouth unconsciously slowly opened, and after a while, he muttered, "What does ''possess nine oxen'' mean... It''s not literal, is it?"


    "Hmm."


    Fat Long nodded, a bit irritated. The first entry one got usually dictated a person''s career path, yet he had randomly received this one, which irritated him every time he thought about it.


    "Um... If I may ask, can I see it in action?"


    "What do you think?"


    "Then never mind."


    Despite his irritation, Fat Long still took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Reaching the first layer of the Qi Refinement Stage is simple as long as you can perform introspection. All you need to do is concentrate, and if you can see the pathways of your body amidst the darkness, then you''re successful."


    "This is for free."


    "Every City Lord Mansion of different cities offers this kind of free service. They will have you drink a Potion, and then help you perform introspection to successfully obtain the first entry. But, as the saying goes, the most expensive things are those that are free."


    "If you happen to randomly get an entry suitable for ''Demon Cultivation'' or ''Evil Cultivation,'' which are somewhat negative, congratulations, you''ll be beheaded on the spot."


    "If you happen to randomly get an entry suitable for ''planting Spirit Grass'' or ''cultivating Spirit Beasts,'' congratulations, soon you''ll be captured by some Cultivation sects like a Palu and spend your whole life doing these tasks in the sect."


    "Of course, if you get some other normal entries, the government will recommend a career path suited for you."


    "These are the paths the destitute take. Many still buy their own Potion to test their first entry on their own, so at least there''s no danger to their lives." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I just happen to have a bottle of Potion here. As a compatriot and seeing that you have a sharp mind, I''ll give it to you. Afterward, would you recognize me as your boss and follow me without a problem?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu remained silent, simply looking at the broken porcelain bottle in Fat Long''s hand. After a moment of contemplation, he took the bottle and drank its contents in one gulp.


    In the span of a moment.


    He felt his head reel with dizziness, his eyelids involuntarily closing, and his body beginning to weaken.


    At the same time.


    A loud shout reached his ears.


    "Sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and calm your heart!"


    Chen Qiu did as instructed, and after a few breaths, he suddenly felt a ray of light appear in the darkness. He focused hard and saw the light growing ever further away, followed by an explosive brightness, and in that moment, he clearly saw the meridians within his body.


    Simultaneously.


    A panel enshrouded in clouds and mist, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.


    ''Cultivation has greatly increased, officially entering the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.''


    ''Acquired a random entry for the first time.''


    ''Randomizing...''


    ''Randomization successful, entry name "Step by Step".''


    -


    ''Entry Name'': Step by Step.


    ''Entry Level'': Seven-colored.


    ''Entry Effect'': Each time Cultivation advances one small realm, one entry will be obtained, and each time three random entries will appear, allowing the selection of one.


    -


    "How is it?"


    As Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, Fat Long couldn''t help moving closer with an expectant look, asking, "Well? Is the entry related to combat power? Typically, the first entry is likely unrelated to combat power."


    "But if you''re lucky enough to get an entry related to combat power, it could smoothly transition you to the Foundation Establishment Stage!"


    "Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, you will get to choose from three random entries each time, then you can freely select the one that suits you best."


    "As soon as you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, you''re a true Immortal!"


    "Unrelated."


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu shook his head: "It''s more of a long-term entry, not much use for the early stage."


    He didn''t elaborate.


    And Fat Long didn''t press for details.


    At this point, Chen Qiu also discovered that after breaking through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, as long as he introspected, he could see a panel floating above his meridians, also wrapped in clouds and mist, within his body.


    -


    ''Name'': Chen Qiu.


    ''Cultivation'': Qi Refinement Realm, first layer (0%).


    ''Entry'': ''Step by Step''.


    ''Cultivation Technique'': None.


    ''Spirit Beast'': None.


    ''Force'': None.


    ''Country'': Da Xia Country.


    -


    At this time, his physical strength was almost the same as before, and his only means of attack was the somewhat worn cleaver in his arms, which didn''t really match his stereotypical impression of Cultivation.


    Just then¡ª


    A voice from beyond suddenly exploded in their ears.


    ''Heavenly Dao Decree'': In response to the heartfelt calls of the residents, the Heavenly Dao bestows its blessing. A Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will appear in the bamboo forest three miles east of Fufeng City in Da Xia Country. Only Cultivators below the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm may enter.


    The entrance opens immediately and will close at sunset.

 Chapter 3 The Kill Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.

    The moment the voice fell.Chen Qiu instinctively glanced around. Aside from the two of them, there was no one else in the bamboo forest, yet the voice seemed to echo directly in his mind, heavy yet carrying a sense of ethereality.


    "It''s the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm!"


    Just as Fat Long, who was beside him, was about to continue speaking, he heard the voice and immediately his face lit up with excitement, "I can''t believe our luck, we''ve actually encountered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm!"


    "There are many types of secret realms, some are naturally formed by the Heavenly Dao response, and others are set up by predecessors before their death. There are many types, and although the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm isn''t the one with the highest rewards, it''s the safest."


    "Moreover, everything follows the rules, there''s nothing deliberately set to kill you, very suitable for low-level lackeys like us."


    "I''ve been here for several months and only encountered it once; that time it allowed me to break through from the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm to the fifth level."


    At the same time¡ª


    A slowly rotating white vortex, about two people tall, abruptly appeared three yards away from them.


    This is the entrance to the secret realm.


    This so-called voice of the Heavenly Dao is probably what Fat Long mentioned as the regional announcement.


    ...


    "Secret Realm Name": Small World of Beans and Peas.


    "Secret Realm Restriction": Only cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and below may enter.


    "Secret Realm Type": ''Kill''.


    "Secret Realm Introduction": Contains a small world with hidden Cultivation Techniques, Spirit Grass, and other treasures. A maximum of 100 cultivators allowed. The survivors by dawn can safely return to the large world.


    -


    Eager to rush into the white vortex entrance, Fat Long, after seeing the secret realm panel shrouded in mist in front of the vortex, suddenly stopped with an ugly expression and involuntarily took a few steps back.


    "It seems our luck isn''t that good after all."


    "It''s the rare ''Kill'' type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm."


    "This type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is essentially like a slaughterhouse, extremely bloody with a high death rate."


    Standing at the entrance to the secret realm, Chen Qiu could already hear a large number of footsteps coming from outside the bamboo forest, clearly, many cultivators were rapidly converging here, looking at the secret realm panel before them.


    He had been chopping wood for 30 days in this world and had never thought that such a thing existed.


    But he quickly accepted everything before him.


    "You seem very scared. Aren''t you at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm? That''s the highest allowable Cultivation level for this secret realm. Logically, you should be one of those dominating inside, right?"


    "Heh."


    Fat Long forced a smile with a somewhat unpleasant expression, "Brother Chen Qiu, you think too highly of me. Although I''m at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, I basically have no attack methods."


    "Neither Cultivation Techniques nor spiritual weapons."


    "Just a few talismans I''ve gathered these days for protecting my life."


    "They are totally insufficient in there."


    "The sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm is a threshold. Only by breaking through it can one substantially enhance their physical strength, and by breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, releasing Spiritual Energy both defensively and offensively, then one truly becomes an Immortal."


    "To be honest, the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm isn''t much stronger than the first level; at most, I could take on three or four at the first level in a duel setting. If it''s a mob fight, three or four would overpower me."


    "If we encounter any cultivator in there who has a solid background, possesses Cultivation Techniques, and owns spiritual weapons at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, we would all be doomed in this secret realm."


    "Let''s not consider this secret realm; let''s look for another one."


    "Is that so?"


    Chen Qiu glanced at the first batch of people who arrived and casually said, "But it seems like we can''t avoid entering now."


    The first batch of people to arrive, all clad in black hemp garments, each holding a chopping knife, with white cloth straps on their legs, appeared swift and powerful. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Each of them burly, with faces full of brute strength.


    The leader of the group, a muscular man with a ferocious and ruthless expression, glared at Chen Qiu, grinning maliciously, "Kid, didn''t expect to catch you here; you vanished after killing one of our brothers. We''ve been searching for you all day."


    "It really is a case of enemies on a narrow road!"


    Following that, a group of people pressed on even closer with each step.


    Chen Qiu didn''t speak, but he reached into his bosom to pull out a chopping axe. He then took a strip of cloth from his bosom and tightly bound the axe handle to his right hand. After this, he moved his body and scanned the local bullies slowly encroaching upon him.


    He had chopped down a lone bully yesterday.


    There was only one eyewitness at the scene, a woman who claimed to be three months pregnant and a fellow sufferer tormented by the bullies. After begging for a long while, he had felt pity for her.


    And now, that woman was standing among these people, staring at him with malevolent eyes, holding a chopping axe as well, hardly looking like she was three months pregnant.


    Well, consider it a lesson purchased.


    If there''s a next time, it''ll be like a buy-one-get-one-free deal.


    He didn''t speak again but directly entered the white vortex beside him, disappearing from the spot. Not entering the Secret Realm would definitely mean a fierce battle waiting for him, while entering the Secret Realm still offered a slim chance.


    The officials of Fufeng City were maintaining order at the city gate and could not attend to this spot in time.


    ...


    "Uh..."


    Seeing the group closing in, Fat Long unconsciously swallowed, raised both hands, and said with a bitter tone mixed with a crying voice, "I said I don''t know him, do you believe me?"


    "You must not harm innocent people!"


    "What do you think?"


    "Understood."


    Seeing that things had come to this point, Fat Long knew he definitely couldn''t escape alone. He stiffened his neck and shouted as he stepped boldly into the white vortex in front of him. He was naturally timid and, according to his nature, he would definitely not actively enter a ''kill'' type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    But behind him was a pack of wolves.


    ...


    "It''s a ''kill'' type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm."


    Once both men had vanished into the Secret Realm, one of the underlings, after checking the Secret Realm panel, hesitated and then jogged to the side of the leading man, saying, "Boss, should we chase after them?"


    "Chase my ass!"


    The leading man sneered: "A ''kill'' type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, where if 100 go in, whether even 50 can come out alive is uncertain¡ªit''s a complete bloodbath. We''ll just wait out here."


    "Even if these two luckily come out, they''ll definitely be critically injured. Then we can avenge our fallen brothers."


    "If they die in there, then our brother''s revenge is also claimed."


    "Boss is wise!"


    On hearing this, the people behind him also unconsciously relaxed and let out a long breath. They really did not want to enter a kill type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; it wasn''t just about threatening others with a knife¡ªit meant genuinely fighting for their lives.


    They were just local bullies after all.


    And didn''t really want to lay down their lives.


    ...


    "I say, Brother Chen Qiu,"


    The moment they entered the Secret Realm, Fat Long saw Chen Qiu looking around and said with a helpless expression, "How did you manage to provoke such a group of local bullies? Even if we make it out alive, they''re surely waiting at the entrance, and we''re bound to die at their hands."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu didn''t speak, merely holding the chopping axe and scanning the small world.


    There were forests, grasslands, bushes, and even deserts.


    It wasn''t too small.


    His plan was actually very simple. During his earlier talk with Fat Long, Fat Long had told him quite a few ways to enhance his Cultivation, one of which was to kill demon beasts.


    He just needed to quickly break through to the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm, which would grant him a new entry. If he could acquire a combat type entry,


    it wasn''t impossible for him to survive.

 Chapter 4

    However...Chen Qiu lowered his head to look at his own legs, a slight frown forming on his brow. His legs seemed to be bound by some unknown force, preventing him from moving them no matter how hard he tried.


    "It''s useless."


    Seeing Chen Qiu''s actions, although Fat Long''s complexion wasn''t looking too good, he still mustered the strength to speak, "Before the entrance to the Secret Realm is closed, all cultivators who enter the Secret Realm are unable to move. This is the rule of the Heavenly Dao!"


    "Furthermore, at this time, one cannot exit either. Only after the entrance to the Secret Realm closes can cultivators begin to move freely. This ensures that all cultivators start from the same starting line, avoiding situations where those who enter the Secret Realm first gain a significant advantage."


    "But... even so."


    "Having an early entry into the Secret Realm still has its advantages."


    "Look over there."


    Fat Long extended his hand, pointing towards four red lights soaring into the sky in the west: "In the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, red light represents the opportunity of ''mental methods''. If you''re more interested in mental methods, you should head west once it starts."


    "There are three blue lights to the east, and blue represents ''Cultivation Techniques'', whether it''s defensive, offensive, or various other techniques like flying and Beast Taming, all are represented by blue."


    "To the north, those seven ''Purple Lights'' will probably attract the most people. Purple Light represents Spiritual Treasures, which are the favorites of all cultivators."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, acknowledging that, although his acquaintance with Fat Long was far from pleasant¡ªthis fat-headed idiot had eaten the pig head meat and liquor he had worked hard to earn¡ªthe information was definitely worth the price!


    This world did not have the internet.


    Information was relatively closed off.


    Just as before, he never knew this information, and exchanging a bit of pig head meat for so much intelligence was a worthwhile trade. From a certain perspective, Fat Long could be considered his benefactor.


    A benefactor doesn''t necessarily mean someone who brings you great wealth and riches. Anyone who can guide your way can also be a benefactor.


    After pausing for a moment, he pointed to the black light rising into the sky in the south: "There is only one black light to the south. What''s there? The greatest opportunity?"


    "Haha."


    The corner of Fat Long''s mouth twitched slightly, "Do you think ''black'' and ''opportunity'' are compatible? Black often signifies that the location harbors the strongest Fierce Beast of the Secret Realm. It would be wiser not to go near it."


    "Understood."


    Chen Qiu gazed towards the forest in the south where he could faintly see numerous demon beasts moving about, his eyes narrowing slightly, then he looked up again into the distance: "The entire small world is enveloped by a huge white membrane. This membrane won''t gradually shrink, will it?"


    "You guessed right, it''s exactly what you''re thinking, similar to the battle royale games we used to play."


    "This is also why I''m so averse to the ''kill'' type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. The death rate is really too high!!!"


    At this time¡ª


    Quite a few people had already entered the Secret Realm one after another.


    Most of them were muscular men: some dressed as escort masters, some as peasants, others wearing sect uniforms, clearly disciples of some sect. You could say all sorts of people were present here, and most had rather grim expressions on their faces.


    Of course... in such a situation, it would be rare for anyone to smile.


    Upon entering the small world, everyone could only gather around the white vortex, standing still, patiently waiting. By sunset, a full 100 people had filled the Secret Realm.


    The entrance to the Secret Realm closed early.


    In an instant¡ª


    Everyone suddenly found the inexplicable force binding their legs vanish, and everyone regained their freedom. Immediately afterward, nearly all of them shot off towards the three directions of east, west, and north!


    No one fought! Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone tacitly reserved their strength for the end, focusing on covering ground as quickly as possible. Those with higher cultivation and possessing Spiritual Treasures and Cultivation Techniques ran in the first wave while those with lesser cultivation followed in the second wave. A few clearly with very low cultivation who had come to try their luck stayed in the third wave.


    Over forty people went to the desert in the north, evidently attracted by the Purple Light representing Spiritual Treasures.


    "What are we waiting for?"


    At this moment, Fat Long looked towards Chen Qiu¡ªwho was standing in place without moving¡ªwith some urgency, and said hurriedly, "Let''s hurry up too. Standing here motionless will make us appear timid. I am, after all, a Qi Refinement Realm sixth-layer cultivator!"


    "As long as I sound a bit more arrogant, boast about myself a bit, and they can''t gauge my strength, they probably won''t rashly attack us."


    "Especially since we haven''t obtained any treasure yet, they have no reason to fight with us."


    "But if we show weakness now, we are more likely to be used as sacrifices later!"


    It has to be said.


    In the nearly five months that Fat Long had traversed this world, he had also devised a set of survival strategies suited for himself.


    However...


    Chen Qiu shook his head, his gaze fixed on the distance, "Placing one''s life completely in the hands of others'' fear and consideration lacks a sense of security. I have a better solution, head south."


    Only to the south were there demon beasts active.


    ...


    South.


    In the forest, Fat Long, gasping for air, swung his sword again, severely wounding another demon beast before kicking it in front of Chen Qiu. Only then did he look up uneasily toward the colorful lights dissipating non-stop in the distance.


    With each light fading, it meant a treasure had been taken.


    And with that, a fight was bound to ensue.


    Squandering so much energy now would only lower the chances of survival later.


    Anxiously he turned his head again and spoke to Chen Qiu in a hurried and uneasy voice, "Brother Chen Qiu, are you sure the entry you obtained when your cultivation broke through to the first level of Qi Refinement Realm was just that your strength would increase as soon as you reached the second level of Qi Refinement Realm?"


    "It sounds too vague!"


    "Can it be stronger than the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm?"


    At this moment, he already had several wounds on his body inflicted in the dying struggles of the demon beasts. They were not serious nor fatal, but they absolutely affected his combat power, as well as others'' assessment of his strength.


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded without going into detail but took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, bent his knees slightly, and stared unblinkingly at the hungry wolf in front of him that was staring straight back with a menacing glint in its eyes!


    To respond to every change with constancy.


    Finally, the hungry wolf could no longer restrain itself and with a growl charged straight at him. Chen Qiu moved his feet slightly to dodge the attack, then concentrated all the strength of his body in his arms and swung his sword in a fluid motion.


    Blood splattered everywhere.


    With one stroke, the wolf was killed, and he also chopped down the demon beast that Fat Long had kicked over as it was on the brink of death.


    At this point, more than an hour had passed since the beginning of the Secret Realm. He had spent roughly half the time fighting in this forest and was already utterly exhausted. From the clumsy fighting at the beginning, he now had some combat experience.


    He had killed no fewer than twenty Qi Refinement Realm level one Fierce Beasts.


    The Fierce Beasts here were all hungry wolves, with cultivation levels mostly at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm; otherwise, they wouldn''t be so easy to kill.


    Finally, in front of him emerged once again that familiar panel enveloped by clouds and mist.


    ''Cultivation greatly increased, formally entering the second layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.''


    ''Due to the "Step by Step" entry, you may obtain another entry upon this cultivation breakthrough.''


    ''Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.''


    1:


    ''Entry Name'': Take the initiative.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': When entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, you can break through the binding restrictions and move freely before the entrance to the Secret Realm is closed.


    2:


    ''Entry Name'': Alchemy Posture.


    ''Entry Level'': White.


    ''Entry Effect'': Your success rate in alchemy will be slightly increased.


    3:


    ''Entry Name'': Foundation Establishment Delay.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': Your Qi Refinement Phase will be extended from the normal nine layers to eleven layers; thereafter, during Foundation Establishment, the Spiritual Energy in your Dantian will be more abundant and pure compared to other Cultivators at the same phase, and your success rate for Foundation Establishment will also be higher.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu took a few deep breaths, thrust the blood-covered woodcutting knife into the earth beside him, and the piece of cloth that had once tied the knife handle to his right hand had long since disappeared in the fight.


    Looking at the three entry choices on the panel enveloped by clouds and mist exuding a mysterious charm, he fell silent for a long while before finally turning to look at the anxious and restless Fat Long and spoke softly.


    "The strength has increased a bit."


    "But it''s still not enough. If I could break through to the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm, then there would definitely be no problem."


    "Are you joking, my good brother?!!!"


    Fat Long couldn''t restrain himself and roared in anger, "Do you think cultivation breakthroughs are that simple? To break through from the first level to the third level of Qi Refinement Realm within one day? Do you think cultivation breakthrough is as easy as drinking cool water?"


    "It''s been five months since I came to this world, and my cultivation level is only at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, alright!"


    "To purely rely on killing demon beasts to gain cultivation points for you to break through to the third level of Qi Refinement Realm, you would need to kill at least one demon beast with the cultivation of the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm. With all the little demon beasts around here at the first level, where can you find a demon beast with such cultivation?"


    Just then¡ª


    "Roar!!!"


    A burst of wild demon energy exploded from the depths of the forest, and at the same time a ferocious roar emitted, accompanied by the shaking of the ground. It was clear that an extremely fierce Fierce Beast had awakened deep within the forest and was charging straight towards them with an unmistakably clear target!


    With the intensity of that demon energy, the cultivation level started at least from the sixth layer of Qi Refinement Realm, if not higher.


    "..."


    Fat Long, standing still, bowed his head and remained silent for a while before he suddenly let out a soft sigh, his voice hoarse.


    "Maybe I have the hidden entry ''With the word spoken, the law follows.''


    "Or maybe I shouldn''t have grabbed you in the crowd back then."


    "Anyway..."


    "We must fight with our lives, once such a Fierce Beast has locked onto us, escape is impossible, we can only battle."


    "Hopefully we will win."


    "After all, I am at the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm, stronger than you. I''ll take the front; you find an opportunity from the side."


    Chen Qiu didn''t speak again but just pulled out the woodcutting knife stuck in the earth and looked towards the colossal silver-furred Wolf King that was indistinctly charging towards them from the forest not far away.

 Chapter 5 Entry Name The God of Qi Refinement.

    The Wolf King that was about to charge toward them had demon energy so condensed on its body that it almost materialized, its momentum extremely fierce.A normal modern person, facing a Wolf King charging head-on, would consider themselves heroic if they could keep their legs from shaking uncontrollably, at least Chen Qiu''s breathing started to become hurried.


    His body trembled slightly.


    A kind of indescribable fear surged in his heart, his mind began to become extremely hazy, feeling as if everything around him was slowing down.


    Just then¡ª


    "Roar!!!"


    Accompanied by a roar, the Wolf King charged straight at Chen Qiu from the forest with astonishing momentum, perhaps targeting Chen Qiu directly since he had killed too many Wolf Demons.


    "Freeze!"


    Fat Long pulled a talisman from his bosom, and as spiritual energy poured into it, the talisman instantly ignited and shot into the Wolf King''s body, visibly slowing its movements.


    "Slash!"


    Fat Long drew another talisman, which burned up instantly, and a blade of light formed from spiritual energy materialized and slashed directly at the Wolf King, accompanied by splashing blood, a terrifying, bone-deep wound erupted on the Wolf King''s back, blood gushing profusely.


    Immediately not giving the Wolf King much time to react, Fat Long roared to encourage himself and charged forward with his long sword thrust deep into the wound, intense pain making the Wolf King struggle and howl continuously.


    Fortunately... it was only a Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast.


    Apart from having greater physical strength than the two of them.


    It didn''t know any spells.


    Its fighting style was still like that of a wild beast, relying on physical strength to fight.


    Chen Qiu wasn''t idle either; he immediately flanked to the other side, he and Fat Long splitting into two directions to surround the Wolf King and initiate a guerrilla siege. The heavily injured Wolf King already had the intention to retreat, but it was too late!


    The two of them also did not attack with full force.


    Preserving their strength this way, no matter whom the Wolf King attacked, the chosen one would immediately pull away, not giving the Wolf King a chance to touch him, and the other would take the opportunity to close in, harassing the Wolf King.


    A few breaths later.


    "Sizzle!"


    As the Wolf King, increasingly slowed by excessive blood loss, Fat Long stepped back, signaling Chen Qiu to move forward; Chen Qiu didn''t waste any time, stepping large beside the Wolf King, he struck with full force, a chopping blade plunging straight into the Wolf King''s neck.


    Even after receiving such a deadly blow.


    The Wolf King still didn''t die on the spot but instead struggled even more vigorously, as if revitalized.


    The blade was stuck in its neck and couldn''t be pulled out for a while, so Chen Qiu simply pressed his entire weight onto the Wolf King, focusing all his strength on the handle of the blade, stubbornly driving the blade deeper into its neck.


    Finally...


    The body of the Wolf King gradually stiffened, coming to a complete halt in its struggle, no longer breathing.


    A Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast had perished just like that!


    "Damn..."


    The battle over, Fat Long, who had still been brimming with energy, suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion emanating from the depths of his heart, and his legs went soft, causing him to sit down on the ground, gazing at the blood that covered his clothes, some expressions of bewilderment directed toward the body of the Wolf King in front of him.


    The silvery white fur on the Wolf King''s body had already been completely stained red.


    The demon energy on its body was also slowly dispersing.


    Even its pupils were beginning to dilate, every sign indicating that this once formidable Wolf King had truly died, killed by them.


    "Am I really that powerful?"


    Fat Long looked down at his hands in a daze, never having imagined that he could himself kill a Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast. Demons of the same Cultivation Realm were usually stronger than Cultivators, especially since he had neither Cultivation Techniques nor Magic Treasures, his power was supposed to be somewhat inferior.


    But now it seemed...


    He might need to reassess his own strength.


    A Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast was nothing much after all!


    ...


    At that moment, Chen Qiu, equally out of breath, was sitting on the grass. The axe he had been using to chop wood for over thirty days was still embedded in the Wolf King''s neck; he hadn''t pulled it out. He checked his body: there were numerous injuries, but nothing serious.


    The majority were abrasions.


    Only on his abdomen was there a claw mark from the wolf, from which blood was still seeping; it stung a bit.


    After stepping into the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm, among the three random entries he had to choose from, he selected the green entry "Delay Foundation Establishment." The first two entries were of little use to him, and he had never considered Alchemy, so he didn''t need that entry.


    Although he quite liked the entry "Take the initiative," as it meant that in future entries into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he could act ahead of others, be it setting traps or grabbing rewards first, which would be extremely beneficial.


    However, he felt that "Delay Foundation Establishment" suited him a bit more, effectively providing him with two additional entries and also enhancing his Foundation Establishment success rate, which was great.


    Just then¡ª


    From the body of the Wolf King, a faint light floated into the air and merged into Chen Qiu''s body, making him feel suddenly warm, and even the pain somewhat subsided. When he performed introspection again, sure enough¡ª


    A panel of text enveloped by clouds and mist appeared inside his body once more.


    "Cultivation greatly increased, officially entering the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "Due to the entry ''Step by Step,'' this Cultivation breakthrough grants another entry."


    "Please choose from the following three random entries within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry Name": God of Qi Refinement.


    "Entry Level": Grey.


    "Entry Effect": You will permanently be unable to achieve Foundation Establishment, but your lifespan will be extended by 500 years.


    2:


    "Entry Name": Yama''s Personal Decree.


    "Entry Level": Grey.


    "Entry Effect": You will definitely die one year later, but you are guaranteed to not die within this year.


    3:


    "Entry Name": Resentful Spirit Summoning.


    "Entry Level": Green.


    "Entry Effect": Creatures killed by you will turn into resentful spirits attached to your body, which you can summon at any time to fight for you with the strength they had at their peak, but once summoned, they can only exist for one hour, after which they dissipate into the universe. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the three random entries in front of him, pondered for a moment, and chose the third entry, "Resentful Spirit Summoning." It seemed like there wasn''t much need to consider it since the first two had rather significant drawbacks.


    The third entry was precisely the combat ability he urgently needed.


    And it was a skill-type entry.


    So far, aside from this entry, the other entries he had randomly obtained were mostly support or passive types; this one was an entry that could be actively triggered.


    "Fat Long."


    After resting for a moment on the ground, Chen Qiu turned his head to look at Fat Long beside him and softly said, "Thanks."


    Honestly, that serving of pig''s head meat had been worth it. Not only had Fat Long helped him kill the creature, but he had also let him land the final blow on the Wolf King and had used up his only two talismans. Honestly, he felt somewhat embarrassed; if it hadn''t been for Fat Long, he wouldn''t have been able to advance to the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm so quickly.


    "It''s nothing."


    Fat Long thought about the two talismans he had painstakingly saved. Although it pained him, he still managed to feign generosity and shook his head: "At least our cooperation turned out to be surprisingly well-synchronized, which is great. In this dangerous and unfamiliar world, having a teammate like you is really good."


    What he didn''t tell Chen Qiu was that, before meeting him, he had also found a few other compatriots who had come through. Those compatriots had all risen to high positions. When he approached them trying to bond, he was met with cold shoulders and ridicule.


    It was humiliating.


    It was better to stay with someone of lower cultivation than himself; at least then, he wouldn''t be ridiculed.

 Chapter 6 Wells do not interfere with rivers.

    "Right."Chen Qiu remembered the three random entries he had just drawn and hesitated, "How are the levels of entries differentiated?"


    "Well..."


    Fat Long nodded seriously, "The levels of entries from low to high are respectively, White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, and above that there are Red, Golden, Pink, Seven-colored."


    "A total of nine levels."


    "They imply the will of the Heavenly Dao."


    "All cultivators can only obtain a random entry when they achieve a major breakthrough in their realm, and the level of this random entry is closely related to one''s own Cultivation Realm."


    "The higher the cultivation, the higher the level of entry that one can randomly receive."


    "For example, although a cultivator at the Qi Refinement Realm theoretically has a chance to draw a Seven-colored term, the actual probability is so low it''s pitiful, possibly one lucky individual every ten thousand years."


    "But if you''re at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, the probability of randomly getting a Seven-colored entry during a major realm breakthrough will be much higher."


    "These nine levels are all the levels for entries."


    Fat Long paused, then looked up at the black glow that was slowly dissolving above his head, and continued, "Aside from that, there are also some special level entries, such as the Grey entry. Grey entries don''t fall within these nine levels and can''t be ranked."


    "Grey entries often have extremely powerful effects, but also carry extremely serious drawbacks."


    "If you happen to randomly get a Grey entry, then... whether it''s fortune or misfortune is really hard to say."


    "It''s all fate."


    Chen Qiu nodded without speaking. To tell the truth, the effects of those two Grey entries just now were quite good indeed. If it were some specific people, like ordinary mortals without dreams of cultivation, getting an extra 500 years of life for free would be rather nice.


    It''s just a bit torturous, watching your friends and family leave one by one. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The second "Yama''s Personal Decree" would, for some cultivators on the brink of death, be like extending their lifespan by a year, and during this year, they could act unfettered, or for Sect Supreme Elders, they could burn brightly and contribute to their sect during this year.


    Of course, in most cases, this entry is akin to Yama''s death warrant.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    Behind the two, a translucent barrier that enveloped the entire small world slowly closed in on them.


    "Let''s go, Brother Chen Qiu, it''s shrinking."


    Fat Long got up from the ground, casually stowed his long sword in his Storage Bag, and muttered, "Once I get some money, the first thing I''ll do is swap for a saber-type Magic Treasure. Using this long sword is really awkward."


    ...


    The two, clad in bloodstained clothes, slowly walked from the forest to the center of the plains.


    At this moment, almost ten people were already scattered across the plain, each of them caked with blood as well. At a glance, many of them didn''t have light injuries, and the look they gave Chen Qiu and his companion was tinged with wariness and caution.


    "Fellow Daoists."


    Just then, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face stepped forward, looking at Chen Qiu and his companion with a solemn voice, "According to the rules of Jianghu, in the ''Slaying'' type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, when the last light fades, it means the fight should cease!"


    "All treasures, no matter who holds them, are that person''s fate."


    "No further plundering is allowed."


    It''s no wonder these people were all full of wariness. Normal people who enter the ''Slaying'' type Secret Realm, aren''t they all coming for treasures? Who would go to the black area?


    As everyone knows, the most powerful Fierce Beast in the Secret Realm is in the black area, aside from which there are no treasures at all.


    And there''s only one type of person who would go to such a place¡ª


    Combat enthusiasts!


    Whether they are Jianghu Guests, Sect Disciples, government lackeys, or even the lowest scum, the one type of person they all fear the most are combat enthusiasts. These people tend not to follow any rules and don''t care about any benefits.


    Their life''s goal is to fight, to fight until death, which is their life''s creed.


    Commonly known as head-choppers.


    At this moment, in the eyes of these people, Chen Qiu and Fat Long were like battle maniacs, and not just ordinary ones, but those with formidable strength. Otherwise, they wouldn''t appear to have sustained no serious injuries while they had killed the strongest Fierce Beast in this Secret Realm!


    "..."


    Chen Qiu didn''t speak, only glancing around. As expected, the bright lights that had originally shot into the sky had all disappeared, indicating that all the treasures had found their masters, now in the hands of the crowd. There were only nine people standing here at this moment.


    Yet one hundred people had entered this small world.


    Which meant, in just this short period, eighty-nine people had died in the scramble for treasures.


    He was silent, not saying a word. Although he had not met those eighty-nine people, after all, so many lives had just perished in this small world, it couldn''t help but make one sigh. If it hadn''t been for Fat Long, maybe he too would have died here?


    Feigning composure, Fat Long waved his hands. He was just about to bluff his way through when he was preparing to leave the Secret Realm successfully.


    Just then¡ª


    "Szzt!"


    Among the nine people standing on the plain, suddenly three people violently drew their swords and lashed out, aiming directly at the person closest to them, giving no time for a reaction. In just two or three breaths, only four people were left standing on the spot.


    Three men, clad in different attire and wielding sharp blades, surrounded an ordinary-looking young man in the middle, their cruel and cold gazes tightly fixed on Chen Qiu and Fat Long.


    "Heh heh."


    Before Chen Qiu and Fat Long had a chance to speak, the ordinary-looking young man in the center pulled out a fan from nowhere, casually flicking it to and fro, looking at Chen Qiu and the others with a smirk, "How is it, have you never seen such a low-key young master before?"


    "Do you know what I hate the most? It''s those young masters dressed in fancy clothes with identical uniforms for their lackeys, afraid of not being conspicuous enough."


    "Look¡ª"


    "Like me, having my subordinates wear different clothes and pretend to be Loose Cultivators blending into the crowd. Then striking at the critical moment, who can react in time?"


    "These days, Cultivation isn''t just about brute strength, you also need to use your brain."


    "I, Huang Shikai, want all the treasures in this Secret Realm for myself. As for the two of you..."


    "How do you wish to die?"


    As he spoke, Huang Shikai had a trace of wariness in his eyes when looking at the two. His plan was to have everything under control. Since he had come to this small world, all its treasures would undoubtedly be his. But what he hadn''t anticipated was the sudden appearance of two battle maniacs with unknown prowess, which left him feeling slightly uneasy.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t have wasted so much talk.


    Even though the strongest was only at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, there were still differences between those at the same stage of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    "Young Master Huang."


    Without any hesitation, Fat Long immediately dropped to his knees, earnestly cupping his fists, "Your reputation precedes you. I''ve long heard of your handsome and dashing bearing, and your achievements at such a young age. Seeing you today, it really is as expected."


    "We don''t want any treasures from this small world, could we possibly not infringe upon each other''s territories and part ways here?"


    "Heh, what do you think?"


    Huang Shikai instantly felt emboldened upon seeing Fat Long''s behavior and with a cold snicker, he stepped back and gestured with his hand, "Kill them all."


    No witnesses, that way there would be no loose ends.


    Otherwise, if word of what just happened got out, it would cause some damage to his reputation.


    Seeing how feeble he was, and appearing to have no backing, it was clear he was a Loose Cultivator. Dead, he would just die in vain.


    Chen Qiu, standing off to the side, didn''t speak. He simply lowered his head and wiped his machete clean of blood with the corner of his clothes. Then he patted Fat Long on the shoulder and whispered, "Get up, they can''t beat us."


    "We''re going to have to stake a claim in these waters. I quite want these treasures from the small world."


    The next instant¡ª


    Thick resentful energy suddenly erupted from Chen Qiu''s body, and in the blink of an eye, more than twenty Qi Refinement Realm stage one Wolf Demons and one Qi Refinement Realm stage six Wolf King appeared out of nowhere beside him.


    These resentful spirits looked semi-transparent and somewhat ethereal but the combined might of their resentful energy and demon energy appeared extremely formidable.


    "Roar!"


    Several roaring cries abruptly rose one after another across the plain!

 Chapter 7 Full Force Strike, Cant Break Through the Defense?

    These Wolf Demons were the resentful spirits of those who had just died by his hand, their wolf bodies now a uniform translucent appearance, looking incredibly ethereal.Naturally, this included the Wolf King.


    The strength of this Wolf King was unquestionable. If it weren''t for Fat Long''s two talismans, the two of them would not have been able to kill the Wolf King. The most important factor in their ability to kill the Wolf King was that this Qi Refinement Realm sixth-layer Wolf King only appeared after all its underlings had perished.


    Otherwise, if they had attacked together, with the Wolf Demon underlings providing support, the outcome would truly be uncertain. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although he did not know the Cultivation of these three, to be able to serve as henchmen for a young master, they must be stronger than average in both Cultivation and combat experience. In this battle of life and death, who would stand until the end?


    He himself felt somewhat lacking in confidence.


    But...


    In the face of a great battle, one must not show weakness.


    Chen Qiu stood in place, holding a wood-cutting knife, looking calmly towards the four people not far away, and said softly, "Kill!"


    As the word fell.


    The Wolf Demon resentful spirits behind him seemed to receive the order, roaring angrily as they rushed forward together.


    "What kind of technique is this?"


    Standing aside, Fat Long''s eyes lit up at the scene unfolding before him, "Brother Chen Qiu, is this the entry you gained randomly after breaking through to the Qi Refinement Realm first layer? You can summon resentful spirits? No wonder you said you''d become strong once you break through to the third layer of Qi Refinement, so this is why!"


    "This entry''s restriction must be that it can only be used starting from the third layer of Qi Refinement, right?"


    "And since you, Brother Chen Qiu, said it''s an entry for later stages, presumably as your Realm Cultivation progresses, the strength of the summoned resentful spirits will also increase, right?"


    "A growth-type active skill entry!"


    "Brother Chen Qiu, you really do have good luck!"


    A hint of envy flickered in Fat Long''s eyes, then he felt a bit irritated. Why was his luck so bad? What use was the Nine Ox Power to him? Not only was it useless, but it also came with nothing but side effects.


    Ugly and uncomfortable.


    There was no helping it, after all, it wasn''t like he could shoot down nine suns like Hou Yi of old, and now...


    ...


    Luckily, the three henchmen under the young master, after many battles and with serious injuries, were nearly drained of their strength, and even failed to wait for Chen Qiu and his companion to join the battlefield.


    The battle was over.


    All three were horrifically killed by the Wolf King''s sharp fangs.


    "Damn it!!!"


    Seeing that the Wolf King had now set its sights on him, with its bloodthirsty crimson pupils bursting forth, the young master Huang Shikai couldn''t help but let out an angry and cold laugh, "Very well, very well, you''ve got guts. But you''re still lacking if you want to kill me."


    "Don''t ever think I''m like those pampered young masters; I survive on my wits!"


    The next moment¡ª


    The young man suddenly emitted a yellow glow from his hands and feet, a sure sign of a Cultivation Technique being activated. To master a Cultivation Technique at the Qi Refinement Realm''s sixth layer was not something the average person could afford.


    "Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Technique, Iron Sand Palm!"


    Then they saw the young master, the moment the Wolf King charged towards him, suddenly lie down on the spot, his hands and feet plunging straight into the ground, firmly anchoring himself in place, immediately becoming embedded on the surface of the earth.


    At that moment, the Wolf King had already lunged at the young man, yet strangely, no matter how hard it bit or slashed with its claws, it was unable to inflict even the slightest injury on Huang Shikai''s body.


    ...


    "Hm?"


    Chen Qiu noticed something amiss, walked straight up, bent down to look at the young man who was embedded into the ground, and after frowning in puzzlement for a while, he waved his hand to signal the Wolf King to back off.


    He raised the woodcutter''s axe high above his head, aimed at the nape of Huang Shikai''s neck, and chopped down with all his might!


    "Clang!"


    A sudden metal-on-metal clash echoed.


    The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he threw away the woodcutter''s axe, its blade fiercely trembling in his hand. He felt as though he had struck steel; the blow left Huang Shikai completely unharmed while his own arm had gone numb.


    A full-powered strike that couldn''t breach the defense?


    It was at this moment¡ª


    "Hahahaha!!!"


    Huang Shikai, with his face pressed against the ground, began to laugh triumphantly: "Forgot to tell you, my Initial Entry is the Yellow Entry ''Unassailable from Behind'', any attack coming from behind or my side cannot harm me."


    "The small world will close in half an hour, you can''t do anything to me, I have memorized your faces; the moment I get out, I''ll make sure you''re killed immediately."


    "Rest assured, I will have a good time with you then."


    "Such good luck."


    Fat Long, who followed behind Chen Qiu, spoke with a complex expression: "Sometimes I really resent you lucky ones, the first random entry you get is always such a superior one."


    He knew well enough.


    Many entries in this world are interconnected; there aren''t any absolutely useless ones, even his ''Nine Ox Power'' can''t be considered utterly useless, as many entries can synergize with it.


    For example, the green entry ''In Numbers'', the effect of this entry causes any surplus organs on your body to mutate, gaining an unfathomably powerful force.


    The more superfluous organs you have, the greater the power of this green entry, which is quite compatible with his ''Nine Ox Power''.


    But the main reason for his occasional irritation is that a poor first entry means that, even if there are many other entries related to yours, it''s difficult to survive long enough to reach the Realm Cultivation required to obtain them.


    And... he did not at all want that damn ''In Numbers'' green entry!


    Even if it would make him stronger!


    ...


    The biggest downside of such closely related entries is that without the complete set, a single entry is hard to utilize effectively, and... there''s no guarantee of acquiring the specific entry from the group.


    The randomness is just too high.


    It''s said that some Heavenly Dao Secret Realms produce certain Spiritual Treasures, which can grant a cultivator a random entry even without breaking through to a Great Realm, or offer a chance to re-randomize an entry during a breakthrough. But these treasures are extremely valuable and never seem to fall into his hands.


    This is also why Fat Long had such a complex expression upon hearing that Huang Shikai''s first entry was a Yellow one¡ªthis kid was just too lucky, starting with a Yellow entry, a genuine Child of Destiny.


    An Initial Entry is absolutely irreplaceable and with a cultivator for life.


    Latter entries obtained from breaking through Great Realms can indeed be erased and replaced with some Spiritual Treasures.


    Initial Entries essentially represent a cultivator''s innate talent.

 Chapter 8 Living long is the real skill.

    "Actually, it''s quite good." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.Chen Qiu noticed Fat Long''s thoughts and, looking down at Huang Shikai who was embedded in the ground in front of him, he whispered, "Everyone''s Initial Entry is random, which, in a way, means that the path to ascension has opened up quite a bit."


    "Even mortals now have the opportunity to cultivate."


    "Otherwise, if the path was completely sealed off, the class system of this world would be far too harsh, and people like us, the common folk, would suffer tremendously."


    He realized that the young master in front of him might not be very smart, for he couldn''t understand why the young master would expose his own entry. If he had kept his mouth shut, they would have no idea what the man''s entry was.


    It might take a good while to figure out.


    Perhaps before the hour in the small world ended, they still wouldn''t have understood, and would actually let this young master leave alive.


    But since the young master had blurted it out himself, they no longer needed to investigate.


    While signaling the Wolf King to start digging, he walked over to the few corpses nearby and methodically removed their Storage Bags.


    Digging a hole wasn''t too much trouble at all.


    Why did this guy think he was invincible?


    ...


    Soon¡ª


    Chen Qiu had sorted out all his gains from the occasion.


    Three Yellow Level lower-grade mental methods, and one Yellow Level Mid-grade mental method.


    Three Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques.


    Seven Spiritual Treasures emitting faint glimmers.


    As well as nine Storage Bags and a dozen pieces of Silver.


    "Struck it rich, struck it rich, this time I''ve really struck it rich!"


    Fat Long''s whole body looked towards the pile of treasures in front with lips trembling from excessive excitement, his voice shaking with extreme agitation, "Five months... All the wealth I''ve accumulated in these five months isn''t even close to one percent of what''s here!"


    "How did I suddenly strike it rich? Let me think this through."


    "Let''s start with the prices."


    Chen Qiu glanced at the Wolf King, who was still vigorously digging beside him, and looked towards the pile of treasures. He carelessly placed the wood-cutting knife in his bosom, inwardly alert. Although he had no intention of killing Fat Long and swallowing all the gains for himself, he still had to guard against Fat Long.


    He felt grateful to Fat Long and had a good impression of him, but when the stakes are too high, people can easily lose their reason.


    "Huff!"


    Fat Long took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart, "A normal Cultivation Technique can be recorded and, if the owner is willing, can be circulated among countless people. But, Brother Chen Qiu, do you know why the Cultivation Techniques in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm provoke so many to risk their lives for them?"


    "After all, they are just some Yellow Level lower-grade techniques. In the markets of the Cultivation World, such a technique would cost only 10 pieces of Silver, not too expensive."


    "Although they are all common goods, 10 pieces of Silver indeed can buy a Yellow Level lower-grade technique."


    "Cultivation of a technique requires time and comprehension."


    "The depths of Cultivation of a technique reveal greater power, divided into Entry, Minor Achievement, Great Achievement, Advancing and Great Perfection five levels."


    "Normally, to cultivate a Yellow Level lower-grade technique to the Great Achievement Realm and unleash almost all the power of the technique, at least an entire year of arduous Cultivation is required!"


    "However, the techniques produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm come with a Heavenly Dao Blessing. Each technique can be learned by only one Cultivator, embedded in a Jade Scroll, burned after reading. Once learned, you start at the Great Achievement Realm!"


    "And the speed of cultivating to the Great Perfection Realm is also four to five times faster than those ordinary techniques!"


    Fat Long paused for a moment, his eyes brimming with excitement as he stared intently at the few Jade Scrolls on the ground, "That''s why the techniques produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm are extremely rare and priced so high!"


    "A Yellow Level lower-grade technique from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is priced at 3 Spirit Stones!"


    "A Yellow Level lower-grade mental method, priced at 3 Spirit Stones!"


    "A Yellow Level Mid-grade mental method, priced at 10 Spirit Stones!"


    "All these Spiritual Treasures are Yellow Level lower-grade, each priced at 5 Spirit Stones!"


    "Storage Bags aren''t worth much. Excluding the Storage Bags, all these items together are priced at 63 Spirit Stones!!!"


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly and whispered, "How much is one Spirit Stone worth in currency?"


    "One Spirit Stone can be exchanged for 100 taels of silver, one tael of silver is equal to 1,000 wen, so one Spirit Stone can be exchanged for 100,000 wen."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu remained silent and didn''t speak any further, as he knew little about the prices in this world. He only knew that he could rent a decent cottage within the courtyard for 300 wen and buy a meal of good pig''s head meat and burning liquor for less than 100 wen.


    He had to work hard chopping wood all day just to earn a dozen wen.


    Even though he had learned how to kill yesterday, he had only gained a little over 2,000 wen.


    But all the items in front of him added up to a total of 6,300,000 wen.


    Considering that he earned 20 wen per day from chopping wood, he would need to chop wood non-stop for a full 315,000 days, which amounts to exactly 863 years, to amass that much money.


    And now¡ª


    He had merely entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, killed some people, and picked up some treasures.


    He had bypassed 863 years of taking the wrong path.


    After a long while, Chen Qiu suddenly spoke, "Chopping wood indeed isn''t a very promising career."


    "Cutting down people has a much better cost-effectiveness ratio."


    "Hehe."


    Meanwhile, Fat Long, who had been originally excited, suddenly gave a few dry laughs, "That... Brother Chen Qiu, you really shouldn''t harbor such thoughts. You must know that those who kill will ultimately die by the sword. We can''t just look at the gains before us; we also have to consider those who died because of these treasures."


    "A total of 100 people, and only the two of us are left."


    "Think about how terrifying the mortality rate is. This path might lead to quick riches but more likely to a quick death!"


    Just then¡ª


    "Nonsense, I''m not dead yet!"


    At the side, Huang Shikai, who was barely holding up and visibly scared, shouted loudly, "Brothers, I was wrong, please spare my life! I will surely repay you once we get out! We all are people of the Jianghu, show some mercy!"


    Considering the digging speed of the Wolf King beside him, he''d be dead before the small world even closed.


    "Not to worry, you''ll be quick too."


    Fat Long casually rolled his eyes at Huang Shikai, then shifted his gaze and seriously looked at Chen Qiu, continuing, "Brother Chen Qiu, the both of us indeed had our fortune today, and there are some things I still want to tell you; you definitely cannot let today''s quick riches cloud your judgment."


    "Honestly, there were more than a dozen people who entered this world with me."


    "The strongest among them even managed to reach Foundation Establishment in just the third month."


    "But five months passed, and I am the only one still alive."


    "In the path of cultivation, speed of cultivation, no matter how fast, is not really power. Only living long enough, that''s the true skill."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu kept silent and didn''t speak but after a pause, he looked up into Fat Long''s earnest eyes and couldn''t help but shake his head with a smile, "You really are very afraid of dying."


    "Of course, who isn''t."


    "Look."


    Chen Qiu glanced at the corpses not far away and casually said, "They weren''t afraid."


    "So they died, and I''m alive!"


    "Alright, let''s not talk about this anymore."


    He didn''t continue delving deeper into the topic but instead looked at the pile of treasures before them like a small mountain.


    "Let''s divide it, you tell me, how should we split this?"


    ...


    ps: Thanks to the boss ''Niaraeth'' for the 10,000 starting coins tip, as well as bosses ''Realized'' and ''Sleepy Bear'' for their coin tips and monthly ticket support, the new book has set sail, thank you for the support.

 Chapter 9

    After Chen Qiu asked that question, he fell silent and just quietly looked at Fat Long, his heart hoping for a sixty-thirty split.His thirty, Fat Long''s seventy.


    In this way, he would be able to repay the favor he owed Fat Long in the "small world", as he disliked the feeling of being in someone''s debt.


    "Let''s do seventy-thirty,"


    After pondering for a long while, Fat Long finally spoke, "You seventy, I thirty. Your combat power is already about to surpass mine, you have better luck than me, having randomly acquired an attack method entry during the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "With my entry, I''m pretty much done for during the Qi Refinement period, unlikely to demonstrate anything outstanding."


    "I guess I''ll have to rely on you in the future."


    "This time you take more, and later we''ll travel together. That way, in this unfamiliar world, we can watch each other''s backs. Chen Qiu, brother, what do you say?"


    "That works."


    Chen Qiu nodded, and didn''t say much else.


    ...


    The last bit of time quickly passed away as well, and Huang Shikai, who was next to them, died in despair in the jaws of the Wolf King. Chen Qiu had discovered something very interesting: the resentful spirits of the cultivators killed by the Wolf King could also be summoned by him.


    That is to say, the creatures killed by the spirits he summoned were also considered to have been killed by him.


    In a sense, it was like a perpetual motion machine.


    With this, he could, at any time, summon three resentful spirits of cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and one at the fifth level, which also served as a small trump card, giving him a sense of security.


    Day broke.


    The white vortex exit in the small world slowly appeared once more, and the resentful spirit of the Wolf King dispersed into the world forever.


    Stepping into the white vortex, Chen Qiu saw the scenery change in front of his eyes, and when everything calmed down, he was back in the bamboo forest three miles east of Fufeng City. Only now, there were many people surrounding him.


    Over a hundred people encircled them, completely cutting off any escape.


    Many had intense killing intent on their faces, and with their fiercely muscled appearances, they were clearly not to be trifled with.


    ...


    "I forgot to say."


    Fat Long tugged cautiously at Chen Qiu''s sleeve, his mouth twitching slightly as he whispered, "The Heavenly Dao Secret Realm has one major flaw: you exit from the same place you entered. This often leads to many people liking to wait at the entrances of secret realms, ambushing and killing those who come out to minimize their own risk."


    "It seems we forgot to hire an escort master."


    "If you hired an escort master, they would successfully escort you to safety when you come out of the secret realm alive."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly at the husky men who were eyeing them menacingly and had them surrounded, inadvertently taking a step back, and said calmly, "What if we don''t have an escort master?"


    "Then you play up your background, your power, which can scare many away."


    "And if we don''t have that?"


    "Then it''s up to fate."


    Just then¡ª


    "Kill!"


    A gang within the crowd, armed with machetes and looking ferocious, took their lead from the husky man who had initially had an encounter with Chen Qiu. Only now, his expression appeared quite unsettled as he raised his machete and bellowed, "All the treasures from this secret realm must be on them! Whoever grabs it, keeps it!"


    He hadn''t expected this young man to come out of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm alive, nor had he imagined that, of the hundred people who had entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, there would be only two to come out alive.


    ```


    Everyone knows that the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm designed for killing is perilous, but that''s mostly hearsay, as no one has actually seen it.


    Seeing it today, I realize that its degree of danger is rather terrifying indeed.


    The brawny man leading them had a voice full of malevolence, roaring extremely loud, yet he did not take a single step forward to engage in combat. However, his thunderous roar instantly ignited the desires in the hearts of everyone around.


    No one wanted to make the first move, to avoid running into a tough opponent.


    Yet, they were afraid that others would make a move and worried that the treasures would be snatched away by someone else.


    With the first person rushing in, the entire scene immediately became a chaotic mess. It was dawn by then, and in the bamboo forest, countless brawny men armed with sharp weapons charged towards the two young men, one skinny and one fat.


    ... sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The screams, the sound of blades cutting through flesh, the blood splattering in mid-air.


    In such circumstances, people quickly lose their sanity.


    They can''t even discern friends from foes, feeling that everyone around them is attacking themselves. A group composed only of Qi Refinement Realm cultivators at best, their methods of attack were still the most barbaric, like those of village farmers, making the scene look intimidating.


    Yet, in reality, it wasn''t as grand as an all-out brawl involving every villager from two villages.


    At some point, the scene started to calm down.


    Many were panting with injuries all over their bodies, and the two young men were nowhere to be seen. Everyone looked suspiciously at others, wondering who had snatched the treasures.


    ...


    And at this time¡ª


    Chen Qiu was already walking on an official road with Fat Long.


    Using the "Earth Tunneling Technique" and "Blinding Spell" they had obtained from the Secret Realm¡ªwhich they had mastered to the Great Achievement Realm¡ªthey had easily tunneled through the ground and escaped during the chaos.


    Until they reached this official road.


    "Here."


    Fat Long took out a piece of dry ration from his bosom and handed it to Chen Qiu, "Eat something to fill your stomach for now. There''s a post station a few miles ahead where you can have something warm to eat. Continue along this official road for ten miles, and you''ll find some cultivator markets."


    "It''s called a market, but it''s actually more like a city, just that it''s not counted among the 365 cities of Da Xia Country and doesn''t pay taxes."


    "The market is mostly cultivators, and those at the Foundation Establishment Stage are not so rare. The owner of this market is a Loose Cultivator at the mid-Golden Core stage, known as the ''Barefoot Immortal''."


    "Walking on the official road is safe. According to Da Xia law, no one is allowed to attack any living being on the official road, whether they be commoners, cultivators, wanted criminals, or members of the Demon Beast Clan."


    "Even if it''s just a rabbit, as long as it''s on the official road, you can''t kill it."


    "This law is implemented very thoroughly in Da Xia, no matter how powerful the noble or official, no one is exempted from punishment. Once violated, it''s direct extermination of the Nine Tribes."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded, taking the dry ration from Fat Long without disdain, wiped the dust off it with the corner of his clothes, and then began to eat, "The importance of transportation to a country goes without saying. If there''s no frequent interaction and trade between regions, and even the official roads aren''t safe, that indeed has a significant impact."


    "It''s evident that Da Xia bestows the official roads with a considerable amount of importance."


    "Just... is exterminating the Nine Tribes not a bit excessive?"


    "It is a bit."


    Fat Long silently nodded, "Rumor has it that 500 years ago, this law was enforced exactly as such. But not long after its implementation, a prince of Da Xia, furious with his father for favoring his younger brother, killed a rabbit on the official road in broad daylight."


    "The act was witnessed by many."


    "According to the law, the entire Da Xia Royal Family could have gone down to meet their ancestors."


    "But a special exemption would diminish the status of the official roads and the law."


    ```

 Chapter 10

    "Back in those days, the situation was said to be quite complicated, as it was a time of chaos. Many surrounding countries and races were engaged in life and death battles. Da Xia, in order to win over talents from all over the world, extended the Official Road far and wide, proclaiming that anyone who set foot on the Official Road, regardless of their status, would be protected by Da Xia.""No one was allowed to attack."


    "Moreover, after iron-bloodedly executing millions, all the neighboring races and countries remembered the four characters ''Da Xia Official Road''."


    "It was due to this national policy that Da Xia managed to draw in a great number of talents from other perished countries and races. Even today, on the high seats of the Da Xia imperial court, there are quite a few people from foreign lands, and even from the Devil Clan."


    "Many people came forward to pledge their loyalty, and for a time, Da Xia''s prestige was unparalleled."


    "Back then, Da Xia''s laws represented a lot of things; they showed Da Xia''s attitude toward the outside world. The moment there was the slightest sign of softening, other races would find breaches."


    "In the end, left with no choice, the then Holy Emperor of Da Xia expelled the Third Prince from the Imperial Family. Then, in the very center of the Capital, the prince was tortured to death on the execution stage with one thousand and twenty-four cuts."


    "This was also the first prince since ancient times who was tortured to death for killing a rabbit."


    "Since then, the law underwent a slight change. It was no longer about exterminating Nine Tribes but about being slowly sliced to death."


    "Five hundred years have passed."


    "The reputation of ''Da Xia Official Road'' has been imprinted in the hearts of everyone. From young children to the elderly, all understood one thing: once you set foot on ''Da Xia Official Road,'' your safety was absolute."


    ...


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding, but he did not speak. Instead, he looked around. The morning sun shone on him, warming his body, and he even felt that the injuries he sustained the night before were much lighter.


    Perhaps due to the early morning, there weren''t many people on the Official Road.


    There were villagers with hoes over their shoulders, messengers riding fast horses, and Cultivators flying through the air with Sword Flight.


    This world seemed to lack purely ordinary people.


    Basically, every adult male had at least the Qi Refinement Realm level one Cultivation. Although this level of Cultivation couldn''t extend life or strengthen the body, it ensured one had an Initial Entry.


    On both sides of the Official Road, there were numerous spirit fields. At the moment, many villagers stood in the middle of these spirit fields, casting the ''Spring Rain Technique'' to precisely irrigate their own fields with spiritually rich rainwater.


    It all looked rather harmonious and joyful. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Official Road was very wide, wide enough to accommodate eight carriages traveling side by side.


    On both sides of the Official Road, every two steps there was a golden stone embedded in the surface of the road. According to Fat Long''s explanation, these golden stones were Array Stones.


    Whenever there was a surge of Spiritual Energy on the Official Road, the Array Stones would transmit the nearby scene to the City Lord Mansion of the closest city.


    These Array Stones also formed a Formation that covered the entire Da Xia Country. This too, was something from five hundred years ago. At that time, it was said that it was impossible to set up such a large and complex formation.


    Generally, a Formation is either round or square, used to protect some important industry, like a sect.


    But, the Official Road of Da Xia Country was like a spider web.


    To set up a Formation a hundred times more complex than a spider web was considered nearly impossible, until later a master of formations suddenly came up with an extremely perfect solution, and it was accomplished.


    These Array Stones not only served the purpose of surveillance, but they also ensured that the Official Road remained undamaged. Moreover, when under attack, they would raise a protective barrier that enveloped the entire section of the Official Road, capable of blocking all attacks below the Golden Core Stage.


    And the Array Stones buried under the surface of the Official Road would also activate quickly, causing the ''Wind Walking Skill'' to cover the entire surface of the Official Road. The speed of travel on it would be twenty times faster than normal, allowing one to quickly escape from danger.


    "It''s evident."


    Chen Qiu observed his surroundings. "The then Holy Emperor of Da Xia truly put a lot of effort into the Official Road five hundred years ago, really wanting to win over talents from all over."


    "However¡ª"


    He slightly furrowed his brows, pointing to the part of the Official Road ahead that veered nearly sixty degrees to the right in confusion, "Why does the Official Road ahead turn around such a huge distance, about thirty zhang?"


    The Official Road ahead inexplicably veered off to the right and then, after a distance of about thirty zhang, it looped back and continued straight ahead.


    There were no mountains, no villages, no lakes around.


    """


    What is the point of making such a detour for no reason?


    "I don''t know."


    Fat Long shook his head: "Perhaps there''s a spirit stone mine hidden under the original path, or maybe there was a village here that has since been relocated. I don''t know such detailed information; my understanding of this world comes from rumors in the marketplace."


    ...


    "We''ve arrived."


    "That''s the inn right ahead. The inn, like the Da Xia Official Road, is absolutely safe, and stopping for a warm meal won''t be a problem."


    Fat Long let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes brimming with anticipation as he looked at the nearby inn. Just past the inn was the market. As long as he could sell all of his treasures this time, he''d truly strike it rich!


    Chen Qiu touched the storage bag concealed under his clothes and sized up the inn before him, which had a decently large footprint.


    It was a wooden two-story building with a yard and a stable in the back.


    The first floor for dining, the second floor for lodging; this was the standard layout for most inns. At a glance, it looked like there were more than twenty rooms available for travelers to stay in¡ªnot too small.


    ...


    Fat Long walked into the inn with a face full of expectation. At this early hour, there were only two other tables occupied as not many people were about.


    Autumn was deepening. Even though the sun was quite good today, the autumn wind carried a chill.


    "Shopkeeper!"


    "One serving of pressed duck, two bowls of mutton offal soup, three liang of beef, and two dry pancakes!"


    After Fat Long confidently ordered, he turned to Chen Qiu with a grin and said, "This inn is semi-official. It''s funded by civilians and endorsed by the government. Only decrees or appointments travel on the Da Xia Official Road, all secret orders don''t take this route. Da Xia has its own methods."


    "On ordinary days, it mainly serves for the food and lodging of travelers along the way."


    Chen Qiu didn''t speak but instead turned his head to look at the inn''s doorway. The shopkeeper''s cat was lying on a small wooden stool, basking in the sun. He was contemplating the road ahead; certainly, he wouldn''t return to chopping wood.


    Since he had encountered an "Initial Seven-colored Entry,"


    it meant that even the heavens wanted him to embark on the Cultivation Path.


    According to Fat Long, no matter which forces or sects one joins, or even becoming a private guard for a prominent family, one has to undergo "Spirit Communication Detection." It is a method that requires full cooperation from the subject and can reveal all the "entries" they possess.


    And his entry must not be exposed.


    The path of joining a sect is now closed to him.


    As for being a Loose Cultivator... that''s even harder, akin to a hellish start. Apart from anything else, Loose Cultivators don''t receive the monthly Heavenly Dao Blessings from the "Da Xia Sect Ranking."


    After some thought, there seems to be only one path left¡ªestablishing his own sect.


    But with their current level of Cultivation...


    "..."


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu suddenly turned to look at Fat Long, the plump man voraciously devouring his food in a blur of motion. After another long moment of contemplation, he finally spoke.


    "What are the conditions to establish a sect that is recognized by the Heavenly Dao?"


    He planned to establish a proper sect, recognized by the Heavenly Dao, one that can enter the "Da Xia Sect Ranking" and participate in the battle for Sect Qi Fortune¡ªnot the kind of sect only known to oneself like Fat Long''s.


    Although he was far from being powerful enough to found a sect, that wasn''t important. Just having the status of a nominal Sect Master was enough.


    When he broke through the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, he found that by focusing internally, he could see many leaderboards enveloped in clouds and mist.


    One that stood out among them was¡ª


    "Da Xia Sect Ranking."

 Chapter 11 Three breaths to ascend the mountain, one tael of silver per time.

    "Recognized by the Heavenly Dao?"Fat Long shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, "Then the conditions are quite high, for starters the person who establishes the sect must be at the initial stage of the Golden Core, and that is a strict requirement."


    "I''ve looked into it, and it can be solved by crossing a bridge, finding someone in the Golden Core Stage to help you establish the sect, and then resigning to pass the position of Sect Master to you."


    "A second-generation sect has no cultivation restrictions, and this would cost about 100 Spirit Stones."


    "Besides that, you must possess a mountain peak as the base of the sect, and also need at least five disciples to establish the sect with you, among other things; it''s extremely complicated, and the total cost would be at least 200 Spirit Stones."


    Chen Qiu nodded without asking further, 200 Spirit Stones were quite a lot. Establishing a sect had to be delayed a bit, as they currently did not meet the conditions.


    He then introspected, gazing at the panel inside his body that was enshrouded by clouds and mist.


    -


    "Name": Chen Qiu.


    "Cultivation": Qi Refinement Realm Layer 3 (1%).


    "Entry": ''Step by Step'', ''Foundation Establishment Delayed'', ''Resentful Spirit Summoning''.


    "Mental Method": ''Withered Wood Blossoms''.


    "Cultivation Technique": ''Earth Tunneling Technique'', ''Blinding Technique''.


    "Spirit Beast": None.


    "Power": None.


    "Country": Da Xia Country.


    -


    So far, his three entries were somewhat standalone, lacking interconnectedness. As a group of entries, they clearly weren''t the best combination, but fortunately, he still had many opportunities to acquire more entries.


    As long as he lived long enough.


    Earth Tunneling Technique and Blinding Technique were also techniques he obtained from the Heavenly Dao Secret, instantly reaching the Great Achievement Realm, proving immensely useful.


    It was by relying on these two techniques that he managed to escape with Fat Long so smoothly.


    According to what he learned from Fat Long, killing demon beasts could enhance cultivation, but it wasn''t a long-term strategy, or rather, it was just an initial trick.


    At low cultivation levels, killing demon beasts could indeed rapidly enhance cultivation.


    Typically, on the coming of age day, large clan families would prepare heavily injured demon beasts, allowing one to reach Great Perfection in the Qi Refinement Realm within a day.


    Does this count as cheating?


    Of course, it does.


    It''s just a bit irritating.


    But thereafter, like during the Foundation Establishment Stage or Golden Core Stage, it becomes very difficult to enhance cultivation by killing demon beasts, as such creatures generally possess Spiritual Wisdom and support each other; it''s hard to find a solitary demon beast at the same cultivation level.


    And the most popular method for enhancing cultivation is¡ª


    ''Swallowing and Exhaling Spiritual Energy''.


    By cycling the mental method, each complete circulation within the body draws external Spiritual Energy inside, and each cycle of the mental method increases the Cultivation Progress fractionally, with the absorption rate depending on the grade of the mental method and the richness of the external Spiritual Energy.


    His method, ''Withered Wood Blossoms'', being the only Mid-grade Yellow Level mental method in this small world, was considered quite good.


    As it is a ''Heavenly Dao Heart Method'' produced by the small world, achieving total mastery meant reaching the ''Great Achievement'' realm instantly.


    While on the road, he sat cross-legged and tried cycling his mental method to Swallow and Exhale Spiritual Energy, assessing that with his method''s level, in an environment with normal levels of Spiritual Energy richness, it would roughly take three days to break through to the fourth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    It''s not slow.


    Much faster than he anticipated.


    It seemed like cultivating wasn''t all that difficult.


    ...


    As if seeing through Chen Qiu''s thoughts, Fat Long, sitting opposite him, sighed helplessly, "Brother Chen Qiu, it seems you have a bit of a misconception about the path of cultivation. A normal person in the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm would not have the chance to come across a mental method."


    "Not to mention a mental method from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Once mastered, it directly advances one to the Great Achievement Realm."


    "Both of these opportunities are quite rare, and having them naturally makes the cultivation progress much faster."


    "But in reality, the path of cultivation is very difficult."


    The two of them kept some items they could use and planned to sell the rest at the market.


    He didn''t choose the mental method but took a knife-type Spiritual Treasure instead.


    He had previously found a mental method by chance, though it was just a low-grade Yellow Level, and he had only reached the Small Achievement Realm. It definitely wasn''t as good as the "Heavenly Dao Heart Method," which could directly break through to the Great Achievement Realm upon mastery.


    But... every cultivator has only three chances in their life to change mental methods without any cost.


    After that, changing mental methods requires paying a certain price.


    The first mental method he practiced used up such an opportunity. The remaining two chances were extremely precious, and he didn''t plan to exchange them for another mental method of the same level. If he were to change, it should be for an upper-grade Yellow Level mental method, right?


    ...


    Nothing unexpected happened at the station; after eating and drinking their fill, they scattered a handful of coins on the table and continued on their way.


    They rented a horse at the station and set off again, both riding.


    Chen Qiu didn''t know how to ride a horse; he had never learned and only had the option of sitting behind Fat Long. Although he felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, he had to embrace Fat Long''s waist for safety and look at the scenery whizzing by his ears.


    When the sun was already halfway up the sky.


    "Hmm~"


    Fat Long turned around, jumped off the horse, handed the reins to a young station attendant, and then hands on hips, he looked towards the high mountain next to this station, his face full of emotion as he smacked his lips and said, "Here we are, Brother Chen Qiu. This is the market I told you about."


    "Built on top of the mountain peak."


    "If you can perform Sword Flight, you can just fly straight up, or you can climb up along the mountain path. If you can''t do either and don''t want to climb, you can take the quick path next to it."


    To one side of the official road, there was a winding path around the mountain, which was the path taken by the poor to ascend the mountain. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Besides that, there was a short, middle-aged man with a full beard and exceptionally bushy body hair, holding a sign standing there.


    "Quick path, reach the top in three breaths, one Silver per trip."


    "Three breaths to reach the top?"


    Chen Qiu looked at the sign skeptically, then raised his head to look towards the mountain peak piercing the clouds not far away. The peak was thousands of feet above the ground, definitely considered a top-notch tall mountain.


    To reach the top in three breaths? Even with Sword Flight, that seemed impossible.


    "Hey."


    Fat Long just wrinkled his brows and gave a sly grin, "Brother Chen Qiu, just try it and you''ll know. All I can say is it''s absolutely unique."


    Without saying anything more, Chen Qiu took out two Silvers; that wasn''t a lot to him. He had collected plenty of small coins and scattered Silvers in the small world, so he wasn''t short on petty cash. He casually threw two Silvers into the hands of the bearded man.


    Before he could say anything,


    he saw the bearded man''s right hand suddenly thrust out, grabbing his shoulder tightly. Immediately, an intense sensation of weightlessness came from below his feet, and the surrounding scenery turned into countless points of light. In less than a breath, everything returned to normal.


    When he opened his eyes again, he was already standing on the edge of a cliff on that tall mountain.


    A wooden platform was laid on the ground, next to which sat a young man cracking sunflower seeds and reading a comic book. There was also a sign on the ground with an arrow pointing out.


    "Wen Tian Market ¡ú"


    Before he could even comprehend the situation, he saw the bearded man by his side release his shoulder. However, after taking a deep breath, the man ran towards the edge of the cliff and plunged directly into the cliff.

 Chapter 12 Bloodline Entry Among Immediate Family Members

    Chen Qiu quickly stepped forward and looked towards where the bearded man had been just a moment ago. He was now in midair, falling through the clouds at the speed of a free fall into the abyss. With the height of this mountain, even a Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage would undoubtedly be doomed.However¡ª


    About a dozen breaths later.


    The bearded man suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside him, still holding Fat Long. Without speaking to them, he took a running start and jumped into the cliff once again.


    "How about that?"


    Fat Long surveyed the surroundings and said excitedly, "Feels good, doesn''t it? This is also my first time; one or two silvers each time was too expensive for me before. I never felt like splurging."


    "That bearded guy and the man next to him eating sunflower seeds are brothers."


    "These two brothers awakened an extremely special ''Bloodline Entry'' right when they broke through the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "It''s an entry that can only awaken between direct blood relatives with an extremely low probability."


    "The entry effect allows their blood separated by water to be one and the same; as long as they are within a hundred kilometers of each other, one can instantly teleport to the other''s side, regardless of the environment."


    "I''m not sure exactly what level the entry is, but it''s definitely not low,"


    "And that bearded guy, after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, gained the rare blue entry, ''Never Fall to Death,'' which means no matter how high he falls from, he won''t get hurt."


    "Just like that, the two guys started a rapid transit business here in ''Seeking Immortality Gate Market,'' and it''s been over a year now. It has also become a wonderful story around the ''Seeking Immortality Gate Market.''"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu stood there expressionless, silently, somewhat at a loss for words.


    ''Bloodline Entry.''


    ''Instant Teleportation.''


    ''Never Fall to Death.''


    ''Absolute Rule.''


    With these immensely powerful entries, he could conceive countless ideas to maximize their benefits; wouldn''t anything be more lucrative than this rapid transit venture?


    One or two silvers each time.


    In a day, that probably wouldn''t amount to more than a few Spirit Stones, right?


    What''s the difference between that and using an Emperor''s golden hoe for gardening?


    At the very least... at the very least, couldn''t you set up some sort of long-distance rapid transit between two cities, and definitely earn more than this?


    He wasn''t sure whether you could only take one person at a time, but if any physical contact sufficed, or if control was enough for the transport, then taking seventeen or eighteen people at once shouldn''t be a problem.


    This is just considering its commercial value; if it''s strategic, then it''s like having a sneak-attack squad that can strike anywhere unexpectedly!


    Such a powerful ability... and you use it for mountain climbing rapid transit?


    Chen Qiu felt somewhat faint; such wasteful handling of resources made the corners of his mouth twitch involuntarily.


    Just then¡ª


    The young man sitting cross-legged on the ground next to him, absorbed in a comic book and idly cracking sunflower seeds, casually said, "The guy who brought you up is my brother. He''s a bit shy around strangers and doesn''t talk much."


    "You can find me if you need to go back down as well, same price."


    "How much are you earning per day now?"


    Chen Qiu stared at the young man and asked; he truly felt these two were squandering their potential, "No matter how much you make, work for me, and I''ll pay you three times as much each day."


    Although he didn''t have that many Spirit Stones right now, he believed that if he could employ these two, he would quickly earn a large amount of Spirit Stones.


    "Oh."


    The young man, upon hearing the words, lifted his eyelids and glanced at Chen Qiu, then couldn''t help but laugh. "Brother, you are quite interesting. Many have tried to recruit us, but you''re the first to offer such a modest price."


    "In your eyes, do my brother and I only worth six Spirit Stones a day?"


    "Or is it that your family can only afford to offer this much?"


    "Alright, alright."


    The young man waved his hand somewhat helplessly. "Looking at your clothes, it''s clear you''re not from a wealthy family, and you don''t have much backing. Those with even a slight amount of backing would have flown here themselves, not using our fast track."


    "Head over to the market through that way, and if fate allows, we''ll meet again and I''ll treat you to a drink."


    ...


    Chen Qiu, upon hearing this, didn''t say much more and simply turned around, taking Fat Long up a small path paved with stone steps. He had thought these two hadn''t realized how powerful he was, but now it seemed they were as clear about it as one could be through a mirror.


    He was merely using "Ask-the-Sky Market" to spread his fame.


    Then seeking a master he could reliably serve.


    Indeed.


    He felt slightly envious of these two brothers. Other powers sending out recruiters would likely be even more numerous. With time, they would probably manage to join a very decent power.


    This was indeed a good strategy, evidently better than proactively seeking a master to serve¡ªas being actively recruited meant holding a much higher status and confidence within the power.


    But these two brothers... clearly hadn''t realized the danger involved.


    Others shouldn''t have what one can''t have themselves¡ªa thought not uncommon among many.


    Regardless of the power they join, they would easily become targets of assassination by other powers afterward. Fame was a double-edged sword, it had its benefits and its drawbacks.


    ...


    Not long after following the stone path, they saw a city. Its walls were even taller than those of Fufeng City and felt much thicker, shocking in appearance. But Chen Qiu didn''t understand why¡ªa city already perched atop the summit, building such expensive walls seemed like an investment against no one.


    It somewhat felt like spending money just for appearances.


    Fat Long, having been there once or twice, now took the lead like a tour guide and began explaining, "Once you enter those city gates, you are considered to be inside the market, access to which is free, they don''t charge a fee."


    "Inside, it''s divided into 18 small districts and one central area."


    "This gate we''re entering from is ''Seeking Immortality Gate,'' the main gate on the western wall of Ask-the-Sky Market."


    "This market is nearly as large as Fufeng City, obviously it''s more than just a trading platform. If you have embarked on the path of Cultivation, almost any demand can be met here."


    "The first area you come across after entering this gate is Zone 4, also known as ''Life-Buying Zone.''


    "Previously, this place was merely a platform for posting and taking assassination missions, which eventually evolved into countless forms of cooperative trading, though the area is still called ''Life-Buying Zone.''"


    Chen Qiu nodded to show his understanding and stepped through the city gate, then glanced at the broad main street paved with blue bricks, which was wide enough for eight carriages to pass side by side.


    The shops on both sides of the main road were festively adorned and bustling.


    It all seemed quite positive energy; it was hard to associate it with the posting of assassination missions.


    Along the sides of the road, numerous cultivators were sitting cross-legged, many with a sign placed in front of them.


    He looked at the bald man closest to him¡ªtopless, hugging a saber with closed eyes, sitting cross-legged on the side of the main road, wearing ragged hemp pants tied at the legs, his exposed body covered with scars from healed wounds.


    His head was thick with muscles, his face full of pockmarks. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He looked fierce, as if he wasn''t credited with killing a hundred or so people, it would be a disservice to the fearsome image his parents had given him.


    But the sign in front of this bald man made Chen Qiu ponder for a moment before his brows slightly furrowed, and then he suddenly smiled.


    "Quite good."

 Chapter 13

    "Two spirit stones, selling life for one month.""Assume all risk for life and death, with no complaints or regrets."


    Fat Long stepped forward and whispered an explanation: "There are many people selling their lives in this area. Generally, they are in some kind of trouble, in urgent need of money, and with no other options, they can only come here to sell their lives."


    "But it''s hard to distinguish the real from the fake. There are quite a few people who run away with the spirit stones or who just phone it in."


    Two spirit stones are not a small sum.


    For a normal mortal family of three, the total annual income is only about 60 silver, less than one spirit stone. Two spirit stones are enough for a mortal family to struggle for three years.


    But in the Cultivation World, two spirit stones aren''t so out of reach. This man''s cultivation is at the Qi Refinement Realm''s sixth level, and that''s about what he''s worth."


    Chen Qiu took his gaze away from the man in front of him and continued walking straight along the main road.


    Every time they passed through a new area, or came across something novel, Fat Long was able to explain it to him like a tour guide, and he also realized that although Fat Long might be a bit cowardly, his ability to gather information was not to be underestimated.


    In less than five months since arriving in this world, he had almost fully understood it.


    And soon, they sold all their treasures and some unnecessary storage bags in Zone 7 ''Trader Area''. The prices were all transparent, and these Cultivation Techniques and mental methods from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm had no trouble selling, without any trickery in price.


    He kept one Spiritual Treasure for himself and gave one to Fat Long.


    He kept for himself two Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques and one Yellow Level mid-grade mental method, leaving two Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques for Fat Long. The rest of the items, along with some assorted things scavenged from Huang Shikai,


    and the spirit stones in Huang Shikai''s storage bag,


    amounted to a total of 50 spirit stones this time.


    Following the previously agreed upon 70-30 split, Chen Qiu kept 35 spirit stones for himself and stuffed the remaining 15 into a storage bag, handing it over to Fat Long, just as they were preparing to leave the shop,


    "Please wait, the two of you."


    The shopkeeper, smiling all over his face, blocked their way out: "Just a friendly reminder, a big incident happened today in Fufeng City. It is said that last night a Heaven Slaying type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm appeared."


    "100 people went in, and in the end, only 2 came out alive."


    "One''s identity is unknown, and the other is said to be just a refugee, who normally lives by chopping wood in the mountain. When the Secret Realm closed, there were quite a few people outside, but these two managed to escape from the chaos using some method."


    "Even Young Master of the Huang Family died inside."


    "I heard that the Huang Family is quite angry and has gathered family members to meet at ''Ask Heaven Marketplace'' waiting for the other side to fall into their net. After all, if you want to take out the loot from the Secret Realm within a hundred miles, you definitely need to pass through Ask Heaven Marketplace."


    "When you entered this shop, there were already people watching you. Fighting is not allowed within the marketplace, but outside the city gates of the marketplace, it''s burial ground chaos."


    "It''s better to be careful."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at the shopkeeper with a smiling face in front of him. After a pause, he took a few pieces of silver from his sleeve and placed them on the table: "Thank you, Shopkeeper."


    "We''ll meet again if fate allows." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Without lingering, he walked straight out of the shop, completely ignoring the few burly men with somber expressions who clearly had bad intentions, and continued walking along the main road.


    The Huang Family would seek revenge, and he understood that very well.


    If his own son had died, he would definitely seek revenge too.


    But Huang Shikai had wanted to kill him, and he couldn''t just sit and wait for death. Still, it was after all a troublesome matter. He''d have to find a way to send a family reunion on its way.


    ...


    "Hey!"


    Distracted, Fat Long looked toward Chen Qiu, who was walking briskly ahead, and couldn''t help but step forward to stop him with an urgent expression, "I say, Brother Chen Qiu, why do you seem so unconcerned?"


    "We''re being hunted by the Huang Family!"


    "What are you shocked about?"


    Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Long and said indifferently, "The sky rains, a mother marries off her daughter, a son is killed and revenge is sought; isn''t that the natural order of things? Why do you look so surprised?"


    "What I mean is that as soon as we leave Wentian Pang Market, we''ll be attacked by Huang Family members! They''re on guard this time, and it probably won''t be so easy to escape using the ''Earth Tunneling Technique'' and ''Blinding Magic'' again!!!"


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, finally stopping in front of a shop in the Demon Beast Area, section 8, "I''m aware. I''ll rent a room in the inn opposite this shop later, and you go gather some information. Find out the extent of the Huang Family''s power and how strong the people they''ve sent after us this time are."


    "As long as we don''t leave the market, we''re temporarily safe. We''ll meet again in an hour."


    Although Fat Long was a bit uneasy, he felt that what Chen Qiu said made some sense, so he nodded in a fluster and hurriedly left the place.


    Watching Fat Long''s retreating figure.


    Chen Qiu didn''t speak again and simply walked straight into the shop in front of him, "Shopkeeper, how much for a mature demon beast at the Qi Refinement Realm?"


    ...


    Thirty minutes later.


    Chen Qiu had already appeared in a guest room of the inn across from that shop. The shopkeeper, with a beaming face, was bringing one after another the injured demon beasts in cages, collapsed on the ground, into the guest room.


    And the innkeeper was also busily attending to everything with a cheerful smile.


    Everyone seemed very amiable.


    As a rule, innkeepers don''t allow guests to engage in mass slaughter in their rooms¡ªafter all, this is an inn, not a slaughterhouse. But they couldn''t resist this guest, who had offered five times the regular price.


    After everyone else had left,


    Chen Qiu looked at the dozens of heavily injured demon beasts locked in cages, gasping for breath and continuously baring their fangs and hissing angrily at him, and slowly drew the long blade from his bosom. This was a Spiritual Treasure he had acquired from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Yellow Level, low-grade.


    Named "Heaven Slaying."


    The name was quite domineering. Once his Cultivation broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and he could channel Spiritual Energy outside his body, he could pour Spiritual Energy into the Spiritual Treasure and unleash its full power. But at the Qi Refinement Realm, holding this weapon served only as a blade sharp enough to slice through iron like mud.


    But it was certainly much more useful than his wood-cutting knife.


    He had spent 32 Spirit Stones, almost all of his fortune, to buy this batch of mature demon beasts in front of him.


    Twenty-seven Red-eyed Wolves at the Qi Refinement Realm fourth and fifth levels.


    Four tailless monkeys at the Qi Refinement Realm sixth level.


    Three Armored Crocodiles at the Qi Refinement Realm seventh level.


    One Hedgehog Pig at the Qi Refinement Realm eighth level.


    32 Spirit Stones, a sum that most Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators didn''t possess. It was not a small amount; otherwise, the shopkeeper selling the demon beasts, a Cultivator at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, wouldn''t have greeted him, a minor Qi Refinement Realm individual, with such a welcoming smile.


    He even offered a free service: beating them until they were severely injured.


    Spirit Stones are meant to be spent, after all. Although using them all for Cultivating the mental method would certainly enhance Cultivation more, it would also take a long time. Compared to Spirit Stones, he was more short on time.

 Chapter 14 Pink Entry Heaven-reaching Giant.

    "Phew!"Chen Qiu took a deep breath, and then, holding a sharp blade, he passed it through the gaps in the steel cage, sending each of the gravely injured demon beasts off, aiming for a kill with a single strike.


    At the same time¡ª


    When he performed introspection, several panels wrapped in clouds and mist also continuously popped up inside his body.


    -


    "Cultivation significantly increased, officially entering the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    All three random entries were fairly ordinary; in the end, he chose¡ª


    "Entry name": Person of Heaven''s Deficiency.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": When you close your eyes, your other senses will be doubled in sharpness; if you were born blind, then other senses will be enhanced tenfold, if blinded later in life, physical senses will be enhanced fivefold.


    Humans have five senses.


    Hearing, smell, sight, taste, touch.


    With the loss of sight, the other four senses can be enhanced tenfold; if this entry were obtained by someone born blind, it would be equivalent to obtaining a Blue entry. In some respects, it could be considered a unique entry.


    Of course.


    If blinded later in life, you can also gain fivefold enhancement by gouging out your own eyes, but he only needed a twofold enhancement, albeit the effect was somewhat reduced, but after all, it had the least side effects.


    -


    The cleaver continued to be swung, and his cultivation also continued to rise.


    "Cultivation significantly increased, officially entering the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    "Huh?"


    Chen Qiu looked at the three options on the panel wrapped in clouds and mist within his body, a hint of disbelief flashing through his eyes; it seemed like he had stumbled upon an exceptional entry!


    -


    1:


    "Entry name": Surrounded.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": When your abdomen is attacked, your back is injured; when your back is attacked, your abdomen is injured.


    2:


    "Entry name": Seven-foot Man.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": For every inch over seven feet in height, your body strength increases slightly.


    3:


    "Entry name": Unknown.


    "Entry level": Unknown.


    "Entry effect": This entry remains unknown until chosen; once confirmed, its true nature will be revealed, and this entry cannot be discarded by any means.


    -


    The talent of a Seven-foot Man was actually somewhat useful to him, suitable for Body Refining. In this world, seven feet was comparable to about 1.7 meters in his previous life, and one foot equaled ten inches; he wasn''t very tall, 1.78 meters, but he could still gain a considerable enhancement.


    But that was about it.


    The effect was very limited.


    He chose the third entry almost without any thought, regardless of what level or effect the third entry held; the words ''unique entry'' were enough to convince him of its strength!


    Soon.


    Another panel wrapped in clouds and mist emerged within his body.


    "Entry name": Dantian Expansion (Unique).


    "Entry level": Pink.


    "Entry effect": Every time you kill a demon beast, your Tao Foundation will expand by one millimeter, with no upper limit.


    "..."


    Looking at the effect of this entry, Chen Qiu couldn''t help but open his mouth slightly, the shock in his eyes difficult to conceal; wasn''t this entry effect a bit too powerful?


    The Dantian is the place where Spiritual Energy is stored; later on, Foundation Establishment involves constructing a platform on the Dantian, much like building a house.


    Typically, for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the Tao Foundation built up is only about a hundred millimeters wide and a hundred millimeters high.


    An inch equals 100 millimeters.


    The width determines how much spiritual energy can be stored in your Dantian. The wider the Tao Foundation, the more spiritual energy it can store, meaning you have ample spiritual energy to continuously release Daoist Skills and various spells.


    The height of the Tao Foundation determines the concentration of the spiritual energy within your Dantian. The shorter the foundation, the more compressed the spiritual energy, resulting in a richer concentration, which in turn enhances the power unleashed by the spells.


    Many sect disciples and children of wealthy families


    often prepare numerous heavenly materials and earthly treasures by the time they reach the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm, to ensure building a perfect high platform, laying an impeccable foundation for their cultivation journey.


    The entry "Dantian Expansion" signifies that, as long as he kills 100 demon beasts, his future Tao Foundation''s width will be twice that of others.


    Killing 1000 demon beasts, the width of the Tao Foundation will be ten times that of others.


    If killing millions of demon beasts,


    then... his internal spiritual energy will be nearly infinite and never run out. As long as he was willing, he could even become a spell machine gun, unleashing thousands of fireballs with a mere wave of his hand while an enemy had only triggered one Fireball Technique.


    And the spiritual energy consumed would be less than one-thousandth of his Dantian''s capacity.


    Although the power is average, the sheer quantity makes up for it.


    ...


    "Awesome."


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath and gave the entry the fairest evaluation he could imagine. Unfortunately, it was an entry that would only take effect after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage. Before establishing his foundation, the spiritual energy in his body was not sealed but flowed freely within.


    Only after establishing the foundation would the spiritual energy be completely sealed within the Dantian, allowing this entry to fully demonstrate its power.


    Afterwards, his eyes filled with vigor as he looked towards the remaining demon beasts.


    Following several swift cuts, the panel wrapped in clouds and mist appeared again above the Dantian within his body.


    -


    ''Cultivation surged, officially entering the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.''


    ''Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.''


    1:


    ''Entry name'': Heaven-reaching Giant.


    ''Entry level'': Pink.


    ''Entry effect'': For every demon beast killed, increase height by one millimeter.


    2: sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Entry name'': Audience.


    ''Entry level'': White.


    ''Entry effect'': When you are in a crowd, your presence significantly decreases.


    3:


    ''Entry name'': Spiritual Energy Intimidating.


    ''Entry level'': White.


    ''Entry effect'': Once your Tao Foundation''s width surpasses 100 millimeters, each additional millimeter increases the power of your spells slightly.


    ...


    "What a pity."


    Chen Qiu sat in a trance on the bed in his guest room, thinking that the most painful thing in the world is making a choice between two indistinguishable options. If there''s anything more painful, it''s having a fantastic opportunity right before your eyes and missing it.


    When he broke through to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, there was a white entry.


    ''Seven-foot Man''


    The taller the body, the stronger the physique¡ªa rather mundane white entry he hadn''t paid much attention to. But had he chosen that entry then, he could have chosen the pink entry ''Heaven-reaching Giant'' now.


    For every demon beast killed, the height would increase by one millimeter.


    He dared not contemplate it.


    The top-tier Body Refining entry set¡ªhe dared not picture himself after slaughtering a million Fierce Beasts, possibly standing tall like Kuafu, with his head touching the sky and his feet on the ground!


    Sadly... who could have predicted the random drawing of the pink entry ''Heaven-reaching Giant'' later on.


    After a long sigh,


    he still chose the third entry, ''Spiritual Energy Intimidating.'' He could gamble that he might draw the ''Spiritual Energy Intimidating'' entry again in the future, but it was too risky.


    Although the entry was only a white level, combined with ''Dantian Expansion,'' it could make him an extremely violent spell machine gun!


    Not only terrifying in casting frequency but also frighteningly powerful!


    Now, he had no doubt about making a name for himself in the Cultivation World in the future. The only concern was that these were all long-term entries. He needed to strive to survive first.


    At least... he needed to establish his foundation as quickly as possible!


    ...

 Chapter 15 Are You Fucking Cheating?

    After he had felled the remaining demon beasts with swift strikes of his blade, Chen Qiu''s Cultivation also just barely broke through to the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement Realm!Thirty-two Spirit Stones.


    For an ordinary mortal, it was a fortune they couldn''t earn in several lifetimes combined, yet Chen Qiu squandered it all in the span of a few breaths.


    This wealth was truly substantial, enough to drive countless people to risk their lives for it, but when it came to spending... it somehow didn''t seem to go very far.


    Just like that Secret Realm.


    Even many Cultivators at the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm entered, and when they set foot into this Secret Realm, they surely thought about the presence of existences at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, and they probably considered the likelihood of encountering young masters from prominent families.


    They even contemplated the high chance of dying in this small world.


    But still, they resolutely stepped into the entrance of the small world.


    Perhaps they felt lucky enough, or perhaps the rare emergence of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in their vicinity made them feel that missing it would lead to regret; regardless of the reason, it didn''t matter anymore.


    These people all ended up dying in the Secret Realm.


    ...


    But all of this had nothing to do with Chen Qiu.


    At this moment, Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his eyes tightly closed and hands spread flat in front of his chest. This breakthrough in realm was very different from the previous ones, as he could clearly feel a warm current continuously flowing along the meridians inside his body.


    Time passed, and he knew not how long it had been.


    When he opened his eyes again, he only felt a foul stench emanating from his body. Looking down, he saw a great deal of black sludge had been expelled from his body and was now adhering to the inside of his clothes; his brows slightly furrowed, he hurriedly got up and walked to the private bath in the adjacent guest room.


    He stripped off his clothes and carefully cleaned himself.


    After he had finished washing and stepped out of the bath, standing in front of the copper mirror in the guest room and looking at his reflection, a slight shock flickered in his eyes. There had been no change in his body, but for some reason, his bearing seemed a bit different.


    If he had to pinpoint one change, it would be that his spine was a bit straighter.


    At this time, he felt that with just the strength of his body alone, he should have no problem taking on two Cultivators at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, which might be what Fat Long referred to as the dividing line at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Only by breaking through the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, could one''s physical strength be greatly enhanced.


    Gradually setting oneself completely apart from mortals.


    Just then¡ª


    He suddenly felt a stirring in his heart and practiced introspection. Sure enough, that extremely familiar panel shrouded in mist once again quietly appeared above his Dantian.


    "Cultivation has surged, officially entering the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry name": Self-Destruction Term.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": You may self-destruct any entry to unleash an attack with the full force of a Realm Cultivation one level higher than your current Cultivation.


    2:


    "Entry name": Unsettled Spirit.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": When you are in a state of fear, your five senses will be slightly enhanced.


    3:


    "Entry name": Banding Together.


    "Entry level": Green.


    "Entry Effect": The extra organs that have emerged on your body will mutate and possess power that is unfathomable by gods and ghosts. The specific power depends on the number of extra organs. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -


    Perhaps his luck had run out in the previous few promotions, as this time, the luck for advancement was fairly average with only two white entries and one green entry. According to Fat Long''s explanation, the random entries obtained when breaking through the Qi Refinement Realm were likely to be white entries, with a small chance for green entries or higher.


    This time was the normal scenario.


    It''s just that there had been too many abnormal times previously, and he had gotten somewhat used to that abnormality.


    Without much overthinking,


    he chose the first entry. Compared to the other two, only this "Self-Destruction Term" was slightly stronger for him. Even though he didn''t currently have any needless entries, he would gain an entry with every realm advancement.


    In the future, there will certainly be times when all three randomly obtained entries during a promotion are useless. In such cases, there won''t be a situation where they are completely without use.


    However...


    Could this "Self-Destruction Term" self-destruct the term itself?


    And, he had an entry previously that absolutely could not be removed. Could the "Self-Destruction Term" self-destruct that entry?


    Although he was curious, he wouldn''t conduct such an experiment just to satisfy his curiosity.


    "Huff!"


    Standing naked in front of a bronze mirror, Chen Qiu waved the long saber in his hand. After feeling the burst of power ready to be unleashed from his body, he felt somewhat safer, even harboring a desire to find someone to spar with.


    Only then did he look towards the four Storage Bags piled up next to his clothes, falling silent.


    He had acquired quite a few Storage Bags in the small world, most of which he had sold, leaving only four for himself.


    These Storage Bags contained many things, including dry food, Spirit Stones, and Silver Taels.


    The only thing missing was a change of clothes.


    Fortunately, his distress didn''t last long, as a knocking on the door and Fat Long''s slightly anxious voice soon came from outside the guest room, "Brother Chen Qiu, hurry and open the door, something big has happened!!!"


    ...


    Three breaths later.


    Fat Long pushed the door open, while Chen Qiu was standing in place, shielding his vital body parts with the blade and interrupted, "First go buy me a set of clothes. No matter how big the issue, I''m not in the mood to listen right now."


    "Eh..."


    Fat Long was momentarily stunned. He casually pulled out a clean set of clothes from his bosom and handed them to Chen Qiu, saying, "I have a clean set of clothes here that I change into usually. You can wear them for now, though they might be a bit large."


    "But that''s not a problem, in a while..."


    Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly caught the strong smell of blood in the guest room. His eyes swept over to the cage almost filling half the room with demon beast carcasses and the pile of clothes on the bed oozing with black muck, and he slowly opened his mouth in disbelief, trembling with shock.


    "Brother Chen Qiu...you didn''t break through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, did you?"


    "Ah?"


    "It can''t be? You really reached the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm?"


    "How is that possible!"


    Although Chen Qiu hadn''t replied yet, Fat Long was exceedingly familiar with the changes that accompanied breaking through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, the most obvious of which was a transformation of the body, like shedding an old skin. While it wouldn''t extend one''s life, it would greatly enhance one''s physical constitution.


    It could be said that after breaking through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, one was no longer an ordinary person!


    At this moment, Fat Long, standing in place, was filled with disbelief and resentment. How was that fair? He had been in this world for five months, doing all sorts of devious things¡ªeverything except risking his life. He had done everything that he could.


    Despite all his efforts, he had only cultivated to the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    And yesterday, when he first met Chen Qiu, he wasn''t even at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm. In the small world, he had advanced to the third level, and now after just stepping out to gather some information, he had reached the seventh level when he came back?


    You''re cheating, aren''t you?

 Chapter 16

    "Hmm."Chen Qiu nodded his head, took the opportunity while Fat Long was standing there, dazed, to change his clothes, using a cloth to tie tightly around his waist, making his outfit fit a bit better, and then casually said, "I''ve almost spent all of my Spirit Stones, only three left now."


    "If you spent all your Spirit Stones, you might have been able to break through to the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "What''s there to be surprised about?"


    "But that''s more than thirty Spirit Stones!" Fat Long couldn''t help but feel a twinge of pain as he said, "Brother Chen Qiu, didn''t you wage an internal struggle before spending them? You spent them so decisively? You should''ve hesitated for a while!"


    "Hesitate?"


    After tidying up his clothes, Chen Qiu walked to the red table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it in one gulp. Still not quite satisfied, he brought the spout of the teapot to his mouth, drank an entire teapot of cold tea, then contentedly wiped his mouth and set the teapot aside.


    "The Huang Family has sent people to block the city gates, so now is not the time to hesitate. Do you plan to let the Spirit Stones be your funeral objects?"


    "Let''s not talk about this for now, you just said something big has happened, what is it?"


    ...


    "Phew!"


    Speaking of the matter, Fat Long took a deep breath, sat next to the red table, dipped his finger in some tea from the teapot, and began to write on the table: "The Huang Family is quite a well-known power in Fufeng City."


    "Their family business is centered around the mining industry."


    "The Family Head is a Sixth Layer Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, and this time the Huang Family''s Seventh Elder, who is an eighth level Qi Refinement Cultivation, led the team, along with six or seven thugs around the fifth or sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "With grandeur, they have publicly declared that they will kill us to avenge Young Master Huang."


    "However, the insider news I''ve obtained states that this Seventh Elder at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm does not plan to take immediate action against us. The Huang Family''s main goal this time is to eliminate these six or seven thugs with our help."


    "These thugs joined the Huang Family years ago but spent all their stipends on providing for their families, stubbornly refusing to invest a penny in their cultivation. Over the years, they haven''t made any progress in strength at all, have aged gradually, and their physical condition has deteriorated significantly, with their fighting power greatly diminished compared to their younger days."


    "This means that while they are paid the stipend that a sixth level Qi Refinement Cultivator should get, they cannot give the Huang Family the power that a sixth level Qi Refinement Cultivator should have."


    "But it''s not easy to just expel them, after all, these people have dedicated nearly half a lifetime to the Huang Family. If they were all expelled, it would cool the hearts of many underneath. Hence, the Huang Family plans to take this opportunity to let this group of people all die at our hands, and then for the Seventh Elder to take our heads back."


    "The Huang Family does not have any pension funds."


    After taking another deep breath, Fat Long continued, "At the same time, I have uncovered a shocking secret; the Huang Family actually didn''t want to seek revenge at all because they are at a crucial moment!"


    "One of the mines in the Huang Family''s mining areas is about to reveal a great opportunity!"


    "It is said to be a random ''Heavenly Dao entry.''"


    "And the main reason the Huang Family had to come for revenge is, if the Huang Family did nothing, it would easily arouse suspicion, so they had no choice but to make a trip to the Ask the Heavens Market, and they brought the weakest bunch of their thugs to achieve two objectives with one action!"


    "Other than that, there is another purpose for the Huang Family sending people here. The ''Ask the Heavens Market'' is the largest marketplace within a hundred miles and the most powerful force near Fufeng City. By pretending to seek revenge, they hired quite a few people to watch the city gates, to probe whether ''Ask the Heavens Market'' was aware of this news."


    "After all, the leader of ''Ask the Heavens Market'' is at the Golden Core Stage, and if they wanted this ''Heavenly Dao entry,'' then the Huang Family would certainly have no choice but to hand it over."


    "But¡ª"


    Fat Long paused for a moment, a serious expression on his face, "Actually, there are already quite a few powers that have secretly received the news and have sent people to Fufeng City. Remember the troupe that entered the city last night from the Capital?"


    "It''s the one with a geisha who wouldn''t sell herself for three Spirit Stones from a big shot in the Capital."


    "This geisha belongs to the Flower Offering Sect."


    "That day, with a massive crowd gathered at the east gate of Fufeng City, the scene was extremely chaotic. Even the Huang Family did not realize that quite a few people slipped into Fufeng City under the radar. And last night''s sudden opening of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in the vicinity of Fufeng City was no coincidence, but rather influenced by the ''Heavenly Dao entry''!"


    "Brother Chen Qiu!"


    "Do you understand what I''m saying?"


    "Sooner or later, maybe even today, there will be a great battle in Fufeng City, and it seems we have been unwittingly drawn into it!" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "..."


    Sitting in front of the red table, Chen Qiu went from being confused at first to silently emotionless after Fat Long finished speaking. After a brief pause, he softly asked, "Brother Fat Long, are you serious when you tell me this intelligence could be gathered from a tavern or a teahouse?"


    He knew Fat Long had a talent for gathering intelligence.


    But he had not realized that Fat Long''s ability to gather intelligence could rival that of the secret imperial police.


    "Of course not."


    Fat Long shook his head: "I used various methods, including going to the ''World Pavilion'' shop that specializes in selling intelligence, purchasing information, and then observing which powers'' people come to buy information from World Pavilion, and where these people went afterwards."


    "Additionally, I used rumors about Fufeng City and what has changed these days compared to the past, and various other methods, to synthesize this information."


    "The accuracy rate is eighty percent."


    "Did it cost Spirit Stones?" Chen Qiu nodded in understanding.


    "It did."


    "How much did it cost?"


    "All gone."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu fell silent again, his mouth twitched slightly: "Don''t you have fifteen Spirit Stones in your pocket? You just said why I spent them so readily; at least you should hesitate a bit. It seems you didn''t hesitate much either..."


    "Nonsense!"


    Fat Long''s face turned unpleasant: "The Huang Family is blocking the city gates, at this time if you hesitate, do you expect the Spirit Stones to accompany you in death?"


    "Pretty good."


    Chen Qiu nodded, then after a moment of contemplation, he softly said, "This is good news for us, it at least gives us a period of respite."


    What he needed most now was this respite; as long as he had time to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage and learn a few spells, wiping out the Huang Family would be a matter of blinking an eye.


    But...


    It seemed that the heavens did not plan on obliging him.


    "Bang, bang, boom!"


    With two clear knocks followed by a loud crash, the door was kicked open.


    A tall woman dressed in a carmine long dress, holding a round fan and wearing a red veil, walked leisurely into the room with two strong men, just as Fat Long, who was about to stand up to open the door, froze on the spot.


    "You are the external elder of the Sky-bursting Gang, right?"


    The woman casually played with the round fan in her hand, looking at the frozen Fat Long with a hint of mirth in her eyes and letting out a silvery laugh: "Meeting again, you''ve become an elder, haven''t you? I wonder if your sect is still recruiting?"


    "Can I come?"


    "..."


    After a long silence, Fat Long finally turned his head to look at Chen Qiu: "This is the geisha from the Capital''s theater troupe that I just mentioned to you."


    "You know each other?"


    "Yeah, I called on her once."


    "Isn''t she a geisha?"


    "That''s a lie, to sell at a higher price."


    "The rumor spread through the Capital that a certain important person offered three Spirit Stones and she still wouldn''t sell herself was also an idea I once gave her."

 Chapter 17 Creating Ones Own Cultivation Technique, Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun.

    "He lied to you."The woman clad in carmine long dress waved her round fan gently, and two brawny men stepped out of the doorway, standing like door gods on both sides of the guest room door. Subsequently, a faint blue light screen appeared out of nowhere.


    Not too big or too small, it enclosed the entire guest room within it, leaving the two strong men isolated outside.


    It was clearly some sort of soundproofing array. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Since he''s talked to you about me, he must have also told you that I''m the ''Heavenly Girl'' who represents the Flower Offering Sect, right?"


    "The main cultivation technique of the Flower Offering Sect is the Dual Cultivation Technique, yes, it''s what you think it is."


    "Rampant pleasure, beauties like clouds, wine pools, and meat forests."


    "Every day''s cultivation consists of a mix of gyrations and banana munching."


    "He has a unique constitution. He was captured by the ''Flower Offering Sect'' and used as a tonic for three months, so he shouldn''t just know me, but be very familiar with me, after all... I favored him the most."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly towards Fat Long at his side, not speaking, just quietly sitting on the chair. He was judging the situation, which was a bit chaotic at the moment, so it was wise to remain silent for now.


    "Why are you looking at me?"


    Since his cover was already blown, Fat Long was somewhat annoyed and shouted loudly.


    "Brother Chen Qiu, please think about it seriously. Isn''t it reasonable for someone like me, with no significant background, who unfortunately landed on the ''Nine Ox Power'' entry, to be captured by such a dual cultivation sect to be used as a tonic?"


    "Think about it, is there a problem with this logic?"


    "What could I do?"


    "I thought about resisting, but the sect is full of experts. Who could I defeat? I didn''t want to die, so what could I do?"


    "It was with great difficulty that I escaped after three months, only to run into her here again!"


    "This woman was the ''Heavenly Girl'' of the ''Flower Offering Sect,'' not often in the sect. After learning that the sect had captured me, an ''exotic tonic,'' she specifically rushed back to torment me a dozen times, until finally, I came up with a strategy for her."


    "It helped her earn more Spirit Stones, which I used to negotiate my escape from the Flower Offering Sect."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding. It seemed normal to think about it; if he were in charge of the Flower Offering Sect, he would certainly capture Fat Long as a tonic as well, but...


    He furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before looking gently at the woman before him and said, "Miss, although I''m not very familiar with Dual Cultivation Technique, I have heard a bit about it. I presume your level is much higher than that of my brother here, isn''t it?"


    "Is dual cultivation useful?"


    "It seems that you really don''t understand dual cultivation."


    The woman shook her head, laughing with a tinkling sound, covering her mouth with her fan, "Dual cultivation is not a cultivation technique, it''s a mental method. But you are right about one thing, if the cultivation levels are too disparate, it is indeed useless."


    "If it''s useless, then why..."


    "Even if it''s useless, it''s still pleasurable."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu once again fell silent, and after a long while, tapped the table lightly with his index finger, "Let''s not beat around the bush, since we''re all clear-eyed people here. What brings you to my brother today? Do you wish to take him back as a tonic again?"


    "Not at all."


    The young lady shook her head again and then became serious, the smile on her face receding as she said, "This fellow might not be very decent, but he has done me a favor. I am here to urge him to leave this place as quickly as possible. Although I don''t know why, after escaping from the ''Flower Offering Sect,'' he would come to Fufeng City, hundreds of miles away."


    "But one thing is very important."


    "Fufeng City will soon erupt in a bloody conflict among several factions, resulting in widespread slaughter, affecting countless ordinary people. The market square will not be safe either, it''s best to flee early."


    "I cannot reveal the specifics to you."


    "Consider this a word of warning."


    "Lastly¡ª"


    The young lady suddenly giggled again, her provocative and flirtatious demeanor shone as she covered her mouth with her fan and gazed at Fat Long, her eyes bright with reluctance, she said softly, "If we meet again next time, I would still like to try that ''Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun'' move you came up with."


    "It''s very unique; I''ve never seen anything like it in my life."


    "You must survive, okay?"


    As the words fell,


    the light screen dissipated.


    The girl turned and walked out of the guest room, and the brawny men standing at the doorway quickly followed suit, while the guest room''s shopkeeper had already been at the door with a nod and a beaming smile, evidently having received a handsome compensation.


    ...


    After the sudden intrusion by the woman, the previously harmonious atmosphere in the room gradually turned eerie.


    "..."


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu was the first to speak and break the tension, "So the reason you were so frail when we met yesterday was because you were tortured by the Flower Offering Sect for three months? It wasn''t because cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm are naturally that frail?"


    "Mhm...!"


    Fat Long nodded with a mix of sadness and anger.


    "Huh, no wonder."


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding. Fat Long had originally told him that all cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm were that frail, and only by breaking through to the seventh level would their physical condition significantly improve.


    But neither the cultivators he had met in the Secret Realm last night at the sixth level, nor himself when he had just broken through to the sixth level, felt as weak as Fat Long did.


    He had been somewhat puzzled, but now it made sense.


    "May I venture to ask again, what is the Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun technique?"


    "Hey, you''re being even more presumptuous than last time!"


    Fat Long said somewhat indignantly, "Stop asking, that experience is my shame!"


    "When I was captured by the Flower Offering Sect, how many people did I ask for help along the way? Did even one person help me?"


    "There are thousands of tonic cultivators in the Flower Offering Sect, and every so often they weed out those who have been drained. What could I do to avoid being drained and eliminated? I had to rack my brains to develop a series of techniques, so that when those witches indulged in them with me, they would become addicted!"


    "Thus thinking of indulging once more, and because they couldn''t bear to, they would control the intensity of the technique and not drain me."


    "Let me tell you, Chen Qiu!"


    "I will never forget these memories in my lifetime. The day I gain power, everyone from the Flower Offering Sect who humiliated me will not escape. I''ll have them flayed and sliced a thousand times!!!"


    "Why do you think I changed my name to Fat Long?"


    "Every moment, I remind myself that every disgrace I face is a necessary part of the journey to success!"


    "A person who is determined to reach the peak will never feel ashamed of yesterday''s kneeling!"


    "This name is to tell the world, to remind myself."


    "I, Fat Long, am a fucking dragon lying in wait!"


    "One day¡ª"


    "I will disperse these clouds, like a dragon emerging from the sea, and let the world see what a hero is!"


    At this moment, Fat Long''s neck veins bulged, his face flushed with anger, and his tone was forceful, filled with intense fury and defiance.


    In that instant, Chen Qiu was slightly stunned; it seemed like he saw in Fat Long the image of someone who, for the sake of their aspirations, silently endured and bore the brunt of setbacks and hardships. Fat Long didn''t seem as afraid of death as he had imagined.


    Instead, he was unwilling to die a worthless death.


    Murmuring as if in a trance, "If that''s the case, why call yourself Fat Long, instead of something like Flood Dragon or Heroic Dragon?"


    "Those names sound too arrogant..."


    Fat Long suddenly softened his tone again, muttering under his breath, "I''m afraid that someone might get annoyed by such a name and casually kill me."


    "I''m a bit afraid of dying."


    "Aren''t you?"

 Chapter 18

    "..."Chen Qiu suddenly fell silent again, standing motionless. The two sentences felt eerily familiar, as if he had heard the exact same ones last night. After organizing his thoughts, he shook his head and said, "Since you knew she was entering the city last night, why were you at the east gate of Fufeng City last night recruiting disciples under the banner of the ''Sky-bursting Gang''?"


    "How would I know it was her?"


    Fat Long scratched his head irritably, "I just received news early that a troupe from the Capital was heading to Fufeng City. The locals here don''t have much entertainment, and bustling events are a must-see."


    "I arrived in Fufeng City yesterday morning, planning to recruit disciples while many people were gathered at the city gate, guaranteeing a great harvest."


    "Only in the morning did I find out that it was actually her."


    "At that moment, I thought of running, but I couldn''t bear to miss this opportunity. Thinking I was already there and amidst so many people, she shouldn''t possibly notice me. But just as she entered the city, she looked in my direction. My heart skipped a beat, and all I could do was turn around and hastily find someone to run towards, showing her a back view."


    "That person was you."


    "Originally, I just thought of striking up a casual conversation with you, just waiting for her to enter the city and not see my face. But unexpectedly, within a few exchanges, I found out that you too had traveled across time, and you know what happened afterward."


    Chen Qiu''s mouth twitched slightly as he raised his hand wanting to pour himself a cup of tea, only to find that the teapot was somehow empty. He stopped his action and touched his nose.


    Now it seems,


    this girl also counts as somewhat of a benefactor to him.


    If it were not for this girl, Fat Long would not have stopped him, he wouldn''t have known about such a thing as an entry, nor would he have entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, nor would he have had the opportunities that followed.


    Not quite right.


    If looking further back, this girl came because of the Huang Family''s ''Heavenly Dao Entry'' manifesting in this world. If it weren''t for the Huang Family, both this girl and Fat Long would not have come to Fufeng City, meaning the Huang Family also counts as somewhat of a benefactor to him.


    And... it seems the Young Master of the Huang Family has already died by his hand.


    Would killing a benefactor bring heavenly retribution?


    He shook his head and thought no more of this, but brought the conversation to the crucial point, "What exactly is that so-called ''Heavenly Dao Entry''?"


    "It''s a special type of entry,"


    Fat Long''s expression turned serious, and he spoke solemnly, "As I mentioned before, aside from white and green entries which signify levels, there are many special entries, such as ''Grey Entry,'' ''Bloodline Entry,'' and... ''Heavenly Dao Entry.''"


    "''Heavenly Dao Entries'' happen randomly, some are very strong and some are weak, but they all share one commonality, that is, ''Heavenly Dao Entries'' can be inherited."


    "They can be directly passed on to your direct descendants."


    "That alone is enough. Once a Heavenly Dao Entry appears, countless forces will come scrambling, as long as they seize it and ensure their family can continue its lineage, then with the passage of time, the family''s heritage will grow stronger and stronger."


    "Da Xia Country has not seen a change of dynasty for nearly a thousand years. A long time ago, the current Royal Family of Da Xia was just a little Xia family."


    "Why has it prospered for so long?"


    "Naturally, there are many reasons, but one of them is that the ancestors of Da Xia obtained a total of eleven ''Heavenly Dao Entries.'' All direct descendants of the Xia family are born possessing these eleven entries."


    "Now, on the ''Heavenly Pride Leaderboard'' of Da Xia, out of the top hundred, thirty-seven are from the Xia family."


    "Truly a strict selection by the Xia family."


    "Oh?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyes narrowed slightly at this. Upon hearing Fat Long, he knew many people would die this time; the effect of the Heavenly Dao Entry was somewhat perverse, "Since so many powers are already aware of this Heavenly Dao Entry, can the Royal Family of Da Xia not know? Wouldn''t they send someone?"


    "They won''t."


    Fat Long shook his head, "The Heavenly Dao Entry is both inheritance and a curse. No matter what entry is randomly obtained, it will definitely be passed on to your descendants, and some entries have rather severe negative effects."


    "Adding one more Heavenly Dao Entry to the Royal Family of Da Xia won''t make their descendants'' foundations much stronger, given they already have eleven."


    "But if a Heavenly Dao Entry with strong negative effects is randomly obtained, then it''s purely a loss."


    "There''s little to gain but so much to lose; no one would sit at such a gambling table."


    "Some major families either have already won the gamble by possessing several Heavenly Dao Entries, no longer needing to gamble, or are currently doing well enough not to gamble; hence their interest in this isn''t great."


    "But for a small family like the Huang Family, it presents a fatal attraction."


    "And the Royal Family wouldn''t do something like sending people to snatch the Heavenly Dao entry and then exchange it for Spirit Stones, that would be too beneath them, you see. If Da Xia were to do that, do you think these sects would still stay within Da Xia''s borders? The world is vast, there''s always a place for lords."


    "Sects and countries have a mutual relationship, not a hierarchical one."


    "How much is a Heavenly Dao entry worth in Spirit Stones?"


    "This thing is basically not sold on the market, and doesn''t have a fixed market price, but it should be at least 1,000 Spirit Stones I guess. Of course, that price is my estimate; I''m not clear on the specific amount, but it should only be higher, not lower, given it''s a Heavenly Dao entry."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, as he had already understood the situation: "What is the cultivation level of that girl?"


    "Foundation Establishment Stage Level One."


    "It doesn''t sound very high."


    "Enough to kill the two of us for sure."


    "You''re too afraid of death."


    "Nonsense, aren''t you afraid?"


    "Let''s go." Chen Qiu didn''t speak further but rather stood up and walked straight towards the outside of the guest room. After reaching the first floor, he casually took two Spirit Stones from the Shopkeeper''s hand, then proceeded to walk out the city gate along the main road.


    This had been arranged with the Shopkeeper beforehand.


    The demon beast corpses in the guest room, whether fur or flesh, were valuable goods that could fetch around five to six Spirit Stones.


    He didn''t have time to deal with them, so he sold them to the Shopkeeper for two Spirit Stones.


    The Shopkeeper earned Spirit Stones, and he saved time.


    ...


    "Are you really going to Fufeng City to wade into these troubled waters?"


    "Have you gone mad?"


    "Even though you''re in the Qi Refinement Realm Level Seven now, but there are many from the Foundation Establishment Stage going there; it''s just not enough, isn''t this just courting death?"


    On the main road of Area 4 in Qiantian Market, Fat Long, who was hurriedly following behind Chen Qiu, incessantly urged, "Brother Chen Qiu, don''t think that just one realm higher in Foundation Establishment than Qi Refinement is small, but in fact, it''s a world of difference!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Going like this, it really isn''t any different from sending ourselves to death!"


    Chen Qiu, with a calm face, led at the front and softly said, "You see the nature of this world as well. If you can''t boost your strength at all costs, what would you do if you end up captured by the Flower Offering Sect for use as nourishment like you?"


    "With such an opportunity right before us, how could we possibly miss it?"


    "Absolutely not, your body isn''t robust nor do you have the might of nine oxen, and your cultivation level isn''t high; they wouldn''t choose you for nourishment!"


    "Just yesterday you told me if I don''t become stronger, someone like you could easily kill me."


    "But now I can''t beat you anymore!"


    "Still no good."


    Chen Qiu walked to the city gate of Qiantian Market, stopped in place, and looked toward a few men outside the gate who seemed somewhat astonished when they saw him, softly saying, "If these 1,000 Spirit Stones come into hand, I can take you to the Flower Offering Sect tomorrow and kill those who have humiliated you."


    "Fortune favors the bold, sometimes we have to take the risk."


    "But life is also lost in risks, we shouldn''t gamble if we don''t have to."


    "Don''t worry."


    Chen Qiu patted Fat Long on the shoulder, paused for a moment and then chuckled softly: "Mists don''t scatter on their own; they must be cleared away by hand, and if you want the dragon to leap to the sea and ascend to the heavens to claim its rightful place, you must take the plunge."


    "I have a way, and I will win."

 Chapter 19 If you can fight, fight; if you cant, die.

    Perhaps it was Chen Qiu''s confidence that had infected him, or maybe it was because he remembered his own bold words just now he didn''t want to appear timid; in any case, after his expression changed several times between clear and cloudy, Fat Long still struggled to nod his head."Alright, let''s make a bet!"


    In his life, he rarely went all-in. His entrepreneurial peers who had fallen in his previous life taught him a lesson: how much profit a project made was not the deciding factor in whether a company lasted long enough.


    The real deciding factor was, if the company lost on this project, how much would it lose.


    He never thought about making his company bigger; he just wanted to make it last a bit longer.


    Compared to the profit target, he spent more of his life considering the stop-loss point.


    Survive long enough, and you might just witness a miracle.


    Whether in his previous life or here.


    ...


    "Mm."


    Chen Qiu nodded and smiled, then walked straight toward the city gate. The several men outside the city gate looking at him with astonishment were the ones sent by the Huang Family. At this moment, as soon as they saw him stepping through the city gate,


    they tore off their black robes and pulled out long swords from their bosoms, surrounding Chen Qiu and Fat Long. Their eyes, like those of hungry wolves, were fixed on them, cutting off their escape route back to Ask the Sky Market.


    These hired thugs seemed rather old, some even had age spots on the backs of their hands, but their aura was not weak in the slightest.


    "The Huang Family is handling affairs!"


    "Bystanders, step aside!"


    "Please, grant us some convenience!"


    An old man wearing a standard Huang Family robe, hands behind his back, walked out from the crowd with a sullen face. Standing in front of Chen Qiu and the others, he paused for a long time before speaking in a smile that wasn''t quite a smile, "You killed our Young Master Huang and still strut around so openly, not even wearing a cloak."


    "Impressive."


    "You really think the Huang Family has no temper?"


    Very soon¡ª


    three or four more Huang Family thugs arrived, tearing off their black robes and holding long swords they joined the encirclement, staring straight at Chen Qiu and his companions, ready to swing their swords at any command.


    These men must be the ones from Fat Long''s intelligence report, the Huang Family''s Seventh Elder at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and the thugs the Huang Family was prepared to deal with.


    And the people around seemed to be used to this, dispersing to both sides without even a hint of surprise. As long as the fight wasn''t in Ask the Sky Market, no one would care even if they turned the world outside upside down.


    "What do you say?"


    Fat Long glanced at the Huang Family thugs surrounding them with long swords and leaned in close to Chen Qiu, surveying their surroundings and lowering his voice, "Whatever the plan is, it''s about time you said it, right?"


    He probably already guessed Chen Qiu''s plan.


    Like last time, they would escape from here using the "Earth Tunneling Technique" and "Blinding Technique." However, both techniques required the scene to be sufficiently chaotic for them to slip away unnoticed.


    So what they should do next was create confusion, for example, by scattering some Spirit Stones on the ground to pull in the onlookers.


    The temptation of a few Spirit Stones was not small; there should be many who couldn''t resist this temptation.


    When the chaos of Fufeng City''s "Heavenly Dao Terms" broke out, Chen Qiu and his brother probably planned to use these two techniques to slip away amid the chaos. Although the risk was high, the reward, if successful, would be quite astonishing.


    Just as he was ready to cooperate with Chen Qiu''s plan¡ª


    He suddenly felt a chill on his back.


    "Hmm?"


    Fat Long turned around instinctively, only to see that a resentful spirit had appeared behind him at some point, floating in mid-air and carrying an aura of death that made people shiver.


    And the appearance of this resentful spirit was all too familiar¡ªit was none other than Young Master Huang Shikai who had died in the Secret Realm the night before!


    "Ah?"


    Fat Long couldn''t help but slowly open his mouth in a mix of confusion and disbelief as he looked at this scene before him. He had trouble imagining that Chen Qiu''s plan was just to kill their way out directly?


    Was that mad? This, a plan?


    If you can beat them, fight; if you can''t, die, right?


    Then, the next moment¡ª


    "Kill!!!"


    Chen Qiu roared angrily, suddenly drawing his Yellow Level lower-grade Spiritual Treasure "Heaven Slaying" broadsword from his bosom and grabbing Huang Shikai''s collar before charging forward.


    At the same time, the Huang Family''s Seventh Elder also shouted "kill" with an extremely ugly expression on his face.


    He naturally recognized that the resentful spirit in Chen Qiu''s hand was their Young Master Huang. Originally, a hundred people had entered the Secret Realm last night, and in the end, only two came out alive. They didn''t know who had killed the Young Master and could only vent their resentment on these two survivors.


    But they never expected the Young Master was actually killed by these two beasts!


    Once the order was given, the blade was drawn from its sheath.


    The Huang Family''s henchmen surrounding Chen Qiu shouted in unison with determined and cold faces, showing no mercy as they chopped at Chen Qiu. Although they were older and their condition had declined, their years of combat experience were not lacking.


    They were most experienced in bullying the few with the many.


    However...


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    A series of sounds like chopping on steel suddenly erupted.


    It really worked.


    Chen Qiu''s mouth curved into a sly smile as he held onto Huang Shikai''s collar with his left hand, while his right hand gripped the hilt of his sword, charging into the crowd and slashing wildly!


    He didn''t understand any sword skill.


    But he knew that a blade cutting on a neck would kill a person.


    The entry effect of Huang Shikai''s Yellow Entry "Unassailable from Behind" made him completely immune to attacks from the back and sides, which wasn''t very useful when he was alive, as it had quite a few drawbacks.


    But after becoming a resentful spirit, this entry turned out to be extremely useful, like a shield possessing absolute defense.


    Especially since a resentful spirit is a Divine Soul entity, it almost has no weight, not affecting movement when held in hand.


    In a matter of seconds, the six to seven Qi Refinement Realm fifth and sixth level henchmen of the Huang Family fell powerless into pools of blood.


    The gap between the sixth level of Qi Refinement and the seventh level was not as vast as heaven and earth.


    But it was not small either.


    Already overpowering in realm, and even more so with a large shield possessing absolute defense, there was no pressure in killing.


    Before Fat Long could even react, Chen Qiu had already charged towards the Huang Family''s Seventh Elder at the rear, holding Huang Shikai in his left hand and brandishing his broadsword with his right.


    "Come!"


    By this time, Chen Qiu had somewhat become bloodthirsty, and the murderous aura he carried made the bystanders, who were watching the fight, subconsciously retreat a few steps.


    ...


    A few moments later.


    Fat Long looked bewilderedly at Chen Qiu''s retreating figure, not having had the chance to draw his sword and join the battle, only to see Chen Qiu already beginning to dismember the Seventh Elder of the Huang Family''s corpse.


    Arms, thighs, heads.


    He dismembered them with ease as if he were a skilled butcher, then adeptly searched inside Elder Huang''s robe and after a while, pulled out three Storage Bags and stuffed them into his bosom with satisfaction. Then, he ran over to the other henchmen and rummaged for a while before turning his head to look at him.


    "Are you here to watch the show?"


    "Shall I sing you another tune?"


    ...


    "Is it that simple and crude?"


    "Otherwise?"


    Chen Qiu nodded, gave Fat Long an annoyed roll of his eyes, contentedly patted his now-bulging waist pack, and casually tossed a few pieces of silver into the hands of the Guard Commander at the entrance to Heaven Asking Marketplace City Gate: "Thanks for your hard work cleaning up this mess later."


    "A little tip for tea."

 Chapter 20 The world is vast, yet it can be crossed in three breaths.

    Afterward, Chen Qiu did not delay even for a moment. With his left hand clutching Huang Shikai''s collar, he strode towards the cliff from which they had come. The resentful spirit he had summoned could only exist for an hour, after which it would dissipate automatically.It could not be paused midway.


    The "Unvulnerable Front and Back" entry for Huang Shikai was more useful than he had anticipated, so he had to make the most of Huang Shikai''s residual effectiveness during the remaining time.


    "Brother Chen Qiu."


    Fat Long had also recovered by now and hurriedly followed Chen Qiu''s quick steps, saying anxiously, "By openly summoning Huang Shikai''s resentful spirit, everyone will know that you possess the ability to turn the creatures you kill into resentful spirits!"


    "With so many onlookers here, it won''t be long before the news leaks out."


    "Your trump card is gone¡ªwhat use is a trump card that everyone knows about?"


    Chen Qiu walked briskly toward the cliff from which they had come, slightly quickening his pace.


    "Who said this was my trump card?"


    "Hurry, time waits for no one!"


    ...


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    At the Seeking Immortality Gate on the western city wall, the Guard Commander, clad in armor, watched the departing figures of Chen Qiu and his companion. Weighing the handful of silver Chen Qiu had tossed to him, he chuckled.


    "This fellow sure knows how to conduct himself."


    "Interesting."


    Subsequently, he tucked the few pieces of silver in his breast, turned around to his guards who were eagerly watching him and scolded with a laugh, "What are you looking at me for? You think I can pocket all this silver myself?"


    "Get to work!"


    "After we''re off duty tonight, I''ll treat you to drinks in Fufeng City!"


    "Just to make it clear in advance, we''re only ordering one geisha¡ªit''s all on me unless you get touchy!"


    "Anyone who wants more, pays their own way!"


    At night, the Wentian Market doesn''t keep anyone; only inns do.


    Once the inns are full, others must leave the market.


    These are the rules of the Wentian Market.


    In the Wentian Market, there is a rule prohibiting fighting, yet daily, a great number of people come here seeking vengeance. It''s one thing if it''s just one power, but with the multitudes that come seeking revenge, even the Wentian Market, with Golden Core cultivators in place, cannot withstand the pressure.


    However, those seeking vengeance from the Wentian Market often are quite generous.


    After contemplating, the Wentian Market has set these rules.


    They ensure that not too many powers are offended while also securing decent revenue.


    Not far from the Wentian Market, atop the same mountain ridge, lies a small auxiliary city filled with inns, taverns, brothels, etc., serving as lodging for those who either don''t want to descend the mountain or are merchants in the market.


    In this auxiliary city, the no-fighting rule does not apply.


    The guards of the Wentian Market work in shifts, a day on, a day off. It just so happens they are off tomorrow, so the commander plans to take his men to Fufeng City for a good time and to see the geisha from the Capital, who reputedly won''t perform even for three Spirit Stones.


    To give his men a feast for their eyes.


    The Guard Commander had a smile plastered across his face thinking about the night''s prospects, working even harder than usual. As a guard of Wentian Market, cleaning up the remnants of fights around the market was his duty after all.


    There was no need for him to get a tip.


    But the sudden extra money still made it hard for him to hide his grin.


    ...


    "Can you fly?"


    Chen Qiu walked briskly to the edge of the cliff to the young man he had met earlier: "Take me somewhere quickly, name your price."


    "Where to?"


    This young man, dressed as a scholar, lifted his head to glance indifferently at Chen Qiu and then lowered it again, speaking casually, "The times change so quickly. Is it now fashionable to walk around with a resentful spirit in tow?"


    "For cooling off?"


    Chen Qiu squatted down to meet the scholar''s gaze, calmly stating, "No specific location."


    "Within a hundred miles, where is there a place with plenty of Fierce Beasts, but not too many? Ideally, it should be demon beasts that don''t act in groups and have a strong territorial consciousness. Also, the strongest Fierce Beast should not surpass the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "And this place must also be ownerless, not belonging to any force, so hunting there would not violate the laws of Da Xia, and no one would obstruct."


    "Tsk."


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground closed his comic book, looked meaningfully at Chen Qiu in front of him, and suddenly smiled, "There is, naturally, a place just like you described twenty miles to the west."


    "It has no name."


    "In a stone cave at the bottom of a cliff created by a natural crevice in the ground, about several hundred feet from the surface, there''s only one kind of demon beast, called ''Human Face Spider.'' This is a type of demon beast that cannot break through the Foundation Establishment Stage in its lifetime and doesn''t develop Spiritual Wisdom."


    "It loves a cold and moist environment."


    "Yet, it is a clan of Fierce Beasts. They reproduce quickly, generally move in groups and never alone, and have an extremely strong sense of avenging their companions."


    "Do you want to go?"


    After a moment of contemplation, Chen Qiu nodded seriously. "Let''s go. How long will it take to get there?"


    "Three breaths."


    "Three breaths again?"


    "Heh."


    The scholar laughed, "In this vast world, everything can be reached in three breaths."


    "Fine, but you need to wait for me there and take me back after an hour."


    "Then give me a Spirit Stone."


    The scholar then slowly closed the comic book in his arms, carefully stuffed it into his bosom, and as he did so, the bearded strongman whom they had already met once at the base of the mountain appeared beside them without waiting for them to speak again.


    He saw the scholar raise his right hand in front of him, his thumb and index finger slightly touching, the other three fingers naturally stretched out, pinching a Taoist Technique and whispering, "Knock."


    The next second¡ª


    A Green Blade Long Sword quivering continuously violently burst out from the sleeve of the scholar''s robe, transforming into a streak of green light and disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.


    Three breaths later.


    The scholar, as if sensing something, his lips moved slightly, and his body instantly vanished from the spot, leaving only a mat made of dried grasses.


    Before Chen Qiu and the others could react,


    the bearded strongman standing beside them grabbed their arms, and immediately the surrounding scenery started spinning wildly again. Within less than a breath''s time, when the scenery stabilized, they were already standing on a barren plain where the ground was desiccated and full of cracks.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu incredulously surveyed his surroundings; not a spirit field in sight, no official road, not a trace of human activity, the area looked as if it had been abandoned and faced severe droughts for three years.


    Looking far to the east,


    one could faintly see a mountain range enveloped by clouds and mist. That was the Wentian Mountain Range, and the market town of Wentian was thus named after it.


    Due to its location on the plains with a vast field of view, although he couldn''t estimate if the distance to Wentian Mountain Range was twenty miles, it certainly wasn''t short.


    This meant...


    They had teleported twenty miles in just three breaths?


    And he also roughly guessed that this scholar''s technique, or his Cultivation Technique, should allow him to teleport to wherever his Flying Sword could reach, though it''s unclear if there were any distance limitations.


    First, let the Flying Sword reach the destination, the scholar teleports there, and then the scholar''s brother brings them to teleport next to the scholar.


    With such a method,


    in this vast world, everything being reachable in three breaths isn''t an exaggeration.


    He had wanted to ask Fat Long if the speed of a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator''s Flying Sword could be this fast. But seeing the incredulous look on Fat Long, whose jaw was virtually dropping to the ground, he roughly guessed the answer.


    "We''ve arrived"


    The scholar, still sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked towards Chen Qiu and Fat Long with a somewhat gentle smile and said, "The bottom of this crack is where the ''Human Face Spider'' cave is."


    Meanwhile, Fat Long, who had just snapped back to reality, noticed for the first time that this young man dressed as a scholar appeared to have some disability that prevented him from standing normally.

 Chapter 21 People Call Him The Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.

    "Let my brother escort you down."The scholar seated cross-legged on the ground spoke softly.


    The robust man with a beard standing beside walked directly to the crack on the ground without any hesitation, took a step forward, and soon a thud resounded.


    The bearded man, who was, in fact, the scholar''s brother, wasn''t tall.


    About six feet or so.


    He could even be described as short, but his stature was excessively robust, and he was adorned with beast armor amidst his hemp clothes, complete with a full-face beard and extremely abundant body hair.


    It made one unable to resist calling him a stout man.


    Immediately after, the scholar seated at the edge of the cliff gestured with a wave of his hand for Chen Qiu and his companion to come to him, reached out, grasped the corner of their clothes, and in the blink of an eye, he had already brought them to the bottom of the cliff.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu stood still, surveying his surroundings. The valley floor here was hundreds of feet away from the surface, covered in dead grass and grey stones, the bare rock walls on either side marked with trails from the rainwater.


    Looking up, the sky appeared extremely narrow.


    This part of the valley, with neither end visible, was extremely long yet narrow, barely wide enough for eight people to stand shoulder to shoulder, feeling rather cramped. On both sides of the rock walls, there were honeycomb-like caves.


    From time to time, a sound like that of a baby crying could be heard, carried by the wind and drifting deep into the valley.


    "We''ve arrived."


    "In an hour, my brother will come down to fetch you."


    "Listen for the sound and look up, don''t get crushed."


    The scholar once again formed that familiar Taoist technique gesture and softly said, "Knock."


    A three-foot green blade shot out from his sleeve towards the sky, and soon after, the scholar seated on the rock disappeared from sight, and the bearded robust man beside him vanished just as quickly.


    After the two left.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, his expression somewhat vigilant as he held Huang Shikai''s resentful spirit in his left hand, examining his surroundings: "Prepare for the enemy."


    His plan was simple.


    If killing a demon beast in the Qi Refinement Realm could yield a substantial advancement in Cultivation, why should he waste too much time in the Qi Refinement Stage? Although he didn''t have many spirit stones to buy severely injured demon beasts, it would be the same if he killed them himself, just riskier.


    Moreover, as long as he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, his Pink Entry would be able to fully utilize its function.


    Accelerating his Cultivation to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible was the proper path.


    "Pretty good."


    Fat Long breathed a sigh of relief, taking out his own Lifebound Spirit Treasure, a long saber called ''Dragon Slayer,'' and firmly gripped it in his hand, standing behind Chen Qiu ready to face the enemy together.


    He and Chen Qiu had known each other for only a day.


    But the experiences of this day were more thrilling than the five months since he arrived in this world!


    ...


    Meanwhile, on the cliff above the valley.


    The young man dressed as a scholar sat cross-legged in the same spot, looking at the clouds on the horizon with a somewhat absent-minded expression, neither reading nor cracking sunflower seeds, seemingly lost in thought or daydreaming.


    "Brother."


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    The silent bearded robust man suddenly spoke in a deep voice: "He was the first to squat down and speak with you."


    "Why not follow him?"


    "Him?"


    The scholar only then reacted, and after pondering for a while, he couldn''t help but shake his head and chuckle: "He won''t do, he''s too weak, and he has no power. He''s of no use to us."


    Long ago, he had been searching for an appropriate master.


    But he hadn''t found a single suitable one yet.


    He told his younger brother that he needed his master to respect him, at least to squat down to talk to him when recruiting him, instead of making him look up.


    His younger brother, who had always been slow-witted and extremely trusting of him, naturally believed him.


    However, none of the forces that came to recruit him did squat down to talk to him; not to mention that none of the Family Heads or Sect Masters came to recruit him personally ¡ª it was always their subordinates.


    Those Family Heads and even the Great Elders couldn''t even be bothered to personally make a trip, as if coming in person for the two brothers would be beneath their dignity.


    "But..."


    The bearded, muscular man''s voice grew weaker, "Brother, you don''t have long to live. You once were Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator, but now your Cultivation has fallen to the third layer of Foundation Establishment. If you don''t find a good master, you will die."


    "Hmm."


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground summoned a miniature version of a three-foot green blade, looking at his Lifebound Spirit Treasure which quivered and seemed to possess a spirit of its own in front of him with a complex expression, silently without speaking.


    He started cultivating at the age of thirteen, achieved perfect Foundation Establishment recognized by the Heavenly Dao at fifteen, and stepped into the Golden Core Realm at twenty-four.


    The Initial Entry and the entries obtained from subsequent Great Realms were extremely compatible with Sword Cultivators.


    He obtained various entries and Cultivation Techniques fit for him in several Secret Realms and Grotto Heavens!


    At the age of twenty-seven, he single-handedly battled the top three ranks of the ''Heavenly Pride Leaderboard'' of Da Xia, holding his ground and after three hours of fierce fighting, he slew all three and sealed their throats with one sword, thereby making a name for himself throughout the world!


    The world called him the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    They called him a young achiever.


    Being successful at a young age, he naturally thought he was as high as the sky. Afterward, his actions became increasingly willful, even believing that a Sword Cultivator ought to act on impulse, and those who hesitated didn''t deserve to be called Sword Cultivators!


    Eliminate displeasing affairs, kill detestable people.


    He believed there was nothing in the world he couldn''t settle, no one he couldn''t kill.


    He offended countless people, yet no one could hold him. The world only knew him as ''Bai Yi,'' Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator, yet no one knew he had a brother, nor did they know about their shared Bloodline Entry.


    Wherever he went, his younger brother was always within ten thousand miles waiting for him.


    If he met with a mishap, he would immediately Teleport to escape.


    Yes, their Bloodline Entry for Teleportation wasn''t limited to a hundred miles, but ten thousand miles ¡ª as long as he wanted to leave, no one in the world could stop him.


    His younger brother was somewhat dim-witted. Whenever he came home and told his younger brother about the glory he had outside, his brother always felt puzzled and uninterested, merely advising him to be cautious.


    He didn''t know what caution was.


    He only knew that he was happy when everyone discussed him when everyone called him the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    He would even deliberately pause and stealthily listen to those admiring discussions about him.


    But later...


    Later on, he still fell. There are no eternal legends in Jianghu. His fame in Da Xia was once known to nearly every household, but now no one speaks of him.


    As if Da Xia had never had a number one Sword Cultivator.


    Or perhaps there was already a new number one Sword Cultivator.


    Just four years had passed, and he was dead, dead in the Jianghu.


    No one discussed him anymore.


    No storyteller spoke with emphasis and modulation about his deeds.


    In that battle, he was severely wounded by three late-stage Golden Core experts, escaped death through faking it with his entries, his Cultivation severely declined, and with Bone Devouring Poison planted in his body, he had no choice but to change his appearance and name. Taking his younger brother with him, they hid away in a corner of Fufeng City in Da Xia.


    The only condition for recruiting him was to give him a ''Heavenly Dao Jade.''


    It cost 3,000 Spirit Stones.


    With the Heavenly Dao Jade, he couldn''t recover to the Golden Core Stage, but he could resolve the Bone Devouring Poison within him, suffer less daily, not face imminent death, and live a few more decades.


    In those decades, he could once again protect his younger brother.


    Though not as glorious as in the past,


    at least they would not have to worry about food and clothing.


    But that price...not a single force could offer it, nor were any willing to, and he certainly couldn''t claim his former title as Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator to justify the price.

 Chapter 22 Heavenly Dao Talisman

    ```He didn''t tell his younger brother the true conditions for recognizing him as master, because he knew his brother too well. If his brother knew, he would definitely sneak into the Secret Realm on his own or find other ways to earn Spirit Stones for him.


    But his brother was naturally simple-minded and of average strength, unable to compete with those who saw deception as a common practice.


    Since he had fled with serious injuries, he had been afflicted with the Bone Devouring Poison and was completely devoid of combat ability, possessing only a few cunning tricks.


    "..."


    The scholar remained silent, not speaking. He just continued to sit cross-legged, gazing at the clouds rolling by in the sky. He used to have a few good friends; if he approached them using his influence, perhaps he could borrow three thousand Spirit Stones.


    But first, the risk was too high, he wasn''t sure whether his former friends would report him, and the bounty on his head was not low.


    Secondly...


    He was once the number one Sword Cultivator in Da Xia after all.


    He had his own pride.


    He was unwilling to let those who once knew him well see such a desolate scene of himself.


    If it weren''t for his brother, he would rather die standing than be confined to a seat like a cripple on the edge of a cliff in the Ask the Heavens Market, surrounded and gawked at by passersby like a piece of garbage.


    And bargain with those forces that were trying to recruit him.


    "Alright."


    The scholar glanced at his brother beside him, whose face was anxious and mouth kept opening and closing without uttering a word, and said softly, "I have a plan in mind, don''t worry."


    His brother was a bit dull and had no real concept of the value of Spirit Stones, thinking that most people could easily produce the amount he wanted as long as they were willing to stoop down and talk to him, and then he would recognize them as master.


    But in reality...


    Three thousand Spirit Stones, many forces within a hundred miles could not produce that amount.


    Those who could afford it, did not regard him highly.


    He didn''t dare to say outwardly that his teleportation range was 200 miles; a Golden Core cultivator specializing in movement technique could cover a hundred miles within ten breaths, hence a hundred miles was often considered the immediate striking range for Golden Core cultivators.


    Going beyond two hundred miles meant he had surpassed the immediate striking range of two Golden Core cultivators.


    Then the forces attracted would not be small, those forces knew him.


    Even if he had changed his appearance, certain subconscious habits that couldn''t be changed would always expose him and thereby put his brother in danger as well.


    If he says ten thousand miles...


    It might be the Da Xia Royal Family that comes for him.


    Unfortunately, when he fled heavily injured that day, all the Spiritual Treasures and the Storage Ring on him were stolen, leaving only this Lifebound Spirit Treasure that had been with him for a long time. Along with his fallen Cultivation Realm, it had also become an ordinary Yellow Level Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure.


    Not worth much.


    Back in the day¡ª


    When the Qingfeng sword was unsheathed, who did not recognize his White-clothed figure!


    In three breaths'' time, there was no place in the world he could not reach!


    Were these merely child''s play? Were these just empty words?


    Yet now, all those past glories only stayed preserved in the comic books tucked in his bosom, drawn by a scholar when his name was known far and wide, depicting his various imposing feats.


    The title of the book was "White-clothed Sword Cultivator".


    The book did not chronicle his entire life, but it did capture his life as fleeting as the blossom of the magic flower.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu, who was at the bottom of the canyon, was attracting the attention of the Human Face Spiders in the cave by continuously striking the ground with his knife blade. The stone caves in the rock walls were extremely cramped, and it was impossible for him to crawl in and fight, as that would be very disadvantageous to him.


    Soon...


    In the stone caves on the rock walls, numerous pairs of pale blue eyes slowly appeared at the entrances. Soon after, the first Human Face Spider crawled out of its cave and up onto a transparent spider web in the sky.


    Its eyes were fixated on him, the pupils constantly rolling.


    The sight was incredibly creepy.


    This spider was at least three feet wide, and its head was embedded with a baby''s face, emitting cries like that of a baby within the depths of the canyon, driving them away as if rebuking them.


    Then the second and third Human Face Spiders also emerged.


    At this point, Chen Qiu realized that the stone caves in the rock walls were surrounded by transparent spider webs that were nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye even under the sunlight.


    "Huff..."


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, swung his right hand, and released all the resentful spirits he had stored. Instantly, the surrounding area grew colder, with ten Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Layer and one Qi Refinement Realm Eighth Layer resentful spirits, along with the Demon Beast Resentful Spirits he had slain in the Ask the Heavens Market, rushing toward the stone caves all at once!


    They wreaked havoc on the spider webs and provoked the Human Face Spiders.


    The Cultivation of these Human Face Spiders was not low, and they liked to swarm in attack; he couldn''t afford to be careless.


    ''Resentful Spirit Summoning'' was only a green entry, but it was particularly useful. Any creatures killed by his resentful spirits could also be transformed into his own resentful spirits. He didn''t understand why such a handy entry was only green.


    He felt it should be at least yellow.


    But at that moment, he had no time to think further about this.


    Provoked by the resentful spirits, the Human Face Spiders were already lunging towards them with cries as sharp as those of a baby.


    "Excellent."


    Chen Qiu, gripping the collar of Huang Shikai''s clothes with his left hand, brandished the knife in his right, slightly bent his legs. As the first Human Face Spider approached, he let out a fierce shout, using Huang Shikai to block the mid-air lunge of the spider, then brought his long knife slicing down!


    With just this one strike, the Human Face Spider was severely wounded and fell to the ground.


    ```


    He took another step forward and landed another blow, as a flurry of white light floated up from the corpse of the Human Face Spider and burrowed into his body. He had no time to celebrate this minor gain, however, as more Human Face Spiders screeched and charged towards him.


    ...


    "Die!"


    Just as Chen Qiu, drenched in blood, once again cut down a Human Face Spider that had lunged at him, his right hand holding the sword instinctively scanned his surroundings for the next target. However...


    There were no other living creatures standing in the entire canyon apart from him.


    The ground was littered with the corpses of Human Face Spiders, their scarlet blood splattered deep within the canyon.


    Fat Long was also lying exhausted nearby, panting heavily; for him, the intensity of the battle had been rather extreme. Neither of them was seriously hurt, and most of the blood on Huang Shikai came from the Human Face Spiders.


    And it was as he killed this last Human Face Spider that...


    He suddenly felt a surge of warmth coursing through his body. Sensing something, he used introspection and saw a panel enveloped in clouds and mist appear above his Dantian.


    ''Cultivation has greatly increased; officially entered the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.''


    ''Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.''


    1:


    ''Entry name'': Every plant and tree.


    ''Entry level'': White.


    ''Entry effect'': Each time you break through a small realm, you will receive three Spirit Stones.


    2:


    ''Entry name'': Start from scratch.


    ''Entry level'': White.


    ''Entry effect'': The quality of your Foundation Establishment will slightly increase, but each time you fail at Foundation Establishment, your Cultivation Realm will fall back to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    3:


    ''Entry name'': Never Discouraged.


    ''Entry level'': White.


    ''Entry effect'': When you fail at Foundation Establishment and your cultivation falls, the Cultivation Progress you gain from killing demon beasts in the Qi Refinement Realm will increase a hundredfold.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the three entries that had popped up in front of him, his mouth slightly agape, a flash of agony in his eyes, his face distorting slightly, and the hand gripping the sword also bulged with veins.


    Individually, these three white entries were rather mundane.


    They were the kind that were somewhat useful, but not all that impactful.


    The first entry would be considered a Seven-colored term for ordinary people with no great ambitions for cultivation; three Spirit Stones for each small realm breakthrough could ensure a wealthy life for the commoner.


    The second entry could only slightly increase the quality of Foundation Establishment, but if you failed at Foundation Establishment, you would have to start from scratch at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    As for the third entry, it was basically next to nothing. Even if your cultivation fell back to the early stages of the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm after a failed Foundation Establishment, only a little was needed to reach Great Perfection; even if the progress from killing demon beasts during this time was a hundred times faster, it would just mean returning a few days sooner to Qi Refinement Great Perfection and then preparing for Foundation Establishment again.


    But...


    If he could own all three entries simultaneously, with just a bit of start-up capital, it was unthinkable!


    As long as he had enough time, and if there was no limit to the number of times he could attempt Foundation Establishment, the number of Spirit Stones he could produce daily might surpass even the output of a spirit stone mine!


    If after his cultivation fell he could reselect previously discarded entries, that would be an absolute takeoff, but this thought seemed impractical upon reflection.


    But why... why!


    Why could he only make a selection of one out of the three entries, rather than choose them all!!!


    He did not immediately make a choice within ten breaths, but instead, his expression twisted in pain as he turned his head with the last bit of hope toward Fat Long, "Fat Long, is there any heavenly or earthly treasure that allows one to select previously discarded entries?"


    In this world, when everyone first reached the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm, they had no choice but to use whatever entry they were given, and if they were unlucky, they just had to suck it up.


    From the Foundation Establishment Stage onward, every time you broke through a Great Realm, you had to choose one out of three entries.


    There was sufficient choice, allowing cultivators to compile the most suitable combination of entries for themselves.


    "Seems like there is..."


    Fat Long, although not understanding why Chen Qiu suddenly looked like this, furrowed his brow and thought before quickly responding, "Definitely, I''ve seen it on an auction list at the Asking Heaven Market; there''s a talisman that can only be produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, called the ''Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman''." sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It allows cultivators to reselect previously discarded entries."


    "But the price isn''t low, nothing from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm comes cheap¡­ and also, it can only select an entry discarded during the last three choices."


    "Like if you are a Nascent Soul cultivator, then you can only choose from the remaining two entries that were discarded when you broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage, you can''t choose discarded entries from the Golden Core Stage breakthrough."


    "If you had other opportunities during the period after your ascension to the Nascent Soul Stage, acquiring an additional three-choice entry, you couldn''t even choose the discarded entries from the Nascent Soul breakthrough, only the last discarded entry from the most recent three-choice opportunity."


    "As for below Foundation Establishment..."


    "In the Qi Refinement Realm, there''s no choice, you use what you''re given."


    "At most, you can choose one discarded entry, if you want both discarded entries, then you''d need to buy two."


    "What''s up?"


    Fat Long looked at Chen Qiu with some confusion, "Brother Chen Qiu, why did you suddenly ask about this?"

 Chapter 23

    "It''s fine."Chen Qiu suppressed the excitement in his heart, took a deep breath, and forcefully pushed down the emotions inside him. After all, there was hope at last. He immediately chose the first white entry.


    ''Every plant and tree.''


    Almost at the same time, he saw a large amount of Spiritual Energy suddenly begin to condense in front of him, and in the blink of an eye, it formed into three low-grade Spirit Stones that fell to the ground.


    The entry he selected awarded three Spirit Stones for every breakthrough in a small realm, and this breakthrough was included as well.


    "Ah?"


    Fat Long looked befuddled as he gazed at the three Spirit Stones that had condensed out of thin air, somewhat unable to react. Could the Spiritual Energy in the air really gather into Spirit Stones? What kind of operation was this?


    Chen Qiu did not address Fat Long''s confusion, but instead tilted his head and asked, "How much does that Heavenly Dao Talisman, the ''Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman,'' you mentioned just now sell for at Wentian Pavilion Market?"


    "It depends on the grade."


    Fat Long patiently explained, "The ''Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman'' is divided into four grades: low, mid, high, and top-grade. Among them, a low-grade retrospection charm can only be used on cultivators below the Foundation Establishment. In other words, you can only re-select the discarded entry from the three choices you had during the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "But there are no three choices for entry levels in the Qi Refinement Realm, so the low-grade charm sells for the cheapest, just 50 Spirit Stones each."


    "And the higher you go, the more expensive it gets."


    "A mid-grade retrospection charm starts at 500 Spirit Stones and up, and that is only for the discarded entries from the three choices during the Foundation Establishment Stage. After all, think about it, the higher your cultivation, the higher the entry level you can randomly access."


    "By that time, a high or top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman might be equivalent to a golden or pink entry, and no matter how expensive it is, people will scramble to get it."


    "Moreover..."


    It must be said that Fat Long''s intelligence sources are indeed very rich, and he is naturally suited for exploring new worlds, but Chen Qiu already lacked the patience to listen any further. All he heard was one thing¡ªthat a low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman cost only 50 Spirit Stones.


    Ordinary people had no use for it, but he happened to be able to use it.


    Even so, the price was already comparable to 10 low-grade Yellow Level Spiritual Treasures from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Just then¡ª


    The resentful spirit of Huang Shikai in Chen Qiu''s hand had completely vanished between heaven and earth, and at the same time, he gained almost thirty more resentful spirits of Human Face Spiders around the seventh or eighth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm. This was another crucial method to use at a key moment.


    This green entry was really useful.


    Before the two could further converse, they suddenly heard a piercing sound of something tearing through the sky. They looked up instinctively, only to see a bearded, burly man plummeting straight from the sky!


    The two of them hurriedly dodged out of the way.


    "Boom!!!"


    This was the first time the two had seen the bearded, burly man fall from the high sky before them and smash into the ground, creating a sizable crater. He got up from the ground as if nothing had happened, patted his buttocks, grabbed their arms, and then the three of them vanished on the spot.


    Leaving only a mess behind. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    "Alright."


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground, upon seeing that Chen Qiu and his companion had hardly any injuries, flashed a hint of surprise in his eyes but still smiled and said, "Next, I should send the two of you back to Wentian Pavilion Market. We''ll meet again if fate allows it."


    "Wait a moment!"


    Chen Qiu looked serious as he stared at the scholar seated on the ground and said earnestly, "Didn''t you say this morning that my offer was too low? Work for me, I''ll give you 3000 Spirit Stones in one go."


    "And 500 Spirit Stones every month from here on out."


    "And to increase the monthly payment by 500 Spirit Stones every year, how does that sound?"


    "..."


    The scholar, who had been subconsciously preparing to refuse, found his mouth gradually gaping open upon hearing the price. A one-time payment of 3000 Spirit Stones? And then a monthly salary of 500 Spirit Stones?


    That was far more than he had expected!


    His expectation was a one-time payment of 3000 Spirit Stones as a fee for risking his life, after which he wouldn''t need a monthly salary¡ªas long as he had food and shelter. As long as he had enough to buy a "Heavenly Dao Jade" to remove the Bone Devouring Poison from his body and live a few more years, he would be content.


    But the young man before him was offering him 3000 Spirit Stones straight up?


    This was the most anyone had ever offered him!


    Honestly, it was hard to refuse.


    It''s just that... The scholar quickly came to his senses, sizing up Chen Qiu''s clothes and appearance with an indescribable twist in his expression, "That... Sir, are you sure you can come up with that many Spirit Stones?"


    "Or are you promising now to then go back and apply to your family for the funds?"


    Honestly, this man in front of him didn''t look like he had that many Spirit Stones to his name, nor did he seem like the scion of a great family¡ªno matter how low-profile a scion might be, they wouldn''t wear these plain linen clothes.


    "Positive."


    Chen Qiu squatted down with a serious expression, looked the scholar in the eyes, and said quietly, "It''s not just anyone offering you this¡ªit''s me. I have no family backing me, I''m alone in the Jianghu. My power might not be great, but the treatment I offer you will not be low."


    "However... I need you to give me five days. I can give you the Spirit Stones in five days."


    "During these five days, you will need to work for me. Even if I go back on my word after five days, you wouldn''t have lost much by doing five days less work.


    "How about it?"


    "Phew..."


    The scholar silently stood in his spot, looking up at his younger brother beside him, who was looking back at him with anticipation. After a long time, he hoarsely said, "Fine, but let me clarify in advance that my brother and I were injured years ago and have almost no combat ability. Our only skill lies in our ability to travel quickly."


    "You can''t expect us to defend you."


    "Understood. That''s enough."


    "How should I address you, Sir?"


    "Chen Qiu."


    "All right."


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground struggled to sit up straight, then leaned forward slightly and said in a quiet voice, "I am known in the Jianghu as ''Scholar,'' having lost my own name years ago. Scholar has met Mr. Chen."


    The bearded strongman standing by signaled his presence with the same seriousness, straightening his posture and formally bowing to Chen Qiu.


    "Good!"


    Chen Qiu responded with equal delight, "Good." With these two joining his service, many of his plans could be significantly accelerated. It was good they had no combat ability; otherwise, with his current limited strength, he wouldn''t have been able to control two such capable fighters.


    This was much better.


    He had encountered these two earlier this morning and thought they would command a much higher price. It turned out that 3000 Spirit Stones were enough.


    At this moment, Chen Qiu clearly didn''t realize that if he were to earn 3000 Spirit Stones by chopping wood, Da Xia would have fallen three or four times over before he had amassed that sum. If it were such a small amount, these two brothers wouldn''t have spent several years in the Qitian Fang Market unable to find a good master.


    "With both of you joining, I believe we will soon make a name for ourselves in Da Xia."


    "But there''s a small issue at the moment."

 Chapter 24 Heavenly Dao Blessing, Secret Realm Reemerges.

    Chen Qiu coughed lightly with some lack of confidence, and then he spoke softly, "Actually, I''m not an ordinary person. I am the current Young Master of a major family from outside of Da Xia, who unexpectedly fell into Da Xia and lost all my Cultivation.""This led to the problem that I can''t open my Lifebound Storage Ring hidden inside my Dantian, as there''s no Spiritual Energy to activate it."


    "I must use a Secret Technique to extract the Spiritual Energy from Spirit Stones to barely crack open a slit in the Lifebound Storage Ring within my Dantian, thereby retrieving my former wealth."


    "Not much, just 100 Spirit Stones."


    "You two have been doing business here in Wentiang''s market for quite some time, haven''t you? Have you earned 100 Spirit Stones? I wonder if you can lend them to me first?"


    "Within seven days, I will return them along with the agreed-upon 3,000 Spirit Stones."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    As his words fell, the three of them, including Fat Long, all stood in stunned silence, their faces a mix of confusion and embarrassment. Even Fat Long, who was known for his thick skin, felt a bit ashamed as he awkwardly twitched the corners of his mouth.


    "Mr. Chen."


    After a long silence, the scholar finally spoke in a complex tone, "You guys even scam disabled people, huh? If you''re going to scam, can''t you at least refine your methods a bit? You should at least try to dress it up. Such a lowly scam makes me feel insulted."


    "I''m serious."


    Chen Qiu knew his words sounded absurd and could hardly offer any good explanations, so he could only say as sincerely as possible, "I can''t provide a more convincing argument. You''ll have to judge based on your own experiences."


    He really needed those 100 Spirit Stones.


    With those stones, he could buy two "Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans," then find a corner to hide away, and then reselect the two Heavenly Dao Terms he had previously discarded. By rapidly increasing his Cultivation and then quickly dropping it back to the Qi Refinement Realm first level, he could acquire a large number of Spirit Stones.


    From the first level to the eleventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, there are ten realms, and each realm could grant him three Spirit Stones, making a total of thirty Spirit Stones.


    As long as he kept repeating the process of failing Foundation Establishment and starting from scratch, he could obtain an infinite supply of Spirit Stones.


    With an initial investment of 100 Spirit Stones, he could earn¡ª


    1,000, 10,000, or even 100,000 Spirit Stones!


    ...


    Just like that.


    The four of them stood silently at the edge of the cliff, gazing at each other, and the atmosphere gradually became awkward.


    Fat Long started to look around in utter despair, it was apparent that the negotiation would collapse soon, and under such circumstances, the others would likely just leave without helping them. They were a full twenty li from Wentiang market!


    There were no roads in sight.


    It was a godforsaken place where not even birds would relieve themselves.


    It would be a significant challenge for them just to get to a populated place without starving to death in this wilderness.


    "Alright."


    Just then, the seated scholar suddenly nodded, "Mr. Chen, I believe you. I''ll lend you the 100 Spirit Stones."


    He did not know why, but something suddenly possessed him to take a gamble that the two people before him were not swindlers. Perhaps it was because after waiting in Wentiang market for several years without hope, he had become somewhat desperate. Suddenly, a lifeline had appeared, and even though he knew it could break at any moment, he wanted to grasp it.


    At that moment¡ª


    ''Heavenly Dao Blessing'': Responding to the sincere call of the residents, the Heavenly Dao bestows a blessing. Three li west of Fufeng City, beside a stream, a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will appear, only accessible to Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage sixth level and below.


    The type of Secret Realm is ''assault''.


    It will open in five days.


    An announcement from above the Nine Heavens reached the ears of the few.


    -


    "Is there actually an ''assault'' type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm appearing near Fufeng City?"


    A look of surprise crossed the scholar''s eyes, then he calmed down and thoughtfully said, "No wonder I''ve felt recently that quite a number of forces are sending people to Wentiang. But that''s not right, does that mean someone can now predict in advance where the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will appear?"


    "It''s the Heavenly Dao Terms."


    Chen Qiu was also in a good mood at this point and said with a smile, "We received news that the Huang Family of Fufeng City will soon bring into the open a Heavenly Dao Term. Now it seems it''s likely within this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. But such a big commotion has probably made the Huang Family''s secret-keeping efforts over these days completely futile."


    "Heavenly Dao Terms?"


    The scholar shook his head and denied, "No, no, no. This is a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that only Cultivators below the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage can enter. It is indeed possible for Heavenly Dao Terms to appear there, but such a low-level Heavenly Dao Secret Realm definitely contains not only Heavenly Dao Terms but other valuable treasures as well."


    "Moreover, where the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will materialize is absolutely unpredictable in advance; only heaven knows."


    "The value of Heavenly Dao Terms is very high, with a price of at least 1,000 Spirit Stones. It''s an entry that can be passed down through bloodline relations."


    "Passed to sons, not daughters; only male direct descendants can inherit it while females cannot, which ensures that generally, a family''s Heavenly Dao Terms are rather stable, without the risk of birthing a daughter who marries off and then the family''s Heavenly Dao Terms become another''s."


    "The effects of Heavenly Dao Terms are completely random; they can be both a curse and an inheritance."


    "For instance, there might be an entry that increases the speed of cultivating movement techniques by thirty percent."


    "Or there might be one that doubles the Sword Control speed."


    "Or possibly one that slows down the Sword Flight speed by ten percent, and so on."


    "And so on?"


    Fat Long opened his mouth in confusion, "Are all Heavenly Dao Terms like this? There are no other effects? Like... having three heads?"


    "None," said the scholar, his expression calm as he explained, "Heavenly Dao Terms all relate to the ''cultivation speed'' and ''effectiveness of a Cultivation Technique,'' either enhancing or reducing them."


    "How much they increase or decrease by is completely random."


    "There are advantages and disadvantages, all depending on luck."


    "Moreover, Heavenly Dao Terms are individual; they almost have no synergistic effects with other terms."


    "Just like there''s an ''ancient city'' about three hundred miles away with a family known as the Qiu Family. Their ancestors managed to obtain several Heavenly Dao Terms in the past, including one that reduced their Sword Flight speed by ninety percent."


    "Heavenly Dao Terms are deeply ingrained in one''s bloodline and cannot be removed, forcing the members of the Qiu Family to rely entirely on Flying Demon Beasts and official roads for travel; nobody cultivates Sword Flight as it is barely faster than running a few steps." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And not one Sword Cultivator has emerged from them in a century."


    "Most families'' inherited Heavenly Dao Terms have both benefits and drawbacks - the battle style and cultivation direction become fixed, and most of the direct descendants can only follow the preset path."


    "The advantage is that the family has walked this path countless times and is very smooth at it. The downside is that the weaknesses are too obvious."


    "I remember that in Da Xia, there is only one great family whose Heavenly Dao Terms are all positive without a single negative term - that family is the Xia Family, also the current Da Xia Imperial Family."


    "That the Xia Family''s ancestors managed to continually obtain positive effects from over a dozen Heavenly Dao Terms, without a single negative one, can only mean they were favored by the Heavenly Dao; no other explanation can be found."


    "Some small families are very envious of these Heavenly Dao Terms."


    "Selling for around 1,000 Spirit Stones is not a problem."


    "Especially for families like the Huang Family of Fufeng City, who are at the Foundation Establishment Stage, this counts as a great opportunity. The Huang Family probably doesn''t earn 1,000 Spirit Stones in a year, so whether they use it themselves or exchange it for Spirit Stones, it''s a good deal."


    "But..."


    The scholar paused for a moment before speaking softly, "If the news you mentioned is true, then this involves two separate matters. It''s indeed the case that the Huang Family has found an imminent Heavenly Dao Term opportunity, but the arrival of Heavenly Dao Terms causes no disturbance whatsoever."


    "Fortune favors those who find it."


    "And this ''trial'' type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm just happens to be blessed upon Fufeng City."


    "Having two Heavenly Dao Secret Realms blessing Fufeng City within just a few days, and with the added arrival of a Heavenly Dao Term, truly is a strange occurrence. Could something big be happening in Fufeng City soon?"


    He pondered with some confusion for a good while without reaching any conclusion, then he continued.


    "''Trial'' type Heavenly Dao Secret Realms are about completing challenges. With each successful challenge, a participant receives a substantial reward, and the risk of death is very low. Such realms can often accommodate a large number of participants."


    "Within these five days, various powers within a few hundred miles will likely send people here to let their disciples undergo trials while competing for the opportunity."


    "The next five days will be quite lively."


    "Mm."


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, took the Storage Bag handed to him by the scholar, took a deep breath, and then looked towards the horizon and spoke softly, "First, take me back to Wentian Market."


    With his current strength, he wasn''t yet capable of fighting for opportunities in this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    However, the Secret Realm wouldn''t open for another five days.


    What the scene would be like in five days was hard to predict.

 Chapter 25 The divination dares not exhaust, fearing heaven, earth, and ghosts.

    With the addition of the two scholars, short journeys had already lost their meaning for Chen Qiu.Teleportation out of thin air was possible as long as they didn''t encounter a powerful being who restricted space, basically making the whole world accessible.


    In the blink of an eye, he had returned to the Wentian Market and arrived at the auction house Fat Long had mentioned.


    "Zhao''s Commerce."


    It was said to be a fairly influential family business, primarily generating income through trading and auctions. The low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman he needed was here, not as an auction item but sold separately in the shop.


    "Can''t it be a bit cheaper?"


    Fat Long stood in Zhao''s Commerce, gazing at the Shopkeeper and earnestly haggled, "How about 10 spirit stones each? Hardly anyone needs these, as you know, and no one will buy them if they''re too expensive."


    The Shopkeeper glanced at Fat Long with a strange expression and said, "If no one needs them, why are you buying it?"


    "If no one buys it, how can it have a price?"


    "Of course, if someone buys, then it has a price."


    "Ninety percent of people in the Qi Refinement Realm don''t even get a chance for three choices on the entry level, but there are opportunities in this world, and this item is prepared for these people. Since you came to buy, it means you need it. 50 spirit stones is really a fair price, it can''t go any lower."


    "..."


    Fat Long was momentarily at a loss for words, his argument seemed logical, and he couldn''t refute it.


    "Let it be at that price."


    Chen Qiu did not want to delay any further, as time was of the essence to him. He paid and took the two low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, slipping them into his storage bag, and then walked out of the shop.


    ...


    Chen Qiu didn''t stop as he walked out of the shop, heading straight towards the outskirts of Wentian Market along the main path, with the two scholars waiting for him at the old spot.


    He had killed the Seventh Elder of the Huang family, but the Huang family either hadn''t received the news yet or was too preoccupied to seek him out¡ªat least for now, no further news had come.


    At that moment¡ª


    "Young friend, please wait."


    An elderly man with silver hair sat by the street, holding a tattered black flag, stopping his way and saying, "I see many Wandering Ghosts and heavy resentful energy on you, your brow is darkened, I fear there may be a bloody disaster soon."


    "One spirit stone, and I can calculate for you, perhaps saving your life."


    And on that black flag, two rows of somewhat crooked letters were embroidered with white thread.


    "Fate dare not be fully told, fearing the heavens and the spirits."


    "Words cannot be fully expressed, fearing the world falls into chaos."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu glanced briefly at the fortune-teller without stopping, merely nodding slightly to show he was aware, and continued walking forward. It was unclear whether the old man was speaking offhand or had truly perceived something.


    Indeed, many Wandering Ghosts adorned him, but they were just resentful spirits.


    He knew his own affairs; these were all his methods, not some specter possession. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He soon left Wentian Market and arrived at the cliff''s edge.


    Just as he was about to speak, he saw two scholars on the edge of the cliff, gazing far into the horizon, seemingly observing something unknown. Chen Qiu followed the scholars'' gaze, his eyelids twitching slightly, a trace of shock flashing in his pupils.


    In the distant clouds just below the cliff.


    A middle-aged man about forty yards tall, with a giant sword over thirty yards long on his shoulder, was calmly stepping on blossoming lotuses in the air, approaching the Ask-Heaven Market under the watchful eyes of countless people.


    "Goodness..."


    Fat Long couldn''t help but slightly open his mouth in disbelief, stunned on the spot. With a smash of that sword, even if it weren''t sharpened, merely the blade itself could kill a large group of people¡ªwas this a cultivator?


    This wasn''t much different from the Giant Clan, was it?


    Meanwhile, the seated scholar softly said, "This person is called Zhao Yishi, ranked one hundred and seven on the ''Da Xia Heavenly Pride Leaderboard'', with a Cultivation at the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage and no family backing him.


    "In his early years, he was an ordinary loose cultivator, who later supposedly had some great fortune and subsequently joined the Caotian Sect."


    "He possesses a Pink Entry ''Heaven-reaching Giant''. With each demon beast he kills, he grows taller by about an inch, and his physique also enlarges. It''s a strong Body Cultivation Pink Entry, and he has only become a known Heavenly Pride in recent years."


    "That doesn''t sound right,"


    Fat Long, standing to the side, looked at the robust man approaching them, stepping on blue lotuses, and said in confusion, "Killing one demon beast increases his height by an inch. After all these years, he''s only forty yards tall?


    "Shouldn''t he also be over a hundred yards tall by now? With his strength, he could specifically target weak but numerous demon beast groups to kill. It should be easy, right?"


    "Hmm."


    The scholar nodded and explained softly, "The Pink Entry level is extremely high, something that ordinary people could never possess in their lifetime, but most Pink Entries don''t directly convert to combat power."


    "Take the ''Heaven-reaching Giant'' Pink Entry, for instance."


    "Pink Entries only have one effect, which is to allow some aspect of you to increase boundlessly, like the ''Heaven-reaching Giant''s height and physique, just like I know a Pink Entry called ''I Have a Sword'', which makes your Flying Sword speed increase by a minute amount with every demon beast you kill."


    "And in the Cultivation World, where talented and powerful individuals abound, having a body over forty yards tall has almost no use, becoming more of a sitting target, the focal point in a crowd."


    "Only by gathering some compatible entries, like entries that increase bodily strength with size, or certain matching Cultivation Techniques, can the full power of a Pink Entry be unleashed. Otherwise, a single Pink Entry isn''t very strong."


    "The power of Pink Entries lies in their rarity and their boundless growth potential. To truly bring out the strength of Pink Entries, however, you must possess other entries that match well with them."


    "It''s just..."


    "In this world, there are countless entries, and aside from those obtained by breakthroughs in Great Realms, acquiring additional entries through other means is incredibly difficult."


    "Without these matching entries, his stature, no matter how tall or large it becomes, is meaningless. And with this appearance in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, his Cultivation precisely meets the entry conditions. Such a level of Secret Realm could potentially grant him additional entries."


    "This sudden arrival here likely means he is preparing to enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, taking a gamble."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu stood in place, looking at the robust man in the sky who, despite being quite far, appeared as though he was only an arm''s length away. His expression was complex, and he remained silent; he also possessed a Pink Entry.


    ''Dantian Expansion (Unique)''.


    Moreover, it was the only Pink Entry, and he had already matched it with a compatible White Entry, just waiting to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage and master a spell. Then, his combat power would greatly increase.


    Only then would he truly have a voice in this strange world.


    "Let''s go."


    Without saying more, he gestured to the scholar to get ready to move. The scholar nodded in understanding, and as the green peak shot into the clouds, the four people quickly vanished from the spot.

 Chapter 26 Cultivation Soars, Advancing to the Eleventh Level of Qi Refinement Realm.

    When he reappeared, he found himself back in the familiar desolate wilderness, only at a different fissure deep within the canyon, which was similarly infested with Human Face Spiders."Let''s get to work."


    Deep in the canyon.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath and summoned all the accumulated resentful spirits of the Human Face Spiders, repeating the previous tasks. With these resentful spirits fighting for him, the overwhelming number of Human Face Spiders in this location didn''t put too much pressure on him.


    He didn''t feel too stressed.


    Of course, before that, he used two Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans to reselect the two discarded entries from the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, "start from scratch" and "Never Discouraged."


    Fat Long sighed lightly, moved his slightly sore body, and muttered softly, then joined the battlefield wielding his long sword¡ªhe was responsible for drawing the monsters, while Chen Qiu handled the killing.


    He knew one thing for sure: Chen Qiu had the opportunity to make three choices at the Qi Refinement Realm, and although he didn''t know the specifics, he was certain that none who had such an opportunity were insignificant.


    Being with Chen Qiu was much safer than venturing alone; at least they could watch each other''s backs.


    ...


    At the edge of a cliff over the canyon.


    The bearded strongman spoke with a hoarse voice, "Brother, do you believe Mr. Chen is the young master of a great family from outside Da Xia Country?"


    "Of course not."


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground couldn''t help but laugh, "Even you have doubts, how could I believe it? Mr. Chen didn''t expect us to believe him when he said that, he just made up an excuse."


    "If I''m not mistaken, there must be some opportunity he finds inconvenient to reveal."


    "But what does that have to do with us?"


    "As long as he''s willing and able to pay the price, we''ll just work with him. Even if we are deceived, then so be it. In this world, no choice comes without a cost."


    This world is too vast, immensely so.


    Every moment, a large number of people encounter opportunities; it''s quite normal for those who cultivated past the Golden Core Stage to have experienced opportunities. Opportunities aren''t rare; surviving long enough is what''s rare.


    ...


    The dense mass of Human Face Spiders kept dying, and countless crying sounds of infants drifted through the deep canyon¡ªit was incredibly shrill. The number of Human Face Spiders here far exceeded those they encountered in the previous canyon.


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu''s cultivation was continuously improving.


    "Cultivation greatly increased, officially advancing to the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    There weren''t any good entries this time.


    He quickly glanced and chose one white entry.


    -


    "Entry name": Timber Chopping Sacred Body.


    "Entry level": white entry.


    "Entry effect": When you chop wood, it will be more efficient and you won''t feel tired.


    -


    All three random entries for this realm breakthrough were useless white entries, but he didn''t mind and chose one casually, perfect for using in an entry self-detonation as a trump card.


    The effect of the entry self-detonation allows for a strike that crosses one Great Realm of cultivation by self-detonating an entry.


    If he self-detonated an entry at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, the power released would be that of the first level of the Golden Core Stage.


    It''s simple and brutal, yet effective.


    The only downside is that it''s somewhat a waste of entries, but he was not short on entries.


    ...


    Soon, the sky had gradually darkened, the stars shifted, and the moon began to emerge above the dark clouds. The canyon was constantly swept by the night wind.


    "Something''s off with this weather."


    Fat Long, visibly exhausted, gasped heavily for breath, hand on his waist as he looked up, noticing the sky had unexpectedly filled with dark clouds, creating a rather oppressive atmosphere, "Looks like there''s a storm coming."


    He was now at the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm. Although he mostly drew monsters for Chen Qiu to handle, the scattered kills over this extended period had also allowed him to break through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Damn.


    Killing these creatures really boosts one''s cultivation quickly.


    On Chen Qiu''s side, his cultivation was once again undergoing a breakthrough.


    "Cultivation greatly increased, officially advancing to the tenth level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    Yet again, three useless entries.


    He quickly glanced and once again selected a white entry.


    -


    "Entry name": Alchemy Posture.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": Your success rate in producing Pills will slightly increase.


    -


    He wondered if this white entry had appeared before, was the chance of randomly getting this white entry so high? He also didn''t know how many types of white entries there were in total.


    He would look in the markets later to see if there was any information about an entry database for sale.


    While pondering over these trivial matters, Chen Qiu, feeling somewhat fatigued, sat on the ground taking deep breaths and took out a leather water bag from his storage bag, gulping down its contents.


    Meanwhile, at his side.


    There were about fifty to sixty resentful spirits of Human Face Spiders fighting for him.


    If resentful spirits could endure longer than an hour, there would have been even more Human Face Spider resentful spirits fighting for him.


    "Continue!"


    After catching his breath briefly, Chen Qiu stood up from the ground again, gripping the handle of his knife with a determined look as he once again charged towards the countless Human Face Spiders surging toward him.


    This task was definitely more exhausting than chopping wood.


    But it brought much more positive feedback than chopping wood.


    Normally, a mortal could earn more than a hundred Wen in gains from chopping wood each day, but since he had crossed over as an unregistered resident, he could only sell the wood he chopped at low prices to others, earning a meager profit, not even enough to cover his meals.


    ...


    Finally¡ª


    After chopping for an unknown duration, Chen Qiu felt his whole body sore and a black cloud had formed overhead, seemingly about to bring a rainstorm and gusting winds at any moment.


    And he had finally broken through to the Qi Refinement Realm, level eleven!


    "Cultivation greatly increased, formally stepping into the Qi Refinement Realm, level eleven."


    "Please make a choice among the following three random entries within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry name": Flawless Body.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": After you turn 18, for every additional ten years you maintain a Flawless Body, you gain a random entry.


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    "Entry name": Stealing Jade and Flowers.


    "Entry level": White.


    "Entry effect": After you turn 18, for every person with a ''Flawless Body'' entry you break, you gain a random entry.


    3:


    "Entry name": All In.


    "Entry level"? White.


    "Entry effect": All entries you own will be forcibly cleared, thereafter you cannot obtain or keep any permanent entries, but you will gain ten temporary entries every day.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the panel in front of him, sighed lightly, and this was already the third Realm breakthrough without getting an entry suitable for him; all three entries were of little use to him.


    Especially the third entry, not only was it useless, but its side effects were also very severe.


    His livelihood relied on entries, and to have them all forcibly cleared would be utterly nonsensical.


    Without thinking further, he casually selected the "Flawless Body" entry.


    So far, including this entry, he now had three completely useless entries that could be discarded at will, forming a not so small trump card. If the situation turned critical, the "Heavenly Deficiency" entry that enhanced his five senses could also be discarded.


    Having many entries was always good, even if useless, just consider them as fireworks for fun.


    ...


    Chen Qiu stood in the canyon, looking upward at the black clouds above, as the gusty winds gradually swept through the canyon, chilling his hemp garments. After a night of struggle, the surrounding area was littered with the corpses of Human Face Spiders.


    And his Cultivation had now reached the eleventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    He only needed to fill the progress of the eleventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm to reach Great Perfection, and then he could begin Foundation Establishment.


    The progress was much faster than he had anticipated.

 Chapter 27

    The sky grew darker and darker, with not a sliver of light visible, as boundless and endless black clouds spread across the wilderness overhead, and the howling wind in the ravine sounded like ghosts and deities roaring, capturing one''s soul.Though no raindrops were seen, the sense of impending rain could be felt.


    "This weather..."


    Fat Long, who was panting a bit, looked up at the sky and couldn''t help but mutter softly, "This weather doesn''t seem like it''s about to storm normally. Under normal circumstances, if the black clouds have been accumulating for so long, it should have rained by now."


    "Couldn''t be some ancient demon emerging, could it?"


    Fat Long''s face changed slightly as he realized something and quickly spat three times in succession.


    "Ptui, ptui, ptui!"


    Chen Qiu glanced up, ignored Fat Long, and instead tightened his grip on the knife at the remaining Human Face Spiders around him, which he had frightened quite a bit. But being mindless Fierce Beasts, even though they clearly were facing death, they still charged towards him in the cold wind after letting out several sharp screams!


    The slaughter began once again!


    ...


    The Cultivation Progress from the eleventh level of Qi Refinement to Great Perfection wasn''t much, and after about half an hour, Chen Qiu sensed something and practiced introspection.


    Plenty of Spiritual Energy surged through the meridians in his body.


    At this moment, his physical strength was far greater than when he was at the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm. He could probably beat ten Fat Longs at the same time. If the Huang Family''s Seventh Elder appeared before him again, he wouldn''t even need to summon a resentful spirit; he himself could defeat the elder!


    Only...


    He could faintly feel that the Spiritual Energy in his meridians was somewhat insufficient. He had broken through several small realms continuously tonight, and his meridians had indeed widened a lot, but he had not absorbed Spiritual Energy, which meant that although the container had expanded, nothing had been put inside.


    He had to fill his meridians with Spiritual Energy, which would greatly increase his chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment.


    With insufficient Spiritual Energy in the body, the failure rate of Foundation Establishment was very high.


    But¡ª


    He was seeking failure.


    "Hoo!"


    After taking a deep breath, Chen Qiu sat down cross-legged on the spot, focusing all his attention inward, and started to operate his mental method to slowly gather the Spiritual Energy in his meridians toward his Dantian.


    With the gathering of Spiritual Energy, the Tao Foundation platform gradually took shape above his Dantian, shifting from illusory to solid, and the name of his entry was slowly appearing upon the Tao Foundation.


    Seeing that the Foundation Establishment process was already half done but the Spiritual Energy in his meridians was not enough to complete it, the Tao Foundation platform, which was about to solidify, instantly collapsed when no more Spiritual Energy flowed in.


    Almost in an instant!


    The aura of Cultivation on Chen Qiu''s body began to plummet swiftly!


    Qi Refinement Realm ninth level... Qi Refinement Realm sixth level... Qi Refinement Realm third level...


    In merely the blink of an eye, Chen Qiu''s Cultivation had fallen to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    "Puh!"


    The backlash from the failed Foundation Establishment caused Chen Qiu to spit out a mouthful of bright red blood with a taste of rust, splashing onto the grey-yellow rock ground in front of him.


    "Brother Chen Qiu, are you alright?"


    Fat Long, who was sitting by Chen Qiu''s side to protect his Cultivation Path, saw this and was suddenly shocked, becoming somewhat panicked, "You weren''t forcing your way into Foundation Establishment, were you? I thought you were just operating your mental method to recover your Spiritual Energy!"


    "Brother, what''s the rush? You were a mortal just yesterday, and now you want to force your way into Foundation Establishment?"


    "There''s no need to push yourself so hard!"


    "And how did you suddenly drop to the first level of Qi Refinement? Even if Foundation Establishment failed, you shouldn''t have dropped back to the first level of Qi Refinement Realm so quickly!"


    "I''m fine."


    Chen Qiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and carefully sensed his body''s condition. There wasn''t too much of an impact; the spurt of fresh blood was simply due to a sudden decrease in physical strength, which his body wasn''t quite accustomed to, causing some capillaries to rupture as a result.


    Afterward, he raised his head to look around.


    Dozens of badly injured Human Face Spiders remained in the vicinity, all that was left of the local canyon''s population. Originally, there must have been a group of them, now reduced to so few by his hand.


    And these few dozen severely injured Human Face Spiders were deliberately spared by him, precisely for this moment.


    He casually waved his hand, indicating for a resentful spirit of a Human Face Spider protecting his vicinity to rush forward and kill a badly wounded Human Face Spider. At the moment of the spider''s death, Chen Qiu''s Dantian overhead continuously burgeoned with panels enveloped in clouds and mist.


    ''Cultivation greatly increased...''


    ''Cultivation greatly increased...''


    ''...''


    Merely by killing a Qi Refinement Realm level seven Human Face Spider, his cultivation soared like it was riding a rocket, instantly reaching the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    At the same time¡ª


    Spiritual energy began to gather abruptly in front of him, eventually forming eighteen Spirit Stones that fell from mid-air onto the ground.


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    Sitting cross-legged on the spot, Chen Qiu looked sincerely happy as he watched the scene before him unfold, laughing more heartily than ever since his arrival. It meant that all his conjectures had succeeded; just give him enough time!


    He could earn enough Spirit Stones to buy the entire Cultivation World!


    And because of the white entry ''Never Discouraged,'' the Cultivation Progress he gained from killing demon beasts after a failed Foundation Establishment was a hundred times faster. It was for this reason that he could reach the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm in an instant by killing a level seven demon beast while at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    It''s just that each small realm breakthrough only yielded Spirit Stones and did not offer him another chance to choose one of three entries.


    That seemed normal, however, or else these entries should not simply be white entries.


    ...


    "What is this..."


    Fat Long looked on with a dumbfounded and incredulous expression at the dozen or so Spirit Stones appearing out of nowhere, as well as Chen Qiu''s cultivation aura suddenly returning to seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm in a flash, completely at a loss and feeling somewhat dazed.


    "Just a little trick."


    Chen Qiu was in quite a good mood and patted Fat Long''s shoulder, laughing, "To me, you are a benefactor. Without you, I could not have embarked on the Cultivation Path yesterday. But from now on, I, Chen Qiu, will be your benefactor."


    "As long as I live, you will never be captured by the Flower Offering Sect as a supplement like before."


    "Unless I create my own Flower Offering Sect."


    After making a casual jest at Fat Long, Chen Qiu was unwilling to dawdle further. The Cultivation Progress required for subsequent small realm advancements was much higher. He had to kill two more Human Face Spiders at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm before he smoothly advanced to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Again, he obtained twelve Spirit Stones.


    Thus, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, thirty Spirit Stones easily fell into his hands.


    And the well-practiced Chen Qiu once again quickly attempted Foundation Establishment and failed swiftly again, plummeting back down to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm before rapidly returning to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    ...


    In Fat Long''s view.


    Chen Qiu''s cultivation was like a roller coaster, dropping to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm in the blink of an eye, then just as quickly returning to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm, with an accompanying shower of Spirit Stones appearing all around him.


    Spirit Stones kept materializing out of thin air, falling to the ground.


    "Thud, thud, thud!"


    Another thirty Spirit Stones appeared scattered out of nowhere and fell to the ground, with Fat Long who had already been waiting nearby swiftly pocketing these Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag, then looking up somewhat sheepishly at the sky above the canyon.


    He was a little afraid of being discovered by those two brothers.


    Although he did not understand what kind of trick Chen Qiu was pulling, one thing was certain¡ªif Chen Qiu''s method of endlessly creating Spirit Stones out of thin air spread, the two of them wouldn''t live past three days.

 Chapter 28

    I didn''t know how much time had passed.By all accounts, it should have been daylight already, but the dark clouds in the sky showed no sign of dispersing; instead, they thickened, and the perpetual twilight left Fat Long gradually losing his sense of time.


    Yet, there was only the promise of rain without a single drop falling.


    By this point, Fat Long''s legs were already shaking.


    "Motherfucker..."


    Fat Long''s eyes were red-rimmed and tearful, his face a picture of despair, with a deep unease in his eyes as he continuously stuffed Spirit Stones into the Storage Bag he held. He had lost count of how many he had put in.


    All he knew was that his Storage Bags were all filled up, and he even had to take a few more from Chen Qiu''s brothers'' embrace; otherwise, there wouldn''t be enough Storage Bags. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At first, he was excited.


    So many Spirit Stones, enough for them to make a name for themselves in this strange world!


    But... as the number of Spirit Stones grew, so did his fear. Once word got out, the two of them would probably become public enemies in an instant. There was such a thing as too much; his appetite couldn''t handle so many.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu remained sitting cross-legged, maintaining the same posture for who knows how long. He had already killed all the Human Face Spiders around him and had no demon beasts left to kill to improve his Cultivation Progress. He was ready to move to another location.


    But who could have expected.


    Perhaps due to the drastic changes in the sky, a large number of Human Face Spiders from deep within the gorge suddenly surged towards him, fleeing for their lives. These spiders were like fuel to his fire, providing him a tremendous boost.


    Thanks to this, he could stay in the same place without having to move.


    From initially vomiting blood after every failed Foundation Establishment due to discomfort, to later adapting so that failure no longer necessitated vomiting blood. Perhaps due to failing too many times, he felt somewhat dizzy.


    Just when his Cultivation reached the peak of the Qi Refinement Great Perfection and he was ready to go through the motions of another failed Foundation Establishment attempt,


    a wispy, ethereal voice suddenly reached his ears.


    -


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Heavenly Dao has sensed, within a hundred miles of Fufeng City in Da Xia Country, that a mortal of iron will has persistently failed at Foundation Establishment 999 times yet continues his relentless efforts! Such perseverance is commendable.


    He is bestowed with ''Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment'' in the hope that all may follow his example.


    -


    This ephemeral voice from beyond the heavens echoed across the skies of Da Xia, causing countless people to look upward, listening intently to the Heavenly Dao Decree with puzzled faces, visibly shocked. Clearly, they had a hard time believing it.


    However...


    These people were not admiring the mortal''s determination.


    They were somewhat baffled, wondering is Foundation Establishment so difficult to break through that one could fail 999 times in succession?


    Logically, the more one fails at Foundation Establishment, the narrower the Tao Foundation becomes, signifying that it can hold less Spiritual Energy. They didn''t dare imagine what a Tao Foundation would look like after failing more than nine hundred times, if it weren''t for the timely ''Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment''; probably, just using a low-grade Yellow Level Spell would completely deplete the Spiritual Energy in the Tao Foundation, if it could be released at all.


    It was unexpected that by a stroke of misfortune, one would gain ''Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment''. Seeing these four characters, many in Da Xia Country cast envious glances toward Fufeng City.


    If they had known that failing at Foundation Establishment 999 times would grant them Heavenly Dao Foundation, they would''ve tried it sooner. Now, some Qi Refinement Realm cultivators were also getting ideas, wondering if they too could receive this reward after 999 failed attempts.


    ''Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment'', as the name implies, is a Tao Foundation built on the principles of the Heavenly Dao.


    It''s only obtainable under extremely rare and special circumstances and can only be acquired during the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Since the founding of Da Xia Country, very few had the Heavenly Dao Foundation. Without exception, those who had it were the anomalies among prodigies. The last famous cultivator to receive it was a Sword Cultivator, but he is already dead.


    The benefits of the Heavenly Dao Foundation are simple and brutal.


    The foundations are extremely stable.


    Whether it''s the speed of absorbing Spiritual Energy or the sturdiness of the Tao Foundation during battle, it''s several times stronger than a regular Foundation. Moreover, if one can later break through to the Golden Core Stage, the Golden Core formed on the Heavenly Dao Foundation will be far superior to a regular Golden Core.


    There''s another immensely powerful benefit ¨C the Heavenly Dao Foundation doesn''t require one to run a mental method; it can rotate on its own to absorb Spiritual Energy. Although it''s slower than running a mental method, this means that even while you''re sleeping, relieving yourself, or eating, your Tao Foundation is rotating to absorb Spiritual Energy and improve your Cultivation Progress.


    It''s essentially a means of production.


    ...


    When the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree reached his ears, Chen Qiu discovered that the surrounding Spiritual Energy began to rush into his body uncontrollably. He wasn''t even running a mental method, but the Spiritual Energy rapidly filled his meridians.


    In the blink of an eye, they were full, and under his introspection, his Tao Foundation solidified quickly.


    In the blink of an eye.


    Foundation Establishment was successful.


    A Tao Foundation that was one hundred and ten centimeters wide and one hundred centimeters tall rooted itself atop his Dantian. The whole Tao Foundation was white jade in appearance, with faint golden Liu Guang flowing over its surface. It was this unremarkable golden Liu Guang that made the entire Tao Foundation look extraordinary.


    The names of the entries he possessed were neatly engraved on the surface of the Tao Foundation.


    He hadn''t prepared any Foundation Establishment Pills that could enhance the quality and success rate of Foundation Establishment, nor had he prepared any heavenly materials or earthly treasures. Logically speaking, his should have been a standard centimeter Tao Foundation.


    But because he possessed an entry that could slightly enhance Foundation Establishment quality, his Tao Foundation''s width reached one hundred and ten centimeters.


    At this moment, the Tao Foundation was slowly rotating, trying to draw in the Spiritual Energy from the outside world.


    But...


    After turning for quite a while, it didn''t draw in a trace of Spiritual Energy.


    Mr. Chen, whose Cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, was already able to release Spiritual Energy from his body. He could now fully utilize the power of a Yellow Level low-grade Spiritual Treasure, use Spells, and also sense the richness of the Spiritual Energy in the outside world.


    However, under his senses, the deep valley at this moment seemed to be completely devoid of Spiritual Energy.


    It was like a desert of Spiritual Energy, and an extremely barren one at that.


    When Mr. Chen slowly opened his eyes he saw Fat Long standing anxiously nearby, fidgeting restlessly.


    "My goodness, you''re finally awake,"


    Fat Long''s voice trembled slightly; his hands shaking as he handed over seven or eight Storage Bags to Mr. Chen, "The Spirit Stones are all here. I didn''t count them carefully, but there must be more than twenty thousand. What should we do next?"


    "If people find out about this, both our Divine Souls could be extracted by others!"


    "This is the first time I''ve seen someone think Spirit Stones are hot potatoes."


    Mr. Chen took the Storage Bags and tucked them all into his bosom. He got up and stretched his limbs to feel the strength brought by the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. For the first time in this world, he felt a slight sense of security and then couldn''t help but smile.


    Although he didn''t count them carefully, he was clear about how many Spirit Stones there were.


    29,970 Spirit Stones, if nothing unexpected happened.


    At this moment, he could now channel Spiritual Energy into the "Heaven Slaying" Spiritual Treasure long saber in his hand, unleashing the full power of this Spiritual Treasure.


    The width of his Tao Foundation currently stood at one hundred and ten centimeters.


    The demon beasts he had killed before Foundation Establishment weren''t included; otherwise, it would have been at least several thousand centimeters by now.


    Next, he only needed to do two things¡ª


    Buy a Spell to maximize his power, preferably one produced from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm so that mastering it would be instantly successful. Then, purchase more supplementary items like talismans, Sound Transmission Stones, Pills, and so forth that could save his life and enhance his combat strength.


    Secondly, he needed to expand the width of his Tao Foundation as much as possible.


    To allow his Tao Foundation to contain more Spiritual Energy.


    In that way, he would genuinely possess a certain degree of influence in this world, or in other words... the right to live standing up.


    ...


    The "Thunder Summoning Technique" could only summon a bolt of Thunder from the Nine Heavens to attack the enemy. Using this mid-grade Yellow Level Spell at the first level of Foundation Establishment would often nearly deplete more than half of the Spiritual Energy in the body. But, if the Spiritual Energy in his Tao Foundation was abundant enough.


    Then it wouldn''t just be any Thunder Summoning Technique.


    It would be... "Hundred-mile Thunder Punishment," "Zero-Frame Strike," "Instant Kill on Exposure"!


    Having settled his mind, Mr. Chen, as previously agreed, took out a low-level talisman from his bosom. Upon channeling Spiritual Energy into it, a streak of red light shot from the depths of the valley straight into the sky!


    He had purchased this low-level talisman in the market at Heaven''s Inquiry Town. It was very cheap, costing only one tael of silver. He had casually bought ten of them at Zhao''s Shop when he couldn''t afford a Sound Transmission Stone, and under those circumstances, it was a better choice for communicating information.


    When the two of them were retrieved by the bearded burly man and brought back to the edge of the crevice above the valley.


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground looked at the two with a complex expression and after a long while, asked hoarsely, "Mr. Chen, what were you doing down there?"


    "Is Mr. Chen the same person mentioned in the Heavenly Dao Decree, the mortal near Fufeng City who failed Foundation Establishment nine hundred ninety-nine times?"


    "The Spiritual Energy here is already sparse, and all the Spiritual Energy within tens of miles has been absorbed by the valley below you. The commotion you''ve caused is no smaller than someone breaking through to the Golden Core Stage."


    He suddenly felt that Mr. Chen''s claim to be the Young Master of some hidden clan outside of Da Xia Country might not have been a lie.


    To cause such a commotion, one must either be breaking through to the Golden Core Stage or must be using a mental method to draw in Spiritual Energy.


    A mental method capable of causing such a scene would have to be at least of the high-grade Xuan level. He had never heard of anyone in Da Xia Country possessing such a method; they were the stuff of legends recorded in history books.


    Such an existence isn''t something a mere mortal could come across by chance. If it wasn''t for the deep heritage passed down by a great family, the chances of a Qi Refinement Realm mortal possessing such a thing would be hardly better than the chance of getting a Seven-colored entry on the first random entry in the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Oh, he''s not a Qi Refinement Realm mortal.


    Mr. Chen is now at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

 Chapter 29

    "It''s nothing."Chen Qiu didn''t explain much, just smiled and shook his head, "I must have been out for over a day, let''s head back to Wentian Market first."


    "A day?"


    The scholar shook his head, "Two days have passed already, and there are less than three days left until the ''challenge'' type Secret Realm in Fufeng City opens. The weather has been like this for several days now, with no sign of the sun rising."


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    Soon¡ª


    The group quickly returned to Wentian Market. The scholar and his brother stayed at the old place, while Chen Qiu took Fat Long and the other person into the city alone.


    "Has it been two days already?"


    Chen Qiu furrowed his brow in confusion. To tell the truth, he really had lost his sense of time. These past two days, he felt like an assembly line robot continuously attempting Foundation Establishment and failing consistently, barely ever stopping.


    But...did this process take two days?


    Moreover, he originally didn''t feel tired or hungry, but when he found out he hadn''t closed his eyes for two days and nights, he suddenly felt somewhat tired, although not too intensely¡ªbut this sense of hunger...


    "I''m already at the Foundation Establishment Stage and still feeling hungry."


    "Of course."


    Fat Long said somewhat helplessly, "The Foundation Establishment Stage only extends life span. Compared to ordinary people, one has a full 200 years of life, enough to support a family. Many families with a Foundation Establishment just have one person at the Foundation Establishment Stage."


    "But it only extends life. It doesn''t break the need for worldly sustenance."


    "With the sky being this way for days, I also didn''t realize two days had passed. I only felt very tired. I didn''t expect it to have been so long."


    He looked up at the sky above Wentian Market. The market was built atop the highest point of Wentian Mountain Range, thousands of meters above the ground, where the spread of thousands of miles of dark clouds seemed to hang right above one''s head.


    "Speaking of the weather, it truly is bizarre. It gives a sense of security as if disaster could strike at any moment."


    These past two days, he was essentially doing one thing¡ª stuffing the endless Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag, his expressions fluctuating between excitement and fear throughout, leaving him no time to even think about sleep.


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu shook his head, planning to come out again tomorrow to spend, "Let''s find a restaurant to fill up our stomachs, then get some sleep. We''ll talk tomorrow upon waking."


    "Alright, Brother Qiu, aren''t the two brothers coming?"


    "The scholar said he doesn''t like to enter Wentian Market. Probably has his reasons to avoid it, no need to worry about them."


    "Right."


    He looked at Fat Long with a somewhat peculiar expression, "Didn''t you use to call me Brother Chen Qiu? Why suddenly call me Brother Qiu?"


    "Cough..."


    Fat Long''s expression turned slightly serious and sincere, "Among two persons walking, the more proficient one becomes the master; once one is your master, he is like a father for life, and an elder brother is akin to a father. Now that you have reached the Cultivator status of the Foundation Establishment Stage, it''s only natural to call you Brother Qiu."


    "Sounds good."


    ...


    After casually finding an inn to eat something, Chen Qiu and the other found a nearby guesthouse and booked two rooms.


    Chen Qiu, though weary, simply washed up and then sat at the desk and poured himself a cup of hot tea to warm his stomach. His eyes closed tight as he went into introspection.


    A panel enshrouded in cloud and mist was slowly floating above his Foundation Establishment.


    Although the panel insisted on making a choice within ten breaths, as long one didn''t perform introspection to view it, it wouldn''t count towards the ten-breath time limit. This prevented the occurrence of a critical battle breakthrough where one didn''t have the time to introspect within and would miss the ten-breath window.


    ''Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the first layer of Foundation Establishment Phase.''


    ''Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.''


    1:


    ''Entry Name'': Power of the Nine Yins.


    ''Entry Level'': White.


    "Entry Effect": Has nine Yin Yin.


    2:


    "Entry Name": Late Bloomer.


    "Entry Level": Green.


    "Entry Effect": When you have less than ten years of life remaining, you will gain three random entries.


    3:


    "Entry Name": Focus Power.


    "Entry Level": Green.


    "Entry Effect": If you learn the ''Thunder Summoning Technique'' spell, the power of this spell will be increased by fifty percent.


    -


    Looking at the familiar panel inside him, Chen Qiu, who sat on the chair, was quite moved. Who could have imagined that just a few days ago, he was a young and robust lad toiling away at chopping wood, not even at the Qi Refinement Realm first layer.


    A mere mortal among mortals.


    And yet, a mere few days later, he had become a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    In this somewhat chaotic world, he finally had a bit of confidence to call his own.


    Without much thought, he had chosen the third entry from the three before him.


    The first entry was purely a waste of one of his chances to choose. He was not a woman, so why would he randomly get this entry? Or could men also have this entry? What would that make him then, nine Yin one beef?


    He couldn''t even imagine what that situation would look like. Better keep that away from him.


    He actually quite liked the second entry; he liked any entry that could give him more entries, but the conditions to activate it were too tough. After his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, he had a life span of 200 years, with over 170 years left.


    That meant to wait for this entry to be activated, at least another 160 years would have to pass, by which time the chrysanthemums would have long wilted.


    The third entry suited him best.


    It was his first time seeing an entry that provided an amplification bonus for a specific spell. Choosing this entry meant that you had to follow the path of a Magic Practitioner; otherwise, the entry would be in vain.


    This was perfect for him, as he was intending to follow the path of a Magic Practitioner. After all, with a Pink Entry like ''Dantian Expansion'' in hand, it would be a pure waste if he didn''t choose the path of a Magic Practitioner.


    Time to sleep.


    Even if the sky were falling down, that would be a problem for tomorrow after waking up.


    Exhausted to the limit, Chen Qiu stuffed the Storage Bag full of Spirit Stones under his pillow before he fell into a slumber, his right hand still clutching the handle of his knife.


    ...


    Dawn broke.


    Chen Qiu stumbled to the window of the guest room, slightly dazed. Dawn had finally arrived¡ªthe dark clouds overhead had dissipated in the night. Looking out of the window, the stone pavement was wet, indicating there must have been a heavy rain last night.


    After a simple wash, he got dressed and walked out of the guest room, only to find Fat Long already awake, standing outside the door waiting for him, with dark circles under his eyes that clearly showed a lack of sleep.


    "Didn''t sleep well?"


    "Mhm."


    ...


    On the main road of the Trade Area in District 7 of the Wentian Market, Chen Qiu and Fat Long began their shopping spree for the day.


    After 999 consecutive failures at Foundation Establishment, they had amassed a total of 29,970 Spirit Stones.


    This was an incredibly exaggerated number.


    One should understand that the vast majority of Loose Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage didn''t have twenty or thirty Spirit Stones in their pockets. Some disciples from Major Sects or big families might have a few hundred Spirit Stones, and those with more might possess a couple of thousand Spirit Stones.


    But surely, no Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage walked around with tens of thousands of Spirit Stones in their pocket.

 Chapter 30

    ```If the Heavenly Dao hadn''t interrupted him by forcefully gifting him the "Heavenly Dao Foundation," he definitely wouldn''t have stopped after earning just that small amount. After all, something like the "Heavenly Dao Foundation" can''t be bought with Spirit Stones.


    It''s hard to say whether he made a profit or a loss.


    For instance, right now, as he was strolling on the main road, the Heavenly Dao Foundation within him was slowly rotating, automatically absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the air around him to gradually improve his Cultivation Progress.


    Although the speed was indeed a bit slow, it didn''t require him to close his eyes and meditate on his mental method, effectively allowing him to cultivate on autopilot.


    The concentration of Spiritual Energy in the Wentian Mountain Range wasn''t particularly rich, which should actually be considered common knowledge in the Cultivation World. Generally, places with rich Spiritual Energy were either Forbidden Lands or had already been claimed by major families and sects.


    It was unlikely for a marketplace to be situated in a place with rich Spiritual Energy.


    ...


    "First, I''ll change clothes."


    Chen Qiu had wanted to change out of the clothes that Fat Long had given him, which didn''t fit at all ¨C they were too loose, giving him a somewhat sloppy appearance.


    When the two of them walked out of a shop, they were completely transformed.


    They bought eight sets.


    All of them were made from high-quality material.


    One set cost two Spirit Stones, totaling sixteen Spirit Stones spent. Each of them took two sets, and they also brought along two sets for the scholar brothers.


    In reality, even the best materials were still mere mortal items and weren''t worth this price. However, each garment had a mini "dust prevention array" embroidered with "golden silk thread."


    The function was very simple ¨C it prevented the clothes from getting dusty.


    Beyond that, they had no other use.


    "Without this dust prevention array, these clothes would be worth at most 10 Silver!"


    Fat Long looked down and cautiously stroked the fabric of his new clothes, grumbling discontentedly, but the corners of his mouth couldn''t help but turn up; he really liked the material and workmanship. The design of the black and red robe suited his aesthetic very well, making even his big belly look imposing. The only issue was the excessive price.


    And it wasn''t very convenient for fighting.


    The damn shopkeeper even told him that people who buy this kind of clothes usually don''t get involved in fights themselves.


    But he couldn''t deny... it did look good.


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without saying a word. He had picked out a green robe for himself and, walking around the ancient town after the rain, he felt as though he had stepped out of an ink painting. He found the dust prevention quite necessary ¨C it could keep blood from staining his clothes.


    He also bought for himself a quite expensive Jade Feather Fan, worth a whole Spirit Stone.


    With a flick of his hand.


    Tsk, it felt really good, much more comfortable than chopping wood.


    ...


    Continue to the next shop.


    "Shopkeeper, come out and serve your customers!"


    "Do you have any Sound Transmission Talismans? What''s the price?"


    Fat Long strode into "Zhao''s Commerce," the shop they had visited a few days before, and called out confidently. It had to be said, though the clothes were a bit overpriced, wearing them somehow boosted his confidence significantly.


    Having crossed over five months ago, he hadn''t felt this arrogant in a long time.


    Tsk, this feeling is really satisfying, much better than being a supplement in the Flower Offering Sect.


    The shopkeeper who attended to them was the same one as last time. Hearing the loud calls, he hurriedly came out from behind the counter, slightly stunned when he saw Fat Long and the others, recognizing them as the two who had bought the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman a few days ago.


    Although he was somewhat surprised, he still maintained a warm smile, "Of course we have them. Zhao''s Commerce has stores throughout the whole Da Xia Country, and a must-have item like the Sound Transmission Talisman is certainly available."


    "Come this way, please."


    The shopkeeper led them to a corner of the shop. "These are Low-grade Sound Transmission Talismans, one Mother Talisman with seven Child Talismans, for use within ten miles. It costs one Spirit Stone and the Spiritual Energy within the talisman lasts for one year."


    "Next to it is the Mid-grade Sound Transmission Talisman, one Mother Talisman with fifty Child Talismans, for use within a hundred miles. The price is fifty Spirit Stones. This is generally for families or smaller sects."


    "The one on the top is the High-grade Sound Transmission Talisman, one Mother Talisman with three hundred Child Talismans, for use within three hundred miles. The price is three hundred Spirit Stones."


    The shopkeeper with slightly graying temples paused for a moment before tentatively saying, "High-grade Sound Transmission Talismans are usually used by sects with significant power to recall disciples who are traveling outside or to issue tasks."


    "All these Sound Transmission Talismans can be used for one year, after which you need to purchase them again."


    "Which type would the sirs like?"


    "How about that one? How much is it sold for?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyes turned toward the ring displayed at the top shelf of the stand, carefully placed in a half-open Jade Box. Next to the box was an information card displaying the name of the ring.


    ```


    "Sound Transmission Ring."


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    The shopkeeper carefully took down the box and presented it to the two, explaining, "This is the Sound Transmission Ring, which is more convenient to use than the Sound Transmission Talisman, whether in terms of transmission speed or distance, it far surpasses the talisman."


    "It''s made by dividing a piece of extremely rare material, the ''Mother-child Stone,'' into several pieces: one Mother Ring and ten Child Rings."


    "Moreover, it can not only transmit sound but also images. It''s generally used by the core True Disciples of the Major Sects or the legitimate offspring of major families."


    "The price for a set is 1000 Spirit Stones."


    "There''s no limit to its use. As long as it''s not destroyed in battle or lost, it can be used indefinitely."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly. Although he didn''t speak, it was clear that he favored the Sound Transmission Ring. Not to mention anything else, but in the midst of battle, speaking into a ring would definitely be much more convenient and faster than fishing out a Sound Transmission Talisman from one''s bosom.


    The price was a bit expensive, but since it could be used permanently, it was worth it.


    "Wrap this up for me, we''ll settle the bill together later."


    He glanced around, "Do you have any talismans or the like? Ones for preserving life, attacking, or perhaps for accelerating cultivation?"


    "Yes, yes, of course!"


    Even though the shopkeeper, who had white hair at his temples, had seen much of the world and was very knowledgeable, his cloudy eyes nevertheless shone with a keen light. Anyone who could afford the ''Sound Transmission Ring'' was surely the son of some major power, and the fact that he had come to buy it himself, without any family accompanying him, indicated that his authority was already considerable, capable of standing on his own.


    The power behind him must be significant. The Sound Transmission Ring had been on display in this shop for over a decade and wasn''t really intended to be sold because no local force within a hundred miles could afford such a thing.


    It was displayed here simply to demonstrate the strength of Zhao''s Commerce and to show that the price of the few Sound Transmission Talismans below was actually not expensive.


    He had encountered such sons of privilege in the Capital before, buying up talismans as if they were ordering wholesale for a business.


    It could be a big deal!


    "Right¡ª"


    Suddenly, something occurred to the shopkeeper. He pulled out two invitations and a list of auction items and handed them over: "There''s an annual auction event tonight at Wentian Marketplace. Many items are prepared for this year, and here are two reserved invitations. Would you be interested?"


    "Oh?"


    Chen Qiu took the list of auction items, and initially, he just skimmed it, but his gaze was quickly captured by an entry: "You''re actually auctioning off an entry at your auction event?"


    ''Entry Name'': Self-extinguishing root.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': Self-extinguish One Bull to acquire a random white or green entry, the more you have, the more random entries you''ll receive.


    "Of course."


    Pride written all over his face, the shopkeeper said, "After all, it''s the annual auction event of Wentian Marketplace. Many of the items indeed come from our Zhao''s Commerce. This entry is also from our Zhao''s Commerce. We have branches all over Da Xia Country."


    Chen Qiu had a rather strange look as he turned his head to glance at Fat Long.


    "Brother Qiu."


    With an expressionless face, Fat Long spoke word by word, "There are strangers here; save me some face. If it''s private, we''ll talk later."


    The shopkeeper, who was about to continue introducing his wares, suddenly looked cloudy-eyed and walked to a set of shelves, muttering, "How come there''s dust here that hasn''t been cleaned? I''ll wipe it off."


    After the shopkeeper left.


    With a serious expression, Fat Long turned to Chen Qiu, "Brother Qiu, you once said I was your benefactor. I don''t think this behavior quite matches repaying a drop of kindness with a gush of gratitude. What do you think?"


    "Don''t overthink it."


    After a slight cough, Chen Qiu spoke in a low voice, "I know, I just thought you might want it. Since you don''t, then forget it."


    "But... aren''t you going to think about it? There are nine random entries there."


    "Not everybody has this opportunity like you do."


    "Why not buy it first, and if you need it later, we can use it then?"


    ..


    PS: Those who are keeping up with this book at midnight today without any mishap are likely to be single, maybe you''re already lying in bed, with the phone plugged into the charger, lights off, ready to sleep.


    I feel sorry for you.


    Giving out 200 red packets of 0.52 to let you also have your own 520, search ''Xin Ge''s 520'' in Alipay for the red packet password.


    Those who are working in the fields, please be safe, and thank you for your hard work.

 Chapter 31

    "Impossible!!"Fat Long firmly shook his head, "Brother Qiu, rest assured, I absolutely won''t need to use this entry. Thanks for your kind intention, Brother Qiu. I appreciate the thought, but this entry should be kept for someone who needs it more."


    To tell the truth, he was often frustrated about why he was randomly assigned the Nine Ox Power entry, and because it was an Initial Entry, he hadn''t yet found a way to remove it.


    But since he had randomly gotten it, he gradually accepted the fact.


    Compared to castrating himself, he felt it was better to maintain the status quo.


    "Then it''s up to you."


    Chen Qiu did not say more, just glanced at the auction list. Many items indeed caught his interest, for instance, the green Entry, "self-extinguishing root." Although Fat Long couldn''t use it, he certainly could.


    This trash entry was perfect for him. As long as he triggered its Self-Destruction, it amounted to a full-force strike at crossing a Great Realm, equivalent to a first-layer Golden Core Stage full-force strike.


    This was truly a last-ditch effort.


    If someone didn''t possess Nine Ox Power or a similar entry, they definitely wouldn''t bid for this entry. After all, exchanging one''s sole "Bull Strength" for some random white or green entry seemed like a bad deal.


    If nothing unexpected happened, the price of this entry should not be too high. Perhaps he could even snag a bargain.


    "OK."


    He tucked the auction list along with two invitations inside his jacket, then turned to the shopkeeper and whispered, "Let''s go, let''s check out the talismans."


    ...


    Half an hour later.


    The two came out of the Zhao''s Commerce shop, with Fat Long''s face full of distress after having spent quite a few Spirit Stones there.


    The first were talismans.


    The "Summoning Thunder Talisman," an offensive talisman that could summon a Heavenly Thunder to attack the enemy, equivalent to a first-layer Foundation Establishment Stage full-force attack, priced at two Spirit Stones each.


    They bought 100.


    The "Golden Bell Talisman," a defensive talisman activated to form a Spiritual Energy shield around the user, capable of blocking a first-layer Foundation Establishment full-force attack, priced at four Spirit Stones each.


    They also bought 100.


    The "Light Wind Talisman," an escape talisman, on activation when plastered on the body, could significantly increase movement speed, priced at two Spirit Stones each.


    They bought 100 of these too.


    Just the talismans alone cost 800 Spirit Stones.


    "Damn, that''s expensive!"


    "This talisman master profession really makes a killing, doesn''t it?"


    Fat Long covered his food ring on his index finger, pain evident on his face: "If I had so many talismans now, I could dominate that small world we were in a few days ago, taking on a crowd single-handedly wouldn''t be a problem."


    Chen Qiu shook his head and chuckled without a word.


    The total loot from that small world added up to only 50 Spirit Stones, yet the talismans cost a total of 800 Spirit Stones. With such an arsenal, even a pig could run amok in the small world.


    He finally understood the battle style of those heirs from the aristocratic families of this world¡ªleading with a lavish spending spree.


    The advantage of talismans lies in their instant activation. Although their power is slightly inferior compared to spells of the same name and rank, they are advantageous because they don''t require the expenditure of the Spiritual Energy stored in the Dantian, needing only a small amount of Spiritual Energy to activate the talisman.


    The higher the level of the talisman, the more Spiritual Energy it requires to activate.


    For example, a Foundation Establishment Stage spell like "Thunder Summoning Technique" allows most cultivators at the first layer of Foundation Establishment Stage to cast it only four to five times before their internal Spiritual Energy is nearly depleted, but if using "Summoning Thunder Talismans," one could use over a hundred before depleting the internal Spiritual Energy.


    In such a fight,


    one could use one''s rear end to figure out who would win.


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    He only bought some talismans whose power was equivalent to a first-layer Foundation Establishment Stage full-force attack. Defensive talismans were a bit more expensive than offensive ones and were also rarer, reportedly because defensive talismans require a higher stability, making their manufacturing process more complex.


    The more powerful the talisman, the more expensive it would be.


    For example, an attack-type talisman equivalent to a full-strength strike at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage had a selling price as high as 300 Spirit Stones, which was enough to buy a set of high-quality Sound Transmission Talismans.


    For him, the cost-effectiveness was very low.


    If he really encountered a situation that required such a method, why would he use any talisman? He would just unleash a full-strength strike from the first level of the Golden Core Stage using his self-destruction term, and that would be far superior to any talisman.


    However, he also asked if there were any Golden Core Stage talismans available, and the answer was no. Such talismans belonged to an extremely rare category, and no shop in any city of Wentiang had them.


    Besides talismans.


    They also purchased some odds and ends.


    Like three high-quality Storage Rings, which had much more space than a Storage Bag and were more convenient to access while being easier to wear and having little risk of loss. Even if lost, it would take quite an effort to break into a blood-bound Storage Ring.


    Unlike Storage Bags, which anyone who finds can use.


    But the price was not cheap.


    300 Spirit Stones each.


    Apart from that, they also bought a bunch of miscellaneous items, which cost another 300 Spirit Stones. After a lavish spending spree, the total amount spent was 3617 Spirit Stones.


    Chen Qiu felt the massive pile of Spirit Stones inside his index finger''s Storage Ring and couldn''t help but shake his head and laugh.


    After a reckless shopping spree.


    There were still 26,356 Spirit Stones in the Storage Ring.


    The odd change hadn''t even been spent, almost giving the feeling that the money was unending; this amount should be enough for him to push forward to the Golden Core Stage.


    Next, the two of them left Wentiang, gave a Sound Transmission Ring to each of the scholar brothers, and handed over a Storage Bag containing 3500 Spirit Stones and several sets of clothes, gave some instructions, and then returned to Wentiang.


    ...


    "Sound Transmission Ring."


    The scholar, seated cross-legged on the ground, watched as Chen Qiu and his companion gradually disappeared down the path before he looked down at the Sound Transmission Ring in his hand and seemed to think of something, chuckling suddenly after a long while.


    This was no cheap item; ordinary people couldn''t afford this thing. This set was worth 1000 Spirit Stones.


    When he was at the pinnacle of his life, known as the number one Sword Cultivator in Da Xia, he naturally didn''t lack Spirit Stones to buy Sound Transmission Rings, but the calamitous final battle which nearly cost him his life made him flee in defeat, abandoning everything.


    Which included the Sound Transmission Ring he once possessed.


    He shook the Spirit Stones totaling 3100 inside his Storage Bag and, after a long silence, softly said, "This Mr. Chen is quite generous."


    Mr. Chen had given him 3500 Spirit Stones, including 500 Spirit Stones as monthly pay, from which he returned 400. The 500 Spirit Stones as a monthly payment felt really difficult to accept; they, the two brothers, almost had no attack methods, not worth the price.


    If he accepted the 500 Spirit Stones as monthly payment, he would feel as if he couldn''t raise his head when facing Mr. Chen. A hundred Spirit Stones a month was more than sufficient, far exceeding the monthly income of over ninety percent of Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.


    He knew well that this money was his ransom. Although Mr. Chen didn''t say it, since he had taken this money, he was definitely going to ensure it paid off its intended value.


    At least in case...


    Should his reputation be mentioned again in the future, people might praise him for upholding his commitments.


    It wasn''t that there were no retainers who had run away with their master''s Spirit Stones, but their reputations were often very bad.


    If Mr. Chen really proved reliable, he could entrust his life to Mr. Chen, only hoping Mr. Chen would take good care of his younger brother after his death. In his life, there were only two matters he cared about.


    The first thing was how people in the world spoke of him.


    The second was his younger brother.


    Heavenly Dao Jade was not sold in Wentiang Market but was available only in one place.


    "Heavenly Dao Pavilion."


    Thousands of miles away from here.


    "I need to make a trip."


    The scholar sat on the ground, gazing at the clouds on the horizon, murmuring to himself, his fingers twitched slightly, and a flash of blue light shot out from his sleeve directly toward the clouds to the east, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 32

    After giving the two scholarly brothers some instructions on minor matters, Chen Qiu returned to area 8 of the Asking Heaven Market, the "Demon Beast Area," and once again purchased a large batch of demon beasts. Just like last time, he instructed the shopkeeper to severely wound them before delivering them to a certain inn.Although his strength was already completely capable of dealing with these Qi Refinement realm demon beasts.


    He tried to avoid troubling himself with things that could be handled by others.


    ...


    Spending less than 200 spirit stones, Chen Qiu and his companion watched from a guest room in an inn as the demon beast shop''s shopkeeper, with an uncontrollable smile, continuously brought in large batches of demon beasts.


    They filled three whole guest rooms.


    "Here."


    Chen Qiu sat on a wooden chair, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and said nonchalantly to the side where Fat Long was standing, "What are you dazed about? Helping you break through your cultivation for less than 200 spirit stones is quite a bargain."


    Yes.


    The breakthrough in the Qi Refinement stage of cultivation was just that simple, provided you could find a large cluster of Qi Refinement stage demon beasts and had the strength to kill them or enough spirit stones to buy the severely wounded ones, building a foundation in a single day was a simple matter.


    But either way, it had nothing to do with ordinary people.


    Not to mention the 200 spirit stones required for someone like Fat Long to break through from the seventh level of Qi Refinement stage to the Foundation Establishment stage, even the thirty spirit stones needed to move from the third level of the Qi Refinement realm to the seventh level were beyond what most Qi Refinement cultivators could afford.


    Many cultivators at the Qi Refinement stage were quite poor.


    Or rather, the logic should be reversed.


    It''s not that the Qi Refinement stage is poor; rather, those who stay in the Qi Refinement stage are poor. Those with even a small amount of savings would have already established their foundation, as only with Foundation Establishment can one truly step into the threshold of cultivation.


    As long as you have 300 spirit stones, you can go from the first level of the Qi Refinement stage to the first level of the Foundation Establishment stage in a day.


    The breakthrough in the Qi Refinement stage of cultivation was just that simple.


    After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the progress of cultivation would slow down significantly. At this point, killing Qi Refinement stage demon beasts no longer increased cultivation progress, and adult demon beasts at the Foundation Establishment stage were essentially not for sale, as such beasts could not be bred in mass through human efforts; one had to find them in the wild.


    They were hard to kill and, even if one managed to kill one, the increase in cultivation progress was minimal, which was the most headache-inducing part.


    The mainstream methods for enhancing cultivation at this stage relied on two types.


    The first type involved possessing a sufficiently good mental method and finding a place with dense spiritual energy, then cultivating the mental method in seclusion daily seeking breakthroughs.


    The second type relied on persisting with pills.


    Just like his Heavenly Dao Foundation, which had been rotating automatically from last night to now for almost half a day, but his cultivation progress hadn''t increased at all, not even filling his Dantian with spiritual energy.


    After his Foundation Establishment stage, the spiritual energy inside his Dantian was half empty, not yet full.


    "Alright, alright."


    Chen Qiu, a bit reluctant to see Fat Long''s grateful expression, waved his hand, "Start quickly, don''t delay."


    ...


    Soon¡ª


    The guest room entered a state of noisy silence.


    Fat Long, holding a butcher knife, went "crack, crack" with each beast.


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed, holding spirit stones, absorbing the spiritual energy within them.


    Finally.


    An hour later.


    When Chen Qiu opened his eyes again, the guest room was in complete disarray, and Fat Long was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and looked down at a few shattered spirit stones on the bed, as he had just consumed three spirit stones to replenish the spiritual energy in his Dantian.


    It wasn''t that the consumption was too much.


    But the absorption was too slow.


    It had taken him an entire hour just to absorb all the spiritual energy from those three spirit stones.


    His current Foundation Establishment was of a width of 110 centimeters and a height of 100 centimeters with Heavenly Dao Foundation enhancement. Even with the Heavenly Dao Foundation''s enhancement, the absorption was still slow, which meant his Foundation Establishment couldn''t accommodate much spiritual energy.


    After he attended the auction tonight and went out tomorrow to hunt demon beasts, increasing his Foundation width to several hundred centimeters or even a thousand centimeters.


    Did that mean that every time he replenished the spiritual energy in his Dantian, it would take nearly ten hours?


    What about when it reached ten thousand centimeters or even a hundred thousand centimeters?


    Would it take a month to fill his Dantian with spiritual energy?


    Such a long time was enough for his enemies to decimate his Nine Tribes three or four times!


    "This won''t do..."


    Chen Qiu shook his head and muttered, "I need to find a better mental method."


    The strength of the Heavenly Dao Foundation was linked to the mental method; if the mental method was too weak, then the Heavenly Dao Foundation couldn''t play too big a role. His current mental method was just a mid-grade Yellow Level, still insufficient for his needs.


    He took out the auction item list from his bosom, scanned it a few more times, and indeed saw a mental method auction item on the last page.


    The supreme mental method of the Foundation Establishment stage, "Seven Lamps Awakening the World".


    In reality, it was merely a top-tier Yellow Level mental method, which is just a half-slang term used in Jianghu to classify cultivation techniques and spiritual treasures, whereas the official terms grouped them as¡ª


    Qi Refinement Realm, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, and so on.


    A top-tier mental method during the Foundation Establishment Stage is the one best suited for cultivators at that stage, being the strongest among them, and it remains highly effective even up to the Golden Core Stage.


    Furthermore.


    There was another item in the auction list that he was determined to acquire.


    The Mid-grade Thunder Summoning Technique during the Foundation Establishment Stage, which perfectly complemented his entry, "Focus Power." This spell was a great fit for him.


    This type of spell was actually quite common; Zhao''s Commerce shops even sold it, and it was not expensive.


    It could be bought for just 2 spirit stones; bargaining might bring it down to one spirit stone, especially since it was a copy and genuinely had no significant cost. If you have some friends, getting a friend who practices this spell to make a free copy for you might be no problem at all.


    But the "Thunder Summoning Technique" at the auction was a product of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; once learned, it would instantly be at a highly accomplished stage, naturally making it extraordinary and no mere trifle.


    Moreover, there were also two mid-grade "Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans" in the auction list appropriate for use during the Foundation Establishment Stage, and he needed these too. Many items at this auction were things he really wanted, all of them valuable.


    Only through the shopkeeper did he learn about the "Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman," which could only be used twice per great realm. He had already used two low-grade "Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans" during his Qi Refinement stage. By obtaining this mid-grade "Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman," he could take all entries when breaking through a small realm during Foundation Establishment if the three random entries he received were all good.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the bed studying the auction list, pondering how to arrange the next few days, when Fat Long entered with a grim expression.


    The uncontrollable aura of the Foundation Establishment Stage that seeped from him was a sign that his realm had just broken through and was not yet stable.


    "Congratulations,"


    Chen Qiu put away the auction list he held, stood up, and walked over to the table; he filled his cup with cool tea again, looked towards Fat Long, and said smilingly, "How does it feel to be at Foundation Establishment Stage? Why the long face? Surely the three random entries you got aren''t all trash?"


    "Hmm."


    Fat Long sat down on the wooden chair with a bitter face and began guzzling cool tea from the teapot directly to his mouth. The initial entries had been trash, which was agonizing enough, and he had reluctantly come to accept this, harboring a hopeful anticipation for the "three choices" entries upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    However...


    It seemed like God was playing a joke on him.


    Just thinking of the three random entries he got upon breaking through brought a surge of desire to smash his head and die!!!


    -


    "Cultivation has greatly improved, officially stepping into the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry Name": Yama''s personal decree.


    "Entry Level": Grey.


    "Entry Effect": You will definitely die one year from now, but you absolutely will not die within this year.


    2:


    "Entry Name": Prodigy.


    "Entry Level": Grey.


    "Entry Effect": Any progress you make in cultivation will be ten times faster and without any bottlenecks, but you can only live to be 25 years old, with no means to extend your life.


    3:


    "Entry Name": Hundred Percent Accuracy.


    "Entry Level": White.


    "Entry Effect": Any female of the same race who shares a room with you will definitely become pregnant afterwards.


    ...


    "I am 24 years old this year, and in thirty days it will be my birthday, officially turning 25."


    Fat Long''s face was nearly filled with despair as he spoke with a trembling, sobbing voice, "If I choose the first entry, I''ll die next year. If I choose the second entry, I''ll die as soon as winter begins in thirty days. Do these ''three choices'' even give me a chance to choose?"


    "Only the third entry won''t end in death, but what the hell is the use of the third entry!!!"


    "I came to cultivate!!!"


    "Not to have babies!!!"


    "Relax..." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu patted Fat Long on the shoulder with a complex expression, struggling to find words of comfort, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "Maybe there''s some pink entry that makes ''the more children you have, the stronger you become.''"


    "I have already thought of a name for this pink entry, ''More children, more blessings.''"


    "There are also other ways to obtain entries, such as through the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and auctions. There is still hope in the future."


    "Consider this entry as a free pick for now; relax, don''t rush."


    "It will get better."

 Chapter 33 What is the Meaning of Cultivation?

    It must be said, Fat Long was quite adept at adjusting his mood, quickly recovering from his emotions and seriously pondering whether there were other uses for the white entry.There was no such thing as a completely useless white entry.


    Even his trashy white entry of "Nine Ox Power" could easily be exchanged for nine random entries through the green entry "self-extinguishing root," if he wished.


    Soon, Fat Long thought of something and said thoughtfully, "Brother Qiu, what do you think if I went around all the brothels in Da Xia and freed all the lost women there?"


    "Once these girls are pregnant, the brothels definitely won''t keep them, right? Maybe they''ll all just take a break? Then if I open my own brothel at that time, isn''t that a monopoly kill?"


    "..."


    After a long silence and without any expression, Chen Qiu gently patted Fat Long''s shoulder and said, "The girls who become pregnant are more likely to become a turnover pearl than take a break. Stop thinking about these unrealistic things and let''s go to the auction now."


    ...


    The two of them walked one after the other on the main road of the trading area in Zone 7 of Wentian Pavilion market. It was still early, and the auction wouldn''t start for another couple of hours, yet the streets were already populated with many pedestrians.


    This auction was hosted by Wentian Pavilion market and occurred annually.


    It gathered many fine treasures prepared by shops in Wentian Pavilion market in recent days, including many treasures not usually seen, and just two days later, the "challenge" type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm would open in Fufeng City.


    Many Loose Cultivators and disciples from various major sect families had temporarily gathered in Wentian Pavilion market.


    After the auction, a two-day rest would fit perfectly for attending the soon-to-open Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in Fufeng City.


    Chen Qiu wandered around the streets casually, occasionally buying some appealing items. Before they knew it, a couple of hours had passed, and the auction was about to commence.


    ...


    The auction was located in a three-story low-rise building in the center of Area 7 of Wentian Pavilion market, named "Wentian Pavilion." It was not usually open, only during the annual or quarterly auctions held by Wentian Pavilion market.


    It opened only five times a year, each time packed with people.


    Many powers within a hundred miles would send representatives, even if not to bid on anything, just to experience the sight, which was rare on regular days.


    With an invitation letter, Chen Qiu had unobstructed access into the grand hall of the auction and found wooden benches marked with their numbers, a total of a thousand chairs filled the hall.


    The space was indeed large, with most seats already occupied at that time.


    The first and second floors were connected, and looking up, one could see the third-floor floor. The second floor was just a ring of private rooms built around the upper perimeter of the hall to accommodate guests, with about thirty or so private rooms in total.


    Shortly after taking their seats, they saw the Shopkeeper from Zhao''s Commerce of Wentian Pavilion market hustling over with a bowed posture, speaking in a low, respectful voice, "Mr. Chen, all the private rooms are booked. It''s a bit difficult to arrange, but we can''t possibly have you stay in the hall."


    "Fortunately, I still have some friends in Wentian Pavilion market. I''ve managed to find you a private room, Heavenly No. 7 room. Please excuse us," he said.


    "Please follow me."


    Mr. Chen had spent thousands of Spirit Stones in his shop, qualifying as a VIP. Such guests must be well-maintained, as Zhao''s Commerce, although spread throughout Da Xia Country, was not the only one. Maintaining such a VIP would significantly increase the annual sales of their Wentian Pavilion market shop.


    His position could be promoted again soon.


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded and stood up, gesturing for the shopkeeper to lead the way. He didn''t refuse since indeed, making bids in the main hall was a bit too conspicuous.


    ...


    After the two of them took their seats in the "Heavenly Character 7" private room on the second floor, two maids dressed in wine-red sheer gauze quickly came in, carrying fruit platters. They carefully crouched beside the two men and then delicately picked up fruits with their slender jade hands and fed them to the men.


    Chen Qiu casually glanced at the two maids ¡ª they were just beautiful skeletons but admittedly good-looking ones. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The gauze on their bodies was as thin as cicada wings, and they wore nothing else, making the room''s dim lighting, illuminated only by a few flickering oil lamps on the walls, slightly more obscure.


    In the swaying light and shadows, that barely-there gauze added quite a flavor.


    And in a corner of the room, another woman also draped in wine-red gauze and cradling a pipa was kneeling softly, playing a tune with an additional white face veil that gave her a purer appearance.


    The private room was walled on three sides, and directly in front, a small formation had been set up. They could clearly see the scene of the main hall and the auction podium below, yet the people below couldn''t look up and see them, which provided some privacy.


    Chen Qiu wasn''t paying attention to the maids; although they were pretty, they were just beautiful skeletons after all. He currently had no interest in such distractions, as chopping wood for a month had obliterated all his other thoughts.


    Right now, he just wanted to become stronger, strong enough to live a dignified life.


    Although he felt nothing for these beautiful skeletons, he knew that if he hadn''t already advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage and if his pockets weren''t filled with spirit stones, he wouldn''t even dream of enjoying this kind of life.


    For him, the purpose of cultivation was simple¡ªto survive.


    To live a dignified life.


    And now, the melodious sound of the pipa behind him also gradually became more plaintive, as if narrating the tragic story of a child who had left home at an early age, living a lonely and miserable life under others'' roofs.


    And at this moment¡ª


    The auction below hadn''t officially started yet; many people were sitting in their seats and chatting with one another. Some were acquaintances who had just not had the time to gather together, each busy with their own affairs, and were using this opportunity to catch up properly.


    Others came in groups, discussing together, and it seemed they were already prepared to bid on some goods.


    Most of the rest were more or less there for the excitement; items appearing in the auction were usually quite rare and not cheap, and not many could afford to buy them.


    There were also those who were genuinely interested in a particular treasure but didn''t have enough spirit stones. They came hoping against hope to see if they could snag a bargain.


    A thousand people, a thousand faces.


    Everyone had their own thoughts.


    Among them were several Foundation Establishment strong ones, their gazes dark and secretive as they swept over every individual present, searching for easy yet lucrative targets to strike. Foundation strong ones had several ways to earn spirit stones, provided they were not at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.


    Of course, some of the Foundation strong ones preferred the methods that involved plundering to earn spirit stones.

 Chapter 34

    As an elder with a face full of age and wrinkles ascended the auction stage, the venue immediately quieted down."Bang."


    The auction hammer in his hand tapped the square table on the stage like a gavel, and soon five women in cheongsam with veils covering their faces filed out from behind the stage, each holding a mahogany tray.


    Covered with a layer of red cloth on top.


    The elder walked up to the first woman, whipped off the red cloth, and with a casual wave of his right hand, spiritual energy in the air strikingly formed several lines of large characters.


    "The first auction item."


    "Spiritual Treasure, Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Alchemy Furnace ''Eight Trigrams Pill Furnace,'' using this furnace to refine pills will result in a higher success rate."


    "Starting bid 20 Spirit Stones, each increase must be no less than 10 Spirit Stones."


    Just the casual display of skill had already proven his strength. Such control of spiritual energy, practiced to this fine degree, must be at least at the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Barely short of the existence at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.


    As long as one had sufficient lifespan, it was almost a certainty to break through to the Great Realm and become a Golden Core Great Power.


    A Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Alchemy Furnace, according to Jianghu slang, is actually a Yellow Level Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure. A Yellow Level Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure isn''t worth much, worth only about 50 Spirit Stones, and doesn''t even qualify for the auction.


    But this Spiritual Treasure is an Alchemy Furnace, so its price is a different story.


    An Alchemy Furnace of this sort of Spiritual Treasure is extremely difficult to craft and its price is several times higher than that of another Spiritual Treasure of the same level.


    Very quickly¡ª


    many people started to call out their bids.


    "50 Spirit Stones!"


    "60 Spirit Stones!"


    "100 Spirit Stones!"


    In the end, a middle-aged man in the hall stood up, held up his number board and called out a high bid of 200 Spirit Stones, securing this first auction item. This price was about right; after all, an Alchemist is a money tree, and the Alchemy Furnace is the Alchemist''s bread and butter, so naturally, the price wouldn''t be low.


    However, not a single person in the private rooms made a bid. Those who could sit in the private rooms generally had their own backing, and training an Alchemist was something they were already doing. Thus, a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Alchemy Furnace was a bit beneath their notice.


    They weren''t here for these initial auction items. The real highlights were yet to come.


    ...


    Chen Qiu, too, gazed somewhat listlessly down at the auction stage, showing little interest in the several items that had come up, whether they were for alchemy or talisman making, as he had no thoughts about either of these two arts.


    Until¡ª


    When the fifth auction item was unveiled, Chen Qiu sat up straight, finally finding something he wanted.


    "The fifth auction item."


    "Entry Jade Slip, green entry ''Self-Extinguishing Root,'' sacrifice one organ to receive a random white or green entry. The more sacrificed, the more entries received."


    "Starting bid 50 Spirit Stones, each bid must increase by 10 Spirit Stones."


    "500 Spirit Stones!"


    Chen Qiu picked up the Sound Transmission Talisman from the table next to him, channeled spiritual energy into it, and whispered his bid, and as his voice reached the expanse of the hall, it was automatically disguised to sound like an old man.


    This entry had the same meaning to him as a full-strength strike from someone at the first level of the Golden Core Stage; 500 Spirit Stones was absolutely appropriate.


    The power of a talisman equivalent to a full-strength strike of a ninth level Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator was 300 Spirit Stones. As for the price of one equivalent to a full-strength strike of someone at the first level of the Golden Core Stage, he wasn''t sure, but it was definitely not less than 1000 Spirit Stones.


    After all, the gap between the Golden Core Stage and the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage was too vast; they were not on the same level.


    ...


    The elder looked up at the second floor, and after seeing the flash of red light from the jade embedded outside the Heavenly Number 7 private room, picked up the auction hammer and lightly tapped it on the square table, "Heavenly Number 7 bids 500 Spirit Stones."


    He then swept his gaze over the audience, and seeing no one raise their number board, he continued.


    "500 Spirit Stones for the first time!"


    ...


    The crowd in the hall also discussed with odd expressions on their faces. It wasn''t surprising that someone would spend 500 Spirit Stones on a green entry as entry jade slips were extremely rare in the market. Any that made it to the market, if not utterly worthless, could easily sell for over two thousand Spirit Stones.


    But...


    Would someone qualified to sit in the Heavenly Number 7 private room use this entry?


    Or was it intended for use by someone below them? In that case, it would make sense.


    ...


    In the crowd of the hall, a young man was looking at the middle-aged man beside him with an urgent expression and anxiously said, "Master, what are you hesitating for? Bid! BID!!!"


    "I''m telling you, this entry is absolutely priceless to you, let alone 500 spirit stones, even if it''s 2000 spirit stones, you must buy it!"


    After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged man still didn''t raise his bidding placard. Meanwhile, the auctioneer had already started the first call for 500 spirit stones, and the middle-aged man looked worriedly at the young man beside him.


    "Venerable Liu, it''s not that I don''t trust you, but you know my Initial Entry is ''Nine Ox Power.''"


    "Indeed, this entry could grant me eight random entries, but they would only be random white or green entries at best. Whether their effects are beneficial to me is still unknown, and even if they are, it''s very difficult for me to break through to the Golden Core Stage. If I can''t make the breakthrough, earning back so many spirit stones will be difficult."


    His name was Wang Tiedan, fifty-six years of skeletal age, a third-layer Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. He started from scratch and formed his own small family, a small Foundation Establishment family in a place hundreds of miles away from Fufeng City. Although they didn''t have many big businesses, they managed to earn a profit of more than two hundred spirit stones each year.


    Life was also considered comfortable.


    Until a year ago, when he met this young man who was said to have fled from a village ransacked by mountain bandits. Out of kindness, he took him in and gradually discovered that this man named Liu Zide had a very clever mind.


    He often spoke of new ideas which Wang had never heard of before.


    Terms like market operations, industry barriers, omnichannels, endorsement harvesting, and the like.


    He gave Wang quite a few suggestions, and with the young man''s help, his business grew steadily larger. Winter was approaching this year, and it was estimated that the net profit would amount to 500 spirit stones¡ªan amount equating to double the annual earnings.


    He officially employed the young man as a family retainer, serving as a strategist, and providing counsel and strategies on a daily basis.


    He had hardly ever been wrong.


    This time, after Venerable Liu saw the list of auction items for the annual Wentiang Fang Market auction, he insisted that Wang bring all the spirit stones that the family could mobilize. They traveled for five days just to reach Wentiang Fang Market in time for the auction, all for the sake of the green entry ''Self-Extinguishing Root.''


    "Master, you''re being foolish!!!"


    Seeing the second call at 500 spirit stones was about to end, the young man urged with an anxious tone, "Master, can''t you change your way of thinking? Who told you that buying this entry was just to enhance your strength?"


    "Let me ask you, if someone stood in the Wentiang Fang Market now saying they possessed both ''Nine Ox Power'' and ''Self-Extinguishing Root'' and were about to perform a live carv, with everyone watching what random entries they might get, do you think people would want to see that?"


    "Of course, they''d want to see it!"


    "That''s human nature! What''s at the deepest part of human nature? It''s the gambling urge. Rationality restrains most people as much as possible, but watching others gamble also provides a thrilling sense of excitement."


    "Wouldn''t it be fair to charge 1 spirit stone for a ticket to see such an exciting show?"


    "We''re just setting up such a spectacle. Now, with the annual Wentiang Fang Market auction and the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in Fufeng City, there will surely be a large number of cultivators gathering in Fufeng City in the coming days. The timing and conditions are perfect. For those sect family descendants, paying 1 spirit stone for such a rare spectacle is a bargain!"


    "1 spirit stone isn''t much for them, but they won''t have another chance to see such a show again."


    "As long as we can advertise and attract 3000 spectators, that would be 3000 spirit stones. If there are 5000 spectators, that would directly net us 5000 spirit stones!"


    "Leave the operation to me; I''m confident we''re going to make a killing!"


    "We''re going to start a groundbreaking live broadcast of Bull Cutting in Fufeng City!"


    "Those with less money can watch real-time through the ''Mother-child Realm'' from the outside, paying 1 tael of silver, while those slightly wealthier can watch from the rooftops around for a better view, costing them 10 taels of silver. For those sect family descendants, we''ll arrange the closest seats for real-time viewing, charging 1 spirit stone!" S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "In Da Xia Country, there''s really no entertainment. With the natural inclination to watch lively scenes, the number of people coming will certainly not be small."


    "Master, trust me, just win this entry, and I can promise you a brand-new tomorrow!"


    "And you don''t have to worry about losing face, Master. We''re 800 miles from our main base, and after we make a profit here, we''ll head home. Once we''re back at our main base, no one will know about this!"


    Perhaps it was the young man''s excited fervor that touched the middle-aged man, or maybe it was his past achievements that made the middle-aged man quite trusting in him. In the end, just before the third call for 500 spirit stones was concluded,


    the middle-aged man stood up, raised his bidding placard, and shouted with a trembling voice, "1000 spirit stones!!!"


    "1200."


    Chen Qiu in the private room glanced down at the middle-aged man in the hall below and, after a moment of contemplation, raised the bid again. This was his bottom line; any higher would be unjustifiable. Buying an entry for self-destruction at such a price was a poor value for money.


    "1500 spirit stones!!!"


    Almost immediately after Chen Qiu finished speaking, the middle-aged man raised his bidding placard again, and with almost all his might, roared, "I bid 1500 spirit stones!!!"


    This was almost all his family had accumulated over the years, and for him, it was a high-stakes gamble.


    He could indeed become rich overnight, as Venerable Liu had said, but he might also lose everything in the blink of an eye.


    ...


    "..."


    Sitting in the private room, Chen Qiu shook his head slightly in disbelief; the price was getting absurd. He wasn''t going to bid any higher. 1500 spirit stones for such a green entry? Had they gone mad?


    The person bidding below couldn''t possibly have the ''Nine Ox Power'' entry as well, could they?


    Still, he was quite curious to see which entries this person could acquire with both ''Nine Ox Power'' and ''Self-Extinguishing Root'', although each cultivator''s entries were private and not easily revealed to others under normal circumstances.

 Chapter 35

    The auction continued in an orderly fashion, and Chen Qiu was not particularly interested in the next two items, thus he did not bid, until¡ª"The eighth item."


    "Heavenly Dao Terms, special entry, entry effect inheritable."


    "Starting bid 100 Spirit Stones, with each bid increment of 100 Spirit Stones."


    The moment the words of the elder on stage fell,


    Chen Qiu could clearly feel the whole hall instantly quiet down, while almost at the same time, lights in other private rooms on the second floor began to light up continuously.


    "800 Spirit Stones!"


    "1000 Spirit Stones!"


    "1300 Spirit Stones!"


    In the blink of an eye, the price surged from the starting bid of 100 Spirit Stones to 1300. The Wentian Market auctions always started with an arbitrary starting bid. A low starting price did not mean that the item was worth just that.


    Of course, there was almost no chance of obtaining it below its value. If the highest bid called out onsite was far below the actual value of the item, insiders of Wentian Market would simply bid themselves and bring it back for the next auction.


    ...


    The instant the eighth item was presented, it immediately ignited the enthusiasm of the entire venue. Many powers had come specifically for the "Heavenly Dao Terms." Who wouldn''t love a permanent entry that could be passed down?


    While it was a gamble, none who started from nothing and aspired to achieve something in this chaotic world would consider themselves anything less than the favored children of heaven.


    Meanwhile, the hall was buzzing with discussions.


    "This auction does have Heavenly Dao Terms for sale. Even though it was already listed in the catalog, it''s still exciting to see them in person. It''s not often that one gets a chance to witness such things."


    "Indeed, they say that the type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm opening in Fufeng City in a few days might produce Heavenly Dao Terms as well. If one is lucky enough to obtain a Heavenly Dao Term in the Secret Realm, wouldn''t that mean striking it rich instantly?"


    "Thousands of Spirit Stones, truly enviable, alas, I haven''t finished paying off my Foundation Loan yet, so I don''t have the qualifications to enter the Secret Realm. Otherwise, I''d also like to try my luck in the Secret Realm."


    "Foundation Loan."


    It''s a type of loan provided by the Qian Family Bank of Da Xia, specifically designed for members of the government office who make more than 5 Spirit Stones a month, with a fixed amount of 300 Spirit Stones¡ªjust enough to advance swiftly from the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm to the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    To be eligible for such a loan, one must meet one criterion: a government office member with a monthly salary of over 5 Spirit Stones, and to fulfill this requirement, one must be at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    For a Qi Refinement Cultivator to get a Foundation Loan, they must become a member of the Da Xia government office; otherwise, they cannot get the loan. But to become a member of the Da Xia government office, one must first reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    It seems like a vicious cycle, but in fact, as long as there''s a ''middleman'' to facilitate the process, taking apart the western bridge to cross to the east, then dismantling the eastern bridge to cross to the west, it''s feasible. The only downside is that until the loan is paid off, a whiff of Qi will remain in the Dantian.


    This Qi has only one function: preventing entry to any Secret Realm.


    After all, the death rate in Secret Realms is too high, and the Qian Family Bank does not wish for all their clients to fucking die in the Secret Realm.


    ...


    "Oh?"


    The man next to him, upon hearing this, paused slightly, envy flashing in his eyes: "It''s said that this year, Fufeng City''s government office recruited less than a hundred people in total. Could it be that you''re one of them? A monthly salary of 5 Spirit Stones, with no risk to life¡ªwhat a cushy job."


    "Sigh."


    The man who started speaking had a hint of pride on his face, but he let out a helpless sigh, "It''s just good luck that I had a benefactor pulling strings for me, but real life is still a mess."


    "I didn''t feel it before, but after joining the government office, one day my aunts are severely ill and need to borrow money, the next day my parents want to build an impressive large house in the village, and I have to maintain good relations with my colleagues, taking them out every now and then for a meal. Although the benefactor hasn''t said anything, you must show some gratitude, right?"


    "The childhood friends who used to hang out with you also come by from time to time asking you to drink, although they don''t explicitly say it, the implication is they''re hoping for a helping hand. My wife''s family brags everywhere they''ve found a good son-in-law, and whenever her relatives run into trouble, they also come to me for help, and it''s hard to refuse. If I refuse, it just bursts all the bubbles my father-in-law has been blowing."


    "If I don''t refuse, doesn''t everything I do now require Spirit Stones to pave the way?"


    "Every month, I also have to pay back the ''Foundation Establishment Loan''. My brother, you don''t know, although my Cultivation is much stronger than before and I have some confidence in Fufeng City, I really feel less carefree than I used to."


    "Sometimes I think, if I were alone, I might be able to strive for the Golden Core Stage, seeking the Golden Core Path!"


    "Although Demon Cultivators are denounced by everyone, I think their practice¡ª"


    "The day you step on the path to immortality, first kill your parents, then your children."


    "Really can eliminate a lot of attachments."


    "Eh..."


    The man who was initially envious was at a loss for words upon hearing this. He was about to offer some comfort, but then thinking of his own pile of troubles, he suddenly lost the mood to console.


    ...


    The private room on the second floor continued to make bids.


    The price had sky-rocketed to 1700 Spirit Stones.


    This was basically beyond the market price of Heavenly Dao Terms, which are a gamble, as they might leave a legacy entry that could make a family prosper or a flaw entry that couldn''t be removed.


    Generally speaking, 1500 Spirit Stones is about the market price for a Heavenly Dao Term.


    "Who''s seated in room number six with the word ''Heaven''? To call out 1700 Spirit Stones without even blinking an eye?"


    "I don''t know, but I do know that families with ''Heavenly Dao Terms'' have an extremely complicated set of rituals when marrying. It is said to be for the Heavenly Dao to witness, and only then can the children born be eligible to inherit the Heavenly Dao Terms. Illegitimate children born without marriage ceremonies cannot inherit the Heavenly Dao Terms, and it is only the principal wife who counts, while the marriages of concubines aren''t recognized by the Heavenly Dao."


    "Sigh, I can''t even imagine how happy it must be to be born into such a family, way ahead of peers from the start."


    "That''s not necessarily a good thing, what if your mother is a concubine, then your status in the family..."


    ...


    "1700 Spirit Stones for the third time!!"


    "Congratulations to the bidder in room number six with the word ''Heaven'' for winning the eighth auction item, the Heavenly Dao Term, at the price of 1700 Spirit Stones!"


    And in room number six with the word ''Heaven'', a middle-aged man was excitedly hugging a beautiful woman, laughing as he said, "My dear, another Heavenly Dao Term is ours. The two Heavenly Dao Terms we got before were good ones, even if this third one has a negative effect, it''s completely acceptable."


    "If all three Heavenly Dao Terms are positive, our child will be born far ahead of his peers and will surely lead the Zhang Family to rise another step!"


    "And you will be the premier wife of the Zhang Family!" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 36

    The growth of an emerging power has its limits. For example, families that start from scratch and develop into Foundation Establishment families are as numerous as hairs on an ox, but those that become Golden Core families from nothing are nearly non-existent. For a family to bring forth a Golden Core Great Power to protect the family for 500 years,it must be the accumulation of generations. In a particular generation, when the timing, location, and people are all perfectly aligned, a Golden Core Great Power unexpectedly emerges, propelling the family into the status of a Golden Core family. From there, the family continues to build its wealth and influence over generations until they are able to foster another Golden Core Great Power.


    Only then can the family legacy continue.


    This middle-aged man had started from nothing to found a Foundation Establishment family and was acutely aware that both his strength and vitality had reached their limits. To ensure that the family legacy would carry on, he had to place his hopes in the next generation, and the Heavenly Dao Terms were a fine choice.


    Though it was a gamble,


    none who could start from scratch were afraid of taking risks.


    Unnoticed by the middle-aged man, the young man standing behind him had pupils filled with intense, resentful flames.


    ...


    The young man tried to forcibly suppress the emotions at the bottom of his heart, but the anger uncontrollably surged within him. He was originally thrilled when his father suddenly, in his middle age, had found an opportunity and started a small family from scratch.


    His father had only one son¡ªhimself, and the seat of the future Family Head would certainly be his.


    His mother had died early, and for reasons unknown to him, his father suddenly desired to pass down several Heavenly Dao Terms, transforming into the kind of family that possessed them. Thus, he took a new wife, preparing to let his younger son, who was born with Heavenly Dao Terms, take on the role of Family Head.


    The Heavenly Dao Terms could certainly be inherited, but his father did not have any such blasted Heavenly Dao Terms when he was born, so naturally, he would not inherit them.


    Heavenly Dao Terms could only be passed down through the primary wife who had a marriage ceremony, but this was regarding subsequent inheritances.


    The first to have Heavenly Dao Terms was called Dragon Head, and this restriction did not apply to them. A Dragon Head''s secondary wife, as long as there was a marriage ceremony, could also pass down the Heavenly Dao Terms, provided that the primary wife had died.


    It was precisely because of this¡ª


    he detested that beautiful woman in his father''s arms immensely but was unable to interfere with his father''s plan. With the addition of the Heavenly Dao Terms, his father had already spent a large amount of money to purchase three Heavenly Dao Terms. The Spirit Stones were spent, and there was no possibility to abandon the plan halfway.


    Nor would he possibly give up his position as the future Family Head.


    "Father,"


    After a long while, the young man suddenly started with a calm expression, "I just thought of something. My yet-to-be-met little brother is still unborn, and it will be a long while before he can understand things. How about letting me take the position of Young Master first? When you, Father, grow old, I will take over as Family Head, and when my little brother is fully matured, I will pass the position of Family Head to him. How does that sound?"


    "Moreover, what if the second mother gives birth to a girl? Women cannot inherit the Heavenly Dao Terms."


    "No!"


    The middle-aged man shook his head resolutely, leaving no room for negotiation, "There''s no possibility. The inheritance of a family must follow an orderly sequence. Just find any family with Heavenly Dao Terms, and tell me which Family Head doesn''t possess them?"


    "This is the main lineage; it cannot be broken."


    "I understand that you feel wronged, but even if you''re wronged, you have to bear it. The development of a family certainly can''t cater to everyone. For the sake of the family''s progress, individual interests should be put into perspective."


    "What''s more, this family was built by your father single-handedly. I will pass it to whomever I want!"


    Upon hearing this, the young man said nothing more, turning his head to look at his reflection in a copper mirror. After a long silence, he suddenly started to chuckle, realizing that his master''s words were indeed true.


    If one day I embark on the path to immortality, I shall kill my parents and son first.


    Since that is the case, then let us reveal our true abilities in the Secret Realm of Fufeng City in two days.


    He, too, wanted to ask this second mother what abilities she possessed that could make his father so bewitched by a few words, abandoning the son with whom he had built up their family from scratch, and willing to give everything for a child he had never met.


    At the same time, he was also curious about the taste of this second mother.


    ...


    "The ninth item up for auction."


    "A mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman, suitable for the Foundation Establishment Stage, allows for the selection of an additional entry from the three abandoned entries during the breakthrough at Foundation Establishment."


    "Two pieces, sold as a set in this auction."


    "The starting bid is 100 Spirit Stones, with each bid increasing by 100 Spirit Stones."


    As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, many began to bid, and the price quickly reached 1300 Spirit Stones; the value of this item varied from person to person.


    If you had the chance to choose one entry out of three during your Foundation Establishment breakthrough and the remaining two entries you had to abandon were good in terms of level or effect, then these two talismans would be of great value to you.


    No amount of Spirit Stones would be too much to spend.


    However, if the effects of the two entries you abandoned during your Foundation Establishment were worthless, the value of these talismans to you would be limited unless you could have another chance to choose one entry out of three during your Foundation Establishment period; otherwise, their sole value to you would be to exchange them for Spirit Stones.


    Seeing that the bidding had slowed down,


    Chen Qiu also made a bid of 1800 Spirit Stones, which ended the bidding War. For him, the two mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans were still very meaningful, and the price was not expensive, acceptable.


    The auction continued¡ª


    None of the subsequent items appealed to him.


    Until...


    "The twelfth item up for auction."


    "A mid-grade spell for the Foundation Establishment Stage, ''Thunder Summoning Technique,'' originating from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, mastered to the Great Achievement Realm upon learning."


    "The starting bid is 100 Spirit Stones, with each increase of at least 100 Spirit Stones."


    In the end, Chen Qiu won the bid for ''Thunder Summoning Technique'' with 600 Spirit Stones. A direct damage-dealing spell such as this was far more expensive than the ''Blinding Spell'' he had acquired before.


    ...


    "The fourteenth item up for auction."


    "An exceptional mental method for the Foundation Establishment Stage, ''Seven Lights Inquiry,'' originating from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, mastered to the Great Achievement Realm upon learning."


    "The starting bid is 100 Spirit Stones, with each increase of at least 100 Spirit Stones."


    It was one of the top mental methods for the Foundation Establishment Stage, useful all the way to the Golden Core Stage, and even the mental methods of many Golden Core Great Powers originated from exceptional Foundation Establishment mental methods. A mental method of this caliber, whether for absorbing or recovering spiritual energy, would be far superior to low-grade or mid-grade mental methods of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    This round of bidding was much more heated.


    Even many cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage participated in the bidding, and finally, Chen Qiu secured it for 3000 Spirit Stones.


    And the auction was gradually drawing to a close.


    An attendant knocked and entered, carrying a tray with all the items Chen Qiu had won at the auction. With a casual toss, Chen Qiu threw over a Storage Bag, and after the attendant had tallied the Spirit Stones, he removed them, returned the Storage Bag, and then set the tray down before leaving.


    Chen Qiu did not speak, merely tallying up how many Spirit Stones he had spent at the auction.


    He bought two mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, one exceptional Foundation Establishment mental method ''Seven Lights Inquiry,'' and one mid-grade Foundation Establishment spell ''Thunder Summoning Technique,'' spending a total of 5400 Spirit Stones.


    Expensive, indeed.


    sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 37 Focusing on High-End, Right?

    He had worked so hard to earn those spirit stones, yet in such a short time, he only had 17,856 spirit stones left. He couldn''t help thinking that these things seemed to run out rather quickly.Just as Chen Qiu was about to stand up.


    A middle-aged woman dressed in a cheongsam, exuding an intellectual beauty, followed by two servants, slowly stepped in. After they gave a slight bow, she said with a soft voice, "This servant is the person in charge of the Wentian Pavilion''s auction house, mainly responsible for the auctions in Wentian Market. I have seen Mr. Chen."


    "Mr. Chen is a distinguished guest of Wentian Market and has a dedicated passage to leave the auction house. Please follow me afterwards."


    "Are you satisfied with these two maids, Mr. Chen? Would you like to keep them?"


    Perhaps noticing the confusion in Chen Qiu''s eyes, the mature woman smiled slyly as she explained, "It is a rule of our Wentian Pavilion auction house in Wentian Market that only the maids who receive affirmation from the guests on their first appearance are allowed to stay. Today is the first time for both these maids to appear."


    "If you are satisfied, then they can stay at Wentian Pavilion to serve as maids for serving tea and water on regular days. If you are not satisfied, they will be expelled from Wentian Pavilion." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The mature woman''s voice fell.


    The two maids serving in the private room immediately knelt on the ground with a thud. Although they didn''t speak, their eyes were filled with pleading and panic.


    Apparently, for an ordinary woman, the monthly salary from Wentian Pavilion was not considered small, and staying as a maid in Wentian Pavilion was a rather decent occupation, certainly better than his initial job of chopping wood.


    And the work was also easier.


    "Let them stay. They are quite good."


    Chen Qiu glanced at the maids kneeling before him, his brows slightly furrowed. After a long pause, he still spoke softly. It was indeed difficult for ordinary people to survive in this world. Perhaps because he had experienced the hardship of chopping wood himself, he could empathize strongly with the impoverished.


    But he also felt a bit of disdain for their lack of ambition.


    Why settle for chopping wood? He had only chopped wood for 29 days before realizing that chopping wood had no future and that one could only prosper by "chopping people." Why could some people spend a lifetime chopping wood?


    He also knew that if he hadn''t met Fat Long and set foot on the path of cultivation, he might have died from retaliation by a group of local bullies long ago.


    There is a myriad of cause and effect in the world; who can make it all clear?


    And as Chen Qiu''s words ended, a flicker of immense excitement passed through the eyes of one of the kneeling girls. Her face was full of gratitude as she kowtowed, and if it were not inappropriate, she might have jumped up right there and then.


    For the girls here.


    Being able to stay in Wentian Pavilion as a long-term maid rather than being expelled meant that they would receive a substantial monthly salary for many years. Although one day they would age and no longer be able to work for long, the spirit stones they had saved would be enough for a very decent life in their later years.


    "Let''s go."


    Under the guidance of the mature woman, Chen Qiu and his companion left the auction house without encountering a single person along the way, thanks to the special passage.


    ...


    By the time they left the auction house.


    The sky had darkened.


    The number of people on the roads had gradually dwindled, and many from Wentian Market had already settled in the auxiliary city nearby, as staying overnight in Wentian Market was extremely expensive. However, the cost was nothing for Chen Qiu and his companion.


    One room for one night cost just one spirit stone.


    Two rooms cost just two spirit stones.


    By that time, the restaurants were no longer open, so after returning to the inn and parting ways with Fat Long.


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed and began his cultivation practice for the night, starting with the replacement of his mental method.


    He was going to switch his mental method to the premium Foundation Establishment Stage mental method "Seven Lanterns Inquiry."


    It didn''t require too much effort, just needed to circulate Spiritual Energy to cleanse his Heavenly Dao Foundation, run it several times to wash away the name of the original mental method inscribed on the Heavenly Dao Foundation, and then relearn "Seven Lanterns Inquiry."


    An hour later.


    Chen Qiu exhaled a turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes, his mental method had successfully been changed to "Seven Lanterns Inquiry."


    Last time, when only thirty percent of the Spiritual Energy remained within his Tao Foundation, it took an hour and three Spirit Stones to fill it.


    This was already because of using Spirit Stones, if he were to absorb the wandering Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, it would take at least twenty-four hours.


    After acquiring the "Seven Lanterns Inquiry," a superior mental method for the Foundation Establishment Stage, he could clearly feel the faster rotation of his Heavenly Dao Foundation and the quicker absorption of Spiritual Energy, similar to the last time when only thirty percent of energy was left in his Tao Foundation.


    He estimated it would only take the time it took to drink a cup of tea to fill the Tao Foundation, which was much faster than an hour.


    For him, a good mental method was indispensable.


    The pool might be large, but if the inlet is too small, no matter how big the pool is, it''s useless; nobody can stand taking ten days to half a month to fill it just once.


    Then Chen Qiu closed his eyes again and began to practice the "Thunder Summoning Technique," a spell.


    ...


    It is only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage that one truly steps onto the path of cultivation.


    At this level of cultivation, there are many ways to improve, unlike in the Qi Refinement Realm where one just needed to increase their cultivation rank; the first thing a cultivator from a formal sect would do after Foundation Establishment is to practice Sword Flight.


    Through Sword Flight, one can fluently familiarize with the process of establishing communication between Spiritual Energy and Spiritual Treasures, gaining not only a new mode of travel but also maximizing the power of other Spiritual Treasures.


    Besides that, there are also simple protective measures like the external release of Spiritual Energy to form Protective Spirit Qi.


    However, Chen Qiu, being an unorthodox Loose Cultivator, had no one to teach him these things; naturally, he had to rely on his own intuition.


    Several hours blinked by.


    When Chen Qiu opened his eyes again, it was already daylight, and he had finally mastered the "Thunder Summoning Technique," a spell for the Foundation Establishment Stage, and entered the Great Achievement Realm; he also had an obscure awareness of the might of this spell.


    Whether it''s a spell or a mental method, there are five realms of cultivation mastery: introductory, minor achievement, great achievement, entry to the hall, and great perfection.


    Introductory level only allows one to release a portion of the power, at this realm, the Thunder Summoning Technique would create a thunder as thin as a thumb out of thin air to strike the enemy, effective only within nine feet, beyond which the power rapidly diminishes and dissipates quickly.


    Minor achievement indicates some progress, with power unchanged, but now the attack can reach up to thirty feet.


    By the time it reaches great achievement, one can almost perfectly unleash the power of the spell, with thunder as thick as a wrist, capable of striking enemies within ninety feet.


    The spells at the entry to the hall and great perfection realms unleash thunder as thick as a hundred-year-old tree, with the capability to attack enemies within three hundred feet, truly a sign of culmination of the Cultivation Technique!


    Just that...


    To bring a spell to the pinnacle of its realm requires constant usage to comprehend its essence, and the Spiritual Energy within the Foundation is not inexhaustible; it needs time to replenish.


    This is why progress at the Foundation Establishment Stage of cultivation is so slow.


    Besides cycling the mental method, one also needs to enhance their combat strength through practicing spells, swordsmanship, and so on; otherwise, no matter how high your cultivation level is, if you lack a means of defense, you''ll shatter at a single touch, rendering mere cultivation fighting useless.

 Chapter 38 Heavenly Treasure, Earthly Storehouse.

    ..."Huff!"


    Chen Qiu exhaled a deep breath of murky air and did not feel tired at all despite not having slept the entire night. After reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage in his cultivation, although he could not practice fasting, his spirit had vastly improved, making him feel many years younger.


    Stepping out of the guest room, Fat Long was waiting outside early, just as he had the day before. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Together, the two walked out to the bustling Ask Heaven Market, where they saw the two scholars in their usual spot. The scholar was seated cross-legged, cracking sunflower seeds and looking at a comic book in his lap as before, while the bearded, muscular man was no longer meeting guests at the foot of the mountain but stood beside the scholar, silent as a rock.


    "Let''s head to the wilderness we saw the day before yesterday and test my skills."


    "Alright."


    ...


    After a brief exchange, Chen Qiu and his three companions once again arrived at the wilderness they had visited two days prior.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, feeling somewhat nervous, then closed his eyes tightly. Moments later, he opened them fiercely.


    Instantly¡ª


    Three thunderbolts, as thick as wrists, appeared out of thin air next to him, and then shot like auroras toward the dry ground in the distance, blasting up countless clouds of dust. When the dust settled, only three basin-sized shallow pits remained.


    Seeing this scene,


    Chen Qiu couldn''t help but slightly raise the corners of his mouth, looking down at his right hand, "Is this what using spells feels like?" This was his first time using a spell, and it felt great. If he used this method to chop wood, he could surely cut down many trees at once.


    That''s not right.


    He shook his head, dismissing the strange thought that had suddenly sprung up, and then he performed introspection to look at his Foundation Establishment. The spiritual energy that had been difficult to fully store last night within his Foundation Establishment had now decreased to about thirty percent after releasing those three Thunder Summoning Techniques.


    Although powerful, the spell consumed too much spiritual energy.


    However, it proved one thing: as long as the spiritual energy was sufficient, he could indeed cast the "Thunder Summoning Technique" multiple times in succession.


    "Mr. Chen,"


    The scholar, sitting cross-legged nearby, hesitated for a long time before speaking uncertainly, "you shouldn''t confront enemies like this. The spell Mr. Chen used should be the mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage spell ''Thunder Summoning Technique,'' which seems to have reached the Great Achievement Realm."


    "Although its power is strong, it consumes too much spiritual energy. Normally, a cultivator at the first level of Foundation Establishment could only use it four or five times before depleting the spiritual energy within their Tao Foundation, putting them in extremely perilous conditions."


    "So typically, early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in combat let their spiritual energy surge into their spiritual weapons, which allows them to save spiritual energy while maximizing their power; they then wait for their enemy to deplete their spiritual energy or show a flaw before releasing a spell for a fatal attack!"


    "If you launch a series of spells at the start and if the opponent either dodges or blocks it with a Protective Talisman, then in a low-energy condition, Mr. Chen, your further combat process will always be disadvantaged."


    "Understood."


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, indicating he understood. He was just testing out the effects; in a real crisis, he certainly wouldn''t act this way, especially since he had 100 talismans stored in his Storage Ring, each equivalent to a full-strength Foundation Establishment Stage attack.


    Given the narrow width of his Tao Foundation, talismans were much more useful than his spells.


    Just then¡ª


    The ground trembled slightly.


    A crimson stone pillar grew from under the earth where the group was looking, stopping its ascent four feet above the ground, while two lines of crimson characters formed from spiritual energy hovered above it.


    "Heavenly Treasure Earth Store."


    "Fate comes on its own."


    "This is..."


    Fat Long looked somewhat bewildered toward the red stone pillar that pierced the ground and exposed itself in midair. He instinctively took a step back, as his experience over the past few months told him that such inexplicable phenomena often came with crises.


    "It''s Heavenly Treasure Trove!"


    While the scholar sat cross-legged on the spot, he couldn''t help but exclaim in shock, "Mr. Chen, you truly are a person of great Qi Fortune. The Heavenly Treasure Trove is a type of random opportunity in the Cultivation World."


    "It appears without any warning and only lasts for the duration of one tea time."


    "For many years, I''ve often heard of lucky ones who have encountered it, but I''ve never come across it myself. Today is also the first time, and there are many treasures on that red stone pillar, many of which are extremely rare and can only be found in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm."


    "Each treasure is priced, but they all have different discounts. As long as you have enough Spirit Stones, you can exchange them for these treasures."


    Though he had once been a Golden Core cultivator, he had never encountered an opportunity like the ''Heavenly Treasure Trove.'' There were too many opportunities in the Cultivation World, who could guarantee meeting every opportunity?


    Opportunities like the ''Heavenly Treasure Trove,'' if one didn''t have great Qi Fortune, how could they encounter it? But even if one did encounter it, if you happened to not have any Spirit Stones in your pocket, you could only watch the opportunity slip by, showing that you aren''t too fated either.


    However, since Mr. Chen could give him 3100 Spirit Stones, he certainly wasn''t short of Spirit Stones in his pocket.


    ...


    "Let''s go."


    Hearing that the ''Heavenly Treasure Trove'' lasted only a tea''s time, Chen Qiu dared not delay any longer and immediately walked over quickly. When he got close, he saw that the surface of the red stone pillar was exactly seven feet wide and seven feet long.


    The surface was a perfect square.


    On the surface of the seven-foot by seven-foot square, it was precisely divided into six grids, each containing an item with a small inscription detailing the item''s name and effects next to it.


    Above each item was a semi-transparent thin film. Just a probe with Divine Sense revealed the power of the Heavenly Dao on this thin film. To force it would definitely not be advisable.


    Each item''s thin film listed the item''s name and price.


    For example, the first grid held ten stacks of talismans.


    "Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman*10."


    "Allows you to absorb Spiritual Energy ten times faster and lasts for one hour."


    "10 Spirit Stones"


    "A 10% discount."


    The scholar, worried Mr. Chen was not clear about the market price, had his brother carry him on his shoulders, and then looking over at the six grids on the red stone pillar, he explained, "Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman, a commonly used talisman that can be used in conjunction with Spirit Replenishing Pill."


    "During combat, this talisman can help you quickly replenish the Spiritual Energy in your Tao Foundation, allowing you more Spiritual Energy to use against enemies."


    "The market price for one Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman is 10 Spirit Stones, but here 10 pieces only cost 10 Spirit Stones, which is a great deal, whether for personal use or to resell in the market."


    "While this first grid can make a bit of money, it can''t make too much. Mr. Chen, take a look at the second grid''s ''Spirit Beast Ring,'' which has a certain chance of making a severely injured demon beast with a cultivation lesser than the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage recognize you as its master, treating it as a significant combat force."


    "Although it doesn''t have the spirit like those beasts raised from infancy, nor does it have the kind of tacit understanding between a master and a main pet, it''s still good, most importantly because it only costs 50 Spirit Stones."


    "The market price is 200 Spirit Stones."

 Chapter 39 Wielding the Power of Heaven and Earth, Slaying Demons and Evil Spirits!

    Chen Qiu looked around bewilderedly before finally resting his gaze on the red stone pillar. He found it somewhat absurd. Before he transmigrated, he had read immortal novels, and he knew that a recurring theme in these stories was opportunity.This was quite normal.


    But at least those immortal novels had some basic logic to the opportunities, right?


    Like discovering an ancient divine artifact covered in dust at a street stall, or falling into a cliff only to find a powerful person''s secret realm and treasures at the bottom. At the very least, there should have been some twists and hardships before encountering an opportunity, right?


    Yet, in this world he had transmigrated to, the so-called opportunity just burst forth from the ground?


    Whoever was nearby was the destined one?


    It seemed a bit too childish.


    He threw these jumbled thoughts to the back of his mind. Perhaps a real opportunity should just emerge abruptly from the ground, and whoever approached it first would gain it.


    The items on this red stone pillar were all discounted good stuff. Buying them randomly would definitely not result in a loss.


    He placed the corresponding spirit stones on the translucent membrane of the "Spirit Beast Ring" and "Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman". The spirit stones quickly melted into the membrane and disappeared while the membranes above the two items also disappeared correspondingly, allowing them to be freely taken out.


    "Mr. Chen, the first two compartments are ones that talisman masters and artifact refiners can create. The ''Heavenly Treasure Repository'' contains many treasures that can only be produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm," said the scholar.


    "And the item in this third compartment is..."


    Before the scholar could finish, a voice eerily echoed in everyone''s ears, "The item in this third compartment is the ''Enlightenment Stone''. With this treasure, any spell below the peak of the Foundation Establishment can instantly comprehend to the Great Perfection realm."


    "To call it the strongest treasure of the Foundation Establishment Stage is not an exaggeration."


    "Ordinary people would need at least a year of rigorous training daily to advance a Foundation Establishment Stage spell to the Great Perfection Realm, but with the Enlightenment Stone, it only takes a moment."


    "Its value is extremely high."


    ...


    Fat Long and his companions'' expressions changed slightly. Following their line of sight, they saw a middle-aged man in a red robe with long hair, carried on his back, riding a long crimson sword, shooting towards them.


    His voice reached them before he did.


    By the time the voice fell, the middle-aged man was only a few meters away, floating slightly above them.


    "Heavenly Treasure Repository, destiny approaches. "


    With greed and excitement flickering in his eyes as he looked down at Chen Qiu and the others, the corner of his mouth curled up, "It seems I am more fated than you. You all are also at the Foundation Establishment level. Why don''t you join my ''Ten Thousand Souls Banner'' as a team spirit?"


    "That would be a double joy!"


    "Today is indeed a good day. That fortune-teller in the market square of Ask Heaven included even calculated it right!"


    "This person is a demon cultivator, his cultivation is at least at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and he is incredibly ruthless in his actions," the scholar spoke in a slightly distressed tone, then subtly moved his right hand behind his back, preparing to find an opportunity to control his flying sword to escape with Chen Qiu and the others. They definitely couldn''t defeat someone of his cultivation level.


    The strongest among them was him, but he was currently riddled with lethal poison and had no ability to fight. Mr. Chen was their most capable fighter, but his cultivation was only at the first layer of Foundation Establishment Stage, definitely incapable of overcoming the opponent.


    The only option was to run.


    Fortunately, as long as he wanted to run, a demon cultivator at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment couldn''t keep him there.


    "Heehee, quite an accurate judgment~"


    ...


    "Demon cultivator?"


    Chen Qiu glanced at the unsealed treasures on the red stone pillar, then placed his hand on the scholar''s right hand that was prepared to draw the sword and escape, whispering softly, "Are demon cultivators very strong?" Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Very strong, invincible among peers!"


    "Can you fight across levels?"


    "Almost every demon cultivator can. Demon cultivators don''t seek immortality; they only seek to slay other cultivators who do, before they themselves die!"


    "Can one at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage fight against someone in the Golden Core Stage?"


    "...That definitely can''t happen."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, he hadn''t planned to flee. He quite liked the treasures here, and comparatively, self-destructing an entry seemed more cost-effective. He didn''t hesitate further and took the initiative to strike first.


    The white entry "Flawless Body," self-destruct!


    The next second¡ª


    Chen Qiu suddenly felt the Tao Foundation above his Dantian begin to spin rapidly, followed by the sky above the wilderness darkening suddenly. The spiritual energy in the surrounding air began to flow swiftly. Using his divine sense, he could even see a massive tornado formed by the spiritual energy gathering in the sky above his head!


    Immediately after, he sensed the entry "Flawless Body" engraved on his Tao Foundation. The white letters started to fall off gradually and traveled through his meridians to his hands, feeling the extremely violent power within them.


    He just subconsciously pushed forward with both hands.


    Then!


    "Boom!"


    A bolt of thunder as wide as a dragon suddenly surged from the dark clouds above, striking directly down from the clouds to the ground, reaching the head of the demon cultivator in mid-air who was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage in the blink of an eye!


    Not even a scream was heard.


    Following the thunder, the clouds dispersed in a flash.


    All that remained was the thunder-stricken, completely charred magic treasure that lost all its spiritual essence on the ground, and two shattered storage rings. The shattered storage rings meant that the contents naturally scattered into a different dimension.


    ...


    Chen Qiu thoughtfully looked down at his right hand. He had been curious about how powerful a full-strength strike enabled by the self-destruction of an entry could be.


    Now he knew.


    An "entry" seemed more like a tangible force of the laws of this world. Even a white entry contained powerful law forces, and the energy released in an instant by these law forces after self-destruction was enough to briefly propel him to the next Great Realm, then randomly select one of the spells he cultivated and temporarily elevate it to the Great Perfection Realm.


    This was the full force of a strike at the Golden Core Stage.


    The lightning bolt that could be seen clearly from tens of miles away, crossing the entire sky that had just occurred, was the power brought by unleashing the Thunder Summoning Technique at the Great Perfection Realm by a cultivator in the first level of the Golden Core Stage.


    This... is what it means to be a magic practitioner!


    Control the forces of heaven and earth, slay demons and devils!


    After this trial, he became even more certain of the path he wanted to follow in the future.


    "Brother Qiu...this...this..."


    Fat Long pointed somewhat bewilderedly at the pitch-black flying sword that had crashed to the ground, stuttering. He had just been ready to run away at any moment by grabbing his scholar brother''s sleeve, not wanting to be left behind, and suddenly Brother Qiu obliterated the enemy?


    Wasn''t that a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage? Wasn''t Brother Qiu still a mortal a few days ago, and now he could obliterate a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage in an instant?


    Being transmigrators, honestly speaking, Brother Qiu, do you have an extra golden finger?


    "..."


    Even the scholar''s mouth twitched slightly, he now believed even more that Mr. Chen was the Young Master of some hidden family outside Da Xia Country. The might of that attack just now might not be perceivable by Fat Long, but he could sense it clearly.


    This was the genuine might of the Golden Core!

 Chapter 40 Just Two Moves to Start.

    ```A Foundation Establishment Cultivator could only unleash the power of a Golden Core through one method, which was to use a Golden Core Stage talisman. However, such talismans, even in the Capital, were extremely rare and incredibly difficult to produce.


    Only the young masters of major clans, who could afford to use Golden Core Stage talismans without batting an eye, could possibly do such a thing.


    Money is indeed good when you have it. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scholar thought to himself silently. Although he had been famous and strong in his early years, he had never used a Golden Core talisman. Generally, a Golden Core talisman would not be as strong as his peak full-strength blow, but this feeling of smashing others with Spirit Stones... was indeed very satisfying.


    ...


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu had already thought of an excuse, but, finding that neither the scholar nor Fat Long asked any questions, he was relieved and moved to the front of the "Heavenly Dao Treasure" and began taking away the items on it.


    This so-called Demon Cultivation had mentioned the "Enlightenment Stone", which was priced at 1000 Spirit Stones here.


    Though unaware of the market price, he was certain there was a discount. Treasures like this, which could only be produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, surely cost a fortune.


    1000 Spirit Stones to save a year of time was a good deal for him.


    He then took the remaining three treasures into his possession as well.


    -


    "Random Teleportation Talisman*1."


    "Random teleportation within a hundred-mile radius."


    "10 Spirit Stones"


    -


    "Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spirit Replenishing Pill*100."


    "Can quickly replenish the body''s Spiritual Energy."


    "100 Spirit Stones"


    -


    "Demon Burning Incense*10."


    "Made from demon oil, once lit, all demon beasts within a ten-mile radius will furiously rush towards the incense and indiscriminately attack all nearby."


    "100 Spirit Stones"


    -


    The remaining three items were not expensive and were not exclusive to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Among the six slots, only the "Enlightenment Stone" was exclusive to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, that is, according to what he knew from his previous life.


    This unboxing only yielded one red item, the rest were white.


    Fortunately, the items were nearly a steal, and it wasn''t a loss, especially since many of the items were exactly what he urgently needed.


    He spent a total of 1270 Spirit Stones, leaving him with 16586.


    Before leaving, Chen Qiu still attempted to search the bodies. The Flying Sword was completely destroyed upon touch, and the Storage Ring was also perfectly shattered, leaving him with no inheritance...which was quite satisfying.


    The death was clean.


    ...


    "Why does it feel like there are so many more Foundation Establishment cultivators recently? A demon cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Stage can pop up anytime."


    Fat Long muttered in front of a cave.


    "That''s normal."


    The scholar said softly, "Recently it''s the annual auction of the Ask-Tian Firm, and also the day when the Fufeng City Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is about to open. Naturally, a large number of cultivators will flock here, resulting in a mix of good and bad. Fufeng City itself is just a mortal city, and it''s not common to see a Foundation Establishment Cultivator here."


    "There are quite a few Foundation Establishment families in Fufeng City. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator can form a small family by gathering their relatives, and some close relatives can even take on the title of elder."


    "They can appear quite impressive in front of mortals on ordinary days."


    "But mortals don''t have much money, and these Foundation Establishment families that mainly earn from mortals are basically small fry. The Huang Family is considered not bad in Fufeng City since they have two individuals at the Foundation Establishment, but even they aren''t impressive enough when out in the wider world."


    "None of these families in Fufeng City really count as true clans, but the real clans are extremely terrifying."


    He did not continue further.


    ```


    After all, at that time, he was chased by a family to the point of "no way out under heaven." If I give you face, you''re Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator, a rising star.


    If I don''t give you face, you''re just a Loose Cultivator without a family to back you up.


    It''s just a pity... his sword wasn''t fast enough.


    ...


    For the entire next day, the scholar led Chen Qiu and the others around the vicinity of Fufeng City, inch by inch, searching for places with low-level demon beasts. He alone had gone through 89 Qi Replenishing Pills.


    The Pills were almost completely used up.


    "I can''t do this anymore... I can''t take any more..."


    The scholar, seated cross-legged and gasping for breath, shook his hand and said with a trembling voice to Chen Qiu, who was handing him a pill, "My body''s tolerance for this pill is nearly at its limit, and the Spiritual Energy isn''t recovering anymore. This pill is having very limited effects on me now; I really don''t have enough Spiritual Energy. Should we continue this tomorrow?"


    "Tomorrow?"


    Chen Qiu frowned and pondered without speaking. Tomorrow would be the opening day of the Secret Realm; they would not have enough time.


    The scholar''s main job was to scout for Spirit Beasts and then lead them to the spot, ignite the "Demon Burning Incense" to attract all the demon beasts within several miles, and then he would kill these demon beasts to sacrifice to his Tao Foundation.


    He had been busy with these tasks from sunrise until now, which was nearing sunset.


    It''s just that the scholar''s Tao Foundation capacity was too small; his Spiritual Energy would run out not long after controlling the Flying Sword, so he had to keep taking Qi Replenishing Pills. Of the 100 Qi Replenishing Pills he had just bought in the "Heavenly Dao Treasure," only 11 were left, and now even the Qi Replenishing Pills had lost their effect.


    "No problem, there''s still a way."


    Chen Qiu shook his head, pulled out a "Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman" from his chest, affixed it to the scholar''s body, and took out two Spirit Stones, stuffing them into the scholar''s chest: "There, this should make the absorption of Spiritual Energy quicker, right?"


    "It''s quicker..."


    The scholar looked at the talisman on his body with a bit of resignation. He actually wanted to say that he hadn''t been this tired in a long time. Controlling the Flying Sword with Divine Sense was not an easy task.


    Before he found a patron, he thought he was about to die.


    After finding a patron, he felt he might as well have died.


    Why is it so exhausting...


    ...


    Finally¡ª


    After sunset, Chen Qiu and his group returned to Ask the Sky Market, while the scholar and his companion went to their usual haunt. Chen Qiu took Fat Long and headed towards Ask the Sky Market.


    He too was exhausted, and the day''s events had been especially taxing on him.


    Today, they had slaughtered exactly nine thousand eight hundred and ninety demon beasts, almost wiping out all the stray demon beast groups of the Qi Refinement Realm around Fufeng City.


    The good news: Fufeng City would have a particularly safe period ahead, and those villagers no longer had to worry about demon beasts invading their spirit fields.


    The bad news: the Qi Refinement Realm Cultivators of Fufeng City won''t encounter Qi Refinement Realm demon beasts in their outdoor adventures for a long time, which would slow down their Cultivation progress considerably...


    As for the width of his Tao Foundation, it had reached an entire ten thousand millimeters!


    Originally it was one hundred and ten millimeters wide, and being somewhat obsessive-compulsive, he had made it a neat round number.


    Normally, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator''s Tao Foundation is a perfect cube, one hundred millimeters wide and one hundred millimeters tall, looking quite harmonious. His Tao Foundation, on the other hand, had become an extremely flat rectangle, ten thousand millimeters wide and one hundred millimeters tall.


    It was a bit odd.


    But it could accommodate quite a bit more Spiritual Energy. An ordinary cultivator at the first level of Foundation Establishment could only cast a spell like the "Thunder Summoning Technique" four or five times before their internal Spiritual Energy would be depleted. If his Tao Foundation were to be filled to capacity, he could cast it four or five hundred times!


    Don''t give him any of that nonsense about Sword Cultivators being unparalleled with a single sword stroke or Body Cultivators shaking the heavens with their fists.


    The first thing he would do upon meeting someone would be to smash down four or five hundred Thunder Summoning Techniques. He wanted to see which Body Cultivator could withstand such a stormy barrage. There''s also a difference between Magic Practitioners, okay?


    And when the time came to learn a body-protecting spell.


    He would start with two moves.


    The first move, thousands of defensive spells would rise up out of nowhere.


    The second move, thousands of Attack Magic spells would smash right into your face.


    After all, his Tao Foundation was wide enough, and he had enough Spiritual Energy to squash you with it.

 Chapter 41

    Chen Qiu was immersed in his own fantasies about the future while also feeling a bit of a headache.His Tao Foundation was now a full ten thousand miles wide... but it was almost entirely empty, devoid of any Spiritual Energy. There was no way he could fill it up completely.


    To rapidly replenish the Spiritual Energy in his Tao Foundation through absorbing it from Spirit Stones, he would need at least 300 Spirit Stones.


    This is just... sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    300 Spirit Stones would be enough for a little fellow at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm to shoot straight to Foundation Establishment, yet here they were, only enough to fill up his Tao Foundation with Spiritual Energy?


    For some reason, he had a vague premonition that his unique way of fighting as a Magic Practitioner might indeed be quite powerful, but it could very likely consume a massive amount of Spirit Stones.


    Just then¡ª


    "Fellow Daoist, wait a moment!"


    Chen Qiu was walking along the main road of Wentian Market with Fat Long when he suddenly heard a voice near his ear, turning his head to look at the source of the sound.


    The street was now nearly devoid of pedestrians, and a lonely old man with a full head of silvery hair sat on the side of the road, holding a battered black banner and speaking in a hoarse voice that seemed to laugh non-laugh.


    "Fellow Daoist, a few days have passed, and the number of Wandering Ghosts around you has become too many to count."


    "Won''t you let me do a reading for you?"


    "It''ll only cost you one Spirit Stone."


    "Otherwise, within three days, a grave danger will surely befall you."


    On the black banner, there were two rows of somewhat crooked and twisted characters embroidered with white thread.


    ''Dare not divine it all, for fear of heaven, earth, and spirits.''


    ''Words can''t be spoken plainly, lest the world falls into chaos.''


    "Can you speak?"


    Fat Long reached the old man''s side with an expressionless face, squatted down, and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Those in your line of work can''t get any business without cursing people, right?"


    "Not so, not so."


    The old man shook his head, stroked his beard, and laughed mysteriously, "Divination is a tradition of ten thousand years, it isn''t about deception."


    "Alright."


    Chen Qiu also squatted down in front of the old man, chuckling as he tossed out a Spirit Stone, "Then give me a reading and let''s see what you can come up with."


    This was already his second encounter with the old man.


    Seeing this, a glint flashed in the old man''s eyes, and he hastily stuffed the Spirit Stone into his chest as if fearing it would be snatched away in the next second, then he closed his eyes and began to murmur mysteriously while making calculations with his fingers.


    At that moment¡ª


    "Hey! You immortal conman, are you scamming people again?"


    A voice suddenly erupted on the street, and dozens of Wentian Market guards were seen hurrying over, while the old man picked up his black banner and ran toward an alley without looking back.


    He hadn''t run far when it seemed he remembered something, abruptly ran back to Chen Qiu''s side, said a few urgent words, and then hurried off once again, vanishing into the distance of the alley.


    ...


    "Mr. Chen, you weren''t swindled, were you?"


    "This old guy has been in Wentian Market for over a decade, and he doesn''t really know how to predict anything; he just makes things up."


    "It''s you."


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the old man''s departing back and looked at the head of the guards with a smile, "Thanks for the warning. Are you off duty?"


    He remembered this guard, the one who had collected the body after he killed the Huang Family''s Seventh Elder at the city gate of the market.


    "Not yet, we''re on patrol tonight."


    The head guard spoke helplessly, "Whatever that old guy says, you shouldn''t believe it. I remember there was a man he fooled into believing that if you knelt and kowtowed towards the east every morning, the next random entry for your child who breaks through a layer in the Qi Refinement Realm would definitely be a good one."


    "You''re telling me that isn''t just fooling people? Mainly because when I tried to explain it to that man, he wouldn''t believe me, saying that the old guy didn''t even take a penny from him, so why would he lie to him?"


    "Why the east?"


    "Because where he sits every day is just to the east of that family''s house."


    "Just don''t believe anything he says, anyway. Today there was even a Cultivator in a red robe with long hair who came to have his fortune told by the old guy, and he seemed excited as he departed, flew off towards the west right after leaving the city, looking like he got fooled quite badly too," said the head guard.


    "Wait a minute..."


    Fat Long''s expression suddenly became odd, "You mean a Cultivator in a red robe with long hair?"


    "That''s the one, do you know him?"


    "I guess you could say we''ve met before..."


    Fat Long fell silent suddenly, remembering that Demon Cultivator who had mentioned before that a fortune-teller in Wentian Market told him he would encounter double happiness that day. It seemed this fortune-teller might indeed be inaccurate.


    They didn''t continue the conversation.


    The two parties went their separate ways, and Chen Qiu stood in place with his eyes narrowed slightly, pondering something.


    Before escaping into the alley, the old man had returned to whisper a few words to him, which left Chen Qiu momentarily uncertain about their significance.


    "Kid, it''s true that I was spouting nonsense with the fortune-telling, but with your case, I actually do know something."


    "You definitely have a green entry ''Resentful Spirit Summoning.'' Don''t look at me like that, the resentful energy on you is almost ten fathoms higher than Wentian Fang Market. I could see the resentful energy over your head before you even entered the city¡ªit''s too eye-catching."


    "I''ve seen someone with this entry before, and it is indeed a very powerful one. It can turn the creatures you''ve killed into resentful spirits that attach to you and fight on your behalf for an hour."


    "But think about it, resentful spirits are born from deep resentful energy. Ordinary people would catch a cold or get sick just by touching them, not to mention dying of serious illnesses if they stay for too long. You''re directly carrying six or seven thousand of them, are you trying to become the Resentful Spirit King or what!"


    "You must deal with all these resentful spirits within three days, or the consequences will be unimaginable. I''ve seen someone with this entry before; within just half a year, the person went completely mad, neither human nor ghost. Another half a year later, they were found having bizarrely hung themselves in a desolate temple outside the city, where the body was already rotten and crawling with maggots."


    "The resentful spirits on you are far more numerous than his. When using this entry, make sure not to store too many resentful spirits on yourself and... remember at all costs, the stronger the resentful spirit compared to your strength, the faster the corruption will be."


    "If you can find a way to remove this entry, do so as soon as possible. Otherwise, no matter how careful you are in using it, the resentful spirits will still corrode you. It''s only a matter of how fast. I''ve never seen anyone with this entry die a peaceful death."


    "Look after yourself. For this Spirit Stone, I truly didn''t earn it in vain."


    ...


    "Brother Qiu, what are you thinking about?"


    "Nothing."


    Chen Qiu shook his head and after pondering with a frown for a while, he then turned to Fat Long and asked, "Have you felt the weather getting colder?"


    "Yeah, it''s almost winter, of course it''s getting colder."


    "What I mean is, have you felt a chill?"


    "What kind of chill?"


    Fat Long, somewhat confused, touched the back of Chen Qiu''s hand, then suddenly jumped up with a shudder: "Brother Qiu, why is your body so cold? It''s like you''re a dead corpse."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu didn''t say anything else but shook his head and headed straight for the guest room. Although he had been feeling cold these past few days, he hadn''t taken it seriously, assuming it was just the dropping temperatures. Being prompted by the fortune-teller, he indeed felt something subtly amiss.


    He was carrying more than six thousand demon beast resentful spirits, including the one from a demon cultivator with a seventh-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivation. These were all supposed to be his trump cards, prepared for slow use in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that was soon to open in Fufeng City.


    Carrying so many resentful spirits on oneself was indeed a bit excessive.


    So be it.


    Once he entered the Secret Realm tomorrow, he planned to release all these resentful spirits, lest they actually corrode him. Releasing so many resentful spirits all at once, he just hoped it wouldn''t frighten the other cultivators also entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Tsk.


    ...


    That night, using the Enlightenment Stone, Chen Qiu raised his cultivation of the Thunder Summoning Technique to the highest level, which is Great Perfection. A mysterious understanding suddenly emerged in his mind.


    The three characters of the Thunder Summoning Technique, inscribed on his Tao Foundation, seemed to grow even deeper.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique he could now unleash was as thick as a hundred-year-old tree and capable of striking enemies within a hundred fathoms. Such a move was already difficult to defend against for an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator at level one.


    And he could unleash it four or five hundred times.


    This was the power of the pink entry ''Dantian Expansion (Unique).''


    But before going to sleep,


    Chen Qiu sighed softly, took out a pile of Spirit Stones from his bosom, and laid them on the bed to start absorbing enough Spiritual Energy to fill his Tao Foundation. Even with his superior mental method for Foundation Establishment, ''Seven Lights Questioning the World,'' this was still a very time-consuming task.


    An hour consisted of eight quarters, with the time of three cups of tea equaling one quarter.


    Last time, it took him the time of one cup of tea to fill his Tao Foundation. This time, it took... less than half an hour to fill his Tao Foundation.


    This was because he used a ''Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman.'' Otherwise, it would have taken at least four hours.


    Forget about not sleeping tonight, he wouldn''t even make it to the Secret Realm.


    That was just ten thousandths, what to do if it were a hundred thousandths in the future...


    Lost in his thoughts, Chen Qiu drifted into a fitful sleep. A great battle awaited him tomorrow, and he needed an early rest to prepare for the next day.


    ...


    The next day, at dawn.


    Chen Qiu set out early with his companion from Wentian Fang Market, bringing along the two scholars, and returned to Fufeng City.


    Last time he left Fufeng City in a rush; this time, he was unsure of the whereabouts of those who had pursued them. If fate allowed them to meet again, it would be a good opportunity to let the other party realize what it meant to see someone in a new light after just three days.


    Today''s Fufeng City was bustling due to the soon-to-open Secret Realm.


    The streets were filled with vendors shouting out their wares. Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who were seldom seen on ordinary days, were almost everywhere today. The arrogant young masters of Foundation Establishment families, who were usually quite conspicuous, were nowhere to be seen today; no one knew which corner they were cowering in.


    Just upon entering the city,


    A disheveled boy, eyes lighting up at the sight of Chen Qiu and his party''s luxurious robes, jogged over with a look of anticipation and said somewhat nervously, "Greetings to the four Immortals. An hour from now at the city square, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with the entries ''Bull Strength'' and ''self-extinguishing root'' is planning to publicly chop up eight bulls to see what random entries he may get."


    "Would you Immortals be interested in watching?"


    "For just one Spirit Stone, you can watch from a close distance, and all the random entries obtained will be publicly shown to everyone."


    "Many from the great families and sect disciples have gone. There are so many people there, it''s quite lively."


    "Oh...?"


    Fat Long''s expression slowly turned peculiar. A public execution?


    Could this be the guy from the auction who spent 1500 Spirit Stones on the green entry ''self-extinguishing root''?

 Chapter 42 Entry Name Stepping on the Path of Immortality.

    ```"What do you say, Brother Qiu?"


    ```


    Fat Long stroked the smooth head of the lad and turned his head toward Chen Qiu. His heart actually harbored the idea of going to see for himself. He was indeed a bit curious to see what sort of thing this person could gamble out.


    But, after all, Chen Qiu was the one in charge, so he could not make decisions on his own.


    The Flower Offering Sect was not considered a particularly righteous sect. He had managed to survive in the Flower Offering Sect, even breaking through small realms in his cultivation multiple times within the sect, relying not just on his unique secret techniques, but more so on his ability to read the room.


    Who could refuse a lackey who never opposed you and did whatever you said?


    To be an excellent leader,


    You need to be sufficiently strong, you need to know how to win people''s hearts, you need to have a big-picture mindset, you need to interact with many powers, you need to provide enough benefits to those beneath you, and so on.


    And to be an excellent lackey,


    You just need to find an excellent leader and then follow closely behind them.


    Which one is simpler is self-evident.


    At least with Brother Qiu''s current progress, as long as he did not die prematurely, he felt he was definitely more comfortable than his past life in the Flower Offering Sect.


    ...


    "Let''s go take a look."


    Chen Qiu fiddled with the Jade Feather Fan in his hand and signaled for the lad to lead the way.


    "Alrighty."


    The lad excitedly waved his hand to signal to the coachman with the horse-drawn carriage nearby to come over and pick up the customers. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Qiu and his group had arrived at their destination, the central square of Fufeng City.


    A square platform, about three feet high.


    Not a single weed in sight, and on the platform, one could vaguely see the mottled bloodstains left by time. Normally, whatever announcements the City Lord Mansion had were made here and then distributed throughout Fufeng City.


    Occasionally, it served other purposes, like beheadings, for instance.


    Today, the place was already full of people.


    Around the platform, numerous chairs were neatly placed, with many spectators already sitting and waiting, chatting with each other, while the rooftops of nearby low buildings were also temporarily outfitted with railings and were filled with people.


    All along the way,


    Chen Qiu noticed that in many corners of Fufeng City, Mother-Child Mirrors were relaying real-time images of the square.


    Mother-Child Mirror.


    It was a kind of special Spiritual Treasure, whose sole function was to transmit the scene from one place to the other in real time; one mother mirror generally came with twelve child mirrors, and it was quite valuable. It was somewhat similar to the Sound Transmission Ring, but not exactly the same. This was fixed and not portable, plus it had a shorter range, but the image quality was clearer.


    "Wow..."


    Fat Long licked his lips and glanced around, "There sure are a lot of people."


    ...


    And at that moment, in a courtyard surrounding the square,


    Minister Liu was facing about a dozen dirty-looking children, meticulously instructing: "Have you all remembered what I just said? Remember, you must add that many descendants from great families and Major Sects are here."


    "Go now."


    "For each person you bring in, I''ll give you 100 wen!"


    As his voice fell,


    These dirty children''s eyes brimmed with excitement as they rushed out the door. For them, 100 wen was quite a fortune.


    And after these children had left,


    ```


    The middle-aged man standing next to Minister Liu said with a bitter expression, "Minister Liu, although I''ve left the entire matter in your hands, isn''t it a bit much to invest so much? Not only giving gifts but also renting those expensive garments...."


    "What if we lose out?"


    "My lord." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Minister Liu sighed softly, his expression turned solemn as he looked at the lord, "When have I ever made you take a loss?"


    "Although Fufeng City doesn''t have a rule about reporting large events to the government, just think, if we don''t report and don''t give them some benefits, and we cause such a big commotion in Fufeng City, what do you think the City Lord will think?"


    "And if Fufeng City doesn''t send troops to maintain order for us, wouldn''t there be some petty thieves who might come to cause trouble?"


    "Renting those expensive garments is also a must, my lord. Do you know what the scions of these influential families and Major Sects fear the most? They all carry a sense of superiority in their hearts and dread being seen as having poor taste the most."


    "So when we promote the event, we must say that many people of the same status as them will be present; otherwise, they might think that watching someone chop up a bull is an embarrassing affair."


    "Once they arrive at the scene and see that everyone''s attire is not cheap, they will naturally want to blend in with the crowd and won''t feel embarrassed anymore. People''s IQ often drops by half when they follow the crowd!"


    "Trust me, my lord; we definitely won''t lose out this time. With the Spirit Stones we''ve collected so far, we''ve already broken even. It''s just a matter of how much we will earn. Just wait for my good news."


    "Alright."


    The middle-aged man sighed deeply and patted Minister Liu''s shoulder helplessly, "Minister Liu, I''m not doubting your abilities, but I''m indeed a bit anxious in my heart... have I ever told you that I''m quite afraid of pain?"


    "No."


    "Oh."


    ...


    Chen Qiu and the others had been waiting in the square for over half an hour. The crowd around them was growing more and more dense, and the noise of conversations became more and more chaotic, yet he managed to gather quite a bit of information from the chatter of these people.


    Like the two people beside him.


    "Who knows which family the friend who is going to chop the bull belongs to, they''ve got a lot of nerve, randomly drawing eight white or green entries, aren''t they afraid of accidentally drawing a Demon Cultivation Term and getting themselves killed?"


    "Indeed... if they happen to draw the classic Demon Cultivation Terms¡ª''Should one embark on the path to immortality, sever parents and slaughter children first.''"


    "Those Fufeng City soldiers maintaining order would probably charge forward and surround him for the kill. This guy is betting fiercely; I definitely wouldn''t dare to gamble like that in public. Isn''t that the same as betting with your life?"


    "It''s hard to say, after all, only he can see his entries. If he doesn''t display them, isn''t that the end of it?"


    "Wouldn''t that just directly indicate he has something to hide? And so many people are here to see what entries he will bet on. He has collected the Spirit Stones but won''t let people see the entries? Is he kidding?"


    From the conversation of these two people, Chen Qiu came to know.


    Many entries are suitable for Demon Cultivation and Evil Cultivation, but these entries will not explicitly indicate to you, "this entry is suitable for Demon Cultivation." Instead, if you want to fully utilize the entry, that''s what makes your practice Demon Cultivation.


    If you choose not to use this entry, firmly deciding not to become a Demon Cultivator, then it''s fine as well.


    As long as you don''t expose your entry in public or go to places that require entry inspections, it''s basically fine. Having a knife in hand indeed means you could become a butcher, but it doesn''t mean that you will become one.


    Only when you receive the Potion for breaking through the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm and acquire the first random entry, being assigned a Demon Cultivation or Evil Cultivation entry will result in immediate execution. At other times, as long as you don''t ask for trouble, no one will bother you.


    Actually, this is akin to strict laws being enforced leniently: as long as you don''t make a spectacle of yourself, you won''t be troubled.


    Of course...


    Those who go to the City Lord to receive Potions are generally poor people, and once given such an opportunity, most would rather become Demon Cultivators in order to change their dire living conditions.


    Like¡ª


    The most classic entry for Demon Cultivation, also the most widely spread and most recognizable one.


    ''Entry Name'': Embarking on the Immortal Path.


    ''Entry Level'': White entry.


    ''Entry Effect'': For each direct blood relative within three generations that you kill, earn three Spirit Stones.

 Chapter 43

    It was exactly because this entry was the most widely circulated and recognizable that the ubiquitous Jianghu saying of Demon Cultivation came into existence."The day you step onto the path of immortality, first kill your parents, then your child!"


    Perhaps when you first acquired the entry, you had no such thoughts, but this entry would plant a seed of Demon Cultivation in your mind. As the days became tougher, a particularly fierce argument might cloud your judgment.


    A rash slash of the knife.


    The appearance of three Spirit Stones, a sight of wealth you''d never seen before, made your eyes turn red with greed, prompting you to start panting heavily. Afterward...


    Congratulations, you have become a Demon Cultivator.


    Alone in the world, the heavens and the earth seem vast.


    ...


    "Frankly speaking, this immortality-stepping entry suits you quite well..."


    Chen Qiu turned his head towards Fat Long and teased, "You have that Hundred Percent Accuracy, just find ten thousand girls, and ten months later, you''ll have ten thousand direct descendants¡ªthat''s thirty thousand Spirit Stones."


    "..."


    After a long silence, Fat Long finally spoke hoarsely, "Brother Qiu, I might indeed not have the highest moral baseline, but I''m surely not that beastly, am I?"


    "Is that even human?"


    "Even if you become a beast, you need to have some bottom lines, right?"


    Chen Qiu started laughing and shook his head without saying more, finally understanding why some entries were Demon Cultivation Terms. He believed most people upon obtaining such an entry would never consider using it.


    But...life is long.


    The seed will eventually sprout until one day you suddenly realize...it''s just some minor hardships after all, followed by a ''One thought controls all.''


    Just at that moment¡ª


    Several fireworks burst into the high sky, followed by a middle-aged man with a somewhat pale face stepping onto the stage. He was naked, holding only a thin short sword in his hand.


    Without any opening remarks, his ferocious scream quieted the audience instantly as he stood gasping for air.


    After a few moments, he still hadn''t swung his sword.


    None in the audience urged him; many had even already twisted their faces and leaned back in their chairs¡ªthe pain seemed palpable even before the sword had slashed down.


    There were many female cultivators at the scene, yet they didn''t act coy like mortal women but watched boldly, their faces filled with curiosity.


    "Nine Ox Power."


    Not a particularly popular White entry, but still many had heard of it since White entries are the most numerous, making many of them well-known due to their sheer volume.


    Yet, this might be the first time most cultivators saw someone with the Nine Ox Power entry in action.


    "Roar!!!"


    Finally¡ª


    After dozens of moments, the middle-aged man on stage roared, his sword carrying a murderous intent as he, under everyone''s gaze, grabbed one and stabbed directly downward.


    "Puchi!"


    Blood gushed out, as Spiritual Energy quickly surged to the wound, momentarily stopping the bleeding.


    After doing introspection within his body, the middle-aged man swung his right hand, and a panel made of Spiritual Energy appeared overhead.


    ''Entry name'': Audience.


    ''Entry level'': White.


    ''Entry effect'': When you are in a crowd, your presence becomes significantly reduced.


    ...


    As the entry panel emerged, many from the audience started clapping. It wasn''t that the entry was particularly good, but it felt... really lively.


    Here were many from the Major Sects.


    They had seen much of the world.


    Even though they had witnessed Pink Entries, this was the first time they saw someone gambling over entries. It was an exciting feeling, both hoping to see a good entry turn up and not.


    Just one Spirit Stone to watch such an event was truly worthwhile.


    It felt like watching stone gambling.


    "The second sword!!!"


    The middle-aged man on stage gritted his teeth and screamed again as he lifted the short sword. Although no one there knew him, he was the Family Head of a Foundation Establishment family. Standing naked and watched by the public caused him a mix of pain, shame, and a hint of fear of drawing a Demon Cultivation term.


    His emotions were extremely complex.


    But he knew what Mentor Liu said was right; to enjoy the bliss uncommon to others, one must endure the hardships others can''t. He had started from scratch, what''s face worth anyway, just a cheap thing.


    It''s just that being a Family Head for so long got him a bit burdened, if it were before, not to mention being naked, as long as there were enough Spirit Stones, he would even perform in live spring shows on the stage!


    ...


    "Sizzle!"


    Another sword stabbed down.


    ''Entry name'': Alchemy Posture.


    ''Entry level'': White.


    ''Entry effect'': The success rate of your alchemy will slightly increase.


    "Fellow Daoists are awesome!!!"


    "Exciting!"


    "This is making me more thrilled than when I broke through the Foundation Establishment with three choices!"


    The atmosphere below was getting better, with many enthusiastically clapping and cheering on. These sect descendants usually stayed within their sects, and if not for the appearance of a Secret Realm in Fufeng City, they barely had chances to leave their sects. This entertainment excited them immensely.


    The demeanor they purposely maintained while in the mortal city relaxed instantly and returned to their true natures.


    ...


    The third sword!


    The fourth sword!


    The fifth sword!


    With each sword, the atmosphere became increasingly lively, and even Fat Long couldn''t help but laugh and cheer loudly. He might be the most empathetic among them, as he truly had nine.


    Watching the middle-aged man gamble on entries felt especially thrilling as though he was personally on the battlefield.


    However¡ª


    As the sixth strike descended,


    the middle-aged man on stage suddenly stood rooted in shock, as if he had randomly received an extraordinary entry, and after a few moments, a panel slowly emerged above his head.


    "Entry Name": Nine Ox Power.


    "Entry Level": White.


    "Entry Effect": Possess nine oxen.


    "..."


    "..."


    The audience, who had been excitedly jeering up until then, suddenly stood dumbfounded with complex expressions, only to see that the middle-aged man, who had already chopped six, leaving three, but after randomly receiving this entry,


    was replenished to nine.


    The audience then learned a potential rule about entries: When you possess a number of oxen and randomly receive the "Nine Ox Power" entry, it doesn''t give you nine additional oxen; rather, it replenishes the total to nine.


    "..."


    The middle-aged man on stage, somewhat bewildered, tilted his head toward the officer standing below the platform, unsure how to proceed. Could one encounter the same entry twice?


    Was this good or bad?


    It seemed he could earn a few more entries...


    ...


    "Is that even possible?"


    Chen Qiu looked at the middle-aged man on stage with a strange expression. Honestly, even he felt tempted. If one were exceptionally lucky and kept getting the "Nine Ox Power" entry every time, wouldn''t one potentially continue endlessly, like a perpetual motion machine?


    And his biggest trump card at the moment was¡ª


    "Self-Destruction Term"!


    This entry allowed him to unleash an attack far exceeding his strength by one Great Realm.


    One very important point was...


    This entry was merely a White entry, and he didn''t know how many White entries there were, but if a person continually had the chance to draw White entries, there was certainly a good chance they could draw this one.


    By then... the gains wouldn''t just be a few Spirit Stones.


    ...


    The atmosphere swiftly became subdued, but soon the audience excitedly started making noise again. The more chopping, the more chances to bet, and the more fun they found it.


    Continue!


    There were nine again, starting from the first cut!


    The second cut!


    The third cut!


    Until the eighth cut!


    "Nine Ox Power" appeared again!


    Again replenished to nine, only the fourteen pieces of bloody meat that fell on the platform proved that a tremendously bloody disaster had taken place here.


    "..."


    "..."


    The audience stopped talking; everyone''s smiles gradually faded, expressionlessly watching the increasingly proficient middle-aged man chopping his own "bulls."


    The first cut, the second cut, the third cut!


    Until the fourth cut¡ª


    "Entry Name": Self-Destruction Term.


    "Entry Level": White.


    "Entry Effect": You may detonate any entry to initiate an attack one Realm Cultivation greater than your current cultivation level.


    - Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When this panel appeared above the man''s head, the audience was totally silent.


    Everyone stood there expressionlessly, silent.


    It took the man on stage quite some time to realize what had occurred; with an excited expression, he bounced up, chopping the remaining few bulls, leaving one for himself, then gathered all the bulls that had fallen on the ground and packed them up.


    He looked at the audience with a somewhat frenzied expression, excitedly yelling and then sprinting off the stage.


    He tightly hugged the still-stunned officer below, hysterically excited to the point of incoherence, "Officer Liu!!! Wang Family is extremely fortunate to have you; you are at the same level as me in the Wang Family now!!"


    "In the future, we will enjoy wealth and honor together!!!"


    "What a thrill, chopping bulls is truly fucking thrilling!!"


    "I''m so fucking happy!"


    The stage was silent, the audience was excited.


    The stage was excited, the audience was silent.


    You see.


    The joys and sorrows of people really are not the same, the emotions of those on and off the stage can never be in sync.


    ...


    The play ended just like that.


    After sitting in silence for a long time, the audience almost simultaneously took out Sound Transmission Talismans from their robes, spreading the news about today''s events in Fufeng City to their respective sects and powers; they needed to reevaluate the value of the "Nine Ox Power" + "self-extinguishing root" entries.


    As expected,


    the "self-extinguishing root" entry''s price was likely to skyrocket in the future.


    They could not remember how many entries the man on stage had, but they could confirm that, in a way, this man was already in the Golden Core Stage, and that too under everyone''s watchful eyes.


    His underlying Foundation Establishment Family could now be considered a Semi-Step Golden Core Family.


    Maybe calling them a Golden Core Family was a bit of a stretch, but they would definitely be the strongest among all Foundation Establishment Families.


    ...


    "Brother Qiu."


    Fat Long also stayed silent for a long time before he murmured, "Suddenly, I have some regrets."


    "Actually... I''m not that afraid of pain."

 Chapter 44

    ```It''s not so much regret as it is envy.


    The man on the stage who''d gone completely mad was just lucky, not only did he randomly get two "Nine Ox Power" entries, but he also got the "Self-Destruction Term". How many people could boast such luck? Now that''s what you truly call a gamble on entries.


    And Fat Long did not consider himself particularly fortunate. Even if he had another chance, he''d probably not choose the "self-extinguishing root". Pain was only one reason, the main reason he felt things were fine as they were, and the pleasures of the bedroom were, after all, quite enjoyable. Besides, aesthetically, it''s much better than eight bloody holes and not as good as the Nine Ox.


    One could only say it was fate, that this middle-aged man was destined for this fortune.


    However, this also proved from a certain perspective, that even the most useless-looking White entries, as long as one is fated to obtain and match them with the right entries, can be useful. The challenge is precisely in obtaining the entries that can match.


    ...


    The drama had come to a close.


    The audience in the square had gradually departed, yet the smiles on everyone''s faces had disappeared without them noticing and what mattered most now was not envy, it wasn''t witnessing a lucky fellow soar to the heavens.


    It was whether this damn Foundation Establishment man''s Cultivation had exceeded the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment!!!


    If it hadn''t...


    Having such a monster with them in the Secret Realm, there would be no point in thinking about competing for treasures, all they would need to do is run for their lives. What was supposed to be a ''challenge'' type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm would completely turn into a survival game.


    None of the people present were confident they could handle such a monster.


    "Um... Boss."


    In a corner of the square, a thin man clad in a cloak cautiously approached a brawny man beside him and hesitated, "Are we still going to follow him to look for an opportunity to make a move?"


    This spectacle had attracted quite a crowd, including desperados. Their thoughts were simple, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator carrying so many Spirit Stones was no different from a walking spirit stone mine.


    If they didn''t rob him, it would be like refusing the gifts of heaven, and they would surely be struck by divine punishment.


    They would be courting retribution.


    But now it looked like it wasn''t a good time to make a move.


    "Rob your mother''s head!!!"


    The brawny man, somewhat infuriated and embarrassed, slapped the cloak off the thin man''s head, "If I said let''s go rob, would you dare be the first motherfucker to go?"


    "I dare."


    "Get lost!"


    The brawny man angrily turned and walked towards the exit of the square. What he forgot was this, that his brother had the courage to risk his life, who could have predicted that this man''s luck could be so good? Not only didn''t he snatch a single Spirit Stone, but he also lost two Spirit Stones for nothing.


    Pure fucking nonsense!


    ...


    Meanwhile, in a courtyard in the center of the square.


    Wang Tiedan, the middle-aged man who had gotten lucky, was now excitedly standing in the courtyard, looking towards the west side of Fufeng City with anticipation, "Heaven truly favors me, who could have thought that I, Wang Tiedan at the age of fifty-six, would still encounter such an opportunity!"


    "I had already given up on the idea of climbing higher, but now it seems possible that I might not have to give up on reaching the Golden Core Stage in my lifetime!"


    "My Cultivation is at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, just right to enter the soon-to-open Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Steward Liu, do you think anyone in that Secret Realm can match me?"


    ```


    He originally had no intention of entering the Secret Realm. He was just taking advantage of the crowd to make a quick profit. However, times had changed, and now he was equipped with dozens of talismans, each with the full strength of a third-level Golden Core strike.


    His confidence soared.


    Perhaps he could gradually shift his focus away from his family and once again set foot on the Cultivation Path. After so many years without descending into a Secret Realm, he found himself missing it. Back then, he hadn''t yet broken through to Foundation Establishment, and he remembered the fellow Daoists he met along the way, eager to charge into the Secret Realm.


    They battled through challenges and were the last ones standing.


    It was incredibly satisfying, but as one grows older, their courage dims. He no longer possessed the same fervor and even felt a sense of fear when thinking about the past. Truly, ignorance knows no fear.


    "..."


    Standing to the side, Minister Liu let out a resigned sigh before waving his hand to dismiss the servants nearby and spoke with a serious expression, "My lord, let me sort this out for you, your emotions are a bit too agitated right now."


    "First of all, we have definitely won this time, and won very convincingly."


    "Not to mention anything else, just the Spirit Stones alone we''ve earned over 5,000 pieces. That''s already equivalent to more than a decade of our family''s Spirit Stone output, and this batch of Spirit Stones can also serve as very good seed capital."


    "My lord, although you are now akin to half-step Golden Core, think about it, can you defeat a true Golden Core expert?"


    "How many times can you use your full-strength strike? How many times can a Golden Core expert use theirs?"


    "A Golden Core expert can withstand your full-strength strike, but can you withstand a Golden Core expert''s full-strength strike?"


    "A Golden Core expert can control everything within dozens of miles with a single thought. My lord, can you outrun a Golden Core expert?"


    "To use a phrase from my hometown, you''re currently a target with high attack but low defense and low mobility. Bullying the weak may work, but facing the strong, it''s impossible for you to win."


    "..."


    These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Wang Tiedan''s head, snapping him back to reality. After a long while, he muttered, "Minister Liu, what you say makes a lot of sense, but..."


    "You''re telling me that before I had these entries, I had to keep laying low. Now that I already have so much strength from these entries, I still have to keep hiding my power. Then isn''t all the pain I''ve endured fucking pointless?"


    "No."


    Minister Liu shook his head with a serious look and replied, "Didn''t I just say? Bullying the weak is fine. So let''s go bully the weak, that''s all. What good does it do to kill all those disciples from the Major Sects and powerful families in the Secret Realm?"


    "If a few of them die in normal Secret Realm skirmishes, those sects won''t make much fuss about it. It''s very common for people to die in the Secret Realm. But if you go on a killing spree like you suggested, the Golden Cores from those sect families will come after you. My lord, how would you deal with that?"


    "Provoking such major powers has no benefits whatsoever."


    "Now everyone knows you possess the strength comparable to that of the Golden Core Stage. This is a deterrent. We should use this deterrence to harshly bully the Foundation Establishment families. We can''t provoke the Golden Core Powers, but aren''t the Foundation Establishment families easy to crush?"


    "The weak deserve to be trampled mercilessly!"


    "Once we bully the Foundation Establishment families and obtain a large amount of Spirit Stones and Cultivation Resources to grow stronger, with each small realm breakthrough in your Cultivation, my lord, your deterrence will increase. When you break through to the Golden Core Stage and possess Nascent Soul combat power, then we can go bully those Golden Core Powers fiercely!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Wouldn''t that be wonderful?"


    "It makes sense," Wang Tiedan pondered thoughtfully for a long time before hesitantly saying, "There''s just one small problem. You say that if I''m close to breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, will those Golden Core experts just let me break through so easily?"


    "It''s hard to say."


    "What do you mean ''hard to say''?"


    "Well, if I were a Golden Core expert living near you, I would already be on my way to kill you."

 Chapter 45

    "Don''t worry, Master."Liu the Steward again soothed, "There will indeed be certain dangers, but in this world, what can ever be entirely safe? We can''t just stop moving forward because there might be risks on the road ahead, just like you can''t stop living today simply because you''ll die one day."


    "When the time comes, there will always be a path to follow."


    Besides, there''s a good chance that even Golden Core experts won''t come after you, considering the explosion of those dozens of entries at once, even a Golden Core expert couldn''t bear it. Even if they could kill you, they''d definitely be seriously injured. Even Demon Cultivation practitioners wouldn''t do something that harms others without benefiting themselves."


    "Alright then..."


    Wang Tiedan looked towards the west of Fufeng City with some regret. After listening to Liu the Steward''s analysis, he realized that entering the Secret Realm was indeed not an option, but the gains from this trip were still incredibly substantial. Carrying so many Spirit Stones back to Yuncheng, hundreds of miles away, was more than enough to accomplish a great deal.


    ...


    Seeing that the Master''s mood had been steadied,


    Liu the Steward finally let out a sigh of relief, dressed in a black robe with one hand held behind his back, he gazed complexly into the distance. A year ago, he had transmigrated to this strange world¡ªfrom nearly starving to death at the very beginning to finally having a little bit of authority.


    The family he supported was prospering more by the day, and his own status was on the rise.


    He had actually approached Wang Tiedan on purpose. Back then, he had secretly selected many powers to pledge allegiance to and ultimately chose the Yuncheng Wang Family for a simple reason: the Wang Family began from scratch, and as a first-generation Family Head had considerable say, with little internal intrigue or complications.


    Secondly... the Wang Family Master seemed a bit foolish, honest, timid, indecisive, and lacked courage.


    All seemingly flaws,


    but to him, they were advantages. Such a master wouldn''t kill the donkey once the grinding is done, and at the very least, he''d receive the treatment he deserved. He had learned months ago that he wasn''t the only transmigrator in this world; some predecessors had arrived years before him.


    They now held high positions in the Capital.


    But...


    Who knows if your official post was honestly earned? Just a few years and you''re in high office¡ªprobably sold your ass for it. Give him another ten years, and he too could raise the Yuncheng Wang Family into a Golden Core Power renowned throughout Da Xia Country!


    As a fellow transmigrator, not weaker than you!


    ...


    The curtain fell, and fewer people walked the streets within Fufeng City. Numerous cultivators gathered by the stream three miles outside Fufeng City. A usually scarcely populated area was now swarming with people.


    Heavenly Dao Blessing only mentioned that the Secret Realm would open today, at this location.


    It did not provide an exact time for its opening.


    Many had already begun sitting cross-legged on the spot, closing their eyes to cultivate and conserve their energy. Even a quick glance revealed there were quite a few small groups.


    There were clansmen who had teamed up for experience outside.


    Disciples of the same sect that had left their sect together.


    And some Loose Cultivators who had joined forces with acquaintances.


    Basically, no one came alone; the least anyone did was come in pairs, for in the Secret Realm, anyone could be an enemy, and it''s a simple fact that one can''t fight against many.


    Chen Qiu, however, was not sitting cross-legged to cultivate. Instead, he leaned against a pine tree, observing the cultivators gathered. His Heavenly Dao Foundation could rotate and cultivate automatically, although the speed wasn''t as fast as actively using mental methods¡ªit was only about a third as fast.


    But he didn''t lack that bit of time right now.


    This was his first time seeing so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Listening to their conversations, hearing the tales and knowledge from all over¡ªthough many of them were embellished, he could still gain a more comprehensive understanding of this world.


    Under the effect of the "Heavenly Dao''s Absence" entry,


    after closing his eyes, his hearing was doubled, and he could faintly pick up on many of the hushed whispers and conversations around him.


    He was quite confident about this Secret Realm; he had been preparing for this day for a long time.


    His Tao Foundation breadth was ten thousandth of an inch, charged full with Spiritual Energy, enough for him to unleash four to five hundred Thunder Summoning Techniques, and under the effect of the Enlightenment Stone, this spell had reached the Great Perfection Realm.


    Each release was like a thunderbolt as thick as a hundred-year-old dead tree smashing down on his enemies.


    It was incredibly powerful.


    And most importantly¡ª


    -


    ''Entry Name'': Spiritual Energy Intimidating.


    ''Entry Level'': White.


    ''Entry Effect'': After your Tao Foundation exceeds one hundredth of an inch in width, for every additional one-thousandth of an inch, the power of your spells will increase slightly.


    -


    He also had this entry, and with this as well as the "Focus Power" entry that amplified Thunder Summoning Technique specifically, the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique was now frighteningly large. It was just that since reaching the breadth of ten thousandth of an inch, he had yet to cast it.


    And he did not know its exact power.


    Once inside the Secret Realm, time to find an unwary target to practice on first.


    With such a foundation of confidence, coupled with the chilling six thousand-plus Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment resentful spirits filling his body, as well as those numerous entries that could explode with the power of a Golden Core and nearly a hundred offensive and defensive talismans,


    he had fully armed himself to the teeth.


    What did it matter if he faced the prodigies of great families and Major Sects?


    Unless you carry an elder with you, he refused to believe that anyone below the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage could outdo him.


    Just then¡ª


    The scene suddenly became noisy.


    "It''s ''Zhao Yishi'' from ''Caotian Sect''. A few days ago, he reportedly broke through to the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage. He also ranks quite high on the ''Da Xia Heavenly Pride Leaderboard'', at 107th place. I didn''t expect this secret realm to even draw him out."


    "You haven''t been to that Wentian Market nearby? He came to Wentian Market a few days ago."


    "Indeed, ''Caotian Sect'' itself is ranked 79th in the Da Xia Sect rankings, and they haven''t produced any remarkable talents in recent decades, dropping a little each year. In the last few years, it''s said that the sect has invested a lot of resources in him. As long as they find an entry that''s a perfect fit for him, Caotian Sect''s ranking is sure to skyrocket next year!"


    "After all, owning the Pink Entry ''Heaven-reaching Giant'', he''s indeed worth the full support of Caotian Sect."


    Suddenly, at the horizon, a middle-aged man about forty zhang tall landed on the ground from the sky, carrying a thirty zhang long saber on his shoulder and creating lotuses with every step, attracting all eyes with his extremely conspicuous entrance.


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes indifferently, glancing at the highly conspicuous middle-aged man who had landed amidst the crowd, without saying a word.


    In this world, a seven chi height is equivalent to the former world''s 1.7 meters.


    One chi equals twenty-four centimeters, one zhang equals ten chi, so this man was over four hundred chi tall, that is, 96 meters. His towering presence among the crowd was beyond outstanding.


    Too conspicuous, from the moment he appeared, he captured the attention of everyone present.


    Many people looked on with envy at the man; sometimes luck is indeed very important.


    But it wasn''t over yet¡ª


    While everyone was still amazed, suddenly, plum blossoms bloomed across the sky, followed by the sight of a delicate woman dressed in a pink long dress, with a cold demeanor, descending slowly to the ground on the plum blossoms.


    And there were four or five young men in different attire beside her, each of them looking at the surrounding crowd with hostility.


    "Is this... is this ''Ma Yinxue'' who ranks 78th on the ''Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard''?"


    "That''s right, it''s her. I''ve seen her portrait before, but today is the first time I''m seeing her in person. She truly seems to have stepped out of a fairyland, mortal women simply can''t compare."


    "Who could be worthy of such a lady? To marry her would be a blessing of three lifetimes!"


    "Those few men by her side must be her followers, right?"


    "Definitely, any woman ranked on the Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard has a number of followers. It''s said that the top ten beauties constantly have over a hundred followers each, and thier every outing is a major event."


    ...


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu looked at the woman who had descended into the crowd with a puzzled expression. He had heard from Fat Long about the existence of a beauty leaderboard in this world, but this was his first time seeing a real person ranked on the beauty leaderboard.


    Truth be told, she was quite beautiful.


    She possessed an inexplicable charm, looking so fresh and spirited, especially with that cold demeanor that could awaken the desire to conquer in many men, prompting them to pay any price just to witness the contrast she presented in bed.


    But he was puzzled about something.


    "Fat Long, these leaderboards are all automatically ranked by the Heavenly Dao, right? I can understand the sect and Heavenly Pride leaderboards, since they have clear boundaries. But the Beauty Leaderboard¡ªeveryone has different tastes, so how is it ranked?"


    "..." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For some reason, Fat Long did not respond with his usual enthusiasm and instead remained expressionless and silent for a long while before speaking softly, "Brother Qiu, the Beauty Leaderboard is indeed ranked by the Heavenly Dao itself."


    "Whose ranking will rise and whose will fall is all up to the Heavenly Dao''s perception."


    "The Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard consists of a total of 100 beauties. These 100 beauties are not just pretty faces, they come with special effects, and each beauty''s effect is unique."


    "Some can increase their husband''s success rate in Alchemy, others can accelerate their husband''s cultivation speed, and some can even make their husband''s breakthroughs free from bottlenecks."


    "But the premise is, you have to win the beauty''s true heart. Only when a beauty genuinely falls in love with you, can you have that effect."


    "And since beauties are favored by the Heavenly Dao, anyone daring to force or coerce them into giving their heart or body will incur the disdain of the Heavenly Dao."


    "In Da Xia Country, such Heavenly Dao Beauties are an exceedingly special existence. Every scion of the great families or powers has dreamt of marrying a Heavenly Dao Beauty."


    "Both in terms of practical benefits and reputation, they far surpass ordinary women."


    "Hm."


    Chen Qiu chuckled and said, "Your means of gathering information are as formidable as ever, even knowing so much about the Beauty Leaderboard."


    "..."


    After remaining silent for a while, Fat Long continued, "The Heavenly Dao Beauty you see was my ex-girlfriend. We transmigrated to this era around the same time, and after I arrived, I made some money doing hard labor because I was worried she might awaken to a Demon Cultivation term and get executed by the government."


    "So I saved money for over ten days to buy a potion that could help her to breakthrough to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "After she used it, she advanced to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm and became a Heavenly Dao Beauty, ascending to the ''Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard''."


    "Many Foundation Establishment Cultivators who pursued her came, including sons of Golden Core Powerhouses. Later... afterwards, she left me, and I fell into depression for a while before saving money again to buy myself a potion, awakening the ''Nine Ox Power'' entry."


    "Not long after, I was captured by the ''Flower Offering Sect'' to be used as a nourishing supplement."


    "Then I escaped to Fufeng City, where I met you, Brother Qiu."


    "..."


    The smile on Chen Qiu''s face slowly stiffened, and he looked at the beauty among the crowd, his mouth opening and closing for a while before he fell silent again.

 Chapter 46

    "Fat Long.""Hmm."


    "You''ve had it tough these past few months..."


    "It''s okay."


    With an expression hard to read, Fat Long shook his head, "I''ve always said that only those who don''t believe they can become strong feel humiliated by yesterday''s kneeling."


    "It doesn''t matter."


    "These setbacks are the trials I must endure on the path to becoming a significant figure, they are the Heavenly Dao''s tempering of me."


    Chen Qiu nodded complicatedly without saying anything else. He had to admit that Fat Long''s mentality was truly admirable. An ordinary person, having transmigrated and gone through a series of shitty events, would probably be mentally disturbed by now, but when he first met Fat Long...


    Fat Long was still intent on stealing his pig-head meat to eat.


    That was a bit heartless and thoughtless.


    "By the way¡ª"


    Chen Qiu looked towards a woman surrounded by several young men in the distance, his brow slightly furrowed. He did not have a good impression of those young men who were closely guarding Ma Yinxue in the middle, their eyes full of hostility toward all the other men around.


    It was as if they were terrified that more rivals in love would pop up.


    "What''s the effect of that Ma Yinxue''s beauty ranking?"


    "It allows one''s husband to be favoured by the Heavenly Dao, enabling the husband to ignore the Secret Realm''s restrictions and increase his Cultivation by three small realms within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, and also to randomly gain two time-limited entries."


    "Understood."


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, "So there''s only a beauty ranking? No rankings for handsome men?"


    "There''s no ranking for handsome men."


    "The beauty ranking includes men. According to the intelligence I received a while ago, there are twelve men on the beauty list. These men are also Heavenly Dao Beauties, but the ranking is updated in real-time, so I don''t know if it''s still twelve now."


    "Once someone is fortunate enough to become a Heavenly Dao Beauty, they''re basically not taken off the list unless they die, after which a new Heavenly Dao Beauty will replace them."


    "Those men are also surrounded by groups of women. These twelve men are also known as the Twelve Beauties of Da Xia."


    "Of course, in private, everyone calls them the Twelve Public Livestock of Da Xia."


    Just then¡ª


    Ma Yinxue in the crowd suddenly noticed Chen Qiu and Fat Long standing under a pine tree. The corner of her mouth turned slightly upwards, as if she was thinking of something, and she gracefully waved her sleeve and slowly walked towards Fat Long.


    The flower guard servants by her side also followed closely behind her, their faces full of vigilance, like those of competent house slaves.


    Almost everyone''s gaze was on the girl in the pink dress, and Ma Yinxue also seemed to enjoy the feeling of being watched by everyone.


    "It looks like she''s walking towards you, and the posture doesn''t seem like she''s here to catch up with you," Chen Qiu said in a low voice as he watched Ma Yinxue approaching them.


    "Hmm."


    Fat Long nodded, his voice a bit hoarse, "If she mocks me later and I talk back, can you protect me, Brother Qiu?"


    "Are you so sure she''s going to mock you?"


    "Yeah, that''s just her character. In my previous life when my company was doing well, she was good to me. But after the company''s performance declined, her attitude did a complete 180."


    "Just these few people? No problem, you can say whatever you want, just don''t criticize them as a group. "


    "I can''t beat so many people at once. The scholar and the others are still in Fufeng City, so it''d be tough to run away."


    "I understand, I''ve got it now."


    ...


    "Long time no see, Fat Long."


    With each step Ma Yinxue took, a plum blossom appeared on the ground beneath her feet, her cat-like steps gracefully brought her to Fat Long''s side. She raised her hand with a mocking smile and gently slid it across Fat Long''s cheek, finally resting it on his Adam''s apple, her voice saccharine to the point of dripping.


    "This Heavenly Dao Secret Realm has a Cultivation cap of the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment. Are you here to try your luck as well?"


    "Tsk, you''re still the same as before, addicted to gambling."


    "Didn''t I tell you that deal was no good and you still went through with it? What was the outcome? Didn''t you lose everything? Why do you always think you''re invincible, as if everything you do is right?"


    "Seeing me again, do you feel any regret? If you had humbled yourself and clung to me instead of insisting on making me your virtuous wife, maybe now you would have the qualifications to stand among these men behind me."


    Fat Long emotionlessly swatted Ma Yinxue''s hand away and coldly said, "A few days apart and you''ve become as flirtatious as a prostitute?"


    "Did you get stabbed in the head? Did it scramble your brains too?"


    ...


    Chen Qiu, who was originally standing to the side, playing with a Jade Feather Fan and watching the commotion with glee, suddenly had his smile stiffen on his face. He then silently slipped the fan into his Storage Ring and prepared to draw his sword for battle at any moment.


    It seemed a fight was inevitable today.


    The crowd that had been gathering around to watch the excitement quickly dispersed with tacit understanding; the area under the pine tree, previously crowded, was now deserted.


    The stage was set for them to perform, and the rest was up to their own devices.


    While the crowd dispersed, every face was filled with a gossip-hungry look. This kind of gossip about the Heavenly Dao Beauty was always irresistible, especially new gossip.


    No sooner had Fat Long''s words fallen than the several men standing behind Ma Yinxue drew their weapons in rage and pointed them at Fat Long.


    "Audacious!!!"


    "Who gave you the courage to speak to Sister Xue in such a manner?"


    "You''re courting death!!!!"


    "We''ve never even held Sister Xue''s hand, how dare you so brazenly tarnish her reputation!"


    Just as the men seemed ready to charge in fury and slay the insolent Fat Long right there, Ma Yinxue, with a flash of coldness on her face, gestured for the men behind her to stop and whispered into Fat Long''s ear, articulating each word.


    "I once heard a saying¡ª"


    "A man''s money is not for a woman to spend, but for her to gaze upon."


    "I think it makes sense."


    "A woman''s charm is not for a man to use, but for him to look upon."


    "As long as I choose not to pick a husband, every man wants to possess me, and I can make use of all these men. But you, what do you have? I will let you see that my decisions have always been right, and men like you, arrogant and ignorant, can only rage impotently."


    "Your heart filled with regret and frustration, you''ll shiver with realization and then have to face reality once more, continuing to hide in a filthy gutter."


    "That''s right."


    Taking a step back, the woman suddenly laughed, pulled out ten porcelain bottles from her Storage Ring, and tossed them in front of Fat Long: "These are the Potions you gave me back then; I''m returning tenfold."


    "Didn''t you say you worked day and night for over ten days to earn the money for this Potion? You had to mention it every single day, as if you wanted me to be indebted to you for a lifetime over this, a thing worth a few hundred coins. Do you intend for me to remember it for the rest of my life?"


    "Is returning tenfold enough for you?"


    S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 47

    "If ten more isn''t enough, I''ll give you ten more."Standing behind Ma Yinxue, a young man with a smirk pulled out ten porcelain bottles from his storage ring and threw them on the ground, "Sister Xue mentioned you. You''ve toiled for over ten days gathering potions, haven''t you moved yourself to tears?"


    "How about that?"


    Ma Yinxue, arms crossed, looked at Fat Long with a smile that wasn''t quite a smile, "Do you feel a fire burning inside you right now? Uncomfortable and angry? Yes, that''s the feeling. I felt the same every time I asked you for money to buy bags."


    "But what about after that? Do you have any temper left?"


    "Here."


    Ma Yinxue pulled out a storage bag from her bosom and threw it at Fat Long''s feet, taunting, "This bag contains some of my used personal clothes, consider it a reward for you, a keepsake."


    "...Huuh."


    After taking a deep breath, Fat Long slowly looked at the few young men standing behind Ma Yinxue, who looked furious, and suddenly laughed, "Are all of you chasing after Ma Yinxue?"


    "Want me to share what Ma Yinxue''s favorite tricks are? So you won''t be clueless once you have her."


    "I''m already sick of playing those games."


    "And you guys treat them like treasures in your hands, truly amusing."


    "Hey¡ª"


    "She really isn''t well-behaved!"


    "You''re fucking asking for it!"


    As soon as these words fell.


    The five young men standing behind Ma Yinxue could no longer contain themselves, their bodies swelling with spiritual energy as they drew their spiritual weapons and charged at Fat Long with fierce roars.


    "I didn''t want to waste spiritual energy before entering the Secret Realm, but if you''re seeking death, I can''t blame me!"


    "Today, no one can save you!"


    Fat Long grinned, took a slight step back to stand behind Chen Qiu, and shrugged, "Here, let me introduce you¡ªthis is my boss, Brother Qiu."


    "Sigh."


    Chen Qiu sighed helplessly. He knew since the first time he met Fat Long that Fat Long had a foul mouth, but he didn''t remember it being this bad before. The attacks were too sharp.


    It was indeed quite heart-stabbing.


    But Ma Yinxue''s attacks were pretty strong too. You two were quite a match when you were together before.


    He stepped forward, blocking in front of Fat Long, casually throwing out five Defensive talismans "Golden Bell Talisman," instantly five golden light shields enveloped him. The weapons of those men clanged metallically against the golden light.


    Only two of the golden lights shattered.


    Then he looked at the few men who were now red-eyed in front of him, sighed lightly, "Ever since ancient times, many have died for beauty¡ªa lesson that you guys might understand in your next life."


    The next second¡ª


    The Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment above his Dantian began to spin rapidly.


    Seventy to eighty bolts of thunder, each about seven feet thick, appeared out of nowhere around Chen Qiu. Countless flashes of thunder surged around him, engulfing those men with clusters of thunder blossoms!


    This entire process took merely a moment!


    The spells of the Foundation Establishment Stage are nearly instant manifestations, requiring neither Taoist Technique nor gesture.


    And these men, having never witnessed such a sight, frantically tried to stop themselves, their faces paling as they activated every Defensive talisman and Spiritual Treasure on them, and hastily retreated. Yet, Chen Qiu''s "Thunder Summoning Technique" was an enhanced version.


    Their immense power was increased in number as well.


    There was no possibility of escape.


    ...


    "Boom!!!"


    A series of deafening blasts like firecrackers erupted, and within several feet of Chen Qiu, the ground had turned charred with scattered charred bones here and there.


    No traces of clothing, no flesh.


    Utterly clean.


    These men were dead beyond dead, leaving only Ma Yinxue sitting on the spot, her face filled with terror, her body obviously trembling, so much that she even forgot to run away.


    "Seems like I used too much..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the Spirit Energy in his Heavenly Dao Foundation that had decreased by about ten to twenty percent, nodded thoughtfully as this was his first time using "Thunder Summoning Technique" in actual combat, not quite sure how many would be enough to kill a person. For safety, he used a bit more.


    Now it seemed, the damage was overdone.


    He estimated that perhaps thirty to forty would have been adequate.


    Still too inexperienced in battle.


    Needs to kill more to foster that experience.


    ...


    The expressions of the people who had stepped back to watch the show slowly stiffened. They could sense through the spiritual energy emitting from this man that he was merely a cultivator at the first level of Foundation Establishment.


    He had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    But the power of the "Thunder Summoning Technique" was clearly not that of the first level¡ªit was already at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment!


    Moreover, releasing the "Thunder Summoning Technique", a cultivator at the first level of spiritual energy could cast it three or four times at most before their spiritual energy was depleted. Yet, this man had released it seventy to eighty times in one go?


    Are you kidding?


    Did your Dantian have enough spiritual energy for you to play around like this? How could a cultivator at the first level store so much spiritual energy?


    Here''s another one who could battle beyond his level, the formidable kind.


    Many people stepped back a few more steps as this thought crossed their minds.


    In the crowd, Zhao Yishi, towering like a heaven-reaching giant with a height of several dozen feet, looked down at the scene before him with twitching corners of his mouth. Unable to help himself, he stepped back several steps, carefully pulled out a sound transmission talisman from the gap between his huge fingernails, and cautiously said into the tiny talisman the size of a sesame seed as he infused it with spiritual energy.


    "Sect Master, can I opt out of this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm? There are monsters in this Secret Realm, and I can''t beat them; I might die."


    "Nonsense!!!"


    An angry roar quickly came from the talisman, "Even if the sky falls this time, you must go in. The sect has spent a ton of resources on you, and yet you, such a big guy, are scared like a mouse, avoiding battles every time!"


    "The sect has already sent five experienced Inner Sect disciples at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment to protect you, and you''re still scared!"


    "You must go this time. If you have the Pink Entry ''Heaven-reaching Giant'', it means you are a person of great Qi Fortune. The opportunities meant for you can only be found by yourself. The sect can only assist you, not do everything for you, right?"


    "Not only do you need to find your own opportunities this time, but you also need to fight with disciples from other sects as much as possible. You have too little combat experience. If you keep this up, don''t even think about ever getting a full meal!"


    "If I had known that your appetite would grow as your body grew, I definitely wouldn''t have fucking invested so heavily in you!"


    "Have you ever calculated how many spirit stones your single meal consumes?"


    "You''re about to bankrupt me!"


    "Oh."


    Zhao Yishi, feeling a bit sullen, crushed the sound transmission talisman in his hand. Tanking and bankruptcy were new terms lately coming from Capital; such terms frequently popped up in recent years.


    What a terrible sect, not even providing disciples with enough food. No wonder it keeps dropping in the sect rankings every year.


    If only I had switched to another sect back then.


    ...


    "Here."


    Fat Long, with a look of melancholy, pulled out a "Dragon Slayer" broadsword from his bosom and walked up to Ma Yinxue, who was sitting on the ground, "See, isn''t my backing a bit cooler?"


    "Heavenly Dao only said that you can''t be forced into devotion or sacrifice, not that I couldn''t kill you, right?"


    "Oh and¡ª"


    "Don''t slander me like you did earlier in your next life; I''ve never smelled your stinky feet."


    Just as Fat Long was about to swing his blade.


    Chen Qiu suddenly realized something with a peculiar expression, "Fat Long, did she just call you Fat Long?"


    "Yeah, what about it, Brother Qiu?"


    "Didn''t you say that Fat Long was a name you adopted later, something about being a lurking dragon?"


    "..."


    Suddenly, the corner of Fat Long''s mouth twitched slightly. As his blade swiftly swung down, splattering blood across the sky, he sheathed the sword back into his bosom and turned to Brother Qiu with a serious look: "It''s not important, Brother Qiu."


    "If you really must know, I actually used to be called Fat Long too."


    "Your face looks like it has many stories."


    "You can see that?"


    "Yes, and also that your cut didn''t kill her, she''s still breathing."


    "Oh, oh, I haven''t cut anyone in a long time, my hand is a bit stiff. Let me take a few more swings."


    Fat Long hastily spun around and swung his blade again, then took a few heavy breaths, "There, God damn, slandering me, you nearly destroyed my reputation, lady."


    "Fat Long."


    "Hmm?"


    "After you separated from her, did you really do what she said, hiding in a corner at night and fantasizing about those images of you guys together?"


    "Brother Qiu, you''re being presumptuous." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Presumptuous again, huh?"


    "Yes."

 Chapter 48

    Chen Qiu didn''t pursue the matter further but turned to look behind Fat Long where Ma Yinxue now lay in a pool of blood, sighing, "After all, you had a rapport with you, just to kill her like this?"He hadn''t killed Ma Yinxue just now, after all, she was Fat Long''s woman, and he certainly didn''t feel it was his place to decide her fate.


    "You consider an evil rapport as rapport?"


    Fat Long shook his head, "I''ve grown disillusioned with women now, at least until I achieve enlightenment and immortalhood, I won''t think about these matters again. It feels incredibly hard to find a woman who truly connects with you emotionally, who doesn''t mock you when you''re down."


    Just then---


    A white vortex, about thirty feet high and thirty feet wide, gradually appeared beside a small stream.


    Hovering above the vortex was a pane enveloped in white mist.


    -


    ''Secret Realm Name'': Chao Tian Small World.


    ''Secret Realm Restriction'': Only accessible to Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment''s sixth level and below.


    ''Secret Realm Type'': ''Trial''.


    ''Secret Realm Introduction'': Contains seven challenges, with a reward for passing each. Up to 10,000 Cultivators may enter. The entrance will close after a thousand breaths or when someone completes all challenges or after thirty-six hours, whichever comes first, and the Secret Realm will close.


    -


    "The Secret Realm has opened!"


    "It can hold up to 10,000 Cultivators!"


    The crowd that had already dispersed around the area suddenly let out bursts of excited shouts, many instinctively stepping forward, tempted by the prospect. What else had brought them to the far-flung, insignificant Fufeng City if not for this Secret Realm, for this opportunity?


    On the path of Cultivation, one must seize their own opportunities.


    But now¡­


    They hesitated to enter; the Secret Realm seemed to be filled with too many formidable entities this time, with one Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage having dozens of Self-Destruction Terms that could rival the might of a Golden Core, and another seemingly at Foundation Establishment level one, but who could easily kill five mid-Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the blink of an eye.


    The competitive pressure was somewhat intense.


    "On this path of Cultivation, to not advance is to die, let''s go!"


    As everyone hesitated, a middle-aged man from some clan bit his lip slightly and led a dozen or so junior family members, taking the first bold strides into the white vortex, disappearing by the side of the stream.


    And as he passed by Chen Qiu, he cast a wary glance, as if facing a formidable opponent.


    This left Chen Qiu feeling rather speechless.


    With no grudge or grievance, why would he want to fight with you? It''s such a waste of Spiritual Energy, isn''t it? That Spiritual Energy comes from Spirit Stones. Why look at him like that? If there''s no conflict of interest, why would he bother with you for no reason? S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If there is a conflict of interest¡­


    Then it''s the one with the bigger fist who gets to speak.


    Perhaps encouraged by this man''s example, the others who had been hesitating around him no longer wavered. Gritting their teeth, they braved entry into the Secret Realm, reasoning that since it was a trial-type realm, the mortality rate wouldn''t be high. As long as they didn''t run into a monster like Chen Qiu, they probably wouldn''t have any issues.


    As each person passed by Chen Qiu, they nodded solemnly at him, as if conveying some message.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu shook his head helplessly and then tucked the Storage Ring he had just picked from Ma Yinxue''s body into his chest. The Storage Ring had been bound by blood and his Spiritual Sense couldn''t break it; he would just need to find an Artifact Refiner to help him with it after getting out.


    He was also quite curious about the thing that caused plum blossoms to bloom with each step she took, whether it was a Spell or some Spiritual Treasure.


    "Fat Long, did we forget to ask those guys what kind of backing they had?"


    "Seems like it."


    "There couldn''t be someone coming for revenge, could there?"


    "Hard to say, considering there are so many witnesses here. Unless after entering the secret realm, we kill everyone without leaving a single survivor, that way no news would get out."


    No sooner had the voice faded away.


    A young man, who was just about to enter a secret realm nearby, felt a twitch in his ear and then without the slightest hesitation, channeled all his spiritual energy into his legs, activating his movement technique, and with the speed surpassing the thunder''s roar and faster than one could cover their ears, he shot off into the distance!


    Whoever loved that secret realm could go; as for himself, fuck that, he was not going!


    Such swift movement technique prompted many to exclaim in admiration.


    "Well, let''s just forget it."


    Chen Qiu shook his head, "There are nearly ten thousand people here, I don''t have that kind of ability to silence everyone here. Even if these people just stood there and let me kill them, I wouldn''t have enough spiritual energy."


    And at that moment¡ª


    The ground began to tremble faintly, and then they saw Zhao Yishi, towering like a heaven-reaching giant, slowly walking towards them. Stopping a few zhang away, he looked down at them and waved his hand as if signaling something.


    Shortly thereafter, a young man standing next to Zhao Yishi''s feet rushed over, handing over a sound transmission talisman and whispered, "Fellow daoist, Senior Brother Zhao would like to have a few words with you, if convenience allows?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the sound transmission talisman handed over by the young man before him and looked up at the towering giant, his lips twitching slightly in amusement. Being so tall was not without its drawbacks; to have a conversation with a normal person, it was necessary to use a sound transmission talisman.


    Otherwise, the distance of dozens of zhang would indeed make it hard to hear a normal voice clearly, and if one were to use spiritual energy to amplify their voice, then everyone would hear.


    After accepting the sound transmission talisman.


    He soon heard a muffled voice emanating from within.


    "Big brother, if there''s a chance later, I won''t compete with you for it, can you promise not to kill me?"


    "..."


    A trace of bemusement crossed Chen Qiu''s face as he raised his eyes towards the giant sword, over thirty zhang long, on the shoulder of the heaven-reaching giant. He felt a strong sense of incongruity. It wasn''t the weapon in your hand that you were talking about when you asked me not to kill you, was it?


    Are you really so sure you can''t defeat me?


    Are you that lacking in confidence?


    But to be honest, he wasn''t really keen on making an enemy of Zhao Yishi either. With such a large frame, even if Zhao stood still and let him attack, he''d have to waste a lot of spiritual energy, so he nodded in agreement right away.


    "Naturally, I''ve always favored peace."


    "Good, big brother, with your word I can rest assured."


    Then, the muffled voice continued from the sound transmission talisman, "You guys don''t need to follow me. Just wait outside. You few are too conspicuous and can easily give me away."


    The sect disciple who handed Chen Qiu the sound transmission talisman looked somewhat puzzled for a moment, looking up at the disciple behind him. Who the hell is conspicuous? With you standing there, who wouldn''t see you within tens of miles?


    You just watched someone else taking his share without paying the entrance fee, seeing it all from outside the city wall!


    But remembering the mission given to him by the sect master, the sect disciple was still anxious as he hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Zhao, the sect master said we should protect your safety. You are the hope and future of the sect. If anything happens to you, we can''t explain ourselves when we return."


    "Also... compared to you, Senior Brother Zhao, we really aren''t that noticeable."


    "No need to say so much."


    "If you don''t stay outside, I won''t go in."


    The several sect disciples exchanged glances, sighing helplessly, "Senior Brother Zhao, we''ll wait for you outside as you''ve instructed. Please be careful inside."


    "Your safety is the most important thing."

 Chapter 49

    Subsequently, Zhao Yishi, massive as a Heaven-reaching Giant, waved his hand at Chen Qiu, as if to greet him, and strode towards the White whirlpool not far away. To Zhao Yishi, that White whirlpool seemed no more than a pebble.With a step, Zhao Yishi entered it, vanishing on the spot amidst an incredibly discordant and eerie sensation.


    "Zhao Yishi?"


    Chen Qiu couldn''t help but shake his head and chuckle, "Indeed, an impressive name, suggesting a peerless and invincible aura."


    Yet he seemed to lack a trace of domineering presence, replaced instead by a thread of prudence¡ªwhether this was a ruse, Chen Qiu couldn''t tell.


    The "Pink Entry" is exceedingly rare, a kind of entry most unique. Almost all such entries possess the potential for infinite growth; as long as you live long enough, that entry will undoubtedly grow stronger over time.


    "..."


    The few Caotian Sect disciples standing there twitched their lips frantically without speaking. Years ago, the Sect Master had ventured out, discovering Zhao Yishi, who possessed a Pink Entry "Heaven-reaching Giant," and immediately abducted him back to the sect to take him as a True Disciple.


    Full of hope, they awaited Zhao Yishi''s leadership, under which the sect would return to its former glory!


    And they bestowed upon him the name "Zhao Batian."


    Later, as Zhao Yishi gradually matured, he forcefully changed his own name, believing that Zhao Batian was too arrogant and likely to affect his Qi Fortune. He chose Zhao Yishi instead, signifying the belief that one should be cautious in their single lifetime.


    It could be said that Zhao Yishi had become the sole hope of the Caotian Sect, which truly invested everything in nurturing him over the years.


    ...


    "Now that he''s entered, that''s good, that''s very good."


    "This child has been diligently cultivating in the back mountains all this time; there must have been a breakthrough."


    High above in the sky, a Divine Sense that could traverse thousands of miles sighed in satisfaction as it looked down. This Divine Sense appeared like a wisp of mist, but on closer inspection, one could feel the terrifying aura it emitted.


    Indeed, it belonged to a Golden Core expert.


    The master of this Divine Sense was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Caotian Sect, assigned to guard Zhao Yishi. Although Zhao Yishi was somewhat avoidant of battle, with his strength, no one in the Secret Realm could threaten his life.


    But since Zhao Yishi had become the near sole hope of the Caotian Sect, it was necessary for a Golden Core expert to guard him, to prevent assassination attempts from other sects on the way.


    Around this Golden Core Divine Sense floated three or four other similar presences.


    All were guarding some demon seed down below.


    There were unspoken rules among the various powers: Except in situations of dire emergency or doctrinal wars, Golden Core cultivators were not permitted to strike at cultivators of lower Cultivation from other forces; otherwise, mutual slaughter would leave no young talent in any power, only a bunch of old fellows.


    The continuance of a legacy relied mainly on the newcomers.


    Such guardianship by Golden Core experts was meant to prevent accidents. If someone with the backing of another power at the Golden Core level attacked one''s own demon seed, they would intervene to block the attack without taking lives.


    If the attacker''s backing lacked a Golden Core presence, they would be killed outright.


    However, it wasn''t feasible to rescue at every sign of danger; true demon seeds had to grow through fighting and tangling with death. Hence, even with Golden Core protection, many demon seeds died accidentally each year.


    Of course, a dead demon seed no longer bore that title.


    It simply meant that the effort and resources invested by their backing force had been in vain.


    Demon seeds with significant Qi Fortune returned from the brink of death each time with great rewards.


    ...


    Chen Qiu and his companion did not linger outside, stepping into the White whirlpool by the nearby stream. With a flash of White light before their eyes, when their vision finally restored, the first sight they beheld was an immensely magnificent ruined architecture.


    The ground underfoot was desolate and barren, while not far away was a small hill, atop which lay numerous majestic and huge structures, many of which were hundreds of feet tall, giving one the distinct feeling of being utterly insignificant.


    These buildings had clearly been abandoned for a long time; their walls were overgrown with climbing ivy and covered in moss. At first glance, the place seemed devoid of life, and in the dim light, dust wafting in the air contributed to an atmosphere of utter desolation.


    This was the small world within the Secret Realm.


    All the people who had entered the Secret Realm stood motionless. This was one of the Secret Realm''s rules: any cultivator who entered the Secret Realm would be bound in place by the Heavenly Dao''s power, unable to move.


    In this state, one could neither attack nor be harmed even if attacked.


    This was a protective rule.


    Only when the Secret Realm''s entrance closed would this Heavenly Dao restriction dissipate.


    Atop that hill, one could clearly see an immensely large Mountain Gate, on which were inscribed three sharp and forceful characters.


    Chao Tian Sect.


    Although the characters were covered in dust, one could still sense the keen Sword Intent emanating from them.


    It looked like the ruins of a sect after its destruction.


    Just then¡ª


    When everyone else was restrained in place, Zhao Yishi, who had entered the Secret Realm first, appeared to be completely unrestricted. He stood up and strode towards the hills, vanishing behind the Mountain Gate in the blink of an eye, no one knew where to.


    Suddenly, many people looked enviously at Zhao Yishi, certain that he must have the "Take the Initiative" entry, allowing him to ignore the bindings of the Heavenly Dao and move freely before the entrance to the Secret Realm was closed.


    This sect''s peak clearly had seen particularly glorious days in the past, possibly containing many ancient Pills, Spells, Spirit Grasses, and Spiritual Treasures within. Now, they couldn''t possibly all fall into Zhao Yishi''s hands, could they?


    Soon, thirty minutes passed.


    The entrance to the Secret Realm fully closed, and everyone could move freely, quickly breaking into several small groups that gathered together, watching their surroundings with wary expressions. Many eyes were particularly focused on Chen Qiu, fearing he might suddenly lash out.


    And a majestic yet hoarse voice sounded above the ruins of the entire sect.


    "To become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Chao Tian Sect, one must pass through four rounds."


    "The first round."


    "Severing Worldly Thoughts."


    "Upon entering the Mountain Gate, you will face the first round, where you must sever all ties and dependencies to the mundane world, to become a top Sword Cultivator that makes the world tremble at your name, the most important point being to have no weaknesses."


    "Family, spouses, and children are your weaknesses."


    "If you wish to become an Inner Sect Disciple, cut them away."


    ...


    "Family, spouses, children?"


    Chen Qiu''s expression turned complex as he spoke oddly, "I don''t have that stuff, Fat Long, do you?"


    "I might have had half of one a few sticks of incense ago, now there''s not even half left."


    Fat Long shrugged, "I''m just worried that if we really pass through four rounds, I might actually become an Inner Sect Disciple of this ''Chao Tian Sect.'' This sect isn''t recognized by the Heavenly Dao, right? I don''t want my panel to show I''m an Inner Sect Disciple of the Chao Tian Sect."


    "Becoming an Inner Sect Disciple of a sect that''s been extinct for who knows how many years would truly be too troublesome."


    "Moreover, just by looking at the content of the first round, this ''Chao Tian Sect'' doesn''t seem like any righteous sect."


    "That''s indeed true."


    Chen Qiu nodded earnestly, conceding the point, but something that puzzled him was why becoming an Inner Sect Disciple of the ''Chao Tian Sect'' only required passing four rounds? Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Didn''t the Secret Realm panel say to pass through seven rounds?


    But at this moment, there was no time to ponder these things, as he led Fat Long and followed the crowd along the mountain path towards the Mountain Gate to see what this so-called ''Chao Tian Sect'' was all about.


    It sounded a bit like the ''Caotian Sect.''


    The only difference being one mocked the Heavenly Dao, and the other submitted to the Heavenly Dao.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside a corner of the Mountain Gate.


    Zhao Yishi, free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao, had rushed into the Mountain Gate first and looked around anxiously before his expression turned to one of satisfaction as he faced an abandoned building a hundred zhang (a "zhang" is approximately 3.58 meters or 11.75 feet) tall not far ahead.


    He walked briskly into the corner and crouched down.


    With a serious face, his right hand formed a Taoist Technique and he whispered lowly, "Invisibility."


    The next moment!


    Zhao Yishi''s originally enormous body began to fade away right there; even with Divine Sense sweeping over, one could not detect anyone hidden here, except by colliding with what seemed like a wall of air.


    Hiding in the corner, a hint of smugness flashed across Zhao Yishi''s face.


    Feeling somewhat safe, he surveyed the interior of the building, which looked like a place for practice; however, the ground was covered in dust and appeared to have been in disrepair for a long time. He had arrived by stepping on a Qinglian (Green Lotus) and hadn''t left any footprints.


    His Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spell "Invisibility Technique" had been trained to Great Perfection through his diligent cultivation over these days. Unless one''s Cultivation was several realms higher than his, they wouldn''t dream of discovering him!


    It was just that the name of this sect was so similar to his own Sect''s name¡ªwhat a coincidence.


    But he was certain it was not the same lineage, as the ''Chao Tian Sect'' here was clearly a Sword Cultivation Sect, and his ''Caotian Sect'' was not a Sword Cultivation Sect.


    Besides, with its impoverished state, his sect couldn''t even nurture Sword Cultivators, and any Sword Cultivation heritage would be wasted on them.


    Better to sell the heritage and buy some demon beast meat to eat.

 Chapter 50

    Chen Qiu, accompanied by Fat Long, walked along the mountain path all the way to the Mountain Gate of Chao Tian Sect. Along the way, other cultivators entering the Secret Realm looked at each other cautiously. As a rule, "trial" type Secret Realms generally posed little danger to life.Just confidently take on your trial.


    But you can''t stand those who have itchy hands.


    They just have to stab you.


    Stepping through the Mountain Gate, what came into view was a vast expanse of ruins and magnificent buildings, covered in moss, while a decaying scent wafted through the air. Behind the Mountain Gate was a copper bell that stood ten zhang high.


    Etched upon the bell were lines filled with the Sword Intent of looking down upon the world.


    "The first round, sever worldly ties."


    "Pass this round, and you may become a menial Disciple of Chao Tian Sect; only then does the path of the Sword Cultivator truly begin."


    Not a speck of dust could be found near the copper bell, as if an invisible Barrier blocked the dust from falling. Clearly, as soon as one stepped into this Barrier, the first round should start smoothly.


    At this moment, people also gathered in front of the copper bell, exchanging gazes, each hesitating and none daring to be the first to step forward.


    The first one to eat the crab often reaps a bountiful harvest.


    But the first to eat the poisonous arrow pig probably won''t gain much.


    ...


    Chen Qiu wasn''t in a hurry either; he and Fat Long stood quietly in their spot, his gaze bypassing the copper bell to survey the ruins behind it. However, he did not see any traces of Zhao Yishi, indicating that Zhao Yishi had probably not entered this round yet but had instead gone to other places to search for treasures.


    At that moment¡ª


    Several cultivators also came to their senses, deciding to ignore this first round and spread out to other ruined buildings to see if they could scavenge some treasures. It seemed to be ruins of an Ancient Sect; it was impossible that there were no treasures at all.


    Even something like Spirit Grass of a hundred thousand years would be satisfying enough.


    "Let''s go!"


    Besides those cultivators who preferred to explore, there were still a great number of cultivators who felt that the rewards for passing the trials might be better. They watched a middle-aged man with a stern face and an imposing air stride decisively towards the copper bell.


    The moment he stepped into the range of the Barrier,


    the whole person suddenly appeared as though struck on the head by a blunt object, stunned on the spot. But after a breath''s time, he regained consciousness, his eyes had turned bloodshot, and his body trembled violently, obviously having gone through some unknown ordeal in a place invisible to the onlookers.


    The man did not speak but with bloodshot eyes, briskly walked past the copper bell towards the deeper parts of the ruined buildings.


    "I see."


    Fat Long nodded thoughtfully, "It seems like creating an illusion where you have to kill your loved ones, is that simple?"


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu spoke softly, "In the past, it probably was real, but after the sect''s decline, for some reason, it appeared again in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, so it probably turned into an illusion."


    After someone had shown the way,


    those who followed didn''t dawdle anymore.


    They stepped into the range of the Barrier one by one, and after a single breath, they successfully passed the round, but each person reacted differently. Some had bloodshot eyes, some shook uncontrollably, some bore ferocious faces, some showed neither sorrow nor joy, some were full of grief.


    Thousands of people, thousands of faces; it was nothing more than that.


    "Let''s go too."


    Without any further hesitation, Chen Qiu stepped into the range of the Copper Bell Barrier. He felt a jolt in his heart, and with a buzz in his mind, he found himself in a white space surrounded by clouds and mist, obscuring the distance.


    And standing before him was... Fat Long.


    "..."


    He was somewhat at a loss for words. Had they, failing to find his family and children, simply decided to use Fat Long, the one closest to him, as his Heart Demon instead?


    The Fat Long standing before him looked innocent, gazing at him with pitiable eyes, and said with his usual cautiousness, "Brother Qiu, where are we going next?"


    Just then¡ª


    A panel wrapped in mist slowly emerged beside Fat Long.


    Your adventure continues at empire


    ''This is your beloved kin and sworn brothers.''


    ''Together, you have slain demon beasts, cultivated, and fought side by side. He has accompanied you through many days and nights, and you both could confidently entrust your backs to each other.''


    ''To become a Sword Cultivator, you must first slay this man.''


    ''Can you bring yourself to do it?''


    "..."


    Chen Qiu sighed quietly, his view of the ancient Chao Tian Sect''s filter diminishing once more. It was no wonder it had declined; there were reasons after all. He shook his head, ignoring the innocent expression on Fat Long''s face, and casually cast three Thunder Summoning Techniques.


    Amidst the flickering of Thunder Light,


    Fat Long had turned into a charred skeleton, the air filled with the scent of scorched fat.


    The surrounding mist gradually dissipated, and everything returned to normal. But just as he was about to turn back to give Fat Long some instructions, he suddenly saw Fat Long standing outside the copper bell, his face incredulous, covered in bloody wounds, as he toppled backward.


    "Fat Long!"


    He couldn''t help but cry out in shock, rushing over, and at that moment, that hollow and ethereal voice echoed in his ears again.


    ''Cut through worldly attachments, enter the path of Sword Cultivation.'' S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''The Heart Demon you have slain in this round is not an illusion, but a physical manifestation. You have killed your own beloved kin by your own hand, and you now possess the qualifications to become a Sword Cultivator.''


    Chen Qiu, somewhat in disbelief, hurried to Fat Long''s side, and was just about to take some Healing Pills from his Storage Ring to feed to Fat Long, only to find that Fat Long had already breathed his last, without a trace of life.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd only glanced his way before moving on without pause, stepping confidently into the range of the Copper Bell Barrier.


    He finally understood why every person who had passed the round wore a face of sorrow; they must also know that what they had killed was not an illusion, but a physical manifestation, that their kin had truly been killed by their own hands.


    What kind of damned Sword Cultivation is this?!


    His face blank with confusion, he sat there holding Fat Long''s corpse in his arms, sitting on the ground and looking around, feeling somewhat dazed. There was no sorrow on his face, only a blankness of not knowing what to do next.


    His memory seemed to slip back to several days before.


    Fat Long had called out to him, snatching his pork head meat, and took him to the bamboo forest to give him a Potion that awakened his first entry in the Qi Refinement Realm, making Fat Long his guide. He had always been grateful to Fat Long.


    In the first Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, Fat Long had helped him severely injure numerous demon beasts, passing his Cultivation Progress on to him. It was truly Fat Long that had allowed his initial Cultivation Progress to advance so swiftly.


    But now...


    "..."


    After a long while, the sitting Chen Qiu sighed lightly. His lifeless eyes gradually regained their brightness, and after a long silence, he stood up and used the Thunder Summoning Technique to blast a large pit in the ground. He buried Fat Long''s body into it.


    Then he filled the pit back up.


    "You led me into the sect, and now I lay you to rest."


    "That''s not so bad."

 Chapter 51 Why Would Someone Like You Come to Chao Tian Sect?

    And just as Chen Qiu was about to get up¡ªThe scene before him suddenly began to change, and he found himself at the place where he had first met Fat Long, outside the gates of Fufeng City, surrounded by onlookers who were crammed around to watch the spectacle.


    "Fellow Daoist, please wait!"


    A familiar voice rang in his ears. Turning around, he saw Fat Long running toward him with his head bowed, as if he was afraid of letting anyone see his face.


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu glanced around with a slightly furrowed brow. Was this an illusion too, or a memory?


    Next to Fat Long, a panel enveloped in mist reappeared.


    "This is your beloved kin, siblings..."


    "Crack!"


    Before the panel could fully manifest, Chen Qiu''s long sword had already pierced through it, thrusting directly into the embrace of the unresistant Fat Long.


    He looked at Fat Long''s incredulous eyes and whispered softly, "I got carried away with my feelings just now and almost forgot¡ª you haven''t turned into a resentful spirit, how could you possibly be dead?"


    "It seems this illusion can only extract part of a person''s memories?"


    "Can''t see what a person''s entry is?"


    "It really is..."


    "Almost made me cry there."


    "And your illusion is too shoddy, as if it''s afraid people won''t notice it''s an illusion."


    As his words fell, the portly Fat Long suddenly started laughing, his face no longer showing disbelief and pain, as he looked meaningfully at Chen Qiu, "Turns out to be a promising sword cultivator."


    Simultaneously¡ª


    A panel wrapped in mist slowly emerged in front of Chen Qiu.


    "First round, Cutting Worldly Ties, completed."


    "Congratulations on successfully becoming a janitorial Disciple of Chao Tian Sect. This round tests the ability of disciples to maintain their true self in an illusion, with two ways to pass."


    "1: Verbally exposing the illusion."


    "2: Killing the target 99 times."


    "For passing this round, you are rewarded with a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment ''Revitalizing Pill'', which can effectively and quickly heal superficial injuries. Do not look back or communicate any information about this round with anyone else. Continue forward thirty paces, and the Alchemy Hall you see will be the second round."


    As the Fat Long before him quickly transformed into mist and dispersed, everything around him also vanished swiftly like smoke, and when his vision cleared, he found himself back inside the Copper Bell Barrier.


    A force controlled his body, preventing him from turning back or speaking.


    He had originally wanted to randomly kill a person to see if a resentful spirit would appear, thus confirming whether he was still in an illusion, but he eventually dismissed the idea and walked past the copper bell toward the Alchemy Hall thirty paces away.


    He would wait there for Fat Long.


    ...


    "Brother Qiu, Brother Qiu?!"


    Fat Long looked on in confusion as Chen Qiu grew further away, leaving only his silhouette behind. Just as Brother Qiu had stepped into the Copper Bell Barrier, he had frozen in place for a moment, then like everyone else, walked forward without looking back.


    It looked bizarre, could it be some kind of trap?


    Being naturally cautious, Fat Long glanced around and decided to temporarily avoid the copper bell. He planned to find Brother Qiu first. However, after taking a few steps, he realized that exploring the ruins near the copper bell was entirely possible.


    But if he wanted to get past the copper bell to explore the ruins behind it, a wall of air blocked his way.


    "Damn it..."


    Seeing his plan fail and unable to find an alternate route, Fat Long, noticing that Brother Qiu''s figure was about to vanish from sight, gritted his teeth and strode toward the Copper Bell Barrier. He wanted to see what was really going on!


    His heart also jolted as he found himself in a white space enveloped by clouds and mist.


    Not far off, Ma Yinxue, wearing a pink long dress with tear stains on her face, was sitting on the ground with her legs together, looking up with a trembling voice and said, "You''re so cruel, why did you have the heart to kill me just now?"


    "Luckily, the Chao Tian Sect saved me and preserved a Residual Soul. As soon as you break through to the Golden Core, you can reshape my body for me."


    Beside Ma Yinxue, a panel slowly emerged, enveloped in clouds and mist.


    "This is the love of your life, your ultimate pursuit."


    "You have spent many beautiful moments together, you''ve put a lot of effort into her, trying to bring stability even in times of chaos."


    "To become a Sword Cultivator, you must first slay this person."


    "Can you bring yourself to do it?"


    "..."


    Shocked and somewhat in disbelief, Fat Long looked at Ma Yinxue sitting on the ground, recognizing her familiar face and figure. He glanced around, swallowed, and muttered, "Is this what they call ''Severing Worldly Attachments''?"


    He subconsciously reached for his crotch and fumbled around.


    "It''s usable."


    He then couldn''t help but gradually beam with excitement, eyeing Ma Yinxue''s long, straight jade legs, his eyes filled with greed as he stepped closer, "There were too many people outside just now, didn''t feel it was appropriate. I thought I''d never have the chance again, but who knew such a good thing would happen."


    A tea time later.


    Looking at Ma Yinxue lying on the ground, her face full of humiliation and relief, Fat Long took a deep breath with satisfaction, "That was satisfying, a pity it can''t be used continuously; this is way more real than just imagining it in my head, and there''s physical sensation too, really nice."


    "But I need to go find Brother Qiu now, don''t want him to worry."


    "Sizzle!"


    Just as he was fastening his belt, Fat Long casually drew the long knife from his waist and plunged it into Ma Yinxue''s chest, just then the surrounding mist swirled and the scene shifted again.


    ...


    As Fat Long was fastening his belt, he looked around; he was in the same derelict thatched house just outside the town where he and Ma Yinxue had been staying. Hearing some noise outside, Ma Yinxue, wearing only a tube top, opened the door and looked at him with resentment, complaining.


    "You earn just a few dozen wen a day; when can we afford to live in the city?"


    "I met a sister in the city today; her man makes hundreds of wen a day, do you realize how embarrassed you make me feel outside?"


    "..."


    Fat Long blankly glanced around, then realized that this was his fourth day after having crossed over. He remembered he used to hand over all the money he earned each day to Ma Yinxue for safekeeping, to later purchase potions for Qi Refinement breakthroughs. But today, Ma Yinxue had spent all the money in the city, not leaving a single penny.


    She bought quite a lot of pork head meat and liquor dishes, thinking since it''s spent, might as well improve the meal. But she had eaten it all before he got back, and while that was okay, when he found out that there had been a few coins left in her pocket after buying these things and she had given it all away to beggars at the city gate, he had exploded in anger.


    If he remembered correctly, they had had a fierce argument today.


    "Of course."


    That was before, but as for now.


    Fat Long sighed helplessly, his hands that had been tying his belt suddenly stopped, "You should have told me earlier. If I had known this was coming, why would I bother tying my belt?"


    He looked up and smiled again at Ma Yinxue, who was chattering at the door.


    "Here it comes."


    ...


    Another moment passed, and the scene changed again.


    "Hey."


    ...


    The scene changed again.


    "I like this scene.


    Explore more stories with empire


    ...


    Change.


    "Might as well throw the belt away, no chance to tie it anyway."


    ...


    It was the ninety-ninth time when Fat Long and Ma Yinxue, under the watchful eyes of a slow-moving crowd on the stage, shared a room. The always grieving Ma Yinxue suddenly became expressionless and silent, then she looked up at Fat Long on her and said word by word.


    "Don''t you know this is an illusion?"


    "I know."


    "Then why didn''t you say it?"


    "Say what?"


    "Say that this is an illusion."


    "That''s for later. I wasn''t done enjoying myself."


    "Huh?" Suddenly realizing that Ma Yinxue was talking to him, Fat Long, somewhat incredulously looking at her beneath him, then slapped his butt more excitedly.


    "Call me daddy!"


    "Get lost!"


    Ma Yinxue, with a cold wave of her sleeve, unleashed her Spiritual Energy which sent Fat Long flying off the stage; she then stood up, adjusted her clothes expressionlessly, and said, "Absolutely ridiculous. Why would someone like you come to Chao Tian Sect? If you had gone to Joyful Union Sect, at least you''d be a True Disciple."


    "You passed the first round irregularly, but I must tell you, I look down on your kind..."


    Before she could finish.


    "Hey."


    Fat Long, thrown off the stage, shook his head and sneered as he stood up, "Starting to fight, are we?"


    "Let''s go!"


    At that moment, Fat Long slightly rubbed his fingers together and in the blink of an eye, dozens of talismans equivalent to a full-strength hit at the Foundation Establishment level appeared at his fingertips. He tossed them all at Ma Yinxue on the stage before he excitedly pulled out the "Dragon Slayer" long knife and charged up onto the stage.


    A few moments later.


    Ma Yinxue lay on the ground, her face filled with grief and despair, pain etched into her features as tears slowly slid from the corners of her closed eyes.


    ...


    After another moment.


    "Phew."


    Only then did Fat Long stand up satisfied, withdrawing his knife to kill Ma Yinxue lying on the ground. Just as he was preparing for the next scene, he suddenly realized he had returned to the copper bell.


    And a panel enshrouded in mist slowly emerged in front of him.


    "First round, Severing Worldly Ties, cleared."


    "Congratulations on successfully becoming a chore disciple of Chao Tian Sect. This round assessed the disciple''s ability to maintain their own heart in an illusion. There were two ways to clear the round."


    "1: Verbalize and expose the illusion."


    "2: Kill the target 99 times."


    "So, just kill 99 times to clear."


    Fat Long calculated, "That just makes it, I could have cleared it with my abilities alone, yet they had to make me clear it irregularly ahead of time. It''s so embarrassing, it makes me look like I took a shortcut."


    He shook his head and didn''t bother with it anymore, walking straight past the copper bell. He needed to catch up with Brother Qiu quickly to keep him from worrying, thankful that regardless of how long he stayed inside, only a moment passed outside; otherwise, he wouldn''t waste his time in there. He''d figured this out after entering and regaining consciousness after everyone took a breather, and not a single talisman from his Storage Ring was missing, proving talismans could not be used for real in the illusion.


    What Fat Long didn''t notice was.


    After he left, the copper bell that had been emitting a faint milky white light suddenly dimmed completely, and those who cleared the stage after him were also confusedly looking at each other with puzzled expressions.


    "Why did I just step into the range of the copper bell, nothing happened, and I was instantly notified I had cleared?"


    "Me too, wasn''t it supposed to be Severing Worldly Ties? I was all mentally prepared, and nothing happened." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Wasn''t it said that you get a fixed reward for clearing each round? Why didn''t I get any rewards, did you guys get any?"


    "People stepping into the bell''s range earlier would be absentminded for a moment, but why did nothing happen with us?"


    ...


    "Has it come?"


    Standing outside the Alchemy Hall for the second round, Chen Qiu, looking toward Fat Long running his way, asked softly, "You okay? The first round didn''t leave you with any psychological trauma, did it?"


    Like him, Fat Long had no parents. Most likely, his target in the Worldly Ties was Chen Qiu.


    Having to kill him by his own hands probably left some psychological scarring on Fat Long, especially after the first time he killed him and realized it was indeed him he had killed, there might have been some pain.


    "Uh..."


    A bit awkwardly, Fat Long shifted his gaze and whispered hesitantly, "All good... quite thrilling actually."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s expression darkened gradually, and after a long silence, he finally said softly, "Once we''re out, we should have a chance to spar a bit."


    "Help you gain some combat experience."

 Chapter 52 Its getting dark again.

    "It''s okay, let''s talk outside."Chen Qiu''s expression remained calm as he shifted his gaze from Fat Long and glanced towards the few lines of text carved onto the pillar at the entrance of the Alchemy Hall.


    ''The second round, beheading the cowardly.''


    ''Pass this round, and you may become an outer sect disciple of the Chao Tian Sect.'' S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Inside the Alchemy Hall, it seemed as though it was shrouded in a barrier. The ground was spotless; the moment one stepped through the entrance of the Alchemy Hall, the trial of the second round would officially begin.


    Many people had already gone inside, but quite a few had met with failure.


    The difficulty seemed to have risen a notch from the first round, unlike the first round''s crude illusions, which practically everyone could pass with ease, as the illusions didn''t block their memories and everyone knew they were in an illusion, hence they could proceed without hesitation.


    Had it been an illusion which blocked your memories, making you unaware of why you found yourself there, the number of people passing the round would have been far fewer.


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu looked at the group inside the Alchemy Hall, straining with twisted expressions as they struggled to walk due to the gravity, which was several times stronger inside this special area. The further one went, the stronger the gravity became, making it increasingly difficult to move.


    One only needed to reach the Pill Furnace at the center of the Alchemy Hall to pass the trial, but retreating even a single step meant failure, at which point the gravity would rapidly dissipate, thereby forcibly ejecting the individual from the Alchemy Hall.


    "Oh, right."


    Fat Long nodded, hurriedly following along but with a slight sense of unease in his heart. Although what happened in the illusion couldn''t be projected into reality and was all fake, his legs still seemed to feel a bit wobbly.


    They were shaking with nervousness.


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Near the ruins of an abandoned building close to the first round, Zhao Yishi was hiding in a corner, observing the outside through a broken hole in the wall, cautiously remaining hidden, trying not to draw any attention.


    It seemed the first round wasn''t very dangerous, as practically everyone had passed.


    Moreover, the evil entity hadn''t gone on a sudden killing spree.


    He planned to wait until no one was around and then go to the first round. Following behind others and picking up what they missed wasn''t very rewarding, but it was certainly safer.


    While feces might not be as tasty as red mushrooms in the wild, at least one could be certain they were absolutely non-toxic.


    Precedent had verified it; anything toxic wouldn''t have had the chance to be excreted.


    Just then, a few young cultivators who hadn''t managed to pass the first round were huddling together, feeling their way around near the first round. Soon they found their way into this grand yet decrepit hall.


    Only those who had passed the first round could explore the ruins around the second round; otherwise, a barrier would block your path. If one failed the first round, they could only explore the ruins near the first round.


    Feeling a slight pain, Zhao Yishi looked down.


    Right then, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator was prodding at his big toe with a long sword: "Hey, look, it seems like there''s an unknown barrier here, invisible, but you can definitely feel something."


    "But it doesn''t feel as solid as a barrier, more like a partially abandoned one."


    "Do you guys think there might be a small world or something similar sealed behind this barrier? I''ve always heard that the treasures of ancient sects are hidden inside small worlds!"


    "That makes sense!"


    The cultivators'' eyes lit up, and they simultaneously took out their flying swords and began attacking this invisible yet tangible barrier, having no opportunity to move on to the second round. They had searched near the first round for a long time and found nothing, and unexpectedly here they had stumbled upon something that looked like a treasure might be concealed!


    Several breaths later. Stay connected with empire


    A Heaven-reaching Giant huddled in a corner slowly unwrapped his Invisibility Technique, expressionlessly rose to his feet, and looked down at the few "little ants" below, saying dispassionately, "Crazy, like a sickness."


    Then he strode out of the great hall and headed toward the first round. By this time, there weren''t many people left at the first round¡ªit was his turn to enter the stage.


    ...


    Fufeng City, inside a certain tea house.


    The scholar, seated cross-legged in the corner of the hall, looked intoxicated and transfixed as he stared at the cup of tea in his hands, his ears quivering as he listened intently to the storyteller on stage narrating the tale of a once-great hero.


    "Hey!"


    The storyteller struck the gong, exciting everyone''s anticipation, and then chuckled, "The character I was just talking about¡ªyou folks must have heard of him before!"


    "He is none other than the once leading Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!"


    "The White-clothed Sword Cultivator!"


    "A young man in his prime is naturally full of arrogance, but he never considered that his last blunder would be meddling with someone he shouldn''t have, which ultimately lead to the disappearance of the name ''Bai Yi'' from Da Xia. The story, however, starts from the very beginning, so listen closely as I recount it slowly..."


    "Brother..."


    The burly man with a tufted beard beside the scholar looked excited as he leaned in and shook the scholar''s head vigorously, gesturing for him to listen attentively.


    These past years, on days when his brother had nothing else to do, he would drag him to the tea house to listen to the storyteller, knowing full well his brother didn''t really like these stories. But the only reason his brother came so often was in the hope of hearing his own tale recounted from the storyteller''s lips.


    Unfortunately, those storytellers would only speak of the recently famous; those were the tales people liked to hear.


    No one spoke of the ones who had faded from glory, and no one listened.


    Finally hearing his own name mentioned by the storyteller, he knew his brother must be thrilled.


    After finishing the tea with one gulp, the scholar shrugged off his brother''s hand and said impatiently, "Back when I was famous, there were plenty of storytellers who talked about me. I got tired of hearing it. Don''t act like such a disgrace."


    However, at that moment¡ª


    A middle-aged man in the audience suddenly waved dismissively and said, "Can we get someone else to tell the story? How can someone who''s been dead for so many years still be called the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia? If he really were the top Sword Cultivator, would he have died so easily?"


    "Just a lucky piece of trash, wasn''t he; still ended up being chased and running away like a dog."


    "..."


    The scholar was about to pour himself more tea when his hand suddenly stopped, and he turned his head to look at the man who had waved dismissively, remaining silent and expressionless.


    "Bro!"


    At that moment, the burly bearded man pressed down on the scholar''s right hand and urged sternly, "You''ve just taken the Heavenly Dao Jade, and the hidden poison in your body has barely been cleared away; you''re still in the recovery phase. You absolutely mustn''t start a fight now¡ªif your spiritual energy becomes chaotic, you won''t live long!"


    "Hmm."


    The scholar nodded, the green blade in his sleeve quivering slightly. After a long moment, he exhaled gently and patted his brother''s shoulder, signaling for him to carry him out of the place. The storyteller on stage, under the audience''s scorn, had already switched to another character.


    Not just any character.


    It was the coming-of-age story of the current top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    Outside the tea house.


    The sky, just like the past few days, was engulfed by thousands of miles of dark clouds pressing down like a lid, covering the entire sky, leaving almost no trace of sunlight, creating an oppressive atmosphere yet filled with a sense of freedom.


    The day had darkened again.

 Chapter 53

    "Beast!!!"Meanwhile, in a courtyard within Fufeng City, a middle-aged man stood under the dark clouds with an enraged expression, brandishing a knife at a young man kneeling before him, drenched in blood, and shouted angrily, "What? If I don''t pass the position of Family Head to you, will you kill your old man?"


    "How could you be so heartless as to raise your hand against your own father!"


    "Deceiving me, all of you deceive me..."


    The young man kneeling on the ground, covered in blood, had already fallen into a state of despair. The few hired thugs from his family that he had gathered were now all lying in pools of blood, and he himself was at the end of his tether.


    His greatest confidence was his demon cultivation master.


    The master had told him to act as he pleased, assuring him that he was in Fufeng City and that he would arrive within a hundred breaths upon being contacted via a Sound Transmission Talisman.


    That was his confidence.


    But now, thousands of breaths had passed, even approaching ten thousand, and he hadn''t seen so much as a shadow of his demon cultivation master. There was no response from the Sound Transmission Talisman; he didn''t know where the hell his master had died!!!


    Bitter resentment surged in the young man''s heart.


    "Ah!!!"


    Under the weight of collapse, the young man forced himself up with the tip of his knife, standing shakily in place with a ferocious expression, pointing the blade directly at his father: "Old beast, at your age you still can''t control what''s below your waist, what right do you have to lecture me?"


    "A man destined for great things can never be captivated by a woman."


    "Especially not by such a worn-out shoe trampled by thousands!"


    "Although I die, I do so unresigned!"


    With those words falling.


    He still looked hopefully toward the top of the courtyard wall, wishing to see his master in red robes with long hair, who was harsh yet kind and expectant, appear on the wall to support him. But after waiting for several breaths, there was still no sign of his master.


    "Forget it."


    With a bitter laugh, the young man looked toward his father not far away: "Don''t be in a hurry, you won''t live much longer. I''ll be waiting for you down below."


    Then, without a moment''s hesitation, he placed the knife blade on his own neck and violently stabbed.


    His gaze gradually became vacant as his body softened, falling heavily backward onto the ground.


    "Thud."


    Seeing his own son die before his eyes, the middle-aged man, whose expression was still angry, suddenly felt a pain in his heart, a flash of complexity in his eyes. He sheathed his blade, took big strides toward his son''s body, knelt down to pick up his body to prepare for burial.


    But just as he approached.


    The young man lying on the ground suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light bursting forth, and the blade in his hand stabbed violently, piercing his father''s neck without the slightest bit of mercy. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He stirred rapidly, and soon a blood hole as large as a fist appeared in his father''s neck.


    ...


    "Huff."


    The young man slowly got up, casually took out a handkerchief from his bosom to cover his neck, staunching the blood, then after taking several Healing Pills, he glanced at his father now lying in a pool of blood. He struck his father with a dozen more knife blows,


    Before raising his head to look at the beautiful yet scared rigid stepmother standing not far away and started to smile grimly.


    "Stepmother."


    "You seem a bit frightened."


    "Don''t be afraid, remember, from today onwards, I no longer bear the surname Chen."


    "My name is Qi Tian."


    "Kneel and crawl over here, and I''ll spare you."


    The attractive woman standing not far away, biting her lip, forcibly suppressed her terror and, in a humiliating fashion, knelt on the ground, trembling as she slowly crawled toward Qi Tian standing in the center of the courtyard.


    "Good."


    Qi Tian chuckled lightly as he stroked the head of his stepmother kneeling before him, his fingers invading her mouth, brutally stirring for a while before forcefully tilting her head back, murmuring,


    "Within three years, I want everyone within a thousand miles of Fufeng City to know the name Qi Tian."


    Experience tales at empire


    "To leave a mark upon this world, you have to be either gloriously renowned or utterly infamous."


    "What do you think, Stepmother?"


    ...


    "One step, two steps..."


    At this moment in the Alchemy Hall of the second round within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, Chen Qiu was moving slowly and with great difficulty. This second round was more challenging than he had anticipated; he even felt like his bones were creaking and on the verge of falling apart.


    Each step was excruciatingly difficult.


    Moreover, there were no tricks to this round. The gravity each person faced was different, tailored specifically to them, not more or less, but just enough to exceed their tolerance. One had to break through within their capacity in order to pass this second round.


    This round tested perseverance and resilience.


    Just then¡ª


    Chen Qiu saw Fat Long not far away, moving at a swift pace and nearly reaching the central Alchemy Furnace within the hall. Fat Long lay flat on the ground, inching forward like a maggot, using his hands, feet, and belly together to wriggle onward.


    Although the technique looked rather ungraceful, his speed was quite fast.


    Other people around started copying him, lying on the ground and wriggling like maggots toward the central Alchemy Furnace of the Alchemy Hall. For a moment, only Chen Qiu and a few others remained standing in place.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu stood still and fell silent for a short while but ultimately chose not to imitate this method of advancement. He continued moving slowly but steadily towards the Alchemy Furnace, feeling that he could still hold on. If he truly couldn''t go on later, he would resort to that method.


    There was no time limit in this round anyway, so being a bit slower was not an issue.


    His resilience was still quite good.


    After all, he was someone who had once chopped wood for twenty-nine days straight without a single day of rest. Even so, when he was only a short distance from the Alchemy Furnace, he found himself unable to take another step.


    At that moment, he felt as though a mountain was pressing down on his back, almost bending him double.


    Chen Qiu let out a soft sigh, and in the end, he had to admit that he indeed could not reach the Alchemy Furnace. However, he had just thought of a possible clever method.


    With a wave of his hand¡ª


    Nearly a hundred vengeful spirits of the Human Face Spider appeared beside him. Then, these numerous creatures spun webs that interlinked them together, pooling their strength. He stood on the back of this giant Human Face Spider formation, and as they moved, he slowly progressed towards the Alchemy Furnace.


    The pace was still slow, but much faster than if he had gone by himself.


    The gravity affected these Human Face Spiders too, and occasionally one would explode and perish, but he had so many vengeful spirits at his disposal that he could easily replenish them. In this way, he even reached the Alchemy Furnace a step faster than Fat Long.


    The panel, shrouded in mist, slowly popped up before him.


    "Second round, ''Cutting Art'', pass."


    "Congratulations on successfully becoming an Outer Sect Disciple of the Chao Tian Sect. This round tested disciples'' resilience when faced with adversity. There are two ways to pass."


    "1: Stand firm without kneeling, demonstrating the talent of a Sword Cultivator."


    "2: Move while prostrate, showing an active mind, suitable for specializing in Alchemy, Formation, or Artifact Refining."


    "For passing this round, you are rewarded with three Mid-grade Foundation Establishment ''Qi Replenishing Pills'' that can quickly replenish your internal Spiritual Energy. The Martial Arts Hall you see upon walking a hundred paces is the third round."


    "Outer Sect Disciple?"


    Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering in silence without speaking. After passing the fourth round, he would be an Inner Sect Disciple. The Heavenly Dao Secret Realm mainly has seven rounds, so if he cleared them all, wouldn''t he directly become the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect?


    Moreover, the standards of this ancient sect for selecting disciples seemed somewhat low. If the trials were all of this level, wouldn''t the Outer Sect Disciples of the Chao Tian Sect be as numerous as the hairs on a bull?


    "Tsk."


    Fat Long, who had also passed the round and came to Chen Qiu''s side, looked at the panel that popped up and couldn''t help but purse his lips: "I finally understand why this ''Chao Tian Sect'' was destroyed. It''s because of their insistence on not kneeling."


    "A person will eventually die if they are not afraid of death."


    "That''s the truth."


    "I''ve said it before, a person who firmly believes that they will become a dominant force in the future won''t feel humiliated for kneeling in the past. Refusing to be flexible and insisting on not kneeling, no wonder the sect was destroyed."


    "Surely not all Sword Cultivators can be so obstinate, right?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long with a calm expression: "Since we''ve known each other, you''ve already said that three times now."


    "Have I?"


    "You have."

 Chapter 54 Top Grade Foundation Establishment Earth Fire Pill

    Up until now, fewer than a thousand people have passed the second level. Most were still struggling in the gravity field of the Alchemy Hall, with many showing blood at the corners of their mouths, clearly at the end of their strength.Even Body Cultivators had no advantage in this challenge.


    The intensity of the gravity varied from person to person.


    Meanwhile, many who had already passed were heading towards the third level. The rewards for the first two levels had been quite ordinary, but a Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Secret Realm definitely did not limit its rewards to just these, which meant that the better treasures were further on.


    Just as expected¡ª Continue reading at empire


    When a group arrived at the Martial Arts Hall, the site of the third level, they saw a line of characters carved on the towering doors of the hall.


    "The Third Level, Heart Demon Slayer."


    "Pass this level, and you may become a candidate for the Inner Sect of Chao Tian Sect."


    "And will receive an ''Earth Fire Pill'' of superior Foundation Establishment grade."


    "An Earth Fire Pill?!"


    Seeing the words carved on the door, many in the crowd exclaimed in shock.


    "I''ve read about this in ancient texts. It is said that this pill, belonging to several versions of Heavenly Dao ago, has the effect of possibly creating an ''Earth Fire Dao Foundation'' if taken before Foundation Establishment. This type of Dao Foundation is extremely suitable for Magic Practitioners, and using the spell ''One Flame Thousand Miles'' with this Dao Foundation would greatly enhance its power!"


    "I''ve seen it too, but it was my master who forced me to read about it, afraid that I wouldn''t recognize treasures when I encountered them during my travels. However, it is said to have been lost for a long time, not seen for ages, and I didn''t expect to see it here today."


    "Although it''s a superior Foundation Establishment grade pill, its effects far surpass those of ordinary superior Foundation Establishment grade pills. Just this one pill, if brought to market now, would be worth at least 1000 Spirit Stones, right?!"


    "I think it could even be higher, after all, that''s an Earth Fire Dao Foundation!"


    ...


    Standing in place, Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, listening to the discussions around him, he realized distinctly what set him apart from those Sect Disciples¡ªthose people could systematically study many theoretical subjects, including such ancient, lost pills, and discuss them freely.


    Yet, he had never even heard of the Earth Fire Pill.


    Once out, he planned to see where he could find some ancient texts and related books outside of joining a sect, to make up for his lack of theoretical knowledge.


    But in those recent conversations,


    there was one point that intrigued him more. He turned his head toward Fat Long and whispered, "What does ''Heavenly Dao version'' mean?"


    "I don''t know either,"


    Fat Long murmured somewhat blankly, "But it sounds a bit like some kind of game update, what''s the deal, does it mean this world gets a Heavenly Dao version update every so often, adding and deleting content?"


    "At least as long as I''ve been here, I''ve never heard anyone mention this, which means the last Heavenly Dao version update must have been at least a few hundred years ago. Many have forgotten about it. When I get out, I''ll look into what this Heavenly Dao version actually is."


    Perhaps it was the allure of the Earth Fire Pill.


    Many couldn''t hide their greed and strode towards the Martial Arts Hall, only to be stopped by a barrier at the entrance. They exchanged glances, many guessing that this level would only open once all those who had passed the second level had arrived.


    They could only subdue their greed and excitement, forcing themselves to calm down and sit cross-legged on the spot to restore their Spiritual Energy.


    A fierce battle was inevitable.


    The main reason no one vied for the first two levels was that their rewards were too meager, not worth risking their lives for; but the Earth Fire Pill was different¡ªit was a pill produced only by the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm during the Ancient Era!


    No one could manufacture it!


    "Take one out, and there''s one less!"


    Due to its rare properties, the price would likely double, even though they no longer needed it for Foundation Establishment. Still, that didn''t stop them from trading it for Spirit Stones, which they could use either for cultivation or to purchase top-tier Spiritual Treasures, significantly enhancing their combat abilities!


    Many already began to emit uncontrollable murderous intent, clenching their teeth and trembling slightly on their lips.


    In such times, even if you were a person who loved peace, you could only pick up the butcher''s knife and act as though you couldn''t wait any longer.


    Show even a hint of fear,


    and you''d be marked as a target for the cowards.


    Once many had marked you as a target for cowards, and if you still managed to successfully pass the third level, there wouldn''t be just one butcher''s knife falling on the back of your head.


    Many cultivators, not very high in Cultivation but who just came to try their luck, also gradually sensed the killing intent in the air, slowly rising, silently stepping back, moving to one side of the ruins of the third level, and hiding.


    Nobody went after them; at this time, Spiritual Energy was not to be wasted in the slightest.


    ...


    "Nice stuff..."


    Chen Qiu murmured with a complex expression, "It really does make one envious. Such rewards for just the third level, what about the fifth or sixth? Or even the seventh?"


    Finally¡ª


    When a Heaven-reaching Giant bent down and walked out from behind the crowd in the Alchemy Hall, the Barrier on the door of the Martial Arts Hall slowly faded, and the third level officially began! S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Everyone''s here."


    Zhao Yishi stood still, looking down at these people who seemed as small as ants, feeling the impulse to strip off his clothing as he caught everyone''s gaze shifting towards him, but realizing they weren''t there to fight, he slightly relaxed.


    Before leaving the sect,


    the Sect Master had specifically instructed him that, even if the sky were falling, to at least strip off his clothes before fighting.


    Talking about how the cost of making him a suit of clothes was comparable to outfitting all sect disciples with sect robes for over a decade. He wasn''t sure if the Sect Master was exaggerating, but he knew every time he destroyed his clothes in the past, the Sect Master always seemed very angry and upset, cursing profusely.


    A Sect Master of a renowned immortal sect.


    How could he speak so foully?


    He was puzzled by it.


    ...


    Chen Qiu glanced at Zhao Yishi standing behind him, smiled, and gestured him to enter the Martial Arts Hall together, then led Fat Long into the hall first.


    This third level was named Heart Demon Slayer, obviously similar to levels like Heart Demon challenges.


    It might be another illusion.


    Only after entering the Martial Arts Hall was it discovered that inside, a hundred large fighting rings were neatly arranged, and at that moment, each ring flickered with light, clearly signaling for people to step forward.


    All who had passed the second level were already here, about 8000 people in total.


    The second level had eliminated a whopping 2000-plus people.


    This elimination ratio was higher than expected. Logically, the second level wasn''t that difficult, but stubborn injuries plagued some contestants. Forcing their way through would only result in their bodies exploding in death. Lying down was also futile, leaving them no choice but to give up and withdraw.

 Chapter 55

    And at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, several lines of text were carved into the ground in a crimson color, exuding an imposing aura."The third challenge, Sever the Heart."


    "Each stage can hold 20 Disciples, with the one facing south at noon starting off by talking about the most unique thing they have ever done, which could be true or false."


    "The stories cannot relate to age, gender, specific parts of the body, Cultivation Technique names, mental method names, or similar matters, and each story can only be told once without repetition."


    "After the previous Disciple has finished speaking, if the next one suspects that the previous Disciple is lying, they can call out the falsehood. If the judgement is correct, the other party is eliminated; if it''s mistaken, they themselves are out."


    "If unable to judge whether the other party is lying, one can skip this process. The next statement must build on what the previous Disciple said, adding their own story for the next Disciple to judge, and so on."


    "For example, if the previous Disciple said ''I have saved a person,'' the next Disciple must add to it with their own story, saying ''I have saved a person, and I have also killed someone.''"


    "When only one Disciple remains on the stage, that Disciple is the winner and will receive the victory reward."


    ...


    People did not rush into the Martial Arts Hall immediately; instead, they stood at the entrance of the hall and carefully committed the words carved into the ground to memory before exchanging glances with each other. In almost an instant, many hurried toward the various stages to secure a spot.


    The rules were clear.


    Only one person on each stage could win a reward.


    Naturally, one had to avoid competing against fellow sect members to avoid confrontation.


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long bid each other a hasty farewell and ran toward different stages.


    Some cultivators from the same family had their eyes light up and activated their movement techniques, dashing toward the stages at the far end. Their idea was simple: if they could occupy a stage entirely, it didn''t matter who won in the end¡ªthe Pill would definitely end up in their family''s hands.


    However...


    They were not the only ones with this idea.


    "Get lost!!!"


    A Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator, with an expression ravaged by time, glared at the other family cultivators running shoulder to shoulder with him toward the distant stage, his eyes filled with ferocity. Spiritual Energy surged into his left palm, and he swung with all his might!


    Although this attack did not use any Cultivation Technique, it was purely a Spiritual Energy assault.


    But if it hit, the impact was not to be underestimated.


    His strike was not intended to injure or kill, but simply to repel the others, to deter them from fighting over the spot with him. The force wasn''t tremendous, but it was energy-saving to deal with the chaos likely to ensue.


    However¡ª


    Just as he unleashed his attack, before he could accelerate further, a tremendous oppressive force suddenly descended from the sky of the Martial Arts Hall. Countless Array Patterns on the ceiling emerged and flickered wildly, and then, as the Foundation Establishment Cultivator looked on in terror, a bolt of Thunder as thick as a bucket struck down.


    Instantly turned into a pile of ashes.


    The other cultivators, who had been ready to fight for a position, all twitched at this spectacle. The Spiritual Energy that had been gathering in their palms forcibly reversed flow back into their Dantians, causing blood to ooze from the corners of their mouths¡ªobviously, they''d been internally injured.


    The reason was simple, backlash from Spiritual Energy.


    Naturally, it could cause internal injuries.


    All at once, the atmosphere in the Martial Arts Hall, which was on the verge of chaos, quieted down. People began to compete quietly with their movement technique speeds. Once the stages were full, they waited patiently on the sidelines, in no rush.


    ...


    "Big Brother, I just thought of something. Why are we rushing for the first round?"


    "There are nearly 8,000 people here and only 100 stages, 20 to a group, so it''s definitely going to take several rounds to finish. If we go last, there are bound to be many empty stages for us to choose from."


    "By then, wouldn''t it guarantee our family gets an Earth Fire Pill?"


    "Hmm, if you had shared your insight before Big Brother was struck by lightning, that would''ve been better. And I''m Second Brother, not Big Brother. You''ve got the wrong person," said the middle-aged man with a complex expression, looking at the pile of black ashes at his feet, unsure of what to say. Enjoy new chapters from empire


    "Old Big Brother is dead, now you''re Big Brother."


    "That makes sense."


    ...


    "Phew..."


    Fat Long had already taken his seat on cushion number 18 in the martial arts hall, looking at the other 19 cushions where cultivators were already sitting cross-legged with serious expressions. He shrunk his head timidly, trying to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible.


    He was a bit socially anxious.


    He didn''t like places with lots of people.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu had taken his seat on cushion number 19. His hundred resentful spirits, summoned earlier, were still present since their hour had not yet passed, lying quietly under the martial arts platform, looking just like a group of spectators.


    Consequently, their platform was the coldest in the entire martial arts hall.


    Chillingly cold.


    One must say, if this entry were to be used to keep cool during summer, it would probably be quite effective.


    As a barrier slowly rose around the platform, enclosing it, the third challenge officially began¡ªstarting with the disciple stationed at high noon taking the lead to speak, given only three breaths'' time to think.


    Anyone who failed to make a decision within three breaths would be automatically eliminated.


    "I..."


    This was a rather young man, dressed in lavish clothes, clearly a young master from some family. After contemplating for a moment, he spoke hoarsely, "I have eaten a meal!"


    Then, the young man turned to look at the disciple seated below him.


    This was almost a perfect beginning; this challenge resembled something like a game of idiom solitaire, except it tested your life experiences rather than vocabulary. His statement was clearly true, leaving no room for doubt for the next disciple.


    And the next disciple quickly followed up.


    "I have eaten a meal, and I have also killed a man."


    For a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, having killed was quite normal.


    The third disciple had no cause for doubt and smoothly continued, "I have eaten a meal, and I have also killed a man, and I have even eaten shit."


    As soon as he finished speaking,


    the fourth disciple seated cross-legged on his cushion began to twitch at the corners of his mouth uncontrollably, feeling as if his scalp was about to explode!


    There were only two options before him now!


    1: Challenge the claim, but if it turned out to be true, he''d be eliminated.


    2: Don''t challenge it, and continue the narrative, but the problem was, he had never eaten shit, and if the disciple below him were to challenge his claim, he''d be out of the game.


    Dammit...


    The previous disciple had spoken so smoothly; it was clear as day that he bloody well had eaten it!


    The disciple took a deep breath, trying to keep his expression as calm as possible, and said indifferantly, "I have eaten a meal, and I have also killed a man, and I have eaten shit, and I have bought a talisman."


    At this moment, the disciple below him turned his head to look at the man who had just spoken, and gave a sly laugh.


    "I don''t believe you."


    As soon as those words were out,


    a soft yet powerful surge of Formation energy suddenly appeared on the platform, pushing the previous speaker off the platform and signalling his official elimination, meaning the first round had ended and the second round had officially begun.


    The first to speak in the second round was the one who had just raised the challenge.


    After pondering for a moment, the disciple began anew, "I have watched my young auntie take a bath." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then he looked provocatively at the cultivator seated below him, which was Chen Qiu.


    "..."


    After a long pause, Chen Qiu softly said, "I have watched my young auntie take a bath, and I own a green entry."


    He was starting to get the feeling that he was gradually beginning to understand the educational principles of this sect.

 Chapter 56 Now it Seems, He Himself is Niche

    This stage is named "Severing the Heart"!Now, it appears more to be an examination of one''s ability to perceive subtle expressions in others and control one''s own expressions, determining whether someone is lying through various details, and at the same time, making it as difficult as possible for others to judge whether you are lying.


    It also examines the richness of the experiences you''ve had in the first half of your life.


    Chao Tian Sect is a pure Sword Cultivation Sect. A Sword Cultivator needs to experience the mortal world, he could understand, only by seeing through the mortal world could one prove their true heart. But the examination of one''s ability to judge others'' subtle expressions puzzled him. Does a Sword Cultivator really need to learn this?


    Actually, he had a very killer thing.


    That was¡ª


    Seven-colored term!


    If he had just said, "I''ve seen my aunt bathing, and I possess a Seven-colored term," it would directly be a killer move, eliminating his next-house player one hundred percent. The next-house player would only have two choices.


    Either to expose him or to reluctantly follow along.


    In any case, both options were essentially guaranteed losses.


    Even if you were bold enough to dare to follow, guess whether your next-house player believes you? Unless that next-house player also has a Seven-colored term.


    It was just a bit unnecessary.


    After all, it was only a top-grade Earth Fire Pill of Foundation Establishment, not worth exposing his own Seven-colored term. If the rule was that everyone eliminated in the arena would die instantly, with no leakage of information, he wouldn''t mind demonstrating to the remaining people what despair looks like.


    ...


    After saying this, Chen Qiu calmly sat cross-legged on the spot without glancing at his subordinate at all. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Honestly speaking.


    He had never seen his own aunt bathing; he didn''t even have an aunt, where would he see her.


    But he couldn''t judge whether the person in the upper position was lying, so he just followed along. As long as his subordinate didn''t question him, he would be undisturbed and it was now a test of luck.


    Fortunately.


    It could be seen that the moral standards of these people were quite low.


    His next-house player didn''t even have a hint of doubt about whether he had peeped at his aunt bathing, directly taking it for granted that doing such a thing was quite normal, already beginning to think about what he should say next.


    "I have seen my aunt bathing, and I possess a green entry, and I once rose from the first level of Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment Stage in just three days!"


    The next-house player thought for a moment then expanded on this statement.


    The problem was passed to the next-house player''s next-house player.


    This trial, the earlier ones were the simplest, the further back it got the harder it became; everyone''s life was different, those unique experiences that the previous people came up with, if you have also experienced them all, it would mean your life experiences were incredibly complex.


    Hard to distinguish the components.


    The clothing on the next-house player appeared to be quite valuable, and the whole person sitting there looked calm and quiet. Although there was no overt arrogance, one could still faintly feel a hint of unspoken superiority.


    In this situation, rushing Foundation Establishment in three days seemed not so dubious.


    The next-house player''s next-house player continued.


    "I have seen my aunt bathing, and I possess a green entry, and I have even climbed directly from the first level of Qi Refinement to the Foundation Establishment Stage in just three days, and in the Qi Refinement period I once killed a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"


    Each person was racking their brains to come up with the most unique experience from their lives.


    Trying to directly eliminate their next-house player.


    The next-house player of this person contemplated grimly for several moments, chose to challenge, and was then eliminated on the spot, perhaps not even he himself expected that what his superior had said was all true. But there was no help for it, he no longer had the courage to follow.


    The more they spoke, the more outrageous it became.


    "If he isn''t from a prestigious family, who else could have gone through these four things?"


    The first two might be debatable, but the last two are just nonsense for a Loose Cultivator, his clothes are worthless, even if he dares to continue, his downstream wouldn''t believe him.


    ...


    Enjoy new chapters from empire


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s face remained calm as he glanced at his two downstream, both of whom had just admitted to peeping on their aunt bathing. If neither of them lied, then including his own upstream, all three of them had done it.


    Actually,


    how should I put it, he had always thought peeping at one''s aunt bathing was a rather niche activity.


    Now it seemed, he was the niche one.


    ...


    As time passed, only three people remained on platform number 19 where Chen Qiu was, the rest had already been eliminated, and a new round began, with the remaining two wracking their brains, faces slightly pale, thinking frantically.


    Each fact couldn''t be repeated.


    In the previous dozen or so rounds, they had exhausted all the unique experiences of their lifetimes. This round, they truly were at a loss for words.


    Like now, this round had already circulated among the three of them several times without challenge, at this point, no one wanted to bet on whether the upstream''s statement was false.


    The upstream, forcing himself, recited painstakingly,


    "I once ate six bowls of rice, chopped wood, used Invisibility Technique to peep at a stranger bathing, ate six buns at a meal, chopped a man, used Invisibility Technique to peep through a neighbor bathing, ate six dishes at a meal, chopped a demon beast, used Invisibility Technique to peep at a relative bathing¡ªand I possess five or more entries!!!"


    By the time he spurted out the last few words, his voice had gone hoarse.


    There was no helping it, in the final round, everyone just started telling the truth.


    His downstream behaved like a lunatic, either chopping wood or chopping people.


    His upstream was just an idiot, either peeping at neighbors or relatives bathing, your father sending you to cultivate was truly an ancestral sin!


    Sensing it might take many more rounds like this, he couldn''t hold back anymore. He finally pulled out his trump card, ready to make a killing move!


    A normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator could only possess two entries.


    Someone like him possessing more than five entries had indeed had several fortunate occasions, which under normal circumstances, should not be casually revealed to avoid drawing fatal trouble. But under some pressure now, he couldn''t care less.


    His eyes filled with blood, he stared fixedly at Chen Qiu, and with a twisted smile, pronounced each word distinctly, "Want to try challenging me? Or do you have the guts to compete?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu casually scanned and then diverted his gaze, saying softly, "I once ate six bowls of rice, chopped wood... and possess five or more entries, and also chopped the price."


    And with a casual wave of his hand.


    Five panels wrapped in mist appeared out of thin air, displaying his five irrelevant entries.


    "Just five entries, who doesn''t have one?"


    Actually, he really didn''t want to do this, but had no choice.


    In his downstream''s perspective, learning the Invisibility Technique to peep on someone bathing was a perfectly normal thing.


    So he had never doubted him for that.


    But... having five entries was the kind of thing that could raise suspicion. He feared that his downstream would challenge him about his five entries, exposing him, which would truly have gotten him eliminated, even though his final statement had been true.


    But all those claims about peeping during baths were false.

 Chapter 57 Entry Name Sword Bone.

    Now it was Chen Qiu''s next opponent''s turn to be dumbfounded.His face constantly changed between pale and flushed as he stood stiffly on the spot, his lips trembling slightly, yet he couldn''t utter a word for a long time. Chen Qiu played his cards openly; those five entries were laid out there, surrounded by clouds on the panel formed by the Heavenly Dao.


    Even if you have exquisite control over spiritual energy, you can''t form such a panel out of thin air.


    You can only form words in the air, but not that cloud-enshrouded panel.


    Genuine and beyond doubt.


    Then the dilemma was handed over to him; doubting was certainly not possible, he could only grit his teeth and follow up with another statement. However, Chen Qiu''s previous opponent, sitting beside him, could no longer contain his impatience and roared excitedly, "Go fool a ghost!"


    "Bang."


    The next contestant was eliminated; now only two people were left on the stage.


    "Phew..."


    Chen Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, casually playing with the jade fan in his hand and speaking little, admitting to himself that he had been somewhat lucky. If his next opponent had been more serious or had a few dozen breaths'' time to think, he would have easily realized that the boasting tone Chen Qiu used when showing the entry panel didn''t quite match his persona.


    From the beginning, he had been sitting there in an extremely calm state.


    Suddenly flaunting his open challenge was a bit too abnormal.


    And abnormal behavior often heralds mischief.


    ...


    "It''s just the two of us left."


    Chen Qiu''s previous opponent stared at him icily, word by word, "I didn''t expect you to actually have five entries. I''m too lazy to waste time speaking pointless repetitious words like last round. Let''s decide life and death right now!"


    "I have six or more entries!"


    "Do you dare to follow?"


    Chen Qiu shook his head casually, "I have six or more entries, and I''ve eaten six buns."


    "?"


    His opponent, taken aback, his eyes flickered with confusion. Wasn''t this what he had said in the previous round? He reacted instinctively, "I have six or more entries, and I''ve eaten six buns, and I also have seven or more entries!"


    Chen Qiu quietly added, "I''ve eaten six bowls of rice."


    He no longer needed to doubt his opponent; his opponent had all he claimed to have, and now he was speaking purely from his own experiences, waiting for his opponent to lose his temper.


    "Eight."


    "A meal of six dishes."


    "Hey!"


    When Chen Qiu added one more thing, his opponent finally couldn''t help laughing wildly, stood up from his cushion, shook off the dust from his clothes, and looked at Chen Qiu with a hint of triumph in his eyes, "Do you think I''ve lost my mind? That I would keep increasing my claim?"


    "I was just setting a hook for you."


    "Eight entries, you really dare to follow? I don''t have eight entries, so why do you think you could have them? Or do you firmly believe I wouldn''t dare to doubt you? Oh right, I almost forgot, only the lower player can doubt the upper player, the upper player cannot accuse the lower player."


    "After so many rounds, you might have gotten used to it."


    "But did you forget? There are only two of us left on the stage, and I too am your lower player now!"


    "Fool."


    The man sneered coldly, "I''m not buying that bullshit today. Show me if you can come up with three more entries?!!!"


    As his voice fell, accompanied by the surge of spiritual energy on the stage, the man who had just stood up was suddenly slammed by the spiritual energy and flew out of the stage, falling several meters away before incredulously climbing up from below the stage.


    ...


    "Sigh."


    Chen Qiu stood up with a hint of helplessness, patted the nonexistent dust off his clothes, didn''t even glance at the man below the stage, and walked straight down from the stage towards Fat Long waiting by the side of the stage.


    And that superior Foundation Establishment Earth Fire Pill, too, slowly ascended from beneath the stage when he was the only one left, easily grabbed by him and tucked into his chest.


    This passage through.


    It meant he had officially become a selected Inner Sect Disciple for Chao Tian Sect, though this status was useless since it was just a form of challenge within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. The Earth Fire Pill was the real highlight, a true treasure that could be exchanged for a significant amount of Spirit Stones.


    ...


    He was unsure of the content of the fourth round, but hoped it was not a challenge heavily reliant on luck like this one. Although he had passed this time, no one''s good fortune lasts forever.


    At this time, Fat Long was feeling gloomy near his stage, coming over immediately when he saw him stepping down.


    "What''s wrong? You look like you didn''t make it through."


    "Don''t even get me started!"


    Fat Long said angrily, "I was eliminated in the third round after I got on stage; my previous opponent straight-up said he ate crap. At that moment, everyone''s gaze turned to that bastard. To be honest, I wanted to grit my teeth and follow, but my next opponent clearly told me that if I dared to follow, he would definitely confront me head-on."


    "His logic was simple."


    "Though eating crap is a rather unusual habit, it''s not impossible; however, the likelihood of two Foundation Establishment Cultivators who don''t know each other and sitting next to each other both having done this is too low."


    "The logic is simplistic and brute."


    "But I have to admit, he made sense."


    "So I had to confront my previous opponent, betting that he was lying, and then I got eliminated. The bastard truly had eaten crap!!!"


    "I truly don''t understand!"


    "An Ancient Sword Cultivation Sect that looks like it was quite powerful in ancient times, named ''Chao Tian Sect'', which means mocking the heavens, but what are all these messy trials the sect disciple selection consists of? Allowing someone who has eaten shit to become a candidate for the Inner Sect, isn''t that too damn insulting to sword cultivation?!"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu helplessly patted Fat Long on the shoulder. "Stay safe and start by exploring the buildings around the third round. If you encounter any opportunities, just remember the faces; there''s no need to fight over them."


    "You can rest assured about that, Brother Qiu. I have my own path of survival in this regard," Fat Long answered.


    "It''s just a bit hard to accept, I should have known..."


    Although Fat Long didn''t finish his sentence, the meaning was clear¡ªhe would have made several choices differently, if only he had known about such trials before entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Chen Qiu smiled and comforted Fat Long before heading alone towards the entrance of the fourth round.


    The fourth round was in a ''Sword Pavilion'' a few hundred yards away from the Martial Arts Hall. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He also felt puzzled internally. It seemed somewhat frivolous for a Major Sect to conduct disciple selection in this manner, or perhaps... these selection criteria were precisely suited to the iteration of Heavenly Dao at the time?


    Did subsequent versions of Heavenly Dao evolve, and the ''Chao Tian Sect'', unable to keep up with the latest iterations, faded into complete desolation or even extinction?


    The term ''Heavenly Dao versions'' was something he heard during a conversation at the third round; the people talking about it didn''t conceal much, implying that this concept wasn''t highly secretive. While ordinary people might not know about Heavenly Dao versions, it seemed to be an open secret within sects and major families.


    ...


    The fourth round, Sword Pavilion.


    By this time, hundreds of people had gathered here, all patiently waiting for the winners of the other arenas in the third round. Only when everyone had arrived would they be able to enter the fourth round.


    A magnificent and towering pavilion soared high into the clouds, the whole building shaped like a long sword with its blade thrusting into the ground, towering hundreds of yards high. Standing before this pavilion made one feel particularly insignificant.


    Even though the place had been abandoned for a long time, the lingering sword intent in the air still brought a stinging pain.


    If one''s cultivation wasn''t sufficient, they could even be severely injured by the sword intent lingering for who knows how many tens of thousands of years.


    Once this was over, he planned to find a place to cultivate bitterly.


    Chen Qiu silently planned his next moves in his mind. He had not had time to cultivate after reaching Foundation Establishment, merely managing basic spiritual energy protection. He couldn''t, like others, precisely adjust the strength of spiritual energy protection on different parts of his body.


    He knew only one spell, the ''Thunder Summoning Technique'', and two low-level techniques: ''Earth Tunneling Technique'' and ''Blinding Technique''.


    And he could only release them with full force. Normally, the upper limit of a spell''s power is determined by one''s cultivation and several other factors, but the lower limit could be controlled by oneself. However, since he had entered this Secret Realm right after his Foundation Establishment, he hadn''t had any additional time to cultivate, resulting in weak control over his spiritual energy.


    At the entrance of the Sword Pavilion, the familiar barrier once again blocked everyone''s path.


    At the entrance of the pavilion, seated neatly cross-legged on a short stone pillar was a human skeleton, without a trace of flesh, its bones transparent and greenish-white due to the passage of time, which looked quite aesthetic.


    The fourth round¡ª


    "Sever One''s Self."


    Surrounding the base of the short pillar beneath the skeleton were numerous, somewhat unique decorations. Although worn by the years and appearing somewhat decrepit, one could imagine that, tens of thousands of years ago, the people of Chao Tian Sect must have held this set of bones in the highest regard.


    The pillar was engraved with several lines filled with dense sword intent.


    A daring cultivator tentatively touched it with his hand, only to rapidly retract it, the extended fingers already bloody and covered in countless tiny cuts, and the man''s complexion turned ugly as he sealed his fingers with spiritual energy. The sword intent had entered his body, complicating its removal.


    If not removed from the body, the sword intent would continue to burrow inward as time passed, eventually causing excruciating pain and death.


    -


    ''Entry name'': Sword Bone.


    ''Entry level'': Grey.


    ''Entry effect'': Your understanding of swordsmanship will be extremely slow, but anyone who touches your skeleton after your death will gain a certain degree of enhanced understanding of their own learned swordsmanship, the extent depending on the individual''s innate talent.


    -


    "A rather good entry," Chen Qiu nodded silently. Honestly, having such a figure meant that a sword cultivation sect truly had a legacy, or perhaps it was precisely because of this figure''s presence that such a pure sword cultivation sect existed.


    It''s a pity he didn''t cultivate in swordsmanship and hadn''t learned any sword techniques.


    Otherwise, even as a magic practitioner, he wouldn''t mind gaining a deeper understanding of swordsmanship.


    This inscription wasn''t only visible to him; however, everyone who tried to touch the Sword Bone had been repelled by a mysterious force, perhaps indicating that only Inner Sect Disciples were qualified to touch the Sword Bone.


    Just then¡ª


    All the cultivators who had passed the third round arrived.


    As the barrier at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion gradually faded, the crowd also saw several lines engraved into the ground at the entrance.


    ''Fourth round, Sever One''s Self.'' Explore more stories with empire


    ''To sever the enemy, one must first sever oneself. Only through countless life and death situations can one clearly discern and correct their weaknesses.''


    ''Entering the Sword Pavilion is like entering an illusion; it contains a thousand puppets with the same level of cultivation as yourself, all wielding swords and launching simultaneous attacks on you.''


    ''Kill ten, and you pass the round.''


    ''Kill a hundred, and you are deemed to have passed the fifth round.''


    ''Kill a thousand, and you are deemed to have passed the sixth round.''


    ''Although this round is an illusion, one can still die here. If you die in the illusion, your physical body will also be severely injured, and if you''re killed in the illusion while losing your true self, you will truly die.''


    ''Passing this round makes one an Inner Sect Disciple of Chao Tian Sect and awards a Sword Enlightenment Stone.''

 Chapter 58

    Looking at the large characters on the ground at the entrance to the Sword Pavilion, everyone exchanged glances, and no one stepped forward; they were all somewhat hesitant, as the danger level of this round seemed rather high¡ªan attack launched simultaneously by a thousand puppets with the same Cultivation as you.It was akin to one person against a thousand, and you had to kill at least ten of those puppets while making a full retreat.


    The difficulty was certainly not ordinary.


    "Forget it, forget it."


    Zhao Yishi, who had been standing at the back of the crowd, couldn''t see the characters at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion due to his height, but those characters mysteriously appeared above his Dantian. He could see them as soon as he performed introspection.


    After reading the content of the fourth round, he shook his head and chose to give up without any hesitation.


    Fighting against a thousand puppets with the same level of Cultivation as oneself?


    Forget about it. If he had that ability, why would he remain a disciple when he could directly become a Sect Master.


    He turned and walked towards the depths of the ruined building on the side, finding a corner to squat on the ground, and took off the necklace around his neck to place it on the ground. The necklace was conspicuously made of nearly a hundred Storage Bags linked together.


    Zhao Yishi began to activate the Storage Bags nonstop, and soon, he took out a massive pile of cooked demon beast meat, towering seven or eight zhang high like a small mountain, and started swallowing it in big bites.


    After a tiring day, it was time to eat.


    Today had been quite strenuous.


    ...


    But those who could enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm were at least somewhat courageous¡ªthe truly timid would never come to a place as crowded as the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. With more people came more peril.


    A man took a deep breath and with a cold expression on his face, he stepped into the Sword Pavilion while wielding a sharp blade. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just like in the first round, his whole body instantly stiffened in place; it seemed that he had entered an illusion.


    Once there was one, there was the second. Before this person could come out with a result, many more followed him into the illusion.


    Chen Qiu stood patiently in place for a moment, and after about a dozen breaths'' time, the man who entered first regained consciousness, drenched in cold sweat and somewhat frightened, took big strides towards the deeper part of the Sword Pavilion¡ªhe appeared to have passed the round.


    Feeling slightly reassured,


    he also did not delay any longer, calmly put away the fan in his hand, and took big steps into the Sword Pavilion.


    ...


    The familiar illusion once again enveloped him.


    In an incredibly vast space, exactly one thousand bronze puppets surrounded him, each holding a long sword with the Cultivation of the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage uniformly.


    The puppets did not pause at all, and the moment they appeared, they brandished their swords towards Chen Qiu in synchrony.


    Chen Qiu took a quick scan of his surroundings and roughly grasped the situation.


    Their Cultivation was the same as his, but it seemed they couldn''t cast spells; otherwise, a thousand puppets, to say the least, could knock him down here with a thousand spells. They only channeled Spiritual Energy into their Magic Artifacts, attacking with more basic methods.


    Even though there were a thousand puppets, only about a dozen could attack him at first, while the others were blocked by the puppets in front and couldn''t reach him immediately.


    He saw the puppets almost reaching him.


    Suddenly, Chen Qiu casually flicked his sleeve, and more than six thousand resentful spirits of demon beasts instantly filled the space nearly to capacity, the dense resentful energy chilling the air to the freezing point. He had accumulated all these resentful spirits over time.


    Entering the Secret Realm this time also had a very important mission¡ªto exhaust these resentful spirits. Having resentful spirits enter one''s body was not a good thing, and had it not been for the reminder from the fortune-teller in the city, he wouldn''t have noticed his own body temperature getting lower and lower.


    Although almost all these demon beast resentful spirits had the Cultivation of the Qi Refinement Realm, let''s not forget that he also had a resentful spirit of Demon Cultivation at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, which was not a low level of Cultivation.


    What followed was an almost one-sided slaughter.


    Under the leadership of this seventh-layer Demon Cultivation resentful spirit, the horde-like swarm of demon beast resentful spirits brutally slaughtered the surrounding puppets.


    The death of these puppets did not turn them into resentful spirits.


    Less than the time it takes three sticks of incense to burn.


    All thousand puppets were thoroughly annihilated on the spot.


    In front of Chen Qiu, who stood amidst the demon beast resentful spirits, a hazy panel appeared.


    "Fourth round, Slaying the Self, cleared."


    "Officially become an Inner Sect Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, awarded one ''Sword Enlightenment Stone''."


    "Fifth Level, Slaying the Lowly, cleared."


    "Officially become a True Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, awarded one ''Foundation Establishment top-grade sword talisman''."


    "Sixth Level, Slaying the Enemy, cleared."


    "Officially become an Inner Sect Elder of Chao Tian Sect, awarded one ''Foundation Establishment top-grade Swordsmanship Seven Sufferings of Mortals'' Inheritance Stone."


    ...


    When Chen Qiu awoke from the illusion, the inside of the Sword Pavilion was already filled with many people, each with their eyes tightly shut and their bodies trembling, seemingly engaged in battle within the illusion.


    As long as all the puppets are slain in the fourth round, it counts as having cleared the sixth level.


    Meaning, now only the last challenge awaited him.


    At this moment, he also sensed that the resentful spirits he had summoned earlier were still surrounding him, that chilling sensation washing over his skin once again, making him realize the maneuvers used in the illusion did not bring about any real exhaustion.


    He had forgotten about that.


    Well, let''s see if there''s a chance to use them in the seventh level, although he planned to dispose of these more than six thousand resentful spirits as soon as possible, to prevent the resentful energy from entering his body. But he wanted these six thousand resentful spirits to serve some purpose at least; it felt rather wasteful to just throw them away without any use¡ªhe was still somewhat reluctant to do so.


    This Heavenly Dao Secret Realm wasn''t quite suitable for him; before entering, he had no idea it was a Sword Cultivation Secret Realm.


    The ''Sword Enlightenment Stone,'' a treasure that could help one comprehend the mysteries of Sword Intent and accelerate the cultivation of one''s own Sword Intent.


    ''Foundation Establishment top-grade sword talisman,'' a one-time use Sword Cultivator talisman with power equivalent to the full-strength strike of a peak Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator.


    ''Foundation Establishment top-grade Swordsmanship Seven Sufferings of Mortals,'' a top-level Sword Cultivation technique for Foundation Establishment.


    All good items.


    But all useless to him. His pink entry meant he couldn''t easily abandon Magic Practitioner for Sword Cultivation; that would be putting the cart before the horse unless another entry regarding Sword Cultivation, either seven-colored or pink, appeared. Then he could consider Dual Cultivation of Swordsmanship.


    Fortunately, they could still sell for a good price.


    So, the trip wasn''t a total waste.


    Chen Qiu pondered as he strode through the Sword Pavilion, heading towards the location of the Seventh Level.


    ...


    Meanwhile, at the same time, Steward Liu, who had just left Fufeng City with Family Head Wang Tiedan, sat on the outside of a carriage traveling on the official road, lifting his head to gaze at the thousands of miles of strange dark clouds overhead and muttered to himself.


    "The weather''s been like this for the past few days, how come it''s the same today."


    "This weather always makes one feel as if something big is about to happen, could it be the omen of some unparalleled Demon Cultivation emerging in the world?"


    "It''s ominous." Discover stories with empire


    "Family Head, shall we go back to Fufeng City first? This weather doesn''t seem suitable for a long journey. Let''s stay in Fufeng City for a few days before returning home."


    "What do you think?"


    "Family Head?"


    "Hey?!"

 Chapter 59

    Despite calling out several times without response, the expressionless Liu turned and lifted the curtain of the carriage behind him, staring at the Family Head seated on the soft cushions inside. He spoke word by word, "Family Head, are you even listening to me at all?""Oh, Priest Liu..." S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The middle-aged man sitting on the soft cushions of the carriage, with a complex expression on his face, remained silent for a long while before finally lifting his head and hesitantly looking at Liu in front of him. "Do you think, if I chop down this last Bull also, is there a chance I could gamble out a White entry ''Nine Ox Power''?"


    "I don''t know why."


    "I just have this very strong premonition that as long as I chop down this one, I can definitely gamble another Nine Ox Power!"


    "..."


    Looking at the Family Head''s frantic gambler-like expression, Liu let out a sigh, drew the carriage curtains closed without a word, and leaned against the carriage, massaging his temples as he felt a headache beginning to throb.


    He didn''t want to explain anymore.


    If the Family Head hadn''t treated him well these days, he would have run away long ago.


    What on earth is stuffed inside this man''s head?


    Just at that moment¡ª


    He suddenly felt the ground violently shaking, and a strong, pungent smell, accompanied by fierce winds, invaded his nostrils. In the distance, he saw a dense mass of demon beasts charging in his direction.


    The thick demon energy almost took solid form!


    It must be hundreds of thousands of demon beasts stampeding together to cause such commotion.


    "Damn it!"


    Priest Liu trembled and jolted with fear flashing in the depth of his eyes. Without a second thought, he opened the carriage curtain, pulled the Family Head out of the carriage, and frantically slapped them both with ''Swift Movement Talismans'' as he shouted.


    "Family Head, run for it, back to Fufeng City!"


    "The demon beasts are in frenzy!"


    For now, he didn''t want to know where these demon beasts came from; he only knew that the chances of the official road protecting them were slim. Their best bet was to escape to Fufeng City as quickly as possible. Although Fufeng City was a mortal city and didn''t have many high-level cultivators,


    It was still one of the three hundred and sixty-five large cities of Da Xia!


    Inside was a City Lord appointed by Da Xia himself, carrying the Qi Fortune of Da Xia, whose strength far exceeded that of cultivators of the same level, making them invincible among their peers. As long as they made it to Fufeng City, they could seek protection.


    And the target of those rampaging demon beasts at the end of their sight seemed to be¡ª


    Fufeng City!


    As massive fluctuations of Spiritual Energy spread across the official road, the Array Stones on either side began to flicker incessantly. A golden-yellow barrier enveloped their section of the road, able to defend against any attack from cultivators below the Golden Core Stage.


    And the ''Wind Formation'' embedded underneath the road was also activated in an instant!


    Bestowing Wind Walking Skill upon every creature on the road, it increased their running speed to twenty times the usual!


    With the augmentation of the Wind Formation and Swift Movement Talismans,


    Liu and the Family Head''s speed surged to near-instantaneous rapidity, fleeing along the road toward Fufeng City with a speed that was hard to catch with the naked eye, much faster than when they had arrived.


    And the steed pulling the carriage was not stupid either.


    After forcefully shaking off the reins over its head, the horse turned and bolted after them at an impressive speed, also frenzying down the road under the boost of the ''Wind Formation.'' Its intermittent neighing seemed oddly excited for some reason.


    Priest Liu also smacked his forehead as realization struck, quickly pulling out more Swift Movement Talismans and slapping them onto the four limbs of the horse following behind. Then grabbing the Family Head, he climbed onto the horse''s back and continued their frenetic escape.


    Their current speed was much faster than traveling by Sword Flight.


    After all, Sword Flight would leave the official road and thus lose the acceleration of the ''Wind Formation.''


    Temporarily escaping the crisis, Liu looked back uneasily at the massive horde of demon beasts following them like an incoming tide, experiencing for the first time on land what it meant for the sky and water to blur into one color.


    The pitch-black wave of beasts and the clouds that seemed to suck one''s soul into their darkness nearly merged into one.


    He didn''t know what had happened.


    If he wasn''t mistaken, within the borders of Da Xia, demon beast herds of this size were always overseen by high-level demon beasts with Spiritual Wisdom. These high-level demon beasts were well aware of the consequences of slaughtering their way onto an official road¡ªthey would never be so reckless!


    How did these damned demon beasts appear within the boundaries of Da Xia?


    Fortunately, they hadn''t gone too far from Fufeng City. At this rate, they would reach Fufeng City within half an hour.


    Then, even if the sky were to fall, there would be someone tall enough to hold it up.


    It wasn''t his problem anymore!


    ...


    Meanwhile,


    Chen Qiu had already passed through the fourth round''s Sword Pavilion, the Fifth Level''s Scripture Pavilion, and the Law Enforcement Hall of the sixth level, arriving at the seventh level, in front of the Sect Hall. There, inscribed on the pillars of the Sect Hall were rows of characters imbued with a strong Sword Intent, so forceful that they were etched deeply into the wood.


    ''Magic Practitioner, fragile as glass upon touch.''


    "Talisman cultivators, performing acrobats with fragile skins."


    "Array Repairers, doorkeepers with fragile skins."


    "Alchemy Cultivators, quacks with fragile skins."


    "Artifact Cultivators, hammer swingers with fragile skins."


    "Evil Cultivators, the motherless with fragile skins."


    "Demon Cultivators, riffraff with fragile skins."


    "Body Cultivators, not fragile but brainless."


    "Sword Cultivators¡ª


    Offense and defense as one, with one swing of the sword, they can shatter the mountains and rivers far and wide!


    Every plant and tree, every speck of dust and grain of sand, can become a sword to slice the stars!


    When Magic Practitioners get angry, they angrily knock back three vats of Qi Replenishing Pills!


    When Sword Cultivators get angry, their sword light leaves corpses over ten thousand li!


    All are inferior, only Sword Cultivators are supreme!"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at these lines carved on the pillar of the Sect Hall with a complex expression, feeling that the Chao Tian Sect seemed to have a bit of contempt for Magic Practitioners. What did they mean by, "When Magic Practitioners get angry, they angrily knock back three vats of Qi Replenishing Pills"?


    You just perished too soon.


    If they could be passed down to the present, give them a chance in the future to see what real Magic Practitioners are like.


    Under the entry for "Dantian Expansion," his Foundation Establishment breadth had reached ten thousandths, and the capacity of Spiritual Energy was a hundred times that of an ordinary first-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Chen Qiu stopped thinking about these things.


    Instead, he walked toward the depths of the hall; so far, he was the only one to reach the Fifth Level. When passing by the Fifth Level, he saw that there were three or four people attempting it, while the Fourth Level had no one at all.


    With this progress, it would be very difficult for these people to catch up to him.


    Although he didn''t know whether other cultivators had found any treasures in the ruins near the levels, it seemed that this Secret Realm was indeed more suited for Sword Cultivators, and for him, being a Magic Practitioner, it was a bit less fitting. Only the Earth Fire Pill seemed to be some sort of consolation for Magic Practitioners.


    Such discrimination, no wonder the legacy was lost.


    ...


    Stepping into the Sect Hall, he walked straight towards the innermost part of the Sect Hall. Along the way, many inscriptions were carved on the pillars, some were about the main tenets of the sect, others were some brief stories. Enjoy new chapters from empire


    For example...


    "One day in a desert, a severely injured Golden Core cultivator who was close to dying of thirst excitedly discovered a corpse, rushed forward to take its Storage Ring, used up all remaining spirit to break the ring''s restrictions, and then collapsed next to the body, face full of despair."


    "The Storage Ring was filled with Qi Replenishing Pills, and it contained nothing but Qi Replenishing Pills."


    "The corpse was a Magic Practitioner."


    "Later on, another Golden Core cultivator on the verge of death passed by and found the two corpses. Excited, he rushed to take the other cultivator''s Storage Ring. After opening it, he too collapsed in despair."


    "The Storage Ring was filled with demon beast meat, the previous corpse that collapsed was a Body Cultivator."


    "Then, another Golden Core cultivator about to die of thirst passed by here and, after opening the last cultivator''s Storage Ring, despaired once more; this time, the Storage Ring was full of talismans."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu, expressionless, continued deeper into the Sect Hall, every pillar within this dusty and ruined hall inscribed with discrimination against other cultivators, with most of it directed at Magic Practitioners.


    To be starved for stories to mock Magic Practitioners, you began to abandon logic, didn''t you?


    Such a chilling story.


    Until finally, he reached the end of the hall.


    And there he saw the familiar Barrier.


    "Fifth Level, Severing Sword."


    "Pass this level, and you may inherit the position of Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect."


    "The heavens abandon us, not due to the war."


    "The demise of the sect today has become inevitable. In the future, whoever reaches this point, as long as they sit on the Sect Leader''s Chair, they can inherit the position of Sect Master!"


    "After becoming Sect Master, you will inherit all the sect''s resources, possess the highest authority over all Formations within the sect. The Chao Tian Sect is established within a small world; everything within the small world belongs to the new Sect Master."


    "Only ask to glorify Sword Cultivators!"


    "Let the people know that Sword Cultivators are the strongest!"

 Chapter 60

    In the Sect Hall.Chen Qiu stood on the dust-covered bluestone floor, silently contemplating as the Barrier slowly faded, revealing the Sect Leader''s Chair shrouded in cobwebs, his expression complex. This challenge could be said to have posed no difficulty at all.


    Simply sitting in the Sect Leader''s Chair would signify victory.


    So theoretically, the sixth challenge should have been the last one. However, he knew nothing of what that challenge entailed, having skipped directly to the seventh.


    An eerie thought suddenly flashed through his mind.


    Perhaps these seven challenges¡ªhow the Chao Tian Sect selected its disciples over tens of thousands of years¡ªwere not as simple as they seemed. Were they made easier out of fear that no one would pass and the position of Sect Master would remain unclaimed after the sect''s fall?


    Or was it because of its transformation into a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm?


    It was indeed lamentable.


    A sect from the ancient past, one that bore an impressive name, met its end as a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Throughout his journey, nearly all the buildings on the mountain were ruined; most structures were chopped in half with no roofs remaining, a clear indication of an ancient great enemy. Even the Sect Hall was cleaved in two by a single strike, allowing sunlight to spill directly onto the ground. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet, there were no traces of blood to be found, which was quite bizarre.


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    If one could argue that the bloodstains had been erased by the passage of time, the absence of even a single skeleton was harder to explain. After all, the skeleton outside the Sword Pavilion was still sitting there quietly, suggesting that not enough time had passed for bones to turn to dust.


    He shook his head and thought no further.


    Previously, he had contemplated founding a sect recognized by the Heavenly Dao, a complex process requiring the passing of a Golden Core and the payment of 100 Spirit Stones. Now, inheriting an existing sect was naturally beneficial, but it was unclear whether this sect was acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao.


    It was quite strange that the assistance of a being at the level of Golden Core in establishing a Heavenly Dao-recognized sect apparently cost only a mere 100 Spirit Stones.


    It was likely the handiwork of minions, since even Golden Core cultivators needed to accumulate Spirit Stones to pave their paths of cultivation. Many sects never considered inheritance; their sole purpose was to provide a secure environment for seclusion, allowing subordinates to use their names for personal wealth accumulation.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu did not despise the spiderweb-covered chair; after pausing silently for a few moments, he calmly approached and sat down on the Sect Leader''s Chair. The webs, aged over time, seemed nebulous. Spiders were nowhere to be seen and probably had starved to death in some unknown corner.


    And the moment he sat down,


    A panel enveloped in mist appeared before him.


    "You have inherited the position of Sect Master of ''Chao Tian Sect,'' becoming the seventeenth-generation Sect Master."


    "At present, the overall strength of this sect ranks 3,483rd on the ''Da Xia Sect Rankings,'' which are updated annually on the first day of the year."


    "Differing ranks receive differing blessings from the Heavenly Dao; the higher the rank, the stronger the Heavenly Dao Blessing received."


    "Currently, the level of Heavenly Dao Blessing received is: none."


    "The lowest level of Heavenly Dao Blessing requires the sect to be within the top one-thousand in the rankings."


    -


    Without surprise, there must be exactly 3,483 sects throughout Da Xia, and at this moment, he was the only person in his sect. This was the advantage of inheritance: no prerequisites required, no need for disciples, no need for a Golden Core.


    He had not anticipated that there would be over three thousand sects within Da Xia Country.


    He estimated that two thousand of those were likely no more than shell institutions.


    Similar to the type Fat Long had initially set up, lacking even a piece of land, possessing just the name of a sect. Its members devoted themselves to cultivating through worldly experience, never needing to return¡ªconsidering the entire world their home.


    And at the same time¡ª


    In his personal panel, there was a minor change in the "Influence" entry.


    "Influence": Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master.


    So far, the Chao Tian Sect consisted of him alone, and it was only when he took his seat in the Sect Leader''s Chair that he discovered the entire Chao Tian Sect was enveloped by a colossal Mountain Protection Array, with every formation within the sect intricately linked to this protective formation.


    The Sect Leader''s Chair beneath him acted as both the focal point of the array and an Array Talisman.


    Once a blood oath was sworn, he would be able to control any corner''s formation at will within the sect, and his Divine Sense would survey the entire interior of the sect through the formations.


    "Drip."


    As a drop of blood fell on the Sect Leader''s Chair, what was originally a dust-covered and long-abandoned chair suddenly seemed to be reborn, a thin red glow fleeting across the surface of the chair.


    Immediately after!


    Chen Qiu suddenly felt as if he had merged with the peak of the mountain; if he wished, he could see any corner within the sect.


    For example...


    Zhao Yishi, who was hiding in a corner, was holding a bowl full of what appeared to be chili sauce, grabbing chunks of enormous cooked demon beast meat from Demon Beast Mountain, dipping them in the sauce, and wolfing them down.


    The monster-sized pieces of demon beast meat, in the presence of Zhao Yishi''s exaggerated mouth, seemed like mere sunflower seeds.


    He didn''t even spit out the bones.


    That biting power is truly remarkable.


    And Fat Long, who was carefully following behind others in the ruined buildings, hoping to find something valuable overlooked by others.


    Everything in the small world suddenly felt extremely familiar to him.


    This small world now completely belonged to him, and with a mere thought, he could open this small world and enter it from the outside world at any time. As long as he didn''t encounter someone with much higher cultivation, no one could touch him once he sought refuge in the small world.


    "Sigh."


    Chen Qiu looked down upon the cultivators exploring for treasures in the ruins, sighed helplessly, and thought about what they were searching for. After he took full control over the sect, he instantly became well acquainted with all the conditions within the sect.


    There was nothing.


    No ancient medicinal herbs or Spiritual Treasures had been passed down; the sect was completely devoid of everything, clean and empty.


    Almost all formations had also suffered severe damage, and to repair these, he would need to find a High-level Array Master. Although he could not understand the formations, he could sense that they were not of a low level.


    Average Foundation Establishment Array Repairers probably wouldn''t be able to fix them; at the very least, a Golden Core Array Repairer would be required.


    But what''s most critical is¡ª


    Array Repairers are also divided into many types.


    The formations of the Chao Tian Sect are mostly "Sword Arrays," and to set up such formations, one must have considerable expertise in both the paths of Sword Cultivation and Array Repair in order to deploy, maintain, and repair them. Such Array Masters are even rarer, so it seems there''s little chance for an immediate repair.


    But he didn''t plan on repairing them anyhow.


    Although the power of these formations was quite formidable, he simply couldn''t afford to spend so many Spirit Stones to maintain them.


    However, it couldn''t be said that nothing was left for him at all.


    For example, in front of the Sword Pavilion, there was that... Sword Bone.

 Chapter 61

    After this sect had completely become his, the Sword Bone naturally belonged entirely to him as well. It was indeed a valuable asset, as touching the Sword Bone would increase one''s understanding of the sword techniques they had learned to a certain extent.Although it was currently of no use to him.


    But for Sword Cultivators, it possessed a fatal attraction. Later when his power grew stronger, he could trade it for items more suitable for Magic Practitioners.


    Besides the Sword Bone, all that remained were two Artifact Spirits.


    The Chao Tian Sect originally housed many Artifact Spirits, and each of the seven levels harbored one, but as time passed, many of the Artifact Spirits gradually lost their spiritual wisdom and reverted to mundane objects.


    Only the Artifact Spirits from the first round, Zhanshi Nian, and from the Fourth Level''s Sword Pavilion were still alive.


    Both Artifact Spirits had slipped back into slumber, it seemed that the trial they had just undergone caused them considerable wear, and the method to quickly restore these two Artifact Spirits was simple¡ªjust a provision of some Spirit Stones would suffice.


    Regarding this...


    His choice was, "You guys keep sleeping for a bit longer."


    Noisy to death, everything demands money.


    He would first handle the matters at hand, then spend some Spirit Stones to awaken the Artifact Spirit from the Fourth Level and inquire about the sudden destruction of the Chao Tian Sect and some matters from the ancient times. Being the Artifact Spirit of the Fourth Level, it certainly knew more than that of the first.


    He had initially harbored hope that since completing the trials yielded rewards, there must still be some reserves within the sect, right?


    But the result was utterly empty, and the rewards weren''t even from within the sect but were direct rewards from the Heavenly Dao for passing the levels. The Chao Tian Sect was now truly a mere shell.


    ...


    Approximately the duration of half a cup of tea after Chen Qiu had successfully taken over as the Sect Leader of the Chao Tian Sect.


    All the cultivators inside the small world suddenly felt an incredibly strong repulsion enveloping them. Accompanied by the ethereal and hoarse voice from the horizon, many cast complicated looks towards the depths of the sect.


    Someone had passed the seventh round.


    No one knew what the reward for passing the seventh round was, just unclear who could pass the seventh round so quickly.


    They weren''t given much time to think.


    Following a dizzying sense of disorientation that arrived abruptly, when their vision restored, they found themselves back at the original entrance of the Secret Realm by the creek beside Fufeng City¡ªnow, the white vortex was nowhere to be seen.


    Many almost immediately looked up overhead.


    Even though the weather was fine before they entered the Secret Realm, why had it turned, just as before a few days ago, as they emerged, to skies overcast with black clouds? And they wondered whether it was an illusion, but it seemed the black clouds were lower this time.


    Giving the impression that the sky was about to collapse.


    The thick, menacing clouds seemed as if they might crash down at any moment.


    After exchanging glances,


    Without any hesitation,


    Everyone activated their movement techniques or resorted to Sword Flight, scattering in all directions. But almost within a few breaths, cultivators dispersed in three directions quickly fled back the way they came, charging directly towards Fufeng City.


    And their faces were marked with stark terror.


    Especially Zhao Yishi, who stood tall and saw afar. Having just come out of the small world, he did not hesitate even a bit. He leapt up, stepping on lotus leaves and sprinted towards Fufeng City at full speed, his immense frame contrasting sharply with his velocity.


    ...


    After meeting with Fat Long, Chen Qiu also did not dare delay any further. After attaching talismans to themselves, they ran towards Fufeng City.


    "I need to learn a movement technique and Sword Flight."


    On his wild run, Chen Qiu glanced back at the demon energy-filled black clouds behind him and murmured softly,


    Only when the tide goes out can you discover who''s been swimming naked.


    This was not something he had realized before: even though he was covered with Light Wind Talismans, he was nearly the slowest person there. The cultivators around him looked ordinary, but it had to be said that each one of them must have diligently practiced their movement techniques.


    That speed...


    It was truly not slow.


    When venturing into the Jianghu, one must first perfect a certain movement technique to have some confidence in surviving.


    At the Foundation Establishment level of cultivation, the speed of movement techniques is much faster than Sword Flight, but they can only be maintained for a shorter time and consume more Spiritual Energy. Generally, they are not used for traveling but are used in combat.


    Of course, in a situation where one needs to flee for their life, no one would consider the consumption of Spiritual Energy anymore.


    Chen Qiu could even smell the stench of blood emanating from the roar of the massive demon beasts behind him; the demon energy was so dense it even formed black clouds¡ªan indication that among them were high-level demon beasts with awakened Spiritual Wisdom!


    First, escape to Fufeng City.


    As long as he meets up with the scholar, the beast tide shouldn''t be able to stop them.


    At this moment, Fufeng City was fully on alert, not a single person was entering or leaving, all city gates were tightly closed except for some small gates left open for people fleeing to enter the city for refuge.


    ...


    "Whew!"


    After rushing into the city gates among the crowd, Chen Qiu finally let out a slight sigh of relief. After entering, he turned to look carefully and saw tens of thousands of indiscernible demon beasts roaring simultaneously, kicking up dust under the dark clouds as they charged straight towards Fufeng City!


    It seemed they were ready to smash the city walls with their heads. Stay updated with empire


    At that moment, numerous array patterns appeared on the walls of Fufeng City, constantly flashing, and even the ordinarily unremarkable blue brick main road on the ground of Fufeng City had countless white lines made of Spiritual Energy that stayed illuminated.


    The City Protection Array was activated!


    Though Fufeng City was a mortal city, being one of Da Xia''s main cities, it naturally had its defenses, especially since it was located in a remote corner of the Da Xia Territory. It was said that there had been demon beast attacks on the city in previous years.


    They had experience handling these situations now.


    It wasn''t their first time.


    However, just as he entered the city, he was immediately pulled into a side alley by a burly man with a mutton-chop beard who was waiting there. Seeing that Chen Qiu and another person had finally entered the city, the scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground breathed a sigh of relief, holding a sword technique with one hand and speaking urgently.


    "You''ve finally entered the city. There''s no time to explain, let''s leave first!"


    "Something major has happened!"


    "Someone wants to use all the million living creatures of Fufeng City for a Heavenly sacrifice!"


    After finishing, he spoke in a low, urgent voice, as usual, "Knock!"


    However...


    This time.


    The Azure Blade in the scholar''s sleeve did not, as usual, transform into a ray of light shooting towards the distance. The blade trembled violently as if sensing something, yet it did not leave the sleeve. The scholar''s expression turned ugly, and a trace of gloom flashed in his eyes; he tried the spell several more times in disbelief.


    Although the trembling of the Azure Blade in the sleeve grew more violent, it still did not leave the sleeve.


    After numerous attempts.


    The scholar finally gave up, and his expression gradually calmed down. After a brief silence, he quietly said, "It''s too late to leave now. Before you arrived, I had tried and it was possible to leave. You came into the city a bit late."


    "It''s a pity that the Sound Transmission Talisman and Divine Sense have already been cut off by the array; otherwise, I could have left the city to find your locations."


    "Unable to find your locations, I could only wait for you by the west city gate." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If only..."


    "If only my cultivation were still intact, such a restraint could have been broken with a single sword stroke."

 Chapter 62 Not seeking immortality, only seeking combat power.

    "..."Chen Qiu glanced at the scholar. His Cultivation was still intact? This was the first time the scholar had so openly spoken about it¡ªif his Cultivation had still been intact. Although he could often guess as much before, they had never explicitly addressed it.


    However, he did not say much about it.


    Instead, he bowed his head and pondered for a moment before softly asking, "How did you learn that someone is planning to use the lives of a million cultivators in Fufeng City as a sacrifice to Heaven? Are there any traces of Evil Cultivation or Demon Cultivation activities?"


    The scholar, seated cross-legged on the ground in the alley, remained silent for a long while before finally speaking hoarsely, "This method is very familiar, the one behind it is Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, a practitioner of Evil Cultivation. His usual tactic is to control countless demon beasts to attack the small towns and villages outside the city. After sacrificing the townspeople to Heaven, he greatly enhances his own Cultivation."


    "He had always been pursued by me in the past."


    "But this thief is extremely cunning, with many means of escape, making many of my attempts to kill him unsuccessful."


    "After I was down on my luck, I could no longer afford to care about it. Unexpectedly, over these years, he has grown to the point where his Cultivation has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, and he is just one step away from breaking through to Golden Core. He just needs to sacrifice all the million living souls in Fufeng City to breakthrough on the spot."


    "Those demon beasts outside the city are all under his control, becoming more ferocious as they lose their reason and fear of pain. Once they swarm, they will be unstoppable."


    "There is no one in Fufeng City who can match him. The best strategy before the formation is complete is to flee quickly. But unfortunately... it''s already too late."


    Chen Qiu remained silent, scanning the surroundings. By now, quite a few armor-clad soldiers had surged onto the city walls. Loads of strategic resources were continuously being delivered to the top of the walls¡ªdisposable magic artifacts, talismans, war-level Spiritual Treasures, Array Plates, and so forth.


    The city''s defenses were strong.


    According to the scholar, those demon beasts outside should only be at most at the peak of Foundation Establishment too. After all, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons himself only possessed the Cultivation of the peak Foundation Establishment. Could he control Golden Core demon beasts?


    In Xia Country, basically the City Lord of each city has Golden Core Cultivation. Of course, Fufeng City is a mundane city, and the City Lord has relatively weaker Cultivation, only at the peak of Foundation Establishment. But being an official of Da Xia, he carries the Qi Fortune of Da Xia, making him almost invincible among his peers.


    Additionally, the workshop owner from Wentian Market is a Golden Core Great Power. As long as the City Lord sincerely requests his assistance, dealing with a peak Foundation Establishment practitioner of Evil Cultivation should be secure.


    Moreover, at this time, Fufeng City had gathered many youngsters from powerful families and Major Sects. The collective power behind these individuals was not weak. With their young generations trapped in the city by Evil Cultivation, could their backing Golden Core Great Powers just sit back and watch?


    Furthermore, Xia Country would definitely not allow its Fufeng City to be slaughtered; they must have already received the news, and perhaps the City Lords from nearby cities were already en route to reinforce them.


    A mere peak Foundation Establishment practitioner of Evil Cultivation. Given all these factors, it did not seem he could possibly slaughter Fufeng City.


    It rather seemed like he was sending himself to death.


    At this moment, Fat Long also expressed his confusion, "Can a mere peak Foundation Establishment practitioner of Evil Cultivation truly pose such a threat? Even make Fufeng City face the danger of being slaughtered? Brother Qiu, last time you also killed a late-stage Demon Cultivation practitioner."


    "It''s different."


    The scholar shook his head, "Demon Cultivators are just a bit... unorthodox in their methods but are more or less still normal people; their combat power, although a bit stronger than a regular cultivator of the same rank, isn''t much stronger."


    "Evil Cultivators, on the other hand, are genuinely invincible among their peers."


    "They seek not immortality, but only battle power."


    "Besides these, various eerie methods are also impossible to guard against, and fighting beyond one''s level is a common tactic for soldiers, just like this Evil Cultivator, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons. To my knowledge, he alone has at least three types of Far Escape Techniques."


    "Each type comes with the price of consuming lifespan."


    "Other eerie methods are too numerous to count, and this man also possesses a particularly eerie technique. As soon as a demon beast controlled by him dies, it transforms into a mass of flesh and blood that fills the sky. Then, this flesh and blood reassembles into ten demon beasts. The original beast''s three souls and seven spirits each enter a body. Though they lack Spiritual Wisdom and only possess a bloodthirsty instinct, their strength is weaker compared to before."


    "Of course, when these ten demon beasts die, they are completely annihilated."


    "But even so, it is still a terrifying method."


    "If you kill one of his demon beasts, that beast immediately turns into ten demon beasts upon death."


    "The more you kill, the more they appear; it''s endless."


    "Unless you quickly locate this man and execute a strike to kill him instantly, these waves of demon beasts could bring an extremely terrifying disaster to Fufeng City within a few hours."


    "I understand your point, and as for why I am somewhat pessimistic... follow me."


    As his words fell, the scholar''s sleeve trembled slightly, transforming into a stream of light that shot toward the city wall, leading the group to a less crowded part of the wall: "Take a look outside."


    Although his Qingfeng sword couldn''t fly outside the array, it could still freely choose its landing points within Fufeng City.


    At this moment, the scene was quite chaotic, with many cultivators of decent Cultivation voluntarily stepping forward to ascend the walls and prepare for the defense of the city.


    ...


    Miles of continuous black clouds nearly blocked out all light, with Thunder Light constantly flashing among them, and the spirit fields surrounding Fufeng City were already trampled by the demon beasts.


    Countless demon beasts surged from all directions, firmly enclosing Fufeng City in the middle.


    But as these demon beasts were about to rush to the walls of Fufeng City, their speed gradually slowed down, and they did not launch an immediate attack, merely surrounding the city, seemingly waiting for something.


    The entire wall was filled with a murderous aura.


    A great battle was inevitable.


    Even the air seemed to have been permeated with the scent of blood, and one could vaguely see numerous completely black crows with white pupils perched on the eaves of buildings. Read new chapters at empire sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scholar, in silence, overlooked the countless ferocious demon beasts roaring outside the wall and murmured, "Although the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons could forcefully control demon beasts before, based on my understanding of him, his Divine Sense has not reached the level of controlling so many creatures, even with his Cultivation having broken through to the peak of Foundation Establishment."


    "Unless something unexpected happens, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons must have joined the ''Evil Hall'', a power composed of Evil Cultivators. Every member within this power is an Evil Cultivator, yet no one has found where their stronghold is located for many years."


    "And the ''Evil Hall'' possesses a supreme Foundation Establishment treasure with one effect, that being to greatly enhance Divine Sense. I remember that this treasure is the strongest in Da Xia Country for enhancing Divine Sense."


    "Only with this treasure could the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons control so many demon beasts at the peak of Foundation Establishment, meaning this disaster was concocted by the ''Evil Hall''. This is a completely different concept from just the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons alone; the ''Evil Hall'' has no shortage of Golden Core experts."

 Chapter 63 The Sky...Has Fallen.

    "If Fufeng City is the target of the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, then we still have a considerable chance of surviving.""If Fufeng City is the target of ''Evil Hall'', then all of us will likely perish right here."


    "At this moment, Fufeng City has already been enveloped by a Formation, a unique Formation of ''Evil Hall'', known as ''Soul-breaking Array'', which can block all Sound Transmission Talismans, Mind Transmission, Teleportation Talismans, Flying Swords, and other means of traversal and communication."


    "Right now, Fufeng City is essentially a solitary city; whatever happens here, the outside world has no way of knowing, unless the Formation is broken from the outside."


    "Huh?"


    Fat Long started with a somewhat odd expression, "Do these Evil Cultivators actually refer to themselves as Evil Cultivators? I thought that was a somewhat derogatory term."


    "To us, it is, but from their perspective, they quite like the term, and so do the Demon Cultivators."


    ...


    Chen Qiu stood upon the city walls, looking down at the roaring demon beasts below. These demon beasts seemed to have no intention of launching an attack anytime soon, only surrounding and continuously roaring at Fufeng City as if waiting for something.


    "Where''s the City Lord?"


    He glanced around but could not find the City Lord of Fufeng City. Logically, given the calamity that had befallen Fufeng City, the City Lord should have been the first to step forward, not necessarily to lead an attack, but at least to make a public appearance and stabilize the morale of the forces.


    And like that, two hours passed quickly.


    During these two hours, the demon beasts below did not launch an attack, and the soldiers on the walls did not engage offensively either. It seemed like both sides were waiting; Fufeng City was waiting for reinforcements, but what was the Evil Cultivator hidden among the demon beasts below waiting for?


    Just then¡ª


    A furious shout came from the horizon.


    "Despicable vermin, come forth and meet your demise!"


    A towering azure sword light almost tore through the thousands of miles of dark clouds, striking toward Fufeng City. At the same time, the Formation around Fufeng City began to slowly reveal its true form amidst this onslaught.


    A white, semi-transparent shell, like an eggshell, covered the entire Fufeng City and its surroundings.


    And this great Formation, under the towering azure sword light, was almost instantly torn apart, dissolving into white light that disappeared into the air.


    At the same moment, the people inside the city discovered that the Sound Transmission Talismans could once again be used, and the means provided by Teleportation Talismans were available as well.


    "Cackle cackle cackle!"


    As the Formation shattered, a blood-red light bolted toward the horizon at a speed almost too fast for the naked eye to capture, leaving behind a rather arrogant laugh: "Since everyone has arrived, I won''t stay any longer. I wish you all a delightful time."


    The moment the voice fell!


    The tens of thousands of red-eyed demon beasts surrounding Fufeng City, as if crazed, let out a collective roar and launched a desperate total assault on the city.


    Several streaks of golden light shot across the sky, landing above Fufeng City, their Divine Senses carrying the formidable pressure of Golden Cores swept quickly through Fufeng City. Then with a wave of their sleeves, they scooped up their own juniors and rapidly left Fufeng City without a moment''s hesitation.


    ...


    "Quick, leave!"


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect, his expression grim, with a wave of his sleeve, unleashed a surge of Spiritual Energy that swept up Zhao Yishi, who was still crouching invisibly in a corner, and immediately turned into a ray of light intending to flee from Fufeng City.


    "Wait a moment!"


    Zhao Yishi urgently said, "Sect Master, are we just going to leave like this? What about Fufeng City?"


    "Right now, we can''t worry about Fufeng City."


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect, while transforming into a ray of light that covered dozens of miles in just a few breaths, said with an ugly expression, "Fufeng City will soon be littered with corpses, and nobody can stop it. The Heavenly Dao is about to undergo another change. Before the major version ''World Conflict,'' there''s a precursor mini-version named by Heavenly Dao as ''Demon Race Invasion.''


    "And this mini-version ''Demon Race Invasion'' is set to descend within a thousand miles centered around Fufeng City."


    "''Evil Hall'' knew about this before we did and trapped you all in Fufeng City to lure us here. If we don''t leave soon, we won''t be able to escape either. Don''t think just because I''m a Golden Core that I amount to anything; in the face of Heavenly Dao''s change, a Golden Core means jack shit!"


    "The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons is way faster than me!" Find adventures on empire


    A few hundred breaths later.


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect, pushing his movement technique to the limit without any reservation, kept sticking talisman after talisman onto his body, even as blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth, pulling his speed to the extreme. Finally, before the black clouds could plummet down, he escaped beyond the range of the clouds.


    And Zhao Yishi was left with a face full of disbelief and shock as he looked back.


    Behind him.


    The black clouds that stretched for a thousand miles and possessed an extremely compelling presence were now thunderously descending, as if the sky had collapsed, heavily crashing toward the ground. It was almost instant that he found his Divine Sense completely blocked by these black clouds.


    The entire area behind him was now covered by the extremely dense black clouds.


    The sky... had it really collapsed?!


    Meanwhile¡ª


    A voice from the edge of the sky, weathered and devoid of emotion, slowly echoed in the ears of everyone in Da Xia Country.


    -


    "Heavenly Dao Decree": Only one year remains until the next shift in the Heavenly Dao version, the "Conflict of All Under Heaven." The preceding minor version change, "Demon Race Invasion," will descend within a thousand miles centered upon Fufeng City.


    As black clouds bear down, the Demon Race invades.


    Within thirty days, should the Demon Race prevail, their status as prisoners of the Heavenly Prison will be removed. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If the Demon Race is defeated, then the black clouds will dissipate and all will return to as before.


    The number and Cultivation of Demon Race allowed to participate in battle will be equivalent to that of the cultivators within a thousand miles of Fufeng City.


    -


    At the same time.


    Inside Fufeng City, the scene became incredibly chaotic in an instant.


    The sky had truly collapsed.


    The black clouds that extended for a thousand miles brought with them an unstoppable force as they heavily smashed down. There was no rain, no thunder¡ªjust the black clouds crashing down. Though they caused no harm, they filled the air with black mist, reducing visibility to almost zero.


    Outside the city, tens of thousands of demon beasts had begun charging toward Fufeng City recklessly. With such low visibility, the beasts below the city walls were barely visible¡ªonly the constant trembling of the city walls could be felt.


    The city''s defense soldiers, in their fear, kept hurling the talismans handed down to them toward the area below.


    "Now I understand."


    The scholar, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked around at the black mist and spoke softly, "I thought it was the demon beasts attacking the city. I didn''t expect the sky to have collapsed."


    "What do you mean?"


    Fat Long frowned and looked at the scholar: "It sounds like the second scenario is better?"


    "Mm, if it were demon beasts attacking the city, we would have to worry about whether we could survive, but now that the sky has collapsed, we don''t need to think about that issue at all."


    "Every major change in the Heavenly Dao version is preceded by many minor changes, such as this ''Demon Race Invasion'' minor version. Its essence is to give those discarded by the last Heavenly Dao version a chance to re-enter the fray."


    "The so-called Demon Race is the side that lost in the last Heavenly Dao version."


    "Imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao in some unknown small world, until the next Heavenly Dao version is about to shift again, they participate as the discarded in a war. If they win, they can rejoin the current Heavenly Dao version; if they lose, they will be utterly annihilated."


    "We''re quite lucky, just having been chosen to join the battle."


    Chen Qiu said nothing, his eyes slightly narrowed as he felt the black mist around him. Casually, he released a Thunder Summoning Technique, and the Spiritual Energy he had just used was almost instantly replenished through the automatic rotation of his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.


    "Have you noticed?"


    The scholar said with an indifferent expression, "This black mist is Spiritual Energy at its thickest, which can quickly fill your Tao Foundation with Spiritual Energy to the brim. In the following days, there will be corpses strewn all around within a thousand miles of Fufeng City. The power of the Demon Race is almost unmatched among their peers."


    "Looking at the situation now, it seems that quite a few people received the message in advance."


    "The City Lord of Fufeng and the workshop owner of the Ask Heaven Market must have fled. In some ways, this might not be such a bad thing, at least it means that no Golden Core Demon Race of equivalent Cultivation will descend upon us. It''s just unclear whether the Capital received the message in advance. If they knew, why didn''t they come?"


    "..."


    After a moment of silence, Chen Qiu calmly looked at the Thunder Light re-emerging in the palm of his hand and at his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, which had once again almost instantly replenished his Spiritual Energy to full. Then he suddenly chuckled.


    "You''re right about one thing."


    "We are indeed quite lucky."


    "It''s time to show these so-called Demon Race what it means..."


    "To be a Magic Practitioner."

 Chapter 64 I am... the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.

    "Boom, boom!!!"A blanket of black mist shrouded the entire Fufeng City, visibility was extremely low. Fat Long stood on the edge of the city wall, looking down without spotting a single demon beast, only able to hear the countless roars of demon beasts ringing in his ears.


    The Evil Cultivation Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had escaped, leaving these demon beasts behind.


    However, it must be said that the speed at which the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons transformed into a red light and escaped was truly fast, seemingly even faster than the Golden Core Great Powers when they left.


    "Is this Demon Race some kind of species apart from the Devil Clan?"


    "No." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scholar shook his head, his expression complicated as he spoke slowly, "They are also from the Human Race, but in the last update of the Heavenly Dao, due to some special reasons, they were defeated and became prisoners of the Heavenly Dao, then the Heavenly Dao labeled them as the Demon Race."


    "Once labeled as prisoners of the Heavenly Dao, although alive, it''s worse than death."


    "Imprisoned in a small world, that small world is constantly filled with such dense Spiritual Energy. By operating their mental methods and enduring harsh cultivation, the speed of their Cultivation advancement would be extremely fast. Sadly, after becoming prisoners of the Heavenly Dao, their bodies were also stricken with several Heavenly Dao Curses, and they are unable to make any progress in their Cultivation in this lifetime, only able to maintain the Cultivation they had at the time they became prisoners."


    "To see such dense Spiritual Energy yet be unable to advance in Cultivation, this feeling is extremely painful."


    "And in that small world, these prisoners of the Heavenly Dao are absolutely immortal."


    "Since they cannot advance their Cultivation, these members of the Demon Race naturally could only practice Spells and various other techniques. Without even thinking about it, over such a lengthy period, these people must have cultivated every type of spell to the Peak of Perfection."


    "With such techniques..."


    "To be deemed invincible among their peers is not an exaggeration."


    "I see..."


    Fat Long looked down from the city wall, somewhat understanding as he asked, "You just mentioned that Evil Cultivation is also unmatched among his peers. If the two of them clashed, who would be more invincible?"


    "That is unclear."


    The scholar shook his head, not answering the question, "But one thing is certain, the strength of these members of the Demon Race is definitely not to be underestimated, and they are extremely experienced in battle and exceedingly desperate for victory."


    "They can only escape the status of prisoners of the Heavenly Dao if they win. Only then can their Cultivation advance again, and they could reappear in the new cycle of the Heavenly Dao. If they lose, it would mean true annihilation."


    "Before every major update of the Heavenly Dao, there is always this kind of minor update."


    Having said this,


    the scholar stopped speaking, his expression calm as he looked in the direction where the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had long since disappeared. He had been celebrated as the greatest Sword Cultivator of Da Xia in his early years, ranking among the top three on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, truly a peerless Heavenly Pride.


    But he just couldn''t kill that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.


    At that time, that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was merely at the mid Foundation Establishment stage.


    His sword was very fast, but it could not kill him.


    Or it might be said that he had killed him many times, but this person always managed to come back again.


    This person must have some sort of ability related to an external body, and especially his Far Escape Technique was mystifying, and almost every time it was different, no one knew why this person had so many variations of the Far Escape Technique.


    Moreover, even though such Far Escape Techniques heavily drained one''s life, this person could use it multiple times, as if he had infinite life.


    Just then¡ª


    "Boom!!!"


    The sound of the city gate being broken and collapsing came from below, and the intense screams and sounds of battle suddenly magnified several times and entered Chen Qiu and the others'' ears.


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu turned and walked toward the city wall, "Before those so-called members of the Demon Race show up, let''s deal with these demon beasts first."


    ...


    "Ouch!!!"


    At this moment, in a hidden cave on a cliff thousands of miles away from Fufeng City, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was continuously spewing blood, lying on the ground with his body convulsing violently. Despite his face twisted in agony, his crimson pupils were bursting with an extremely excited glow!


    "Success... achieved!"


    "Finally succeeded, Master can finally return!"


    "Those who had once betrayed and killed Master will spend their days in fear and panic!"


    "Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother, I succeeded, did you see? We finally succeeded, you can rest in peace below!"


    Inside the cave, only a few dim candlesticks were emitting a faint light, and on the altar, eight Spiritual Tablets were neatly arranged.


    There were no names on the Spiritual Tablets, but they were engraved with portraits, which upon closer inspection, appeared almost identical. Lying on the ground, convulsing yet struggling to rise and look up at the altar, the face of the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons strikingly resembled the portraits on those Spiritual Tablets.


    "Puh!"


    As his injuries worsened, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons couldn''t help but vomit another mouthful of fresh blood; his hands trembling as he took out a bottle of Healing Pills from his chest and stuffed them all into his mouth at once. He had been pursued by a Golden Core Great Power for several hundred miles when he escaped Fufeng City.


    Although his Blood Jutsu, taught by his Master, was extremely powerful, he was still severely injured being chased by a Golden Core.


    He and his eight brothers were born in the same litter.


    Their appearances were the same, their heights, and even their likes and dislikes on a normal day. Once, Master had mentioned to them that they were men of great fortune; it was nearly impossible for a normal human to give birth to nine in one litter, indicating signs of ''the dragon bearing nine sons,'' a great Qi Fortune!


    Their parents had died at the hands of thieves shortly after their birth.


    It was their Master who had raised them and set them on the path of cultivation.


    Master was a Golden Core Great Power, very powerful, but he had a notorious reputation. He had to conceal his identity everywhere he went, fearing discovery and subsequent assassination; others referred to their Master as Evil Cultivation.


    They said Master did all kinds of evil deeds.


    They said Master''s hands were stained with blood.


    They didn''t understand.


    They didn''t know what was evil, what was demonic; they only knew that when their parents died at the hands of thieves just after they were born, it was Master who saved them, it was Master who fed them, it was Master who raised them.


    Not those who claimed so vocally to abide by goodness.


    Master was the righteous one.


    Only...


    Hundreds of years ago, with a major shift in the Heavenly Dao, though Master was powerful in his Cultivation, he fell victim to a trap set by several Golden Core Great Powers and became a prisoner of the Heavenly Dao, confined in a small world. Before leaving, Master transmitted a message instructing them to forget all gratitude and resentment and to find a place to live in hiding.


    They had known since childhood that Master must have had his own motives for adopting them. Their greatest dream since childhood was to serve Master.


    They were born in the same litter.


    The ranking of Big Brother and Second Brother wasn''t determined by the order they came out from their mother''s womb, but instead by who was least afraid of death back then; he was the most fearful of death, thus he became Xiao Jiu.


    Big Brother was the least afraid of death, becoming the eldest, and he was the first to die.


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    Their only goal over the centuries was to rescue Master from the minor versions of the Heavenly Dao before the next major shift arrived, allowing Master to return to Da Xia Country!


    In this century alone, their plan had led to countless pursuers trying to kill them.


    From Big Brother to Eight Brother, all had died at these people''s hands.


    Those people always shouted slogans of slaying demons and eliminating devils and, without any conflict arising, raised their slaughtering knives against them as if killing them could prove they were indeed people of the righteous path.


    From beginning to end, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had always been nine people.


    Not one person.


    And him, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, was the last of these nine.

 Chapter 65

    "Heh heh..."Lying on the ground, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons'' body slowly stopped twitching under the effect of the healing pills, and only after stuffing several more pills into that terrifying wound in his abdomen did he shakily stand up. He took out a handkerchief from his bosom and carefully wiped the spiritual tablets on the altar.


    "Big Brother... Xiao Jiu has finally succeeded. Haven''t you always said that Xiao Jiu is the most cowardly, the most afraid of death, and the one with the smallest courage among the brothers?"


    "If only you were still alive."


    "I really wanted to show you, I''m not afraid of death; I just didn''t want to leave you all. Now that even Eighth Brother is dead, I have nothing left to hold onto."


    "Look, I can be fearless too."


    He didn''t know who had killed Big Brother and Second Brother.


    Big Brother was mortally wounded and had escaped to a cave to die, but before his last breath, he refused to say who had killed him and told them to never seek revenge. Their only goal was to rescue their master. No matter who among them died at the hands of others, it was meant to happen.


    Forget all hatred, seeking revenge would only hinder their progress.


    Ignore everything, rescue the master.


    Big Brother was at least lucky to have left behind some last words.


    Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother all died outside, without even leaving any final words.


    ...


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, with a dazed and trembling expression, took out twenty-four incense sticks from his bosom, lit them, and inserted them into the eight incense burners in front of the spiritual tablets. The spiritual tablets had been custom-made a long time ago; there were nine in total.


    And now...


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, dressed in tattered clothes and covered with wounds, suddenly cracked a smile, took out a brand-new spiritual tablet from his bosom, and neatly placed it at the far right of the altar, setting up a new incense burner in front of it.


    Having lit three more incense sticks, he bowed respectfully three times towards the ninth spiritual tablet before softly speaking.


    "Brothers."


    "Only one last step remains, and it''s Xiao Jiu''s turn to depart. Before leaving, I really missed you all and wanted to see you one last time."


    "After you left, Xiao Jiu has been very lonely."


    "Xiao Jiu misses you."


    "Fufeng City was successfully chosen as the location for Master''s arrival. It is the weakest area in the entire Da Xia Country, and I have already spread the word in advance. Those with some backing have already fled Fufeng City; now, only a bunch of chickens and dogs remain, hardly worth mentioning."


    "Master will surely succeed."


    "Xiao Jiu... now bids farewell to the brothers."


    "I''m leaving."


    With those words,


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons'' hunched back straightened, and his ragged clothes fluttered in the strong wind. He turned and walked out of the cave, standing high in the sky with a ferocious face. With a wave of his sleeve, spiritual energy burst forth, completely destroying the cave.


    This cave was the hiding place that Big Brother found for them after the master had left; for a long time, it had been their home.


    Now, he had personally destroyed it.


    A home without family is not truly a home, and he had no chance to return.


    Over the years, although the brothers had let go of all hatred for the sake of rescuing their master, refusing even in death to reveal who killed them,


    Da Xia was only so large.


    Those who killed the brothers boasted everywhere that they had slain the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.


    How could he not know?


    Only to make the brothers happy, to ensure their plan succeeded smoothly, he always forced a smile and pretended ignorance, secretly etching those names deep into his heart. Now that the plan had succeeded, the rest was up to the master.


    And what he had to do now...


    Was to make those who killed his brothers feel the pain of losing loved ones!


    In the final step of the plan, he indulged his personal vendetta by leading those Golden Core cultivators who had killed his brothers to a certain place. He couldn''t defeat Golden Cores, but killing some Foundation Establishment juniors was not a problem.


    "Ah!!!!"


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, who thought he had prepared for everything, hovered in the air and gazed toward Fufeng City shrouded in miles of black fog, still unable to suppress a fierce, anguished howl, as twin tears of blood slowly slid down.


    He didn''t understand.


    His brothers had no conflicts with those people; it was just the killing of some mortals. Why did those people want to kill his brothers?


    If anyone should kill them, it should be the powers entwined with those mortals!


    What right do you bystanders have to act as agents of the Heavenly Dao!


    The next second¡ª


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons transformed into a red streak of light, shooting towards the horizon at a speed that even surpassed some Golden Core Great Powers, recklessly consuming his lifespan as if it were worth nothing.


    To some, lifespan is a useless thing.


    "Aren''t you all fond of killing the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons to prove your righteous identities?!"


    "This time I''m not running, I''m coming for you!"


    "Come and kill!"


    In almost an instant, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons arrived above a mediocre mortal city. The one who killed his Fourth Brother was a Golden Core Great Power known as ''the Carefree Daoist,'' originating from this city, and his relatives now were the city''s largest family.


    The strongest in this city was merely at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.


    Wrapped in a surging evil energy, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons looked down at the terrified mortals in the city below, and a cruel smile crept onto his pained face.


    "Remember this¡ª"


    "The one killing you is named the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!"


    "Evil Cultivator, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!"


    "Today, I will show the world, what it means to be an Evil Cultivator, what it is to be the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!"


    "Blood Floods a Thousand Miles, for the old man... Open!!"


    This was the Scion of Ten Thousand Demon''s first proactive retaliation in Da Xia Country in years, and also the last.


    Under the premise of being willing to greatly consume his lifespan, the sky was almost dyed half-red with the endlessly surging blood mist, accompanied by the Scion of Ten Thousand Demon''s bellowing roar. Within a hundred miles, tens of thousands of demon beasts'' eyes gradually turned blood-red as they lost their senses and sinisterly gathered in hordes, running wildly toward the city.


    The demon beasts kept within the city also lost their sanity, their eyes turned blood-red as they began to indiscriminately attack anyone their eyes could see.


    Perhaps Master was right.


    The nine of them were indeed individuals with great Qi Fortune, born with a Bloodline Entry, sharing lifespan, cultivation, and Cultivation Method Realm among them.


    If one person cultivated a certain Cultivation Technique to Great Perfection, the other eight would also reach Great Perfection in that Cultivation Method Realm.


    If one person broke through the peak of Foundation Establishment, the others'' cultivation would also break through to the peak of Foundation Establishment.


    If one person died accidentally, the remaining lifespan would be shared equally among the remaining eight.


    Sometimes he also wondered if their Master were not an Evil Cultivator but a righteous Magic Practitioner, whether they could live like everyone else.


    Live a normal person''s life.


    But now...


    He just wanted all those who deserved death to die!


    If the world called him evil, he would show the world what true evil is!


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    At the shattered gates of Fufeng City, the soldiers had lost their formation under the relentless assault of insensibly rampaging demon beasts, and the entire scene had descended into utter chaos. Amidst the black fog, Chen Qiu, wearing a green robe, held a long sword in his hand.


    His robe billowed intensely with the wind, and his footsteps were steady as he moved against the current, through the scrambling crowd towards the city gate.


    Soon.


    Chen Qiu gradually halted his pace. In front of him were countless beasts that had lost their rationality, their eyes wildly red. Behind him were over six thousand equally irrational and ferocious Demon Beast Resentful Spirits.


    It seemed as if the entire scene had suddenly become quiet.


    But soon, those demon beasts roared furiously and charged towards Chen Qiu on a suicidal run!


    "All like to knock."


    "Then I will knock too."


    Chen Qiu''s face showed not a ripple as he slowly raised the long sword in his hand, pointing it at the swarm of demon beasts rushing towards him, and quietly said, "Knock."


    The next moment!


    Hundreds of Thunder Lights suddenly, drawn by the sword, turned into several Thunder Snakes, madly smashing at the demon beasts!


    It was so bright that even the sky lit up for a moment.


    Almost in the blink of an eye, countless demon beasts were struck dead on the spot, and the dead demon beasts turned into ten more, which instantly died once more, turning into ten more Demon Beast Resentful Spirits, joining the battlefield again.


    ...


    "Brother Qiu''s methods are still fierce," said Fat Long, standing behind and looking towards the city gate where hundreds of Thunder Snakes raged, murmuring, "But that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons is also impressive. With just the cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment, he''s able to control so many demon beasts."


    "Moreover, according to what you said, that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons has mastered at least three Escape Techniques. To exceed a normal Golden Core in speed, that Escape Technique must be at the Great Perfection Realm. But is it necessary for one person to cultivate three Escape Techniques to Great Perfection Realm? You also said that this Scion of Ten Thousand Demons possesses several bizarre methods. Does he have that talent and time?"


    "Furthermore, you mentioned that his three Escape Techniques rely on consuming lifespan to activate."


    "We''re just at the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet his lifespan feels much more durable than mine."


    "Not clear."


    The scholar, floating cross-legged on the Green Blade Long Sword beneath him, said softly, "I''ve killed him three times, but each time, he always manages to reappear soon after."


    "I only killed something like his external incarnation. This person''s Escape Technique is extremely formidable; several Golden Core Great Powers pursued the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons but only severely injured him without killing him on the spot. Only I have managed to kill the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons on the spot three times."


    "It is precisely those three times that solidified my reputation as Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator. But each time, it wasn''t the Scion of Ten Thousand Demon''s true body."


    "I''ve always wanted to kill him completely, to make my name truly famous."


    "But he''s truly difficult to kill."


    "It''s also a regret in my life."


    "Killing three times, you seem very strong in the past, the title of Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator sounds quite impressive. Do you have any grudge between you that made you kill him three times?" Fat Long asked, arms folded, somewhat nostalgically, as he looked at the scholar floating cross-legged on the Green Blade, suspended in mid-air.


    "No grudge, no enmity."


    "Without enmity, why kill him three times?"


    "Evil Cultivator, everyone should execute them!"


    "Pretty good."


    Suddenly thinking of something, Fat Long turned his head and looked at the scholar floating in mid-air on the Green Blade, smiling, "We''re all frank people, why not just admit it''s for fame?"


    The scholar remained silent, floating in mid-air without speaking. After a long while, he finally said softly.


    "It seems a bit too utilitarian to say it that way."


    "Makes sense."


    "Besides, someone has to act for the Heavenly Dao."


    "But if the Heavenly Dao doesn''t care, why should you care? Perhaps the Heavenly Dao doesn''t care at all."


    "But this Xiao Yu cares, and that Xiao Yu also cares."


    "Okay, you even know that story."


    "I heard a storyteller recount it when I was in the Capital, I found it interesting, so I remembered it."


    "Alright then, that''s even more reasonable." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 66

    Fat Long looked at Chen Qiu''s back with a complex expression and did not speak. At the time, when he was captured and taken to Flower Offering Sect on the road, he had desperately hoped for someone like a scholar to descend from the sky and rescue him from the dire situation.But...


    He never came.


    If he hadn''t relied on selling himself to save his life, perhaps he would have been completely drained and turned into a dried corpse, discarded in the back mountains by now.


    The Heavenly Dao might not care, but Xiao Yu did care.


    ...


    At this moment¡ª


    Chen Qiu''s palm continuously flashed with Thunder Light, as he single-handedly blocked the city gate, throwing Hand Palm Thunder without even needing to aim, and still hitting his targets.


    Only after reaching the later stages of Foundation Establishment could one''s Divine Sense be released over a wide area, allowing it to lock onto enemies and ensure that one''s Spells hit with maximum accuracy. Before that, one had to rely on mere eyesight to aim.


    Nevertheless, the number of demon beasts in front of him was so great he could barely count them, naturally eliminating the need for precise aiming.


    Even though nature''s spiritual energy was very rich here, to recover spiritual energy one still needed to sit in meditation and absorb spiritual energy using a mental method. This was where the benefit of the Heavenly Dao Foundation showed itself¡ªChen Qiu didn''t need to circulate mental methods at all, as the Heavenly Dao Foundation would automatically rotate and help him absorb spiritual energy.


    And the number of resentful spirits behind him was also increasing.


    A single dead demon beast could bring him ten resentful spirit demon beasts, mostly in the Qi Refinement Realm.


    But...after all, the demon beasts were still too numerous.


    Chen Qiu''s brow slightly furrowed, ordering all the resentful spirits to charge forward and firmly block the city gate, putting himself in a relatively safe realm. Then, he threw out dozens of Hand Palm Thunder!


    Under the entry "Spiritual Energy Intimidating," the power of his Spell at this moment was far beyond that of Cultivators of the same level, further enhanced by the Great Perfection Realm of this Spell, boosted by the entry "Focused Power."


    The power was staggeringly exaggerated.


    An indiscriminate strike could instantly kill some demon beasts in Qi Refinement and early Foundation Establishment Realm stages, with virtually no resistance.


    Plus, with the extremely abundant spiritual energy available.


    At this time, he seemed to reincarnate as the Duke of Thunder himself. Standing there, countless Thunder Lights smashed into the darkness, the dazzling light making the entire battlefield gleam brightly.


    "One demon beast... Two demon beasts..."


    With every demon beast killed, Chen Qiu silently counted in his heart. For each demon beast slain, his Tao Foundation expanded slightly. It was just regrettable that the three souls and seven spirits from these demon beasts did not count as individual kills.


    A bit of a pity.


    Scion of Ten Thousand Demons...


    He silently remembered this name in his heart, wondering if there might be a chance to capture this person someday. Not to discuss other aspects, but just this mastery over subduing myriad demons was far more effective than his use of "Demon Burning Incense."


    Truly thrilling.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, feeling the extremely dense spiritual energy around him. For a moment, he even felt a bit envious of these Heavenly Dao prisoners who lived in such a richly spiritual environment for extended periods.


    ...


    Just like that.


    An hour later, the city gate was covered in a massive number of demon beast corpses, and Chen Qiu finally snapped back from the trance of the melee, his teeth slightly trembling as he scanned the surroundings.


    At this time, his Tao Foundation had expanded to over twenty-one thousand centimeters.


    The demon beasts that had died at his hands numbered over eleven thousand, which also allowed his Tao Foundation to accommodate a double the amount of spiritual energy than before, especially in the surrounding environment where the spiritual energy was extremely rich. He didn''t even need to take Qi Replenishing Pills, as his Tao Foundation was filled to the brim.


    He looked back.


    He found that the city behind him was already filled with countless angry roars and sounds of fighting. The demon beasts were not only blocking this one gate¡ªhe could guard one gate, but couldn''t protect the remaining ones.


    "Where are the scholars?"


    Chen Qiu subconsciously wrapped his robe tighter around himself, his teeth chattering as he looked at Fat Long, who stood at the city gate. At that moment, there were more than eighty thousand resentful spirits surrounding him, the intense chill penetrating to the bone.


    He only felt very cold at the time.


    Cold enough to shiver.


    He had only killed over ten thousand demon beasts. However, each demon beast''s split souls had individually transformed into a resentful spirit demon beast. Excluding those lost in battle, there were still more than eighty thousand resentful spirits quietly standing behind him. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That towering resentful energy almost made ghost cultivators unable to withstand retreating!


    Once, a Taoist in Wentian Market had told him that he was carrying thousands of resentful spirits on his back and needed to resolve them quickly, but now it had already exceeded eighty thousand. The powerful resentful energy had made his body icy cold to the bone.


    This was also why these resentful spirits had already been released and stayed behind him, which was slightly better. If they hadn''t been released and stayed on his back, they probably would have completely crushed him.


    "The scholars went into the city to kill demon beasts," he said.


    "Didn''t the scholar say he was poisoned and couldn''t take action?"


    "He said that on ordinary days, indeed, he couldn''t. A large amount of spiritual energy was needed to suppress the toxins in his body. Although taking the Heavenly Dao Jade had relieved much of it, it only ensured that his cultivation wouldn''t fall further. Normally, he could only use a small amount of spiritual energy to wield his flying sword."


    "But here, where the degree of spiritual energy is extremely dense, there is no need to worry about that. He can use some techniques."


    "Mhmm."


    Chen Qiu''s eyelids drooped as he nodded slightly, the whole person standing in place, using his long sword to support his body to prevent himself from falling. At this moment, he only felt very sleepy, very tired, and very cold.


    It felt as though a thousand catties were pressing on his back, making it hard for him to stand straight.


    The last solution now was to control these demon beasts to move towards the depths of the black mist away from him and then wait for the hour to pass so they naturally dissipate into the ether, but this also eliminated a significant aspect of his combat capability.


    Currently, many demon beasts had already rushed into the city, and he needed to deal with these demon beasts first.


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu had Fat Long come over to help support him. After taking a deep breath and slowly straightening his back, he walked toward the city, and the tens of thousands of resentful spirit demon beasts also closely followed behind him. Although he could control these resentful spirit demon beasts, they couldn''t be too far from him and could only carry out some simple commands.


    Such as attacking, defending, etc.


    He couldn''t make those resentful spirit demon beasts behind him charge into the city and spread out to attack the demon beasts in a detailed operation.


    Looking along the way.


    Fufeng City, which was once quite bustling, was now covered with corpses. The bluestone road was full of overturned baskets of fruits and vendor stalls. The children''s pitiful cries mixed with the demon beasts'' roars echoed throughout the skies of Fufeng City.


    Shrouded in black mist, the visibility in Fufeng City was very low.


    In such an environment, fear surged up, causing one to run around chaotically like a headless fly. From time to time, commands were also issued, but at such a time, who could remain calm? Everyone was fighting for themselves.


    "Roar!"


    Just as a massive bear-like demon beast opened its gaping maw to devour a little girl cowering in a corner crying.


    "Boom!"


    Tens of resentful spirit demon beasts surged out of the black mist and knocked the bear-like demon beast aside.

 Chapter 67

    "..."Chen Qiu glanced at the bear-type demon beast being besieged nearby, then looked toward the little girl still curled up in a corner crying. He walked over, stuffed her into the stove room of a nearby courtyard, and then turned to leave the courtyard, looking at the cobblestone road shrouded in darkness. He murmured,


    "The world shouldn''t be like this."


    He could accept being killed by bandits who blocked his way, or being killed by other cultivators for his treasures, or even being taken by the Flower Offering Sect to be used as a nourishing ingredient.


    Although it was a resentful way to die, there was at least a reason for it.


    But...


    What reason did these people in Fufeng City have to die? Without doing anything wrong, they had to be buried alongside so many others just because of a minor version change in the Heavenly Dao, or because an Evil Cultivator came with an army of ten thousand demon beasts, causing hundreds of thousands to die here.


    If he hadn''t encountered Fat Long and obtained his own chance, perhaps... he would have also died unnoticed in Fufeng City.


    Even if he had known in advance, it was not possible to escape thousands of miles away from Fufeng City within a few hours.


    There weren''t only Fufeng City nearby, but also Ask Heaven market town, and other cities too.


    Fufeng City had him here, so the death toll was somewhat less, but what about the other cities?


    Did the lords of those other cities also run away?


    Probably.


    After all, with the "Demon Clan Invasion" update, the invading Demon Clan cultivators were matched in number and Cultivation with the cultivators within a thousand miles of Fufeng City. If there were Golden Core cultivators in that range, then a Demon Clan Golden Core would also descend.


    Perhaps those Golden Core cultivators also lacked the confidence to kill a Golden Core of the Demon Clan.


    ...


    Thus, with ''Light Wind Talismans'' attached, Chen Qiu and his comrades walked on, and the vast army of resentful spirit demon beasts obediently followed behind, killing any demon beasts that entered the city gates and converting them into resentful spirits of their own kind.


    After who knows how many hours.


    At that time, Chen Qiu, already trembling uncontrollably and curled up from the piercing cold, sat on a stone pillar by the East City gate; behind him stood nearly 150,000 resentful spirit demon beasts.


    At that moment, he even felt hallucinations appearing before his eyes.


    The shrill and piercing cries of ghosts echoed unceasingly around his ears.


    His skin had turned to an extremely exaggerated degree of paleness.


    Fat Long also felt a bit horrified, but nowhere near as extreme as him, since these resentful spirits were all his, with the majority of the backlash affecting him.


    "Brother Qiu,"


    Fat Long, standing by the side, picked up a bloodstained blanket from the ground and wrapped it around Chen Qiu. He couldn''t help but say anxiously, "Don''t wait any longer. At this rate, Brother Qiu, you''ll die before the Demon Clan even arrive!"


    "This resentment from nearly two hundred thousand resentful spirits is enough to completely crush a person!"


    He understood Brother Qiu''s intentions.


    The number and Cultivation of the arriving Demon Clan were matched with the cultivators in the area. As Fufeng City had a million civilians, this also meant that an equal number of Demon Clan would descend within a thousand miles.


    In the imminent great war,


    These hundred and fifty thousand resentful spirits would be the best assistance and the strongest force.


    It''s just... the price of backlash from resentment was indeed a bit heavy.


    "Don''t rush."


    Chen Qiu, sitting on the stone by the city gate, looked at the countless figures in black, slowly walking out from the dark mist with blades in their hands, and gave a faint smile, "Here they come, right?"


    "Really, they took their time. If they''d been any later, all these resentful spirits would have returned to the earth."


    "But it''s still okay."


    "Not too late."


    Foundation Establishment cultivators already found it difficult to increase their Cultivation by killing demon beasts, leaving only those at the Qi Refinement Realm to rapidly improve their Cultivation by slaying demon beasts. Even so, after killing tens of thousands of demon beasts from the early, middle, and even later stages of Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment,


    his Cultivation Progress had already reached nearly ninety-nine percent.


    He was just one step away from breaking through to the second layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    It was as if everything would be fine as long as the quantity was sufficient.


    No sooner had he spoken.


    Than the tens of thousands of resentful spirit demon beasts gathered behind Chen Qiu roared and howled as they rushed towards the countless black-clothed individuals in the black mist. The first batch of resentful spirits had already dispersed into the heavens and earth, and if it weren''t for the restriction of one hour, the number of resentful spirits he could control would be even greater.


    And those of the Demon Clan, for some reason, wore unified black robes, which made them quite easy to identify. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Each of them bore a bloodthirsty, savage, and excited smile on their face.


    They didn''t seem quite sane.


    Looking over, men made up more than ninety percent of them. Being in such a highly confined space for a long period, it''s understandable that their sanity might be affected.


    ...


    After the group of resentful spirit demon beasts had all rushed out behind him, Chen Qiu suddenly felt the chill on his body lessen significantly. Although he had not completely recovered, it was much better than before, at least he didn''t feel like he was carrying a mountain on his back, unable to straighten up.


    But the Demon Cultivators that appeared at the edge of his vision were not as numerous as he expected. Forget a million, even ten thousand seemed far off at a glance.


    It was pitifully few.


    And among those who charged out with the countless resentful spirits and demon beasts were thousands of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Fufeng City. With roars, these Foundation Establishment Cultivators employed various methods. There were Magic Practitioners throwing lightning, Sword Cultivators manipulating flying swords, and others.


    Fufeng City didn''t originally have so many Sword Cultivators.


    But with the opening of the "Heavenly Dao Secret Realm," Fufeng City had attracted quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Not every one of them had a Golden Core from their power backing them to leave, which resulted in many disciples from families and sects being forced to stay in Fufeng City.


    Everyone knew this was truly a fight for their lives.


    Only when one side was completely annihilated, would the battle cease.


    In an environment rich with Spiritual Energy, each person used their spells without restraint. Whether they were Sword Cultivators, Alchemy Cultivators, or Artifact Cultivators, it was impossible not to know a single spell. So at this moment, all of them were in the rear, unceasingly casting spells towards those demon beasts entangled by resentful spirits indiscriminately.


    After all, even if they ran out of Spiritual Energy, they could just sit down, cross-legged, circulate their mental method, and their Spiritual Energy would be refilled in no time.


    Everyone was going all out, employing every method at their disposal.


    ...


    "Kill!!!"


    Among the Demon Clan cultivators, one bare-chested man with a ferocious look and a face full of anger raised his long sword, slashing at the resentful spirit demon beasts charging towards him. With each slash, his sword light shot out, and in a flash, dozens of demon beasts lay dead.


    Though the specific Sword Skill was unknown, his every move displayed ease and proficiency.


    And his control over Spiritual Energy was so fine that it didn''t seem at all like that of an average mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    At that moment, he was boiling with rage with nowhere to vent. After so many years of waiting, just when an opportunity emerged to return to Da Xia Country due to changes in the Heavenly Dao version, who would have expected to land in such a godforsaken place!


    A bunch of mortals who hadn''t even reached Foundation Establishment!


    In this group of Heavenly Dao prisoners, the most numerous were those in the Foundation Establishment Stage; there were hardly any in the Qi Refinement Realm. Or to put it another way, what Qi Refinement Realm cultivator would qualify to be a prisoner? Even if you wanted to be captured, you wouldn''t be eligible!


    As a result, when the "Demon Invasion" version started, there were hardly any Qi Refinement Cultivation level cultivators among these Heavenly Dao prisoners to stand up, wasting a large number of slots!


    If it were a major city, rich with resources and surrounded by Major Sects...


    A place where Foundation Establishment was as common as the dirt and with Golden Cores holding sway...


    When tens of thousands of Heavenly Dao prisoners at the Foundation Establishment level and Golden Core Great Powers descended, who could resist?!


    But instead...


    They landed in such a wretched place where they couldn''t unleash their full strength. Nevertheless, although the numbers were imbalanced, in the end, the other side was just more Qi Refinement Realm mortals, which didn''t matter. It was just more effort in the slaughter.


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    "Brother Qiu,"


    Fat Long looked toward the Heavenly Dao prisoners fighting not far away, and suddenly muttered, "I just thought of something. The Wentiang Workshop is also within a thousand miles, and though the workshop owner has run off, do you think the treasures of the many shops in Wentiang Workshop could have escaped?"


    "If we can survive this, do these count as rewards?"

 Chapter 68 Unified reply, not open.

    "Naturally, it counts."Chen Qiu''s expression remained calm as he gazed at the battlefield not far away; those Demon Clan cultivators indeed seemed much stronger than cultivators of the same level, with every Cultivation Technique at the Great Perfection Realm, moving with effortless ease.


    Compared to them, those people were evidently more suited to fighting in this environment.


    They didn''t need to sit cross-legged to maintain their composure, but instead, absorbed Spiritual Energy through their mental methods amid the battle, achieving effects equivalent to his Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    Logically speaking,


    it was absolutely impossible to operate a mental method during battle, considering how hard it is to maintain composure and circulate a mental method amidst combat.


    But obviously...


    These Demon Clan cultivators, having stayed long in this environment, almost everyone was capable of this technique, which was equivalent to everyone possessing the effect of his Heavenly Dao Foundation, albeit with a smaller capacity and slightly more complicated than his.


    During his numerous releases of the Thunder Summoning Technique, Chen Qiu''s control over Spiritual Energy also became increasingly proficient.


    He had originally planned to leave the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and find a place to cultivate for a while, but now it seemed that battling could significantly enhance his control over Spiritual Energy.


    Just then¡ª


    "Swoosh!!!"


    A powerful golden light burst forth from the crowd and slammed directly towards him; caught off guard, Chen Qiu was sent flying a full several zhang away, crashing heavily onto the ground.


    "Huff..."


    Chen Qiu exhaled a long breath and climbed up from the ground, rubbing his slightly aching chest. His right arm hung limply by his side as dozens of shattered Golden Bell Talisman slowly trickled down from his sleeve onto the ground.


    The "Golden Bell Talisman," a low-grade Defensive talisman of the Foundation Establishment stage, could block a full-strength attack from a first stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Yet, it was this blast of golden light that had completely ruined his twenty to thirty "Golden Bell Talismans."


    "Not bad."


    He lifted his head to look at a Demon Clan cultivator in the crowd sneering and beckoning him with a crooked finger and then turned his head to look at a golden arrow lying on the ground beside him, murmuring, "I need to find some way to get something to protect myself."


    That bow and arrow must be at least a high-grade Spiritual Treasure of the Foundation Establishment.


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    Hitting the body, it hurts a bit.


    However...


    Chen Qiu looked at the mocking Demon Clan cultivator and suddenly started laughing, a spell clash, right?


    He saw his fingertips tremble slightly.


    The next moment¡ª


    Hundreds of Thunder Lights suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside him. The blinding light instantly illuminated the entire battlefield, and in the blink of an eye, all the Thunder Lights, carrying a terrifying deterrent, smashed toward the hidden Arrow Cultivator from the Demon Clan in the crowd!


    "Boom...!"


    Several explosions erupted loudly within the black mist.


    Various colors of light burst forth from many Demon Clan cultivators; all sorts of Protective Body Techniques, talismans, and other methods were automatically triggered. The already chaotic battlefield instantly became even more chaotic. Some keen-eyed cultivators, their faces contorted, charged toward Chen Qiu all at once!


    In the chaos of battle, prioritize killing the Magic Practitioners!


    Moreover, the environment here was extremely suitable for Magic Practitioners to fight in. Although most cultivators knew spells, the power was definitely not as great as those who specialized in spells. Hundreds of Demon Clan cultivators quickly abandoned their current adversaries and, after slaying all the resentful spirit demon beasts along the way, they rushed straight at Chen Qiu!


    A distance of hundreds of zhang.


    For these Demon Clan cultivators with fully engaged movement techniques, it wasn''t too far.


    Especially since not everyone was capable of their technique of fighting while circulating a mental method; even if the region''s Spiritual Energy was rich, once the Spiritual Energy in the Tao Foundation was depleted, one would still need to sit cross-legged and calm down to circulate the mental method to recover Spiritual Energy, and in this gap, that was when Magic Practitioners were most vulnerable!


    This Magic Practitioner seemed to only be at the first level of Foundation Establishment by feeling, but for some reason, the intensity of the spells he deployed was already on par with the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Moreover, typically, for Cultivation at the first level of Foundation Establishment, the Thunder Summoning Technique, a common spell, would be exhausted after just four or five uses of Spiritual Energy.


    Why was this person able to cast spells hundreds of times in one go?


    Could the Tao Foundation within his body truly accommodate so much Spiritual Energy?


    It didn''t seem like a talisman either?


    Although there were hundreds of questions in his mind, the years of combat experience in the Heavenly Dao Prison had caused hundreds of Demon Clan cultivators to still rush out of the encirclement aggressively, charging straight towards Chen Qiu!


    In the Heavenly Dao Prison, one would never die no matter what.


    The combat experience that could only be acquired at the brink of life and death, they had experienced countless times.


    To kill a Magic Practitioner who was at a moment when he was out of Spiritual Energy was not much harder than killing a chicken!


    "Protect this fellow Daoist!!!"


    "Quick, quick, quick!!"


    At the same time¡ª


    Loud shouts also continually arose in the middle of the battlefield, and at this moment, the black fog on the plains outside the city gate had thinned out a lot, significantly increasing visibility.


    The black fog was composed of dense Spiritual Energy; now that so many people were absorbing Spiritual Energy uncontrollably, it naturally thinned out a great deal, and the Spiritual Energy from all directions was continuously flowing to this place.


    Many Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Fufeng City also realized something at this time, that this unknown Magic Practitioner was obviously not an ordinary one, and his capabilities certainly stemmed from a major family or Major Sect, definitely possessing Spiritual Treasures above top-tier Foundation Establishment.


    In such an environment where the Spiritual Energy was so dense it nearly condensed into a solid form, the role of a top Magic Practitioner was tremendously significant.


    The Demon Clan cultivators were able to realize this issue.


    Others naturally could too.


    They must protect this Magic Practitioner, to prevent him from dying at the hands of the Demon Clan cultivators, as this would increase their chances of victory a bit after a brief exchange; they realized that these Demon Clan cultivators, whether in terms of combat experience or Cultivation Method Realm, were far superior to them! S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If there were no unforeseen changes, they were almost destined to die here as expendables.


    Therefore, the originally chaotic battlefield instantly gained some order, many Demon Clan cultivators charged directly at Chen Qiu, while other Foundation Establishment Cultivators who remained in Fufeng City also hurriedly rushed toward Chen Qiu with anxious expressions, ready to protect Chen Qiu behind them so he could have a chance to recover his Spiritual Energy.


    ...


    "Run?"


    The scholar, who had at some point situated himself cross-legged on his longsword, appeared beside Chen Qiu, floating in mid-air and frowning, "Shall we move away from here first and then come back after recovering Spiritual Energy?"


    He actually quite liked this environment.


    Here, he could sit cross-legged on his longsword and move around, which gave him a sense of not being useless. The density of Spiritual Energy here even allowed him to retrieve the grandeur of the top Sword Cultivator from the old days of Da Xia.


    "No issue."


    Chen Qiu stood in place, letting his green robe flutter with the wind, calmly looking at the hundreds of Demon Clan cultivators charging directly towards him. He slowly raised his right arm and spread his fingers, the palm aimed at the hundreds of cultivators.


    After a pause, he softly spoke.


    "Unified reply, not activated."


    The next instant¡ª


    The Tao Foundation, which had already recovered all Spiritual Energy, began to spin wildly again, and hundreds of Thunder Lights instantly emerged from his body, suspending in mid-air. They didn''t strike out but instead spun wildly along with the Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    The Thunder Lights gathering around him grew more and more.


    One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand!

 Chapter 69

    In just less than ten breaths of time, thousands of Thunder Lights gathered behind him, and their number continued to increase.At this moment, Chen Qiu looked as if he had emerged from the Heavenly Thunder, with countless blue Thunder Snakes flashing with Thunder Light constantly entwining behind him. The quantity of Thunder Snakes was so enormous that they even piled up to form a wall of thunder dozens of feet high behind him!


    Even amid the black fog,


    this scene was exceedingly conspicuous.


    It was hard to ignore.


    The deep blue Thunder Snakes, mixed with purple and even a tinge of pale white, irresistibly drew the eye. Their utmost charm carried an undercurrent of debilitating fear from deep within.


    And at that moment¡ª


    The fastest Demon Clan cultivator was now less than thirty feet away from Chen Qiu. For some reason, his pace had slowed, and with a shocked and disbelieving expression, he stood his ground, holding his butcher''s knife somewhat aimlessly and fearfully, staring at the wall of thunder formed by tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes behind Chen Qiu!


    Even with the combat experience he honed in the Prison, he was at a loss, standing in place with uncontrollable trembling in his legs.


    Even the Demon Clan cultivators who were closely following him in the kill had also begun to slow down their pace.


    Then, almost without any hesitation,


    the leading Demon Clan cultivator turned and ran in the opposite direction without a word, his speed even faster than when he arrived. The other Demon Clan cultivators, filled with intense fear, also made an about-face and fled in all directions.


    How the hell do you fight this?


    This is a Magic Practitioner!


    Are you the favored son of the Heavenly Dao, controlling the Heavenly Tribulation?


    If someone had told him before that a Foundation Establishment level one cultivator could unleash tens of thousands of Thunder Summoning Techniques at once, and each one was far more powerful than those of his peers, he would have thought it was nonsense.


    But having seen it today, he had no choice but to believe.


    Even the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Fufeng City who had come to reinforce were momentarily stunned by this spectacle, and without any hesitation, they also fled rapidly in the opposite direction¡ªonly they fled behind Chen Qiu. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Spells don''t differentiate between friend and foe.


    If one were enveloped by it at this time, then death was certain.


    After all, they did not believe their life-saving measures could withstand tens of thousands of Thunder Summoning Techniques. Could this still be called a Thunder Summoning Technique?


    ...


    "Running away?"


    As the Thunder Snakes continued to multiply behind Chen Qiu, the dazzling bright light even pierced through the black fog, illuminating the entire battlefield. Seeing the Demon Clan cultivators starting to flee, Chen Qiu couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique, a spell of Foundation Establishment, had an attack range of a full hundred feet when cultivated to the Great Perfection Realm.


    Which by all accounts wasn''t short. The peak that pierced the clouds over the marketplace at Wentiang Fang was only a few thousand feet tall. But this didn''t account for the incredible speed of the Demon Clan cultivators, especially as they scattered in all directions. In less than ten breaths of time, a large number of Demon Clan cultivators had already escaped beyond a distance of one hundred feet.


    Even many of the Demon Clan cultivators had stopped running three to four hundred feet away, turning back to look at him, clearly understanding that the spells of a Foundation Establishment early-stage Magic Practitioner couldn''t reach such distances.


    But... when it came to speed,


    Chen Qiu had something even faster on his side.


    ...


    "Can you do it?"


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at the scholar beside him and softly asked, while the number of Thunder Snakes behind him continued to grow.


    "Yes,"


    the scholar replied with a complex expression, "This place''s Spiritual Energy is rich enough. The thing you mentioned can indeed be achieved, it''s just that it feels a bit... unbecoming of a Sword Cultivator, it''s somewhat beneath the dignity of swordsmanship."


    Nevertheless, the scholar sat back down cross-legged on the ground, enlarging the Green Blade Long Sword by a few inches, presenting it in front of Chen Qiu.


    "This is called cooperative combat between sword and magic practitioners,"


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    Chen Qiu said with a smile, stepping onto the long sword, surrounded by tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes. The Spiritual Energy erupted from the soles of his feet, transforming into strands of Spirit Lines that firmly fixed him atop the Flying Sword. He couldn''t manipulate Spiritual Energy with such precision in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    But...


    As they say, combat is the best form of cultivation.


    The next second¡ª


    The long sword suddenly transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the distance. In the blink of an eye, it vanished tens of miles away. The scenery around Chen Qiu instantly blurred, as if time itself was rewinding, rendering the surrounding landscape indecipherable.


    And the tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes were closely following behind Chen Qiu.


    At a glance,


    It appeared like a gigantic Light Ball emitting intense radiance, shooting towards the distance.


    "Hey!"


    Chen Qiu activated several "Golden Bell Talismans" to fend off the strong winds, his Spiritual Energy continuously surged into the meridians throughout his body to resist the discomfort from such acceleration, he couldn''t help but retch as he shouted into the Sound Transmission Ring on his finger.


    "You''re flying too damn fast, you overshot it, come back a bit!"


    And soon, an anxious voice came through the Sound Transmission Ring.


    "Right away, right away, I got quite a lot on my hands, it''s a bit unaccustomed to slow down, but it''ll be alright soon!"


    ...


    One must say.


    The scholar''s sword was really fast, far surpassing that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Chen Qiu had once asked the scholar why he claimed he had no combat ability. With such speed, even just on velocity alone, one could pierce through many Foundation Establishment Cultivators'' Protective Spirit Qi.


    The scholar didn''t give him a specific answer at the time, only shook his head with a helpless wry smile.


    Perhaps there were some unspeakable difficulties.


    He didn''t press the issue further.


    And the long sword beneath his feet slowed considerably, returning to the battlefield above, the speed now slow enough for him to clearly catch sight of the Demon Clan cultivators below, stunned and immobile in disbelief.


    But even so,


    The gusts of wind by his side still made his blue robe flutter and whip about.


    "Magic Practitioners should play like this."


    "Being a stationary turret is not being a Magic Practitioner, that''s being a live target."


    Chen Qiu looked down at the Demon Clan cultivators, smirked, and then with a slight tremor of his fingers, tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes descended like Heavenly Thunder from the sky, raining down a sweeping bombardment on the Demon Clan cultivators below!


    "Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"


    The tens of thousands of Thunder Lights, incredibly dense and nearly merging into a waterfall-like cascade, fell in batches from the sky, heavily crashing onto the ground.


    The sounds of countless explosions arose one after the other.


    The ground almost instantly turned charred black.


    In the blink of an eye,


    Nearly a thousand Demon Clan Foundation Establishment Cultivators had their Protective Spirit Qi shattered and, amidst the screams, turned to ash.


    "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!"


    Realizing the grim situation,


    Some Demon Clan cultivators didn''t say a word and flew away with Sword Flight, trying to temporarily escape from there, but when it came to the speed of flying swords, who could compare to the scholar.


    ...


    "Where are you running to?"


    Chen Qiu, standing on his Green Blade Long Sword, caught up in the blink of an eye to a Demon Clan cultivator fleeing on their sword, fiddling with several Hand Palm Thunders in his hand, looking towards this person''s fear-filled eyes with a light chuckle.


    "Not long ago, someone told me that among all, Sword Cultivators are the strongest."


    "I think he made a lot of sense."


    "Sword Cultivators are indeed strong."


    In the midst of laughter,


    Tens of shimmering Thunder Snakes had already enveloped the fleeing Demon Clan cultivator on their sword, the frail Protective Spirit Qi almost instantly shattered, and the charred long sword and corpse fell from mid-air in a parabola to the ground.


    Chen Qiu stood aloft on the Green Blade, his hand nonchalantly behind his back, toying with several Hand Palm Thunders in the other hand with a smile, looking down at the fleeing Demon Clan cultivators below, with tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes, emitting endless Thunder Light, intertwining behind him.


    And his voice, augmented by Spiritual Energy, was like a devil''s whisper, tapping on the heart of every fleeing Demon Clan cultivator.


    "But Magic Practitioners aren''t weak either, huh?"


    "What do you think?"

 Chapter 70

    This was his first collaboration with the scholar.The synergy between Sword Cultivator and Magic Practitioner turned out to be much better than he had imagined.


    The speed of the scholar''s Flying Sword, far surpassing that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators, coupled with his own attack methods that far exceeded those of a normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator in this environment rich in Spiritual Energy, was almost like a fish taking to water.


    These people naturally didn''t want to just passively take hits, but how to counterattack?


    They were simply unable to catch the green light that constantly shuttled through the high sky; by the time you could catch the green light, you would see a young man in a green robe, smiling, appearing before you with several Hand Palm Thunders playfully in his hands.


    Coverage bombardment.


    Precise targeting.


    There wasn''t even a need for a third axe; these two axes alone dealt a devastating blow to nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivators at the scene.


    ...


    In less than half an hour.


    The plain outside Fufeng City gradually quieted down, a large amount of dark mist surged over again, making the plain that had already become much clearer once again as limited in visibility as before.


    "Hu..."


    Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, stepped down from the Flying Sword, and through the black mist faintly saw the charred land not far away and those bodies, a slight smile appearing on his face as he said softly.


    "We coordinated pretty well."


    "Hmm."


    The scholar nodded with a somewhat unhappy expression, admitting that the effect was indeed very good, but it somewhat differed from his idea of Sword Cultivators, feeling that it was somewhat unbefitting of the scholarliness of Sword Cultivators.


    "Can your Cultivation still be recovered?"


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at the scholar and asked softly.


    "It''s very difficult."


    The scholar shook his head: "Thanks to Brother Qiu for the Heavenly Dao Jade you bestowed last time, it has greatly suppressed the toxins in my body. However, it''s very difficult to completely remove the toxins, at least I currently don''t know of any pill that can thoroughly eliminate this type of toxin."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded, without saying much more, but he already had a rough idea in mind.


    He obtained quite a few treasures suitable for Sword Cultivators at Chao Tian Sect, such as that statue that would increase one''s understanding of the learned Swordsmanship upon touching the ''Sword Bone.'' He planned to thoroughly study Chao Tian Sect once things here settled down.


    As well as what exactly the Heavenly Dao Blessing was after the sect was ranked.


    After that, he could consider taking the scholar into Chao Tian Sect.


    For now, the combination of Magic Practitioner and Sword Cultivator was a very good pairing, especially a Sword Cultivator who specialized in the speed of the Flying Sword, but this model could only be realized in an environment of rich Spiritual Energy. Once they left this environment, the scholar wouldn''t be able to use the Spiritual Energy as recklessly as now.


    When he had an opportunity, he would see if he could help the scholar recover some Cultivation. Even if it was very difficult to completely restore the Cultivation, he could at least intend to rise it to the mid Foundation Establishment stage. That way, even outside, he would be able to use more Spiritual Energy and control the Flying Sword for longer durations.


    He didn''t continue talking.


    Instead, he glanced at the Fufeng City Cultivators who were stunned and standing nearby, then looked towards the Demon Cultivation bodies in the depths of the black mist and said with a light laugh, "I''ll stand guard here, you guys go search the bodies."


    "Collect the spoils of war."


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    Within a thousand miles, enveloped by the dark mist.


    The major update ''World Conflict'' of Heavenly Dao was preceded by the minor update ''Demon Race Invasion,'' and this piece of news had fully spread following the fall of Fufeng City. It wasn''t to say that everyone in the country knew about it, but at least those with some power were basically aware of this event.


    At this moment, many powers had already dispatched people to stand guard at the edge of the dark mist.


    Patiently waiting for the dark mist to dissipate.


    "Don''t be sad anymore,"


    the Sect Master of Caotian Sect said with some helplessness as he sat on Zhao Yishi''s shoulder. Glancing at Zhao Yishi''s huge, vacant pupils, he sighed with a hint of guilt, "You should have told me earlier about the new friend you made in Fufeng City. You mentioned it too late."


    "By the time you brought it up, it was already too late to go back."


    "I could only save you and the other disciples from our Caotian Sect."


    "Of course, don''t be too sad. Perhaps they were lucky enough to make it out alive."


    Indeed, he knew that what he was saying was against his conscience, but he had no other choice but to say that. He couldn''t just tell him to give up hope and assume that all his riff-raff friends were as good as dead.


    If he caused the only hope of their sect to fall into depression, that would be utter nonsense.


    After all, an equal number of Demon Clan cultivators with identical Cultivation had descended upon them. If he had been even slightly slower, there would be another Demon Clan cultivator inside with the same Cultivation as him.


    To put it bluntly, being tormented by a Demon Clan cultivator of the same level was like bullying a chick for him.


    What a joke, within the Heavenly Dao Prison, the Cultivation of human cultivators was completely fixed. They spent hundreds of years doing nothing but rigorously practicing various spells, and even the most basic Earth Tunneling Technique had probably reached the Great Perfection Realm.


    They completely outclassed him in every way, so if he could beat them, that would be a miracle.


    The only advantage he might have was that the people from the Heavenly Dao Prison probably didn''t have many talismans or pills, those external means of battle. The Heavenly Dao Prison wasn''t a new phenomenon, and historically, those who emerged from it always lacked these resources.


    Over those hundred years, such external items would have been nearly depleted.


    Only Spiritual Treasures, if used sparingly, wouldn''t necessarily shatter.


    "Oh,"


    like a towering mountain, Zhao Yishi stood in place, overlooking the young man and woman whispering to each other on the ground and murmured, "I''m not worried about them, Sect Master. I was just wondering if I could ever find my own Taoist couple in this lifetime."


    "Uh..."


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect instinctively looked down between Zhao Yishi''s legs, his mouth twitching slightly before he gently patted the solid shoulder next to him, comforting, "Those who cultivate the great path must not be swayed by lust for women."


    "But I desire intimacy."


    "How vulgar, don''t forget the principles of Caotian Sect. Stay away from temptation and maintain purity in body and mind."


    "I still desire it."


    "Just try not to think about it for now. Once you become a Golden Core cultivator, won''t you be able to choose any beauty in this world?"


    "You said the same thing when I was at the Qi Refinement Realm; that once I break through to Foundation Establishment, I would have everything I wanted."


    "Foundation Establishment is just a minor threshold. Believe me, once you become a Golden Core cultivator, you will definitely be able to pick any beauty in this world!"


    "Oh, Sect Master, have you achieved Golden Core?"


    "Yes, I have,"


    "So have you been able to pick any beauty in this world?"


    "I''m not interested."


    "Is it because you''re unable to?"


    "..."


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect remained silent for a long time, not saying a word. Who was it that originally proposed putting the entire effort of the sect into desperately raising Zhao Yishi?


    He now found himself in a dilemma.


    Even a fool knew that as long as Zhao Yishi was properly cultivated, and they eventually found a Cultivation Technique or an entry that suited his physique, just as soon as he reached Golden Core, he would definitely become one of the most formidable Golden Core cultivators out there!


    But the current issue was...


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    If they continued to nurture him like this, the present Zhao Yishi could easily drag down the sect.

 Chapter 71 Added

    In the Capital, there''s been a popular term lately. Experience new stories on empireIt''s called the sunk cost fallacy.


    He felt these words made a lot of sense, thinking back on how he ended up on this irreversible path.


    The Sect Master of the Caotian Sect heaved a long sigh, his gaze becoming distant as his thoughts drifted toward the horizon.


    Being a Sect Master was too exhausting; he somewhat missed the joyous times when he had just joined the sect as an outer disciple.


    ...


    Meanwhile, not far from Fufeng City in the Wen Tian Fang Market.


    Under a dead tree by the side of a cliff thousands of feet high.


    An old man with white hair was casually picking up a white piece and placing it on the chessboard as he chuckled, "The ''strife under heaven'' is about to arrive, His Majesty seems rather anxious, as if a mere invasion by the Demon Race is enough for him to dispatch both of us at once."


    "It''s apparent that His Majesty is indeed in a hurry, almost as if he''s afraid something will go awry."


    "Enough,"


    the sharp-featured middle-aged man on the other side of the chessboard shook his head, carefully placing a black piece before he said helplessly, "I say, Elder Qiu, we should refrain from discussing His Majesty behind his back. He must have his own considerations."


    "What considerations?"


    The white-haired old man cast a casual glance in the direction of Fufeng City, his gaze penetrating the black mist as if seeing everything happening there, and a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes, "Doesn''t everyone know, or are you still unclear?"


    "Wasn''t Da Xia Country''s predecessor the prisoner who survived the last sweep of the Heavenly Dao Prison?"


    "His Majesty is well aware of the consequences if all the prisoners of Heavenly Dao were released. That''s why he dispatched the two strongest peak Golden Core experts from Da Xia to quell this disaster."


    "Clearly, His Majesty... is afraid."


    "What do you think?"


    he asked, still smiling, looking toward the two hideously faced Golden Core Demon Clan cultivators on the ground nearby who were completely immobilized by the overwhelming Spiritual Energy, and chuckled.


    "I must admit, this environment is quite comfortable."


    "It''s a pity that the peak of Cultivation here is just Golden Core Peak; even with the rich Spiritual Energy here, it''s impossible to advance further. Otherwise, maybe it would be possible to attain the Nascent Soul here."


    "But now, it seems that even if His Majesty hadn''t dispatched us, these prisoners of Heavenly Dao couldn''t make it out alive."


    "That youngster down there definitely has at least one Pink Entry suitable for a Magic Practitioner in his Tao Foundation, and is merely at the first layer of Foundation Establishment. I wonder if he acquired it when he first started Qi Refinement or when he first entered Foundation Establishment. That''s some good fortune."


    "..."


    The middle-aged man with a square face was silent for a moment, losing interest in the game, and looked up at the white-haired old man, speaking softly, "We both serve His Majesty, must we discuss him in such terms behind his back?"


    "And what difference does it make if we discuss him?"


    The white-haired old man said contemptuously, "If he hadn''t promised to help me achieve a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul, would I even work for him? But so many years have passed; has His Majesty fulfilled this promise?"


    "The fact that I even refer to him as ''His Majesty'' is already giving him face."


    "To speak an unforgivable truth, I don''t have many years left to live. If His promise remains unfulfilled before my life runs out, I wouldn''t mind taking a trip to the Yellow Springs with His Majesty."


    "What about you? Since when have you been so loyally devoted to His Majesty?"


    "Don''t forget who we are. We''re just revered experts of Da Xia, not some Da Xia house slaves."


    Then the white-haired old man scoffed, no longer amused. His sleeve swept a mighty wave of powerful Spiritual Energy, instantly causing the two struggling Demon Clan cultivators to bleed from all orifices. Even their Golden Cores, attempting to break free and escape, were crushed by a huge hand formed from Spiritual Energy.


    With another sweep of his sleeve,


    all the treasures within the Wen Tian Fang Market had been collected into his possession.


    He slowly stood up and, taking one step forward, disappeared at the edge of the cliff.


    Leaving only an ethereal voice behind.


    "Upon returning, just say that the Fang Market was breached by Golden Core Demon cultivators, and all the Spiritual Treasures have vanished into thin air."


    "We''ll split everything evenly between us."


    "Even if we can''t achieve Nascent Soul, we still need to leave something for the next generation."


    ...


    The two Golden Core Demon Clan cultivators, both at the third layer of the Golden Core realm, had no chance of fighting back against the peak Golden Core old demon.


    "As a prisoner of the Heavenly Dao, your Cultivation cannot break through, and you can only devote yourself to studying spells?"


    It so happened that these peak Golden Core old demons were in the same situation, and their Cultivation completely crushed yours, how could you possibly defeat them?


    Even the highest Cultivation among these Heavenly Dao prisoners was merely the third layer of Golden Core, and now that these peak Golden Core old demons had appeared in Fufeng City, the Demon Race''s Golden Core cultivators might as well descend two at a time in Fufeng City, but what of it?


    After this white-haired elder appeared.


    Nearly all the Demon Cultivation within the two nearby cities perished on the spot as the white-haired elder passed by, such was the overwhelming power. A peak Golden Core old demon dealing with these Foundation Establishment Demon Clan cultivators, even if you spent thousands of years in the Heavenly Dao Prison and brought thousands of spells to the Great Perfection Realm, it would be useless.


    The crushing nature of quality cannot be changed by quantity.


    In an instant¡ª


    The unrestrained might of the peak Golden Core realm blanketed the land within a thousand miles, the formidable Divine Sense instantly released and swiftly swept across the thousand miles, the terrifying Cultivation causing all cultivators to instantly feel as if they were crushed by a mountain, their bodies flattened against the ground, unable to move an inch!


    Those who were weaker in Cultivation, not even at the Foundation Establishment Stage, had already started bleeding from all five orifices.


    Though not fatal, their internal organs were definitely injured.


    ...


    Even Chen Qiu of Fufeng City found himself involuntarily pinned to the ground by this powerful force, as if the sky had collapsed onto him, and he tried to stand up.


    Only to find that he had almost lost control over his body.


    Even when he clenched his teeth and exerted all his strength, he could not lift his body by even a fraction.


    After a few moments,


    this extremely terrifying Golden Core presence gradually dissipated, and Chen Qiu gasped for air as he climbed up from the ground, turned his head to look at the Foundation Establishment Cultivator beside him in Fufeng City, who was in even greater disarray and terror, flattened on the ground.


    Is this what it means to be a Golden Core cultivator?


    There was a time when he thought that as long as he killed enough demon beasts during the Foundation Establishment Stage, as long as the Spiritual Energy his Tao Foundation could contain was plentiful, and under the "Spiritual Energy Intimidating" entry effect, ensuring the power of his spells was strong enough, he might be able to oppose a Golden Core.


    Now it seems that was nothing but a delusion, considering he had never encountered a Golden Core cultivator.


    The vast and terrifying Spiritual Energy was not a matter of quantity, but a matter of quality!


    With Spiritual Energy of this caliber, unless his own energy could accumulate in such a great quantity, an exaggerated extent, there was no way to compete with this kind of qualitative crush.


    If...


    If such a being wanted to kill him, he would have nearly no means to survive.


    Just then¡ª


    A deep and ethereal voice rang in his ear.


    -


    "Heavenly Dao Decree": The Demon Race has been defeated, and the surviving Demons in the prison are deemed to have perished as well.


    Furthermore, with the major version change to ''Conflict Under Heaven'', a new Heavenly Dao Fame Ranking has been added.


    This ranking will be based on how many people are aware of the listed cultivators.


    This ranking is updated in real-time, and every day according to the individual''s ranking, a Heavenly Dao Blessing can be received.


    -


    As this voice emerged, the thick black mist that enveloped the surroundings started to slowly dissipate, signaling the end of this ''Demon Invasion''.


    Chen Qiu''s expression subtly changed as he immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his mental method, his Heavenly Dao Foundation rotating swiftly, absorbing the nature''s spiritual energy around him.


    During the battle just now, he had already broken through to the second level of the Foundation Establishment Stage; after all, his Cultivation Progress had reached ninety-nine percent before leaving the city gates, only a step away from the second level. Furthermore, his Heavenly Dao Foundation constantly rotated automatically, helping to advance his Cultivation, so breaking through to the second level of Foundation Establishment was hardly surprising.


    However, he deliberately refrained from introspecting his body''s post-breakthrough Cultivation entries, allowing himself to choose later beyond the ten-breath limit.


    It''s not easy to find an environment where the Spiritual Energy is so rich.


    While the black mist hasn''t fully cleared, he took the opportunity to circulate his mental method, advancing his Cultivation Progress, meanwhile filling his Tao Foundation¡ªall of which would usually require wasting a good number of Spirit Stones. This opportunity for a free boost was not to be missed. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 72 Listing Remarks

    Sigh...After a month, my book "Cultivating Immortality in Chaotic Times" is finally going on the shelves, long story short. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tonight at midnight, it will be officially released, updating with ten chapters.


    At 23:59, there will be two more free chapters, which is the regular update for today. After midnight, it will be officially launched, and at 00:05, ten paid chapters will be uploaded, which constitutes the post-launch update.


    After the launch, there will be a guaranteed daily update of at least five chapters, that is, 10,000 words.


    The update time is set at 23:59 every evening.


    Starting from zero "monthly tickets" each month, for every additional 100 monthly tickets, an extra update will be added, tallied at the end of the month.


    For each alliance leader, one extra update will be added, for silver, ten extra updates.


    I hope everyone will come to the Qidian reading platform to support the legitimate subscription.


    Thank you.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Now that the formalities are out of the way, I''d like to thank four big shots who recommended my book during its new book promotion.


    -


    "Misbehaving in a Stopped World"


    Pudding''s book is super cute and very interesting, and the author updates frequently.


    -


    "Then Let Them Offer Loyalty!"


    An established master in the light novel area, Changshi''s work is also very good, with frequent updates. He''s a genuine senior of mine, having been in the industry many years longer than I have.


    -


    "High Martial Era"


    A book by the future platinum-level author Faker Immortal, it''s a great urban martial arts novel with outstanding performance, and truly frequent updates that have put a lot of pressure on me.


    -


    "My Son Yang Jian Has the Qualities of a Great Emperor"


    A fascinating book from Liu Lian''s old homestead, it''s also a headliner in this genre, worth checking out if you''re interested.


    -


    Initially, I didn''t expect this book to perform so well during its new book promotion, so I didn''t seek out any entry recommendations. It was only during the third round of recommendations that I belatedly sought support from a few big shots.


    If I''d known, I would''ve thickened my skin and asked for more entry recommendations. Who knows, the results might have been even better.


    It''s just that I''d already done it once with my last book, and I felt somewhat embarrassed to ask again for this one.


    Smile.


    I suddenly feel like I''ve changed a lot. When I wrote my first book for Qidian, the operations officer said he got me an entry recommendation from the famous author Yuan Tong. I freaked out and insisted the operations officer cancel the recommendation.


    And now, I''ve started to thickly apply some face in asking for entry recommendations myself.


    Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire


    After writing for several years, my skin has indeed gotten much thicker.


    ...


    In conclusion.


    Thanks to all the readers for your support, allowing me to complete nearly all the promotions for the new book period. The book even reached as high as third on the new book list, just behind "The Talking Elbow" and "Offering Flowers in Front of Buddha", and a week before that were Gu Zhenren and I Eat Tomatoes...


    This new book list was indeed very competitive, with three platinum authors and six great ones in the top dozen or so. Reaching the third place was very satisfying to me, and I thank all the reader lords.


    The upcoming plot will be very exciting, and I hope you will like it.


    See you tonight.

 Chapter 73

    Moreover, this long sword Spiritual Treasure doesn''t offer any enhancements to Magic Practitioners.Spiritual Treasures suitable for Magic Practitioners are those that can provide them with enhancements.


    For instance, increasing Spell power, reducing the consumption of Spiritual Energy during Spellcasting, extending the range of Spells, or even... ignoring the silent incantation of Spell hearts.


    For a relatively basic Foundation Establishment Spell like the "Thunder Summoning Technique," there''s no need for silent incantation; it''s an instant cast, but some more complex Spells with greater power do require silent incantation of the Spell''s heart.


    Some even more powerful Spells need the caster to form hand seals to cast them.


    In such complicated situations, having a Spiritual Treasure that can ignore silent incantations is naturally a significant enhancement for Magic Practitioners.


    However...


    He still felt that in most cases, the "Thunder Summoning Technique" was more useful. Although it was just a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spell, the instantaneous nature of the Spell allowed him to unleash it repeatedly with a power that was not weaker than high-level Spells.


    Of course, it''s still necessary to find some high-level Spells.


    Discover stories at empire


    Currently, his attack methods were a bit too one-dimensional. Leave alone anything else, if he were to meet an idiot with an entry immune to all Thunder Spells, he would be left staring blankly.


    ...


    "I need to find more attack methods."


    "And some life-saving methods."


    "That Scion of Ten Thousand Demons'' escape technique was incredibly powerful; I''ve got to pick up one of those."


    "And some more Spiritual Treasures suitable for Magic Practitioners." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Also need to..."


    Standing still, Chen Qiu was playing with his index finger, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the thought of how busy he was about to be, when Fat Long and the others came running back with a large pile of Storage Bags and Storage Rings.


    "Brother Qiu, all the spoils of war are here."


    "But Brother Qiu, you were a bit heavy-handed; many of the Storage Bags and Storage Rings were smashed, only these Storage Bags that the Demon Clan cultivators subconsciously pressed under themselves before dying were preserved."


    "I must say, they were quite nice people."


    "Not too many intact Spiritual Treasures; there are some that haven''t been severely damaged and the scholar said we could sell these for some Spirit Stones."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long''s smiling face with a complex expression. Ever since he encountered the "Reversing Yin and Yang" entry, he had been unable to look at Fat Long the same way.


    Who would join the Flower Offering Sect?


    It was a Dual Cultivation sect; if one willingly joined this sect, then surely they had a suitable entry for this cultivation style, right?


    And among them, who''s to say there weren''t any with the "Reversing Yin and Yang" entry?


    After all, it was just a green entry, not too rare.


    ...


    "Brother Qiu, what''s wrong with you?"


    "Why do your eyes look so strange?"


    "It''s nothing."


    Chen Qiu silently shook his head, deciding to keep this to himself and not tell Fat Long, lest he shatter Fat Long''s cultivation focus. It was better to act as if nothing had happened; ignorance is bliss.


    He thought they wouldn''t have much in the way of spoils, but to his surprise, there was still quite a lot.


    Wait a minute!


    A sudden thought struck him: when the Demon Race invaded, the workshop owners of Wentiang Market had fled in advance, so wasn''t the market now left unguarded? The merchants would most likely have fled too; if not now, then when?


    "Let''s set off, scholar!"


    Chen Qiu didn''t even bother to check the haul from the Storage Bags and immediately grabbed the scholar, ready to head to Wentiang Market.


    The parting words left by Chao Tian Sect couldn''t have been truer.


    Sword Cultivators are truly powerful.


    At least when it comes to traveling, no matter how hard Magic Practitioners try, they can''t catch up to Sword Cultivators. In terms of speed, Sword Cultivators definitely earn the title of the fastest in the world!


    ...


    ```


    Before setting off, the scholar might have noticed that Chen Qiu had some misconceptions about sword cultivators and couldn''t help but open his mouth to explain, "Brother Qiu, actually, sword cultivators don''t just wield their swords and fight the enemy up close."


    "Once they enter the Golden Core Stage."


    "Sword cultivators often are such that you see the sword but not the person, able to take an enemy''s head from a thousand miles away."


    "Especially the Golden Core Sword Technique, that''s tens of thousands of green sword shadows spreading like a rain of swords for nearly a hundred miles, leaving not a blade of grass alive within that range."


    "What''s more, there are many branches of sword cultivators, like those who specialize in sword arrays. Combining sword cultivation with array repair, carrying a sword box, and forming a sword array with dozens of flying swords often allows them to defeat enemies above their own level!"


    "They are not weaker than magic practitioners."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu turned his head toward the scholar with some confusion, "Did I ever say that sword cultivators are weaker than magic practitioners?"


    "No."


    The scholar said somewhat resentfully, "Well, indeed I didn''t, I just said that off the cuff."


    "If sword cultivators are so strong, and you were once ranked as the number one sword cultivator of Da Xia, why couldn''t you kill the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, who was just at the Foundation Establishment Stage, multiple times?"


    Fat Long interjected at the right moment, his tone laced with a hint of teasing.


    "This, this, this..."


    The scholar was somewhat provoked by this and indignantly explained, "You haven''t faced the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons directly, once you do, you''ll know. It''s impossible to kill him. I killed him three times, and the last time, I was very sure that I had killed him!"


    "Moreover, I even dissected that corpse, ensuring that it was the body of a living person, yet not long after, he began moving around in Da Xia Country again."


    "I really had no other options, I exhausted all means, but just couldn''t kill him."


    "Understood."


    Chen Qiu helped the scholar out with a light laugh, "That Scion of Ten Thousand Demons indeed has some techniques. Without some methods, he wouldn''t have caused such a commotion in Fufeng City in front of so many Golden Core cultivators."


    "It''s said that you got chased down back then because you were upholding justice."


    "It''s clear that you do have a heart of gold. After Fufeng City was breached by a demon beast, you immediately went to rescue the city''s civilians. This act of caring for the well-being of the people, even as you fell from grace, is indeed worthy of the title of Da Xia''s number one sword cultivator."


    Just then¡ª


    The scholar''s brother, the bearded, burly man who rarely spoke up, couldn''t resist chiming in, "There was a storyteller in the city who spoke recently of my brother''s past glory. My brother was actually there to save that storyteller; the rescue of others was just incidental."


    "Right, this is the first storyteller in these years to mention my brother in Fufeng City."


    "If you don''t speak, no one will think you''re mute."


    The scholar looked at his younger brother expressionlessly, "Learning to be quiet is the first rule in understanding the ways of the world."


    Then, perhaps as a form of release, the Qingfeng in his sleeve vanished in a flash, turning into a Liu Guang that disappeared between heaven and earth, and entering Wentiang market.


    ...


    In just a few breaths of time,


    Chen Qiu and the others had already arrived at the gate of Wentiang market.


    But... at that moment, the skies above Wentiang market were filled with an extremely thick scent of blood, the sight meeting their eyes was one of bodies torn asunder; the whole market was completely deserted, and one could see that almost every building had been cut off at the waist.


    All the pills, talismans, and spiritual treasures in the shops had been plundered.


    And he even saw an old acquaintance.


    A guard captain lay in a pool of blood. He had once given some silver taels to this man, asking him to help clean up the battlefield, and in return, the man had once warned him not to be deceived by that old taoist.


    But now...


    This man was lying in a pool of blood, his body torn to pieces, and only through his bloodstained face could one barely recognize the familiar face.


    Just then¡ª


    A familiar, age-worn voice slowly sounded from behind him.


    "A long time ago, when my master sent me down the mountain, he told me something."


    "In the business of fortune-telling, you can''t save a ghost that''s meant to die."


    "See, I told him a few days ago that there was going to be a bloody disaster in Wentiang market soon and advised him to leave this place quickly."


    "He didn''t believe it."


    ```

 Chapter 74

    A familiar voice arose from behind, and Chen Qiu almost instantly turned his head to see the expressionless old man now standing behind a few people, holding his tattered black flag, looking over the mess in the Ask Heaven Workshop Market.It was no one else.


    It was precisely the fortune-telling Taoist who had warned him about the excess of resentful spirits on his person.


    "Did you know about the disaster that would befall the Ask Heaven Workshop Market?"


    Seated cross-legged on the shoulders of the bearded muscleman, the scholar asked curiously, "Then why didn''t you inform everyone in advance so they could know? That way, they wouldn''t have had to die here, and so many people in Fufeng City wouldn''t have had to die."


    "How should I say this?"


    The silver-haired old man glanced at the scholar and said indifferently, "Even if the people of Ask Heaven Workshop Market and Fufeng City had heeded the advice and were willing to flee, then what? The invasion of the Demon Clan would still have to occur elsewhere."


    "To save one small fish at the expense of another."


    "That could not be considered a virtuous deed."


    "Don''t argue with me about righteousness. This old man has his own path to follow. What I hate most in this life is hearing people say, ''Why didn''t you speak out to prevent the disaster if you could have avoided it''?"


    "The only reason I was willing to shoulder some karma to warn this young child was simply because I took a liking to him."


    "Regrettably, he doesn''t heed advice very well."


    Afterwards, the old man shook his head and shook the black flag in his hand, turned around, and gazed distantly toward the sky, murmuring, "Turbulent times are on the horizon, who can remain untouched forever?"


    "Even the ''Avoiding Heaven Sect'' has shown signs of activity in this world."


    "Who can truly hide?"


    "Right, young man, you are quite persuadable. The resentful spirits of the demon beasts on you are gone, but now you''ve accumulated a slew of resentful spirits from Demon Clan cultivators. That''s good, you figure it out yourself."


    With that¡ª


    The old man slowly stepped forward and vanished on the spot like smoke.


    From beginning to end, not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuated from the elder, making it impossible to gauge his level of cultivation.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu gazed emotionlessly in the direction where the old man had disappeared, without speaking. He knew he had met someone formidable the last time he encountered this elder¡ªordinary people could not have identified the fact that he had an excess buildup of resentful spirits.


    And now, it seemed he was indeed right.


    However, it also reminded him that he should deal with the resentful spirits of the Demon Clan cultivators that were on him as soon as possible. After all, they represented a not-insubstantial fighting strength, which he was somewhat reluctant to waste for no good reason.


    If by tonight there were still no useful opportunities,


    Then he would not hesitate to deal with them immediately; it would not be worth risking his body being invaded by resentful energy just for a bit of fighting strength.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    A powerful pressure of someone at the Golden Core stage suddenly enveloped the entire Ask Heaven Workshop Market. Out of nowhere, a barefoot middle-aged man floated above the marketplace, his spiritual energy carrying a terrifying force that surged like waves toward Chen Qiu and the others.


    In almost an instant¡ª


    Such formidable power forced Chen Qiu and the others to uncontrollably fall face-first to the ground.


    "It''s the Barefoot Immortal..."


    Pressed to the ground, the scholar couldn''t help but say in a hoarse and hurried voice, "It''s the Barefoot Immortal, the workshop owner of the Ask Heaven Workshop Market, with the cultivation of the fourth layer of the Golden Core."


    "Damn it..."


    Chen Qiu, forcefully pushed to the ground by the wave-like terrifying power, tasted the bitterness of dirt in his mouth and couldn''t help but feel a nameless fury rising within him. This was the second time today he had been overpowered and brought to the ground by the mere presence of someone at the Golden Core stage!


    While it immensely irritated him, it also filled him with an intense longing to break through to the Golden Core stage himself.


    Immediately afterwards,


    the barefoot middle-aged man floating in mid-air looked down at the four people lying on the ground with an indifferent gaze, as if looking at ants, and said, "Was it you who robbed my Mystical Market?"


    "Killed my people?"


    "No."


    Chen Qiu, whose cheek was forcibly pressed against the ground, couldn''t even lift his head to look at the middle-aged man in the air. He could only scream with all his might, "When we arrived, it was already like this."


    "We are only at the Foundation Establishment level of cultivation; it''s impossible for us to kill so many people in such a short time!"


    "Oh."


    Your journey continues on empire


    The barefoot middle-aged man glanced at his nails casually and said, "Apart from you, there''s also the presence of Da Xia''s envoys here; you''re not suggesting that it was the Da Xia envoys who robbed my Mystical Market, are you?"


    "Da Xia Country has decreed that no envoy may kill without cause, nor may they rob others of their opportunities and possessions without cause."


    "Just as it is absolutely forbidden to kill on the Da Xia Official Road."


    "Both are iron laws of the country."


    "Here, there are only traces of you and the Da Xia envoys. If it wasn''t you, could it really be the Da Xia envoys? I''ll take you to the Capital to see how His Majesty intends to explain this time."


    The next moment¡ª


    An overwhelming surge of Spiritual Energy suddenly transformed into tens of thousands of Spirit Lines, binding Chen Qiu and the others, and just as the barefoot man prepared to rise, his pupils suddenly burst with an incredulous light. The man instantly lost his previous indifferent composure, excitement taking over as his breathing became hurried and intense!


    In an instant, he descended from mid-air and stopped in front of the scholar.


    "Is... is that the scent of a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure?"


    "You actually possess the scent of a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure?"


    "Quick, quick, quick, bring it out!"


    "Fortune in misfortune, fortune in misfortune indeed!"


    With a greedy gaze fixed unblinkingly on the scholar''s sleeve, where a miniature longsword seemed to shrink back with a life of its own, the barefoot middle-aged man became extremely excited as he said, "Never would I have imagined I''d one day have the chance to possess a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having said that,


    the barefoot man waved his hand casually, retracting all the Spirit Lines bound to the group, and transformed his Spiritual Energy into a massive cage, enveloping them all.


    A lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure already possesses a certain level of Spiritual Wisdom; to capture such a treasure, one must construct an airtight cage to prevent the Spiritual Treasure from escaping.


    To be on the safe side, this cage had to be extremely solid; wasting Spiritual Energy on binding them would be making a mountain out of a molehill ¨C after all, they were but a few Foundation Establishment infants. Even if I let you run, how far could you possibly get?


    Then, with a face filled with greed and ferocity, he took step by step toward the scholar, ready to claim his own opportunity.


    A group of Foundation Establishment infants possessing a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure ¨C wasn''t this an opportunity just waiting to be picked?


    Even if he stood still and let these Foundation Establishment infants hit him, they wouldn''t be able to shatter his Protective Spirit Qi no matter how hard they tried.


    Golden Core and Foundation Establishment, the difference is like heaven and earth.


    Once one reaches Golden Core, one enjoys boundless freedom beneath the Nine Heavens.


    It''s not just a mere jest.


    "Fellow daoist."


    Feeling the restraints off his body, the scholar, with a rather pale face, sat back down cross-legged in place and hoarsely said to the barefoot man approaching him step by step, "My name is Bai Yi. You should have heard of me; I was once the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, and I was also at the Golden Core level."


    "Could you do me the honor and let us go today?"


    "Once my cultivation is restored, I will surely repay you handsomely. You know as well as I do that we have nothing to do with what happened to the Mystical Market."

 Chapter 75

    "My Azure Edge was indeed a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure in the past, my Lifebound Spirit Treasure, yet as my Cultivation Realm plummeted, it has now degraded to a lower-grade Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure and is not worth much. Taking it would be of little use to you.""How about it?"


    "You should have heard of my reputation as a scholar; I have never broken my word."


    "Heh."


    The corners of the Barefoot Immortal''s mouth curled up, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. "You''ve been sitting on the cliff edge of Wentiangfang Market for a few years now. I really hadn''t expected you to be the once top-ranked Sword Cultivator of Da Xia."


    "The White-clothed Sword Cultivator, I have indeed heard of your name, chased and hunted like a homeless dog for months on end. I thought you were long dead by now, yet here you are, still clinging on to life."


    "If I were to capture you alive and deliver you to the Zhang Family, that would be quite an opportunity."


    "Today is really a good day."


    "It truly is a blessing in disguise."


    Having said that¡ª


    The murderous intent in the Barefoot Immortal''s eyes surged out intensely, but just at this moment, the man before him spoke urgently and with utmost seriousness.


    "Don''t kill me, I''ll tell you about a great opportunity that can lead to a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul!"


    This statement momentarily threw the Barefoot Immortal into confusion.


    To this day, no one in Da Xia Country has managed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.


    If it were anyone else, he certainly wouldn''t believe them, but the White-clothed Sword Cultivator was once acclaimed as the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, the most prominent of the younger generation, the unparalleled pride of those years!


    Such a person having access to this kind of information was not impossible.


    Perhaps...


    It was precisely because the White-clothed Sword Cultivator had learned of this secret that he had attracted the full-force pursuit from the Capital City Zhang Family!


    However, it was at this moment that he sensed something amiss, his gaze turning towards the scholar''s face, perceiving a hint of unease behind the seriousness.


    Unfortunately...


    It was too late.


    Behind the Barefoot Immortal, Chen Qiu had at some unknown time already stood with a sword in each hand, his expression icy as a tremendously powerful aura, rivaling that of a Golden Core Great Power, suddenly burst forth from him.


    Almost in the blink of an eye, dark clouds covered the skies above Wentiangfang Market.


    "Die!!!"


    Accompanied by Chen Qiu''s furious roar, a strikingly exaggerated bolt of thunder instantly fell from the Nine Heavens, smashing directly onto the hastily gathered Protective Spirit Shield of the Barefoot Immortal. With just that single strike, the Protective Spirit Shield was covered with cracks and nearly shattered!


    But it was far from over!


    Almost in the blink of an eye.


    Three consecutive bolts of thunder, like a bolt out of the blue, slammed down upon the Barefoot Immortal from the skies above!


    The Protective Spirit Shield shattered!


    The Protective Spirit Treasure fell to the ground!


    Four successive thunderbolts with the full power of a second-layer Golden Core realm, unleashed by the "Thunder Summoning Technique," unexpectedly struck the Barefoot Immortal on the crown of his head, akin to the calamitous thunder atop the Five Thunders, causing the middle-aged Barefoot Immortal''s pupils to gradually dilate.


    Numerous cracks appeared on the surface of his body.


    Immediately following that, hundreds of thunder snakes, each a fraction of their original size, materialized beside Chen Qiu and struck the Barefoot Immortal in an instant. He spared no effort, having detonated four entries in succession, and yet the Barefoot Immortal, despite looking like he was on the verge of immediate death, was just tottering on the brink!


    Almost simultaneously¡ª


    Fat Long, the bearded strong man, and the sword in Chen Qiu''s hand thrust out like a sudden clap of thunder, piercing straight into the body of the Barefoot Immortal, who had lost their Protective Spirit Shield!


    This strike, which would usually be unable to penetrate his defenses, became the final straw that broke the Barefoot Immortal.


    The Barefoot Immortal''s body surface began to rapidly crack open, spreading like a shattered doll; in an instant, his whole body turned into a pile of minced flesh and fell to the ground.


    Immediately after, a Golden Core emanating golden light shot out from the broken flesh, transforming into a streak of light and shooting towards the horizon!


    This speed far exceeded that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators!


    As long as the Golden Core wasn''t lost, there would be a chance to seize a new body and be reborn, albeit with heavy losses; after all, there was still an opportunity to live another life.


    With Chen Qiu''s speed, it was absolutely impossible to catch up to this Golden Core.


    However...


    Chen Qiu wasn''t in a hurry, his expression remained calm as he watched the Golden Core that was about to disappear into the clouds.


    In the next moment¡ª


    The scholar sitting cross-legged nearby had a slight tremor at his fingertips, and his cyan blade turned into a ray of light that also shot out at a speed far surpassing the Golden Core by several times. In almost the time it took to breathe a few breaths, the cyan blade returned, piercing through a Golden Core that was trembling continually and sending messages of entreaty through its Divine Sense.


    "A stray dog?"


    A hint of coldness emerged in the scholar''s eyes as he looked at the pierced Golden Core on the tip of his blade and chuckled, "Is that your evaluation of me, a White-clothed Sword Cultivator?"


    "When did the White-clothed Sword Cultivator, who once suppressed thirteen cities with a single sword, become nothing more than a stray dog in your eyes?"


    His three-foot cyan blade was once a low-grade Spiritual Treasure of the Golden Core, but as his realm plummeted, it had degenerated into a low-grade Spiritual Treasure of Foundation Establishment, commonly used for transportation and not for attack.


    The cyan blade was already at the end of its strength, and even ordinary battles could likely lead to its shattering.


    If his Lifebound Spirit Treasure were to shatter, the backlash for him would be extremely severe.


    Only with his Lifebound Spirit Treasure, was he able to manipulate freely under the condition of being able to use the slightest bit of Spiritual Energy, for its greatest effect was that it almost didn''t consume any Spiritual Energy.


    Their luck was also not bad.


    This person was merely at the fourth level of Golden Core Cultivation, and the core was still fragile without proper cultivation. Once one''s Cultivation broke through to the sixth level of the Golden Core, the core would become extremely sturdy, even wielding terrifying power.


    The Golden Core could attack enemies while out of the body.


    It could even be stronger than some low-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasures.


    To think of escaping the body at that level of Golden Core Cultivation, he wouldn''t be able to catch up, and even if he did, he wouldn''t dare to strike it, but with a sixth level Golden Core, they probably wouldn''t have managed to assassinate him and cause the core to flee the body anyway.


    "Brother Qiu."


    The scholar withdrew his gaze from the Golden Core, turned his head slightly to look at Chen Qiu and softly said, "The common method for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to increase their Cultivation is to slowly comprehend the way through their mental method. Aside from that, although killing demon beasts can also improve Cultivation Progress, the increase for Foundation Establishment Cultivators from killing demon beasts is very low, far less than during the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "But apart from that, there are some opportunities that can greatly boost Cultivation."


    "Such as swallowing a Golden Core."


    "It can significantly increase Cultivation without any side effects."


    He roughly figured out what Chen Qiu''s tactic was just now; if nothing unexpected, it should be the ''Self-Destruction Term,'' a type of entry that allows the possibility of fighting beyond one''s level. The downside is that it''s too cost-intensive for entries. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Brother Qiu had just acted four times in succession, equivalent to self-destructing four entries.


    Although he wasn''t sure where Brother Qiu got so many entries from, the loss was certainly significant. A Golden Core might not make up for the entire loss, but it could at least mitigate some of it.


    "Mhm."


    Chen Qiu didn''t say much, taking the Golden Core and ignoring the fear and pleas for mercy transmitted through Divine Sense, and immediately swallowed it. Upon entry, it melted with no particular taste.


    Soon after, an extremely scorching heat flowed instantly through his veins and arteries.


    Vast and powerful Spiritual Energy began to surge wildly throughout his veins, and his Heavenly Dao Foundation also began to revolve rapidly.


    Not daring to delay even a moment.


    Chen Qiu immediately sat down cross-legged, began to practice his mental method with his eyes tightly closed, and started to quickly digest the heat brought about by swallowing the Golden Core.

 Chapter 76

    Dozens of breaths later."Hoo..."


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a hot, arrow-like mist, a sensation that was quite wonderful. He even felt as if he was floating, about to ascend to immortality.


    It felt as if his body had been thoroughly cleansed.


    A bit like a divine communion.


    What are flirtatious skeletons compared to the exhilarating rush brought by a significant increase in Cultivation?


    Only then did he perform introspection.


    His Cultivation Progress had reached 96%.


    He was just a step away from breaking through to the third level of Foundation Establishment.


    Honestly, he was extremely satisfied with this progress. He had a visceral understanding of how slow Cultivation progress became after making a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.


    He had killed tens of thousands of demon beasts, on top of being in an environment with such dense Spiritual Energy.


    And only just managed to break through from the first to the second level of Foundation Establishment.


    This speed was already exceedingly fast.


    Next, even if he didn''t circulate his mental method, just relying on the Heavenly Dao Foundation to daily rotate and absorb nature''s spiritual energy, it would take him only fifty days to break through to the third level of Foundation Establishment. If he operated his mental method day and night, this speed could be even faster, needing less than fifteen days.


    ...


    Chen Qiu looked toward the Heavenly Dao Foundation slowly rotating above his Dantian.


    There were now four fewer entries on it.


    They were¡ª


    "Foundation Temporarily Halted," "Start from Scratch," "Never Discouraged," "Chopping Wood Sacred Body."


    The first three entries were completely useless after the breakthrough in Foundation Establishment; the last entry was also useless.


    He didn''t have to chop wood any longer, there was no future in it.


    And it had to be said, his luck was indeed good.


    For a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill a fourth-level Golden Core, the difference in levels was enough to stuff a Fat Long between them, an almost impossible feat!


    But just then.


    The scholar timely activated the aura of a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure from inside his sleeve, drawing all of the Barefoot Immortal''s attention and causing him to release the Spirit Line that bound them. He transformed his Spiritual Energy into an even larger cage, ready to entrap the escaping Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure.


    Furthermore, at the critical moment, the scholar disturbed the Barefoot Immortal''s mind, causing a moment of distraction, and he didn''t immediately activate his Protective Spirit Qi with full force. Chen Qiu then utilized the almost unthinkable tactic of self-destructing four entries in succession.


    Only by these extremely forced means was he able to surpass more than a dozen small realms and kill a fourth-level Golden Core!


    If there had been the slightest mishap along the way, they would have met their demise right then and there.


    If it hadn''t been for the scholar''s reputation causing a moment of distraction in the Barefoot Immortal¡ªif Fat Long had said those words, it''s likely the Barefoot Immortal wouldn''t have been distracted at all and would''ve simply struck them down with a cold laugh.


    Or if Chen Qiu hadn''t been able to self-destruct four entries, if he hadn''t just broken through to the second level of Foundation Establishment, allowing the power of his Self-Destruction Term to match a full-force blow from a second-level Golden Core.


    Or if the scholar''s Flying Sword hadn''t been exceptionally fast, a speed few in the world could match, they wouldn''t have caught up to the fleeing Golden Core.


    And if the Barefoot Immortal hadn''t been overconfident, feeling that binding them was pointless and thus focusing all his attention on capturing the Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure.


    They would have failed.


    It was this series of coincidences that led to such a rare cross-level battle, spanning more than a dozen grades!


    A full-force blow from a second-level Golden Core!


    The power was extraordinary¡ªafter all, even a cultivator at the Golden Core Realm couldn''t continuously deliver several full-force blows. Full-force meant a desperate move, otherwise four strikes wouldn''t have nearly sent the Barefoot Immortal to the brink of demise.


    After the Golden Core Realm.


    Each realm is a chasm apart.


    If one does not possess some supreme Spiritual Treasures or other means, even battling across a minor realm would be a fantasy.


    ...


    Chen Qiu shifted his gaze from his Tao Foundation, the recent cross-level battle had drained a considerable amount of his foundation, leaving him with only three entries he could use for Self-Destruction.


    "Alchemy Posture," "Every Plant and Tree," "Heavenly Deficiency."


    Besides these three entries, the others were quite useful to him.


    The "Heavenly Deficiency" entry allowed him to enhance his remaining senses when he closed his eyes, which was actually a pretty good effect and sometimes very useful. If it wasn''t absolutely necessary, he didn''t really want to self-destruct this entry.


    He also had two "Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talismans," with which he could select any two entries that he had discarded during the last ''three choices'' within the Great Realm of Foundation Establishment.


    If he was willing,


    he could use the retrospection charms right now to reclaim the two useless entries from his recent advancement to the second level of Foundation Establishment and reserve them for future self-destruction.


    However, a cultivator could only use the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talisman twice within the Great Realm of Foundation Establishment. He was saving them for the contingency that during a ''three choices,'' all three randomly selected entries would be incredibly useful to him.


    Using them purely for the sake of Self-Destruction Terms would be a bit too wasteful.


    However, if those four previous self-destructs had not killed that Barefoot Immortal, he wouldn''t have held back. As long as he was willing, he would only need to pay a tiny price to self-destruct at least five more times!


    After those five times... each subsequent self-destruction would be like stabbing a knife in his own heart.


    The remaining entries were extremely well-matched to him; self-destructing any of them would cause him agonizing pain.


    It would be like exchanging future potential for a chance to save his life now.


    ...


    Just then¡ª


    Fat Long grinned, playing with several small items in his hand, "Got some good news, Brother Qiu. Only three storage rings from this guy were destroyed; three are still intact."


    "As long as we find an Artifact Refiner to break the restrictions in these three storage rings, the wealth of a Golden Core Great Power is still something to look forward to."


    Chen Qiu''s mouth curved into a smile as he took the three storage rings, glanced at the pile of storage rings and Storage Bags that resembled a small mountain within his small world, and then looked towards his companions, "Let''s find a place to take stock of our gains."


    "Then, we''ll sell what needs to be sold and exchange what needs to be traded."


    "You all should also see if there''s anything you need."


    "Me?"


    The scholar shook his head, "I don''t want any, I''m on a stipend; taking a share of the spoils would be overstepping."


    "In Da Xia, someone on a stipend like me is considered an employed guest and does not share in the spoils."


    "Oh, I forgot to tell you."


    Chen Qiu glanced at the scholar with a smile and said, "From today, you won''t get your stipend anymore. I''ve formed this sect called ''Chao Tian Sect,'' and I''ll initiate you later. You might find something of interest in this sect."


    "Inside, you may even find a chance to restore your Cultivation, and possibly advance your swordsmanship further."


    "I''ll give you the position of a sect elder. As an elder, you naturally share the fate of the sect, so no need for a stipend." S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see."


    The scholar turned his head towards Fat Long with a helpless expression, his eyes revealing a hint of amusement.


    He actually wanted to say that sect elders usually do receive a stipend too.


    But more than the stipend, what made him happier was the feeling of being part of a group, something he had never experienced before.


    This was the first time he was really integrating into a group.

 Chapter 77

    Since his debut!The White-clothed Sword Cultivator had fought alone with his sword and killed his way to the top three of the Da Xia Heavenly Pride Leaderboard!


    People thought him to be of a solitary nature.


    In truth, he simply couldn''t fit into any sect or family; he was naturally free-spirited, disliked constraints, and wouldn''t do anything he didn''t want to, not even if the Heavenly King himself insisted.


    Following Chen Qiu, he suddenly realized that the Cultivation Path could be traveled with so many others.


    Lively and bustling was actually quite nice.


    He had always envied the group, especially when he was being chased by a crowd and, damn it, had no one to even entrust his last wishes to.


    From now on, he could finally outnumber others just like the other sects did.


    "I want to be the Great Elder."


    Fat Long, standing next to him, patted the scholar on the shoulder with a serious expression, "What do you think, scholar? I''ve been with Brother Qiu longer and have a bit more experience than you; you don''t mind, right?"


    "Not at all."


    The scholar helplessly shook his head and smiled, "Then, I''ll be the Second Elder."


    "Can I... be the Third Elder?"


    A burly man with a goatee hesitantly questioned in a muffled voice, standing aside.


    "Of course."


    Chen Qiu looked at them and smiled, "The future reputation of ''Chao Tian Sect'' depends on all of you."


    ...


    "Mommy... that''s really scary."


    At this moment, Fufeng City was in disarray, covered with corpses; the City Lord of Fufeng City, who had returned at some point, was dispatching people to collect the bodies and clear the debris-littered cobblestone roads.


    The entire Fufeng City was in chaos, filled with cries of lamentation.


    Meanwhile, the Family Head of Yuncheng Wang Family, who had initially planned to leave Fufeng City but was forced back by demon beasts, was now hiding in a collapsed teahouse. He cautiously peered outside and only after confirming it was safe, retracted his head with a terrified expression, continuously patting his chest.


    "It ended just like that?"


    "How did so many Demon Clan cultivators die?"


    "I was ready to play the hero, and it turns out I wasn''t needed at all?"


    After the breach of Fufeng City, he felt some fear, but still gritted his teeth, ready to step forward and use a Self-Destruction Term to protect the safety of Fufeng City despite lacking lofty aspirations.


    He always felt that if he wasn''t strong, then watching Fufeng City fall was just that.


    But now that he had some strength, just watching the citizens of Fufeng City being slaughtered, though it wasn''t really a problem, felt somewhat uncomfortable to him.


    Although the entries were precious, he still had many even after using three or four. He thought using three or four entries to ensure the safety of Fufeng City''s citizens was worth it.


    Just as he was about to take action¡ª


    Someone stepped forward, riding a Flying Sword with Thunder Snakes all around like a descending Thunder God, wiping out the Demon Clan cultivators outside the city in the blink of an eye. The whole process seemed effortless.


    The head he had barely managed to courageously stick out was quickly pulled back in.


    "That... Minister Liu."


    The Wang Family Patriarch looked at the young man sheltering with him and cautiously said, "It seems safe now, and I suddenly have an idea. Fufeng City is now in great need of rebuilding."


    "Perhaps we don''t need to hurry back to Yuncheng so soon."


    "We can find many profitable ventures here, don''t you think, Minister Liu?"


    "..."


    Minister Liu looked at his Family Head with a speechless expression and couldn''t help but retort, "You''ve actually got a plan now."


    "Master, you think too small. Didn''t you hear the Heavenly Dao Decree just now?"


    "The major update ''Chaotic World Struggle'' to the Heavenly Dao introduced a new Fame Ranking!"


    "The rules for ranking are extremely simple. As long as more people know about you, you can make the list. Everyone on the list receives a different Heavenly Dao Blessing daily based on their ranking. Don''t you have even a slight interest in this ranking?"


    "What?"


    The Wang Family Patriarch stood frozen on the spot, carefully examining the attendant Liu and taking a good look at him from head to toe, "Who do you think between the two of us could make it onto that list? Have you seen who are on that list?"


    "You compare our fame with theirs?"


    -


    ''Fame Ranking''


    ''Rank One'': Xia Xundao, fame value 18,920,000.


    ''Rank Two'': Xia Dexin, fame value 12,930,000.


    ''...''


    ''Rank Five'': Ji Renjian, fame value 9,290,000.


    ''...''


    ''Rank Thirteen'': Ji Taiping, fame value 7,820,000.


    ''...''


    ''Rank Nineteen'': Lie Yang, fame value 6,820,000.


    ''Rank Twenty'': Ying Fengzi, fame value 6,530,000.


    -


    The Wang Family Patriarch looked at the ranking again and continued, "Look at the list yourself. The first place is His Majesty, the second is the Crown Prince, the fifth is Da Xia''s top beauty, ranked first on the beauty list as the ''Heavenly Dao Beauty''."


    "And it''s not just about being the Heavenly Dao Beauty; she''s truly a beauty even in the eyes of the common folk."


    "The thirteenth, is the current top Sword Cultivator in Da Xia."


    "The nineteenth, is the current top Artifact Cultivator in Da Xia."


    "The twentieth, is the current top Array Repairer in Da Xia."


    "Even the last person on the list, which is the one thousandth, is a well-known Evil Cultivator wanted by Da Xia Country, who has slaughtered several villages. Which one do you think we could replace on that list?" sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Upon hearing this,


    Attendant Liu meaningfully patted the Family Head''s shoulder: "Sometimes, you really shouldn''t belittle yourself. After all, this is a Fame Ranking, based on how many people know of you, not on your Cultivation, strength, or experience."


    "This list even includes a mere actor. How could you not match up to her?"


    "The scene of you slicing nine oxen in Fufeng City, I''ve already saved it in a Memory Stone. Next, we just need to make copies and widely distribute them across various cities. No one will be able to resist witnessing such an extraordinary scene."


    "Moreover, the ''Fame Ranking'' is still in its initial phase. Those listed are currently well-known, and there aren''t any out-of-the-box strategies in play yet."


    "As long as we can make it to the top ranks in a short period, the Heavenly Dao Blessings we receive daily will be an immense fortune."


    "What we need to do is quite simple..."


    "We simply find a few local tyrants in each city, then sell the Memory Stones to them at a low price. If they realize the value, they''ll naturally think of ways to make many copies and distribute them."


    "Master, don''t speak yet, I know what you''re about to say. Doing this, our profit margin will definitely be low, but that doesn''t matter. Otherwise, Master, if you alone went to a foreign city to sell these Memory Stones, let''s not even discuss whether you could visit several cities at once; consider, if you were taking meat from the local tyrants'' plates, wouldn''t they let you feast in their city after seeing red from jealousy?"


    "We only need to spread these Memory Stones across Da Xia''s 365 major cities as quickly as possible. Then, you will reap an unimaginable amount of fame."


    "Is that so..."


    The Wang Family Patriarch''s eyes flashed with astonishment as it truly hadn''t crossed his mind that this could work; it took him a while to respond, "But what if those local tyrants set the selling price too high, leading to few being able to afford them?"

 Chapter 78

    "It''s simple,"Liu Gongfeng said solemnly, "We just need to find a few more shops in each city to prevent them from forming a monopoly. They''ll compete with each other on price. Plus, they''re certainly aware that this sort of thing is all about making money from people''s curiosity."


    "After the first wave of interest passes, it won''t be worth much."


    "Moreover," he added, "those who buy the replica Memory Stones will keep talking about them with relatives and friends. I estimate that within seven days at most, if all goes well, your fame, my lord, without mention of anything else, should have no problem surpassing that of the least known among the Evil Cultivation."


    The Wang Family Patriarch''s mouth slowly opened, and after a long while, he muttered, "But isn''t this... somewhat disgraceful? I have many relatives and friends in Yun City."


    "Face is the least valuable thing,"


    "Forget about that, come here!"


    Liu Gongfeng hurriedly pulled out a Memory Stone from his bosom and aimed it at the Wang Family Patriarch, "We need to add another scene; you have to say your name. I''ll come up with a catchy phrase for you."


    "Hmm..." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I, Wang Tiedan from Yun City, dare to stake my life against the Heavenly Dao, who else dares to stand on the same stage!"


    ...


    Fame Ranking.


    At the time of major updates to Heavenly Dao, a new ranking based on the cultivators'' fame will change daily; however, the accumulated fame points will not be removed.


    This means that even if you become nationally known within three days, but no one talks about you after those days,


    your fame points will still not decrease.


    You will still receive the daily Heavenly Dao Blessing associated with your rank.


    This is perhaps what they call striking while the iron is hot. One could anticipate that the cultivators ranked in the top hundred of the Fame Ranking will consider their daily Heavenly Dao Blessing as an unexpected boon.


    And just like that, the gap between cultivators of the same rank gradually widens.


    ...


    Outside the Capital, within a certain peak.


    A middle-aged man, dressed in a black robe embroidered with black peonies, stood erect like a pine tree at the edge of a cliff, his back carrying a long sword, exuding a sharp Sword Intent.


    Simply standing there,


    made one feel a pain in the eyes at first glance.


    This was a sign of Human Sword Unity, with every plant and tree acting as a sword, and the released Sword Intent made it impossible to look directly; but since he had only recently stepped into this realm, he could not yet control the Sword Intent freely.


    This man was none other than Ji Taiping.


    The number one Sword Cultivator in Da Xia Country.


    With the Cultivation of the fifth level of Golden Core, he wielded a Cold Sword unmatched in the world; as long as those old demons did not emerge, even cultivators at the sixth level of Golden Core, he could just as easily slay them.


    At that moment, Ji Taiping stood at the cliff''s edge with a cold expression, looking towards the Fame Ranking in front of him.


    However, upon seeing himself ranked thirteenth, a cold glint flashed across his eyes, clearly dissatisfied with his position.


    And it was at this moment¡ª


    A tall and beautiful woman, looking as if she had stepped out of the Immortal Realm, dressed in a white long dress and barefoot without a speck of dust on her feet, slowly walked out from the bamboo forest, leaning her head against Ji Taiping and whispered,


    "Kill everyone ahead, and brother will naturally be number one."


    "Nonsense."


    Ji Taiping shook his head before affectionately tousling the woman''s hair, his eyes flickering with a mischievous light as he laid his hand on her shoulder and let it slide down, "You too are ranked ahead of me, at fifth place."


    "Could I actually kill you as well? Besides, the first place is surely His Majesty''s, who would dare surpass that."


    "Hmm."


    Ji Renjian gazed distantly at the rolling clouds in the sky, and after a moment, she murmured softly as if her voice was made of cotton, "Brother, are you with me merely because as a Heavenly Dao Beauty, I can greatly accelerate your understanding of the Sword Dao."


    "Or do you truly love me?"


    "What nonsense."


    Ji Taiping''s expression darkened as he shook his head, "Since you were little, I''ve doted on you in every way. Were you a Heavenly Dao Beauty back then? In your heart, do you really see your brother as such a utilitarian person?"


    "I truly love you,"


    "I once made an oath before you, with the sword in my hand, declaring that if my love for you contained even a speck of impurity, one day I would certainly shatter into pieces along with my sword."


    "You also know that I am a Sword Cultivator,"


    "Oaths taken by Sword Cultivators with their swords are absolutely without a hint of falsehood,"


    "How about¡ª"


    As a glint of lust flashed in Ji Taiping''s eyes, he abruptly drew Ji Renjian''s soft, boneless body into his arms, caressing her up and down, "Let me take good care of you right now."


    "Mm..."


    Ji Renjian''s cheeks instantly blushed as her mouth was sealed: "But...you are my distant cousin...and the Crown Prince won''t agree..."


    "If he doesn''t agree, I''ll kill him,"


    "You can''t... kill..."


    "Then what do you suggest we do, once I become the strongest in Da Xia, my sword will be the only law of this world!"


    "I want to marry you, who dares to stop me!"


    ...


    Two teacups later.


    Ji Taiping lay on a grass mat beside a cliff, his eyes flickering with ruthlessness and anticipation as he gazed at the name "Bai Yi," ranked 986th on the list.


    White-clothed Sword Cultivator.


    The former premier Sword Cultivator of Da Xia Country.


    They both gained fame on the same day, both renowned for their rare talent in the Sword Dao,


    But the world deemed Bai Yi stronger because he always bested him by just one move¡ªno more, no less. Even after Bai Yi fell in battle as he was hunted down by the Capital City Zhang Family, some still believed he was inferior to the White-clothed Sword Cultivator.


    Just because...


    He lost by only one move every time.


    Just a single move was enough to keep his position as the foremost Sword Cultivator of Da Xia unstable. When people occasionally spoke of him, some shortsighted ones would remark that if not for the White-clothed Sword Cultivator being hunted to death, Ji Taiping would never have become the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    Over the years.


    He had killed many storytellers who boasted of the White-clothed Sword Cultivator.


    He wanted the world to forget the White-clothed Sword Cultivator and only remember him, Ji Taiping, as the true premier Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!


    He had thought that Bai Yi had long perished, killed by the relentless pursuit of the Capital City Zhang Family. But unexpectedly, Bai Yi had reappeared on the "Fame Ranking," indicating he was still alive, whereabouts unknown!


    As long as he found Bai Yi!


    Defeating him honorably before the eyes of the world!


    No one would then dare to question his status as the first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, and it would also clear the unease in his heart.


    Thinking of this,


    Feeling exhilarated, Ji Taiping couldn''t help but caress Ji Renjian firmly in his embrace. Hearing the beauty in his arms softly cry out in pain, he quickly came back to his senses, affectionately resting his chin on her head and muttered dreamily,


    "I, Ji Taiping, must become the Sword Cultivator recognized by everyone as the premier of Da Xia..."


    "No, not just as a symbol of the younger generation''s top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, I want to be the foremost Sword Cultivator that even the old demons would fear!"


    "And you, the most beautiful woman in the world."


    "With me, it is just right."


    ...


    Meanwhile, in an inn in Fufeng City, Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his entire body ice-cold as he circulated his mental technique. Fat Long and others sat anxiously by his side acting as guardians, not knowing what else they could do.


    The issue was quite serious.


    The resentful spirit of that Golden Core fourth-layer Cultivator was currently perched on Chen Qiu, almost crushing him to death, his body as cold as the underworld itself. If you stuck out your tongue to lick it, it might freeze and stick together.

 Chapter 79

    It took a full three sticks of incense for Chen Qiu''s condition to somewhat recover. Originally, they did not plan to stay in Fufeng City, but they had no choice but to stop and rest there for a moment when Chen Qiu''s condition suddenly deteriorated rapidly on the way.Seeing Chen Qiu open his eyes,


    Fat Long approached him anxiously, "How are you feeling, Brother Qiu? Are you okay?"


    "It''s not serious."


    Chen Qiu, his body covered in a layer of sticky cold sweat, sat cross-legged on the bed with a beast fur blanket wrapped around him. His condition had almost improved a bit by then. Although he had not returned to normal, he was no longer in danger of passing out.


    On the way, that intense resentful energy had almost penetrated his body. Fortunately, he had enough spiritual energy within him to barely resist it.


    Swallowing that golden pill had not only greatly enhanced his cultivation but also refilled his drained Tao Foundation to the brim.


    "It would be great if I could kill another golden core."


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the bed, licked his lips with a hint of greed flickering in his eyes. He was contemplating the thrill of the gamble. In fact, there were many ways to solve his current predicament.


    He could release the resentful spirit and let it flee as far as possible, disappearing into the world after an hour.


    Or he could destroy the resentful spirit entry.


    Either would perfectly resolve the issue.


    But...


    This was a Golden Core Fourth Layer resentful spirit!


    It was almost the strongest tool he had at his disposal. If he could use this resentful spirit to kill another golden core, he would not only gain a new golden core, allowing for a significant breakthrough in his cultivation, but he would also acquire a new Golden Core resentful spirit.


    It was just a pity that his body couldn''t hold on much longer.


    The backlash from this Golden Core Fourth Layer resentful spirit was more severe than the combined backlash of hundreds of thousands of resentful energies from demon beasts. It was a qualitative change that sheer quantity couldn''t address.


    Foundation Establishment and Golden Core were as different as heaven and earth.


    If he wasn''t a Foundation Establishment first level cultivator with the assistance of the Heavenly Dao Foundation and an exceptionally expanded body able to contain vast amounts of spiritual energy, he would have already passed out.


    Once resentful energy invaded the body and corroded the Dantian,


    there were hardly any solutions¡ªit was basically a wait for death unless a top-notch Alchemy Cultivator happened to pass by, willing to help, and had the right heavenly and earthly treasures in their storage ring to refine the corresponding pill.


    "I can still hold on for another hour!"


    After assessing his physical condition, Chen Qiu looked up at the scholar whose complexion was deathly pale and said in a weakened voice, "Do you have any weak early-stage Golden Core enemies with no backing sect, the kind that my Golden Core Fourth Layer resentful spirit can certainly defeat?"


    "This..."


    The scholar''s brain whirred, murmuring subconsciously, "Brother Qiu, the kind of person you''re talking about... wouldn''t really qualify to be my enemy. I would have cut them down with a single sword long ago; how could they have lasted until now?"


    "And besides, aside from a few with stubborn personalities, there are very few Loose Cultivators among Golden Cores. Even if they''ve been Loose Cultivators all along, with their patchwork and disparate techniques, joining a sect as a patron is not an issue."


    "Wait¡ª"


    "I''ve actually thought of one!"


    "Over a thousand miles from here, there is a Forbidden Land called ''Poisonous Thunder Swamp''. The swamp spans over forty miles and covers a large area, perpetually enshrouded in a poison cloud that obstructs both visibility and Divine Sense."


    "And from time to time, Heavenly Thunder flashes within the poison cloud. Rumors say that in ancient times, a poison cultivator and a Magic Practitioner fought fiercely there, and both fell. The remnants of the battle from thousands of years ago still linger. Ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators stepping into it would struggle to escape with their lives."


    "Even Golden Core cultivators, without top-grade Detoxification Pills, would suffer greatly from entering rashly."


    "There has always been a ''Poison Thunder Old Man'' who is a Golden Core Great Power with Dual Cultivation of poison magic, secluded in cultivation here,"


    "Back then, he and I had a bit of grudge. Every time he emerged from seclusion, he would inevitably kidnap a group of mortal women, bringing them back to enjoy in the Poisonous Thunder Swamp. The ones he abducted were always women without much background, and he did so within the rules, with the nearby City Lord''s Mansion turning a blind eye."


    "After all, no one reported to the government, so there was no need for the authorities to pursue the matter forcibly."


    "But just as I was about to catch up with him to deliver a deadly blow, the Zhang Family sent people after me, and I was unable to attend to him,"


    "What does it mean to ''abduct within the rules''?" Fat Long asked with a frown of confusion.


    "It means not to make a move on the official roads and not to act openly and honorably within the city."


    "This is considered ''abduction within the rules''?"


    "Hmm."


    "Then did none of the victims'' families dare to report to the authorities?"


    "It''s not that none dared, it''s just that this man is extremely ruthless, always leaving no traces behind in his actions, causing no trouble for the nearby government. The families of the abducted women were all killed, and naturally, no one was left to report him. Though he is not a Demon Cultivation, his actions are not much different from those of the Demon Cultivation,"


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu''s teeth chattered from the extreme cold, and he spoke weakly, "Meet with him."


    ... S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was only a matter of twenty or so breaths.


    Chen Qiu and his companions had already left Fufeng City by several hundred li.


    And the scholar also stopped, quickly pulling out a bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills from his pocket and guzzling them down, "Wait a moment, Brother Qiu. I''m running low on Spiritual Energy, I need to take some pills."


    "..."


    ...


    Thus, with stops and starts along the way, had it not been for the Demon Clan cultivators'' Storage Bags filled with plenty of Qi Replenishing Pills, they truly would have run short on them.


    It''s worth mentioning that¡ª


    The most abundant item in the Storage Bags of those Demon Clan cultivators was Qi Replenishing Pills. It makes sense, considering what they lacked in the Heavenly Dao Prison was everything but Spiritual Energy, so naturally there was no need for the pills.


    In terms of speed of replenishing Spiritual Energy,


    Taking Qi Replenishing Pills was indeed much faster than absorbing Spirit Stones.


    The difference is that the Spiritual Energy obtained from absorbing Spirit Stones is absolutely pure, whereas although the pills work quickly, they inevitably contain some impurities, which would continuously coat the Tao Foundation, causing it to rotate slower and slowing down the absorption of external Spiritual Energy.


    But it wasn''t much of a problem.


    After all, as long as one practiced the mental method and spent some time, these impurities could easily be expelled from the body. However, it meant spending time, which implied that taking too many Qi Replenishing Pills at once would gradually weaken their effect.


    Once the impurities were completely cleared, their effect would be restored.


    And the top-grade Qi Replenishing Pills contained extremely few impurities, requiring consumption of many more to feel the weakening effect, so for a Magic Practitioner, top-grade Qi Replenishing Pills were also a rare treasure.


    After quite a few hundred breaths of walking and stopping along the way, Chen Qiu and his companions finally arrived at the ''Poisonous Thunder Swamp'' mentioned by the scholar.


    Just as the scholar said,


    This was a swamp spanning several tens of li, with thick sludge churning and emitting a foul stench, shrouded in large volumes of black smog above, completely obscuring the interior of the swamp.


    Merely getting a distant whiff was enough to feel the intense foul smell and a slightly dizzying sense of confusion.


    It was evident just how domineering the toxicity within the swamp was.

 Chapter 80

    "This is the place, Brother Qiu.""Hmm."


    Chen Qiu, his complexion deathly pale, nodded slightly. His fingertips trembled as the Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit that had been clinging to him suddenly burst forth like a tiger breaking free from its chains, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into substance and roared as it charged into the swamp''s poison mist.


    "Phew..."


    The moment the Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit left him, Chen Qiu''s complexion visibly regained some of its color, and his spirits lifted significantly. The coldness emitting from his body, which had been palpable, also ceased.


    "Damn it..."


    He watched the fading figure of the resentful spirit and couldn''t help but curse under his breath.


    The green entry "Resentful Spirit Summoning" was truly powerful. He relied on this resentful spirit to survive many crises, but the cost was also truly great. Just thinking about how close he was to being devoured by the resentful spirit sent shivers down his spine.


    Now, he felt much better.


    Although his complexion was still unsightly, this was due to the nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivator resentful spirits weighing down on him. He had originally found it quite unbearable, but after experiencing the intensity of the Golden Core resentful spirit, he found that the nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivator resentful spirits weren''t as distressing.


    It was bearable, after all.


    Without comparison, there was no harm.


    Earlier, when he attacked the Barefoot Immortal in the Qiantian Pavilion Market, he had not used these nearly ten thousand resentful spirits. Mainly because controlling resentful spirits caused too much commotion, and the surging resentful energy could almost instantly make the Barefoot Immortal become alert.


    Only a quick-acting Killing Move like the Self-Destruction Term could seize the moment of the Barefoot Immortal''s distraction and deliver a fatal blow!


    ...


    Even after becoming a resentful spirit, the combat power might be slightly reduced, as they lack self-awareness and act purely on instinct. The poisonous substance blocked his Divine Sense, and since his Divine Sense couldn''t extend that far from his body, he had no way to remotely control it.


    He merely issued a simple command, kill all living beings in the swamp.


    The rest was left up to its instincts.


    After all, even as a Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit, crushing a Golden Core first-layer poison cultivator should be no problem at all.


    However, moments later¡ª


    There suddenly came a cacophony of countless roars and curses from within the swamp.


    Numerous spells exploded within the swamp, tearing gaps in the black mist, clearly indicating that there might be quite a few people inside.


    "This is not good..."


    The scholar murmured with a somewhat unpleasant expression, "Although I haven''t seen anyone, the accents of those speaking sound very much like the Poison Sect. A sect where from the Sect Master to the outer disciples, all are poison cultivators, it seems they have consulted with Poison Thunder Old Man and sent quite a few disciples here for training."


    "As far as I know, this sect often sends their disciples to various deadly places in Da Xia Country to train."


    "They might not be Demon Cultivation, but their behavior is no different from that of Demon Cultivators."


    "This sect ranks at number 78 in the ''Da Xia Sect rankings.'' The Supreme Elder is an old poison cultivator with a mid-stage Golden Core. A genuine poison cultivator, from entries to spells, everything is distinctly poison-related and forms their unique system, unlike those Loose Cultivators like the Barefoot Immortal who don''t have their own system."


    "Of course, since it''s training, the elders definitely will not be here, but... just in case a disciple escapes and remembers what we look like, we would be facing some retaliation from the Supreme Elder in the future."


    "It''s not a big issue."


    Chen Qiu shook his head, "If we kill them all, there''ll be no one to carry the message. We''ll keep our distance, and even if they use Sound Transmission Talismans to send messages back, they won''t know who killed them."


    "You use your Flying Sword to hover around the swamp. If anyone escapes the swamp, eliminate them."


    Having said that,


    his nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivator resentful spirits on the surface of his body all materialized, enveloping the few of them like a vast army. Then, all at once, they let out a ghastly howl reminiscent of the wailing of ghosts from the depths of the underworld and madly charged into the Poison Mist Swamp.


    Poison mist?


    This thing has no effect on resentful spirits, how can you corrode a body that doesn''t even exist?


    ...


    "Ah?"


    The scholar hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with an ugly expression, "Brother Qiu, the tactic used in Fufeng City can''t be replicated here. My spiritual energy won''t allow me to employ that sort of tactic in this environment."


    "I can''t manipulate the size of the Spiritual Treasure as I wish, nor can I use the Flying Sword for transportation."


    "Moreover, my Flying Sword is at the end of its strength, unsuitable for confronting enemies. It can only penetrate something as soft as tofu that normal Golden Core cultivators are made of; otherwise, even the Protective Spirit Qi of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could shatter my Flying Sword."


    "No need."


    Chen Qiu shook his head, his expression calm, "You Sword Cultivators are so stubborn. Can''t you think of a different approach?"


    "The speed of the Flying Sword is an advantage in itself, why must you insist on using the sword to confront enemies?"


    "Later, I''ll load up your Flying Sword with talismans. Once you''ve found the target, you just control the Flying Sword to fly above their head, flip the sword over, and release the spiritual energy controlling the talismans on the blade. That shouldn''t consume too much spiritual energy, right?"


    "Can''t you still confront the enemy that way?"


    "It''s not necessary for the Flying Sword to strike someone in order to confront the enemy."


    "..."


    The scholar, expressionless, fell silent for a long time before speaking hoarsely, "Since ancient times, there has never been a Sword Cultivator who fought like this. It feels... strange."


    "And it''s such a waste of talismans."


    "Not a waste."


    Without another word, Chen Qiu handed over the few dozen low-grade Foundation Establishment ''Summoning Thunder Talismans'' to the scholar, "Consider it inventory clearance. These talismans, equivalent to a full-strength Foundation Establishment strike, are of no use to me now."


    "Besides, as long as we don''t let even one escape to send a message, a few talismans are worth the expense."


    "Once we have more Spirit Stones in the future, I''ll buy you some Golden Core Talismans to stick on your sword and throw around for fun."


    "Take them." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "..."


    The scholar took the stack of talismans with a dazed look, remaining silent. He couldn''t shake the feeling that his path as a Sword Cultivator was veering off course, although it seemed this method was indeed quite suitable for him at the moment.


    ...


    "So many disciples."


    Chen Qiu glanced at the freshly spawned resentful spirits behind him. For every Poison Sect disciple that died in the swamp, a new resentful spirit was added to his side¡ªfor a total of over eighty now.


    What a joke.


    Demon Clan cultivators were nearly invincible among their peers, and even with a slight decrease in battle strength as resentful spirits, their overwhelming numbers were unstoppable as they swept through the Poison Mist Swamp.


    Finally¡ª


    After a few sticks of incense had burned, no more sounds of battle emanated from the swamp.


    Only a Golden Core shot out from the poison fog, attempting to flee the swamp, but the scholar, who had been lying in wait, trembled at the fingertip. The green sword shot out from his sleeve in an instant, piercing the Golden Core within a few breaths and returning to him.


    "Truly a good partner."


    Chen Qiu looked at the three-foot green sword floating in front of him, a Golden Core impaled on its tip, and couldn''t help commenting with satisfaction. Without the scholar, even if he could kill a Golden Core cultivator through deception, he would have no way to seize this nourishing essence.


    Back when he didn''t even have a single Spirit Stone, how did he dare to promise the scholar 3000 Spirit Stones?


    Looking back now, that decision was indeed correct.

 Chapter 81 There was once an Evil Cultivation, named... Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!

    And the talismans he had handed over to the scholar went unused, for not a single disciple of the Poison Sect had escaped the Poison Mist Swamp; all had perished within the marsh.At that moment¡ª


    The resentful spirit of the Barefoot Immortal, with pupils glazed white, was holding the withered body of an old man. He strode out of the swamp and threw the body down in front of Chen Qiu.


    "The process of collecting bodies is still the most enjoyable," he said.


    Chen Qiu, smiling, wrapped his arms with Spiritual Energy and carefully stripped the Storage Ring and all else from the old man''s body, not even sparing items like shoes and belt, for they might be some fine Spiritual Treasures.


    Immediately following,


    Thousands of Demon Clan cultivators also emerged, each carrying the bodies of several hundred Poison Sect disciples and dumping them on the open ground.


    Fat Long and his acquaintances swiftly approached and stripped all of the Storage Bags and Storage Rings from their waists.


    ...


    "I really can''t fit anymore,"


    Fat Long opened his robe to reveal the dozens of Storage Bags tied with ropes from his chest to his thighs, and the inner pockets lined with dozens of Storage Rings; a gentle shake emitted a multitude of metallic clanking sounds.


    A look of extreme happiness appeared on his face, his lips almost stretching to his ears.


    "Brother Qiu, this time I''ve really eaten my fill, so full I couldn''t be fuller," he said.


    "I can hardly stow away any more."


    Storage Bags and Storage Rings each possessed a separate small space, and cannot be nested within each other.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu gave Fat Long a look but said nothing. As a member of Chao Tian Sect who possessed a small world, that space could fit another hundred thousand Storage Rings, but Fat Long insisted on hanging some on himself, claiming it brought him a sense of happiness.


    He didn''t stop him.


    After all, there would be no fierce battle coming up, and if Fat Long liked wearing them, he let him be.


    The items on Fat Long''s person were just a small portion; most were kept in his ''Chao Tian Sect'' small world.


    He glanced down at the black Golden Core struggling on the tip of his sword, and he did not devour it immediately. The Golden Core Great Power''s resentful spirit was still nearby, and consuming the Golden Core now could bring forth resentful energy potent enough to overwhelm him in an instant!


    He planned to leave both the severely injured Golden Core Great Power''s resentful spirit and the remaining Demon Cultivar resentful spirits here to disappear automatically from the cosmos when the hour came.


    On his person were only over three hundred resentful spirits of the Poison Sect disciples, all from the Foundation Establishment Stage and Qi Refinement Realm. After swallowing this Golden Core, it would only add a resentful spirit of a single layer of Golden Core to his collection.


    Although it would still be uncomfortable,


    At least it didn''t carry the risk of resentful energy entering his body like earlier.


    Compared to having a Golden Core level resentful spirit as an ace up his sleeve, suffering a bit in normal times is better than being helpless in the face of danger.


    ...


    Just as he was about to leave after stripping down the Storage Rings, Storage Bags, Spiritual Treasures, and other items from the bodies,


    Chen Qiu suddenly pondered while gazing at the pile of bodies, "What do you say, should we leave a name? Say that it was a sacrifice by Da Xia?"


    From the reaction of the Barefoot Immortal from the market, he had roughly figured out that the Capital had probably been aware of the Demon Clan''s invasion and had sent a Da Xia Sacrifice to suppress this chaos.


    And this Da Xia Sacrifice did not trouble himself, for after suppressing the chaos, he conveniently plundered the market.


    Chen Qiu happened to be framed, even though he indeed had such intentions, but he hadn''t taken action yet!


    That was the workshop owner of the market!


    He estimated that there were many fine spiritual treasures and talismans at their disposal; if it weren''t for the fact that their fates did not dictate their demise just yet, how could they stand here at this moment? What he disliked most in his entire life was being falsely accused.


    Now...


    Could he take this small opportunity for revenge?


    "No."


    Fat Long shook his head helplessly, "Brother Qiu, this frame-up seems too obvious, and besides, you don''t even know which Da Xia official it is, you could at least leave a name?"


    "That..."


    At that moment, the scholar next to him hesitantly said, "Why not say it''s¡­ Bai Yi, the premier sword cultivator of Da Xia, who acts for heaven to strike down evildoers?"


    Before Chen Qiu and others could even speak, he quickly shook his head apologetically.


    "That, forget I said anything."


    "I just mentioned it offhandedly; it really isn''t proper. I don''t have much desire for fame, after all, being ranked 986th on the ''Fame Ranking'' already satisfies me, but seeing Scion of Ten Thousand Demons ranks at 712th feels somewhat inappropriate."


    "..."


    Fat Long looked emotionlessly at the scholar, and after a moment, he said slowly, "That doesn''t sound like someone who doesn''t care about fame."


    "Ever since the ''Fame Ranking'' appeared, I remember we have been quite busy, right? When did you have time to check the Fame Ranking?"


    "You even found your ranking and that of Scion of Ten Thousand Demons at the earliest opportunity, didn''t you eagerly search for your name as soon as the list was released?"


    Just as Chen Qiu shook his head, preparing to end this topic and leave this place for a nearby large city.


    "Kekeke!!!"


    A voice filled with viciousness and brutality laughed wildly next to their ears, and a streak of red light shot from the horizon and landed in front of them in the blink of an eye.


    This red light was composed of a sky full of blood mist.


    When the blood mist dispersed,


    a man in tattered clothing covered in wounds, with dried blood on his lips and a fierce, greedy expression, looked excitedly at the hundreds of poison cultivator corpses on the barren ground before him.


    "Truly, heaven does not forsake me, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!"


    "Heaven does not forsake me, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!!!"


    "These poison cultivator corpses will be excellent Blood Meal to greatly heal my injuries; I smell it, I smell the scent of fresh Blood Meal."


    As his words fell,


    Scion of Ten Thousand Demons suddenly realized something, his expression filled with intense shock as he looked at the skeletal, blood-stained elder''s corpse among the bodies¡ªit was indeed the corpse of a Golden Core poison cultivator.


    And it looked to have died not long ago.


    Could there be some Golden Core Great Power here?


    He quickly glanced around, only spotting a few men standing nearby and the pile of corpses without any Storage Rings, and he immediately realized that just recently, a tremendously powerful Golden Core cultivator must have slaughtered these poison cultivators and taken all the Storage Rings. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    These men were likely just passers-by, drawn by the residual battle fluctuations and prepared to loot the corpses.


    After realizing this, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, with a malicious smile, looked toward Chen Qiu and his companions; the blood mist surged out from his hand again, transforming into a massive hammer, as he advanced step by step towards them: "Since you''ve come, don''t leave. Become my Blood Meal."


    "Consider it a slight contribution to my plan for vengeance."


    "Let everyone in this world know, there was once an Evil Cultivator named¡­"


    "Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!"

 Chapter 82

    "..."Chen Qiu looked oddly at the young man in tattered clothes and covered in wounds before him. Was this the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons that the scholar had been so full of praise for?


    Wasn''t he said to be unkillable, no matter what?


    He seemed to be just an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and it looked like his luck wasn''t particularly good either.


    At this moment¡ª


    Within the Poison Mist Swamp.


    A resentful spirit at the fourth level of the Golden Core, who had once lain down, now silently got up and walked out of the Poison Mist Swamp. In a few breaths, it reached directly behind the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, and then casually slapped down.


    "I want this world..."


    "Smack!"


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons'' fierce roar suddenly came to an abrupt halt, then his entire body exploded into a mist of blood that dispersed between heaven and earth.


    "Don''t let your guard down, Brother Qiu!"


    The scholar, who was sitting cross-legged on the back of the bearded strong man, had a wary and tense expression as he controlled the Flying Sword, constantly hovering around and quickly scanning the surroundings. He had to find out what method the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was using to repeatedly escape his pursuit.


    "This thief''s methods are unfathomable, and he surely wouldn''t die so easily!"


    "Perhaps he is already feigning death and has escaped thousands of miles away by now!"


    ...


    "Um..."


    Standing to the side, Fat Long hesitated for a moment before stretching out a finger and poking the thigh of the scholar sitting on the strong man. "Hey, scholar, I want to ask you something. If a name disappears from the ranking list, does that mean that person is dead?"


    "Certainly, the Heavenly Dao Ranking wouldn''t list the name of a dead person!"


    Although he didn''t know why Fat Long had suddenly brought this up,


    the scholar still swiftly responded with a guarded expression, but soon thought of something incredible. His mind flashed with an unbelievable possibility, and he immediately looked toward the Fame Ranking.


    He saw...


    His own ranking had risen from the original "986th" place to "985th," while the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, who had been "712th," now had his name replaced by someone unfamiliar.


    After scouring the entire Fame Ranking list, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons'' name was nowhere to be found.


    And this also meant that the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had been removed from the Heavenly Dao Ranking, that is... he was dead beyond doubt.


    "..."


    After confirming this message, the scholar looked dazed as if struck by a hammer, standing there in disbelief, muttering to the pool of flesh and blood not far away on the ground, "How is it possible, how is it possible!" S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons'' Escape Technique is of the highest level among Evil Cultivation Jutsu, and he must have mastered at least three, each at the Great Perfection Realm. How could he have died so easily!"


    "In my prime, I killed him three times, and never truly managed to kill him!"


    "He..."


    "How did he die so easily this time?"


    The impact of this scene on him was too great; he even began to doubt whether he had really been the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia. Maybe after becoming deranged, he had fabricated this title for himself.


    Perhaps he was never really the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!


    He was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator!


    "You know..."


    At this point, Fat Long added the final blow tentatively, "Scholar, this Scion of Ten Thousand Demons didn''t seem as strong as you said. It feels like he died at the slightest touch. Did you really kill him three times without actually killing him?"


    ...


    "Alright,"


    Chen Qiu could tell that the scholar''s Dao heart was about to shatter and hastily signalled Fat Long with his eyes not to talk too much before coughing softly and comforting, "This Scion of Ten Thousand Demons must have been chased and killed all the way here and had already suffered severe injuries."


    "Moreover, when he made his move just now, I could sense that the adversary had three extremely grievous concealed wounds."


    "These three extremely severe injuries are likely left by the scholar back in the day."


    "Otherwise, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons wouldn''t have died so easily. Those three swords of the scholar from that time probably contributed to seventy percent of the effort."


    Then, he turned his gaze to the bodies of the poison cultivators.


    He had intended to just leave these poison cultivator bodies here, but seeing how the Evil Cultivation Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was earlier, perhaps these bodies could still be a great supplement to an Evil Cultivator?


    After hesitating for a moment,


    he took out a pocket-sized Sect Leader''s Chair from his bosom. This Sect Leader''s Chair was the core of all the Formation of the "Chao Tian Sect" and was also the Spiritual Treasure that could open this small world ¨C or rather, that small world was hidden within this Sect Leader''s Chair.


    The greatest gain this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm had brought to him was this small world.


    Leaving aside the items left by the Chao Tian Sect, just this small world alone, once word got out, even the Golden Core Great Powers would be envious and vie for it. Most Golden Core cultivators never had the opportunity to own such a thing as a small world throughout their lives to their deaths.


    A Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Secret Realm''s final reward turned out to be a small world ¨C this was indeed something that no one had expected.


    Fortunately¡ª


    After that Heavenly Dao Secret Realm event concluded, the Heavenly Dao Decree did not expose this piece of news, otherwise the moment the news that Chen Qiu owned a small world got out, he would practically have to hide within the small world until he cultivated to the Golden Core Stage.


    His spiritual energy poured into the Sect Leader''s Chair, and a powerful suction force burst forth from his sleeve, drawing all those poison cultivator bodies into the small world, neatly placed on a wasteland within the Chao Tian Sect.


    To be used later.


    These poison cultivator bodies were also quite the treasures.


    ...


    Having done all this, Chen Qiu cleaned up the traces of the battlefield before he and the scholar headed for a city not far from here.


    "Kai Mountain City."


    It was one of the 365 cities of Da Xia but not an ordinary one; although there were Qi Refinement commoners to be seen everywhere, it was clear that there were quite a few more Foundation Establishment Cultivators ¨C about four or five could be seen among every hundred people.


    Some carried long swords on their backs.


    Some wore Daoist robes.


    It seemed rather lively. This city was over a thousand miles away from Fufeng City. Interestingly, there were no markets around Kai Mountain City, or rather, the markets were located inside the city itself.


    The market and Kai Mountain City had become one and the same.


    They encountered no trouble entering the city, and after tipping a few silvers, they easily entered without having to queue.


    "Huh?"


    Right as they were entering the city, Fat Long suddenly hesitated and glanced at a woman not far away being adored like a star amidst her entourage, saying subconsciously, "Brother Qiu, isn''t that an old acquaintance we''ve run into?"


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu followed Fat Long''s gaze and saw a woman followed by four or five men, also entering the city through another passage to their left. That woman was not someone else but the ''Heavenly Girl'', a roving emissary of the Flower Offering Sect who had favored Fat Long several times.


    He had a rather good impression of this woman.


    After all, back then in the Heaven Asking Market inn, this woman had come to warn Fat Long specially, saying that there would be a big crisis in Fufeng City soon and it would be wise for Fat Long to leave quickly. He hadn''t seen this woman again since the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and the Demon Race invasion.


    Unexpectedly, he encountered her here.


    But upon this second meeting, she lacked her previous radiance and glamour. Although she was surrounded by crowds, by the looks of it, she was clearly being held hostage.

 Chapter 83 Advancing to the Third Level of Foundation Establishment. (Seeking First Subscription)

    And at this moment¡ªThe Heavenly Girl of the Flower Offering Sect, who had obviously noticed Fat Long, flashed a hint of surprise in her eyes. Then, she lightly bit her red lips and shook her head almost imperceptibly before shifting her gaze away, no longer meeting Fat Long''s eyes.


    Clearly worried about being noticed by the few men around her.


    ...


    "What is she doing?"


    Fat Long looked baffled as he watched the woman being taken away by several men and hesitated, "Is she trying to tell me not to act rashly and not to save her with that gesture?"


    "Does this woman have a problem with her brain?!"


    "After being bullied by the Flower Offering Sect for so long, what makes her think I would risk my life to save her?"


    "Just because she passed me a message, she thinks I''ve forgiven her?!"


    "I, Fat Long, will never forgive those who''ve forced me in this lifetime!"


    He looked at the woman''s departing figure with some indignation. The Flower Offering Sect was his lifetime trauma, and this grudge couldn''t possibly be dispelled just because she had sent him a message.


    "Don''t mind it."


    Chen Qiu shook his head with no intention of going forward to find out what had happened. Instead, after entering the city, he walked straight along the main path, planning to find an inn to settle down first.


    Just then¡ª


    A little boy with a red cloth tied on his head approached him with blinking eyes full of anticipation, looking at Chen Qiu: "This Memory Stone contains Chopping Nine Oxen''s Image, the lucky fellow from Fufeng City the other day."


    "That lucky one has both ''Nine Ox Power'' and ''self-extinguishing root'' entries. He gambled with the Heavenly Dao dozens of times in a row."


    "Would the Immortal like to see it?"


    "Only for one or two Silver pieces."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the little boy in front of him with a weird expression, not because he found the price expensive, but because he found it strangely quick. It hadn''t been that long; the distance from Fufeng City was more than a thousand miles away, and the Memory Stone had already been brought over?


    Your efficiency is quite incredible.


    Waving his hand to signal Fat Long to throw over a piece of Silver, he took the Memory Stone, planning to relive the moment when he was interested later on. A gambler with such good luck, the next time he needed to gamble, he would hold this Memory Stone in the palm of his hand; perhaps he could rub off some Qi Fortune.


    ...


    After casually choosing an inn and booking three top-tier rooms,


    Chen Qiu was the first to enter one room alone, planning to wash up and sleep. Since coming out of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he had been on the go constantly without any rest.


    After the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm was the invasion of the Demon Clan, after the invasion was the assassination of the workshop owner, then a rush to the Poisonous Thunder Swamp, using resentful spirits to kill the Poison Thunder Old Man, slaughtering the disciples of the Poison Sect, and ambushing the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.


    Only then did he finally reach Kai Mountain City.


    He really hadn''t had the chance to rest this whole time; today, however, he finally had time to rest properly and take stock of his recent gains.


    After washing up and changing into a new robe, he sat cross-legged on the bed and practiced his mental method. After a hundred breaths, adjusting his body to its optimal state, he finally opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air.


    This was when he was at his best.


    He had only a few hundred resentful spirits from the Poison Sect disciples on him, which hardly had any significant impact on him.


    But soon... his state was about to be not so good again.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, pulled out a Golden Core from his chest, and put it to his mouth. This Golden Core was none other than that of the Poison Thunder Old Man''s. He hadn''t even met this person, his resentful spirit went in and killed the poison cultivator of that layer of the Golden Core.


    The Golden Core dissolved the moment it entered his mouth.


    The familiar heat flowed instantly through his meridians, the majestic Spiritual Energy began to rampage within his body unscrupulously, and his skin started to turn slightly red, faintly showing steam rising from the top of his head.


    Fortunately, he was already accustomed to this from previous experiences. Besides, this Golden Core was just from the first layer, nowhere near as explosive as the last one.


    Soon he controlled the rampaging Spiritual Energy and slowly guided it to flow gently through his meridians, following the fixed route of his mental method.


    ...


    After several cups of tea.


    The Chen Qiu sitting cross-legged on the bed slowly opened his eyes. His previously reddish skin gradually lost its warmth and returned to its normal color, while the Spiritual Energy fluctuating on the surface of his body was somewhat uncontrollable.


    This was clearly a sign of a realm being repeatedly broken through in a short period, resulting in an unstable state.


    For the next month, he intended to go nowhere, just to stay in this inn to stabilize his Cultivation, and by the way, see if he could seek some Spells and Spiritual Treasures in Kai Mountain City suitable for him.


    To make up for his weaknesses.


    At this time, his Cultivation Progress had already risen from the original¡ª


    ''Cultivation'': Foundation Establishment Stage Second Level (96%)


    to¡ª


    ''Cultivation'': Foundation Establishment Stage Third Level (36%)


    -


    The previous Golden Core of the fourth layer had boosted his Cultivation Progress by 90%, while this Golden Core from the first layer only increased his Cultivation by 40%. The difference was naturally because of the varying strengths of the Golden Cores, as well as the increasing difficulty of breaking through each realm as one''s Cultivation improved.


    And above his Dantian, that familiar panel shrouded in mist appeared once more.


    -


    "Cultivation greatly improved, formally entering the Foundation Establishment Stage Third Level."


    "Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    ''Entry Name'': Exclusive Love.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': For every member of the opposite sex of your own kind who truly falls in love with you, you will receive ten Spirit Stones. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    2:


    ''Entry Name'': Tired of the World.


    ''Entry Level'': Yellow.


    ''Entry Effect'': Every time you kill a member of the opposite sex of your own kind who truly loves you, you will receive thirty Spirit Stones.


    3:


    ''Entry Name'': Capable of Toppling a Nation and a City.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': You will be able to more easily attract the favor of members of the opposite sex of your own kind. In their eyes, you will appear more charming than an ordinary person.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly at these three entries above his Tao Foundation. For a moment, he even wanted to pull out his Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman and choose all three entries.


    It must be said.


    Each of these entries, if possessed individually, might just be a plain economic or lifestyle entry.


    But if these three entries appeared together, if one had all of them,


    That would be akin to¡ª


    ''Every Plant and Tree'', ''Start From Scratch'', ''Never Discouraged''.


    The same combination move of this trio of entries.


    Moreover, even stronger, as each acquisition of Spirit Stones seemed more numerous and didn''t appear to have a cap.


    It''s just that...


    A normal person, even if they don''t like a woman, would find it difficult to feel too much disgust if the woman loved them wholeheartedly.


    It''s like a kitten meowing with eyes only for you, running towards you. Even if you don''t like cats, unless you have an extreme personality, you''re unlikely to crush the kitten underfoot.


    In one''s lifetime.


    One won''t receive love from too many people.


    Thus, most people cherish every bit of love and kindness. For most, personally killing a girl who truly loves you would essentially haunt them with a Heart Demon for life.


    If one killed ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand.


    The heart would grow cold, the blade dull.


    Under the extreme guilt, the body''s defense mechanism would automatically extinguish all conscience to prevent the body from harming itself due to excessive guilt.


    In such a case, one would already be considered a Demon Cultivation.


    These three entries combined are the genuine ''Demon Cultivation Terms''.


    It''s like the ''Path of Ascension'' entry.


    Someday on the Path of Ascension, one must kill one''s parents and offspring first.


    The ''Path of Ascension'' entry effect is that for every relative you kill with whom you share a blood relation, you will receive three Spirit Stones.


    Quite good.


    If a Demon Cultivator happens to possess these four entries, that truly would be a calamity upon the world.


    To make a member of the opposite sex fall in love with you, add ten Spirit Stones.


    Let them bear your child, kill one with each birth, birth another with each killing, and for every one killed, add three Spirit Stones.


    If they can''t bear children anymore, kill them and add thirty more Spirit Stones.


    If one sought out thousands of members of the opposite sex, one could directly create a man-made spirit stone mine.


    ...


    "Sigh."


    Chen Qiu exhaled a deep breath and without much hesitation, abandoned the idea of having this set of entries. Such a path was too wicked, and at least his character couldn''t bear the weight of killing hundreds or even thousands of women who truly loved him.


    With that effort.


    He could improve his Cultivation, kill more Golden Cores, which was much faster than killing women for money, right?


    He casually chose the ''Capable of Toppling a Nation and a City'' entry. Compared to the first two, at least this one was occasionally useful, such as... maybe helping with the layout for the upcoming ''Fame Ranking''.


    He was also quite envious of the ''Heavenly Dao Blessing'' that came daily.


    ...


    What Chen Qiu didn''t know was that.


    His name had already appeared at the bottom of the ''Fame Ranking'' at some point, and the rank of ''Bai Yi'' on the Fame Ranking was also rapidly climbing.


    In many sects.


    Under the leadership of the elders, numerous disciples stood solemnly in the sect''s square, looking up at the images projected by the Memory Stone hovering in mid-air.


    "A Magic Practitioner standing on a Flying Sword, like a spell perpetual motion machine, continuously bombarded the Demon Clan cultivators on the ground with a waterfall of Heavenly Thunders."


    ...


    ps: Officially launched, asking for first subscriptions and monthly tickets.

 Chapter 84

    "This..."Within the Caotian Sect, hundreds of disciples looked blankly and in shock at the scene projected by the Memory Stone in mid-air, momentarily at a loss for words.


    A Magic Practitioner, quite normal.


    A Sword Cultivator, also quite normal.


    Why does it become so damn abnormal when you combine the two?!!!


    Is this the kind of effect two Foundation Establishment Cultivators can produce when they work together?


    "Have you learned it?"


    The Inner Sect Elder of the Caotian Sect looked at the Outer Sect Elder beside him with a hesitant expression, "What do you think? Can we also select a few disciples to replicate this? Such synergy in the near future at the Major Sect competition for the younger generation will surely yield impressive results."


    "Ah?"


    The Outer Sect Elder made a surprised sound and incredulously turned to the Inner Sect Elder, "Elder Liu, don''t you want to take a look at the methods used by that Magic Practitioner? To cultivate the Thunder Summoning Technique to the Great Perfection Realm at the first level of Foundation Establishment is already remarkable, difficult but not impossible."


    "But his Spiritual Energy is like it has no limit, unleashing spells like a storm. Even when Fufeng City was reeling under a Demon Race invasion and the Spiritual Energy was incredibly rich, you at least need to exit the battle and recuperate your Spiritual Energy with a mental method, right?"


    "Look at him, he hasn''t stopped at all, has he?"


    "And that Sword Cultivator, which Sword Cultivator could make the Flying Sword move so fast at Foundation Establishment? Forget our sect, how many can be found in the entirety of Da Xia?"


    "Moreover, this familiar technique, this familiar Flying Sword, isn''t this Sword Cultivator the former number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi?"


    "How can this be replicated?"


    At this moment, the disciples who were still confused below also began to realize, yeah, how the hell can this be replicated.


    ...


    On the high platform at the sect plaza.


    "Sect Master."


    The Great Elder of the Caotian Sect spoke with an ugly expression, "The annual Sect Disciple fighting competition held in the Capital is about to begin. This year, we still haven''t cultivated any particularly outstanding disciples. How about letting Zhao Yishi compete this year?"


    "Even if he can''t secure the championship, he could at least seize a commendable ranking and win a decent prize, bringing some positive feedback for the sect."


    Zhao Yishi, though he has not yet acquired an entry that can synergize with the ''Heaven-reaching Giant,'' has indeed found several Body Cultivation Methods. His strength should not be underestimated: saying that with one punch he could split a mountain is an exaggeration, but he''s certainly not weak.


    He counts as outstanding among the younger generation of disciples.


    However, in past ''Sect Disciple Fighting Competitions,'' the Sect Master has always refrained from letting Zhao Yishi compete.


    The Sect Master''s intention is that Zhao Yishi must have a decisive effect, make a name for the Caotian Sect instantly; otherwise, he will not compete at all. If he does compete, it must be to secure first place.


    The impact of such an outcome would be extremely significant.


    "Not urgent..."


    The Sect Master of the Caotian Sect stood on the high platform, his eyes slightly narrowed as he thoughtfully watched the scene projected by the Memory Stone in mid-air, "That Magic Practitioner named Chen Qiu is a new friend Zhao Yishi made in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm."


    "A friend of Zhao Yishi is a friend of the Caotian Sect."


    "Chen Qiu has not yet joined any sect and is a Loose Cultivator. If I send Zhao Yishi to win him over, Chen Qiu will likely not refuse to join the Caotian Sect, especially since even in decline, we remain one of the top sects in Da Xia."


    "If we manage to persuade Chen Qiu to join the Caotian Sect, let''s not consider this year''s ''Sect Disciple Fighting Competition'' where I expect Chen Qiu could represent the Caotian Sect and achieve a not-so-bad result."


    "Just speaking of..."


    "If these two grow in stature in the future, one an exceptional Body Cultivator, the other a Heavenly Thunder Magic Practitioner, wouldn''t they be invincible under the heavens?"


    "Moreover, I did not expect that the former first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia had not perished, just that his Cultivation had greatly declined. This individual is also without a sect, if we could ask the Supreme Elder to come out of seclusion, withstand the pressure from the Capital City Zhang Family, we can also bring him into the sect."


    "The talent for the Sword Dao of this individual," you should also know, "was mentioned years ago alongside Ji Taiping as the being most likely to attain the Nascent Soul through Sword Dao in Da Xia!"


    "If we could help him restore his cultivation."


    "In that case¡ª"


    "Then the future Caotian Sect would have, one peerless Body Cultivator, one Heavenly Thunder Magic Practitioner, one invincible Sword Cultivator!"


    "Wouldn''t the prosperity of Caotian Sect be just around the corner?"


    "And after I die, my memorial tablet could be placed at the highest position within the Caotian Sect''s ancestral shrine!"


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect grew more and more excited as he spoke, already envisioning a scene years down the line with three Golden Core Peak powerhouses, garbed in robes embroidered with the Caotian Sect insignia, looking down upon all living beings. As Sect Master, if he could lead the sect to such heights, he truly would die without regrets!


    "I''ve decided!"


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect slapped his thigh root with an exhilarated tone, "Let Zhao Yishi be kicked out to wander outside the sect. Although we don''t know where Chen Qiu is right now, a child of heaven such as he cannot conceal himself forever; he is bound to explode onto the scene one day!"


    "As long as we find traces of Chen Qiu, we should take the opportunity to have Zhao Yishi meet him."


    "Remember not to be too deliberate, don''t tell Zhao Yishi anything, and don''t reveal even a hint of a desire to recruit him. These children of heaven often have a great deal of pride and hate it most when people approach them with an agenda."


    "Zhao Yishi is a simple-hearted kid. Just let him be himself, and if they hit it off, wouldn''t the rest just come naturally?"


    "Such a child of heaven can''t possibly remain a Loose Cultivator for a lifetime, right?"


    "I have a premonition¡ª" S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I seem to see it now, the name of Caotian Sect resounding throughout the entire Da Xia Country."


    "Caotian Sect will surely prosper greatly!"


    ...


    Within a mountain stream in the Caotian Sect territory, Zhao Yishi lay in the crevice, mouthful of spring water, while casting both "Invisibility Technique" and "Disguise Skill" to blend himself with the surrounding nature.


    Only his mouth, brimming with spring water, remained visible.


    Anyone standing by would see nothing more than a hot spring.


    At this moment.


    Several young women in thin veils were frolicking in the hot spring.


    "Sister, how did you find such a hidden hot spring?"


    "Yes, the temperature here is just right, very comfortable, and the scenery is beautiful too. If only I could live here every day. Unfortunately, my master keeps pushing me to sword cultivation, and I can only sneak out once in a while, which is so annoying."


    "Be quieter, shh! This is Caotian Sect territory. I also discovered this place by chance when I was chasing a wild rabbit and stumbled upon it. If we make too much noise and the patrolling disciples hear us, we''ll be expelled."


    "Sister, look, the hot spring is bubbling."


    "Don''t be so amazed; isn''t it normal for hot springs to bubble?"


    "..."


    Zhao Yishi listened to the playful voices of the young women above while enjoying the peace of the moment. He loved this kind of life, serene and tranquil.


    Just then¡ª


    An urgent mission message from the sect came through the Sound Transmission Ring embedded in his molar.


    "Ah."


    Zhao Yishi, who was reluctant to get up, pondered the severity of disobeying orders, and after a deep sigh in his heart, he slowly rose from the stream like a Heaven-reaching Giant.

 Chapter 85

    He then spat out the spring water that still lingered in his mouth, mixed with the few young women who had been swimming inside it, onto his palm, and gently placed them on the rocks beneath the mountain stream, squatting down as he did so.Zhao Yishi squatted down, looking down on the young women with their expressions of disbelief and shock, and said in a deep voice,


    "I should thank you all."


    "During the third challenge of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm last time, some moron of a previous owner claimed he had drunk urine, so I could take over from there."


    "It''s just that this habit isn''t very good; you should keep it tighter in the future."


    "I have some matters to attend to first, I''ll host you again next time."


    With that,


    Zhao Yishi''s massive form took steps that rose like stepping on lotuses, moving through the air, and swiftly disappeared into the clouds.


    Only leaving behind the young women standing there with their thin, soaked veils, staring in the direction Zhao Yishi disappeared, their pupils filled with bewilderment and terror.


    ...


    Dawn arrived.


    Chen Qiu, who had been cultivating cross-legged on the bed overnight, sensed the sunlight from outside the window and slowly opened his eyes.


    The changes from that one night were significant.


    It had allowed him to make two consecutive breakthroughs in a single day, which he had now solidified considerably.


    Upon introspection,


    His Tao Foundation appeared much brighter and more solid than before.


    At least now, his body showed no signs of instability or spiritual energy chaos; he looked at the spiritual energy leaping on his fingertips like flames, then at the teacup on the mahogany table, and flicked his finger lightly.


    A spirit line immediately coiled up the teacup, and as the spirit line retracted back into his body, the teacup from the previous night, filled to the brim, returned to his hand.


    Not spilling a drop.


    Chen Qiu picked up the teacup and took a sip, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. Although turning spiritual energy into threads was a fairly simple technique, after all, it represented considerable progress compared to his past self, giving him a sense of significant accomplishment.


    It was somewhat like the feeling he had as a child when he first learned to ride a bicycle.


    Now, at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, he was no small fry in any city, even the Capital; Foundation Establishment cultivators were now Da Xia''s backbone.


    Afterward, he extended his Divine Sense into the small world to take stock of his latest gains.


    Before parting ways the previous night, Fat Long had already handed over all the Storage Bags he was carrying to him.


    Within the small world now¡ª


    Over a thousand Storage Bags, which weren''t valuable and couldn''t fetch much money. He didn''t plan to sell them but instead decided to keep them in the small world, as they might come in handy in the future.


    From the Storage Bags, he found quite a few low-level talismans, Pills, Spiritual Treasures, and some fragments of Spirit Stones and silver, worth a total of about two thousand Spirit Stones at a glance.


    Over three hundred Storage Rings with unbroken seals.


    These rings were left by the Demon Clan cultivators and disciples of the Poison Sect; the seals had not been broken yet, and the items inside the rings usually had a higher value. Breaking the seals on this batch of Storage Rings would certainly reveal more valuable treasures than those found in the Storage Bags.


    There were also some semi-ruined Spiritual Treasures and such, which, according to the scholar, could also fetch some money as materials, although the exact price was unknown but surely not too much.


    However, the real jackpot was¡ª


    The three personal Storage Rings left by the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market!


    And the two Storage Rings snatched from the Poison Thunder Old Man!


    Both of them were Golden Core cultivators!


    The Storage Rings were sure to contain a lot of good treasures.


    And the two Storage Rings on the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons; he wondered if they contained his Far Escape Technique. Even Golden Core Stage cultivators couldn''t catch up with that Far Escape Technique, which really made him quite envious.


    ...


    After organizing his gains, Chen Qiu finally got up and left the guest room.


    As usual, Fat Long was already standing outside the door of the guest room, grinning and waiting for him.


    But this time, there was a scholar and his younger brother.


    "Let''s go have some breakfast."


    Chen Qiu, looking touched, patted Fat Long''s shoulder and turned to walk down the corridor towards the stairs. It had to be said that the emotional value Fat Long provided was indeed very high; waking up to his grinning face waiting outside the room every morning was really something.


    The group quickly found a roadside vendor selling mutton soup.


    Dipping into the soup, they enjoyed a few hot pancakes fresh out of the pan.


    It was already winter.


    The snow had not yet fallen.


    On the streets, many commoners dressed in thick jackets greeted everyone with joy on their faces, looking quite festive.


    "It seems like today is the Winter Solstice."


    Glancing at the people on the road, Fat Long pondered and said, "Then later today we must have some dumplings. A bit of festive ritual is still necessary."


    "Eh?"


    The scholar, who had been drinking meat soup, suddenly revealed a flash of surprise in his eyes, "How did my ranking on the Fame Ranking go up to No. 898? I knew the Heavenly Dao Blessing from last night was particularly generous."


    "Brother Qiu, you''re on the list too!"


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow and looked at the Fame Ranking, finding his name at No. 982. He searched with his Consciousness in the Storage Ring and found last night''s Heavenly Dao Blessing.


    The Fame Ranking changed every day, and after midnight, the Heavenly Dao Blessing would automatically appear in the Storage Ring. He had no idea he was on the list yesterday and thus had not been conscious of it.


    Only now did he pay attention to it.


    In the Storage Ring on his index finger was a small box, roughly the size of a small bench.


    It was inscribed with four sharp and bold characters in seal script on the top.


    "Heavenly Dao Blessing".


    Chen Qiu took it out of the Storage Ring and tentatively opened the wooden box wrapped in black cloth. Inside, a pill lay quietly, with lines of small print introducing it at the bottom of the box next to the pill.


    "Foundation Establishment low-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill."


    "Consumption can increase a small amount of Cultivation."


    "It''s actually a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill!"


    The scholar sitting beside him lit up and couldn''t help exclaiming, "A Cultivation Pill of this kind can be taken to improve Cultivation Progress, and is a specialty pill crafted by Alchemy Cultivators."


    "There are low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade Cultivation Pills."


    "Different grades of Cultivation Pills enhance different amounts of Cultivation, and they need to be consumed along with the running of a mental method. However, Cultivation Pills leave impurities in the body that, if not regularly and promptly cleansed, will merge into the Tao Foundation, resulting in an unstable foundation."


    "Generally speaking, consuming a low-grade Cultivation Pill typically requires spending three days to eliminate the impurities. The higher the grade of Cultivation, the more it boosts, and correspondingly more time is needed to remove the impurities." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Such things are usually prepared for Cultivators who do not have many Spirit Stones."


    "After all, directly absorbing Spirit Stones is definitely the best. The Spiritual Energy in Spirit Stones is absolutely pure, so there''s no need to spend time removing impurities."


    "In the short term, ''Cultivation Pills'' surely increase Cultivation speed more than Spirit Stones, but if you include the time needed to remove impurities, in the long run, taking Cultivation Pills is far less effective than absorbing Spirit Stones."


    The scholar paused before continuing.


    "However, Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills have no side effects and contain no impurities."


    "At most, consuming too many at once can result in an unstable foundation, so some time is needed to consolidate the foundation."

 Chapter 86 Becoming famous should be done early, this saying really makes sense.

    "So you''re saying, the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill increases the speed of cultivation much faster than a Spirit Stone?"Fat Long pondered aloud.


    "Not much faster." The scholar shook his head, "If it''s just a low-grade Cultivation Pill, it actually won''t be much faster than a Spirit Stone."


    "But the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill has no impurities, which means you can use both at the same time."


    "You can take the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill while absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stone."


    "The combined speed would then be much faster than just absorbing from the Spirit Stone."


    "The Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills can''t be crafted by Alchemists and often appear in places like the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, and they are extremely rare. It''s quite a surprise that this time the Fame Ranking''s Heavenly Dao Blessing turned out to be the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill."


    ...


    Chen Qiu glanced at the wooden box in the scholar''s hand, then at his own.


    Both contained a low-grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Cultivation Pill.


    That is to say.


    The blessings for the 898th and 982nd ranks are the same, making it unclear how much the ranking needs to change for the blessings to change again.


    He did not speak but tentatively pinched the transparent, shrimp dumpling-like Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and brought it to his mouth.


    It melted in his mouth with a sweet flavor.


    No sooner had this thought appeared in his mind than he felt a wildly violent surge of Spiritual Energy rampage throughout his body. Regardless of being at a roadside stall, he immediately closed his eyes to meditate, controlling the flow of Spiritual Energy slowly along the meridian paths within his body.


    A few breaths later.


    He slowly opened his eyes and performed introspection on his inner panel.


    -


    "Cultivation": Foundation Establishment Stage third level (36.8%)


    -


    "Good stuff."


    Chen Qiu looked at the Cultivation Progress on the panel and chuckled lightly. It had increased by 0.7%, from 36.1% which he checked this morning; the 0.1% was from last night when he consolidated his realm by practicing his mental method.


    The effect was quite good.


    The most important was the absorption speed, much faster than with a Spirit Stone, just a few breaths'' time. It''s just that one pill felt hardly satisfying. It would be nice to have more.


    He wasn''t worried about taking too many at once and destabilizing his foundation.


    Breaking through two realms in one day yesterday, the breakthrough speed at the Foundation Establishment stage is much slower than during the Qi Refinement Realm. Such speed almost guaranteed an unstable foundation and disordered aura.


    But last night he discovered another wonderful use of the Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    That is...


    A Tao Foundation built on the base of the Heavenly Dao is truly hard to destabilize.


    Just practicing for one night had virtually stabilized his realm. His aura was already stable by this morning, and in three or four more days, his aura would be completely stable, much faster than he had imagined.


    "If only there were more, or if they were mid-grade or high-grade ones."


    Chen Qiu looked regretfully at the Fame Ranking. Although the exact thresholds were unclear, it was almost certain that the higher one''s rank, the greater the grade and quantity of the Heavenly Dao Blessings received each day.


    "How can I move up this Fame Ranking?"


    "It''s difficult."


    The scholar shook his head helplessly, "Brother Qiu, take a look at who are on the Fame Ranking. Without exception, they are all well-known for a long time. To surpass these people in fame is almost as hard as reaching the heavens."


    "Also, I have a feeling that this ''Fame Ranking'' won''t last too long. After all, the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was very rare in the past and isn''t likely to suddenly appear in large quantities."


    "According to historical records, there are many small changes before a major version change in the Heavenly Dao. This includes temporary rankings like this." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Last night, when we suddenly rose in the rankings, I thought about it. Most likely, our battle in Fufeng City was recorded with a Memory Stone and then spread by the disciples of various major sects and families."


    "But it should be very difficult to rise further after that."


    "If you can''t reach the top of the list in a short time, even if you get there later, the list might disappear one day."


    "It''s really true that fame should be achieved early."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu sat there thoughtfully, not speaking. How to become famous?


    That itself had become a problem.


    He wanted the blessings that came with fame, but he didn''t want to be too conspicuous and catch the attention of some old demons; it was a difficult balance to maintain.


    Just yesterday, he had acquired an entry "Capable of toppling a nation and a city."


    It could enhance his charm to the opposite sex; perhaps he could use that to amplify his fame?


    Just as he was pondering¡ª


    A noisy commotion suddenly emerged from the road.


    "Damn it, who told you to copy the Memory Stone for other families?"


    "Just a Nine Ox Image Stone and you want to make how much money?"


    "Come on, let''s talk it over slowly outside the city."


    "Today, I''ll let you see exactly how many eyes the Horse King has!"


    Chen Qiu turned his head, almost reflexively.


    On the bluestone road, a burly man with a broad sword strapped to his waist and wearing armor was gripping a thin young man by the neck, cursing as they walked towards the city gates, followed by several other similarly dressed, brawny men.


    It looked like they were preparing to settle the matter outside the city.


    Such incidents were not very common, but they were normal enough.


    This area had no government patrols, and the people around them kept their heads down, pretending not to see anything, trying to avoid unnecessary trouble.


    "I was wrong, I was wrong, please let me go, I really was wrong!"


    The thin young man, gripped by the neck, was struggling to breathe, his face flushed red, his heels couldn''t touch the ground, and he was almost being dragged forward.


    He looked quite pitiful.


    ...


    Chen Qiu had only glanced briefly before returning his gaze. It was a common sight in Fufeng City, nothing unusual.


    "Let''s have the soup first; it''ll get cold otherwise."


    He lowered his head to look at the mutton soup in front of him, spiced with chili oil. He picked up the porcelain bowl and shoveled the mutton and glass noodles into his mouth with his chopsticks, followed by a bite of crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside pancake.


    That bite was satisfying.


    But just then¡ª


    The thin young man, being held by the brawny men towards the city outskirts, caught sight of Fat Long and a few others sitting at a roadside stand out of the corner of his eye and, after confirming he hadn''t mistaken them, called out with all the strength he could muster.


    "Fufeng City, Sky-bursting Gang!"


    "Folks, save me!"


    "..."


    Fat Long looked at the soon-to-be-dragged-away thin man, his mouth twitching slightly, before glancing at Chen Qiu.


    At that moment, the burly men also heard the shout and stopped. They turned to look in Chen Qiu''s direction, and seeing no reaction from them, they slapped the thin young man''s head hard and roared.


    "Shut the hell up!"


    "Don''t make me cut off your tongue first!"

 Chapter 87

    "Folks from the same hometown meeting each other, eyes brimming with tears, huh."Chen Qiu sighed lightly and deliberately finished the lamb soup in his bowl before setting it down. Digging a handkerchief from his breast pocket, he wiped the corners of his mouth and said helplessly.


    "Fat Long, the slogan you shouted for the Sky-bursting Gang that day was too loud."


    "If we don''t get rid of this guy, he might spill something if he''s dying, causing a whole lot of trouble."


    They had transmigrated to this world.


    It could be a big deal or a small one.


    If this person survived or somehow blurted out on his deathbed that he was a transmigrator and exposed them as well, it would significantly impact them. It wasn''t impossible that some old demons might want to dissect what transmigrators were made of.


    Everyone is curious.


    Even old Demon Race cultivators with Golden Cores are curious.


    Unfortunately, Demon Race cultivators with Golden Cores often have ways to satisfy all their curiosities.


    "Hmm..."


    Thinking about the seriousness of the matter, Fat Long nodded as he watched the young man being kidnapped slowly walk away, a fierce light flickering in his eyes.


    "Shopkeeper, time to settle the bill."


    Chen Qiu gestured for the shopkeeper to come over and, after throwing down some money, pointed toward the departing figures of the burly men and asked, "Which power in Kai Mountain City do these men belong to?"


    "This..."


    The shopkeeper hesitated significantly, reluctant to say more, but after glancing at the coins, noticeably more than the cost of the meal, he whispered, "Those guys are from Kai Mountain City''s ''Fierce Tiger Gang,'' a bunch of scoundrels. The gang leader is a third-layer Foundation Establishment strongman."


    "You seem like you''re from out of town, so it''s best if you avoid provoking any trouble."


    "If you''re not on good terms, pretend you didn''t hear anything. Don''t lose your life over a moment of valor."


    "Thanks."


    Chen Qiu stood up, patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder with a smile, and turned to leave the stall, following the figures that had almost disappeared from sight.


    If it''s just the third layer of Foundation Establishment, it should be manageable.


    ...


    Outside Kai Mountain City, in a certain part of the Deserted Forest.


    The burly man was at that moment holding a knife to the ear of the young man kneeling on the ground, his face showing a fierce grin, "Brother, remember this¡ªwhen you come to Kai Mountain City, you abide by Kai Mountain City''s rules."


    "Today, I will show you what the rules of Kai Mountain City are."


    Just then¡ª


    "Oh?"


    "What are the rules of Kai Mountain City?"


    A casual voice came from behind through the woods.


    "Who''s that!"


    The burly man holding the knife instantly changed his expression, turned around, and saw Chen Qiu and his three companions emerging from behind the trees, their footsteps crunching dry leaves as they walked.


    "It''s you."


    The burly man''s eyes flashed with recognition, and he bellowed angrily, his aura as a peak Qi Refinement cultivator fully unleashed, "I am the third ranking officer of the Fierce Tiger Gang in Kai Mountain City!"


    "Are you sure you want to make an enemy of the Fierce Tiger Gang?"


    "Care to share your names?"


    "..."


    Fat Long, slightly exasperated, rested his elbow on the scholar-like young man''s shoulder, gazing coldly at the burly man before him, and snorted, "Just be a local ruffian, will you? Calling yourself ''I am'' like you''re someone important?"


    "Trying to clear your name or what?"


    "Neither scholarly nor martial."


    "Doesn''t it sound awkward hearing your own words?"


    As his words finished.


    The burly man''s expression darkened immediately. Without another word, he advanced with his knife toward Chen Qiu and his companions.


    "Hey."


    Fat Long saw this and got excited, hurriedly standing up and rubbing his hands together as he moved forward, "Don''t anyone else act, let me handle this. It''s not often I get someone I can beat!"


    The burly man''s speed grew more exhilarating.


    In the last few strides he reached his peak, leaping into the air with a fierce roar, his large blade carrying a terrifying momentum as it cleaved towards Fat Long who was approaching him!


    He was confident. If this strike hit home, even if this fat man was at the peak of Qi Refinement, he was confident he could sever the fat man''s body!


    However¡ª


    The next instant!


    Fat Long''s body suddenly radiated a milky-white, semi-transparent light shield that firmly enclosed him. The terrifying strike of the blade landed on the spiritual energy shield and didn''t even make a crack.


    "Clang."


    The sound of metal clashing echoed through the jungle. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The burly man was flung several meters away, struggling to rise from the ground. Looking towards his blade that had been knocked away and his own tingling and uncontrollably trembling hand, he found it hard to believe. His throat was dry, his eyes filled with a hint of despair as he looked at Fat Long and said with a trembling voice.


    "Spiritual energy protection. That''s a hallmark of a Foundation Establishment expert!"


    "You...you''re a Foundation Establishment... expert?"


    "Could you spare my life?"


    "This rule-breaking fellow is yours. My boss is also a third-level Foundation Establishment expert. If you kill us, it will attract retaliation. We have no grudge against each other, so how about we call it even?"


    "If you gentlemen are still in Kai Mountain City today and you spare my life, I will definitely have our boss come and apologize personally."


    "Can... you?"


    As he spoke, the burly man''s voice even started to whine. Can you? Naturally, you can''t. In the past, many had pled for mercy from him and he''d never spared any of them. Now he finally understood the despair of those he had faced.


    Even though he knew it was impossible, at this point, he couldn''t help but pin all his hopes on those words.


    It was like grasping at a lifeline.


    ...


    "What do you think?"


    Fat Long''s face beamed with a smile as he twisted his neck, step by step approaching the burly man who had been knocked to the ground, lifting his fist. It felt truly exhilarating. Finally, someone he could actually beat. None of the enemies he had encountered in the past few days had been beatable by him.


    Facing such an easy target, of course he wanted to take full advantage.


    Meanwhile, the other members of the Fierce Tiger Gang within the Deserted Forest were also fearfully supporting the burly man, crouching together, waiting for the unknown verdict.


    Run?


    How could one in the Qi Refinement Realm outrun someone in the Foundation Establishment Stage?


    Just then¡ª


    A wiry young man, tied up and abandoned to the side, looked urgently towards Fat Long who had already walked up to the burly man and raised his fist, shouting hurriedly and anxiously, "Big brother, hold back, don''t kill him!"


    "He''s still useful!"


    "..."


    Fat Long looked emotionlessly towards the wiry young man, as if looking at an idiot. Did you think he was here to save you, still shouting at this moment for mercy? Wait and you''ll be killed along with the others.


    Moreover, your mind doesn''t seem right either.


    They were about to chop off your head just now, and now you start shouting to spare him.


    "Huff... huff..."


    The burly man sitting on the ground looked at the fist, just inches from his head, suspended in mid-air carrying a terrifying force. His entire body trembled faster, gasping for air, the fear making him wait even longer for the impending verdict.


    That fist.


    If it smashed on his head, his head would burst on the spot!


    No surprises!


    At that moment, the wiry young man spoke even more urgently, "Big brother, give me a chance to explain in the forest nearby. After I explain, you''ll understand!"


    "When you were killing Demon Clan cultivators in Fufeng City, I was hiding inside the city. We''ve actually met before."


    "I didn''t expect to meet you in Kai Mountain City today; it must be fate."


    "Just give me a hundred breaths'' time, I''ll definitely make things clear!"

 Chapter 88

    "..."Fat Long glanced doubtfully at the thin young man sitting on the ground, hesitated, and then turned to look behind him at Chen Qiu, who nodded and began walking towards the depths of the Deserted Forest before he casually said to the young man,


    and likewise followed Chen Qiu''s pace.


    "Let''s go, let''s hear your explanation."


    "Thank you, thank you so much!"


    Seeing this, the skinny young man quickly scrambled up from the ground with grateful eyes and followed the two into the jungle.


    ...


    After the group had left,


    the burly man who had been full of fear suddenly became lively in spirit and looked at the remaining two people left behind by the group.


    One looked to be a taciturn fellow, short in stature with a full beard.


    The other, a scholar with disabled legs, sat cross-legged on the shoulders of the bearded man.


    They didn''t seem to be very capable of fighting.


    The burly man seemed to move casually towards another part of the Deserted Forest and tentatively asked, "May I inquire what your Cultivation is?"


    As soon as he finished speaking,


    the bearded strong man''s Foundation Establishment Cultivation was unmistakably revealed.


    "Not bad."


    The initially escape-minded burly man immediately stopped moving, expressionlessly looked down at the crimson soil beneath him, and absentmindedly fiddled with the dead grass around him, resigning to the fact that it seemed like he was fated to die there that day.


    ...


    "Um..."


    Deep in the Deserted Forest, the skinny man glanced at Chen Qiu and whispered to Fat Long, "We used to be fellow villagers, and this gentleman, this gentleman..."


    "We''re all fellow villagers."


    Fat Long said irritably, "Just say what you want to say."


    Chen Qiu, standing to one side, took out a soundproofing charm from his chest, activated it, and enveloped the group to ensure their conversation could not be heard by others.


    "This gentleman is also a fellow villager?"


    The skinny man looked at Chen Qiu with a flash of astonishment in his eyes, then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Since we''re all fellow villagers, let me introduce myself first. I am an offering from the ''Yuncheng Wang Family.''"


    "My name is Liu Zide."


    "You may not have heard of the ''Yuncheng Wang Family,'' but since you''re in Fufeng City, you must surely know about the Nine Ox Festival. I was the one who planned the whole event. With just that one event, we earned thousands of Spirit Stones, which is the total profit of the Yuncheng Wang Family for over a decade!"


    "Oh?"


    Chen Qiu, who had shown little interest at first, suddenly perked up and sized up Liu Zide, a glint of appreciation flashing in his eyes, "You were the one who organized that festival?"


    "Gambling spirit and ability combined, not bad at all."


    Last time, he''d felt that the person who orchestrated the festival was quite talented, perfectly seizing upon the lack of entertainment in this world, and profited heavily. He hadn''t expected that it was his fellow villager who did it, which made him far more interested in the man before him.


    "The gambling spirit is something the master possesses; it has nothing to do with me."


    Seeing that Chen Qiu acknowledged his past achievements and even showed admiration, Liu Zide finally relaxed, letting out a long sigh of relief. With this, the subsequent conversation would be much easier.


    He naturally knew that Chen Qiu was the leader of these people.


    I just didn''t know that Chen Qiu was also a fellow villager.


    When I first arrived in Fufeng City, I saw Fat Long shouting about the Sky-bursting Gang. Although I wasn''t sure if it was a coincidence or a case of the same name, I still took note of it in my heart. I tentatively shouted earlier and, unexpectedly, it really was a fellow villager.


    "Let''s have a formal introduction."


    With a serious expression, Liu Zide looked at the two of them and said word by word, "I used to be a small owner of an MCN, with hundreds of marketing accounts under my banner, mainly profiting from generating traffic."


    "In my previous life, I didn''t learn any skills, except for how to manipulate traffic."


    "Since we are all fellow villagers, I''ll just speak frankly. I''ve smelled a big business opportunity, but it''s too big for me to handle alone, I need to find partners to cooperate."


    "I recorded the scene of the Nine Ox Festival onto Memory Stones, and I have already started to spread it wildly in two cities. Initially, my plan was to sell Memory Stones to let various city factions help spread them, thereby quickly increasing the lord''s fame."


    "Just like that, in one day, I spread it across two cities and successfully got the lord onto the list before yesterday''s midnight."


    "But after last night''s midnight, after seeing the content of the Heavenly Dao Blessing, I realized the value of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill far exceeds the cost of the Memory Stones. I noticed that you two are already on the list; you must know the Heavenly Dao Blessing provides the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill."


    "No need to speak more on the value of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having said this,


    Liu Zide''s whole demeanor became extremely agitated, and, with an excited expression, he said excitedly, "In my initial plan, I calculated the cost of the Memory Stones, but now the profit from the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills has far surpassed the cost of the Memory Stones!"


    "We can completely ignore the cost of the Memory Stones, distributing them for free through all channels!"


    "With enough Spirit Stones for activation, I can mass-produce at least three celebrities with hundreds of followers!"


    "The more vulgar and exaggerated items attract more attention. This world has not yet experienced the dirty baptism of capital. Just a few coarse, exaggerated things entering the market, especially for free, will attract a lot of attention and bring massive fame to the protagonist!"


    "For instance, one female with nine males!"


    "Nine men with their faces covered, only revealing one woman to gain fame."


    "To be more sensational, you could even add some plot, like nine evil cultivators and one pure, unblemished Daoist Holy Daughter."


    "Brothels are everywhere in this world, but no one shoots this kind of thing. This is a huge market gap, as watching the excitement and visiting brothels are not conflicting activities. We could even cooperate with brothels!"


    "Or take those with unique talents, for example!"


    "For example, find two people with entries like ''Nine Ox Power'' and ''Bull Strength,'' record them with Memory Stones, and the spread would definitely be wide, boosting their fame tremendously!"


    "I can think of countless ways in my mind!"


    "Everyone deemed ''Da Xia''s No.1 Array Repairer'' and such would not rank in terms of fame. Ordinary people who don''t care about Cultivation won''t care who Da Xia''s No.1 Array Repairer is. They love whom they love; it has nothing to do with them."


    "But precisely these ordinary people are the ones with the greatest base numbers. They may not care who the No.1 Array Repairer of Da Xia is, but they definitely won''t be able to resist something like ''Nine Ox Power'' and ''Bull Strength'', which they may have never even heard of!"


    "As long as we control the three hundred people we promote, the Heavenly Dao Blessings they receive every day will be ours!"


    "That''s nearly a thousand Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills every day!"


    As if already seeing fruit of victory, an agitated Liu Zide, with his neck swollen and face flushed red, said, "That will be a tremendously huge interest, and in the early stage, it only requires a portion of Spirit Stones as startup capital."


    With Da Xia Territory divided into nineteen provinces and 365 large cities, both Fufeng City and Kai Mountain City belong to ''Xuzhou'' province."


    "And ''Xuzhou'' is a large state, with a total of 47 large cities."


    "The territory of Da Xia is too vast. We obviously can''t reach all the cities, but we can take over all 47 cities, and the ordinary people in these 47 cities will be an important force for us to climb the charts!"


    "The only key element of this plan is speed!"


    "Before others have time to react, we''ll take over all the cities within ''Xuzhou'' in an instant. So even if others catch on and want to imitate us, they will have to move to other provinces."


    "Although we''ll lose some profits to competition."


    "There is a silver lining. If any major family is envious of us, their energy will definitely focus on how to expand into other provinces, not us, at least we will be lower on the priority list to plunder our fruits."

 Chapter 89

    I must say,Liu Zide''s emotional contagion is very strong.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long, standing in place, slowly opened their mouths in astonishment, a flash of shock crossing their eyes. They had already begun to imagine the earth-shattering changes that would occur throughout Da Xia Country if Liu Zide''s plan were to succeed.


    Damn it...


    This could be considered a complete transformation of a world.


    In the past, it was said that if one cannot change the world, then one must adapt to it. Whereas Liu Zide''s philosophy seemed to be if you can''t change the world, then forcibly make a miracle, just damn change it!


    Chen Qiu pondered Liu Zide''s train of thought.


    I must say, it seems like it really could work, and there was already a successful case precedent. He found the name of the Patriarch of the Yuncheng Wang Family that Liu Zide mentioned on the "Fame Ranking," ranked 936th.


    -


    ''Rank 936'': Wang Tiedan, fame value 9203.


    -


    Higher than his own rank.


    He was only ranked 982, dozens of ranks below him.


    It turns out that the recognition he gained from bravely slaughtering nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivators was not as much as one Nine Ox Festival.


    And the name ''Wang Tiedan'' was the first on the entire "Fame Ranking" that was neither a murderous Evil Cultivation, nor a famed young generation Disciple, nor a big shot in any industry, nor any famed courtesan or the like.


    It can be said that Wang Tiedan is the only one who made it to the ranking by being "unconventional."


    And Liu Zide''s plan was to mass-produce three hundred Wang Tiedans, essentially a case of bad money driving out good.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu stood silently, his expression complex; after pondering for a long time, he concluded that the plan was basically feasible, especially given that Liu Zide had invested all his talent points in this aspect; nobody else could manage it as effectively as Liu Zide himself.


    Of course, mass-producing three hundred Wang Tiedans was definitely an exaggeration.


    But mass-producing seventy or eighty felt entirely possible.


    The most significant issue here is that... the benefits are too substantial, and the greed is somewhat unseemly. It involves vulgarity and lowliness, which could easily attract the disdain and greed of some morally fastidious old demons.


    In other words,


    the risks are as great as the benefits.


    But as Liu Zide said, if only one is fast enough to eat a full wave before anyone else can react, then even if you leave the stage afterward, you''ve had your fill.


    "Huff."


    Chen Qiu took a long breath and finally decided internally. He patted Liu Zide''s shoulder and said with a sure expression, "Tell me your specific plan for cooperation; I''m quite intrigued."


    Liu Zide nodded, his expression serious as he held up three fingers.


    "Three points."


    "First, we need a large amount of Spirit Stones in the initial stage because everything must be done quickly. Traveling will require the use of Flying Boats, recruiting a large number of talents must be widely advertised with a heavy investment of Spirit Stones, and we will also need many hands on deck to negotiate with the local tyrants in all the cities as quickly as possible."


    "This will definitely result in expenses being several times higher due to the need for ''speed.'' sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "In simple terms, it''s about using the most Spirit Stones in the shortest time to carve out a place in the world."


    "We will need roughly fifteen thousand Spirit Stones in capital."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu remained silent, not saying a word. He had a total of eighteen thousand spirit stones in his small world, including those from the storage bags. This was all his possessions. With Liu Zide''s single request, he was asking for all the spirit stones Chen Qiu had earned recently.


    Although there were still many storage rings with restrictions that hadn''t been cracked open, it was uncertain how many spirit stones were contained within them.


    "Have you lost your mind?"


    Fat Long looked at Liu Zide with a speechless expression, "Do you have any idea what fifteen thousand spirit stones represent? Even if I give you that many spirit stones, would you dare to accept them? Wouldn''t your hand tremble just holding them?"


    "There''s no other way..." Liu Zide shook his head helplessly, "I know it sounds exaggerated, I''m well aware of what fifteen thousand spirit stones mean."


    "Our Wang Family''s annual profit used to be just a few hundred spirit stones. Even a set of large Sound Transmission Talismans purchased by the sect for their disciples wouldn''t cost more than a thousand spirit stones."


    "Fifteen thousand spirit stones are equivalent to the annual profit of more than fifty Wang Families combined."


    "But... I''ve calculated carefully, to cover the entire ''Xuzhou'' in the shortest time, and to find a family that specializes in making Memory Stones, placing large orders and so on, indeed, approximately that number is needed."


    If it were an ordinary person, he would not have said it, since an ordinary person would not have so many spirit stones, but he saw Chen Qiu and his companions take away all the storage bags and storage rings from the bodies of the Demon Clan cultivators while in Fufeng City.


    The harvest should have been considerable.


    Maybe it would be enough to support his plan.


    The initial investment of spirit stones required for his plan was too vast; a typical sect or even a family might not be able to support it, and the Yuncheng Wang Family he was currently working for was even less likely to afford it.


    He had almost given up on the plan, but then he encountered Chen Qiu and his group here. Perhaps it was also Heaven''s way of encouraging him to be bold and go for it.


    After pondering for a moment, Chen Qiu finally spoke softly, "Didn''t you say that the Nine Ox Festival you organized last time earned several thousand spirit stones? Where are those spirit stones? Are you discussing this with me in the capacity of an offering from the Wang Family, or are you speaking as Liu Zide?"


    "As Liu Zide."


    Liu Zide said sternly, "Even though the old master is a good person, he cares a bit too much about face... After setting up in two cities, no matter how I persuaded him, the old master resolutely gave up."


    "He said a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was not worth the loss of his face."


    "The old master has already traveled overnight back to ''Yun City,'' saying I should come back when I''ve thought it through. I wanted to follow the old master back to Yun City, but I really couldn''t bear to miss out on such a big business opportunity, so I left the inn this morning intending to get some food, but then I was discovered by the ''Fierce Tiger Gang.'' They think it''s unethical for me to have given a copy of the Memory Stone to several forces."


    "Then I ran into you guys."


    "State your second condition."


    "I will take some of the spirit stones from the fifteen thousand and go to ''Zhao''s Escort Agency'' to hire a few escort masters who can protect my personal safety. This needs to be negotiated in advance."


    "And the third?"


    "I need one-tenth of all profits."


    Perhaps worried Chen Qiu and others would refuse, Liu Zide spoke with less confidence but forced himself to say, "Trust me, I''m worth the price. Apart from me, you won''t find a better candidate."


    "And I will offer you a value-added service."


    "For example, Brother Qiu, although your appearance may not be particularly stunning, you have a rather unique aura, and when compared to other cultivators of the same rank, you are undoubtedly invincible."


    "I can package you up so that Brother Qiu''s fame soars in a short time."


    "The method is very simple."


    "Shower every storyteller in all the big cities with spirit stones, then spend heavily to get a few high-ranking beauties on the Fame Ranking to express their affection for Brother Qiu, and then Brother Qiu rejects them."


    "Then find a few past-their-prime seniors to publicly lament that they were not as good as Chen Qiu in their youth."


    "Finally, concoct some stories, and combine that with other tactics. After one set is launched, Brother Qiu, your fame will skyrocket."


    "If Brother Qiu has any unique trump cards as well..."


    "That would be a finishing move!"


    "Um... how about half of one-tenth? At least let me take something back, so I can have some face when I return to Yun City. Otherwise, I''ll feel utterly disgraced."

 Chapter 90

    "..."Chen Qiu pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and looked towards Liu Zide, "This is our first meeting, and you''re already asking me for fifteen thousand Spirit Stones. You really have the nerve to ask."


    "However, I think you''re quite imaginative."


    "The fifteen thousand Spirit Stones are yours, and this Sound Transmission Ring too."


    "Let''s not talk about ten percent or five percent anymore. Let''s go with the ten percent you mentioned. I''ll give you ten percent."


    "I hope you won''t disappoint me."


    ...


    Very soon.


    Chen Qiu dispelled the soundproofing charm and, taking Liu Zide with him, returned to the Deserted Forest. He looked towards the scholar and softly said, "It''s going to be hard on you these two days following him. Temporarily obey his commands, do whatever he tells you."


    "And this man."


    He glanced indifferently at the robust and burly man on the ground, "Since you said not to kill him, then we won''t kill him."


    Then, he casually tossed a Storage Bag full of Spirit Stones in front of the burly man.


    "Go back and tell your boss to mobilize all the members of your gang to buy up all the Qi Replenishing Pills in Kai Mountain City."


    "I''ll be waiting here for you."


    Only then did he look towards Liu Zide, clapped his shoulder with a smile and said, "There''s no need for a Flying Boat anymore. My two brothers here are much faster than any Flying Boat. I''m entrusting them to you for these few days; they should help you speed up significantly."


    ... S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Quick, quick, quick!!"


    "Shopkeeper, bring out all the Qi Replenishing Pills in your shop. We''re buying all of them!"


    In an instant.


    Hundreds of burly men, shirtless and wearing armor, frenziedly bought up Qi Replenishing Pills in all the big pharmacies of Kai Mountain City, as if they intended to buy up every single pill in the city!


    "Boss."


    The burly man from the Deserted Forest tentatively stood in front of a young man and said weakly, "Are we really going to deliver the Qi Replenishing Pills to him? With so many Spirit Stones, we could completely run away."


    "Run away?"


    The young man sitting in a rocking chair shook his head helplessly, "A person who can casually throw out two thousand Spirit Stones won''t be afraid of you running away."


    "It''s just not clear where this person comes from, why he needs so many Qi Replenishing Pills, and why he needs them so urgently."


    ...


    "We''re off."


    Liu Zide, with a serious expression, stood in the Deserted Forest and bowed towards Chen Qiu and the others, "Thank you, Brother Qiu, for your trust. Rest assured, I''ll definitely make these fifteen thousand Spirit Stones earn you several times more!"


    "If there''s a loss of even one stone, I''ll bring my head to you."


    The scholar, on the other hand, turned his head away with some resignation, as if he felt like a concubine who had been passed on to another master.


    Damn.


    He was so annoyed; he didn''t want to leave Chen Qiu''s side at all.


    Chen Qiu also noticed the scholar''s discomfort and couldn''t help but comfort him with a smile, "It''s up to you, scholar. As the Second Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, this is your first mission. Take it seriously."


    "I''ve staked everything on this."


    "This batch of Qi Replenishing Pills is almost like the last straw that will break my back."


    "Don''t worry, Sect Master."


    The scholar also brightened up upon hearing this, "As the Second Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, I will give it my all!"


    "Shall we first go to Qiu Yuan City?"


    Liu Zide looked tentatively at the scholar beside him, unsure what method the latter would use to take him away.


    "Mm."


    The scholar nodded lightly. From his sleeve, a three-foot green blade transformed into a beam of Liu Guang, shooting towards the distance. Immediately thereafter, the scholar and his two companions vanished on the spot without a trace, a method of travel far superior to any Flying Boat.


    It''s just... somewhat costly in terms of Qi Replenishing Pills.


    ...


    After the others had left, the boss of "Fierce Tiger Gang" came to see Chen Qiu, expressed his apologies, and also departed.


    The vast forest was suddenly left with only Chen Qiu and Fat Long.


    "It feels so empty all of a sudden."


    Fat Long sighed as he glanced around.


    Chen Qiu did not speak, only shook his head and returned to Kai Mountain City. To be honest, he wasn''t quite used to the absence of the scholar, and always felt like something was missing at his side.


    The most important thing was...


    His deficiency in movement technique became entirely exposed after the scholar left.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu helplessly affixed a "Gale Talisman" to himself, then proceeded to stride forward!


    He now had too many weaknesses that had to be addressed!


    ...


    "What, cracking a forbidden spell?"


    Inside a shop in Kai Mountain City, a shopkeeper with a face full of flesh looked sternly at Chen Qiu and his group, saying, "We can''t take on this job. Don''t you know that it''s strictly forbidden by Da Xia Country''s laws to break the spells on others'' Storage Rings?"


    "Can''t do it, can''t do it."


    But as he saw Chen Qiu and the other turn to leave, he lowered his voice and added with a light cough, "However, you might want to have a look at the abandoned temple three miles west of the city after nightfall, there seems to be an old expert there who does this kind of work."


    "Oh."


    ...


    Night fell.


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long were already waiting in the abandoned temple three miles west of the city, sitting on the dusty ground and warming themselves with a campfire.


    "Brother Qiu."


    Fat Long looked at Chen Qiu beside him, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, recuperating and rotating his mental method, and said somewhat boredly, "When is the shopkeeper coming? It''s almost time."


    "Just wait a little longer."


    Chen Qiu said calmly with his eyes closed.


    This shopkeeper was recommended by the scholar, who said that this business had the best reputation for cracking forbidden spells, and in many years, there hadn''t been a single case of leaking customer information or double-crossing.


    For someone recommended by the old Jianghu hand like the scholar, he was still trustworthy.


    Sometimes he felt his luck was truly good.


    When he first entered Jianghu, Fat Long, the All-Knowing, had told him much information, which saved him from many detours.


    And when the things they touched upon rose to a higher level, and Fat Long no longer knew the relevant information, he met the scholar, who, as an ex-Jianghu hand, took over the role of All-Knowing.


    Without the scholar and Fat Long,


    It might have taken him many more days to embark on the cultivation path, and he might have hit wall after wall, perhaps even without knowing the term ''Step by Step''.


    It''s not that people become more fatalistic with age,


    but as they grow older and look back on their lives, they find that many very right decisions were not made by themselves but under the influence of fate, made unconsciously.


    Just then¡ª


    Footsteps crunching on fallen leaves could be heard outside the temple. Soon, a middle-aged man with a mask walked in and stood at the entrance, speaking in a purposely lowered and gravelly voice.


    "Are you two young friends here to break a Storage Ring''s spell?"


    "Mhm."


    Fat Long, already somewhat impatient, said gruffly, "Hurry it up, shopkeeper. We''ve been waiting for you for a long time."


    "What shopkeeper, not shopkeeper. You''re mistaken, young friend."


    "I remain unchanged in name and deed, known in the Jianghu as Wang Laoqi!"


    After that, the masked middle-aged man didn''t say much else, directly moving to sit cross-legged in front of Chen Qiu and said hoarsely, "Bring out the Storage Ring."

 Chapter 91 Devote Yourself to Your Profession.

    "Hmm."Chen Qiu nodded, opened his eyes, lifted his sleeve and gave it a shake, causing more than thirty Storage Rings to fall down. Then, he quietly said, "Thank you, elder."


    If this Shopkeeper insisted on acting like an elder, Chen Qiu had no objections to addressing him as one.


    "Wow."


    A hint of surprise flashed in the middle-aged man''s eyes, "That''s quite a lot."


    Then, one could see the middle-aged man''s fingertips spark with a strand of Spiritual Energy, finer than a strand of hair and barely visible in the dim light. He picked up a Storage Ring, closed his eyes, and drove the Spiritual Energy into the ring¡ªit took him several breaths to fiddle with it.


    A very faint, crisp sound was heard in the silent temple.


    "Phew!"


    The middle-aged man exhaled softly, a trace of pride appearing on his face as he set the Storage Ring aside and chuckled, "It''s just the most basic restriction, obviously from ''Xuzhou.'' ''Xuzhou'' likes to make these barely-there restrictions." S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Low cost, less hassle."


    Then, he picked up another Storage Ring, followed the same method as before and easily broke the seal again, proudly saying, "Another ''Xuzhou'' restriction, though this one is a bit more complicated, with some extra seals added by the sect."


    "However, the person who set the restriction from that sect was clearly half-baked. All the extra restrictions they added focused on the key point of breaking the previous restriction, which is like worrying about thieves, so you add an extra lock to your door."


    "I just had to smash the door."


    "No challenge."


    "Oh?"


    As the middle-aged man picked up another Storage Ring, a flash of combativeness appeared in his eyes, "Interesting, I haven''t seen this type of restriction for many years. You''ve come to the right person; such restrictions have been lost for many years."


    "Not to mention breaking them."


    "Luckily, I happen to have read some ancient texts on how to break these types of restrictions."


    "Phew... alright, this will take some effort, but it''s manageable." Read exclusive chapters at empire


    ...


    "..."


    Fat Long had a complicated look as he stared at the Shopkeeper, whose neck was covered in sweat, who was fighting more vigorously, and even seemed excited. His eyes sparkled with a brilliance that not even a mask could hide. How should I put it?


    He now understood what it meant to really love what one does.


    For some reason, he felt that compared to the profits from breaking the restrictions, the Shopkeeper might be more obsessed with the act of breaking them¡ªit''s addictive, huh?


    ...


    "Refreshing!"


    After breaking the seals on more than thirty Storage Rings, the middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his neck, took a long breath, looked up at Chen Qiu and his companion with a smile, and said, "All done, my Divine Sense did not leak out at all, as both of you could sense."


    "I know the rules. In our line of work, we value reputation greatly."


    "Now that the job is finished..."


    Before he could finish speaking.


    Chen Qiu once again waved his sleeve, and another batch of Storage Rings clattered to the ground, this time even more, amounting to three hundred plus, "Here are some more, please trouble yourself again, elder."


    "..."


    The Shopkeeper looked at the Storage Rings scattered across the floor, his mouth twitching slightly, thinking, this guy must have slaughtered a sect or something, right?


    Buddy, that''s quite dark.


    "Well... my young friend, breaking restrictions is very draining on Spiritual Energy, and my own cultivation is quite shallow, I''m afraid..."


    Before he could finish speaking again.


    Chen Qiu once again waved his sleeve, and clink-clank, about a dozen bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills fell to the ground: "No worries, I have enough Qi Replenishing Pills, keep at it."


    All thanks to the scholar.


    It made him develop the good habit of always carrying extra Qi Replenishing Pills.


    "Phew..."


    The Shopkeeper let out a long breath, a fighting spirit surged across his face as he said solemnly, "Since that''s the case, there''s no need to worry about anything else, let''s begin."


    ...


    Finally¡ª


    Several hours later.


    The sky had already turned fish-belly white and was starting to brighten.


    The middle-aged man, whose face was ashen and lips were slightly purplish, had long lost his face mask, not that he cared anymore. His body was covered in cold sweat, clearly, this night had taken a toll on him.


    Though his physical condition seemed poor, he felt a surge of pride as he looked at the neatly arranged stack of Storage Rings beside him.


    "Finally got it done, and it''s almost dawn, so..."


    "Wait a moment."


    Before he could finish, Chen Qiu interrupted again, solemnly placing seven Storage Rings on the ground, "There are seven more Storage Rings, I ask for your assistance, old sir."


    "More?"


    The middle-aged man paused for a moment and then his gaze quickly settled on five of the Storage Rings, his voice filled with disbelief, "Are these Golden Core Great Power''s Storage Rings?"


    He felt the aura of Golden Core Great Power emanating from these five Storage Rings!


    The remaining two Storage Rings were not ordinary either; the Evil Energy emanating from them almost soared to the heavens, clearly belonging to a poison cultivator who had many lost souls on his hands.


    Without even waiting for Chen Qiu to speak, the middle-aged man took a deep breath, his face written with determination and excitement as he rasped out.


    "Rest assured, young friend, leave it to me!"


    This was the first time he had the chance to break the seals on a Golden Core Great Power''s Storage Rings, which to him was almost like facing a sacred entity!


    ...


    Then, from Fat Long''s perspective.


    He saw the middle-aged man first perform the Spring Rain Technique to cleanse his hands, then with a devout expression, he held the Storage Ring imbued with Golden Core aura in his hands. The moment the hair-thin Spiritual Energy Threads penetrated, his face instantly flushed abnormally red, and his eyes closed tight, his voice shaking with excitement.


    "Worthy of being a Golden Core Great Power''s Storage Ring!"


    "This Golden Core Great Power must be a poison cultivator, with quite a few self-imposed seals within, specifically targeting the Divine Soul with poison seals. If someone attempts to break them, the soul-corroding poison will instantly kill the intruder."


    "I must be extremely careful, even the slightest mistake could be disastrous!"


    "Exciting, exciting, really exciting!!"


    "Truly thrilling!"


    "..."


    Fat Long looked at this scene and scratched his head in resignation. Frankly speaking, as a guest, he quite liked the Shopkeeper''s passionate demeanor¡ªit was clear that the Shopkeeper genuinely loved his profession.


    As a guest, he appreciated people who loved their job.


    But...


    From another perspective, he really couldn''t understand why someone would be so interested in breaking the seals of Storage Rings.


    If you''re really so fascinated by seals, why not switch to Array Repair?


    Studying Formations would expose you to even more seals.


    Chen Qiu also looked interestedly at the middle-aged man in front of him, recognizing that this man was not putting on a show, but genuinely loved what he did, and was also talented. It seemed, from what the other said, that besides him, it would be difficult for others to break the seal of this Golden Core poison cultivator''s Storage Ring.


    He liked people who were dedicated to their professions.

 Chapter 92 Open and Clear Young Master.

    This time, breaking the seal took even longer than before, consuming an entire three sticks of incense''s time.It was not until the middle-aged man let out a long sigh that he carefully placed the storage ring to one side, his forehead already covered in cold sweat. After placing the storage ring on the ground, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.


    This trembling was a result of his hands being intensely focused on performing extremely delicate tasks for an extended period.


    It was clear that he had been forcibly suppressing it earlier, and after he put down the storage ring, he immediately released the suppression.


    "Young friend,"


    the middle-aged man, looking extremely pale and in poor condition, spoke in a hoarse voice,"I really can''t go on, not at all. I can only get this far today. Shall we continue with the remaining rings tomorrow night here?"


    His hoarseness was not feigned this time.


    It was as if he had been shouting for dozens of minutes, rendering his throat hoarse; his lips were cracked, and he truly looked completely spent.


    "Alright."


    Chen Qiu got up, looked at the middle-aged man, and passed him a storage bag while speaking softly, "You''ve worked hard, sir. This storage bag contains the previously agreed upon price."


    The price for breaking a storage ring''s seal wasn''t expensive.


    A single spirit stone could break the seal on three storage rings.


    Although this was something prohibited by Da Xia''s law, how should one put it? There are many things forbidden by Da Xia''s law. Some are absolutely untouchable in public, some are strict laws that result in immediate punishment upon infringement, some are ignored if the public turns a blind eye, and some are even overlooked when done right in front of government officials.


    Different laws have different degrees of enforcement across various states and at different times.


    Like the act of breaking the seal of a storage ring, in "Xuzhou," it wasn''t strictly enforced; it was more of a turn-a-blind-eye situation. If it were strictly enforced, naturally, the price would skyrocket.


    He gave thirty more spirit stones.


    First, it was to form a good relationship; he didn''t mind spending a little money to make a connection with someone skilled in a particular area.


    Second, the poison cultivator''s storage ring seemed genuinely difficult to break and, from what the other party had said, the risks were not small. He would have felt guilty if he did not give a few more spirit stones.


    The middle-aged man who took the storage bag and probed it with his divine sense couldn''t help but smile and, with joy in his face, made an obeisant gesture towards Chen Qiu, "The young master is generous, and this old man thanks the young master."


    Only then did he slowly turn towards Chen Qiu and his companions, leaving the temple.


    The rustling sound of footsteps on fallen leaves grew fainter and fainter until they finally disappeared. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    "Tsk."


    Fat Long, watching the man leave, clicked his tongue and said, "I thought he was the kind of person who gave up everything for his hobbies. Turns out he''s still happy to take spirit stones."


    "He changed his address quite quickly, didn''t he?"


    "After receiving the tip, he went from ''young friend'' to ''young master''."


    "Quite smooth on the tongue."


    "Normal." Chen Qiu, with a calm expression, swept a glance at the extinguished bonfire beside him, "The standards of a saint are only fit to be imposed on saints and should not be used to judge others. Everyone likes spirit stones."


    "We''re not returning to Kai Mountain City tonight."


    Without waiting for Fat Long to speak, Chen Qiu waved his sleeve, and a strong force of suction enveloped them, drawing him and Fat Long into the small world.


    ...


    Under the dusk.


    The mountain gate engraved with the words "Chao Tian Sect" stood in decline at the mountain''s peak.


    This was the site, or rather the ruins, of Chao Tian Sect.


    It was his second time entering this small world since acquiring it.


    This small world had no stars, and the light didn''t change much; it remained in a constant state of near dusk, without any night.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu swept his gaze around. The last time he had entered this small world was in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Now, as he re-entered holding the Sect Leader''s Chair, all Formations and restrictions made way for him.


    With a single thought, he could observe any corner of the Chao Tian Sect.


    However, the place had fallen into considerable disrepair; to renovate these collapsed buildings would require a large number of Spirit Stones and would be a time-consuming task. Not to mention, repairing the Formations was a major project.


    He didn''t think further on it.


    After his Divine Sense swept through the Chao Tian Sect via the Sect Leader''s Chair, he headed towards one of the disciple dormitories that was still in relatively good shape.


    He found that he was really getting lazier. Since losing the scholar, even walking a few steps felt unbearably slow.


    Shaking his head, he applied another ''Gale Talisman'' to himself and Fat Long before striding toward the disciple dormitory.


    Those Storage Bags may not have had much else, but they were full of these low-level talismans.


    Even Loose Cultivators commonly stocked a few talismans in their Storage Bags¡ªthese things could be life-saving in critical moments. Being stingy with Spirit Stones and reluctant to spend them could cost you your life when it really mattered.


    Perhaps because of this mindset, there were scarcely any Spirit Stones in those Storage Bags. Enjoy more content from empire


    ...


    After finding a bed in the disciple dormitory that was still reasonably intact and sweeping away the dust with a surge of Spiritual Energy, Chen Qiu then sat cross-legged on the bed and began his cultivation for the night.


    This act of dust-clearing also signified that his control over Spiritual Energy was improving.


    At that moment, he suddenly remembered how the middle-aged man that night had turned Spiritual Energy into Spiritual Silk, finer than hair by several times. With a thought, a thread of Spiritual Silk burst forth from his fingertip as well.


    Yet no matter how focused he was, he could only control the Spiritual Energy to the thickness of a strand of hair. Any finer and it would shatter, dissipating back into the world as Spiritual Energy.


    "Sigh."


    He let out a helpless sigh, realizing there was still much room for improvement in his fine control over Spiritual Energy.


    After reaching Foundation Establishment, he found that his nighttime cultivation almost replaced the need for sleep. He would feel just as refreshed the next day, as if he had slept a whole night.


    Before beginning cultivation,


    he first sent his Consciousness to probe into each of the Storage Rings whose restrictions had been breached that night.


    Two incense sticks of time later, he had finally sorted through the contents of this batch of Storage Rings.


    ''There are over nine thousand Spirit Stones.''


    ''Various low-level talismans, low-grade Pills, low-grade Spiritual Treasures, and low-level Spells, among others.''


    Most of the Spirit Stones had come from the Storage Rings of those few hundred Poison Sect disciples. The Storage Rings of the Demon Clan cultivators were virtually empty.


    Moreover, those Demon Clan cultivators liked to collect all sorts of odds and ends.


    For example, several pieces of red bellybands that had turned stiff and white.


    Perhaps, in the Heavenly Dao Prison, these items were more precious than any Cultivation Technique or Spirit Stone.


    "..."


    Suppressing his disgust, Chen Qiu sorted out those odds and ends and threw them outside the door, planning to dispose of them outside the temple first thing in the morning.


    After all this, he took a deep breath and seriously rubbed his hands together.


    Full of anticipation, he probed his Consciousness into the Storage Ring of that poison cultivator with a Golden Core.


    So...


    Let''s see what treasures the Storage Ring of a Golden Core Great Power might contain!


    Hopefully, it held tens of thousands of Spirit Stones or something of the sort; that would be worthy of a Golden Core''s reputation!

 Chapter 93

    As soon as the Divine Sense probed into the ring, he discovered that the space within this Storage Ring was many times larger than that of other Storage Rings.It was clearly not an ordinary item.


    Just this Storage Ring alone must be worth quite a sum of money.


    It had to be said that the scholar''s recommendation was reliable. The shopkeeper with the Foundation Establishment fifth-layer Cultivation did not even entertain a single thought of snatching when he saw a person with third-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivation holding such a treasure.


    Even though the shopkeeper definitely couldn''t defeat him, according to common sense, a fifth-layer Foundation Establishment should definitely be able to crush a third-layer.


    One could only say that his professional ethics were maxed out.


    ...


    When this Storage Ring came into view, the first thing he saw was a huge pile of Spirit Stones, roughly sweeping through, there were about more than eight thousand pieces.


    "Tsk!"


    Chen Qiu grinned with satisfaction, because among this pile of Spirit Stones, he also found about twenty or so milk-white ones with even richer Spiritual Energy, which should, without a doubt, be Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    A single Mid-grade Spirit Stone was worth a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.


    These twenty-four Mid-grade Spirit Stones were roughly equivalent to 2400 Spirit Stones.


    But in actual value, they were worth more than 10,000 Spirit Stones.


    Because although a single Mid-grade Spirit Stone contained about a hundred times the Spiritual Energy of a low-grade Spirit Stone, in many applications, such as when laying out arrays, the array''s eye must be fitted with a Mid-grade Spirit Stone, so you couldn''t possibly replace it with a few hundred low-grade Spirit Stones during that time.


    Therefore, the actual exchange rate is much higher.


    Worthy of being the Storage Ring of a Golden Core poison cultivator, just the Spirit Stones alone amount to about 14,000, more than all the Spirit Stones combined in the Storage Rings of all the Poison Sect disciples and those Demon Clan cultivators.


    Originally, his pockets were pretty much emptied for that plan involving Liu Zide.


    And then, these Storage Rings suddenly brought him a total of about 18,000 low-grade Spirit Stones and twenty-four Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    A feast overnight.


    This was nearly catching up to the earnings he had accumulated after continuously reaching Foundation Establishment 999 times in the wilderness of Fufeng City.


    A full belly.


    "Murder for loot adds a gold belt to your robe; the ancients really did not deceive me."


    Content with what he found, Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense continued to probe into the depths of the Storage Ring, coming across some spare clothes and some poisonous herbs that looked unrecognizable and rather dangerous.


    That damn grass was so dark it was gleaming, adorned with some purple, looking not at all safe.


    Enjoy more content from empire


    I''ll have to ask the scholar what these are when he comes back; there''s an entire large patch of them.


    However, these are probably not very valuable. He noticed that there were a dozen or so Jade Boxes also filled with medicinal herbs. The herbs in the Jade Boxes obviously seemed more precious, and there were many porcelain bottles filled with pills.


    Some he recognized, others he had never heard of.


    ''Qi Replenishing Pill,'' ''Cultivation Pill,'' ''Three Corpses Brain Divine Pill,'' ''Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill,'' ''Bloodthirsty Seal Throat Pill,'' ''Herb of Clear Sight,'' ''Five Poison Immunity Pill,'' and so on.


    Although he didn''t understand all of them, he could still easily identify some of the pills as poison pills.


    The quality of these pills was not low; if he couldn''t use them, selling them would bring in a great wealth.


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyes suddenly narrowed, his Divine Sense lingering on a short pedestal within the Storage Ring''s space, where a Jade Scroll was placed with five big characters engraved on it: ''Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique.''


    The Jade Scroll was also shimmering with a familiar light!


    Shockingly, it was a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm product that one could master to great accomplishment once learned!


    And it was an extremely superior Foundation Establishment Daoist Skill.


    At the same time, he saw something in the Storage Space that he had once used: an ''Enlightenment Stone,'' which could elevate any Cultivation Technique to the Great Perfection Realm!


    When his Divine Sense probed the ''Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique,'' his mind vaguely received a message from between heaven and earth.


    ''To learn this technique.''


    ''One must first immerse the body in Nine Poison Liquids for 24 hours and personally slay three hundred and thirty people who have committed the seven deadly sins.''


    ''Otherwise, one will surely suffer from poison corroding the Divine Soul and die on the spot, beyond the help of gods or immortals.''


    -


    "..."


    As Chen Qiu processed this information in his mind, his mouth slowly opened wide, and his Divine Sense swept over the interior space of the Storage Ring, murmuring, "Damn, I''ve really hit the mother lode this time, I hope this doesn''t cut my lifespan short, right?"


    According to the information in his mind.


    The seven deadly sins are the seven evils of the Buddhist Sect, namely: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and idle chatter.


    And that faint sense of information from the cosmos had informed him that he had met the condition.


    Which meant,


    he had, at some point, already killed over three hundred and thirty people guilty of the seven deadly sins.


    To commit all the seven sins, to be honest, would be quite difficult for a normal person to achieve.


    So, unless there was an unexpected turn, if his guess was correct, the three hundred and thirty sinners he had killed were those disciples from the Poisonous Thunder Swamp, who he initially thought were sent by the Poison Sect for training.


    Now it seemed there might be more to the story.


    Putting everything else aside, it would indeed be challenging for the Poison Sect to ensure that every disciple had committed the seven sins.


    ...


    Chen Qiu''s divine sense swept over the poison herbs, pills, Enlightenment Stones, and the Jade Scrolls from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, stored in his space. Clearly, it must have taken the Poison Thunder Old Man many years to gather all these items.


    Just as he was about to achieve a milestone in his cultivation technique.


    A Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit, appearing from out of nowhere, barged into the Poisonous Thunder Swamp without a word and assaulted him with punches and kicks, killing the Poison Thunder Old Man right there in the swamp.


    Years of accumulation were finally intercepted just as everything was about to succeed.


    And the interloper...


    Was none other than him, Chen Qiu.


    "Huff..."


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, a flicker of intense interest passing through his eyes. To tell the truth, he quite liked the ''Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique.'' It was a spell that suited magic practitioners.


    Poison cultivators commonly used various spells as their attack methods, similar to magic practitioners. Poison cultivation was a specialization within the broader magic practitioner category. Compared to magic practitioners, poison cultivators favored spells with toxic effect.


    ''Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique''


    A top-grade Foundation Establishment spell.


    After extending his divine sense into the jade scroll, he soon understood the general information about this spell.


    When cast,


    it would convert the spiritual energy released from the body into green demon fire with toxic properties. Once touched, the protective spirit Qi would be corroded instantly, riddled with holes, followed by the enemy''s agonizing screams as they melted into a puddle of green pasty flesh within the maggot-filled soles of the feet.


    The more abundant the spiritual energy within the body, the more green demon fire one could release.


    Even if the enemy had a higher cultivation and their protective spirit Qi couldn''t be corroded, the toxicity contained within the green demon fire could directly scorch the divine soul. It would flow against the protective spirit Qi, attacking the divine soul directly.


    Without the right methods to protect the divine soul, one would grow weaker with each battle until the divine soul was completely eroded away, leaving a soulless husk of a body.


    A somewhat strange but powerful spell.


    And when cultivated to the Great Perfection Realm, the resentful spirits accompanying you could heed your command during the casting of this spell, each adhering to a strand of demon fire, increasing its speed and power. Moreover, they could emit a continuous, piercing wail of spirits in the enemy''s ears, inducing a faint illusion.


    When the Daoist skill is cultivated to the peak,


    hundreds of captivating emerald-colored demon fires could easily obliterate all enemies that dare to invade in the night.


    And make the invaders understand what true fear is. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It could be called a true inferno of darkness.


    Targeting the body, the mind, and the soul.


    ...


    "Very good."


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction. This would become his second main offensive spell, ensuring his attack methods were not so monotonous anymore.


    With the Enlightenment Stone and all the necessary materials prepared, he almost needed to prepare nothing.


    He could just pick up what was already there.


    He would start practicing tonight. Thinking of this, he could scarcely contain his excitement. Immediately, his divine sense left the storage ring, and he stood up and walked outside to the courtyard of his residence, waking up Fat Long.


    It was time to light a fire and boil a bath for himself with the Nine Poisons.


    After understanding the Poison Thunder Old Man''s intentions and looking at the pills and medicinal herbs beside him, everything became crystal clear at once.


    Indeed, there were nine different types of poison, along with some neutralizing medicinal herbs and various Detoxification Pills just in case. He didn''t need to worry about making a mistake, as the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm Jade Scroll would remind him through the cosmic intent which poisons to add to the cauldron, following a standard procedure.


    "Good, everything''s well prepared," he muttered to himself.


    Before long, the water in the large cauldron began to emit steam, and after Chen Qiu waved his sleeve to extinguish the flames with a burst of spiritual energy, he stripped off his clothes and jumped into the cauldron. He didn''t add the poisons right away, but instead turned to Fat Long and instructed seriously,


    "Keep an eye on things, If I faint midway or something unexpected happens, the Detoxification Pills are right there. Just pour them into my mouth."


    "You got that?"

 Chapter 94 Birds of a Feather.

    "Understood."Fat Long nodded solemnly and seriously.


    Chen Qiu did not delay any further but immediately, according to the information from the Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll, placed the surrounding poison fog and neutralizing herbs in the warm medicinal tub in order, soon feeling a slight sting.


    The spiritual energy inside his body began to boil and gradually turned violent.


    He instinctively closed his eyes, preparing to circulate his mental method.


    But the next instant¡ª


    He opened his eyes even faster, his mouth twitching in pain he couldn''t suppress.


    Under the entry "One with Heavenly Deficit," all his senses were enhanced, including his sense of pain.


    Damn it... I might as well keep my eyes open, keeping them open doesn''t affect the cultivation, it just feels weird, like how some people don''t want to stare into each other''s eyes while kissing, usually at least one person has their eyes closed.


    If both are stubborn, then the scene is quite tender.


    Time flew by.


    Chen Qiu was not in a hurry, simultaneously circulating his mental method and experiencing the tingling sensation from the poison immersion. He was a Magic Practitioner, not a poison cultivator; if he were the latter, he probably wouldn''t even feel this slight pain.


    Many poison cultivators have grown up ingesting poisons since their childhood, their internal spiritual energy turning a jade green color.


    With a casual strike, their blows carried toxicity.


    ...


    Meanwhile here¡ª


    The scholar, initially reluctant, was gradually turning into a state of full admiration and shock. He could never have expected that this thin man in the Qi Refinement Realm beside him had so many ideas in his head.


    For example, during their journey, they briefly talked a few times.


    They discussed his identity as Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator, an identity that he had now openly acknowledged. With the leak of the Memory Stone, enemies were assuredly going to come knocking, and since hiding was no longer an option, he no longer wished to conceal his identity.


    They talked about the time he competed with Ji Taiping for the title of Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator.


    They also talked about his reputation in Da Xia.


    This man named Liu Zide was the one giving him these strategies.


    "You could occasionally look distressed and stare at your late wife''s hairband in public. What use is a Sword Cultivator no matter how formidable? Isn''t there always someone in the world deemed the strongest Sword Cultivator? This persona is strong, but to maintain it, you''ll always have to face challengers."


    "How dangerous is that, what if you die one day?"


    "We can switch to a persona that is safer and more memorable."


    "This way, even if someday you are no longer the strongest Sword Cultivator, you still have your uniqueness."


    "The persona of a widower who remains faithful is very suitable for you. Then, in those brothels where others are lecherously frolicking, you, clad in a green robe, would sit alone in the attic, your face showing signs of vicissitude as you drink wine under the moon."


    "Broadcast this scene with a Memory Stone, then find a few scholars to compose some poems about this moment."


    "Then you can spend a few Spirit Stones to hire some admirers, so wherever you go, a crowd of them will scream excitedly at you; wouldn''t others become even more curious about you then?"


    "Moreover, people tend to follow the crowd; when many people like something or someone, others tend to more easily like that thing or person. This way..."


    "..."


    Liu Zide said a lot, and it sounded like these were just the most basic strategies; he hadn''t even started on the more clever ones.


    What a genius. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he had known these tricks back then, he couldn''t even imagine how imposing he would have been.


    ...


    In Qiu Yuan City.


    The scholar sat cross-legged in a chair, looking towards Liu Zide nearby who was anxiously and urgently directing in the courtyard, lifting his tea cup to his lips with an emotional sigh: "Truly a great talent."


    The bearded strong man sitting beside him did not say anything but just looked down at the ants on the ground.


    His brother''s favorite thing was fame.


    Liu Zide''s greatest skill was making people famous.


    These two really matched each other.


    Birds of a feather.


    Meanwhile, Liu Zide was furiously yelling into his Sound Transmission Ring: "No matter how much that woman with the ''Nine Yin Strength'' is offering, tell him, I''m offering ten times that!!!"


    "Money is no object, understand!!"


    "Have her board the fastest Flying Boat and come to Qiu Yuan City at the highest speed!"


    Then, turning to the nine men pretending to be Evil Cultivators, he angrily yelled: "Have you jerks ever even seen an Evil Cultivator? Can you act out that kind of brutal inhumanity of an Evil Cultivator?!"


    "A pitiable White-clothed Saintess of a famous sect is right in front of you."


    "And you''re asking her if she has a husband?!"


    "Be more brutal, understand?"


    Standing among the nine Evil Cultivators, the Saintess in white, her eyes glistening as if teary, coyly turned to Liu Zide and seductively said: "Boss, this is my first time in front of so many people, with so many people."


    "Can you add two more Spirit Stones later?"


    "Add, add!!!"


    Liu Zide, with one hand on his hip, looked towards this White-clothed Saintess, pointing at her nose and scolded: "I''ll add your mother, can you drop that slutty act?"


    "You''re supposed to be portraying a naive and pitiable Holy Daughter from a proper sect, understand?!"


    "The kind that is unknowing and innocent!"


    "Act slutty one more time, and I''ll kick you out; I can find loads of sluts for ten Spirit Stones, got it?!"


    "Oh..."


    The Saintess looked a bit aggrieved and nodded her head.


    "Yes, yes, yes, that''s the spirit!"


    "Get ready with the Memory Stone, let''s try it again!"


    ...


    A few moments later.

 Chapter 94 Critters of the Same Mound. _2

    "Okay, perfect!!!"Liu Zide nodded with satisfaction, not bothering to review the footage on the Memory Stone again. Instead, he immediately handed the Memory Stone over to the burly man beside him in Kai Mountain City, speaking seriously and urgently.


    "There are no restrictions on this Memory Stone; it can be copied freely!"


    "Take it and replicate three hundred thousand copies for me at the fastest speed!"


    "Do you understand?"


    "Understood." The burly man, bare-chested and clad in armor, nodded very seriously and left the courtyard in a hurry to find his boss with the Memory Stone in hand.


    He originally had some grievances with Liu Zide in Kai Mountain City.


    But later, those grievances had been settled.


    Moreover, Liu Zide had given them a handsome reward to do some odd jobs, like communicating with the local tyrants of other cities, something they were undoubtedly better at!


    ...


    "Huh!"


    After completing the scene, Liu Zide didn''t dare delay for a moment. Looking around and seeing that the two with the "Nine Ox Power" and "Nine Yin Power" entries hadn''t arrived yet, he couldn''t help cursing through the Sound Transmission Ring again.


    "Did they fucking die on the way?"


    "Have they gone back halfway through a funeral?"


    "If they don''t get here within an hour, it''s all bullshit. The Spirit Stones I gave you are enough for you to take the fastest Flying Boat. If you try to save some Spirit Stones at the expense of my time!"


    "Then all of you can get lost. Do you understand?"


    "..."


    The scholar, sitting cross-legged on a chair and sipping his tea cup, looked at Liu Zide, who was so busy his heels couldn''t touch the ground in the courtyard, and couldn''t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.


    This person... is pretty fierce.


    And his language is rather unclean.


    ...


    "Come on, on to the second scene!"


    After casually wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead, Liu Zide looked at the script he had written in advance and shouted to several men and women who were already prepared not far away, "You''ll play a female cultivator at the Golden Core Peak."


    "You are a well-known Demon Cultivator, who then, in a great battle, got heavily wounded and lost all your Cultivation, falling into a poor remote area. And you three will play Woodcutters at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm."


    "Come on, prepare the Memory Stone!"


    ...


    "Come on, the third scene!"


    "You play the current Empress, and then..."


    "No, no, no..." The scholar, who originally wanted to sit indifferently on the side, spat out a mouthful of strong tea when he heard this, his eyes flashing with shock. Without caring about consuming Spiritual Energy, he immediately slapped the chair and flew over to Liu Zide, his voice even trembling as he said.


    "Brother, that''s really too daring, do you have a death wish?"


    "Do you have a vendetta against Brother Qiu? If this gets out, it''s hard to say how many people in Xuzhou will survive."


    "Really? Can''t do it?" Liu Zide shook his head with a touch of regret: "Well, if it''s not possible, never mind. It''s just a pity, though, as such a huge difference in status would definitely be a hit if filmed. Oh well, forget it."


    "Let''s move on to the next one."


    "Come on, continue with the third scene ¡ª this time you''ll play a Sect Master with the power of a Golden Core Great Power, who in an effort to further advance the sect, resignedly allows his wife to..."


    ...


    "Come on, the ninth scene!"


    "Give those two a close-up; together, they''re bound to be a huge hit!"


    ...


    "The twelfth scene!"


    "Can''t you put a little feeling into it, don''t you understand emotion? When you speak your lines, don''t be so dry, can you get a little more excited?" S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You''ve been an insulted and disregarded branch family member for three years, but suddenly, after making a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, you acquire a Seven-colored entry, and your strength skyrockets. Those in front of you are the same people who used to mock you."


    "Now they all fear you and put on forced smiles in your presence."


    "Put yourself in the shoes of this discarded one ¨C what would you do? Yeah, right, just go for it!"


    ...


    "The seventeenth scene!"


    "The thirty-eighth scene!"


    "The seventy-ninth scene!"


    "The..."


    ...


    The sun rose and then set.


    By this time, more and more outsiders had poured into Qiu Yuan City. After a lot of Spirit Stones were invested, the stores all over Xuzhou from "Zhao''s Commerce" mobilized family power to serve Liu Zide.


    Even the Family Head, at the early stage of Golden Core, accompanied Liu Zide throughout, receiving his commands.


    His mouth almost uncontrollably twisted toward his ear; with so many Spirit Stones being spent, it was almost equivalent to a year''s profit for Zhao''s Commerce. Not just accompanying him, he even wanted to call Liu Zide his brother.


    In these days, it''s not easy to find a patron who spends so lavishly.


    Occasionally, he even released a bit of Golden Core aura, to make the actors playing Golden Core cultivators in the Memory Stone appear even more convincing.


    At the same time.


    Massive quantities of Memory Stones were constantly replicated, and then the scholar personally took charge of delivering them to the local tyrants in the 47 major cities of Xuzhou, who distributed them in large quantities for free. From there, it spread rapidly toward the surrounding villages and smaller counties.


    Everything was moving forward rapidly and in an orderly fashion.


    It has to be said, Liu Zide''s command abilities were indeed strong, and so was his ability to inspire emotion. He dealt with every minor detail in an orderly manner, with basically no mistakes.


    Only Liu Zide didn''t seem to be in good shape at the moment; having not slept or eaten for a long time and just sipping water, he looked so pale he seemed about to faint at any second. The physician of Qiu Yuan City had been ready nearby, administering concoctions from time to time to ensure he remained alert.


    Just as he said.


    He wanted to spread across the 47 cities of Xuzhou at the fastest speed before anyone could react. It was all about speed, the fastest possible, and for this, he was willing to pay several times the price.

 Chapter 94 Birds of a Feather Flock Together. _3

    ...At this moment, almost every family in Xuzhou that had a business in creating Memory Stones, the Family Heads all flushed with excitement, personally went to the family workshop, standing on the frontline to encourage their people!


    "Everyone better work your asses off for me, after we nail this deal, everyone gets triple pay this month!!!"


    Honestly speaking, the Memory Stone business was quite niche, but there had always been orders, the kind that provided a steady stream of income.


    But they couldn''t withstand the sudden arrival of a big client.


    Who started with a single sentence.


    Double the price, payment first, goods later, they wanted as much as there was available.


    That single, simple sentence had completely spurred the passion of all the family workshops in Xuzhou that produced Memory Stones, everyone working together, day and night without rest, halting all other business activities to produce only Memory Stones.


    Having lived a lifetime,


    they never imagined that there would come a day when they could get rich off Memory Stones.


    Indeed, life is full of opportunities.


    ...


    "Dig, dig with all your might!"


    The most basic material for making Memory Stones was something called "soft stone," and at this time, in Xuzhou, the owners of every mine with this ore, similarly flushed with excitement, were waving their whips, present in the mines themselves!


    To motivate the people below.


    They even specially hired some women from brothels to perform enticing dances on a high platform.


    "Brothers, put some muscle into it!"


    "Swing those picks, goddamn it, after this haul is done, everyone can go to the brothel and splurge for three days, my treat!"


    He was originally just a side member of the family, assigned to this unwanted mine, unable to make many Spirit Stones in a year, but suddenly there were many big orders, many small families buying "soft stone" at an inflated price.


    Although he didn''t know what had happened.


    But he knew one thing, he was about to make a killing!


    ...


    "Quickly!!!"


    In Qiu Yuan City, a shopkeeper bellowed into the Sound Transmission Talisman, "Everything''s sold out, all sold out, someone in Qiu Yuan City is buying up all the Qi Replenishing Pills, quickly have your sect send some more over, business has never been this good!"


    ...


    "Where are the Flying Boats? Weren''t there a lot of Flying Boats docked here on other days?"


    "Today, for some reason, suddenly a lot more people are taking Flying Boats, and there aren''t enough available, there''s been no return trips yet."


    ...


    "No way, where are the girls from your Qiu Yuan City brothels? I checked three places, and those madams told me that the girls have left, what, can your Qiu Yuan City brothel girls go for collective training or something? There''s none at your place either?"


    "Young Master, you''re not aware, today for some reason, many people have been demanding the girls from the brothels to go out, all booking by the day. Truly, we''re running short on girls."


    "This is so annoying... erm, madam, I see you''ve still got some charm to you, do you still take customers?"


    "Hehe, Young Master, you have quite the eye."


    ...


    The entire Qiu Yuan City, and even Xuzhou,


    was stirred into huge ripples after a reckless expenditure of fifteen thousand Spirit Stones, kicking various industries and countless people into frenetic activity.


    The fifteen thousand Spirit Stones directly hit the sinking market area, benefitting so many that had it all been spent at an auction, it wouldn''t have had such an extensive impact.


    Liu Zide was resolute in following through with his plan.


    He dialed up the speed to the maximum, cutting a path with Spirit Stones, in just one day, he had made nearly a hundred Internet celebrities who gained fame in unconventional, large-scale ways.


    This rate of spending money,


    Made the scholar twitch at the corners of his mouth in agonized madness, often feeling that this Liu Zide didn''t feel any pain spending money since it wasn''t his own Spirit Stones.


    Apart from that,


    To save time even for relieving himself, Liu Zide hired a specific Foundation Establishment Cultivator. This Cultivator had nothing else to do, his only task was to use Spiritual Energy to collect Liu Zide''s urine during his commands and bathroom breaks, and redirect it into a nearby dry toilet.


    The work wasn''t tiring, but it was somewhat demeaning for the dignity of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Of course, after twenty Spirit Stones were thrown his way, the so-called dignity vanished into thin air.


    ... S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And so¡ª


    After 24 hours had passed, Chen Qiu had already crawled out of the medicinal vat, left the small world, reappearing in the temple near Kai Mountain City where he had been before.


    "Phew."


    Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, looking at the small green Demon Fire on his fingertip, murmuring with satisfaction, "Finally, I''ve gained another Attack Method."


    The Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique, under the influence of the Enlightenment Stone, had been cultivated to the realm of Great Perfection.


    Just one look and one could feel the terrifying destructive power contained within the small wisp of Demon Fire.


    He had arranged with the Shopkeeper the night before to meet here at midnight, to have the remaining Storage Rings'' seals all broken. It had been a while since midnight now, so it seemed like the other party was late.


    Just then!


    A Liu Guang sword suddenly shot from outside the temple and hung in the air, followed by the scholar appearing cross-legged in midair, then landing hard on the ground, looking up at Chen Qiu with a pale face and hoarsely said.


    "Brother Qiu, Liu Zide sent me to deliver you a message."


    "Message?"


    Chen Qiu frowned, glancing at the Sound Transmission Ring on his finger, which had no incoming messages, "Don''t we have Sound Transmission Rings? Why did he send you in person?"


    "He said he didn''t dare to tell you."


    "What is it, he didn''t dare to tell me?"


    "This..."


    Even the scholar sucked in a few breaths, his face pained, before he finally forced himself to say, "Liu Zide said the fifteen thousand Spirit Stones are almost spent, only a bit over three thousand left. It''s not quite enough, so he''s asking if you, Brother Qiu, could spare another ten thousand Spirit Stones..."


    "What?"


    Fat Long''s eyes almost popped out at this, yelling in disbelief, "That''s fifteen thousand Spirit Stones we''re talking about, not fifteen thousand coins, in just one day that bastard is about to run through it all?"

 Chapter 94 Birds of a Feather Flock Together. _4

    "Even if he was literally throwing them into the river, it wouldn''t have been this fast, would it?"After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the scholar, "Let''s go, take me to him. If I don''t knock his teeth out today, I''ll take his surname!"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s face was expressionless as he remained silent, repeatedly telling himself in his heart to stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. Then, after taking a deep breath, he said with a slightly trembling voice, "Are you sure he didn''t just throw all the Spirit Stones into the river?"


    "No."


    The scholar shook his head, pulling out an account book from his bosom, "I''m not making excuses for him, but the truth is I''ve seen most of the expenditure myself; it''s not been wasted. He even hired three accountants from Zhao''s Commerce, with all the accounts recorded here."


    "But the spending was a bit too fast..."


    "The City Lord of Qiu Yuan City even specially allocated an area outside the city for him..." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu took the account book and skimmed through it, finding a long list of expenses neatly recorded. The account book was nearly fifty pages thick, and it appeared that indeed many of the expenses were necessary.


    Before he could speak,


    the scholar took out a Storage Bag from his bosom and handed it over, "This is the Heavenly Dao Blessing from Liu Zide and his group as of midnight tonight, with a total of 67 people making the list. The highest-ranked individual is now 829th on the Fame Ranking."


    Liu Zide said, "The main task today was replicating the Memory Stones; they haven''t been distributed widely yet. Wait until tomorrow when they start distributing them widely, and after it ferments a bit more."


    "There will definitely be a huge harvest."


    Chen Qiu accepted the Storage Bag and probed inside with his Divine Sense. A total of 67 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills lay quietly inside, rather tempting to the eye.


    "Huh..."


    After pondering for a short while, he still took out a Storage Ring containing ten thousand Spirit Stones and tossed it over, saying earnestly, "Tell Liu Zide for me, if I''m to throw down 25,000 Spirit Stones and end up earning just a few hundred Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in return."


    "He should get ready to experience what heaven on earth truly feels like."


    "Understood!"


    As soon as these words were uttered, the scholar''s figure had already vanished from the spot, and in the blink of an eye, he was by the side of Liu Zide in Qiu Yuan City, throwing the Storage Ring filled with Spirit Stones into the expectant arms of Liu Zide without any cheer.


    "Here, Brother Qiu gave this to you."


    "But Brother Qiu was clear, if you can earn him a few hundred Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in return for throwing down 25,000 Spirit Stones, then you can look forward to your latter life."


    "Don''t worry."


    Liu Zide''s cheeks flashed with an abnormally excited blush, his entire complexion pale and the circles around his eyes dark, looking like a sickling as he pocketed the Storage Ring. Then he took out dozens of Spirit Stones and tossed them to the expectant crowd around him, roaring


    "Triple the price!"


    "Tell those family workshops, I''m offering triple the price for them to speed up, we''re running out of Memory Stones!"


    "Whoever is fast gets a feast; whoever is slow can go eat dog shit!"


    ...


    In a temple in Kai Mountain City.


    Chen Qiu introspectively looked at his purse that had instantly deflated again with some distress. Just last night he had gained 18,000 low-grade Spirit Stones and 24 Mid-grade Spirit Stones from the Storage Ring.


    In the blink of an eye, 10,000 Spirit Stones had vanished.


    Does Liu Zide even realize what 20,000 Spirit Stones signify?


    But soon, he turned his attention to the 67 Foundation Establishment grade low-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in the Storage Ring.


    To tell the truth, he was actually very satisfied with the harvest of the first day.


    After all, 67 names had made it onto the list, which means that Liu Zide must have shot at least 67 scenes. Then, in a short period of time, he spread the Memory Stones enough to make these 67 individuals known enough to be listed, which was quite sufficient.


    He believed that, barring any accidents, the harvest in the next few days would definitely be increasing significantly.


    He finally understood why the Wang Family Patriarch of Yuncheng was so bold to place his bets; it''s not that the patriarch had such great courage, but with someone like this acting as an advisor, once you approve his plan, you''re essentially ready to bet everything you have.

 Chapter 95 Parents Unthreatened by Foes.

    "Hu!"Chen Qiu no longer felt heartache over those Spirit Stones. Since he had already spent them, there was no need to dwell on it; he just needed to patiently wait for the results to come.


    Then, he turned his attention to his Cultivation panel.


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Foundation Establishment Stage Three (36.9%)


    -


    The effect of the lower-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills was quite impressive. One pill could increase his Cultivation Progress by 0.7%; he had a total of 67 pills here, which, if he consumed them all, would raise his Cultivation Progress by 46.9%.


    That far exceeded the progress provided by consuming a Golden Core of a Foundation Establishment Stage One cultivator.


    Moreover, these pills came with no side effects, left no impurities, and were quickly absorbed.


    "Good stuff indeed." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu weighed the Storage Bag in his hand. The shopkeeper who had made the appointment with them had not yet arrived, but he did not hesitate any longer and took out a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and put it into his mouth.


    It melted upon entering his mouth, and within a few breaths, the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill had been completely absorbed by him.


    He did not linger any longer and reached for another pill.


    One after another, yet another.


    After three sticks of incense had burned.


    He slowly opened his eyes. Now his Cultivation Progress had reached:


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Foundation Establishment Stage Three (83.8%)


    -


    Advancing in the Foundation Establishment Stage was extremely difficult. It was quite common for Foundation Establishment cultivators to be stuck in a small realm for three to four years. If one was the head of a household or held an important position in a sect, unable to focus on cultivation,


    then advancing a small realm in five to six years was considered quite normal.


    Especially from Foundation Establishment Stage One to Nine, advancing through each stage became exceedingly difficult.


    Most people in their lifetimes, given a little fortune, could cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    But to break through to the Golden Core, or to reach the latter stages or even the peak of Foundation Establishment, one needed not just a little fortune but hundreds of such fortunes to progress this far on the path of cultivation.


    The reason he had been able to advance so quickly in the Foundation Establishment Stage was essentially due to two things:


    Golden Cores and Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    These were no longer little strokes of fortune; they were big fortunes that many Golden Core cultivators could hardly come across. Unfortunately, to put it bluntly, throughout the entire Da Xia Country, counting all the Golden Core cultivators, one by one,


    at least half of them


    had never killed two Golden Core cultivators in their lifetimes.


    Golden Cores were not so easy to kill. After breaking through to Golden Core, everyone had climbed up through countless fortunes, and who knew what kind of trump cards or last resorts other Golden Core cultivators had. Engaging in a life-and-death battle and who would fall could really not be predicted.


    Just at this moment¡ª


    Rustling footsteps came from outside the temple.


    The shopkeeper from the night before arrived late, stepping into the temple, he immediately looked towards the two by the campfire, their faces flickering with shadows, and said apologetically, "Gentlemen, I have arrived late, there was a minor mishap on the road."


    "Then... shall we begin?"


    "Yes."


    Chen Qiu placed the remaining six Storage Rings on the ground seriously and said, "Then I will trouble you, elder."


    Although the shopkeeper appeared somewhat exhausted, he quickly entered the state of concentration. Without uttering many words, he focused his Spiritual Energy once more and began to sit cross-legged on the ground, attentively starting the ban-breaking process again.


    ...


    This time it was evidently much quicker than before. Perhaps having some experience from breaking the ban on a Golden Core Storage Ring once before, all six Storage Rings were decrypted before dawn.


    "Now the job is truly complete."


    The shopkeeper''s eyebrows concealed his unhideable fatigue, and with a pale face and hoarse voice, he said: "Then I shall take my leave first."


    ...


    After the shopkeeper left.


    Chen Qiu inserted his Divine Sense into the six Storage Rings. The Storage Ring of the poison cultivator Golden Core was completely empty, devoid of anything, not even a set of changes of clothes.


    It was as if it were a newly purchased Storage Ring.


    However, according to the shopkeeper''s words, this Storage Ring had many bans added by the poison cultivator Golden Core, even several times more than the one that contained the Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll.


    With such a serious approach, there must be a reason.


    But after pondering for a moment, he couldn''t understand why the poison cultivator Golden Core had added so many bans to a Storage Ring that did not contain anything. He set it aside for the time being and looked towards the remaining five Storage Rings.


    Two of them belonged to that Evil Cultivation.


    Disappointingly.


    These two Storage Rings did not even have changes of clothes inside.


    No Spirit Stones, no pills, and most regretfully, none of the fleeing techniques he had hoped for.


    Each Storage Ring contained a piece of paper.


    "Remember this, I am... Evil Cultivation, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!"


    "..."


    It was evident that the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had thrown away or hidden all the contents of his Storage Rings elsewhere, perhaps when he was seriously injured. Even if he died, he wouldn''t leave any benefits to his enemies.


    No wonder, although he was just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    When the shopkeeper worked on decrypting these two Storage Rings, his brows were deeply furrowed, and he seemed to be having a lot of trouble, presumably because the bans laid inside were as numerous as the spider webs of the Chao Tian Sect.


    Chen Qiu shook his head and stored these two Storage Rings inside his small world, then turned his head to look at the other three Storage Rings.


    These three Storage Rings belonged to the workshop owner of the Ask Heaven Market. Although a Loose Cultivator, he had a significant Cultivation and was undoubtedly in possession of substantial stock, as managing a market could bring substantial revenues, not to mention the earnings from the inns of Ask Heaven Market alone each year.


    The first Storage Ring.


    Was starkly minimal, containing only Spirit Stones.


    But for some unknown reason, it had much fewer than the poison cultivator Golden Core. The poison cultivator, who had merely reached the initial stage of Golden Core, possessed tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, and here you are, a mid-stage Golden Core workshop owner with barely 2,000 Spirit Stones in your possession?

 Chapter 95 Parents Unthreatened by Foes._2

    Embracing the possibility that the other two Storage Rings might still contain Spirit Stones, Chen Qiu tentatively extended his Divine Sense into the second Storage Ring."Hmm?"


    He stood slightly stunned in place.


    He really did see something good.


    And it was his favorite kind of thing.


    Amidst a large number of Pills and talismans, there were a few Jade Scrolls emitting a milky white glow.


    Those three Jade Scrolls were indeed "entry jade slips."


    "Goodness gracious."


    Chen Qiu squinted with slight anticipation, his Divine Sense ventured further, thinking that this old brother really was a good man, leaving behind such entry jade slips in a Storage Ring to benefit future generations, huh?


    -


    "entry name": Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation.


    "entry level": Purple.


    "entry effect": When you possess either "Nine Ox Power" or "Nine Yin Power," the speed at which you cultivate any Dual Cultivation Heart Method will increase ninefold, and if you possess both these entries, the speed will be eighteen times faster.


    -


    "...Holy moly!"


    Chen Qiu looked at the entry panel in front of him, his mouth slowly opening in disbelief, as the entry panel was somewhat exaggerated, exaggerated if the conditions were met.


    This entry was comparable to a Pink Entry, or even a Seven-colored term! Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not accounting for special entries like Grey, Bloodline, and Heavenly Dao Terms.


    The levels of entries from lowest to highest are White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Red, Golden, Pink, Seven-colored.


    And this entry was a Purple Entry!!!


    It was already considered a very high-level entry, although it was unknown where the workshop owner from Fufeng Market got this entry jade slip, what could be anticipated was that if this entry were put on the market, it would definitely sell for a sky-high price.


    "Fat Long..."


    Chen Qiu''s throat moved slightly, pulling his mind back from the small world and looking towards Fat Long, who was sitting nearby cultivating with his heart method, murmured, "It seems like your opportunity has arrived..."


    "Huh?"


    The cultivating Fat Long, slightly bewildered, opened his eyes and asked in confusion, "Brother Qiu, what are you talking about? Isn''t my greatest opportunity having met you?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu was somewhat speechless and did not speak immediately; he later took out the "Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation" Purple Entry jade slip from his pocket and tossed it into Fat Long''s lap: "Take a look."


    He was the only one around who suited this entry the best.


    As long as a suitable Dual Cultivation Heart Method was found for him, under this entry''s effect, Fat Long''s Cultivation Progress would see a meteoric rise.


    This was also his first time encountering a Purple Entry.


    In the past, the highest level entries he had seen were either "Pink Entries", which had limitless growth potential, or "Seven-colored terms", which were basically impossible to possess.


    The highest-grade entry he had seen before was a Yellow Entry.


    He vaguely remembered that it was a lucky fellow, a young master of the Huang Family, who had the Yellow Entry "Hundred Percent Accuracy," but unfortunately, he wasn''t very bright.


    One thing puzzled him.


    Who could simultaneously possess the entries "Nine Ox Power" and "Nine Yin Power"?


    Logically, the "Nine Ox Power" entry is mostly available to male cultivators, and while females can also obtain it, the probability is very low, and the "Nine Yin Power" entry is similar.


    Furthermore, after the grand ceremony in Fufeng City, he had specifically inquired and found out that entries like "Nine Ox Power" and "Nine Yin Power" do not possess jade slips, not all entries can be produced from places like the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    For instance, the "Nine Ox Power" entry can only be obtained randomly during a breakthrough in realms.


    Wait¡ª


    A bright idea suddenly flashed through Chen Qiu''s mind, he thought of a possibility.


    If a cultivator randomly obtained the "Nine Ox Power" entry upon entering the Qi Refinement Realm, then chose the "Yin-Yang Reversal" entry during the three choices at Foundation Establishment, and finally chose "Nine Yin Power" upon breaking through to the Golden Core Stage.


    In that case, it would entirely satisfy the stringent condition of simultaneously possessing "Nine Ox Power" and "Nine Yin Power" entries.


    At that moment, by adding the "Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation" entry,


    My goodness...


    Cultivating Dual Cultivation Heart Methods at eighteen times the speed, he could hardly imagine how fast the cultivation level would rise...!


    But such conditions were too harsh, continuously obtaining several entries that did not enhance combat power at all and successfully breaking through to the Golden Core Stage would be difficult; late-stage entries are not necessarily beneficial as they mean you struggle in the early stages.


    ...


    "Great stuff!!!"


    Upon finishing reading the entry effect, Fat Long, ecstatically excited, jumped up on the spot and looked towards Chen Qiu with excitement, "Brother Qiu, are you giving me this entry?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s great, that''s great, that''s great..." Fat Long, excitedly somewhat incoherently, initially wanted to say some words of gratitude, but quickly felt like he remembered something, paused in place, and looked up at Chen Qiu.


    "Wait, Brother Qiu, it seems I can''t practice Dual Cultivation Heart Methods, can I?"


    "Why not?"


    "Brother Qiu, have you forgotten I have the ''Hundred Percent Accuracy'' entry? Every encounter leads to conception, remember?"


    "..."


    It was only then, reacting suddenly, that Chen Qiu recalled this matter, falling silent for a moment before tentatively asking, "Isn''t there a kind of Dual Cultivation Heart Method that isn''t rated eighteen plus? "


    "Like the type where you don''t need to share a room but just need two people sitting face to face in the lotus position, with hands together in prayer, to practice?"

 Chapter 95 Parents Unthreatened by Foes._3

    "No."Fat Long shook his head affirmatively, "At least I haven''t heard of any place that has."


    "This really is a problem," Chen Qiu fell into deep thought, unable to figure out how to solve this issue for quite some time. It was indeed a drawback; it wasn''t practical to embark on the Cultivation Path with a bunch of children in tow, but neither could he just let the children meet their demise.


    Even if he had to do it, he would need to acquire the ''Immortal Road'' entry before dealing with them.


    Otherwise, it would be quite wasteful.


    Killing them in the womb? That felt even stranger and more sinful.


    ...


    Chen Qiu didn''t answer right away; he couldn''t think of any good solution either, merely gazing subconsciously at the remaining two entry jade slips in his Storage Ring. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One of them was indeed quite useful to him.


    -


    ''Entry Name'': Every Step a Fortress.


    ''Entry Level'': Grey.


    ''Entry Effect'': After you master the ''Inch as Miles'' movement technique, when you employ this technique, the distance you cross will be enhanced fivefold, and it will consume nature''s spiritual energy instead of your own spiritual energy. However, you will not be able to control the direction or the landing spot, both will be entirely random.


    -


    ''Inch as Miles''.


    Like the ''Thunder Summoning Technique'', it is one of the more basic spells in the Cultivation World. Even many cultivators who aren''t Magic Practitioners, such as Sword Cultivators and Alchemy Cultivators, would know ''Thunder Summoning Technique''.


    After all, it''s not too complex of a spell.


    Just as many cultivators would learn the ''Spring Rain Technique'', primarily used to irrigate the spirit fields, but many would also use it to shower when outside.


    ''Inch as Miles'' is a very classic and widely disseminated movement technique.


    It''s suitable for close-range combat but not for travel and escape.


    It allows one to swiftly move to a position several meters away.


    It''s very fast, even faster than some long-range Teleportation techniques, but the consumption of spiritual energy is quite significant, making it difficult to use repeatedly in a short time. It''s a technique used in critical moments to dodge lethal blows from enemies.


    But with this entry...


    The movement technique becomes out of the ordinary. Just the fact that it doesn''t consume spiritual energy is strong, meaning it can be used without any limit. Its speed is faster than many long-range techniques.


    Only...


    The randomness of the landing spot and direction implies high unpredictability, such as... you could teleport directly in front of an enemy, essentially face to face.


    However, despite the drawback, Chen Qiu still shattered the jade slip, and the name of the entry gradually appeared on his Tao Foundation.


    In the short term, the effect of this entry was quite good for him, at least making up for the shortcoming of not having a movement technique.


    Later, when he acquired a better movement technique and no longer needed ''Inch as Miles'', he could self-destruct the entry.


    ''Inch as Miles'' is a very common technique; his small world even had a pile of over a dozen spell Secret Realms for it, though he didn''t plan to practice it.


    Tomorrow, he would go to Kai Mountain City and purchase an ''Inch as Miles'' from a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm product.


    Once mastered, it will be at the Great Achievement Realm.


    ...


    But when Chen Qiu looked at the last entry jade slip, his expression gradually turned odd, and for a moment, he didn''t know what to say, just tossing the entry jade slip into Fat Long''s arms.


    "Take a look for yourself."


    -


    ''Entry Name'': Parents Untouched by Foes.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': Any attack you suffer will be distributed to your progeny, and any attack your parents suffer will be transferred to you.


    -


    What an entry, Parents Untouched by Foes!


    It could be said to magnify filial piety!


    To a certain extent, for some species with strong reproductive capabilities, this could be a very powerful entry.


    This world isn''t just inhabited by the Human Race.


    There are the Demon Race, the bona fide Demon Race, not those Demon Clan cultivators.


    There''s also the Devil Clan, and so on.


    However, within the bounds of Da Xia, the Human Race is the highest ranking, any Devil Clan must stay obediently within the designated areas, and those from the Demon Race haven''t been seen in many years; it''s unknown if they''ve already gone extinct.


    Some Demons, like the Rabbit Demon, can have many in one litter. For those capable of such reproduction, this entry is quite powerful.


    And...


    The entry seems rather suitable for Fat Long as well.


    ...


    "What do you think?" Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long with a complex expression, "It''s like the heavens themselves want you to have children. Just have tens of thousands, and you could directly withstand a Golden Core level cultivator.


    "As long as your children don''t die off, you''re certain not to die.


    "That would make you invincible.


    "Plus, you don''t have a father or mother, so there are no side effects."


    "Brother Qiu, hold on..." Fat Long looked bewildered at the ''Parents Untouched by Foes'' entry, muttering in a daze, "Let me sort this out, why do I feel so confused?


    "I really don''t want to have children, I''m here for cultivation, not to have a bunch of kids?


    "I''m still aiming to achieve a Nascent Soul!"


    ...


    And so, after several sticks of incense had passed!


    "I''ve got an idea!!!" Fat Long suddenly shouted in excitement, almost causing the spiritual energy of Chen Qiu, who was meditating and cultivating, to backflow. He couldn''t help opening his eyes and said irritably, "Out with it!"


    "Look, Brother Qiu." Fat Long spoke earnestly, counting on his fingers, "I now have an entry that is extremely suitable for Dual Cultivation, but I also have the ''Hundred Percent Accuracy'' entry that is not conducive to Dual Cultivation, right?"


    "But you know about reproductive barriers, right?"


    "Humans and Demons can''t procreate."


    "So, I can look for some female Demons, thus perfectly harnessing my ''Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation'' entry while ignoring the negative effects of the ''Hundred Percent Accuracy'' entry."

 Chapter 95 Parents Unthreatened by Foes._4

    "Absolutely perfect!""What do you think, Brother Qiu?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu remained expressionless and silent for a long time before he softly said, "A female demon? Do you really need to debase yourself so much for cultivation? Can you really bring yourself to do it?"


    "I can''t."


    Fat Long suddenly calmed down, his expression distant as he looked through the gap in the temple roof at the stars above: "How could I bring myself to do it? Just thinking about those shells, that viscous liquid, those terrifying mouthparts, I can''t bring myself to do it."


    "I''m a human, not a mere savage beast."


    "How could I see a hole and be able to do it?"


    "Especially when I think about those demons even having eaten people, I feel utterly nauseated."


    "But then..."


    "What can be done about it?"


    "Meeting you, Brother Qiu, was my opportunity, but as your cultivation advances faster and faster, I can''t keep holding you back, can I? Scholar and the others have all found their places in Chao Tian Sect, while I, Fat Long, though self-proclaimed as the Great Elder of Chao Tian Sect, am utterly useless."


    "People need to realize their value, no one wants to be an unknown waste forever."


    "Moreover, I, Fat Long, even vainly hope to someday achieve the Nascent Soul, how could I live under others'' protection all my life?"


    "So¡ª¡ª"


    "Even if I can''t bring myself to do it, even if I feel utterly disgusted, even if I am nauseated to the extreme, and even if misunderstood by the world, I still have to force myself to do it."


    "Just consider it... slaying demons and eliminating devils."


    "It would also count as a service to the people."


    "...."


    Chen Qiu remained expressionless and silent, actually wanting to retort right then why you have to portray this matter as if you were going to sacrifice yourself for some unattainable ideal.


    But seeing Fat Long''s serious demeanor, he held his tongue, not wanting to discourage Fat Long.


    A moment later, he still gave a slight nod and said.


    "Okay."


    ...


    Soon, the sun had risen halfway into the sky.


    It was already noon.


    Chen Qiu slowly woke up from a room in the sky-character room of an inn in Kai Mountain City. He had not practiced and rested well the previous night, having slept rather sweetly, having already decided to continue sleeping in the disciple dormitory of Chao Tian Sect in the small world the night before.


    But...


    Chao Tian Sect was really too shabby.


    It was not at all comfortable to sleep there, so in the latter part of the night, they entered the city and went to an inn. The sky-character room was far more comfortable than the stone beds in the disciple dormitory.


    After getting up and sitting on the bed to circulate his mental method, expelling all the turbid air and external impurities from his body, Chen Qiu then opened his eyes, playing with a token in his hand.


    This token was found yesterday in the third Storage Ring on the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market.


    When he saw this token.


    He knew why the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market had only those 2,000-odd Spirit Stones on him.


    Most likely, most of the Spirit Stones had been used to buy this token.


    ''Fiery Flame Seven Killings Array''


    ''Golden Core Mid-grade Array Plate, capable of slaying a fifth layer Golden Core cultivator when activated.''


    "Damn it..." S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu was playing with the token in his hand, his expression distant as he looked out the window, now recalling that he had had a close brush with death back then, it was just that he had acted too quickly, and Ask Heaven Market had not reacted in time.


    Otherwise, once the Array Plate was activated.


    Even if it was just activated and its power had not yet reached its peak, it would still be enough to kill him!


    It was just a bit too lucky. If there had been even the slightest error, he wouldn''t have seen tomorrow''s sun. Now this good thing belonged to him.


    He wondered why the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market had spent so much to purchase this Array Plate.

 Chapter 96

    Chen Qiu frowned with some toothache as he gasped the cool air, at the same time his desire to enhance his Cultivation grew even stronger.It''s still too weak in terms of Cultivation.


    If his Cultivation could be a little stronger, who cares about any numbers, anyone who dares to provoke him would be wholly annihilated!


    This world is still too dangerous, he must become stronger as soon as possible!


    ...


    That day, he went nowhere and concentrated on cultivating in the inn.


    The sense of unknown danger made him completely reluctant to go out; he only wanted to stay inside the inn and cultivate, although he knew that even after a whole day of cultivation, his Cultivation would not improve much.


    Soon, the evening passed, and it was midnight.


    After the scholar inquired about his whereabouts using the Sound Transmission Ring, accompanied by a Liu Guang longsword shooting into the inn, the scholar quickly appeared before him, handing him two Storage Bags with an excited smile on his face.


    "Brother Qiu, take a look, it''s an absolute surprise."


    "I can only tell you, Brother Qiu, that Liu Zide is definitely a genius. I''ve never seen anyone crazier than him. He''s not particularly smart, but he''s extremely crazy, crazy to the point where I wanted to run away."


    "Today''s gains will definitely satisfy you, Brother Qiu, and I expect even more tomorrow!"


    "Oh?"


    Chen Qiu''s brows rose slightly as he took the Storage Bag handed over by the scholar, probing with his Divine Sense and saying with slight amazement, "So many?"


    In the bag, there were precisely 283 Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for Foundation Establishment.


    There were only 67 yesterday, but today there were roughly four times more.


    "Of course."


    The scholar was also a bit proud of this achievement, showing off with a satisfied expression: "Today, there were 187 people on the board. Those in the last five hundred names on the ''Fame Ranking'' were mostly our people."


    "The news about the Heavenly Dao Blessing being Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills has not been divulged."


    "Those people in Qiu Yuan City don''t even know what we''re doing."


    "And this hasn''t even begun to ferment. According to Liu Zide''s plan, we can at least double it by tomorrow, and then double it again the day after. The fame points of our people are skyrocketing, and once the rankings rise, the blessings we get from the Heavenly Dao will also increase!"


    "As of midnight tonight, the highest ranked person has already reached 781st place on the ''Fame Ranking''."


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction. This progress was indeed quite good. Based on this progress, the 25,000 Spirit Stones he invested seemed likely to be recouped, and there was still great hope for breaking even.


    ...


    After the scholar departed.


    Chen Qiu looked at the bag of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and without saying anything, began stuffing them into his mouth as though they were candy beans.


    After taking 24 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his Cultivation broke through to the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    At the same time, a familiar panel wrapped in clouds and mist appeared above his Dantian.


    -


    "Significant improvement in Cultivation, formally stepping into the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry Name": Sword Heart.


    "Entry Level": Green.


    "Entry Effect": This will slightly enhance your talent in the Sword Dao.


    2:


    "Entry Name": Ancestors Under Siege.


    "Entry Level": Green.


    "Entry Effect": Any attack you suffer will be transferred to your parents.


    3:


    "Entry Name": Unknown.


    "Entry Level": Unknown. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Entry Effect": This entry is the only unknown one. Confirm your choice to reveal its true nature, and this entry cannot be discarded by any means.


    -


    Another Sword Cultivator entry...


    Chen Qiu was a bit speechless. Did Heaven really want him to pursue the Sword Dao? Could it be that he was truly destined for this path?


    If there was another entry suitable for Sword Cultivation next time, he would practice Swordsmanship dual cultivation!


    He refused to believe in curses.


    The ''Ancestors Under Siege'' entry was completely useless to him; he had no parents. Unless calling someone father would magically make that person his parent, combining that with this entry would be quite invincible. But on closer thought, such an entry obviously didn''t exist.


    Otherwise, it would be too overpowered.


    The only choice left to him was the last unknown entry. To be honest, he was quite looking forward to it; his ''Dantian Expansion'' entry had come from an unknown one.


    And it was a unique level, the only unique level entry so far.


    He wondered what kind of entry he would get this time from picking the unknown one.


    Quickly¡ª


    A panel shrouded in clouds and mist appeared before him once again.


    -


    "Entry Name": Dual Casting.


    "Entry Level": Green.


    "Entry Effect": When you release any Spell, another will be cast without any consumption.


    -


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu arched an eyebrow and nodded. Not bad, it was equivalent to doubling his combat power.


    Just then¡ª


    "Bang, bang."


    There was a knock on the door.


    "Brother Qiu, it''s me."


    After Chen Qiu opened the door with a thread of Spiritual Energy, he turned to see Fat Long standing at the doorway and asked with a frown, "What are you doing at my room in the middle of the night with the bodies of two dead Rabbit Demons?"


    "Umm..."


    Fat Long said somewhat awkwardly and quietly, "Didn''t you give me some Spirit Stones today, Brother Qiu, and asked me to go buy a Dual Cultivation heart method?"


    "I bought a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Dual Cultivation heart method from Kai Mountain City''s Square, which came from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; the effect is quite good, so I went to the demon beast market there and bought some demon beasts."


    "I figured the Rabbit Demon would be somewhat easier to handle."


    "So I bought a bunch of them."


    "But Rabbit Demons are a bit frail, usually dying after one session. Of course, there are benefits to killing demon beasts as well; it can increase your Cultivation Progress a little, though the amount you gain from Qi Refinement Rabbit Demons is basically negligible, but it''s better than nothing, right?"

 Chapter 97

    Not long after Chen Qiu had left, Ji Taiping, the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, had descended above Qiu Yuan City with a towering Sword Intent. Although he was quite anxious and angry, he still lowered his voice and hoarsely said."Please, summon the City Lord of Qiu Yuan City."


    The number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    A title pursued by the younger generation of Heavenly Prides, it did not mean invincibility. There were three hundred and sixty-five major cities in Da Xia, and most of these cities'' City Lords possessed Golden Core Cultivation with the Qi Fortune of Da Xia.


    They were not to be underestimated, and although it was highly likely that they couldn''t defeat him, the City Lord represented Da Xia Country, so he couldn''t just barge into Qiu Yuan City recklessly. That would make him no different from an Evil Cultivation practitioner.


    By this time, Chen Qiu and the others had already fled. As for Liu Zide, though not as quick as Chen Qiu and the others, he was also fast. Having previously purchased a Random Teleportation Talisman, he had left Qiu Yuan City under the cover of night and was already disguised, making his way toward Yun City.


    A plan that had just begun instantly crumbled as each scrambled to flee separately.


    However...


    The remnants were like dandelions, spreading across forty-seven large cities of Xuzhou, and they had already taken root and sprouted, only waiting a few days to ferment, and would explode into a terror of public opinion unseen by anyone.


    Gossip, this thing is like a spiritual drug, spreading as soon as you converse with someone.


    The City Lord Mansion, though tasked with controlling public opinion, was also engrossed in it for the time being, and did not see any immediate need to intervene.


    ...


    At this time¡ª


    Chen Qiu and his group had already arrived at a cliff within the territory of Xuzhou.


    "We''ve arrived."


    The scholar looked down at the cliff shrouded in mist and nostalgically said, "Back then, I was just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, spending most of my time here in arduous cultivation before heading to the Secret Realm to seek opportunities."


    Da Xia Country comprises nineteen provinces, among which Xuzhou is a major one.


    It is also the northernmost province.


    Since ancient times, being a major province often means the land is barren. Xuzhou is no different, its spiritual energy is thinner compared to other major provinces, the frequency of Secret Realms appearing is also lower, the land is less fertile, and there are fewer heavenly materials and earthly treasures.


    Many famous sects have their sect premises near the Capital, which is in ''Jing Province''.


    The spiritual energy there is significantly richer, and in some Cave Heaven Blessed Lands, the density of spiritual energy is even more than twice that of Xuzhou, hence the speed of Cultivation growth is naturally much faster than that of Xuzhou.


    "The territory of Xuzhou is extremely vast, from the easternmost to the westernmost point, it would take a normal Foundation Establishment sixth-level Cultivator using Sword Flight, assuming they fly non-stop and their spiritual energy isn''t exhausted, approximately three days and nights."


    "From the northernmost to the southernmost point, it just takes a day." S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The Capital is located to the south of Xuzhou, and Xuzhou and Jing Province are adjacent on the map of Da Xia, with eleven provinces further south of Jing Province, hence most of the provinces are referred to as the Southern State."


    "The density of spiritual energy in the Southern State is not much less than in Jing Province, hence the Southern State also frequently gives rise to Heavenly Prides."


    The scholar sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, his gaze drifting through the mist to the north and quietly said, "Directly north of Xuzhou, outside the boundaries of the Da Xia Territory, lies a vast, endless desert."


    "I have heard that a Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivator once went to explore it and returned severely injured after three months, claiming he never saw the edge of the desert, and while crossing one area, he felt an extremely terrifying Nascent Soul aura. That Nascent Soul merely swept its Divine Sense over him and caused him severe injuries."


    "That desert has thus been named the ''Endless Desert''."


    "No one knows where the end of the desert lies, nor what lies beyond the edge of the desert, only that there is a Nascent Soul within the Endless Desert."


    Fat Long nodded thoughtfully, "Doesn''t Da Xia have any Nascent Souls?"


    "No."


    The scholar shook his head, "I can be certain of one thing, there is absolutely no Nascent Soul in Da Xia. Otherwise, Da Xia would have declared it to the world immediately, not for any other reason but to tell those unknown entities around us that we too have a Nascent Soul in Da Xia, and we should live together in peace."


    "That cannot be, can it?"


    Fat Long furrowed his brows in confusion, "To establish a sect recognized by the Heavenly Dao, the Sect Master needs at least an initial stage of Golden Core Cultivation. With so many sects in Da Xia, even if excluding those who are just passed over, there should be three or four hundred with Golden Cores, right?"


    "Plus, with three hundred and sixty-five major cities in Da Xia, each city''s City Lord mostly has Golden Core Cultivation, let''s say three hundred for those."


    "Then add some Golden Core Loose Cultivators, and some key figures like Supreme Elders and Family Heads in major families."


    "How can it be plausible that among so many Golden Cores, not one has ascended to Nascent Soul?"


    "..."


    The scholar did not speak immediately but fell into a rare silence with an unreadable expression, only shaking his head softly after a while and quietly said, "No, not a single Nascent Soul."


    "I am not sure of the specific reasons, but I know that Da Xia is more troubled by this than I am."


    "As for those Golden Core City Lords of the main cities in Da Xia that you mentioned, at least seventy percent of them are pseudo-Golden Cores."


    "These individuals are mostly stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment without being able to break through. After pledging loyalty to Da Xia and being appointed to their positions by royal decree, they carry a hint of Da Xia''s national fate, which allows them to break through to Golden Core."


    "Though they have achieved Golden Core, they are fundamentally stuck at this stage, and advancing further in their Cultivation is very difficult. Moreover, once they are dismissed from office and Da Xia withdraws their national fate, their Cultivation will immediately fall back to the peak of Foundation Establishment."

 Chapter 98

    ```Has it always been this way?


    A cold glint flashed in the little brown bear''s eyes. Just because it has always been this way, does it mean it''s right? Had he not come to this world, it would have been fine, but since he had arrived, if he did not carve out a name for himself or strive for great achievements,


    then his arrival in this world would have been in vain.


    Gazing toward the south, a heroic spirit surged within him.


    It''s said that the human clan cultivators'' momentum is like a rainbow, but his bear paw is also sharp and unmatched!


    Why not ask whether those human clan cultivators are afraid of me?


    ...


    "Shopkeeper."


    In Qiu Yuan City, after Da Xia''s number one sword cultivator, Ji Taiping, had departed, and Chen Qiu and others had settled into the inn, several burly men surrounded the shopkeeper with expressionless faces, saying, "In the middle of the night, an eyeball larger than a person appeared outside the window."


    "Is it so wrong to ask for a refund?"


    "This..."


    The shopkeeper helplessly glanced over the men. He really wanted to say it was wrong, but after thinking it through, he felt that he indeed had no grounds to argue.


    Just then¡ª


    "Shopkeeper!"


    A woman, ragged and with severe injuries, stumbled in, her body leaning weakly against the counter, and hoarsely whispered, "Where are the two who stayed in your inn last night?"


    "One was a chubby fatso, and the other a young man in a green robe."


    "Are you looking for them, too?"


    The shopkeeper paused for a moment before instinctively shaking his head. "Don''t know, they disappeared last night. Da Xia''s number one sword cultivator Ji Taiping is also looking for them."


    "Hm."


    After a long silence, the woman spoke wearily, "If they come back later, tell them that the woman who''s been humiliating you for months is looking for them and has important matters to discuss."


    "Alright." The shopkeeper nodded.


    This woman was the wandering Heavenly Girl from the Flower Offering Sect, with whom Fat Long had a tragic connection.


    Despite her tattered clothes and visible sword wounds, they served to unintentionally reveal her charm, adding a sense of captive beauty.


    "Oh." Find your next read at empire


    The men who had come for refunds no longer cared about the silver taels, their lustful eyes greedily and unabashedly raked over her as they said suggestively, "What kind of treatment did you endure? Can we try it out, too?"


    The woman turned her head to look at the men, paused, and then with her hair swept coquettishly behind one ear, she smiled provocatively, "Of course, you can."


    Having said that, she turned to walk outside the inn.


    The men exchanged looks, their eyes alight with desire, and they burst into lecherous laughter together, "Interesting."


    The men followed the woman out of the city to the woods.


    Several incense sticks later.


    The woman emerged from the woods with a touch of red on her pale face, looking much improved. The wounds on her body were mostly healed, and in the woods there were now several more bodies, dried out like kindling.


    ...


    "Huff..."


    At this moment, dawn was breaking.


    Chen Qiu, who had been sitting cross-legged on a round rock cultivating all night, finally stabilized his realm and took out the remaining Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from his embrace. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There were 259 left.


    "This Liu Zide does have some tricks."


    Chen Qiu looked at the full bag of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and despite his considerable appetite, he couldn''t help but remark that in this aspect, Liu Zide was indeed better than him, yet it seemed that Liu Zide was somewhat foolishly loyal?


    He had tried to retain him, but Liu Zide insisted on returning to Yun City.


    Claiming that when he first arrived in this world, it was the lord who took him in, and that he couldn''t serve a second master.


    Since he couldn''t be retained, all he could do was wish him smooth sailing.


    After spending several hours absorbing all 200 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his cultivation naturally broke through to the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Ordinarily, according to taking one pill for a 0.7% increase in cultivation progress, it should have taken 143 pills for a breakthrough, but the difficulty of breaking through the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment was clearly greater than the third layer, with one pill only increasing the progress by 0.5%.


    At the same time¡ª


    A familiar panel shrouded in mist reappeared above his Tao Foundation.


    -


    ¡¸Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡¹


    ¡¸Please choose one of the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡¹


    1:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Nonsensical Babble.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: White.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: When someone is deceived by your lies, you will gain a certain increase in cultivation. The greater the lie and the higher the cultivation of the person you deceive, the more cultivation you can improve, and you cannot gain cultivation progress through other means.


    2:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: One-day Golden Core.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Blue.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: Your cultivation will be raised to the early stage of Golden Core for one day, but you will not be able to increase your cultivation, and every year your cultivation will automatically drop by one small realm. This entry cannot be cleared.


    3:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Guaranteed Cultivation.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Grey.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: You cannot enhance your cultivation through any means, but when your lifespan at each Great Realm is ending, you will automatically break through to the next Great Realm. The upper limit is the initial stage of Golden Core, and this entry cannot be cleared.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu furrowed his brows as he looked at the three random entries that had appeared before him.


    Honestly.


    These three entries gave him the feeling of not knowing where to start. If he hadn''t drawn the Seven-colored term "Step by Step" at the first level of Qi Refinement Stage, he honestly thought these three entries would all be quite good.


    Whichever one it was, he would have been very excited.


    But now, he felt like he had a toothache.


    Firstly, the entry "Nonsensical Babble" didn''t need mentioning; as long as someone was deceived by you, you could increase your cultivation progress. Although this method of gaining cultivation certainly wouldn''t be as fast as taking Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills directly,


    ```

 Chapter 99 If You Cant Win, Flip the Table.

    "Be honest with your master."In the Caotian Sect, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect stood sternly on Zhao Yishi''s shoulder and leaned to look at him, "Did you or did you not take Ji Taiping''s entry jade slip?"


    "Rest assured."


    "Whether you took it or not, your master would never ask you to hand it over. What falls into your hands is your fate, how could it be easily handed over just because of Ji Taiping."


    Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire


    "But you should at least let your master know whether you are in the right or wrong, shouldn''t you?"


    "I didn''t take it."


    Like a giant standing in the back mountains of Caotian Sect, Zhao Yishi shook his head and said in a deep voice, "When I got to Kai Mountain City, I ate some rabbit meat and then Bai Yi brought me to Qiu Yuan City, I didn''t take anything."


    "The rabbit meat was pretty good."


    "Hmm."


    The Caotian Sect Master nodded in understanding, it wasn''t surprising that the entry jade slip was likely in Chen Qiu''s possession, because otherwise Chen Qiu wouldn''t have had to flee the scene.


    This kid is quite kind-hearted.


    To think of taking Zhao Yishi along while fleeing, but... with Zhao Yishi''s build, it''s a case of ''you can run away from the monk, but not from the temple''.


    After roughly understanding what had happened, he looked towards the Sect Master, who was standing mid-air outside the Mountain Gate gate, and declared loudly.


    "The Sect Master here has inquired with the disciple, and he did not take your so-called entry jade slip."


    "This is the explanation for you."


    "Even children know to report to the government when they lose something; you should try asking them, and let them help you look for it."


    "Regarding your desire to investigate the disciple''s Tao Foundation, that is even more preposterous. The Ji Family might be strong, but here at the Caotian Sect, it isn''t just the younger generation of disciples who are lacking, the Supreme Elder hasn''t passed away yet."


    "..."


    With a dark expression, Ji Taiping stood outside the Mountain Gate of the Caotian Sect, feeling the might emanating from the Mountain Protection Array, he turned and walked away without saying a word.


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In a canyon in Xuzhou.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on a rock, had finished absorbing all of the remaining fifty-nine Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and his Cultivation Progress had reached the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage at 29%, only then did he perform introspection on those over two hundred people confined in the disciple dormitory of the small world.


    By tonight.


    This batch of people could produce a large amount of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills again.


    The plan conceived by Liu Zide was truly excellent; no matter how many Spirit Stones there were, at most, they would lay down a Spirit Gathering Array to accelerate the absorption of Spiritual Energy, but it definitely couldn''t match the speed and dominance of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in elevating Cultivation.


    So many Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills could significantly accelerate his Cultivation increase.


    Just now, it had given him a semblance of security.


    Just waiting for nightfall.


    Upon receiving the remaining batch of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he could then break through to the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Meanwhile, Fat Long had caught several plump yellow fish in a stream and was continually flipping them over a campfire, the smoky aroma wafting through, greatly stimulating one''s appetite.


    Chen Qiu didn''t hold back.


    He immediately stopped cultivating, glanced at the sunlight obscured by clouds, stood up, sat beside the campfire, took a piece of the fish, blew on it to cool it down, and then brought it to his mouth.


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu, who just wanted a taste of something mundane, was surprised as the fish''s flesh slid into his mouth; its silky texture and plump flesh burst on his palate with a slightly burnt and spicy flavor.


    Truly delicious.


    He had tasted the roasted rabbit prepared by Fat Long, and it was just mediocre, barely edible.


    But the delectable taste of this fish had nothing to do with Fat Long''s culinary skills; it was solely because the yellow fish''s flesh was plump and delicious.


    "How is it?"


    Fat Long, quite pleased with himself, grabbed a plump yellow fish skewered on a stick, took a big bite, and then said contentedly, "The yellow fish in this stream are probably so big because there are no human activities nearby."


    "And they''re boneless too, just a sprinkle of seasoning makes them indescribably perfect."


    "Indeed."


    Chen Qiu nodded and was about to take another bite when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a yellow fish energetically leaping out of the water in the periphery of his vision.


    Once, twice, three times.


    As if it never tired.


    And this peculiar scene also caught Chen Qiu''s attention. He walked to the edge of the stream, squatting down to carefully observe the fish. Its entire body was covered in gorgeous scales, yellow mixed with some milky white.


    And not a single scale was damaged; truly a rare and plump yellow fish.


    Upon Chen Qiu''s approach, the fish stopped jumping out of the water, instead swimming upstream only to return in front of him and leap again, then continued moving against the current.


    After repeating this four or five times,


    Chen Qiu understood, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise, "Can a yellow fish also possess Spiritual Wisdom? I feel like this fish is guiding us, suggesting we follow it upstream?"


    "Is that so?" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long, squatting beside him, smacked his lips, "I think it''s saying it''s the fattest and tastiest, asking us to eat it first."


    "Scholar, where does this small stream originate?"


    "The stream originates from underground water flowing out of the mountain; I''m not sure about further upstream."


    "Let''s go and have a look. Scholar, you stay here. Let your brother come with me. We''re free anyway," Chen Qiu always felt the little yellow fish was showing them the way, and when he thought about the proverb of the fish leaping over the dragon gate, it felt like some kind of fortuitous encounter.


    It would be a pity to miss it.


    With the Scholar''s brother accompanying them, even if they encountered any danger, they could return instantly.


    ...


    Thus, the three of them followed the little fish and headed upstream against the current, soon reaching a small waterfall about three to four feet high in the canyon, taller than a person, with a dark pool below it.

 Chapter 99 If you cant win, flip the table. _2

    And as the yellow fish leaped out of the water before them, with a flick of its tail, it dove straight into the depths of the pond.A few exchanged glances.


    After Chen Qiu released Spiritual Energy to encircle Fat Long and the others, he slowly submerged into the water, following the little yellow fish towards the bottom of the pond to explore, the Spiritual Energy acting as a barrier to keep the water at bay and ensure they could breathe.


    Thus, they descended.


    A considerable amount of time had passed, perhaps the duration of several incense sticks, and they were now a fair distance from the surface. Yet the little yellow fish seemed unaffected by the pressure and continued to swim deeper.


    The water was extremely clear.


    However, at this depth, there was no light whatsoever, and they relied solely on the glow from the Spiritual Energy for illumination. Chen Qiu was not feeling much pressure; he had enough Spiritual Energy to sleep for a while down here.


    The consumption of Spiritual Energy at this level wasn''t even as much as he would naturally regenerate through the rotation of his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.


    Time passed unknowingly.


    Chen Qiu began to feel a tightness in his chest, having descended several hundred meters, still without sight of the bottom. Just as he considered retreating, they finally reached the base, where the little yellow fish swam into a cave at the side.


    A somewhat cramped cave.


    But there was no problem for the three to pass through side by side.


    It seemed to lead to an underground river.


    Once intent on retreat, Chen Qiu followed once more. This time, it didn''t take long, perhaps the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. In the meantime, they had passed through many tortuously complex caves at the bottom of the pond.


    And after passing through the final passage formed by underwater rock walls...


    Suddenly, everything opened up before them!


    Chen Qiu and the others emerged from the water, appearing inside a colossal underground natural cavern. The cavern''s roof was laden with odd and mysterious stalactites, and at a glance, the cavern seemed large enough to fit a small village.


    Moreover, breathing was easy here; there was definitely a connection to the outside world, although the exact pathway was unknown.


    "Wow."


    Fat Long looked around in awe, "I''ve never seen such beauty in my life. To cultivate here would be the utmost secret; surely no one would find us."


    Their voices echoed, the empty sound drifting by their ears.


    At this moment, Chen Qiu noticed that the little yellow fish had disappeared without a trace. It seemed that this was the place the fish intended to bring them, but what was special about it?


    He carefully scanned the interior of the cavern.


    It was a very pure cavern, clean, with no trace of human activity or carving. Indeed, it was like a paradise beyond the world, but how was this related to serendipity?


    Just then¡ª


    From a distance, along the rocky wall passage of the cavern, the sounds of conversation and scattered footsteps came closer.


    "The group of brothers who went to the Poisonous Thunder Swamp the other day are all dead, and the killer still hasn''t been found. It''s said that even Poison Thunder Old Man died, and he was on the same level as a Golden Core Great Power like the Sect Master."


    "Who in Xuzhou could silently kill a Golden Core?"


    "Could it be one of those reclusive old demons?"


    "That''s unlikely. The Sect Master said those reclusive old demons are all in deep seclusion, sustaining themselves on a thread of Spiritual Energy without expending it on anything else, just waiting for a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Those old demons wouldn''t likely make a move."


    "Indeed, it''s really strange."


    ...


    Soon¡ª


    Four or five disciples clad in the sect''s standard robes came walking into the cavern through the narrow passage, chatting idly as they cautiously knocked off a stalactite from the roof of the cave before returning the way they had come. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Only after these disciples had left, did Fat Long and the others reemerge from the small world.


    Chen Qiu thoughtfully watched the retreating figures of the disciples. This cavern was actually Poison Sect territory? Poison Sect was so close to them.


    Poison Sect was no minor force.


    In the sect rankings, it ranked 78th, a position not at all low, and even higher than Caotian Sect.


    But these were not important.


    What was important was what he had just seen in the small world: the disciples of Poison Sect carefully knocking down and taking away shards from stalactites that had fallen from above the cavern. Although he didn''t know the specifics, the careful and serious manner of the others suggested it was no ordinary matter.


    "Heh."


    Chen Qiu smiled and with a grand wave of his hand, said, "Pack it up!"


    ...


    After the time it took several incense sticks to burn.


    The cavern that had been full of stalactites was now bare, even those with just a point sticking out had been knocked down and packed away by them, totaling more than two hundred.


    Just as they were preparing to search the surroundings for any heaven and earth treasures...


    "Damnit!"


    Perhaps their actions were too grand and triggered some restriction, as a formidable Golden Core presence rapidly advanced towards the cavern from afar. Chen Qiu and Fat Long, without a hint of hesitation, instantly grabbed the shoulders of their scholar brother.


    The next instant!


    The three disappeared from the spot.


    A moment later, a middle-aged man with red hair and a beard suddenly appeared in the cavern, floating in mid-air, staring fiercely at the now desecrated and empty cavern and roared, "Damn, damn it!!!"


    "Whoever it is that dares to intrude upon Poison Sect''s forbidden land, to take what Poison Sect has accumulated over a hundred years!"


    "Once I find you, I swear to chase you to the ends of earth and sea!"


    Whoever it was.


    Since they had taken his ''Dragon Vein Stone,'' they would surely appear at the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition, and at that time, all would be revealed!


    ...


    "Dragon Vein Stone?"


    The scholar looked incredulously at the pile of stalactites Chen Qiu brought out, deeply shocked, "An ordinary one is a treasure for forging Spiritual Treasure, just one added to the forging process and your Spiritual Energy will flow more smoothly in the Spiritual Treasure created from Dragon Vein Stone." Your journey continues at empire

 Chapter 99 Flip the Table if You Cant Win._3

    "And our connection will deepen even further.""For instance, my Qingfeng, even if he is hundreds of miles away, I can still maintain a spiritual energy connection with him, precisely because a Dragon Vein Stone was added during its forging."


    "And here you have hundreds..."


    "Although only nine are fully mature, the rest were plucked while still saplings, but they still have an effect, just not as strong. Dragon Vein Stones, such treasures of heaven and earth, have extremely harsh growing conditions."


    "They must be on an Earth Vein, and moreover, that Earth Vein must pass through underground water, and only after years of relentless clashes between the malevolent energy and the Earth Vein''s righteous energy can they form."


    Discover hidden stories at empire


    "A single mature Dragon Vein Stone takes a good three hundred years to form."


    "Hmm..." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu, with a somewhat odd expression, turned around to look at the stream behind him: "Given how rare they are, I just followed that yellow fish all the way here, and then I found so many."


    "..."


    Even the scholar fell silent, tilting his head towards the stream. Was that yellow fish really a fortunate encounter? He had lived there for a long time before, so why hadn''t the yellow fish shown him the way then?


    Moreover, why would the yellow fish grant Brother Qiu such fortune?


    He just ate a lot of your kin, is this how you treat your family grudge?


    After a long silence, the scholar softly said, "Brother Qiu, this is also your destiny, and since you have encountered this opportunity, it means you must embark on your journey to the Capital."


    "No."


    Chen Qiu shook his head firmly: "Without reaching Golden Core, stepping into Jing Province is forbidden; opportunities can arise anytime, but life is only one."


    "This opportunity might not always be available..."


    The scholar''s expression turned complex as he explained, "Why do the young ones of the world aspire towards the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard so eagerly? Apart from the rewards of the Heavenly Dao Blessing and the fame, the most crucial is the rewards during the ranking confirmation of Heavenly Pride Leaderboard itself."


    "''Heavenly Pride Leaderboard'' confirms the ranks at the end of each year and starts a new leaderboard."


    "It updates once a year."


    "In a few days, on the first of the New Year, it is the day when the sect''s leaderboards and the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard among other rankings refresh and confirm."


    "That day."


    "The favored youths gathered in the Capital will enter a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm exclusive to them; only cultivators below the age of fifty and above the first layer of Foundation Establishment can enter."


    "Inside the Secret Realm, they undergo various trials to determine the top three of the new year''s ''Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.''


    "After the ranking confirmation, this ranking will remain fixed for an entire year, unless someone at the top unexpectedly dies, the ranks won''t rise further."


    "After ranking confirmation."


    "Those ranked in the top thousand of ''Heavenly Pride Leaderboard'' will receive the Heavenly Dao Blessing, and the top three will have the chance of receiving treasures bestowed by the Heavenly Dao."


    "Simply put, you provide the materials for forging a Spiritual Treasure, and then the Heavenly Dao helps you forge the most suitable Spiritual Treasure for you."


    "This kind of Spiritual Treasure is known as a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure."


    "It''s a result even the peak artifact creators in Da Xia Country cannot achieve, perfectly tailored to you and it''s also a Lifebound Spirit Treasure that can grow as your cultivation advances."


    The scholar suddenly had a hint of indulgence on his face, looking down at the miniature long sword in his sleeve: "My Qingfeng here is a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, full of spirit."


    "''Dragon Vein Stone,'' such a rare heavenly and earthly treasure, Brother Qiu aren''t you saying you''ve never had a suitable Spiritual Treasure for a Magic Practitioner?"


    "This time at the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is your chance, Brother Qiu. With your skills, winning the top three should be no problem."


    "Top three?"


    Chen Qiu frowned deeply without speaking; indeed, the prospect of obtaining a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure was enticing. Even though he was resolute about not entering Golden Core before reaching the Capital, he did need a Spiritual Treasure that suited him especially well.


    Thinking for a moment, he then inquired.


    "Is the selection of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard conducted within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, not on some platform?"


    "It is not."


    "Can those Golden Core old demons meddle in matters within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm?"


    "They cannot, but the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm used for the selection of Heavenly Pride can be seen by outsiders."


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding; a few days ago it was the winter solstice, and in seven days a new year would begin, which also meant there were only seven days until the start of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition.


    Then he made up his mind, looking up at the scholar.


    "Let''s set off."


    ...


    As night fell, during the hour of the pig.


    In DaMing City near the Capital of Jing Province, inside a named ''Xinghua House'' in a brothel private room.


    Chen Qiu sat by the window overlooking the bustling street below, occasionally hearing the shouts of the old madam and the laughter of the girls, casually picking up a grain of golden-brown peanut and tossing it into his mouth.


    He chewed leisurely, savoring it.


    Then, he picked up a cup of clear liquor and took a light sip, the spicy sensation soothing his mood quite a bit as the street below filled with the smoke and scent of people carrying loads and hawking their wares, imbuing the entire city with a sense of liveliness.


    The scholar sat opposite him, also smiling as he looked down at the scene below.


    At this moment, only the two of them were in the private room.


    Fat Long and the scholar''s brother had gone out to gather information, with Fat Long responsible for gathering the information and the scholar''s brother handling crucial moments of escaping.


    Just then, a knock came at the door.


    The old madam entered laughing, waving a handkerchief and followed by seven or eight girls in a row standing neatly in front of Chen Qiu and the scholar, hands stacked above and below on their abdomens, looking at Chen Qiu and the scholar with synchronized moves, their voices carrying a flirtatious tone.


    "Greetings to the young masters."


    "What do you think?"


    The old madam looked eagerly at Chen Qiu and his companion: "These girls are all transferred from the Capital, each skilled in numerous arts, many officials and nobles specifically come here to enjoy their company, what do you young masters think, are they satisfactory?"

 Chapter 99 If You Cant Win, Flip the Table._4

    The scholar seated cross-legged on the chair, his cheeks faintly flushed, turned his head to look out the window and snorted coldly."Red powdered skeletons."


    "As a sword cultivator, no matter how many red powdered skeletons I see, only my sword remains firm."


    Chen Qiu grabbed a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, drained the cup of wine in his hand, and then, propping his cheek with his hand, he swept his gaze over the seven or eight girls, one after another, before waving his hand dismissively.


    "Bring in another group."


    "Alright."


    ...


    Soon, the old madam led in another string of girls, one by one.


    "How about this time?"


    "..."


    Chen Qiu, with an expressionless face, took out a few spirit stones from his bosom and threw them over, "Isn''t this the same damn group from before? You think changing clothes fools me? Bring some top-tier girls with some clout."


    The old madam, without a hint of embarrassment, joyfully picked up the spirit stones from the ground and tucked them into her bosom, then said excitedly, "Understood, understood."


    ...


    This time, the old madam brought in only three.


    But each one was a top-tier heavenly immortal in the eyes of mortals; their temperament and attire were first-class.


    "Young master, how about this time?"


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded and then gestured with his hand, "Keep all three."


    "The one on the far left, take my brother to the side room next door; he''s a bit shy, you take the initiative."


    "Brother Qiu!"


    The scholar, who had been pretending to be composed, could no longer hold back and said sternly, "I am a sword cultivator! Sword cultivators do not indulge in worldly pleasures!"


    "Do not indulge in worldly pleasures?"


    Chen Qiu shook his head, "I don''t understand sword cultivation, but considering your leg''s been crippled for so many years, you must be suffocated. As your sect leader, it''s my duty to help you release some of that pent-up energy."


    Half pushed, half escorted,


    the scholar, his neck growing red, was led into a side room of the private chamber by the tall girl who had been on his left.


    "Keep these two here; I''ll have two more brothers coming over later, for them."


    "Then..."


    The old madam tentatively asked, "Won''t you join in, young master?"


    "I do not indulge in worldly pleasures."


    "Oh."


    The old madam tactfully closed the door and withdrew.


    ...


    "Can you play any instruments?"


    Chen Qiu, holding his wine glass, turned his head to look at the two girls in the private chamber and casually inquired.


    Dressed in light gauzy skirts, the one on the left in pink and the girl on the right in blush red, their faces naturally very beautiful, every movement they made even carried a hint of shyness, and they seemed almost like maidens untouched by men.


    "Yes, we can also dance, would you like to see, young master?"


    "Show me."


    Soon,


    the girl in the pink dress sat on a high stool cradling a pipa, her face sorrowful as she softly sang while gazing out the window, while the remaining girl in the blush red long dress danced in the dim light of the room.


    The dance was very graceful.


    And Chen Qiu''s thoughts gradually drifted, he turned his head to look out at the bustling street, not sure what was on his mind, but felt that at this moment, things seemed very peaceful, as peaceful as when he was beside the stream in the canyon.


    It was a kind of tranquility, yet it was not.


    ...


    Just at this moment¡ª¡ª


    The scholar''s disciple brother came out of the private room expressionlessly, followed by a very embarrassed Fat Long and the scholar brother''s noticeably frustrated and indignant cursing.


    "I told you not to misuse your entries like that..."


    Fat Long tugged at the scholar''s disciple brother''s sleeve somewhat embarrassedly: "Your brother also needs his own space. We could have just walked back, it''s not that far. Don''t scare your brother witless, that would be a real sin."


    The scholar''s disciple brother stood by without saying a word, his face expressionless.


    Fat Long didn''t say anything more but dashed to Chen Qiu''s side and took out an enormous parchment: "Brother Qiu, the names listed here are of those who pose a strong threat to your ranking within the top three."


    Chen Qiu waved his hand to signal the two girls to wait in another room, then frowned as he looked at the parchment list.


    "So many names, huh?"


    "Must be seventy or eighty, right?"


    "Yeah."


    Fat Long nodded helplessly: "Brother Qiu, although your Cultivation has been improving rapidly, you are currently only at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment. This time, in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition, there are several Heavenly Prides with Golden Core Cultivation."


    "Plus other Heavenly Prides with at least the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and there are so many of them."


    "Most of the Heavenly Prides'' entries cannot be investigated, only a small portion of them can be known."


    "For example, this ''True Disciple'' from the Mechanical Puppet Sect is unanimously considered by the outsiders to be a strong contender for the top ten. This cultivator employs the rare, long-lost Puppet Cultivation."


    "They use demon beast flesh and blood and resentful spirits, combined with various heavenly and earthly treasures, to create powerful Mechanical Puppets."


    "They control the puppets with Spiritual Energy to fight for themselves."


    "It is said that this time they have prepared a large amount of heavenly and earthly treasures, intending to seize one of the top three spots and then construct a Lifebound Puppet from the Heavenly Dao."


    "The Puppet can be controlled remotely with Spiritual Energy or even piloted from within."


    "Its entire body is made of the very rare ''Black Shining Stone'' which can significantly absorb damage from Spells, making it your most troublesome opponent this time, Brother Qiu. It somewhat counters you."


    "All the information is here, but most of this information is publicly available. What I can find out, others can too. There''s so much surveillance that there are hardly any secrets left."


    "Take a look, Brother Qiu."


    ...


    Chen Qiu didn''t say anything more, gesturing with a wave of his hand for Fat Long and the girls to go off and play in the adjacent room before he started to frown at the stack of information handed to him.


    It had to be said.


    Indeed, there were many strong contenders.


    Almost every Heavenly Pride listed here was fully supported by a sect and family; not a single weak one among them, and their entry pairs were all well-matched.


    In this situation, he felt if he didn''t use Self-Destruction Terms, it would be tough even to make it into the top twenty.


    And he didn''t have that many entries to self-destruct with, to begin with.


    There were seven more days until the competition officially started.


    In those seven days, he should be able to raise his Cultivation to around the seventh or eighth layer of Foundation Establishment with the help of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. By then, paired with his Thunder Summoning Technique and the newly learned ''Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique'', he should be able to fight those at the peak of Foundation Establishment Cultivation. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But those early-stage Golden Core Heavenly Prides would be a bit more troublesome.


    He had a Golden Core stage resentful spirit on his back; if he could start a snowball effect, it wasn''t out of reach, yet those Heavenly Prides were the very peak of Da Xia''s younger generation.


    They would undoubtedly be difficult to handle.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s eyes narrowed slightly as he began to consider whether there was a chance to overturn the situation before the competition started.


    The Heavenly Dao didn''t care how many people entered the selection for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Find exclusive stories on empire


    It would start and end on schedule.


    If he couldn''t beat them, he would overturn the tables.


    If he were the only one to enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, then he would undoubtedly be the rightful number one.

 Chapter 100

    "..."At that moment, inside a private room of Xinghua House, Fat Long and a few others had already left for the adjoining chamber, accompanied by singing and laughter. Chen Qiu sat alone at a table by the window, overlooking the bustling street below, deep in thought and silent.


    He indeed needed a suitable Magic Treasure.


    The prospect of obtaining one of the top three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures from the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was very enticing to him.


    Only...


    He felt the risks were a bit too great, with Golden Core Heavenly Prides competing, and the specific rules of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm unknown. According to the information gathered by Fat Long, the selection process within the Secret Realm varied every year.


    Nobody knew what it would be this year.


    Perhaps it would be a good choice to wait until next year?


    By next year, he would definitely be at the Golden Core stage one hundred percent. Even if he faced some difficult challenges, hurling a Self-Destruction Term would force them to kneel before him.


    But what about this situation...


    He had considered other methods too, such as poisoning other Heavenly Prides before the competition or ambushing them, ensuring they''d be eliminated before even entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. However, whatever he could think of, other sects would surely have thought of as well.


    The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard wasn''t being held for the first time.


    Such scenarios must have occurred many times already, and those sects would have long since developed corresponding strategies.


    The scholar was quite familiar with the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. It would be better to ask him about it later and make plans accordingly.


    ...


    "So soon?"


    Chen Qiu lifted his gaze toward the scholar, who had swiftly redressed and, using his Spiritual Energy to support himself, flew over to take his seat cross-legged on a red chair opposite him. Chen Qiu asked softly, "You''re quite knowledgeable about the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. Tell me about the time you participated."


    "Alright."


    At this moment, the scholar only felt refreshed and invigorated. This was his first time indulging in such pleasures. Many years ago, he too had pursued the top beauty of Da Xia on the Heavenly Dao beauty rankings, Ji Renjian. Only... the story that followed was quite distressing for him.


    After his Cultivation was wasted, there was no more to the story.


    Perhaps noticing the scholar''s distant gaze, Chen Qiu couldn''t help but tease, "What, struck by a beauty''s poison?"


    "No." The scholar shook his head with a complex expression, "I''m just reminded of someone I admired a long time ago. If she knew of my fall from grace now, she might be disappointed."


    "Admired? You expressed your love?"


    "I guess so."


    "What do you mean by ''guess so''?"


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    "I helped her many times in secret. In all of Da Xia, no one wielded such dense Sword Intent but me. She must have recognized it, but she never sought me out, rejecting me in a rather indirect manner."


    "That''s good, you should learn more from Fat Long in this regard."


    Chen Qiu shook his head, choosing not to continue the conversation on this topic and went straight to the point, "Tell me about your time at the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard."


    "Alright."


    After a moment of silence, the scholar spoke softly, "I''ve participated in the contest for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard twice."


    "The first time I was fourth, and Ji Taiping was fifth."


    "Not very famous."


    "After that, I cultivated arduously for half a year, and six months later I single-handedly fought the top three on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, slaying them all with my sword, becoming famous overnight."


    "The next year I competed again, and without any doubt, I took first place."


    "The following year, Ji Taiping also secured the first place in the Heavenly Pride."


    Speaking of this, the scholar''s face was filled with pride and disdain, "Ji Taiping didn''t dare compete with me on the same stage the second year, refraining from participating in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard contest, fearing he wouldn''t get first place. The thing Sword Cultivators fear the most is hesitating to draw their swords."


    "He didn''t dare to cross swords with me. Even though he secured the top spot in the Heavenly Pride the following year¡ª"


    "It''s nothing much." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is open only to those with Foundation Establishment or higher Cultivation, under the age of fifty, and one can participate in the contest a maximum of two times."


    "The content of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm for determining the rankings is always different."


    "The first time I participated, it was a tournament of direct combat, sword against sword, blade against blade."


    "The second time, it was a treasure hunt. There were 1,024 Heavenly Dao Fragments scattered in a small world, and the rankings were based on the number of Heavenly Dao Fragments one possessed."


    "The battles were always brutal."


    "However, one does not truly die in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. When one is severely injured, the will of the Heavenly Dao expels them from the small world, or one can opt to concede and leave the small world early, unless one doesn''t even have the chance to be severely injured, dying too swiftly."


    "That''s real death."


    "And such cases were not rare in previous years."


    "Every year there are Golden Core Heavenly Prides, these contestants often being strong contenders for the top spot, who go all out against Foundation Establishment Heavenly Prides from other sects, leaving them no chance of surviving the injury, thereby weakening the young generation''s strength of other sects."


    The scholar shook his head, speaking earnestly, "I think you really should give it a try, Brother Qiu. Even if you can''t vie for the top three, you can still place around thirtieth or fortieth. After the rankings are set, you can receive the Heavenly Dao Blessing."


    "It''s not impossible to vie for the top three next year."


    "I think with your strength, Brother Qiu, it''s worth a try."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding and then absentmindedly tapped his fingertip against the table surface, his gaze drifting out the window as he already had a rough plan in mind.


    ...


    If it weren''t for the stroke of luck that brought him a significant cache of Dragon Vein Stones and knowledge that the top three on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard would receive Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, he wouldn''t have set foot into the Capital before reaching the Golden Core stage.


    And now he was already in a satellite city just outside the Capital.


    Mainly, the allure of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure was far too great for him.

 Chapter 101 Over and over again, until its done.

    Within the Chao Tian Sect.Fat Long built up a bonfire and sat on the ground with the scholar and his younger brother, chatting casually.


    "Although life was tough before."


    Fat Long remarked with a wistful tone, "I''ve always believed that life won''t always be this harsh. There will be a day when the bitterness ends and sweetness begins, a true powerhouse will never feel humiliated by yesterday''s kneeling."


    "Look, I''ve made it through, haven''t I?"


    His face brimming with pride, he couldn''t help but boast, "With my ''Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation'' entry, maybe in a few years, I''ll be able to reach the Golden Core. Then, I''ll trample over the Flower Offering Sect, and slaughter everyone there!"


    "Damn it, I can remember this grudge for a lifetime!"


    "Moreover, with Brother Qiu covering for me, even if it''s harder now, it''s still many times better than before. Even if we become enemies of the entire world, at least we have the small world as a place where we can take shelter and not be reduced to stray dogs."


    "I think it''s pretty good as it is now."


    "Indeed." The scholar too smiled and patted his legs, "I always felt that after becoming a cripple, the only reason to keep living was my brother. But I don''t know why, after spending more time with you guys, it feels like my life has some hope of its own."


    "Hey."


    Fat Long laughed, slung his arm around the scholar''s shoulder, and grinned, "Life always gets better, come on, let''s drink to celebrate our surely bright future!"


    Even the typically quiet brother of the scholar raised his cup and said in a deep voice, "Actually, I''ve always hated it when my brother says he lives for me, but he keeps saying so."


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    The three gathered by the bonfire, their laughter and conversation echoing into the night as they reminisced about the past and looked forward to the future, their bond deepening with each moment.


    Not far away.


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on an oval stone, cultivating alone.


    Yes, when he had left the valley, he had packed that oval stone by the stream into his small world.


    This stone was quite comfortable to cultivate on.


    After he had absorbed all 142 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    His Cultivation had gone from...


    ''Cultivation'': Foundation Establishment Stage Five (29%)


    To¡ª¡ª


    ''Cultivation'': Foundation Establishment Stage Six (0%)


    ...


    "Foundation Establishment Six."


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a cloud of impure breath. His body was covered with a layer of Spiritual Energy like a film. Casually summoning a Thunder Summoning Technique towards the barren ground nearby, he nodded with satisfaction.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique released at Foundation Establishment Stage Six was significantly larger than before.


    And in the moment he executed it, the ''Dual Casting'' and ''Ten Layers of Spellcasting'' turned it into twelve Thunder Summoning Techniques.


    Foundation Establishment Stage Six, just one step away from the upper phase of Foundation Establishment.


    Under the effect of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, his speed of breaking through Cultivation was astounding to everyone, and at the same time, that familiar panel wrapped in mist and clouds appeared above his Dantian.


    Under the effect of the ''Step by Step'' entry, breaking through each small realm allowed him to freely choose one of three random entries.


    -


    ''Your Cultivation has surged, officially entering Foundation Establishment Stage Six.''


    ''Please choose one from the three random entries below within ten breaths.''


    1:


    ''Entry Name'': Saving Lives and Healing the Wounded.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': All your spells for healing injuries will not work on yourself but will be three times more effective on others.


    2:


    ''Entry Name'': Slippery.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': Each time you are attacked, you will automatically teleport to a random location within thirty feet.


    3:


    ''Entry Name'': Complementary Enhancements.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': The larger your Tao Foundation overall, the farther your Divine Sense can reach.


    -


    "Heh."


    Looking at the three entries, Chen Qiu''s face finally revealed a smile; without any hesitation, he chose the third one. Several upgrades had passed without landing an entry that suited him, but this time he got one that was perfectly aligned.


    The accuracy of a spell primarily depends on Divine Sense.


    Once the Divine Sense locks on to an enemy, as long as your spell is faster than the enemy''s movement, it will be traced and hit by your spell.


    The same applies to a Sword Cultivator controlling a Flying Sword to attack enemies.


    However, Divine Sense leaving the body is a technique of Golden Core Great Powers. Before reaching the Golden Core, Divine Sense can only leave the body for a short distance, used for opening Storage Rings and such, and the idea of locking onto an enemy is just a pipe dream.


    This is also why Foundation Establishment Cultivators don''t start by throwing spells in battle.


    If you miss and run out of Spiritual Energy, you''re just a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.


    Even Magic Practitioners primarily use Spiritual Treasure as their Attack Method, ensuring that spells are almost certain to hit before making a move.


    Of course¡ª


    He is an exception.


    He generally aims with his naked eye and then smashes hundreds of spells over, sure that some will hit. This kind is a special case, usual Foundation Establishment Cultivators can''t do it like he does.


    With ''Complementary Enhancements,'' even before reaching Golden Core, he can use Divine Sense externally, which greatly enhances his Attack Method. In Foundation Establishment, many times this could catch the enemy by surprise. He could even smash hundreds of Thunder Summoning Techniques in the sky, then lock the enemy with Divine Sense.


    ...


    "Go!"


    Chen Qiu''s gaze sharpened as he looked at a small stone in the barren land not far away, casually sending a Thunder Summoning Technique smashing towards it. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The twelve Thunder Summoning Techniques drawn in different arcs precisely hit the small stone.


    "Pretty good."


    Chen Qiu smiled with satisfaction. This entry greatly enriched his means of attack. At the Foundation Establishment Stage, it would often catch the enemy off guard. He could even rain down hundreds of Thunder Summoning Techniques from the sky and lock on to the enemy with Divine Sense.

 Chapter 101 Over and over again, until its done._2

    Hundreds of Thunder Summoning Techniques traced different arcs across the sky and smashed towards the enemy, giving them a huge surprise.Although the distance his Divine Sense could extend from his body was far inferior to a Golden Core Great Power¡ªhe had tested it to be roughly within a hundred meters¡ªit was enough. Any enemy within a radius of a hundred meters, no matter how they moved, could be precisely targeted by his Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Once he reached the Golden Core stage, with the enhancement of this entry, his range of Divine Sense would be much farther than that of his peers at the same level.


    By then, he would be able to initiate an attack with his Thunder Summoning Technique even before entering his opponent''s attack range, basically always seizing the initiative.


    Quite good.


    In fact, the first entry was also quite good. If it were chosen by another cultivator, they would only need to diligently practice spells that could heal injuries. Then, on the battlefield, they could become a powerful healer, frantically restoring their teammates'' health, ensuring that as long as they did not fall, their teammates would not fall either.


    The second entry wasn''t bad either.


    If it weren''t for the third entry being so perfectly suited for him, he estimated that he would most likely have chosen the second one. With that, combined with the "Shrink Earth into Inches" he had yet to learn, he could directly teleport randomly without a fixed point.


    Never mind whether the enemy could find his position, even he himself would not be able to find where he landed.


    "Phew!"


    Chen Qiu took a long, satisfied breath and then continued to circulate his mental method to solidify his sixth layer of Foundation Establishment realm cultivation. Tonight, of the 389 Cultivation Pills, there were still 247 left after consuming 142.


    If the Fame Ranking remains and exists for the next seven days,


    the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills he would obtain should be enough for him to break through to the peak of Foundation Establishment before the start of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition. By then, with his numerous hidden cards, it wouldn''t be impossible to try venturing into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    ...


    "Based on this rate, Brother Qiu isn''t far from Golden Core anymore. Are there any restrictions for breaking through to Golden Core?"


    Fat Long looked towards Chen Qiu, who was diligently cultivating, and turned his head to ask the scholar curiously.


    "Yes."


    The scholar nodded and said with a smile, "The most basic restriction is that one needs to raise their cultivation to the peak of Foundation Establishment and then choose a day with good heavenly conditions to circulate the mental method and condense the Spiritual Energy in the body into Spiritual Liquid."


    "And try to make the Spiritual Liquid boil vigorously, constantly scouring the Tao Foundation. After washing the Tao Foundation countless times, the Golden Core hidden within the Tao Foundation will be revealed."


    "If you break through successfully, that is the Golden Core stage."


    "Is it that simple?" Fat Long raised an eyebrow, "I heard that so many cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment in your Da Xia Country failed to break into Golden Core and could only submit to Da Xia to serve as City Lords, relying on Da Xia''s Qi Fortune to break through to Golden Core. I thought it was very difficult to break through."


    "It''s just simple to talk about,"


    the scholar continued with a nod.


    "The process of condensing Spiritual Energy into Spiritual Liquid requires a massive amount of Spiritual Energy, to begin with, which means you need to prepare a sufficient number of Spirit Stones for yourself. The absorption speed of low-grade Spirit Stones is definitely too slow, so mid-grade Spirit Stones are a must."


    "Qi Replenishing Pills have impurities and are certainly not suitable to use on such an important occasion as breaking through to Golden Core."


    "Even the absorption speed of mid-grade Spirit Stones is not enough; you need to prepare at least forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones to set up a Spirit Gathering Array and sit at the Array Core to prepare for the breakthrough."


    "This is the first difficulty: wealth!"


    "A single mid-grade Spirit Stone is worth nearly 600 low-grade Spirit Stones on the market and is incredibly hard to collect. You must prepare nearly 30,000 low-grade Spirit Stones and spend several years to acquire forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones."


    "Just this first difficulty essentially filters out most people from the threshold of Golden Core."


    "Without the support of a family or sect, to put it bluntly, how many terrible deeds must you commit to gather forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones for yourself?"


    "The second difficulty: once, twice, and thrice, exhaustion after the third."


    The scholar paused before continuing, "After the Spiritual Energy becomes Spiritual Liquid, it must be made to boil and then you must scour the Tao Foundation with the mental method. This process is very painful, similar to the agony of scraping therapy during the scouring of the Tao Foundation."


    "And not a single accident can occur."


    "If the outside world fails to provide enough Spirit Stone energy, fail."


    "If someone interferes from the outside, fail."


    "If you become faint-hearted from unbearable pain, fail."


    "If the Tao Foundation has hidden injuries or an unstable foundation, then each scouring will multiply the pain several times. In case of any distraction, it will still be a fail."


    "If any accident occurs midway, causing the first attempt to break through to Golden Core to fail, then the Spiritual Energy in your Tao Foundation will transform into Spiritual Liquid, and although you won''t have Golden Core cultivation, you will possess the Spiritual Liquid that only those with Golden Core have."


    "After Spiritual Energy turns into liquid, the power of spells will be significantly strengthened."


    "At that point, you''re called a Half-Step Golden Core."


    "To break through from Half-Step Golden Core to Golden Core is much more difficult than the first breakthrough. If you fail again, the difficulty of the next attempt will be multiple times higher, and without some fortuitous encounter, you could very well be stuck there for life."


    "That''s why, virtually all cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment try to prepare everything possible and then open the Sect Protection Array, either in their sect or family, with numerous people joining hands to protect them while they wholeheartedly attempt to break through to Golden Core."


    "As for Loose Cultivators, they often find a desolate place to attempt the breakthrough alone." Find exclusive stories on empire S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Goodness..."


    Fat Long murmured in shock, "It does sound very difficult, no wonder so many people are stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment and can only rely on Da Xia''s Qi Fortune to step into Golden Core. Just these 30,000 Spirit Stones can crush the majority of people."

 Chapter 101 Over and over again, until its done._3

    "Otherwise?" S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.The scholar helplessly shook his head and said, "What else did you think the purpose of founding a sect was, to find a Golden Core Great Power in the early stages to help you cross the bridge for just 100 Spirit Stones?"


    "Are those Golden Core Great Powers worth only 100 Spirit Stones?"


    "If you even dared to ask for 150 Spirit Stones, you wouldn''t even see the list, as it would have been taken by someone else."


    "Those families nearly deplete their entire fortune raising a Golden Core, if you don''t reciprocate, all the people in your family will starve to death."


    "For something as harmless and effortless as crossing the bridge, getting 100 Spirit Stones is already quite good."


    "Just this¡ª"


    "You feel it''s already quite challenging, right?"


    "But even if you accomplish all that I''ve mentioned, the Golden Core formed would just be a First-grade Golden Core."


    "Golden Cores are graded from First to Fifth Grade."


    "First Grade is the weakest, Fifth Grade the strongest."


    "Each advancement in grade requires a large amount of heavenly treasures and resources, all those crisp Spirit Stones; I nearly lost half my life trying to achieve a Second-grade Golden Core."


    "Hey."


    Fat Long laughed and said, "I''m not worried about this, Brother Qiu will definitely be the strongest, a Fifth-grade Golden Core."


    "..."


    The scholar rolled his eyes at Fat Long and said, "Although I also have great faith in Brother Qiu, I must tell you that in Da Xia Country, openly, I have only heard of one person with a Fourth-grade Golden Core, and that is His Majesty. How many more there are in secret, I do not know."


    "But as for a Fifth-grade Golden Core, I can definitively tell you¡ª"


    "Not a single person has it."


    "It''s recorded in historical legends."


    ""


    ...


    After the scholar had finished purifying the impurities, Chen Qiu circulated his mental method to slightly solidify his cultivation realm, then he no longer intended to continue taking Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills; letting himself adjust to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment first would ensure a stable Tao Foundation.


    Leaving the small world, they prepared to hit the road again.


    Traveling intermittently, by the time the sun reached mid-sky at noon, they had already stopped at a high mountain in Southern State, having covered a third of the total journey to the Boundless Icefield.


    "Isn''t this a roundabout way?"


    Fat Long, staring at the map in his hands, wondered, "Wouldn''t it be faster if we just went straight across ''Qiang State''?"


    "Hmm."


    The scholar shrugged and said, "Theoretically, yes, but many years ago, His Majesty took a Flying Boat to ''Qiang State'' for a disguised inspection. On the way, he was overtaken by several Sword Cultivators using Sword Flight, and soon after, ''Qiang State'' banned Sword Flight in the entire state."


    "Only officials from Qiang State are allowed to use Sword Flight, it''s forbidden to others."


    "So, we have to go around ''Qiang State''. Also because of this ban, ''Qiang State'', originally one of the more prosperous states in Southern State, has gradually become somewhat deserted over the years."


    "It has become a haven for many Evil Cultivators."


    "Those Evil Cultivators don''t rely on Sword Flight, so in Qiang State, they''re like fish in water."


    "Let me rest a while, I''ve taken too many Qi Replenishing Pills. We''ll continue the journey later; if nothing unexpected happens, we will surely reach the Boundless Icefield before nightfall."


    ...


    Capital City, within the Zhang Family.


    "Family Head."


    A figure clad in black kneeled on one knee and solemnly reported, "It has been clearly investigated; the former White-clothed Sword Cultivator who was hunted by the Zhang Family is indeed still alive, only his cultivation has fallen to the initial stages of Foundation Establishment. Recently, he appeared at the Heavenly Dao Pavilion and bought a ''Heavenly Dao Jade,'' presumably to suppress the poison."


    "He''d been hiding in Wentiang Workshop Town in the past years, but the current whereabouts of the workshop owner of Wentiang Workshop Town are unknown, nowhere to inquire."


    "The Magic Practitioner that follows him, according to the Huang Family in Fufeng City, was still in the Qi Refinement Realm a few days back and had some feuds with their Huang Family, yet in less than half a month, he has already stepped into the second layer of Foundation Establishment."


    "He''s a Magic Practitioner renowned for frequently releasing multiple Spells to gain fame."


    "Wherever he passed, all the Qi Replenishing Pills in the city''s shops were nearly sold out. According to my subordinate''s assumption, this Magic Practitioner must have an entry that highly suits Magic Practitioners, but to maintain his combat power, he must consume a large amount of Qi Replenishing Pills."


    "Interesting..." The middle-aged man sitting on the chair with eyes slightly narrowed, looked at the image of Chen Qiu and the scholar fighting together in Fufeng City, murmured, "Good that he didn''t die, very good indeed."


    "This is just too perfect."


    "This time, I must get from his mouth how to prove Nascent Soul."


    Back then.


    Everyone thought it was just a trivial grudge, but the Capital City Zhang Family mobilized their whole clan to hunt this Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, but the real reason, only they knew.


    That was...


    This Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, knew how to prove Nascent Soul!


    This unresolved issue of Da Xia Country for centuries, Bai Yi knew it, and back then, they had tried as much as possible to only severely injure Bai Yi to force out that secret, but unfortunately, he still died. They have been regretting that matter all these years.


    However, unexpectedly, he had faked his death that day, which reignited a glimmer of hope in their hearts.


    "Issue the orders!"


    "Do not be stingy with Spirit Stones; gather all information about Bai Yi and that Magic Practitioner including those around them."


    "Find a suitable opportunity, and catch them all at once with a thunder strike."


    "Understood."


    The figure in black solemnly responded, and then slowly retreated from the dim room.


    "Very good."


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    After the black-clad figure had left, the Zhang Family Patriarch slowly stood up with his hands behind his back, paced around the room a few times, his face unable to suppress the excitement emerging. Once they, the Zhang Family, learned this answer, they would possess the only Nascent Soul in Da Xia!

 Chapter 101 First Time and Again, Thrice to Exhaustion. _4

    By then, Da Xia Country might as well change its name.He would also have to sit upon that imperial throne.


    But soon, his expression revealed a hint of worry and tension, uncertain whether Bai Yi had leaked this news. No, he had to act swiftly, before too many people noticed Bai Yi, and capture him!


    Although Bai Yi''s techniques for escaping were exceedingly powerful, as long as a trap was set in advance, even wings wouldn''t help him escape.


    "That''s right!"


    The Zhang Family Patriarch suddenly thought of something, looking towards a shadowy corner of the room and hoarsely said, "Find something for Ji Taiping to do, preferably send him away from the Capital. He has a deadly feud with Bai Yi and I don''t want that fool to interfere with my plans."


    "Understood."


    A voice of an elderly man came from the shadowy corner of the room, his presence felt but not seen.


    ...


    In the Capital, within a certain mountain peak.


    Ji Taiping furrowed his brows as he looked at the message coming from his Sound Transmission Ring Palace, his back to everyone as he stood at the edge of a cliff. After a long silence, he turned to his side to speak softly to Ji Renjian.


    "The palace commands, there''s turmoil in the Hundred Countries to the West, I must go there to quell the disturbances and mediate peace," he said.


    "This journey is likely to take dozens of days."


    "I will accompany you," Ji Renjian, barefoot on the green stone, leaned against Ji Taiping''s shoulder with a dazed look and said softly.


    "No, you can''t."


    Ji Taiping shook his head and said, "Have you forgotten the promise between you and me? You cannot leave Jing Province. Last time, you sneaked out without telling me, encountering danger many times along the way. If I hadn''t been secretly protecting you, would you still be standing here?"


    "The outside world is dangerous. Just stay on ''Qingfeng'' and don''t run around. Wait patiently for my return."


    "Mm."


    Ji Renjian looked at Ji Taiping with reluctance and said, "Then you be careful."


    She had always thought her brother to be indulgent in wine and women, somewhat dissolute and not serious. That was until she, on a whim, disguised herself and snuck out of Jing Province by herself. Even though she was dressed in disguise and deliberately made herself less attractive, as the Heavenly Dao''s number one beauty, the slightest bit of her beauty that leaked was enough to drive many to madness.


    Yet, every time she faced danger, S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    there would always be a green sword shot from afar to protect her.


    Though the wielder of the sword was unseen,


    she chattered with the sword incessantly along the way, and as it danced joyously around her as if expressing happiness, she knew that in the whole of Da Xia, only two people possessed such intense Sword Intent.


    One was the White-clothed Sword Cultivator, the other was her brother, Ji Taiping.


    At that time, the palace had given an order for both of them to quell the turmoil in the Hundred Countries; whoever succeeded would be appointed the title of National Guardian Sword Master, which would allow them to wield a thread of Da Xia''s Qi Fortune, and enhance their understanding of the Sword Dao, greatly strengthening their own power.


    In her memory, the White-clothed Sword Cultivator was obsessed with sword cultivation.


    He concerned himself with nothing but sword cultivation and had only met her once.


    The sword that protected her was, of course, her brother, Ji Taiping.


    Upon returning to the Capital and sharing her adventures with her brother, he remained expressionless and silent for a long time before admitting to his actions, and he forbade her from leaving Jing Province on a whim in the future.


    Soon afterwards, her brother took care of those relatives who had improper intentions towards her during her travels, executing them all.


    Although she felt her brother''s actions were somewhat cruel, thinking that he was avenging her, she felt very fortunate.


    From then on, her impression of her brother changed drastically.


    ...


    "Mm."


    Ji Taiping affectionately pinched Ji Renjian''s nose, then messed up her hair with a gentle smile and said, "Don''t worry, there''s not a person in this world who can kill your brother who has been born yet."


    "When I return, I''ll bring you some specialties from the Hundred Countries."


    Afterwards.


    Ji Taiping no longer lingered, turning to walk down the mountain, leaving Ji Renjian alone, gazing absentmindedly at his departing figure, lost for words. Continue your journey with empire


    Her name was Renjian.


    Her brother''s name was Taiping.


    When their parents named them, they intended it to mean ''peace in the human world''.


    She truly wished for peace in the human world so that her brother wouldn''t have to keep going to the Hundred Countries to pacify turmoil, so he could always stay by her side, and she could travel with him to other provinces.


    ...


    Descending the mountain, as soon as Ji Taiping set foot at the base, a man in black approached him hastily and said, "Lord Sword Master, as per your orders, we have identified three more storytellers who often brag about Bai Yi''s past deeds."


    "Kill them all."


    Ji Taiping walked forward with a cold expression and said, "In the future, you do not need to consult me on such matters. Not three, but even three hundred¡ªanyone who dares to brag about Bai Yi, count them one by one and kill them all."


    "No matter how big a problem arises, I, Ji Taiping, can handle it."


    "If one person in this world says I am not as good as Bai Yi,"


    "I''ll kill that one person."


    "If the whole world says I am not as good as Bai Yi,"


    "then I''ll kill the entire world."


    "You''re reporting to me when you could have killed them by now. In the future, if you encounter any problems, consult your predecessor before doing such foolish things. If it happens again, I''ll start with you."


    The man in black lowered his head quickly, a flicker of fear in his eyes, and whispered, "I understand."


    ...


    ''Fei City''.


    It was the southernmost of the nineteen provinces in Da Xia, perpetually cold due to the climate, which led the people here to be robust and stout, hence the name ''Fei City''.


    Originally, by crossing this province, they would have reached their intended destination, the Boundless Icefield.


    However, the scholar insisted on bringing them to the most prosperous city in ''Fei City''¡ªFei City itself¡ªclaiming he wanted to show them a great treasure.

 Chapter 102 Life is almost depleted, about to fucking die!

    "Fei City".At the end of the busiest street, sitting by the window of a teahouse, Fat Long looked at the furnace embedded in the table in front of him, huffed cold air, and shivered while holding a cup of hot tea, "Isn''t the temperature in Fei City too low?"


    "It''s my first time seeing a teahouse with a furnace embedded in the table."


    "No wonder everyone here is so fat." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Any mortal who''s a bit thinner might have trouble surviving this winter."


    "Speaking of which, Scholar, why did you insist on bringing us here? Didn''t you say you wanted to show us a great treasure? Where''s the treasure?"


    "Here!"


    The scholar, with eyes brimming with excitement, looked down at the bustling street below, pointed at a woman sitting in a sedan chair, and said with a smile, "This is the Heavenly Dao second beauty. I''m sure you''ve never seen her. Not everyone gets the chance to see the Heavenly Dao second beauty. Don''t you want to take a look?"


    It was twilight.


    The street was lively, and there was the sound of gongs and drums.


    "Oh?"


    Hearing the scholar''s words, Fat Long suddenly became interested. He stuck his head out the window and saw a woman sitting in a large red sedan chair being carried down the street by eight robust men, each step leaving a deep footprint, and their foreheads beaded with more sweat.


    They were followed by a group of people beating gongs and drums, making it quite lively.


    It was as if a wedding procession was approaching from afar.


    The woman in the sedan chair was so overweight that she seemed to combine the size of eight or nine women, slumped inside, and with every movement forward, you could see her excess flesh shake like waves.


    No legs, no chest, and not even a stomach could be seen.


    All you could see was a smiling face and a large mass of fat.


    "What the heck?"


    Fat Long pointed out the window at the woman in disbelief and exclaimed, "You call this the Heavenly Dao second beauty? Are you sure she ranks second on the Da Xia beauty rankings?"


    "With that physique, if you slaughtered her, you could feed the whole country. There''d be enough meat for the entire population of Da Xia Country to indulge for three years!"


    "Not to mention?"


    "Unless that thing is three zhang long, even if you were in bed with her for three years, she''d still remain a virgin ¨C believe it or not?"


    "Smack."


    Chen Qiu, sitting opposite Fat Long, expressionlessly picked up his Jade Feather Fan and swatted away Fat Long''s hand that was pointing out of the window, "Talk all you want, but don''t point at people."


    No matter what her appearance was, since she could be the Heavenly Dao second beauty, she definitely must have suitors.


    He didn''t want Fat Long''s words to cause any trouble here.


    It wasn''t that he was worried about not being able to fight.


    But having less trouble was certainly better than more.


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    "That''s exaggerated."


    The scholar shook his head and clicked his tongue, "No need for three zhang, three feet should be enough. It''s said that this woman was once an ordinary girl who one day saved enough potion money, broke through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, and suddenly became the Heavenly Dao second beauty."


    "Back then, the original Heavenly Dao second beauty became the third because of her."


    "It''s all about that power."


    "Then overnight, suitors filled her doorstep. It was like she had achieved great success in one step."


    "Originally, due to her extreme obesity and ugliness, she was extremely unpopular among her neighbors, and they despised her in their conversations. Because she was unwilling to go out and stayed at home every day, she got fatter and fatter."


    "And then suddenly, she became a Heavenly Dao beauty, turning into a golden phoenix overnight. Every day at this time, she has to be carried around the city in her sedan chair with gongs and drums. She also needs to find a husband, claiming she wants to find one who truly loves her and is willing to protect her."


    "But to put it bluntly..."


    "What good man could truly fall in love with a pile of fat? To kiss her, you''d still have to use your hands to forcefully pull open the dangling fat around her mouth sitting on her chest; otherwise, you couldn''t even find where the mouth is. So despite becoming the Heavenly Dao second beauty and gaining wealth and honor, she still hasn''t found her ideal husband."


    Hearing the scholar, Chen Qiu also became somewhat interested in the woman making her rounds in the sedan chair outside the window. Although her body was indeed exaggerated, she had a very gentle smile.


    Not the kind of smugness seen in petty people who suddenly get their way.


    It seemed more like... just a very happy smile.


    It was visibly apparent that the people around were used to it, with hardly anyone giving the woman much attention. Meanwhile, some foreigners stood on Green Stone Street, watching with wide-eyed amazement, finding it quite strange.


    "What''s the effect of this woman''s Heavenly Dao beauty status?"


    Each Heavenly Dao beauty has a unique effect, and anyone truly loved by a Heavenly Dao beauty will gain that effect.


    The second Heavenly Dao beauty must have a good effect.


    "Here."


    The scholar, somewhat gleefully, pointed at a few men following the sedan chair procession: "That one looking lifeless in the light blue robe on the left is the top true disciple from Capital''s ''Jade Medicine Sect,'' the middle-aged man forcing a happy face is the Great Elder from ''Purple Moon Palace''s'' Outer Sect."


    "And that old man is the Inner Sect Third Elder from ''Medicine King Mountain.''


    "Medicine King Mountain is also an Alchemy Cultivation Sect renowned in Southern State, and those people behind them are all followers of this Heavenly Dao beauty, hoping they might someday take this Heavenly Dao beauty home."


    "These sects, without exception, are all Alchemy Cultivation Sects, with the highest number of Alchemy Cultivators, and are also known for their Alchemy."


    "Naturally, the effect of this Heavenly Dao beauty is¡ª"


    "To give her husband a success rate of one hundred percent whenever he refines pills."


    "A straightforward and brutal effect of a Heavenly Dao beauty."


    "Otherwise, do you think these Alchemy Cultivators, who are so high and mighty that it''s hard to even meet them, would chase after her like this? That Inner Sect Third Elder from ''Medicine King Mountain'' used to be quite domineering. When you asked him to refine pills, you had to provide three sets of ingredients yourself, two of which would be his, and if it was a rare pill formula, you''d need five sets of ingredients."

 Chapter 102 Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_2

    "Look at you now, still shamelessly following behind.""Tsk, I''m curious about that old man who looks almost ready to croak. Even if he takes a bride home, what good would it do?"


    ...


    "Oh?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyes squinted slightly with a flicker of excitement. The effects of the Heavenly Dao Beauty were indeed awe-inspiringly powerful. Normally an Alchemy Cultivator could achieve a success rate of thirty percent per batch of pills, which was considered pretty good.


    Especially with some high-level pills.


    In that case, you''d be lucky to even get one pill from a batch, let alone a whole pill¡ªit was entirely normal even for the attempt to end in an explosion.


    But if you became the husband of a Heavenly Dao Beauty.


    Then no matter how difficult the high-level pills you were crafting were, as long as there wasn''t an issue in the alchemical process, a success rate that was normally ten percent could now be a full one hundred percent.


    This wasn''t just an ordinary improvement.


    It was extremely useful when crafting some high-level pills.


    Of course, if you couldn''t produce even a single pill, then the benefits of this one hundred percent improvement wouldn''t manifest at all.


    "This Heavenly Dao Beauty effect is really good."


    Even Chen Qiu, who wasn''t an Alchemy Cultivator but a Magic Practitioner, couldn''t help feeling tempted after hearing about the effects of the Heavenly Dao Beauty, not to mention the Alchemy Cultivators¡ªit probably kept them awake at night, so eager they couldn''t sleep.


    Bringing such a Heavenly Dao Beauty home was like bringing home a gold mine.


    "Eh?"


    Fat Long suddenly thought of something and started flipping through the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking, then grinned and said, "Let''s see if there''s a Heavenly Dao Beauty suitable for Magic Practitioners. Maybe we can find a wife for Brother Qiu, and get ourselves a sister-in-law."


    Soon¡ª


    Fat Long''s eyes lit up as he found his target: "The sixteenth entry on the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking has great effects, the power of the Heavenly Dao Beauty can accelerate the husband''s Spell cultivation speed, allowing him to master multiple Great Perfection Realm Spells much faster."


    "No good."


    The scholar shook his head: "She already has a husband, the Young Master of the Qu family from the Capital, Qu Qi."


    "Never mind, the Heavenly Dao Beauty ranked twenty-seventh is also quite suitable for Magic Practitioners. Her effect can enhance the husband''s speed of absorbing Spiritual Energy, which would greatly speed up both replenishing Spiritual Energy and improving Cultivation."


    "That doesn''t work either, she''s also taken."


    "By who?"


    "The Young Master of the Qu family from the Capital, Qu Qi."


    "How about the thirty-third?"


    The scholar quietly interrupted: "She has a husband too."


    "You''re not going to tell me it''s Qu Qi again, are you?"


    "Mhm."


    "What about the forty-third?"


    "Qu Qi."


    "Surely the eighty-ninth one isn''t Qu Qi as well?"


    "Still Qu Qi."


    "..."


    Fat Long looked up expressionlessly at the scholar: "What''s the deal, there are only five Heavenly Dao Beauties suitable for Magic Practitioners on this ranking, and all five are with that Qu Qi?"


    "His father has quite the knack for naming, huh?"


    "Can one person really marry five Heavenly Dao Beauties?"


    "Yes."


    The scholar spoke with mixed emotions: "As long as you''re willing and charming enough, you could even marry everyone on the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking. Qu Qi is in fact a Magic Practitioner. He''s now in the early stages of the Golden Core and has just broken through a few days ago."


    "He''s also one of the strong contenders for the top spot on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard."


    "If Brother Qiu decides to participate in this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, he may even meet him."


    "The ''Qu family'' has always been into commerce; they''re not lacking in anything but Spirit Stones. His father equipped him from head to toe, only the best of everything, several defensive Spiritual Treasures, to say nothing of talismans, pills, Array Plates, and more."


    "To marry these five wives for Qu Qi, the Qu family really spent a huge sum of Spirit Stones."


    "At that time, many people in the Capital said that the effects of these five Heavenly Dao Beauties weren''t worth that many Spirit Stones."


    "Guess what the old man Qu said?"


    "That old man Qu simply waved his hand disdainfully and said that no matter how good Spiritual Treasures are, how strong Spells are, other Magic Practitioners might have what Qu Qi has, but something like ''Heavenly Dao Beauty'' is unique!"


    "Once Qu Qi has it, nobody else does!"


    "That''s an everlasting gap!"


    "An unbridgeable gap!"


    "So..." Experience tales at empire


    The scholar spoke softly: "So the Capital created this miracle, the only one in Da Xia who has married five Heavenly Dao Beauties. These past few years, the Qu family has also been aggressively buying up entry jade slips that are suitable for Magic Practitioners."


    "It''s fair to say, a lot of people consider Qu Qi the hottest candidate for the chief spot this year."


    "No way," Fat Long said somewhat dazed, "So, someone who''s just been bolstered by Spirit Stones can be considered Heavenly Pride?"


    Gazing complexly at Fat Long, the scholar said: "Otherwise, why do you think the saying goes ''Wealth, Companionship, Magic, and Land,'' with ''Wealth'' ranked first, ''Companionship'' second, ''Magic'' third, and ''Land'' fourth?" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Having all four, and all of the highest caliber."


    "If such a person isn''t Heavenly Pride, then who is?"


    ...


    After their conversation and a sigh about the immense talents the future husband of the Heavenly Dao Beauty must possess, they got up and left Fei City to continue their journey towards the Boundless Icefield.


    An hour later, the sky had darkened, and they had arrived at the Boundless Icefield.


    At a glance.


    The icefield stretched boundlessly, its cracked earth frozen solid. Standing there, one could feel the endless chill rushing towards them, and above the icefield spread a cloud so pitch black it covered hundreds of thousands of miles.


    It almost blocked all sight.


    The deeper one went, the blacker it became.


    Until, in its deepest part, it was almost like a black hole swallowing all light, where you couldn''t even see your own hand in front of you, losing all sense of feeling, unable even to tell if you were standing on solid ground.


    Such conditions could gradually lead to a breakdown of the spirit.

 Chapter 102 Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_3

    And the Sword Cultivator from Da Xia Country who had reached the peak of the Golden Core cultivation never returned after delving into the Boundless Icefield."We''re here,"


    the scholar pointed deep into the Boundless Icefield, "The Inheritance Secret Realm is right at the edge of the Boundless Icefield. The temperature there isn''t too low, and the light hasn''t been completely devoured. It''s considered a safe area with no dangers lurking."


    "Hmm,"


    Chen Qiu scanned the surroundings and nodded, "Let''s set out."


    The Spiritual Energy here also contained a bone-piercing cold, constantly rotating automatically. The Tao Foundation absorbing the Spiritual Energy gave him the illusion that his Dantian felt like it was about to freeze over.


    Though uncertain whether he would be able to get through that Magic Practitioner inheritance,


    he still had to take a look.


    But he didn''t hold much hope. Bai Yi, once the foremost Sword Cultivator in Da Xia, hadn''t obtained the Sword Cultivator inheritance, so his chances of obtaining the Magic Practitioner inheritance weren''t high.


    ...


    "Qu Family Master,"


    Inside the Qu Family Courtyard, Ji Taiping, dressed in white, sat on a Taishi Chair and apologetically said to the Qu Family Master, "Initially, I had secured the ''Ten Layers of Spellcasting'' entry jade slip, but an unexpected incident occurred along the way resulting in the jade slip falling into someone else''s hands." S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "However, I''ve roughly identified who it is,"


    "It''s the hot topic Magic Practitioner from Fufeng City these days, Chen Qiu."


    "But with sudden orders from the palace demanding my presence to quell the turmoil in the Hundred Countries, I''m a bit preoccupied to personally attend to this matter. It could trouble the Qu Family Master to take more care. Perhaps that youngster hasn''t crushed the entry jade slip yet, hoping to sell it for a good price in the future."


    "After all, for a Loose Cultivator, Spirit Stones are most important. To him, a hefty sum of Spirit Stones would indeed be more valuable than the ''Ten Layers of Spellcasting'' entry."


    "Naturally,"


    The Qu Family Master, somewhat portly and cheerful, waved his hand for a servant to bring forth a tray, upon which lay a Storage Ring, "Since it concerns my son, I''ll naturally take it to heart. Lord Sword Master, you just go and quell the chaos."


    "I will remember this person,"


    "Although the entry jade slip wasn''t brought back, Lord Sword Master has also spent so much effort. Please don''t refuse this little token of my appreciation,"


    Seated on the Taishi Chair, Ji Taiping''s Divine Sense swept over the Storage Ring, showing a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Without any pretense, he waved his sleeve to pocket the Storage Ring and then stood up to bow, "Then I''ll thank the Qu Family Master."


    "It''s nothing,"


    The Qu Family Master stood up and jovially escorted Ji Taiping to the gate of the Qu Family Mansion. After watching Ji Taiping leave, the Qu Family Master''s smile faded to a calm expression as he turned to a servant, "How is the progress with Qu Qi?"


    "The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is about to start, hasn''t he returned yet?"


    "Reporting to the Family Master,"


    said a person in black clothing softly, "According to the messages from the Boundless Icefield, the assessment conditions for the Magic Practitioner inheritance are too strict. The young master is already on his way back, planning to acquire the Magic Practitioner inheritance after the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard finishes."


    "Hmm?"


    The Qu Family Master''s brows furrowed, "I''ve spent a significant amount of money to hire a Demon at the Golden Core Peak and even the Supreme Elder has left his retreat to escort. Accompanied by two Golden Core Peak cultivators, they couldn''t secure a Magic Practitioner inheritance?"


    "Hmm,"


    the person in black lowered their head cautiously, "That Inheritance Secret Realm has existed for over a thousand years, and it''s not something ordinary people can obtain. To date, none of the inheritances there have been taken away."


    "The young master has already made rapid progress, clearing the first three levels. With another attempt after the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, he will undoubtedly clear all the assessments and successfully obtain the Magic Practitioner inheritance."


    "That''s true,"


    The Qu Family Master''s tightly knit brows soon relaxed, and he chuckled with one hand behind his back, "Send word to have Qi Tian Restaurant in the Capital prepare several tables of fine food and wine to be sent to the mansion. When my son comes back, we''ll have a good father-and-son talk."


    "Also tell him, I have found another excellent entry that fits well with his Magic Practitioner path."


    "At this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, he must at least clinch a spot in the top three,"


    Just then¡ª


    "Well, if it isn''t the Qu Family Master,"


    A middle-aged man in a long robe with red hair and a helpless expression stood at the door to the Qu Family Mansion and said to the Qu Family Master, "I was just about to send someone to notify you, but here you are. Perfect, I have something to discuss with you."


    "Today is indeed a day of double happiness,"


    The Qu Family Master cheerfully waved his hand, "Bring out the wine. I shall have a good drink with Sect Leader Qiu."


    "No need for that,"


    The grey-robed, red-haired, middle-aged man looked somewhat upset as he said hoarsely, "There''s been a mishap. The nine Dragon Vein Stones you reserved were all ripe, but some thieves broke into the Forbidden Land of my ''Poison Sect'' and took away all the Dragon Vein Stones, even the immature ones."


    "..."


    The smile on the Qu Family Master''s face abruptly stiffened; after a moment of silence, he spoke calmly, "Sect Leader Qiu, surely you jest?"


    "You''re aware that Dragon Vein Stones are a top-tier material for crafting Magic Practitioner''s treasures!"


    "My Qu family has gathered all the top-tier materials across the world to forge an unparalleled Magic Practitioner treasure for my son. Those Dragon Vein Stones were key."


    "And now you''re telling me they''re all gone?"


    "With you overseeing the Poison Sect, is your Forbidden Land someplace that people can just barge into?"


    Read new chapters at empire


    "Or are you implying that someone paid more than I did, or perhaps you no longer wish to sell?"


    "Not at all,"


    Sect Leader Qiu heaved a sigh of resignation, "To put it nicely, I, Qiu, am always as good as my word; to put it bluntly, there is no one in Da Xia who can offer a higher price than your Qu family."

 Chapter 102 Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_4

    ```"The Forbidden Land was indeed breached by thieves, and the Dragon Vein Stones were plundered completely."


    "I had originally kept one Dragon Vein Stone to forge a Magic Artifact for myself, but now I won''t keep it either. I''ll give it to my nephew."


    Having said that, he took out a two-foot-long Jade Box from his bosom and handed it over.


    "Hmm."


    The Qu Family Master''s face finally looked a bit better. Although one was not as good as nine, it was certainly better than none. He waved his hand to signal the servants to take the Jade Box before frowning and asking, "Did you not catch the thief?"


    "Your Poison Sect''s Forbidden Land shouldn''t be so easy to breach, right? Could the culprit just leave without a trace?"


    "No."


    Sect Leader Qiu spoke with eyes full of painful anger, "That thief didn''t leave any trace behind, very slick with the escape. I''ve already offered a hefty reward for the Taoist Sect to help me retrace the scene."


    "We will soon know who the thief is!"


    "No matter who the thief is, I will certainly tear him into pieces and let the thief taste what it''s like to be devoured by all kinds of poisons!!!"


    "No one can take my things for free in this world!"


    "..."


    Qu Family Master looked up emotionlessly at Sect Leader Qiu and said, "Were you hinting at me? Someone, bring a Xuan-grade Storage Ring."


    "Not at all."


    Upon hearing ''Xuan-grade Storage Ring,'' Sect Leader Qiu''s face immediately filled with a smile. He nodded his head, quite satisfied.


    It was said that in the Qu family''s accounts, there were more than a dozen shelves filled with Storage Rings.


    Different Storage Rings contained different quantities of Spirit Stones.


    Ranked from highest to lowest, they were Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang.


    The Xuan-grade Storage Ring contained quite a few Spirit Stones. Although a large number of Dragon Vein Stones were lost, it was, after all, a bit of blood returned, and once the Taoist Sect found out the result, those Dragon Vein Stones might still be recoverable.


    Upon departing.


    Qu Family Master gazed earnestly at Sect Leader Qiu, "Tell the Taoist Sect to speed up their work and find the lost Dragon Vein Stones as soon as possible. My son is preparing to take one of the top three spots in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard and then use these materials to forge a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure that perfectly fits him."


    "You know how rare this opportunity is."


    "This is a matter concerning my son''s lifetime. If it can be made perfect, we must strive for perfection. I don''t want my son to have any regrets. Nine Dragon Vein Stones are certainly better than one, so I''ll have to trouble Sect Leader Qiu to put in extra effort."


    "Once the matter is dealt with, there will be a hefty reward!"


    "Rest assured."


    Sect Leader Qiu also nodded solemnly in agreement, saying, "Qu Qi is like my own nephew, whom I''ve watched grow up. His matters are my matters. As his uncle, I will naturally do my utmost."


    ...


    Upon the Boundless Icefield.


    Aboard a rather luxurious Flying Boat, a young man lay shirtless on a long chair, casting a lazy glance at the Icefield outside the Flying Boat, his mouth slightly open to swallow a grape that a maid peeled with her slender jade hands and passed to him.


    Impatiently waving his hand, he said, "Speed it up. Every extra moment spent in this godforsaken place is a waste of life."


    "If it weren''t for that old man at home who insisted I come here to retrieve some Magic Practitioner''s inheritance, I would never have come to this lousy place."


    "Yes."


    The servants around him nodded in agreement, and they pretended not to hear the disrespectful words the young master had for the old man.


    "What a bore..."


    The young man, shirtless and lying on the long chair inside the Flying Boat, thought about finding some fun after he started heading back. There was a Spiritual Energy Shield outside the Flying Boat, maintaining a constant temperature inside, so the cold outside couldn''t affect the inside of the Flying Boat.


    His name was Qu Qi.


    He had crossed into this world three years ago.


    At first, he was quite frightened¡ªa completely unfamiliar world, and there were Immortals. One could be killed at any moment. But he quickly realized that... his life seemed pretty good this time.


    In his father''s eyes, he was the only son who had been foolish for seventeen years and had suddenly come back to his senses.


    ```


    That was an incredibly good fortune.


    To him, it was a hundredfold adoration. In just three years of effort, he broke through from a mortal body to the early stages of Golden Core, and he barely even suffered. Is cultivating supposed to be exhausting?


    He was even too lazy to think about what he needed.


    Anyway, whether he thought of it or not, he had it all.


    The Heavenly Dao Beauties that ordinary people couldn''t even dream of meeting in their lifetimes¡ªhe had five of them, and he didn''t even know what he was lacking.


    All he had to do was lie down every day, and he became what the world saw as a Golden Core Great Power.


    It was that simple, without any difficulty.


    "I have to go back to face that old immortal again..."


    Lying on the couch, Qu Qi murmured absent-mindedly. If there was anything painful, it was that his cheap father liked to have a heart-to-heart with him. Every time they met again after a separation, he always seemed to want to sit down for a long chat.


    But toward this cheap father, he could say he felt no affection at all.


    Every time he saw the other''s face full of fat, he felt disgusted.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    A Divine Sense came from above the Flying Boat; it was the Qu Family''s Supreme Elder.


    "A hundred miles away, there''s a group of people delving deep into the Boundless Icefield. It looks like they''re heading for the Inheritance Secret Realm."


    "Don''t bother with them."


    Qu Qi shook his head, "There are always some so-called geniuses in this world who overestimate themselves. Not to talk about others, that once first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, is said to have gone several times, yet he also failed to obtain the sword cultivation inheritance, didn''t he?"


    "Genius is the most worthless thing in this world."


    "Some people are born standing at the peak of the world." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This gap in status can''t be made up for by mere effort."


    ...


    ...


    With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and without saying a word, the Qu Family''s Supreme Elder with Golden Core Peak cultivation on the Flying Boat had many times wanted to strangle this damned Qu Qi to death! Enjoy new tales from empire


    So what if you''re a transmigrator? Who the hell do you think you are showing off!


    It''s just a bit of luck that gave you the audacity to flaunt it all day.


    But he didn''t dare.


    The good news was, he transmigrated as a Golden Core Peak cultivator, almost invincible in this world!


    The bad news, his life was nearly at an end, damn near dead!


    Every bit of Spiritual Energy he used up was consuming the last of his lifespan. He even suspected that it was only when the original body was on the brink of death that he transmigrated. Although he didn''t die after transmigration, it was pretty close.


    He was now barely hanging on to a thread of life, hoping someone could successfully cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, so with the help of the Qu Family, he too could achieve Nascent Soul and extend his life a little.


    He transmigrated a month earlier than Qu Qi.


    At first, he was in closed-door meditation, so no one noticed anything unusual about him, but he saw all of Qu Qi''s oddities and monologues, realizing his secret instantly. He just chose not to expose it.


    Wait until he achieved Nascent Soul one day!


    The first thing he would do is slap Qu Qi to death!


    Just to let this beast know, the gap in cultivation can''t be compensated for by a difference in status!


    ...


    ...


    ps: Qi Dian recently had a "50% off for full subscription" event for old books. You can enter it in My Activity Center. Those suffering from book droughts can go to the event page and fully subscribe to "New Rules Every Month," an old book by this author.


    164 characters, 12k average subscription, the result is still not bad. If you''re interested, feel free to have a look.


    50% off for a full subscription is quite a good deal, and while we''re at it... I''m asking for monthly votes, brothers~


    If you fully subscribe to an old book, you can get a monthly ticket and then cast it for me, cough, my thanks to the readers and lords.

 Chapter 103 Sword Bone.

    "We''re here."At the edge of the Boundless Icefield, dark clouds that extended for hundreds of miles above almost absorbed most of the light, and the bone-piercing cold, along with the howling wind, made Chen Qiu and his companions'' robes flap vigorously.


    The scholar pointed at a slowly rotating colorful vortex not far away and whispered, "This is the entrance to the Inheritance Secret Realm; inside are the nine inheritances."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, gazing into the depths of the icefield. From the moment he stepped into the Boundless Icefield, the wind direction never changed. It was as if there was a Fierce Beast in the depths of the icefield, constantly breathing out, with relentless icy winds blowing ceaselessly from deep within the Boundless Icefield.


    The deeper one went, the stronger the cold wind became.


    It was hard to imagine that a Sword Cultivator with the peak Golden Core Cultivation actually persisted in moving deeper in such conditions. Merely standing at the edge of the Boundless Icefield and glancing into the utter darkness that absorbed all light, he already felt like fleeing from this place.


    This kind of might from nature would instill fear even in those with the peak Golden Core Cultivation. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''ll go in first."


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar and the others, "You guys head to the small world to take shelter. Oh yes, scholar, there''s something I''ve been meaning to tell you. I left a gift for you; go and check it out."


    With that said,


    he waved his sleeve, and the scholar and the others, without any resistance, were naturally sucked into the small world. Find more to read at empire


    He, on the other hand, squinted his eyes slightly and strode towards the entrace of the Inheritance Secret Realm against the bone-piercing cold wind.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside the small world, at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion of Chao Tian Sect.


    The scholar was looking at a translucent and greenish-white Sword Bone sitting upright on a short stone pillar with a visibly excited expression, "Is... Is this from Brother Qiu?"


    -


    ''entry name'': Sword Bone.


    ''entry level'': Grey.


    ''entry effect'': Your understanding of swordsmanship will be extremely slow, but after your death, anyone who touches your remains will have their comprehension of the swordsmanship they have learned improved to some extent. The exact amount of improved understanding depends on the individual''s natural talent.


    -


    Sword Bone.


    Touching these remains can enhance one''s understanding of their own learned swordsmanship; it is a treasured legacy for Sword Cultivators.


    Or to say, the reason why Chao Tian Sect can become a prestigious Sword Sect, a significant factor is the inheritance of this treasured Sword Cultivator legacy.


    "Heh."


    Fat Long, standing to the side, chuckled and said, "Of course it''s for you, who else here is a Sword Cultivator? But just now, when I was looking at the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking, that top Heavenly Dao Beauty, Ji Renjian, has an entry effect that is very well-suited for Sword Cultivators."


    "Weren''t you once the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia? Have you never tried to win her over?"


    "Of course, I have."


    The scholar, his mind fully captivated by the Sword Bone, closed his eyes in a frenzy, his body frozen in place as though struck by a hammer. His slender fingers trembled as they gently and tenderly glided over the Sword Bone, murmuring in a trance.


    "Back then, it wasn''t just me pursuing Ji Renjian. The effect of that Heavenly Dao Beauty was enough to drive every Sword Cultivator in the world mad."


    "I tried as well, and I was even close to succeeding."


    "Once Da Xia sent me and Ji Taiping to quell the chaos in the Hundred Countries. Whoever could pacify the chaos would be granted the title of ''National Guardian Sword Master'' by the palace, which allowed one to wield a strand of Da Xia''s Qi Fortune. This title could significantly enhance one''s understanding of the Sword Dao."


    "At that time, Ji Taiping''s distant cousin, Ji Renjian, set out alone from Jing Province to tour other provinces. I gave up the title of National Guardian Sword Master and helped Ji Renjian through numerous crises along the way."


    "Although we never met in person, she spoke a lot to my Qingfeng sword, and our communication was quite intimate. If I had revealed myself then, maybe it would have already happened."


    "Oh?"


    Fat Long asked with a curious frown, "Then why didn''t you show yourself? That''s the top Heavenly Dao Beauty we''re talking about. Having that Heavenly Dao effect, you might have not been hunted by the Capital City Zhang Family to the extent of falling in rank and wouldn''t have been in such a state for so long."


    The scholar smiled, opening his eyes, and took a step back, looking at the Sword Bone with a sentimental expression, "The ''National Guardian Sword Master'' is not such a good thing. With that thread of Da Xia''s Qi Fortune above your head, you indeed grow stronger, but you also become a dog for the palace."


    "Wherever the palace says to go, you have to go."


    "I wanted to become the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, but I didn''t want to be the top Sword Cultivator driven by others."


    "Back then, I, like all other Sword Cultivators, was utterly infatuated with Ji Renjian, fantasizing that with Ji Renjian''s help, I could completely break through the barriers of Sword Dao and ascend to Nascent Soul."


    "This made me very conflicted internally."


    "Such acts of exploiting someone to satisfy my own desires, I couldn''t do them; they go against my principles of Sword Dao."


    "My principle of Sword Dao is, to cut down all that is unjust in the world, to right all that is not right."


    "The more I escorted her, the more conflicted I became. When it came down to the final step, I gave up. I still wanted to ascend on my own, not relying on a woman."


    As he said this,


    the scholar suddenly glanced around, fell silent for a long time, then spoke hoarsely, "Everything I just said, those are the reasons my brain tells me, but... the truth is not like that."


    "I was planning to go to the Hundred Countries. Even though I didn''t intend to quell the chaos, I remember there was a sword genius from the Hundred Countries who became famous, and I wanted to exchange thoughts on Sword Dao with him."


    "But on the way, I inexplicably changed my route and did not head to the Hundred Countries, and on the way back to Xia Country... I just happened to meet Ji Renjian."


    "Wait a minute¡ª" Fat Long frowned in confusion, "I''m a bit confused by what you''re saying. Do you mean someone secretly influenced you, changed your itinerary? You were the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia; what kind of Illusion Technique could have interfered with you?"

 Chapter 103 Sword Bone. _2

    "..." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.The scholar was silent for even longer this time, appearing as though he was waiting for something. Moments later, he continued, "The Heavenly Dao Beauty is a product favored by the Heavenly Dao. Anyone who dares to imprison, coerce, or use force to make Ji Renjian offer herself will be detested by the Heavenly Dao."


    "The backlash from the Heavenly Dao''s loathing is swift."


    "There have been attempts in the past, and heavenly thunder struck immediately."


    "But on Ji Renjian''s journey away from Jing Province, she encountered many petty thieves, yet not a single heavenly thunder fell. Once, I even waited a moment longer, and those villains had already removed Ji Renjian''s outer garments, but still, no heavenly thunder descended."


    "In the end, I took action."


    "Do you understand what this means?"


    Fat Long looked at the scholar''s younger brother bewilderingly, hoping to exchange glances with him, but the younger brother stood quietly by his side as if he had heard nothing at all.


    "Er..." Fat Long pondered hard for a while before he ventured, "Does this mean you replaced that heavenly thunder?"


    "No."


    The scholar shook his head, "The Heavenly Dao has no self-awareness. The absence of heavenly thunder means that those petty thieves had no lust in their hearts, they were just giving me the opportunity to play the hero and rescue the beauty."


    "I didn''t think too much of it at the time. It was only later, when I was being pursued, that I understood much more."


    "And that included this matter."


    "Someone had struck me with a Heart Gu, causing me to coincidentally encounter Ji Renjian and used the lives of a great many pawns to deepen the karmic ties between Ji Renjian and me."


    "Attempted to make Ji Renjian and me become a Taoist couple."


    "No... just wait!"


    Fat Long took a deep breath and, with one hand propping his chin and a thoughtful look, paced around three times before he seriously looked at the scholar, "You mean to say, someone used the lives of numerous pawns as the price, just to help you win the beauty?"


    "All the benefits are yours?"


    "What is he plotting?"


    "He''s trying to prove his way to Nascent Soul, or rather, he''s trying to break out of this cage."


    The scholar stretched out his arm, feeling the Sword Intent of the engravings on the stone pillar, gently touching them, and feeling a pricking sensation as he spoke softly, "I dare not say his name, but I can tell you who he is."


    "He is the current State Preceptor of Da Xia."


    "A very terrifying person."


    "He tried to bestow Ji Renjian to me, to create an unparalleled peerless Sword Cultivator and then utilize me to break the cage of Da Xia. However, at the final moment, my true nature was too resistant to such an act."


    "The State Preceptor then shifted his target to Ji Taiping."


    "I have observed Ji Taiping over the years; he has progressed rapidly and has stepped into the realm of Human Sword Unity, a realm all Sword Cultivators dream of. Last time in Kai Mountain City, I sensed the residual Sword Intent, it was violent like a volcano under a layer of ice."


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    "This is a sign of rapidly elevating one''s realm by forceful reliance on external objects."


    "..."


    Hearing these secrets for the first time, Fat Long opened his mouth in disbelief and murmured, "Is the State Preceptor really so terrifying? Even Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator is his pawn?"


    "Yes."


    The scholar suddenly smiled, "I''ve met him once, a very young man, but for some reason, his pupils seemed cloudy, and his behaviors and methods didn''t seem to belong to a young person."


    "By chance, I discovered one of the entries in his word group."


    "The white entry, talking nonsense."


    "The more people the spun lies deceive, and the higher the Cultivation of those deceived, the more Cultivation he can enhance for himself."


    "Such a person has taken the seat of State Preceptor of Da Xia."


    "Many times, I wonder whether His Majesty is still clear-headed, and how many people and things inside Da Xia can still be believed; no one can tell."


    Upon suddenly encountering this information, Fat Long''s mind crashed for a moment before he murmured, "Why didn''t you talk about these things when Brother Qiu was around?"


    "Because of the Sword Bone."


    The scholar''s expression remained calm as he caressed the engravings filled with Sword Intent on the short stone pillar, "These memories were sealed with Sword Intent in the deepest part of my Sea of Consciousness when I faked my death. Later, as my Cultivation plummeted, I couldn''t unlock these memories."


    "The Sword Intent contained in these engravings shattered the fetters I had laid."


    Fat Long looked at the scholar slowly touching the engravings on the short stone pillar and suddenly remembered that at this challenge, Brother Qiu told him that someone who touched the engravings had been injured by the remaining Sword Intent, splattering blood everywhere.


    Yet the scholar, having touched the engravings for a long time, suffered no harm at all.


    "What will you do now?" Fat Long furrowed his brows and looked at the scholar, "The State Preceptor probably thinks you''re dead, but now you''ve appeared in Da Xia again; doesn''t that mean he''ll come after you?"


    "It doesn''t matter."


    The scholar shook his head, "All he wants is a peerless Sword Cultivator, and me, now reduced to a cripple, definitely cannot match Ji Taiping. Ji Taiping is now the strongest Sword Cultivator in his eyes."


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Chen Qiu had already stepped into the colorful vortex in front of him, appearing in a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    This Secret Realm was not extensive, a platform similar to a sect square, with a giant Eight Trigrams Array carved into the ground.


    This Eight Trigrams Array was divided into nine palaces: Qian Palace, Kan Palace, Gen Palace, Zhen Palace, Central Palace, Xun Palace, Li Palace, Kun Palace, and Dui Palace.


    And these nine palaces each corresponded to.


    Magic Practitioners, talisman cultivators, Array Repairers, Alchemy Cultivators, Artifact Cultivators, Evil Cultivation, Demon Cultivation, Body Cultivation, Sword Cultivators.


    These nine palaces were situated in nine different directions, and the moment he stepped into the Eight Trigrams Array, eight palaces instantly dimmed, with no color, while the ground of the palace representing Magic Practitioners faintly emitted a milky white light.

 Chapter 103 Sword Bone. _3

    Chen Qiu''s eyebrows slightly furrowed as he scanned his surroundings. Outside the Eight Diagram Platform, he was enveloped by thick and inscrutable Chaos Qi. The ground was divided into nine squares, each ending with a vortex of white swirling.At this point, the other eight vortices had already stopped turning and were colorless and dim.


    Only the one representing Magic Practitioners was still slowly rotating.


    He didn''t linger long.


    He drew a long sword from his bosom, squinted slightly, and with a wary expression, slowly approached the white vortex symbolizing Magic Practitioners and then stepped boldly into it.


    With the arrival of a dazzling bright light,


    he suddenly appeared above a vast ocean. There he stood atop the water, where the sea allowed him to stand effortlessly on its surface like on a viscous liquid, with no light around him, just a sliver of moonlight.


    The pitch-black sea surface, like the gaping mouth of a Fierce Beast, was intimidating to the heart.


    Not a single island was in sight around him.


    Only a sky full of stars above his head.


    At the same time, an ancient and ethereal voice reached his ears.


    ¡ª


    "To obtain the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance, you must pass five rounds."


    "The challenger has Cultivation at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, and the difficulty of the rounds will adjust accordingly to the challenger''s Cultivation."


    "The first round, Navigating the Sea."


    "From this moment on, you cannot absorb nature''s spiritual energy, and each of your movements will consume your own Spiritual Energy. You must reach an island before your Spiritual Energy is exhausted."


    ¡ª


    "..."


    Chen Qiu swept his gaze around. With the naked eye, he saw no island anywhere, and there wasn''t a map or anything to indicate where the nearest island might be, meaning if he took the wrong path, he would have to cover a lot more ground.


    So far, he had no movement technique.


    His speed wasn''t fast.


    Although he had abundant Spiritual Energy and could last for a long time, he wasn''t fast without a movement technique.


    This round tested whether one could find an island before the internal reserve of Spiritual Energy was exhausted.


    ...


    After Chen Qiu looked around and understood the situation, he didn''t ponder too much and immediately exited the Inheritance Secret Realm, directly taking the scholar and others to the nearest Fei City.


    He purchased a "Shrinking Earth into Inches" produced by Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Then he returned to the Inheritance Secret Realm once more.


    ...


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, "This time, it should be much easier to handle."


    ¡ª


    "Entry name": Tactical Advance.


    "Entry level": Grey.


    "Entry effect": Once you have mastered the ''Shrinking Earth into Inches'' movement technique, when you use this technique, the distance you cross will be enhanced fivefold, and it will consume nature''s spiritual energy, not your own. However, you will not be able to control the direction and landing spot; both will be entirely random.


    ¡ª


    This was the entry jade slip he''d found last time in the workshop owner''s Storage Ring.


    He''d just forgotten to buy the ''Shrinking Earth into Inches'' from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm''s products.


    Products of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, once learned, were at Great Achievement Realm. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This entry had no significant benefits except it did not consume one''s own Spiritual Energy, only nature''s spiritual energy, allowing for the possibility of eventually landing on an island, as long as the timeline was stretched long enough, even if the landing points were random.


    "Swoosh!"


    Chen Qiu activated the ''Shrinking Earth into Inches'' spell, taking a probing step forward. The surrounding scenery flashed by twelve times in an instant, and when he stopped, he looked back to find he was a hundred yards away from the original spot.


    This spell could indeed link with Dual Casting and Ten Layers of Spellcasting!


    One use, directly leveraging it eleven times without consumption.


    Chen Qiu sighed and held his forehead. The main issue was the excessive randomness of landing points; just now, he moved from three feet in the air to the surface of the sea, chaining twelve consecutive teleportations. He had to be careful using this spell in battle due to its unpredictability.


    But its randomness was perfect for this place.


    And the most perfect aspect was it didn''t consume any Spiritual Energy.


    "Continue!"


    ...


    An hour later,


    Chen Qiu, drenched, stood on the sea surface expressionlessly pulling a teapot out of his Storage Ring to his mouth. He wasn''t sure how many times he had teleported into the sea, and so far, he had not seen a single island.


    Most importantly¡ª


    He had completely lost his sense of direction.


    He wasn''t even sure if he had left the starting point, or how far he had gone.


    "Continue!"


    Chen Qiu muttered defiantly, continuing to teleport relentlessly.


    Logically, as long as there were islands in this sea, and since his ''Shrinking Earth into Inches'' didn''t consume his own Spiritual Energy, he would surely reach an island as long as the timeline was stretched long enough.


    ...


    An hour later,


    "Damn it!"


    Chen Qiu stood on the sea surface, swept his gaze around, and couldn''t help but curse silently. This place was also too quiet, without a single living creature, as if he was the only being left in the entire world.


    Moreover, here, his connection with the small world was severed.


    There was no way to chat with Fat Long and others to pass the time.


    "Continue!"


    ...


    Three hours later,


    "..."


    Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings emotionlessly, now doubting whether there was any island at all in this vast sea. He felt as if he had been deceived.


    And he had a suspicion: there might not be any islands above the water at all.


    The islands could be under the sea.


    But when he tried to dive using his Spiritual Energy, he found that a force much stronger than the buoyancy of the water, several times more powerful, prevented him from diving too deep.


    "No matter, continue."


    ...


    Nine hours later,


    "Finally, land!"


    A glint of joy flashed in Chen Qiu''s eyes as he looked towards the land not far from the sea level. He no longer used ''Shrinking Earth into Inches,'' but relied on his own Spiritual Energy to run towards the distant land across the sea surface!

 Chapter 103 Sword Bone. _4

    As the saying goes, a faraway mountain can kill a horse that looks close.What appeared to be nearby actually took him the time of several sticks of incense to finally step onto the beach.


    And at that moment, sitting on the edge of the beach, was an old man with silver hair holding a fishing rod, leisurely fishing. Nearby, in the sand, was planted a broken and tattered black flag, which had two lines of slightly crooked white stitching.


    "Dare not predict too much, fearing heaven and the ghosts."


    "Words must not be fully explained, lest they throw the world into chaos."


    ...


    "Why are you here?!"


    "Why are you here?!" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu looked at the familiar old man, feeling a bit dumbfounded, and blurted out subconsciously, while the other party also seemed equally flustered and incredulous as if they had seen a ghost!


    The old and the young asked the same question out loud.


    This old man wasn''t a stranger; he was the fortune-telling old man who he had encountered a few times before.


    He reminded him that there were too many resentful spirits on him.


    "It''s not..."


    The old man''s throat moved slightly, his face full of disbelief and confusion. After taking a few deep breaths, he abandoned his fishing rod and stepped briskly over to Chen Qiu, examining him up and down. Trembling, he said, "Never mind why I am here, you tell me first, why the hell are you here?!"


    "Me?"


    Chen Qiu pointed at himself: "I am here to go through the trials, preparing to obtain the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance."


    "Old man, why are you here? Is this your true identity?"


    "Is there any way to get through a back door or something?"


    "The hell with your back door!"


    The old man, as if he had truly seen a ghost, glared at Chen Qiu and couldn''t help but roar, "Are you fucking crazy?!"


    "You''re going through the Magic Practitioner''s trial, and you run onto my Array Repairer''s territory to do what exactly?!"


    "The first round for the Magic Practitioner''s island is deep under the sea, did you not do any research before coming?"


    "You just barged in?"


    "How did you manage to get through the Forbidden Sea and end up on my Array Repair Continent''s turf? You''re quite the runner, aren''t you? Come on, tell me how you did it, I''m really curious!"


    "I knew it was strange that I saw someone when no one was supposed to be going through the trials. I thought I''d seen a ghost!"


    "..."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu wore a strange expression as he silently stood in place, turning to look at the blue sea behind him. He had guessed that the island might be underwater, but after trying and failing to dive down, he had given up.


    "So..."


    He glanced around tentatively, "This should also count as an island, right?"


    "After all, the condition to pass the first round is just to reach any island. It didn''t specify that it had to be the one deep under the sea, did it?"


    "..."


    The old man''s mouth twitched uncontrollably before he waved dismissively, turned around, picked up his fishing rod, and sat back down in his original spot: "Don''t ask me. I don''t know. The Magic Practitioner''s inheritance isn''t my responsibility."


    Chen Qiu trotted over, reinserted the flag that had been made crooked by the sea breeze a bit deeper into the sand, and straightened it before blinking and speaking: "Excuse me, senior."


    "Is there any other source of information leakage?"


    "None."


    The old man glanced at Chen Qiu irritably and cut him off: "And don''t take out any roasted chicken or roasted rabbits or anything like that. People I''ve met in recent years are getting weirder and weirder, always taking out roasted chicken and handing it over out of nowhere."


    "As if a roasted chicken could make me open my heart to them."


    ```


    "At the very least hand over some Spirit Stones and I would''ve kept my mouth shut, delivery chicken to your mom, I''ve lived so long, what kind of chicken haven''t I eaten?"


    "Here you go."


    Chen Qiu''s expression turned serious, and he immediately pulled out a Storage Ring containing two thousand Spirit Stones and handed it over: "No offense intended, I mainly wanted to thank you for the warning you gave me back at the Wen Tian market; otherwise, I might now be infected with resentful energy."


    "Heh."


    The old man sneered and expertly grabbed the Storage Ring, stuffing it into his pocket: "You don''t seem like someone who listens to advice either, aren''t you still carrying a Golden Core resentful spirit on your back?"


    "Senior, you jest. It''s mainly cause young folks have fiery temperaments, gotta cool down the resentful spirit, especially when it''s hot.


    "Forget it."


    The old man shook his head: "Your Cultivation is up there now. A Golden Core resentful spirit can''t take you down; I''m too lazy to talk about it. But don''t waste your efforts, I can''t tell you anything."


    "Besides, don''t worry, you''ve definitely passed the first round."


    "But you''ll have to wait a bit."


    "Wait for what?"


    The old man rolled his eyes at Chen Qiu again: "Wait for that qualified old man who has to cross the Forbidden Sea to come here to announce your success and then take you back. But with his frail old bones, I seriously doubt whether he can make it across the Forbidden Sea."


    "The last time he came over for a catch-up was thirty years ago."


    "Thanks to your good fortune, before I die, I might get to see that old guy one more time."


    ...


    Chen Qiu thus chatted aimlessly with the old man on the beach for an hour.


    One could tell.


    The old man was talkative and liked to converse; he just restrained himself a lot. He would subconsciously start to boast about his past, and then abruptly stop, leaving Chen Qiu to hear the emotions but without the full story.


    In the middle, Chen Qiu also asked several times about this location.


    Is the Forbidden Sea and the Array Repair Continent inside a small world, or somewhere in Da Xia Country, or outside it?


    The old man shook his head but still didn''t answer.


    Just reminiscing.


    "Alas, when I was young, I was also a hothead just like you."


    The old man sat on the beach with a reflective look, gazing into the depths of the Forbidden Sea: "I was barely considered a prodigy when I was young, had a strong talent in Array Repair, but I didn''t like Array Repair, I preferred Gua Cultivation."


    "But my damn master insisted that I practice Array Repair, he provoked me, saying I would never pass the Array Repair inheritance."


    "Back then, being hot-tempered and stubborn, I went through all the rounds and made it to my master''s presence, only when I saw that sly smile of his did I realize I''d been tricked."


    "Afterward..."


    "Well, it''s pretty much been like this ever since."


    "And that damn old fossils, they all have their day to die eventually."


    Sitting by the side, Chen Qiu rotated the roast chicken on the grill and ventured: "Isn''t it true that no one has claimed the inheritance in the Inheritance Secret Realm?"


    Luckily Fat Long liked to grill some meat to eat, so his Storage Ring was never short of that kind of stuff.


    The old man said he didn''t like people giving him roast chicken and stuff, but he didn''t stop munching on the chicken and sipping small drinks, seemingly relishing the food quite a bit.


    "Hey."


    The old man, lifting his sleeve and not caring about his appearance, wiped the grease from his mouth and said reflectively: "You''ve hit the nail on the head, but I can''t say. Yet I know what you''re thinking, don''t worry about being imprisoned here just because you passed the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance."


    "Moreover, this place can''t really be called a prison."


    "It''s a place where you can barely cling to life when your time is nearing its end, ordinary people don''t even have the opportunity to stay here."


    "You certainly don''t have that privilege."


    ```

 Chapter 104

    "However¡ª"The old man paused, spat out a chicken bone, then turned his head to look at Chen Qiu, his expression a mix of smile and non-smile, "Young friend, you and I indeed share a certain fate, and you truly possess some talent and opportunity on the path of a Magic Practitioner."


    "This Magic Practitioner heritage, perhaps you really could make it through."


    By this time, a full hour had passed since Chen Qiu had arrived at the beach.


    Finally!


    Chen Qiu saw an old man with white hair and beard, who looked quite immortal, striding over the sea surface toward him, with each step flashing golden light, as if he was stepping from an unreachable shore.


    In the blink of an eye.


    He was standing expressionlessly in front of Chen Qiu, that familiar and ethereal ancient voice once again echoed by his ear.


    -


    "You have successfully passed the first round."


    -


    Strangely.


    Although he could see the old man''s mouth moving, and the shape of his lips matched the voice by his ear, the voice was directly resonating in the depths of his brain, similar to the way the "Heavenly Dao Decree" transmitted sound.


    Only the voice sounded less oppressive than that in the Heavenly Dao Decree.


    Afterwards.


    The old man paid him no more heed, walking to one side, sitting down crossed-legged, and began circulating his mental method. Suddenly, the nature''s spiritual energy around him was sucked in like water by a whale, forming a vortex as it entered the old man''s body.


    "Don''t rush."


    Sitting nearby and enjoying his roasted chicken, the old man glanced at the dignified elder absorbing spiritual energy not far away, his lips stretching to a happy grin, "This old immortal probably hasn''t felt the sensation of depleted spiritual energy in a long time."


    "Crossing the Forbidden Sea with this frail body really takes a toll on him," he added.


    "Let him restore some spiritual energy first."


    ...


    This elder representing the Magic Practitioner heritage restored spiritual energy quickly, needing only a few breaths to circulate his mental method, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to rush into his body as if answering his call.


    Just thirty minutes.


    The elder stood up, looking fully restored.


    Meanwhile, the fortune-telling old man beside Chen Qiu on the beach also stood up immediately, walking over with a playful look on his face, while the elder replied in an impatient and annoyed tone.


    From the occasional smile, it was evident that these two had known each other for a long time and had a good relationship.


    However, Chen Qiu couldn''t hear their conversation, uncertain what they were discussing.


    "Let''s go."


    Finally, after a conversation, the white-haired, bearded elder came over to Chen Qiu, waved his hand, and a golden light appeared under his feet, immediately taking him back across the "Forbidden Sea."


    As they were leaving.


    Chen Qiu heard the fortune-teller''s voice behind him.


    "Good luck, young friend, I have a premonition that the next time we meet, you might already be the number one Magic Practitioner in Da Xia!"


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    The old man''s laughter carried a clear and robust sound, tinged with a hint of melancholy as they parted.


    He also turned back to look at the old man, waved his hand, and loudly said, "Thanks for your hospitality, next time I''ll treat you to roasted goose!"


    "Deal, it''s a promise!"


    ...


    Another hour passed.


    Chen Qiu returned to the original spot, standing on the sea surface, surrounded by no islands or creatures, only the gentle sea breeze mixed with moisture and saltiness brushing against his face.


    The expression of the elder beside him looked quite unpleasant.


    He was all too familiar with that look.


    It was the look of someone whose internal spiritual energy was nearly depleted. Despite being the guardian of this Magic Practitioner heritage, the elder seemed incapable of absorbing the nature''s spiritual energy in the Forbidden Sea, a restriction more akin to a rule of nature than something a guardian could control.


    For instance, he felt that the second round could have been held on that beach.


    But they had to bring him to this other place for the second round.


    One could see that the elder''s expression was somewhat pale but still showed no emotion, very much in the style of an immortal; his lips slightly parted, and his voice resonated in Chen Qiu''s mind.


    -


    "Second round, spell duel."


    "A competent Magic Practitioner, even if faced with ten thousand enemies, should remain poised and composed."


    "In thirty minutes, ten thousand spiritual-energy limitless Magic Practitioner Puppets will simultaneously launch an attack at you, employing only the most basic and simplified version of the Thunder Summoning Technique, which will not harm you."


    "Using ''movement technique'' is strictly forbidden in this round."


    "Passing condition: within five hours, if you''re hit less than ten thousand times, you pass."


    -


    "Dodging attacks?"


    Shock flashed through Chen Qiu''s eyes, ten thousand spiritual-energy limitless Magic Practitioner Puppets simultaneously attacking him was daunting; never mind being hit less than ten thousand times in five hours, just one round would number in the thousands.


    Anyone weaker in movement technique would be eliminated in the blink of an eye.


    He scanned his surroundings, already no longer seeing that immortal-like elder, wondering where he might have gone¡ªprobably to find a place to restore his spiritual energy.


    There was still half an hour before the ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets would appear.


    He squinted his eyes, contemplating his strategy. His only movement technique was expressly forbidden, which seemed not as an inherent restriction of this round, but as if the elder had explicitly banned it for him.


    If he could have used this movement technique,


    he might have had a fair chance to pass relying on its randomness.


    But without this movement technique, unable to restore spiritual energy here, and his storage ring lacking other movement techniques from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he could exit and reenter later.


    But he was worried that if he came back another time, the elder might ban his movement technique right from the first round.

 Chapter 105

    "You have successfully passed the third level."-


    These words emerged in Chen Qiu''s mind, signifying that he had successfully passed the third level of the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance trial.


    The Magic Practitioner''s inheritance trial consists of a total of five levels.


    At this moment, having passed three levels, he was only two away from obtaining the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance.


    "Phew..."


    Chen Qiu''s expression was firm and serious as he took a deep breath, ready to face the unknown challenges of the fourth level. He had a premonition that this would be his closest reach to the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance yet.


    He had already passed the first three levels.


    No matter what trump cards he needed to play for these last two levels, he must pass them; otherwise, his journey would have been in vain.


    ...


    "Ah..."


    Fat Long, somewhat bored, was lying in a rocking chair at the Mountain Gate of Chao Tian Sect, chewing on a piece of grass, and gazing at the chaotic sky above as he mused, "Is the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance so time-consuming? Brother Qiu still hasn''t come out."


    "There are only five days left until the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard begins."


    "If Brother Qiu is any later, he might really have to wait for next year''s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard."


    "Actually, I think waiting until next year is not bad. By then, Brother Qiu will definitely have reached Golden Core, and no matter which of those Heavenly Prides, it will all be a breeze for him, don''t you think?"


    He turned his head to look at the scholar, attempting to get a response.


    Ever since the scholar touched the Sword Bone, he had stayed by its side for days, regardless of eating or sleeping, acting as if in a trance and constantly mumbling about having enlightenment and realizations.


    It was unclear what exactly he had understood.


    Thus, only the scholar could keep him company for a chat. But... that guy was indeed reticent, not uttering a word no matter how hard Fat Long tried to make conversation.


    "Right."


    Fat Long suddenly remembered something, turned over in his chair, and looked at the scholar with curiosity: "We''ve been together for so long now, yet I still don''t know your name."


    "How should I address you?"


    However, as expected, the reply was still the scholar''s silence.


    "..."


    Fat Long lay back in the rocking chair with resignation and said to himself, "Forget it. If you don''t want to say it, that''s fine. Actually, I''m curious about something."


    "If¡ª"


    "You were sitting in the position of the State Preceptor of Da Xia Country, and you also possessed the entry ''nonsensical'', what kind of lie would you weave to deceive the world?"


    "This lie would surely be agreed upon by many, even some Cultivators with high Cultivation levels would recognize it."


    "So in Da Xia, what consensus could match such a grand deceit?"


    "For instance, that Da Xia is not actually a cage? Are the Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivators sent out to investigate merely figments? No, that piece of news isn''t widely known; its spread isn''t extensive enough."


    "Is there anything more widespread?"


    Fat Long lay self-entertained in the rocking chair, chewing on grass, lost in thoughts. With no demons or female cultivators around, and unable to cultivate further, he could only let his imagination wander.


    Just then¡ª


    "Yes."


    The usually silent scholar sitting beside him suddenly spoke up in a deep voice: "For example, that Da Xia Country has no State Preceptor at all."


    "What nonsense?"


    Fat Long gave the scholar an annoyed look: "Da Xia Country..."


    But he quickly froze in place and sat up in the rocking chair to ponder: this could indeed be considered a colossal lie. Everyone in the world knew that Da Xia had a State Preceptor, but in truth, if Da Xia had none, would that count as a world-deceiving lie?


    After pondering seriously for a long time, he suddenly slapped his forehead and lay back down in the rocking chair.


    "Forget it."


    "Let''s leave those questions for Brother Qiu to think about, and instead think about what to have for dinner tonight."


    "I feel like having some noodles."


    "Hey!"


    Fat Long immediately got up and scampered excitedly toward the Chao Tian Sect, saying, "You know, I''m really good at making noodles. Just you wait!"


    ...


    "The fourth level, Trial of the Heart."


    "A qualified Magic Practitioner, even at the lowest point, can find the determination to stand up again."


    "You will lose all memories and revert to the lowest commoner in the Cultivation World. If you break through to the first level of Foundation Establishment within a year in your dream, you will succeed in the trial."


    -


    The voice echoed in his mind in an instant.


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the sea surface, clutching a Spirit Stone to recover his Spiritual Energy, had no time to say anything more; he suddenly collapsed, his eyes vacant, and lay flat on the sea surface.


    The Immortal-like elder standing in the air looked at Chen Qiu without sorrow or joy. Your next read is at empire


    In one''s life, there are many opportunities.


    Not a single Golden Core cultivator who has climbed up from the bottom would guarantee that, even if they could do it all over again, they would still be able to cultivate to the Golden Core Stage. There are just too many chances along the path of cultivation.


    Any Golden Core cultivator who has climbed up from the bottom has been through countless fortuitous encounters to get to where they are now.


    But...


    If they had to do it all over again, how many could reach the same position?


    The elder in the air fell silent, not speaking, just quietly observing Chen Qiu lying on the sea surface below. It was evident that Chen Qiu, unlike the previous challenger, had no family background or power.


    No one had told him how to pass the trial. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Nobody had prepared treasures for the corresponding levels.


    He had simply relied on his own bit of luck to emerge from obscurity and smoothly pass the first three levels. But if he were to revert to a commoner again, could he still stand up?


    With that¡ª


    He waved his hand, and the scenes from Chen Qiu''s experiences in the dream rapidly unfolded in the air.

 Chapter 106

    when this familiar voice reached chen qiu''s mind, almost at the same time¡ªhe once again heard the long-absent and profound voice of the heavenly dao slowly resounding in his ears.


    -


    heavenly dao decree: the heavenly dao has sensed it, in the boundless icefield south of fat state in da xia country, one of the nine great inheritances, the magic practitioner legacy, has been obtained by the sect master of chao tian sect, ''chen qiu''.


    such strength commands the admiration of all people.


    as he is the first cultivator to acquire the legacy,


    therefore, he is granted a wisp of ''heavenly dao destiny'', in hope that all people will regard this as a model.


    -


    this voice echoed in the ears of everyone in da xia country, and for a moment countless people subconsciously looked in the direction of southern state. could it be that someone had seized the magic practitioner legacy?


    how is that possible?


    the nine great inheritances have existed for over a thousand years. frankly speaking, over the years, countless heavenly prides have ventured to the boundless icefield to cultivate, their goal being one of the nine great inheritances, but without exception, all have returned without success.


    who exactly is this chen qiu?


    how did he manage to seize the magic practitioner legacy that no one has surpassed in over a thousand years?


    and what is this chao tian sect that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere? one has heard of the caotian sect, but what is this chao tian sect? it doesn''t appear on the sect rankings at all.


    ...


    the moment chen qiu heard the heavenly dao decree beside his ear, he thought to himself that he was set; this time there shouldn''t be any unexpected developments, mainly because the challenge guardian seemed to have too much authority, with puppets capable of unification and rage.


    he was afraid the guardian would come up with some unpredictable trick.


    but what was this ''heavenly dao destiny''?


    he scanned his storage ring with divine sense and found nothing tangible, nor did he feel any different in his body.


    he didn''t ask aloud, standing quietly in his place, appearing quite obedient.


    in front of such a powerful being, obedience definitely wasn''t the best answer, but it was certainly the least likely to lead to mistakes.


    he also faintly looked forward to what the magic practitioner inheritance might entail next.


    was it a spiritual treasure?


    or was it a spell?


    "..."


    as for the celestial guardian standing mid-air, upon hearing the heavenly dao decree, he appeared to be lost in thought as he gazed distantly towards the horizon, and only after a long while did he softly say, "before i give you the magic practitioner inheritance, i''ll take you to meet old man cao first."


    "it''s proper to bid farewell before parting."


    "alright." s§×arch* the n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    chen qiu obediently nodded in agreement, having roughly guessed that old man cao must be the fortune-teller.


    golden light soon enveloped him once more, and both the young and the old turned into streaks of liu guang, rapidly shooting towards the depths of the forbidden sea.


    ...


    "ah?"


    within the small world, fat long and the others also heard this heavenly dao decree. fat long was slightly stunned before he couldn''t help grinning, turning to look at the scholar beside him: "tell me, scholar, is brother qiu too strong, or what''s the situation?"


    "you were the once golden core cultivation, da xia''s number one sword cultivator who slew the scion of ten thousand demons several times and failed to kill him."


    "brother qiu slapped him to death with one slap."


    "you''ve tried several times and couldn''t obtain the sword cultivator legacy, yet brother qiu finished it in slightly more than a day."


    "has the nine great inheritances really been unattainable for over a thousand years? it doesn''t seem that difficult."


    "..."


    the corners of the scholar''s mouth twitched slightly, and he then spoke with a resigned expression: "first of all, i need to clarify one point, that the escape technique and the art of evasion used by the scion of ten thousand demons are definitely top-notch! i truly couldn''t kill him, and that''s honestly infuriating."


    "i really don''t understand why brother qiu could so easily slap the scion of ten thousand demons to death with one slap. i really don''t get it."


    "secondly!"


    "i''ve never gone for the magic practitioner inheritance, but the criteria for the sword cultivator inheritance are so harsh it could make you question life. my sword intent, which i am proud of, was barely presentable there, and the threshold for passing the fourth round was human sword unity.


    "you should know that so far in da xia, only ji taiping has barely cultivated to human sword unity. a few years back, there wasn''t a single person in the whole of da xia who had reached this realm. although i''ve never sought the magic practitioner inheritance, it can''t be too simple either."


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    "otherwise, no one would have succeeded in all these years."


    "as for brother qiu... i can only say, he truly is a magic practitioner genius. it might seem unreasonable if it were anyone else, but if it''s brother qiu, i think it makes perfect sense."


    after finishing, the scholar suddenly laughed: "there''s good news, the name ''chao tian sect'' was mentioned in the heavenly dao decree just now. the reputation of chao tian sect has surely increased now!"


    "i''ve been touring around the corners of chao tian sect these past few days!"


    "i''ve discovered that it is an ancient sect of sword cultivators passed down in utmost purity, especially those sword cultivation values in the sect hall¡ªi highly approve of them. sword cultivators should indeed be like this!"


    "so once brother qiu helps me find a way to restore my cultivation, i, the second elder of chao tian sect, plan to make chao tian sect great again!"


    "let the world know¡ª"


    "what it means to be, a true sword cultivator!"


    "hey."


    fat long said expressionlessly: "the sect master is a magic practitioner, and you, the second elder, want to make the sword cultivators great again? are you not taking me, the great elder who cultivates dual companionship, into consideration?"


    "if anyone should be great again, it should be magic practitioners!"


    "by the way, what does your brother cultivate?"


    "well, he..."


    the scholar pursed his lips and shrugged but did not speak.


    "hey, isn''t that a bit too much?"


    "after all this time together, he doesn''t tell people his name or what he cultivates? is your brother being too unreasonable?"


    ...


    "chao tian sect?"


    in the capital, within the caotian sect, the sect master of caotian sect was sitting on zhao yishi''s shoulders and said in shock, "why does that name sound so familiar?"

 Chapter 107

    he was still lacking the following materials for his tenth-grade golden core.ten arbitrary grade entries, two nascent soul corpses, nine second-grade golden cores, one eight desolate fruit, and one stem of evil wood.


    that part about ten arbitrary grade entries was the least of his worries, now that he was at the sixth level of foundation establishment. he still had three small realms to go before reaching the pinnacle of foundation establishment, which meant he could obtain three more entries, plus he could still use the heavenly dao retrospective talisman once, making it four entries.


    together with some less useful entries, by gathering some entry jade slips, he could easily muster up ten useless arbitrary grade entries for use as pill refining materials.


    there was no difficulty in this.


    but those two nascent soul corpses... he really had no idea where to procure them unless he succeeded in obtaining them through two more inheritances. he doubted he had the ability to pass other inheritances'' trials.


    nine second-grade golden cores meant that he needed the golden cores of nine heavenly prides like the scholar.


    as for the remaining eight desolate fruit and evil wood, they were heaven and earth treasures that he had never even heard of.


    ...


    "..."


    the corners of chen qiu''s mouth twitched slightly. the difficulty was truly extraordinary, but he couldn''t deny that the allure of the ''tenth-grade golden core'' was enormous. he really wanted it. if he hadn''t had the seven-colored entry, it might be another matter, but having the most challenging part completed yet giving up now would be like spurning a gift from the heavens.


    that would be inviting celestial retribution.


    with his current foundation, as long as he wished and stepped into the pinnacle of foundation establishment, he could become a fifth-grade golden core anytime, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of da xia country.


    but...


    "brother qiu."


    the scholar excitedly said, "this third-grade golden core is perfect for you, just needing three golden cores as the pill refining materials. though not as good as fourth-grade, it''s still much better than second-grade."


    "dumbass."


    fat long said irritably, "didn''t you hear the heavenly dao decree just now? it granted brother qiu a whiff of heavenly dao destiny. with such a treasure, he''s definitely aiming for the fifth-grade golden core. if you''re going to form a core, aim for the strongest in da xia!"


    "but a fifth-grade golden core requires a nascent soul corpse, and there are none in da xia country. who can obtain a nascent soul corpse from the depths of the endless desert?"


    "how did his majesty of da xia get a nascent soul corpse? if he could get one, so can we."


    "you''re being unrealistic," the scholar shook his head. "a nascent soul corpse is out of the question. a third-grade golden core is already very powerful, making a fine starting point. with that, your speed of cultivation and power in the golden core stage will be much stronger than your peers, enough to be invincible at the same level."


    "to my knowledge, there are only a few people in the whole da xia country who have a third-grade golden core."


    "it''s only slightly below his majesty''s fourth-grade golden core. aside from him, no one''s golden core ranks higher than third-grade."


    ...


    "..."


    chen qiu ignored the ongoing argument between fat long and the scholar, already having secretly made up his mind to elevate his cultivation to the peak of foundation establishment, and then gradually seek the rest of the materials he was missing.


    as for the heavenly pride leaderboard, let whoever wants to go, go; he was not interested! your next read awaits at empire


    a mere heavenly dao spiritual treasure, he''d come for it next year!


    he had been preparing in the next few days to use heavenly dao cultivation pills to see if he could rapidly enhance his cultivation. he aimed to reach the golden core early stage before the start of the heavenly pride leaderboard competition, where with his combat power and trump cards, he was confident there wouldn''t be much problem sweeping through to the top three.


    now it seemed,


    forming the core would have to wait. like the tao foundation, the golden core was part of the foundation of cultivation; the stronger, the better. sear?h the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    a heavenly dao spiritual treasure had to make way in front of a tenth-grade golden core.


    after a long while,


    chen qiu didn''t keep it secret but calmly turned to the scholar and fat long saying, "i have a nascent soul corpse. after passing the magic practitioner inheritance, the predecessor passed away leaving his nascent soul corpse to me."


    "ah?"


    "ah?"


    the scholar and fat long abruptly stopped their argument, standing still in shock, before their eyes lit up with excitement, exclaiming, "then what are we waiting for? a fifth-grade golden core is a sure thing!!!"


    "what are we waiting for? brother qiu, i''ve been saving the heavenly dao cultivation pills i collected these past days just for you."


    "let''s aim for a fifth-grade golden core before the heavenly pride leaderboard starts, and completely crush those heavenly prides!"


    just moments ago, they had been debating the possibility of obtaining a nascent soul corpse, and now that was no longer an issue.


    chen qiu shook his head, paused for a moment, and continued in a calm, soft voice.


    "i also have the heavenly dao foundation and a seven-colored term."


    "ah?"


    this statement stunned the still excited scholar and fat long into silence. they both checked the jade slip in their hands again,


    it was only after a moment that fat long, with a shaky voice, said, "brother qiu, you have a seven-colored entry?"


    he knew about brother qiu''s heavenly dao foundation.


    back when he had failed to reach foundation establishment 999 times outside fufeng city, the heavenly dao was impressed by brother qiu''s perseverance and granted him the heavenly dao foundation, but he really didn''t know that brother qiu actually had a seven-colored entry.


    "a seven-colored entry..."


    the scholar subconsciously sat down with his legs crossed on the ground, not surprised by the heavenly dao foundation because he had one as well. but a seven-colored entry... that was beyond his comprehension. he had never even seen anyone with a red or golden entry, let alone seven-colored.


    though pink entries were just behind seven-colored entries,


    pink entries were an anomaly¡ªall of them being of the unlimited growth type without upper limits, even rarer than the red entries which were not as high-grade as pink ones.


    as for seven-colored entries, they were mentioned nowhere in historical records, nor did anyone even speculate on their effects. mainly, it was impossible to guess without knowing the effects of red and golden entries.

 Chapter 108 Betting Everything Twice.

    "very good."chen qiu stood up with a satisfied expression, familiarizing himself with the surging spiritual energy within his body. at the same time, he made up his mind that, aside from preparing for next year''s heavenly pride leaderboard and collecting materials for the golden core of the tenth grade,


    there was another important matter.


    that was, he needed to kill more demon beasts to allow his tao foundation to accommodate more spiritual energy.


    this year, if he went to participate in the heavenly pride leaderboard and played all his trump cards, with a bit of luck, there was indeed a chance of making it into the top three.


    but if he went again next year, by that time, it would be a total annihilation!


    he stopped thinking about these matters and instead used introspection to look inside his body, where the familiar panel enveloped by clouds and mist reappeared above his dantian.


    -


    "cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the eighth level of the foundation establishment stage."


    "please make a choice from the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    "entry name": betting everything twice. s§×arch* the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "entry level": green.


    "entry effect": all your entries will be randomly replaced with entries of the same level, including this entry and the grey entries, excluding those that cannot be cleared.


    2:


    "entry name": unbearable pain.


    "entry level": grey.


    "entry effect": your sense of pain will increase fivefold, and all your attacks will also cause the enemy to experience five times the amount of pain.


    3:


    "entry name": resurrection.


    "entry level": white.


    "entry effect": when you die, your residual soul will wander the underworld without consciousness, and after a trillion years, you will be resurrected.


    -


    "..."


    "what a resurrection."


    chen qiu couldn''t help but twitch the corner of his mouth as he looked at the third entry.


    hard to evaluate.


    he was even somewhat at a loss for how to evaluate it. from a certain perspective, this entry was very strong¡ªafter all, it was the first he had seen that offered resurrection. but the problem was... isn''t that time span a bit too long?


    a trillion years?


    by that time, let alone enemies or family, it was uncertain whether the continent itself would still exist.


    but as the ten breaths were about to end, he still chose the "resurrection" entry. the reason was that of the three entries, it was the only one with no side effects, which made it perfectly suitable as a fusion material.


    the first entry could go as far away as possible. he was quite satisfied with his current set of entries and didn''t want to change any of them.


    even if there were no weak seven-colored terms, and perhaps "step by step" could be traded for a seven-colored term that could boost his combat power in an instant, he wasn''t interested.


    to put it bluntly,


    even "hundred-layered spellcasting" or the possibly existing "thousand-layered spellcasting" seven-colored terms, to him, were not as valuable as "step by step," an entry with high growth potential, especially suitable for someone with low cultivation like himself.


    however, once he could step into the transcendance tribulation stage in the future, "step by step" would lose its usefulness, and he wouldn''t mind trading it for a seven-colored term if he had the chance.


    as for the second entry, it was purely a negative entry for him.


    actually, the enemies who died by his hand were quite fortunate; they didn''t feel any pain at all and were basically instantly disintegrated. with thousands of thunder dragons surging over, the enemies had no chance to feel any pain.


    which meant that for him, it was purely about making himself feel five times more pain, which was pointless.


    he was no masochist, so why would he want such pain?


    ...


    originally planning to continue increasing his cultivation, chen qiu glanced at the remaining 251 heavenly dao cultivation pills and found them insufficient for his breakthrough to the ninth level of foundation establishment. however, there was only a little more than an hour left until nightfall.


    when that time came, another batch of heavenly dao cultivation pills would be bestowed.


    by then, it should be just about enough.


    if the fame ranking continued for a few more days, he calculated that he would be able to enter the peak of foundation establishment cultivation right when the heavenly pride leaderboard began. afterward, he could start preparing for core formation.


    ...


    ...


    chen qiu, expressionless and silent, turned around to look at fat long scholar and the others behind him. he had originally wanted to try out the perpetual motion machine idea he had in mind,


    to have fat long and the others stab him with their swords from behind to continuously replenish his spiritual energy when he needed to be a mobile turret.


    but in the actual practice, he discovered a flaw.


    that was...


    experience more content on empire


    under the "slippery" entry, every time he was attacked, he would automatically teleport¡ªan uncontrollable effect, rendering the perpetual motion machine plan a failure.


    he couldn''t possibly blow up this entry; it was one of the few movement techniques he had.


    he had wanted to learn the "golden light underground" spell from his senior, but was told it couldn''t be passed on. although he wasn''t given a specific reason, it was explained that the spell involved transforming seawater into a dragon, which was manipulating nature''s spiritual energy¡ªa nascent soul method beyond his current abilities.


    once you reach nascent soul, you can also command nature''s spiritual energy to fight for you.


    as a result, his current movement techniques were still limited to these two tools: slippery and shrinking earth to inches.


    both were random.


    "teach me sword flight."


    chen qiu, abandoning the perpetual motion machine idea for the moment, turned to the scholar.


    in theory, sword flight should have been learned right after entering the first level of foundation establishment, but he had advanced in cultivation too quickly, and one thing after another had kept him extremely busy, leaving no time to learn these skills that all low-level foundation establishment cultivators know.


    "okay."


    ...


    perhaps it was due to his natural talent as a sword cultivator, or maybe because of his current capacity for spiritual energy and the fine control he had over it, the sword flight technique seemed too elementary for him. in just the time it took to drink a cup of tea,

 Chapter 108 Betting Everything Twice._2

    chen qiu could now stand on his sword and soar freely between heaven and earth.this meant...


    he could arguably consider himself to have mastered a third movement technique, but the speed of sword flight was not really fast, significantly slower than the scholar''s speed.


    ...


    two incense sticks later.


    chen qiu and the others returned to "fei city" under the cover of night from the boundless icefield. by then, the streets were mostly empty as they checked into a fairly decent inn.


    planning to rest there for the night.


    although the small world was quite convenient and safe, it was... somewhat uncomfortable.


    in their room.


    chen qiu and his companions gathered around, eating the food and drinks provided by the innkeeper while chatting casually.


    "brother qiu."


    fat long picked up a duck leg and brought it to his mouth, "maybe we should find some people to repair the chao tian sect after a while. not necessarily fixing the big array right away, but at least rebuilding the collapsed ruins to officially establish our base."


    "hmm."


    chen qiu nodded, scheduling the refurbishment for the chao tian sect. indeed, the sect protection array might not need much spending if left unrepaired.


    residing within the small world, the sect protection array wasn''t urgently needed.


    discover stories at empire sear?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    however...


    it risked leaking the information that he owned a small world, so utmost caution was advisable. the best approach was to keep the construction team inside the small world and not let them out until he reached the golden core stage, where no one could threaten him.


    then, even if someone knew he had a small world, they could do nothing about it.


    ...


    after a satisfying meal and drinks.


    the scholars returned to their respective rooms to rest, while fat long went back to the small world, preparing to harvest the forthcoming heavenly dao cultivation pills; it was almost midnight.


    shortly, a few cups of tea later.


    fat long was let out of the small world by chen qiu, standing in place with a storage bag in hand and grinning, "brother qiu, got even more today, broke through 500, got 512 now."


    chen qiu glanced at his ranking on the fame ranking.


    -


    "rank fifty-four": chen qiu, fame value 4.03 million.


    -


    the rate of increase in his fame value was already slowing down. an imperial decree had turned him nearly into a household name, but his rise in the ranking could only go so far.


    above him were individuals who had been famous for a long time.


    the quickest way to surpass the people above him was to eliminate everyone above him, whose positions ranged from da xia''s number one sword cultivator to the most beautiful, the leading array repairer, and top alchemy cultivator.


    the heavenly dao blessing for rank fifty-four was¡ª


    "10 mid-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pills.


    he first took out a low-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pill and consumed it, this improvement only increased his cultivation progress by 0.1%.


    then he swallowed a mid-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pill.


    it increased his cultivation progress by 1%.


    which means,


    this one mid-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pill was equivalent to ten low-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pills.


    with a ranking of 50, he could collect an amount equivalent to 100 low-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pills per day, while liu zide, with all his elaborate arrangements and spending numerous spirit stones, could only obtain around four to five hundred such pills a day.


    and now he even suspected that those ranked in the top few places might be getting more than that daily.


    "..."


    chen qiu calmly looked at the "fame ranking"; most of those ahead were in the golden core stage, and consuming foundation establishment pills was futile for them, but they could easily gift them to younger family members or sell them for spirit stones.


    thus, the gap between family-backed cultivators and loose cultivators widened.


    without much thought,


    after fat long withdrew to another room to rest, he took out all the cultivation pills again to absorb the spiritual energy within, sitting cross-legged on the bed to enhance his own cultivation.


    the greater the force, the easier it is to chop wood.


    the higher the cultivation, the easier it is to chop people down too.


    ...


    nearly two hours later, when all the cultivation pills were absorbed completely, chen qiu opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air, inspected his body, and found his cultivation had reached¡ª


    -


    "cultivation": foundation establishment stage level eight (86.3%)


    -


    by tomorrow night when the next batch of heavenly dao cultivation pills arrived, his cultivation would smoothly advance to the ninth level of foundation establishment stage.


    in two or three days,


    he would reach the peak of the foundation establishment stage, and then he could save the heavenly dao cultivation pills to exchange for spirit stones.


    foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pills were of no use to those in the golden core stage.


    and fat long''s entry decided that dual cultivation enhanced cultivation speed the fastest, at nine times the rate, making using foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pills a waste. the scholar''s injuries hadn''t healed and his cultivation could not be improved, and as for the scholar''s brother, the scholar did not clarify, only mentioning that his brother couldn''t use them.


    ...


    just like that, after a night passed.


    sitting cross-legged on the bed, having cultivated through the night, chen qiu looked toward the window as dawn approached, the sky faintly lighting with the white of fish bellies, the dawn had arrived.


    the snow had drifted throughout the night;


    looking out the window now, the entire city was coated in silver white, as if covered by a mysterious veil, transforming into a tranquil, cool world of ice and snow. street vendors were already up early, shouting along the roadside.


    the scattered shouting, accompanied by the steam in the air,


    and the aroma of meat soup wafting through the air,


    inevitably eased one''s spirit.


    after a night of cultivation, his cultivation realm had almost completely consolidated, another advantage of being in the heavenly dao realm is that unless you attained golden core in one day, your cultivation realm was hardly unstable.

 Chapter 108 Betting Everything Twice._3

    ...in fei city, at an inn downstairs, there was a meat soup shop.


    chen qiu and his companions took advantage of the early morning, when the streets were not yet bustling, and sat at the stall to ask the shopkeeper for a few bowls of the first pot of meat soup. at the moment, goose feather-like snow still fluttered in the air. drinking a mouthful of the scalding meat soup in this kind of weather was extremely comforting.


    "this is so comfortable."


    fat long slowly rotated the porcelain bowl in his hand, slurped a mouthful of the meat soup along the edge of the bowl, and couldn''t help but draw in a few breaths of cold air with the soup still in his mouth, before swallowing and contentedly said.


    "i think, even if i achieve fasting after reaching golden core in the future, i''ll still come to drink a bowl of this meat soup in winter."


    "it warms the heart."


    "indeed."


    the scholar nodded in agreement. just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw a flying boat approaching from afar over fei city, and standing on it was a giant figure.


    even though the distance was too great to see the face clearly, he could guess who the giant was.


    "zhao yishi? why has he suddenly come to fei city?"


    a hint of surprise flashed in the scholar''s eyes, "he''s not planning to attempt the body cultivation inheritance challenge, is he?"


    "most likely,"


    fat long nodded, his expression slightly strange, "it''s probably because the leader of the caotian sect heard that brother qiu snatched the magic practitioner inheritance and couldn''t sit still, so he brought zhao yishi along."


    chen qiu glanced up briefly and kept silent, instead contemplating the next steps of his plan in his mind.


    there were many things to do next.


    but they needed to be prioritized. southern state was quite developed, a land rich in spiritual energy, and it housed many major sects, especially those focusing on artifact cultivation, alchemy cultivation, and array repair, which were mostly located in southern state.


    "fat long, after eating, you and the scholar go gather some information,"


    "see what and where you can find out about the eight desolate fruit and the evil wood."


    "understood."


    both were essential materials for refining a grade ten golden core. though he had never heard of them, since they were qualified to be materials for a grade ten golden core, they must be extremely rare. he didn''t have much hope that fat long would be able to find information, but it was worth trying.


    these things wouldn''t just fall out of the sky.


    it was always worth a shot.


    just then¡ª


    "bang."


    an object suddenly fell from the flying boat high in the sky, tracing a beautiful parabola before crashing next to chen qiu''s stall, bouncing heavily off the ground several times, and rolling to rest quietly next to chen qiu''s feet.


    it was a piece of dried-up wood, resembling the kind villagers would use for kindling.


    immediately afterward, a voice of complaint could be heard from near to far.


    "that''s evil wood, can you not just toss it around carelessly? it''s very dangerous, you know?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    as the voice reached them, fat long scholar and the others were utterly bewildered on the spot, staring at the inconspicuous piece of wood lying at chen qiu''s foot, which contained a faint spiritual energy, their minds momentarily crashing with no idea what to say.


    sometime ago, the sky dropped entry jade slips.


    and now, the sky dropped the precious evil wood.


    could the sky truly rain treasures?


    fat long looked up at the blue sky somewhat blankly, considering whether to make a wish himself; this was just too preposterous.


    soon¡ª explore stories on empire


    a middle-aged man appeared out of the streaming light, first casually revealing his golden core cultivation, then with a trace of apology, looked towards chen qiu and his companions with a smile, "fellow daoists..."


    "wait a minute!"


    the middle-aged man suddenly froze on the spot, "aren''t you chen qiu?"


    "let me introduce myself, my name is zhao dezhu, i''m the sect master of caotian sect, and your buddy zhao yishi is my direct disciple."


    then he put on a very amiable smile. s~ea??h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "to bump into you guys here, it really is fate."


    "..."


    chen qiu''s mouth twitched. how could a sect master seem to have no pretense at all? then, he seriously got up and gave a respectful bow with clasped hands, "i have seen sect master zhao."


    "what junior and senior? there''s no need for such formalities,"


    zhao dezhu pretended to be dissatisfied and sat down at the stall, then looked at chen qiu with a serious expression, "from now on, you call me brother, and i''ll call you little brother."


    "although we are meeting for the first time, since you are zhao yishi''s brother, you are also a brother of mr. zhao."


    "little brother, elder brother wants to ask you for a favor."


    "how did you get through the magic practitioner inheritance? are there any tricks or something? i want to see if zhao yishi can give it another try. his talent for body cultivation is not weak, and i believe that one day he will surely grow into a peerless warrior of body cultivation."


    "..."


    after remaining silent for a while, chen qiu looked up at sect master zhao seriously, "there is indeed a little trick, but might i presumptuously ask, where did this piece of evil wood come from?"


    "oh, this?"


    zhao dezhu looked curiously at the piece of wood in his hand, "this thing isn''t worth much. it''s just wood that grows in the evil land. it generates more heat when burned and is used for warming up. but the malevolent energy it emits can be somewhat fatal to ordinary people."


    "so, when it fell to the city below, i came down immediately, intending to pick it up."


    "you want it?"


    "here."


    zhao dezhu took out a storage ring from his robes and stuffed it back, "it''s filled up; i''m giving it to you. fei city is indeed cold enough; you do need to keep warm."


    chen qiu''s consciousness swept through the storage ring, which was filled with large amounts of evil wood, its characteristics and appearance exactly matching the information recorded in the jade slip given to him by the fortune-telling old man. it really was the evil wood needed for a grade ten golden core.


    he had thought it was something very precious, but now it seemed the evil wood was probably not even as valuable as the storage ring itself.


    after pausing for a moment without holding back, he looked at the caotian sect master and said seriously, "there is indeed a little trick for the body cultivation inheritance: from start to finish, one needs a strong fighting spirit."

 Chapter 108 Betting Everything Twice._4

    "how intense?""with broken legs, split body, crippled hands and only a head remaining, still using the mouth to bite the enemy to death."


    "is that true?"


    "couldn''t be truer."


    "understood." zhao dezhu stood up, his face serious as he bowed to chen qiu, "thank you, brother, for passing on the technique. i won''t stay here longer. feel free to visit the caotian sect whenever you are free."


    "as long as i am in the capital, no one dares to touch you."


    ...


    ...


    fat long looked at the flying boat, which had turned into a beam of light and started heading back oddly, "this sect master of the caotian sect, why does he seem so odd? it feels a bit...inappropriate."


    though the idiom wasn''t quite apt, he really felt like using it at that moment.


    being a golden core and the master of a sect. sear?h the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    that status could allow one to strut around da xia country, but he didn''t seem conceited at all, which was peculiar. there''s an old saying, "position brings vanity."


    just by sitting in that position, even if you are normally a gentle person, you would involuntarily become pretentious.


    "not sure."


    chen qiu shook his head. after throwing a few pieces of silver on the table, he got up to leave the shop and headed towards the street, planning to return to the inn and let fat long gather some intelligence. he also wanted to check if there was an auction nearby selling entry jade slips.


    he had not finished his advice to the sect master of caotian sect.


    maintaining intense battle intent indeed could make it possible to breakthrough to the fourth level, but just having intense battle intent wouldn''t suffice for the fifth level.


    but now wasn''t the time to discuss this; after passing the levels, there would be a nascent soul body, which was what he needed. this matter would need to be slowly strategized later, at least for now, it wasn''t suitable to tell the sect master of caotian sect.


    moreover...


    even having intense battle intent, it would still be hard to reach the fourth level, let alone the fifth level. intense battle intent is merely a technique, and not a guaranteed way to pass; body cultivation inheritance definitely includes extremely harsh challenges.


    exactly what challenges he didn''t know; he only knew some little tricks that some old fortune tellers had told him.


    ...


    "sect master?"


    zhao yishi, sitting on the flying boat, looked puzzled at the sect master resting on his shoulder, "didn''t you say we were going to challenge the body cultivation inheritance?"


    "not going yet."


    the sect master of caotian sect remained silent with a stern face. chen qiu had no reason to lie to him; hence, to attain the body cultivation inheritance one definitely needs intense battle intent.


    it actually makes sense.


    as a practitioner of body cultivation, one should indeed embody the belief that bare fists can break any spell.


    ironically


    his direct disciple hardly had any battle intent. the ''invisibility technique,'' a spell that becomes harder to cultivate with a larger body type, zhao yishi managed to cultivate it to the great perfection realm.


    that was hard-won.


    he needed to think of a way to take zhao yishi back to the sect, call everyone in the sect to perform a play to stimulate the latent battle intent in zhao yishi''s heart.


    for instance...


    the sect being slaughtered!


    all his former brothers meeting their death at the hands of an enemy!


    his senior sister violated and killed by the enemy!


    the sect master he dearly loved, also miserably killed by the enemy because he wasn''t strong enough! continue reading stories on empire


    even the supreme elder cut down by the enemy in one stroke!


    only by making zhao yishi feel the crisis of insufficient strength and intense hatred, could the battle intent be stimulated, thereby seizing the body cultivation inheritance opportunistically!


    however...


    the sect master sitting on zhao yishi''s shoulder turned his head slightly towards zhao yishi with some inner trepidation. he faintly worried whether this might backfire and make the inherently timid and battle-shy zhao yishi even more fearful upon witnessing such a scene.


    that would truly be a disaster.


    by the way, why have so many new phrases been popping up in the capital recently? and they all seem pretty catchy.

 Chapter 109 Useless Things.

    fei city, noon.snow blanketed the ground; the sunlight was relatively warm as it shone down, imparting a faint sense of warmth. this place was close to the boundless icefield, where summer was almost nonexistent, and autumn and winter dominated all year round. the howling cold winds from the boundless icefield poured into fei city at every moment. s§×arch* the n?velfire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    and fat long was in the inn, reporting the information he had gathered.


    "the evil wood is indeed as the sect master of the caotian sect said, originating from fei city. while it is said to grow in the lands of evil, no one knows why only the evil lands of fei city can produce such wood."


    "perhaps it''s because of the cold climate in fei city that this object exists."


    "just like there is said to be an antidote within seven steps of a snake bite."


    "it''s a common item used by the local sects and families in fei city for heating, truly not anything valuable."


    "as for the eight desolate fruit¡ª"


    fat long paused, then remarked with a sigh, "this piece of information cost some spirit stones; i learned about it from the ''world pavilion'' that specializes in selling intelligence. the evil wood can still be used for heating, but the eight desolate fruit is a truly useless item."


    "it belongs to the category of spirit fruits."


    "it grows completely at random, possibly sprouting from an apple tree or a pear tree. any type of fruit tree could potentially bear the eight desolate fruit; it''s a bit against the natural order."


    "and any tree that bears the eight desolate fruit will never bear another fruit again, nor will it ever bear fruit in the future."


    "the eight desolate fruit is octagonal, resembling a starfruit."


    "if there is any singular effect, it would be... its rarity."


    "because this fruit has no side effects when eaten, nor does it have any effect. it also lacks any taste, not sweet, not astringent, not sour, not spicy, and the texture is nothing extraordinary."


    "moreover, once the fruit is plucked from the tree, it will rot within nine hours."


    "it must be kept in a jade box to prevent decay."


    "the price is not high; if one desires it, it can be obtained for a little over three hundred mid-grade spirit stones, with the main expenses being the journey and the search. in the end, the fruit farmers will only receive a few taels of silver."


    "i have already paid a deposit to the world pavilion, and i have arranged for someone there to handle it."


    "hmm."


    chen qiu nodded, puzzled within his heart. the requirements for each stage of the golden core were extremely stringent, but he wondered why the two mentioned heavenly treasures were such ordinary items.


    the requirements for a third-grade golden core already included rare materials for forging such as dragon vein stones, so why did the tenth-grade golden core only require something like evil wood for heating? the eight desolate fruit was indeed a bit rarer but still a useless item. experience more tales on empire


    before he could ponder further.


    fat long spoke again, "there is indeed an auction tonight in fei city. this auction has been long in preparation, and most of the items on offer are things like alchemy furnaces, recipes, formation manuals, and the like, prepared for alchemy cultivators and talisman cultivators."


    "after all, there is a noticeable predominance of alchemy and talisman cultivators in the southern state."


    "however, i have heard that they will be selling two entry jade slips at the auction."


    "let''s go take a look tonight," chen qiu responded with an understanding nod.


    ...


    that night.


    chen qiu was already standing at the entrance of the "fei city" jia clan''s commercial building, a five-story pavilion that was one of the taller structures in fei city. at this time, many cultivators were entering the pavilion''s entrance.


    the auction was about to begin tonight.


    entry jade slips, even the most worthless ones, were rather rare and would often be promoted in advance and then sold to the highest bidder at the auction, of course, only the lower-grade entries. the high-grade entry jade slips didn''t have the chance to make it to auction, as they were mostly prearranged internally.


    chen qiu, standing at the entrance, did not enter immediately, but engaged in introspection of his small world.


    he still had more than four thousand lower-grade spirit stones and twenty-four mid-grade spirit stones.


    the mid-grade spirit stones must be saved for breaking through to the golden core.


    according to the scholar, an ordinary cultivator should prepare at least forty-nine mid-grade spirit stones when breaking through to the golden core, and then lay out a spirit gathering array to ensure a smooth transition.


    to be on the safe side, he planned to set up a higher-level spirit gathering array, which would require one hundred and eight mid-grade spirit stones.


    after all, his goal was the tenth-grade golden core, and forty-nine mid-grade spirit stones might not be enough.


    one of his goals in the coming year was to accumulate enough mid-grade spirit stones.


    based on the information from fat long, the two entry jade slips on auction weren''t particularly outstanding, so the four thousand lower-grade spirit stones he had should suffice for the purchase.


    "let''s go."


    chen qiu, about to step into the auction pavilion with fat long and the others, suddenly heard a sneering voice, "where did these country bumpkins come from, bringing a cripple to an auction?"


    "..."


    fat long stood still, looking around to confirm that there were no other disabled people nearby, before realizing the words were directed at them. with some disbelief, he looked at the young, richly-dressed gentleman beside them.


    this person... was he really that audacious?


    to speak to them in such a manner? and for their part, they had spent several spirit stones on their clothes at the wentiangfang market; they shouldn''t appear to be country bumpkins, should they?


    chen qiu glanced at the person and then, without saying another word, strode towards the auction pavilion without the slightest hesitation.


    "hey!"


    the young noble who had just spoken, with a playful smile on his face, called out to chen qiu and his group loudly, "i''m talking to you, are you deaf?"


    chen qiu didn''t respond, but simply patted fat long on the shoulder to signal him to enter the auction first.


    ...


    the young noble, accompanied by a gathering of other nobles, watched chen qiu''s retreating back without restraint, laughing loudly, while the young noble who had started the conversation grinned even more arrogantly at the others.

 Chapter 109 Useless Things._2

    ```"see? even chen qiu, who seized the magic practitioner''s inheritance, still has to bow his head when he sees me, ning laiping."


    "since he''s asking my grandfather for a favor, he naturally has to behave submissively."


    he certainly recognized chen qiu. s§×arch* the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    the moment chen qiu seized the magic practitioner''s inheritance, his portrait was basically sent to every family and sect with a bit of power within da xia country. his grandfather was none other than the most famous foundation establishment peak artifact refiner in fei city.


    naturally, he wouldn''t miss out on this news.


    by now, chen qiu had already stepped into the auction, and ning laiping looked in the direction chen qiu left with a cold smile, "an out-of-town magic practitioner who wants to acquire the lifebound treasure crafted by my grandfather has to learn to keep his head bowed."


    tonight''s auction highlight¡ª


    was his grandfather!


    his grandfather was at the peak of foundation establishment and on the verge of breaking through to the golden core stage. all artifact refiners, when using the power of heaven and earth to craft a spiritual treasure at the moment of their breakthrough, would imbue it with a more potent force than other spiritual treasures of the same level!


    stronger, more expensive, and rarer!


    his grandfather happened to be especially skilled at crafting spiritual treasures for magic practitioners and had gained fame for it. chen qiu''s purpose in attending tonight''s auction was clear; he wanted to win the privilege of having a spiritual treasure crafted by his grandfather at the very moment he broke through his cultivation level.


    thus, through this formidable treasure, he could participate in the competition for heavenly prides four days later.


    but ning laiping didn''t like this person.


    it wasn''t a matter of conflicting interests, rather, the news that his grandfather would break through that night and craft a magic practitioner''s treasure had spread throughout the entirety of fei city. he had been the center of conversation, with everyone congratulating him that his grandfather was about to become a golden core artifact refiner and would soon be able to craft golden core spiritual treasures for golden core cultivators. this would greatly enhance both his prestige and power.


    since chen qiu had gained the magic practitioner inheritance, the focus of conversation had shifted away from him. initially, he was just internally uncomfortable with it but could not voice his feelings without seeming petty to others.


    but since chen qiu just happened to be asking his grandfather for a favor, it was impossible to hold back the resentful energy in his heart without venting it a little.


    and those surrounding him also laughed and joined in.


    "he''s just a loose cultivator from the remote areas of north continent, getting arrogant now. does he really think acquiring a magic practitioner''s inheritance makes him invincible?"


    "exactly, even with his arrogance, doesn''t he still have to come beg mr. ning''s grandfather to craft a treasure for him?"


    "no matter what, he''s just a foundation establishment loose cultivator, after all, we''re either artifact or alchemy cultivators. if we were magic practitioners, how would it be his turn, chen qiu, to seize a magic practitioner inheritance?"


    those gathered around ning laiping were alchemy and artifact cultivators.


    either disciples of prestigious lineages or inheritors of family traditions.


    in southern state.


    artifact and alchemy cultivators were highly regarded and held the highest status. whether it be sword or magic practitioners, they often needed to seek the help of artifact and alchemy cultivators. moreover, both required immense talent and accumulation, making those capable artifact and alchemy cultivators exceedingly rare.


    hence a renowned artifact cultivator, in terms of connections and status, would far surpass cultivators of the same level.


    the younger generations of these artifact and alchemy cultivators often associated with one another, forming a small clique. even some golden core cultivators, when seeking favors from their elders, would treat them quite amiably and speak to them with praise.


    as the saying goes,


    "no dealings without scholars; conversation always of the learned."


    in ordinary families, even the golden core great powers that could be treated as honored guests had crossed paths with them, and these powers were highly respectful when asking for their elders'' help, indicative of a seller''s market.


    after years of immersion, they too didn''t think mocking a foundation establishment loose cultivator was a big deal, regardless of whether that cultivator had won a magic practitioner''s inheritance or not. once he came to fei city, he had to learn to keep a low profile.


    ...


    meanwhile¡ª


    inside the auction, chen qiu and others had taken their seats in the hall.


    "here."


    the scholar sitting cross-legged in the hall smacked his lips, "looks like we might not have to spend any spirit stones this time, someone is going to pick up the tab for us."


    "them?"


    fat long looked up toward those provoking young masters, sitting in the room labeled with the character for ''heaven'' on the second floor; he grinned, "you''ve got a point, just don''t know if those young masters will engage in a bidding war and save us some spirit stones."


    chen qiu leaned back in his chair, flipping through the auction listing in his hand, turning to the last page where he saw an old man who bore a resemblance to the young master who had challenged him earlier.


    there were also a few lines of small text introducing him.


    -


    "ning taiping."


    "a foundation establishment peak artifact refiner, the supreme elder of the ning family of fei city. though his cultivation is at the peak of foundation establishment, his threats extend to the early stages of the golden core, courtesy of the spiritual treasures in his possession."


    "ranked first among the top ten foundation establishment artifact refiners of fei state, regarded as the most likely to step into the golden core realm in recent years."


    "specializes in forging spiritual treasures for magic practitioners and can tailor them to fit the usual tactics of cultivators."


    "tonight''s highest bidder will earn the privilege of having an exceptional treasure crafted with the power of heaven and earth when ning taiping breaks through to golden core outside the city."


    "note: tonight''s highest bid secures only the forging privilege. forging fees and the necessary heavenly and earthly materials must be provided separately."


    -


    "got it."


    chen qiu nodded slightly, casually flipping through the auction list and said nonchalantly, "so ning taiping''s grandson thinks we''re here to request his grandfather to forge a magic practitioner''s treasure, which is why he provoked us?"


    "looks like it."


    fat long nodded, "seems like he''s used to being spoiled in fei city; his grandfather would probably smack him if he knew he was acting like this."


    ``` discover stories with empire

 Chapter 109 Useless Things._3

    and at this time, the auction had not yet begun.onstage, the beautiful woman hosting the auction was still preparing, while many cultivators who had just entered the hall were finding seats.


    just then¡ª¡ª


    a white-bearded elder dressed in a rather luxurious robe walked onto the stage with an icy expression, generously releasing his peak foundation establishment cultivation, "everyone present probably recognizes me, i am ning taiping."


    "i just heard from my grandson that a magic practitioner from outside said that all the artifact cultivators in fei city are nothing but a disorderly crowd?"


    "i would like to see which magic practitioner is so bold and reckless in my fei city!"


    although phrased as a question, his eyes, sharp as an eagle''s, filled with gloom, he stared directly through the crowd at chen qiu leaning on his chair and spoke word by word, "i heard from my son that this person calls himself chen qiu, the lucky one who has just obtained the inheritance of a magic practitioner in the heavenly dao decree."


    "do you know where that person is?"


    "i want to see where this person gets such courage from!"


    "..."


    the hall, which had been somewhat noisy, instantly fell silent; many looked oddly towards the direction of ning taiping, who was gazing at a young man lounging calmly in his chair with his legs crossed.


    this person was chen qiu?


    he looked indeed young and had the air of a heavenly pride. s§×arch* the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    although ning taiping did not straightforwardly state that this man was chen qiu, his words nearly pointed directly at him ¡ª did these two have a feud?


    seeing chen qiu not speaking,


    ning taiping, standing on the stage, flashed a hint of satisfaction in his eyes and scanned the audience, "a minor dispute, let''s not disturb everyone''s refined tastes. the auction is about to start, please take your seats."


    ...


    inside the room no. 3 of the second floor''s heavenly character section,


    a charming lady wearing a low-cut, slit cheongsam, gently swirling the spiritual wine in her glass, looked towards ning taiping stepping down from the stage with a faint smile, "that chen qiu is still young, somewhat unable to play against the cunning old fox, ning taiping."


    "ning taiping also knows that this chen qiu is seeking something from him tonight, so he certainly wouldn''t dare to refute him directly to his face, thus using suppression against the newly arising momentum of chen qiu to build his own."


    "word will spread out."


    "that the one who obtained the magic practitioner inheritance, chen qiu, has to behave obediently like a grandson in front of him, ning taiping, who has always wanted to become the next leader of the artifact repair alliance."


    "with this momentum-building, coupled with his breakthrough into the golden core artifact refiner tonight, on the day of the leader''s reelection in seven days, ning taiping might indeed secure that position."


    next to the woman, an old man in hemp clothing looked disdainfully at chen qiu standing below the stage, "this kid is young, just having obtained the magic practitioner inheritance, being in his moment of pride."


    "being suppressed by ning taiping like this might leave some mental scars; it''s feared that his spirit might disperse a great deal."


    "just needing to consolidate for a while and stepping into the golden core later, he could have made a significant name for himself."


    "now, being humiliated in public, those unusual looks stabbing directly into his heart, it''s hard to gather up spirit again; one could basically say it''s ruined, such is the brittleness of a loose cultivator suddenly bestowed with a fortune."


    "typical."


    the woman, her slender white legs perched on a stool beside her, looked rather amused at chen qiu as she smiled, "building momentum is exactly about swallowing up others'' momentum to form one''s own."


    "that chen qiu, having no backing and needing others'' help, rushed to let others use him as a stepping stone, no one can stop that."


    "still too impatient after all."


    "if he''d find a place to endure hardship and fully digest the magic practitioner inheritance first, next year''s heavenly pride leaderboard could not be without his place; instead, he wanted to come here before the battle for heavenly pride with a handy spiritual treasure to seek favors, thus losing both face and substance."


    "but even so, being someone with a magic practitioner inheritance, taking him into the family to work for the family wouldn''t be out of question."


    ...


    "grandfather, looking at that chen qiu below, he still acts composed till now, probably gritting his teeth on the inside."


    inside room no. 7 of the heavenly character section,


    ning wuping looked at chen qiu sitting in the great hall and laughed with great satisfaction, "grandfather, you are truly imposing."


    "hmph."


    ning taiping was also quite pleased inside, he stroked his white beard, picked up a cup of steaming tea, took a sip, and then pretended to be calm and disdainful, "just a little kid, after a few scoldings, would he dare to talk back?"


    "if he dares to answer back with even a single word, once i take the seat of the leader of the artifact repair alliance, i''ll call on all artifact cultivators and alchemy cultivators not to do business with him, a loose cultivator without backing from a family needs no managing, in a few years he will fade into the crowd."


    "i''ve already prepared a golden core with a hefty sum, tonight with a second-grade golden core, i will step into the golden core realm!"


    "this fei city should also be renamed as ning city in the future."


    ...


    chen qiu was currently leaning back on his chair, patiently waiting for the auction to begin, while various discussions entered his ears, all consisting of some praising ning taiping and others pitying him; he initially didn''t take it to heart.


    until¡ª¡ª


    "it''s said that elder ning has already prepared a golden core, and tonight at the top of furnace peak outside the city, he will step into the golden core stage with a second-grade golden core. the ning family will soon be a golden core family, prospering under elder ning''s protection for a few hundred more years." read exclusive content at empire


    "quite good."


    hearing this news, chen qiu suddenly lightened up with a laugh; his tenth-grade golden core needed nine second-grade golden cores as fusion materials. he had been troubled about where to collect these since second-grade golden cores weren''t something common people could form.


    the first one had just been delivered to his door.


    just an artifact cultivator who had stepped into the first layer of the golden core was not so difficult to kill; the biggest crushing tactic against a foundation establishment cultivator was the divine sense attack, and just having stepped into the golden core, he probably hadn''t yet learned how to perform a divine sense attack, lacking this biggest crushing tactic.

 Chapter 109 Useless Things._4

    in such a situation, he was only half a step away from golden core.moreover, as an artifact cultivator, his strength mostly came from external forces.


    he didn''t even need to activate the self-destruction term to obliterate him with his own power, and this was his first time witnessing someone breakthrough to golden core in the presence of others. he seemed to be fearlessly creating momentum regardless of the consequences.


    ...


    the auction didn''t take long to begin.


    the first auction item.


    "the first auction item."


    "spiritual treasure, mid-grade alchemy furnace ''earth fire tripod furnace,'' starting bid..."


    "..."


    chen qiu leaned back in his chair with his eyelids slightly drooped as he waited for the subsequent items. he had almost reviewed the entire auction list, and there was nothing particularly useful for him, except for those two entries.


    not much later.


    -


    "the thirteenth auction item."


    "entry jade scroll, white entry."


    "entry name": refining technique.


    "entry level": white.


    "entry effect": when you forge a spiritual treasure, the success rate will slightly increase.


    "starting bid 100 spirit stones, each bid must be no less than 100 spirit stones."


    -


    this entry could be considered one of the highlights of the auction, as many cultivators in the hall were eagerly bidding.


    the price quickly reached 1,200 spirit stones, and the pace of the bids started to slow.


    "third call..."


    just as the hammer was about to fall, fat long raised his plaque and shouted loudly, "1,300 spirit stones."


    almost immediately after his words fell, ning wuping in room no. 7, who initially showed no interest in bidding, provocatively raised his eyebrows towards fat long sitting in the hall, "1,400 spirit stones."


    "hey."


    fat long started to smile and was about to continue bidding when he was stopped by chen qiu.


    "don''t raise the bid anymore, let him spend more spirit stones so we''ll have to give up fewer spirit stones later."


    "understood."


    ...


    "the fourteenth auction item."


    "entry jade scroll, green entry."


    "entry name": artifact refining god.


    "entry level": green.


    "entry effect": every time you forge a spiritual treasure, there is a low chance to randomly add a special effect.


    "starting bid 100 spirit stones, each bid must be no less than 100 spirit stones."


    ...


    this time, before fat long even had a chance to bid, ning wuping snatched the entry for 3,900 spirit stones, a price significantly higher than that of the green entry that had been auctioned at wen tian fang market.


    after all, this entry can be considered a divine-level for artifact cultivators.


    with this entry, any forged spiritual treasure could be sold for a much better price.


    "this artifact cultivator is truly wealthy."


    meeting ning wuping''s challenging gaze from room no. 7, fat long replied with a smile, "nearly four thousand spirit stones, tossed away just like that. it really does make people envy the life of an artifact cultivator."


    ...


    "the fifteenth auction item!"


    "elder ning''s qualification to forge a treasure by borrowing the power of heaven and earth during his breakthrough to the golden core stage."


    it was indeed the main event of the evening.


    many people had come specifically for this.


    the bids rose one after another, and those rooms with the character ''heaven'' in their number continuously increased their offers until the final price stopped at 12,300 spirit stones, an absurdly high sum. after all, so many spirit stones were merely for a qualification.


    that didn''t even include the forging fee or the precious materials needed to craft the spiritual treasure.


    even though a spiritual treasure crafted with the help of heaven and earth''s power during a great realm breakthrough could be nearly twice as powerful as ordinary ones of the same level, it definitely wasn''t worth 12,300 spirit stones; the price was purely a case of willingly being taken advantage of.


    no one knew what kind of a sucker was sitting in room number nine with the ''heaven'' character.


    many people in the large hall were quite shocked by the price, discussing among themselves, unclear why it had reached such an outrageous amount.


    meanwhile, chen qiu had not made a single bid from beginning to end.


    truth be told, he somewhat looked down on such level of spiritual treasure. the heavenly dao spiritual treasure in the top three of the heavenly pride leaderboard was his goal. such treasures needed to become one''s lifebound spirit treasure to unleash their full power, and he simply couldn''t be bothered to waste his efforts on cultivating them.


    before such a reputation could even be cultivated, he would already have obtained his heavenly dao spiritual treasure.


    "hahahaha!!!"


    a very hearty laugh came from room number seven with the ''heaven'' character, as ning taiping, with his white beard and looking rather robust, stood by the window with hands clasped in front of him, bowing to the opposite room number nine: "thank you, fellow daoist, for your support, at the cost of your wealth."


    and from room number nine with the ''heaven'' character came a dull, hoarse voice.


    "elder ning is too modest. the whole world knows that elder ning is fei city''s number one foundation establishment artifact cultivator. after stepping into the golden core stage, with just a bit of settling, he will become da xia''s number one artifact cultivator."


    "it is i who have picked up a bargain. these people don''t understand the significance of the four words ''elder ning''. this is worth the more than ten thousand spirit stones i spent."


    "once elder ning officially ascends to the position of da xia''s number one artifact cultivator, this treasure crafted by elder ning during his golden core breakthrough will also have great significance for collection and commemoration."


    "hahahaha." ning taiping, quite pleased by the words, stroked his beard heartily and said, "you flatter me, fellow daoist. since that''s the case, let''s not delay any further and set off immediately for the outside of fei city''s furnace peak. i will breakthrough before everyone''s eyes and forge the treasure on-site with the power of heaven and earth for you."


    "good!"


    ...


    your journey continues at empire s§×arch* the novel(f~)ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    fei city, furnace peak.


    named for its resemblance to an artifact cultivator''s forging furnace, it was also considered a sacred site by countless artifact cultivators. and it was atop furnace peak that ning taiping had chosen to make his golden core breakthrough.


    at this moment, ning taiping was sitting cross-legged on the ground, circulating his mental method with a spirit gathering array made from forty-nine mid-grade spirit stones arranged around him.


    in front of him, a golden core lay quietly within a jade box.


    already, quite a number of people had gathered around him within a few meters, mostly artifact cultivators who had come to witness the historic moment of ning taiping''s golden core breakthrough.


    "i think i''ve figured it out," fat long said, clicking his tongue as he stood among the crowd, "it''s not only about publicly suppressing brother qiu and hiring others to buy the treasure you will craft during his core formation at an exorbitant price, but also about choosing to make the breakthrough at furnace peak¡ªa sacred site among artifact cultivators."


    "this old man is creating momentum."


    it wasn''t too difficult to figure out. anyone with clear sight could see how ridiculous it was to spend more than ten thousand spirit stones just for a qualification, when with that many spirit stones one could purchase a superior early-stage golden core spiritual treasure.


    using it to buy a peak foundation establishment spiritual treasure would be downright foolish, wouldn''t it?


    and that''s just for the qualification, not to mention the extra costs for forging and precious materials.


    it was indeed a clumsy tactic.


    but it had to be said it was effective; with the right push from interested parties to spread the story, it would create a long-term positive effect for ning taiping similar to the one of ''spending a fortune on a horse''s bones''.


    "from a certain perspective," fat long said, arms crossed, standing on the spot and raising an eyebrow, "this old man is quite savvy with his plays. if it weren''t for using brother qiu as a stepping stone, he might''ve really built up his own momentum."


    "with this momentum, he could become a renowned golden core artifact cultivator in the future, and the ning family would become a truly major family in fei city."


    "it''s just that..."


    "too bad, though."

 Chapter 110

    just then¡ªning wuping, who was surrounded by a group of young lords in the crowd, noticed chen qiu and his companions standing among the people. he sneered and waved his hand, leading his entourage of equally frivolous friends towards chen qiu.


    standing in front of chen qiu.


    he deliberately projected his voice with spiritual energy, allowing everyone to hear his mockery clearly, "yo, isn''t that chen qiu who just acquired the magic practitioner''s legacy?"


    "what?"


    "feeling unwilling, coming here to see if you have a chance to obtain the treasure my grandfather, ning taiping, crafted during his golden core breakthrough?"


    "if you had the time, why didn''t you bid earlier? or could it be that you can''t afford it?"


    "didn''t you say that all artifact cultivators are trash? why are you silent now? keep talking."


    "..."


    chen qiu still did not speak, simply glancing at ning wuping. he had one merit¡ªhe never wasted words on the dead. they were just resentful spirits soon to cool his temper, talking more would be pointless.


    meanwhile, the artifact cultivators present couldn''t help but frown and start discussing chen qiu amongst themselves.


    "did chen qiu really say that?"


    "certainly, he did. otherwise, he would have retorted by now. look, elder ning and mr. ning said it in front of him twice, and he didn''t respond at all. doesn''t that mean he tacitly accepts it, lacking the confidence to counter?"


    "heh, after all, he just seized a magic practitioner''s legacy, it''s natural for him to be a bit arrogant."


    suddenly.


    the looks many people gave chen qiu gradually filled with disdain and contempt.


    if they were alone with chen qiu, they certainly wouldn''t dare to show such expressions, given he was a heavenly pride who had seized the magic practitioner''s legacy, definitely more formidable than them. but, under the successive insults from elder ning and mr. ning, chen qiu hadn''t bitten back.


    it must be either that his nature was weak, or he recognized his own lack of strength.


    they also got to join in on the fun, looking down on chen qiu. many began to feel an unusual sensation of pleasure, as it was their first time publicly mocking such a heavenly pride, feeling a sudden thrill of being above others.


    "go back to north continent!"


    suddenly, a cultivator in the crowd shouted angrily at chen qiu.


    following that remark, as if empowered by it, others no longer whispered amongst themselves but looked at chen qiu with anger and roared similarly.


    "fei city doesn''t welcome your kind of beast!"


    "get lost back to north continent, country bumpkin!"


    "you were just lucky to seize the magic practitioner''s legacy, and now you think you''re something special!"


    "pretending to be decent, yet you''re only following behind elder ning, begging for him to craft a spiritual treasure for you."


    "pah, you dare to call yourself a heavenly pride?!"


    meanwhile, ning wuping, who hadn''t expected this outcome, saw almost everyone emotionally aligning with him. he felt a rush as if he could lead a charge; his heart filled with an even greater sense of mockery as he laughed at chen qiu.


    "look, chen qiu, i know you urgently need a treasure for the heavenly pride competition in four days."


    "if you kneel here in public and bark like a dog three times..."


    "i''ll have my grandfather craft you another peak foundation establishment spiritual treasure. how about that?"


    no sooner had he finished speaking¡ª


    a person from the crowd immediately knelt down and barked three times, looking expectantly at ning wuping, "mr. ning, i barked three times, can you give it to me?"


    "scram!"


    ning wuping kicked out impatiently, then fixed his gaze on chen qiu. his eyes shimmered darkly, his countenance growing grim, "don''t act ungrateful when i''m speaking to you so much."


    "you haven''t said a word, until when do you plan to keep enduring?"


    "so, the one who seized the magic practitioner''s legacy is just a coward hiding in his shell."


    laughter erupted once more from the crowd.


    and at that moment¡ª


    "roar!"


    elder ning, who had been sitting in meditation and circulating his mental method, was almost ready. with a fierce shout, his face contorted as forty-nine mid-grade spirit stones suddenly shone brightly. the spiritual energy produced by the spirit gathering array was instantly absorbed by ning taiping into his body. sear?h the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    eyes closed tightly.


    face flushed red as his body emitted steam.


    with that roar, the place became quiet at once, as everyone looked on with envy and admiration towards ning taiping at the center. even chen qiu''s face revealed a hint of curiosity; this was his first time witnessing someone breaking through to golden core.


    he then glanced nonchalantly at a robed elder standing beside ning taiping.


    he couldn''t sense the elder''s cultivation level.


    but he could guess that the person was likely a golden core great power, invited by ning taiping to guard the way during his golden core breakthrough. it seemed ning taiping wasn''t completely foolish; despite the dangers of breaking through to golden core in front of a large audience, the risk was much smaller with a golden core protecting him.


    chen qiu''s gaze quickly swept past the robed figure without lingering, concerned about raising suspicion.


    plans had to change. read new adventures at empire


    if it were just a newly advanced golden core artifact cultivator, he wouldn''t need to use his trump card, the self-destruction term; his overt strength would suffice. but now, with an unknown level of golden core protecting the way...


    a new plan was necessary.


    using a self-destruction term to assassinate that guarding golden core was not a great idea. he had succeeded in taking out the workshop owner from the qiantian market that day mainly because the latter was virtually unguarded against them, a group of foundation establishment cultivators, and had carelessly exposed his back in a moment of distraction.


    only then was he able to instantly detonate multiple entries, preventing the opponent from even launching a divine sense attack before being killed on the spot.

 Chapter 111 That was a miracle.

    for instance¡ªdesign an arm guard with hundreds of tiny needle tips inside. whenever he willed it, these needle tips would pierce into his body. with such an object, he would need only three breaths to instantly recover full spiritual energy. experience tales with empire


    although, due to the "slippery" entry, it could cause uncontrollable teleportation everywhere.


    but all he needed to do was to retreat to his small world when his spiritual energy was depleted, replenish it in three breaths, and then burst out again¡ªthat would be perfect.


    that''s what a perpetual motion machine would be like.


    chen qiu noted this matter in his heart, preparing to find an artifact cultivator to design such a spiritual treasure the next day.


    it was only then that he exited the small world. s§×ar?h the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    sitting cross-legged on the guest room bed, he looked up to the heavenly dao blessing of the night.


    512 foundation establishment stage low-grade heavenly dao cultivation pills, no change from yesterday¡ªit seemed these people''s enthusiasm was gradually fading.


    many things are like this, even if they''re interesting, the level of discussion will slowly decrease.


    moreover, the fame ranking has a mechanism where, once listed, your fame won''t drop, even if no one discusses you anymore. unless someone else catches up in fame, you can maintain your position indefinitely.


    he had risen by only one place in the fame ranking, it seemed that the effects of "heavenly dao decree" had reached their limit. still, it was 10 mid-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pills.


    chen qiu swallowed a mid-grade foundation establishment stage heavenly dao cultivation pill, activating his mental method and slowly beginning to cultivate again.


    ...


    two hours later.


    "huff..."


    chen qiu opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath; he had absorbed all the heavenly dao cultivation pills granted by the night''s blessing, and his cultivation had reached...


    -


    ''cultivation'': foundation establishment stage ninth layer (47.5%)


    -


    he was just half a step away from reaching the peak of foundation establishment cultivation.


    after tomorrow''s arrival of the heavenly dao cultivation pills, he would have just enough. in fact, if he took a golden core pill now, he could probably reach the peak of foundation establishment cultivation instantly, but that seemed somewhat unnecessary.


    to him, there was not much difference between the ninth layer of foundation establishment and its peak.


    "still seven pills short."


    chen qiu looked at the jade box in his chest holding a second-grade golden core in each, murmuring with a distant expression. he was seven short of collecting nine second-grade golden cores.


    he had thought he would gain only one second-grade golden core tonight.


    unexpectedly, there were two. to be honest, this was truly beyond his expectations¡ªa real pleasant surprise.


    the power of that array plate was too fierce; he didn''t have the time to collect all the storage rings and storage bags. most of them melted in the flames, but he had taken special care of ning wuping and other opulently-dressed artifact cultivators.


    twenty-three storage rings from these people were now resting quietly in his small world.


    the auction''s entry jade slips were inside one of the storage rings, but whether it was one or two remained to be seen. the white artifact refining entry, ning wuping clearly had little desire for it, likely because he already possessed it, definitely not to be crushed and inscribed into his tao foundation.


    but the other green artifact refining entry...


    ning wuping seemed quite keen on it. he hoped the young man wouldn''t act so hastily, crushing the entry jade slip and inscribing it into his tao foundation as soon as he acquired it.


    otherwise, his gains this time would be one entry jade slip short.


    after approximately inventorying his gains, he then stored everything in his small world and turned his head to look out the window at the starry sky, a smile in his eyes.


    ...


    soon, day broke.


    a piece of news had already spread throughout fei city last night, and it continued to disseminate to nearby cities without decreasing speed.


    forging furnace mountain.


    named for its resemblance to the furnaces used by artifact cultivators, it was regarded as sacred ground by da xia''s artifact cultivators. last night, it was leveled to the ground by a grand array.


    leading the ning family¡ªhome to ten of fei state''s peak foundation establishment artifact cultivators, headed by ning taiping¡ªalong with young master ning, were wiped out overnight.


    almost a hundred artifact cultivators who attended the ceremony that night vanished without a trace.


    an ominous sign stood at the remains of forging furnace mountain.


    -


    ''i''m a buddhist; i don''t kill.''


    ''who said that?''


    ''they said it.''


    ¡ªsect master chen qiu of chao tian sect.


    -


    nearly a hundred people had attended the event at forging furnace mountain that night, but in the end, only a few like chen qiu survived; the others were nowhere to be found.


    and that chen qiu even arrogantly refused to live incognito from then on. instead, he left behind such a sign as if declaring war to all artifact cultivators in the world.


    last night''s disaster...


    many young generation artifact cultivators of fei state died on the spot, and elder ning, who was almost certain to advance to a golden core artifact refiner, perished on the spot, along with his golden core protectors.


    for a time¡ª


    many sects and families received the news.


    this was the first time so many fei state''s artifact cultivators had fallen at the hands of another. typically respected wherever they went, such a tragedy had never occurred before. an undercurrent imperceptible to ordinary folk began to stir throughout fei state.


    ...


    "interesting."


    in the fei city lord mansion, a portly middle-aged man sitting in a chair couldn''t help but chuckle as he looked at the message delivered to him by the person below: "this ning taiping wanted to ride on chen qiu''s momentum to boost his own."


    "but instead, he used his influence to enhance chen qiu''s reputation."


    "just after acquiring the magic practitioner inheritance, causing such a commotion in fei city, this chen qiu will no longer simply be known as a lucky loose cultivator. perhaps the words heartless and of indeterminate strength will have to be added."


    "quite interesting."


    meanwhile, the elder standing behind him hesitated and said, "master, won''t you take action? you are one of the top ten amongst the three hundred and sixty-five city lords of da xia. with your golden core seventh layer cultivation, capturing that chen qiu would be effortless."

 Chapter 111 That was a miracle. _2

    ```"why should i intervene?"


    the middle-aged man looked back at the elder in puzzlement and said, "i have no grudge against him, why should i attack out of the blue? when you take a shit, it''s because you need to, right?"


    "you can''t possibly bend over to take a crap out of nowhere, can you?"


    "why would i intervene without any reason?"


    "this¡­"


    the elder hesitated for a moment before hesitantly responding, "he killed someone on your territory, which is disrespectful to you."


    "¡­"


    the middle-aged man''s expression turned speechless and he rolled his eyes at the elder before leaning back in his chair and taking a deep breath, saying leisurely, "i know you are also an artifact cultivator, i understand a bit of empathy, but he didn''t kill anyone within fat city, so even if i wanted to intervene, i have no grounds to do so."


    "besides, it was ning taiping who destroyed his tao foundation first, creating a deadly feud. no matter how you put it, he isn''t in the right."


    "and besides, his majesty assigned me to defend the boundless icefield, not to manage these trivial matters."


    "boundless icefield¡­"


    the elder looked up towards the south and muttered, "city lord, you''ve been saying since you took office thirty years ago that the state preceptor predicted a disaster for fat province, where countless demons will emerge from the depths of the boundless icefield to slaughter the entire fat province."


    "but¡ª"


    "so many years have passed with no sign of it, and not even sword cultivators with golden core peak cultivation who entered the depths of the boundless icefield have returned. what kind of demon could possibly survive in its depths?"


    the middle-aged man let out a cold snort, "if i knew, i would be the state preceptor."


    ¡­


    "brother qiu."


    at this time, chen qiu and his group sat in the same meat soup shop as yesterday, as if nothing happened. the scholar looked at chen qiu with a nervous expression and said softly, "these past two days, i''ve figured out how to restore my cultivation."


    "hmm?"


    chen qiu''s eyebrows arched playfully as he turned to look at the scholar and said with a smile, "damn, that''s good news! i''m still waiting for you to inherit the sword cultivator''s legacy and give me that nascent soul body."


    "now i''m still two nascent soul bodies short and have no clue where to start."


    "such good news, why that expression? is it going to require a lot of spirit stones? no worries, i''ve got them."


    "it''s not that."


    the scholar shook his head feeling slightly embarrassed, but after a pause, he affirmed, "brother qiu, the heavenly dao jade you gave me last time has already mostly suppressed the toxins in my tao foundation."


    "but my legs have been eroded by the toxins for years and are useless."


    "to restore my cultivation and embark on the sword cultivator''s path again, i must first replace my bones and then detoxify them. if i exchange the sword bone of the chao tian sect with my own¡­"


    "i could stand again and also start cultivating once more."


    "ordinary human bones certainly won''t do, but that sword bone is no ordinary object. moreover, if i integrate that sword bone into my body, my sword intent will become even stronger; it''s just¡­ once fused, that sword bone can''t be passed on anymore, becoming one with me."


    "only after my death can it appear in the world again."


    "hey."


    chen qiu shook his head with a sense of helplessness, "i thought it was something big. that sword bone was intended for you anyway; just handle it as you see fit. none of us here are sword cultivators anymore, nor do we plan to pass it on."


    "but this bone-replacement sounds somewhat gruesomely surprising. are you really going to do it just like that?"


    "without any other preparation?" sea??h th§× n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    in fact, what he really wanted to say was that the sword bone being exposed for tens of thousands of years might carry all sorts of bacteria, which could be deadly if swapped into the body carelessly. but then he remembered it was a sword bone and it felt somewhat reasonable.


    if sword intent can kill a person, it can surely kill some bacteria.


    "we need them."


    the scholar nodded, "we need some heavenly materials and earth treasures to assist, some hemostatic items, roughly around three hundred spirit stones."


    "let''s go."


    chen qiu immediately got up to settle the bill and then prepared to go shopping with the scholar.


    ¡­


    in the small world.


    chen qiu had already acquired all of the heavenly materials and earth treasures the scholar needed. now, the scholar was sitting cross-legged in a room that had been tidied into a clean dormitory, with a sword bone as tall as the scholar himself beside him.


    "who will do it?"


    "i will."


    after circulating the mental method several times, the scholar took a deep breath, his fingertips trembling slightly as the long sword from his sleeve shot out, piercing deep into the root of his thigh, gouging out the leg bone.


    immediately, his entire thigh turned limp like a deboned chicken wing drenched in chili oil.


    he then chopped off the leg bone of the sword bone.


    and inserted it into his right leg.


    quickly, he did the same with his left leg.


    ¡­


    chen qiu looked on with admiration, seeing the scholar''s slightly pale face devoid of blood and his tightly pressed lips; the guy had an incredible tolerance for pain!


    it was almost creepy how natural he made it seem.


    ¡­


    an hour later.


    the sword bone''s head lay quietly on the bedside, while the rest of the bones had been fully swapped into the scholar''s body.


    fat long, puzzled, asked, "aren''t we swapping the skull too?"


    "that''s enough."


    at this point, the scholar, covered in unhealed wounds and blood pooling on the ground, was exceptionally excited as he moved his legs, his voice trembling with excitement, "my legs can move, my legs can move!"


    "i''m not a cripple anymore!"


    a human''s bones or the bones of a beast, once inside his body, would instantly be crushed to dust by his powerful sword intent. only the sword bone, cleansed by the sword intent for tens of thousands of years, could fully withstand the purging of sword intent in his body.


    allowing him to stand and walk again.


    and consequently nourishing him.


    "brother qiu."


    after shaking with excitement and studying for a while, the scholar got up, knelt on the bed, his upper body very upright as he looked at chen qiu, his voice revealing a determination and huskiness. your journey continues on empire


    ```

 Chapter 111 That was a miracle. _3

    "thank you, brother qiu, for bestowing the sword bone.""in the future, as a scholar..."


    "stop, stop, stop."


    chen qiu looked at the scholar''s leg where the wound had not yet healed; the act of kneeling even revealed the ghastly white bone. he hastily waved his hand, signaling the scholar to lie down, "i know, i know; there''s no need for words of loyalty. just lie down and focus on recovering."


    "the best way to repay me is to quickly inherit the sword cultivator''s legacy."


    ...


    with the aid of numerous heaven and earth treasures, the scholar''s injuries recovered quickly. even though the wound had not fully healed, the scholar could not help but get up from bed and continually paced around the disciple dormitory courtyard.


    his steps were a bit trembling.


    this was because he hadn''t walked in years and was still unaccustomed to it.


    "how wonderful."


    sitting on a small stool, fat long looked into the courtyard at the scholar, vaguely saying, "brother qiu, you''re close to reaching golden core, and the scholar is also close to regaining his cultivation. you both have bright futures."


    "you do too."


    chen qiu cast a glance at fat long and said displeasedly, "don''t worry, i won''t forget you. in a few days, i''ll arrange some witches for you to perform dual cultivation with."


    meanwhile,


    the scholar also struggled towards him.


    "how is it?"


    "very good." the scholar''s smile was genuine; it stretched nearly to his ears, indicating his extreme excitement. "after not being left maimed, the spiritual energy doesn''t leak out anymore. i have much more spiritual energy available now, and all i need to do is cleanse the residual toxins from my tao foundation."


    "however... i currently do not know which pill can detoxify this toxin."


    "but at least now i can consume far fewer qi replenishing pills, so we can travel much faster."


    "then that''s very good."


    chen qiu smiled and said, "regarding the pills, let''s see if we can find an alchemy cultivator to take a look at you."


    "but for now¡ª"


    "we need to find an artifact cultivator first."


    ...


    an hour later,


    outside fei city, chen qiu seriously squatted down and faced an old man cowering and trembling on the ground: "you''re li jia, right? i hear you''re the second-ranked artifact cultivator in fei city."


    "ah..."


    the old man, his eyes full of fear and body uncontrollably shaking, replied. someone had once told him that people only remember the first and never the second. he really wanted to retort right now, calling it nonsense.


    he had been remembered, and by a dangerous man at that!


    the slaughter of the ning family and nearly a hundred artifact cultivators by chen qiu the previous night had already spread throughout fei city; how could he not know and not recognize him, having even distributed portraits to his apprentices.


    he told his apprentices to be more observant and not to offend the wrong people.


    yet he didn''t do anything and didn''t understand why this dangerous man had targeted him.


    he had been relieved thinking that now he would be the number one artifact cultivator of fei city. he had just made a wooden plaque that read "fei city''s number one artifact cultivator" for his private room, and before he had time to hang it, this ruthless person barged in and captured him to this remote wilderness.


    now it seemed... the third-ranked artifact cultivator might be taking his place soon.


    "don''t be scared."


    chen qiu gently patted the old man''s shoulder and smiled, "i need you to forge a spiritual treasure, a piece of arm guard, with some special requirements..."


    after reiterating his idea from last night, he then said.


    "can you do it?" discover exclusive tales on empire


    "yes."


    the old man nodded his head like a bobblehead, saying, "no problem, it''s completely doable."


    after learning about the design requirements, his impression of the dangerous man before him became even more concrete. a normal person wouldn''t forge such a torture device. though he didn''t know who would be subjected to it, merely thinking about it was painful.


    "this exchange is going rather well, no?"


    chen qiu turned his head to fat long and smiled, "the outside world always says that fei state''s artifact cultivators are very proud, and if you need one to craft a spiritual treasure, you have to beg on your knees. but it seems that sometimes rumors aren''t very accurate. i find this senior very agreeable, and the communications are like a breath of fresh air."


    the old man didn''t know how to respond and could only force a smile that looked uglier than crying.


    "what do you charge for the forging?"


    the old man''s head quickly shook again, "your requirements are very simple, no need for spirit stones. let''s just take it as an apology for last night''s unintelligent actions of those artifact cultivators offending brother qiu."


    "then that''s good."


    chen qiu stood up laughing, "did you bring all the tools? i''ll wait here for you, start now."


    ...


    an hour later.


    chen qiu let the old man go and sat in the inn playing with his new arm guard, a lower-quality foundation establishment spiritual treasure, just as the old man had said, not very powerful but just right for him.


    once he donned this arm guard,


    and spiritual energy surged in with a thought, over a hundred steel needles would pierce into his body. because it was a lower-quality foundation establishment spiritual treasure, it ensured it would harm him but not cause major injuries.


    it only took less than three breaths.


    to instantly refill his spiritual energy, which was much faster than any qi replenishing pill or spirit stone, and without any impurities. this seemingly insignificant lower-quality foundation establishment spiritual treasure was definitely a crucial tactic in his enduring battles.


    "very good."


    chen qiu, satisfied, wore the arm guard inside his clothes on his left arm. from the outside, it was completely invisible. this arm guard had some defensive power, but being just a lower-quality foundation establishment spiritual treasure, one shouldn''t hope for too much. sear?h the ¦Çovelfire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    it was already noon by then.


    but the entire fei city was still very quiet without any disturbances.


    chen qiu looked out the window, puzzled, "didn''t those artifact cultivators claim they had many protectors behind them? isn''t anyone coming for revenge?"

 Chapter 111 That was a miracle. _4

    he had also prepared to lure over the golden cores behind those people.then, he planned to raid some sects and families without great formations, those artifact cultivators were truly wealthy, he was genuinely envious.


    indeed, it was a land of plenty.


    spiritual energy abundant, tempers abundant too.


    he shook his head and said no more, introspecting within himself, he hadn''t yet chosen the entry that appeared after his breakthrough to the ninth level of foundation establishment, he had been too busy to look at it until now when he finally had the time.


    ...


    meanwhile¡ª


    in the northernmost part of da xia country.


    within the endless desert.


    a young brown bear stood on a high platform, enjoying the excited cheers of countless members of the brown bear clan, while not far away, in the very center of the desert, dense patches of spirit rice were gracefully dancing.


    "son, you''ve done it."


    the young brown bear''s father was equally excited as he patted his son''s shoulder, "i apologize for doubting you earlier, i never imagined you could actually grow spirit rice in the desert!"


    "it''s a miracle!"


    "a problem that the devil clan hasn''t solved for so many years, and you''ve solved it!"


    "son, do you see the fanatical look in the eyes of our clan members? you''ve replaced me as the clan leader of this tribe already, and before long, you could even become the king of the brown bear clan!"


    the young brown bear''s furry mouth corners lifted slightly, as he stood on his hind legs, his gaze icy and filled with fighting spirit as he looked toward the direction of xuzhou, "i''ve always said, the devil clan must be united!"


    explore more at empire


    "it starts with the unification of the brown bear clan, becoming the king of the brown bear clan is just the beginning, not the end."


    "father, please select some strong members of the brown bear clan. i need to train soldiers, arm them to the teeth. in the future, they will be the core strength of my devil clan''s army, as well as my trusted followers."


    "when the devil clan''s army breaks through xuzhou¡ª"


    "the glory belonging to the brown bear clan will spread across the entire continent!"


    just as the young brown bear''s eyes showed his unabashed vision for the future, and the aura of a ruler almost materialized around him, he failed to notice that the tribe members down below, who had been excitedly cheering, had begun to fall silent, their eyes filled with confusion as they looked toward their new clan leader.


    even the old clan chief looked at the young brown bear with some confusion, "son, i have a question, what do you need trained soldiers for?"


    "hmm?"


    the young brown bear frowned deeply, turning to his father with some incomprehension, but still raised his furry bear paw coldly and said, "it''s of course to invade da xia, to occupy the fertile lands of xuzhou!"


    "to carve out a homeland for the brown bear clan!" s§×arch* the n?vel(f)ire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "what''s the purpose of conquering territories?"


    "countless food!!!"


    the young brown bear declared decisively and with fiery enthusiasm.


    "but..."


    the old clan chief, puzzled, pointed towards the dense spirit rice dancing in the desert: "don''t we already have an endless supply of food?"


    "under your leadership, my son, it took us less than ten days to successfully cultivate a vast expanse of spirit rice in the desert and even brought in a great harvest. we already have so much food now, why take the risk of our people dying to invade da xia country?"


    "..."


    the corners of the young brown bear''s mouth twitched, and after a long silence, he finally spoke softly, "that was a miracle."


    "a miracle that unites the devil clan. my intention was to use this miracle to strengthen the devil clan''s unity, not for the devil clan to live happily off these rice crops in the endless desert."


    "i understand your intention, son. my point is we already have endless food, so why attack da xia country?"


    "..."


    the young brown bear stopped speaking, his face expressionless as he walked to the side of the high platform, leaped into the air gracefully, tracing an elegant parabola, and nosedived head-first into the desert, motionless.


    he was feeling weary at heart, he longed for home, how he wished he could go back home.


    impossible to lead.


    wasn''t it just by rousing people''s emotions with half a million loaves of bread during that one person''s speech? why couldn''t he stir them up.

 Chapter 112

    "..."the young brown bear, with an expressionless face, pulled its head out of the desert and sat on the sands, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon. all around him, the excited voices of his tribespeople celebrating the bountiful harvest of spirit rice filled the air, yet he remained silent and unmoving.


    the joys and sorrows between individuals are often disconnected.


    it is the same among brown bears.


    the endless desert is no ordinary desert; its sands, baked under the intense sun, would instantly roast a seed placed within them, even at night. to cultivate rice in such an environment would indeed be astonishing.


    naturally, it was he who stealthily planted the spirit rice while all his tribespeople slept, thus creating an illusion that he led his people to a miraculous harvest, which, while solidifying their unity, also cemented his position as the young clan leader.


    but now...


    it seemed he had strayed a bit off course.


    or perhaps these brown bears held no great animosity towards da xia country. in the eyes of these brown bears, the demon beasts, still void of spiritual wisdom, were fundamentally different from themselves; no matter how many of these demon beasts were killed, they felt no pity. they even killed and devoured them themselves.


    in such a case, to train an army of their own from the devil clan, he needed to think of another way. explore more stories with empire


    "..."


    the young brown bear looked down at his fluffy bear paws for a moment and then lifted his gaze towards the edge of the desert''s sunset, muttering to himself.


    "if i weren''t a transmigrator, i might live in obscurity."


    "but since heaven has given me this opportunity to change the world,"


    "if i don''t achieve something significant¡ª"


    "how could i face my hometown and elders."


    ...


    in fei city, within fei country.


    chen qiu was sitting cross-legged on the bed of an inn''s room, introspecting above his dantian where a panel, enshrouded in mist, appeared after he broke through to the ninth level of the foundation establishment stage. he had yet to choose his new entry.


    -


    "cultivation greatly increased, officially stepping into the ninth level of the foundation establishment stage."


    "please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    "entry name": if not mad, then not alive.


    "entry level": white.


    "entry effect": when you feel pain, you will slowly recover from your injuries. the more intense the pain your body endures, the faster you will heal.


    2:


    "entry name": lunar night demon wolf.


    "entry level": green.


    "entry effect": when you sign a beast taming contract with the first ''lunar night demon wolf,'' its size will increase tenfold, and it will be able to absorb moonlight essence for cultivation.


    3:


    "entry name": real and illusion.


    "entry level": green.


    "entry effect": every time you launch a spell attack, it will automatically generate an illusion of the attack that cannot cause any damage and cannot be discerned by divine sense.


    -


    chen qiu slightly squinted his eyes at the three entries before him. to be honest, he was a bit tempted to choose "if not mad, then not alive," the white-level entry, mainly because it could combo with another entry he had.


    "man of heavenly defect."


    this entry could significantly enhance the sense of pain when one closed their eyes or was blinded.


    and the entry he got randomly when he broke through to the eighth level of the foundation establishment stage.


    "unbearable pain."


    the pain endured is increased by five times but will also make the enemy''s pain feel five times greater with each attack.


    he did not choose it at the time, but he still had one heavenly dao retrospective talisman he hadn''t used yet, and he could completely pick the entry he had passed up on if he wanted to. however, it seemed somewhat unnecessary; amplifying the sense of pain only increased the speed of his physical injury recovery.


    it overlapped a bit with his set of entries.


    currently, he didn''t really need to enhance the speed at which he healed from physical injuries.


    it seemed like an entry more suited for body cultivation practitioners, like... zhao yishi.


    "man of heavenly defect" + "unbearable pain" + "if not mad, then not alive", and if one is more ruthless, blinding oneself or being born blind, they might be able to withstand a demon tide and fight their way through.


    if the enemy also has the "unbearable pain" entry, the attack inflicted on you would make your pain increase by another five times.


    one could potentially withstand a rain of swords and advance boldly, but... it would probably be quite painful.


    "..."


    chen qiu shook his head and eventually gave up on the "if not mad, then not alive" entry set. this set had quite a large drawback. not to mention anything else, the human capacity to endure pain has limits; if the pain is too intense, even with a firm will, one is likely to faint from the pain.


    if one were to be afflicted by some extremely painful poison or curse,


    it was not impossible to die purely from pain.


    he still had one chance to use a mid-grade heavenly dao retrospective talisman, and if he didn''t use it now, it would be useless after advancing to the golden core stage. since "if not mad, then not alive" was out,


    that left only "lunar night demon wolf" and "real and illusion" to choose from.


    he quite liked "real and illusion"; doubling his future thunder dragon attack with half of them real and half illusions, it would take quite some time to discern them. not to mention anything else, just in terms of the impact on morale, it would be a significant boost.


    and "lunar night demon wolf" seemed to be a top-tier entry in "cultivation hundred skills" under the category of "beast taming." sea??h th§× n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    with this entry, as long as he signed a beast taming contract with a lunar night demon wolf, his strength would significantly increase. but it wasn''t very useful for him; he didn''t really need it.


    could he handle a lunar night demon wolf if he encountered one?


    nevertheless, since it was a rare entry that he had not seen before, he''d see if he could encounter a "lunar night demon wolf" before his core formation stage. if he did, he would keep the entry for it; if not, he would just use the entry as core formation material.

 Chapter 113 Damn it...

    This scene was extremely inconspicuous within the chaotic battlefield, so much so that almost no one noticed it.But Chen Qiu happened to catch this scene.


    Although the Golden Core couldn''t make a move, and the combined Evil Clan members here were no match for him, he was used to making a decision internally before acting. Thus, he didn''t join the battlefield right away. This observation allowed him to witness this scene exactly.


    The dozen or so members of the Evil Clan, faces flush with excitement and exhilaration, were running toward the Evil Wood.


    Contending with each other along the way.


    In the end...


    One badly injured member of the Evil Clan grabbed the Evil Wood and immediately placed it into his Storage Ring. He then yelled loudly and did not continue to fight; instead, he turned around and fled into the depths of the Boundless Icefield.


    It looked like he intended to become a deserter.


    As for the other members of the Evil Clan who brushed past him, not one paid him any attention; they all brandished their cleavers and roared ferociously as they continued to charge toward the Cultivators of Fei Zhou!


    "Hold the line, hold the line!!!"


    At the edge of the Boundless Icefield, the Great Elder of Sky Wolf Sect, unable to act because of the Heavenly Dao rules, stood frozen in place, unable to move. He could only turn his head and look towards his battling disciples as the veins on his neck bulged with his bellowed command: "Kill these ghostly fiends!!"


    ...


    "Follow."


    Chen Qiu''s eyes remained fixed on the member of the Evil Clan who had snatched up the Evil Wood and turned to run deep into the Icefield, and he patted the scholar on the shoulder, signaling him to follow.


    Liu Guang shot out.


    They flew over the battlefield; their speed was so great that the chaotic battlefield below had not yet reacted, and they had already jumped over it, standing high above and overlooking the Evil Clan member running excitedly against the crowd below.


    The Evil Clan member ran upstream, ignoring his kin who were charging forward around him.


    After running for about the time it takes three sticks of incense to burn, the area was only half a stick of incense away from the Inheritance Secret Realm.


    Chen Qiu''s pupils suddenly constricted; he had originally thought that this Evil Clan attack was only what he had just seen, but deep in the Boundless Icefield, a hundred Zhang in diameter circle of light was spreading on the ground.


    At that moment, an endless number of members of the Evil Clan were emerging from within the circle.


    Every member of the Evil Clan emerged from the circle wielding a cleaver, their faces filled with eager and ferocious expressions, and proceeded to charge forward and gather together.


    And that circle...


    Was strikingly formed by 1024 meteorites.


    These falling stars that plummeted to the ground, most of the meteorites scattered aside, but these 1024 meteorites, arranged in a huge circle like some Formation, neatly crashed deep into the ground.


    The meteorites continuously emitted strange glows, a white beam connected all the meteorites together, and eventually formed a large teleportation array-like white circle of light.


    As for that¡ª


    The Evil Clan member holding the Evil Wood, his face flushed with excitement, was briskly jogging to the side of the circle, then without any hesitation, soared midair through Sword Flight, directly plummeting into the hundred Zhang wide circle.


    But just as this member of the Evil Clan was about to drop into the circle...


    "Boom!"


    Dozens of Thunder Dragons appeared without warning above this member of the Evil Clan, instantly blasting the person into pieces, with a large amount of flesh falling into the circle and, accompanied by a faint white flash, instantly disappeared from the spot.


    He fell dead on the spot.


    Even that Storage Ring carrying the Evil Wood also fell into the circle, disappearing along with the flesh.


    This commotion also caught the attention of quite a few members of the Evil Clan below.


    "Roar!"


    Find your next read at empire


    In an instant, countless members of the Evil Clan roared and soared into the sky through Sword Flight, aiming to encircle and kill Chen Qiu. Chen Qiu, watching this scene unfold, didn''t immediately take action, but merely furrowed his brows slightly, taking the Storage Ring with the Evil Wood that Sect Master Zhao had given him. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He scattered them all towards the far reaches above.


    The moment thousands of Evil Wood appeared...


    He could even feel the breathing of those members of the Evil Clan below halting for a moment, followed by an extremely terrifying roar of excitement bursting forth. Almost instantly, everyone virtually dropped their target of Chen Qiu, all soaring in the air towards those thousands of Evil Wood!


    Like mice seeing cheese.


    Instantly losing their minds.


    And even hundreds of members of the Evil Clan in the air had already started fighting fiercely, their cleavers mercilessly smashing on the heads of their kin, with a lot of brain matter mixed with blood scattered in mid-air.


    All members of the Evil Clan''s eyes were blood-red at this moment, having completely lost their rationality, their eyes solely fixed on the Evil Wood scattered in mid-air.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu, knitted brows looking downward, was completely certain of his thought; his right hand waved again, sending thousands of silk-like Spiritual Energy out, gathering back all those Evil Wood nearby midair into the small world.


    He then made no move.


    But he and the group of scholars turned into Liu Guang and disappeared from the place.


    The members of the Evil Clan below, seeing the sudden disappearance of the Evil Wood, all glared in the direction where the scholar had fled, faces fierce and angry as they roared. But with their speed, it was absolutely impossible to catch up with the scholar.


    But as if they were certain of something.


    The emotions of these members of the Evil Clan surged even higher, they raised the cleavers in their hands, faces fierce and eagerly excited as they charged toward Fei Zhou!


    ...


    Returning to the edge of the Boundless Icefield.


    Chen Qiu once again observed the battlefield closely. The war had already been raging for quite some time, but not too many Fei Zhou Cultivators had fallen. It''s not that the Fei Zhou Cultivators were too strong, but those members of the Evil Clan... simply had no heart in the fight.


    Those members of the Evil Clan seemed to have only one goal, which was to bypass these tough Fei Zhou Cultivator bones and penetrate into the interior of Fei Zhou.


    So as to seize a large number of Evil Wood.

 Chapter 113 Damn it..._2

    Yes, the Evil Wood.From various indications, it could basically be confirmed that the Evil Wood, which may not be found everywhere in the State of Fei but is certainly not considered of much value, seemed like an extremely rare heavenly material and earthly treasure in the eyes of those from the Evil Clan.


    "Brother Qiu."


    Standing to the side, Fat Long''s complexion was complex as he hesitated and then said, "Did you feel that the hundred zhang light circle just now..."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood what Fat Long meant. It seemed that the Evil Clan had specifically come for the Evil Wood, and that white light circle was a Teleportation Array set up by the Evil Clan, capable of crossing vast distances.


    The Evil Clan member who had first snatched the Evil Wood ran towards the light circle with the wood in arms, seemingly ready to head home.


    Like a mouse that had stolen a peach, scurrying back to its nest.


    Of course.


    In the end, he failed to make it home, the last thing he saw in his life being dozens of Thunder Dragons.


    This feeling was somewhat like... like that of their Da Xia Country, which was imprisoned in the center by the Four Forbidden Lands, appearing like a treasure land protected within a Formation, while those from the Evil Clan were like those who had broken into the treasure land to snatch away the treasures.


    It gave him that kind of feeling.


    His Divine Sense swept over the small world again, where the Evil Wood was piled up like a small mountain. He really hadn''t expected this insignificant thing in the State of Fei to possibly be a priceless treasure?


    Was it just that they had not found the way to use it, only knowing to burn it for warmth?


    If this thing really was a treasure, then who would seek justice for the Evil Wood burned in the past? Wouldn''t that be a terrible waste?


    ...


    He knew that the other conditions and thresholds for the tenth-grade Golden Core were extremely rare, so how could the final two required heavenly materials and earthly treasures be mere common items? Since the Evil Wood wasn''t a common item, then that even rarer fruit called the "Eight Desolate Fruit," which they dubbed useless, must certainly be a significant heavenly material and earthly treasure.


    It was just that they failed to recognize its value.


    It was a pity that the Eight Desolate Fruit Fat Long had asked "World Pavilion" to purchase hadn''t arrived yet; otherwise, he could have taken it out now to test the reactions of these Evil Clan members.


    Subsequently, Chen Qiu turned his gaze towards the not too distant Boundless Icefield, where nine members of the Evil Clan carrying the heavy pressure of the Golden Core Peak stood in mid-air. For this invasion by the Evil Clan, just the Boundless Icefield alone astonishingly had nine members of the Golden Core Peak leading the team.


    If in the other three places¡ªthe Endless Desert, the Boundless Sea, and the Boundless Snow Mountain¡ªthere were also nine Golden Core Peaks leading...


    That would make a total of thirty-six Golden Core Peak members of the Evil Clan.


    Under the rules of Heavenly Dao, those nine Golden Core Peaks standing in mid-air couldn''t even move, they could only stand there in the sky, unable to take any action and silently watching the battle.


    "Damn it..."


    Chen Qiu always felt as if he was beginning to vaguely understand what the limitation in Da Xia Country was about. These Golden Core Peaks of the Evil Clan were different from those in Da Xia. The Golden Core Peaks in Da Xia were at the end of their lifespans, aged and frail, even reluctant to consume Spiritual Energy for fear of shortening their remaining life with each action taken.


    But these Golden Core Peaks from the Evil Clan didn''t seem to show any signs of old age and clearly had long lives ahead of them.


    Their combat strength was much stronger than that of Da Xia''s Golden Core Peaks.


    Since the Evil Clan had thirty-six Golden Core Peaks in their prime, it was likely that they also had members with Nascent Soul in their race, but they had not sent a Nascent Soul to lead because they probably knew... Da Xia Country did not allow the presence of Nascent Souls.


    Therefore, they sent these thirty-six, who within Da Xia Country, belonged to the absolute ceiling of battle strength.


    But who would have thought...


    Before they even landed and took action, Heavenly Dao had directly applied a "patch." An Imperial Decree from Heavenly Dao forbade anyone with Golden Core Cultivation and above to take action, catching these thirty-six Golden Core Peaks of the Evil Clan completely off guard and forcing them to stand in place as a penalty.


    It is said that Heavenly Dao is impersonal and lacks self-awareness.


    But...


    The "patch" was applied so timely it didn''t seem like it was without consciousness.


    Or perhaps it was a hidden rule?


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu shook his head without speaking and slowly took a step forward, ready to make a move. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The situation was already clear at this point; there was no need to keep observing. What needed to be done now was to eliminate all these members of the Evil Clan and then, after the invasion by the Evil Clan was over, to avidly purchase all the Evil Wood and Eight Desolate Fruits within the territory of the State of Fei.


    If the cage of Da Xia were to be broken in the future...


    These two heavenly materials and earthly treasures would become his greatest accumulated wealth. As for whether the cage of Da Xia could be broken, that was not for him to decide. He suddenly felt he understood the State Preceptor of Da Xia a little better; no one wanted to stay in a prison forever.


    But he also felt that this thing seemed to be more like protection than a cage. Without these prisons, let alone anything else, a single Nascent Soul could have decimated Xia Country.


    Chen Qiu stood still and took a deep breath, then flew upon his sword into the sky. The moment he flew into the air, countless Evil Clan members below bombarded him in unison.


    All kinds of attacks hailed down on him.


    That''s why everyone fought on the ground; it''s not that they couldn''t fly, but flying in the air made one too conspicuous and easy to become a target.


    Chen Qiu glanced at the sky-filling attacks and immediately retreated to the small world. Three breaths later, he reappeared at a distance. Now it was his turn. Along with the Heavenly Dao Foundation spinning rapidly above his Dantian!


    The flood of Spiritual Energy within him surged swiftly!


    In the next moment¡ª


    Thousands of Thunder Dragons appeared out of nowhere around him, striking straight towards the core area of the Evil Clan Cultivators below!

 Chapter 113

    Meanwhile, nearly ten thousand green demon fires fell from the sky like stars, enveloping the Evil Clan cultivators below. Other than Ning Taiping and his Guardian''s two Golden Core resentful spirits, the rest of the resentful spirits collected during this time were all sent by him into the demon fire.Fueled by resentful spirits, those green demon fires burned even more fiercely, emitting an extremely unsettling aura. Once they landed on someone, they were impossible to extinguish, leaving no option but to let the demon fire spread and burn over one''s body.


    Full firepower.


    It was but a moment, and the Spiritual Energy within his body was depleted. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No matter how abundant the Spiritual Energy, it couldn''t withstand such use.


    Under this attack, the Evil Clan cultivators below suffered countless deaths and injuries.


    Even with his Spiritual Energy depleted, Chen Qiu had no intention of retreating into his small world to recover. There were no Golden Cores here, or rather, Golden Cores were not allowed to intervene, so he was completely free to teleport at will in mid-air without any reservations.


    He had no need to worry about teleporting into an attack that he could not withstand.


    "Fat Long cultivators, all fall back!"


    Hovering mid-air with depleted Spiritual Energy, Chen Qiu glanced at the nearby Fat Long cultivators fighting fiercely with Evil Clan cultivators. After letting out a loud shout with Spiritual Energy surging in his throat, he then channeled Spiritual Energy into his armguards, and in an instant, hundreds of needle-like spikes pierced into his body.


    The next moment!


    He began to teleport irregularly and frequently in mid-air, and the Spiritual Energy within his body almost instantly recovered to about thirty percent.


    Rather than waiting for his Spiritual Energy to fully recover before making his move, he immediately unleashed nearly a thousand Thunder Dragons and over a thousand green demon fires again. As soon as he recovered a bit of Spiritual Energy, he used it.


    And the Evil Clan members who died by his hand turned into resentful spirits and materialized behind him, immediately thrown by him into the demon fire, which made the fires burn even more intensely and with greater power.


    So...


    A scene like this appeared above the battlefield.


    Chen Qiu, who turned to Liu Guang and teleported incessantly across the sky, could not be captured by the naked eye; meanwhile, the sky-filled Thunder Dragons and green demon fires fell like stars, blanketing the field below.


    For a moment, the Evil Clan suffered innumerable casualties. Many gritted their teeth and flew up, attempting to cut down Chen Qiu. However, they could not locate him amidst countless shouts from Human Clan Cultivators that they couldn''t understand. Those from the Evil Clan finally reacted and began launching indiscriminate attacks overhead without aiming.


    However, by that time, only a small fraction of Evil Clan cultivators remained.


    The indiscriminate spell attacks they organized posed no substantial threat to Chen Qiu. Even the few spells that hit him couldn''t break his Protective Spirit Qi.


    After all, Chen Qiu''s Cultivation was at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.


    Even without relying on entries.


    Just with Cultivation alone, he was enough to overwhelm most people below.


    ...


    "Like mowing the lawn,"


    Fat Long, who had already stood far away, watched the scene unfold with immense shock. This was the first time he witnessed Brother Qiu''s full firepower. The Thunder Dragons and green demon fires seemed endless.


    Before the last wave of Thunder Dragons had even landed, a new wave was already in position.


    At a glance,


    Countless Thunder Dragons mixed with purple and blue lightning arcs swarmed the entire sky, the dominance they brought far surpassing the early Golden Core stage.


    The few remaining Evil Clan members on the ground began to flee in all directions. It wasn''t that no one wanted to ascend and escape, but those who did died even faster. Regardless of how they fled, they couldn''t escape the range of Chen Qiu''s attacks.


    It was evident that Brother Qiu didn''t even lock onto them with Divine Sense; he merely glanced roughly at where the Evil Clan was, and then thousands of Thunder Dragons rained down. There was no need for precision, and the ground blasted by the Thunder Dragons left no chance for an Evil Clan member to survive.


    Chen Qiu''s Cultivation was at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, and the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique he exerted with his full strength, enhanced by entries like "Spiritual Energy Intimidating" and "Dedication," along with the Spirit Control Techniques learned from Magic Practitioner heritage,


    The power of this Thunder Summoning Technique, without exaggeration, was already the pinnacle of what one with Foundation Establishment Cultivation could unleash!


    A mere single Thunder Summoning Technique caused cultivators of the same rank to keep a respectful distance.


    With thousands of these techniques raining down in a mix of both real and illusion, no one could withstand them.


    The Evil Clan could only watch in despair as innumerable Thunder Dragons rained down from the sky with overwhelming force.


    ...


    "It''s indeed a bit exaggerated,"


    The scholar standing next to Fat Long slightly twitched the corners of his mouth. To say it was a bit exaggerated was an understatement. His own Cultivation had reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, possessing a Heavenly Dao Foundation and pink entries, and he was also extremely gifted in Sword Dao.


    At that time, he was already invincible among his peers.


    As a ninth layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator, no one could best him. He even killed an enemy right after their breakthrough to the Golden Core stage!


    It was a battle across a Great Realm, and even a newly advanced Golden Core is still a Golden Core. That he could kill a Golden Core as a ninth layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator was something he could boast about for a long time, and it was with that Golden Core that he successfully stepped into the Golden Core Stage as a second-grade Golden Core.


    But...


    Viewing the scene unfolding before him, he realized that there''s no such thing as absolute invincibility; it''s just that you haven''t encountered someone truly invincible at your level.


    At this moment, Brother Qiu was also at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, yet if he had encountered Brother Qiu back then, Brother Qiu could have handled hundreds of him without any problem.


    "..."


    The scholar stood in silence with a complicated expression. The blow to his pride was a bit too much. Despite being an absolutely invincible existence among his peers, even a being like him could be so thoroughly crushed by Brother Qiu''s power at the same level of Cultivation, which he found difficult to accept.

 Chapter 114

    "Why..."At this moment, atop a mountain peak behind the Caotian Sect, the Sect Master of the Caotian Sect sat on Zhao Yishi''s shoulder, gazing vacantly at the name Chen Qiu, who led with a cliff-like advantage on the "Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking" list, and muttered to himself.


    "Why isn''t such a Heavenly Pride one of us from the Caotian Sect."


    "How did he end up at the Chao Tian Sect, which is almost our equal?"


    He had just rushed back from Fei State, preparing to stage a play for Zhao Yishi, when the Heavenly Dao Decree announcing the Evil Clan''s invasion arrived.


    Although he did not know by what means Chen Qiu had slaughtered so many members of the Evil Clan.


    Given the terrifying gap he had created, he must certainly be like a demon incarnate; he felt a twinge of regret for bringing Zhao Yishi back to Fei State. If Zhao Yishi had witnessed this scene, it would surely have ignited the longing in his heart.


    And thus spurred a strong desire to fight.


    -


    "Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking"


    "Rank One": Chen Qiu, Number of Kills: 140,319.


    "Rank Two": Yan Yuanzhen, Number of Kills: 392.


    "Rank Three": Gong Bochu, Number of Kills: 341.


    "Rank Four": ...


    -


    To what extent was the cliff-like difference exaggerated? There were 1,000 people on the list, and the combined kill count of the 999 people from the second to the last rank did not match up to Chen Qiu''s kill count alone.


    And everyone else''s kill count had stopped rising.


    Only Chen Qiu''s count was still climbing rapidly.


    "..."


    Standing within the mountain at the rear, Zhao Yishi too looked at Chen Qiu''s frightening kill count on the "Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking" and felt increasingly that his decision to yield when he descended into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm with Chen Qiu had been the right one.


    This person was a true unparalleled Heavenly Pride.


    As the Caotian Sect Master looked at Zhao Yishi, whose expression didn''t waver too much, he could not help but feel a sense of disappointment and said, "Don''t you feel even a bit of jealousy or envy?"


    "Shouldn''t a person have some negative emotions?"


    "Your peer who entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm with you has now become a legendary Heavenly Pride and even obtained the Magic Practitioner inheritance, don''t you feel the slightest bit of envy?"


    "No."


    Zhao Yishi shook his head. Due to the excessive movement, he almost sent the Sect Master flying off his shoulder and said with a deep voice, "There must be those who act as the splendid flower, but there must also be those who serve as the green leaves."


    "Those who should be the splendid flower should contentedly be the best splendid flower they can be."


    "Those who should be the green leaves should contentedly be the best green leaves they can be."


    "If one is clearly a green leaf but insists on trying to be the splendid flower, then real suffering ensues."


    "I think my life is quite good as it is.


    "If I must say there''s something I want, it would be a woman."


    "..."


    After a lengthy silence, the Caotian Sect Master spoke softly, "Go fuck yourself."


    "What?" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I said, go! fuck! yourself!"


    "You''re expelled from the sect!"


    "Get the hell out of here!"


    ...


    "..."


    Meanwhile, in the once empty Earth Cave, a thick scent of blood wafted through the air.


    The Nascent Soul of the Evil Clan, standing aloft, looked down silently at the white circle below, which was now ringed with piles of minced meat as high as small hills.


    There wasn''t a single intact body, only minced meat. Explore stories on empire


    Until now, they had only brought out a single piece of Evil Wood, and no second piece had emerged.


    The ferocious Evil Clan Warriors who were so fearsome on normal days were now trembling like leaves far away, adamantly refusing to step into the white circle again. The expensive Teleportation Array they had built resembled the entrance to the underworld.


    Enter one, one dies.


    Enter ten, ten die.


    Clearly, someone was blocking the exit of the Teleportation Array. Where had those Golden Core Peak Evil Clan Warriors gone that he had sent through? Could they all really be dead? Although he was puzzled that the Golden Core Peak Evil Clan Warriors didn''t return during the retreat from the other three locations.


    He was so blinded by the lust for Evil Wood that he paid no attention to it.


    Until now...


    Suddenly, a flash of horror crossed the eyes of the Nascent Soul... could it be... that a Nascent Soul had been born there?


    Otherwise, why was not a single one of his thirty-six Golden Core Peak Evil Clan Warriors in sight?


    ...


    "Hmm? No more opponents?"


    Fat Long, holding a blood-dripping sword, stood at the outer edge of the white circle, sticking his head out and licking his lips with a sense of unfulfilled craving.


    After the Evil Clan invasion concluded, those on the leaderboard would receive different rewards according to their ranking.


    By this point, the advantage was entirely theirs.


    Therefore, Brother Qiu let them finish off the severely wounded members of the Evil Clan to ensure they''d also make it onto the ranking. He was currently in third place, with the scholar in second¡ªdamn that guy, killing slightly faster than him.


    As for the scholar''s younger brother, he didn''t make it onto the ranking.


    The scholar''s younger brother didn''t lift a finger.


    Chen Qiu, hovering in mid-air, with ten thousand Thunder Dragons swirling around him, also looked at the white circle below with some confusion. That was it¡ªno one left. He hadn''t had such a satisfying kill in a long time. The sensation of mowing them down was truly exhilarating.


    It''s just a shame...


    There were too few of them.


    And at that moment¡ª


    The white vortex at his feet suddenly began to dim, and simultaneously, the nine Golden Core Peak Nascent Souls from the Evil Clan at the edge of the Boundless Icefield, as if summoned, turned into nine streaks of light and disappeared into the white vortex in an instant.


    Simultaneously,


    Twenty-seven streaks of light also shot from afar, instantly entering the white vortex and vanishing. Subsequently, the white vortex slowly closed, but just as it was about to shut,


    a large amount of Evil Clan corpses and minced flesh were tossed out like trash.


    Thus, after the white circle disappeared, only the mountains of minced limbs and flesh remained piled upon the Boundless Icefield, as the howling cold wind swept through and the once flowing blood quickly froze together.

 Chapter 115

    "..."After snickering, the Qu Family Supreme Elder once again lapsed into silence, his heart swelling with a wave of sadness.


    He was a transmigrator.


    No sooner had he transmigrated than he found himself at the Golden Core Peak of Cultivation, which was already the ceiling in Da Xia; basically, no one could beat him. But... he had just over a year to live.


    That was if he didn''t engage in combat.


    If he fought and even got a bit injured, he''d be dead in a month or two.


    There was only one way to save himself, which was to attain the Nascent Soul.


    Sometimes he really envied Qu Qi, the young lord of the Qu Family. Qu Qi was also a transmigrator but was far better off, the sole male of his generation in the Qu family. Piled with massive amounts of the family''s resources, they desperately fostered him into an extraordinary Magic Practitioner.


    Nearly invincible among his peers.


    Not to mention, those five Heavenly Dao Beauties with their enhancing effects on Magic Practitioners alone were an inheritance others didn''t have. Out of one hundred Heavenly Dao Beauties in total, only five could bolster a Magic Practitioner, and as fate would have it, all five became Qu Qi''s wives.


    Practically everyone in the Capital was convinced that Qu Qi was destined to be Da Xia''s foremost Magic Practitioner in the future.


    But then...


    The meteoric rise of Chen Qiu from Fufeng City cast a strange cast in the gazes everyone directed at Qu Qi.


    The Qu family had invested so much in you, yet a Loose Cultivator from Fufeng City was the first to clear the heritage of Magic Practitioners, such unusual gazes nearly made the young lord of the Qu family''s eyes burst with rage. His years of pampered luxury rendered him utterly incapable of enduring such mockery.


    He repeatedly smashed the family''s crockery and other objects, snarling in a vicious rage, swearing he would challenge Chen Qiu to a duel and mercilessly kill him, to let the world know who was truly the number one Magic Practitioner in Da Xia.


    Well, that''s admirable.


    You, an early stage Golden Core Magic Practitioner, seeking to duel someone at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage¡ªif you win, you won''t fear being ridiculed by the world.


    "Sigh." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lying on the bed, the Qu Family Supreme Elder looked at his right arm, which had shriveled and sagged skin covered in age spots. Although reluctant, he was helpless; he too wanted to strive... but he simply had no opportunity to do so.


    He didn''t even dare leave his home and flaunt his Cultivation.


    Fearing that the slightest injury might kill him on the spot, that''s a truly torturous way to live.


    And in Da Xia, there were many like him. Essentially, they were the most powerful trump cards of various sects and clans, all at the Golden Core Peak of Cultivation but perpetually unable to break through to Nascent Soul, they could only watch as their lifespans diminished step by step.


    Aside from waiting to die, there was no other way.


    ...


    Kai Mountain City, within a deserted temple three miles out.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged, circulating his mental method to absorb the power from the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Last night, at the stroke of midnight, he had acquired a total of 511 lower-grade Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and 10 mid-grade ones.


    There was no change, basically. Until last night at midnight, there hadn''t been any change in his Fame Ranking.


    However, after midnight, when the Heavenly Dao Decree arrived, his fame began soaring again, and he was the only one on the entire Fame Ranking increasing his fame through the Heavenly Dao Decree.


    The others all built their reputations through word of mouth, but his was directly bestowed by the heavens.


    At that moment, he had climbed to the 29th rank, but that was about as far as he would go. The people ahead of him were all ancient demons; it was rather difficult to surpass them in terms of fame.


    After fully absorbing the power of the 511 lower-grade Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and two mid-grade ones, his Cultivation finally reached¡ª


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Foundation Establishment Stage Nine Layers (100.00%).


    -


    This meant he had officially reached the Great Perfection peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    He had reached the limit of Foundation Establishment Cultivation.


    Next, he would have to form his Core.


    After a successful Core Formation, one could advance to become a Golden Core Master. Many at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment spent their entire lives stuck there; some fought too much in their youth and accumulated too many hidden injuries in their Tao Foundation, making it extremely difficult to breakthrough.


    Some couldn''t gather enough of the forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones needed for the breakthrough.


    Others, prouder of their talents, refused to enter the Golden Core Realm with merely a First Grade Golden Core, insisting on obtaining a Golden Core to affirm a Second Grade Golden Core. As a result, they wasted too much time, and by the time they found a Golden Core, they were already old and weak. With their Foundation Establishment lifespan at its limit and their internal Spiritual Energy waning, they could no longer break through to the Golden Core.


    The grades of Golden Cores range from First to Tenth.


    However, the Tao Foundation does not have such grades.


    The Tao Foundation is distinguished in only two ways: one is the Heavenly Dao Foundation, and the other is all the rest.


    And within the rest, there are two types.


    One is a special Tao Foundation. For instance, the ''upper-grade Earth Fire Pill'' which could be obtained by passing the third challenge in the ''Chao Tian Sect''s Heavenly Dao Secret Realm'', is said to have been a pill that existed a long time ago. When consumed during Foundation Establishment, it forms a ''Earth Fire Dao Foundation,'' which is extremely suitable for fire-type Magic Practitioners.


    The other type is the ordinary Tao Foundation that most possess.


    There are others like the Earth Fire Dao Foundation, such as the metal-chopping Tao Foundation beneficial for Sword Cultivators. The advantage of this kind of Tao Foundation is that if you are a Magic Practitioner or a Sword Cultivator, it will be quite compatible, but the downside is that you are completely locked into that path, unable to switch to another Cultivation practice or engage in Dual or Triple Cultivation.


    Once you achieve the Golden Core, it is graded between First and Tenth, with the Tenth Grade referred to as the Heavenly Dao Golden Core that no one has ever attained.


    ...


    By now, Chen Qiu had finished his Cultivation and glanced at the Shopkeeper, his forehead covered in fine sweat. He did not bother him further, knowing that the Storage Ring from the Evil Clan was subject to restrictions that Da Xia had never seen, and it might indeed be challenging to break them.


    He could not be of much help, except for promising a generous reward, he could only silently cheer him on.

 Chapter 115 The Heavenly Pride Order. _3

    Fat Long looked at the sun above his head with some confusion, "Brother Qiu, have you noticed that along our journey, whether it''s the North Continent or Southern State, all the temples we''ve seen are abandoned?""Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded lazily, "Maybe people have realized that praying to these clay statues is quite useless."


    He was currently carrying two Golden Core resentful spirits on his back, but his Cultivation had reached the peak of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, so these two resentful spirits couldn''t pose much of a threat to him. As his Cultivation increased, so did his capacity to bear more resentful energy.


    He felt a bit uncomfortable when he didn''t have any resentful spirits on him before, but now he felt much better.


    "That might be possible, it''s just that something feels a bit off."


    Fat Long twisted his body to lie down more comfortably, muttering, "Back in our place, praying to these clay statues was also useless, but there were still crowds who prayed. Since there were so many temples, it means that many people must have worshiped there in the past, not to the point where now not a single person does it."


    "Hmph..."


    Chen Qiu uttered some lazy sounds unconsciously, casually responding to Fat Long''s query. The sun''s warmth on his body made him feel quite comfortable; he didn''t want to think about anything and just wanted to relax his mind for a moment, enjoying the brief comfort.


    The scholar was currently strolling around the temple, firstly to get accustomed to walking, and secondly because he had sat enough over the past few years and was excited to have his legs working again.


    Meanwhile, the scholar''s burly brother with sideburns was squatting in a corner, intently watching ants move their nest.


    Everyone had something to do.


    It all seemed quite harmonious.


    Only the Shopkeeper inside the temple, whose forehead was covered with sweat, didn''t dare to make the slightest mistake and was cautiously trying to break the seal.


    ...


    At that moment, within the Poison Sect, hundreds of miles away.


    The Taoist Sect and others who had come to investigate had already left.


    The Master of Poison Sect stared emotionlessly at the replayed scene in the air, watching those young men brazenly chopping off all the Dragon Vein Stones within the Forbidden Land of his Poison Sect, without even sparing the newly formed ones, uncontrollable fury surged in his eyes.


    His teeth were tightly clenched as he spat out each word, his eyes nearly bursting with rage.


    "Chen Qiu!"


    "I swear I''ll hunt you to the ends of the earth!!!"


    He recognized the young man leading the group in the scene; he was the recently famous Chen Qiu, who had taken the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance and single-handedly annihilated tens of thousands from the Evil Clan!


    You sure know how to pick your timing, huh?


    Before heading to Southern State to snatch the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance, you actually took the time to ransack my Forbidden Land?


    Then he looked at the ''Trace-Following Stone'' in his hand, created by the Taoist Sect from the residual energy of Chen Qiu and the others, projecting his Divine Sense into it and looking toward Chen Qiu''s position, only a few hundred miles away from him, a glint of surprise flashed in his eyes.


    "Very good, very good, I can''t believe you dare to return to the North Continent!"


    "Since that''s the case, come sit inside my Soul Banner!"


    Having said that, his body turned into a streak of Liu Guang and shot off into the distance.


    No matter how much fame that Chen Qiu had recently gained, he was still just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator at the end of the day, and for a Golden Core fourth-level mighty being like himself, crushing a Foundation Establishment was no more difficult than flipping his hand, right?


    ...


    And at that moment, Chen Qiu and the others were lying on the temple roof sunbathing, waiting for the Shopkeeper to break into the Storage Ring and then head to Yun City to look for Liu Zide. They planned to bring him back to Fei State to make large purchases of Evil Wood and the Eight Desolate Fruit.


    "Hmm."


    The languid Chen Qiu took out a Jade Scroll from his bosom, the extra "three choices" entry opportunity he had obtained from the Heavenly Dao Roulette which he hadn''t used yet. After playing with it for a while, he crushed it. Continue reading at empire


    Suddenly¡ª


    A panel shrouded in mist appeared above his Dantian.


    -


    1:


    "Entry name": Love Without Regret.


    "Entry level": green.


    "Entry effect": For every same race, same gender individual that truly falls in love with you, you will receive a hundred Spirit Stones.


    2:


    "Entry name": Life and Death Thin Line.


    "Entry level": white.


    "Entry effect": You cannot be killed in one blow by anyone, not even by a Mahayana Realm powerhouse, but you will be severely injured by any attack you suffer.


    3:


    "Entry name": Talismanic Cultivation Posture.


    "Entry level": white.


    "Entry effect": The speed at which you draw talismans will be faster.


    -


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu''s brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the three entries, the first entry obviously wasn''t worth mentioning, even if it was tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, he wasn''t very interested, he has no prejudice against same-sex relationships, though he respects but does not understand...


    Well, to be honest.


    He neither respects nor understands.


    The second entry would only have side effects for him, leaving him with only the third choice, though not very useful, it could still serve as materials for Core Formation.


    Just as he was about to choose¡ª


    "Die!!!"


    A fierce roar grew from distant to near and sounded in his ears. A force carrying immense poisonous energy and revealing the formidable Spiritual Energy of a mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator was rapidly closing in on him! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The great intent to kill almost solidified.


    In that very moment!


    The sensation of being locked on by a mid-stage Golden Core Divine Sense made Chen Qiu, who lay on the temple roof, suddenly feel a chill in his limbs as if plummeting into a deep abyss. He could faintly feel the Array Patterns of the "Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array" in his Sea of Consciousness starting to light up as if they sensed the imminent Divine Sense Attack.


    ''Divine Sense Attack''.


    This concept flashed through Chen Qiu''s mind in an instant. A mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator''s unannounced strike, launching a full-strength Divine Sense Attack on him, even if his Sea of Consciousness housed the "Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array," but since he had not entered the Golden Core Stage, the array could only exert a weak effect.

 Chapter 115 Heavenly Pride Order. _4

    If this Divine Sense Attack were to truly strike into his Sea of Consciousness, it could almost instantaneously snatch away his life.This was an overwhelming assault from a Golden Core Master against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    No matter how many tricks a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had, a Divine Sense Attack could completely crush them. He wanted to escape into the small world but was tightly locked by the Golden Core Divine Sense. This prevented his Divine Sense from making any contact with the Storage Ring inside his body, rendering him unable to establish a connection with the Sect Leader''s Chair or enter the small world.


    Experience more tales on empire


    It was almost certainly a mortal situation.


    At this critical moment, Chen Qiu, lying on the temple roof, muttered, "That Memory Stone really does bring good luck..."


    The next moment¡ª


    The Divine Sense Attack vanished in an instant from tens of miles away and suddenly pierced into his Sea of Consciousness like a dragon diving into a swamp, nearly instantly shredding his Sea of Consciousness to pieces, but just as it was about to completely destroy his Sea of Consciousness.


    The phrase "life and death hanging by a thread" carved on Chen Qiu''s Tao Foundation suddenly began to emit bursts of bright light.


    An indescribable power caused the Divine Sense Attack to gradually weaken and then disappear within the Sea of Consciousness.


    "Boom!"


    Chen Qiu, although still lying motionless in the same spot on the temple roof, basking in the sun, now started bleeding from all seven orifices, a sign that his Sea of Consciousness had been completely destroyed.


    This Divine Sense Attack was focused solely on Chen Qiu; Fat Long and the scholar below the temple, among others, were completely unharmed.


    "Brother Qiu!"


    Fat Long, lying next to him, looked anxiously at Chen Qiu, whose body was bleeding from the seven orifices, and held him in his arms, shouting urgently to the scholar who had already flown to the roof and the fast approaching Golden Core Great Power, "Scholar, run!"


    "Run? Where to run!"


    The voice of the Master of Poison Sect, which had been at the horizon just moments before, had now landed on the temple roof. With a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy, he swung his hand and sent the scholar, who had just shot out a Qingfeng from his sleeve, flying to the side.


    Only then did he look toward Chen Qiu, who lay in Fat Long''s arms bleeding from the orifices, eyes tightly shut, evidently half-dead.


    He did not deliver another blow immediately.


    Instead, he threw his head back and laughed heartily, feeling extremely satisfied inside.


    "Chen Qiu, oh Chen Qiu."


    "You should never have provoked my Poison Sect."


    "You could have become a generation''s Heavenly Pride, alas, alas, because you provoked my Poison Sect today, you shall fall here, even if you are a Heavenly Pride, the chasm between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core is simply insurmountable!"


    "Even if I were standing in front of you completely defenseless, without Protective Spirit Qi, just by the strength of my physical body, you also..."


    His words were suddenly cut off.


    "Gulp."


    The Master of Poison Sect, standing on the temple roof, suddenly froze in place, eyes filled with disbelief as he looked toward Chen Qiu and the others, continuously spitting out mouthfuls of blood, while overhead, unknown to him, limitless thunderclouds had silently gathered.


    A bout of thunder comparable to Heavenly Punishment struck down from the clouds, hitting the Master of Poison Sect right on the head in the middle of his boasting.


    The dying Master of Poison Sect, raising his hand with eyes full of resentment and unwillingness, looked toward Fat Long and others, intending to use a Divine Sense Attack to take them down with him. However, the Thunder Summoning Technique unleashed by a peak Golden Core Cultivation gave him no chance.


    The next instant¡ª


    The body of the Master of Poison Sect was blown to pieces, turning into dust that the wind blew away, disappearing from the world.


    "Whoosh!"


    A Golden Core burst forth from the powder and aimed to shoot into the distance, but the preparative scholar''s fingers trembled lightly, and the three-foot green blade that had been slapped away shot out with even greater speed, catching up to the Golden Core, skewering it on its tip, and bringing it back.


    "Phew..."


    At this moment, Chen Qiu, who was in Fat Long''s arms, slowly opened his eyes, somewhat struggling to push Fat Long away. He sat atop the temple''s roof, swept a glance at the bloody mist in the sky, pulled out a handkerchief from his bosom to wipe the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, and turned his head towards the scholar and others, his voice hoarse.


    "Villains often die from talking too much, that''s a lesson from the past. Nonsense should be spouted after killing, not before."


    "Damn, ambushing."


    He had always been the one ambushing Golden Cores; this was the first time a Golden Core had ambushed him, especially a fourth-layer Golden Core Great Power ambushing him with full force.


    For a Golden Core against a Foundation Establishment, it was a total crush, especially when it was a full-force ambush. The Divine Sense Attack of the fourth-layer Golden Core penetrated his Sea of Consciousness in an instant, nearly destroying all his Divine Sense. If it weren''t for his last-moment choice of the entry "Life or Death,"


    he would probably have died on the spot.


    This time, he could only say he was lucky.


    If it wasn''t for him crushing the "three choices" entry at this time, and coincidentally getting "Life or Death," which saved his life, it would be hard to say how things would''ve turned out.


    Chen Qiu struggled to stand up and stretch his limbs. His body wasn''t injured externally but felt as if someone had stuffed a meat grinder inside his head, causing an almost explosive headache.


    The pain was so severe that he even experienced some blurring of vision.


    Spiritual Energy formed filaments that emerged from his body, rolled up the only remaining Storage Ring of the Master of Poison Sect from the bloody mist in mid-air, and through the broken hole in the temple''s roof, looked down towards the Shopkeeper pretending to be dead in the temple''s corner. He sent down the Storage Ring with Spiritual Energy, his voice hoarse.


    "Shopkeeper, there''s another Storage Ring here; trouble you to take care of it. Hard work."


    While the Master of Poison Sect was grandly pontificating, he had secretly triggered the "Life or Death" entry. The Thunder Summoning Technique released by the Peak Golden Core Cultivation in a full-force blow killed the Master of Poison Sect on the spot, completely disintegrating his robe and Storage Ring, leaving only one Storage Ring intact.


    Then he sat back down on the roof squarely.


    His eyebrows twisted in pain as he continuously massaged his temples. Although the "Life or Death" entry had saved his life, his Sea of Consciousness felt almost completely destroyed, the pain piercing deep into his brain.


    It was both itchy and painful.


    He even felt like taking his sword, digging out his brains, and stomping them on the ground fiercely.


    "Scholar."


    Chen Qiu frowned and turned his head to look at the scholar, "How do you treat damage to the Sea of Consciousness?"


    "Take medicine."


    The scholar''s voice was urgent as he replied, "Golden Core low-grade pill, ''Replenishing God Pill,'' this kind of pill is specifically for repairing damage to Divine Sense. This kind of pill is generally not available in markets or auctions, but has to be directly sought from Alchemy sects."


    "The nearest sect that can concoct this pill is called ''Star Battle Sect,'' located at the farthest north of Xuzhou, past Fufeng City and Yun City, and just by the border of the Endless Desert."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded, feeling the bone-deep pain deep in his brain, and patted his head tiredly, "Will this thing leave any hidden injuries?"


    "No."


    The scholar shook his head, "As long as all the damage to Divine Sense is completely repaired, it won''t leave any hidden injuries. However, during this time, Divine Sense shouldn''t leave the body, but since Brother Qiu, you are now a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it''s essentially like not being affected at all." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But it will be painful."


    "A pain that ordinary people can hardly bear."

 Chapter 116

    "That''s not a problem."Chen Qiu sat on the temple roof and shook his head. As long as there wouldn''t be any lingering internal injuries, it was already good that he was alive after being attacked with full force by a Golden Core fourth layer great power. This pain was inconsequential.


    He was just worried that if his Sea of Consciousness was damaged, it would lead to latent injuries that might prevent him from forming a tenth-grade Golden Core.


    Then he would really feel like killing someone.


    Now, this was completely acceptable. Fortunately, he hadn''t chosen that "Unbearable Pain" entry which would have increased his sense of pain; otherwise, he might well have been in so much agony that he could have died from it.


    He was also unwilling to linger, as it was a priority to quickly proceed to the "Star Battle Sect" to seek medicine.


    After a pause, he looked down at the temple below, towards the shopkeeper who still hadn''t recovered from the shock, and said hoarsely, "Shopkeeper, how about you stay somewhere else for a while, and I''ll let you out after some time?"


    Then, with a wave of his hand, he sucked the shopkeeper into the small world, and the shopkeeper did not resist.


    ...


    Chao Tian Sect, within a clean disciple dormitory.


    The shopkeeper appeared abruptly in this dormitory, still terrified. Before he could take a look around, he heard a familiar voice.


    "Shopkeeper, you''ll have to endure staying in this room for a while."


    "After I''ve broken into the storage ring, I''ll let you out."


    "I appreciate your efforts, shopkeeper. You''ll get double the compensation this time."


    ...


    Just as Chen Qiu motioned for the scholar to prepare to head to the "Star Battle Sect," he was taken aback by the Golden Core Pill of the Poison Sect Master that the scholar had passed to him. The headache and dizziness that had plagued him suddenly eased, and he couldn''t help but shake his head and chuckle.


    "A second-grade Golden Core?"


    "Yes." The scholar couldn''t help but laugh too, "Brother Qiu, you can consider this a blessing in disguise. Second-grade Golden Cores are hard to come by; it''s not often that one delivers itself to your doorstep."


    "Indeed."


    Chen Qiu nodded, took out a wooden box from his chest ¨C he had many of those wooden boxes, each one was the box bestowed by the Heavenly Dao that contained the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. He placed the second-grade Golden Core inside the wooden box and placed it in the small world''s storage room.


    Now he had three second-grade Golden Cores.


    Just six more to go.


    The progress towards nine second-grade Golden Cores was already one-third complete; considering this, Chen Qiu felt that being struck this time didn''t seem like such a bad deal after all.


    Then, he glanced over the scholar''s Flying Sword, noticing several cracks on it, he frowned and said, "I remember that this Flying Sword is your Lifebound Spirit Treasure, right?"


    "Yes."


    The scholar nodded and then shook his head helplessly, "It''s been damaged a bit. The Lifebound Spirit Treasure is closely linked to me; I''ve also been injured a bit, but it''s not severe, and it''s still usable. As long as it hasn''t completely shattered, there''s always a way to repair it in the future."


    "So, are we setting off now, Brother Qiu?"


    "Let''s go."


    ...


    When passing through Fufeng City, they placed the scholar''s younger brother in Fufeng City.


    The trio of Chen Qiu was on their way to seek pills at the "Star Battle Sect." In case of any emergencies, they could retreat quickly to Fufeng City using the Bloodline Entry between the scholar and his younger brother.


    At the entrance of the Star Battle Sect''s mountain gate.


    "It shouldn''t be too much trouble." Continue reading at empire


    The scholar said in a low voice, "This Star Battle Sect has always had a good reputation, never once resorting to harming those who come to seek pills. The Pill Sect usually maintains neutrality, treating Evil Cultivation, Demon Cultivation, and righteous cultivators all the same."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded and looked at the mountain gate in front of him.


    The Star Battle Sect was located atop a tall peak, with the sect''s location at the summit of the mountain and the mountain gate built halfway up the slope. Two ten-zhang high stone pillars with strange patterns stood erect halfway up the slope, not enclosed at the top; this place was the mountain gate.


    Anyone stepping onto Xing Dou''s boundary from other places was considered to have hostile intentions.


    At this moment, there were two Mountain Guarding Disciples at the gate sizing them up.


    "Are you here to seek pills? Do you have any elder''s recommendation in the form of a Spiritual Tablet?"


    One of the Mountain Guarding Disciples with a square face looked at Chen Qiu and his group and asked sternly.


    "No."


    Chen Qiu shook his head softly and said, "No, we''ve heard that the Star Battle Sect''s skill in pill refinement is unparalleled in the Northern State and have specifically come to seek pills." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then waved his hand, and Fat Long, by his side, discreetly took out two storage bags each containing ten Spirit Stones from his chest and slipped them into the Mountain Guarding Disciples'' arms without leaving a trace.


    This place was already on the border with the Endless Desert.


    Standing on the mountainside, one could see the endless desert in the distance, without an oasis, without springs, without hills, only the boundless expanse of the Endless Desert.


    Even though it was the middle of winter.


    Yet, for some reason, he could even feel the heatwave coming from the Endless Desert; it was a stark contrast to the Boundless Icefield, forming a complete opposite extreme.


    ...


    "Cough."


    The two gate-keeping disciples casually accepted the storage bags handed by Fat Long. One of them coughed lightly in his fist then said in a low voice, "Have you fellow daoists been deceived? Foundation Establishment pills can be bought in the market below, generally only Golden Core pills require you to come up the mountain to seek them."


    "The pill we seek is the Golden Core pill ''Replenishing God Pill''."


    "Replenishing God Pill?"


    The gate-keeping disciple looked strangely at Chen Qiu and his group; what Foundation Establishment Cultivator would seek a Replenishing God Pill? It was a pill to repair Divine Sense damage, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators had no chance of Divine Sense damage. Only in a fight with a Golden Core Great Power could Divine Sense be harmed, and if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator suffered a Divine Sense Attack, they would''ve likely perished immediately.


    But after some thought, they guessed that it must be an errand on behalf of some Golden Core Master behind them.


    Without delay, they treated the matter seriously and said, "Please follow me."


    Then, they flew towards the mountain''s summit on their Flying Swords, with Chen Qiu and his companions following closely behind on their own Swords.

 Chapter 117

    He had already completed the Magic Practitioner inheritance, and the Forbidden Sea was no longer accessible. He was unsure where to find Old Man Cao and decided to try his luck in the Array Repairer inheritance next and see if he could meet Old Man Cao there."..."


    Chen Qiu retracted his gaze from the Eight-petal Fire Lotus above the Chao Tian Sect, replenished his Spiritual Energy above the back mountain, and then led the scholar and others back to the Underground Fire Sea, prepared to use the scholar''s Bloodline Entry to return to the scholar''s brother.


    The space within the small world was isolated from Da Xia.


    It was not possible to teleport directly from the small world to the scholar''s brother.


    However¡ª


    As soon as they appeared over the Underground Fire Sea, they saw a gigantic eyeball almost directly in front of them, staring intently at them.


    "Swoosh."


    Chen Qiu almost instantaneously moved dozens of yards away into the deeper parts of the Fire Sea, squinting towards the huge demon beast in the sea of fire nearby.


    It was a tiger.


    A tiger that was dozens of yards in size, completely enveloped in flames, angrily looked towards them as if on the verge of attacking,


    being incredibly gigantic¡ªit was just one eyeball that was much larger than they were, appeared to possess intelligence, though it wasn''t very high.


    "Roar!"


    The crimson giant tiger wrapped in flames stood on the flames and roared loudly, its bellow echoing throughout the Underground Fire Sea. It then charged towards Chen Qiu and the others.


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu didn''t want to linger and fight; instead, he lightly tapped the scholar on the shoulder.


    The next moment¡ª


    Chen Qiu and his companions disappeared on the spot.


    The giant tiger that had pounced on empty air had a brief flash of confusion in its massive pupils, followed by an irritable swatting of the surrounding flowing flames with its paws, sending waves of heat bursting around like shockwaves.


    Back beside the scholar''s brother in Fufeng City, Chen Qiu and his companions, without much delay, continued their journey toward the Xing Dou Sect.


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    The Xing Dou Sect Master, who had been standing by the Fire Well with little hope, looked at the now calming Earth Fire inside and vibrated with an excited quiver in his voice.


    "We''ve done it, we''ve truly done it!!!"


    The Earth Fire had calmed down once again.


    This meant that Xing Dou Sect did not need to relocate.


    Unexpectedly, Chen Qiu had resolved what even their ancestor couldn''t.


    The Great Elder and others couldn''t contain their excitement either; the significance of the Earth Fire to Xing Dou Sect was... critical!


    Right then!


    Chen Qiu appeared at the doorstep, led by a door-keeping disciple, and with a smile asked the Xing Dou Sect Master, "Is the problem resolved now?"


    "Resolved, resolved!"


    The Xing Dou Sect Master, a bit undignified in his excitement, excitedly grinned at Chen Qiu and said, "From now on, Xing Dou Sect will be your closest ally, Daoist Chen. You''re welcome to come to us anytime for anything Pill-related; if we can manage it, it will all be free!"


    "Come this way, please; I will personally refine a Replenishing God Pill for you, Daoist Chen!"


    Although he didn''t know why Chen Qiu appeared outside, at the moment he couldn''t care less; he was eager to share the great news with his long-deceased ancestor.


    The only worry of his ancestor''s life had been for Xing Dou Sect; knowing this news would surely make him too happy to shut his mouth even below in the underworld.


    ...


    Enjoy new adventures from empire


    It was already night.


    Chen Qiu sat in the guest room, leisurely sipping the spiritual tea brought by the Great Elder, tasting quite nice. Like the spiritual wine, the tea carried a mild Spiritual Energy which spread coolly through his organs. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the somewhat hot climate of the Endless Desert, it was just perfect.


    It was now past midnight.


    His nightly quota of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills had also been credited: 499 low-grade Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills and 15 mid-grade Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills¡ªhis reward for moving up in the Fame Rankings.


    By now, he noticed that the Fame Ranking had disappeared.


    Seemingly, its time had expired; it was always a temporary leaderboard before a Heavenly Dao version update, but it disappeared just when he no longer needed the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Quite good.


    Right then¡ª


    The visibly exhausted Xing Dou Sect Master strode into the tea room and handed a jade box to Chen Qiu with a serious expression, advising, "I have minimized the medical power to ensure that even at the peak of Foundation Establishment, you can consume it."


    "Due to the reduced potency, one pill''s medical power might be insufficient."


    "Here are three pills."


    "First, swallow one pill and absorb all its efficacy, then move on to the next. This will ensure that you can completely withstand the power of the Replenishing God Pill."


    "Okay."


    Chen Qiu smiled and nodded slightly.


    The Xing Dou Sect Master, grateful, gestured for Chen Qiu to sit down, and the two of them sat and chatted.


    After chatting for about half an hour, Chen Qiu stood up to leave.


    He then left the Xing Dou Sect and headed towards Yun City.


    ...


    Yun City.


    A small city near the Endless Desert, not one of Da Xia''s 365 major cities, Chen Qiu and his companions spent the night at an inn in this city.


    Fat Long and the others had already returned to their respective rooms to sleep.


    Only Chen Qiu remained seated cross-legged on the bed, looking at the now empty jade box in front of him, his expression quite pensive.


    Truly, fortune and disaster rely on each other; who can know their extremes?


    He had almost lost his life under the full-power attack of the Master of Poison Sect, but luckily, he was selecting an entry at that time and chose the "Between Life and Death" entry in the last moment. The entry saved his life but severely damaged his Sea of Consciousness.

 Chapter 117 Green Fishing Rod._4

    Chen Qiu walked up to the door marked "first round" and tried pushing it open. As he stepped into the room, he was met with a blinding bright light that filled the space, making it almost impossible to keep his eyes open.But it only lasted a moment.


    When he opened his eyes again.


    He found himself back on the deck, but now it was deserted except for him. Not far in front of him stood three Fishman Monsters, each armed with a Fish Spear, eyeing him with a sinister gaze.


    There was also a panel wrapped in mist floating mid-air.


    "First round, defeat three Foundation Establishment level six Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths."


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    Following that¡ª


    The three Fishman Monsters, each holding a Fish Spear, roared and charged at him.


    "This is interesting."


    Chen Qiu watched the scene unfold with interest, casually released a hundred Thunder Dragons, and the three Foundation Establishment level six Fishman Monsters immediately turned into wisps of green smoke and vanished from the deck. The deck was instantly filled with a large amount of mist, and by the time the mist had cleared, he was back at the doorway of the first-round room.


    The rough fishing rod in his hand had now turned into a smooth, green fishing rod without any burrs.


    -


    "Green fishing rod."


    "Can catch green fish at the highest, to upgrade to the yellow level, catch ''two green fish'' and pass through the second challenge inside the ship''s deck."


    -


    At that moment¡ª


    Fat Long also appeared beside him. Seeing Chen Qiu, he quickly came over, excitedly reported, "My first-round opponents were three Qi Refinement level seven Fishman Monsters, easily handled."


    "Qi Refinement level seven?"


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully. The Cultivation of the Fishman Monsters in this round was not the same for everyone; instead, it was tailored based on the individual''s Cultivation. This way, even those with higher Cultivation had no particular advantage here.


    This was a relatively fair Secret Realm.


    No matter the level of Cultivation, everyone competed fairly from the same starting point here.


    Even Qi Refinement cultivators could gain something.


    This Secret Realm was limited to those with Foundation Establishment peak Cultivation and below, and many Qi Refinement cultivators also entered.


    Foundation Establishment was overwhelmingly superior to Qi Refinement, and it was no surprise that Fat Long had easily resolved his challenge.


    At that time, the scholar also came out having smoothly passed the first round, but the scholar''s brother shook his head, indicating that he hadn''t passed. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    Chen Qiu, holding his green fishing rod, returned to the deck and settled back at the edge of the wooden boat to start fishing again. Many around him now held smooth green fishing rods.


    Only a minority still held white fishing rods.


    The first round wasn''t very difficult, except for a few cultivators who were really not good at fighting; most could pass it easily. Of course, even if one failed the first round, there was no mortal danger, only that they must continue to use a white fishing rod.


    Although the white fishing rod was the lowest grade,


    One big white fish was equivalent to a Spirit Stone. The Secret Realm lasted three hours, so catching enough fish could still be quite profitable.


    He lifted his green fishing rod and cast it again; perhaps with the experience of his previous successful catch, he was much more confident in his throw this time.


    He had thought about flying in the sky, but since this Secret Realm was a no-fly zone and because cultivators couldn''t attack each other, he couldn''t even utilize his own Spiritual Energy on the deck, which completely stalled his plan to blast the fish.


    Otherwise, the thought of thousands of Thunder Dragons bombing down didn''t bear thinking about; the fish would be annihilated.


    This wasn''t faster than fishing anyway.


    Lost in thought, the fishing line trembled violently again.


    "Hey,"


    Chen Qiu laughed as he lifted the rod high, pulling a large, plump green fish onto the deck. The hook rate was still quite high, and the moment this plump green fish landed on the deck,


    A flash of white light transformed it into three Spirit Stones.


    He never imagined that one day, he, Chen Qiu, would also become a master fisherman.

 Chapter 118 Worthy of being the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It.

    His fishing hook had no bait at all, and he had no fishing technique. Being a complete newbie, he had cast twice and both times he had caught something. Naturally, he wouldn''t think his fishing talent was particularly good.The Secret Realm lasted only three hours.


    Not too long.


    Chen Qiu didn''t delay too much, casting his line again. This time it took slightly longer, about forty seconds or so, before he finally caught another green fish, which once again transformed into three Spirit Stones.


    Then, he stuffed the fishing rod into his Storage Ring and immediately strode toward the deck cabin below.


    Having met the requirement of catching two green fish, he could level up his fishing rod again by passing the second challenge.


    ...


    After he entered the second challenge room below deck,


    he returned to the empty deck.


    "The second challenge, defeat four Foundation Establishment eighth-level Fishman Monsters within a hundred seconds."


    Not far from the deck,


    four Fishman Monsters, emanating the aura of the Foundation Establishment eighth level, were holding Fish Spears. In the instant the mist transformed into clouds and disappeared, they roared in unison and charged at him!


    "Boom...!"


    After casually releasing a hundred Thunder Dragons again, these Fishman Monsters had only taken a few steps before turning into green smoke and dissipating in mid-air.


    "Magic Practitioners are just this strong."


    Chen Qiu looked at the Fishman Monsters, weak to the point of collapsing at a single blow, and chuckled. He relished the sense that no one could withstand his casual strike, feeling that, as a Magic Practitioner, this is how it should be!


    Soon¡ª


    Chen Qiu, who had walked out from below the deck cabin, now held a fishing rod that had turned into the waxy Yellow fishing rod.


    -


    "Yellow fishing rod."


    "Can catch up to Yellow fish, upgrade to blue level by catching ''three Yellow fish'' and passing the third challenge inside the cabin below deck."


    -


    "Cast the rod!" S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu stood on the edge of the deck and confidently cast his line. Within ten seconds, the fishing line trembled violently again. His eyes sparkled as he swiftly reeled in his catch, hauling up a large White fish.


    "..."


    He looked at the White fish on the ground that had transformed into a Spirit Stone, his brow slightly furrowed.


    But he didn''t overthink it and prepared to cast again since the highest he could catch were Yellow fish. Not every catch could be a White fish, right?


    Just then¡ª


    "Wow!"


    Shouts of astonishment came from a nearby crowd, where a dozen people surrounded a young man with a face flushed from excitement. Before the young man on the deck, there was a fish changing colors between grey, green, and seven-colored.


    This peculiar fish was hovering in a cloud-mist panel above, displaying images of three fish.


    "Which fish did you catch?"


    "Grey fish, green fish, seven-colored fish."


    "Please make a selection within ten seconds."


    The surrounding Cultivators crowded around the young man, offering their opinions fervently. After a deep thought and a serious expression, the young man chose the "grey fish" option.


    This choice clearly tested his greed, demonstrating that as long as he remained earnest without arrogance or humility, he was bound to receive the best reward.


    After the man made his choice,


    the fish with its ever-changing glow slowly turned into a Grey fish, then alongside the disappearance of the Grey fish, a coin appeared on the deck.


    The moment he saw that coin, the young man, who had just been neither servile nor arrogant, suddenly stiffened, then collapsed on the deck and began to scream hysterically, appearing nothing like a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    The Cultivators who had been vociferously offering advice around him now dispersed with satisfied expressions, clearly finding this outcome very satisfying to most.


    It''s painful not having an adventure of your own.


    But watching someone else earn an adventure is even more painful.


    ...


    "That panel looks so familiar..."


    Fat Long tilted his head towards the man lying on the ground amid an emotional breakdown: "At first, I also thought the grey one was the correct answer. Now, it seems like the seven-colored fish should be the right answer?"


    "Impossible."


    Chen Qiu cast his line again and looked towards the horizon: "There''s no way the seven-colored fish would be given away that easily. Even if you chose the seven-colored fish, it probably would have turned into a grey fish. I think the correct answer might be the green fish, choosing it might actually win you a green fish."


    "Is that so?"


    Fat Long pondered: "That makes sense."


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    "Fish on!"


    With the fishing line trembling fiercely, Chen Qiu finally caught a Yellow fish for the first time. As the Yellow fish was hauled onto the deck, it transformed into ten Spirit Stones in a flash of white light.


    "More Spirit Stones?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyebrows twitched; he had thought something special might happen, but it turned out everything he caught was just Spirit Stones. That way, his gain from this Secret Realm would be minimal. Even if he upgraded his fishing rod to the highest level and fished for the full three hours, he''d gather just a few thousand Spirit Stones at most.


    Though not a small amount, it was much less than he had expected.


    Without further thought, Chen Qiu continued fishing. Even the tiniest bite had to be chewed since it was being fed straight to his mouth, and a few thousand Spirit Stones were not a small sum for him.


    ...


    An hour later,


    three Yellow fish had been hooked, all transforming into thirty Spirit Stones.


    Chen Qiu immediately got up and strode towards the cabin below the deck.

 Chapter 118 Truly an Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It. _2

    Once more, he arrived at the deserted deck."Third level, defeat five Foundation Establishment stage nine Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths."


    "Hmm..."


    A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Qiu''s eyes as he looked at the five Foundation Establishment stage nine Fishman Monsters before him. Was it merely the third level, yet he already faced five opponents of the same Cultivation level?


    This level could stymie ninety-nine percent of participants.


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    It also meant that ninety-nine percent of the people possess only a yellow fishing rod at best, with hardly any chance of upgrading to a blue one.


    Generally speaking,


    even for the geniuses from cities or sects, there was no way someone of the same Cultivation level could handle five opponents simultaneously¡ªit was too strenuous unless they had multiple advantages like Spiritual Treasures and spells.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, not dwelling on it further; he cast hundreds of Thunder Dragons with a flick of his hand, and then as the mist filled the deck, he once again walked out from the cabin to the deck.


    Now, the fishing rod in his hand had been upgraded to blue.


    Its blue was like the vast sea, and holding it, you could even see specks within the rod, twinkling like stars in the sky, its quality evidently many times superior to the yellow fishing rods.


    "What a pity."


    Chen Qiu felt regret as he weighed the fishing rod in his hands, lamenting that this item couldn''t be taken out of the Secret Realm. Otherwise, it would make a fine object to fiddle with, feeling much more comfortable to the touch than the Jade Feather Fan he had initially bought at the Ask Heaven Market.


    He scanned his surroundings.


    At this moment, around sixty percent of the people on the deck were using green fishing rods, ten percent were using white fishing rods, and the rest had yellow fishing rods.


    As for the blue fishing rods, only he had one.


    However, when he had first entered the third level, he saw a few people seated in meditation with Spirit Stones at the entrance, possibly having failed one or two attempts already, but not giving up and preparing to try again after restoring their Spiritual Energy.


    Maybe they would succeed next time.


    Chen Qiu glanced around and decided not to linger. He gripped the blue fishing rod in his hand and confidently strode to the deck, then swung the rod powerfully, casting the hook to the farthest distance.


    -


    "Blue fishing rod."


    "Can fish up blue fish at the highest, and to upgrade to the purple level, one needs to catch ''four blue fish'' and pass the fourth level inside the deck''s cabin."


    -


    Fat Long now possessed a yellow fishing rod, already reaching its limit. With Fat Long''s combat ability, he currently wasn''t qualified to have a blue fishing rod, while the scholar had a green fishing rod, which he likely wouldn''t have been able to possess if he hadn''t swapped for the Sword Bone.


    His available Spiritual Energy was minimal, hardly possessing any offensive capabilities. The green fishing rod was already his limit.


    This time, the blue fish seemed extraordinarily gentle. Chen Qiu had only waited a few breaths before catching a large fish completely blue and pulling it onto the deck.


    "Splash, splash!"


    After a few flops on the deck, the blue fish transformed into a hundred Spirit Stones.


    "A hundred Spirit Stones?"


    A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Qiu''s eyes. Yellow fish could only turn into ten Spirit Stones each, yet this blue fish, just one quality higher, could transform into a hundred Spirit Stones, which was ten times more.


    There were still over two hours until the end of the Secret Realm.


    Even if he didn''t upgrade his fishing rod any further and just sat here fishing for two hours with this blue rod, he felt that by the time the Secret Realm ended, he could take away several thousand Spirit Stones¡ªa considerable fortune indeed.


    This scene was noticed by many people around. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A blue fish is worth a hundred Spirit Stones?"


    "Damn!"


    In an instant, several cultivators who had tried the third level once but had barely failed without hesitation rushed to the cabin below the deck to try again. Although battling five Fishmen Monsters of the same Cultivation level was challenging, they were core disciples of their various sects.


    They were so close to making it through and originally didn''t want to waste time trying, thinking even blue fish wouldn''t be much more valuable than yellow ones. But now, seeing there was a tenfold difference, none were willing to fish for yellow fish anymore.


    Catching one blue fish was worth as much as catching ten yellow fish.


    ...


    After catching several green and yellow fish midway, Chen Qiu finally managed to catch four blue fish within the span of two cups of tea, ready to upgrade the fishing rod quality once he passed the fourth level.


    He strode towards the cabin under the deck and stepped into the fourth level.


    On the deserted deck,


    ten Foundation Establishment stage nine Fishman Monsters holding fish spears stood there.


    "Ten?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyes narrowed slightly; the difficulty was not trivial. He wasted no time as he didn''t want to finally have his fishing rod upgraded to the highest quality and then run out of time to fish.


    The rule was to kill within a hundred breaths.


    If a renowned sect''s Heavenly Pride could manage to fight ten opponents of the same Cultivation using guerrilla tactics, then this hundred-breath limit essentially blocked that strategy completely.


    He casually released hundreds of Thunder Dragons, and these Fishman Monsters once again turned into wisps of green smoke.


    For him, unless they were Golden Core, whether it was five, ten, or even a hundred had no significance; his Thunder Summoning Technique now was not something that opponents at the Foundation Establishment level could withstand, having completely surpassed those limits.


    His domination over Foundation Establishment level opponents, barring Divine Sense Attacks, was virtually no different in dimension from a Golden Core dominating a Foundation Establishment opponent.


    As he walked onto the deck again.

 Chapter 118 Worthy of the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It._3

    The fishing rod in hand had transformed into a bewitchingly purple color that was quite captivating, and it had shortened considerably, looking less like a fishing rod and more like a long stick, having lost a bit of its elasticity and gained a bit of stiffness.-


    "Purple fishing rod."


    "Capable of catching purple fish at the highest level, upgrading to Red Level requires catching ''five purple fish'' and passing the Fifth Level inside the lower deck of the cabin."


    -


    "Continue!"


    A purple fish was worth one Mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    One Mid-grade Spirit Stone was worth nearly 600 lower-grade Spirit Stones, and Mid-grade Spirit Stones were exactly what Chen Qiu was in dire need of at the moment¡ªhe had less than thirty, and he would need a total of forty-nine Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to lay out a Spirit Gathering Array for his Golden Core breakthrough.


    The moment a purple fish transformed into a Mid-grade Spirit Stone...


    Chen Qiu''s eyes reddened with excitement, and he was even somewhat reluctant to continue upgrading his fishing rod. He wanted to keep using the purple rod until the end of the Secret Realm. Based on his current pace, he was sure he could gather the forty-nine Mid-grade Spirit Stones before the Secret Realm closed.


    He might even be able to gather 108 Mid-grade Spirit Stones and lay out an even higher quality Spirit Gathering Array.


    However, it wasn''t just Chen Qiu whose eyes had turned red¡ªeveryone around him felt a surge of envy upon seeing that Mid-grade Spirit Stone. Almost ninety percent of Foundation Establishment Cultivators would never have the chance to own a Mid-grade Spirit Stone in their lifetime.


    And in this Secret Realm, catching one purple fish would reward them with a Mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    They too desired a Purple fishing rod.


    But that Fourth Level...it simply wasn''t meant for humans to pass.


    At that moment on the deck, there were only two people holding Blue fishing rods. Both were considered Heavenly Prides of their respective sects, capable of defeating five opponents of equal Cultivation, nearly invincible at their level. Even so...


    After exchanging glances, both could see dissatisfaction and helplessness in each other''s eyes.


    Despite their reluctance to admit it, the Blue fishing rod truly represented their limit. Defeating ten opponents of equal Cultivation within a hundred breaths was an utterly fantastical idea for them!


    Passing the Fourth Level required not merely being Invincible on an equal level, but absolute domination within that level.


    ...


    After catching five purple fish and obtaining five Mid-grade Spirit Stones, which brought Chen Qiu''s total number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Ring to thirty-one, he did not hesitate to turn around and head below deck once again.


    Now, there were only two hours left until the closure of the Secret Realm. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mid-grade Spirit Stones were indeed very tempting to him.


    But he was even more curious about what kind of treasures higher level fishing rods could catch. For instance... a Red fishing rod.


    Many on the deck looked towards Chen Qiu as he left, their expressions complex and silent. Chen Qiu had now removed his mask, so they had naturally recognized him as the recently famed Chen Qiu.


    The one who single-handedly slaughtered tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment Evil Clan members on the Boundless Icefield, recognized as a peerless Heavenly Pride Magic Practitioner of Da Xia.


    Before this, no one had ever showcased such overwhelming dominance within their level.


    Being able to fight three at the same level was almost unbeatable, and handling five was genuinely invincible. They had never seen anyone capable of fighting tens of thousands like Chen Qiu. They figured they likely never would again, outside of him.


    It was no surprise for them that Chen Qiu managed to pass the Fourth Level. Ten opponents were probably nothing more than an appetizer for him.


    ...


    Inside the Fifth Level.


    On the empty deck...


    Fifty ninth-layer Foundation Establishment Fishmen Monsters surrounded Chen Qiu in the center¡ªthat was the challenge of the Fifth Level, to defeat fifty Fishman Monsters at his same level of Cultivation within a hundred breaths.


    It was near an impossible task.


    However...


    After several thousand Thunder Dragons roared past, the Fishman Monsters realized what true dominance at the same level was, right before they turned into green smoke and vanished.


    ...


    With anticipation flickering between his brows, Chen Qiu, holding the Red fishing rod, strode up onto the deck, ignoring the envious and jealous glances cast by those around him. He walked confidently to the edge of the deck and cast the rod out powerfully into the depths of the sea.


    -


    "Red fishing rod."


    "Capable of catching Red fish at the highest level, upgrading to Golden Level requires catching ''six red fish'' and passing the Sixth Level located in the cabin below deck."


    -


    Cast the rod!


    Reel in!


    A hundred breaths later, a big Red fish, shimmering like crystal wine, was pulled onto the deck. It flopped around for a bit before transforming into an entry jade slip.


    "Entry Jade Scroll": Crush to randomly obtain one White entry.


    "Heh!"


    Chen Qiu couldn''t help but grin, for this was a genuine treasure. Whether it was for using ten entries as Refining Pill ingredients during Core Formation or for holding onto a Self-Destruction Term as a last-resort move, it was all good stuff.


    Even though it was a White entry,


    That was exactly what he wanted; he wouldn''t want to use better entries as Refining Pill ingredients.


    This time, he couldn''t resist, and after catching six more Red fish, he went on to catch four more Red fish, pulling up a total of ten entry jade slips into his Storage Ring. Only then did he hurriedly head deeper into the cabin.


    There was only an hour and a half left until the end of the Secret Realm, and he had to make the most of the remaining time.


    Those ten random White entries would become his greatest gains from this Secret Realm adventure, instantly easing his worries about not having enough entries for Refining Pills. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire


    On the deck, the others watched the transformation of the big Red fish into an entry jade slip with expressionless faces. They remained silent, and if it weren''t for Chen Qiu, they would have been quite thrilled. An adventure secret realm with no danger but ample reward was their favorite kind of Secret Realm.

 Chapter 118 Worthy of the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It._4

    But with Chen Qiu, there was a basis for comparison. Once there was a comparison, looking at the entry jade slip and Mid-grade Spirit Stones in Chen Qiu''s hand, then at the low-grade Spirit Stones in their own hands, their hearts couldn''t help but feel unsatisfied....


    The Sixth Level.


    One hundred Foundation Establishment ninth layer Fishman Monsters surrounded Chen Qiu in the middle. The number was doubled compared to the last time, and the requirement was still to kill within a hundred breaths, which meant needing to defeat a Fishman Monster in each breath.


    The difficulty could almost be said to be at its maximum.


    However, at the instant the fog panel of the sixth level dissipated, thousands of Thunder Dragons surged out, and everything once again turned to ashes.


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    It only took a few breaths'' time.


    Having just stepped off the deck, Chen Qiu was now striding back onto the deck with a splendid golden fishing rod in hand, a smile on his lips and a hint of regret as he made his way toward the edge of the deck.


    He felt regret because after the golden fishing rod had once again improved in quality to the Pink Level, there was only a Seventh Level below deck, with no Eighth Level. This meant if he could upgrade the fishing rod to the Pink Level, there wouldn''t be a level to allow him to elevate the rod to the Seven-colored Level.


    And thus no chance to catch a seven-colored fish.


    Just now, after seeing that lucky one who caught a Grey fish, with the selection panel in front of them showing a seven-colored fish, he thought there might be a Seven-colored fishing rod. He had been quite looking forward to what rewards the seven-colored fish might bring, but it now seemed the seven-colored fish probably didn''t exist.


    -


    "Golden fishing rod."


    "It can catch fish up to the Golden Level. To upgrade to the Pink Level, one must catch ''seven Golden fish'' and pass the seventh challenge below deck."


    -


    Cast the rod!


    After continuously catching two Green big fish and one Purple big fish, he finally caught the first Golden fish! S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That fish transformed into an Eight Desolate Fruit and lay flat on the ground.


    Almost immediately, before anyone had the chance to see, Chen Qiu had stuffed the Eight Desolate Fruit into the Jade Box inside his Storage Ring. He had not expected the Golden fish to transform into an Eight Desolate Fruit.


    Lucky that no one saw.


    If word got out that the Golden fish transformed into an Eight Desolate Fruit, even a fool would realize that in this Secret Realm, the Eight Desolate Fruit ranked higher than the entry jade slips and Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    The previously unsought Eight Desolate Fruits of Southern State would surely provoke a frenzy of purchasing.


    Although he didn''t know what use this item had, if the Secret Realm considered it to be more valuable than entry jade slips, one should surely buy first and ask questions later, gathering them up just in case they turned out to be useful later on¡ªincurring riches. Those large families and Major Sects wouldn''t mind spending thousands of Spirit Stones to buy some trinkets valued by the Heavenly Dao.


    Golden fish were harder to catch.


    Taking nearly half an hour, he had caught many kinds of fish, and finally managed to catch seven Golden big fish.


    At that moment, in the Jade Box inside his Storage Ring, seven Eight Desolate Fruits lay quietly.


    Just as the Jade Scroll described, shaped like an octagon, like enlarged star anise or carambola.


    There was one hour left before the closure of the Secret Realm.


    With no time to delay further, Chen Qiu stored the fishing rod in his Storage Ring and strode toward the last challenge inside the cabin, namely the Seventh Level.


    ...


    "The Seventh Level, defeat two Golden Core first layer Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s eyes narrowed slightly as he stood on the deserted deck, looking toward the two Fishman Monsters not far away, carrying the terrifying Golden Core Cultivation, feeling somewhat apprehensive.


    This was the last level, the Seventh Level.


    He was unsure whether the Golden Core Fishman Monsters would use a Divine Sense Attack; if they did, it would be difficult for him to withstand it.


    In such situations, the best strategy was to strike first.


    Almost immediately, he crushed two random white entry jade slips he had just fished, without even looking closely at the content of the entries, and at the moment the fog panel disappeared, he detonated the Self-Destruction Terms instantly.


    Two Golden Core Peak cultivators unleashed the Thunder Summoning Technique with all their might, smiting the two Fishman Monsters like Heavenly Punishment the moment the cloud panel vanished.


    The two Fishman Monsters didn''t even have the chance to react before they were reduced to ashes on the spot.


    "Phew..."


    Chen Qiu let out a long breath, feeling relieved. Whether those two Golden Core Fishman Monsters hadn''t had the chance to launch a Divine Sense Attack, or simply didn''t possess such an Attack Method, either way, the last challenge had been surmounted.


    Though it cost him two white entry jade slips that he had just fished up.


    He hoped the rewards from the pink fishing rod wouldn''t disappoint him.


    With a glint of hope in his eyes, he looked toward the dissipating green smoke of the fallen Golden Core Fishman Monsters, hoping to see a Golden Core drop, but there was none¡ªonly waves of green smoke as the mist wrapped around the deck once again.


    He found himself back at the entrance of the Seventh Level room, about to walk up to the deck, when he suddenly froze. His body turned stiffly towards an additional room that had appeared next to the seventh.


    The Eighth Level.


    The entrance to the room was a Seven-colored vortex, and he instinctively looked down at the pink fishing rod in his hand.


    -


    "Pink fishing rod."


    "Can fish up to Pink Level fish species, to upgrade to Seven-colored Level must catch ''eight Pink Level fish species'', and pass through the eighth hidden Seven-colored challenge beneath the deck cabin."


    -


    "Heh."


    Chen Qiu looked at the Seven-colored vortex of the eighth room and couldn''t help but smile, then without any hesitation, he quickly made his way onto the deck, eager to catch eight Pink Level fish and then see what kind of good items the Seven-colored fishing rod could reel in.


    Crossing into a Foundation Establishment Adventure Secret Realm, he didn''t expect the rewards to be so good.


    As expected of an Adventure Secret Realm, he liked it.


    ...


    Cast the rod!


    Finally, after half an hour, he fished up his first Pink Level fish.


    The extremely tender big fish fell on the deck and transformed into a pink Pill.


    "Hmm..."


    Chen Qiu pinched the pink Pill in his hand, observing it. To be honest, he had no idea what the Pill was for, which was what he hated most about such situations¡ªgetting something good without having any clue about its purpose.


    He didn''t even know if it was a poison pill.


    "This..."


    Meanwhile, the scholar who had been quietly fishing with a green fishing rod beside him suddenly had his eyes spark with a dazzling light and spoke with a trembling voice due to overwhelming excitement, "Brother Qiu, I recognize this Pill. Its whole body is pink, with the character for poison inscribed on its surface."


    "It''s a Heavenly Dao Detoxification Pill, capable of neutralizing all poisons."


    "After I was poisoned, I had collected a lot of information about this kind of Pill, but I heard that it was a product from several versions of the Heavenly Dao ago, and it had long since vanished. I never expected to encounter it here today."


    "Oh?"


    Chen Qiu was somewhat surprised too, able to neutralize all toxins? That domineering?


    Then he quickly realized, "Can it purge the poison within you?"


    "Absolutely!!!"


    "Pretty good."


    Chen Qiu smiled, pulling out a Jade Box from his Storage Ring and stuffing the Pill inside. He then threw the Jade Box to the scholar, "Once we''re out, find a spot to detoxify. After your Tao Foundation recovers and you seize the Sword Cultivator inheritance, I''ll be counting on you for my third Nascent Soul body."


    "Good luck."


    His Nascent Soul body was only missing one piece now, and with the scholar, there seemed to be a prospect for obtaining the third. The scholar perfectly met the requirement of maintaining their initial intent through the rise and fall for the Sword Cultivator inheritance.

 Chapter 119

    The scholar gaining the inheritance of the Sword Cultivator was essentially a sure thing.With the small tricks taught by Old Man Cao, combined with the scholar''s dramatic ups and downs over the past few years, which perfectly matched the requirements of the Sword Cultivator''s inheritance, it was basically a done deal.


    Having obtained three Nascent Soul bodies, that task was practically completed.


    All ten entries for Refining Pill were also ready. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Both the Eight Desolate Fruit and the Evil Wood were in hand.


    He also possessed the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, the Seven-colored term, and a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    Now all that was missing were six mid-grade Golden Cores, and this rigorous condition would be completely fulfilled. For this rank ten Golden Core, he really went through a lot of trouble, and he was finally about to reap the fruits of his labor.


    Although Mid-grade Golden Cores were not easy to find, obtaining six within a year shouldn''t be a big issue.


    ... Find your next read on empire


    Chen Qiu didn''t think further but focused entirely on casting his line again, needing to catch a total of eight pink fish to qualify for the eighth-level secret Seven-colored stage¡ªso far, he had only caught one.


    Seven more to go.


    At this moment, not far away, another lucky individual managed to catch a fish that constantly changed colors among grey, green, and seven-colored. This time, the lucky one learned from the previous unfortunate soul''s experience.


    With a determined expression, he chose the seven-colored.


    And so...


    The fish, shifting among the three colors, finally turned grey again and transformed into a single coin.


    The initially gloomy and regretful unfortunate soul, who was regretting not choosing the seven-colored fish initially, paused slightly after witnessing this scene and then suddenly displayed a heartfelt smile, looking genuinely happy.


    Suddenly, he felt much better, though he didn''t know why.


    The once slightly damaged Tao Foundation felt as if it had been instantly repaired. Truly a divine doctor.


    ...


    "Finally, eight of them!"


    After catching many fish of random colors, Chen Qiu finally caught the eighth pink fish. By now, his Storage Ring quietly contained seven "Heavenly Dao Detoxification Pills."


    He didn''t need these now, but they would play a decisive role if he ever needed them in the future.


    After catching the eighth pink fish, he didn''t stay a moment longer. He immediately stored the pink fishing rod into his Storage Ring and ran towards the cabin interior, heading straight for the secret eighth level!


    Time was running short.


    Now, less than half an hour was left before the Secret Realm closed.


    It was his first time feeling that time in the Secret Realm was so short and wishing it could last a bit longer.


    -


    ''Secret Stage: Eighth Level, defeat five Golden Core third-layer Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths.''


    -


    "Boom!!"


    The moment the cloud mist of the stage panel dispersed, Chen Qiu instantly detonated five white entry card slips he had just caught, releasing a Thunder Summoning Technique. Detonation of the entry card with a full force strike from a Golden Core Peak released only one Thunder Summoning Technique¡ªnot like thousands he could release simultaneously.


    If he had used a card to release the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique with a full force blow at Golden Core Peak, he would only need one entry to defeat all five Golden Core third-layer Fishman Monsters, as the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique was an area attack.


    But the advantage of Thunder Summoning Technique was its near-instantaneous execution.


    Unlike the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique, which needed green Demon Fire to rise in the air before drifting towards the enemy, he wasn''t sure whether the five Fishman Monsters would use Divine Sense Attacks. Naturally, an instantaneous attack seemed more reliable to him, even though it would consume a few more white entries.


    But it didn''t matter anyway.


    Later, when using the pink and golden fishing rods, he caught several more red fish transformed into white entry jade slips, enough for use.


    In this type of battle,


    The one who acts first would win.


    And he was clearly faster.


    The five Golden Core third-layer Fishman Monsters turned into wisps of green smoke in the blink of an eye and disappeared into the ether, accompanied by clouds once again enveloping the empty deck, and he reappeared inside the cabin.


    The eighth room had disappeared after he passed it.


    It seems this Secret Realm only allows one person to possess a Seven-colored fishing rod. Anyway, this rule hardly made any difference, as virtually no one in the Secret Realm even possessed a Purple fishing rod. He noticed only two people had Blue fishing rods, and most of the others had either green or Yellow fishing rods.


    There wasn''t even anyone with a Purple fishing rod, capable of catching Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Not to mention possessing a Red fishing rod that could catch white entry jade slips.


    ...


    Standing in the cabin, Chen Qiu looked down at the Seven-colored fishing rod in his hand, its color identical to the Seven-colored term within his Tao Foundation. The rod, composed of seven intertwining colors, felt warm like jade in his hands.


    It was entirely translucent, and had shortened again, now roughly the length of a long sword, hardly resembling a fishing rod anymore.


    -


    ''Seven-colored fishing rod.''


    ''Capable of catching the highest level of Seven-colored fish, upgrade limit reached, can be taken out of the Secret Realm.''


    -


    The Seven-colored fishing rod had reached its limit, and its quality could no longer be upgraded. However, there was an additional line on the panel now: can be taken out of the Secret Realm.


    This made Chen Qiu''s eyes flash with joy.


    He quite liked the rod in his hand; it didn''t look ordinary and even if it served no other purpose, it would make an excellent collectible.


    Moreover, only a Seven-colored fishing rod could be taken out of the Secret Realm.


    He wouldn''t believe for a moment that this Seven-colored rod was utterly useless.


    ...


    Less than half an hour remained of the Secret Realm''s duration. Now was not the time to study these matters. Chen Qiu had already walked briskly toward the edge of the deck, the Seven-colored fishing rod in his hand too conspicuous on the empty deck.

 Chapter 120

    Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire"The scholar said you can''t take the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, which confirms you have a special cultivation method."


    "And if I remember correctly..."


    "Nonsense, that entry precisely involves enhancing one''s Cultivation through lies and deception!"


    "That''s not it either."


    Fat Long slapped his head, feeling like it was about to explode, and furrowed his brows, "But you haven''t even spoken, how could you deceive others, and clearly your Cultivation hasn''t reached the Golden Core, whereas the State Preceptor''s Cultivation must have."


    The scholar remained silent.


    Fat Long had already overturned his own logic many times.


    After that, Fat Long paid no more attention to the scholar''s brother and also silently sat beside the campfire, beginning to ponder seriously. He always felt like his reasoning was correct, even if the State Preceptor wasn''t the scholar''s brother.


    But...


    The State Preceptor''s target might really have been the scholar from the beginning, and Ji Taiping was just a whetstone.


    Otherwise, if the State Preceptor''s target were Ji Taiping, why would Ji Taiping''s realm be so unstable? The State Preceptor definitely wouldn''t want a top Sword Cultivator with an unstable realm.


    Proving this point was simple.


    If one day Ji Renjian suddenly learned the truth and shifted his admiration to the scholar, letting the scholar leverage the effect of the Heavenly Dao Beauty to break through a realm in his understanding of Sword Intent.


    Then it could be confirmed, the scholar was indeed the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, pushed forward by the State Preceptor.


    Over these years, the State Preceptor must have been using various methods, giving psychological suggestions to Ji Renjian, telling him the one you truly love is not Ji Taiping, but the one who saved you, you just thought it was Ji Taiping, so you fell in love with him."


    "Damn it..."


    Fat Long, sitting beside the campfire, murmured in shock, "I think I might really have guessed how the State Preceptor did it..."


    "Damn, how could I have guessed it? Could I actually be the State Preceptor?"


    "Did I also seal my own memory and Cultivation?"


    ...


    In the Capital, on "Qingfeng," Ji Renjian, alone, sat atop a mountain rock, his eyelids half-closed, listening to Ji Taiping''s curses from the Sound Transmission Ring in his hand.


    "I know you ran out to have fun last time, because I escorted you all the way, and you were moved."


    "But can you not bring it up all the time?"


    "I really hate you bringing this up all the time!"


    Ji Taiping''s voice in the Sound Transmission Ring carried a strong anger, leaving Ji Renjian at a loss on how to respond. His brother was still dealing with the war turmoil in the Hundred Countries, unable to come back soon, only able to contact through a Sound Transmission Ring.


    After a long while,


    Ji Renjian finally said softly,


    "The State Preceptor prophesied that when I grew up, there would be a crisis, and in that crisis, someone would secretly protect me all along, and that person is my true love."


    "I just want to tell you, the State Preceptor said you''re my true love, and I will always, always love you."


    After a long silence on the other end, Ji Taiping''s hoarse voice came again: "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have lost my temper at you, it''s mainly because things are hard to handle here. I will also love you always. Once things are settled here, I''ll bring some specialties back for you, don''t overthink."


    "Wait for me in peace on Qingfeng, I''ll come back soon."


    After the Sound Transmission Ring cutoff.


    Ji Renjian sat alone on the rock peak of Qingfeng, no longer speaking, only fiddling with her skirt hem, her expression somewhat lost and distant as she gazed at the ants moving house at the rock bottom.


    Lost in thought.


    ...


    In the Capital City Zhang Family.


    The Zhang Family Patriarch sat with a grim expression in the patriarch''s chair. A few days back, he had communicated with the palace, asking his support within to see if they could somehow get Ji Taiping transferred out of the capital.


    To stop Ji Taiping from troubling Bai Yi. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leaving it to them to resolve.


    They aimed to capture Bai Yi and force out the secrets for a breakthrough to Nascent Soul.


    Honestly, he had only tentatively spoken with his palace support at the time, not expecting the support to be extremely reliable this time, directly arranging to send Ji Taiping to the Hundred Countries, not only far away but also unable to return soon.


    With heaven and earth as its allies, it was their best chance to strike at the scholar.


    But...


    A few days ago, a sudden decree from the palace reached the Zhang Family, stating that the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard would soon commence, with the top talents from the nineteen provinces of Da Xia, including those from the Hundred Countries, gathering in the capital. They tasked the Zhang Family with the responsibility of safeguarding the capital''s security.


    No one from their family was allowed to leave the capital, not even a half step.


    Otherwise, it would be dealt with as treason.


    The palace seldom used such a stern tone in its messages; when it did, it meant the order left no room for refusal, and one must comply or be seen as defiance.


    Thus, the Zhang Family was forced to stay within the capital these days, only able to watch the scholar make his bold moves everywhere, yet unable to do anything about it.


    "Well then..."


    After a long while, the countenance of the Zhang Family Patriarch gradually returned to composure, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.


    The palace was the strongest intelligence agency in Da Xia. Recently, through his palace support, he had learned a lot about Bai Yi and Chen Qiu. Chen Qiu was a Loose Cultivator who had suddenly risen, previously just a woodcutter in Fufeng City.


    Lately, he had taken over a Magic Practitioner''s inheritance and annihilated tens of thousands from the Evil Clan, completely owning the spotlight.


    And Bai Yi claimed to be the Second Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, the one who claimed to be the Great Elder of the Chao Tian Sect being Fat Long, who had fled from the Flower Offering Sect as a fugitive.


    Chen Qiu held a peak Foundation Establishment Cultivation, having seized the Magic Practitioner''s inheritance, and might just arrive in the capital to join the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. Since Chen Qiu would be there, Bai Yi would definitely come along, and then...

 Chapter 121

    "..."Chen Qiu, with a slightly pale face, sat cross-legged on a rock, introspecting the Golden Core that was slowly revolving above his Dantian, much like the Heavenly Dao Foundation, spinning automatically every moment.


    Whenever the Spiritual Energy inside his Dantian was not full, it replenished Spiritual Energy; once it was full, it enhanced his Cultivation.


    At this moment, on his Dantian,


    numerous entries were engraved, along with twelve strands of Cloud Pattern, and... an Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    This did not look like an ordinary Golden Core, but rather an intricately carved work of art; he could clearly feel that the intensity of his Golden Core was somewhat outrageous. He didn''t even need to step into the sixth layer of the Golden Core realm to be able to release his Golden Core from his body for an attack.


    "Shoo!" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a single thought,


    the Golden Core within his Dantian instantly disappeared and appeared outside his body, transformed into a beam of Liu Guang that smashed towards the distant Deserted Forest, its speed even surpassing the scholar''s Flying Sword. The Golden Core burrowed straight into the ground.


    There wasn''t an explosion or commotion like the scholar''s Qinglian Sword Formation, almost no disturbance at all, nor was there any noise; he could just feel that with an effortless strike, without even exerting much force, the Golden Core had already penetrated hundreds of feet deep into the ground.


    A very powerful single-target attack.


    Were it to hit a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it would shatter their Protective Spirit Qi and pierce their body in the blink of an eye, of course... normally a Golden Core cultivator would not use a Golden Core to attack a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Even this effortless strike had enough power to nearly instantly kill an early-stage Golden Core cultivator.


    Recalling the Golden Core, looking at it floating before him, marked with twelve strands of Cloud Pattern, Chen Qiu''s expression was extremely complex. To be honest, he had not expected his Golden Core to reach the twelfth Grade.


    Old Man Cao was at the Nascent Soul stage and a Guardian of the Array Repairer lineage. In his speech, he clearly knew many things that Chen Qiu did not, yet he only told him that Golden Cores peaked at the tenth grade, and even that tended to be the stuff of legends.


    Almost no one had ever reached that goal.


    So what was the situation with this... twelfth grade?


    "Is there even such a thing as a twelfth-grade Golden Core?"


    Brother Qiu, sitting to the side with a dazed expression, looked at the Golden Core that was slowly revolving in mid-air and murmured, "This Golden Core is really beautiful, feels like it''s much more attractive than other Golden Cores."


    Indeed. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire


    Though he was reluctant to use the word "beautiful" to describe a Golden Core, Brother Qiu''s Golden Core truly was beautiful, its overall golden luster shining brightly. The Cloud Patterns and entries engraved on it, including the Eight-petal Fire Lotus, made the Golden Core resemble a fragile piece of art.


    "I don''t know either..."


    The scholar shook his head in bewilderment: "In my original understanding, the highest grade of a Golden Core is the fourth grade. In the entire Da Xia Country, only one person''s Golden Core grade reached fourth, and that is His Majesty himself."


    "The fifth grade is the stuff of legends."


    "It was only after meeting Brother Qiu that I learned Golden Cores could reach the tenth grade. I thought that was the absolute pinnacle, but now this twelfth-grade emergence is even more baffling..."


    "Between Golden Cores of each different grade, the higher one is absolutely overwhelming."


    "Among equal levels of Cultivation, if two Golden Core Great Powers were to collide their Golden Cores, a second-grade Golden Core could definitely smash a first-grade. Golden Core attacks and Divine Sense Attacks are the two most powerful attack methods that distinguish a Golden Core Great Power from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator."


    "However, Divine Sense Attacks can be used against opponents of the same level or even when fighting above one''s level, but Golden Core attacks are absolutely not used when fighting above one''s level. Once the Golden Core is damaged, at the very least, it will require consuming a vast amount of precious materials to repair, and at worst, it could even result in immediate death."


    "On the same level of Cultivation, a second-grade Golden Core would definitely shatter a first-grade Golden Core."


    "If skipping a small realm, for example, a first-grade Golden Core at the second layer of the Golden Core could match a second-grade at the first layer, leading to mutual injury."


    "But a first-grade at the third layer of the Golden Core could smash a second-grade at the first layer."


    "As the Cultivation Realm advances, the strength of the Golden Core, Divine Sense, speed, and so on, all improve."


    The scholar paused for a moment, his throat moving as he swallowed saliva before continuing, "With Brother Qiu''s twelfth-grade Golden Core, even if Brother Qiu is at the first layer of Golden Core, shattering a Golden Core at the peak Great Perfection level would be no problem at all!"


    "Of course... this is only in theory!"


    "Because below the sixth layer of the Golden Core stage, Golden Cores are often as fragile as tofu, completely unable to withstand battle outside the body."


    "Only once reaching above the sixth layer of Golden Core does the Golden Core become a crucial attack method for a Golden Core Great Power, one of the biggest reasons being because it doesn''t dissipate in the air due to the opponent dodging swiftly after being locked on by Divine Sense like a Spell would."


    "The Golden Core can continuously lock onto the enemy, maintaining maximal speed and strength."


    "Moreover, the speed of the Golden Core is faster than many Spells, making it perfect for sneak attacks."


    "As long as Brother Qiu fortifies your Sea of Consciousness, and adds the twelfth-grade Golden Core on top of that, even Golden Core Peak cultivators would not have a good way to handle you, only relying on their Cultivation Strength to oppress you."


    "But... in terms of Cultivation Strength, indeed, those at Golden Core Peak Great Perfection have higher Spiritual Energy intensity than Brother Qiu at the first layer of Golden Core, but when it comes to endurance, those Golden Core Peak cultivators are no match for Brother Qiu."


    "Really? That powerful?" Fat Long said, somewhat confused, "A twelfth-grade Golden Core could face a Golden Core Peak without fear? Surpassing nine grades?"


    "Are you joking?"


    The scholar rolled his eyes at Fat Long, irritated: "This is a twelfth-grade Golden Core we''re talking about. I even suspect that even if we look back tens of thousands of years, no one has ever formed a twelfth-grade Golden Core."

 Chapter 122

    "I hope you can understand, it''s not that the Sect is heartless, but when the Sect invests so many resources in cultivating you, it''s definitely in the hope that you will repay the Sect in the future. However, you... have been avoiding battle too much.""The elders see no hope in you."


    "They feel that instead of investing in you, it would be better to allocate the resources to others who, although less talented than you, are more willing to fight their way up."


    "Hmm."


    Zhao Yishi shook his head, his eyes showing no sadness: "It''s okay, as long as I have enough to eat."


    "Sigh."


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect let out a long sigh and shook his head helplessly: "Perhaps you are really not suited for the path of cultivation, but even so, you will always be my direct disciple. I will push you to the Golden Core stage with all my strength. At least when you step into the Golden Core stage and someone attacks the Sect, you will step out to protect it, right?"


    Zhao Yishi was someone he had picked up.


    There was a secret he hadn''t told anyone: the first time he saw Zhao Yishi, Zhao''s stature was nearly twelve meters tall, far surpassing that of an ordinary person. At that time, Zhao Yishi looked like a middle-aged man, but for some reason, his thinking seemed very simple.


    At that time, Zhao Yishi already had the "Heaven-reaching Giant" Pink Entry, but according to him, he had never killed a demon beast, and he was this tall after reaching adulthood.


    He completely sealed off this information.


    Only he knew about it.


    That''s why he had always, against the pressure of the Sect elders, tilted a vast amount of resources towards Zhao Yishi, because he always felt that there might be something in Zhao''s body that was extremely suitable for Body Cultivation, such as bloodline.


    Otherwise, how could a normal person be nearly twelve meters tall?


    But so much time had passed, and no miracles had occurred in Zhao Yishi. He was also starting to falter under the pressure exerted by the Sect elders. Perhaps it was really just... a common natural variant.


    ...


    "Why, why!!!"


    At this moment, within the Qu Family Courtyard in the Capital.


    The young master of the Qu Family, Qu Qi, was currently smashing one porcelain piece after another with a ferocious expression, hysterically asking his father: "Why can Chen Qiu, a mere Loose Cultivator, have a Fifth-grade Golden Core?"


    "And I can only have a Third-grade Golden Core?"


    "Didn''t you say that aside from the emperor, a Third-grade Golden Core was already the strongest?!!"


    "Shut up!"


    The Qu Family Master, with a cold and gloomy face, slapped him across the face. The raging Qu Qi was immediately sent flying and hit a corner, covering his reddened cheek with resentment in his eyes as he glared bitterly at the Qu Family Master.


    Ignoring Qu Qi, the master took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the complex emotions in his heart. To tell the truth, Chen Qiu''s sudden breakthrough to Fifth-grade Golden Core had disrupted many of his plans.


    He had never thought someone could forge a Fifth-grade Golden Core.


    He had once contemplated forging a Fourth-grade Golden Core for Qu Qi and had spent a vast amount of Spirit Stones to learn a secret from within the palace.


    -


    "Fourth-grade Golden Core": Using the body of a Nascent Soul as fusion materials, one can forge a Fourth-grade Golden Core.


    -


    To forge a Fourth-grade Golden Core, one needs the body of a Nascent Soul.


    He almost instantly abandoned the plan of forging a Fourth-grade Golden Core for Qu Qi. Where in Da Xia could one find a Nascent Soul, let alone a Nascent Soul body? Oh, it''s not like there aren''t any, everyone knows that each of the Four Forbidden Lands contains a Nascent Soul.


    But who dares to go? Or who can defeat a Nascent Soul?


    Although he was not clear how the emperor got his Fourth-grade Golden Core and from where he obtained the Nascent Soul body, he was absolutely certain about one thing: there was practically no chance of forging a Fourth-grade Golden Core. The Third-grade Golden Core for Qu Qi was already the limit.


    Even he himself was only a Second-grade Golden Core.


    When he stepped into the Golden Core stage, the Qu Family had not fully prospered yet, and they didn''t have the ability to allow him to forge a Third-grade Golden Core.


    The conditions for a Fourth-grade Golden Core were so strict.


    He could hardly imagine how stringent the conditions for a Fifth-grade Golden Core must be, let alone how Chen Qiu managed to attain the Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Golden Core. He was already uncertain about what to do, and seeing Qu Qi''s behavior made him even more irritable.


    A Golden Core was already a mighty being!


    How could a Golden Core like Qu Qi be so, encountering troubles and then wailing and lashing out, constantly smashing things¡ªa complete lack of dignity!


    Had his way of educating all these years been completely wrong?


    ...


    Meanwhile, in the guest room in the back courtyard of the Qu Family.


    Qu Family''s Supreme Elder was lying on the bed, leisurely picking up a green grape and putting it in his mouth, listening to the smashing noises coming from next door with delight. He was happy; the heavenly sign just now had extended his life by half a year. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Do not underestimate this half-year.


    This meant that, along with his original remaining lifespan, he could now live for another year and a half.


    Perhaps he could wait for someone to break the Nascent Soul barrier, and he could then attain Nascent Soul with them, significantly extending his remaining life and officially starting his brand new life.


    Enjoy new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    Sometimes he felt his luck was not as good as Qu Qi''s.


    Both were transmigrators.


    He didn''t have Qu Qi''s luck, he didn''t have as much remaining life as Qu Qi, he didn''t enjoy as many resources within the family as Qu Qi did.


    But sometimes.


    He felt that his luck was much better than Qu Qi''s, at least... he didn''t have to do anything, just lay in bed every day and patiently wait, without the qualification to strive.


    Either wait to die or wait to attain Nascent Soul.


    Just these two paths.


    No need for him to make a choice; life suddenly became a lot easier.


    ...


    "..."


    At this time, Chen Qiu was peacefully cultivating inside Fat City Inn, while the scholar was also cultivating in the next room. Chen Qiu still had some Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills left in his Storage Ring, which he didn''t need anymore; he gave them all to the scholar.

 Chapter 123

    ```"Is this the Capital?"


    Chen Qiu stood still, wearing a mask that shielded against Divine Sense detection, glanced at the long queue entering not far away, and then looked towards the bustling scene inside the Capital through the wide-open city gates.


    "The gates of the Capital are open day and night."


    The scholar beside him explained, "As the Capital of Da Xia, it naturally has its own pride¡ªnever closing its gates even at night, without any worry of enemy attacks. In reality, an attack is practically impossible."


    "Unless a Nascent Soul decides to attack, but if a Nascent Soul does come, whether the gates are open or not wouldn''t make much of a difference."


    "In the Capital, even at night, it''s like a scene of peace and prosperity. It''s just that on normal days, there aren''t this many people. Because tomorrow the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition is about to begin, tonight the Capital has attracted quite a crowd."


    "After all, this is also a rare grand spectacle."


    "Mhm."


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, not letting his Divine Sense spread out to avoid alerting some Golden Cores in the Capital. The reason he was wearing a mask that shielded against Divine Sense was to keep a low profile for now.


    He then performed introspection, looking at the Shopkeeper who lay sleeping in the disciple dormitory in Kai Mountain City.


    Before coming to the Capital.


    He had made a detour to Kai Mountain City in the Northern State, and temporarily placed the Shopkeeper, who was extremely skilled at breaking the restrictions of Storage Rings, into his small world. After all, in the upcoming Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, he was bound to snatch all kinds of treasures to contribute to his Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    He had long been prepared.


    To snatch all the treasures of every Heavenly Pride in the Secret Realm, and then create a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure. In case he encountered any who were unwilling to hand them over voluntarily, the Shopkeeper would be needed to break their seals.


    Snatching was definitely on the agenda.


    After all, only the top three have the qualification to create a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure. But you need your own treasures to craft a Spiritual Treasure of varying Grades based on what you possess.


    He was, essentially, empty-handed.


    No one had prepared these resources for him.


    Aside from his fighting prowess, he had nothing else.


    But no matter.


    With power, the foundations of others became his own.


    When leaving Fatty State.


    He released Liu Zide and his master to help him buy Evil Wood and Eight Desolate Fruit in Fatty State, including the group of more than two hundred people who provided him with many Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills, whom he also left in Fatty State.


    Liu Zide claimed these men were trained by him, used to working efficiently, and it would be convenient for them to run errands.


    So, he kept them there.


    Initially, he wanted to leave some Spirit Stones for Liu Zide and the others to use for purchasing, but... after his breakthrough to Golden Core, he didn''t have a single low-grade Spirit Stone left. He could only verbally promise to let Liu Zide''s master front the money, and make up for it with Spirit Stones the next time he came to fetch the goods.


    He had intended to explain.


    Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire


    But to his surprise, Liu Zide''s master agreed extremely quickly, without any hesitation, and assured him with a slap on his chest, promising to take care of the matter to the best of his ability.


    He didn''t say anything more.


    If only everyone were this easy to communicate with.


    ...


    "Let''s enter the city."


    Chen Qiu glanced at the long queue entering not far away but didn''t join it. Instead, he walked straight toward the city gate. As a Golden Core, he had special privileges in any city; even if you''re the Emperor, you wouldn''t expect a Golden Core to queue up like ordinary people.


    Are you crazy?


    Not directly using Teleportation into your city is already showing respect for your City Protection Array.


    At the entrance of every city, there is an exclusive entry for Golden Core Masters.


    The Capital is no exception.


    After Chen Qiu released his Golden Core pressure, the city gate guards cordially invited them to enter through a side gate without even charging an entrance fee. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All the way without incident.


    No insignificant challenges arose¡ªin the face of the genuine pressure of a Golden Core, no one was foolish enough to come forward and ridicule.


    While entering the city.


    Chen Qiu indeed saw a mural carved above the city gate wall, exactly as the scholar described¡ªa blurry Immortal holding Mugwort and sprinkling water.


    ...


    "This city gate is the Great North Gate of the Capital."


    "And this main road after entering is called Xuanwu Road."


    The scholar continued, "This main road is the widest and straightest in the Capital. There are four of such roads in total, each named accordingly based on their direction¡ª''Xuanwu Road,'' ''White Tiger Road,'' ''Azure Dragon Road,'' ''Vermilion Bird Road.''


    "And at the crossroads where these four main roads meet, you''ll find the Imperial Palace."


    "At the very center of the Imperial Palace sits the Imperial Chair."


    "That''s where the Emperor of Da Xia sits during the morning court."


    It was nearly midnight by now.


    Still, Xuanwu Road was bustling with people. The vendors were shouting loudly as if they never tired, groups of giggling women in long dresses passed by, holding their mouths as they talked, and Sect Disciples in sect robes with swords at their waists moved in crowds.


    For those Sect Disciples.


    Most of their days were spent cultivating in their sects, and they rarely come to such bustling places. Now, they stared unblinkingly, clearly fascinated.


    From time to time, squads of soldiers clad in armor, with expressions as cold as ice, patrolled past.


    ...


    "How about it, before the Heavenly Pride competition tomorrow, shall we listen to some music tonight?"


    The scholar turned and smiled at Chen Qiu and the others, "The brothels of the Capital gather the finest ladies from Da Xia and the Hundred Countries, each with their own unique talents."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar strangely, "Didn''t you say you are a Sword Cultivator and refrain from mundane entanglements?"


    "Brother Qiu led me into the world of mortals last time, and only then did I realize I had been too stubborn before."


    ```

 Chapter 124

    Looking at the column of light cast down from midair and surrounded by the applause of the elders from various sects seated nearby, a hint of surprise flashed through Chen Qiu''s eyes as he sat still.He had not expected there to be a segment for introducing the contestants, nor had he thought he would be the first one to be introduced.


    Nonetheless, he stood up, a gentle smile appearing on his face as he nodded slightly to those around him before sitting back down.


    ...


    Not far away, a sect elder with an emotional expression turned to Chen Qiu: "Truly a Talent of Magic Practitioner unparalleled today, normally when the younger generation makes such a big splash, having a Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Golden Core and being a Heavenly Dao Saint, one would expect their tail to be wagging up to the heavens."


    "But there must be some pride, right?"


    "After all, it really is an astonishing achievement, and indeed there has been no one like him before and likely no one to come after him."


    "But look at that Chen Qiu, his face not showing the slightest hint of complacency, as if everything about the Heavenly Dao Golden Core were just ordinary affairs. With such a temperament on the Immortal Road, he will surely go far, don''t you think, Sect Master?"


    The elder turned his head to look at the middle-aged woman beside him, who was his Sect Master. Though not a young girl, she had a unique charm that young girls did not possess.


    "Hmm..."


    The middle-aged woman, looking somewhat dreamy, murmured as she gazed at Chen Qiu''s gentle smile: "Do you feel... there''s a special aura about Chen Qiu?"


    "Like... like... like a freshly baked pastry."


    "Smells tempting, makes you want to take a bite?"


    After a long silence, the sect elder turned his head again and looked at the now seated Chen Qiu before shaking his head: "Not at all."


    ...


    "Pretending."


    Not far away, Young Master Qu, Qu Qi, watched the gentle smile on Chen Qiu''s face and could not help sneering: "When he slaughtered the Evil Clan, I didn''t see any gentle smiles; he took the lives of tens of thousands, now here he is pretending to be gentle." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And a Heavenly Dao Saint, too."


    "If even this can be considered a Saint, the Heavenly Dao really is blind..."


    The voice abruptly stopped, Qu Qi shrank his head and then murmured quietly, looking up: "Heavenly Dao has been deceived."


    ...


    "Is that the Chen Qiu who formed a Fifth-grade Golden Core?"


    In the front row of seats, among the members of the Royal Family, a young girl in a gorgeous long dress turned interestedly toward Chen Qiu: "It has been a long time since I saw father; has His Majesty shown any attitude towards this Fifth-grade Golden Core?"


    "No."


    An older youth next to her shook his head silently: "His Majesty manages countless affairs, and scarcely attends morning court anymore, hardly having the time to concern himself with this prodigy, even though that Fifth-grade Golden Core has made quite a stir."


    "But a Fifth-grade Golden Core ultimately merely indicates that your potential is quite impressive, not that your strength is strong."


    "No matter how you look at it, it''s just a basic Golden Core level."


    "However, making it into the top three shouldn''t be too difficult; as for being the first, that''ll definitely still be Brother Xiao Qiu."


    In recent years, the State Preceptor has been out of public view, and the Emperor has rarely appeared, spending most of his time alone in the deep palace, not allowing anyone to enter, only occasionally coming out for a stroll. Most of the morning courts these years have been presided over by His Crown Prince Highness on behalf of his father.


    Fortunately, the abilities of His Crown Prince Highness are also not bad, and no troubles have arisen. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire


    Amidst this group, a boy with a slightly immature face quietly sat in his seat, his head lowered watching ants running back and forth on the ground. After a while, he suddenly lifted his foot and crushed one of them, then, without saying anything, he continued to watch intently.


    The group of ants, completely indifferent to the death of their companion, continued busying themselves.


    This time, he lifted his foot and crushed all of the ants.


    No more ants were bustling about.


    He is deemed the most powerful among this group, possessing a Second-layer Golden Core Cultivation at only 19 years old. A 19-year-old with a Golden Core is an extremely terrifying entity across the entirety of Da Xia and is the Seventh Prince of Da Xia.


    ...


    Meanwhile, the man standing in the center of the plaza continued to introduce with a resonating and measured voice.


    "The second formidable contestant¡ª"


    "Da Xia''s Seventh Prince, attained Golden Core at 17, a Third-grade Golden Core, once slaughtered thousands of demons single-handedly..."


    "Xia Jiqiu!"


    The statement concluded.


    The youth sitting in the front row seemed as if he hadn''t heard at all, remaining immobile in his seat and not even lifting his head as though the announcement was concerning someone else.


    The man in the center of the plaza also didn''t mind, just continuing.


    "The third formidable contestant¡ª"


    "Young Master Qu of the Qu Family, the husband to five Heavenly Dao Beauties, stepped into the Golden Core within just three years, formerly the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia..."


    "Qu Qi!"


    "..."


    Qu Qi, who had initially prepared a smile and was about to stand up and greet everyone, blackened in complexion upon hearing the phrase ''formerly the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia,'' causing many to look at him with strange expressions.


    Feeling everyone''s peculiar stares and having an already fragile ego, he felt as if a fire of namelessness was burning inside him. After standing up, he expressionlessly stared at the man in the center of the plaza and pronounced each word deliberately.


    "Explain...


    "What do you mean by ''formerly the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia''?"


    Seeing this, the Qu Family Master sitting beside him turned pale with fright, hastily grabbed Qu Qi''s sleeve trying to get him to sit back down. The man in the center of the plaza represented Da Xia, and their Qu family lacked the strength to confront the Da Xia Imperial Family.


    Getting angry usually was one thing.


    Showing disrespect to Da Xia at this moment was asking for retribution later.


    While preparing to introduce the next prodigy, the middle-aged man standing in the center of the plaza, neither humble nor arrogant, looked at Qu Qi and smiled: "Yesterday''s Young Master Qu will always be the former strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia, because the newest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia will always be today''s Young Master Qu, not yesterday''s."

 Chapter 125 At least give me a chance to make a move!

    The sound of his voice fell.Everyone present clapped, no joking matter as Da Xia hadn''t seen a decisive battle between two sects emerge with full effort for a long time, especially those at the Golden Core Peak stage, who generally played a deterring role.


    They hadn''t made a move.


    All were a group of old men whose lives were nearly depleted, where each action consumed their remaining life span.


    Even the six elderly cultivators at Golden Core Peak, who were sitting in the middle of the square to maintain order, couldn''t help but be moved by the words, and one of them, with an expression neither sad nor happy, looked towards the Sect Master of the Warhammer Sect.


    "No fighting outside the Capital."


    "I understand the rules."


    The Sect Master of the Warhammer Sect smiled and nodded, "I will wait for them to leave the Capital before making my move."


    Seeing that the Warhammer Sect was not joking, several members of the hidden Liu Family sitting in the spectator section became restless, exchanging glances before hesitantly picking up their Sound Transmission Rings to send back the information from there.


    ...


    Just then¡ª


    The second arena battle began.


    This time, Chen Qiu''s opponent was still one at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, bearing some injuries, appearing to have had a hard-won victory in the previous fight.


    The countdown ended in an instant.


    Before Chen Qiu could make a move,


    this man at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection violently drew his long sword and stabbed it into his own abdomen, stirring it fiercely a few times, then with a pained expression, rolled over to the edge of the arena, and after a few breaths, raised his head with pleading eyes looking at Chen Qiu, his voice trembling from the severe pain.


    "Senior, could you... send me off?"


    "How have I not yet entered a near-death state, I haven''t been expelled, it''s killing me.."


    "I admit defeat..."


    "Uhm..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the man who had mangled his own abdomen in the corner of the platform with a peculiar expression, understanding what the man was trying to do¡ª to enter a near-death state so he could be transmitted out of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    But... it seemed like the man had undershot.


    With the state he was in now, even the weakest Thunder Summoning Technique Chen Qiu could hurl at him would directly disintegrate him.


    "I''ve got it."


    Suddenly, he thought of a good method¡ª pulling out a long sword from his robe, he walked over to the man, crouched down gently, and said, "Relax, it will be over quickly."


    Then he picked up the long sword and continued stabbing the man constantly in the abdomen.


    Using no Spiritual Energy, no Spells,


    just purely physical attacks¡ªthis way, there should be no issues. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    To be extra cautious, he specifically controlled his strength, making each stab very gentle; finally, on the thirteenth stab, the man, with a trace of resentment in his eyes, was expelled from the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    The second match on the other platforms also ended quickly.


    Thus¡ª


    Only 54 people were left standing in the platforms of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    Soon, the third arena battle started.


    "Whew..."


    Chen Qiu''s eyes gradually narrowed as he looked at his opponent and exhaled lightly, finally facing a formidable opponent. Standing across from him was a Golden Core Heavenly Pride!


    It was a Demon Cultivator.


    Golden Core first stage, a genius among Demon Cultivators, rumored to have cleared up to the third level in the Demon Cultivation heritage, narrowly missing the fourth round a few years ago and had slaughtered many demon beasts to create the Soul Banner.


    The Soul Banner contained over ten thousand strong Demon Beast Resentful Spirits, with a main formation spirit being a second-stage Golden Core Demon Beast Resentful Spirit, with the majority of other spirits being at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refinement stages complementing it.


    Under full exertion,


    dark clouds would cover the city, with a Night Parade of Hundred Demons, extremely powerful.


    This was the only Demon Cultivator participating in this competition, where typically Demon Cultivators and Evil Cultivators weren''t allowed due to their status as public enemies in Da Xia, but this Demon Cultivator was rumored to be a non-murderous type, even creating the Soul Banner using weaker demon beast spirits.


    Belonging to a kind-hearted Demon Cultivator.


    Though everyone in Da Xia was encouraged to kill Demon and Evil Cultivators, that was because most of them gained power through slaughtering mortals; non-murderous Demon Cultivators, though not well-regarded, were not universally condemned.


    This was his first face-to-face battle with a Golden Core since he had reached that stage himself!


    Extremely meaningful.


    At the moment the countdown ended, the Golden Core Demon Cultivator Heavenly Pride opposite him swung the Soul Banner with a cold expression, instantly enveloping the platform in dark clouds, as a massive horde of demon beast ghosts surged out from the Soul Banner towards Chen Qiu!


    This strike!


    Ordinary Golden Core cultivators simply couldn''t cope with it.


    To know that one of those resentful spirits in the horde was a second-stage Golden Core spirit; with just this Soul Banner, this Demon Cultivator Heavenly Pride could completely challenge an opponent with a second-stage Golden Core Cultivation!


    Just...


    Unluckily,


    "..."


    Chen Qiu, with a complicated expression, gazed at the countless demon beast ghosts surging towards him, which carried an intense aura of bloodthirstiness, looking quite sinister; but each time these resentful spirits approached him, they would inexplicably scream and dissipate into a wisp of green smoke.


    Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    Heavenly Dao Saint.


    Able to obliterate all evil spirits and demons.


    Though unsure if this included Golden Core Peak or Nascent Soul resentful spirits,


    it seemed quite straightforward to extinguish a second-stage Golden Core spirit.


    In just a few breaths'' time,


    the demon race Heavenly Pride, still vigorously waving the Soul Banner, realized no more demon beast spirits were emerging from it.


    "Huh?"


    The man, who continued to energetically wave the Soul Banner, emitting intense Demonic Qi, suddenly noticed that the dark clouds above the platform had cleared and that the platform was now completely empty of any demon beast spirits, leaving him puzzled as he turned towards Chen Qiu, inadvertently asking, "Where are my resentful spirits?"

 Chapter 125

    But soon, the man stored the banner into his Storage Ring, and Demonic Qi began to surge violently around him as he icily stared at Chen Qiu."Well, these little tricks have made you laugh."


    "Next, brace yourself for my second form!"


    "So far, not many people..."


    His words cut off abruptly.


    Chen Qiu launched a Divine Sense Attack, "Heart-piercing Stab," striking the Demon Cultivation Talent who had just been speaking about activating his second form. Immediately, his eyes shut, his body stiffened, and he fell heavily backward onto the ground.


    Then he entered a near-death state and was expelled from the Secret Realm. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Hmm..."


    Chen Qiu, with one hand supporting his chin, stood deep in thought. The banner''s power had been decent, comparable to his green entry "Resentful Spirit Summoning," yet the resentful spirits in the banner fought more flexibly, even carrying overwhelming Demonic Qi that could induce illusions.


    With this tactic, Yun City would certainly not be able to withstand it.


    Destroying Yun City would be a simple task.


    This was indeed one of the more formidable champions at the first layer of Golden Core, although he didn''t know what this so-called second form was, nor why a Demon Cultivator would have a second form, but that form would surely be stronger.


    But... it seemed still no match for a single blow.


    The defense of his opponent''s Sea of Consciousness was nearly nonexistent. A single Heart-piercing Stab crashed through, effectively ignoring the Protective Spirit Qi. Without any defense in the Sea of Consciousness, it couldn''t withstand it at all.


    After waiting patiently for a few sticks of incense.


    The third arena battle finally ended.


    ...


    The fourth arena battle began!


    Now only 27 people remained on the platform, one lucky individual at the peak of Foundation Establishment had been given a bye, leaving 26 to face their opponents in the fourth round.


    In this round¡ª


    Chen Qiu''s opponent was, a young girl from the Hidden Family Liu Family''s Golden Core.


    Dressed in a black form-fitting bodysuit that showed off her figure, she was holding a dagger dripping with blood. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she stared at him, her smile chilling to those around her as her voice mixed threats and provocation.


    "Did you ever think of today when you killed my sister?"


    "My sister just wasn''t good at cultivating."


    "Have you ever heard the saying, ''Magic Practitioners shatter on touch against the Shadow Family''?"


    "Within ten paces, no one''s dagger is quicker than mine."


    "Hmm..."


    Chen Qiu absentmindedly hummed a syllable, his gaze fixed on the girl before him, obviously skilled in assassination and stealth. He tilted his head, pondering for a long while before nodding. "It seems you may have some misconceptions about Magic Practitioners because of some lesser-known ones in Da Xia Country."


    "Never mind."


    "You''ll see in a moment." S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    At the seating area outside the Heavenly Realm Square.


    The Sect Master of Warhammer Sect watched Chen Qiu face the Liu Family''s Genius, his expression unreadable, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. Although he didn''t want to admit it, this Liu Family Genius was very skilled in close-range assassination.


    This person had a technique for creating clones.


    He could instantly create dozens of clones, then it seemed he could swap places with any of them at will, making it impossible to predict where his dagger would strike from. Real and illusion intertwined, impossible to defend against.


    Moreover, that dagger was clearly a treasure, inflicting heavy damage on Protective Spirit Qi every time it struck.


    Her Spirit Armor not only greatly reduced damage from spells but also ignored Divine Sense targeting.


    In essence, a natural buster of Magic Practitioners.


    Magic Practitioners rely on two tactics: Divine Sense to target enemies with spells and Protective Spirit Qi to block attacks, then using Divine Sense to counterattack. Yet, both were perfectly countered by the Liu Family''s Genius.


    Detection of the Liu Family''s Genius was impossible, and with his ability to swap places with any of his clones and techniques like melting into shadows, spells could never hit the Liu Family''s Genius.


    Even though he wanted this Liu Family Genius to die,


    he had to admit¡ª


    This time, Chen Qiu might lose, not because Chen Qiu wasn''t strong, but because he had just met the opponent who could best counter him.


    "Such a pity."


    He shook his head feeling somewhat regretful; if it weren''t for this particular Liu Family Genius, Chen Qiu could have gone further and possibly become an exceptional Genius in the end.


    ...


    The Liu Family Members sitting in the seats watched this scene excitedly, their lips involuntarily curving upwards.


    The Liu Family was famous for killing Magic Practitioners.


    In the Liu Family''s eyes, dealing with Magic Practitioners, even those of higher stages, was easy; four of their passed down Heavenly Dao Terms specifically targeted Magic Practitioners.


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect looked towards the image broadcast above the square of the Heavenly Realm. He felt somewhat uncertain inside, although he knew Chen Qiu was strong and held a Fifth-grade Golden Core.


    But Fifth-grade Golden Cores were merely a symbol of potential.


    They could enhance strength, but only so much.


    And that Liu Family girl was at the second layer of Golden Core, which already constituted a crushing superiority. This situation, combined with her natural suppression of Magic Practitioners, made the outcome of the duel uncertain.


    For a moment¡ª


    Most of the spectators shifted their gaze from the other arenas, focusing on the match between Chen Qiu and the Liu Family Genius, clearly curious about how this recently risen Magic Practitioner Genius would handle someone who completely overpowered him and was famous for killing Magic Practitioners.


    Who would win and who would lose!


    Would the reputation of the Shadow Family prevail, or would Chen Qiu continue his legendary Genius streak.

 Chapter 126

    At this moment, within the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.The dark clouds gradually dispersed, the storm abated, and a massive pit replaced the existence of all arenas.


    This might have been the most intense battle ever witnessed in the history of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    And at this moment, in front of Chen Qiu¡ª


    Those countless heavenly and earthly treasures were slowly melting under the power of the world and then continuously fusing together.


    Seeing this.


    Chen Qiu didn''t hesitate and immediately threw in a wisp of Heavenly Dao Destiny. The moment this wisp of Heavenly Dao Destiny was thrown in, a golden light suddenly appeared on all the earthly and heavenly treasures before they started to slowly merge once more.


    He noticed.


    The main body of this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure forming was astonishingly his Seven-colored fishing rod.


    And without even asking him what Spiritual Treasure he needed, this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure began to forge itself.


    ...


    At this time¡ª


    On the plaza outside of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, it was as silent as if there were no people present; even breathing couldn''t be heard. Everyone was expressionless, staring at the now gradually quieting Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    Some sect masters, who had originally come with the intention of giving pointers to the geniuses, no longer had smiles or satisfaction on their faces.


    Because they had shockingly realized.


    That if the Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons were to strike them, with their Golden Core fourth layer Cultivation, they would be unable to withstand it.


    If they really had to resist forcefully, there would only be one outcome: death!


    "Phew!"


    After a long while, a sect master among the crowd exhaled, breaking the silence, and people''s faces began to reveal shock and disbelief as they discussed with each other.


    "That was just too exaggerated...


    Right now, the Warhammer Sect Master remained frozen in place, muttering in shock. Originally, when he saw Chen Qiu facing the Liu Family''s Genius, he felt somewhat sorry for Chen Qiu, as the latter''s opponent had just the right means to counter Magic Practitioners.


    It was simply bad luck, no fault in the fight. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But the moment the battle began, Chen Qiu immediately turned his understanding of Magic Practitioners upside down.


    Can''t lock on with Divine Sense? Then don''t lock on.


    Your dagger can cause significant damage to Protective Spirit Qi? Get close first, then talk.


    Your dagger is the fastest within thirty feet? The Thunder Summoning Technique laughed.


    Those thousands of Thunder Dragons directly blasted Liu Family''s Genius and that arena into smithereens, making him redefine both Magic Practitioners and Chen Qiu. By then, he was almost sure that Chen Qiu would definitely win the title of the ultimate Heavenly Pride.


    But...


    The following tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons.


    Carrying an extremely terrifying pressure, they turned the entire Heavenly Pride Secret Realm into a giant pit, which completely dumbfounded him. He watched as Qu Qi, confident as he was, threw out many Protective Talismans and activated Protective Body Techniques when the Thunder Dragons struck.


    He protected himself to the teeth.


    However, in the face of absolute strength, defense is the most helpless tactic.


    Qu Qi melted in the blink of an eye, even his Golden Core was instantly dissolved.


    From the initial worry... til now... discovering he might not even be a match for Chen Qiu; and he had a Golden Core fourth layer Cultivation, while Chen Qiu was merely at the first layer. You''ve just stepped into Golden Core, and you have the ability to fight across four small realms?


    Wasn''t it said that Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Realm only improves potential and doesn''t help much with combat power?


    "Damn it..."


    The Warhammer Sect Master subconsciously took a deep breath, still a bit dazed, he whispered to his Sound Transmission Ring: "Tell the Supreme Elder to continue his retreat. The Liu Family''s Genius... he died in the Secret Realm, no need to start a war with the Liu Family for now."


    ...


    "..."


    Meanwhile, the Caotian Sect Master also stood in shock, his face filled with disbelief. He had seen the footage of Chen Qiu killing tens of thousands of the Evil Clan in the Endless Wilderness alone, but back then, the Thunder Dragons weren''t as large and couldn''t mobilize the power of heaven and earth!


    Spells capable of invoking the power of heaven and earth are typically within the means of those with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation!


    Back then, the Thunder Dragons weren''t nearly as terrifying.


    He had only just stepped into Golden Core, so why did his combat power undergo such an earth-shattering change? He too had once been at Golden Core, so how could he not know that normally stepping into Golden Core would indeed increase one''s strength significantly, but it doesn''t increase that goddamn much!


    Not to mention¡ª


    If he were to take on those tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons head-on, he would not survive.


    It''s that simple.


    ...


    In the crowd, the sect masters of the major sects and family heads of major families all looked towards Chen Qiu standing high in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, their faces filled with shock, finding it difficult to imagine how such a terrifying heavenly might could burst forth from the body of this young man who appeared somewhat slender and handsome.


    Is this still a Magic Practitioner?


    Are Magic Practitioners like this?


    However, since Chen Qiu''s combat was in full public view, many caught on to his weakness.


    A sect elder shook his head, stating solemnly: "This Chen Qiu''s methods are indeed terrifying, but he also has a weakness, which is his Divine Sense. Didn''t you notice that he hasn''t used Divine Sense locking from beginning to end?"


    "This indicates his poor control over Divine Sense locking. After all, he has just entered Golden Core. If one is fast enough, it might be possible to evade."


    "That''s not it..." The head of a family standing beside the speaking sect elder looked incredulously at him, pointing to Chen Qiu in the Secret Realm, shocked: "Fellow Daoist, are you joking?"


    "Do those tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons need Divine Sense locking?"


    "Where can you run to?"


    "Did you see any of those Heavenly Prides escape?"


    "Ordinary people definitely can''t run away." The sect elder said earnestly: "But if your Cultivation is at the Golden Core third layer or higher, and you are proficient in movement techniques, you could indeed flee instantly, then return after the Thunder Dragons have dispersed."

 Chapter 127 Wide Range Automatic Locking Head.

    It''s called the Seven-Colored Wooden Umbrella.But it is more appropriately called the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella, with its main structure being the seven-colored fishing rod, painted in seven colors, as smooth as jade. Holding it feels just right¡ªnot too slippery, with a slight roughness that gives it a tangible quality when gripped in hand.


    No need to drip blood.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on his bed, gently exhaled his Golden Core, his eyes tightly shut as he circulated his mental method. All he needed to do was to bring the Golden Core close to the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella, and then after about six hours or so, it would be fully refined.


    By then, this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella would become his lifebound magical artifact.


    However, just as he had begun to circulate his mental method, he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. He saw that the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella had already transformed into a miniature version hovering over his Dantian, evidently already fully refined.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu remained silent and did not speak.


    The speed was much faster than he had imagined, and he discovered another hidden effect of the twelve-grade Golden Core¡ªit could instantly refine a Spirit Treasure. After all... a twelve-grade Golden Core was top grade, and no Spirit Treasure dared to act up.


    With a thought,


    The Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella appeared outside his body in a blink of an eye, flying continuously inside the room at his command.


    After successfully refining it, he felt a mysterious and profound connection between his spirit and this lifebound Spirit Treasure. Naturally, the power of the Spirit Treasure would significantly increase after becoming a lifebound one, and its use became more seamless. However, the downside was that if the lifebound Spirit Treasure was damaged, he would also suffer accordingly.


    After closing his eyes and feeling the specific effects of the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella,


    He opened his eyes, a flicker of astonishment passing through them.


    This Spirit Treasure...


    Was stronger than he had imagined.


    Spirit Treasure grades are divided into¡ª


    Foundation Establishment High Grade... Foundation Establishment Top Grade... Golden Core High Grade... Golden Core Top Grade, etc.


    The higher the grade of the Spirit Treasure, the stronger its power. At the same time, only the corresponding Cultivation can unleash its full power. If one with insufficient Cultivation forcefully activates a very high-grade Spirit Treasure, at best they would seriously injure themselves, and at worst, they would be drained of all Spiritual Energy and even their Dantian would be absorbed, turning them into a dried corpse.


    This Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure of his was a growing Spirit Treasure; its grade would continuously rise as its nurture grade increased.


    This Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella was of Golden Core Low Grade, the same grade as his Cultivation. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But...


    There are grades even within the same level, such as different Golden Core Low Grade Spirit Treasures having varying strengths, depending on which Cultivation could fully exert the Spirit Treasure''s power.


    And Spirit Treasure grades are divided into three kinds.


    Human Level, Earth Level, Heavenly Level.


    Currently, all artifact cultivators in Da Xia Country can only create Human Level Spirit Treasures due to a break in the transmission of knowledge, hence nobody discusses this matter, and it''s assumed all Spirit Treasures are of Human Level.


    And all past Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures were of Earth Level.


    This is also why Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures are highly sought after, and this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella in his hand, under the auspices of his entry and a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny, had reached the Heavenly Level.


    Golden Core Low Grade, Top Heavenly Level Spirit Treasure.


    This grade was already the strongest among all Golden Core Low Grade Spirit Treasures.


    There were many precious natural resources involved in this, attributable to his exceptional, yet uncommon material¡ª the seven-colored fishing rod. It also involved the entry and a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    Under all these factors, barring any accidents, this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella could be used indefinitely.


    An unlimited growth grade.


    No matter how high his Cultivation, it could always be of use, although breaking through a major grade, such as from Golden Core Top Grade to Nascent Soul Low Grade, would require replenishing with some precious natural treasures for promotion.


    And the effects of this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella were even more astonishing.


    The effects are simple, just three.


    -


    When you wield this Spirit Treasure, the power of the spells released will be enhanced, and the consumption of Spiritual Energy will be reduced by fifty percent.


    When the canopy is spread open, it can transform into a defensive Spirit Treasure, capable of blocking a full-force attack from a fourth-level Golden Core Cultivation and below.


    When the canopy is open, Divine Sense will automatically lock onto all beings within its range that you consider to be enemies.


    -


    As the grade of this Spirit Treasure rises, these three effects will also improve.


    Reflecting on these three effects, Chen Qiu gradually fell silent, not because they weren''t strong, but because they seemed almost too powerful.


    The first effect needs no further discussion.


    There''s nothing much to say.


    Nearly all magical practitioner''s Spirit Treasures contain this effect; it''s a universal effect. For a magical practitioner''s Spirit Treasury, this effect is the most essential and the most important, although other magical practitioners'' Spirit Treasures don''t offer nearly as ridiculous an enhancement as his does.


    A fifty percent reduction in the consumption of Spiritual Energy theoretically equates to a direct doubling of combat power¡ªyou can cast twice as many spells.


    Originally, under his full fire, using various entries such as "Ten Layers of Spellcasting," he could emit over four thousand Thunder Dragons.


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    Now, it would be eight thousand.


    Moreover, it also enhanced his spell''s power, making the Thunder Summoning Technique he now wielded with the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella even more powerful and intense. And not just for the Thunder Summoning Technique¡ªbut for spells like the "Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique," which he didn''t use often, would also have increased power.


    The second effect integrates offense and defense. Defensive Spirit Treasures are extremely important for magical practitioners. Everyone knows that among the same level of Cultivation, the defense of magical practitioners is the weakest, after all, a person can only possess so many resources. If you spend most of your resources enhancing your offensive capabilities, naturally, there won''t be much left to boost your defense.


    Unless one directly ignores their offensive capabilities and exchanges all their resources for defensive Spirit Treasures and defensive spells, but if so, what''s the point of choosing to be a magical practitioner? One might as well choose Body Cultivation.


    Unless, like Qu Qi, you have an abundance of resources and can afford to buy many Protective Spiritual Treasures and Protective Talismans, naturally integrating offense and defense.

 Chapter 127 Wide Range Automatic Locking Head. _2

    But even so...none can withstand as well as Body Cultivators. Body Cultivators forge their own bodies like Spiritual Treasures, with their flesh being a growable Spiritual Treasure. They don''t rely on Protective Spirit Qi. Instead, they let Spiritual Energy seep into every part of their bodies directly through shattered meridians, which makes them extremely resilient.


    And this is currently his only Protective Spiritual Treasure.


    "Hmm..."


    Although he hasn''t encountered a situation that requires self-defense, having one is always better than none.


    The third effect, bluntly put, is a wide-range, unlimited, automatic targeting ability.


    Normally speaking, a freshly advanced Golden Core Divine Sense can lock onto only one target.


    With more proficient control over Divine Sense, one can gradually increase this to three, five, or even dozens of targets. Locking onto hundreds simultaneously tends to be more difficult, since one has to split their Divine Sense into hundreds of strands to target different people.


    If one is a Golden Core with an extremely high control of Divine Sense, they might be able to achieve this during stationary training. But in the throes of fierce battle, it''s almost impossible.


    And the enemies aren''t fools either.


    Through the use of techniques like escape arts or stealth spells, as long as one moves quickly enough or can evade Divine Sense targeting, it''s difficult for your Divine Sense to lock onto them.


    With his ability...


    within the range of his Divine Sense, every being he identifies as an enemy can be automatically targeted. His Divine Sense range isn''t that of a typical first-layer Golden Core, which is about twenty miles in radius.


    It''s one hundred and thirty miles.


    This means that as soon as enemies appear within his Divine Sense range, all of them will be automatically targeted, and being targeted by a Magic Practitioner''s Divine Sense often means that in the next moment, multiple spells will come hurtling at incredible speed.


    Of course, Divine Sense Attacks are not feasible, as they cause wear to the Sea of Consciousness. After several uses, they require a slow recovery. The recovery of the Sea of Consciousness can''t be hastened with external forces and must happen naturally. This is a last resort move, not to be squandered carelessly.


    Excessive use of the Sea of Consciousness can be dangerous to a person''s mental state and life.


    Divine Sense Attacks can''t launch dozens or hundreds simultaneously, but targeting with Divine Sense is different. This has minimal wear on the Sea of Consciousness, especially since he also possesses the "Mutual Growth" entry, which enhances his Sea of Consciousness capacity.


    He can target more individuals simultaneously, though he hasn''t tested it and isn''t clear on the exact number he can lock onto.


    He certainly didn''t dare experiment now in the Capital...


    If hundreds or even thousands were targeted by Divine Sense simultaneously, it was no joke. Such intense fluctuations of Divine Sense would activate the Capital''s grand formation, and in the next moment, multiple Golden Core Peaks would descend above his inn.


    After refining his Lifebound Spirit Treasure, Chen Qiu was quite satisfied with it. Instead of cultivating further, he decided to sleep that night.


    Even though his Golden Core meant he didn''t need to sleep to maintain his energy...


    sleeping was still more comfortable.


    After so many tiring days, it was also time to rest.


    Having refined it into his Lifebound Spirit Treasure, he also learned its official name.


    "Seven-Colored Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella."


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Da Xia''s Capital, within the Imperial Palace...


    In a study guarded by several Golden Cores and concealed in darkness, a cloaked man with an indistinct face calmly looked at thirty-six brocade bags spread out on his desk.


    At this moment, twenty-four of the brocade bags had been opened.


    Twelve remained unopened.


    Each bag had a note stuck on its exterior.


    On the note stuck to the thirteenth bag, it read:


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    "To be opened when the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is down to one."


    "..."


    The man in the study stared at this note for a long while before he reached out with his slender, fair hand to pick up the brocade bag. He sent his Divine Sense into the bag. This bag was set with an extremely special restriction. If not opened with the Secret Technique, forcefully breaking it open would only cause the brocade bag to combust and prevent Divine Sense from penetrating.


    There was only one person capable of setting such a restriction.


    And that person had vanished along with the State Preceptor''s seclusion, not to be seen since.


    After probing the brocade bag with his Divine Sense and dispelling it according to the Secret Technique, a piece of paper floated out.


    In the study...


    Only a single oil lamp burned, the light dim. Under the starry sky, the Imperial Palace seemed exceedingly quiet. The man sitting at the desk appeared somewhat dreamy as he recalled the note''s contents, his fingers absentmindedly rubbing the paper as he murmured.


    "State Preceptor... State Preceptor..." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Is he the one you chose?"


    He then fell silent once more and after a long pause gently shook a copper bell on the desk, saying softly to someone outside, "Inform the Flower Offering Sect that they may begin."


    "Allow Ji Taiping to return to the Capital in thirty days."


    No sound came from outside the study, and the man at the desk did not speak further, only glancing toward a placed Illusion Stone on the table. When used, this stone could wipe all memories and grant one the chance to live again.


    No powerful being could guarantee that starting from scratch, they would reach the same heights as before.


    Only one person, having discarded all memories with the Illusion Stone, lived thirty-six lifetimes. In twenty-seven of them, he attained extraordinary heights, and only in nine did he fail.


    In those nine lives, he died amidst the rise, never dying of old age.


    This man was the State Preceptor.


    Having secluded himself for cultivation years ago, he had not emerged since.


    After some time, the man at the desk, slightly exhausted, slowly closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

 Chapter 127 Wide Range Automatic Locking Head._3

    On the desk,The first brocade bag that was opened also had a note attached to the outside.


    "Deliver to the Capital City Zhang Family, stating that the number one sword cultivator Bai Yi of Da Xia possesses the method to achieve the Nascent Soul, causing his cultivation to fall and leaving him wandering in Fufeng City''s Wentian Fang Market. Pay close attention at all times and do not allow him to join any clans, sects, and powers. Whoever contacts him too much, kill."


    ...


    "It has begun."


    The face of the Flower Offering Sect Master flushed red, standing excitedly and trembling at the high altitude above the Flower Offering Sect, and looking down at the cave dwelling below the Heavenly Girl, he said with trembling voice, "Someone of great importance from the palace has sent a letter!!"


    "The opportunity for the Flower Offering Sect has finally arrived!!!"


    "..."


    The Flower Offering Sect Grand Elder stood beside, his expression complex and without saying much, always felt that there was something not quite right about this situation. There''s a price for everything in the world, and different matters correspond to different prices.


    The revival of the Flower Offering Sect corresponds to the loss of a Heavenly Girl.


    The two are clearly not equivalent.


    Under such unequal circumstances,


    There are only two possibilities, one is that the former is false, and the other is that the latter is not just a Heavenly Girl. Whichever possibility it is, he felt it was not a good thing.


    But after all, he is just the Grand Elder and within the Flower Offering Sect, the Flower Offering Sect Master holds absolute authority; he cannot interfere.


    Nonetheless, he couldn''t suppress the worry in his heart and spoke out to remind, "Sect Master, the Supreme Elder of our Flower Offering Sect passed away a few years ago. Although we have hidden this news from the outside, you know well that our Flower Offering Sect currently does not have a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivation powerhouse to oversee it."


    "The strongest is you, Sect Master, with a Golden Core fourth-layer cultivation."


    "If this news spreads, in case any accident happens, the Flower Offering Sect does not have the capacity to combat the risks."


    The Flower Offering Sect Master shook his head, his expression turning cold as he said solemnly, "A while ago, we followed Fatten State''s example and invested a large number of Spirit Stones, creating a large quantity of Memory Stones in two states, aiming to climb the Fame Ranking to obtain a large number of Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills."


    "However, just as we invested a big amount of Spirit Stones and barely reaped the benefits for a few days, the Fame Ranking was closed."


    "Causing our sect to suffer a great loss of Spirit Stones."


    "The influential figure within the palace has promised us that after the matter is done, he will give us fifty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. This sum could inject a massive new life into the Flower Offering Sect. Don''t be too timid to act, fearing wolves ahead and tigers behind."


    "Nothing can be accomplished that way."


    "Do as the influential figure in the palace has directed."


    After a moment of silence, the Flower Offering Sect Grand Elder still nodded and replied, "Understood."


    ...


    The next day¡ª


    Inside the Capital, Chen Qiu woke up in the inn, went out the door, and saw Fat Long and a few others waiting for him at the entrance with smiles on their faces.


    "Let''s go."


    Helplessly glancing over them, Chen Qiu took the lead and walked down the inn''s corridor, as if no matter how early he woke up, he could never be up earlier than Fat Long and the others. He was starting to suspect they started waiting for him even before dawn.


    Today there was nothing to do.


    But just as they had barely stepped into the inn''s lobby, they heard the customers at a few nearby tables who were having breakfast whispering to each other.


    "Did you hear? The news that Flower Offering Sect''s Supreme Elder has long since passed away has leaked out, and the strongest they now have is the current Sect Master with a fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation. Without the Supreme Elder, the Sect Ranking is bound to fall significantly."


    "Indeed. Whether or not a sect has a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivator fundamentally differentiates one sect from another."


    "However, I''ve heard that the Heavenly Girl, not knowing what grave mistake she made, is to be publicly executed today."


    "Who knows, in any case, that Heavenly Girl is not a good person, always trying to seduce various Heavenly Prides. Her frivolous conduct is genuinely nauseating."


    "..."


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    Chen Qiu, while about to leave the inn, upon hearing the news discussed by the surrounding customers, paused slightly and frowned. Then, he took big steps and left the inn, casually strolling down the alley with Fat Long and the others without much care.


    After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea,


    Chen Qiu suddenly laughed, turned his head and looked at Fat Long: "Why are you silent? I thought you''d be the first to speak up."


    He knew that Fat Long had once suffered great humiliation in the Flower Offering Sect, and his greatest wish in life was to one day annihilate the Flower Offering Sect.


    Now that the Flower Offering Sect Supreme Elder had passed away and the strongest they had was just a Sect Master with a fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation, with his own strength, he was totally capable of annihilating the Flower Offering Sect. This was the best opportunity; he thought Fat Long would not be able to hold back from speaking up soon, but unexpectedly Fat Long did not show the slightest intention to speak. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ahem..."


    Fat Long, feeling somewhat embarrassed after his thoughts were exposed, whispered, "Well... Brother Qiu, the main thing is, after all, the Flower Offering Sect Master does have a fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation, and there''s also the Mountain Protection Array. Even though you are very strong, Brother Qiu, you might still get injured."


    "Although I really want to destroy the Flower Offering Sect,"


    "To wipe out those evil demons that absorb mortal life force once and for all, but..."


    "I don''t want Brother Qiu to get hurt even more."


    "We are developing well now. As long as we keep progressing step by step, there will come a day when we can annihilate the Flower Offering Sect without getting hurt at all. There is no need to take risks at this time."


    "Hmm."


    The scholar nodded earnestly and said, "Brother Qiu, Fat Long is right. Golden Core fourth-layer and Golden Core first or second layer are not on the same level. One is in the middle stage of Golden Core and the other is in the early stage of Golden Core. There''s a world of difference."


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, said nothing, and used his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella as a walking stick, tapping it on the ground and continued walking down the cobblestone path: "Let''s go, a mere fourth-layer Golden Core, it''s not a problem."

 Chapter 127 Wide Range Automatic Locking Head._4

    ...Since Chen Qiu was determined, the few others did not speak to stop him.


    After leaving the Capital, the scholar summoned Qingfeng and shot towards the direction of the Flower Offering Sect. Within a dozen breaths, they had already landed at the gate of the Flower Offering Sect.


    There were two Kai Mountain Disciples of the Flower Offering Sect guarding the gate, clutching the Sound Transmission Talisman in their hands and looking coldly at Chen Qiu''s group, who had appeared out of thin air. In a hoarse voice, they demanded, "Who goes there, state your name."


    Chen Qiu did not speak.


    He simply surveyed the surroundings.


    The Flower Offering Sect was located within the massive range of mountains, Jing Province, where a vast expanse of endless mountains could be found, many of which were rich in Spiritual Energy. That''s why many sects had set up their bases here.


    The Flower Offering Sect was on one of the peaks within this mountain range.


    In the midst of winter, most of the mountain was covered with bare branches, giving it a somewhat desolate look. Come next spring, these bare branches would sprout green leaves anew, a cycle repeating year after year.


    Although the Flower Offering Sect had announced that today''s execution of the Heavenly Girl was open for the public to watch, no one had gone up the mountain. What kind of sect the Flower Offering Sect was, everyone knew - not Evil Cultivation or Demon Cultivation, but it was much worse in comparison.


    Going up was simple, but it was uncertain whether one could come down.


    Anyone with a sensible mind wouldn''t want to get involved in this troublesome matter.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    The pupils of the two Mountain Guarding Disciples at the gate started to show a hint of coldness, and they spoke again with an icy voice, "I''ll ask one more time, state your name, or else..."


    Their voices suddenly stopped. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Two Divine Sense Attacks swept through them.


    The two Mountain Guarding Disciples immediately stiffened and crashed heavily onto the ground behind them, sleeping very soundly without moving an inch.


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu, with a calm expression, opened the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and strode into the Mountain Gate, walking along the path towards the mountain top. Almost at the instant he opened the umbrella, dense black clouds swiftly enveloped the entire Flower Offering Sect.


    The light quickly dimmed.


    The storm howled and roared toward them.


    The originally calm and sunny Flower Offering Sect was suddenly shrouded in the storm. Such changes in the heavens and earth naturally completely startled the Flower Offering Sect.


    And his Divine Sense also instantly spread out, locking down everyone within the Flower Offering Sect. For the Foundation Establishment Disciples, being locked by the Divine Sense of a Golden Core cultivator basically meant that they were already hovering on the edge of death.


    ...


    Dozens of breaths later.


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, led Fat Long and the others up the stone steps through the storm, their robes flapping loudly in the wind. Today, he had switched to a black robe, having grown a bit tired of always wearing green.


    By the time he walked up the stone steps to the Sect Hall at the summit.


    In the black clouds overhead, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, carrying an incredibly terrifying pressure, churned with deafening roars of thunder.


    The awe of heaven and earth was terrifying indeed.


    Meanwhile, the Green Stone Square in front of the Sect Hall of the Flower Offering Sect was packed with people. Disciples, elders, and the Sect Master of the Flower Offering Sect all stood at the Sect Hall, their expressions on guard against the powerful intruders.


    And on the central stone column of the Sect Hall.


    The roaming Heavenly Girl of the Flower Offering Sect, covered in bloody whip marks and bound by iron chains to the stone column, was at her last breath. But when her blurry eyes saw Fat Long behind Chen Qiu, she couldn''t help but cry with joy, using all her energy to speak with an excited and trembling voice.


    "Little Fatty... you really came!"


    "I finally waited for you..."


    "You''ve really become a big shot and are here to slaughter the Flower Offering Sect, but you can''t beat the Sect Master. You need to escape quickly!"


    "It''s too late if you don''t leave now!!"


    At that moment, the Sect Master of the Flower Offering Sect, his body surging with majestic Spiritual Energy and his fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation not hidden at all, stood expressionless in the storm as his robes flapped fiercely, but his eyes were intently fixed on Chen Qiu as he spoke each word coldly.


    "Da Xia''s unrivaled Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu."


    "You come alone to my Flower Offering Sect and initiate Divine Sense Lockdown. Are you declaring war on the Flower Offering Sect?"


    "I don''t recall us having any grievances."


    If it were not for Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense Lockdown making him apprehensive, he would have attacked without hesitation. There was no need for idle talk. The Flower Offering Sect had over two thousand people including the Disciples and Servant Disciples, and all sorts of supplies.


    Yet all these more than two thousand people were locked down by Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense.


    He had never seen a Magic Practitioner who could lock onto so many people with their Divine Sense at the same time.


    It was simply inconceivable.


    ...


    "Uh-huh."


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and walking up the steps to the Sect Hall, stood on the Green Stone Square. Facing the storm, he looked at the Flower Offering Sect''s disciples and elders, who were prepared for battle not far away, and the Flower Offering Sect Master at the forefront. After a long pause, he chuckled lightly.


    "There''s naturally no grudge between us."


    "But there''s a bit of a grudge between you and this brother of mine."


    "I''m someone who not only likes to avenge myself, but also likes to help my brothers seek vengeance."


    "What''s more, I''m a bit displeased with the way you use mortals as supplements to improve your cultivation."


    ...


    The Flower Offering Sect Master at the very front stared coldly at Chen Qiu''s eyes. Chen Qiu''s Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella was held very low; he couldn''t see Chen Qiu''s eyes and nose, only his smile, which made it difficult for him to discern Chen Qiu''s true intentions for this visit.


    Was it to show off his power before discussing a matter, or was it to get ready for a direct confrontation.


    Although Chen Qiu was only at the first level of the Golden Core Stage, it had to be said that the tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons did give him some trouble.


    If possible, better not to start a battle.


    "Mortals?"


    Even though he was unclear about Chen Qiu''s intentions, now that Chen Qiu had spoken, he had to continue the conversation. The Flower Offering Sect Master, looking straight at Chen Qiu, enunciated each word: "Every year, fewer than a hundred thousand mortals die at the hands of the Flower Offering Sect."


    "But do you know how many mortals die in an earthquake?"


    "How many die in a flood?"


    "Who causes the floods and earthquakes?"


    "It''s Heavenly Dao!"


    "Heavenly Dao slaughters mortals, could it be that you also disapprove of Heavenly Dao''s actions?"


    "Do you want to kill Heavenly Dao too?!"


    "You''re wrong."


    Chen Qiu held the Jade Umbrella, standing in the storm, and looking squarely at the Flower Offering Sect Master with a light chuckle: "I''m not here to debate the Dao with you. When it comes to Dao I disapprove of, destruction is a more efficient solution than persuasion."


    With that said!


    Thunderous noises, deafening again, began to boom repeatedly!


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    The tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons in the black clouds immediately descended upon the countless Flower Offering Sect disciples below who were locked by the Divine Sense Attack, leaving them with nowhere to escape. Initially, in the indiscriminate bombing, there might have been a slim chance for lucky survivors, but now, no fish would slip through the net.


    "How dare you!"


    Seeing that Chen Qiu had no intention of negotiating and attacked immediately, the Flower Offering Sect Master couldn''t help but let out an angry howl, his face contorted in rage. Following his yell, the disciples of the Flower Offering Sect hurriedly pulled out the human supplements from behind to shield themselves.


    "There are thousands of mortals here. Stop immediately, or else..."


    Before he could finish.


    "Boom boom!!!"


    The countless Thunder Dragons almost instantly blasted the Flower Offering Sect''s Mountain Protection Array to smithereens, then, carrying an extremely terrifying pressure, slammed hard onto the top of the Flower Offering Sect''s mountain, accompanied by numerous explosions.


    Apart from the Flower Offering Sect Master and the Great Elder, everyone else turned to ash.


    The Flower Offering Sect Master managed to protect himself and the other elder, also at the Golden Core Stage, with a precious treasure. But now, they were also full of injuries, with unstoppable blood dripping from their fingertips onto the ground, standing in place with disordered breaths and a twisted expression, looking at Chen Qiu and roaring in anger.


    "You said you disapproved of our slaughter of mortals, didn''t you?"


    "What are you doing!!!"


    "Me?"


    Chen Qiu, as if taking a leisurely walk in the garden, faced the storm and slowly walked towards the depths of the Green Stone Square, smiling: "I''m helping them. They''ve been used as supplements by you for so long; they''re barely alive. Even if they survived, they wouldn''t live long."


    "I believe."


    "For them, I''m sure they would rather not drag out their miserable existence and instead would prefer to take you, a group of evil demons, down with them."

 Chapter 128

    "Dammit!!!"The severely injured Flower Offering Sect Master stood tottering on the spot. Just now, thousands of Thunder Dragons had struck him, nearly costing him half his life, and the defense treasure he had been relying on had also turned to ash.


    He had seen Chen Qiu in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.


    He knew that with such a tactic, Chen Qiu could use it a second time in a short period.


    He definitely wouldn''t be able to withstand a second blow. Now was his only chance to strike back.


    "You''ve destroyed my sect''s foundation, you deserve to die a thousand times!!!"


    Blood dripped from the fingertips of the Flower Offering Sect Master as his chaotic breathing rapidly settled. With a ferocious expression, he plunged his right hand forcefully into his left chest and, with bloodthirsty eyes staring straight at Chen Qiu, he roared, "Heavenly Demon Destruction!"


    The majestic Spiritual Energy began to surge out from the body of the Flower Offering Sect Master, and the terrifying pressure of his fourth-level Golden Core mercilessly bore down on the hearts of everyone present.


    As his words fell,


    a Bone Chain, forged from countless skulls, suddenly appeared in the hands of the Flower Offering Sect Master, while behind him in the high sky, a skeletal phantom tens of meters tall materialized, its body carrying a rich aura of death, holding a Bone Chain as well.


    However, this was just the beginning. As the Flower Offering Sect Master exerted himself, skeletal armor began to gradually emerge on the body of the giant skeletal phantom behind him.


    Just then¡ª


    The emergence of the skeletal armor on the skeletal phantom abruptly ceased.


    At that moment, the body of the Flower Offering Sect Master also stiffened in place, blood streaming from his orifices as he stared with unwilling eyes at Chen Qiu, who was walking towards him through the storm. Just now, a Divine Sense Attack had directly shattered the defenses of his Sea of Consciousness in an instant, completely destroying his Sea of Consciousness! Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    How... how is this possible?


    Inside his Sea of Consciousness, he had placed a Spiritual Treasure specifically designed to defend against Divine Sense Attacks, capable of withstanding the attacks of a fifth-level Golden Core!


    The Divine Sense Attack that had just penetrated his Sea of Consciousness was even more powerful and violent than a fifth-level Golden Core''s. Chen Qiu was only at the first level of Golden Core cultivation!


    ...


    Meanwhile,


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in the storm, with his robes billowing, slowly walked up to the Flower Offering Sect Master who stood stiffened in place, bleeding from the seven orifices. He then looked up at the collapsing giant skeletal phantom behind him and said with a light chuckle, Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    "That''s quite a long windup for a big move."


    He then reached out with his right hand and gave a gentle push to the stiffened Flower Offering Sect Master.


    The Sect Master''s body immediately fell backward, hitting the rain-soaked ground hard, splashing up waves of water. The massive skeletal phantom behind him also completely disintegrated, and a sect leader thus perished.


    His death was straightforward and silent.


    Immediately after, a Golden Core burst out from his body and shot towards the sky, but the scholar''s long-anticipated three-foot green blade, held up his sleeve, chased after it with greater speed, impaled it on the blade, and placed it into the Jade Box prepared in his embrace, then handed it over to Chen Qiu.


    The entire process was smooth and practiced.


    Chen Qiu casually took the Jade Box and threw it into the storage of his small world, then turned his head to look at the Sect Grand Elder of the Flower Offering Sect, disregarding his incoherent pleas for mercy due to fear. With a wave of his sleeve, a surge of Spiritual Energy burst forth, smashing the already severely injured and defenseless Sect Grand Elder to the ground, shattering his body into pieces.


    Turning into minced meat.


    But this time...


    The Golden Core of the Sect Grand Elder did not attempt to escape far. Perhaps knowing it couldn''t, the Golden Core, carrying a wild and uncontrollable aura, hurled itself directly at Chen Qiu and the others.


    It seemed prepared to stop fleeing and was ready to detonate itself. Hoping to tear a piece of flesh from Chen Qiu and the others before dying.


    But the scholar was quicker.


    Before the Golden Core could self-destruct, a green blade instantly appeared in front of it, pierced it through, and then placed it in the Jade Box to hand to Chen Qiu once more.


    A Golden Core that is about to self-destruct will lose its force once pierced, rendering it unable to explode.


    This Golden Core was already fast, but the scholar, no longer suppressed by the poison, handled the sword even faster.


    ...


    It took less than the time of a single cup of tea.


    The once bustling Flower Offering Sect had been completely reduced to ruins, with countless collapsed buildings washed by the rain, giving off a stench of blood.


    At this moment¡ª


    The Heavenly Girl, bound in iron chains to a stone pillar, looked at Fat Long with an excited expression and trembling voice, "Little Fatty... you actually slaughtered the Flower Offering Sect... I wasn''t wrong about you!"


    "I thought you would scorn me."


    "I didn''t expect you would really come to rescue me."


    Chen Qiu looked at the drenched Heavenly Girl, bound to the pillar with her clothes soaked through, revealing her body. He averted his gaze and turned to look at Fat Long without speaking, waiting for his decision.


    When the Heavenly Thunder had struck earlier, he had deliberately avoided the Heavenly Girl''s position, allowing her to survive the barrage of tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons.


    The Heavenly Girl had known Fat Long longer than him.


    When they had first set foot in the Flower Offering Sect, from what the Heavenly Girl had said, it seemed the two might have had an affair. He wasn''t in a position to comment on that, and it was up to Fat Long to make his own choice. Whatever decision Fat Long made, he would support him.


    ...


    "What are you talking about?"


    Fat Long, who was just shocked by Brother Qiu''s methods and stood behind Chen Qiu, heard the voice and shifted his gaze from the corpse of the Flower Offering Sect Master on the ground, turning his frowning face towards the pitiable Heavenly Girl amidst the stormy weather.

 Chapter 129 Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!

    Was it because of the 2,000 Spirit Stones he had given?Or was it because Old Man Cao had eaten his roast chicken?


    An entity at the Nascent Soul level wouldn''t truly be attracted by these things. Everyone acts for a reason. Even going to defecate is because you feel the urge, not because you squat by the roadside without any urge to defecate.


    So what was the reason for Old Man Cao''s actions?


    It was naturally...


    To cultivate a peerless Magic Practitioner!


    A peerless Sword Cultivator might not be able to break the shackles, but what if a peerless Magic Practitioner was added?


    If he wasn''t mistaken, then Old Man Cao was the State Preceptor of Da Xia.


    Chen Qiu stood silently in his original spot, not speaking. Regardless of whether the truth was really as he suspected, he could be certain of one thing: There must be something about him that Old Man Cao was unaware of, such as his Seven-colored term. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then he gazed at the distant sea and said softly, "Didn''t you say you had met the State Preceptor? Tell me more about him."


    "Um..."


    The scholar furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and then recalled, "The State Preceptor is a very young man, but he has existed for a very long time, as though he has never aged. His skin is very delicate, but his pupils are murky, lacking the clarity of a young person."


    "He looks like an old man, and his methods are also very mature, showing none of the air of a young person."


    "There''s also a White entry that''s complete nonsense. The more people he deceives, the faster his Cultivation grows."


    "Huh."


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without replying. Everything matched up perfectly.


    Murky pupils were inevitable. That body was probably just one that Old Man Cao used to walk the outside world. With Old Man Cao''s age and wisdom, no matter how much he disguised himself, he could not disguise his eyes.


    Liking to deceive matched up too.


    When he was in Wendian Market,


    he had a chance encounter called "Heaven''s Treasury," which contained many deeply discounted treasures. At that time, an Evil Cultivator suddenly appeared intending to snatch their treasures, and he ended up being blasted to death by a Self-Destruction Term Chen Qiu used.


    After returning to Wendian Market, he learned from the captain of the guard at that time that an old diviner had told the Evil Cultivator that heading west that day would bring good fortune, and the west was the direction he was in.


    The Evil Cultivator died at his hand.


    Old Man Cao deceived an Evil Cultivator and liked to deceive.


    Furthermore, when someone had asked Old Man Cao for divination, Old Man Cao told him to kowtow three times towards the east every morning. This, too, was a deception, and if there were any method that easily deceived people, it was definitely prophesying and divining for others.


    Everything matched. It all matched.


    Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Let''s go, let''s head back."


    Chen Qiu smiled, turned around, and walked back towards the city carrying his walking cane. He was not in conflict with the State Preceptor. Since Old Man Cao wanted to create opportunities to cultivate him into a peerless Magic Practitioner, he didn''t mind.


    After all, Old Man Cao''s intention was merely to break the shackles of Da Xia.


    And it didn''t conflict with his own.


    When his Cultivation reached the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection, he wasn''t willing to just watch his own lifespan run out, he also wanted to achieve the Nascent Soul through his own efforts.


    As long as he got enough benefits, he didn''t mind being a pawn.


    However...


    If Old Man Cao thought he could completely control him,


    Then he was gravely mistaken.


    The scholar and Fat Long exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other''s eyes. Why was Brother Qiu still smiling so happily after guessing that he might just be a pawn? Still, they shook their heads and quickly followed Chen Qiu back into the city.


    By now, the city gate was filled with many Sect Disciples, all of whom looked at Chen Qiu with a mix of respect and awe.


    No more jealousy.


    Jealousy only exists when someone is slightly better than you.


    When someone could effortlessly crush you to death, any normal person would certainly not harbor the negative emotion of jealousy.


    ...


    Soon night fell, and midnight arrived.


    The daily blessing from the "Heavenly Pride Leaderboard" had already been deposited. A Jade Box magically appeared again in the Storage Ring. Sitting cross-legged on the inn''s bed, Chen Qiu looked at the pills inside the Jade Box and a trace of surprise flitted across his eyes.


    The pills in the Jade Box looked extremely familiar.


    They looked almost identical to the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, only the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy was stronger, and the pills themselves looked more lustrous.


    They were¡ª


    Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and not just one, but ten.


    "Pretty good."


    Chen Qiu laughed, realizing that the biggest gain from this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard might not only be the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure but also these Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. After reaching the Golden Core stage, there had been virtually no way to rapidly advance his Cultivation progress.


    Killing demon beasts was basically useless now, and consuming pills no longer improved Cultivation.


    He had been preparing to slowly spend time.


    Then the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill appeared.


    The blessing from the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was daily, meaning that every night at midnight, he could collect ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Coupled with methods like the Spirit Gathering Array, this could significantly accelerate his cultivation progress.


    He didn''t know how much Cultivation Progress this single Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could enhance.


    "Huh..."


    Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, a hint of anticipation in his eyes as he swallowed the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes tightly, and started to operate his mental method to rapidly absorb the medicinal power of the pill.


    ...


    An hour later.


    The Chen Qiu sitting on the bed exhaled a long breath, feeling the immense Spiritual Energy in his Dantian and inspecting his bodily Dantian through introspection.


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage first layer (5.1%).


    -


    Then, he couldn''t help but chuckle softly.

 Chapter 129 Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_2

    Although absorbing the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills took more time, requiring half an hour to absorb a single one, the progress made was quite substantial, a single Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could enhance the cultivation progress by 5%.And he still had 9 pills left.


    In other words, as long as he absorbed all 9 remaining Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills tonight, his cultivation progress would reach 50.1%.


    One must know that a few days ago, when he circulated his mental method to absorb nature''s spiritual energy, it had taken nearly two days to increase by just 0.1%, but now, in just half an hour, his cultivation progress had risen by 5%.


    His original plan was to spend one to two years to advance his cultivation to the second level of the Golden Core stage.


    Now, it seemed it would only take two days.


    By the day after tomorrow, his cultivation would have advanced to the second level of the Golden Core stage.


    And that day after tomorrow was precisely the day of the Sea Clan''s invasion.


    "Just in time,"


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at the Seven-Colored Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella placed beside the bed and murmured.


    It was a good opportunity to kill a large number of demon beasts that had gathered over the Boundless Sea to the east of Da Xia, which would expand his Dantian a bit, allowing him to accommodate more Spiritual Energy, and under the "Spiritual Energy Intimidating" entry effect, the power of his spells would also be greater.


    Everything was just right.


    Perfect.


    After saying this,


    He did not dwell on it any longer, but picked up another Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill to swallow, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to absorb its medicinal energy by circulating his mental method.


    While the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were excellent, the time it took to absorb one pill was indeed not short; it took half an hour to absorb a single pill, making it five hours in total for ten pills.


    After absorbing the ten pills, it would be almost dawn.


    Another night of intensive training began anew.


    His strength was still too weak; facing a sixth level Golden Core, he would need to resort to a Self-Destruction Term. As long as his cultivation rose rapidly enough, even facing a sixth level Golden Core would become manageable, and besides, the "Self-Destruction Term" could not unleash the full force of a strike from a Nascent Soul under the restrictions of Heavenly Dao.


    The maximum was a full-force strike from a half-step Nascent Soul.


    While Chen Qiu was diligently cultivating,


    The scholar in the next room was swallowing the last few Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills and continued his practice.


    ...


    Inside a small world,


    In the disciple dormitory,


    A middle-aged man, with forehead covered in fine sweat, was fully focused on cracking the three Storage Rings infused with the aura of the Golden Core, which Chen Qiu had entrusted to him before nightfall.


    He had followed Chen Qiu out of Kai Mountain City and was now staying in this small world, peacefully cracking Storage Rings for Chen Qiu.


    He had not expected Chen Qiu to possess such a Spiritual Treasure of heaven and earth as the small world.


    But that was of no consequence now.


    He only liked one thing in his life, solving puzzles and cracking seals. He didn''t care much about anything else. Since Chen Qiu had agreed to provide him with an endless supply of Storage Rings to crack to his heart''s desire, he didn''t mind whether he was in the small world or Kai Mountain City.


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In the Boundless Icefield, within the City Lord Mansion of Fei City, a plump man was sitting on the City Lord Chair with a dazed expression, saying: "Has the palace not yet ordered me to return to the capital?"


    Thirty years ago,


    Lord National Master had sent him here, saying that in the future a disaster would befall the Boundless Icefield, and he was to guard this place. Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    As expected,


    The Evil Clan did indeed descend, and even though he did not play much of a role, he believed the Lord National Master valued his character rather than his strength. If someone petty and narrow-minded had been tasked with guarding Fei City, perhaps they would have ended up killed by Chen Qiu.


    In that case, when the Evil Clan invaded, there would have been no one to stand up.


    But... sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now that the Evil Clan''s affair was over, why had there been no message from the palace? Logically speaking, his mission was accomplished, and he should be able to return to the palace.


    "My lord."


    At that moment¡ª


    The elder standing behind him quietly expressed his doubt, "I''ve heard that Lord National Master has been in seclusion these past few years and hasn''t been seen around. Could it be that he''s forgotten about you, my lord?"


    "Impossible,"


    The man shook his head: "You haven''t met Lord National Master, you don''t understand. He is the kind who considers every matter meticulously. Since he sent me to guard Fei City, it''s impossible that he''s forgotten about me."


    "Everything has a reason."


    "You only go to defecate when you feel the need, you wouldn''t just squat by the roadside and relieve yourself without reason."


    "If the palace hasn''t signaled for me to return, it means Fei City still needs me. Perhaps in the near future, Fei City will face a disaster that only I can resolve."


    "..."


    After a long silence, the elder standing behind the man spoke in a low voice, "My lord, why do you always use the crude act of defecating as an example..."


    "Crude?"


    The City Lord turned around, puzzled, and glanced at the elder: "Haven''t you ever defecated?"


    "Moreover, those words didn''t originate from me; they were spoken by Lord National Master himself. Are you implying that Lord National Master is less refined than you?"


    "I wouldn''t dare,"


    The elder quickly looked down, a flicker of fear in his eyes: "I didn''t mean that at all, my lord."


    "Hmph,"


    The middle-aged man snorted coldly before settling back into the City Lord Chair in a comfortable position and murmured: "Since the National Master hasn''t ordered me back, it clearly means I''m still needed here."


    "The National Master once told me personally,"


    "I am the most crucial part of his plan."


    "Not everyone has this honor. I must not act hastily and disrupt the National Master''s plans."


    ...


    At the same time, within the Hundred Countries,


    Ji Taiping was sitting with a dark expression at a table, looking at the two countries that were preparing to negotiate peace again, having been sent by the palace to resolve the chaos in the Hundred Countries. But these two countries had failed in their negotiations time and again, returning to battle right after each round of talks.

 Chapter 129 Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_3

    This was already the fourth negotiation during this period.He was eager to return home, wanting to quickly return to Jing Province''s Qingfeng to be by Ji Renjian''s side. Recently, there had been significant changes in Da Xia, even Bai Yi had once again resurrected and resumed his activities.


    He was very afraid that if Ji Renjian disobeyed and went out, finding out that it was not Ji Taiping but Bai Yi who had protected her through the crisis, what would happen.


    Would Ji Renjian abandon her and turn to Bai Yi''s embrace?


    He couldn''t accept this situation!


    At this moment, his state of Human Sword Unity was not very stable; once the effects of Ji Renjian''s Heavenly Dao Beauty transferred to another person, his yet to be solidified state would instantly collapse.


    He could not tolerate this situation happening.


    He could only keep in contact with his subordinates in Qingfeng, and only after learning that Ji Renjian had never left Qingfeng and that no external news had reached her ears did he slightly relax.


    But even so, he still wanted to return to Qingfeng quickly. Only by staying by Ji Renjian''s side would he feel secure.


    If it were not for the palace forbidding him from taking action.


    He would rather have wiped out both countries directly; at that moment, the intense killing intent emanating from him was as tangible as reality, like Heavenly Punishment hanging over everyone''s heads, at his terrifying Cultivation at the fourth level of the Golden Core.


    He was the "National Guardian Sword Master"!


    This was an honor, representing power, indicating that he could utilize a wisp of Da Xia''s Qi Fortune, but it also meant that he had to obey Da Xia''s commands and could not defy them; otherwise, Da Xia could reclaim that wisp of Qi Fortune at any moment.


    But he had no regrets!


    If it weren''t for that wisp of Da Xia''s Qi Fortune, he wouldn''t have been able to cultivate to the fourth level of the Golden Core so quickly. Bai Yi, priding himself on his lofty ideals, refused to accept the palace''s orders, ultimately could not escape death ¡ª although he faked his death and escaped, his Cultivation had completely collapsed, presenting no threat to him at all.


    ...


    "Huff!"


    Day had broken.


    In a coastal "Xiao Yu City" of "Hai Province," Chen Qiu exhaled a breath of foul air as he sat cross-legged on the inn''s bed, turning his head to look out of the window at the brightly lit sky and the sun rising from the sea level.


    Listening to the cries of seabird-like creatures circling above the sea.


    And feeling the chill sea breeze brushing against his face.


    He looked at the panel above the Dantian within his body, then his lips curled upward, and he chuckled without saying a word.


    -


    "Cultivation": Golden Core Stage level one (50.1%). sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -


    After a night of strenuous cultivation.


    His Cultivation Progress had reached 50.1%. With today being the second day before the Sea Clan''s invasion, the invasion would occur the day after tomorrow, but it was unknown whether it would be in the morning, noon, or evening.


    Once past midnight tonight, he would receive another ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    In this way, by tomorrow morning, which was this time, he would be able to step into the second level of the Golden Core.


    By then, his combat power would gain another boost. Discover exclusive tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    He could also choose another term.


    Perhaps, if he had the chance in this lifetime to witness Nascent Soul and continue cultivating, then he might not only have "Step by Step" as his term, but in terms of helping him on his Cultivation Path, Step by Step was the most useful.


    Although he was unclear about the effects of the other Seven-colored terms.


    He believed that no other Seven-colored term could replace the position of "Step by Step" when awaking the term for the first time during the Qi Refinement Realm.


    "Lucky indeed."


    Chen Qiu got out of bed and put on a black robe, standing in front of the mirror to adjust his attire: "Just the right time, the smallest probability randomly brought me the term that helps me the most. This kind of luck isn''t something everyone can have."


    Just then¡ª


    A sensation came from the small world; his Divine Sense probed into it, revealing that the Storage Rings he obtained last night from the Flower Offering Sect Master had their restrictions broken.


    After sensing what was inside the Storage Rings, he couldn''t help but laugh out loud again.


    This fortune indeed wasn''t singular.


    As he stepped out the door, just as expected, Fat Long Scholar was already there early, wearing a smile.


    "Good morning, Brother Qiu."


    "Morning?"


    Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Long and laughed, "It''s almost noon; just a bit more and it''ll be time for dinner."


    Then he turned his head towards the scholar: "How''s your recent cultivation progress?"


    "Hmm..."


    The scholar shook his head helplessly: "It''s a bit slow. Although it''s re-cultivation, the progress in Cultivation isn''t much faster. Brother Qiu, I have already absorbed all the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills you gave me."


    "I am still at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. The realm hasn''t elevated, but the Cultivation Progress did increase quite a bit last night after taking the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill."


    "Here."


    Chen Qiu casually took out a Storage Ring from his pocket and threw it over: "You''re quite lucky. The restrictions on the Storage Ring of the Flower Offering Sect Master were broken last night. It contains quite a few Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. I roughly glanced, almost 2000 of them."


    "That''s enough for you to cultivate to the seventh or eighth level of Foundation Establishment."


    "This..."


    Having seen the Storage Ring and probed with his Divine Sense, the scholar then looked at Chen Qiu with a face full of gratitude: "Brother Qiu... you have granted me too many favors, I don''t know how to express it, but rest assured Brother Qiu, whenever you say east, I will never go west!"


    "..."


    Fat Long expressionlessly patted the scholar''s shoulder: "Next time you want to bootlick, talk to me first; I''ll help you organize your language. Your flattery is too stiff."


    "Stiff?"


    "Stiff, don''t believe me? Ask Brother Qiu. By the way, Brother Qiu, where did the Flower Offering Sect Master get so many Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills?"

 Chapter 129 Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_4

    Chen Qiu smiled as he walked down the corridor of the inn, leaning on his cane. "The Flower Offering Sect Master has quite a few Memory Stones in his Storage Ring," he laughed. "He replicated the grand ceremony we had in Fat State in other states.""However, their luck was rather poor," he continued.


    "It seems they hadn''t been at it for long before the Fame Ranking was shut down, but they put in quite a few Spirit Stones and still managed to get these 2,000-plus Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, which should be enough for our scholar. Along with the two Golden Cores in my Storage Ring, I think it might even be enough to charge straight to the peak of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment," Chen Qiu mused.


    "When that happens, our team will have another Golden Core Great Power," he added.


    "As for you, Fat Long, you''ll need to step it up too," Chen Qiu said.


    "Me?" Fat Long responded, nodding somewhat bitterly. His Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation entry allowed his Dual Cultivation progress to increase by nine times, a very impressive entry. But... he had been too busy recently, and failed to find any suitable demon beasts.


    "Wait a moment¡ª"


    Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind: "Isn''t there a lot of demon beasts with the Sea Clan invasion?"


    "..." sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, stood silently for a moment, then turned around to look at Fat Long and calmly said, "Tomorrow I''ll keep an eye out for you, for some Sea Clan demon beasts that we can barely manage."


    "After they are severely injured, I''ll leave them to you," he promised.


    ...


    Xiao Yu Town,


    A small coastal county town that many mortals had fled from, yet many still remained to run their shops, as Xiao Yu Town was now frequented by more Foundation Establishment Cultivators than usual, who were far more generous with their money than mortals.


    Despite some danger, they were making much more money these days than before.


    Chen Qiu and his companions, including Fat Long, had some seafood porridge and wandered around for a bit before returning to the inn. Xiao Yu Town was simply too small¡ªso small, in fact, that it didn''t even have a brothel, only a Red House.


    The Red House was rather crude and simple, and they were unwilling to visit such a place. They had wanted to listen to music in a refined setting, a sort of petit bourgeois indulgence, but going to the Red House would have been too explicit in purpose and lacking in quality.


    The Sea Clan would invade the day after tomorrow.


    With nothing else to do today, after wandering the streets for a while, Chen Qiu and his companions didn''t linger long before returning to the inn to cultivate earnestly in preparation for the Sea Clan''s invasion.


    It was one invasion after another¡ªwith the Sea Clan, the Evil Clan, and the Demon Race all encroaching.


    Da Xia was indeed busy.


    Three directions¡ªeast, south, and west¡ªwere all under attack, and who knew if next time the Boundless Snow Mountain to the west would be invaded by Snow Monsters as well?


    He felt he was nearly able to discern a pattern.


    ...


    After cultivating for the entire day, Chen Qiu''s control over his Divine Sense became much smoother, and he also solidified the Cultivation Progress he had achieved the previous night, elevating his control over the vigorous Spiritual Energy within his body to a new level.


    And so, after midnight,


    A Jade Box containing ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills appeared on schedule in the Storage Ring.


    Chen Qiu wasted no time, sitting cross-legged on the bed, taking one Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, activating his mental method to envelop the pill''s potency with Spiritual Energy, and distributing it to every corner of his meridians.


    Finally¡ª


    At dawn, during the hour of Si,


    Chen Qiu, who was still seated cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. He first looked out the window at the unchanged seascape, feeling the cold winter sea breeze that was damp and sticky.


    This cold was different from that of the Boundless Icefield; there, the cold was dry, intensely penetrating to the bone.


    And now, his Cultivation Progress had finally reached¡ª


    -


    "Cultivation": Golden Core Stage Level 2 (0.1%).


    -


    "Finally, the second level of the Golden Core," Chen Qiu said, inspecting the Cultivation Progress panel above his Dantian. He got up to stretch his limbs, and standing before the mirror, he smiled while straightening his robe. Only then did he prepare to select his Cultivation breakthrough entry.


    He was quite satisfied with the speed of his Cultivation improvement.


    He had asked the scholar if the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard champions of the past received anything like the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in their daily blessings. The scholar had said no; his daily Heavenly Dao Blessing as the champion back then had been a Spirit Stone reward.


    The Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill had not been seen for many years.


    It was only available this time because this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was special, effectively condensing what used to be daily blessings for 100 people down to a single person receiving the Heavenly Dao Blessing each day. It was natural for the rewards of such a blessing to be increased under these circumstances.


    Quite logical.

 Chapter 130 Storm.

    Xiao Yu City, inside the inn.Chen Qiu stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking at the familiar panel enveloped by clouds and mist floating above his Dantian.


    -


    "Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the second layer of the Golden Core Stage."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry Name": Storm.


    "Entry Level": Blue.


    "Entry Effect": When you are on the sea surface or in the rain, the power of your Water Immortal Magic will greatly increase. When you are in an environment of a storm with dense clouds and flashing lightning, the power of your Thunder Based Immortal Techniques will greatly increase.


    2:


    "Entry Name": Start from scratch.


    "Entry Level": Yellow.


    "Entry Effect": You will lose all memories, entries, cultivation, etc., and be reborn at the time and place you were born, starting from scratch, and your lifespan, bone age, etc., will all restart, and all wounds and hidden injuries on your body will be healed.


    3:


    "Entry Name": Escape Technique. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Entry Level": White.


    "Entry Effect": When your physical body dies, the speed of your Golden Core escaping the body will greatly increase.


    -


    These three entries were the ones randomly available to him upon his cultivation enhancement to the second layer of the Golden Core Stage.


    There was no room for choice.


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow and immediately chose the first entry. This entry was actually quite restrictive as it depended on specific environmental conditions like being on the surface of water or during stormy weather to enhance certain spells'' power.


    One could say it was an entry that could only be utilized under special circumstances.


    But to him,


    it was essentially a long-term activated passive entry.


    His "Thunder Summoning Technique", if fully unleashed, could easily manipulate the forces of nature, instantly turning any place into a scene of striking lightning and stormy weather, meaning that his Thunder Summoning Technique would always receive a boost when fully unleashed.


    The more he considered it, the more he appreciated the benefits of the Thunder Summoning Technique, which wasn''t even specifically a Magic Practitioner''s spell.


    It featured instant activation without any delay.


    Like the Flower Offering Sect Master, to be honest, the oppressive presence of the several dozen feet tall skeletal phantom behind him was quite significant; its terrifying pressure made one''s breathing uneasy, but its biggest drawback was that it took too long to activate.


    Thus, leading to the Flower Offering Sect Master''s big move not being executed before he was killed.


    No one is foolish enough to stand there waiting for you to finish your big move before they attack you. And the originally ordinary Thunder Summoning Technique, enhanced by countless of his methods, had already far surpassed the full-strength blow of a typical cultivator of his level.


    It was a combination of a major move and instantaneous execution.


    He felt he could use this spell for a long time.


    As for the second entry, it was even more useless to him. He now had what one might call a perfect set of entries, the dream of all Magic Practitioners. Why would he bother to start from scratch for no reason? The third entry did tempt him somewhat.


    It would also count as a life-saving measure.


    If one day he truly faced an unstoppable foe, at least he could escape by having his Golden Core flee.


    But even though he was tempted, it was of no use. He currently lacked a Heavenly Dao High-Quality Retrospection Charm and thus could not choose between the discarded three entries from the selections at the Golden Core Stage. He had asked the scholar, who mentioned that the Heavenly Dao High-Quality Retrospection Charm was rather rare and occasionally appeared in auctions at extremely high prices.


    So he did not inquire further.


    This matter was also largely dependent on fate. When the time was right, it would be available; if not, then it wouldn''t.


    ...


    After adjusting his attire, Chen Qiu walked out of the door, planning to take Fat Long and others for a stroll in the streets. They had no specific aim, just leisurely wandering. The Sea Clan wouldn''t invade until the day after tomorrow, so there was still a day or two.


    Besides cultivating, it was important to balance work and rest.


    Occasionally enjoying the scenery was also beneficial for mental and physical health.


    The only attack spells he was currently practicing were the Thunder Summoning Technique and the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique. The former was a basic spell in the Cultivation World that many people knew; the latter, strictly speaking, was a variant spell suitable for poison cultivators.


    Though he claimed to be a Magic Practitioner,


    he hadn''t learned a single typical Magic Practitioner''s spell, which was quite ironic.


    ...


    After strolling around Xiao Yu City for a while, Chen Qiu led Fat Long and the others back to the inn to cultivate.


    To cultivate vigorously.


    Finally, at the midnight hour, ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were delivered.


    Consume!


    With Chen Qiu''s hard work, finally by dawn, after sitting cross-legged on the bed and letting out a long breath of turbid air, he looked towards the Cultivation Progress floating above his Dantian satisfied.


    -


    "Cultivation": Golden Core Stage second layer (40.2%).


    -


    Cultivation progress had almost increased by half, and in another day or two, he would be able to advance to the third layer of the Golden Core Stage.


    Why was he so strong?


    While others were wasting time gossiping, he was cultivating hard; while others were enjoying music in brothels, he was cultivating hard; while others were comparing their Spiritual Treasures, he was cultivating hard.


    It was precisely because of this perseverance that his strength could steadily advance step by step.


    After reaching the second layer of the Golden Core Stage,


    a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could now only increase his Cultivation Progress by 4%, which was slightly less than during the first layer. As his cultivation increased, the effectiveness of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill also diminished.


    But even so, he was already satisfied.


    This pace had far surpassed all Golden Core cultivators in Da Xia; he should be the fastest cultivator, without any competitors. After all, not many people could consume Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills like candy as he did.


    And while he swallowed the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills these two days, he was also operating his mental method, allowing his cultivation progress to advance by an additional 0.1%.

 Chapter 130 Storm._2

    ...Today, there''s nothing to report.


    Chen Qiu and the others went out for a stroll again, had some food, and then returned to the inn to continue their cultivation, ready for the Sea Clan invasion that was expected the next day.


    Nobody foolish enough came up to provoke them.


    Chen Qiu was not wearing a mask, and his face had already been spread throughout Da Xia via Memory Stones. Even though many had not seen Chen Qiu''s Memory Stone recently due to his seclusion for cultivation, the murmurs from those who glanced his way made it clear they knew who he was.


    In such circumstances, anyone daring to provoke must either be out of their mind or harboring a sinister plot.


    Midnight came swiftly, and the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill reward arrived once again.


    By dawn, his Cultivation had reached¡ª


    -


    "Cultivation": Golden Core Stage second level (80.2%).


    -


    Dawn broke.


    Chen Qiu sat in the inn, tilting his head to look out the window. Today, the sea was not as calm as usual. A thick blanket of dark clouds covered the entire sea, including the coastal areas, leaving no end in sight to the clouds.


    The light dimmed significantly, and the mental pressure from the vast expanse of dark clouds was immense, giving an almost suffocating feeling.


    Winds mixed with a foul stench roared incessantly from the depths of the sea.


    Layer upon layer of waves continuously crashed against the coastal rocks, sending up sprays of water and making thunderous noises. What seemed like ordinary waves without any strength, squeezed upon the rock walls, could produce a sound akin to thunder.


    The waves grew ever larger. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The wind too grew ever stronger.


    Though it had yet not started to rain, the atmosphere already resembled that of an imminent storm.


    By that time, there were no common people left in the town. Even the greedier and bolder ones had fled overnight; while they were daring, they were not fearless ¨C there was a substantial difference between the two.


    Not a single Sea Demon was seen, but everyone was aware that the Sea Demons were about to make their appearance.


    ...


    Numerous cultivators stood on a seaside cliff, their expressions grave as they watched the towering waves below, tightly gripping their swords.


    Chen Qiu also stood with his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella on a deserted part of the cliff, calmly gazing out to sea without speaking, unaware of what he was thinking. Fat Long and a few others stood quietly behind him.


    The coastline was not short.


    Nearly ten thousand miles.


    One-third of Da Xia Country''s eastern territory was coastal,


    No one knew from where the Sea Clan would invade, so most cultivators headed to locations closest to their sects and patiently waited for the Sea Clan to come ashore.


    "BOOM!!!"


    The waves grew larger and larger. The gigantic waves struck the cliffs, making them tremble slightly. Following the fierce winds, the sea level suddenly rose sharply.


    The waves became higher.


    Until a nearly thirty-foot wave surged from the sky and smashed down on all the cultivators standing on the cliffs!


    Only then were the cultivators forced to leave the cliffs and circle in the air with their swords. However, the waves continued to rise, even towering as if to flood the coastal cities, causing many to frown slightly, indicating they would have to fight in the air.


    But the spiritual energy of those at the Foundation Establishment Stage was not sufficient for them to fight in the air for too long.


    "BOOM!"


    Following a thunderclap, a dazzling lightning bolt flashed across the sky, instantly illuminating the dim world. The intense light caused many to look around and perceive the surroundings as even darker after the lightning faded.


    This bolt of lightning seemed to have flipped a switch.


    Countless bolts of lightning began to race across the sky, illuminating the whole world as if it were daytime amid the thunder and lightning.


    The scene lasted only for a few moments before it suddenly ceased, plunging the environment under a blanket of dense clouds back into extreme darkness, lasting about four or five breaths.


    A lightning bolt flashed across the sky once more.


    All cultivators flying in the air momentarily held their breaths, only to see that, when the previous wave receded, an immense number of Sea Demons had already landed below, densely covering the entire coastline.


    At a glance, there was no end in sight.


    They had no idea where these Sea Demons had come from, only catching a glimpse in the afterlight of the lightning. When the next wave surged, these Sea Clan creatures disappeared from their original positions and once more emerged a few yards farther inland.


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    "KILL!!!"


    Not sure which Foundation Establishment Cultivator suddenly roared, accompanied by a beam of sword light shooting downward, blowing the horn for the beginning of the battle.


    Countless spells and circling flying swords all crashed down below.


    Amid flashes of lightning and peals of thunder,


    Blood sprayed everywhere.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu said nothing, just thoroughly unleashed his Divine Sense. After reaching the second level of Golden Core, his range of Divine Sense had reached one hundred forty miles.


    Within the scope of his Divine Sense, these Sea Demons had spread out a battle line of more than ten miles, densely packed from the sea to the shore.


    Among those Sea Demons,


    There were ''Wolf Crabs'' with enormous bodies and fierce light flickering in their pupils as they charged at the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the air on the waves.


    There were also ''Green Poison Octopuses'' with numerous tentacles, dripping continuously with fluid, spraying green liquid towards the air.


    And there were ''Sea Demon Turtles,'' several yards tall with massive shells on their backs, whose defense was so strong that they remained undamaged by flying sword attacks.


    Numerous Sea Demons covered ten miles, rapidly advancing inland with the push of the waves.


    Those Sea Demons with the ability to fly were already battling the cultivators in the air, those without flying abilities countered with their long-range attack methods, and those without any means of attack continued to advance further inland with the waves.

 Chapter 130 Storm._3

    The present situation appeared extremely disadvantageous for the cultivators above.Foundation Establishment Cultivators lacked the ability to engage in prolonged aerial battles. During such times, if their Spiritual Energy were to be exhausted and they fell, being swarmed by countless Sea Demons would make survival difficult; thus, almost all Foundation Establishment Cultivators were extremely cautious when they acted.


    Fearful of depleting their internal Spiritual Energy.


    Just then ¡ª


    "I''ll go."


    A tremendously powerful Golden Core Cultivation aura instantly enveloped all the Sea Demons below, a middle-aged man with the prowess of the first layer of Golden Core, broadcasting a powerful pressure and with an icy expression, readied himself to throw a punch.


    The next moment!


    This middle-aged man''s body suddenly stiffened in midair, and as he looked up at Chen Qiu, standing on the cliff already one-third submerged by the sea, right as he prepared to make a move, Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense firmly locked onto him! S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His heart somewhat shaken, it was apparent that just a few days ago during the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, Chen Qiu had only been at the first layer of Golden Core. How had he now reached the second layer?


    He had witnessed Chen Qiu''s abilities.


    If Chen Qiu wanted to kill him, even with just the first layer of Golden Core Cultivation, he could easily annihilate him, let alone with the second layer. But he was unclear whether he had offended Chen Qiu in any way. Why, on the brink of this great battle, would Chen Qiu suddenly lock his Divine Sense onto him?


    Being locked on by a Magic Practitioner''s Divine Sense was not a good thing.


    Immediately following.


    He then saw Chen Qiu stride through the air beside him, first glancing at him then turning to look at his companion who had also arrived with the same first layer of Golden Core Cultivation, shaking his head, he said, "Don''t act yet."


    ...


    Chen Qiu stood in the high sky, not waiting for these two Golden Cores to speak, he tilted his head towards the distant coastline and softly said, "Da Xia''s coastline stretches nearly ten thousand miles. The Sea Clan won''t possibly be launching from just this location. We can''t be that lucky to catch them just here."


    "I''m more inclined to believe the Sea Clan is landing from hundreds of directions simultaneously."


    "Then, based on the casualties among the Sea Demons, they determine the directions where our defenses are the weakest, and then they gather large numbers of Sea Demons at what they consider the weakest point to launch a full-scale attack." Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire


    "My suggestion is that you gentlemen don''t act for now. Take this group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators and retreat gradually, allowing these Sea Demons to think that our position is the weakest. Then, when the Sea Demons prepare their main force to attack us, we''ll strike in one fell swoop and annihilate them."


    "What do you two think?"


    "..."


    The two middle-aged men with the first layer of Golden Core looked at each other, recognizing the reluctance in each other''s eyes. They really wanted to say that only an equal strength could discuss terms; for Chen Qiu, this was more of a command. Did they even have a choice but to comply?


    However... Chen Qiu''s suggestion indeed had merit.


    "It''s a good plan, but..."


    One of these middle-aged men hesitated for a long while before looking down at the densely packed Sea Demons and said tentatively, "So far, there hasn''t been a single Golden Core Sea Demon ashore, but there are definitely Golden Cores among the Sea Demons. If they really launch a full-scale attack towards us."


    "What if there are many Golden Core Sea Demons? Can we hold them off?"


    "We can hold them off."


    Chen Qiu said softly with a smile.


    "Then there''s no problem."


    Seeing Chen Qiu''s confidence, the two middle-aged men felt reassured. After all, the impression Chen Qiu left in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was too profound. With his tactics, as long as the Sea Demons didn''t have an extremely strong Golden Core, there should be no problem.


    "Alright."


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, "Then please, two fellow Daoists, lead these Foundation Establishment Cultivators to retreat and try to kill fewer Sea Demons."


    He then led the scholar and others towards the distance, shooting away.


    ...


    The two middle-aged men watched Chen Qiu disappear into the horizon, exchanged glances once more, and then a loud voice rang out to all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators: "Everyone, retreat."


    For Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Golden Core cultivators naturally held a hierarchical superiority.


    Even if they weren''t from the same sect or family and even if they hadn''t known each other in the past, once a Golden Core cultivator gave an order, Foundation Establishment Cultivators generally obeyed, purely out of reverence for the stronger and fear of death.


    ...


    Meanwhile, with the scholar''s help, Chen Qiu was already swiftly exploring along the sea surface.


    Just as he had guessed.


    On a nearly thousand-mile stretch of coastline, there were precisely five Sea Clan landings, about every 200 miles there was a batch of Sea Clan landing, and these Sea Clan chose only to land at places with cities, not even glancing at uninhabited areas.


    Each time they passed a battlefield.


    Chen Qiu casually unleashed almost a thousand Thunder Summoning Techniques, and under the natural storm conditions, his Thunder Summoning Technique under the newly acquired entry "Storm" gained significantly increased power.


    Every casual strike basically cleared a large swath of Sea Demons on the battlefield.


    Afterward, he did not linger long.


    Nor did he care about the complex looks the cultivators on the battlefield gave him as he again shot off into the distance.


    His plan was simple.


    He was still prepared to kill a large number of demon beasts to enhance his Dantian Spiritual Energy capacity. With ten thousand miles of coastline, he could not possibly run back and forth; the scholar''s Spiritual Energy did not support doing so, and without the scholar, his own speed of escape also did not support it.


    By means, control where the Sea Demons launched a full assault, and then catch them all in one net was a plan more suitable for him.


    ...


    And so it was.

 Chapter 130 Storm._4

    Having spent nearly two hours, Chen Qiu, under the influence of the scholar''s Flying Sword, had almost run through the entire coastline. Each time they passed a battlefield, nearly a thousand Thunder Dragons would strike down, often instantly clearing the area.At this moment, he had returned to "Xiao Yu City".


    The flood had already submerged Xiao Yu City, and a large, dense number of Sea Demons were stepping over the waves, advancing deeper into the mainland beyond Xiao Yu City.


    In the front line of the Sea Demon charge, led by three Golden Core cultivators, a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators were retreating step by step, primarily defending and not attacking, while in other battlefields, the Sea Demons had only charged four or five miles into the mainland.


    Here, however, the Sea Demons had already charged nearly twenty miles inland.


    Chen Qiu scanned the Sea Demons below, noticing that their numbers were significantly higher than those on other battlefields and that more Sea Demons were continuously emerging from the waves, but the timing still wasn''t right; he had not yet seen the main force of the Sea Demons.


    At that moment¡ª


    The three Golden Core cultivators also saw Chen Qiu and immediately shot towards him.


    The middle-aged man with his upper body bare and empty-handed, who was initially locked by Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense, spoke with a barely concealed excitement, "Senior, is the timing right now? There are already quite a few more Sea Demons gathered below than before."


    "I have instructed the youngsters below to control their strength, to retreat and defend as much as possible without killing the Sea Demons."


    Shortly after, the middle-aged man pointed to a bald man dressed in a Magic Robe who had arrived next to him and introduced, "Senior, this fellow practitioner came to reinforce us after you left. He also has the cultivation of the first level of Golden Core, and like you, he is a Magic Practitioner."


    "I told him about your plan, and he thinks it''s very good, so he joined us."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu looked at the bald man in the Magic Robe, nodded slightly in greeting, and realized that the robe was indeed a Spiritual Treasure. The intense fluctuations of Spiritual Energy on its surface flowed far surpass what the robe that he had bought for two Spirit Stones at the Ask Heaven market could offer.


    It seemed he needed to get himself a Magic Robe too.


    Then he looked down at the densely packed mass of demon beasts below and shook his head, "Let''s wait a bit longer; the numbers are still too few. I''ve run through all the battlefields and from what I''ve observed, the true main attack force of the Sea Demons needs to be at least ten times this number."


    "Let''s wait a bit."


    "Alright."


    The three Golden Core cultivators naturally had no objections, but the bald man in the Magic Robe looked at Chen Qiu with a somewhat fanatic and admiring gaze, as only a fellow Magic Practitioner would know how strong Chen Qiu really was!


    Even Chen Qiu himself did not know.


    He had now become a god in the hearts of all Magic Practitioners in Da Xia; this was what they envisioned a true Magic Practitioner to be!


    Anything less was mere slander!


    ...


    Chen Qiu did not continue to hover over the Sea Demons but retreated to a cliff behind, overlooking the densely packed Sea Demons rushing onto the land, pondering silently. This invasion by the Sea Clan was a tremendous opportunity for him.


    Even greater than the invasion by the Evil Clan.


    The Evil Clan was not considered demon beasts, whereas the Sea Clan were genuine, full-blooded Sea Demons.


    Killing one demon beast, his Dantian would expand by one millimeter, thus accommodating more Spiritual Energy.


    His original Dantian was twenty-one thousand millimeters.


    It was by leveraging this vast amount of Spiritual Energy, far exceeding his peers, that he had created many miracles.


    And after spending two hours and passing many battlefields, his Dantian had expanded to sixty thousand millimeters.


    The Dantian is a small world within the body; there''s no need to worry about it becoming so large that it overflows.


    This meant that, in just these two hours, the capacity for Spiritual Energy inside his body had tripled.


    Previously,


    At his full burst, he could unleash nearly ten thousand Thunder Dragons in a blend of illusion and reality. Now, at full burst, he could unleash nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons!


    In an instant, his combat power had massively increased.


    However, in prolonged combat, there actually wasn''t much change, after all, originally when the Spiritual Energy in his body was exhausted, activating the armguard only needed ten breaths to fully recover the Spiritual Energy. Now that he had more Spiritual Energy capacity, it took fully thirty breaths to slowly recover after activating the armguard.


    ...


    Perhaps the Sea Clan''s speed in assembling a large force at the seabed was much slower than the scholar''s speed.


    They had waited for an hour.


    Just when they wondered if this might already be the Sea Demon''s main force, tens of thousands of small-bodied seagulls carrying demon energy suddenly covered the sky and flew in their direction.


    Immediately after, countless Sea Demons riding the waves surged out from the seabed. It only took a few breaths, and the number of Sea Demons visibly doubled, explosively increasing.


    "They''ve finally arrived."


    Leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, standing on the edge of the cliff, Chen Qiu looked towards the scene in the distance and chuckled lightly; he had finally waited for them. Once this batch of Sea Demons were wiped out, he was somewhat afraid to imagine just how vast his Spiritual Energy capacity would become. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There''s no place in Da Xia Country like this, with such a dense population of demon beasts.


    "Everyone, step back and give enough space for the Sea Clan to come ashore."


    Divine Sense transmitted into the minds of those three Golden Core cultivators, who immediately led the Foundation Establishment cultivators to rapidly retreat, leaving the battlefield to Chen Qiu.


    About thirty minutes passed.


    Many Sea Demons had already come ashore, rushing toward the inland. The dense mass of Sea Demons was endless at a glance, including those flying in the sky, those in the sea, and those amphibious on land.


    Countless seagulls carrying demon energy crashed towards Chen Qiu, none of which got near him before exploding on their own.


    By now, the number of Sea Demons, compared to when they first came ashore, had increased by more than tenfold and continued to grow, as countless more surged from the seabed.


    "Could there really be that many Sea Demons in the sea?"


    Standing on the cliff and overlooking the Sea Demons below, he murmured, "I always thought that the place with the most demon beasts in Da Xia Country would be the Endless Desert, but it turns out there are even more in the Boundless Sea."


    "This might still only be the vanguard."


    The scholar frowned slightly, looking down at those demon beasts: "So far, I haven''t seen a single Golden Core Sea Demon, and most are of Qi Refining level, only a small part are of Foundation Establishment."


    "Besides their numbers and fearlessness, I don''t see anything particularly dangerous about them."


    Perhaps the scholar''s words were heard.


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    The scholar had just spoken.


    Then, from the sea surface, three upright, humanoid Golden Core Sea Demons emerged, each naked, holding Spiritual Treasures suitably forged for demon beasts from Deep Sea Mysterious Iron with crude techniques.


    With icy expressions and pupils radiating a murderous intent, the overwhelming Golden Core Cultivation oppressed every cultivator''s heart, their demon energy nearly solidified.


    With each step,


    many Sea Demons were trampled to death under the feet of these three Golden Core Sea Demons.


    Pure Golden Core level Cultivation.


    "..."


    Watching this scene, Chen Qiu''s brow slightly furrowed, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes¡ªthose were his prey, and you just crushed them like that?


    This was also his first encounter with Golden Core Sea Demons.


    On other battlefields, not a single Golden Core Sea Demon was seen, and their entrance fundamentally suggested that the Sea Clan had chosen this location as their main attack direction.


    The initial plan was successful.

 Chapter 131

    When the three Golden Core Sea Demons stepped onto the mainland, accompanied by one of the Sea Demons with a fierce face raising his weapon and roaring, all Sea Demons suddenly launched even more ferocious attacks.The overwhelming demon energy almost suffocated people.


    At that moment¡ª


    The number of Sea Demons emerging from the sea gradually decreased.


    "About time."


    Chen Qiu, who had been leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in his hand, opened it and raised it above his head, looking down at the densely packed Sea Demons below. Then, as a tremendous amount of Spiritual Energy surged out, another thick layer of clouds formed in the already cloud-filled sky.


    This layer of clouds plunged the whole world into complete darkness.


    The sea turned black, rendering the naked eye almost useless, and one could only use Divine Sense to perceive things.


    The whole world fell into extreme darkness, like the Boundless Icefield.


    At the same time, nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons, their bodies coursing with purple-blue electric arcs, roared furiously in the thundering sky, churning within the dark clouds.


    ...


    "Here they come, they''re here!!"


    The bald Golden Core cultivator standing at the rear, excitedly pointing at the tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons in the clouds and tremblingly exclaimed in excitement, "The senior is using that move, this move, this is how Magic Practitioners should be!"


    "This is true Magic Practitioner!"


    ...


    "Go."


    Chen Qiu, standing proudly at the edge of the cliff and overlooking the countless Sea Demons below, spoke softly, followed by a storm that descended, with torrents of rain carrying the moist air crashing down on the Sea Demons like a waterfall.


    His Divine Sense spread out without sparing any effort.


    It locked onto three thousand demon beasts.


    Chen Qiu also tested the maximum number of individuals his Divine Sense could lock onto automatically at one time. With his second level Golden Core Cultivation, he could automatically lock onto three thousand individuals at one time, which was the limit.


    Of course, as his Cultivation and the Sea of Consciousness expanded, this number would also increase.


    However, he was just conducting an experiment; at this moment, he didn''t need to use Divine Sense to lock on since the Sea Demons below were too densely packed. A direct, indiscriminate bombardment was sufficient, and Divine Sense locking was superfluous. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Boom, boom, boom!!!"


    As the nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons all struck the Sea Demons on the ground from the clouds, each Thunder Dragon was dozens of zhang wide and hundreds of zhang long, each one like a Heavenly Punishment descending from the sky.


    Thirty thousand Heavenly Punishments, simultaneously striking the Sea Demons on the ground.


    The people at the rear witnessed the most shocking scene of their lives, bar none!


    When these thirty thousand Thunder Dragons carrying purple-blue electric arcs heavily crashed into the midst of the Sea Demons and exploded nearly at the same time, the deafening explosion rendered everyone present momentarily deaf, hearing nothing.


    They could only see the dazzling bright light, piercing through the clouds above and once again enveloping the entire world.


    And the only thing visible was this scene.


    Countless pieces of Sea Demon flesh were blown into mid-air, then fell back to the ground like a bloody rainstorm, washed away by the seawater, disappearing without a trace.


    Just this one strike.


    The mainland below had already turned into a huge deep pit, with seawater continuously pouring in, gradually forming a lake.


    The three Golden Core Sea Demons didn''t even get a chance to strike, and together with the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Sea Demons below, turned into ashes under such dense Heavenly Punishment.


    Golden Core Sea Demons and Qi Refinement Sea Demons made no difference.


    They were all cannon fodder.


    In a sense, this could also be seen as equality for all.


    ...


    The numerous cultivators who had retreated from the battlefield were all frozen in place, shocked, their eyes filled with disbelief. They had seen Golden Core Great Powers in action before, but had never seen any Golden Core Great Power whose action could bring such a terrifying oppressive force.


    Even though they were just observers.


    Their legs couldn''t help but tremble, the vision of the Heavenly Punishments akin to a natural disaster, was it really something humanly possible?


    Though many had seen images of Chen Qiu taking action in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm through the Memory Stone, that time did not have the oppressive feeling of this time, and this time they were experiencing it in person.


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    They could not only see such a shocking scene but also feel the extremely terrifying oppressive force, accompanied by the stench of blood in the sea breeze, and the raging storm under the dark clouds.


    It couldn''t get more real.


    After the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, many had thought the Seventh Prince was too cowardly, not daring to make a move and leaving the realm, but only after personally experiencing this scene did they begin to understand the reaction of the Seventh Prince when he looked up and saw the Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons on that day.


    Even a moment''s hesitation might have left no chance to leave the Secret Realm but to die miserably inside.


    At the same time¡ª


    Many sharp-minded cultivators had already taken out their Memory Stones to record this shocking scene, perhaps even Chen Qiu didn''t know that many people in the Da Xia Country were currently making money off him.


    If Chen Qiu accidentally died,


    Countless people would be very upset.


    The families whose main business was manufacturing Memory Stones had orders they could hardly keep up with.


    Many cultivators were recording firsthand footage, selling it at a high price to those merchants who then massively replicated the first-hand Memory Stones and sold them.


    And the storytellers, as long as they mentioned Chen Qiu, tea houses were definitely packed, and everyone listened with great interest.


    Mainly, Chen Qiu''s rise against all odds fit the common imagination perfectly.


    An ordinary Loose Cultivator suddenly rose to prominence, then uncontrollably, in just a few dozen days, transformed from a woodcutter to Da Xia''s unparalleled Talent of Magic Practitioner, forging a fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core, receiving the name bestowed by Heavenly Dao Saint, and with an absolutely overwhelming invincible posture, topped the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard!

 Chapter 132 Heavenly Pride Order.

    But, it didn''t matter!He wasn''t afraid of strong opponents, nor was he afraid that his fighting spirit wouldn''t be stimulated!


    Now he felt full of fighting spirit, which was great. He enjoyed this feeling. He felt his blood boiling, and he was already eagerly anticipating his next encounter with Chen Qiu!


    The Seventh Prince, seated cross-legged on dry leaves, radiated intense fighting spirit as he continued to watch the scene projected in the air by the Memory Stone.


    The Sea Clan began a major offensive.


    Nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons, carrying an extremely terrifying aura, smashed down on the Sea Demons below, turning them all to ash with that single strike.


    "..."


    The fighting spirit of the Seventh Prince suddenly diminished a lot, his mouth slowly gaping open involuntarily, a trace of disbelief flashing in his eyes. How had so little time passed, yet the scale and intensity of Chen Qiu''s Thunder Summoning Technique had increased by a level?


    Just a few days ago, he could release a few thousand at most at one time, and it would take time to gather tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, yet those thirty thousand Thunder Dragons appeared instantaneously just now.


    That strike,


    had surpassed the destructive power caused by a second-layer Golden Core cultivator.


    If the word ''invincible'' were to be used for Chen Qiu, it would seem almost like an insult to him.


    But soon!


    The previously somewhat downcast Seventh Prince''s spirits lifted again, his body once again overflowing with thick fighting spirit. It was just a mob of foundation-establishing, qi refining Sea Demons, he could kill all of them as well, just that it would take him a bit longer than Chen Qiu!


    Of course, Chen Qiu''s strengthening speed was quicker than he had imagined, so he would need to adjust his plans. However, that wasn''t a big problem; he believed he could soon think of a way to counter this move again.


    The Seventh Prince, having regained his fighting spirit, continued to watch confidently. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And then he saw¡ª


    Nine Golden Core Sea Demons, among which two were horrifying fourth-layer Golden Core, and three were third-layer, on the sea surface there was even a fifth-layer Golden Core Sea Demon!


    Almost in the blink of an eye!


    These nine Golden Core Sea Demons simultaneously shot towards Chen Qiu, and three more, unknown when they had hidden themselves, appeared behind Chen Qiu launching a fierce attack towards his back!


    Twelve Golden Core Sea Demons were ambushing him, and below was a fifth-layer Golden Core Sea Demon ready to strike at any moment.


    This was almost a certain death situation.


    He and Chen Qiu switched places, it would be a certain death situation for him too, let alone him, even if a fifth-layer Golden Core cultivator were placed there, it would be hard to survive.


    "Very good."


    The eyes of the Seventh Prince slightly narrowed; finally, he would have the chance to witness Chen Qiu''s long-distance escape technique. He had collected all of Chen Qiu''s information, but had almost never seen Chen Qiu use any long-distance escape techniques, only knowing about a short-distance teleportation movement technique used in battle.


    Long-distance escape was his specialty,


    Chen Qiu definitely couldn''t match him in this aspect.


    Right after...


    He then saw, amidst the howling storm, Chen Qiu standing high in the sky holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, didn''t even glance properly at those Golden Core Sea Demons stabbing towards him, but looked distantly towards the coastline as if lost in thought, a corner of his mouth lifted in a warm smile that could attract countless young girls'' hearts.


    Soon after,


    hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons carrying a suffocating oppression smashed down from the dark clouds, it was the most shocking scene he had ever seen in his life.


    From start to finish,


    Chen Qiu''s figure standing in the air didn''t even shift an inch, only his robe fluttered wildly in the storm.


    An unbending figure, fluttering robes,


    A distracted and lazy expression, savage-faced Sea Demons,


    The intense dynamic contrast, bringing the artistic quality of this painting to its peak.


    The Seventh Prince didn''t even realize that he had forgotten to breathe, his eyes red as he stared intently at the scene projected in the air by the Memory Stone, until the next moment, hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons arrived as expected.


    The whole world seemed to pause for a moment.


    The towering sea waves carrying countless pieces of Sea Demon flesh slowly receded, leaving behind a massive inland sea.


    The battle ended,


    and so did the Memory Stone''s projection.


    The Seventh Prince, sitting on the ground, began to breathe hastily, the fighting spirit on his body suddenly dissipating rapidly, there was no way to fight. If after their last encounter he still felt a sliver of chance to win, this time there was none at all!


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    He always felt life was boring, no peer could keep up with his growth rate.


    But now...


    For the first time, he experienced the helplessness felt by those he had crushed, Chen Qiu''s growth rate he would never be able to catch up with in this lifetime. Perhaps their last battle in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was the only time their strengths were nearly equal in this lifetime.


    For the rest of his life,


    when facing Chen Qiu, he no longer had any right to draw his sword, only to look up.


    Utter dejection and helplessness enveloped him, he didn''t even care about the Sword that fell by the side, his whole person despondently walked toward the direction of the Capital.


    "Seventh Prince."


    Seeing this, the Maid behind picked up the Sword and hurriedly followed, whispering softly, "Aren''t you practicing the sword today?"


    "No, not today, not ever again."


    The Seventh Prince walked despondently toward the Capital, his eyes filled with a blank look toward the future, unsure of what he should do next. Was there any point in practicing the sword anymore?


    Whether he was a second-layer, or a fourth-layer Golden Core, or even a fifth-layer,


    in Chen Qiu''s hands, they were all equally mere existences that could be snuffed out at will.


    Clearly... Chen Qiu was just on the same level of cultivation as him. Why was his strength so much greater?

 Chapter 132 Heavenly Pride Order. _2

    His entire first half of life,he suffered from not having a peer of Heavenly Pride who could keep up with his cultivation speed, leaving him without an adversary he could acknowledge as an opponent.


    After finally meeting Chen Qiu, he thought he had found that rival, someone who could become the lifelong enemy he was looking for.


    They could even become both enemies and friends, as the storytellers say, often sparring, growing together, and eventually joining hands to reach the pinnacle. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But today, he realized that in Chen Qiu''s eyes, this so-called Heavenly Pride was no different from any passerby.


    This disparity shattered his cultivation heart almost instantaneously.


    ...


    At this moment at the Caotian Sect premises, the Caotian Sect Master sat on the Sect Leader''s Chair, gazing into the Memory Stone at this scene, his expression absently sinking into thought.


    Chen Qiu''s growth exceeded his imagination.


    Too fast.


    Almost changing every day.


    His strength was greatly increasing daily, and if occasionally such a dramatic increase in strength was due to fortune, but Chen Qiu''s was growing significantly every day, could it be you, Chen Qiu have fortune every day?


    Da Xia had its shackles.


    Unable to achieve Nascent Soul.


    This news was basically an open secret to all but mortals.


    Suddenly, he felt that if only one person in Da Xia could break these shackles and achieve Nascent Soul, it might just be Chen Qiu.


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Chen Qiu and his group had already arrived at another city in "Hai Province," named "Flying Fish City," one of the three hundred and sixty-five major cities of Da Xia, and were immediately blocked at the city gates.


    He had forgotten to wear his mask.


    It led to a throng of Human Cultivators running over, none daring to come closer and offend him, instead hiding in the distance and continuously aiming their Memory Stones at him.


    "..."


    Fat Long''s mouth twitched slightly, "Why do I have this strange feeling."


    The scholar, on the other hand, swept a look of envy around him, assuming that since Bai Yi, the once first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, was not dead and had returned to Jianghu, surely there would be word of him among the folk, and the storytellers would definitely mention him.


    But after secretly visiting several tea houses, he found that all the storytellers were uniformly talking about Chen Qiu, with not one mentioning him.


    Wasn''t he once Da Xia''s first Sword Cultivator?


    Is his presence that insignificant?


    Before Chen Qiu could react, he suddenly sensed that a powerful Cultivator with Golden Core Level Four Cultivation was quickly approaching from inside the city. In an instant, the person stopped in front of him with a face full of smiles, looking somewhat embarrassed as he rubbed his hands towards Chen Qiu.


    "Daoist Chen, I am the current City Lord of Flying Fish City. It''s an honor for Flying Fish City to have you here."


    "My daughter is very fond of you..."


    "Could you possibly grace us with your calligraphy?"


    It is said that one does not slap a smiling face, so naturally Chen Qiu saw no reason to refuse. Rolling up his sleeve, he took the brush and paper handed over by the Flying Fish City Lord and chuckled, "What should I write?"


    "Just ''The Strongest City Lord'' will do."


    "...Your daughter is the City Lord?"


    "No, that''s not the case."


    The Flying Fish City Lord somewhat awkwardly cleared his throat, "My daughter has high expectations for me and wants to use this to motivate me. It would be even better if you could leave a trace of your aura on the calligraphy as an authentication."


    "Alright then."


    Chen Qiu didn''t refuse, and promptly wrote down the four big characters for ''The Strongest City Lord'' with fluid strokes of his brush and then left a trace of his aura on it before smilingly returning it to the Flying Fish City Lord.


    "Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it."


    The Flying Fish City Lord, with eyes full of gratitude and excitement, walked ahead, "Come, Daoist Chen, let me personally show you the way. I know which inn is the best in Flying Fish City."


    ...


    He led Chen Qiu and the others to an inn within Flying Fish City.


    It was only after he excitedly turned into a beam of light and shot towards the City Lord Mansion, quickly returning to his study, that he carefully had the calligraphy framed and hung up in his study.


    Then, leaning back in his chair, he looked at those four big characters ''The Strongest City Lord'' on the wall and couldn''t help but laugh with satisfaction.


    So handsome!


    When his old friends visit his study in a few days, they would probably die of envy.


    Chen Qiu was currently the hottest figure in Da Xia, not only a Talent of Magic Practitioner but also just one step away from being the number one Magic Practitioner of Da Xia. Before this, he had never heard of Chen Qiu giving anyone his calligraphy.


    He was the first.


    And the only one.


    Such an honor was simply too grand.


    Just as the Flying Fish City Lord was looking at those four big characters ''The Strongest City Lord'' on the wall, imagining the envious expressions of his old friends, and laughing so hard that he couldn''t close his mouth, while sitting in his chair.


    His smile suddenly froze on his face.


    And slowly faded away.


    Any hint of lightheartedness vanished instantly as he suddenly stood up, hands pressing down on the desk; a trace of alarm flashed in his eyes, incredulously staring at the four characters on the wall.


    A slight movement in his throat.


    Carefully, he pulled out a brocade bag from his Storage Ring and extracted a slightly yellowed slip of paper, looking down at the calligraphy on the slip and then up at the calligraphy on the wall.


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    Lowering his gaze, then raising it.


    Raising it, then lowering it.


    After rapidly comparing them several times, the Flying Fish City Lord finally collapsed weakly into his chair, his eyes filled with shock as an unbelievable possibility emerged in his mind. Moments later, he leaped up and rushed to the wall, swiftly taking down the framed characters.


    He placed them carefully and preciously into the deepest part of the Storage Ring.


    In the empty study,


    the trembling voice of the Flying Fish City Lord, shaken by disbelief, could be heard.


    "Damn it..."


    "This is not something to joke about..."

 Chapter 132 Heavenly Pride Order. _3

    ...At that time, inside Flying Fish City.


    Chen Qiu and his companions had already left the inn with masks on and found a quite decent brothel, securing a private room to continue enjoying music.


    After such hard work on usual days, they finally got a chance to relax, so why not enjoy some music?


    However, this time they did not seek the company of any ladies.


    They just sat in the private room, enjoying some snacks and sipping on wine, listening to the melodious singing of the girls from the upstairs, feeling quite content.


    Chen Qiu sat on a soft sofa made from fox fur, picking up a peanut and putting it in his mouth, savoring the fragrance that lingered between his teeth, turned his head towards Fat Long and smiled, "I''ve kept that witch in your small world."


    "With her Golden Core Fifth Layer Cultivation, she should be enough for your use."


    He had thrown a lot of things into his storage.


    Among them was a device that could restrain both Golden Core Divine Sense and Cultivation. It was a large Spiritual Treasure, requiring chains to suspend someone in a spread-eagled pose in midair, ensuring that a Golden Core cultivator restrained on this Spiritual Treasure could not attack others with their Cultivation or Divine Sense.


    If he remembered correctly.


    This thing seemed to also have been found in the Storage Ring of a Golden Core Artifact Refiner.


    "Brother Qiu."


    With a serious expression, Fat Long stood up and looked at Chen Qiu, proclaiming slowly and clearly, "I''m really grateful, truly, in the future..."


    "Alright, alright."


    Chen Qiu waved his hand somewhat impatiently, "Just sit down. You''re still teaching the scholar, and you''re not that much better yourself."


    After pausing for a while,


    he squinted and whispered softly, "I want to take a look at the depths of the Boundless Sea. I always feel like there should be something similar to the Eight-petal Fire Lotus under the sea, just like the one in the Underground Fire Sea under the Endless Desert."


    The scholar shook his head, "Brother Qiu, that''s too risky. There are Nascent Souls in the deep parts of the Boundless Sea, and you might not come back if you go."


    "Hmm."


    After sitting on the sofa in silence for a while, Chen Qiu nodded in agreement with the advice, feeling that it indeed seemed too risky, but he still felt there must be something there, even if he didn''t know what it was, but it certainly had to be something good.


    ...


    After relaxing for a moment in the brothel, they returned to the inn to resume their cultivation.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chen Qiu operated his mental method to consolidate his Golden Core Second Layer Cultivation Realm. His current progress had reached the second layer of the Golden Core Stage (80.2%).


    Just wait until today''s hour arrives.


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    Ten Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pills would be accounted for, and after absorbing these ten pills, he could break through to the Golden Core Third Layer.


    Soon¡ª


    The hour arrived.


    Chen Qiu, fully prepared, immediately swallowed one Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pill, closed his eyes tightly, and began to cultivate seriously.


    What he didn''t notice though,


    was the Heavenly Pride Order he had casually thrown into his small world. It was now emitting faint milky white light, flickering very slowly.


    This Heavenly Pride Order was picked up by Chen Qiu during the day of the Evil Clan invasion, from a member of the clan who had passed on their legacy.


    The material was extraordinary, but neither Divine Sense nor Spiritual Energy penetrated it, so he discarded it in the warehouse of his small world.


    ...


    Five hours later.


    Outside the window, it was already quite bright, the sun was in the mid-sky, and the cries of countless traders were extremely lively, giving off a strong market vibe.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chen Qiu opened his eyes once again, exhaled a breath of stale air, and chuckled lightly.


    His Cultivation had broken through once again.


    -


    ¡¸Cultivation¡¹: Golden Core Stage Third Layer (15.2%).


    -


    After reaching the Third Layer of the Golden Core Stage, one Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pill could now only improve his progress by 3%. At this rate, breaking through to the Fourth Layer of the Golden Core would still require several more days. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hmm, that''s a bit long."


    Chen Qiu chuckled as he got up to straighten his robe, stretched lazily, leaped off the bed, picked up the teacup on the table ready to start a new day.


    Who says advancing in the Golden Core Stage is as slow as imprisonment, and each small realm breakthrough is as difficult as reaching the heavens?


    He felt it was okay.


    From the initial breakthrough to the current Golden Core Third Layer, it had only taken a few days with the help of the Heavenly Dao Golden Core.


    Even though his speed of advancing through Cultivation Realms was so fast, there wasn''t even a hint of disorder in his aura, just needing to consolidate his Cultivation Realm during the day would completely stabilize it.


    But just then¡ª


    The Heavenly Pride Order in his small world suddenly burst into dazzling light, and just as he leaped off the bed, Chen Qiu instantly turned into a flash of light and disappeared from the spot, his teacup also straightforwardly falling to the ground, shattering into several pieces, leaving no trace of him.


    Outside the door, Fat Long and the others, sensing the noise, instantly pushed the door and entered, seeing the shattered teacup and the tea spilled all over the floor, their faces changed dramatically as they trembled.


    "Where is Brother Qiu?"


    ...


    An hour later.


    The scholar stood in Chen Qiu''s room, recreating the scene of Brother Qiu''s disappearance, furrowing his brows and saying, "At this time, Brother Qiu should have just absorbed the effects of the Cultivation Pills, then he got up and picked up the teacup, only to suddenly encounter a mishap, and the teacup fell to the ground."


    "We didn''t detect any fluctuations in Spiritual Energy."


    "It''s unlikely he was kidnapped."


    "And with Brother Qiu''s strength, even a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivator wouldn''t be able to abduct him without a trace, so the most likely scenario is... Brother Qiu was suddenly forced into a Secret Realm."


    Fat Long agreed with the scholar''s reasoning, but still expressed some concern, "Have you ever heard of a Secret Realm that can pull someone in so abruptly?"

 Chapter 132 Heavenly Pride Order._4

    "No."The scholar shook his head firmly, "But there are too many things I haven''t seen, and I''ve never seen anyone grow from a Loose Cultivator to a Golden Core Great Power within a few dozen days."


    "Just because you haven''t seen something doesn''t mean it doesn''t exist."


    "We''ll just wait in the guest room for the next few days; no matter what Secret Realm it is, I believe with Brother Qiu''s strength, he can return safely." Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire


    ...


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu was standing in the very center of Green Stone Square, his brow furrowed as he surveyed his surroundings. The square was about the size of a Chao Tian Sect peak, deserted, with moss-covered green stones on the ground giving it an ancient feel.


    Countless clouds enveloped the surroundings and the space above the square.


    Neither sight nor Divine Sense could penetrate the mist.


    Just moments ago¡ª


    He had just leapt from his bed when a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and suddenly he found himself here, and the "Heavenly Pride Order" he had picked up from that member of the Evil Clan was also flying out of his small world, hovering beside him.


    It gently swayed up and down, emitting a faint milky white glow.


    At this point, he clearly understood that it was the "Heavenly Pride Order" that had brought him here, but he had no clue where ''here'' was.


    In front of him was only a panel enveloped in mist.


    "Name."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from his surroundings, having found nothing noteworthy on the Green Stone Square, and looked at the panel veiled in mist in front of him. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke softly.


    "Chen Qiu."


    This place was likely a Secret Realm, and the only way to return seemed to be to clear this realm, though he had no idea how difficult this Secret Realm would be.


    He had successfully advanced to the third layer of the Golden Core that very morning.


    He hadn''t yet made his entry choice after leveling up.


    He didn''t plan to choose now.


    This way, if he encountered any tricky crisis later, he could gamble on there being an entry that could exactly solve the crisis. The reason he had managed to save his life from the hands of the Master of Poison Sect was precisely because he was selecting an entry at the time.


    After he had announced his name,


    The mist-covered panel in front of him began to change slowly.


    "Heavenly Pride name: Chen Qiu." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Affiliation name and position."


    "Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect."


    "Heavenly Dao response detected, registering Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, bearer of the Heavenly Pride Order, for the ''Heavenly Pride Path'' that opens in one year."


    "This Secret Realm is a preliminary selection for the opening of the Heavenly Pride Path."


    "All Heavenly Prides with the Heavenly Pride Order will enter this Secret Realm at the same time and will not be able to contact the outside world."


    "Only those who clear this Secret Realm will be qualified to participate in the Heavenly Pride Path one year later, and the rankings of this Secret Realm will evaluate the competing Heavenly Prides on a comprehensive level, divided from low to high: Man, Earth, Heaven."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the panel shrouded in mist before him, roughly understanding the situation. He had picked up something called the Heavenly Pride Order from that member of the Evil Cultivation, and it had been thrown into the warehouse of his small world.


    This Heavenly Pride Order didn''t seem like something Da Xia Country could possess.


    At least, he had never heard of the Heavenly Pride Order in Da Xia Country.


    Heavenly Pride Path...


    He was even less familiar with it.


    About thirty minutes had passed when a rumbling noise suddenly came from beneath the center of the square, and he also felt his body restrained by the power of heaven and earth, unable to move.


    Then, a crack emerged at the center of the square, and an inclined staircase extended rapidly from the ground towards the sky.


    Soon, the end of the stairs pierced through the mist and disappeared before him, still extending at a very fast pace.


    After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea,


    The extension of the steps finally ceased.


    And again, a mist-covered panel materialized before him.


    "First round, Sky-reaching Stairs."


    "In this round, all competing Heavenly Prides cannot use external objects or their own Spiritual Energy but must rely on physical strength and willpower to reach the top of the Sky-reaching Stairs within thirty minutes."


    "Those who fail will be eliminated and cast out of the Secret Realm."


    Afterward,


    The power of heaven and earth that restrained him dissipated, and he was free to move again, but he was still unable to summon his internal Spiritual Energy.

 Chapter 133 Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, Taking a Single Breath of Time.

    Heavenly Pride''s Initial Trial in the Secret Realm.The first round, unable to use one''s own Spiritual Energy or any external objects?


    Chen Qiu didn''t get up right away but stood at the beginning of the stairs leading to the misty clouds, looking up at the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    The stairs were tall and wide.


    With each step, one had to lift their leg as high as possible. Some petite female Heavenly Prides who came here would probably have to use their hands and feet to climb up.


    Chen Qiu surveyed his surroundings without lingering for too long and stepped onto the stairs, walking forward. After crossing seventy or eighty steps, he arrived at the junction of the stairs and the surrounding mist wall of the square.


    The square was enveloped in countless clouds and mist.


    The Sky-reaching Stairs extended through the clouds and continued upwards into the sky.


    Stepping into the mist-covered Sky-reaching Stairs, about ten breaths later, he finally emerged from the clouds, and everything before him suddenly became clear.


    As if he were in the sky.


    In the vast clear sky, a Sky-reaching Stairs stretched endlessly upwards into the high skies, and even with Divine Sense, Chen Qiu could not see the end at the limit of his Divine Sense''s range.


    Below, surrounding the stairs, was a sea of fire with no visible end.


    Without thinking, he knew that, without the ability to use Spiritual Energy, falling in would certainly mean death or crippling injury.


    This then is the first round, the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu stood silently on the spot without continuing to climb, his expression unreadable. If even the extreme reach of his Divine Sense couldn''t see the end of the stairs, it meant no one could climb the entire way in thirty minutes.


    His spell "Shrinking Earth into Inches" and entry "Slippery."


    Both were short-distance Teleportation methods that did not consume Spiritual Energy; he had planned to use these two skills to reach the end within the allotted time, but it seemed now that plan had to be scrapped.


    First, the end was too far away. His Divine Sense couldn''t perceive it at all.


    Second, the sea of fire below clearly belonged to a type of map restriction. Randomly ending up inside the sea of fire would mean certain death or injury.


    He didn''t know how to use physical strength alone to pass the first round within thirty minutes.


    Chen Qiu looked around frowning and pondering.


    He knew that the Heavenly Prides participating in this "Heavenly Pride''s Initial Trial" Secret Realm should not be solely from Da Xia Country, but also Heavenly Prides from worlds he had never stepped foot in outside Da Xia Country, like that Heavenly Pride from the Evil Clan. The strength of those outside Heavenly Prides, unbound as they were, could be stronger than those from Da Xia.


    This possibility was quite high.


    But even if your strength is immense, at least it should be within a certain range of comprehension, right?


    Without relying on external objects or one''s own Spiritual Energy, he did not know what method he could use to traverse the Sky-reaching Stairs, spanning at least a hundred miles, within thirty minutes. It was an impossible task.


    If...


    If he were the one who set up this Secret Realm, if he put himself in the perspective of the Heavenly Dao,


    He had created a realm that was nearly impossible for anyone to complete. So excluding the possibility that he didn''t want anyone to succeed at all, there was only one last reason left: there was a different way to complete the round.


    "First round."


    "In this round, all competing Heavenly Prides cannot use external objects or their own Spiritual Energy but must rely on physical strength and willpower to reach the summit of the staircase within thirty minutes."


    "Those who fail will be eliminated and removed from the Secret Realm."


    He recalled the first-round panel he had seen and stood at the edge of the staircase, looking down at the sea of fire below. Perhaps... the real end of this Sky-reaching Stairs was inside the sea of fire below?


    To jump into the sea of fire was the way to clear the round?


    "..."


    After standing in thought for a moment, Chen Qiu suddenly turned around and walked into the mist behind him, then made his way back along the same stairs he came by until he returned to the Green Stone Square.


    Standing once again in the center.


    That is, the place where he was originally brought into this realm.


    Standing in the very center of the Green Stone Square, looking at the Sky-reaching Stairs in front of him, he turned and walked decisively into the mist behind him, without any hesitation.


    One breath, two breaths.


    After ten breaths had passed. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The clouds dispersed and his vision cleared, revealing a new Green Stone Square, not the same one as his, and at the very center of the square stood a stone stele.


    "Second round."


    At the same time¡ª


    A panel appeared before him, wrapped in clouds and mist.


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    "Congratulations on successfully completing the round, please wait patiently for the second round to begin."


    This place still only had him, with no sign of others. However, engraved on the stone stele was a leaderboard that displayed the names of the Heavenly Prides with the fastest completion times for the first round, and he found his own name listed as number one.


    -


    "First Round Fastest Completion Leaderboard."


    "Rank One": Sect Master Chen Qiu of the Chao Tian Sect, time consumed forty-eight breaths.


    "Rank Two":...


    -


    So far, the leaderboard only showed him, meaning that only he had passed the first round; all other competing Heavenly Prides were still struggling with it.


    And at that moment,


    Dozens of screens appeared in the air, showing parts of the ongoing trials of some Heavenly Prides.


    In the screens, the features of many Heavenly Prides as they tackled the challenge were blurred, twisted by the power of heaven and earth, hiding their actual faces. It was evident that on the dozens of Sky-reaching Stairs, every Heavenly Pride was using their means to complete the challenge.


    That Sky-reaching Stairs, which Divine Sense couldn''t see to the end of, was actually an illusion. Only a small part of the Sky-reaching Stairs truly existed; the rest were just illusions. The real end of the Sky-reaching Stairs was actually reachable by an average Golden Core cultivator using their physical state, easily within thirty minutes.


    And he witnessed¡ª

 Chapter 133 Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Took a Moment. _2

    Many Heavenly Prides climbed for half the day, their Divine Sense still unable to detect the end of the Sky-reaching Stairs, so they clenched their teeth and jumped into the sea of fire below, then turned into a beam of white light and were eliminated from the Secret Realm.He could understand the thoughts of these Heavenly Prides. After all, judging by the unreachable end of the Sky-reaching Stairs, there was definitely not enough time left to climb to the end. The Secret Realm wouldn''t create an impossible level, so the real end was very likely the sea of fire below.


    But...


    Actually, the sea of fire below was just a trap, and upon jumping into the sea of fire, there was only one outcome: elimination.


    As time passed,


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    Many Heavenly Prides chose to jump into the sea of fire, and some Heavenly Prides even chose to jump into the sea of fire when they were close to reaching the true end of the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    This round truly targeted those Heavenly Prides who possessed Divine Sense and whose range of Divine Sense was broad.


    When you sense that the end is still far from you, you would naturally give up and start thinking that the sea of fire might be the real end.


    Contrarily, those Heavenly Prides either didn''t use their Divine Sense at all, or pretended not to see anything with their Divine Sense, and continued climbing, seemingly engaging in an endless ascent of the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    But just before time was about to run out, they inadvertently stepped on a stair that teleported these Heavenly Prides to the second round at Green Stone Square, informing them they had passed the round.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the images of those Heavenly Prides, his mouth slowly opening in a daze, frozen in place. He had thought he had found the most correct way to pass the round, but now it seemed...


    His way of passing the round was completely different from what the Secret Realm had anticipated?


    In fact, it looked like he had exploited a glitch in the map.


    This first round truly tested the physical strength and perseverance of the Heavenly Prides.


    When you can''t see hope, will you still take firm steps forward? This precisely symbolizes the path of cultivation, where you cannot see the end clearly, and without a greatly perseverant heart, you cannot reach the final destination.


    Those Golden Core Heavenly Prides, whose range of Divine Sense was so limited, although they felt it was difficult, still moved forward step by step.


    Just as time was about to run out, and they still couldn''t see the end of the Sky-reaching Stairs within their range of Divine Sense, they ultimately fell into despair and plunged into the sea.


    But he was different.


    Standing at the starting point, his Divine Sense reached out for more than a hundred miles; he knew right away that this was not a path a person could finish walking, and without any hesitation, he turned back on the spot.


    Thus¡ª


    The leaderboard showed this scene.


    -


    "First Round: Fastest Passage Leaderboard."


    "Rank One": Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, time taken: forty-eight breaths.


    "Rank Two": Li Shiyi, True Disciple of Tao Sword Sect, time taken: six hundred seventy breaths.


    "..." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Rank Six": Zhang Mo, Saint Heir of Citian Sect, time taken: seven hundred twelve breaths.


    "..."


    "Rank Ninety-Nine": Li Kui, Inner Sect Disciple of Fu Kui Sect, time taken: eight hundred thirty-six breaths.


    -


    Thirty minutes is approximately equivalent to three cups of tea, or about nine hundred breaths.


    Chen Qiu did not know how many people participated in the first round, but the total number of Heavenly Prides who passed it was only 1298.


    And on the leaderboard,


    His forty-eight breaths were extremely conspicuous.


    That ''Rank Two'' Li Shiyi took six hundred seventy breaths; he really stood out by several magnitudes, indeed somewhat conspicuous.


    But just then¡ª


    A panel wrapped in clouds and fog once again emerged before him.


    "Li Shiyi, True Disciple of Tao Sword Sect, possesses a Heavenly Pride Order of the highest grade, and has one chance to initiate a revote."


    "Heavenly Pride Li Shiyi chooses to use this opportunity and leaves a message: ''Fellow Daoists, let''s have a rematch, there was a problem with this first round. That Sect Master Chen Qiu of Chao Tian Sect, never heard of it, surely there''s something wrong with the first round of the Secret Realm, I kindly urge fellow Daoists to vote for a rematch.''


    "Please, fellow Heavenly Prides, vote on whether to recontest the first round, a majority vote will conclude an agreement to rematch."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the floating cloud panel in front of him with a slightly bizarre expression. There were ranks among Heavenly Pride Orders? Why did his have no features while Li Shiyi''s superior Heavenly Pride Order allowed him a chance for a rematch?


    Actually, he thought that being second was quite good too.


    Is it necessary to demand a rematch just because it''s not the first rank?


    However, through that message, he also gathered some information: Da Xia Country was indeed a place of confinement, and the land imprisoning Da Xia Country was called Xuantian Continent.


    He wasn''t given a chance to choose.


    The votes agreeing passed the majority, suggesting that many people wanted a rematch, but only those who passed the first round could participate in this rematch. Those who were eliminated earlier in the Secret Realm had no chance to join this rematch.


    ...


    A flash of white light.


    Chen Qiu found himself standing again on the familiar moss-covered Green Stone Square, once again restrained by the forces of heaven and earth, and the panel for the first round emerged beside him again.


    You like rematches, huh?


    His eyes gradually narrowed, and a sudden smile appeared on his lips, planning to take a gamble and try it out.


    In the instant the force of heaven and earth dissipated!


    With almost no hesitation, he activated ''Shrink Earth into Inches,'' his body continuously teleporting through the air above the Green Stone Square until he pierced into the clouds and vanished from his original spot, then appeared above the second round''s Green Stone Square and slowly descended to the ground.


    -


    "First Round: Fastest Passage Leaderboard."


    "Rank One": Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, time taken: one breath.


    "..."


    -


    "Why bother."


    Chen Qiu stood in front of the stele with a reflective expression, looking at the rankings appearing above and muttered: "That''ll kill you."

 Chapter 133 Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Takes a Moment. _3

    This time, he could be sure that he hadn''t exploited any map bug; instead, this method of passing the level indeed belonged to the hidden passage of the first round because the direction he had entered the clouds this time was completely different from last time, yet he still landed in the second round.This meant that.


    Whenever you were in the first round, regardless of which direction you passed through the clouds, as long as you didn''t leave the clouds via the Sky-reaching Stairs, you could arrive at the second round.


    He patiently waited for quite a while.


    Soon, other people''s names began to appear on the leaderboard.


    While that Tao Sword Sect True Disciple, Li Shiyi, was still ranked second, his speed had improved quite a bit. His time for the second replay had been reduced to six hundred and thirty breaths, forty breaths faster, a very decent improvement.


    ...


    "..." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On the Green Stone Square of the second round, Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi stood in front of the stone stele with an extremely ugly expression, staring intently at the name Chen Qiu on the summit leaderboard.


    He had pushed his speed to the limit, and it had taken him all of six hundred and thirty breaths to reach the end.


    Faster than many practitioners of Body Cultivation.


    He simply couldn''t understand how this unheard-of Chen Qiu, without relying on his own Spiritual Energy or external objects, could have used what means to reach the end of the Sky-reaching Stairs in a single breath!


    Damn it!!!


    How could it be just one breath!


    Before his replay, it was forty-eight breaths, so how did it change to one breath after the replay? Could it be that the damned fellow had actually blown up his own body and flew over with his Golden Core?


    If there were certain entries that could hasten the Golden Core''s flight speed, or some other Spell.


    Then it would indeed be possible to do this.


    But has this damned fellow gone mad? This was only the preliminary screening for the Heaven''s Pride path, not the formal commencement of the route. Was it necessary to go to such lengths? After self-destructing the body, although the entries previously obtained would still be retained after a new body was formed, a body obtained through spirit possession would definitely not be as suitable as the original one, both potential and power would drop significantly.


    "Fine, fine..."


    Li Shiyi took a deep breath to calm his inner turmoil and murmured in a low voice, "Just a lunatic, that''s all. Passing this round by blowing up his body will not help him later on. Besides, after possessing a body, he is destined to live in obscurity."


    "There''s no reason to get angry over such a madman."


    ...


    This preliminary screening realm of Heaven''s Pride had many Green Stone Squares, with only one Heavenly Pride on each square, and they couldn''t see each other. Their challenge levels didn''t overlap with others.


    Heavenly Prides who arrived early at the next round could watch the competition.


    But even when watching, the faces of all Heavenly Prides were distorted by the power of heaven and earth, their specific features unrecognizable.


    This made Chen Qiu feel slightly less entertained.


    Otherwise, he actually would have liked to see the expression on the face of that Heavenly Pride who had just wasted a replay chance. It must have been wonderful.


    Just then¡ª


    -


    ''The second round.''


    ''This round is a test of combat ability. Heavenly Prides will face a hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation level. Those who defeat more than ten puppets of the same cultivation level within thirty minutes will pass the round.''


    ''As a Heavenly Pride, one should face ten opponents alone.''


    ''Spending a Mid-grade Spirit Stone will instantly recover thirty percent of your Spiritual Energy.''


    ''Spending an Eight Desolate Fruit will instantly recover all your Spiritual Energy.''


    ''Spending an Evil Wood stick will allow one''s voice to echo in the ears of all Heavenly Prides.''


    -


    With the emergence of this cloud-like panel in front of him, it signified the start of the preliminary screening for the Heaven''s Pride path''s second round.


    Immediately after, Chen Qiu saw the Green Stone Square beneath his feet begin to expand as a whole.


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    The area expanded by hundreds of times before it finally came to a halt.


    Then, a hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation level crawled out from underground, surrounding him completely. This scene looked quite intimidating.


    This was a hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation level. Even if only a few dozen puppets could attack you at one time, it was still extremely terrifying. The participating Heavenly Prides had to avoid countless attacks and defeat ten puppets within thirty minutes in such a daunting atmosphere to pass the round.


    And this was just the preliminary screening of the Heaven''s Pride path.


    It could be imagined that in the Heaven''s Pride path a year from now, all the participating Heavenly Prides must be exceptionally formidable individuals, with even the least capable ones able to take on ten opponents of the same cultivation level by themselves.


    However, this round added three new elements.


    You could spend Spirit Stones or heavenly materials and earthly treasures to recover Spiritual Energy or communicate with other Heavenly Prides, which was also a test of the participant''s wealth or the power of the backing forces.


    Indeed.


    Since one is a Heavenly Pride, they should fulfill the four conditions of wealth, companions, the Dharma, and location.


    Even if they were Heavenly Prides who were Loose Cultivators, they would not lack wealth under fortuitous circumstances. If they did, they would not qualify as Heavenly Prides.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu glanced at the myriad cultivation level puppets surrounding him, his expression growing more peculiar, meaning that all the ones who eventually passed this screening realm would be his opponents on the Heaven''s Pride path in the future.


    If that was the case...


    He didn''t mind adding a little something extra to the Dao hearts of these future opponents.


    Without much thought.


    The moment the restrictions of heaven and earth lifted, Spiritual Energy surged out fiercely. He didn''t even test whether passing through the clouds this time would lead directly to the third round, and along with the storm and dark clouds that suddenly emerged...


    Over two hundred thousand Thunder Dragons filled the sky above the entire square.


    "Boom!!!"


    The terrifying pressure, accompanied by countless arcs of electricity, exploded in the center of the Green Stone Square.


    When the smoke dissipated,


    he had already appeared at the third round''s Green Stone Square. On the leaderboard stele, he was still ranked first.

 Chapter 133 Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Takes a Moment. _4

    -"Speed ranking for the second round."


    "Rank one: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, took a mere moment, killed one hundred thousand puppets."


    "... "


    -


    Besides him, no one else had passed the round.


    Cultivation battle power evaluation?


    To him, it was completely meaningless.


    Forget about one hundred thousand cultivation-level puppets, even if there were a million such puppets, as long as these million weren''t Magic Practitioner Puppets capable of casting spells at the same time targeting him, they were nothing more than ants easily crushed.


    To him, the phrase "invincible at the same level" was somewhat an insult.


    He then looked towards the battle scenes of other Heavenly Prides on other floating Green Stone Squares, and turned to the thousands of Evil Woods in his Storage Ring, his lips beginning to curl into a smile.


    These thousands of Evil Woods were given to him by the Caotian Sect Sect Master, which he had intended to return before the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm began, but they didn''t want them back.


    After entering this Secret Realm, his connection with the small world was cut off.


    But the items in the Storage Ring were still usable.


    "Ahem."


    He pulled out several hundred Evil Woods and threw them onto the ground, sat cross-legged on the Green Stone Square holding an Evil Wood in his hand, looked at the continuing fierce battles of other Heavenly Prides in midair, and prepared to give a bit of encouragement.


    The next moment¡ª


    A voice reached every Heavenly Pride''s ears.


    "Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu used an Evil Wood: ''Haven''t you cleared it yet? I''m rushing home to eat.''


    "''How nice, I see the end of this generation of Heavenly Prides in you all.''


    "''The food is really going to get cold.''


    "''Do you want to join the Chao Tian Sect? We''re broadly recruiting disciples, come and kowtow to your master.''


    "''Why isn''t anyone talking, don''t you like to talk?''


    While Chen Qiu was enjoying encouraging this batch of Heavenly Prides, a sudden voice rang in his ear.


    "Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi used an Evil Wood: ''The huge price your family paid to prepare these Evil Woods for you wasn''t for you to use them to spout clever words, would your family approve of you wasting them like this? Just a joke, luckily getting first in the first round.''


    "Hey."


    Chen Qiu suddenly grinned widely, and with a wave of his hand, three hundred Evil Woods on the ground disappeared.


    "What?"


    "What?"


    Over three hundred voices echoed like noise continuously in all the Heavenly Prides'' ears, and then slowly a sentence was added.


    "Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu used an Evil Wood: ''Do I look like a poor fellow to you? With no offspring, ought you to go home and chop wood instead?''


    "''Didn''t you see I''m a Sect Master, do you think I go around begging like you following elders?''


    "''Say ''Daddy,'' want a candy?''


    "''Talk, why don''t you.''


    "''Gone mute again.''


    "''Look at your sword, tsk, I have a buddy named Bai Yi, I''ll have him give you some pointers someday.''


    "''And that Thousand Technique Sect guy, really, stop saying you''re a Magic Practitioner, you shame them.''


    "''And you, this so-called Saint Heir Zhang Mo, tsk tsk tsk, nevermind, I won''t say harsh words, just reflect on it yourself.''


    "''Are you really heavenly prides? Did I come to the wrong place, I remember my token isn''t worthless.''


    "''...''


    ...


    Under Chen Qiu''s tireless encouragement using five to six hundred Evil Woods, cracks finally began to appear in these Heavenly Prides'' Dao hearts.


    Originally in the second round,


    they had to focus entirely on dodging each forthcoming attack, then after dodging countless attacks, counter-attack the puppets, trying to kill as many as possible in a life-risking battle process.


    But amidst countless mocking voices in their ears.


    Especially Li Shiyi, who was under the close watch of Chen Qiu, now had a ferocious expression, with bloodshot eyes and rage burning in his heart that made him want to rush to Chen Qiu at all costs, to impale him with a thousand swords and thus alleviate the hatred in his heart!


    Thirty minutes later.


    Under the tireless encouragement of Chen Qiu, the number of Heavenly Prides who had passed the first round was originally 1298, but now only 438 remained.


    ...


    Third round at Green Stone Square.


    Li Shiyi''s emotions were nearly on the verge of collapse. He knew many of the competing Heavenly Prides and was usually considered a leader among them, but now he had been publicly mocked over two hundred times.


    He felt he was on the edge of madness.


    He swore that he had never in his life wanted to kill someone so badly!


    Especially after seeing on the stele leaderboard, the glaring name of Chen Qiu and his baffling combat record.


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    - S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The Fastest to Clear the First Round Leaderboard."


    "First place": Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, taking only a breath''s time, killed one hundred thousand puppets.


    "..."


    "Seventeenth place": Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi, taking thirty minutes, killed nine hundred eighty-seven puppets.


    -


    To kill one hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation within a breath''s time.


    He truly couldn''t imagine any Heavenly Pride in Xuantian Continent capable of such a feat; it was utterly impossible.


    He would stake his life on the certainty that Chen Qiu must have used some special mechanism, otherwise it would not be possible.


    If it wasn''t for Chen Qiu affecting his mind, he would definitely not have placed merely seventeenth, but at least among the top five. He was a Sword Cultivator, naturally proficient in combat, and this second round should have been his forte.


    But under the influence of Chen Qiu.


    He, who should have shone brilliantly, ended up only in seventeenth place.


    -


    "Quite exhausting,"


    Chen Qiu looked at the names of the other Heavenly Prides on the stele leaderboard, taking a long breath, feeling a bit worried in case in the future on the Heavenly Pride path he couldn''t surpass these Heavenly Prides. That would be quite unfortunate.


    There was still one year until the opening of the Heavenly Pride path.


    In this year, these Heavenly Prides needed to become stronger, which was the initial plan. As for now... these Heavenly Prides needed to start figuring out how to mend their Dao hearts.


    With a Dao heart issue, let alone getting stronger.


    Even their strength would regress.


    From Li Shiyi''s mouth, he had once again affirmed that Evil Wood was a highly valued commodity in the outer Xuantian Continent. After returning, he would need to see the progress with Liu Zide and try to buy up all the Evil Wood in Feizhou.


    This way... once Da Xia Country''s restraints were broken and it merged with Xuantian Continent.


    This stock of Evil Wood would also become a vast fortune.


    Merely a few hundred pieces of Evil Wood, in exchange for dusting the Dao hearts of these future rivals, he felt it was still a more cost-effective trade.


    Too bad Evil Wood could only be used in the second round.


    Now it could no longer be used.


    Otherwise, he wanted to use it throughout the challenge to temper the Dao hearts of these Heavenly Prides. Sometimes, the method to improve strength isn''t just about getting stronger yourself, making your future rivals weaker is also a way to enhance strength.


    Under this strategy of others'' loss being his gain.


    This would surely accelerate his strength enhancement.


    Meanwhile, almost all the Heavenly Prides standing in Green Stone Square for the third round were sullen, harboring smoldering anger. Nearly every one of them had been specifically mocked by Chen Qiu.


    Chen Qiu knew well that targeted mocking had the greatest impact; generic mocking could often be ignored by many, but you can''t pretend not to hear it if your name is explicitly called out.


    Thus...


    Chen Qiu, with his own strength.


    Made all the Heavenly Prides standing in Green Stone Square endure the greatest humiliation of their lives. Now, what they wanted the most was not to clear the third round, but to go out and find that damned Chao Tian Sect at all costs!


    And to find that Sect Master, behead him!


    And throw his body to the dogs!

 Chapter 134 Seeking Ones Own Death.

    Just at that moment¡ª"The third trial."


    "Since ancient times, only one hundred and eight Heavenly Prides have been chosen. This trial ranks participants based on their Golden Core Grade, eliminating all those beyond the one hundred and eighth position. If the Golden Core Grade is the same, Cultivation will be used to decide who stays and who leaves."


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the panel before him, shrouded in mist, with a strange expression. At least the previous two trials had some room for subjectivity, where, if one''s strength was lacking, they could still use certain methods to ensure a higher ranking.


    This trial, however,


    was brutally straightforward, filtering out the top one hundred and eight based on Golden Core Grade.


    Meaning those with even slightly inferior Golden Core Grades were directly disqualified from the Heavenly Pride''s path, unable to even pass the initial filtering of the Secret Realm?


    What was this Heavenly Pride''s path? Why was its screening so strict?


    However, he wasn''t worried.


    After all... it was impossible for anyone to have a higher Golden Core Grade than him. His only concern was that if his Golden Core Grade were to be revealed, the crisis awaiting him when the Da Xia Country''s prison was eventually broken might be... just a tad greater.


    And soon, the stele displayed the rankings again.


    -


    "The third trial''s Golden Core Grade ranking list."


    "Rank one": Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu.


    "Rank two": Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi.


    "Rank three": Citian Sect Saint Heir Zhang Mo.


    -


    Chen Qiu''s worries did not come to fruition; the list simply showed the positions without specifying the exact Golden Core Grades.


    Seeing this, Chen Qiu couldn''t help but grin.


    He had never imagined he would achieve rank one three times.


    If nothing unexpected happened, that True Disciple from the Tao Sword Sect must be on the verge of breaking. It''s clear that he is strong both in terms of Golden Core Grade and personal strength, classifiable as a top-tier Heavenly Pride of this era. But such a prideful individual is likely not accustomed to setbacks.


    To have suppressed him thrice in a row. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire


    He should really spend the next year not on cultivation, but on adjusting his mentality and slowly mending his Dao heart.


    ...


    Just as Chen Qiu had expected.


    At this moment, that True Disciple from the Tao Sword Sect, Li Shiyi, stood in front of the stele at Green Stone Square, face twisted in fury as he screamed at the sky, "Inside job, inside job!!!"


    "This Chen Qiu is definitely not normal, there must be some damn inside job!!!"


    He was a true unparalleled Heavenly Pride of the Xuantian Continent!


    When the panel for the third trial first appeared, he was overjoyed that he was finally poised to achieve rank one, yet he was worried about his Golden Core Grade being exposed. His Golden Core Grade was the topmost secret of the Tao Sword Sect, completely unknown to outsiders!


    He was a Sword Cultivator of extraordinary talent, nurtured by the Tao Sword Sect''s thousands of years of heritage.


    His Golden Core was Eighth Grade.


    He was planning to astonish everyone on the path of the Heavenly Pride, thereby advancing to Nascent Soul and pursuing the path to immortality. This was his life plan.


    He was at the Golden Core Peak, always holding back his Cultivation, just to participate in the Heavenly Pride''s path, and after it ended, to advance to Nascent Soul.


    That meant Chen Qiu couldn''t possibly have the same Eighth Grade Golden Core as him, but a Ninth Grade Golden Core instead!


    Could this be possible?


    Throughout the entire Xuantian Continent, he had never seen a Ninth Grade Golden Core, only hearing vague mentions from elders that such a grade had existed long ago, but it had not appeared for thousands of years.


    Furthermore, the first two trials. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu had completed them within a single breath''s time.


    That only reinforced his belief that there was something abnormal about Chen Qiu, that there had to be some inside job. But this was the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; could there be foul play even here?


    No matter how furiously Li Shiyi screamed at the sky, no one paid him any attention, nor was there any response.


    ...


    "Quite interesting,"


    Chen Qiu said to himself with a light chuckle as he looked at the third trial''s ranking list.


    He was also somewhat curious about the Golden Core Grades of the other Heavenly Prides¡ª Da Xia''s highest was only Fourth-grade. Perhaps these Heavenly Prides from the Xuantian Continent would be Eighth or Ninth Grade?


    Although he knew their Golden Core Grades would be lower than his,


    he was still curious by how much.


    He hoped these people wouldn''t be too disheartened. He had been inexplicably dragged into this Heavenly Pride''s path by the "Heavenly Pride Order," so if anyone was to blame, it should be the Evil Clan''s Heavenly Pride.


    Subsequently, another panel slowly emerged in front of him, enveloped by clouds and mist.


    "The initial filtering of the Heavenly Pride''s path in the Secret Realm has concluded."


    "All the Heavenly Prides will receive their Grade. The one hundred and eight Heavenly Prides that passed the initial filtering of the Secret Realm will have their Heavenly Pride Orders bound to them personally. Should anyone lose their Heavenly Pride Order and it falls into the hands of another, that person will be unable to enter the Heavenly Pride''s path through it."


    "And should any Heavenly Pride lose their Order, they also cannot enter the Heavenly Pride''s path and are considered to have forfeited their right."


    "One year from now, the Heavenly Pride''s path will officially open, and the Grades will determine the order of entry."


    "..."


    "Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Grade: Heavenly Pride 100."


    -


    "Ranking list of the initial filtering of the Heavenly Prides."


    "Rank one": Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Heavenly Pride 100.


    "Rank two": Citian Sect Saint Heir Zhang Mo, Heavenly Pride 17.


    "..."


    "Rank six": Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi, Heavenly Pride 4.


    "..."


    "Rank seventy-two": Fukuizong Inner Sect Disciple Li Kui, Human Pride 87."


    -


    With a flash of white light, everyone was ejected from the Secret Realm. In this initial filtering of the Heavenly Pride''s path, there were three trials. Based on the performance of the Heavenly Prides in these trials, they were classified into Heavenly Pride, Earth Pride, and Human Pride.


    The number following the title of the Heavenly Pride.


    Indicates the differentiation of strength among those who are also Heavenly Prides, with a full score of 100, and the weakest at 1.

 Chapter 134 Seeking Ones Own Death. _2

    Originally, Li Shiyi ranked quite high in both the first and third rounds; if it hadn''t been for Chen Qiu''s influence in the second round, which disturbed his mind and led to a poor performance, he wouldn''t have ended up as Heavenly Pride 4.As for Chen Qiu...


    He nearly achieved Great Perfection in both the first and second rounds, and in the third round, with a Golden Core of the twelfth grade of the Heavenly Dao Top Grade, he also achieved Great Perfection.


    He achieved Great Perfection in all three rounds.


    Even if he had scored one point less and ended up as Heavenly Pride 99, it would have been because the Heavenly Dao was deliberately targeting him, without a single flaw to pick on.


    At the same time¡ª


    In the sect of the Tao Sword Sect, in the seclusion area for disciples, Li Shiyi, his face gloomy and body emanating a dense murderous aura, swung his sword to break the restrictions of his own cave dwelling and looked toward the waiting servant, saying word by word,


    "Go check on someone named Chen Qiu, and that damned Chao Tian Sect!"


    "I want him dead!"


    And at almost the exact same time, within many sects and clans, several Heavenly Prides, their Dao hearts damaged, left the Secret Realm with gloomy expressions, feeling an indescribable fire burning inside them.


    The more they thought about it, the angrier they became. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If they didn''t tear Chen Qiu into ten thousand pieces, they felt they could never let this matter go!


    Kill Chen Qiu!


    This almost instantly became everyone''s consensus as well as... their Heart Demon.


    To seek ascension to the Nascent Soul, one important requirement is to be free of Heart Demons, and now it seemed Chen Qiu had become a Heart Demon in their hearts; without killing him, it was difficult to ascend to the Nascent Soul!


    They had suppressed their Cultivation for so long just to partake in the Path of the Heavenly Pride, not to be forever barred from the Nascent Soul!


    ...


    "Brother Qiu!"


    Meanwhile, inside the inn in Flying Fish City, within a guest room, Fat Long and the others, seeing Chen Qiu suddenly reappearing in the room, crowded around him with worried yet happy expressions, "Brother Qiu, you''re finally back. Are you alright?"


    "I''m fine."


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    Chen Qiu shook his head indifferently, a hint of emotion still in his eyes. Although he had mocked those Heavenly Prides in the Secret Realm just now to cloud their Dao hearts, he knew that any of them, if brought to Da Xia Country, would be considered peerless Heavenly Prides.


    No need to mention others.


    Through watching the battles, he saw that Li Shiyi, possessing a Golden Core at the Peak of Great Perfection, actually managed to kill more than nine hundred Golden Core Peak Cultivation puppets, showcasing an extremely terrifying capability.


    It should be noted that altogether, Da Xia Country didn''t even have that many people with a Golden Core at the Peak of Great Perfection.


    This meant that if Li Shiyi came to Da Xia Country and was given enough time, he alone could ruthlessly purge Da Xia Country and still not suffer many injuries.


    Although puppets with the same Cultivation are much weaker than humans,


    even then, these were puppets with a Golden Core at the Peak of Great Perfection, not to be underestimated.


    Of course, although he could instantly annihilate a hundred thousand similarly Cultivated puppets, he was different. In his heart, he was quite sure that Li Shiyi was truly a formidable opponent. If he did not increase his strength quickly enough, he would be utterly crushed if they met in the future.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu, head lowered in thought, did not speak. He currently possessed a Golden Core at the third level, and the Path of the Heavenly Pride was one year away. The Path of the Heavenly Pride was compulsory to attend, just like this time, unless he threw away the Heavenly Pride Order.


    If in one year his Cultivation could not advance to the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection, then participating would mean getting beaten.


    He sighed deeply and shook his head.


    He didn''t think about it anymore.


    We''ll see when the time comes. He felt it was somewhat unlikely to advance his Cultivation to Great Perfection within a year, and he didn''t even know what the rewards for the Path of the Heavenly Pride were. If his Cultivation hadn''t reached the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection by then, he would just throw away the Heavenly Pride Order and not go.


    If his Cultivation did reach that level, then he would go.


    The choice was still quite flexible.


    He then inspected the panel floating above the Dantian inside his body, enveloped in clouds. After breaking through to the third level of the Golden Core, he was directly pulled into this Secret Realm, and he hadn''t chosen an entry immediately just in case he encountered any challenging stages where he could gamble on a suitable entry.


    But...


    All three stages were quite simple.


    There was no major difficulty, as it was just a preliminary screening Secret Realm, so it didn''t give him a chance to gamble.


    -


    ¡¸Cultivation improved significantly, officially entering the third level of the Golden Core Stage.¡¹


    ¡¸Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¹


    1:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Self Generation One.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Yellow.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: You cannot be deduced by any Divination methods.


    2:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Self Generation Forty-Nine.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Blue.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: Each time someone tries to deduce you using Divination methods, they will always deduce erroneous and chaotic random clues.


    3:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Seeking One''s Own Death.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Green.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: When your Golden Core self-destructs, the power of the explosion will be enhanced tenfold, and cannot be interrupted.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu silently looked at the three entries that appeared randomly after his breakthrough to the third level of the Golden Core, thinking he was fortunate that the Sect Grand Elder of the Flower Offering Sect didn''t have the ''Seeking One''s Own Death'' entry, otherwise if he hadn''t escaped into the small world immediately, he probably would have been injured.


    Among the entries,


    the Blue grade is higher than the Yellow one.


    The first and second entries, both aiming to mask the fate to avoid divination, were exactly the type of entries he needed, especially since he learned that Old Man Cao, the Guardian of the Array Repairer legacy, might be the State Preceptor.


    He has since had a subtle fear of Divination,


    because nobody knows exactly what the other party can deduce.

 Chapter 134 Seeking Ones Own Death. _3

    With an entry that could conceal one''s fate from the divinations, it was perfect for effectively restraining Gua Cultivators, as long as their Cultivation wasn''t overwhelming his by too much, they wouldn''t be able to deduce his whereabouts.Without hesitating, he chose the second entry.


    "Self-propagating forty-nine."


    Let the deductions proceed slowly.


    "Let''s go."


    After that, he turned to Fat Long and the others, "Go to Fei City, find Liu Zide."


    With no pressing matters that day, it was time to check on the progress of Liu Zide and the rest.


    ...


    On the way,


    Chen Qiu had placed many things from his small world into his Storage Ring. Although the small world was larger and more convenient for organizing, many Secret Realms would sever the connection between him and the small world.


    This meant that if something he needed was in the small world, he might not be able to retrieve it in a Secret Realm.


    This could be a life-threatening issue at critical moments.


    It was safer to keep things in the Storage Ring, even though it meant wearing several rings on his fingers, which looked somewhat conspicuous, but at least it was better than losing one''s life over it at a critical moment.


    ...


    The journey was uneventful.


    When the sun had descended halfway down the mountain and dusk had set in, they had already arrived at Fei City. Through the Sound Transmission Ring, they quickly made contact with Liu Zide and managed to meet up.


    "This many?"


    A flash of surprise crossed Chen Qiu''s eyes as he looked at the several Storage Rings that Liu Zide handed over, which contained at least tens of thousands of units of Evil Wood at first glance.


    "This is actually the lesser amount,"


    Liu Zide spoke seriously and with respect, "There are quite a lot of Evil Woods in Fei State, they''re not considered valuable, mainly used for heating by some families and sects. If we were to purchase more aggressively, we could acquire even more."


    "But a widespread purchase would inflate the price of Evil Wood, and it''s likely that others would also enter the market to buy."


    "Thus, we''ve been telling stories in Fei State these past few days." Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire


    "The story fabricated so far is that the Young Masters of two families had a disagreement and argued. To compete in financial strength, both sides used Spirit Stones to agree on purchasing useless things, like Evil Wood,"


    "to show off their wealth."


    "Like this, although the pace of purchasing is slower, at least the price of Evil Wood remains controllable. We plan to change the story after a while, and we are also slowly purchasing Eight Desolate Fruits. We''ve already secured three,"


    "One of which Fat Long had the World Pavilion purchase on commission, and it was sent to me following your instructions after it arrived, Brother Qiu."


    "If you''re in a hurry, Brother Qiu, we could speed up the process, though the price might rise."


    "No need,"


    Chen Qiu said with a smile, accepting the Storage Ring. After throwing all twenty thousand units of Evil Wood into a mountain at the back of the small world, he then passed a Storage Ring containing 4,000 Spirit Stones to Liu Zide.


    "Take these Spirit Stones and continue purchasing at your own pace. If you exceed the amount, cover it first, and I''ll compensate you when I come next time."


    "Keep the price stable."


    "By the way, find me a group of people. I''m taking them to renovate a sect. The sect is rather large, ordinary mortals won''t cut it, find those who specialize in constructing sects."


    "Sure." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liu Zide nodded earnestly, "I will contact you as soon as I have any news, Brother Qiu."


    ...


    After parting with Liu Zide, Chen Qiu found a random inn in Fei City to stay for the night and prepare for his Cultivation practice.


    This time they were smart, wearing masks so they wouldn''t be surrounded like last time.


    It''s about learning from one''s mistakes.


    The same error shouldn''t happen twice.


    Soon...


    As the Hour of the Rat arrived, the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was automatically credited. Chen Qiu, who sat cross-legged on the bed, swallowed a Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and circulated his mental method, beginning another night of arduous Cultivation.


    ...


    After dawn,


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and emitted a long breath of turbid air. His Cultivation Progress had now reached¡ª


    -


    "Cultivation": Golden Core Stage Level Three (45.3%).


    -


    In a few days, his Cultivation would improve again.


    However, as his Cultivation increased, the effects of the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill also weakened. If there were no other opportunities, he estimated it would not be easy to reach the Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak before the path of the Heavenly Pride.


    After entering the Golden Core Stage,


    the experience gained from killing demon beasts was almost none, or rather, completely gone.


    Killing so many demon beasts of the Sea Clan didn''t even increase his Cultivation Progress by 0.1%, no wonder so many cultivators at the Golden Core Stage rarely ventured out and instead focused on secluded Cultivation. It''s only the Qi Refinement Realm cultivators who are most keen on killing demon beasts daily.


    Now that it was daylight,


    Chen Qiu left the guest room and saw Fat Long and the others already waiting for him in the corridor, "Let''s go, being in Fei City, naturally we should have more mutton soup."


    He then turned to the scholar next to him with slight amazement, patting him on the shoulder and smiling.


    "Not bad, your Cultivation has increased faster than mine did at your stage, already at Foundation Establishment Level Five."


    "All credit goes to you, Brother Qiu,"


    The scholar replied with a good mood, smiling, "If it wasn''t for the batch of Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills you gave me, my Cultivation wouldn''t have risen this fast."


    "Good,"


    Chen Qiu nodded, and soon, the trio appeared at a stall in Fei City.


    "Fat Long."


    After taking a sip of the mutton soup, Chen Qiu picked up a piece of dry bread and turned to Fat Long, "The witch in the small world has already woken up, aren''t you going to Cultivate?"


    "After the meal, I''ll go,"


    Fat Long nodded vigorously, "I wanted to go yesterday, but since you came to Fei City, Brother Qiu, you went straight back to the inn to Cultivate, and I didn''t find an opportunity to talk to you about it."

 Chapter 134 Seeking Ones Own Death. _4

    ```"Okay, after you finish eating, I''ll take you there. It''s been so long and you''re only at the first level of Foundation Establishment. It makes me lose face when I''m out and about," he said.


    ...


    After the meal.


    Chen Qiu and the others arrived in the suburbs of Fei City and then entered the small world outside the suburbs.


    They came before the Witch who was bound in chains to a frame.


    "Squeak, ah!!"


    As Chen Qiu and his companions approached, the Witch, whose limbs were tied to the frame, screamed hysterically with a fierce expression, unable to speak human language.


    There is a fundamental difference between the Devil Clan and demon beasts.


    Members of the Devil Clan, even those at the Foundation Establishment Stage, have awakened their Spiritual Wisdom and can speak human languages, while demon beasts, even after stepping into the Golden Core Stage and assuming human form, still cannot speak, and their Spiritual Wisdom is even less than that of a Devil Clan at the Foundation Establishment Stage, often acting more on instinct.


    "So... should I go now?" Fat Long asked, tilting his head toward Chen Qiu and the others tentatively.


    "Yeah, go ahead."


    "It''s a bit embarrassing with you guys here."


    "... Shall we turn around then?"


    "Okay."


    Hundreds of breaths later.


    The scholar looked at Fat Long, who had now advanced to the second level of Foundation Establishment, and sighed lightly, "He was born for this line of work."


    ...


    It must be said that a ninefold increase in cultivation speed is somewhat frightening.


    This is the power of "Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation."


    If you can meet the stringent conditions of possessing both Nine Ox Power and a certain other power, then an eighteenfold increase in cultivation speed becomes even more terrifying, and with dual cultivation, you would be eighteen times faster than others.


    How can one even compare?


    There''s no comparison.


    ...


    Chen Qiu and the others watched for a while, and after confirming that the Witch truly couldn''t release her Divine Sense and Cultivation on this Spiritual Treasure, they left the small world with peace of mind.


    They didn''t have any fondness for watching others.


    However, the Witch, after all, had a Golden Core fifth-level Cultivation, and the advantage of having high Cultivation was that it could help Fat Long''s Cultivation Progress advance faster; the downside was that if she were to break free, it would be very easy for her to slap Fat Long to death.


    After ensuring that no accidents would occur, they did not linger longer, leaving the small world, then heading towards Fei City.


    After a casual stroll around, they returned to the inn for cultivation.


    Cultivation is the main melody of life.


    ...


    By daybreak the next day, Chen Qiu''s Cultivation Progress had reached¡ª


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage Third Level (75.3%).


    -


    By tomorrow morning, his Cultivation would break through to the fourth level of the Golden Core Stage. He was taking firm and steady steps toward the Great Perfection Cultivation of the Golden Core Peak. Once his Cultivation reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak,


    he would be utterly invincible within Da Xia Country, and no one could pose any threat to him.


    This morning.


    Only Chen Qiu, the scholar, and the scholar''s younger brother were sitting quietly at a roadside stall, enjoying their mutton soup without Fat Long in sight.


    "Fat Long is really impressive," the scholar said with a complex expression. "From yesterday morning until this morning, almost 12 hours, he has not stopped even once."


    Chen Qiu also sighed lightly.


    "Fat Long is indeed a very hard-working person. We have all improved our Cultivation so quickly, but he had barely progressed after reaching the first level of Foundation Establishment. Although he doesn''t say it, he must be envious in his heart."


    "Now that he finally has the chance to rapidly improve his Cultivation, of course he won''t give it up."


    "It''s understandable."


    ```


    "As the saying goes, ''Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence,'' and those who work hard will definitely see good returns."


    Just at that moment¡ª


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu suddenly frowned and looked up, only to see dozens of cultivators transforming into streaks of light, shooting towards the Boundless Icefield from different directions. He then extended his Divine Sense in the direction these people were heading, covering a wide area.


    A Golden Core cultivator probing with his Divine Sense without any restraint was sure to attract the attention of many fellow Golden Core cultivators.


    But he didn''t mind much.


    Divine Sense is meant to be used; to not use it for fear of offending others is as good as not having it at all. If you feel offended, come and say it to my face.


    In the Capital, he truly didn''t dare to use it.


    There were too many powerful beings there.


    But in Fei City, at the edge of the Da Xia Territory, he wasn''t particularly afraid of anyone.


    Very soon¡ª


    He discovered that a large number of cultivators had gathered at the edge of the Boundless Icefield. On the surface of the Icefield, a section of the thick layer of ice had melted at some point, revealing a man-made tunnel entrance.


    The tunnel was lined with steps.


    On the walls, every ten meters, there were two oil lamps burning demon oil.


    It led straight underground, to an unknown destination.


    "Let''s go."


    Chen Qiu''s eyebrows arched playfully, and without the slightest hesitation, he threw a handful of Silver Taels to the shopkeeper and then headed towards the Boundless Icefield with the scholar and a few others, as if some Secret Realm had just emerged.


    A Secret Realm suggests opportunities.


    Opportunities mean they belong to him.


    If he didn''t hurry over, it would mean his chance would be snatched away by others.


    ...


    In just over a dozen breaths.


    Accompanied by a streak of azure light shooting across the sky and piercing into the edge of the Boundless Icefield, Chen Qiu and the others instantly appeared at the position of the azure streak.


    After landing, Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings.


    By now, this area had already filled up with many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and there was even one Golden Core cultivator.


    The Golden Core cultivator had a cold expression on his face, his Golden Core Cultivation on full display, pressuring the Foundation Establishment cultivators to stand fearfully aside at the entrance. However, with the arrival of Chen Qiu,


    That familiar face and his Golden Core third layer Cultivation brought an ingratiating smile to the face of the Golden Core cultivator, who quickly jogged over to Chen Qiu, his expression respectful and awe-filled as he said, "Brother Qiu, you''ve come too."


    This was his first in-person encounter with Chen Qiu, but he had seen him many times in the Memory Stone.


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, glanced at the surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators looking towards him, then at the man in front of him with Golden Core first layer Cultivation, and then at the entrance of the tunnel exposed by the melting ice at the edge of the Boundless Icefield, saying softly,


    "You arrived early, tell me what the situation is now."


    "It''s not a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm."


    The Golden Core cultivator didn''t dare to delay and shook his head as he explained, then hesitated before adding, "It looks like... Ancient Ruins."


    "A long time ago, there was a record in unofficial histories, saying that the Boundless Icefield used to have cities and powers, but overnight, they were all frozen under a heavy layer of ice."


    "And now that the ice has melted, this tunnel has been exposed. The tunnel clearly has man-made marks, and the building remains from the Ancient Era might be below."


    "The steps in the tunnel can block Divine Sense." Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    The man did not continue.


    But Chen Qiu understood the implication; this portal could very well correspond to ruins from a long time ago, meaning there could be items such as ''Earth Fire Foundation Establishment Pills'' from several Heavenly Dao eras ago.


    These are rare treasures.


    Items like ''Earth Fire Foundation Establishment Pills'' and ''Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills'' have different rarity levels in different Heavenly Dao eras, and as the Heavenly Dao era changes, these pills from the past end up becoming out of production, gradually turning into discontinued rare pills.


    In Ancient Ruins, one might find such items.


    That''s also the reason why so many cultivators had gathered here.


    The opening of Ancient Ruins always attracts a lot of people seeking adventure.


    sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 135

    "Then why didn''t you go in right away?"Fat Long, who had already come out of the small world, asked the Golden Core man.


    "This..."


    The man awkwardly said, "The ice was melting, and right after the entrance opened, someone heard the roar of the Fierce Beast inside. Also, through the fluctuation of spiritual energy, it was sensed to be around the fifth level of Golden Core."


    "I''m only at the first level of Golden Core cultivation, so naturally I dared not enter."


    ...


    "Brother Qiu."


    Standing next to Chen Qiu, the scholar, squinting at the lit oil lamp on the inner wall of the passage, whispered, "That oil lamp is indeed a very old model. When it burns, black smoke drifts out, and it smells a bit like burnt roasted rabbit."


    "That''s ''fox oil''."


    "A very common type of demon oil. Don''t even talk about burning for thousands of years; without someone regularly refilling the demon oil, it wouldn''t even last three months."


    "It doesn''t look like ancient ruins."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded, pondered for a moment, and still decided to go down to take a look, relying on his supreme boldness. For safety, he asked the scholar to take his brother to Fei City first, so that in case of any danger, they could rely on the scholar''s Bloodline Entry to quickly escape from this place.


    And several moments later,


    the scholar, who had left his brother in Fei City, returned to his side as a streak of light.


    "Let''s go, have a look below."


    Chen Qiu, leading with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stepped on the stairs leading to some unknown part of the underground, moving toward the deep part of the passage, with Fat Long Scholar cautiously following him.


    As the group entered,


    those present exchanged glances; the same thought surfaced in everyone''s minds. Shortly after, almost seventy to eighty percent of the people at the scene stepped into the passage, cautiously following behind Chen Qiu, even the Golden Core man followed suit.


    With Chen Qiu, this peerless Heavenly Pride leading, S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    no matter what crisis they encountered, he could handle it. Although they couldn''t partake in the meat, they might still manage to sip some soup following behind.


    Missing this opportunity,


    would be deeply regretted for a long time. After all, this could be ancient ruins, which might contain many things from epochs before the current Heavenly Dao versions.


    ...


    As they ventured deeper,


    murals gradually started appearing on both sides of the passage walls. These murals looked a bit like children''s scribbles, indecipherable, providing no information whatsoever.


    Every ten yards, two oil lamps burnt on the wall.


    Bright and dim light continuously intersected within the passage.


    The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for three grown men to walk side by side; the slope was not very steep, the steps were not high, and there was almost no dust.


    Frankly speaking, instead of an ancient ruin, it looked more like a dwelling.


    Chen Qiu stretched out his finger and touched the clay on the passage wall, which felt quite dry. He rubbed it on his fingertips, turning it into dust. Logically, the soil layer covered under the Boundless Icefield for a long period should be slightly moist, not this dry.


    Just then¡ª


    "Ah!!"


    Two piercing and painful screams suddenly came from the crowd behind.


    Two men, who had deactivated their Protective Spirit Qi for an unknown reason, were now bleeding green from all seven orifices, falling to the ground in agony and violently struggling. In a moment, their entire facial features had turned to a mush mixed with green blood.


    This scene caused many to pale and hesitate to venture further.


    Exploring ancient ruins.


    There was an unwritten rule always to keep spiritual energy protection active. You never know what kind of toxic gases had formed over thousands of years in the relic below, but the manner of death of these two men showed that the toxicity of the gas was extremely strong.


    It couldn''t possibly be naturally formed; undoubtedly, someone had tampered with it.


    These two men, feeling quite safe along the way and wanting to save some spiritual energy, had deactivated their Protective Spirit Bodies. But the moment it was turned off, the toxicity devoured their bodies, reducing them to mush.


    This scene indeed terrified many.


    Many cultivators with lower cultivation at the Foundation Establishment level gave up and retreated. The situation was clear: if you run out of spiritual energy, you die. They couldn''t sustain their spiritual energy for very long, needing to save enough for the return journey.


    Only a few cultivators with higher cultivation and greater courage continued to follow Chen Qiu deeper into the passage.


    ...


    Chen Qiu glanced back at the two dead Foundation Establishment cultivators, then redirected his gaze. He was not worried about running out of spiritual energy. With his capacity, if even he couldn''t reach the bottom,


    then no one else could.


    Even if his spiritual energy was exhausted, he could go to the small world to fully recover his spiritual energy before coming out again.


    However, as they went deeper, the end of the passage was still not in sight.


    Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    The steps forming the passage, made of stone that blocked Divine Sense, prevented his Divine Sense from detecting the end. This stone was a treasure; he had already secretly resolved in his heart that once they had clarified what lay below,


    he would take all these steps.


    Even if he only gained these steps, it would still have been worth the journey.


    Meanwhile, as they went deeper, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators following him dwindled until there were none left. These cultivators understood that with their spiritual energy, going any deeper was virtually a certain death.


    Only that Golden Core man of initial level cultivation still carefully followed closely behind Chen Qiu.


    After continuing to delve deeper for half an incense stick''s duration.


    Still without seeing the bottom.

 Chapter 136 Sword Cultivator, Not Strong Enough.

    Chao Tian Sect, within the mountain.The scholar sat on a hillside, looking sideways at Chen Qiu, who was playing with a wolf cub not far away in the grass, smiling without speaking. Signing the Beast Taming Contract didn''t involve any complex steps.


    It only required setting up a simple Spirit Gathering Array.


    It didn''t even need Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Only a few hundred low-grade Spirit Stones were needed to establish communication with the demon beast, and for the contract to be acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao; after signing the Beast Taming Contract, the demon beast would absolutely be unable to attack its master, and its cultivation would gradually improve along with the master''s.


    The downside was that each person could only contract one demon beast, and it had to be one with a lower cultivation than oneself.


    After all, you can''t make a higher-cultivation demon beast acknowledge you as its master.


    Yet the wolf cub had a cultivation of Golden Core fifth layer, which was theoretically much higher than Brother Qiu''s, making a contract ostensibly impossible. However, exceptions exist, such as the wolf cub inexplicably respecting Chen Qiu. Under such circumstances, even a demon beast with higher cultivation could be successfully contracted.


    "Hey."


    At that moment¡ª


    Fat Long, who also sat on the hillside with a foxtail grass in his mouth, looked in the direction of the scholar and murmured, as if in a trance, "Say, when you were once Da Xia''s number one sword cultivator, didn''t you do any earth-shattering deeds?"


    "I did,"


    the scholar said softly. "I did many things that I considered earth-shattering, but most of them went unnoticed, except for a few battles in public, which many witnessed."


    "Actually, I''ve always wanted to ask you something."


    "What is it?" Fat Long asked casually.


    "That term ''Stockholm syndrome'' you mentioned last time, that''s not the name of a dog, right? It sounds like a disease."


    "Why bring this up all of a sudden?"


    ...


    The scholar remained silent for a moment before continuing, "My parents died early, but left us some things before they passed, nothing too valuable, just a little notebook with some journal entries, with the words ''Stockholm syndrome'' written on it."


    "I had almost forgotten about it until I heard it again from you."


    Fat Long suddenly fell silent and expressionless, tilting his head to look into the scholar''s eyes for a long time without speaking. That term was known only to transmigrators, but why would it appear in the journal of the scholar''s parents?


    Could it be that another transmigrator mentioned the term in public, and the scholar''s parents found it catchy and jotted it in their diary?


    "That little notebook, I burned it a long time ago when I was very young. I only remember part of the story, where my mother said she was captured by mountain bandits and taken to be the Mountain Village Lady. Initially, she was unwilling, but eventually developed feelings for my father due to Stockholm syndrome. You could tell from my mother''s writings in the text that she struggled with her emotions."


    "Later entries noted, one day, a righteous cultivator came to eradicate the mountain stronghold. My father told my mother to escape, but she said she would not run, and then there were no further entries."


    "From the context, the meaning of Stockholm syndrome appears to roughly be, starting off as being forcibly brought together, then gradually developing affection?"


    ...


    Fat Long''s mouth twitched slightly, at a loss for words, feeling that the world was more messed-up than he had imagined. If what the scholar said was true, then the scholar''s mother was also a transmigrator, who then gave birth to the scholar.


    Roughly estimating,


    the scholar could be considered a hybrid.


    He and the scholar were like half siblings. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That would explain why the scholar''s brother was speechless; after all, hybrids often have some more or less issues.


    Before Fat Long could speak,


    the scholar continued to murmur, "Later, I became Da Xia''s number one sword cultivator, though only briefly as Da Xia''s number one sword cultivator, but still, I was Da Xia''s number one sword cultivator. Over a hundred years ago, there was a truly unparalleled sword cultivator."


    "He originated from a small village in the Hundred Countries, a truly insignificant place. At that time, that sword cultivator, garbed in white, had a face as cold as a millennia-old snow mountain, emotionless, killed his way to Da Xia Country, and seized the top position on that year''s list of Heavenly Prides."


    "Many admired him at that time, considering that sword cultivator to be the strongest in the history of Da Xia."


    "How strong was he really..."


    After pondering for a long while, the scholar continued, "I never met him in person, only saw records of him in folklore; there''s hardly anything recorded about him in the official history of Da Xia, but various pieces of folklore had indeed recorded many of his real deeds."


    "All I know is that as a sword cultivator, every one of his sword strikes contained not a hint of Sword Intent, very unremarkable, but when that sword was swung, the sun and the moon would perish, and the heavens and earth would darken."


    "That sword cultivator, having cultivated up to the sixth layer of Golden Core at the time, was extremely powerful in Da Xia, even the act of crushing cultivators of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection was not beyond him."


    "Shortly after, that sword cultivator died, reportedly due to severe injuries in his youth, and after showing up on Snow Mountain in the North Continent, no further news emerged. Countless sword cultivators lamented his passing."


    "And I wanted to become like that white-clothed sword cultivator, which is why I call myself a White-clothed Sword Cultivator."


    "Mmhmm."


    Fat Long shrugged, "Brother Qiu has said, there are too many Heavenly Prides in this world; I don''t have such grand ambitions. I feel it''s good just to be alive, and as long as I keep living, one day I can become strong."

 Chapter 136

    ..."From now on, you''ll be called Little Wolf."


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, stroking the head of the wolf cub, who seemed to also like the name quite a bit, wagging its tail incessantly in an attempt to express its joy, although he remembered that wolves aren''t supposed to wag their tails to show happiness.


    But since Little Wolf liked it.


    He didn''t mind either.


    After establishing the Beast Taming Contract with the little wolf cub, he finally learned some basic information about this wolf.


    It was called, Lunar Night Demon Wolf. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A very familiar name.


    He performed introspection, looking inside his Dantian, and there, on an entry, he saw this name.


    -


    ''Entry Name'': Lunar Night Demon Wolf.


    ''Entry Level'': Green.


    ''Entry Effect'': When you sign a Beast Taming Contract with the first ''Lunar Night Demon Wolf'', the size of this demon beast will increase tenfold, and it will be able to absorb Moonlight Essence for cultivation.


    -


    This was an entry he obtained just before his breakthrough to the Golden Core, during his ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. He hadn''t used it until now, and he didn''t even know where to find the Lunar Night Demon Wolf. Even after making some inquiries, he hadn''t found this particular demon beast in Da Xia Country.


    Originally, this entry had been earmarked by him as a reserve for a Self-Destruction Term.


    Unexpectedly.


    He picked it up deep within an Ancient Ruin.


    After establishing a Divine Sense connection with Little Wolf, he also learned some basic information about it, such as the fact that Little Wolf was still in its juvenile stage, an utterly extraordinary existence. A juvenile demon beast, naturally growing to possess the cultivation of the fifth layer of Golden Core.


    Once it reaches adulthood, its cultivation would at least break through to Nascent Soul; of course, in Da Xia, because of the constraints, it would be at the very least Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection.


    It''s no exaggeration to say.


    Any mortal who picked up this little wolf cub would instantly have the qualifications to establish their own sect, and in the future, they might even become a power figure in Da Xia.


    He had only signed a Beast Taming Contract with Little Wolf; he wasn''t a true Beast Cultivator. A true Beast Cultivator could even share cultivation with their demon beast, share injuries, and in a united state, they could utilize the power of the demon beast to its greatest extent.


    "It seems both you and I are very fortunate," he said.


    Chen Qiu squatted down, gently stroking Little Wolf''s head and chuckling.


    If Little Wolf hadn''t met him, it would have starved to death after finishing its food. Little Wolf surely had a master before, who probably purposely left Little Wolf in this Ancient Ruin with plenty of food.


    His luck was also good, encountering Little Wolf meant the ''Lunar Night Demon Wolf'' entry had a use.


    However, he didn''t plan to use this entry now. He would wait until Little Wolf matured.


    "Let''s go, come out and have a look with me."


    ...


    After three breaths.


    Chen Qiu reemerged with Little Wolf at the very bottom of this ''Chao Tian Sect'' Ancient Ruin. There was nothing on this Green Stone Square at the bottom, only in a rather hidden corner could one find a lot of wolf dung piled up.


    Little Wolf seemed to have some means, for the poisonous gas here heavily depleted his own Spiritual Energy, but Little Wolf completely ignored it.


    He carefully observed the surroundings of the Green Stone Square, walking to the walls and meticulously feeling around to see if there were any mechanisms. After all, he always felt that an Ancient Ruin couldn''t just be this little.


    And just then¡ª


    Chen Qiu''s eyes narrowed slightly.


    Right across from him.


    "The sect is set to perish today, it is now inevitable."


    "Heaven forsakes us; it is not a crime from war."


    "I am the last Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect..."


    In those few lines of text, the first two sentences were extremely familiar. If he remembered correctly, those two lines were also on the columns of Chao Tian Sect''s Sect Leader Hall. Chen Qiu raised his index finger and delicately touched those two lines.


    Just when he touched the last character "crime."


    He suddenly felt the character was somewhat soft and subconsciously pressed down on it, the character immediately indented, revealing an irregular gap.


    In the wall of text facing him, only this character could be pressed down, and it was the only one that had a gap.


    A flash of surprise crossed Chen Qiu''s eyes, followed by taking out the Chao Tian Sect Leader Token from his chest. His Sect Leader Token was a miniature version of the Sect Leader''s Chair in the main hall, and also served as the Array Talisman for all of Chao Tian Sect''s arrays.


    He held the miniature Sect Leader''s Chair in his hand, observing it closely.


    His eyes lingered on the back of the chair, which fit perfectly into the gap left by the character "crime," something he had never noticed before. He had only thought that the design of this Sect Leader''s Chair was unique.


    The situation was now clear.


    ...


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, ready for combat and cautiously pressed the back of the Sect Leader''s Chair against the gap of the character "crime" on the wall. It fit perfectly and, once the Sect Leader''s Chair was fully inserted into the gap of "crime,"


    a milky-white Spiritual Energy quickly slid across the wall.


    A white vortex then suddenly emerged before him.


    He was all too familiar with this kind of vortex.


    Stepping into it meant either a small world or a Secret Realm lay on the other side.


    "Let''s go."


    He waved his hand, motioned for Little Wolf to jump into his arms, then placed the cub on his shoulder before striding into the white vortex before him. Whether it was a dragon''s lair or a tiger''s den, he''d only find out by taking the plunge.


    The flash of white light passed.


    He appeared in a very cramped secret chamber.


    It could barely accommodate a dozen people shoulder to shoulder, not even as large as a Chao Tian Sect disciple dormitory; there was a very narrow bed tucked in a corner of the chamber, with untidy bedding that appeared vividly lived-in.

 Chapter 137

    "Our predecessors carved out the reputation of Chao Tian Sect on the Xuantian Continent tens of thousands of years ago,"


    "And since I have inherited the position of Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect,"


    "Naturally, I cannot diminish this reputation."


    Chen Qiu paused, then turning his head to gaze into the distance, he whispered softly, "Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, when he passed through that Heavenly Dao Secret Realm at the time, no one told me that being the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect involved so many matters."


    Actually.


    Many things were already beyond his decision-making ability. At the time of the preliminary screening of the Heavenly Pride in the Secret Realm, he had not known that the name of Chao Tian Sect carried such a significant reputation, nor had he any misgivings.


    Many Heavenly Prides had remembered the name Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.


    And with the shadow that Chao Tian Sect left on the Xuantian Continent tens of thousands of years ago, although so much time had passed and many had forgotten the name, as long as one searched the historical records, one could find the familiar name of Chao Tian Sect.


    And he, as the new Sect Master,


    had managed to make countless powers on the Xuantian Continent remember the name of Chao Tian Sect again, even before setting foot on the Continent.


    ...


    Three hours later.


    Chen Qiu once again stood at the entrance of this Ancient Ruin, patting his hands with a bit of fatigue. The passage through the Ancient Ruin was extremely deep; dismantling all these steps was not an easy task.


    It took them several people a full three hours to dismantle all the stones that could block Divine Sense.


    These were good materials.


    Not to be wasted.


    At this point, the stones had already been piled into a small mountain behind the Chao Tian Sect, and if one did not count the scrolls, these stones were his only haul from the trip¡ªoh, and the Little Wolf.


    A Golden Core Fifth Layer enforcer was considered not bad.


    But compared to being an enforcer, he preferred to treat it as a pet, as it was still in its juvenile stage. Although its cultivation was not weak, it was still hard to regard it as a combative force that could fight on the battlefield.


    The dissonance was too strong.


    At this moment, many Cultivators had gathered at the entrance to the Ancient Ruins. After dismantling all the steps, Chen Qiu casually unleashed a few Thunder Summoning Techniques to seal the entrance. To enter again, one would need to first clear the entrance of the collapse.


    In fact, he wasn''t worried about someone else going down there.


    Not to mention that there was actually nothing below; the only useful scrolls were in the chamber that could only be opened with the Sect Leader Token, and he had put those scrolls into his Storage Ring.


    The poisonous gas alone down there would prevent anyone from entering.


    But...


    He still habitually blocked the entrance. It''s like knowing no one can see you when you''re not wearing underwear because your trousers block the view, but you''d still feel unnatural.


    ...


    It was nearing dusk at this time.


    After finishing all this, Chen Qiu returned to the inn in Fei City. After chatting together for a while, they all continued to cultivate separately.


    Fat Long went to the small world to cultivate with that Witch. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    While Chen Qiu and the Scholar were cultivating in their separate rooms.


    Soon, it was the hour of the Rat.


    Ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills credited his account again, and Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the bed, took out a Cultivation Pill and put it into his mouth in a practiced manner, activated his mental method, and calmed his spirit to absorb the medicinal properties within the Cultivation Pills.


    An entire night of diligent cultivation.


    At dawn, Chen Qiu exhaled a breath of turbid air, turned his head to the window covered in snow. It had snowed throughout the night and continued until dawn; it was the second snowfall of the winter this year.


    This heavy snow finally brought a touch of winter to this year''s season.


    He practiced introspection above his Dantian to his Cultivation panel, and his own cultivation had finally reached¡ª


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage Fourth Layer (5.3%).


    -


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu slightly raised his eyebrows. At the Golden Core Third Layer, one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill only increased his Cultivation Progress by 3%. He had thought that at the Golden Core Fourth Layer, one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill would only add 2% to his Cultivation Progress.


    Unexpectedly, it was still 3%.


    This was beyond his expectations.


    It means he could break through to the Golden Core Fifth Layer quicker than anticipated.


    This "Heavenly Pride Leaderboard" would last for a full year, meaning he could claim ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills every day for a year. Alas, they must be claimed in batches daily.


    If only they could be credited all at once.


    He then introspected inside his Dantian where, after his breakthrough in cultivation, the familiar yet long-absent panel reappeared, shrouded in mist.


    -


    ''Your Cultivation has increased significantly, formally stepping into the Golden Core Stage Fourth Layer.''


    ''Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.''


    1:


    ''Entry Name'': Acting on behalf of Heaven


    ''Entry Level'': Blue.


    ''Entry Effect'': You can design a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that can only be entered by those with a Golden Core cultivation level or below, at the cost of three hundred years of lifespan. There is a certain probability of success, but if it is too unfair, it will not succeed.


    2:


    ''Entry Name'': Command of the Dying Admonition


    ''Entry Level'': Blue.


    ''Entry Effect'': You can alter a person''s subconscious memory at the cost of ten years of lifespan. Depending on the complexity of the memory alteration, the cost in lifespan will increase.


    3:


    ''Entry Name'': Clean Death


    ''Entry Level'': Yellow.


    ''Entry Effect'': Upon your death, everyone will forget your name, and all traces of you, including scrolls, historical records, and Jade Scrolls that record your existence, will be automatically erased.


    - S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu frowned in thought, silent; the three randomly assigned entries were of little use to him this time.

 Chapter 138

    ```


    "...Hmm."


    Fat Long looked at the resentful spirit that kept charging towards Brother Qiu endlessly only to dissipate into wisps of green smoke, and he couldn''t help but speak with emotion, "These resentful spirits seem like they don''t have any brains at all."


    "It''s a bit like moths to a flame."


    "If they had even a bit of Spiritual Wisdom, seeing their fellows die one after another like this, wouldn''t they feel fear?"


    "I think if you, Brother Qiu, stayed here for a day and a night, you could probably clear out all the resentful spirits below Fat Zhou, and after that, Fat Zhou wouldn''t be cold anymore. It would fundamentally solve the problem of the cold from the Boundless Icefield nearby." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Maybe even the Boundless Icefield would melt."


    "This world is really strange..."


    The scholar was full of shock as he looked around and murmured. Here there was only green light, all thanks to the faint green glow emitted by the bodies of the resentful spirits that illuminated the deep underground.


    The heat of the Endless Desert is due to the flowing sea of fire underground.


    The cold of the Boundless Icefield is due to the Sea of Resentful Spirits underground.


    So what causes the Boundless Sea?


    And what about the Boundless Snow Mountain?


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu glanced around without saying much. The Spiritual Energy in his body surged out wildly, and a large number of dark clouds appeared above the deep pit underground, while a storm roared into being, with tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons roaring thunderously, slaughtering the resentful spirits in the deep like cutting grass.


    Although his Heavenly Dao Sacred Body could exterminate all kinds of evil spirits, including resentful spirits,


    it was only effective when they got close to him, which made this method somewhat inefficient.


    The Thunder Dragons also had a good effect on exterminating evil spirits.


    And the large number of Thunder Dragons flickering with purple-blue electric arcs also lit up the underground.


    ...


    The few of them had no specific target and slaughtered the resentful spirits below as they moved forward, relentlessly for a full quarter of an hour, but the number of resentful spirits did not seem to decrease at all.


    The empty area that they had cleared out behind them was once again filled by resentful spirits that surged in from all directions.


    Endless and inexhaustible.


    Fat Long was already trembling from the cold, and his teeth were chattering, "Damn it, no wonder Fat Zhou is so cold. If you sleep on top of these things every day, it''d be weird if it wasn''t cold."


    "We must have killed hundreds of thousands of resentful spirits by now, right? But the number seems unchanged."


    "Moreover, the deep underground of Fat Zhou is almost completely hollowed out. With so much space and not even a single supporting point, hasn''t there been any sign of subsidence on the surface of Fat Zhou over the years?"


    "Does that make sense?"


    Chen Qiu simply stopped moving forward. Moving on was pointless. The clear space he had just created would soon be filled again by the resentful spirits, just as Fat Long had said.


    He had nothing else to do these days.


    He didn''t believe that the resentful spirits deep under Fat Zhou could not be completely cleared.


    ...


    An hour later.


    The number of resentful spirits around still seemed unchanged, and Chen Qiu felt as if his right arm was about to be punctured by his armguard, even though the wounds could heal instantly, the pain was still there.


    Meanwhile, the scholar and Fat Long had returned to the small world.


    The resentful energy here was too dense.


    Staying too long could lead to the resentful energy entering the body, which would not be good. When he was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, Old Man Cao had commented that he was brave just for carrying so few resentful spirits on his back, and now, the number of resentful spirits here was countless times more than back then.


    "Continue!"


    Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    Chen Qiu was getting kind of excited now. He wouldn''t cultivate today. He refused to believe that he couldn''t clear out all the resentful spirits beneath Fat Zhou.


    ...


    After several more hours, it was already the dead of night.


    The Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill had arrived, and by now, Chen Qiu''s expression was somewhat vacant. He was casting the Thunder Summoning Technique almost subconsciously.


    He used to feel exhilarated every time he cast the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    The sensation of Spiritual Energy sliding inside his body.


    Especially that Spirit Control Technique, where he would let the Spiritual Energy build up inside his body until it was on the verge of bursting before releasing it, had an extremely delightful feeling of precision control.


    And then the overwhelming storm would make him feel extremely refreshed.


    But after casting it for several hours straight, he was completely numb. He even began to think that he wouldn''t want to use the Thunder Summoning Technique ever again, as it had started to feel nauseating. Even the pain in his right arm began to fade.


    It had become numb.


    Yet... still! Even! So!


    The number of surrounding resentful spirits seemed undiminished!!!


    It was as if the resentful spirits were so numerous, they seemed to have been sprayed out by someone; otherwise, he really couldn''t imagine what Fat Zhou had gone through in the past to have such a vast number of resentful spirits underground.


    Had it been struck by divine punishment?


    ...


    Like this, three days and three nights passed!


    By now, Chen Qiu''s eyes were filled with a haze and blankness, as he numbly stood in the air. After mindlessly unleashing tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons once more, he found that his attack had hit empty space, and then a glimmer of clarity returned to his eyes.


    Looking around, he saw no resentful spirits anywhere.


    Spreading out his Divine Sense, he found no resentful spirits either.


    "Is it finally... over?"


    Chen Qiu''s state recovered slightly, he rubbed his somewhat dry eyes and released the scholar and the others from the small world, his voice tired and faint, "Scholar, go see if there is anything special."


    The Earth Fire below the Endless Desert suddenly became violent because it had an Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    The Sea of Resentful Spirits below the Boundless Icefield also entered a violent state this winter; maybe it also had something similar to the Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    ```

 Chapter 139 The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends.

    ```


    The next day.


    When the sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Chen Qiu, he groggily awakened from the bed in the inn, having slept a truly comfortable sleep. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to sleep so thoroughly without a care in the world.


    Plus, with the ten Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pills that had arrived at midnight, he now had forty of them.


    After a hasty wash, the spirited Chen Qiu, accompanied by Fat Long and others, went for a hot bowl of beef soup, and then returned to the inn to embark on another day of cultivation.


    ...


    Consume!


    Cultivate!


    The Sea of Resentful Spirits underneath Fei Zhou had brought him a number of benefits, the greatest of which was accumulating a total of forty Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pills, enough to raise his cultivation by another level.


    Five hours later, all ten Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pills had been consumed.


    The medicinal properties gradually unleashed.


    He finally broke through the constraints of the fourth layer of the Golden Core Stage and reached the fifth layer. After breaking through to the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage, one Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pill could only increase his Cultivation Progress by 2%, a decrease of 1%.


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (14.3%).


    -


    The familiar panel, shrouded in mist, surfaced above his Dantian once again.


    ''Significant increase in cultivation, officially stepping into the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage.''


    ''Please make a choice from the three random entries below within ten breaths.''


    1:


    ''Entry Name'': All Techniques Combined.


    ''Entry Level'': Blue. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Entry Effect'': You can compress all the Spells you cast at the same time into a single small sphere.


    2:


    ''Entry Name'': Umbrella World.


    ''Entry Level'': Yellow.


    ''Entry Effect'': When you open the umbrella, you will be immune to Divine Sense targeting, except from those whose cultivation is one Great Realm higher than yours.


    3:


    ''Entry Name'': Ten Thousand Golden Cores.


    ''Entry Level'': Yellow.


    ''Entry Effect'': When you perish, your Golden Core will morph into a thousand illusionary Golden Cores that shoot off in different directions.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu gazed at the three entries in thought, silent. The three entries available to him this time upon his cultivation breakthrough were all quite desirable, and he wished for each of them.


    ''Ten Thousand Golden Cores'' goes without saying, a pure life-saving entry.


    At the very least, when facing a powerful enemy, it greatly increases the chances of his Golden Core escaping, offering a possibility of making a comeback.


    He also had some interest in ''All Techniques Combined.''


    An Attack Method.


    Suitable for sneak attacks or facing some overly confident enemies. A seemingly innocuous little sphere that contained the explosive power of tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, delivering precise and direct damage.


    In the past, when he attacked a certain enemy with tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, it was after all an area effect.


    The actual number of Thunder Dragons that hit the enemy was small, and most of the damage came from the chain explosions of Spiritual Energy caused by the multitude of bursting Thunder Dragons. But with this entry, he could ensure that all the damage was concentrated on the enemy''s face.


    As for the last entry, ''Umbrella World,'' it also suited him well, a defensive category entry that could prevent being targeted by Divine Sense. It was extremely effective against Sword Cultivators and Magic Practitioners that primarily relied on Divine Sense to lock on for their next attack.


    After pondering for a few breaths,


    At the last moment, he still chose the ''All Techniques Combined'' entry.


    Currently, he felt that ''All Techniques Combined'' was slightly more important than ''Umbrella World''. After all, with his current Golden Core Cultivation, he was virtually invincible, and he would ensure preemptive action, with no one currently able to threaten him.


    However, All Techniques Combined could significantly enhance his one-on-one capability.


    Continue¡ª


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, briefly consolidating his cultivation before continuing without delay to consume Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Another three hours passed.


    His cultivation had now reached:


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (34.4%).


    -


    As his cultivation improved, the rate at which he absorbed the medicinal effects increased, having been able to absorb the full effects in five hours before, now only three hours sufficed.


    Continuing, after another three hours had passed, he expended another ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (54.3%).


    -


    With midnight now past, and ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills still unconsumed, another ten arrived in his account. Continue!


    ...


    "Whew..."


    Day had broken.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the bed, let out a long breath of turbid air and inspected his cultivation progress panel floating above his Dantian.


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (94.3%).


    -


    With the next set of pills arriving at midnight, he would be able to break through to the sixth layer of the Golden Core Stage. According to this progress, breaking through to the Golden Core Peak and reaching Great Perfection Cultivation within a year seemed to be without any problem. And then it would be time to prepare for the journey towards Nascent Soul.


    He turned his head towards the sun outside the window, listening to the cries of traders from below.


    The snow had already melted.


    Moreover, due to the Sea of Resentful Spirits beneath Fei Zhou being cleared out, the temperature in Fei Zhou had become warmer, causing even the price of Evil Wood to drop a bit, as after all, it wasn''t needed anymore.


    Just then¡ª


    A distant and ancient voice resonated in the ears of all in Da Xia Country.


    -


    ''Heavenly Dao Decree'': The eve of the New Year celebrates new life, the new year brings distant barriers to a thousand mountains.


    There are three barriers on New Year''s eve, corresponding to three Year Beasts.


    Causing injuries to a Year Beast will earn Heavenly Dao Blessings, and according to the degree of injury inflicted, the blessings from the Heavenly Dao will vary. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    ```

 Chapter 139 The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._2

    Causing more than 50% damage, and delivering the final blow, will entitle one to a special Heavenly Dao Blessing.


    The first Year Beast will descend in "Pingzhou," the westernmost part of Da Xia Country, in two hours.


    -


    "Let''s go!"


    As soon as the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded, Chen Qiu did not delay and immediately took the scholar on a hurried journey towards the westernmost part of Da Xia Country, Pingzhou. Missing such a grand opportunity would be foolish.


    This was a Year Beast from the Heavenly Dao Decree; the rewards for slaying it would undoubtedly be substantial.


    "Pingzhou" is located at the westernmost part of Da Xia Country.


    It borders the Hundred Countries.


    An hour later.


    Chen Qiu and his group had already arrived in Pingzhou. Not knowing exactly where in Pingzhou the Year Beast would appear, they decided to stay on the highest mountain within the Pingzhou region. This way, no matter where it appeared, they could rush there at a moment''s notice.


    "Foundation Establishment level seven?"


    Chen Qiu looked towards the fluctuating aura around the scholar.


    "Yes,"


    The scholar smiled and nodded, "Re-cultivating with the help of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills really speeds up the process. Fat Long has also reached the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. Everyone''s progressing quickly, but Brother Qiu, your cultivation is increasing even faster."


    "Advancing in the Golden Core stage is much slower than in the Foundation Establishment stage. Brother Qiu, you had just broken through to the Golden Core stage a few days ago, and now you are already at the fifth level of Golden Core, probably not far from the sixth level either."


    "Lucky."


    Chen Qiu chuckled, not deceiving at all; indeed, it was luck that the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard gave him 10 Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pills every day, more than he could ever use. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    ...


    Chen Qiu did not waste the remaining hour and a half. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, running his mental method to consolidate his Cultivation Realm.


    As the hour and a half was about to pass,


    "Phew!"


    Chen Qiu exhaled a long breath of turbid air, then the Spiritual Energy inside him surged out, and suddenly, thick dark clouds gathered above his head, and a storm roared in, just on time, but this time, no Thunder Dragons appeared.


    He looked down at his palm, which contained a Thunder Ball about the size of a Golden Core.


    It looked very unimpressive.


    Sweeping it with his Divine Sense, he could not feel any significant power contained within. It seemed quite ordinary, barely perceiving several miniature Thunder Dragons swirling inside the Thunder Ball.


    This was a trinket he had created using "All Techniques Combined."


    "Looks quite low-key."


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, then spread his Divine Sense all around in an instant. His cultivation had already reached the fifth level of Golden Core, and his Divine Sense range had long reached 170 miles; with the "Mutual Enhancement" entry, it could extend up to 230 miles.


    This range of Divine Sense was already far greater than many cultivators at the Great Perfection stage of Golden Core Peak.


    By this time, many cultivators had already arrived in Pingzhou.


    Many of them were Golden Core cultivators; after all, this was a great opportunity for them as well.


    But as they felt Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense sweeping over, not a single Golden Core cultivator showed any dissatisfaction through their Divine Sense.


    Principally speaking, it was considered provocative for a Golden Core cultivator to release their Divine Sense so recklessly; they could completely initiate a fight over it and even stand on the side of reason, but the issue was that the principle wasn''t in their hands.


    Having reason didn''t mean they could win a fight.


    However, these Golden Core cultivators didn''t leave; even if they didn''t confront Chen Qiu, it wouldn''t stop them from seizing their own opportunity. Could Chen Qiu kill the Year Beast in a flash?


    They could still sneak in some hits and get a reward, and getting the final blow would be even better.


    ...


    Chen Qiu paid no mind to what others were thinking. He just fully released his Divine Sense, waiting for the appearance of the Year Beast.


    Finally¡ª


    "Roar!!!"


    Accompanied by a roar, a beast that resembled both a tiger and a dragon suddenly roared from the cloudy sky, leaping towards the ground below, carrying and radiating an extremely terrifying aura, clearly at the first level of Golden Core!


    It appeared right within his Divine Sense range.


    The Foundation Establishment cultivators below, who had originally come to try their luck, now, without any hesitation, scattered in all directions with faces full of fear. If it had been a Foundation Establishment Year Beast, they might have tried their luck, but against a Golden Core Year Beast, they stood no chance.


    Running away was the only thing they could do!


    "Whoosh!"


    Almost in the instant that the Year Beast appeared, Chen Qiu, from a peak dozens of miles away, locked onto the Year Beast with his Divine Sense. The Thunder Ball in his palm turned into a purple-blue Liu Guang, crossing dozens of miles at an extremely fast speed, and appeared almost instantly above the Year Beast''s head!


    "Boom!!!"


    Before the Year Beast even landed, a Thunder Ball shot from the horizon directly into the body of the beast, followed by hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons blasting apart inside the beast!


    The massive explosion, mixed with the thunderous rumbling noise, almost made the entire world tremble.


    The powerful surge of Spiritual Energy blew many approaching Golden Core cultivators dozens of meters away.


    When the hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons dispersed.


    There was no trace of the Year Beast to be seen, not even a speck of flesh and blood remained; it vanished without a trace, totally clean.


    ...


    "Quite good."


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the mountain peak, chuckled without saying much; the "All Techniques Combined" entry was quite useful, especially since it concentrated all the damage on one point, which greatly amplified the damage inflicted on a single target.


    He even thought.


    If a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, who didn''t activate Protective Spirit Qi or use any Protective Dharma Treasures, were to let this Thunder Ball shoot into their body, they would likely not escape unscathed. Of course, this was just his inner speculation, as he had never witnessed a battle method of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

 Chapter 139 The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._3

    Every large realm in cultivation is not simply about the difference in cultivation levels and the concentration of spiritual energy.


    What differs more is the method of combat.


    For instance, at the Golden Core Stage like his, using Divine Sense to lock onto an enemy enables one to kill from several tens of miles away¡ªa method that even the strongest Foundation Establishment Cultivators could never achieve, as they are unable to extend their Divine Sense to lock onto the enemy.


    Techniques like Divine Sense attacks and locutus are unique to Golden Core Cultivators.


    As for the Nascent Soul Stage...


    Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    He hadn''t encountered the Nascent Soul Stage, so he couldn''t even imagine what the combat techniques at that stage were like; he only knew that the Nascent Soul Stage was definitively suppressive over the Golden Core Stage.


    Above Chen Qiu''s Dantian, a panel wrapped in clouds and mist also slowly emerged.


    -


    "You dealt 100% damage to the first round Year Beast, obtaining a high-grade ''Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman.''"


    "You dealt the final blow to the first round Year Beast, obtaining a high-grade ''Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman.''"


    -


    "Two high-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Charms?"


    A glint of joy flashed through Chen Qiu''s eyes; these were indeed valuable treasures, perfect as he was breaking through to the fifth layer of the Golden Core, and he really wanted that "Umbrella World" entry.


    He didn''t hesitate.


    He immediately activated one of the high-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans and chose the "Umbrella World," an entry he had previously discarded.


    This was one of his few defensive entries.


    With this entry, once he opened his umbrella, unless his cultivation was suppressed by a great realm, no one could use Divine Sense to lock onto him, significantly increasing his safety.


    Each realm could use up to two Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, and the high-grade talismans were designated for the Golden Core Realm.


    He only used one.


    He saved the other one for later use.


    However, he no longer had time to check his rewards, as the second round''s Year Beast roared and leaped down from the dark clouds toward the ground once more.


    "Roar!"


    This time it was a Fierce Beast that was half-clam, half-turtle!


    It appeared to be the type that excels in defense, as it wrapped itself in its shell the moment it landed on the ground. Chen Qiu took a deep breath, instantly leapt into the air, and began teleporting continuously, absorbing spiritual energy; he had run out of spiritual energy.


    First, he had to restore his spiritual energy.


    After a hundred breaths.


    His internal spiritual energy had recovered halfway, and without waiting for a full recovery, he was about to fire another Thunder Ball when his Divine Sense spotted that there were already several cultivators lying dead in puddles of blood near the Year Beast.


    And those remaining near the Year Beast were continuously retreating, looking at each other, none daring to make a move.


    "Hm?"


    Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense swept over the scene nearby; his eyebrows slightly raised in confusion, and he no longer lingered on the mountain but shot toward the "Year Beast" with the scholar and several others, turning into streaks of light.


    ...


    In a few breaths, they landed next to the Year Beast.


    The scene scanned by the Divine Sense and what the eyes saw were completely different. Standing in front of this half-clam, half-turtle Year Beast, one could feel what shock meant, as the beast was nearly thirty meters tall!


    It was a colossal creature lying on the ground, plus its body was extremely large and heavy, belonging to the kind that just dodging its foot alone would cause the ground to throb three times, evidently possessing the cultivation of the third layer of the Golden Core!


    The cultivators lying in the puddles of blood nearby had already stopped breathing and were indeed dead.


    This half-clam, half-turtle Year Beast did not initiate attacks; it just lay on the ground, not moving at all, as if it didn''t care what you did.


    Chen Qiu''s arrival immediately attracted many eyes.


    In fact, when the sky was filled with dark clouds and the storm and tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons exploded inside the first round Year Beast, everyone knew Chen Qiu had arrived, as such attack methods were unique to him alone in Da Xia.


    They just hadn''t seen the person.


    Only now did they see him.


    For a time, many voices loudly said,


    "Senior, whatever method you use to attack this Year Beast, it will rebound the attack back at you. Those lying in the puddles of blood are cultivators who lost their lives this way."


    "Yes, yes, and even Divine Sense attacks don''t work. Just now a Golden Core senior tried a Divine Sense Attack, and now he''s still sitting cross-legged on the ground healing."


    "Senior, you have shown great kindness to me; my father''s injuries only recovered because of the divine favor you brought last time."


    ...


    Mixed voices.


    Among them were also many voices of gratitude, thanking Chen Qiu for the divine favor last time that healed many people''s Divine Sense, Tao Foundation, and physical injuries. That billion merits weren''t for nothing.


    Merits are hard to come by.


    Like when Chen Qiu slaughtered so many resentful spirits underground in Fei State, he didn''t acquire any merits. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu slightly nodded without speaking, simply casually throwing a few Thunder Summoning Techniques over. These few Thunder Summoning Techniques, upon hitting the turtle shell, rebounded back at even greater speed.


    The speed was so fast that it allowed no time for dodging.


    They all landed harshly on the surface of Chen Qiu''s Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    Chen Qiu glanced at the umbrella''s surface, not a single scratch visible, a true testament to the mid-grade Heavenly Extreme Spirit Treasure of the Golden Core¡ªtruly robust. Along with his cultivation progress, this Lifebound Spirit Treasure, which had been nurtured inside his Dantian, had also advanced from lower-grade Golden Core to mid-grade Golden Core.


    A growing Spirit Treasure, its grade could also be elevated as the owner''s cultivation level rose.


    ...


    "Is that person the quite famous Chen Qiu of Da Xia recently?"

 Chapter 139 The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._4

    In the crowd.


    A few people with an exotic air about them stood together, looking in Chen Qiu''s direction with curious eyes, "They say seeing is believing, but he doesn''t seem to be particularly outstanding. It''s hard to associate him with a Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core and that vast expanse of auspicious clouds descending from the sky."


    "But I remember he only just broke through to Golden Core recently, didn''t he?"


    "But the fluctuations of spiritual energy on him are clearly that of a Golden Core''s fifth layer."


    "No idea."


    One of the men shook his head, taunting, "But you could try to approach him yourself. Haven''t you boasted that no man can resist your charm? Chen Qiu is Da Xia''s strongest peerless Heavenly Pride. If you can cling to him, perhaps he could help you ascend to the throne of Empress in your country."


    "Makes sense."


    The female cultivator standing by in a long dress didn''t bother hiding her gaze on Chen Qiu''s back, coquettishly twirling a strand of her hair and placing it in her mouth, "Maybe he''ll like someone with my exotic charm."


    "Go for it, I''ll stand back and support you silently."


    ...


    Chen Qiu looked at the Year Beast in front of him, which represented the second challenge. Indeed, it was a bit tricky, its shell not only extremely hard, completely protecting the Year Beast within but also capable of reflecting all damage.


    But that was only slightly tricky.


    After all, one only needed to evade its shell and attack the Year Beast inside.


    "Roarrr!!!"


    With deafening thunder, a Small Thunderball gradually appeared in Chen Qiu''s hand, containing over a hundred thousand illusive and substantial Thunder Dragons. He controlled the Small Thunderball with his Divine Sense, and immediately shot it towards the ground.


    It instantly burrowed into the ground.


    Then it shot out from beneath the half-clam, half-turtle Year Beast, with an eye-blinding purple-blue brilliance erupting and directly blasting the huge creature into the air.


    Followed by a massive explosion, a rain of blood fell toward the ground.


    Some cultivators who were still standing in place, completely shocked, got caught in the downpour unexpectedly and were drenched in the stench of blood, while Chen Qiu and others had long since left the area.


    Although it was a bit tricky, it was just like that.


    When his Divine Sense controlled the Thunder Ball to burrow from the ground and attack the inside of the Year Beast''s belly, he could clearly feel that its inner parts were extremely tough, not something ordinary people could break, just without any countermeasures like the shell had.


    -


    "You have inflicted 100% damage to the second challenge''s Year Beast and obtained one ''Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman.''"


    "You have dealt the final blow to the second challenge''s Year Beast and obtained a ''Heavenly Dao Spirit Ring.''"


    -


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu looked at the two boards that appeared above his Dantian, arching his eyebrow. The "Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman" was a good item for escaping; once activated, one could instantly flee thousands of miles away.


    It can also ignore all spatial restraints, Formations, etc.


    He was actually curious whether this item could break through the restrictions of Da Xia, but after thinking it over, he decided against experimenting. He would save it for later when he went to the Xuantian Continent, as it was a good life-saving method.


    As for that ''Heavenly Dao Ring''...


    "This is a good item indeed."


    Chen Qiu''s eyes gleamed with joy as he looked at the ring in his hand, which seemed simple but contained a hint of the power of heaven and earth, part of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure that Artifact Cultivators could not create.


    The ring''s effect was also strong.


    It came with a storage space far larger than that of the finest Storage Rings.


    He would no longer need to wear so many Storage Rings on his fingers; this Heavenly Dao Ring was all he needed.


    Just one would suffice.


    Besides, the Heavenly Dao Ring could also increase the power of his Divine Sense Attacks to some extent. With the "Heart-piercing Stab" attack spell, the power of his Divine Sense Attack would be even higher.


    Furthermore, his Sea of Consciousness was already larger than that of an average person, so his Divine Sense Attack was naturally more powerful as well.


    With all these enhancements, his "Heart-piercing Stab" was bound to become a Trump card-like technique.


    The most important thing was...


    After obtaining this "Heavenly Dao Ring," a strand of information surfaced in his mind: by collecting eight different parts of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, one can assemble the complete set of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, possessing formidable power.


    All Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures are growth-type Spiritual Treasures, and naturally, this Heavenly Dao Ring of his was also a growth-type Spiritual Treasure.


    Upon gathering three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures,


    one would obtain the first set effect of the Heavenly Dao: "The power of the Thunder Summoning Technique will be enhanced."


    Simple and brutal.


    Chen Qiu was quite satisfied with this effect, although he wasn''t clear on why it seemed he had developed a particular connection with the Thunder Summoning Technique. He already had many entries and methods to enhance the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Perhaps...


    It was because his current strongest spell was the Thunder Summoning Technique, so all enhancements related to spells automatically targeted the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    If he had other stronger spells, would the enhancements then target those spells?


    There was some logic to that.


    ...


    Taking advantage of the time before the third Year Beast arrived, Chen Qiu first flew into the sky to fully recover his Spiritual Energy, then landed on the ground and stood with Fat Long and the others, ready to face the arrival of the third Year Beast.


    It was unknown,


    whether this third Year Beast could gift him another Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    If so, he would have three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, and he could immediately benefit from the first set effect of the Heavenly Dao.


    "Roar!!"


    Just as Chen Qiu restored his full Spiritual Energy and didn''t have to wait too long, a Fierce Beast that was half wolf and half tiger descended from the sky onto the ground. It was three zhang tall; though not as large as the second Year Beast, it was still a colossal figure compared to ordinary demon beasts.


    It was certainly larger than Little Wolf, who was following at his feet. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire


    This little thing was quite eager for battle.


    Several times it wanted to charge forward, and if he had not stopped Little Wolf, it probably would have rushed in by itself.


    Indeed, with Little Wolf''s Golden Core fifth-grade cultivation, it might indeed not fear these Year Beasts, but he had never seen Little Wolf take action and was curious to see what means this little being used to attack.


    But at this moment, he didn''t ponder further!


    As soon as the third Fierce Beast appeared, Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense locked onto it, and then the Thunder Ball in his hand transformed into a purple-blue streak of light and shot towards it. He was becoming increasingly fond of using the entry "All Techniques Combined" when battling a single target.


    Indeed, it was very handy.


    Quite good.


    As he made his move, the cultivators around him also unleashed their strongest techniques. They clearly wanted a share of the spoils, since they hadn''t traveled all this distance merely to watch a spectacle, but also to claim their share.


    Chen Qiu glanced over but paid no mind; after all, his Thunder Summoning Technique was instant, and by the time the attacks of the others arrived, his Thunder Summoning Technique had already made contact with the target. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This Year Beast was at the Golden Core sixth-grade level of cultivation.


    Their cultivation was quite fearsome.


    If not for Chen Qiu''s presence, quite a few people on the scene would have already fled, especially the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who were bluffing with their strongest techniques against the Year Beast.


    If it was just one of them,


    given a hundred times the courage, they wouldn''t dare to attack a Year Beast with Golden Core sixth-grade cultivation while at Foundation Establishment level. There was even no need to run; slitting their own throat might actually be a quicker end.


    At least there would be no risk of being chewed up alive, and no pain to speak of.

 Chapter 140 Spell, Snowfall.

    "Boom!!!"


    Accompanied by a deafening thunderclap, Chen Qiu''s Thunder Summoning Technique shot into the Year Beast ahead of others. Except for a few Divine Sense Attacks that were slightly faster than his Thunder Summoning Technique, the other cultivators'' attacks hadn''t even reached the Year Beast yet. And the Year Beast had already burst into a shower of blood, dead on the spot!


    A single strike, an instant kill on a Golden Core Stage Six Year Beast!


    If it weren''t for the entry "All Techniques Combined," he could have killed the Golden Core Stage Six Year Beast as well¡ªbut not nearly as quickly.


    After all, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons engulfing the Year Beast and tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons exploding inside the Year Beast''s body made a significant difference.


    -


    "You inflicted 93% damage on the third round Year Beast, earning one ''Merit Defense Order.''"


    "You dealt the final blow to the third round Year Beast, earning one ''Merit Attack Order.''"


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked at the two tokens that appeared in his "Heavenly Dao Ring," virtually identical in appearance, except for the different inscriptions¡ªone was a Merit Defense Order, and the other, a Merit Attack Order.


    Both were one-time use.


    The effects were straightforward.


    Upon activating the Merit Defense Order, it would block all attacks for the next hour, and the consumption of merit would be decided based on the power of the attacks. If the merit was depleted prematurely, the token would shatter early.


    Or after an hour, the Defense Merit Order would automatically shatter.


    The Merit Attack Order,


    was even more straightforward and brutal. Depending on the amount of merit you chose to consume, it would launch an extremely powerful strike. The power of the strike depended on the amount of merit you spent.


    After the strike was used, it would shatter again.


    And his merit...


    Chen Qiu looked increasingly odd as he gazed at the merit leaderboard, and with his staggering 9.8 billion merit, he uncontroversially stood at the top. Unless something unexpected happened, no one could dethrone him for thousands of years.


    With his nearly ten billion merit, activating a Merit Defense Order practically made him invincible for an hour; even a Nascent Soul would likely not be able to do anything to him within that time.


    And if he were to activate the Merit Attack Order with nearly ten billion merit, he felt he could probably annihilate several provinces of Da Xia with one strike, or even more... perhaps the entirety of Da Xia?


    Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire


    "I really want to try it..."


    He sighed regretfully, knowing the token itself was one-time use, and since his merit wasn''t unlimited, he definitely couldn''t waste it like this. These two items would be his two ace cards, hidden away.


    One for absolute life-saving in a short time.


    One for a devastating attack.


    Pretty good.


    This Year Beast came just right.


    It gave him two top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, which was like having two more entries, all at the Golden Core Stage. One should know that Golden Core Stage entries are generally blue and yellow.


    He had never seen blue and yellow Jade Scrolls being sold in Da Xia.


    Or perhaps such items are so rare that they simply cannot appear at an auction.


    The value of a low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman used during the Qi Refinement Realm and that of a top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman cannot even be compared, as the selectable entries are not on the same level.


    Add to that a life-preserving Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman and a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    And those two Merit Orders.


    Absolutely worth the journey. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just then¡ª


    When all the cultivators thought it was over and were preparing to disperse, a lion enveloped in dense flames leaped from the dark clouds and landed heavily on the ground, its cultivation boldly at the Golden Core Stage Seven!


    There was still a hidden Year Beast!


    This Year Beast was clearly much stronger than the previous three, with more violent fluctuations of spiritual energy, its Golden Core Stage Seven cultivation impressively intimidating everyone.


    Just as Chen Qiu, who had just replenished his spiritual energy and was also preparing to retreat, saw this scene, his eyes lit up instantly, and without the slightest hesitation, he released all his spiritual energy, locked on with his Divine Sense and shot a Thunder Ball directly, hitting the lion-like Year Beast!


    "Boom!"


    Just like before.


    The fire lion Year Beast had barely touched the ground when it was struck by this nearly fatal blow; however, being a hidden Year Beast with the cultivation of Golden Core Stage Seven, it was still much stronger than the previous three beasts.


    Tens of thousands of Heavenly Thunders exploded inside its body, instantly perforating its skin and even blowing off half its head.


    But even then,


    it didn''t die immediately but fell heavily to the ground, on the verge of death.


    Seeing this scene, the surrounding people who were about to disperse instantly had their eyes turn red. If not now, then when? This was the last hit on a hidden Year Beast; the rewards would be immense.


    But almost the next moment!


    Everyone suddenly froze in place, because all present felt Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense had firmly locked them down, the implied threat was clear.


    But... there are always those who don''t believe in curses!


    Or rather, there are always those who believe in the safety of numbers.


    An obviously Exotic Realm cultivator from the Hundred Countries, his face flushed with excitement, held his Flying Sword and turned into a streak of light, rushing towards the dying hidden Year Beast!


    At the same time, he deliberately changed his voice and bellowed.


    "Fellow Daoists, charge together! There are so many of us, Chen Qiu can''t possibly kill us all, right?"


    However,


    just as this Exotic Realm cultivator from the Hundred Countries had not yet reached the dying hidden Year Beast, he noticed the hidden beast suddenly let out a wail and then fell dead on the ground.

 Chapter 140 Spell, Snowfall._2

    He stood frozen in place, instinctively glancing back at his surroundings.


    He discovered that not a single person had responded to his call to action. Only he had dashed forward. In his expectation, everyone would have charged together, mingling in the chaos without a clear tell on who landed the final blow. The matter would then be easily brushed off amidst the confusion.


    But to his surprise, those Xia Country cultivators were so timid, not one followed suit. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire


    Moreover, even his fellow countrymen cultivators were nowhere to be found, vanished without a trace.


    ...


    "..."


    The Xia Country cultivators who were spectating from afar, looking toward that awkward figure standing in the middle of the clearing, couldn''t help but slightly twitch at the corners of their mouths. This other-nation cultivator typically must not have watched Chen Qiu''s shadow enough.


    If you had only watched a few more.


    At least...


    Not to say whether you would charge or not, but you certainly wouldn''t have uttered the phrase "the law does not punish the masses."


    They were almost certain that if they dared to charge forward, as many as went would die right there.


    You''re bold, you go ahead.


    As for them, they dare not charge.


    Even the cultivator from the Hundred Countries silently slipped out of the crowd and fled without looking back, darting afar like he was running for his life. They didn''t understand why their comrade suddenly became so brave, though they knew he was always quite fearless.


    But, couldn''t he give them a heads-up before being brave next time?


    ...


    The Golden Core cultivators standing within the crowd watched the sword-wielding, other-nation cultivator at the center of the plaza with expressionless faces, sighing deeply inside, and couldn''t help but lament how ignorance was truly fearless.


    Their Divine Sense attack as Golden Core cultivators, isn''t it faster than you charging with a sword at the Foundation Establishment stage?


    Guess why with such fast Divine Sense attacks they did not make a move?


    That wasn''t a treasure falling from the sky.


    That was the Yama Rope taking lives.


    Who would dare to touch it?


    If these Golden Core cultivators dare not touch it, you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, sure charge fast. This kind of temperament is indeed well-suited for cultivation, fearless and unswerving. But it is... not suitable for longevity.


    ...


    Chen Qiu, with an indifferent expression, glanced at the male cultivator stuck in the middle of the square without lingering much. He simply held up the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his gown howling in the storm as he turned to walk away.


    Fat Long also hurried to turn and leave.


    Only the scholar looked toward the male cultivator with a sighing tone, "Sword cultivator, that''s not how you play the game."


    The forefinger trembled slightly, and a green light flashed and disappeared. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    By the time he turned around to follow Chen Qiu, the male cultivator''s pupils had already begun to gradually disperse, his body limply collapsing onto the ground. After a few moments, a red line slowly appeared on his neck, and blood followed the line, eventually forming a pool.


    ...


    Back at the highest peak of Pingzhou, Chen Qiu looked up at the panel enveloped in clouds and mist above his Dantian.


    -


    "You caused 100% damage to the hidden Year Beast, obtaining the high-grade Golden Core spell ''Snowfall,'' and an Enlightenment Stone."


    "You struck the final blow on the hidden Year Beast, obtaining ''Heavenly Light Wind Boots.''"


    -


    "A new spell?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyebrows rose as he stared at the high-grade Golden Core spell "Snowfall" in front of him, sensing it with his Divine Sense without speaking. This spell was produced by Heavenly Dao, so likewise, once mastered, it would be at the Great Achievement Realm.


    Even the Enlightenment Stone was ready.


    Directly at the Great Perfection Realm.


    With his current financial resources, he could technically learn many spells, but he essentially didn''t bother buying spells produced by the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, mainly because some seemed unnecessary. Even at the Great Perfection Realm, those spells weren''t as strong as his Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Why should he learn spells that were not as strong as the Thunder Summoning Technique?


    The biggest drawback of the Thunder Summoning Technique used to be that it was only suitable for dealing with a large number of weaker small fry; it lacked power when facing opponents with higher cultivation. But now, with the entry "All Techniques Combined," even that drawback was gone.


    There''s no longer a need for numerous spells, specializing is sufficient.


    He always felt that he could use the Thunder Summoning Technique until the day he died.


    But... he suddenly felt he might also pick up "Snowfall."


    It was a supportive spell.


    Not an attack spell.


    Its effect was simple, allowing snow to fall over an area roughly the size of a village, and the snowflakes landing on the enemy would freeze their Spiritual Energy.


    It would cause the enemy''s internal flow of Spiritual Energy to slow down.


    This would result in a decrease in spell power, casting speed, absorption of Spiritual Energy, and movement technique speed, among others.


    Additionally, as more and more snowflakes gather on them, they could even freeze in place.


    It''s a small-scale group supportive control spell.


    However...


    This is for ordinary people.


    Chen Qiu chuckled to himself, tucking the Magic Jade Scroll of "Snowfall" inside his robe, prepared to make it his third official spell. This spell was indeed a regular Magic Practitioner''s spell.


    It was a spell that many Golden Core cultivators would learn.


    In other words, it was his first genuine Magic Practitioner''s spell.


    With "Dual Casting," "Ten Layers of Spellcasting," "Illusion and Reality," and the surging Spiritual Energy inside him, if he fully unleashed this spell, he estimated that a few hundred miles around could be engulfed in snow.


    To experience the romance of winter days.


    ...


    He then looked at his other gain, the Heavenly Light Wind Boots.


    Also a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    The effect was quite impressive, able to enhance his movement technique to a certain extent. It allowed his "Shrink the Earth to an Inch" technique to cover greater distances, and his Teleportation speed to be faster.

 Chapter 140 Spell, Snowfall._3

    So far, he hadn''t found a satisfactory movement technique for Magic Practitioners to escape quickly.


    During the heritage transfer of Magic Practitioners above the Forbidden Sea, he saw the Magic Practitioner guardian old man with golden light under his feet and thought that movement technique was quite good. He planned to find such a spell for himself in a few days.


    Although the scholar''s speed was faster.


    But after all, it wasn''t his own, and there were many drawbacks to using it.


    Having acquired this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, he now owned three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, which also activated the first Heavenly Dao suit effect¡ª


    "The power of unleashing the Thunder Summoning Technique will be enhanced."


    Pretty good.


    The next Heavenly Dao suit effect would be revealed upon possessing five Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    That was temporarily out of the question.


    ...


    After taking inventory of all his gains, Chen Qiu didn''t return to Fei City but found an inn in a nearby city in "Pingzhou."


    An hour later. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu looked at the snowflakes dancing on his fingertip and chuckled. This was his third spell, "Snowfall," which was not very lethal but mainly served as a control effect.


    Under the influence of the Enlightenment Stone, this spell had already reached the Great Perfection Realm.


    Just that...


    He felt that his future battle scenes might be quite lively, with the full deployment of Thunder Summoning Technique calling upon the forces of nature, followed by dark clouds and pouring rain, and finally, adding the snowfall.


    It included mixed rain and snow, along with howling winds.


    The battle process was indeed quite lively.


    He planned to find a secluded place to test the full power of this spell, especially since "Pingzhou" had too many mortals. Even though this spell hardly had any attack effect, it was still fully deployed by his Golden Core fifth layer cultivation.


    If a mortal touched that snowflake and didn''t find shelter from the snow in time,


    At the very least, they''d fall seriously ill, or in severe cases, die on the spot.


    ...


    Seated cross-legged in the inn, Chen Qiu turned his head to look out the window, where the sun was dead-center, just at midday.


    He planned to go downstairs to grab something to eat first.


    Then he would try it out on Boundless Snow Mountain.


    If there was any place to test the full power of the "Snowfall" spell, it would surely be Boundless Snow Mountain, where naturally, there were hardly any creatures, and it was perennially covered in heavy snow.


    Most suitable.


    ...


    "Shopkeeper, take the order."


    Fat Long looked over the menu, and calling over the smiling shopkeeper, said, "Skip the Wuwei Smoked Duck, Jinghu Vinegar Fish, and Dong''an Chicken. Bring everything else, all in double portions."


    "Understood?"


    "Understood, understood."


    The shopkeeper smiled obsequiously, carefully slipping the few Spirit Stones Fat Long had passed him into his pocket, this was indeed a big deal.


    However...


    Just as Chen Qiu and a few others, including Fat Long, had arrived at the best inn in this city, just seated themselves and were about to enjoy some good food as a treat,


    once again, a voice rang in the ears of everyone in Da Xia.


    -


    Imperial Decree: "A world of conflicts is approaching, ''Snow Clan invasion'' will descend in the west by Hundred Countries, at Boundless Snow Mountain."


    The heavens will shatter, and the Snow Clan will emerge.


    -


    "..."


    Fat Long, with a slightly speechless expression, listened to the voice around him and looked up at Chen Qiu, sighing, "Brother Qiu, what do you say, do we still eat? Wasn''t the Imperial Decree issued a bit too hastily today?"


    "Didn''t they just issue one this morning about the Year Beast?"


    "We haven''t even passed noon yet, and the Snow Clan is already invading."


    "Eat first."


    Chen Qiu didn''t seem to care and casually said, "Let''s eat first, then go take a look, no hurry in a moment."


    It just so happened that he was originally planning to test his new spell''s power on Boundless Snow Mountain, so it conveniently fell on his way. Moreover, he had already anticipated the ''Snow Clan invasion,'' as from all four corners


    only the west had not yet been invaded.


    It was quite normal for the west to be invaded.


    But his anticipation for this Snow Clan invasion was clearly not as high as for the Year Beast; whether it was a Demon Race invasion, Evil Clan invasion, or Sea Clan invasion, after resolving the crisis, there were no rewards.


    At most, the Imperial Decree would mention him, praise him, and hold him up as an example to the people.


    Then that was it.


    So his urgency for this Snow Clan invasion was not as great, unlike with the Year Beast, where he had come from far away in Fei City.


    ...


    Soon¡ª


    The food was served, nearly a hundred dishes.


    Each dish looked tempting and appetizing.


    "Let''s eat."


    Chen Qiu looked at the few people waiting for him to start eating and smiled as he lifted a chopstick full of fish and put it into his mouth. After cultivating for so long, he had almost forgotten the worldly flavors; the table filled with dishes cost only three Spirit Stones.


    Of course, it might be even lower.


    After all, he didn''t ask the price but just had Fat Long hand over three Spirit Stones. From the shopkeeper''s reaction, that should have been enough, perhaps even a bit more.


    He tasted a few bites of each dish.


    The flavors were really good.


    Comparable to the lamb soup in Fei City and the cold noodles in Yun City, each had its own merits and were delicious.


    Being a Golden Core cultivator, these foods were disintegrated before they even reached his stomach and were expelled as impurities from his body. Basically, he was just tasting, and even if he did eat all the food, he wouldn''t feel bloated at all.


    Golden Core cultivation, in some ways, completely transcends ordinary humans.


    Five hundred years of lifespan.


    ...


    After a satisfying meal, Chen Qiu stood up, called the scholar, and headed towards Boundless Snow Mountain. Along the way, he saw many Golden Core cultivators flying with Sword Control towards the western Snow Mountain, apparently preparing to participate in this Snow Clan invasion to see if there were any opportunities.


    But he did not see any Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    After all, the journey was too long.


    They would have to cross the Hundred Countries, and with the Spiritual Energy of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, there just wasn''t enough to sustain such a long distance. Even if one continuously consumed Qi Replenishing Pills and forced their way flying with Sword Control, by the time they reached the destination, the Snow Clan invasion would have long been over.

 Chapter 140 Spell, Snowfall._4

    All the Golden Core cultivators they had met along the way had restrained themselves; none had released their Divine Sense, clearly not eager to fight.


    And because they were all at a considerable distance from each other, their faces were not clear.


    Even though the scholar had set out later.


    He still arrived at the Boundless Snow Mountain faster than most of the Golden Core cultivators who had set out earlier; after all, the scholar''s sword was truly fast, plus his Bloodline Entry made him one of the few whose speed could compete with his. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    It was only an hour''s effort.


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    Chen Qiu had already crossed Hundred Countries and reached the Boundless Snow Mountain. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, the mountain range stretching unknown thousands of miles seemed endless, like a moat separating heaven and earth!


    The peaks reached into the clouds, and even his Divine Sense could not find the top of the mountain.


    The entire mountain range from halfway up was covered with thick, heavy snow. You could feel a chill at first glance, with the air carrying a crisp frostiness.


    At this time, it was not snowing.


    The thick snow accumulated halfway up the mountain was from thousands of years of snowfall that had never melted, built up over many years.


    "So this is the Boundless Snow Mountain."


    Chen Qiu stood at the base of the mountain, feeling the majesty of heaven and earth. He suddenly felt very insignificant. People say that man is sure to win over nature, but to what level must one cultivate to shake this mountain range that stretches for tens of thousands of miles?


    His pride in the Thunder Summoning Technique, even if fully unleashed, could blast a huge hole in this mountain range.


    But to the mountain range, it might be like an elephant being poked by a toothpick, barely an itch.


    No edge in sight, no peak in sight.


    When he stood there, for the first time, he felt an intense sense of imprisonment, a feeling that was very mild inside Da Xia. After all, Da Xia was vast, with nineteen provinces to roam, but when you truly stood under the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    The feeling of powerlessness was shockingly profound.


    However...


    "Where are the Snow Clan?"


    Chen Qiu quickly calmed his mind and scanned his surroundings with some puzzlement. He hadn''t forgotten his purpose, which wasn''t to marvel at the grandeur of the Boundless Snow Mountain. He was here to deal with the Snow Clan invasion.


    Wasn''t it said that the Snow Clan was invading?


    Yet, so far, not a single Snow Clan member was in sight.


    At this time, there were also quite a few people standing below the Boundless Snow Mountain range. Most were Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Golden Core cultivators from Hundred Countries, with only about a dozen Golden Core cultivators from Da Xia Country because the Snow Clan crisis had first struck Hundred Countries, so naturally, they were more proactive.


    But just then¡ª


    "BOOM!!"


    A deafening sound like thunder suddenly erupted above the Boundless Snow Mountain. Then, a layer of snow that hadn''t melted for thousands of years suddenly collapsed from halfway up the mountain and slid down to the base.


    "No way..."


    Fat Long''s eyes flickered with shock, his lips twitching slightly.


    Immediately after!


    One piece, two pieces, three pieces!


    Countless layers of ancient snow from the mountain top of the Boundless Snow Mountain, stretching unknown thousands of miles, slid toward the base.


    An avalanche!


    And it was an avalanche from a snow mountain stretching thousands of miles, all at the same time!


    The snow on the Boundless Snow Mountain had not melted for who knows how many years. Such a violent and exaggerated avalanche could even engulf ten or twenty or even more countries within Hundred Countries!


    Luckily, only a few thousand miles of this mountain range tens of thousands of miles long had avalanched. Unfortunately, even this few thousand miles of avalanche was enough to cause countless deaths and injuries in Hundred Countries.


    This was a natural disaster.


    It simply couldn''t be stopped by human efforts.


    "Let''s go!"


    Chen Qiu immediately prepared to turn around and leave this place, rushing towards the nearby Hundred Countries at top speed. It was certain he couldn''t escape, as those ordinary people''s speeds couldn''t match that of the devastating avalanche.


    But finding a place to hide might still allow them to dodge this calamity and wait for rescue after the avalanche had stopped.


    He couldn''t block it.


    This was a natural disaster, not something that human strength could withstand.


    If he were a Nascent Soul cultivator, he might have been able to withstand it, but he knew that as a Golden Core cultivator at the peak of Great Perfection, he definitely could not withstand this disaster; it wasn''t a crisis that a Golden Core cultivator could resolve.


    He had originally thought that the invasion of the Snow Clan was similar to that of the Sea Clan ¨C a demon beast invasion. He hadn''t expected it to actually be a natural disaster.


    But just as he was about to turn away,


    "Brother Qiu... look."


    Fat Long stood rooted to the spot, his face full of shock, pointing towards the middle of the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    The avalanche rolling down from the mountain, accompanied by a flurry of snow splashing into the air, brought a chill that everyone beneath the mountain felt. Suddenly, those snow blocks transformed into human forms.


    They turned into snowmen wielding ice swords, charging toward them.


    This wasn''t an avalanche.


    The snowflakes had formed into snowmen, a creature they couldn''t understand; they weren''t even aware that snowmen existed, usually blending in with the heavy snow and living on the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    Or was it that after the "Snow Clan invasion" started, this heavy snow had begun to morph into snowmen?


    But Chen Qiu knew one thing.


    That was, once the avalanche that seemed like the sky falling had turned all its snow into snowmen, the originally unstoppable force of nature carried by the avalanche disappeared, turning into groups of snowmen continuously rushing down from the mountain top towards them.


    If it were an avalanche, he indeed couldn''t do anything.


    But if it were snowmen... then he didn''t need to leave.


    ...


    Chen Qiu faced the countless snowmen charging down from the Snow Mountain, stopped in his tracks, and spiritual energy surged within him as he fully activated "Snowfall," a spell he had recently learned.


    In an instant.


    A massive amount of goose feather-like snow covered hundreds of miles.


    The arrival of this snow was extremely sudden, but as soon as the cultivators felt the snow freezing their inner spiritual energy, many of them realized it wasn''t real snow but the spell "Snowfall."


    Many recognized this spell¡ªit was, after all, a signature spell of Magic Practitioners.


    However... the cultivators looked towards Chen Qiu with complex expressions. They had never seen a Magic Practitioner use this spell to cover hundreds of miles.


    While airborne, Chen Qiu kept teleporting to replenish his spiritual energy while observing how the snowy figures reacted to the falling snow.


    He was just trying it out.


    To see if "Snowfall" would have any effect on these snowmen, and indeed it did, but the effect was weak; basically, it was negligible since snowmen were originally made of snow and naturally had high immunity to attacks from such spells made of heavy snow.


    However...


    The experiment was done.


    Chen Qiu glanced around at the hundreds of miles covered in goose feather snow, his expression quite satisfied as he chuckled lightly. The range of the spell was indeed vast, mainly because he had released it many times.


    A normal Cultivator couldn''t achieve such an extensive range.


    The snowflakes were also quite dense, making it quite a beautiful sight.


    It just wasn''t very suitable to use at this time.


    This spell could only last for three hundred breaths; after three hundred breaths, it would dissipate.


    After three hundred breaths, Chen Qiu''s inner spiritual energy would also be fully restored, accompanying his spiritual energy as it surged out wildly.


    Suddenly, a massive cloud appeared high in the sky, but this cloud was only as high as halfway up the mountain, much lower than the Boundless Snow Mountain.

 Chapter 141

    Accompanied by a sudden surge of dark clouds over the Boundless Snow Mountain, the fluffy snow had just scattered when a downpour followed immediately after!


    One hundred thousand Thunder Dragons roared out from the black clouds, bombarding the Snowman army on the Boundless Snow Mountain below!!!


    "Boom!!"


    Along with the massive explosion, countless snowmen were blasted into fragments, turning back into snowflakes that covered the surface of the Snow Mountain.


    Most of the Spiritual Energy fluctuations on those snowmen were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with only a sparse few at the Golden Core Stage, and under Chen Qiu''s one hundred thousand Thunder Dragons, those at the Golden Core Stage below level five had basically no difference from those at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    At most, Divine Sense would lock onto a Golden Core Snowman and specifically rain down a few hundred more Thunder Dragons.


    Immediately following¡ª¡ª


    The entire Boundless Snow Mountain seemed to become Chen Qiu''s personal stage, as he continuously teleported high in the sky, quickly recovering his Spiritual Energy with each move, never waiting for full recovery before using whatever he had.


    Countless Thunder Dragons relentlessly bombarded the middle section of the mountain.


    ...


    Meanwhile, the cultivators who had been preparing to act behind Chen Qiu now stood silently in place. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to help, but they felt it was unnecessary. Their spells hadn''t even hit the snowmen before they were pulverized by Chen Qiu''s Thunder Dragons.


    Those Thunder Dragons didn''t discriminate between friend and foe; anyone who stepped into their attack range became a target.


    Spare none.


    Spare none.


    And Chen Qiu''s Spiritual Energy seemed inexhaustible, endless. What Magic Practitioners lack most is Spiritual Energy. Once this limitation is removed, even if your Spells have minimal power, you can still unleash extremely potent Attack Methods.


    Especially when...


    Chen Qiu''s spell power was not just small but was many times greater than that of ordinary cultivators.


    To say nothing else, they hadn''t seen anyone''s Thunder Summoning Technique as thick as his.


    Even the Heavenly Punishment didn''t dare to strike with such ferocity. It was a bit outrageous.


    ...


    "How nice."


    Fat Long, standing at the foot of the mountain, unfurled a paper umbrella with a contemplative look on his face and exclaimed, "Fighting alongside Brother Qiu, it''s either windy or raining, and from time to time, there''s even snow."


    "Romantic."


    He was protected by Protective Spirit Qi, so naturally, the rain wouldn''t wet his clothing.


    But holding a paper umbrella in such heavy rain seemed to add more atmosphere.


    However, he quickly no longer needed the umbrella, as the next moment, a violent wind tossed his paper umbrella into the air, shredding it to pieces before sweeping the fragments away into the distance. In such a Storm, the paper umbrella stood no chance of survival.


    "Pretty good."


    ...


    Thus, Chen Qiu had no idea how long he had been killing, only that it had gotten dark.


    It was even past midnight.


    He had received tonight''s ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and finally, when he could no longer see any demon beasts, a voice rang in his ears.


    -


    Heavenly Dao Decree: Snow Clan invasion concludes.


    Human Clan Cultivator, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, peerless Heavenly Pride ''Chen Qiu,'' single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Snow Clan, protecting the masses,


    His admirable heart and strength make people respect him, and light a way for all to follow.


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    As the voice echoed, it signified that the Snow Clan invasion had come to an end.


    At this moment, countless cultivators at the foot of the mountain gazed towards Chen Qiu with complex emotions, their stares hard to decipher. With Chen Qiu there, they didn''t even have the courage to act. Although they had seen many recordings of Chen Qiu''s exploits,


    Only when you see it with your own eyes,


    Can you truly feel that overwhelming presence.


    After ending the Snow Clan invasion, Chen Qiu didn''t hesitate and dashed toward the base of the mountain, lifting up a few people who were standing there, and then shot toward the Boundless Snow Mountain, entering the small world halfway up.


    ...


    "Brother Qiu."


    Fat Long stood on the back mountain of Chao Tian Sect with a frown, a hint of confusion in his voice, "There are no rewards for dealing with the Snow Clan invasion this time? Isn''t that doing work for nothing?"


    "No."


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    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, unable to suppress a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth as he looked at the cloud-covered panel above his Dantian.


    Indeed, there were no rewards given for this Snow Clan invasion, and those Snow Clan members didn''t count as demon beasts, so there was no increase in his Dantian capacity. But... it wasn''t entirely fruitless, as killing the Snow Clan added to his Cultivation Progress.


    Before the Snow Clan invasion, his Cultivation Progress was at Golden Core Stage level five (94.3%).


    But after resolving the Snow Clan crisis, his Cultivation Progress astonishingly reached¡ª¡ª


    -


    ''Cultivation'': Golden Core Stage level six (70.0%).


    -


    Not only did it allow his Cultivation to smoothly break through to the sixth level of the Golden Core Stage, but it also brought him within a step''s reach of the seventh level. He had just received another ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Based on this progress, in a few days, he could enter the seventh level of the Golden Core Stage.


    At that time, he would truly be a late-stage Golden Core Cultivator.


    This reward alone was already quite generous.


    But at that moment¡ª¡ª


    Another voice once again resounded in the ears of all cultivators in Da Xia and the Hundred Countries.


    -


    Heavenly Dao Decree: In recognition of the ''Four Calamities'' of the Human Clan¡ª''Demon Race Invasion,'' ''Evil Clan Invasion,'' ''Sea Clan Invasion,'' ''Snow Clan Invasion,'' Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, unparalleled Heavenly Pride ''Chen Qiu,'' has been acknowledged as the ''Human Clan''s Guardian God'' for his efforts to turn the tides and protect the masses!


    With a person''s power, he sheltered all beings under heaven.


    Such heroic deeds are rare in this world.


    He is granted ''A Wisp of Heavenly Pride Fortune,'' and all shall take this as an example.


    -


    "Hm?"


    Chen Qiu, who was meditating in the small world, heard the voice and was briefly stunned, a trace of shock crossing his eyes. He had thought that the biggest gain from the Snow Clan invasion was the advancement in his Cultivation Progress.


    But to think, there was an even better surprise in store?

 Chapter 142

    ```


    "You... You''re domineering!"


    Chen Qiu''s words left the Golden Core cultivators, who had been ready to follow and reap the benefits, trembling with frustration.


    They couldn''t beat him.


    And they didn''t dare to curse him either.


    The other party was in a good mood at the moment, using the "Snowfall," a crowd control spell. If his mood turned sour later, tens of thousands of Thunder Summoning Techniques might come raining down, which would be a completely different problem.


    Even the "Snowfall," a control spell that hardly caused any damage, was hard to withstand for too long. Stay too long and not only would one''s Spiritual Energy be completely frozen, but their life could also be at risk.


    So¡ª


    These Golden Core cultivators, who could be considered tyrannical and used to getting their way wherever they went, exchanged glances, cursed silently in their hearts, and immediately turned into streaks of light, fleeing far away without looking back.


    They were all old predecessors with lifespans of several hundred years.


    To be so strongly challenged by a junior whose bones weren''t even thirty years old was definitely frustrating, but there was nothing they could do. In the world of cultivation, strength was king.


    It wasn''t about who lived longer.


    They could only sigh deeply in their hearts.


    The era that belonged to them had truly passed¡ªor perhaps, it had never belonged to them at all.


    ...


    "Chen Qiu has already reached the fifth level of Golden Core Cultivation."


    In the Capital, within the Caotian Sect, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect listened absentmindedly to the news from the Boundless Snow Mountain, not quite understanding why some could cultivate so quickly.


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    Back in the day.


    The Spiritual Energy within Caotian Sect was considered abundant. When he first stepped into the realm of Golden Core, his ambitions were high. He built a Spirit Gathering Array with a large number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones to improve his Cultivation, and he also purchased Golden Core Cultivation Pills at a high price. Even so, it took him a year and a half of painstaking cultivation to reach the second level of Golden Core.


    But Chen Qiu¡ª


    How could he progress so rapidly?


    Almost every time he heard news about Chen Qiu, the latter''s Cultivation had grown immensely, so much so that it seemed unreasonable, as if all Chen Qiu needed to do was eat and sleep and his Cultivation would naturally increase.


    He had spent a total of more than forty Mid-grade Spirit Stones at that time.


    Once he reached the second level of Golden Core, his high spirits gradually dissipated. Spending so many Mid-grade Spirit Stones did not increase his Cultivation significantly faster; it also depleted much of his own foundation. Although he still had some Mid-grade Spirit Stones left, he was no longer willing to use them to set up a Spirit Gathering Array for advancing his Cultivation.


    And so, he just settled.


    Many didn''t understand why a Golden Core cultivator would just settle. When you know that you''ll never reach the realm of Nascent Soul in this lifetime, and you''ve seen countless stronger Heavenly Prides, and spending a large number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones still leaves you with slow Cultivation progress¡ª


    You''d just settle too, thinking that''s good enough for life.


    Just like that.


    He had spent a year and a half advancing from the first to the second level of Golden Core, but it took him over fifty years to move from the second to the current fourth level of Golden Core. While part of the reason was his reluctance to use Mid-grade Spirit Stones again¡ª


    The more important reason¡ª


    Was that with each higher level of the nine levels of Golden Core, the speed of Cultivation advancement would become extremely slow.


    If he remembered correctly¡ª


    Chen Qiu should be the first person in nearly a hundred years to reach the fifth level of Golden Core Cultivation before the age of thirty.


    Perhaps, this is the significance of an unparalleled Heavenly Pride, always causing other prides and even the old predecessors to often feel ashamed. The only consolation was that he had a good relationship with Chen Qiu, who had even exchanged a few smiling words with him last time.


    This honor was truly rare.


    As far as he knew¡ª


    There weren''t many who were still alive after talking with Chen Qiu, let alone sharing laughter in conversation.


    If the Caotian Sect ever faced a calamity in the future, if he thickened his skin and sought out Chen Qiu, Chen Qiu probably wouldn''t just stand by and watch. After all, what might be a sect-destroying catastrophe for Caotian Sect would probably be a trivial matter for Chen Qiu.


    "Sigh."


    Thinking of this¡ª


    The Sect Master of Heaven Sect couldn''t help but sigh deeply with a complex expression, sending out his Divine Sense to look at Zhao Yishi not far away on the back mountain. Using his Disguise Skill to lie in the forest, pretending to be a natural hot spring, he let the female disciples of his sect swim to their heart''s content in his mouth. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Life was truly unpredictable.


    The first time he heard the name Chen Qiu was long ago, when Chen Qiu was still in Fufeng City. He learned of Chen Qiu from Zhao Yishi, being criticizing for Zhao''s former cowardice in battle.


    The first time he saw Chen Qiu''s image was during the demon invasion of Fufeng City. At that time, Chen Qiu was only at the Foundation Establishment level, standing on a Flying Sword and slaughtering Demon Clan cultivators with the Thunder Summoning Technique as if mowing down grass.


    The first time he met Chen Qiu in person was in Fei City of Fei State, by which time Chen Qiu had already started making a name for himself, having obtained the inheritance of a Magic Practitioner that no one had claimed for a thousand years. When they met, Chen Qiu was already at the eight level of Foundation Establishment.


    In front of him, Chen Qiu was rather humble, calling himself a junior. That was the first time he heard Chen Qiu refer to himself as a junior in front of him, and it would probably be the last. The next time they met, it might be him who would have to call himself the junior.


    At that time, even though Chen Qiu was only at the eight level of Foundation Establishment and saw him at the fourth level of Golden Core, there wasn''t much fear in his eyes, he was neither servile nor overbearing, as if he was confident that he could counterattack even if he were attacked.


    When he saw Chen Qiu again, Chen Qiu had already become famous, having achieved the fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core. He had broken through to the first level of Golden Core, officially becoming one of Da Xia Country''s famed Heavenly Prides!


    ```

 Chapter 143 His name is Chen Qiu, and he time-traveled not long ago.

    Under the empowerment of 9.8 billion merit points, he found it hard to believe how fast his movement technique could be. The scholar''s sword definitely couldn''t catch up to him. He was sure he''d need a lot of defensive magical treasures to handle it; otherwise, with such speed, he was afraid he wouldn''t be able to control himself and might end up crashing to his death.


    This wasn''t an impossible occurrence.


    In fact, one could say there was a high probability of it happening.


    In the end,


    As the ten breaths were about to end, he chose the "Merit Protection" entry. Not too shabby; he was quite satisfied with it. Although this entry didn''t seem of much use now, when he broke through to a higher realm later and faced the Heavenly Tribulation, it would show its true value.


    It could be considered a long-term entry.


    After selecting the entry,


    Chen Qiu, who was standing on the mountain peak behind Chao Tian Sect, finally got up, stretched his muscles and bones, and pondered whether to go out for a stroll.


    Though Chao Tian Sect was a small world of its own with nice scenery,


    it couldn''t withstand those two peculiar flowers that released resentful energy and demonic qi every day, casting a gloomy atmosphere over Chao Tian Sect. Although it had no effect on the body, it always felt less sunny. It seemed better to go out and enjoy the sunlight.


    "Hmm,"


    After pondering for a while, Chen Qiu decided to go out for breakfast and see if "Xiangyang City" had any special morning dishes to offer, as dawn had just arrived.


    ...


    Xiangyang City, at a food stall.


    Chen Qiu and his companions sat at a stall specializing in lamb shaomai, a local delicacy found only in Xiangyang City throughout Da Xia Country. In other provinces, the shaomai was mostly made of glutinous rice.


    Only in Xiangyang City was there a tradition of eating lamb shaomai.


    "Not bad."


    Chen Qiu took out a handkerchief to wipe off the grease at the corner of his mouth. He didn''t eat much¡ªtrying just a few to savor the taste was enough. The flavor was quite distinct from Hai Province''s glutinous rice seafood shaomai, with no clear winner in terms of taste; he enjoyed both.


    After his stroll, it was time to continue cultivating.


    ...


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    In the blink of an eye, ten days had swiftly passed by.


    During these days, Chen Qiu, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed in a guest room at an inn in Xiangyang City, turned his head towards the window and saw the dawn breaking in the sky, exhaling a long breath of turbid air.


    He had been rigorously cultivating day and night over the ten days.


    Whenever a Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was credited to his account, he would absorb its medicinal essence to enhance his cultivation. When without the pills, he would refine his fine control over Divine Sense and Spiritual Energy.


    Finally,


    Until this morning, he had successfully broken through to the eighth level of Golden Core!


    "The speed seems to be much faster than I anticipated,"


    Chen Qiu looked at the cultivation progress panel within his Dantian, pondering. He had been worried whether he would be able to break through to Golden Core Peak Great Perfection before the opening of the Heavenly Pride Path in a year''s time.


    He didn''t want to be beaten up for having a low cultivation level when the time came.


    Unexpectedly, in less than a month, he had already reached the eighth level of Golden Core.


    With this progress, what he should be considering now was not whether he could reach Golden Core Peak Great Perfection before the opening of the Heavenly Pride Path but whether he might directly breakthrough to Nascent Soul before it began.


    That would render him unable to participate, as the Heavenly Pride Path was only open to cultivators with a Nascent Soul cultivation level or below.


    "That seems a bit unfair,"


    He shook his head. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Golden Core heavenly prides were still heavenly prides; wasn''t he still one if he became a Nascent Soul heavenly pride?


    It''s illogical.


    Not dwelling on it further, he introspected the panel shrouded in mist within himself.


    -


    "Cultivation has surged, officially stepping into the eighth level of Golden Core."


    "Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry name": Burning with Jealousy.


    "Entry level": Green.


    "Entry effect": The attacks you inflict on cultivators with a Taoist couple will receive a slight damage bonus.


    2:


    "Entry name": Life Spirit Conversion.


    "Entry level": Yellow.


    "Entry effect": When your Spiritual Energy is depleted, you can use your lifespan to cast spells in place of Spiritual Energy.


    3:


    "Entry name": Adding Fuel to the Fire.


    "Entry level": Yellow.


    "Entry effect": Your Ice Magic spells will receive an enhancement.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s expression was somewhat speechless. He couldn''t believe that with his Golden Core eighth level cultivation, he could still randomly encounter a green entry, a common find for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Had he not looked at the almanac today? He felt his luck was a bit off.


    Before choosing an entry in the future, he''d better check the almanac first.


    The first two entries were of no use, so there was no need to consider them. Just pick the last entry.


    Forget it.


    Just as he was about to continue his cultivation, he suddenly heard a commotion from within the small world; it was the shopkeeper calling for him.


    Although somewhat puzzled, he still moved his thoughts and appeared within Chao Tian Sect.


    ...


    Chao Tian Sect, outside the disciple dormitory.


    Chen Qiu looked at the middle-aged shopkeeper whose face was so pale it was frightening, with horrifying red blood vessels filling his eyes, and couldn''t help but shake his head resignedly while passing over a few Healing Pills, "Shopkeeper, there was no need for such haste, take it slowly."


    "Didn''t I say it was okay if it took three to five years to open the storage ring?"


    "I''m kind of worried you might drop dead suddenly."


    This man was now his precious asset; many storage ring prohibitions couldn''t be broken by others but this man could manage.


    Where others failed to break the prohibitions, this man could; where others succeeded, this man was even faster.


    "I''ve broken through!"


    Although the middle-aged shopkeeper''s complexion was extremely pale, his eyes revealed a terrifying excitement, "I had an epiphany last night, suddenly had an epiphany, ha ha ha ha ha, Young Master, quick, take a look!"


    "Oh?"


    Chen Qiu''s eyes showed a hint of surprise. It was a task they said would take three to five years, yet after just more than a dozen days, it had been broken through?

 Chapter 143 His name is Chen Qiu, and he traveled through time not long ago._2

    This storage ring was something he picked up from Little Wolf''s mouth.


    It was also his first encounter with such a complexly sealed storage ring.


    He was really curious about what was inside at that moment.


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    "Let me see."


    He took over the storage ring, and his Divine Sense immediately delved inside, while the middle-aged shopkeeper, knowing his place, returned to the disciple dormitory again.


    The storage ring was essentially empty, containing only a brocade bag.


    Inside the brocade bag was just a piece of paper and a small fruit. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The brocade bag had no restrictions; he pulled out a faded piece of paper with several lines of poorly handwritten characters on it.


    "My name is Chen Qiu. If you are reading this, it means I am already dead."


    "...Okay then."


    Chen Qiu stood silently in place, feeling as if he had seen a ghost, and continued reading.


    "Nine is the ultimate number."


    "I failed nine times, the last time, I went to a temple to ask the gods if I could succeed on my tenth attempt."


    "I tossed the Holy Grail nine times, and the gods denied me nine times."


    "I destroyed all the temples in Da Xia."


    "If I believe in him, he is a deity."


    "If I do not believe in him, he is just a clay statue."


    "One last time, try one last time."


    "I left all my foundations for the last time, ordered by the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, in the small world, the Seven-colored entry Step by Step, the only entry Dantian Expansion, twelve-grade Golden Core, the Five Great Demon Lotus, countless merits... etc."


    "They say that nine is the ultimate number, beyond nine, there is bound to be failure."


    "I, do not believe."


    "..."


    "This time is also the last, there''s no time anymore, no chance to start from scratch again."


    "If I fail again this time, then it might... really be over."


    "Just a bit unwilling."


    "..."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu sat on the steps in front of the disciple dormitory, silently not speaking for a long time, and after a while, he looked up toward the two Demon Lotuses half-floating in the air of Chao Tian Sect, his expression calm as he gently rubbed the faded piece of paper in his hand.


    There was a lot of information recorded on this faded piece of paper, so much so that he was somewhat unable to understand it all at once.


    ...


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    Today was the thirty-first day since his arrival, and after laboriously chopping wood for thirty days, he had finally saved more than two thousand coins in his pocket, allowing him to rent a small house in this unfamiliar city.


    Chopping wood was really tiring.


    Fortunately, he had learned how to chop people.


    He had just traveled through time, and at this time, there was no Da Xia, and the version of Heavenly Dao had not yet updated to the Da Xia version. It was still the era of sects, clans, and cities standing together. He had randomly obtained a White entry at the start.


    He cultivated up to the third level of Foundation Establishment and, by chance, obtained the entry "Start from Scratch" during a venture into a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    This entry allowed him to lose all memories, entries, cultivation, etc., and return to the time and place of his birth, start from scratch, and even have his lifespan and bone age reset, as well as recover all injuries and hidden injuries on his body.


    In a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Surrounded by thieves and gravely injured, he activated this entry, transforming into a beam of white light and returning to the place where he first arrived in this world, which was Fufeng City.


    ...


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    He had already reincarnated once; this was his second reincarnation, but he did not know that. Just like before, he picked up an axe and energetically headed to the outskirts of Fufeng City.


    He chopped wood for twenty-nine days.


    On the thirtieth day, he chopped a person.


    He had earned enough to buy a potion. This lifetime, he had randomly obtained the White entry "Bull Strength," a completely useless White entry, but he did not mind or despair.


    It was a tough climb upwards, and in this lifetime, it was his worst.


    It took him three whole years to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, becoming an array repairer in the marketplace, making Array Plates daily, and occasionally taking Array Plates to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm to ambush others.


    While at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, the marketplace was destroyed by a Golden Core, and as he was about to die, he looked into the eyes of that Golden Core without much hatred, just feeling a bit unwilling; if he too were a Golden Core, who could have killed him?


    Just before dying.


    He discovered that somehow, the entry "Start from Scratch" had appeared on his Tao Foundation¡ªsomething he still didn''t know, that once chosen, this entry, regardless of how many times you reincarnate, would follow you and appear nine times, giving you nine chances to reincarnate.


    A flash of white light.


    Before the Golden Core slaughtered the entire marketplace, he once again returned to Fufeng City, and by then, it had been decades since his first life, with no one caring about a Loose Cultivator who died in a Secret Realm or an array repairer of the Foundation Establishment who died in the marketplace.


    ...


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    This was his third life, but he still did not know it; he just felt that he had just traveled through time.


    With great enthusiasm, he chopped wood for twenty-nine days and on the thirtieth day, he chopped a person again.


    Once more, he had earned enough for a potion of awakening.


    This life, his Initial Entry was the White entry "Surrounded," and in this life, it took him fifty years to finally reach the Golden Core Path, only to learn that in Da Xia, it was impossible to cultivate to the Nascent Soul.


    He was unwilling.


    After reaching the second level of Golden Core, unable to advance his cultivation further, he died of old age.


    Just before death, the entry "Start from Scratch" mysteriously appeared on his Tao Foundation again, and in a trance, turn into a beam of white light and disappear, once again returning to Fufeng City.


    ...


    ...


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    This was his sixth life; this lifetime, he had already discovered the truth about Da Xia Country, but even though this lifetime he was a peak Great Perfection body cultivator of Golden Core, he also knew, with his power, he could not break out of this cage.

 Chapter 143 His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._3

    After he had advanced to the Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak, he found a heavenly treasure known as the "Ling Fruit," which restored all his memories from his past life, revealing his experiences from his previous lives and his own goals.


    In this life, he found the ruins of the Chao Tian Sect.


    However, he did not assume the position of Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, knowing that he had reached his limit in this life. He decided to leave his opportunities for the next life, and before his life ran out, the term "start from scratch" emerged again in his Golden Core.


    He left all the opportunities he encountered in this life for his seventh incarnation.


    At that time, Xia Country had just been established. He supported the Xia family to ascend to the throne, and he allowed the one seated on the throne to possess numerous Heavenly Dao Terms with no negative effects, thus ensuring the Royal Family''s foundation was solid.


    And he commanded them to safeguard Xia.


    By then, he was known as the Emperor''s Tutor.


    ...


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had transmigrated not long ago.


    This was his eighth life.


    He reappeared in Fufeng City but was captured before he could even begin chopping wood and was sold as a slave to a small village in the Hundred Countries.


    After spending a year as a slave and a year grinding his sword skills.


    He escaped. His Initial Entry was "Sword Heart Clarity." in this life, he became the number one Sword Cultivator in the world. Cloaked in white, he killed until people dared not speak loudly; while at the sixth level of Golden Core cultivation, he challenged the Nascent Soul cultivation level puppet again.


    Defeated, he retreated heavily wounded.


    He knew that Sword Cultivators couldn''t break the Da Xia prison, Chao Tian Sect being the absolute Sword Cultivation sect, the puppets they created were also purely Sword Cultivation puppets, too adept at combating Sword Cultivators.


    Sword Cultivators could not fight beyond their level.


    Body Cultivation was also ineffective; the murderous Sword Qi of the resentful spirit Sword Cultivation puppet made it impossible for Body Cultivators to get close.


    It had to be a Magic Practitioner, one who could avoid the Sword Qi from a distance and deal substantial damage to the puppet.


    Also needed was a sufficiently powerful Sword Cultivator to decapitate the puppet, as the Nascent Soul level puppet was equipped with a Sword Array that could only be slain by a Sword Cultivator.


    In this life.


    After standing silently at the Sword Cultivation Inheritance Fifth Level in the Boundless Ice Field for a long time, he eventually chose to give up under the puzzled gaze of the Guardian.


    He was already strong enough; the Sword Cultivation inheritance increased his strength only marginally, but even with it, the Nascent Soul puppet was insurmountable. He decided to leave this inheritance for his future-selected Sword Cultivation prodigy, so that they could get stronger using it.


    In this life¡ª


    He breezed through countless Secret Realms and learned the method to form a twelfth-grade Golden Core, lost for tens of thousands of years.


    He left these things, including the numerous merits brought by the twelfth-grade Golden Core and an exceptionally suitable term for Magic Practitioners, "Dantian Expansion (Unique)," all for his ninth life.


    And at the sixth level of the Golden Core, he chose to give up, knowing he had taken the wrong path. Even if his Cultivation was raised to the peak of the Golden Core, he could still not break the prison, and time was short. He decided to leave enough time for his ninth life.


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    Ninth life.


    Start from scratch.


    Only the strongest Magic Practitioner and a sufficiently strong Sword Cultivator could break the massive prison of Da Xia. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had transmigrated not long ago.


    This was his ninth life.


    But in this life, he did not go chop wood.


    Upon waking up, he was immediately presented with copious documents left by his previous lives, and with all this information, he understood the events of his prior eight lives. In this life, his Initial Entry was "Nonsense."


    By deceiving others, he could gain Cultivation Progress. He did not receive any terms suitable for a Magic Practitioner.


    In this life, he became the State Preceptor.


    A century passed.


    He had once tried to lay down a massive heavenly array across Xia, using official paths as channels, people''s faith as the guide, and the nation''s fate as the base to exterminate those several Nascent Soul puppets, but ended in failure.


    Time was running out; there was no time to attempt it again.


    He placed all his hopes on his tenth life.


    He found the "Seven-colored Step by Step" Jade Scroll. If crushed at the moment of his death, the Initial Entry for the next life would definitely be Step by Step.


    He began to painstakingly lay the groundwork for his tenth and final life.


    He transformed the "Chao Tian Sect ruins" discovered in his sixth life into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm using the term "Acting on behalf of Heaven" and set it near the Wen Tian market.


    Time was running out.


    He timed its opening for thirty days after his tenth life had awakened, because he knew, barring any accidents, that he had to first chop wood for 29 days; he knew this schedule was tight but there was not enough time.


    This time, he did not plan to leave extensive documents detailing the events of his previous lives as had been done in his eighth life, because he realized that it might actually disturb his mental state and lead to many mistakes.


    He believed his tenth life could break through the final barrier, seize the position of Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, and take over this small world.


    He again used the term "Acting on behalf of Heaven" to set up a "Kill" type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, the Small World of Beans and Peas, in Fufeng City, 30 days after his tenth life awoke. He knew that with his personality, as long as there was a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he would definitely go.


    He bet that he could survive it,


    and used it as his first pot of gold.


    To ensure that his tenth life faced no unforeseen events and could smoothly embark on the path of ascension from Fufeng City rather than being captured and sold as a slave to the Hundred Countries like in his eighth life, during his life as the ninth State Preceptor, he eradicated all the human trafficking gangs.


    And he ruthlessly suppressed the Hundred Countries, especially those close to Fufeng City.


    So that the petty criminals and the Northern Desert Demon Clan would not dare approach Da Xia Xuzhou.


    Not for any other reason,


    but to ensure his tenth life could follow the path he had laid out without any problems.

 Chapter 143 His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._4

    Almost there... Almost there...


    Only one Sword Cultivator is lacking to deal the final blow to the Puppet, and in this life, the Ninth National Master chose Bai Yi, his fervent fan and the follower who even named himself after him.


    A very talented young Sword Cultivator.


    And he also has a Bloodline Entry.


    It''s just that his foundation is a bit weak; to become the strongest Sword Cultivator, one cannot do without fortuitous encounters.


    He also arranged some fortuitous encounters for this youngster named Bai Yi.


    The Sword Cultivator inheritance that the Eighth National Master did not want is as good as his.


    But...


    To pass the Sword Cultivator inheritance, one cannot do without experiencing great rises and falls.


    He planted a hook in the heart of the Heavenly Dao''s foremost beauty Ji Renjian, causing her subconscious to believe that the man she loved was not Ji Taiping but the one who silently protected her all the way, even though Ji Renjian mistook that person for Ji Taiping.


    He influenced Bai Yi''s mind, ensuring Bai Yi would escort Ji Renjian all the way; otherwise, with that kid''s temperament, he would never have done such a thing.


    And at the last moment, he made Bai Yi realize that his will had been influenced, leading him to withdraw and leave.


    That would be enough.


    Then, he ordered the Capital City Zhang Family to hunt down Bai Yi, leaving him crippled and with drastically reduced Cultivation, before banishing him to the Ask-the-Sky Market, patiently awaiting the arrival of his tenth incarnation.


    Bai Yi''s Bloodline Entry could serve as an excellent method of expedited travel for his tenth life and also provide the final blow when shattering the Nascent Soul Puppet later on.


    As long as Bai Yi obtains the Sword Cultivator inheritance.


    And after breaking through to the Golden Core, he acquires the opportunity with Ji Renjian, which he had arranged for Bai Yi long ago, allowing Bai Yi''s power to surge. Similarly, he had already prepared for Bai Yi the whetstone in the form of Ji Taiping, to smoothly enter the Human Sword Unity realm.


    But... it''s still not enough.


    He prepared five Demon Lotuses for his tenth life, the same ones unearthed from the Chao Tian Sect heritage, but they are all just seedlings that must be placed in a specific environment to grow to maturity.


    Four are hidden in the Forbidden Land, one within the body of a woman¡ªthe Demon Clan Saintess, the true Demon Clan Saintess.


    Captured before the Chao Tian Sect voluntarily imprisoned itself thousands of years ago, she lay frozen deep behind the mountains of the Chao Tian Sect.


    He excavated her and altered all her memories.


    The body of the Demon Clan Saintess is the optimal soil for growing the "Eight-petal Demon Lotus."


    The condition is...


    The condition is that it needs to ferment slowly in an extremely desperate state of mind, but one cannot be desperate all the time. A sliver of minor redemption is required; otherwise, the Saintess and the Eight-petal Demon Lotus would self-destruct together. Once enough time has passed to ferment, when that thread of salvation is extinguished, along with the fall of the Witch, the Eight-petal Demon Lotus will be fully matured.


    Thus, he once again influenced the mind of this little girl, pushing her to become the Flower Offering Sect''s Walking Heavenly Girl.


    It''s just that he no longer had time to find someone to give that sliver of redemption to the Walking Heavenly Girl.


    He left the task to his trusted followers who remained in the palace.


    He left behind a brocade bag.


    If everything went according to plan, the Eight-petal Demon Lotus would have been ready to mature sufficiently by the end of the "Heavenly Pride Leaderboard." At that time, just destroy that thread of redemption, and the Eight-petal Demon Lotus will immediately reach full maturity!


    Still not enough... Still not enough...


    ...


    "...How interesting." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu looked at the fruit core in his hand, savoring the taste of the "Ling Fruit" he had just devoured. Not bad, a mix of sour and sweet. Beneath this Ling Fruit tree, he had restored all the memories of his previous lives.


    Within his once-clear pupils, a trace of world-weariness slowly emerged.


    He stood up from the small world and sat at the summit of the highest peak within Pingzhou, gazing absently at the horizon. He plucked a foxtail and put it in his mouth, slowly chewing without speaking.


    A thousand years ago, it was his first transmigration.


    Reborn through nine lives, his sole goal was to break out of this Da Xia prison to see the outside world.


    He had once, as a Loose Cultivator, knelt before a Golden Core cultivator begging for his life.


    He had also dressed in Bai Yi, holding a blue sword, killing until no one in the world dared to speak loudly.


    Even as the State Preceptor sitting in the palace, he schemed against all under heaven and laid out plans for ten lifetimes.


    All these were him, traces he left behind, still recorded in unofficial histories, sometimes even brought up by storytellers.


    After memory restoration.


    He also clearly understood that the opportunities he gained in this life were all arranged by his actions as the Ninth National Master. Now, it seemed that his plans back then had not all succeeded.


    Many plans had failed.


    For instance, the most important three opportunities were "Seven-colored entry Step by Step," "Caotian Sect small world," and "Dantian Expansion (unique)," all of which he had obtained successfully, and many subsequent opportunities were based on these three.


    But... Thunder Summoning Technique, Self-Destruction Term, Ten Layers of Spellcasting, these methods that would substantially enhance his combat power, were unexpected gains.


    There were many more surprises.


    For example, the method for achieving the Twelve-Grade Golden Core was actually left in the secret chamber of the Huang Family in Fufeng City. All he had to do was follow the plan to exterminate the Huang Family, and he could obtain it, but... At that time, he simply had no time to deal with the Huang Family.


    Instead, he obtained the methods for refining Golden Cores from the First to Tenth Grades from Old Man Cao, and by sheer luck, he still managed to refine a Twelve-Grade Golden Core.


    And for example, to form a Twelve-Grade Golden Core, one needs nine Second-Grade Golden Cores.


    He had already prepared this for himself as well.


    He specially selected the weakest Artifact Cultivators in Feizhou and supported them to become Second-Grade Golden Core Great Powers. As Artifact Cultivators, even with Second-Grade Golden Cores, their combat power would be weaker compared to Sword Cultivators, Body Cultivators, and other combat-focused Cultivators.


    Ning Taiping was one of the pawns used to instigate the unrest in Feizhou; this father and son were naturally dull-witted, and by leveraging their provocation, he spurred the Artifact Cultivator conflict, thereby allowing him to quickly gather a large number of Second-Grade Golden Cores. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

 Chapter 143 His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._5

    As a result, Chen Qiu was able to attain the twelve-grade Golden Core before the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard began.


    It was actually quite obvious.


    This Artifact Cultivator chess piece was named Ning Taiping.


    The sword cultivator chess piece from the Capital was called Ji Taiping.


    Both of their names contained Taiping.


    But...


    Heavenly plans are no match for human ingenuity; for some unknown reason, those Artifact Cultivators with second-grade Golden Cores didn''t come looking for trouble with Chen Qiu at all, which meant that he didn''t get to acquire a large number of second-grade Golden Cores in Fei City as he had originally planned.


    Instead, he obtained a large number of second-grade Golden Cores in an "adventure secret realm" that wasn''t part of the plan at all, and he also obtained a heavenly treasure like the Seven-Colored Fishing Pole.


    His plan was to...


    Support the "Capital''s Qu Clan" by having the Qu family acquire a large number of heavenly and earthly treasures related to Magic Practitioners, and then go back to retrieve them later.


    However, the plan clearly went astray; in other words, aside from the beginning where it went as planned, everything after that went off course. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    Take, for example, the Chao Tian Sect''s Ancient Forbidden Land beneath the Boundless Icefield¡ªits treasures had already been taken by him in his ninth life, and during that life, he adopted a little pet, which was Little Wolf.


    Because he couldn''t bear the thought of Little Wolf being buried with him...


    He left it behind, waiting for his tenth life to claim it.


    As for the fox oil in that Ancient Forbidden Land, it was "Little Wolf" who regularly added it at fixed intervals. There was nothing special about it; Little Wolf was simply afraid of the dark.


    The reason why the poisonous gases in the Ancient Forbidden Land had no effect on Little Wolf is simply because they were made up of the farts that Little Wolf had let out over the past three years. They could not dissipate and continued to accumulate in the Ancient Forbidden Land, gradually forming a poisonous fog.


    In his ninth life, he frequently punished Little Wolf for its stinky farts, which is also why Little Wolf was cowering in fear in the corner the instant it saw him.


    It looked like it knew it had done something wrong and was afraid of being beaten.


    And the secret chamber behind the wall of the Ancient Ruins was also a place where he used to retreat; he had lived there for a while in his ninth life, and during that time, Little Wolf stayed with him there.


    In theory¡ª


    The Chao Tian Sect Ancient Ruins were not supposed to be opened so soon; according to the plan, it would take another three months before it opened, at which time the full truth would be revealed to him, but the issue was that he had instructed Liu Zide to massively purchase Evil Wood in Fei City.


    Due to the lack of Evil Wood to suppress them, the resentful spirits beneath Fei City became increasingly restless.


    And the Ancient Ruins of the Chao Tian Sect were directly connected to the earth''s depths through numerous resentful spirits beneath Fei City. With the resentful spirits'' constant battering of the tunnel walls, the opening time of the Chao Tian Sect''s Ancient Ruins was advanced by three months.


    At that time, his main strategic consideration was that the world was on the brink of chaos, and with every update of the Heavenly Dao, countless secret realms and opportunities would arise. With opportunities like the Step by Step and Seven-colored term and the sole expansion of Spiritual Energy prearranged, he was poised to seize the greatest fruits among those opportunities.


    Many were accidents.


    For example, "Three Nascent Soul bodies"!


    "..."


    With these thoughts, Chen Qiu couldn''t help but twitch the corners of his mouth; he had gained his body through Magic Practitioner heritage, the Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan through Evil Cultivation heritage, and the scholar through Sword Cultivator heritage, thus obtaining three Nascent Soul bodies.


    But in reality¡ª


    The path he had arranged for himself was not like this at all!


    The scholar''s case was fine, but the third Nascent Soul body he had arranged for himself was supposed to be from "Alchemy Cultivator heritage"!!!


    He still remembered his first time in Fei City when he encountered the second beauty of the Heavenly Dao.


    She was an extremely fat girl, carried on a palanquin and accompanied by loud gongs and drums as she paraded through the streets.


    At the time, Fat Long even joked about bringing home such a girl and cohabitating for three years, yet she remained a virgin.


    Afterwards, he didn''t have much contact with this girl.


    But in reality, buried within this girl was a story he had arranged at the time; with just a little probing, one would discover she had always loved an Alchemy Cultivator. This Alchemy Cultivator had low Cultivation and was particularly timid, and although he adored the plump girl, he never dared to reveal his affection.


    Similarly, the girl always loved that Alchemy Cultivator, and because she was self-conscious about her figure, she did not dare to express her feelings.


    Thus, she could only paraded through the streets every day with gongs and drums as a pretext, so she could secretly catch a glimpse of the man she loved.


    This Alchemy Cultivator was actually a genius of Alchemy Cultivation that he had discovered back then, and, with the boost of the second beauty of the Heavenly Dao, he could have easily overcome the Alchemy Cultivator heritage!


    That was the third Nascent Soul body he had prepared for himself.


    But...


    He never even ventured in that direction.


    Instead, through a bizarre stroke of luck, the Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan overcame the Evil Cultivation heritage, delivering the third Nascent Soul body into his hands, along with a "Heavenly Pride Order," something completely outside of his plans. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    It''s a mess, all a mess!!!


    Sitting atop the mountain, Chen Qiu couldn''t help but sigh in frustration; the plan he had so confidently constructed was half wrong, but the results turned out well.


    It was as if he had written down the wrong process for a test but ended up getting all the answers right.

 Chapter 144

    And it wasn''t just a matter of being correct.


    His progress now had far exceeded his own expectations for the tenth life.


    "However, this time it has finally succeeded," he said.


    After a while. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    Sitting atop the mountain, Chen Qiu gazed into the distance at the horizon and suddenly let out a light chuckle.


    Although there had been some errors in the process, the outcome was favorable. The world conflict was going to descend in half a year. This version of the Heavenly Dao was a major update; it was not only going to affect the Da Xia Country, which was like a prison, but also the entire Xuantian Continent.


    And this version.


    Would come with endless slaughter and countless opportunities.


    The entry "Abandoning power to rebuild" can only be used to reincarnate nine times, and he had finally succeeded on his tenth attempt. With his current strength and means, as long as he broke through to the peak of Great Perfection of Golden Core.


    And waited for the scholar to break through to the Golden Core.


    Smashing the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet would be no problem. This would allow him to carve a small hole in the Da Xia prison, and Chen Qiu would officially set foot on the Xuantian Continent. At the same time, there were still many secret treasures within the Xuantian Continent.


    Like the Boundless Snow Mountain, which he could return to and claim once his Cultivation was higher.


    The Da Xia prison would not completely break apart; it would simply have a small hole carved out that would allow him passage. Da Xia would still not officially border the Xuantian Continent. To fully border the Xuantian Continent, it would be necessary to destroy the Four Forbidden Lands, something that could not be done with mere Nascent Soul cultivation.


    This also meant.


    Da Xia could serve as a safe house for him; if he encountered danger outside, he could still hide inside.


    After a while, Chen Qiu finally slowly stood up, patting off the dust that had settled on his clothes. Now that his memories had been restored, it was time to claim many opportunities left to him in advance and then prepare to leave the Da Xia prison.


    ...


    Inside the Capital.


    Following behind Chen Qiu, Fat Long looked around curiously and asked in confusion, "Brother Qiu, why did we suddenly come to the Capital?"


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without speaking, simply striding forward with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in hand.


    "Brother Qiu, we can''t go any further; up ahead is the Da Xia Palace," Fat Long said seriously as he looked toward the Imperial Palace Guards that had begun to surround them.


    Not far away.


    At dusk.


    The stately and solemn palace stood like a frozen historical scroll, silently recounting the dignity and majesty of royal power.


    Merely standing here and observing was enough to be overwhelmed by the imposing architecture.


    Every brick and tile bore the weight and solidity of Da Xia''s centuries of history.


    Under the cornices of the palace, finely carved dragon and phoenix patterns were distinct in the twilight, demanding a hushed respect.


    Each gate of the palace was tightly closed as if guarding the royal family''s secrets and dignity.


    The hundreds of cold-faced Imperial Guards clad in armor, weapons in hand, were slowly encircling them, clearly considering them undesirable visitors. If anything suspicious was discovered upon inspection, they would execute them on the spot without needing to report back.


    The next moment¡ª


    "Boom!!!"


    The power of Chen Qiu''s eighth level Golden Core Cultivation surged out, unhidden, as his profound Divine Sense instantly enveloped the entire Capital. Such arrogance within the Capital''s borders was practically like having the words ''rebellion'' engraved on his forehead. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Audacious!"


    Along with several furious roars, two elders at the peak of Great Perfection Cultivation with even stronger power erupted from inside the palace, crashing heavily onto the blue bricks near Chen Qiu, glaring at him and shouting, "Who is this scoundrel daring to run wild in the Capital!"


    "Badass."


    Previously clueless about what was happening, Fat Long instantly understood; he expressionlessly pulled out a Yellow Robe from within his bosom and draped it over Chen Qiu''s shoulders, saying, "Brother Qiu, it''s getting cold. Let me add a layer for you."


    "I wondered why we suddenly came to the Capital, turns out Brother Qiu intends to claim the throne," Fat Long said.


    "You should have said so earlier."


    "..."


    Meanwhile, the scholar standing behind them twitched his mouth slightly, bracing himself as he looked towards the two powerhouses at the peak of Great Perfection Cultivation, pondering whether his full force could break through their defense.


    If he had known they were coming for a fight, he would have replenished his Spiritual Energy in advance.


    ...


    Chen Qiu gave these two Great Perfection Cultivation elders a casual glance without a word. With Spiritual Energy continuously surging within him, dark clouds instantly blanketed the entire Capital, and the storm came to an abrupt halt.


    Tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons roared furiously within the thunderous clouds, carrying an immense pressure that echoed angrily through the clouds.


    Leaning on his cane, he let his clothes whip in the storm, and continued walking steadily along the cobblestone path towards the gate of the Da Xia Palace, completely ignoring the two elders at the peak of Great Perfection Cultivation.


    As he approached the palace gate.


    The doors of the palace naturally began to open slowly.


    Thereafter, he saw hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs inside, looking somewhat at a loss as they gazed upon Chen Qiu, the uninvited guest. His steps didn''t falter, and he maintained a steady pace as he walked forward.


    Only after the figure of Chen Qiu had disappeared within the palace.


    Did the two Great Perfection Cultivation elders finally breathe a sigh of relief with uneasy expressions, their foreheads unknowingly covered in sweat. Just now, Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense had locked onto both of them.


    They were unable to break free.


    Some premonition told them that if they dared to take action, they would die on the spot.


    So¡ª


    Despite being the strongest in Da Xia, they could only watch helplessly as Chen Qiu entered the Forbidden Land of the Da Xia Palace so brazenly, and they didn''t even have the courage to speak up and try to stop him.


    "He''s clearly only at the eighth level of Golden Core Cultivation; why does he give me such a strong sense of oppression?" one of the elders said with an indecisive expression as they looked at the fading figure of Chen Qiu.

 Chapter 145

    Da Xia Palace, inside the study.


    Seeing Chen Qiu deep in thought, the young man who had already taken off his cloak did not speak further. Instead, he quietly and cautiously backed out of the study, leaving the space to Chen Qiu alone, without disturbing him.


    ...


    "Xiao Liu?"


    Just as the young man stepped out of the study, Fat Long and the others who had been waiting outside couldn''t contain themselves and crowded around, especially Fat Long who, with a face full of confusion, couldn''t help but probe, "How long have you been with Brother Qiu?"


    "For a long time."


    Xiao Liu shook his head, "I know what you want to ask, but many things are not for a servant like me to answer. If Lord National Master wishes to tell you, you will naturally come to know."


    Having said that,


    Xiao Liu did not linger and withdrew, quickly disappearing from sight.


    "..."


    Fat Long looked at Xiao Liu''s departing figure with a complex expression and did not speak; since Xiao Liu had said so, he naturally would not persist in asking further, feeling only that...


    Brother Qiu seemed even more complex than he had imagined.


    If Brother Qiu was the State Preceptor.


    Did that not mean that Brother Qiu had lived for a very long time already? At least a hundred years?


    "Should I go look for Ji Renjian?" Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire


    At this moment, the scholar offhandedly dropped a statement.


    "Why?" Fat Long turned his head towards the scholar, puzzled.


    After a moment of silence, the scholar softly said, "When I was still the prime Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, the State Preceptor guided me all the way to escort Ji Renjian, presumably trying to match us, though I personally have no feelings for Ji Renjian."


    "But if Brother Qiu wants to betroth Ji Renjian to me, I can accept that."


    "For Brother Qiu."


    "Hmm..." After pondering for a long time, Fat Long still shook his head, "Let''s ask Brother Qiu later, see how he decides. Although Ji Renjian is indeed the first beauty under the Heavenly Dao, a peerless beauty, she is, after all¡­ already married."


    "Unless you''re into that, otherwise, I think you might feel a bit disgusted." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But no worries."


    "Later I''ll help you refresh yourself, it''s like returning from the whirl of the mortal world yet washed clean of vanity."


    "In ancient times there was the warm wine cutting down Hua Xiong, today there is warm pressure washing away vanity."


    "Uh..."


    Halfway through, seeing the expression on the scholar, Fat Long suddenly felt a bit awkward, "Although I know this joke isn''t very funny, you could at least react a bit, otherwise it feels quite awkward. And you don''t have to take it too seriously, based on my guess, Brother Qiu probably just wants to give you the effect of having a Heavenly Dao Beauty like Ji Renjian."


    The scholar did not speak, his expression somewhat bitter.


    Brother Qiu had shown great favor to him, and he also respected Brother Qiu, whether considering his strength or his favor, he would certainly respect Brother Qiu''s opinion. A Sword Cultivator, if he acts unrighteously and treacherously, his sword would no longer be effective at all.


    A Sword Cultivator cannot harbor doubts in his heart.


    But...


    He truly had no feelings for Ji Renjian. If Brother Qiu truly intended to force this betrothal, he really did not know what would be best.


    No wonder he suddenly felt this morning that the look in Brother Qiu''s eyes seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.


    It was similar to the expression in the State Preceptor''s eyes when he saw him years ago.


    But back then, the State Preceptor did not look like this.


    ...


    Chen Qiu sat in the study of Da Xia Palace, playing with the Illusion Stone on the corner of the desk for a while before pocketing it. This room where he had sat for many years felt familiar; he knew exactly how every mark was made.


    The sudden restoration of his past life''s memories.


    Gave him a feeling as if he was newly reborn.


    Only, the one thing he couldn''t understand was why he had no obsession with chopping wood; why was it that every time he was reborn, the first thing he had to do was chop wood? Couldn''t it be something else?


    He had chopped so much wood in Fufeng City.


    And chopped down so many people.


    Only barely managing to get to where he was today, this world was indeed tough to live in, truly difficult.


    After reflecting momentarily, Chen Qiu sighed deeply, not out of sadness, but a simple feeling that these several lifetimes had been too exhausting; he never felt tired before regaining his memories.


    But once he regained the memories,


    Knowing he had spent a thousand years trying to escape this Da Xia cage, made him feel somewhat weary; fortunately, the final outcome was positive, in the last life, he succeeded.


    Leaning on his cane, Chen Qiu slowly stood and left the study, looking towards Fat Long and the others standing at the door without speaking.


    Afterward,


    Divine Sense swiftly spread out.


    Soon, the current Emperor of Da Xia, Xia Xundao, supported by the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince, came staggering over and immediately knelt down: "Your servant Xia Xundao, greets Lord National Master."


    "Rise."


    After a moment of silent composure, Chen Qiu softly spoke, "In a few days, I will be leaving Da Xia Country. You should know where I am headed, right?"


    "I know."


    Xia Xundao still knelt on the ground, his head bowed to the ground as he huskily said, "Xuantian Continent, Lord National Master mentioned it a long time ago."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded and continued, "There are a few things I need to instruct you on."


    ...


    A cup of tea later, after finishing his instructions, Chen Qiu prepared to walk past Xia Xundao towards the palace exit, but at that moment the Seventh Prince suddenly spoke up, his eyes fervently fixated on him, his voice trembling with excitement.


    "Master, may I come with you?"


    Chen Qiu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the passionately eager Seventh Prince. He had never officially taken the Seventh Prince as a disciple, merely sharing some tales of Jian Yi and teaching him a few sword moves during his spare time, and the Seventh Prince had assumed the title of disciple himself.

 Chapter 146

    Many powerful figures with Cultivation of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection carried hope for the Xuantian Continent as they hurried toward Fei State.


    These people nearly all had one thing in common.


    They had brought all the essence they had accumulated over the years, and even emptied half of the essence of their families and sects behind them.


    They were heading to the new mountain.


    Could there be good days ahead without paying some tribute?


    There are so few chances, why should you have it and not others?


    Those who had cultivated to this level were all cunning; they did not believe that just showing their old faces would gain them any special treatment.


    ...


    At this time¡ª


    At the back mountain of Chao Tian Sect, after listening to Chen Qiu''s narrative of the entire sequence of events, Fat Long and others'' mouths slowly widened, their faces filled with shock as they stood frozen.


    It was only after a long while that Fat Long muttered, "Brother Qiu... you are too impressive."


    He could think of no adjectives anymore; his mind was completely blank.


    Chen Qiu, who stood holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella atop the mountain peak, shook his head and did not elaborate much. He had omitted many things and merely narrated a bit beginning from his life as the State Preceptor, such as not telling the scholar that the Sword Cultivator whom he had always admired was also him.


    He also didn''t mention that it was he who had once ordered the Capital City Zhang Family to chase Bai Yi.


    Fat Long was also left unaware by Chen Qiu that it was he who had instructed Xiao Liu to find a proper redemption for the Travelling Heavenly Girl, choosing Fat Long who was loitering on the road, and sending her a human bone hairpin and pink reeds with a note signed with Fat Long''s name.


    Some things didn''t need to be mentioned.


    Telling them could easily affect relationships.


    Previously, in order to break through Da Xia''s confines, he often acted result-oriented. As long as the result was correct, he did not care about the process.


    Following his instructions, Fat Long and others then descended the mountain to arrange for the artisans.


    He sat alone on the mountain peak.


    Looking at the ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills that had just arrived, he began his cultivation for the night.


    Several hours later, he looked at the Cultivation panel above his Dantian.


    -


    ¡¸Cultivation¡¹: Golden Core Stage Eighth Layer (10.7%).


    -


    At the eighth layer of Golden Core, one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could still increase 1% in the Golden Core. If the speed remained the same at the ninth layer, then in one month, he could cultivate to the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection.


    At that time, he could claim every opportunity left untouched from his previous life.


    The Demon Lotus beneath the Boundless Sea and Boundless Snow Mountain were almost ready too. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then he could leave Da Xia to head for the Xuantian Continent.


    Another few hours passed.


    After stabilizing his Cultivation Realm, he and Fat Long along with others left the small world and proceeded to Fei City. By now, dawn had broken, and Fei City was extremely lively.


    Usually¡ª


    There were no strong cultivators of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection presiding over Fei City.


    There might occasionally be one passing through.


    But today!


    The Divine Sense of dozens of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivators, heavy with pressure, covered everyone in Fei City, unreservedly searching until their senses reached Chen Qiu, after which they nearly instantly withdrew their Divine Sense.


    Suddenly, dozens of Liu Guang shot toward Chen Qiu, who had just reached the city gate!


    "Chao Tian Sect Disciple, Zhao Dezhu, greets Sect Master!!"


    "The most, most loyal Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, He Tianxia, greets the most mighty and domineering Sect Master of Da Xia!"


    "The most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most loyal Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, the uncle-master of Zhao Dezhu, Zhao Pintian, has seen the Sect Master!"


    Loud shouts of excitement and agitation resounded, the voices arriving before the individuals themselves.


    These cultivators, who usually conserved Spiritual Energy as vitally as their lives, sparingly refraining from action, were now unstintingly burning their Spiritual Energy, hastening with the greatest speed, competing with each other as they converged toward the gate of Fei City!


    As the voices followed¡ª Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire


    You could see a dozen or so of the fastest elders already kneeling before Chen Qiu.


    Following closely behind were some slower Golden Core Peak Great Perfection elders; further back were those with lower Cultivation but faster movement technique, and behind them were those both low in Cultivation and slow in movement technique.


    In just a matter of several moments¡ª


    Chen Qiu was faced with a densely packed crowd of people kneeling before him, numbering nearly seventy or eighty.


    Cultivators of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection, rarely seen on ordinary days, were now kneeling down here like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, each looking up at Chen Qiu with fervent expressions.


    "Tsk."


    Fat Long looked at the scene before him and suddenly scratched his head, turning to smile at the scholar: "Did Chao Tian Sect suddenly gain so many disciples? If I''m not mistaken, am I not the Great Elder?"


    "Hmm."


    The scholar slightly smiled, coughed lightly, and held one hand behind his back, trying to appear as sultry as possible: "Yes, Great Elder, I should also be the Second Elder of Chao Tian Sect."


    Then, the two exchanged glances, seeing the anticipation in each other''s eyes.


    Previously, their elder titles were purely nominal, but starting from today, these were no longer mere titles but genuine positions of authority!


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, looking over the crowd before him, his expression calm as he softly said, "Chao Tian Sect does not accept just anyone. Step forward one by one, those selected stand to the left, the rejected go to the right."


    "As you join the sect, clearly state your Cultivation, your specialties, and why you think you can join Chao Tian Sect, giving me a reason to accept you."


    Although his voice was not loud, it clearly rang in everyone''s ears.


    Soon¡ª


    Those seventy or eighty individuals lined up in a long queue.


    The elderly man at the very front, his voice trembling with worry and excitement, said: "Sect Master Chen, this disciple has a Cultivation of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection and is a Sword Cultivator specializing in offense. Just let me join the sect, and I will be the most powerful blade in the Sect Master''s hands!"

 Chapter 147

    Chao Tian Sect, on the back mountain.


    Chen Qiu had already arranged a series of matters, including the disciple tokens, and with a small world as the foundation, and this batch of Nascent Souls as disciples of the Chao Tian Sect, he did not believe anyone could easily manipulate him.


    Not to mention other things.


    He was confident that even on the Heavenly Continent, Nascent Souls were not common.


    The reason was simple; how many Golden Core Peak Great Perfections were there when the Evil Clan invaded? That was a whole race, a genuine race. If a race had just those few Golden Core Peak Great Perfections, how many Nascent Souls could there be?


    Da Xia might not have any Nascent Souls, but there were quite a few in Da Xia stuck at the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation. If this group went out, at least half could achieve Nascent Soul, right?


    Twenty or thirty Nascent Souls, that was enough to scare people.


    After settling these matters, he then left the secret realm with Fat Long and others. It was almost time; the Heavenly Dao Beauty who paraded daily in Fei City should be appearing soon.


    He was going to facilitate a marriage and incidentally collect the Alchemy Cultivator inheritance as well.


    Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    ...


    Inside Fei City.


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long, along with a few others, wore cloaks and walked down the road, a mesh veil covering their faces. They now had a somewhat notorious reputation in Da Xia. If they didn''t wear their cloaks, the road in front of them would be instantly blocked by the incoming crowd.


    But just then¡ª


    "Hmm?"


    Chen Qiu suddenly raised his eyebrows and looked towards an old fortune-teller sitting in an alley, next to whom stood a flag embroidered with two lines of text.


    "Fate I dare not predict fully, for fear of heaven and earth, ghosts and gods."


    "Words I cannot speak clearly, lest it throws the world into chaos."


    He immediately walked into the alley and squatted beside the elder, saying with a light chuckle, "Old Man Cao, long time no see."


    His ties with Old Man Cao were not shallow. Before he recovered his memories, he even suspected Old Man Cao was the mastermind State Preceptor; of course, after regaining his memory, he knew he had wronged Old Man Cao.


    "You lad..."


    Sitting on the ground, Old Man Cao looked at Chen Qiu somewhat resentfully, "You have deceived everyone under heaven. Back in the day, when you were the State Preceptor, your authority was overwhelming. As long as you stayed in that position, the whole world was yours; if you said ''one,'' no one dared say ''two.''"


    "You could really let go of that overwhelming authority?"


    "Live again, start from scratch."


    "Aren''t you worried that in this life, you could die halfway through, or struggle for a lifetime and still not achieve as much as in your previous life?"


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, sitting cross-legged in front of Old Man Cao, and after filling half a cup of tea for both himself and Old Man Cao, said smilingly, "Can Da Xia Country''s authority even be called authority?"


    "If a lion, imprisoned in a forest, scoured the entire forest and found no rival, would it claim to be unrivaled under heaven?"


    "Most people would." Old Man Cao, smelling the fragrance in the air, looked down at the ground complexly at the cup of tea: "This tea is excellent. Once you go out, keep it well guarded, lest it catches someone''s eye. Do you really want to go out that badly?"


    "Yes." Chen Qiu nodded seriously. Not only was he aware of Da Xia being a cage but many in Da Xia knew this secret, yet he was the only one willing to break this cage, even if it took a thousand years.


    He really wanted to go out and see that world for which he had spent a thousand years striving.


    "Hmm."


    Old Man Cao was silent for a long time before he finally spoke softly: "In the future, could you find an Array Repairer talent to take over my legacy? I want to go home too, it''s been many years since I''ve been home." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Okay."


    Chen Qiu promised. "Once I find an Array Repairer talent, I will return to Da Xia immediately and take them to the Array Repairer inheritance to find you."


    "Thank you." Old Man Cao raised his cup and drained the tea in one gulp, then sighed deeply with a complex expression shaking his head: "This is really good tea, very nice, there''s a lot I can''t say."


    "Just one thing..."


    "There''s an interesting proverb in the Heavenly Continent, never turn your back on the living."


    Having said this,


    and not waiting for Chen Qiu to respond, Old Man Cao''s flag flickered slightly, and he disappeared from his spot.


    It was a brief farewell.


    Chen Qiu did not linger in the alley. By this time, the sounds of gongs and drums came from the streets; the Heavenly Dao Beauty, as usual, had come to parade, day after day, regardless of wind or snow.


    "Let''s go."


    ...


    Fei City, on the main street.


    A girl, extremely plump, was sitting in a palanquin carried by eight strong men, a smile on her face as she waved to the pedestrians on the road, a trail of a musical troupe following with gongs and drums.


    Although she was smiling, there was a trace of loneliness in the depths of her eyes.


    Just then¡ª


    A young man wielding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and dressed in a black robe approached her palanquin, blocking her path


    "You are..."


    The girl in the palanquin showed a flicker of surprise in her eyes, then quickly exclaimed excitedly, "Chen Qiu, Chen Qiu, you are Chen Qiu, the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner of Da Xia!"


    In her excitement, her layers of fat trembled violently, which intensified to such an extent that the robust men carrying the palanquin instantly turned pale.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at the girl in the palanquin. She was indeed an extremely obese girl, her size exaggerated to the point that she looked to weigh at least 800 pounds.


    The entire person sitting in the palanquin appeared more like a mound of fat seated there.


    This girl was the Heavenly Dao Beauty.


    He wondered if there were Heavenly Dao Beauties on the Heavenly Continent, and what would become of Da Xia Country''s Heavenly Dao Beauty if she went to the Heavenly Continent?


    He did not delay, as time was short. It was best to seize the moment.

 Chapter 147 Chen Qius Exclusive Pet, Blockers Will Die!_2

    He immediately walked up to the sedan chair, taking the girl, the chair, and the eight strong men, and tucked them all into the small world. Then, he headed to the other end of the city and did the same with the Alchemy Cultivator who would stand by the window day after day, waiting for his beloved to pass by with drums and gongs.


    ... Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire


    In Chao Tian Sect, upon the rear mountain.


    Chen Qiu looked at the girl on the sedan chair, and at the Alchemy Cultivator with fear evident on his face, yet still bravely standing in front of the girl with a sword, who at that moment screamed at him, "Shameless debaucher, Miss Qing is the second Heavenly Dao Beauty, protected by the Heavenly Dao. Should you harbor any improper thoughts towards her, you will be struck by Heavenly Punishment!"


    "..."


    The corner of Chen Qiu''s mouth twitched slightly. This was the first time he had been called a shameless debaucher, but he then shook his head and didn''t take offense at the Alchemy Cultivator''s accusations, saying aloud,


    "You two are dragging this out, I''ll officiate your wedding."


    "You, this Miss Qing in your mouth drums and makes such a big scene daily while patrolling the city just to glance at you. The fact that she drums is to draw you out of the house, and thus she can see you. But because she considers herself too fat, she doesn''t think she is worthy of you and keeps her love hidden deep within her heart."


    "And you, Miss Qing."


    "This Alchemy Cultivator has also been secretly admiring you, but since his cultivation is weak and you have many powerful pursuers as the second Heavenly Dao Beauty, he believes he is not worthy of you. Hence, he can only secretly watch you from a distance during your street parades."


    "The two of you have been secretly cherishing each other but have always kept your feelings hidden deep within your hearts."


    "Okay, now is the time to express your feelings for each other, stop dragging this out."


    "I..."


    The sword-holding Alchemy Cultivator, hearing Chen Qiu''s words, trembled all over, his cheeks flushing to his ears, his deepest secret thus revealed, not even daring to look back.


    Until the plump girl sitting in the sedan chair also said in a low, embarrassed voice, "Brother Yuan, won''t you even turn back to look at Xiao Qing for a moment?"


    "I..."


    The body of the Alchemy Cultivator trembled as he gathered the courage to turn around and face the plump girl sitting in the sedan. Seeing the blush on her face he had never seen before, he stammered, "You do not mind that I am just a weak Loose Cultivator Alchemy Cultivator?"


    "Not at all."


    The girl shook her head, "What I want is a Taoist couple to be with me for life, not a powerful Alchemy Cultivator. Don''t you mind that I am fat?"


    "Not at all, not at all!"


    The Alchemy Cultivator wept with joy, wiping the tears from his eyes, "I like plus-sized! I liked you before you were a Heavenly Dao Beauty. You''ve always been kind and lovely, in my heart, you are the most beautiful woman in the world!"


    "Brother Yuan!" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Xiao Qing!"


    The two gazed at each other in excitement. Seeing this, the Alchemy Cultivator immediately ran up to the sedan, climbed up the girl''s plump body to the flesh on her chest, tiptoed, looked into Xiao Qing''s excited, crimson eyes, peeled back the flesh by her mouth with his hands, and, with a face sincere and trembling from excitement, kissed her slowly.


    A kiss, a lifetime commitment.


    ...


    Standing by, Fat Long couldn''t help but remark, "How beautiful, I don''t know why, but every time I see such a heartfelt reunion where lovers become spouses, I feel this world is beautiful."


    "Perhaps it''s because there are too many partings of life and death in this world, making one yearn to see something beautiful."


    "And..."


    "It also proves that indeed, not everyone''s preferences are the same."


    Chen Qiu made no comments but patted Fat Long on the shoulder, "I''m going out for a while. Let these two stay in Chao Tian Sect. The disciple dormitory can''t accommodate them, so build a bigger one next to it."


    "You take care of their wedding, and in a few days, bring in the Star Battle Sect Master first. Let''s improve this Alchemy Cultivator''s skills a bit before he leaves; he still needs to pass on his cultivation legacy."


    "If he succeeds, he may come with the Chao Tian Sect."


    "If he does not pass, he should stay in Da Xia."


    "Understood!" Fat Long nodded vigorously, "Brother Qiu, go on, I''ve got this."


    ...


    After leaving the small world, Chen Qiu.


    Contacted Liu Zide via the Sound Transmission Ring, determined his exact location using Divine Sense, and instantly turned into a stream of light... shooting forth slowly. Not long after, he found Liu Zide outside a village.


    "How is it going?"


    Chen Qiu landed, and as Liu Zide jogged over, asked, "How did the acquisition go?"


    "Almost ninety percent of the Evil Wood in Fat Province is here."


    Liu Zide carefully took out four Storage Rings from his chest, "Three of these Storage Rings are filled with Evil Wood, about one hundred and sixty thousand sticks. We almost cleared out entire Fat Province, and you, Brother Qiu, dealt with all the resentful spirits underneath, making it very hard for Evil Wood to grow here again."


    "The remaining ones are scattered across various sects and families who don''t lack Spirit Stones and don''t bother selling them to make a small profit. Although the climate in Fat Province is warming and these aren''t much use, they don''t really care about them."


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, accepting the Storage Rings. Along with the batch that Liu Zide previously bought for him, he now had over one hundred and eighty thousand sticks of Evil Wood, his greatest asset for traveling to the Xuantian Continent.


    Although these items were of little value in Da Xia Country, it was a different story on the Xuantian Continent.


    "Moreover," Liu Zide continued, "another Storage Ring is filled with Eight Desolate Fruit, which aren''t very useful but are quite rare, making them difficult to acquire; it took a long time to collect just thirty of them."

 Chapter 147 Chen Qius Exclusive Pet, Those Who Stand in the Way, Die!_3

    "Including the ones I gave to you last time, Brother Qiu, that makes thirty-three."


    "And also¡ª"


    "Brother Qiu, you were going to leave Da Xia Country, right? I have a bestiary here, which contains some worthless treasures from all nineteen provinces of the entire Da Xia Country. I''ve collected them and recorded them in this bestiary. When you go out, if you see anything valuable outside, you can come back to fetch it."


    "You''re thoughtful."


    Chen Qiu took the Jade Scroll containing the bestiary, looked up at Liu Zide with a smile, and said, "Figured it out?"


    "Well..."


    Liu Zide nodded somewhat sheepishly; he wasn''t a fool. Brother Qiu''s wide-scale purchasing of Evil Wood must be because its value wasn''t as it seemed. Although he had previously had his suspicions, he didn''t know what specifically made it valuable.


    Lately, he had also heard rumors about Brother Qiu preparing to leave Da Xia and head to Xuantian Continent, which made his guess nearly spot-on.


    "Would you like to come with me?"


    "Me?"


    Liu Zide paused, somewhat incredulously, "Can I go too, Brother Qiu? My cultivation is only at Foundation Establishment stage."


    "Yes."


    Chen Qiu nodded, patted Liu Zide''s shoulder with a smile, and said, "You''re pretty efficient at handling affairs. I''m at ease leaving some tasks to you. It''s up to you if you want to come along. If you''re worried about your family head, you can bring him along with us."


    "I''ll pass."


    The moment the words were uttered, the Wang Family head standing beside them scratched his head somewhat embarrassingly: "Actually, I don''t like living a complicated life. Liu Steward is a clever man; he''ll be able to reach his full potential following you, Brother Qiu."


    "I want to go back to Yun City and continue living with my family."


    "Just plain and contentedly, I think that''s a good way to live."


    "Phew..." After taking a deep breath, Liu Zide really wanted to see the outside world. If he didn''t know that Da Xia was a cage, it would be one thing, but now that he knew, it was another matter entirely.


    "Then, I''ll have to rely on Sect Master Chen to look after him in the future."


    "Of course."


    Chen Qiu smiled as he took Liu Zide into the Chao Tian Sect''s small world, waved goodbye to the Wang Family head, and left. This farewell might be a lifetime''s parting; on this path, there were always those who would disembark halfway through the journey.


    Everyone has their own choices.


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    He respected everyone''s choices.


    ...


    Meanwhile, within Da Xia''s Xuzhou.


    Outside Fufeng City, hundreds of brown bears formed a long, dragon-like procession on all fours, passing through Fufeng City, and headed straight south across Xuzhou towards the southern regions of Da Xia!


    Although Xuzhou was near the Endless Desert ¡ª teeming with demon beasts and members of the Devil Clan ¡ª


    it had been a long time since so many Demons boldly set foot in Xuzhou. For a moment, countless travelers preparing to enter Fufeng City curiously eyed this group of Demons.


    Yet no one made a move to kill them.


    Even the City Lord of Fufeng City simply stood on the city walls, watching these Demons disappear into the distance, without the slightest intention to act. His cultivation was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and the highest cultivation within this group of Devil Clan members was also at that peak, but he dared not act.


    And it wasn''t for no reason.


    It was because each of these Bear Demons had a flag fluttering in the wind tied around their necks, bearing an embroidered line of text¡ª


    "Exclusive pet of Chen Qiu. Obstruct and die!"


    In Da Xia nowadays, there was no one who hadn''t heard of Chen Qiu.


    While he had not heard about Chen Qiu having so many pets, he thought it was best not to take chances; maybe these Bear Demons truly were Chen Qiu''s pets. Anyone who got in their way would face Chen Qiu''s wrath. He did not know anyone in Da Xia who could stand against Chen Qiu now.


    It crossed his mind that the flag could be fake.


    But... if it was fake, Chen Qiu himself would take action to eliminate the bluff, and he had no intention to gamble his life on whether the flag was genuine.


    ...


    "Son."


    At the front of the procession, an elderly brown bear looked towards the south with a complex expression: "Is this the revitalization plan you came up with? Are we really going to become Chen Qiu''s pets?"


    "How about we find ourselves a more flattering name?" The young brown bear beside him panted, "Something like Spirit Beast, perhaps?"


    "As your Young Clan Leader, I must have accrued some bad karma. I just can''t see a future in you all."


    "We can''t keep trading bear urine for food forever, right? These past few days, I can hardly pee anymore; I''m already squeezing it out!"


    "The best plan is for us to seek refuge with Chao Tian Sect. As long as we join Chao Tian Sect, even if we don''t talk about cultivation resources, at least we''ll be assured food, right? Plus, we brown bears have a special skill that other Devil Clans lack: we look cute. Wouldn''t it be nice to be pets in Chao Tian Sect, to be a pleasant sight for the eyes?"


    As a transmigrator,


    his journey from initially wanting to revitalize the Brown Bear Clan, to eventually giving up, and now seeking refuge with Chao Tian Sect, has been full of countless twists and turns. He had now resigned himself to his fate.


    All that talk about revitalization was just empty words.


    The moment he learned that the Star Battle Sect Master had stepped down and sought refuge with Chao Tian Sect, that idea sprang to life in his mind. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Son, the problem is, with our speed, it''ll take at least two months to reach Fei Zhou. Will Chen Qiu still be in Fei Zhou by then?"


    "That''s why we need to hurry!"


    Just then¡ª


    A Flying Boat stopped above their heads, and a giant of immense size stood on it. He jumped down and crouched to look over them and boomed, "Are you Chen Qiu''s pets? Are you heading to Fei Zhou?"

 Chapter 148 Oh, theres also a group of brown bears.

    For the following ten days, Chen Qiu went nowhere, contently practicing in a seated position atop a mountain peak behind the Chao Tian Sect in his small world. He spent nine days enhancing his Cultivation Progress, and one day consolidating his Cultivation realm.


    On the tenth day,


    at dawn,


    Chen Qiu, who was seated cross-legged on the mountain peak, exhaled a turbid breath as he gazed into the sky at the two Demon Lotuses nearby. His closed-door training had ended. The higher his realm, the slower his progress¡ªit had taken him a full 11 days to advance from the eighth to the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage.


    His Cultivation had risen from the former eighth layer of the Golden Core Stage (10.7%).


    Now it had reached¡ª


    -


    "Cultivation": Golden Core Stage ninth layer (1.1%).


    -


    "Finally broke through to the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage."


    Chen Qiu''s expression was distant as he gazed towards the horizon without speaking. All he needed was another dozen days or so of closed-door training to elevate his Cultivation to the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection, and then he could set out. Of course, he would first need to conclude his strategies with the scholar and Ji Renjian.


    The reason his speed of Cultivation at the Golden Core Stage was so astonishing was mainly thanks to the daily Heavenly Dao Blessings provided by the "Heavenly Pride Leaderboard" and the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. He wondered if there were similar Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills available after reaching the Nascent Soul...


    Yet soon, he shook his head.


    He hadn''t achieved the Nascent Soul yet, and thinking about such things was premature. Besides, even if Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills did exist, they were sure to be hard to come by, not so easily obtained.


    He then turned his attention inward to the panel enveloped by clouds above his Dantian.


    He still had one more opportunity to use a "Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman" during his Golden Core Stage, an opportunity that would be completely forfeited upon reaching the Nascent Soul. That meant if the three choices of entries he was presented with did not contain anything he particularly wanted, Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    he would choose the Pink Entry "Merit Saint" that he had previously discarded.


    Kill a demon beast, receive one point of merit.


    Although he felt this entry wouldn''t have much impact on him, given his 9.8 billion points of merit, it was better than nothing. If he didn''t randomly get an entry he wanted this time, then selecting "Merit Saint" wouldn''t be too bad.


    -


    "The Cultivation has greatly improved, officially stepping into the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage."


    "Please choose from the following three random entries within ten breaths."


    1:


    "Entry Name": The Sword Flies Like Time Passing Swiftly.


    "Entry Level": Yellow.


    "Entry Effect": The faster your Flying Sword is, the greater the damage it can deal.


    2:


    "Entry Name": Supreme Movement Technique.


    "Entry Level": Yellow.


    "Entry Effect": The more Spiritual Energy your Dantian contains, the faster you become.


    3:


    "Entry Name": Undying Loyalty.


    "Entry Level": Yellow.


    "Entry Effect": If you and your Taoist couple truly love each other, then both of you will have your spell power and movement speed doubled. However, if one dies, the other will die simultaneously. Should one of you fall in love with someone else, then all three of you will self-destruct together."


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    "..."


    A glint of excitement appeared in Chen Qiu''s eyes¡ªit was exactly what he had been looking for. His most significant shortcoming had always been just one thing: his movement technique, his speed!


    Even now, at the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage, he mostly relied on the scholar for transportation.


    But now¡ª


    With the "Supreme Movement Technique" entry, this meant that his own speed would receive a significant boost, whether it was for escaping or traveling long distances.


    Moreover, the Spiritual Energy he could contain would continue to increase without limit as he killed more demon beasts, which meant his speed could also keep increasing without limit. It was a virtuous cycle like a perpetual motion machine.


    As for the first entry, "The Sword Flies Like Time Passing Swiftly", it was quite suitable for the scholar; it would be quite good if he could choose that entry for the scholar. However, the third entry, "Undying Loyalty",


    was utterly useless to him.


    He had no need for a Taoist couple.


    The reasons most people sought a Taoist couple were few: either the couple could help each other in some way, like a Heavenly Dao Beauty, or there were no genuinely heartfelt companions, and one needed a partner to enter Secret Realms together, or they had been together from humble beginnings and had grown alongside one another.


    One rarely heard of a Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivator out looking for a Taoist couple.


    Wouldn''t that be like planting a ticking time bomb for oneself?


    You can''t always be walking around with Protective Spirit Qi, and your Taoist couple is the person by your pillow every day. What if one day, after a quarrel, while you''re asleep or in closed-door training, your Taoist couple stands behind you with a Thunder Summoning Technique, eyes flashing with malice, ready to strike you down?


    Such a death would be truly unjust.


    Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators have seen too much deceit to find a Taoist couple that they can trust completely like ordinary people. Such cultivators would either have passed on their lineage when they were young, had a prearranged marriage, or simply imprisoned a group of female cultivators inferior to them in Cultivation¡ªyet not so low that they couldn''t handle their Spiritual Energy¡ªlacking love, just to procreate.


    Female cultivators were the same.


    The most important thing is...


    The benefits are mediocre, and the costs are not small.


    Without any hesitation, Chen Qiu shook his head and chose the "Supreme Movement Technique" entry, discarding the other two entries. Only after that did he use a mid-grade Golden Core Heavenly Dao retrospection charm to select the Pink Entry "Merit Saint."


    He now possessed two Pink Entries.


    One was "Dantian Expansion (Unique)", and the other was "Merit Saint."

 Chapter 148 Oh, theres also a group of brown bears. _2

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    However, simply discussing the effect, the Merit Saint doesn''t come close to the Dantian Expansion entry; even if both are pink entries, there is a world of difference between them.


    ...


    After selecting his entry, Chen Qiu didn''t end his retreat but immediately entered another one.


    He planned to cultivate until he reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak before ending his retreat.


    This time¡ª


    Thirteen days had passed.


    When those thirteen days had passed, and daylight came.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on top of a mountain behind the Chao Tian Sect, once again letting out a long breath of turbid air, looking at the Cultivation panel above his Dantian.


    -


    "Cultivation": Golden Core Stage Nine Layers (100.00%). Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire


    -


    It wasn''t easy, his Cultivation had finally reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak. He had a feeling that as long as he used Spiritual Energy to shatter the Golden Core above his Dantian, allowing the Nascent Soul to emerge from its shell, he would have successfully certified the Dao of Nascent Soul.


    But an invisible force of heaven and earth firmly protected that Golden Core within it.


    He didn''t see the slightest hope of shattering that Golden Core.


    In Da Xia.


    It was impossible for anyone to certify the Dao of Nascent Soul, with no exceptions, unless you could shatter the force of heaven and earth, but if you could shatter the force of heaven and earth, why consider certifying the Dao of Nascent Soul? You''d have no problem kicking Mahayana Realm around or tearing apart Transcendance Tribulation Stage with your bare hands.


    This retreat lasted a total of twenty-three days.


    It was the longest retreat he had ever been in.


    ...


    Standing on the mountain top, Chen Qiu looked down at the bustling Chao Tian Sect. He even felt as if he were in a different world compared to the past when the Chao Tian Sect was full of collapsed buildings and ruins, with hardly a few roof-tops intact, surrounded by dust everywhere.


    But now...


    Most of the buildings had been repaired. Even the Sword Pavilion, shaped like a long sword with its blade thrusting into the ground and hundreds of feet high, had been fixed. The Sword Pavilion was now the tallest construction within the Chao Tian Sect.


    Piercing through the clouds.


    Other structures such as the Sect Hall had also been restored. From high above, it all looked quite majestic and grand.


    "Not bad."


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, Spiritual Energy surged under his feet, and he vanished from the spot.


    In the blink of an eye¡ª


    His body appeared beside Fat Long who was discussing matters with the craftsmen. He hadn''t used any movement techniques, it was simply the speed of a Golden Core cultivator, and he had discovered after studying that the "Supreme Body Technique" entry was different from what he had imagined.


    It wasn''t a matter of increasing the speed of his movement technique.


    Rather, it was about enhancing the speed inherent to a Golden Core cultivator, and the degree of amplification was not weak.


    Although at present, some movement techniques he hadn''t fully activated were faster, the advantage was that it didn''t consume much Spiritual Energy and was suitable for long-distance travel and pursuit battles. In contrast, some movement techniques that could rapidly increase speed in a short time tended to consume vast amounts of Spiritual Energy.


    There were pros and cons.


    But for him, he felt the benefits were a bit greater.


    "How''s it going?"


    Chen Qiu didn''t ponder any further but instead looked at Fat Long, who was talking with the craftsmen, and smiled.


    "The building repairs are basically finished."


    Seeing Chen Qiu suddenly appear beside him, Fat Long quickly reported the progress, "But those Arrays, the Array Repairers we''ve brought in say they can''t fix them at all, claiming these Arrays are at least Nascent Soul Arrays, completely beyond their ability."


    "They''ve just repaired some Formations used in daily life."


    "Like the ''Clean Dust Array'' that envelops the entire sect, it ensures that there''s no dust inside and keeps it clean at all times. There''s also the ''Clear Water Array'' for the disciple dormitory and the Alchemy Hall, used for daily cleaning and drinking and the like. And then there''s the ''Earth Fire Array'' under the Alchemy Hall and Artifact Refining Hall, used for Alchemy and artifact refining, and so on... "


    "All these Formations have been repaired, but..."


    With some hesitation, Fat Long spoke in a halting manner, "The ''Clean Dust Array'' and the ''Clear Water Array'' are daily Formations that operate every day. Besides these two, we also have other regular Formations like the ''Clear Wind Array'' and so on. Since our Sect is located in a small world and there are no external enemies attacking for now, we don''t need to activate the Sect''s warning Array daily."


    "But just these everyday Formations use around 100 low-grade Spirit Stones each day."


    "That doesn''t seem very low..."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu, with one hand behind his back, remained silent without speaking.


    These days, he didn''t lack Spirit Stones in his pocket. Although his last breakthrough to Golden Core had used up all his Spirit Stones, he later seized the first place on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard and got a sizable number of Spirit Stones, plus subsequent opportunities. Some disciples with good initiative also offered him some gifts.


    He now had¡ª


    Three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones.


    It could have been more, but he had bought nearly two hundred thousand pieces of Evil Wood. The head of the Wang Family had nearly put all his family wealth into it, and naturally, Chen Qiu wouldn''t let the man work for him for nothing.


    He had given a considerable reward, and along with daily expenses, only this much was left.


    With daily consumption at about 100 low-grade Spirit Stones, his thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones would only last for 300 days, meaning the Sect''s daily Array operations would cost about thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones a year.


    That was no small amount.


    After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked, "Generally speaking, how does a Sect make a profit? It''s not possible they spend so much money training disciples just to operate at a loss, right?"


    "That''s..."


    Fat Long awkwardly replied, "I''m not exactly sure, my plan with the Sky-bursting Gang hadn''t even been implemented before it was nipped in the bud. But based on my few months'' observation at the Flower Offering Sect, there are a few points."


    "Through marketplaces, or owning a large number of shops in cities, and so on."


    ```

 Chapter 149

    "Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!"


    At that moment, on "Qingfeng" of Jing Province.


    Ji Taiping was in a state of emotional frenzy, continuously smashing one teacup after another. These teacups, his treasured favorites which he would often gently wipe with the softest hankies, had once been hard for him to part with.


    But today.


    He couldn''t care less about them, all he wanted was to smash those damn teacups to pieces!


    "Damn it!!!"


    Ji Taiping picked up the last teacup and threw it against the wall, shattering it, then turned toward Ji Renjian, who was curled up in the corner with eyes full of fear, and viciously yelled, "I''m asking you, have you ever truly loved me?"


    He couldn''t understand what had happened to the world. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had merely gone to suppress wars among the Hundred Countries for just over a month, but upon his return, why had everything changed, everything.


    Chen Qiu, who he could have easily killed before, had now grown into a Golden Core Eight-layer invincible Heavenly Pride who crushed all other strong warriors beneath him.


    Even the scholar, who had become useless, was now the Second Elder of Chao Tian Sect.


    He no longer had the desire to kill the scholar every day, living in constant fear, in case the scholar came with Chen Qiu seeking revenge. He was not afraid of the scholar, but Chen Qiu was someone he could not compete against.


    Ji Renjian, trembling in the corner with eyes full of fear, used a sheer veil to cover her exposed intimacies before her quivering lips couldn''t utter a word. Ji Taiping''s gaze seemed extremely strange to her, as if he had completely become a different person.


    He could not be reconciled with the man who had once silently protected her in her heart.


    Just then¡ª


    An extremely terrifying pressure suddenly enveloped the entire "Qingfeng".


    "Who!"


    Ji Taiping, already like a frightened bird, jumped up instantly as Spiritual Energy of the fourth layer Golden Core burst forth from his body. He rushed to Ji Renjian''s side in no time and placed his Qingfeng sword across Ji Renjian''s pale shoulders, his trembling hand causing a trickle of blood to seep out.


    Carrying Ji Renjian, he bolted from the secret chamber and stood at the top of Qingfeng, looking fiercely into the empty sky as he bellowed, "Who dares to intrude upon my Qingfeng, do you not know this is the cultivation ground of Ji Taiping, Da Xia''s number one Sword Cultivator!"


    "Show yourself!!"


    Immediately following.


    Chen Qiu and the scholar''s figures slowly approached from the distance, stepping through the air.


    The moment Ji Taiping saw Chen Qiu, his face contorted with rage as he roared, "Enemy invasion, I implore the ancestor to come out and fight!"


    "Sigh."


    The scholar slowly landed on the ground from the air. Dressed in the maroon robe that signified the status of an elder of Chao Tian Sect, he gently shook his head and softly spoke as he took out Qingfeng from his sleeve and held it in his hand, his expression calm as he looked at the fierce Ji Taiping.


    "With such a disturbed state of mind, it''s really unclear how you managed to cultivate to the Human Sword Unity realm." Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    "..."


    Standing high in the sky, Chen Qiu''s mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he silently stepped aside, leaving the space for a fight between the scholar and Ji Taiping.


    The scholar was only at the Golden Core first layer.


    And Ji Taiping was at the Golden Core fifth layer.


    Fighting across four minor realms was an extremely difficult task, but with their mindsets being so different, and one''s disadvantages balancing the other''s advantages, as long as the scholar could break through in this fight, he would be able to defeat Ji Taiping with relative ease.


    And at that moment¡ª


    A roar also came from the depths of Qingfeng. A high-level elder with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation burst forth, but before he got far, he was intercepted by over thirty elders at the same level of cultivation.


    "Elder Ji of the Ji Family, what''s the hurry? Let''s have a chat over there, leaving the youngsters to talk amongst themselves."


    "Sect Master Zhao? You wish to block my path?"


    The Supreme Elder of the Ji Family looked gloomily at the group of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivators. He recognized most of them; they were Supreme Elders from various sects and clans, many of whom had had conflicts with him, and he had not expected them to arrive together.


    "Sect Master Zhao?"


    Zhao Dezhu shook his head with an indifferent expression: "I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Zhao Dezhu, a menial disciple of Chao Tian Sect, currently ordered by the sect master to block your way."


    "Chao Tian Sect?"


    The Supreme Elder of the Ji Family shook his head with an ugly expression: "I have never heard of this sect. Don''t joke with me. What kind of sect would have you, a Sect Master with Golden Core mid-stage Cultivation, serving as a menial disciple?"


    After his words fell.


    Zhao Dezhu and the other Caotian Sect Disciples exchanged glances and saw the amusement in each other''s eyes.


    "It seems Elder Ji has been secluded for too long, and you weren''t very sociable to begin with. Such a significant change has happened in Da Xia Country, yet no one bothered to send you a message?"


    "We have also had the good fortune of becoming menial disciples of Chao Tian Sect."


    "Elder Ji, the times have changed. Your only task in this era is to wait for death in peace. It''s also time to settle our past grudges. Do you remember the last time you came after me with the Qu Family Supreme Elder? You thought you had me cornered because you had more people. Shall we see who has more people now?"


    "That..."


    The Supreme Elder of the Qu Family awkwardly waved his hands and said, "Do you believe it was an act of madness at the time? That matter really has nothing to do with me."


    ...


    "I knew this day would come."


    As Ji Taiping pressed his sharp sword against Ji Renjian''s pale neck, he looked up at the thirty-plus Golden Core Peak Great Perfection experts in the sky and at the silent Chen Qiu, his eyes bloodshot and red, his face fierce as he stared at the scholar and spoke word by word.


    "I know, I know I''m doomed today!"

 Chapter 150 I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!

    Otherwise, just forget it.


    He understood the principle that "possession of the jade is a crime".


    During these ten days, under the care of the Star Battle Sect Master, the scholar''s injuries had healed quickly. He was able to bounce around vigorously without any remaining hidden injuries to his Golden Core.


    "Not bad,"


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar and smiled, "Your current level in the Sword Dao is even higher than Ji Taiping''s. If you were to go outside, I guess there aren''t many Heavenly Prides who could compete with you."


    "It''s all thanks to Brother Qiu,"


    the scholar said somewhat embarrassedly as he scratched the back of his head, "If it weren''t for Brother Qiu using his presence to suppress Ji Taiping''s Golden Core and prevent his Divine Sense from leaving his body, I would have had no chance to clash Sword Intents with him. I couldn''t have withstood his fifth level Golden Core Divine Sense Attack."


    "It''s nothing,"


    Chen Qiu said with a smile as he patted the scholar on the shoulder, "Since everything''s ready, let''s set off."


    He was eager to set off right away.


    These ten days felt like years to him. Everything was ready; he was just waiting for the scholar to recover so they could depart.


    In the meantime, he hadn''t been idle, harvesting two mature Demon Lotuses from under the Boundless Snow Mountain and the Boundless Sea and placing them above the Chao Tian Sect. One flower emitted a chilling air, and the other exuded a damp, oceanic air.


    Coupled with the previous two Spiritual Flowers,


    the atmosphere in the Chao Tian Sect had become even stranger.


    There was Demonic Qi, resentful energy, cold and ocean air.


    Just looking at it was enough to tell it wasn''t a place for humans to live.


    However... it wasn''t actually very cold, instead, there was even a sense of warmth.


    He had been to the Endless Desert, extracted a bit from the Underground Fire Sea, and placed it in the "Earth Fire Array", allowing it to flow beneath the Chao Tian Sect, thus providing power support for the Alchemy Hall and Artifact Refining Hall.


    By the way, while passing through the Endless Desert, he heard a Devil Clan genius shouting for abuse, saying he only wished someone would grant him a defeat.


    Well, he had nothing better to do.


    As he passed by, he casually slapped the Devil Clan genius into the desert. He loved to help others; since someone requested a defeat, he naturally wouldn''t turn down such a small request.


    ...


    Two hours later.


    Chen Qiu once again came alone to the Boundless Snow Mountain. The icy, bone-chilling cold surged towards him. He stood high in the air, silent for a long time before he lifted his head to look at the mountaintop shrouded in clouds and fog.


    He had been here many times before.


    But he had never defeated the Nascent Soul Puppet guarding the mountaintop.


    This time, armed with the accumulation of nine lifetimes, he came to challenge again!


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    The surrounding air grew colder. After passing through the clouds, he could see the mountain peak covered with heavy snow. The extreme cold even slowed down the flow of Spiritual Energy in his body, but as the Heavenly Dao Golden Core rotated, a wave of heat surged through, quickly vanishing the chill.


    He didn''t know how long he had been ascending.


    The surrounding air was getting colder. The majesty of this land and sky had already made it impossible for any cultivator with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation to tread here. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spirits were even frozen, relying solely on the Spiritual Energy stored within one''s body to continue ascending.


    Finally¡ª


    He landed on a platform hundreds of yards from the mountaintop. This was basically his limit. Going further, every yard he climbed, the pressure doubled.


    Even the strongest Golden Core could not break this limit.


    Standing on this platform, a Nascent Soul Puppet quietly stood holding a long sword on its back. Sensing the disturbance, its pupils flashed red and glanced at him, then without saying a word, its right hand waved.


    A strong and majestic rush of Spiritual Energy smashed towards him!


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    "Bang!!!"


    Chen Qiu, holding his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to block the attack, was still uncontrollably knocked dozens of yards away, feeling the soreness in his body and the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.


    Chen Qiu laughed, wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, and then looked at the Nascent Soul Puppet which didn''t attack again, "Long time no see, your strength has decreased a lot."


    This Nascent Soul Puppet was the one guarding this Forbidden Land!


    Anyone approaching would be struck down casually. It wouldn''t kill but only severely wound and repel. This majestic level of Spiritual Energy was not possible for the Golden Core Stage, even though his Spiritual Energy far exceeded what a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection should have.


    Compared with this Nascent Soul Puppet, he was nowhere close.


    Aside from not attacking with Divine Sense, this Nascent Soul Puppet essentially had about sixty to seventy percent of a Nascent Soul cultivator''s combat strength, and it also ignored pain, fearless of life and death.


    He had lost several times.


    But this time... it would be different.


    The next moment¡ª


    Dense dark clouds suddenly spread over hundreds of miles, covering the entire sky; a storm howled in, and within a ball with faintly visible tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, slowly materialized in Chen Qiu''s palm.


    The Divine Sense Attack firmly locked on to the puppet.


    This blue Small Thunderball disappeared from Chen Qiu''s palm in an instant and shot towards the heart of the Nascent Soul Puppet.


    Just as it was about to hit,


    The Puppet''s fingers trembled slightly, and the long sword that had been carried on its back, entirely brown-red, suddenly shot out, blocking in front of the chest, splitting the Small Thunderball in half.


    The split Thunderball burst into a deafening explosion.


    Countless Thunder Dragons shot out, engulfing the Nascent Soul Puppet in a splash of snow mist. When the snow mist had cleared, the puppet was almost unscathed, and there was no visible damage on the platform.


    At this time,


    Chen Qiu had already replenished his Spiritual Energy fully and released the "Snowfall" to envelop the puppet. Then, seeing the Puppet turn around and look at him with its sword, without any hesitation, he immediately blinked into the small world to continue replenishing his Spiritual Energy.

 Chapter 150 I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_2

    ```


    Just as he swiftly entered the small world, a Sword Qi carrying an extremely thick and terrifying Sword Intent shot towards his location!


    This single strike was enough to instantly kill four or five Sword Cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak Cultivation!


    ...


    Chen Qiu knew clearly that this Puppet was a Sword Cultivation Puppet, and it would only enter its true combat state when it drew the long sword from its back; even if he were to take one hit with his strength, it would be more than he could bear.


    The strongest aspect of this Sword Cultivation Puppet was that it knew many kinds of swordsmanship, no matter what swordsmanship you used, it could always display a technique that countered yours.


    Several hundred breaths later.


    The moment Chen Qiu with full Spiritual Energy reappeared, without a moment''s hesitation, he launched another Small Thunderball, and the twelfth grade Golden Core in his Dantian also shot straight towards the Puppet''s heart area.


    This time¡ª


    The Thunderball was again blown away, but the twelfth grade Golden Core punched a small hole in the Puppet''s body.


    And countless Thunder Dragons also turned the surface of the Puppet pitch black this time.


    "..."


    The Puppet standing on the platform looked down at the small hole in its chest, then, with a single hand holding a sword, pinched out a Sword technique, and immediately the sky was filled with many Illusion and Reality Light Swords, shooting towards him.


    Chen Qiu, without any hesitation, retreated back into the small world again.


    Recover full Spiritual Energy in the small world before going back out.


    ...


    Just like this¡ª


    Chen Qiu and the Nascent Soul Puppet were fully engaged in an intense battle. He didn''t linger in the fight, his tactic was one: drain all Spiritual Energy upon encounter, after draining, return to the small world to recover Spiritual Energy, and repeat incessantly.


    An entire hour.


    By now, the Puppet was riddled with scars, half of its leg was blasted off, and it half-knelt on the platform.


    And Chen Qiu, panting heavily within the small world, wasn''t in good shape either. The Puppet had predicted his emergence from the small world; as soon as he appeared, a huge sword hundreds of feet long carrying thick Sword Intent made of Spiritual Energy smashed down towards him.


    Even though he dodged immediately.


    But the dense and violent Sword Intent, like a torrential pear blossom rain, cut through his Protective Spirit Qi in the air, leaving countless small wounds on his body. The injuries were not serious, but looked terrifying, his entire body was bloody with not a single intact piece of flesh to be seen.


    "That''s good."


    Chen Qiu smiled, and after restoring full Spiritual Energy, he flashed out of the small world to continue the fierce battle.


    Divine Sense Attacks were useless; the Puppet simply had no Sea of Consciousness.


    It could only be a clash of power.


    However, he had the small world. As long as he kept up the endurance battle, he was sure to win. It was just that the defense of the Nascent Soul Puppet was excessively strong. Despite his ''Thunder Summoning Technique'' powered up by so many entries, and released with all his might under the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection Cultivation, it comprised tens of thousands of Thunder Bolts.


    But he barely managed to breach its defenses.


    If his Cultivation was a bit weaker, or the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique was a bit lesser, he wouldn''t have been able to breach its defenses at all.


    Not more, not less, just barely enough.


    ...


    Another half an hour passed, and the bloody Chen Qiu, with his forehead covered in dense sweat, stood on the platform, panting slightly, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to keep himself from collapsing, looking down at the Puppet lying on the platform before him, which no longer emitted any fluctuations of Spiritual Energy, a small smile forming on his lips.


    "That was exhausting."


    Then, without any delay, he immediately released the scholar. As soon as the scholar appeared here, his body immediately began to exude frost, freezing him in place as his gaze gradually became vacant.


    Seeing this, Chen Qiu casually blasted out a wave of Spiritual Energy, dispersing the frost on the surface of the scholar''s body before weakly gesturing, "Do you see that red pearl inside the Puppet''s chest?


    "Pierce it with your Sword Intent."


    The Chao Tian Sect is filled with Sword Cultivator fanatics, and the Puppets they''ve created are Sword Cultivation Puppets. The seals protecting the Puppet''s core mechanism can only be breached by powerful Sword Intent.


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    The scholar took a deep breath, knowing now was not the time for chatting, and immediately held his breath with a piercing look in his eyes. The Sword Intent poured into the long sword in his hand, turning into a green light liquid slowly flowing on the surface of the blade.


    He stabbed with all his might!


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    As the Sword Intent pierced in, the seal protecting the Puppet''s core mechanism began to slowly fade, though at an excruciatingly slow pace.


    Chen Qiu slightly frowned and stood aside without making a sound, patiently waiting. This was not something he could intervene in. Thirty minutes later, as the scholar''s body started to tremble, his face turned pale as if he was about to faint,


    "Clang!"


    Following a crisp sound, the seal immediately shattered, and the core mechanism of the Puppet was instantly crushed by the stab of the sword!


    At the same time¡ª


    "BOOM!"


    A deafening sound echoed through heaven and earth. Chen Qiu looked up at the sky; there were still several hundred feet to the peak, and with every foot he ascended, the pressure increased exponentially. But now, this pressure suddenly disappeared with that booming sound.


    But it only lasted for a moment before the pressure began to rebuild slowly, returning to its previous intensity in no more than ten breaths of time.


    Meanwhile, the core mechanism of the Puppet on the platform was also repairing itself slowly, even its broken body gradually self-healing.


    Clearly!


    This breach would only last for ten breaths; after ten breaths, the breach would be closed again.


    Without delay, Chen Qiu took the scholar back into the small world, his eyes filled with firmness and excitement. Spiritual Energy burst forth, and he shot towards the summit with the fastest speed he had ever mustered in his life!


    ```

 Chapter 150 I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_3

    For this day!


    He had waited a thousand years!


    A thousand years... finally, he had waited it out.


    Old man! Chen Qiu! At last, he fucking got out of prison!


    ... Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    With the quickest speed in his life, Chen Qiu soared toward the peak of Snow Mountain, a place he had never set foot on before. Standing here, one could see the most beautiful scenery in the world, but at this moment, he had no mood to appreciate it.


    Upon reaching the summit of Snow Mountain!


    He saw a white vortex portal, a sight he had seen many times before, but this time, it gave Chen Qiu an extraordinary feeling.


    Chen Qiu''s eyes slightly reddened as he sped up again. When the natural forces at the summit of the mountain returned to normal, he dove into the white vortex portal and disappeared on the spot!


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    The natural forces in the sky above Boundless Snow Mountain returned to normal, and the Nascent Soul Puppet on the platform had also completed its self-repair, standing once again on the platform, day after day, waiting for the next challenger.


    Perhaps... he may never see a second challenger.


    Or perhaps, he might soon welcome a second one.


    ...


    Xuantian Continent, a small town nestled at the foot of a mountain range and shrouded in heavy snow.


    Inside a tavern at this time.


    There were quite a few burly men wearing animal skins, drinking heartily from the house brew and loudly discussing with each other.


    "There''s been another avalanche. I heard several hunters died."


    "Hey, stop talking about it. Don''t know what''s gotten into it lately, this ''Boundless Snow Mountain'' has avalanches every now and then. If you ask me, it''s best not to go up the mountain these days, it''s too dangerous."


    "If we didn''t need to, who would want to go up there? It''s just that ''Snow Rabbits'' can only be found during this period. Catching just one could get you twenty lower-grade Spirit Stones, enough to last a long time."


    "Hey, speaking of which, didn''t the ''Changbai Mountain Team'' pick up a man yesterday who was knocked unconscious by the avalanche? Has that man been rescued?"


    "I don''t know, but I don''t think it looks good. They say he was wearing very thin clothes; if he was exposed to the mountain with that little, his blood must''ve been frozen solid by now. And he doesn''t have Cultivation; he''s actually a mortal. Nowadays, a mortal daring to go up Boundless Snow Mountain sure has guts."


    "Poor thing. Must be a man from a poor family, can''t even afford a Potion to awaken an Initial Entry, deciding to take a gamble on the Boundless Snow Mountain."


    ...


    ...


    In a stone house in the small town.


    Lying on a bed, Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, his gaze somewhat dazed as he looked at the ceiling made of stones, feeling an immense soreness all over, with only about one-tenth of the Spiritual Energy left in his Dantian.


    Such little Spiritual Energy.


    This meant that if he were to be attacked, he wouldn''t have much strength to fight back.


    He didn''t know how long he had been unconscious.


    He only knew that after rushing out of that white vortex portal, a powerful and utterly irresistible force of nature slammed into him. He didn''t even have a chance to resist and fainted on the spot.


    When he woke up again, he was already here.


    He looked at the mere tenth of the remaining Spiritual Energy in his Dantian, and his mind shifted from its initial haziness to clarity. Before breaking out from the white vortex, he had exhausted his Spiritual Energy.


    His Heavenly Dao Golden Core could likely recover about a tenth of Spiritual Energy daily.


    So, it must have been about a day since then.


    Had he been unconscious for a day?


    Where was this?


    Chen Qiu endured the stabbing pain throughout his body, propped himself up, and sat on the bed. He planned to go back to his small world to fully restore his Spiritual Energy first¡ªhe felt insecure with it not full¡ªthen have the Star Battle Sect Master prepare some corresponding Healing Pills to take care of his injuries first.


    It was fortunate.


    He could feel that his Golden Core and Divine Sense were intact, suffering only some minor external injuries.


    It would heal quickly.


    Just then¡ª


    The stone door was pushed open, and a man with a full beard dressed in animal skins strode in. Seeing Chen Qiu sit up on the bed, the man set aside the water bladder he was carrying and grinned.


    "Hey, you''ve got some luck, kid. A mere mortal buried by an avalanche for who knows how long."


    "When I found you, your body was already stiff, your face all white. I thought there was little hope."


    "But damn, you pulled through."


    "You''ve got a big life, you''re sure to be lucky in the future. I got you some hot water to warm up your body. I thought about getting you some chicken soup, but my wife scolded me for not being thrifty."


    The bearded man muttered somewhat sheepishly, "So I thought about it and let it go. Kind-hearted as I am, I often do things on a whim. Chicken soup is a rare thing here; have some hot water to warm up first."


    "Mortal?"


    Chen Qiu was slightly taken aback and looked at the twelfth-grade Golden Core hovering above his Dantian. How had he become a mortal?


    He then instantly understood after scanning the man with his Divine Sense.


    This man''s Cultivation was too low, merely at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. With Chen Qiu''s Spiritual Energy not radiating outward, the man could not sense his Cultivation, thus mistaking him for a mortal by default.


    He couldn''t even sense the fluctuations of his Divine Sense.


    Chen Qiu initially wanted to stand up and leave, saying he didn''t need help, but on second thought, he stopped. He could use this opportunity to glean some general information about the Xuantian Continent from this man.


    This information was what he lacked the most at the moment.


    He glanced around the room.


    It was clear this man was rather poor. Although Chen Qiu didn''t actually need anyone''s help¡ªafter all, he was just knocked out and would have been able to easily emerge even from dozens of feet of deep snow once he regained consciousness¡ªhe paused to gather information from the man first.

 Chapter 150 I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_4

    But after all, it was kindness. When he left, he left some Spirit Stones as a way to repay the life-saving grace.


    ...


    "Thanks."


    Chen Qiu, feeling somewhat sore, took the porcelain bowl from the man, sipped some hot water to accept the kindness, and then spoke hoarsely, "That... I''ve lost my memory."


    Asking random questions out of the blue would seem too abrupt.


    Better to just say he''s lost his memory.


    He only wanted to know some basic information, such as the highest Cultivation on the Xuantian Continent, its territories, regions, and other common knowledge.


    Just when he was about to ask where this place was, he saw the bearded man sitting seriously beside him, "Have you really forgotten that your name is Xiao Long?" Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu, expressionless and silent for a long while, finally nodded, "Hmm, was my original name Xiao Long?"


    "Yeah!"


    The bearded man squeezed out a pained and sad expression, "You were an orphan with no parents, who came to seek refuge with me, wanting to join our Changbai Mountain Team and become a strong hunter like me."


    "But you are just a mortal; you haven''t even drunk a Potion to awaken your Initial Entry."


    "So I rejected you."


    "Frustrated, you headed to Boundless Snow Mountain, aiming to catch a Snow Rabbit to prove yourself, and then by chance, there was an avalanche. When I found you, you had already been buried by the snow slide, and I rescued you from it."


    "Now you have proved your courage, and I allow you to join the Changbai Mountain Team and become a strong hunter like me."


    "Here''s the contract, wouldn''t you stamp your handprint first?"


    "From now on, you follow me. We''ll go hunt Snow Rabbits together in the Boundless Snow Mountain, ensuring you live the good life. When you grow up, I''ll even find you a plump wife."


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s mouth twitched slightly, deciding to change his question. The robe he had been wearing was gone, and it was only worth 2 Spirit Stones. This man was ready to strip even that from him!


    Then he sighed deeply.


    Snapped his fingers lightly.


    In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished from the spot.


    Soon after, a slightly plump middle-aged woman, holding a jar of chicken soup, walked into the room. Looking towards the empty bed and the still-steaming porcelain bowl, she murmured in confusion, "Where did he go?"


    "With such serious injuries, how can he still jump around?"


    "If you don''t drink it soon, this chicken soup will get cold, doesn''t it waste it?"


    Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire


    ...


    Snow Mountain.


    Chen Qiu, sitting on a pile of snow and exuding the aura of Golden Core Cultivation, spoke weakly yet clearly, "Next, I''ll ask a question, and you answer one, understand?"


    He had intended to pretend to have amnesia to ask questions.


    Now it seemed that feigning amnesia would only yield a mess of useless information; important details would definitely be unattainable.


    But he didn''t take this man to his small world, after all, the secrecy of that small world couldn''t be leaked. And this man had shown kindness in rescuing him, regardless of the dishonesty, he was not so heartless as to kill his own lifesaver.


    So, the simplest method was to take the man to Snow Mountain for a slow interrogation.


    He had only revealed a layer of Golden Core Cultivation, and at just this sight, the middle-aged bearded man was already kneeling in the snow, burying his head in it, shaking like chaff, his voice trembling with crying, "Immortal, spare my life, Immortal, spare my life!"


    "I''m just a hunter from this ''Fatal Town,'' living off the land with many brothers under me. We didn''t mean to offend an Immortal. This is the town nearest to Boundless Snow Mountain, and most people living here are hunters."


    "My name is..."


    Before he could even ask, the man spilled everything he knew all at once.


    Hmm.


    Still, this way was more efficient. Playing amnesiac was something only fools would do.

 Chapter 151 Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!

    After asking some basic questions, Chen Qiu finally sat on the snow heap in silence, lost in thought without speaking.


    In the Xuantian Continent, there is no such concept as a country.


    There are only sects and families, etc.


    There are many cities, markets, and villages where humans gather. Cities and markets are often built by sects or families, and they must contribute a certain amount of taxes to their affiliated sect annually, in return for the sect''s protection.


    In cases where some of the older external disciples of a sect can no longer advance their cultivation, they might manage their sect''s enterprises in the markets or cities or even start their own family. Though not a direct subordinate relationship with their original sect, the connection is quite similar.


    Behind him, the small town was known as "Endlife Town."


    It wasn''t built by a sect but naturally formed due to the gathering of numerous hunters.


    The town was located before a vast rock wall that provided excellent shelter from the raging blizzards and cold winds at the base of the mountain, making it a comparatively safe region. Initially, only one hunter had built a stone hut here, but eventually, more hunters built stone huts and some older hunters began trading items like food, leather armors, and talismans.


    The snow mountain behind him was called the Boundless Snow Mountain, stretching for tens of thousands of miles with its peak shrouded in blizzards nearly half the time.


    The area they occupied was under the jurisdiction of Yuan Sect, and besides them, there were four other cities that were also properties of Yuan Sect, which were major sources of spirit stones for the sect.


    The Sect Master of Yuan Sect was the highest in cultivation in this area, and was also the highest-ranked person in this region, although he was reclusive and hardly ever seen.


    His cultivation had reached the peak of Nascent Soul.


    It was said that he hadn''t been seen for over a hundred years.


    ...


    "..."


    Chen Qiu maintained his silence. He had already gathered a general understanding. The Xuantian Continent was vast, and to such an extent that this hunter didn''t care about other regions, only focusing on what happened in their area.


    The snow mountain behind him was also called the "Boundless Snow Mountain," seemingly another side of the Boundless Snow Mountain. The hunter had clearly told him, although he had never been to the other side, he had heard it was also inhabited by a group of hunters. This indicated that Da Xia Country was not on the other side of the Boundless Snow Mountain; it might be sealed at the summit of the mountain.


    To return to Da Xia, one would need to journey to the summit of the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    The hunter had given him a collection of assorted and curious records, containing various intriguing incidents, though it was hard to distinguish true from false, and the news was outdated¡ªthe earliest events dated back twenty years.


    Still, he could get a rough understanding of this world from it.


    For example, a member of the Jiang Family''s branch used an entry "Undying Loyalty," collaborating with his wife to crazily expand their family''s territory. This member of the branch had only mid-stage Golden Core cultivation.


    Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire


    But the effect of the entry "Undying Loyalty" was such that if one member of the loving Taoist couple fell in love with someone else, all three individuals, including the new love interest, would self-destruct together.


    Because of this, no one dared to confront this formidable couple, for fear of being liked by them and having no means to resist and self-destructing. Wherever this couple went, people stayed well away.


    However, once love arose, it was uncontrollable.


    In the end, the member''s wife fell in love with the latest rising star of the Jiang Family''s main branch, and the conclusion was that all three self-destructed together, causing even the explosion of the Golden Core to kill many lower-cultivation disciples of the Jiang Family.


    Since then, the Jiang Family began to gradually decline, and this incident was widely spread, much to the joy and delight of many.


    The entry "Undying Loyalty" could even make one fall in love with another through a Memory Stone from afar, but a prerequisite was knowing the other''s appearance and bodytype, having at least some understanding of the person. Mere knowledge of the name wouldn''t suffice.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing. This strange tale was most likely true, as he had randomly acquired this entry during his last selection. Now he finally understood why, on the Road to Heavenly Pride, names could be revealed yet faces remained hidden.


    This was probably to avoid just this situation.


    And due to this, the power hitters of Xuantian Continent hardly ever showed their faces publicly. If they had to show themselves, they would distort the forces of heaven and earth in front of them to cover their faces, and they would leave no survivors when they attacked.


    To avoid dying under some inexplicable rule.


    Although "Undying Loyalty" was difficult to chance upon, it was well-known in Xuantian Continent as not merely the only entry with rule-based killing capacity, but the only one with unlimited cultivation rule-based killing ability. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If used correctly, even a beginner in Qi Refinement could slay an Immortal Emperor.


    Of course, this was theoretical, as practically it was nearly impossible to achieve since the Immortal Emperor had too many countermeasures.


    But it was precisely because of its uncontrollable and variable nature, this entry was fraught with risks and often led to self-harm.


    Beyond that, there were other bizarre anecdotes, such as¡ª


    "Evil Sect had a thousand-year legacy and slaughtered over dozens of sects, with at least millions dying at their hands, making it an undeniable Evil Sect. However, thirty years ago, the sect suddenly transformed into a righteous sect overnight."

 Chapter 151 Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_2

    ¡¸There''s a sect called the "Invincible Sect," and within it, there''s a very unique inheritance object. Once a disciple comes in contact with it, they will gain a fixed entry named "Heaven and Earth Explode Together." The effect is quite simple; when the holder dies, their Golden Core will automatically self-destruct, and the power of the explosion is increased tenfold. In the Secret Realm, disciples of the Invincible Sect are often seen as bringers of death.¡¹


    And so on and so forth.


    The level of chaos in Xuantian Continent can be said to far surpass that of Da Xia Country. In Da Xia Country, at least there is Da Xia to maintain order, with Da Xia''s laws bearing down on every sect and family clan, preventing too chaotic a situation from arising.


    However, in Xuantian Continent.


    There were no laws whatsoever.


    Poisoning, assassination, and ambushes.


    The "Seven-Li Scent-Chasing Gu" that could poison someone by knowing their appearance.


    The "Gua Cultivation" factions that could deduce anything by knowing a name.


    On this utterly chaotic continent, if the treasure in your hands does not match your Cultivation level, what awaits you isn''t recruitment but endless pursuit and assassination until the treasure''s power matches someone''s Cultivation level.


    Laws?


    There were no laws!


    The only possible law might be the Heavenly Dao. Slaughtering too many people would lead to divine condemnation, making it difficult to survive the Heavenly Tribulation, and it would also provoke pursuit from the relevant sects in the area. Other than that, there were none, no laws whatsoever.


    Cultivation was the true path.


    Strength was everything.


    "Phew!"


    Chen Qiu exhaled deeply and no longer lingered. Instead, he left fifty low-grade Spirit Stones for the hunter before him and turned to shoot toward the distance, planning to find a place to enter the small world.


    Fifty low-grade Spirit Stones were the limit he was willing to leave. With those fifty low-grade Spirit Stones, he cleared his debt of gratitude.


    To leave any more, such as a mid-grade Spirit Stone,


    might not be considered returning a favor. Should the news leak out, numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators might come to seize the mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    ...


    "This..."


    The middle-aged hunter who had been kneeling in the snow without hearing a voice for a long time cautiously lifted his head, only to find that the young man had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only fifty low-grade Spirit Stones.


    A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes, followed by an excited and elated expression as he quickly pocketed the fifty Spirit Stones into his Storage Ring. After looking around cautiously and confirming that no one had seen him, he rushed toward the town.


    Today, he truly had encountered an Immortal.


    ...


    Inside the small world.


    Chen Qiu, who had now fully recovered his Spiritual Energy, was sitting on the Sect Leader''s Chair in the Sect Hall. He accepted a few Healing Pills from Fat Long and, after swallowing them, looked down at the group of Chao Tian Sect disciples below and said softly,


    "Surely you all can feel that the shackles sealing your Golden Cores have disappeared, right?"


    "At present, we still do not know the method for Nascent Soul Establishment."


    "Try to restrain yourselves as much as possible to avoid any problems arising from rash advancement to Nascent Soul."


    "Understood!"


    The disciples of Chao Tian Sect standing in the Sect Hall, with flushed and excited faces, responded loudly. At this moment, they could all clearly feel that the chains on their Golden Cores had vanished, giving them a vague sense that they were on the threshold of breaking into Nascent Soul at any moment if they so wished.


    But without knowing the method of Nascent Soul Establishment, such a rash action was bound to cost them their lives. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After waiting so many years, they truly didn''t mind waiting a few more days.


    ...


    Half a cup of tea later.


    Chen Qiu, the Fat Long Scholar, and three others were walking in a world of ice and snow, with no other travelers or traces of demon beasts around. This was a deserted area.


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu was deep in thought with a frown on his face, not speaking.


    How to obtain the method of Nascent Soul Establishment? The quickest means was naturally to get it from a sect disciple. A Golden Core Peak Cultivator who was a Sect Disciple would definitely know the method.


    But if the attack was not swift enough, it often meant facing endless pursuit.


    From the miscellaneous records he had read before,


    he knew that Nascent Soul Peak was not the strongest on Xuantian Continent. Above it were beings in the Divinity Transformation Stage, who could display the power of heaven and earth with a mere wave of their hand.


    His goal was a city thousands of miles away in a region under the jurisdiction of Yuan Sect, "Great Yuan City."


    Once he had made up his mind, he no longer delayed. Instead, he and the scholar transformed into a streak of light that sped towards "Great Yuan City." Along the way, he sensed many cultivators also on the move, but they all restrained themselves, with no contact occurring between them.


    On Xuantian Continent, any unsolicited contact with a stranger often didn''t bring any goodwill.


    Soon¡ª


    The group landed several miles away from "Great Yuan City" and gazed in the distance. There was no blizzard here.


    And because spring was approaching, the temperature was quite comfortable.


    At the city gates, many people were queued up to enter, and occasionally disciples dressed in Yuan Sect''s sect attire emerged from the gates and transformed into beams of light that shot out, heading to unknown destinations.


    After paying an entry fee of one Spirit Stone,


    they entered the city smoothly, without causing any stir.


    They found an inn.


    After settling in comfortably, Chen Qiu sat alone in the inn, sending Fat Long and the scholar out to gather information. Fat Long had a knack for information gathering, something in which he surpassed Chen Qiu. Having the Sound Transmission Ring also ensured that, should any mishap occur, he could rush to the scene immediately.


    ...


    Great Yuan City, Dragon Gate Inn.


    Chen Qiu sat alone by the window, staring out with a distracted look. He held his teacup mid-air for a long time without taking a sip. He had spent thousands of years just to leave the prison of Da Xia and take a look at Xuantian Continent.


    Yet now that he had arrived at Xuantian Continent, it felt as if there was not much difference from Da Xia Country.


    The architectural style was similar, clothing styles were largely the same, and moreover... the concentration of Spiritual Energy here was even weaker than in Da Xia! Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

 Chapter 151 Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_3

    Or one could say it''s about as rich in spiritual energy as Xuzhou, but it''s definitely weaker than the Southern State of Da Xia.


    However, there are no restrictions here; as long as you have the strength and enough opportunities, you can continuously improve your cultivation.


    Just at this moment¡ª


    The Fat Long Scholar and another person pushed the door open and entered. Fat Long strode forward, handing a jade scroll to Chen Qiu, then with a troubled look on his face and in a hoarse voice, he said, "Brother Qiu, things are a bit grim, we seem to have accidentally trespassed into the Demon Sect''s territory."


    "What''s more troubling is that it''s about to get dark..."


    "Demon Sect?"


    Chen Qiu slightly raised his eyebrows; the name "Yuan Sect" didn''t sound like it belonged to a Demon Sect, but after probing into the jade scroll, he realized that this "Yuan Sect" really was a Demon Sect.


    The most common phrase among the sect''s disciples was, "This item is fated to be mine."


    Looting, killing, and plundering were all things they excelled at.


    Indeed, they are not practitioners of demon cultivation.


    But what they practice is indeed the way of the demon cultivators.


    The Xuantian Continent is divided into the Upper Nine States, Middle State, and Lower Nine States, with the Middle State having the richest spiritual energy and home to the most powerful sects and factions of the Xuantian Continent. The Upper and Lower Nine States have weaker spiritual energies.


    And his current location was in one of the Lower Nine States, specifically "Quzhou."


    Then, Chen Qiu''s expression gradually turned sinister as he soon understood what Fat Long meant by it getting dark; on the Xuantian Continent, there are many special random Heavenly Dao events, as well as fixed Heavenly Dao events.


    One such fixed Heavenly Dao event is called "Before the Dawn."


    Before he came to the Xuantian Continent, a Heavenly Dao Decree had already been issued for this fixed event, which occurs once a month, rotating through the nineteen states.


    And no matter which state it lands on, it never covers the entire state but centers around a city, covering a hundred li radius.


    This time, it landed on "Quzhou, Great Yuan City"!


    -


    "Heavenly Dao Decree": The Long Night Approaches "Quzhou, Great Yuan City," once night falls, within six hours, all cultivators outside the city will be unable to use their Protective Spirit Qi, Divine Sense, Nascent Soul protection, Defensive Spiritual Treasures, and other defensive and detection methods.


    Moreover, random heavenly materials and earthly treasures of different grades will appear outside the city, guided by the light of the heavens.


    -


    It sounds a bit complicated.


    But it can roughly be understood as, a night of killing.


    After nightfall, everyone will be unable to use defensive and detection methods, competing for heavenly materials and earthly treasures outside the city under the extreme darkness of night. Moreover, during this time, even if you kill a disciple from a Major Sect, their Life Plate won''t be able to trace back to you.


    It amounts to completely shattering the already scarce order.


    Of course, if you think it''s too dangerous outside, you can hide in the city, which is safe.


    And with everyone unable to use protective methods, the gap in cultivation between individuals greatly decreases. Even if you have Nascent Soul cultivation, without using any defensive measures, being besieged by several Cultivators at the Golden Core Peak could lead to your death here.


    Those who proactively leave the city before nightfall are all desperados. The danger outside the city will increase rapidly with the onset of darkness. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After pondering for a moment, he continued to look at the information inside the jade scroll.


    Inside the jade scroll, there were also various conditions and heavenly materials and earthly treasures needed by Nascent Souls from First Grade to Tenth Grade. From what Fat Long said, the method of forming a Nascent Soul was not a secret; it was easy to purchase related information, but it was only up to Tenth Grade, with no information on grades beyond that.


    ...


    Chen Qiu''s Divine Sense probed into the jade scroll, and he quickly obtained the relevant information.


    - Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire


    "First Grade Nascent Soul": A natural breakthrough in cultivation leads to a First Grade Nascent Soul.


    "Second Grade Nascent Soul": Using a Nascent Soul body as material for forming the soul leads to a Second Grade Nascent Soul.


    "Third Grade Nascent Soul": Using three Nascent Soul bodies and one piece of Evil Wood as material for forming the soul, and having all cultivated methods at the Great Perfection Realm, leads to a Third Grade Nascent Soul.


    "Fourth Grade Nascent Soul": Using a Divinity Transformation Body as material for forming the soul leads to a Fourth Grade Nascent Soul.


    "Fifth Grade Nascent Soul": Using a Divinity Transformation Body, a thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny, and ensuring the Tao Foundation has no hidden injuries, leads to a Fifth Grade Nascent Soul.


    "..."


    "Tenth Grade Nascent Soul": Requires a Heavenly Dao Foundation, one Seven-colored term, and a Tenth Grade Golden Core as prerequisites. Furthermore, using ten terms of any grade, three Divinity Transformation Bodies, a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, nine Second Grade Nascent Soul bodies, one Eight Desolate Fruit, and one piece of Evil Wood as material for forming the soul leads to a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul.


    "..."


    -


    There was not even any information on Twelfth Grade Nascent Souls.


    But at that time, he didn''t have information on Twelfth Grade Golden Cores either. After fulfilling the conditions for a Tenth Grade Golden Core, he managed to forge a Twelfth Grade Golden Core through that "Eight-petal Fire Lotus."


    By the same token.


    Once he fulfills the conditions for a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul, with those four extraordinary flowers inside his small world, he will likely be able to forge a Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul.


    However...


    "..."


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu''s lips twitched slightly as he looked up at Fat Long: "Three Divinity Transformation Bodies are needed?"


    "Right..."


    Fat Long felt it was absurd too and scratched his head softly, saying, "How about just a Third Grade Nascent Soul or a Second Grade Nascent Soul? The conditions for a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul are too preposterous."


    Three Divinity Transformation Bodies!


    Those are Divinity Transformation Stage powerhouses, a whole level higher than Nascent Soul stage cultivators!


    Actually, obtaining a Divinity Transformation Body is quite simple, just kill a Divinity Transformation Stage powerhouse, and you''ll have it. The method is not difficult, but the problem is, how the hell can someone with just a Golden Core Peak cultivation kill a Divinity Transformation being!


    That''s damn well jumping over two Great Realms!


    Aren''t these conditions a bit too harsh?

 Chapter 151 Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_4

    A moment later, Chen Qiu picked up the cloak on the table that could shield one''s Divine Sense and draped it over his head, his expression showing a hint of resignation as he walked out of the inn, "I''ll go for a stroll."


    He had started to consider giving up on the aspiration for a tenth-grade or even a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul.


    There was no other way.


    The conditions were too harsh. The requirement for a Divinity Transformation Body had effectively blocked his path. From the current perspective, a third-grade Nascent Soul seemed to be his limit, and he had no intention of waiting for the path of the Heavenly Prides.


    Having Golden Core Cultivation on the Xuantian Continent felt too insecure.


    It was better to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage as soon as possible.


    Take, for example, tonight''s "Long Night is Coming" Heavenly Dao event that he had no plans to attend. It was too dangerous. Having just arrived on the Xuantian Continent, it was better to keep a low profile and grow before anything else.


    He had the entry "All-Knowing," which might enable him to find some missed opportunities at the street stalls.


    ...


    In Great Yuan City, there were many Loose Cultivators, Yuan Sect disciples, and cultivators from other sects.


    At this moment, a large crowd was gathering in Great Yuan City. These were people from nearby areas looking to find refuge in the city. After dark, with "Long Night is Coming," it could get quite dangerous outside the city.


    And along the way,


    nearly all the cultivators were either wearing cloaks that shielded Divine Sense or masks that did the same. Even the Yuan Sect disciples were donning masks.


    Chen Qiu, in his cloak, did not look out of place. At this time, he was squatting in front of a street stall, examining every Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure for sale.


    This street was akin to a small market.


    Both sides were filled with vendors displaying their wares, including numerous weapon fragments and various medicinal herbs that seemed imbued with spirituality. As for the specifics of these items, that all depended on the vendor''s pitch.


    "Fellow Daoist, you''ve found yourself a treasure."


    At this point, the bald vendor at the stall Chen Qiu was in front of was eyeing the sword tip fragment that Chen Qiu was handling. After glancing around cautiously, he whispered,


    "Do you know of the grand battle that swept through Quzhou thousands of years ago?"


    "Right!"


    "My grandfather''s grandfather''s grandfather''s grandfather''s grandfather witnessed that battle firsthand. It was so fierce that it darkened the skies and earth, and this sword tip fragment is a piece of a shattered weapon from that time. It contains supreme Sword Intent. If you can comprehend it, you could become the number one Sword Immortal in Quzhou!"


    "How about ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones for it?"


    "Hmm."


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, his gaze casually sweeping over every item on the stall. Whenever his sight focused on an item, a panel enveloped in mist would appear above his Dantian, detailing the item''s information.


    But this weapon fragment in his hand was appraised as... trash.


    Everything on the stall was also trash; not a single genuine item was present. Just as he was about to stand up and leave,


    he suddenly overheard a conversation nearby.


    "Are you going out of the city tonight?"


    "What, are you thinking of participating in tonight''s ''Long Night is Coming''? You''d better think it through; a few years ago, during Quzhou''s ''Long Night is Coming,'' it''s said that hundreds of Golden Core disciples died in just one night."


    "I''m still hesitant, but it''s said that tonight''s ''Long Night is Coming'' will feature a ''Divinity Transformation Body.'' My movement technique is very fast. What if I manage to grab it? I could directly cultivate a fourth-grade Nascent Soul. Once I break through to the Nascent Soul Stage later on, wouldn''t I be invincible among my peers?"


    Hearing the voices close by,


    Chen Qiu''s body tensed slightly, and his hand trembling faintly as he clutched the sword tip fragment, he turned to look at the two Loose Cultivators who were gradually walking away. Tonight''s ''Long Night is Coming'' was actually going to feature a ''Divinity Transformation Body''?


    Then... his aspiration for a tenth-grade Nascent Soul might still be worth considering.


    The first step is always the hardest. Once he obtained the first one, the rest would come naturally.


    The vendor noticed his reaction and his eyes lit up, thinking that Chen Qiu had made a judgment error. He hurriedly tried to drive the point home, "Fellow Daoist, I''m telling you, this sword tip fragment is a piece from a Divinity Transformation high-grade Spiritual Treasure. If my family hadn''t fallen on hard times, I wouldn''t sell it. Ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones is truly a fair price for you."


    About to get up, Chen Qiu glanced at the vendor and said indifferently, "How about eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones? If you''re selling, I''ll take it."


    "This..."


    The vendor''s breathing suddenly became uncontrollably rapid, but he still forcefully suppressed his excitement and pretended to be in a difficult position, "Fellow Daoist, I really can''t lower the price any further. You know what this thing is worth. If..."


    However, before the vendor could finish speaking,


    Chen Qiu stood up immediately with Fat Long and left the stall, heading toward another one.


    The befuddled vendor hastily got up, watching the retreating backs of Chen Qiu and company as he shouted urgently, "I''ll sell, I''ll sell, just as you said, eight mid-grade Spirit Stones."


    But Chen Qiu and his companions did not show any sign of stopping.


    "Seven!"


    "Three!"


    "One, just one, that should be fine, right?"


    However, no matter how desperately the vendor shouted, Chen Qiu and the others kept walking away, getting further and further, until finally realizing they would not return, the vendor stood there, slapping himself repeatedly on the face, beating his chest, and crying out in regret.


    Why had he tried to act tough?


    If he hadn''t pretended back then, perhaps the deal for eight mid-grade Spirit Stones would have been struck.


    ...


    At this moment, Chen Qiu was in quite a good mood, maybe because he had teased the vendor, or perhaps because he had learned that a Divinity Transformation Body would appear this very night. Anyway, he felt much better than when he first arrived. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When he first descended upon the Xuantian Continent, there was always a sense of oppression in his heart, and he felt somewhat constrained in his actions.


    But now he felt much more carefree.


    And just then¡ª


    He suddenly noticed that there was truly a treasure on a stall to the side.


    -


    "Treasure Name": Demon Extermination Bracelet.


    "Acquisition Source": An upper-grade Earth Level Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, a gift from the Heavenly Dao.


    "Usage Effect": Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    1: It has been heavily contaminated with resentful energy, cannot be used, requires ten pieces of Evil Wood to remove the resentful energy, and needs to be nourished in the Dantian for ten days before it can see the light of day again.


    -


    "..."


    Chen Qiu''s expression gradually turned strange. Had he really seen a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure at a stall?


    The stall was littered with fragments of various weapons, some damaged Jade Scrolls, and a bunch of miscellaneous weeds posing as medicinal herbs. There were faint strands of Spiritual Energy hovering around these fragments and weeds, a common trick used by vendors.


    By breaking a Spirit Stone, they let Spiritual Energy vaguely hover over these ordinary items, thus impersonating Spiritual Objects.


    As for whether they could be sold, it all depended on one''s own eloquence.


    And from the corner of this stall, there lay a rather rusted copper bracelet that looked extremely unremarkable, covered in dirt as if it had just been unearthed.


    He stopped in his tracks, squatting in front of the stall, and after a moment, he raised his head to look at the vendor and casually said, "I''ll take this bracelet, how much is it?"


    "A hundred low-grade Spirit Stones!"


    The stall vendor was a female cultivator who might have been doing this for the first time, as she was somewhat inexperienced. Her voice was thick with insecurity, even trembling, "Don''t underestimate this bracelet. Do you know of the battle thousands of years ago that turned the whole of Quzhou upside down?"


    "My great-great-great-grandfather was an eyewitness to that great battle, and this bracelet is from..."


    Before the female cultivator could finish speaking.


    Chen Qiu couldn''t help but laugh softly, waving his hand to signal Fat Long to pay before picking up the bracelet, standing up, and leaving. He tossed back a few casual remarks.


    "That bald vendor up front, is he your relative?"


    "You two use the same tactics."


    "When you lie, you have to look into the person''s eyes and speak with enough confidence."


    "Only if you can deceive yourself can you deceive others; if you''re not confident, how can you make others believe you?"

 Chapter 1 - 1: This Immortal has a filthy mouth.

    Chapter 1: Chapter 1: This Immortal has a filthy mouth.


    Fufeng City, under the setting sun.


    Chen Qiu, dressed in hemp garments, was staring blankly toward the nearby city gate, where a sect called ¡°Sky-bursting Gang¡± was recruiting disciples en masse. A chubby man, who claimed to be an elder of the outer sect, was enthusiastically shouting through a wooden megaphone.


    ¡°The annual disciple recruitment event of the Sky-bursting Gang has begun!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t miss out as you pass by!¡±


    ¡°The day of becoming an Immortal is today!¡±


    ¡°Just by joining the sect, you¡¯ll instantly receive 100 coins!¡±


    ...


    ¡­


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had transmigrated not long ago.


    Today was his thirty-first day since arriving, and after thirty days of hard labor chopping wood, he had finally saved up over two thousand coins, allowing him to rent a small house for himself in this unfamiliar city.


    Chopping wood was a physically demanding job.


    The employer specifically requested ¡°Iron Wood,¡± a type of tree extremely hard to chop, and the areas where these trees grew were monopolized by local tyrants, charging an entrance fee for anyone wishing to chop wood on their land.


    He spent 29 days only managing to scrape together scraps of Iron Wood that the local tyrants neglected, competing with villagers for the sparse growth and earning barely enough daily to make ends meet.


    He was somewhat clumsy and really couldn¡¯t master the skill of chopping wood.


    Fortunately, on the 30th day, he learned how to chop people.


    That¡¯s how he made a small fortune.


    ¡­


    Since he had a good day starting his work yesterday, he took a day off for himself today; spending 300 coins to rent a small house, wandered around during the day, and spent a few more coins on pork head meat, peanuts, and a half jin of liquor to celebrate in his house.


    He took a break for the day and would chop wood again tomorrow.


    He was looking forward to this feast, the most sumptuous dinner since his transmigration.


    It seemed a small step.


    But it represented a significant step in establishing himself in this strange world.


    His mood was quite good all the way, even excited to hear that a theatrical troupe from the Capital would soon enter the city; he went specifically to join the crowd. Before this, his mood had been very good, until he heard the three words ¡°Sky-bursting Gang.¡±


    He began to feel a bit dazed.


    This oddly familiar unfamiliarity almost made him wonder if he hadn¡¯t transmigrated but had fallen asleep instead.


    This world had Immortals, he knew.


    But he rarely entertained the thought of pursuing Cultivation; he just wanted to survive, and if he could be slightly extravagant, to have pork head meat at every meal and to never get caught for chopping people, because even securing food and warmth was hard, let alone dare to think about Cultivation.


    And this ¡°Sky-bursting Gang¡± sect felt tacky to him: even a mere external elder was an Immortal, but why was he shouting so vulgarly like a peddler?


    Most of the people around merely glanced and passed by; for so long, not a single one paused, maybe this world¡¯s longing for Cultivation was really that low?


    Chen Qiu shook his head and did not linger much longer; perhaps it was just a coincidence in name. At that moment, the theatrical troupe also made a grand entry into the city surrounded by a bustling crowd.


    The status of performers in this world was not high.


    But it couldn¡¯t hold back the fact that this troupe had a famous Capital singer, who performed without selling her body. It was said that a high-ranking official from the Capital once offered three Spirit Stones for a night of romance but was tactfully refused, naturally, many wanted to see what this woman worth three Spirit Stones looked like.


    He tiptoed for a glance and thought she was alright; it seemed like people in this world hadn¡¯t seen much luxury.


    ¡­


    After watching the spectacle, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t linger and directly turned and walked towards the inner city.


    Just then¡ª


    Perhaps he had stood still for too long, or maybe because he was moving against the flow in the crowd, in any case, the shouting elder of the ¡°Sky-bursting Gang¡± noticed him, bellowed, and quickly ran toward him.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, halt!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, holding the oil-paper wrapped pork head and the porcelain bottle of liquor, without any hesitation, he turned and walked away.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please halt.¡±


    The voice behind him grew louder.


    His stride also increased.


    But after all, being an Immortal, the elder was faster and quickly caught up, panting and angrily accosting him with hands on his hips, ¡°What the hell are you running for?¡±


    This Immortal really had a foul mouth.


    Since he couldn¡¯t outrun him, Chen Qiu no longer struggled; instead, he changed his expression to one of sincere dread, bowed deeply, and carefully said, ¡°Forgive me, Immortal. I didn¡¯t realize the Immortal was calling out to me. May I know what commands you have?¡±


    But unbeknownst to the man, Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly.


    An Immortal?


    An Immortal who could barely run a few steps without gasping for breath? That was a pretty lame Immortal.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb!¡±


    The chubby man, irate, pointed at Chen Qiu¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°I am the outer sect elder of the ¡®Sky-bursting Gang,¡¯ responsible for recruiting disciples in Fufeng City. To Cultivate or not, just say the word!¡±


    A vulgar and physically weak Immortal.


    Seemed like he could be killed with just a couple of swings.


    Chen Qiu unconsciously felt for his wood-chopping knife, yet his expression remained respectful as he straightened up and explained, ¡°Respectfully, Immortal, I was born without any Cultivation Talent, so I never thought about stepping onto the path of seeking Immortality¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it, never mind.¡±


    After the man took a few deep breaths, just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly turned peculiar, ¡°Dude, what did you just say? Cultivation Talent?¡±


    Chen Qiu was slightly startled, at a loss for words for a moment ¨C were the Immortals in this world so down-to-earth? To use the word ¡°dude¡± when talking to mortals?


    Although slightly perplexed, he still instinctively responded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!!¡±


    Upon hearing this, the plump man drenched in cold sweat wiped his forehead, snatched the pig¡¯s head meat from Chen Qiu¡¯s hand without caring about his image, tore open the oil paper, and began chewing vigorously, noticeably excited, ¡°Very good, very good!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What the man didn¡¯t see, however,


    was that Chen Qiu¡¯s expression had visibly cooled. This pig¡¯s head meat was something he had been looking forward to for a month, possibly the happiest event since he had traveled through time. Everything he had done today was in preparation for enjoying this meal.


    And now¡­


    His cherished pig¡¯s head meat had just been snatched away by this pig-headed man in front of him, inspiring a hatred far surpassing that of a cuckolded husband.


    Chen Qiu scanned the surroundings. Since a troupe had entered the city today, the city gate was crowded with onlookers. The place was bustling, and quite a few soldiers were maintaining order, making it inconvenient to start a fight here.


    There was a bamboo grove not far away, which might suffice for a chopping spree.


    Just as he was calculating where to strike, the man finally wiped the grease from his mouth corners, ¡°Big hammer 80, how much for the small one?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was stunned, a trace of disbelief flashing through his eyes, thinking he was the only one who had traveled through time, but apparently, it was a group!¡±


    After hesitating for a moment,


    ¡°40?¡±


    ¡°Palace Jade Liquor, what comes next?¡±


    ¡°One hundred and eight per cup.¡±


    ¡°Good brother.¡± The plump man contentedly hugged Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulders, then, after packing up his ¡®Sky-bursting Gang¡¯ flag at his stall, led Chen Qiu to the nearby bamboo grove.


    ¡­


    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Fat Long. Back on Blue Star, I was a startup company CEO. How should I address you, brother?¡±


    ¡°My name is Chen Qiu. Back on Blue Star¡­I was self-employed.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, getting a preliminary hold on this chubby man¡ªan entrepreneurial company, likely one barely afloat.


    Outsourced all financing; never paid social security.


    Guaranteed no holidays on Saturdays; no guarantees of holidays on Sundays.


    Employees would file lawsuits just as the company was about to collapse.


    ¡°But are you sure your name is Fat Long? Does Blue Star even have that surname?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Fat Long nodded confidently, ¡°I picked it myself. When you¡¯re away from home, you craft your own identity. It¡¯s so hard to recruit disciples these days. If you don¡¯t create a prominent name for yourself, who would follow you?¡±


    ¡°The story I made up for myself goes like this, ¡®When I was born, a celestial phenomenon appeared in the sky, a fat five-clawed dragon circled the sky nine times before entering my body, proving that one day I would rise to greatness!''¡±


    ¡°People can find messages in fish, so a birth accompanied by a five-clawed golden dragon seems reasonable, right?¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Fat Long casually took the liquor from Chen Qiu¡¯s hand, drank it in one gulp, then contentedly burped, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I had such good food and drink.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the now empty porcelain bottle, touched the woodcutter¡¯s hatchet he had in his clothes calmly, glanced around without saying a word, and softly asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you an outer sect elder of the Sky-bursting Gang? Can¡¯t you afford pig¡¯s head meat?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, when you¡¯re out, identities are what you make of them; Sky-bursting Gang is just me.¡±


    ¡°So you mean you have no sect? Nor are you an outer sect elder?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You recruit disciples without a sect?¡±


    ¡°With disciples, doesn¡¯t a sect naturally form?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu fell silent again, saying nothing. Most people would think to establish a sect before recruiting disciples. This man¡¯s idea was to have disciples first and the sect would naturally exist. He wouldn¡¯t judge who was right or wrong but could only say this man had guts.


    ¡°Then you promise to give 100 wen just for joining? Do you have the money?¡±


    ¡°No money, ah.¡±


    Fat Long nodded seriously, ¡°But I always send new disciples into the Secret Realm. If they survive, they get paid afterward. If they die, no need to pay. And if they survive, the treasures they bring out from the Secret Realm will be worth far more than 100 wen.¡±


    ¡°Is the mortality rate in the Secret Realm very high?¡±


    ¡°Very high.¡±


    ¡°What if they survive and refuse to give you the treasures?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm, definitely stronger than the newbies. If they don¡¯t give, I can just take it by force.¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If you¡¯re already at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, why don¡¯t you enter the Secret Realm yourself?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention, the mortality rate in Secret Realm is very high, I¡¯m a bit afraid of dying, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am too.¡±


    ¡°Even so, how will you handle your sect¡¯s mountain gate? A sect must have a mountain gate, right?¡±


    ¡°Our sect focuses on having outer disciples travel abroad. Only when promoted to Inner Sect Disciple can one see the Mountain Gate.¡±


    The two exchanged glances, and Chen Qiu found himself momentarily at a loss for words.


    He just knew it, none of these startup CEOs were trustworthy.


    This isn¡¯t recruiting disciples at all, this is just recruiting people to die for you, and you only offer them cakes without any tangible benefits¡ªno wonder no one is joining. If anyone actually joined, it would be a miracle.

 Chapter 2 - 2: Entry Name: Step by Step.

    Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Entry Name: Step by Step.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Fat Long took a deep breath and said earnestly, ¡°Since we are compatriots in this foreign world, we are practically family now. It looks like you don¡¯t quite understand this world yet; otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have mentioned ¡®Cultivation Talent.¡¯ Let me give you a rough idea of what this world is like.¡±


    ¡°This is a Cultivation World.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not quite the same as the worlds we¡¯ve seen in Cultivation novels. There¡¯s no such thing as ¡®talent¡¯ here; anyone can cultivate if they are willing, or it depends on whether their Initial Entry is suitable for cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Entry?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ...


    Fat Long nodded vigorously, ¡°This world is like a massive Cultivation game, with Secret Realms even having fixed opening times, and there are various leaderboards, such as the ¡®Heavenly Pride Leaderboard,¡¯ ¡®Beauty Leaderboard,¡¯ ¡®Cultivation Leaderboard,¡¯ and so on.¡±


    ¡°Every now and then, there are regional announcements indicating when and where opportunities will arise, and countless cultivators will gather at these locations.¡±


    ¡°There are also things like ¡®Sect Establishment Order,¡¯ ¡®City Building Order,¡¯ ¡®Country Establishment Order,¡¯ and if you¡¯re wanted, you¡¯ll have a red name displayed above your head.¡±


    ¡°Right now, I am at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, having just broken through. It¡¯s been almost five months since I came to this world.¡±


    ¡°When I first got my entry, I thought it was my golden finger, but later I found out that everyone has this thing.¡±


    ¡°Everyone who breaks through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm will get an entry, which is totally random. Most of them are the lowest white entries, like ¡®Logging Sacred Body,¡¯ which can chop wood much faster than others.¡±


    ¡°Like ¡®Medicinal Herb Saint Hand,¡¯ it significantly increases the survival rate of planting Spirit Grass. It¡¯s not quite suitable for cultivation, but it can also enter the cultivation world to serve Alchemists.¡±


    ¡°Basically, the entry you get when you break through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm will determine most mortals¡¯ future career path.¡±


    ¡°The entry gained at the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm is mostly unrelated to combat power; they are basic entries. Only after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage do you have the chance to get some awesome entries. Many originally unremarkable fellow Daoists, after breaking through to Foundation Establishment Stage, luck out and get an extremely awesome entry, and then suddenly take off.¡±


    ¡°After Qi Refinement Realm, every time you break through a Great Realm, you can choose one entry out of three random ones, such as the stages of Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and so on.¡±


    ¡°To survive in this world, you must become an Immortal, otherwise, someone with Cultivation like mine can easily kill you. Think about it, isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, although he did not understand why an Immortal at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm would be so frail, he did not agree with Fat Long¡¯s claim that killing him would be easy.


    That was what he thought internally, but verbally he did not object. He roughly understood the situation of this world¡ªit was like a game, yet it was reality, a fusion of game and Cultivation World.


    ¡°So, what was the entry you got when you broke through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s face suddenly showed a hint of difficulty, and after hesitating for a long time, he sighed deeply, ¡°Well, showing you won¡¯t hurt. My luck wasn¡¯t very good; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have planned to establish a sect to pave the way for my Cultivation.¡±


    With a wave of his large hand,


    a semi-transparent panel enveloped in mist suddenly appeared in mid-air. This sort of technique did indeed seem like something an Immortal would use.


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Nine Ox Power.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Possess nine oxen.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth unconsciously slowly opened, and after a while, he muttered, ¡°What does ¡®possess nine oxen¡¯ mean¡­ It¡¯s not literal, is it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Fat Long nodded, a bit irritated. The first entry one got usually dictated a person¡¯s career path, yet he had randomly received this one, which irritated him every time he thought about it.


    ¡°Um¡­ If I may ask, can I see it in action?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Then never mind.¡±


    Despite his irritation, Fat Long still took a deep breath and said earnestly, ¡°Reaching the first layer of the Qi Refinement Stage is simple as long as you can perform introspection. All you need to do is concentrate, and if you can see the pathways of your body amidst the darkness, then you¡¯re successful.¡±


    ¡°This is for free.¡±


    ¡°Every City Lord Mansion of different cities offers this kind of free service. They will have you drink a Potion, and then help you perform introspection to successfully obtain the first entry. But, as the saying goes, the most expensive things are those that are free.¡±


    ¡°If you happen to randomly get an entry suitable for ¡®Demon Cultivation¡¯ or ¡®Evil Cultivation,¡¯ which are somewhat negative, congratulations, you¡¯ll be beheaded on the spot.¡±


    ¡°If you happen to randomly get an entry suitable for ¡®planting Spirit Grass¡¯ or ¡®cultivating Spirit Beasts,¡¯ congratulations, soon you¡¯ll be captured by some Cultivation sects like a Palu and spend your whole life doing these tasks in the sect.¡±


    ¡°Of course, if you get some other normal entries, the government will recommend a career path suited for you.¡±


    ¡°These are the paths the destitute take. Many still buy their own Potion to test their first entry on their own, so at least there¡¯s no danger to their lives.¡±


    ¡°I just happen to have a bottle of Potion here. As a compatriot and seeing that you have a sharp mind, I¡¯ll give it to you. Afterward, would you recognize me as your boss and follow me without a problem?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent, simply looking at the broken porcelain bottle in Fat Long¡¯s hand. After a moment of contemplation, he took the bottle and drank its contents in one gulp.


    In the span of a moment.


    He felt his head reel with dizziness, his eyelids involuntarily closing, and his body beginning to weaken.


    At the same time.


    A loud shout reached his ears.


    ¡°Sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and calm your heart!¡±


    Chen Qiu did as instructed, and after a few breaths, he suddenly felt a ray of light appear in the darkness. He focused hard and saw the light growing ever further away, followed by an explosive brightness, and in that moment, he clearly saw the meridians within his body.


    Simultaneously.


    A panel enshrouded in clouds and mist, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.


    ¡®Cultivation has greatly increased, officially entering the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡¯


    ¡®Acquired a random entry for the first time.¡¯ S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Randomizing¡­¡¯


    ¡®Randomization successful, entry name ¡°Step by Step¡±.¡¯


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Step by Step.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Seven-colored.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Each time Cultivation advances one small realm, one entry will be obtained, and each time three random entries will appear, allowing the selection of one.


    ¨C


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    As Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, Fat Long couldn¡¯t help moving closer with an expectant look, asking, ¡°Well? Is the entry related to combat power? Typically, the first entry is likely unrelated to combat power.¡±


    ¡°But if you¡¯re lucky enough to get an entry related to combat power, it could smoothly transition you to the Foundation Establishment Stage!¡±


    ¡°Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, you will get to choose from three random entries each time, then you can freely select the one that suits you best.¡±


    ¡°As soon as you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, you¡¯re a true Immortal!¡±


    ¡°Unrelated.¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s more of a long-term entry, not much use for the early stage.¡±


    He didn¡¯t elaborate.


    And Fat Long didn¡¯t press for details.


    At this point, Chen Qiu also discovered that after breaking through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, as long as he introspected, he could see a panel floating above his meridians, also wrapped in clouds and mist, within his body.


    ¨C


    ¡®Name¡¯: Chen Qiu.


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Qi Refinement Realm, first layer (0%).


    ¡®Entry¡¯: ¡®Step by Step¡¯.


    ¡®Cultivation Technique¡¯: None.


    ¡®Spirit Beast¡¯: None.


    ¡®Force¡¯: None.


    ¡®Country¡¯: Da Xia Country.


    ¨C


    At this time, his physical strength was almost the same as before, and his only means of attack was the somewhat worn cleaver in his arms, which didn¡¯t really match his stereotypical impression of Cultivation.


    Just then¡ª


    A voice from beyond suddenly exploded in their ears.


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: In response to the heartfelt calls of the residents, the Heavenly Dao bestows its blessing. A Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will appear in the bamboo forest three miles east of Fufeng City in Da Xia Country. Only Cultivators below the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm may enter.


    The entrance opens immediately and will close at sunset.

 Chapter 3 - 3: The Kill Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.

    Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The ¡®Kill¡¯ Type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    The moment the voice fell.


    Chen Qiu instinctively glanced around. Aside from the two of them, there was no one else in the bamboo forest, yet the voice seemed to echo directly in his mind, heavy yet carrying a sense of ethereality.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm!¡±


    Just as Fat Long, who was beside him, was about to continue speaking, he heard the voice and immediately his face lit up with excitement, ¡°I can¡¯t believe our luck, we¡¯ve actually encountered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm!¡±


    ¡°There are many types of secret realms, some are naturally formed by the Heavenly Dao response, and others are set up by predecessors before their death. There are many types, and although the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm isn¡¯t the one with the highest rewards, it¡¯s the safest.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, everything follows the rules, there¡¯s nothing deliberately set to kill you, very suitable for low-level lackeys like us.¡±


    ...


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for several months and only encountered it once; that time it allowed me to break through from the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm to the fifth level.¡±


    At the same time¡ª


    A slowly rotating white vortex, about two people tall, abruptly appeared three yards away from them.


    This is the entrance to the secret realm.


    This so-called voice of the Heavenly Dao is probably what Fat Long mentioned as the regional announcement.


    ¡­


    ¡°Secret Realm Name¡±: Small World of Beans and Peas.


    ¡°Secret Realm Restriction¡±: Only cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and below may enter.


    ¡°Secret Realm Type¡±: ¡®Kill¡¯.


    ¡°Secret Realm Introduction¡±: Contains a small world with hidden Cultivation Techniques, Spirit Grass, and other treasures. A maximum of 100 cultivators allowed. The survivors by dawn can safely return to the large world.


    ¨C


    Eager to rush into the white vortex entrance, Fat Long, after seeing the secret realm panel shrouded in mist in front of the vortex, suddenly stopped with an ugly expression and involuntarily took a few steps back.


    ¡°It seems our luck isn¡¯t that good after all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the rare ¡®Kill¡¯ type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°This type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is essentially like a slaughterhouse, extremely bloody with a high death rate.¡±


    Standing at the entrance to the secret realm, Chen Qiu could already hear a large number of footsteps coming from outside the bamboo forest, clearly, many cultivators were rapidly converging here, looking at the secret realm panel before them.


    He had been chopping wood for 30 days in this world and had never thought that such a thing existed.


    But he quickly accepted everything before him.


    ¡°You seem very scared. Aren¡¯t you at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm? That¡¯s the highest allowable Cultivation level for this secret realm. Logically, you should be one of those dominating inside, right?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Fat Long forced a smile with a somewhat unpleasant expression, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, you think too highly of me. Although I¡¯m at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, I basically have no attack methods.¡±


    ¡°Neither Cultivation Techniques nor spiritual weapons.¡±


    ¡°Just a few talismans I¡¯ve gathered these days for protecting my life.¡±


    ¡°They are totally insufficient in there.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°The sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm is a threshold. Only by breaking through it can one substantially enhance their physical strength, and by breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, releasing Spiritual Energy both defensively and offensively, then one truly becomes an Immortal.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm isn¡¯t much stronger than the first level; at most, I could take on three or four at the first level in a duel setting. If it¡¯s a mob fight, three or four would overpower me.¡±


    ¡°If we encounter any cultivator in there who has a solid background, possesses Cultivation Techniques, and owns spiritual weapons at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, we would all be doomed in this secret realm.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not consider this secret realm; let¡¯s look for another one.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the first batch of people who arrived and casually said, ¡°But it seems like we can¡¯t avoid entering now.¡±


    The first batch of people to arrive, all clad in black hemp garments, each holding a chopping knife, with white cloth straps on their legs, appeared swift and powerful.


    Each of them burly, with faces full of brute strength.


    The leader of the group, a muscular man with a ferocious and ruthless expression, glared at Chen Qiu, grinning maliciously, ¡°Kid, didn¡¯t expect to catch you here; you vanished after killing one of our brothers. We¡¯ve been searching for you all day.¡±


    ¡°It really is a case of enemies on a narrow road!¡±


    Following that, a group of people pressed on even closer with each step.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak, but he reached into his bosom to pull out a chopping axe. He then took a strip of cloth from his bosom and tightly bound the axe handle to his right hand. After this, he moved his body and scanned the local bullies slowly encroaching upon him.


    He had chopped down a lone bully yesterday.


    There was only one eyewitness at the scene, a woman who claimed to be three months pregnant and a fellow sufferer tormented by the bullies. After begging for a long while, he had felt pity for her.


    And now, that woman was standing among these people, staring at him with malevolent eyes, holding a chopping axe as well, hardly looking like she was three months pregnant.


    Well, consider it a lesson purchased.


    If there¡¯s a next time, it¡¯ll be like a buy-one-get-one-free deal.


    He didn¡¯t speak again but directly entered the white vortex beside him, disappearing from the spot. Not entering the Secret Realm would definitely mean a fierce battle waiting for him, while entering the Secret Realm still offered a slim chance.


    The officials of Fufeng City were maintaining order at the city gate and could not attend to this spot in time.


    ¡­


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Seeing the group closing in, Fat Long unconsciously swallowed, raised both hands, and said with a bitter tone mixed with a crying voice, ¡°I said I don¡¯t know him, do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°You must not harm innocent people!¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Seeing that things had come to this point, Fat Long knew he definitely couldn¡¯t escape alone. He stiffened his neck and shouted as he stepped boldly into the white vortex in front of him. He was naturally timid and, according to his nature, he would definitely not actively enter a ¡®kill¡¯ type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    But behind him was a pack of wolves.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®kill¡¯ type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.¡±


    Once both men had vanished into the Secret Realm, one of the underlings, after checking the Secret Realm panel, hesitated and then jogged to the side of the leading man, saying, ¡°Boss, should we chase after them?¡±


    ¡°Chase my ass!¡±


    The leading man sneered: ¡°A ¡®kill¡¯ type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, where if 100 go in, whether even 50 can come out alive is uncertain¡ªit¡¯s a complete bloodbath. We¡¯ll just wait out here.¡±


    ¡°Even if these two luckily come out, they¡¯ll definitely be critically injured. Then we can avenge our fallen brothers.¡±


    ¡°If they die in there, then our brother¡¯s revenge is also claimed.¡±


    ¡°Boss is wise!¡±


    On hearing this, the people behind him also unconsciously relaxed and let out a long breath. They really did not want to enter a kill type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; it wasn¡¯t just about threatening others with a knife¡ªit meant genuinely fighting for their lives.


    They were just local bullies after all.


    And didn¡¯t really want to lay down their lives.


    ¡­


    ¡°I say, Brother Chen Qiu,¡±


    The moment they entered the Secret Realm, Fat Long saw Chen Qiu looking around and said with a helpless expression, ¡°How did you manage to provoke such a group of local bullies? Even if we make it out alive, they¡¯re surely waiting at the entrance, and we¡¯re bound to die at their hands.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak, merely holding the chopping axe and scanning the small world.


    There were forests, grasslands, bushes, and even deserts.


    It wasn¡¯t too small.


    His plan was actually very simple. During his earlier talk with Fat Long, Fat Long had told him quite a few ways to enhance his Cultivation, one of which was to kill demon beasts.


    He just needed to quickly break through to the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm, which would grant him a new entry. If he could acquire a combat type entry,


    it wasn¡¯t impossible for him to survive.

 Chapter 4 - 4:

    Chapter 4: Chapter 4: ¡°Cultivation Greatly Increases, Officially Entering the Second Level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu lowered his head to look at his own legs, a slight frown forming on his brow. His legs seemed to be bound by some unknown force, preventing him from moving them no matter how hard he tried.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡±


    Seeing Chen Qiu¡¯s actions, although Fat Long¡¯s complexion wasn¡¯t looking too good, he still mustered the strength to speak, ¡°Before the entrance to the Secret Realm is closed, all cultivators who enter the Secret Realm are unable to move. This is the rule of the Heavenly Dao!¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, at this time, one cannot exit either. Only after the entrance to the Secret Realm closes can cultivators begin to move freely. This ensures that all cultivators start from the same starting line, avoiding situations where those who enter the Secret Realm first gain a significant advantage.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ even so.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Having an early entry into the Secret Realm still has its advantages.¡±


    ¡°Look over there.¡±


    Fat Long extended his hand, pointing towards four red lights soaring into the sky in the west: ¡°In the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, red light represents the opportunity of ¡®mental methods¡¯. If you¡¯re more interested in mental methods, you should head west once it starts.¡±


    ¡°There are three blue lights to the east, and blue represents ¡®Cultivation Techniques¡¯, whether it¡¯s defensive, offensive, or various other techniques like flying and Beast Taming, all are represented by blue.¡±


    ¡°To the north, those seven ¡®Purple Lights¡¯ will probably attract the most people. Purple Light represents Spiritual Treasures, which are the favorites of all cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, acknowledging that, although his acquaintance with Fat Long was far from pleasant¡ªthis fat-headed idiot had eaten the pig head meat and liquor he had worked hard to earn¡ªthe information was definitely worth the price!


    This world did not have the internet.


    Information was relatively closed off.


    Just as before, he never knew this information, and exchanging a bit of pig head meat for so much intelligence was a worthwhile trade. From a certain perspective, Fat Long could be considered his benefactor.


    A benefactor doesn¡¯t necessarily mean someone who brings you great wealth and riches. Anyone who can guide your way can also be a benefactor.


    After pausing for a moment, he pointed to the black light rising into the sky in the south: ¡°There is only one black light to the south. What¡¯s there? The greatest opportunity?¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    The corner of Fat Long¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, ¡°Do you think ¡®black¡¯ and ¡®opportunity¡¯ are compatible? Black often signifies that the location harbors the strongest Fierce Beast of the Secret Realm. It would be wiser not to go near it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Chen Qiu gazed towards the forest in the south where he could faintly see numerous demon beasts moving about, his eyes narrowing slightly, then he looked up again into the distance: ¡°The entire small world is enveloped by a huge white membrane. This membrane won¡¯t gradually shrink, will it?¡±


    ¡°You guessed right, it¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re thinking, similar to the battle royale games we used to play.¡±


    ¡°This is also why I¡¯m so averse to the ¡®kill¡¯ type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. The death rate is really too high!!!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At this time¡ª


    Quite a few people had already entered the Secret Realm one after another.


    Most of them were muscular men: some dressed as escort masters, some as peasants, others wearing sect uniforms, clearly disciples of some sect. You could say all sorts of people were present here, and most had rather grim expressions on their faces.


    Of course¡­ in such a situation, it would be rare for anyone to smile.


    Upon entering the small world, everyone could only gather around the white vortex, standing still, patiently waiting. By sunset, a full 100 people had filled the Secret Realm.


    The entrance to the Secret Realm closed early.


    In an instant¡ª


    Everyone suddenly found the inexplicable force binding their legs vanish, and everyone regained their freedom. Immediately afterward, nearly all of them shot off towards the three directions of east, west, and north!


    No one fought!


    Everyone tacitly reserved their strength for the end, focusing on covering ground as quickly as possible. Those with higher cultivation and possessing Spiritual Treasures and Cultivation Techniques ran in the first wave while those with lesser cultivation followed in the second wave. A few clearly with very low cultivation who had come to try their luck stayed in the third wave.


    Over forty people went to the desert in the north, evidently attracted by the Purple Light representing Spiritual Treasures.


    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡±


    At this moment, Fat Long looked towards Chen Qiu¡ªwho was standing in place without moving¡ªwith some urgency, and said hurriedly, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up too. Standing here motionless will make us appear timid. I am, after all, a Qi Refinement Realm sixth-layer cultivator!¡±


    ¡°As long as I sound a bit more arrogant, boast about myself a bit, and they can¡¯t gauge my strength, they probably won¡¯t rashly attack us.¡±


    ¡°Especially since we haven¡¯t obtained any treasure yet, they have no reason to fight with us.¡±


    ¡°But if we show weakness now, we are more likely to be used as sacrifices later!¡±


    It has to be said.


    In the nearly five months that Fat Long had traversed this world, he had also devised a set of survival strategies suited for himself.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu shook his head, his gaze fixed on the distance, ¡°Placing one¡¯s life completely in the hands of others¡¯ fear and consideration lacks a sense of security. I have a better solution, head south.¡±


    Only to the south were there demon beasts active.


    ¡­


    South.


    In the forest, Fat Long, gasping for air, swung his sword again, severely wounding another demon beast before kicking it in front of Chen Qiu. Only then did he look up uneasily toward the colorful lights dissipating non-stop in the distance.


    With each light fading, it meant a treasure had been taken.


    And with that, a fight was bound to ensue.


    Squandering so much energy now would only lower the chances of survival later.


    Anxiously he turned his head again and spoke to Chen Qiu in a hurried and uneasy voice, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, are you sure the entry you obtained when your cultivation broke through to the first level of Qi Refinement Realm was just that your strength would increase as soon as you reached the second level of Qi Refinement Realm?¡±


    ¡°It sounds too vague!¡±


    ¡°Can it be stronger than the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm?¡±


    At this moment, he already had several wounds on his body inflicted in the dying struggles of the demon beasts. They were not serious nor fatal, but they absolutely affected his combat power, as well as others¡¯ assessment of his strength.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded without going into detail but took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, bent his knees slightly, and stared unblinkingly at the hungry wolf in front of him that was staring straight back with a menacing glint in its eyes!


    To respond to every change with constancy.


    Finally, the hungry wolf could no longer restrain itself and with a growl charged straight at him. Chen Qiu moved his feet slightly to dodge the attack, then concentrated all the strength of his body in his arms and swung his sword in a fluid motion.


    Blood splattered everywhere.


    With one stroke, the wolf was killed, and he also chopped down the demon beast that Fat Long had kicked over as it was on the brink of death.


    At this point, more than an hour had passed since the beginning of the Secret Realm. He had spent roughly half the time fighting in this forest and was already utterly exhausted. From the clumsy fighting at the beginning, he now had some combat experience.


    He had killed no fewer than twenty Qi Refinement Realm level one Fierce Beasts.


    The Fierce Beasts here were all hungry wolves, with cultivation levels mostly at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be so easy to kill.


    Finally, in front of him emerged once again that familiar panel enveloped by clouds and mist.


    ¡®Cultivation greatly increased, formally entering the second layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡¯


    ¡®Due to the ¡°Step by Step¡± entry, you may obtain another entry upon this cultivation breakthrough.¡¯


    ¡®Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Take the initiative.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, you can break through the binding restrictions and move freely before the entrance to the Secret Realm is closed.


    2:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Alchemy Posture.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Your success rate in alchemy will be slightly increased.


    3:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Foundation Establishment Delay.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Your Qi Refinement Phase will be extended from the normal nine layers to eleven layers; thereafter, during Foundation Establishment, the Spiritual Energy in your Dantian will be more abundant and pure compared to other Cultivators at the same phase, and your success rate for Foundation Establishment will also be higher.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a few deep breaths, thrust the blood-covered woodcutting knife into the earth beside him, and the piece of cloth that had once tied the knife handle to his right hand had long since disappeared in the fight.


    Looking at the three entry choices on the panel enveloped by clouds and mist exuding a mysterious charm, he fell silent for a long while before finally turning to look at the anxious and restless Fat Long and spoke softly.


    ¡°The strength has increased a bit.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still not enough. If I could break through to the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm, then there would definitely be no problem.¡±


    ¡°Are you joking, my good brother?!!!¡±


    Fat Long couldn¡¯t restrain himself and roared in anger, ¡°Do you think cultivation breakthroughs are that simple? To break through from the first level to the third level of Qi Refinement Realm within one day? Do you think cultivation breakthrough is as easy as drinking cool water?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been five months since I came to this world, and my cultivation level is only at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, alright!¡±


    ¡°To purely rely on killing demon beasts to gain cultivation points for you to break through to the third level of Qi Refinement Realm, you would need to kill at least one demon beast with the cultivation of the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm. With all the little demon beasts around here at the first level, where can you find a demon beast with such cultivation?¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Roar!!!¡±


    A burst of wild demon energy exploded from the depths of the forest, and at the same time a ferocious roar emitted, accompanied by the shaking of the ground. It was clear that an extremely fierce Fierce Beast had awakened deep within the forest and was charging straight towards them with an unmistakably clear target!


    With the intensity of that demon energy, the cultivation level started at least from the sixth layer of Qi Refinement Realm, if not higher.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long, standing still, bowed his head and remained silent for a while before he suddenly let out a soft sigh, his voice hoarse.


    ¡°Maybe I have the hidden entry ¡®With the word spoken, the law follows.¡¯


    ¡°Or maybe I shouldn¡¯t have grabbed you in the crowd back then.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°We must fight with our lives, once such a Fierce Beast has locked onto us, escape is impossible, we can only battle.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully we will win.¡±


    ¡°After all, I am at the sixth level of Qi Refinement Realm, stronger than you. I¡¯ll take the front; you find an opportunity from the side.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak again but just pulled out the woodcutting knife stuck in the earth and looked towards the colossal silver-furred Wolf King that was indistinctly charging towards them from the forest not far away.

 Chapter 5 - 5: Entry Name: The God of Qi Refinement.

    Chapter 5: Chapter 5: ¡®Entry Name¡¯: The God of Qi Refinement.


    The Wolf King that was about to charge toward them had demon energy so condensed on its body that it almost materialized, its momentum extremely fierce.


    A normal modern person, facing a Wolf King charging head-on, would consider themselves heroic if they could keep their legs from shaking uncontrollably, at least Chen Qiu¡¯s breathing started to become hurried.


    His body trembled slightly.


    A kind of indescribable fear surged in his heart, his mind began to become extremely hazy, feeling as if everything around him was slowing down.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Roar!!!¡±


    ...


    Accompanied by a roar, the Wolf King charged straight at Chen Qiu from the forest with astonishing momentum, perhaps targeting Chen Qiu directly since he had killed too many Wolf Demons.


    ¡°Freeze!¡±


    Fat Long pulled a talisman from his bosom, and as spiritual energy poured into it, the talisman instantly ignited and shot into the Wolf King¡¯s body, visibly slowing its movements.


    ¡°Slash!¡±


    Fat Long drew another talisman, which burned up instantly, and a blade of light formed from spiritual energy materialized and slashed directly at the Wolf King, accompanied by splashing blood, a terrifying, bone-deep wound erupted on the Wolf King¡¯s back, blood gushing profusely.


    Immediately not giving the Wolf King much time to react, Fat Long roared to encourage himself and charged forward with his long sword thrust deep into the wound, intense pain making the Wolf King struggle and howl continuously.


    Fortunately¡­ it was only a Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast.


    Apart from having greater physical strength than the two of them.


    It didn¡¯t know any spells.


    Its fighting style was still like that of a wild beast, relying on physical strength to fight.


    Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t idle either; he immediately flanked to the other side, he and Fat Long splitting into two directions to surround the Wolf King and initiate a guerrilla siege. The heavily injured Wolf King already had the intention to retreat, but it was too late!


    The two of them also did not attack with full force.


    Preserving their strength this way, no matter whom the Wolf King attacked, the chosen one would immediately pull away, not giving the Wolf King a chance to touch him, and the other would take the opportunity to close in, harassing the Wolf King.


    A few breaths later.


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    As the Wolf King, increasingly slowed by excessive blood loss, Fat Long stepped back, signaling Chen Qiu to move forward; Chen Qiu didn¡¯t waste any time, stepping large beside the Wolf King, he struck with full force, a chopping blade plunging straight into the Wolf King¡¯s neck.


    Even after receiving such a deadly blow.


    The Wolf King still didn¡¯t die on the spot but instead struggled even more vigorously, as if revitalized.


    The blade was stuck in its neck and couldn¡¯t be pulled out for a while, so Chen Qiu simply pressed his entire weight onto the Wolf King, focusing all his strength on the handle of the blade, stubbornly driving the blade deeper into its neck.


    Finally¡­


    The body of the Wolf King gradually stiffened, coming to a complete halt in its struggle, no longer breathing.


    A Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast had perished just like that!


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    The battle over, Fat Long, who had still been brimming with energy, suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion emanating from the depths of his heart, and his legs went soft, causing him to sit down on the ground, gazing at the blood that covered his clothes, some expressions of bewilderment directed toward the body of the Wolf King in front of him.


    The silvery white fur on the Wolf King¡¯s body had already been completely stained red.


    The demon energy on its body was also slowly dispersing.


    Even its pupils were beginning to dilate, every sign indicating that this once formidable Wolf King had truly died, killed by them.


    ¡°Am I really that powerful?¡±


    Fat Long looked down at his hands in a daze, never having imagined that he could himself kill a Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast. Demons of the same Cultivation Realm were usually stronger than Cultivators, especially since he had neither Cultivation Techniques nor Magic Treasures, his power was supposed to be somewhat inferior.


    But now it seemed¡­


    He might need to reassess his own strength.


    A Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Level demon beast was nothing much after all!


    ¡­


    At that moment, Chen Qiu, equally out of breath, was sitting on the grass. The axe he had been using to chop wood for over thirty days was still embedded in the Wolf King¡¯s neck; he hadn¡¯t pulled it out. He checked his body: there were numerous injuries, but nothing serious.


    The majority were abrasions.


    Only on his abdomen was there a claw mark from the wolf, from which blood was still seeping; it stung a bit.


    After stepping into the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm, among the three random entries he had to choose from, he selected the green entry ¡°Delay Foundation Establishment.¡± The first two entries were of little use to him, and he had never considered Alchemy, so he didn¡¯t need that entry.


    Although he quite liked the entry ¡°Take the initiative,¡± as it meant that in future entries into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he could act ahead of others, be it setting traps or grabbing rewards first, which would be extremely beneficial.


    However, he felt that ¡°Delay Foundation Establishment¡± suited him a bit more, effectively providing him with two additional entries and also enhancing his Foundation Establishment success rate, which was great.


    Just then¡ª


    From the body of the Wolf King, a faint light floated into the air and merged into Chen Qiu¡¯s body, making him feel suddenly warm, and even the pain somewhat subsided. When he performed introspection again, sure enough¡ª


    A panel of text enveloped by clouds and mist appeared inside his body once more.


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, officially entering the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Due to the entry ¡®Step by Step,¡¯ this Cultivation breakthrough grants another entry.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: God of Qi Refinement.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You will permanently be unable to achieve Foundation Establishment, but your lifespan will be extended by 500 years.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Yama¡¯s Personal Decree.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You will definitely die one year later, but you are guaranteed to not die within this year.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Resentful Spirit Summoning.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Creatures killed by you will turn into resentful spirits attached to your body, which you can summon at any time to fight for you with the strength they had at their peak, but once summoned, they can only exist for one hour, after which they dissipate into the universe.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the three random entries in front of him, pondered for a moment, and chose the third entry, ¡°Resentful Spirit Summoning.¡± It seemed like there wasn¡¯t much need to consider it since the first two had rather significant drawbacks.


    The third entry was precisely the combat ability he urgently needed.


    And it was a skill-type entry.


    So far, aside from this entry, the other entries he had randomly obtained were mostly support or passive types; this one was an entry that could be actively triggered.


    ¡°Fat Long.¡±


    After resting for a moment on the ground, Chen Qiu turned his head to look at Fat Long beside him and softly said, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Honestly, that serving of pig¡¯s head meat had been worth it. Not only had Fat Long helped him kill the creature, but he had also let him land the final blow on the Wolf King and had used up his only two talismans. Honestly, he felt somewhat embarrassed; if it hadn¡¯t been for Fat Long, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to advance to the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm so quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Fat Long thought about the two talismans he had painstakingly saved. Although it pained him, he still managed to feign generosity and shook his head: ¡°At least our cooperation turned out to be surprisingly well-synchronized, which is great. In this dangerous and unfamiliar world, having a teammate like you is really good.¡±


    What he didn¡¯t tell Chen Qiu was that, before meeting him, he had also found a few other compatriots who had come through. Those compatriots had all risen to high positions. When he approached them trying to bond, he was met with cold shoulders and ridicule.


    It was humiliating. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was better to stay with someone of lower cultivation than himself; at least then, he wouldn¡¯t be ridiculed.

 Chapter 6 - 6: Wells do not interfere with rivers.

    Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Wells do not interfere with rivers.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Chen Qiu remembered the three random entries he had just drawn and hesitated, ¡°How are the levels of entries differentiated?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Fat Long nodded seriously, ¡°The levels of entries from low to high are respectively, White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, and above that there are Red, Golden, Pink, Seven-colored.¡±


    ¡°A total of nine levels.¡±


    ¡°They imply the will of the Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ...


    ¡°All cultivators can only obtain a random entry when they achieve a major breakthrough in their realm, and the level of this random entry is closely related to one¡¯s own Cultivation Realm.¡±


    ¡°The higher the cultivation, the higher the level of entry that one can randomly receive.¡±


    ¡°For example, although a cultivator at the Qi Refinement Realm theoretically has a chance to draw a Seven-colored term, the actual probability is so low it¡¯s pitiful, possibly one lucky individual every ten thousand years.¡±


    ¡°But if you¡¯re at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, the probability of randomly getting a Seven-colored entry during a major realm breakthrough will be much higher.¡±


    ¡°These nine levels are all the levels for entries.¡±


    Fat Long paused, then looked up at the black glow that was slowly dissolving above his head, and continued, ¡°Aside from that, there are also some special level entries, such as the Grey entry. Grey entries don¡¯t fall within these nine levels and can¡¯t be ranked.¡±


    ¡°Grey entries often have extremely powerful effects, but also carry extremely serious drawbacks.¡±


    ¡°If you happen to randomly get a Grey entry, then¡­ whether it¡¯s fortune or misfortune is really hard to say.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all fate.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded without speaking. To tell the truth, the effects of those two Grey entries just now were quite good indeed. If it were some specific people, like ordinary mortals without dreams of cultivation, getting an extra 500 years of life for free would be rather nice.


    It¡¯s just a bit torturous, watching your friends and family leave one by one.


    The second ¡°Yama¡¯s Personal Decree¡± would, for some cultivators on the brink of death, be like extending their lifespan by a year, and during this year, they could act unfettered, or for Sect Supreme Elders, they could burn brightly and contribute to their sect during this year.


    Of course, in most cases, this entry is akin to Yama¡¯s death warrant.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    Behind the two, a translucent barrier that enveloped the entire small world slowly closed in on them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Brother Chen Qiu, it¡¯s shrinking.¡±


    Fat Long got up from the ground, casually stowed his long sword in his Storage Bag, and muttered, ¡°Once I get some money, the first thing I¡¯ll do is swap for a saber-type Magic Treasure. Using this long sword is really awkward.¡±


    ¡­


    The two, clad in bloodstained clothes, slowly walked from the forest to the center of the plains.


    At this moment, almost ten people were already scattered across the plain, each of them caked with blood as well. At a glance, many of them didn¡¯t have light injuries, and the look they gave Chen Qiu and his companion was tinged with wariness and caution.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists.¡±


    Just then, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face stepped forward, looking at Chen Qiu and his companion with a solemn voice, ¡°According to the rules of Jianghu, in the ¡®Slaying¡¯ type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, when the last light fades, it means the fight should cease!¡±


    ¡°All treasures, no matter who holds them, are that person¡¯s fate.¡±


    ¡°No further plundering is allowed.¡±


    It¡¯s no wonder these people were all full of wariness. Normal people who enter the ¡®Slaying¡¯ type Secret Realm, aren¡¯t they all coming for treasures? Who would go to the black area?


    As everyone knows, the most powerful Fierce Beast in the Secret Realm is in the black area, aside from which there are no treasures at all.


    And there¡¯s only one type of person who would go to such a place¡ª


    Combat enthusiasts!


    Whether they are Jianghu Guests, Sect Disciples, government lackeys, or even the lowest scum, the one type of person they all fear the most are combat enthusiasts. These people tend not to follow any rules and don¡¯t care about any benefits.


    Their life¡¯s goal is to fight, to fight until death, which is their life¡¯s creed.


    Commonly known as head-choppers.


    At this moment, in the eyes of these people, Chen Qiu and Fat Long were like battle maniacs, and not just ordinary ones, but those with formidable strength. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t appear to have sustained no serious injuries while they had killed the strongest Fierce Beast in this Secret Realm!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak, only glancing around. As expected, the bright lights that had originally shot into the sky had all disappeared, indicating that all the treasures had found their masters, now in the hands of the crowd. There were only nine people standing here at this moment.


    Yet one hundred people had entered this small world.


    Which meant, in just this short period, eighty-nine people had died in the scramble for treasures.


    He was silent, not saying a word. Although he had not met those eighty-nine people, after all, so many lives had just perished in this small world, it couldn¡¯t help but make one sigh. If it hadn¡¯t been for Fat Long, maybe he too would have died here?


    Feigning composure, Fat Long waved his hands. He was just about to bluff his way through when he was preparing to leave the Secret Realm successfully. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Szzt!¡±


    Among the nine people standing on the plain, suddenly three people violently drew their swords and lashed out, aiming directly at the person closest to them, giving no time for a reaction. In just two or three breaths, only four people were left standing on the spot.


    Three men, clad in different attire and wielding sharp blades, surrounded an ordinary-looking young man in the middle, their cruel and cold gazes tightly fixed on Chen Qiu and Fat Long.


    ¡°Heh heh.¡±


    Before Chen Qiu and Fat Long had a chance to speak, the ordinary-looking young man in the center pulled out a fan from nowhere, casually flicking it to and fro, looking at Chen Qiu and the others with a smirk, ¡°How is it, have you never seen such a low-key young master before?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what I hate the most? It¡¯s those young masters dressed in fancy clothes with identical uniforms for their lackeys, afraid of not being conspicuous enough.¡±


    ¡°Look¡ª¡±


    ¡°Like me, having my subordinates wear different clothes and pretend to be Loose Cultivators blending into the crowd. Then striking at the critical moment, who can react in time?¡±


    ¡°These days, Cultivation isn¡¯t just about brute strength, you also need to use your brain.¡±


    ¡°I, Huang Shikai, want all the treasures in this Secret Realm for myself. As for the two of you¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you wish to die?¡±


    As he spoke, Huang Shikai had a trace of wariness in his eyes when looking at the two. His plan was to have everything under control. Since he had come to this small world, all its treasures would undoubtedly be his. But what he hadn¡¯t anticipated was the sudden appearance of two battle maniacs with unknown prowess, which left him feeling slightly uneasy.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much talk.


    Even though the strongest was only at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, there were still differences between those at the same stage of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    ¡°Young Master Huang.¡±


    Without any hesitation, Fat Long immediately dropped to his knees, earnestly cupping his fists, ¡°Your reputation precedes you. I¡¯ve long heard of your handsome and dashing bearing, and your achievements at such a young age. Seeing you today, it really is as expected.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want any treasures from this small world, could we possibly not infringe upon each other¡¯s territories and part ways here?¡±


    ¡°Heh, what do you think?¡±


    Huang Shikai instantly felt emboldened upon seeing Fat Long¡¯s behavior and with a cold snicker, he stepped back and gestured with his hand, ¡°Kill them all.¡±


    No witnesses, that way there would be no loose ends.


    Otherwise, if word of what just happened got out, it would cause some damage to his reputation.


    Seeing how feeble he was, and appearing to have no backing, it was clear he was a Loose Cultivator. Dead, he would just die in vain.


    Chen Qiu, standing off to the side, didn¡¯t speak. He simply lowered his head and wiped his machete clean of blood with the corner of his clothes. Then he patted Fat Long on the shoulder and whispered, ¡°Get up, they can¡¯t beat us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to stake a claim in these waters. I quite want these treasures from the small world.¡±


    The next instant¡ª


    Thick resentful energy suddenly erupted from Chen Qiu¡¯s body, and in the blink of an eye, more than twenty Qi Refinement Realm stage one Wolf Demons and one Qi Refinement Realm stage six Wolf King appeared out of nowhere beside him.


    These resentful spirits looked semi-transparent and somewhat ethereal but the combined might of their resentful energy and demon energy appeared extremely formidable.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Several roaring cries abruptly rose one after another across the plain!

 Chapter 7 - 7: Full Force Strike, Cant Break Through the Defense?

    Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Full Force Strike, Can¡¯t Break Through the Defense?


    These Wolf Demons were the resentful spirits of those who had just died by his hand, their wolf bodies now a uniform translucent appearance, looking incredibly ethereal.


    Naturally, this included the Wolf King.


    The strength of this Wolf King was unquestionable. If it weren¡¯t for Fat Long¡¯s two talismans, the two of them would not have been able to kill the Wolf King. The most important factor in their ability to kill the Wolf King was that this Qi Refinement Realm sixth-layer Wolf King only appeared after all its underlings had perished.


    Otherwise, if they had attacked together, with the Wolf Demon underlings providing support, the outcome would truly be uncertain.


    Although he did not know the Cultivation of these three, to be able to serve as henchmen for a young master, they must be stronger than average in both Cultivation and combat experience. In this battle of life and death, who would stand until the end?


    He himself felt somewhat lacking in confidence.


    ...


    But¡­


    In the face of a great battle, one must not show weakness.


    Chen Qiu stood in place, holding a wood-cutting knife, looking calmly towards the four people not far away, and said softly, ¡°Kill!¡±


    As the word fell.


    The Wolf Demon resentful spirits behind him seemed to receive the order, roaring angrily as they rushed forward together.


    ¡°What kind of technique is this?¡±


    Standing aside, Fat Long¡¯s eyes lit up at the scene unfolding before him, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, is this the entry you gained randomly after breaking through to the Qi Refinement Realm first layer? You can summon resentful spirits? No wonder you said you¡¯d become strong once you break through to the third layer of Qi Refinement, so this is why!¡±


    ¡°This entry¡¯s restriction must be that it can only be used starting from the third layer of Qi Refinement, right?¡±


    ¡°And since you, Brother Chen Qiu, said it¡¯s an entry for later stages, presumably as your Realm Cultivation progresses, the strength of the summoned resentful spirits will also increase, right?¡±


    ¡°A growth-type active skill entry!¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, you really do have good luck!¡±


    A hint of envy flickered in Fat Long¡¯s eyes, then he felt a bit irritated. Why was his luck so bad? What use was the Nine Ox Power to him? Not only was it useless, but it also came with nothing but side effects.


    Ugly and uncomfortable.


    There was no helping it, after all, it wasn¡¯t like he could shoot down nine suns like Hou Yi of old, and now¡­


    ¡­


    Luckily, the three henchmen under the young master, after many battles and with serious injuries, were nearly drained of their strength, and even failed to wait for Chen Qiu and his companion to join the battlefield.


    The battle was over.


    All three were horrifically killed by the Wolf King¡¯s sharp fangs.


    ¡°Damn it!!!¡±


    Seeing that the Wolf King had now set its sights on him, with its bloodthirsty crimson pupils bursting forth, the young master Huang Shikai couldn¡¯t help but let out an angry and cold laugh, ¡°Very well, very well, you¡¯ve got guts. But you¡¯re still lacking if you want to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever think I¡¯m like those pampered young masters; I survive on my wits!¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    The young man suddenly emitted a yellow glow from his hands and feet, a sure sign of a Cultivation Technique being activated. To master a Cultivation Technique at the Qi Refinement Realm¡¯s sixth layer was not something the average person could afford.


    ¡°Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Technique, Iron Sand Palm!¡±


    Then they saw the young master, the moment the Wolf King charged towards him, suddenly lie down on the spot, his hands and feet plunging straight into the ground, firmly anchoring himself in place, immediately becoming embedded on the surface of the earth.


    At that moment, the Wolf King had already lunged at the young man, yet strangely, no matter how hard it bit or slashed with its claws, it was unable to inflict even the slightest injury on Huang Shikai¡¯s body.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu noticed something amiss, walked straight up, bent down to look at the young man who was embedded into the ground, and after frowning in puzzlement for a while, he waved his hand to signal the Wolf King to back off.


    He raised the woodcutter¡¯s axe high above his head, aimed at the nape of Huang Shikai¡¯s neck, and chopped down with all his might!


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    A sudden metal-on-metal clash echoed.


    The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he threw away the woodcutter¡¯s axe, its blade fiercely trembling in his hand. He felt as though he had struck steel; the blow left Huang Shikai completely unharmed while his own arm had gone numb.


    A full-powered strike that couldn¡¯t breach the defense?


    It was at this moment¡ª


    ¡°Hahahaha!!!¡±


    Huang Shikai, with his face pressed against the ground, began to laugh triumphantly: ¡°Forgot to tell you, my Initial Entry is the Yellow Entry ¡®Unassailable from Behind¡¯, any attack coming from behind or my side cannot harm me.¡±


    ¡°The small world will close in half an hour, you can¡¯t do anything to me, I have memorized your faces; the moment I get out, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re killed immediately.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, I will have a good time with you then.¡±


    ¡°Such good luck.¡±


    Fat Long, who followed behind Chen Qiu, spoke with a complex expression: ¡°Sometimes I really resent you lucky ones, the first random entry you get is always such a superior one.¡±


    He knew well enough.


    Many entries in this world are interconnected; there aren¡¯t any absolutely useless ones, even his ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ can¡¯t be considered utterly useless, as many entries can synergize with it.


    For example, the green entry ¡®In Numbers¡¯, the effect of this entry causes any surplus organs on your body to mutate, gaining an unfathomably powerful force.


    The more superfluous organs you have, the greater the power of this green entry, which is quite compatible with his ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯.


    But the main reason for his occasional irritation is that a poor first entry means that, even if there are many other entries related to yours, it¡¯s difficult to survive long enough to reach the Realm Cultivation required to obtain them. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And¡­ he did not at all want that damn ¡®In Numbers¡¯ green entry!


    Even if it would make him stronger!


    ¡­


    The biggest downside of such closely related entries is that without the complete set, a single entry is hard to utilize effectively, and¡­ there¡¯s no guarantee of acquiring the specific entry from the group.


    The randomness is just too high.


    It¡¯s said that some Heavenly Dao Secret Realms produce certain Spiritual Treasures, which can grant a cultivator a random entry even without breaking through to a Great Realm, or offer a chance to re-randomize an entry during a breakthrough. But these treasures are extremely valuable and never seem to fall into his hands.


    This is also why Fat Long had such a complex expression upon hearing that Huang Shikai¡¯s first entry was a Yellow one¡ªthis kid was just too lucky, starting with a Yellow entry, a genuine Child of Destiny.


    An Initial Entry is absolutely irreplaceable and with a cultivator for life.


    Latter entries obtained from breaking through Great Realms can indeed be erased and replaced with some Spiritual Treasures.


    Initial Entries essentially represent a cultivator¡¯s innate talent.

 Chapter 8 - 8: Living long is the real skill.

    Chapter 8: Chapter 8: ¡®Living long is the real skill.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s quite good.¡±


    Chen Qiu noticed Fat Long¡¯s thoughts and, looking down at Huang Shikai who was embedded in the ground in front of him, he whispered, ¡°Everyone¡¯s Initial Entry is random, which, in a way, means that the path to ascension has opened up quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Even mortals now have the opportunity to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, if the path was completely sealed off, the class system of this world would be far too harsh, and people like us, the common folk, would suffer tremendously.¡±


    He realized that the young master in front of him might not be very smart, for he couldn¡¯t understand why the young master would expose his own entry. If he had kept his mouth shut, they would have no idea what the man¡¯s entry was.


    It might take a good while to figure out.


    ...


    Perhaps before the hour in the small world ended, they still wouldn¡¯t have understood, and would actually let this young master leave alive.


    But since the young master had blurted it out himself, they no longer needed to investigate.


    While signaling the Wolf King to start digging, he walked over to the few corpses nearby and methodically removed their Storage Bags.


    Digging a hole wasn¡¯t too much trouble at all.


    Why did this guy think he was invincible?


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    Chen Qiu had sorted out all his gains from the occasion.


    Three Yellow Level lower-grade mental methods, and one Yellow Level Mid-grade mental method.


    Three Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques.


    Seven Spiritual Treasures emitting faint glimmers.


    As well as nine Storage Bags and a dozen pieces of Silver.


    ¡°Struck it rich, struck it rich, this time I¡¯ve really struck it rich!¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s whole body looked towards the pile of treasures in front with lips trembling from excessive excitement, his voice shaking with extreme agitation, ¡°Five months¡­ All the wealth I¡¯ve accumulated in these five months isn¡¯t even close to one percent of what¡¯s here!¡±


    ¡°How did I suddenly strike it rich? Let me think this through.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the prices.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the Wolf King, who was still vigorously digging beside him, and looked towards the pile of treasures. He carelessly placed the wood-cutting knife in his bosom, inwardly alert. Although he had no intention of killing Fat Long and swallowing all the gains for himself, he still had to guard against Fat Long.


    He felt grateful to Fat Long and had a good impression of him, but when the stakes are too high, people can easily lose their reason.


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    Fat Long took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart, ¡°A normal Cultivation Technique can be recorded and, if the owner is willing, can be circulated among countless people. But, Brother Chen Qiu, do you know why the Cultivation Techniques in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm provoke so many to risk their lives for them?¡±


    ¡°After all, they are just some Yellow Level lower-grade techniques. In the markets of the Cultivation World, such a technique would cost only 10 pieces of Silver, not too expensive.¡±


    ¡°Although they are all common goods, 10 pieces of Silver indeed can buy a Yellow Level lower-grade technique.¡±


    ¡°Cultivation of a technique requires time and comprehension.¡±


    ¡°The depths of Cultivation of a technique reveal greater power, divided into Entry, Minor Achievement, Great Achievement, Advancing and Great Perfection five levels.¡±


    ¡°Normally, to cultivate a Yellow Level lower-grade technique to the Great Achievement Realm and unleash almost all the power of the technique, at least an entire year of arduous Cultivation is required!¡±


    ¡°However, the techniques produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm come with a Heavenly Dao Blessing. Each technique can be learned by only one Cultivator, embedded in a Jade Scroll, burned after reading. Once learned, you start at the Great Achievement Realm!¡±


    ¡°And the speed of cultivating to the Great Perfection Realm is also four to five times faster than those ordinary techniques!¡±


    Fat Long paused for a moment, his eyes brimming with excitement as he stared intently at the few Jade Scrolls on the ground, ¡°That¡¯s why the techniques produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm are extremely rare and priced so high!¡±


    ¡°A Yellow Level lower-grade technique from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is priced at 3 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°A Yellow Level lower-grade mental method, priced at 3 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°A Yellow Level Mid-grade mental method, priced at 10 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°All these Spiritual Treasures are Yellow Level lower-grade, each priced at 5 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°Storage Bags aren¡¯t worth much. Excluding the Storage Bags, all these items together are priced at 63 Spirit Stones!!!¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly and whispered, ¡°How much is one Spirit Stone worth in currency?¡±


    ¡°One Spirit Stone can be exchanged for 100 taels of silver, one tael of silver is equal to 1,000 wen, so one Spirit Stone can be exchanged for 100,000 wen.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent and didn¡¯t speak any further, as he knew little about the prices in this world. He only knew that he could rent a decent cottage within the courtyard for 300 wen and buy a meal of good pig¡¯s head meat and burning liquor for less than 100 wen.


    He had to work hard chopping wood all day just to earn a dozen wen.


    Even though he had learned how to kill yesterday, he had only gained a little over 2,000 wen.


    But all the items in front of him added up to a total of 6,300,000 wen.


    Considering that he earned 20 wen per day from chopping wood, he would need to chop wood non-stop for a full 315,000 days, which amounts to exactly 863 years, to amass that much money.


    And now¡ª


    He had merely entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, killed some people, and picked up some treasures.


    He had bypassed 863 years of taking the wrong path.


    After a long while, Chen Qiu suddenly spoke, ¡°Chopping wood indeed isn¡¯t a very promising career.¡±


    ¡°Cutting down people has a much better cost-effectiveness ratio.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Meanwhile, Fat Long, who had been originally excited, suddenly gave a few dry laughs, ¡°That¡­ Brother Chen Qiu, you really shouldn¡¯t harbor such thoughts. You must know that those who kill will ultimately die by the sword. We can¡¯t just look at the gains before us; we also have to consider those who died because of these treasures.¡±


    ¡°A total of 100 people, and only the two of us are left.¡±


    ¡°Think about how terrifying the mortality rate is. This path might lead to quick riches but more likely to a quick death!¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m not dead yet!¡±


    At the side, Huang Shikai, who was barely holding up and visibly scared, shouted loudly, ¡°Brothers, I was wrong, please spare my life! I will surely repay you once we get out! We all are people of the Jianghu, show some mercy!¡±


    Considering the digging speed of the Wolf King beside him, he¡¯d be dead before the small world even closed.


    ¡°Not to worry, you¡¯ll be quick too.¡±


    Fat Long casually rolled his eyes at Huang Shikai, then shifted his gaze and seriously looked at Chen Qiu, continuing, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, the both of us indeed had our fortune today, and there are some things I still want to tell you; you definitely cannot let today¡¯s quick riches cloud your judgment.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, there were more than a dozen people who entered this world with me.¡±


    ¡°The strongest among them even managed to reach Foundation Establishment in just the third month.¡±


    ¡°But five months passed, and I am the only one still alive.¡±


    ¡°In the path of cultivation, speed of cultivation, no matter how fast, is not really power. Only living long enough, that¡¯s the true skill.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu kept silent and didn¡¯t speak but after a pause, he looked up into Fat Long¡¯s earnest eyes and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head with a smile, ¡°You really are very afraid of dying.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Of course, who isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Look.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the corpses not far away and casually said, ¡°They weren¡¯t afraid.¡±


    ¡°So they died, and I¡¯m alive!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡±


    He didn¡¯t continue delving deeper into the topic but instead looked at the pile of treasures before them like a small mountain.


    ¡°Let¡¯s divide it, you tell me, how should we split this?¡±


    ¡­


    ps: Thanks to the boss ¡®Niaraeth¡¯ for the 10,000 starting coins tip, as well as bosses ¡®Realized¡¯ and ¡®Sleepy Bear¡¯ for their coin tips and monthly ticket support, the new book has set sail, thank you for the support.

 Chapter 9 - 9:

    Chapter 9: Chapter 9: ¡°¡­Is exterminating the Nine Tribes a bit too much?


    After Chen Qiu asked that question, he fell silent and just quietly looked at Fat Long, his heart hoping for a sixty-thirty split.


    His thirty, Fat Long¡¯s seventy.


    In this way, he would be able to repay the favor he owed Fat Long in the ¡°small world¡±, as he disliked the feeling of being in someone¡¯s debt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do seventy-thirty,¡±


    After pondering for a long while, Fat Long finally spoke, ¡°You seventy, I thirty. Your combat power is already about to surpass mine, you have better luck than me, having randomly acquired an attack method entry during the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°With my entry, I¡¯m pretty much done for during the Qi Refinement period, unlikely to demonstrate anything outstanding.¡±


    ...


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to rely on you in the future.¡±


    ¡°This time you take more, and later we¡¯ll travel together. That way, in this unfamiliar world, we can watch each other¡¯s backs. Chen Qiu, brother, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°That works.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, and didn¡¯t say much else.


    ¡­


    The last bit of time quickly passed away as well, and Huang Shikai, who was next to them, died in despair in the jaws of the Wolf King. Chen Qiu had discovered something very interesting: the resentful spirits of the cultivators killed by the Wolf King could also be summoned by him.


    That is to say, the creatures killed by the spirits he summoned were also considered to have been killed by him.


    In a sense, it was like a perpetual motion machine.


    With this, he could, at any time, summon three resentful spirits of cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and one at the fifth level, which also served as a small trump card, giving him a sense of security.


    Day broke.


    The white vortex exit in the small world slowly appeared once more, and the resentful spirit of the Wolf King dispersed into the world forever.


    Stepping into the white vortex, Chen Qiu saw the scenery change in front of his eyes, and when everything calmed down, he was back in the bamboo forest three miles east of Fufeng City. Only now, there were many people surrounding him.


    Over a hundred people encircled them, completely cutting off any escape.


    Many had intense killing intent on their faces, and with their fiercely muscled appearances, they were clearly not to be trifled with.


    ¡­


    ¡°I forgot to say.¡±


    Fat Long tugged cautiously at Chen Qiu¡¯s sleeve, his mouth twitching slightly as he whispered, ¡°The Heavenly Dao Secret Realm has one major flaw: you exit from the same place you entered. This often leads to many people liking to wait at the entrances of secret realms, ambushing and killing those who come out to minimize their own risk.¡±


    ¡°It seems we forgot to hire an escort master.¡±


    ¡°If you hired an escort master, they would successfully escort you to safety when you come out of the secret realm alive.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly at the husky men who were eyeing them menacingly and had them surrounded, inadvertently taking a step back, and said calmly, ¡°What if we don¡¯t have an escort master?¡±


    ¡°Then you play up your background, your power, which can scare many away.¡±


    ¡°And if we don¡¯t have that?¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s up to fate.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Kill!¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A gang within the crowd, armed with machetes and looking ferocious, took their lead from the husky man who had initially had an encounter with Chen Qiu. Only now, his expression appeared quite unsettled as he raised his machete and bellowed, ¡°All the treasures from this secret realm must be on them! Whoever grabs it, keeps it!¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected this young man to come out of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm alive, nor had he imagined that, of the hundred people who had entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, there would be only two to come out alive.


    ¡°`


    Everyone knows that the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm designed for killing is perilous, but that¡¯s mostly hearsay, as no one has actually seen it.


    Seeing it today, I realize that its degree of danger is rather terrifying indeed.


    The brawny man leading them had a voice full of malevolence, roaring extremely loud, yet he did not take a single step forward to engage in combat. However, his thunderous roar instantly ignited the desires in the hearts of everyone around.


    No one wanted to make the first move, to avoid running into a tough opponent.


    Yet, they were afraid that others would make a move and worried that the treasures would be snatched away by someone else.


    With the first person rushing in, the entire scene immediately became a chaotic mess. It was dawn by then, and in the bamboo forest, countless brawny men armed with sharp weapons charged towards the two young men, one skinny and one fat.


    ¡­


    The screams, the sound of blades cutting through flesh, the blood splattering in mid-air.


    In such circumstances, people quickly lose their sanity.


    They can¡¯t even discern friends from foes, feeling that everyone around them is attacking themselves. A group composed only of Qi Refinement Realm cultivators at best, their methods of attack were still the most barbaric, like those of village farmers, making the scene look intimidating.


    Yet, in reality, it wasn¡¯t as grand as an all-out brawl involving every villager from two villages.


    At some point, the scene started to calm down.


    Many were panting with injuries all over their bodies, and the two young men were nowhere to be seen. Everyone looked suspiciously at others, wondering who had snatched the treasures.


    ¡­


    And at this time¡ª


    Chen Qiu was already walking on an official road with Fat Long.


    Using the ¡°Earth Tunneling Technique¡± and ¡°Blinding Spell¡± they had obtained from the Secret Realm¡ªwhich they had mastered to the Great Achievement Realm¡ªthey had easily tunneled through the ground and escaped during the chaos.


    Until they reached this official road.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Fat Long took out a piece of dry ration from his bosom and handed it to Chen Qiu, ¡°Eat something to fill your stomach for now. There¡¯s a post station a few miles ahead where you can have something warm to eat. Continue along this official road for ten miles, and you¡¯ll find some cultivator markets.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a market, but it¡¯s actually more like a city, just that it¡¯s not counted among the 365 cities of Da Xia Country and doesn¡¯t pay taxes.¡±


    ¡°The market is mostly cultivators, and those at the Foundation Establishment Stage are not so rare. The owner of this market is a Loose Cultivator at the mid-Golden Core stage, known as the ¡®Barefoot Immortal¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Walking on the official road is safe. According to Da Xia law, no one is allowed to attack any living being on the official road, whether they be commoners, cultivators, wanted criminals, or members of the Demon Beast Clan.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a rabbit, as long as it¡¯s on the official road, you can¡¯t kill it.¡±


    ¡°This law is implemented very thoroughly in Da Xia, no matter how powerful the noble or official, no one is exempted from punishment. Once violated, it¡¯s direct extermination of the Nine Tribes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, taking the dry ration from Fat Long without disdain, wiped the dust off it with the corner of his clothes, and then began to eat, ¡°The importance of transportation to a country goes without saying. If there¡¯s no frequent interaction and trade between regions, and even the official roads aren¡¯t safe, that indeed has a significant impact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s evident that Da Xia bestows the official roads with a considerable amount of importance.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ is exterminating the Nine Tribes not a bit excessive?¡±


    ¡°It is a bit.¡±


    Fat Long silently nodded, ¡°Rumor has it that 500 years ago, this law was enforced exactly as such. But not long after its implementation, a prince of Da Xia, furious with his father for favoring his younger brother, killed a rabbit on the official road in broad daylight.¡±


    ¡°The act was witnessed by many.¡±


    ¡°According to the law, the entire Da Xia Royal Family could have gone down to meet their ancestors.¡±


    ¡°But a special exemption would diminish the status of the official roads and the law.¡±

 Chapter 10 - 10:

    Chapter 10: Chapter 10: ¡°Da Xia Sect Ranking List.


    ¡°Back in those days, the situation was said to be quite complicated, as it was a time of chaos. Many surrounding countries and races were engaged in life and death battles. Da Xia, in order to win over talents from all over the world, extended the Official Road far and wide, proclaiming that anyone who set foot on the Official Road, regardless of their status, would be protected by Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°No one was allowed to attack.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, after iron-bloodedly executing millions, all the neighboring races and countries remembered the four characters ¡®Da Xia Official Road¡¯.¡±


    ¡°It was due to this national policy that Da Xia managed to draw in a great number of talents from other perished countries and races. Even today, on the high seats of the Da Xia imperial court, there are quite a few people from foreign lands, and even from the Devil Clan.¡±


    ¡°Many people came forward to pledge their loyalty, and for a time, Da Xia¡¯s prestige was unparalleled.¡±


    ¡°Back then, Da Xia¡¯s laws represented a lot of things; they showed Da Xia¡¯s attitude toward the outside world. The moment there was the slightest sign of softening, other races would find breaches.¡±


    ...


    ¡°In the end, left with no choice, the then Holy Emperor of Da Xia expelled the Third Prince from the Imperial Family. Then, in the very center of the Capital, the prince was tortured to death on the execution stage with one thousand and twenty-four cuts.¡±


    ¡°This was also the first prince since ancient times who was tortured to death for killing a rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Since then, the law underwent a slight change. It was no longer about exterminating Nine Tribes but about being slowly sliced to death.¡±


    ¡°Five hundred years have passed.¡±


    ¡°The reputation of ¡®Da Xia Official Road¡¯ has been imprinted in the hearts of everyone. From young children to the elderly, all understood one thing: once you set foot on ¡®Da Xia Official Road,¡¯ your safety was absolute.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding, but he did not speak. Instead, he looked around. The morning sun shone on him, warming his body, and he even felt that the injuries he sustained the night before were much lighter.


    Perhaps due to the early morning, there weren¡¯t many people on the Official Road.


    There were villagers with hoes over their shoulders, messengers riding fast horses, and Cultivators flying through the air with Sword Flight.


    This world seemed to lack purely ordinary people.


    Basically, every adult male had at least the Qi Refinement Realm level one Cultivation. Although this level of Cultivation couldn¡¯t extend life or strengthen the body, it ensured one had an Initial Entry.


    On both sides of the Official Road, there were numerous spirit fields. At the moment, many villagers stood in the middle of these spirit fields, casting the ¡®Spring Rain Technique¡¯ to precisely irrigate their own fields with spiritually rich rainwater.


    It all looked rather harmonious and joyful.


    The Official Road was very wide, wide enough to accommodate eight carriages traveling side by side.


    On both sides of the Official Road, every two steps there was a golden stone embedded in the surface of the road. According to Fat Long¡¯s explanation, these golden stones were Array Stones.


    Whenever there was a surge of Spiritual Energy on the Official Road, the Array Stones would transmit the nearby scene to the City Lord Mansion of the closest city.


    These Array Stones also formed a Formation that covered the entire Da Xia Country. This too, was something from five hundred years ago. At that time, it was said that it was impossible to set up such a large and complex formation.


    Generally, a Formation is either round or square, used to protect some important industry, like a sect.


    But, the Official Road of Da Xia Country was like a spider web.


    To set up a Formation a hundred times more complex than a spider web was considered nearly impossible, until later a master of formations suddenly came up with an extremely perfect solution, and it was accomplished.


    These Array Stones not only served the purpose of surveillance, but they also ensured that the Official Road remained undamaged. Moreover, when under attack, they would raise a protective barrier that enveloped the entire section of the Official Road, capable of blocking all attacks below the Golden Core Stage.


    And the Array Stones buried under the surface of the Official Road would also activate quickly, causing the ¡®Wind Walking Skill¡¯ to cover the entire surface of the Official Road. The speed of travel on it would be twenty times faster than normal, allowing one to quickly escape from danger.


    ¡°It¡¯s evident.¡±


    Chen Qiu observed his surroundings. ¡°The then Holy Emperor of Da Xia truly put a lot of effort into the Official Road five hundred years ago, really wanting to win over talents from all over.¡±


    ¡°However¡ª¡±


    He slightly furrowed his brows, pointing to the part of the Official Road ahead that veered nearly sixty degrees to the right in confusion, ¡°Why does the Official Road ahead turn around such a huge distance, about thirty zhang?¡±


    The Official Road ahead inexplicably veered off to the right and then, after a distance of about thirty zhang, it looped back and continued straight ahead.


    There were no mountains, no villages, no lakes around.


    ¡°¡±¡±


    What is the point of making such a detour for no reason?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Fat Long shook his head: ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s a spirit stone mine hidden under the original path, or maybe there was a village here that has since been relocated. I don¡¯t know such detailed information; my understanding of this world comes from rumors in the marketplace.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the inn right ahead. The inn, like the Da Xia Official Road, is absolutely safe, and stopping for a warm meal won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Fat Long let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes brimming with anticipation as he looked at the nearby inn. Just past the inn was the market. As long as he could sell all of his treasures this time, he¡¯d truly strike it rich! sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu touched the storage bag concealed under his clothes and sized up the inn before him, which had a decently large footprint.


    It was a wooden two-story building with a yard and a stable in the back.


    The first floor for dining, the second floor for lodging; this was the standard layout for most inns. At a glance, it looked like there were more than twenty rooms available for travelers to stay in¡ªnot too small.


    ¡­


    Fat Long walked into the inn with a face full of expectation. At this early hour, there were only two other tables occupied as not many people were about.


    Autumn was deepening. Even though the sun was quite good today, the autumn wind carried a chill.


    ¡°Shopkeeper!¡±


    ¡°One serving of pressed duck, two bowls of mutton offal soup, three liang of beef, and two dry pancakes!¡±


    After Fat Long confidently ordered, he turned to Chen Qiu with a grin and said, ¡°This inn is semi-official. It¡¯s funded by civilians and endorsed by the government. Only decrees or appointments travel on the Da Xia Official Road, all secret orders don¡¯t take this route. Da Xia has its own methods.¡±


    ¡°On ordinary days, it mainly serves for the food and lodging of travelers along the way.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak but instead turned his head to look at the inn¡¯s doorway. The shopkeeper¡¯s cat was lying on a small wooden stool, basking in the sun. He was contemplating the road ahead; certainly, he wouldn¡¯t return to chopping wood.


    Since he had encountered an ¡°Initial Seven-colored Entry,¡±


    it meant that even the heavens wanted him to embark on the Cultivation Path.


    According to Fat Long, no matter which forces or sects one joins, or even becoming a private guard for a prominent family, one has to undergo ¡°Spirit Communication Detection.¡± It is a method that requires full cooperation from the subject and can reveal all the ¡°entries¡± they possess.


    And his entry must not be exposed.


    The path of joining a sect is now closed to him.


    As for being a Loose Cultivator¡­ that¡¯s even harder, akin to a hellish start. Apart from anything else, Loose Cultivators don¡¯t receive the monthly Heavenly Dao Blessings from the ¡°Da Xia Sect Ranking.¡±


    After some thought, there seems to be only one path left¡ªestablishing his own sect.


    But with their current level of Cultivation¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu suddenly turned to look at Fat Long, the plump man voraciously devouring his food in a blur of motion. After another long moment of contemplation, he finally spoke.


    ¡°What are the conditions to establish a sect that is recognized by the Heavenly Dao?¡±


    He planned to establish a proper sect, recognized by the Heavenly Dao, one that can enter the ¡°Da Xia Sect Ranking¡± and participate in the battle for Sect Qi Fortune¡ªnot the kind of sect only known to oneself like Fat Long¡¯s.


    Although he was far from being powerful enough to found a sect, that wasn¡¯t important. Just having the status of a nominal Sect Master was enough.


    When he broke through the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, he found that by focusing internally, he could see many leaderboards enveloped in clouds and mist.


    One that stood out among them was¡ª


    ¡°Da Xia Sect Ranking.¡±

 Chapter 11 - 11: Three breaths to ascend the mountain, one tael of silver per time.

    Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Three breaths to ascend the mountain, one tael of silver per time.


    ¡°Recognized by the Heavenly Dao?¡±


    Fat Long shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, ¡°Then the conditions are quite high, for starters the person who establishes the sect must be at the initial stage of the Golden Core, and that is a strict requirement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve looked into it, and it can be solved by crossing a bridge, finding someone in the Golden Core Stage to help you establish the sect, and then resigning to pass the position of Sect Master to you.¡±


    ¡°A second-generation sect has no cultivation restrictions, and this would cost about 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Besides that, you must possess a mountain peak as the base of the sect, and also need at least five disciples to establish the sect with you, among other things; it¡¯s extremely complicated, and the total cost would be at least 200 Spirit Stones.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded without asking further, 200 Spirit Stones were quite a lot. Establishing a sect had to be delayed a bit, as they currently did not meet the conditions.


    ...


    He then introspected, gazing at the panel inside his body that was enshrouded by clouds and mist.


    ¨C


    ¡°Name¡±: Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Qi Refinement Realm Layer 3 (1%).


    ¡°Entry¡±: ¡®Step by Step¡¯, ¡®Foundation Establishment Delayed¡¯, ¡®Resentful Spirit Summoning¡¯.


    ¡°Mental Method¡±: ¡®Withered Wood Blossoms¡¯.


    ¡°Cultivation Technique¡±: ¡®Earth Tunneling Technique¡¯, ¡®Blinding Technique¡¯.


    ¡°Spirit Beast¡±: None.


    ¡°Power¡±: None.


    ¡°Country¡±: Da Xia Country.


    ¨C


    So far, his three entries were somewhat standalone, lacking interconnectedness. As a group of entries, they clearly weren¡¯t the best combination, but fortunately, he still had many opportunities to acquire more entries.


    As long as he lived long enough.


    Earth Tunneling Technique and Blinding Technique were also techniques he obtained from the Heavenly Dao Secret, instantly reaching the Great Achievement Realm, proving immensely useful.


    It was by relying on these two techniques that he managed to escape with Fat Long so smoothly.


    According to what he learned from Fat Long, killing demon beasts could enhance cultivation, but it wasn¡¯t a long-term strategy, or rather, it was just an initial trick.


    At low cultivation levels, killing demon beasts could indeed rapidly enhance cultivation.


    Typically, on the coming of age day, large clan families would prepare heavily injured demon beasts, allowing one to reach Great Perfection in the Qi Refinement Realm within a day.


    Does this count as cheating?


    Of course, it does.


    It¡¯s just a bit irritating.


    But thereafter, like during the Foundation Establishment Stage or Golden Core Stage, it becomes very difficult to enhance cultivation by killing demon beasts, as such creatures generally possess Spiritual Wisdom and support each other; it¡¯s hard to find a solitary demon beast at the same cultivation level.


    And the most popular method for enhancing cultivation is¡ª


    ¡®Swallowing and Exhaling Spiritual Energy¡¯.


    By cycling the mental method, each complete circulation within the body draws external Spiritual Energy inside, and each cycle of the mental method increases the Cultivation Progress fractionally, with the absorption rate depending on the grade of the mental method and the richness of the external Spiritual Energy.


    His method, ¡®Withered Wood Blossoms¡¯, being the only Mid-grade Yellow Level mental method in this small world, was considered quite good.


    As it is a ¡®Heavenly Dao Heart Method¡¯ produced by the small world, achieving total mastery meant reaching the ¡®Great Achievement¡¯ realm instantly.


    While on the road, he sat cross-legged and tried cycling his mental method to Swallow and Exhale Spiritual Energy, assessing that with his method¡¯s level, in an environment with normal levels of Spiritual Energy richness, it would roughly take three days to break through to the fourth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It¡¯s not slow.


    Much faster than he anticipated.


    It seemed like cultivating wasn¡¯t all that difficult.


    ¡­


    As if seeing through Chen Qiu¡¯s thoughts, Fat Long, sitting opposite him, sighed helplessly, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, it seems you have a bit of a misconception about the path of cultivation. A normal person in the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm would not have the chance to come across a mental method.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention a mental method from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Once mastered, it directly advances one to the Great Achievement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Both of these opportunities are quite rare, and having them naturally makes the cultivation progress much faster.¡±


    ¡°But in reality, the path of cultivation is very difficult.¡±


    The two of them kept some items they could use and planned to sell the rest at the market.


    He didn¡¯t choose the mental method but took a knife-type Spiritual Treasure instead.


    He had previously found a mental method by chance, though it was just a low-grade Yellow Level, and he had only reached the Small Achievement Realm. It definitely wasn¡¯t as good as the ¡°Heavenly Dao Heart Method,¡± which could directly break through to the Great Achievement Realm upon mastery.


    But¡­ every cultivator has only three chances in their life to change mental methods without any cost.


    After that, changing mental methods requires paying a certain price.


    The first mental method he practiced used up such an opportunity. The remaining two chances were extremely precious, and he didn¡¯t plan to exchange them for another mental method of the same level. If he were to change, it should be for an upper-grade Yellow Level mental method, right?


    ¡­


    Nothing unexpected happened at the station; after eating and drinking their fill, they scattered a handful of coins on the table and continued on their way.


    They rented a horse at the station and set off again, both riding.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t know how to ride a horse; he had never learned and only had the option of sitting behind Fat Long. Although he felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, he had to embrace Fat Long¡¯s waist for safety and look at the scenery whizzing by his ears.


    When the sun was already halfway up the sky.


    ¡°Hmm~¡±


    Fat Long turned around, jumped off the horse, handed the reins to a young station attendant, and then hands on hips, he looked towards the high mountain next to this station, his face full of emotion as he smacked his lips and said, ¡°Here we are, Brother Chen Qiu. This is the market I told you about.¡±


    ¡°Built on top of the mountain peak.¡±


    ¡°If you can perform Sword Flight, you can just fly straight up, or you can climb up along the mountain path. If you can¡¯t do either and don¡¯t want to climb, you can take the quick path next to it.¡±


    To one side of the official road, there was a winding path around the mountain, which was the path taken by the poor to ascend the mountain.


    Besides that, there was a short, middle-aged man with a full beard and exceptionally bushy body hair, holding a sign standing there.


    ¡°Quick path, reach the top in three breaths, one Silver per trip.¡±


    ¡°Three breaths to reach the top?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the sign skeptically, then raised his head to look towards the mountain peak piercing the clouds not far away. The peak was thousands of feet above the ground, definitely considered a top-notch tall mountain.


    To reach the top in three breaths? Even with Sword Flight, that seemed impossible.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long just wrinkled his brows and gave a sly grin, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, just try it and you¡¯ll know. All I can say is it¡¯s absolutely unique.¡±


    Without saying anything more, Chen Qiu took out two Silvers; that wasn¡¯t a lot to him. He had collected plenty of small coins and scattered Silvers in the small world, so he wasn¡¯t short on petty cash. He casually threw two Silvers into the hands of the bearded man.


    Before he could say anything,


    he saw the bearded man¡¯s right hand suddenly thrust out, grabbing his shoulder tightly. Immediately, an intense sensation of weightlessness came from below his feet, and the surrounding scenery turned into countless points of light. In less than a breath, everything returned to normal.


    When he opened his eyes again, he was already standing on the edge of a cliff on that tall mountain.


    A wooden platform was laid on the ground, next to which sat a young man cracking sunflower seeds and reading a comic book. There was also a sign on the ground with an arrow pointing out.


    ¡°Wen Tian Market ¡ú¡±


    Before he could even comprehend the situation, he saw the bearded man by his side release his shoulder. However, after taking a deep breath, the man ran towards the edge of the cliff and plunged directly into the cliff.

 Chapter 12 - 12: Bloodline Entry Among Immediate Family Members

    Chapter 12: Chapter 12: ¡®Bloodline Entry¡¯ Among Immediate Family Members


    Chen Qiu quickly stepped forward and looked towards where the bearded man had been just a moment ago. He was now in midair, falling through the clouds at the speed of a free fall into the abyss. With the height of this mountain, even a Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage would undoubtedly be doomed.


    However¡ª


    About a dozen breaths later.


    The bearded man suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside him, still holding Fat Long. Without speaking to them, he took a running start and jumped into the cliff once again.


    ¡°How about that?¡±


    Fat Long surveyed the surroundings and said excitedly, ¡°Feels good, doesn¡¯t it? This is also my first time; one or two silvers each time was too expensive for me before. I never felt like splurging.¡±


    ...


    ¡°That bearded guy and the man next to him eating sunflower seeds are brothers.¡±


    ¡°These two brothers awakened an extremely special ¡®Bloodline Entry¡¯ right when they broke through the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an entry that can only awaken between direct blood relatives with an extremely low probability.¡±


    ¡°The entry effect allows their blood separated by water to be one and the same; as long as they are within a hundred kilometers of each other, one can instantly teleport to the other¡¯s side, regardless of the environment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly what level the entry is, but it¡¯s definitely not low,¡±


    ¡°And that bearded guy, after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, gained the rare blue entry, ¡®Never Fall to Death,¡¯ which means no matter how high he falls from, he won¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Just like that, the two guys started a rapid transit business here in ¡®Seeking Immortality Gate Market,¡¯ and it¡¯s been over a year now. It has also become a wonderful story around the ¡®Seeking Immortality Gate Market.''¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood there expressionless, silently, somewhat at a loss for words.


    ¡®Bloodline Entry.¡¯


    ¡®Instant Teleportation.¡¯


    ¡®Never Fall to Death.¡¯


    ¡®Absolute Rule.¡¯


    With these immensely powerful entries, he could conceive countless ideas to maximize their benefits; wouldn¡¯t anything be more lucrative than this rapid transit venture?


    One or two silvers each time.


    In a day, that probably wouldn¡¯t amount to more than a few Spirit Stones, right?


    What¡¯s the difference between that and using an Emperor¡¯s golden hoe for gardening?


    At the very least¡­ at the very least, couldn¡¯t you set up some sort of long-distance rapid transit between two cities, and definitely earn more than this?


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether you could only take one person at a time, but if any physical contact sufficed, or if control was enough for the transport, then taking seventeen or eighteen people at once shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    This is just considering its commercial value; if it¡¯s strategic, then it¡¯s like having a sneak-attack squad that can strike anywhere unexpectedly!


    Such a powerful ability¡­ and you use it for mountain climbing rapid transit?


    Chen Qiu felt somewhat faint; such wasteful handling of resources made the corners of his mouth twitch involuntarily.


    Just then¡ª


    The young man sitting cross-legged on the ground next to him, absorbed in a comic book and idly cracking sunflower seeds, casually said, ¡°The guy who brought you up is my brother. He¡¯s a bit shy around strangers and doesn¡¯t talk much.¡±


    ¡°You can find me if you need to go back down as well, same price.¡±


    ¡°How much are you earning per day now?¡±


    Chen Qiu stared at the young man and asked; he truly felt these two were squandering their potential, ¡°No matter how much you make, work for me, and I¡¯ll pay you three times as much each day.¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although he didn¡¯t have that many Spirit Stones right now, he believed that if he could employ these two, he would quickly earn a large amount of Spirit Stones.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The young man, upon hearing the words, lifted his eyelids and glanced at Chen Qiu, then couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Brother, you are quite interesting. Many have tried to recruit us, but you¡¯re the first to offer such a modest price.¡±


    ¡°In your eyes, do my brother and I only worth six Spirit Stones a day?¡±


    ¡°Or is it that your family can only afford to offer this much?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡±


    The young man waved his hand somewhat helplessly. ¡°Looking at your clothes, it¡¯s clear you¡¯re not from a wealthy family, and you don¡¯t have much backing. Those with even a slight amount of backing would have flown here themselves, not using our fast track.¡±


    ¡°Head over to the market through that way, and if fate allows, we¡¯ll meet again and I¡¯ll treat you to a drink.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, upon hearing this, didn¡¯t say much more and simply turned around, taking Fat Long up a small path paved with stone steps. He had thought these two hadn¡¯t realized how powerful he was, but now it seemed they were as clear about it as one could be through a mirror.


    He was merely using ¡°Ask-the-Sky Market¡± to spread his fame.


    Then seeking a master he could reliably serve.


    Indeed.


    He felt slightly envious of these two brothers. Other powers sending out recruiters would likely be even more numerous. With time, they would probably manage to join a very decent power.


    This was indeed a good strategy, evidently better than proactively seeking a master to serve¡ªas being actively recruited meant holding a much higher status and confidence within the power.


    But these two brothers¡­ clearly hadn¡¯t realized the danger involved.


    Others shouldn¡¯t have what one can¡¯t have themselves¡ªa thought not uncommon among many.


    Regardless of the power they join, they would easily become targets of assassination by other powers afterward. Fame was a double-edged sword, it had its benefits and its drawbacks.


    ¡­


    Not long after following the stone path, they saw a city. Its walls were even taller than those of Fufeng City and felt much thicker, shocking in appearance. But Chen Qiu didn¡¯t understand why¡ªa city already perched atop the summit, building such expensive walls seemed like an investment against no one.


    It somewhat felt like spending money just for appearances.


    Fat Long, having been there once or twice, now took the lead like a tour guide and began explaining, ¡°Once you enter those city gates, you are considered to be inside the market, access to which is free, they don¡¯t charge a fee.¡±


    ¡°Inside, it¡¯s divided into 18 small districts and one central area.¡±


    ¡°This gate we¡¯re entering from is ¡®Seeking Immortality Gate,¡¯ the main gate on the western wall of Ask-the-Sky Market.¡±


    ¡°This market is nearly as large as Fufeng City, obviously it¡¯s more than just a trading platform. If you have embarked on the path of Cultivation, almost any demand can be met here.¡±


    ¡°The first area you come across after entering this gate is Zone 4, also known as ¡®Life-Buying Zone.¡¯


    ¡°Previously, this place was merely a platform for posting and taking assassination missions, which eventually evolved into countless forms of cooperative trading, though the area is still called ¡®Life-Buying Zone.''¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded to show his understanding and stepped through the city gate, then glanced at the broad main street paved with blue bricks, which was wide enough for eight carriages to pass side by side.


    The shops on both sides of the main road were festively adorned and bustling.


    It all seemed quite positive energy; it was hard to associate it with the posting of assassination missions.


    Along the sides of the road, numerous cultivators were sitting cross-legged, many with a sign placed in front of them.


    He looked at the bald man closest to him¡ªtopless, hugging a saber with closed eyes, sitting cross-legged on the side of the main road, wearing ragged hemp pants tied at the legs, his exposed body covered with scars from healed wounds.


    His head was thick with muscles, his face full of pockmarks.


    He looked fierce, as if he wasn¡¯t credited with killing a hundred or so people, it would be a disservice to the fearsome image his parents had given him.


    But the sign in front of this bald man made Chen Qiu ponder for a moment before his brows slightly furrowed, and then he suddenly smiled.


    ¡°Quite good.¡±

 Chapter 13 - 13:

    Chapter 13: Chapter 13: ¡°Spirit Stones are meant to be spent


    ¡°Two spirit stones, selling life for one month.¡±


    ¡°Assume all risk for life and death, with no complaints or regrets.¡±


    Fat Long stepped forward and whispered an explanation: ¡°There are many people selling their lives in this area. Generally, they are in some kind of trouble, in urgent need of money, and with no other options, they can only come here to sell their lives.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s hard to distinguish the real from the fake. There are quite a few people who run away with the spirit stones or who just phone it in.¡±


    Two spirit stones are not a small sum.


    For a normal mortal family of three, the total annual income is only about 60 silver, less than one spirit stone. Two spirit stones are enough for a mortal family to struggle for three years.


    ...


    But in the Cultivation World, two spirit stones aren¡¯t so out of reach. This man¡¯s cultivation is at the Qi Refinement Realm¡¯s sixth level, and that¡¯s about what he¡¯s worth.¡±


    Chen Qiu took his gaze away from the man in front of him and continued walking straight along the main road.


    Every time they passed through a new area, or came across something novel, Fat Long was able to explain it to him like a tour guide, and he also realized that although Fat Long might be a bit cowardly, his ability to gather information was not to be underestimated.


    In less than five months since arriving in this world, he had almost fully understood it.


    And soon, they sold all their treasures and some unnecessary storage bags in Zone 7 ¡®Trader Area¡¯. The prices were all transparent, and these Cultivation Techniques and mental methods from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm had no trouble selling, without any trickery in price.


    He kept one Spiritual Treasure for himself and gave one to Fat Long.


    He kept for himself two Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques and one Yellow Level mid-grade mental method, leaving two Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques for Fat Long. The rest of the items, along with some assorted things scavenged from Huang Shikai,


    and the spirit stones in Huang Shikai¡¯s storage bag,


    amounted to a total of 50 spirit stones this time.


    Following the previously agreed upon 70-30 split, Chen Qiu kept 35 spirit stones for himself and stuffed the remaining 15 into a storage bag, handing it over to Fat Long, just as they were preparing to leave the shop,


    ¡°Please wait, the two of you.¡±


    The shopkeeper, smiling all over his face, blocked their way out: ¡°Just a friendly reminder, a big incident happened today in Fufeng City. It is said that last night a Heaven Slaying type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm appeared.¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°100 people went in, and in the end, only 2 came out alive.¡±


    ¡°One¡¯s identity is unknown, and the other is said to be just a refugee, who normally lives by chopping wood in the mountain. When the Secret Realm closed, there were quite a few people outside, but these two managed to escape from the chaos using some method.¡±


    ¡°Even Young Master of the Huang Family died inside.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the Huang Family is quite angry and has gathered family members to meet at ¡®Ask Heaven Marketplace¡¯ waiting for the other side to fall into their net. After all, if you want to take out the loot from the Secret Realm within a hundred miles, you definitely need to pass through Ask Heaven Marketplace.¡±


    ¡°When you entered this shop, there were already people watching you. Fighting is not allowed within the marketplace, but outside the city gates of the marketplace, it¡¯s burial ground chaos.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to be careful.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at the shopkeeper with a smiling face in front of him. After a pause, he took a few pieces of silver from his sleeve and placed them on the table: ¡°Thank you, Shopkeeper.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll meet again if fate allows.¡±


    Without lingering, he walked straight out of the shop, completely ignoring the few burly men with somber expressions who clearly had bad intentions, and continued walking along the main road.


    The Huang Family would seek revenge, and he understood that very well.


    If his own son had died, he would definitely seek revenge too.


    But Huang Shikai had wanted to kill him, and he couldn¡¯t just sit and wait for death. Still, it was after all a troublesome matter. He¡¯d have to find a way to send a family reunion on its way.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Distracted, Fat Long looked toward Chen Qiu, who was walking briskly ahead, and couldn¡¯t help but step forward to stop him with an urgent expression, ¡°I say, Brother Chen Qiu, why do you seem so unconcerned?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re being hunted by the Huang Family!¡±


    ¡°What are you shocked about?¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Long and said indifferently, ¡°The sky rains, a mother marries off her daughter, a son is killed and revenge is sought; isn¡¯t that the natural order of things? Why do you look so surprised?¡±


    ¡°What I mean is that as soon as we leave Wentian Pang Market, we¡¯ll be attacked by Huang Family members! They¡¯re on guard this time, and it probably won¡¯t be so easy to escape using the ¡®Earth Tunneling Technique¡¯ and ¡®Blinding Magic¡¯ again!!!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, finally stopping in front of a shop in the Demon Beast Area, section 8, ¡°I¡¯m aware. I¡¯ll rent a room in the inn opposite this shop later, and you go gather some information. Find out the extent of the Huang Family¡¯s power and how strong the people they¡¯ve sent after us this time are.¡±


    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t leave the market, we¡¯re temporarily safe. We¡¯ll meet again in an hour.¡±


    Although Fat Long was a bit uneasy, he felt that what Chen Qiu said made some sense, so he nodded in a fluster and hurriedly left the place.


    Watching Fat Long¡¯s retreating figure.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak again and simply walked straight into the shop in front of him, ¡°Shopkeeper, how much for a mature demon beast at the Qi Refinement Realm?¡±


    ¡­


    Thirty minutes later.


    Chen Qiu had already appeared in a guest room of the inn across from that shop. The shopkeeper, with a beaming face, was bringing one after another the injured demon beasts in cages, collapsed on the ground, into the guest room.


    And the innkeeper was also busily attending to everything with a cheerful smile.


    Everyone seemed very amiable.


    As a rule, innkeepers don¡¯t allow guests to engage in mass slaughter in their rooms¡ªafter all, this is an inn, not a slaughterhouse. But they couldn¡¯t resist this guest, who had offered five times the regular price.


    After everyone else had left,


    Chen Qiu looked at the dozens of heavily injured demon beasts locked in cages, gasping for breath and continuously baring their fangs and hissing angrily at him, and slowly drew the long blade from his bosom. This was a Spiritual Treasure he had acquired from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Yellow Level, low-grade.


    Named ¡°Heaven Slaying.¡±


    The name was quite domineering. Once his Cultivation broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and he could channel Spiritual Energy outside his body, he could pour Spiritual Energy into the Spiritual Treasure and unleash its full power. But at the Qi Refinement Realm, holding this weapon served only as a blade sharp enough to slice through iron like mud.


    But it was certainly much more useful than his wood-cutting knife.


    He had spent 32 Spirit Stones, almost all of his fortune, to buy this batch of mature demon beasts in front of him.


    Twenty-seven Red-eyed Wolves at the Qi Refinement Realm fourth and fifth levels.


    Four tailless monkeys at the Qi Refinement Realm sixth level.


    Three Armored Crocodiles at the Qi Refinement Realm seventh level.


    One Hedgehog Pig at the Qi Refinement Realm eighth level.


    32 Spirit Stones, a sum that most Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators didn¡¯t possess. It was not a small amount; otherwise, the shopkeeper selling the demon beasts, a Cultivator at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, wouldn¡¯t have greeted him, a minor Qi Refinement Realm individual, with such a welcoming smile.


    He even offered a free service: beating them until they were severely injured.


    Spirit Stones are meant to be spent, after all. Although using them all for Cultivating the mental method would certainly enhance Cultivation more, it would also take a long time. Compared to Spirit Stones, he was more short on time.

 Chapter 14 - 14: Pink Entry: Heaven-reaching Giant.

    Chapter 14: Chapter 14: ¡®Pink Entry¡¯: Heaven-reaching Giant.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, and then, holding a sharp blade, he passed it through the gaps in the steel cage, sending each of the gravely injured demon beasts off, aiming for a kill with a single strike.


    At the same time¡ª


    When he performed introspection, several panels wrapped in clouds and mist also continuously popped up inside his body.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation significantly increased, officially entering the fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    All three random entries were fairly ordinary; in the end, he chose¡ª


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Person of Heaven¡¯s Deficiency.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you close your eyes, your other senses will be doubled in sharpness; if you were born blind, then other senses will be enhanced tenfold, if blinded later in life, physical senses will be enhanced fivefold.


    Humans have five senses.


    Hearing, smell, sight, taste, touch.


    With the loss of sight, the other four senses can be enhanced tenfold; if this entry were obtained by someone born blind, it would be equivalent to obtaining a Blue entry. In some respects, it could be considered a unique entry.


    Of course.


    If blinded later in life, you can also gain fivefold enhancement by gouging out your own eyes, but he only needed a twofold enhancement, albeit the effect was somewhat reduced, but after all, it had the least side effects.


    ¨C


    The cleaver continued to be swung, and his cultivation also continued to rise.


    ¡°Cultivation significantly increased, officially entering the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the three options on the panel wrapped in clouds and mist within his body, a hint of disbelief flashing through his eyes; it seemed like he had stumbled upon an exceptional entry!


    ¨C


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Surrounded.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When your abdomen is attacked, your back is injured; when your back is attacked, your abdomen is injured.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Seven-foot Man.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: For every inch over seven feet in height, your body strength increases slightly.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Unknown.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Unknown.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: This entry remains unknown until chosen; once confirmed, its true nature will be revealed, and this entry cannot be discarded by any means.


    ¨C


    The talent of a Seven-foot Man was actually somewhat useful to him, suitable for Body Refining. In this world, seven feet was comparable to about 1.7 meters in his previous life, and one foot equaled ten inches; he wasn¡¯t very tall, 1.78 meters, but he could still gain a considerable enhancement.


    But that was about it.


    The effect was very limited.


    He chose the third entry almost without any thought, regardless of what level or effect the third entry held; the words ¡®unique entry¡¯ were enough to convince him of its strength!


    Soon.


    Another panel wrapped in clouds and mist emerged within his body.


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Dantian Expansion (Unique).


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Pink.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Every time you kill a demon beast, your Tao Foundation will expand by one millimeter, with no upper limit.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking at the effect of this entry, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth slightly, the shock in his eyes difficult to conceal; wasn¡¯t this entry effect a bit too powerful?


    The Dantian is the place where Spiritual Energy is stored; later on, Foundation Establishment involves constructing a platform on the Dantian, much like building a house.


    Typically, for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the Tao Foundation built up is only about a hundred millimeters wide and a hundred millimeters high.


    An inch equals 100 millimeters.


    The width determines how much spiritual energy can be stored in your Dantian. The wider the Tao Foundation, the more spiritual energy it can store, meaning you have ample spiritual energy to continuously release Daoist Skills and various spells.


    The height of the Tao Foundation determines the concentration of the spiritual energy within your Dantian. The shorter the foundation, the more compressed the spiritual energy, resulting in a richer concentration, which in turn enhances the power unleashed by the spells.


    Many sect disciples and children of wealthy families


    often prepare numerous heavenly materials and earthly treasures by the time they reach the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm, to ensure building a perfect high platform, laying an impeccable foundation for their cultivation journey.


    The entry ¡°Dantian Expansion¡± signifies that, as long as he kills 100 demon beasts, his future Tao Foundation¡¯s width will be twice that of others.


    Killing 1000 demon beasts, the width of the Tao Foundation will be ten times that of others.


    If killing millions of demon beasts,


    then¡­ his internal spiritual energy will be nearly infinite and never run out. As long as he was willing, he could even become a spell machine gun, unleashing thousands of fireballs with a mere wave of his hand while an enemy had only triggered one Fireball Technique.


    And the spiritual energy consumed would be less than one-thousandth of his Dantian¡¯s capacity.


    Although the power is average, the sheer quantity makes up for it.


    ¡­


    ¡°Awesome.¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath and gave the entry the fairest evaluation he could imagine. Unfortunately, it was an entry that would only take effect after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage. Before establishing his foundation, the spiritual energy in his body was not sealed but flowed freely within.


    Only after establishing the foundation would the spiritual energy be completely sealed within the Dantian, allowing this entry to fully demonstrate its power.


    Afterwards, his eyes filled with vigor as he looked towards the remaining demon beasts.


    Following several swift cuts, the panel wrapped in clouds and mist appeared again above the Dantian within his body.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation surged, officially entering the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡¯


    ¡®Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Heaven-reaching Giant.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Pink.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: For every demon beast killed, increase height by one millimeter.


    2:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Audience.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: When you are in a crowd, your presence significantly decreases.


    3:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Spiritual Energy Intimidating.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Once your Tao Foundation¡¯s width surpasses 100 millimeters, each additional millimeter increases the power of your spells slightly.


    ¡­


    ¡°What a pity.¡±


    Chen Qiu sat in a trance on the bed in his guest room, thinking that the most painful thing in the world is making a choice between two indistinguishable options. If there¡¯s anything more painful, it¡¯s having a fantastic opportunity right before your eyes and missing it.


    When he broke through to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, there was a white entry.


    ¡®Seven-foot Man¡¯


    The taller the body, the stronger the physique¡ªa rather mundane white entry he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to. But had he chosen that entry then, he could have chosen the pink entry ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯ now.


    For every demon beast killed, the height would increase by one millimeter.


    He dared not contemplate it.


    The top-tier Body Refining entry set¡ªhe dared not picture himself after slaughtering a million Fierce Beasts, possibly standing tall like Kuafu, with his head touching the sky and his feet on the ground!


    Sadly¡­ who could have predicted the random drawing of the pink entry ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯ later on.


    After a long sigh,


    he still chose the third entry, ¡®Spiritual Energy Intimidating.¡¯ He could gamble that he might draw the ¡®Spiritual Energy Intimidating¡¯ entry again in the future, but it was too risky.


    Although the entry was only a white level, combined with ¡®Dantian Expansion,¡¯ it could make him an extremely violent spell machine gun!


    Not only terrifying in casting frequency but also frighteningly powerful!


    Now, he had no doubt about making a name for himself in the Cultivation World in the future. The only concern was that these were all long-term entries. He needed to strive to survive first.


    At least¡­ he needed to establish his foundation as quickly as possible!

 Chapter 15 - 15: Are You Fucking Cheating?

    Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Are You Fucking Cheating?


    After he had felled the remaining demon beasts with swift strikes of his blade, Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation also just barely broke through to the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement Realm!


    Thirty-two Spirit Stones.


    For an ordinary mortal, it was a fortune they couldn¡¯t earn in several lifetimes combined, yet Chen Qiu squandered it all in the span of a few breaths.


    This wealth was truly substantial, enough to drive countless people to risk their lives for it, but when it came to spending¡­ it somehow didn¡¯t seem to go very far.


    Just like that Secret Realm.


    Even many Cultivators at the third level of the Qi Refinement Realm entered, and when they set foot into this Secret Realm, they surely thought about the presence of existences at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, and they probably considered the likelihood of encountering young masters from prominent families.


    ...


    They even contemplated the high chance of dying in this small world.


    But still, they resolutely stepped into the entrance of the small world.


    Perhaps they felt lucky enough, or perhaps the rare emergence of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in their vicinity made them feel that missing it would lead to regret; regardless of the reason, it didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    These people all ended up dying in the Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    But all of this had nothing to do with Chen Qiu.


    At this moment, Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his eyes tightly closed and hands spread flat in front of his chest. This breakthrough in realm was very different from the previous ones, as he could clearly feel a warm current continuously flowing along the meridians inside his body.


    Time passed, and he knew not how long it had been.


    When he opened his eyes again, he only felt a foul stench emanating from his body. Looking down, he saw a great deal of black sludge had been expelled from his body and was now adhering to the inside of his clothes; his brows slightly furrowed, he hurriedly got up and walked to the private bath in the adjacent guest room.


    He stripped off his clothes and carefully cleaned himself.


    After he had finished washing and stepped out of the bath, standing in front of the copper mirror in the guest room and looking at his reflection, a slight shock flickered in his eyes. There had been no change in his body, but for some reason, his bearing seemed a bit different.


    If he had to pinpoint one change, it would be that his spine was a bit straighter.


    At this time, he felt that with just the strength of his body alone, he should have no problem taking on two Cultivators at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, which might be what Fat Long referred to as the dividing line at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Only by breaking through the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, could one¡¯s physical strength be greatly enhanced.


    Gradually setting oneself completely apart from mortals.


    Just then¡ª


    He suddenly felt a stirring in his heart and practiced introspection. Sure enough, that extremely familiar panel shrouded in mist once again quietly appeared above his Dantian.


    ¡°Cultivation has surged, officially entering the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Self-Destruction Term.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: You may self-destruct any entry to unleash an attack with the full force of a Realm Cultivation one level higher than your current Cultivation.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Unsettled Spirit.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you are in a state of fear, your five senses will be slightly enhanced.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Banding Together.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The extra organs that have emerged on your body will mutate and possess power that is unfathomable by gods and ghosts. The specific power depends on the number of extra organs.


    ¨C


    Perhaps his luck had run out in the previous few promotions, as this time, the luck for advancement was fairly average with only two white entries and one green entry. According to Fat Long¡¯s explanation, the random entries obtained when breaking through the Qi Refinement Realm were likely to be white entries, with a small chance for green entries or higher.


    This time was the normal scenario.


    It¡¯s just that there had been too many abnormal times previously, and he had gotten somewhat used to that abnormality.


    Without much overthinking,


    he chose the first entry. Compared to the other two, only this ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± was slightly stronger for him. Even though he didn¡¯t currently have any needless entries, he would gain an entry with every realm advancement.


    In the future, there will certainly be times when all three randomly obtained entries during a promotion are useless. In such cases, there won¡¯t be a situation where they are completely without use.


    However¡­


    Could this ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± self-destruct the term itself?


    And, he had an entry previously that absolutely could not be removed. Could the ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± self-destruct that entry?


    Although he was curious, he wouldn¡¯t conduct such an experiment just to satisfy his curiosity.


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    Standing naked in front of a bronze mirror, Chen Qiu waved the long saber in his hand. After feeling the burst of power ready to be unleashed from his body, he felt somewhat safer, even harboring a desire to find someone to spar with.


    Only then did he look towards the four Storage Bags piled up next to his clothes, falling silent.


    He had acquired quite a few Storage Bags in the small world, most of which he had sold, leaving only four for himself.


    These Storage Bags contained many things, including dry food, Spirit Stones, and Silver Taels.


    The only thing missing was a change of clothes.


    Fortunately, his distress didn¡¯t last long, as a knocking on the door and Fat Long¡¯s slightly anxious voice soon came from outside the guest room, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, hurry and open the door, something big has happened!!!¡±


    ¡­


    Three breaths later.


    Fat Long pushed the door open, while Chen Qiu was standing in place, shielding his vital body parts with the blade and interrupted, ¡°First go buy me a set of clothes. No matter how big the issue, I¡¯m not in the mood to listen right now.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    Fat Long was momentarily stunned. He casually pulled out a clean set of clothes from his bosom and handed them to Chen Qiu, saying, ¡°I have a clean set of clothes here that I change into usually. You can wear them for now, though they might be a bit large.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not a problem, in a while¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly caught the strong smell of blood in the guest room. His eyes swept over to the cage almost filling half the room with demon beast carcasses and the pile of clothes on the bed oozing with black muck, and he slowly opened his mouth in disbelief, trembling with shock.


    ¡°Brother Chen Qiu¡­you didn¡¯t break through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, did you?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be? You really reached the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible!¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t replied yet, Fat Long was exceedingly familiar with the changes that accompanied breaking through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, the most obvious of which was a transformation of the body, like shedding an old skin. While it wouldn¡¯t extend one¡¯s life, it would greatly enhance one¡¯s physical constitution.


    It could be said that after breaking through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, one was no longer an ordinary person!


    At this moment, Fat Long, standing in place, was filled with disbelief and resentment. How was that fair? He had been in this world for five months, doing all sorts of devious things¡ªeverything except risking his life. He had done everything that he could.


    Despite all his efforts, he had only cultivated to the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    And yesterday, when he first met Chen Qiu, he wasn¡¯t even at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm. In the small world, he had advanced to the third level, and now after just stepping out to gather some information, he had reached the seventh level when he came back?


    You¡¯re cheating, aren¡¯t you?

 Chapter 16 - 16:

    Chapter 16: Chapter 16: ¡°Isn¡¯t She a Geisha?


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, took the opportunity while Fat Long was standing there, dazed, to change his clothes, using a cloth to tie tightly around his waist, making his outfit fit a bit better, and then casually said, ¡°I¡¯ve almost spent all of my Spirit Stones, only three left now.¡±


    ¡°If you spent all your Spirit Stones, you might have been able to break through to the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be surprised about?¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s more than thirty Spirit Stones!¡± Fat Long couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of pain as he said, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, didn¡¯t you wage an internal struggle before spending them? You spent them so decisively? You should¡¯ve hesitated for a while!¡±


    ¡°Hesitate?¡±


    ...


    After tidying up his clothes, Chen Qiu walked to the red table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it in one gulp. Still not quite satisfied, he brought the spout of the teapot to his mouth, drank an entire teapot of cold tea, then contentedly wiped his mouth and set the teapot aside.


    ¡°The Huang Family has sent people to block the city gates, so now is not the time to hesitate. Do you plan to let the Spirit Stones be your funeral objects?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this for now, you just said something big has happened, what is it?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Speaking of the matter, Fat Long took a deep breath, sat next to the red table, dipped his finger in some tea from the teapot, and began to write on the table: ¡°The Huang Family is quite a well-known power in Fufeng City.¡±


    ¡°Their family business is centered around the mining industry.¡±


    ¡°The Family Head is a Sixth Layer Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, and this time the Huang Family¡¯s Seventh Elder, who is an eighth level Qi Refinement Cultivation, led the team, along with six or seven thugs around the fifth or sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°With grandeur, they have publicly declared that they will kill us to avenge Young Master Huang.¡±


    ¡°However, the insider news I¡¯ve obtained states that this Seventh Elder at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm does not plan to take immediate action against us. The Huang Family¡¯s main goal this time is to eliminate these six or seven thugs with our help.¡±


    ¡°These thugs joined the Huang Family years ago but spent all their stipends on providing for their families, stubbornly refusing to invest a penny in their cultivation. Over the years, they haven¡¯t made any progress in strength at all, have aged gradually, and their physical condition has deteriorated significantly, with their fighting power greatly diminished compared to their younger days.¡±


    ¡°This means that while they are paid the stipend that a sixth level Qi Refinement Cultivator should get, they cannot give the Huang Family the power that a sixth level Qi Refinement Cultivator should have.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not easy to just expel them, after all, these people have dedicated nearly half a lifetime to the Huang Family. If they were all expelled, it would cool the hearts of many underneath. Hence, the Huang Family plans to take this opportunity to let this group of people all die at our hands, and then for the Seventh Elder to take our heads back.¡±


    ¡°The Huang Family does not have any pension funds.¡±


    After taking another deep breath, Fat Long continued, ¡°At the same time, I have uncovered a shocking secret; the Huang Family actually didn¡¯t want to seek revenge at all because they are at a crucial moment!¡±


    ¡°One of the mines in the Huang Family¡¯s mining areas is about to reveal a great opportunity!¡± S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It is said to be a random ¡®Heavenly Dao entry.''¡±


    ¡°And the main reason the Huang Family had to come for revenge is, if the Huang Family did nothing, it would easily arouse suspicion, so they had no choice but to make a trip to the Ask the Heavens Market, and they brought the weakest bunch of their thugs to achieve two objectives with one action!¡±


    ¡°Other than that, there is another purpose for the Huang Family sending people here. The ¡®Ask the Heavens Market¡¯ is the largest marketplace within a hundred miles and the most powerful force near Fufeng City. By pretending to seek revenge, they hired quite a few people to watch the city gates, to probe whether ¡®Ask the Heavens Market¡¯ was aware of this news.¡±


    ¡°After all, the leader of ¡®Ask the Heavens Market¡¯ is at the Golden Core Stage, and if they wanted this ¡®Heavenly Dao entry,¡¯ then the Huang Family would certainly have no choice but to hand it over.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Fat Long paused for a moment, a serious expression on his face, ¡°Actually, there are already quite a few powers that have secretly received the news and have sent people to Fufeng City. Remember the troupe that entered the city last night from the Capital?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the one with a geisha who wouldn¡¯t sell herself for three Spirit Stones from a big shot in the Capital.¡±


    ¡°This geisha belongs to the Flower Offering Sect.¡±


    ¡°That day, with a massive crowd gathered at the east gate of Fufeng City, the scene was extremely chaotic. Even the Huang Family did not realize that quite a few people slipped into Fufeng City under the radar. And last night¡¯s sudden opening of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in the vicinity of Fufeng City was no coincidence, but rather influenced by the ¡®Heavenly Dao entry¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Sooner or later, maybe even today, there will be a great battle in Fufeng City, and it seems we have been unwittingly drawn into it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sitting in front of the red table, Chen Qiu went from being confused at first to silently emotionless after Fat Long finished speaking. After a brief pause, he softly asked, ¡°Brother Fat Long, are you serious when you tell me this intelligence could be gathered from a tavern or a teahouse?¡±


    He knew Fat Long had a talent for gathering intelligence.


    But he had not realized that Fat Long¡¯s ability to gather intelligence could rival that of the secret imperial police.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Fat Long shook his head: ¡°I used various methods, including going to the ¡®World Pavilion¡¯ shop that specializes in selling intelligence, purchasing information, and then observing which powers¡¯ people come to buy information from World Pavilion, and where these people went afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, I used rumors about Fufeng City and what has changed these days compared to the past, and various other methods, to synthesize this information.¡±


    ¡°The accuracy rate is eighty percent.¡±


    ¡°Did it cost Spirit Stones?¡± Chen Qiu nodded in understanding.


    ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°How much did it cost?¡±


    ¡°All gone.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu fell silent again, his mouth twitched slightly: ¡°Don¡¯t you have fifteen Spirit Stones in your pocket? You just said why I spent them so readily; at least you should hesitate a bit. It seems you didn¡¯t hesitate much either¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s face turned unpleasant: ¡°The Huang Family is blocking the city gates, at this time if you hesitate, do you expect the Spirit Stones to accompany you in death?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, then after a moment of contemplation, he softly said, ¡°This is good news for us, it at least gives us a period of respite.¡±


    What he needed most now was this respite; as long as he had time to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage and learn a few spells, wiping out the Huang Family would be a matter of blinking an eye.


    But¡­


    It seemed that the heavens did not plan on obliging him.


    ¡°Bang, bang, boom!¡±


    With two clear knocks followed by a loud crash, the door was kicked open.


    A tall woman dressed in a carmine long dress, holding a round fan and wearing a red veil, walked leisurely into the room with two strong men, just as Fat Long, who was about to stand up to open the door, froze on the spot.


    ¡°You are the external elder of the Sky-bursting Gang, right?¡±


    The woman casually played with the round fan in her hand, looking at the frozen Fat Long with a hint of mirth in her eyes and letting out a silvery laugh: ¡°Meeting again, you¡¯ve become an elder, haven¡¯t you? I wonder if your sect is still recruiting?¡±


    ¡°Can I come?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, Fat Long finally turned his head to look at Chen Qiu: ¡°This is the geisha from the Capital¡¯s theater troupe that I just mentioned to you.¡±


    ¡°You know each other?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I called on her once.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she a geisha?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie, to sell at a higher price.¡±


    ¡°The rumor spread through the Capital that a certain important person offered three Spirit Stones and she still wouldn¡¯t sell herself was also an idea I once gave her.¡±

 Chapter 17 - 17: Creating Ones Own Cultivation Technique, Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun.

    Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Creating One¡¯s Own Cultivation Technique, Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun.


    ¡°He lied to you.¡±


    The woman clad in carmine long dress waved her round fan gently, and two brawny men stepped out of the doorway, standing like door gods on both sides of the guest room door. Subsequently, a faint blue light screen appeared out of nowhere.


    Not too big or too small, it enclosed the entire guest room within it, leaving the two strong men isolated outside.


    It was clearly some sort of soundproofing array.


    ¡°Since he¡¯s talked to you about me, he must have also told you that I¡¯m the ¡®Heavenly Girl¡¯ who represents the Flower Offering Sect, right?¡±


    ¡°The main cultivation technique of the Flower Offering Sect is the Dual Cultivation Technique, yes, it¡¯s what you think it is.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Rampant pleasure, beauties like clouds, wine pools, and meat forests.¡±


    ¡°Every day¡¯s cultivation consists of a mix of gyrations and banana munching.¡±


    ¡°He has a unique constitution. He was captured by the ¡®Flower Offering Sect¡¯ and used as a tonic for three months, so he shouldn¡¯t just know me, but be very familiar with me, after all¡­ I favored him the most.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly towards Fat Long at his side, not speaking, just quietly sitting on the chair. He was judging the situation, which was a bit chaotic at the moment, so it was wise to remain silent for now.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±


    Since his cover was already blown, Fat Long was somewhat annoyed and shouted loudly.


    ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, please think about it seriously. Isn¡¯t it reasonable for someone like me, with no significant background, who unfortunately landed on the ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ entry, to be captured by such a dual cultivation sect to be used as a tonic?¡±


    ¡°Think about it, is there a problem with this logic?¡±


    ¡°What could I do?¡±


    ¡°I thought about resisting, but the sect is full of experts. Who could I defeat? I didn¡¯t want to die, so what could I do?¡±


    ¡°It was with great difficulty that I escaped after three months, only to run into her here again!¡±


    ¡°This woman was the ¡®Heavenly Girl¡¯ of the ¡®Flower Offering Sect,¡¯ not often in the sect. After learning that the sect had captured me, an ¡®exotic tonic,¡¯ she specifically rushed back to torment me a dozen times, until finally, I came up with a strategy for her.¡±


    ¡°It helped her earn more Spirit Stones, which I used to negotiate my escape from the Flower Offering Sect.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding. It seemed normal to think about it; if he were in charge of the Flower Offering Sect, he would certainly capture Fat Long as a tonic as well, but¡­


    He furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before looking gently at the woman before him and said, ¡°Miss, although I¡¯m not very familiar with Dual Cultivation Technique, I have heard a bit about it. I presume your level is much higher than that of my brother here, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Is dual cultivation useful?¡±


    ¡°It seems that you really don¡¯t understand dual cultivation.¡±


    The woman shook her head, laughing with a tinkling sound, covering her mouth with her fan, ¡°Dual cultivation is not a cultivation technique, it¡¯s a mental method. But you are right about one thing, if the cultivation levels are too disparate, it is indeed useless.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s useless, then why¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s useless, it¡¯s still pleasurable.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu once again fell silent, and after a long while, tapped the table lightly with his index finger, ¡°Let¡¯s not beat around the bush, since we¡¯re all clear-eyed people here. What brings you to my brother today? Do you wish to take him back as a tonic again?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    The young lady shook her head again and then became serious, the smile on her face receding as she said, ¡°This fellow might not be very decent, but he has done me a favor. I am here to urge him to leave this place as quickly as possible. Although I don¡¯t know why, after escaping from the ¡®Flower Offering Sect,¡¯ he would come to Fufeng City, hundreds of miles away.¡±


    ¡°But one thing is very important.¡±


    ¡°Fufeng City will soon erupt in a bloody conflict among several factions, resulting in widespread slaughter, affecting countless ordinary people. The market square will not be safe either, it¡¯s best to flee early.¡±


    ¡°I cannot reveal the specifics to you.¡±


    ¡°Consider this a word of warning.¡±


    ¡°Lastly¡ª¡±


    The young lady suddenly giggled again, her provocative and flirtatious demeanor shone as she covered her mouth with her fan and gazed at Fat Long, her eyes bright with reluctance, she said softly, ¡°If we meet again next time, I would still like to try that ¡®Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun¡¯ move you came up with.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very unique; I¡¯ve never seen anything like it in my life.¡±


    ¡°You must survive, okay?¡±


    As the words fell,


    the light screen dissipated.


    The girl turned and walked out of the guest room, and the brawny men standing at the doorway quickly followed suit, while the guest room¡¯s shopkeeper had already been at the door with a nod and a beaming smile, evidently having received a handsome compensation.


    ¡­


    After the sudden intrusion by the woman, the previously harmonious atmosphere in the room gradually turned eerie.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu was the first to speak and break the tension, ¡°So the reason you were so frail when we met yesterday was because you were tortured by the Flower Offering Sect for three months? It wasn¡¯t because cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm are naturally that frail?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­!¡±


    Fat Long nodded with a mix of sadness and anger.


    ¡°Huh, no wonder.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding. Fat Long had originally told him that all cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm were that frail, and only by breaking through to the seventh level would their physical condition significantly improve.


    But neither the cultivators he had met in the Secret Realm last night at the sixth level, nor himself when he had just broken through to the sixth level, felt as weak as Fat Long did.


    He had been somewhat puzzled, but now it made sense.


    ¡°May I venture to ask again, what is the Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun technique?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re being even more presumptuous than last time!¡±


    Fat Long said somewhat indignantly, ¡°Stop asking, that experience is my shame!¡±


    ¡°When I was captured by the Flower Offering Sect, how many people did I ask for help along the way? Did even one person help me?¡±


    ¡°There are thousands of tonic cultivators in the Flower Offering Sect, and every so often they weed out those who have been drained. What could I do to avoid being drained and eliminated? I had to rack my brains to develop a series of techniques, so that when those witches indulged in them with me, they would become addicted!¡±


    ¡°Thus thinking of indulging once more, and because they couldn¡¯t bear to, they would control the intensity of the technique and not drain me.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you, Chen Qiu!¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I will never forget these memories in my lifetime. The day I gain power, everyone from the Flower Offering Sect who humiliated me will not escape. I¡¯ll have them flayed and sliced a thousand times!!!¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I changed my name to Fat Long?¡±


    ¡°Every moment, I remind myself that every disgrace I face is a necessary part of the journey to success!¡±


    ¡°A person who is determined to reach the peak will never feel ashamed of yesterday¡¯s kneeling!¡±


    ¡°This name is to tell the world, to remind myself.¡±


    ¡°I, Fat Long, am a fucking dragon lying in wait!¡±


    ¡°One day¡ª¡±


    ¡°I will disperse these clouds, like a dragon emerging from the sea, and let the world see what a hero is!¡±


    At this moment, Fat Long¡¯s neck veins bulged, his face flushed with anger, and his tone was forceful, filled with intense fury and defiance.


    In that instant, Chen Qiu was slightly stunned; it seemed like he saw in Fat Long the image of someone who, for the sake of their aspirations, silently endured and bore the brunt of setbacks and hardships. Fat Long didn¡¯t seem as afraid of death as he had imagined.


    Instead, he was unwilling to die a worthless death.


    Murmuring as if in a trance, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why call yourself Fat Long, instead of something like Flood Dragon or Heroic Dragon?¡±


    ¡°Those names sound too arrogant¡­¡±


    Fat Long suddenly softened his tone again, muttering under his breath, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that someone might get annoyed by such a name and casually kill me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit afraid of dying.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 18 - 18:

    Chapter 18: Chapter 18: ¡°Fortune favours the bold, you have to take a gamble.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly fell silent again, standing motionless. The two sentences felt eerily familiar, as if he had heard the exact same ones last night. After organizing his thoughts, he shook his head and said, ¡°Since you knew she was entering the city last night, why were you at the east gate of Fufeng City last night recruiting disciples under the banner of the ¡®Sky-bursting Gang¡¯?¡±


    ¡°How would I know it was her?¡±


    Fat Long scratched his head irritably, ¡°I just received news early that a troupe from the Capital was heading to Fufeng City. The locals here don¡¯t have much entertainment, and bustling events are a must-see.¡±


    ¡°I arrived in Fufeng City yesterday morning, planning to recruit disciples while many people were gathered at the city gate, guaranteeing a great harvest.¡±


    ¡°Only in the morning did I find out that it was actually her.¡±


    ...


    ¡°At that moment, I thought of running, but I couldn¡¯t bear to miss this opportunity. Thinking I was already there and amidst so many people, she shouldn¡¯t possibly notice me. But just as she entered the city, she looked in my direction. My heart skipped a beat, and all I could do was turn around and hastily find someone to run towards, showing her a back view.¡±


    ¡°That person was you.¡±


    ¡°Originally, I just thought of striking up a casual conversation with you, just waiting for her to enter the city and not see my face. But unexpectedly, within a few exchanges, I found out that you too had traveled across time, and you know what happened afterward.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he raised his hand wanting to pour himself a cup of tea, only to find that the teapot was somehow empty. He stopped his action and touched his nose.


    Now it seems,


    this girl also counts as somewhat of a benefactor to him.


    If it were not for this girl, Fat Long would not have stopped him, he wouldn¡¯t have known about such a thing as an entry, nor would he have entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, nor would he have had the opportunities that followed.


    Not quite right.


    If looking further back, this girl came because of the Huang Family¡¯s ¡®Heavenly Dao Entry¡¯ manifesting in this world. If it weren¡¯t for the Huang Family, both this girl and Fat Long would not have come to Fufeng City, meaning the Huang Family also counts as somewhat of a benefactor to him.


    And¡­ it seems the Young Master of the Huang Family has already died by his hand.


    Would killing a benefactor bring heavenly retribution?


    He shook his head and thought no more of this, but brought the conversation to the crucial point, ¡°What exactly is that so-called ¡®Heavenly Dao Entry¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a special type of entry,¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s expression turned serious, and he spoke solemnly, ¡°As I mentioned before, aside from white and green entries which signify levels, there are many special entries, such as ¡®Grey Entry,¡¯ ¡®Bloodline Entry,¡¯ and¡­ ¡®Heavenly Dao Entry.''¡±


    ¡°¡®Heavenly Dao Entries¡¯ happen randomly, some are very strong and some are weak, but they all share one commonality, that is, ¡®Heavenly Dao Entries¡¯ can be inherited.¡±


    ¡°They can be directly passed on to your direct descendants.¡±


    ¡°That alone is enough. Once a Heavenly Dao Entry appears, countless forces will come scrambling, as long as they seize it and ensure their family can continue its lineage, then with the passage of time, the family¡¯s heritage will grow stronger and stronger.¡±


    ¡°Da Xia Country has not seen a change of dynasty for nearly a thousand years. A long time ago, the current Royal Family of Da Xia was just a little Xia family.¡±


    ¡°Why has it prospered for so long?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, there are many reasons, but one of them is that the ancestors of Da Xia obtained a total of eleven ¡®Heavenly Dao Entries.¡¯ All direct descendants of the Xia family are born possessing these eleven entries.¡±


    ¡°Now, on the ¡®Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡¯ of Da Xia, out of the top hundred, thirty-seven are from the Xia family.¡±


    ¡°Truly a strict selection by the Xia family.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly at this. Upon hearing Fat Long, he knew many people would die this time; the effect of the Heavenly Dao Entry was somewhat perverse, ¡°Since so many powers are already aware of this Heavenly Dao Entry, can the Royal Family of Da Xia not know? Wouldn¡¯t they send someone?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t.¡±


    Fat Long shook his head, ¡°The Heavenly Dao Entry is both inheritance and a curse. No matter what entry is randomly obtained, it will definitely be passed on to your descendants, and some entries have rather severe negative effects.¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Adding one more Heavenly Dao Entry to the Royal Family of Da Xia won¡¯t make their descendants¡¯ foundations much stronger, given they already have eleven.¡±


    ¡°But if a Heavenly Dao Entry with strong negative effects is randomly obtained, then it¡¯s purely a loss.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s little to gain but so much to lose; no one would sit at such a gambling table.¡±


    ¡°Some major families either have already won the gamble by possessing several Heavenly Dao Entries, no longer needing to gamble, or are currently doing well enough not to gamble; hence their interest in this isn¡¯t great.¡±


    ¡°But for a small family like the Huang Family, it presents a fatal attraction.¡±


    ¡°And the Royal Family wouldn¡¯t do something like sending people to snatch the Heavenly Dao entry and then exchange it for Spirit Stones, that would be too beneath them, you see. If Da Xia were to do that, do you think these sects would still stay within Da Xia¡¯s borders? The world is vast, there¡¯s always a place for lords.¡±


    ¡°Sects and countries have a mutual relationship, not a hierarchical one.¡±


    ¡°How much is a Heavenly Dao entry worth in Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°This thing is basically not sold on the market, and doesn¡¯t have a fixed market price, but it should be at least 1,000 Spirit Stones I guess. Of course, that price is my estimate; I¡¯m not clear on the specific amount, but it should only be higher, not lower, given it¡¯s a Heavenly Dao entry.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, as he had already understood the situation: ¡°What is the cultivation level of that girl?¡±


    ¡°Foundation Establishment Stage Level One.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound very high.¡±


    ¡°Enough to kill the two of us for sure.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too afraid of death.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak further but rather stood up and walked straight towards the outside of the guest room. After reaching the first floor, he casually took two Spirit Stones from the Shopkeeper¡¯s hand, then proceeded to walk out the city gate along the main road.


    This had been arranged with the Shopkeeper beforehand.


    The demon beast corpses in the guest room, whether fur or flesh, were valuable goods that could fetch around five to six Spirit Stones.


    He didn¡¯t have time to deal with them, so he sold them to the Shopkeeper for two Spirit Stones.


    The Shopkeeper earned Spirit Stones, and he saved time.


    ¡­


    ¡°Are you really going to Fufeng City to wade into these troubled waters?¡±


    ¡°Have you gone mad?¡±


    ¡°Even though you¡¯re in the Qi Refinement Realm Level Seven now, but there are many from the Foundation Establishment Stage going there; it¡¯s just not enough, isn¡¯t this just courting death?¡±


    On the main road of Area 4 in Qiantian Market, Fat Long, who was hurriedly following behind Chen Qiu, incessantly urged, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, don¡¯t think that just one realm higher in Foundation Establishment than Qi Refinement is small, but in fact, it¡¯s a world of difference!¡±


    ¡°Going like this, it really isn¡¯t any different from sending ourselves to death!¡±


    Chen Qiu, with a calm face, led at the front and softly said, ¡°You see the nature of this world as well. If you can¡¯t boost your strength at all costs, what would you do if you end up captured by the Flower Offering Sect for use as nourishment like you?¡±


    ¡°With such an opportunity right before us, how could we possibly miss it?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not, your body isn¡¯t robust nor do you have the might of nine oxen, and your cultivation level isn¡¯t high; they wouldn¡¯t choose you for nourishment!¡±


    ¡°Just yesterday you told me if I don¡¯t become stronger, someone like you could easily kill me.¡±


    ¡°But now I can¡¯t beat you anymore!¡±


    ¡°Still no good.¡±


    Chen Qiu walked to the city gate of Qiantian Market, stopped in place, and looked toward a few men outside the gate who seemed somewhat astonished when they saw him, softly saying, ¡°If these 1,000 Spirit Stones come into hand, I can take you to the Flower Offering Sect tomorrow and kill those who have humiliated you.¡±


    ¡°Fortune favors the bold, sometimes we have to take the risk.¡±


    ¡°But life is also lost in risks, we shouldn¡¯t gamble if we don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Chen Qiu patted Fat Long on the shoulder, paused for a moment and then chuckled softly: ¡°Mists don¡¯t scatter on their own; they must be cleared away by hand, and if you want the dragon to leap to the sea and ascend to the heavens to claim its rightful place, you must take the plunge.¡±


    ¡°I have a way, and I will win.¡±

 Chapter 19 - 19: If you can fight, fight; if you cant, die.

    Chapter 19: Chapter 19: If you can fight, fight; if you can¡¯t, die.


    Perhaps it was Chen Qiu¡¯s confidence that had infected him, or maybe it was because he remembered his own bold words just now he didn¡¯t want to appear timid; in any case, after his expression changed several times between clear and cloudy, Fat Long still struggled to nod his head.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s make a bet!¡±


    In his life, he rarely went all-in. His entrepreneurial peers who had fallen in his previous life taught him a lesson: how much profit a project made was not the deciding factor in whether a company lasted long enough.


    The real deciding factor was, if the company lost on this project, how much would it lose.


    He never thought about making his company bigger; he just wanted to make it last a bit longer.


    Compared to the profit target, he spent more of his life considering the stop-loss point.


    ...


    Survive long enough, and you might just witness a miracle.


    Whether in his previous life or here.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and smiled, then walked straight toward the city gate. The several men outside the city gate looking at him with astonishment were the ones sent by the Huang Family. At this moment, as soon as they saw him stepping through the city gate,


    they tore off their black robes and pulled out long swords from their bosoms, surrounding Chen Qiu and Fat Long. Their eyes, like those of hungry wolves, were fixed on them, cutting off their escape route back to Ask the Sky Market.


    These hired thugs seemed rather old, some even had age spots on the backs of their hands, but their aura was not weak in the slightest.


    ¡°The Huang Family is handling affairs!¡±


    ¡°Bystanders, step aside!¡±


    ¡°Please, grant us some convenience!¡±


    An old man wearing a standard Huang Family robe, hands behind his back, walked out from the crowd with a sullen face. Standing in front of Chen Qiu and the others, he paused for a long time before speaking in a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, ¡°You killed our Young Master Huang and still strut around so openly, not even wearing a cloak.¡±


    ¡°Impressive.¡±


    ¡°You really think the Huang Family has no temper?¡±


    Very soon¡ª


    three or four more Huang Family thugs arrived, tearing off their black robes and holding long swords they joined the encirclement, staring straight at Chen Qiu and his companions, ready to swing their swords at any command.


    These men must be the ones from Fat Long¡¯s intelligence report, the Huang Family¡¯s Seventh Elder at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and the thugs the Huang Family was prepared to deal with.


    And the people around seemed to be used to this, dispersing to both sides without even a hint of surprise. As long as the fight wasn¡¯t in Ask the Sky Market, no one would care even if they turned the world outside upside down.


    ¡°What do you say?¡±


    Fat Long glanced at the Huang Family thugs surrounding them with long swords and leaned in close to Chen Qiu, surveying their surroundings and lowering his voice, ¡°Whatever the plan is, it¡¯s about time you said it, right?¡±


    He probably already guessed Chen Qiu¡¯s plan.


    Like last time, they would escape from here using the ¡°Earth Tunneling Technique¡± and ¡°Blinding Technique.¡± However, both techniques required the scene to be sufficiently chaotic for them to slip away unnoticed.


    So what they should do next was create confusion, for example, by scattering some Spirit Stones on the ground to pull in the onlookers.


    The temptation of a few Spirit Stones was not small; there should be many who couldn¡¯t resist this temptation.


    When the chaos of Fufeng City¡¯s ¡°Heavenly Dao Terms¡± broke out, Chen Qiu and his brother probably planned to use these two techniques to slip away amid the chaos. Although the risk was high, the reward, if successful, would be quite astonishing.


    Just as he was ready to cooperate with Chen Qiu¡¯s plan¡ª


    He suddenly felt a chill on his back.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Fat Long turned around instinctively, only to see that a resentful spirit had appeared behind him at some point, floating in mid-air and carrying an aura of death that made people shiver.


    And the appearance of this resentful spirit was all too familiar¡ªit was none other than Young Master Huang Shikai who had died in the Secret Realm the night before!


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Fat Long couldn¡¯t help but slowly open his mouth in a mix of confusion and disbelief as he looked at this scene before him. He had trouble imagining that Chen Qiu¡¯s plan was just to kill their way out directly?


    Was that mad? This, a plan?


    If you can beat them, fight; if you can¡¯t, die, right?


    Then, the next moment¡ª


    ¡°Kill!!!¡±


    Chen Qiu roared angrily, suddenly drawing his Yellow Level lower-grade Spiritual Treasure ¡°Heaven Slaying¡± broadsword from his bosom and grabbing Huang Shikai¡¯s collar before charging forward.


    At the same time, the Huang Family¡¯s Seventh Elder also shouted ¡°kill¡± with an extremely ugly expression on his face.


    He naturally recognized that the resentful spirit in Chen Qiu¡¯s hand was their Young Master Huang. Originally, a hundred people had entered the Secret Realm last night, and in the end, only two came out alive. They didn¡¯t know who had killed the Young Master and could only vent their resentment on these two survivors.


    But they never expected the Young Master was actually killed by these two beasts!


    Once the order was given, the blade was drawn from its sheath.


    The Huang Family¡¯s henchmen surrounding Chen Qiu shouted in unison with determined and cold faces, showing no mercy as they chopped at Chen Qiu. Although they were older and their condition had declined, their years of combat experience were not lacking.


    They were most experienced in bullying the few with the many.


    However¡­


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    A series of sounds like chopping on steel suddenly erupted.


    It really worked.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth curved into a sly smile as he held onto Huang Shikai¡¯s collar with his left hand, while his right hand gripped the hilt of his sword, charging into the crowd and slashing wildly!


    He didn¡¯t understand any sword skill.


    But he knew that a blade cutting on a neck would kill a person.


    The entry effect of Huang Shikai¡¯s Yellow Entry ¡°Unassailable from Behind¡± made him completely immune to attacks from the back and sides, which wasn¡¯t very useful when he was alive, as it had quite a few drawbacks.


    But after becoming a resentful spirit, this entry turned out to be extremely useful, like a shield possessing absolute defense. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Especially since a resentful spirit is a Divine Soul entity, it almost has no weight, not affecting movement when held in hand.


    In a matter of seconds, the six to seven Qi Refinement Realm fifth and sixth level henchmen of the Huang Family fell powerless into pools of blood.


    The gap between the sixth level of Qi Refinement and the seventh level was not as vast as heaven and earth.


    But it was not small either.


    Already overpowering in realm, and even more so with a large shield possessing absolute defense, there was no pressure in killing.


    Before Fat Long could even react, Chen Qiu had already charged towards the Huang Family¡¯s Seventh Elder at the rear, holding Huang Shikai in his left hand and brandishing his broadsword with his right.


    ¡°Come!¡±


    By this time, Chen Qiu had somewhat become bloodthirsty, and the murderous aura he carried made the bystanders, who were watching the fight, subconsciously retreat a few steps.


    ¡­


    A few moments later.


    Fat Long looked bewilderedly at Chen Qiu¡¯s retreating figure, not having had the chance to draw his sword and join the battle, only to see Chen Qiu already beginning to dismember the Seventh Elder of the Huang Family¡¯s corpse.


    Arms, thighs, heads.


    He dismembered them with ease as if he were a skilled butcher, then adeptly searched inside Elder Huang¡¯s robe and after a while, pulled out three Storage Bags and stuffed them into his bosom with satisfaction. Then, he ran over to the other henchmen and rummaged for a while before turning his head to look at him.


    ¡°Are you here to watch the show?¡±


    ¡°Shall I sing you another tune?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Is it that simple and crude?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise?¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, gave Fat Long an annoyed roll of his eyes, contentedly patted his now-bulging waist pack, and casually tossed a few pieces of silver into the hands of the Guard Commander at the entrance to Heaven Asking Marketplace City Gate: ¡°Thanks for your hard work cleaning up this mess later.¡±


    ¡°A little tip for tea.¡±

 Chapter 20 - 20: The world is vast, yet it can be crossed in three breaths.

    Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The world is vast, yet it can be crossed in three breaths.


    Afterward, Chen Qiu did not delay even for a moment. With his left hand clutching Huang Shikai¡¯s collar, he strode towards the cliff from which they had come. The resentful spirit he had summoned could only exist for an hour, after which it would dissipate automatically.


    It could not be paused midway.


    The ¡°Unvulnerable Front and Back¡± entry for Huang Shikai was more useful than he had anticipated, so he had to make the most of Huang Shikai¡¯s residual effectiveness during the remaining time.


    ¡°Brother Chen Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long had also recovered by now and hurriedly followed Chen Qiu¡¯s quick steps, saying anxiously, ¡°By openly summoning Huang Shikai¡¯s resentful spirit, everyone will know that you possess the ability to turn the creatures you kill into resentful spirits!¡±


    ¡°With so many onlookers here, it won¡¯t be long before the news leaks out.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Your trump card is gone¡ªwhat use is a trump card that everyone knows about?¡±


    Chen Qiu walked briskly toward the cliff from which they had come, slightly quickening his pace.


    ¡°Who said this was my trump card?¡±


    ¡°Hurry, time waits for no one!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    At the Seeking Immortality Gate on the western city wall, the Guard Commander, clad in armor, watched the departing figures of Chen Qiu and his companion. Weighing the handful of silver Chen Qiu had tossed to him, he chuckled.


    ¡°This fellow sure knows how to conduct himself.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Subsequently, he tucked the few pieces of silver in his breast, turned around to his guards who were eagerly watching him and scolded with a laugh, ¡°What are you looking at me for? You think I can pocket all this silver myself?¡±


    ¡°Get to work!¡±


    ¡°After we¡¯re off duty tonight, I¡¯ll treat you to drinks in Fufeng City!¡±


    ¡°Just to make it clear in advance, we¡¯re only ordering one geisha¡ªit¡¯s all on me unless you get touchy!¡±


    ¡°Anyone who wants more, pays their own way!¡±


    At night, the Wentian Market doesn¡¯t keep anyone; only inns do.


    Once the inns are full, others must leave the market.


    These are the rules of the Wentian Market.


    In the Wentian Market, there is a rule prohibiting fighting, yet daily, a great number of people come here seeking vengeance. It¡¯s one thing if it¡¯s just one power, but with the multitudes that come seeking revenge, even the Wentian Market, with Golden Core cultivators in place, cannot withstand the pressure.


    However, those seeking vengeance from the Wentian Market often are quite generous.


    After contemplating, the Wentian Market has set these rules.


    They ensure that not too many powers are offended while also securing decent revenue.


    Not far from the Wentian Market, atop the same mountain ridge, lies a small auxiliary city filled with inns, taverns, brothels, etc., serving as lodging for those who either don¡¯t want to descend the mountain or are merchants in the market.


    In this auxiliary city, the no-fighting rule does not apply.


    The guards of the Wentian Market work in shifts, a day on, a day off. It just so happens they are off tomorrow, so the commander plans to take his men to Fufeng City for a good time and to see the geisha from the Capital, who reputedly won¡¯t perform even for three Spirit Stones.


    To give his men a feast for their eyes.


    The Guard Commander had a smile plastered across his face thinking about the night¡¯s prospects, working even harder than usual. As a guard of Wentian Market, cleaning up the remnants of fights around the market was his duty after all.


    There was no need for him to get a tip.


    But the sudden extra money still made it hard for him to hide his grin.


    ¡­


    ¡°Can you fly?¡±


    Chen Qiu walked briskly to the edge of the cliff to the young man he had met earlier: ¡°Take me somewhere quickly, name your price.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    This young man, dressed as a scholar, lifted his head to glance indifferently at Chen Qiu and then lowered it again, speaking casually, ¡°The times change so quickly. Is it now fashionable to walk around with a resentful spirit in tow?¡±


    ¡°For cooling off?¡±


    Chen Qiu squatted down to meet the scholar¡¯s gaze, calmly stating, ¡°No specific location.¡±


    ¡°Within a hundred miles, where is there a place with plenty of Fierce Beasts, but not too many? Ideally, it should be demon beasts that don¡¯t act in groups and have a strong territorial consciousness. Also, the strongest Fierce Beast should not surpass the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°And this place must also be ownerless, not belonging to any force, so hunting there would not violate the laws of Da Xia, and no one would obstruct.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground closed his comic book, looked meaningfully at Chen Qiu in front of him, and suddenly smiled, ¡°There is, naturally, a place just like you described twenty miles to the west.¡±


    ¡°It has no name.¡±


    ¡°In a stone cave at the bottom of a cliff created by a natural crevice in the ground, about several hundred feet from the surface, there¡¯s only one kind of demon beast, called ¡®Human Face Spider.¡¯ This is a type of demon beast that cannot break through the Foundation Establishment Stage in its lifetime and doesn¡¯t develop Spiritual Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°It loves a cold and moist environment.¡±


    ¡°Yet, it is a clan of Fierce Beasts. They reproduce quickly, generally move in groups and never alone, and have an extremely strong sense of avenging their companions.¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Do you want to go?¡±


    After a moment of contemplation, Chen Qiu nodded seriously. ¡°Let¡¯s go. How long will it take to get there?¡±


    ¡°Three breaths.¡±


    ¡°Three breaths again?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The scholar laughed, ¡°In this vast world, everything can be reached in three breaths.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but you need to wait for me there and take me back after an hour.¡±


    ¡°Then give me a Spirit Stone.¡±


    The scholar then slowly closed the comic book in his arms, carefully stuffed it into his bosom, and as he did so, the bearded strongman whom they had already met once at the base of the mountain appeared beside them without waiting for them to speak again.


    He saw the scholar raise his right hand in front of him, his thumb and index finger slightly touching, the other three fingers naturally stretched out, pinching a Taoist Technique and whispering, ¡°Knock.¡±


    The next second¡ª


    A Green Blade Long Sword quivering continuously violently burst out from the sleeve of the scholar¡¯s robe, transforming into a streak of green light and disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.


    Three breaths later.


    The scholar, as if sensing something, his lips moved slightly, and his body instantly vanished from the spot, leaving only a mat made of dried grasses.


    Before Chen Qiu and the others could react,


    the bearded strongman standing beside them grabbed their arms, and immediately the surrounding scenery started spinning wildly again. Within less than a breath¡¯s time, when the scenery stabilized, they were already standing on a barren plain where the ground was desiccated and full of cracks.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu incredulously surveyed his surroundings; not a spirit field in sight, no official road, not a trace of human activity, the area looked as if it had been abandoned and faced severe droughts for three years.


    Looking far to the east,


    one could faintly see a mountain range enveloped by clouds and mist. That was the Wentian Mountain Range, and the market town of Wentian was thus named after it.


    Due to its location on the plains with a vast field of view, although he couldn¡¯t estimate if the distance to Wentian Mountain Range was twenty miles, it certainly wasn¡¯t short.


    This meant¡­


    They had teleported twenty miles in just three breaths?


    And he also roughly guessed that this scholar¡¯s technique, or his Cultivation Technique, should allow him to teleport to wherever his Flying Sword could reach, though it¡¯s unclear if there were any distance limitations.


    First, let the Flying Sword reach the destination, the scholar teleports there, and then the scholar¡¯s brother brings them to teleport next to the scholar.


    With such a method,


    in this vast world, everything being reachable in three breaths isn¡¯t an exaggeration.


    He had wanted to ask Fat Long if the speed of a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator¡¯s Flying Sword could be this fast. But seeing the incredulous look on Fat Long, whose jaw was virtually dropping to the ground, he roughly guessed the answer.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived¡±


    The scholar, still sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked towards Chen Qiu and Fat Long with a somewhat gentle smile and said, ¡°The bottom of this crack is where the ¡®Human Face Spider¡¯ cave is.¡±


    Meanwhile, Fat Long, who had just snapped back to reality, noticed for the first time that this young man dressed as a scholar appeared to have some disability that prevented him from standing normally.

 Chapter 21 - 21: People Call Him The Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.

    Chapter 21: Chapter 21: People Call Him The Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    ¡°Let my brother escort you down.¡±


    The scholar seated cross-legged on the ground spoke softly.


    The robust man with a beard standing beside walked directly to the crack on the ground without any hesitation, took a step forward, and soon a thud resounded.


    The bearded man, who was, in fact, the scholar¡¯s brother, wasn¡¯t tall.


    About six feet or so.


    He could even be described as short, but his stature was excessively robust, and he was adorned with beast armor amidst his hemp clothes, complete with a full-face beard and extremely abundant body hair.


    ...


    It made one unable to resist calling him a stout man.


    Immediately after, the scholar seated at the edge of the cliff gestured with a wave of his hand for Chen Qiu and his companion to come to him, reached out, grasped the corner of their clothes, and in the blink of an eye, he had already brought them to the bottom of the cliff.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood still, surveying his surroundings. The valley floor here was hundreds of feet away from the surface, covered in dead grass and grey stones, the bare rock walls on either side marked with trails from the rainwater.


    Looking up, the sky appeared extremely narrow.


    This part of the valley, with neither end visible, was extremely long yet narrow, barely wide enough for eight people to stand shoulder to shoulder, feeling rather cramped. On both sides of the rock walls, there were honeycomb-like caves.


    From time to time, a sound like that of a baby crying could be heard, carried by the wind and drifting deep into the valley.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°In an hour, my brother will come down to fetch you.¡±


    ¡°Listen for the sound and look up, don¡¯t get crushed.¡±


    The scholar once again formed that familiar Taoist technique gesture and softly said, ¡°Knock.¡±


    A three-foot green blade shot out from his sleeve towards the sky, and soon after, the scholar seated on the rock disappeared from sight, and the bearded robust man beside him vanished just as quickly.


    After the two left.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, his expression somewhat vigilant as he held Huang Shikai¡¯s resentful spirit in his left hand, examining his surroundings: ¡°Prepare for the enemy.¡±


    His plan was simple.


    If killing a demon beast in the Qi Refinement Realm could yield a substantial advancement in Cultivation, why should he waste too much time in the Qi Refinement Stage? Although he didn¡¯t have many spirit stones to buy severely injured demon beasts, it would be the same if he killed them himself, just riskier.


    Moreover, as long as he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, his Pink Entry would be able to fully utilize its function.


    Accelerating his Cultivation to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible was the proper path.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Fat Long breathed a sigh of relief, taking out his own Lifebound Spirit Treasure, a long saber called ¡®Dragon Slayer,¡¯ and firmly gripped it in his hand, standing behind Chen Qiu ready to face the enemy together.


    He and Chen Qiu had known each other for only a day.


    But the experiences of this day were more thrilling than the five months since he arrived in this world!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, on the cliff above the valley.


    The young man dressed as a scholar sat cross-legged in the same spot, looking at the clouds on the horizon with a somewhat absent-minded expression, neither reading nor cracking sunflower seeds, seemingly lost in thought or daydreaming.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    At that moment¡ª


    The silent bearded robust man suddenly spoke in a deep voice: ¡°He was the first to squat down and speak with you.¡±


    ¡°Why not follow him?¡±


    ¡°Him?¡±


    The scholar only then reacted, and after pondering for a while, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and chuckle: ¡°He won¡¯t do, he¡¯s too weak, and he has no power. He¡¯s of no use to us.¡±


    Long ago, he had been searching for an appropriate master.


    But he hadn¡¯t found a single suitable one yet.


    He told his younger brother that he needed his master to respect him, at least to squat down to talk to him when recruiting him, instead of making him look up.


    His younger brother, who had always been slow-witted and extremely trusting of him, naturally believed him.


    However, none of the forces that came to recruit him did squat down to talk to him; not to mention that none of the Family Heads or Sect Masters came to recruit him personally ¡ª it was always their subordinates.


    Those Family Heads and even the Great Elders couldn¡¯t even be bothered to personally make a trip, as if coming in person for the two brothers would be beneath their dignity.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The bearded, muscular man¡¯s voice grew weaker, ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t have long to live. You once were Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator, but now your Cultivation has fallen to the third layer of Foundation Establishment. If you don¡¯t find a good master, you will die.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground summoned a miniature version of a three-foot green blade, looking at his Lifebound Spirit Treasure which quivered and seemed to possess a spirit of its own in front of him with a complex expression, silently without speaking.


    He started cultivating at the age of thirteen, achieved perfect Foundation Establishment recognized by the Heavenly Dao at fifteen, and stepped into the Golden Core Realm at twenty-four.


    The Initial Entry and the entries obtained from subsequent Great Realms were extremely compatible with Sword Cultivators.


    He obtained various entries and Cultivation Techniques fit for him in several Secret Realms and Grotto Heavens!


    At the age of twenty-seven, he single-handedly battled the top three ranks of the ¡®Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡¯ of Da Xia, holding his ground and after three hours of fierce fighting, he slew all three and sealed their throats with one sword, thereby making a name for himself throughout the world!


    The world called him the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    They called him a young achiever.


    Being successful at a young age, he naturally thought he was as high as the sky. Afterward, his actions became increasingly willful, even believing that a Sword Cultivator ought to act on impulse, and those who hesitated didn¡¯t deserve to be called Sword Cultivators!


    Eliminate displeasing affairs, kill detestable people.


    He believed there was nothing in the world he couldn¡¯t settle, no one he couldn¡¯t kill.


    He offended countless people, yet no one could hold him. The world only knew him as ¡®Bai Yi,¡¯ Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator, yet no one knew he had a brother, nor did they know about their shared Bloodline Entry.


    Wherever he went, his younger brother was always within ten thousand miles waiting for him. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he met with a mishap, he would immediately Teleport to escape.


    Yes, their Bloodline Entry for Teleportation wasn¡¯t limited to a hundred miles, but ten thousand miles ¡ª as long as he wanted to leave, no one in the world could stop him.


    His younger brother was somewhat dim-witted. Whenever he came home and told his younger brother about the glory he had outside, his brother always felt puzzled and uninterested, merely advising him to be cautious.


    He didn¡¯t know what caution was.


    He only knew that he was happy when everyone discussed him when everyone called him the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    He would even deliberately pause and stealthily listen to those admiring discussions about him.


    But later¡­


    Later on, he still fell. There are no eternal legends in Jianghu. His fame in Da Xia was once known to nearly every household, but now no one speaks of him.


    As if Da Xia had never had a number one Sword Cultivator.


    Or perhaps there was already a new number one Sword Cultivator.


    Just four years had passed, and he was dead, dead in the Jianghu.


    No one discussed him anymore.


    No storyteller spoke with emphasis and modulation about his deeds.


    In that battle, he was severely wounded by three late-stage Golden Core experts, escaped death through faking it with his entries, his Cultivation severely declined, and with Bone Devouring Poison planted in his body, he had no choice but to change his appearance and name. Taking his younger brother with him, they hid away in a corner of Fufeng City in Da Xia.


    The only condition for recruiting him was to give him a ¡®Heavenly Dao Jade.¡¯


    It cost 3,000 Spirit Stones.


    With the Heavenly Dao Jade, he couldn¡¯t recover to the Golden Core Stage, but he could resolve the Bone Devouring Poison within him, suffer less daily, not face imminent death, and live a few more decades.


    In those decades, he could once again protect his younger brother.


    Though not as glorious as in the past,


    at least they would not have to worry about food and clothing.


    But that price¡­not a single force could offer it, nor were any willing to, and he certainly couldn¡¯t claim his former title as Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator to justify the price.

 Chapter 22 - 22: Heavenly Dao Talisman:

    Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Heavenly Dao Talisman: ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman¡±!


    ¡°`


    He didn¡¯t tell his younger brother the true conditions for recognizing him as master, because he knew his brother too well. If his brother knew, he would definitely sneak into the Secret Realm on his own or find other ways to earn Spirit Stones for him.


    But his brother was naturally simple-minded and of average strength, unable to compete with those who saw deception as a common practice.


    Since he had fled with serious injuries, he had been afflicted with the Bone Devouring Poison and was completely devoid of combat ability, possessing only a few cunning tricks.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar remained silent, not speaking. He just continued to sit cross-legged, gazing at the clouds rolling by in the sky. He used to have a few good friends; if he approached them using his influence, perhaps he could borrow three thousand Spirit Stones.


    ...


    But first, the risk was too high, he wasn¡¯t sure whether his former friends would report him, and the bounty on his head was not low.


    Secondly¡­


    He was once the number one Sword Cultivator in Da Xia after all.


    He had his own pride.


    He was unwilling to let those who once knew him well see such a desolate scene of himself.


    If it weren¡¯t for his brother, he would rather die standing than be confined to a seat like a cripple on the edge of a cliff in the Ask the Heavens Market, surrounded and gawked at by passersby like a piece of garbage.


    And bargain with those forces that were trying to recruit him.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The scholar glanced at his brother beside him, whose face was anxious and mouth kept opening and closing without uttering a word, and said softly, ¡°I have a plan in mind, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    His brother was a bit dull and had no real concept of the value of Spirit Stones, thinking that most people could easily produce the amount he wanted as long as they were willing to stoop down and talk to him, and then he would recognize them as master.


    But in reality¡­


    Three thousand Spirit Stones, many forces within a hundred miles could not produce that amount.


    Those who could afford it, did not regard him highly.


    He didn¡¯t dare to say outwardly that his teleportation range was 200 miles; a Golden Core cultivator specializing in movement technique could cover a hundred miles within ten breaths, hence a hundred miles was often considered the immediate striking range for Golden Core cultivators.


    Going beyond two hundred miles meant he had surpassed the immediate striking range of two Golden Core cultivators.


    Then the forces attracted would not be small, those forces knew him.


    Even if he had changed his appearance, certain subconscious habits that couldn¡¯t be changed would always expose him and thereby put his brother in danger as well.


    If he says ten thousand miles¡­


    It might be the Da Xia Royal Family that comes for him.


    Unfortunately, when he fled heavily injured that day, all the Spiritual Treasures and the Storage Ring on him were stolen, leaving only this Lifebound Spirit Treasure that had been with him for a long time. Along with his fallen Cultivation Realm, it had also become an ordinary Yellow Level Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure.


    Not worth much.


    Back in the day¡ª


    When the Qingfeng sword was unsheathed, who did not recognize his White-clothed figure!


    In three breaths¡¯ time, there was no place in the world he could not reach!


    Were these merely child¡¯s play? Were these just empty words?


    Yet now, all those past glories only stayed preserved in the comic books tucked in his bosom, drawn by a scholar when his name was known far and wide, depicting his various imposing feats.


    The title of the book was ¡°White-clothed Sword Cultivator¡±.


    The book did not chronicle his entire life, but it did capture his life as fleeting as the blossom of the magic flower.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu, who was at the bottom of the canyon, was attracting the attention of the Human Face Spiders in the cave by continuously striking the ground with his knife blade. The stone caves in the rock walls were extremely cramped, and it was impossible for him to crawl in and fight, as that would be very disadvantageous to him.


    Soon¡­


    In the stone caves on the rock walls, numerous pairs of pale blue eyes slowly appeared at the entrances. Soon after, the first Human Face Spider crawled out of its cave and up onto a transparent spider web in the sky.


    Its eyes were fixated on him, the pupils constantly rolling.


    The sight was incredibly creepy.


    This spider was at least three feet wide, and its head was embedded with a baby¡¯s face, emitting cries like that of a baby within the depths of the canyon, driving them away as if rebuking them.


    Then the second and third Human Face Spiders also emerged.


    At this point, Chen Qiu realized that the stone caves in the rock walls were surrounded by transparent spider webs that were nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye even under the sunlight.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, swung his right hand, and released all the resentful spirits he had stored. Instantly, the surrounding area grew colder, with ten Qi Refinement Realm Sixth Layer and one Qi Refinement Realm Eighth Layer resentful spirits, along with the Demon Beast Resentful Spirits he had slain in the Ask the Heavens Market, rushing toward the stone caves all at once!


    They wreaked havoc on the spider webs and provoked the Human Face Spiders.


    The Cultivation of these Human Face Spiders was not low, and they liked to swarm in attack; he couldn¡¯t afford to be careless.


    ¡®Resentful Spirit Summoning¡¯ was only a green entry, but it was particularly useful. Any creatures killed by his resentful spirits could also be transformed into his own resentful spirits. He didn¡¯t understand why such a handy entry was only green.


    He felt it should be at least yellow.


    But at that moment, he had no time to think further about this.


    Provoked by the resentful spirits, the Human Face Spiders were already lunging towards them with cries as sharp as those of a baby.


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    Chen Qiu, gripping the collar of Huang Shikai¡¯s clothes with his left hand, brandished the knife in his right, slightly bent his legs. As the first Human Face Spider approached, he let out a fierce shout, using Huang Shikai to block the mid-air lunge of the spider, then brought his long knife slicing down!


    With just this one strike, the Human Face Spider was severely wounded and fell to the ground.


    ¡°`


    He took another step forward and landed another blow, as a flurry of white light floated up from the corpse of the Human Face Spider and burrowed into his body. He had no time to celebrate this minor gain, however, as more Human Face Spiders screeched and charged towards him.


    ¡­


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Just as Chen Qiu, drenched in blood, once again cut down a Human Face Spider that had lunged at him, his right hand holding the sword instinctively scanned his surroundings for the next target. However¡­


    There were no other living creatures standing in the entire canyon apart from him.


    The ground was littered with the corpses of Human Face Spiders, their scarlet blood splattered deep within the canyon.


    Fat Long was also lying exhausted nearby, panting heavily; for him, the intensity of the battle had been rather extreme. Neither of them was seriously hurt, and most of the blood on Huang Shikai came from the Human Face Spiders.


    And it was as he killed this last Human Face Spider that¡­


    He suddenly felt a surge of warmth coursing through his body. Sensing something, he used introspection and saw a panel enveloped in clouds and mist appear above his Dantian.


    ¡®Cultivation has greatly increased; officially entered the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡¯


    ¡®Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Every plant and tree.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Each time you break through a small realm, you will receive three Spirit Stones.


    2:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Start from scratch.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: The quality of your Foundation Establishment will slightly increase, but each time you fail at Foundation Establishment, your Cultivation Realm will fall back to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    3:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Never Discouraged.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: When you fail at Foundation Establishment and your cultivation falls, the Cultivation Progress you gain from killing demon beasts in the Qi Refinement Realm will increase a hundredfold.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the three entries that had popped up in front of him, his mouth slightly agape, a flash of agony in his eyes, his face distorting slightly, and the hand gripping the sword also bulged with veins.


    Individually, these three white entries were rather mundane.


    They were the kind that were somewhat useful, but not all that impactful.


    The first entry would be considered a Seven-colored term for ordinary people with no great ambitions for cultivation; three Spirit Stones for each small realm breakthrough could ensure a wealthy life for the commoner.


    The second entry could only slightly increase the quality of Foundation Establishment, but if you failed at Foundation Establishment, you would have to start from scratch at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    As for the third entry, it was basically next to nothing. Even if your cultivation fell back to the early stages of the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm after a failed Foundation Establishment, only a little was needed to reach Great Perfection; even if the progress from killing demon beasts during this time was a hundred times faster, it would just mean returning a few days sooner to Qi Refinement Great Perfection and then preparing for Foundation Establishment again.


    But¡­


    If he could own all three entries simultaneously, with just a bit of start-up capital, it was unthinkable!


    As long as he had enough time, and if there was no limit to the number of times he could attempt Foundation Establishment, the number of Spirit Stones he could produce daily might surpass even the output of a spirit stone mine!


    If after his cultivation fell he could reselect previously discarded entries, that would be an absolute takeoff, but this thought seemed impractical upon reflection.


    But why¡­ why!


    Why could he only make a selection of one out of the three entries, rather than choose them all!!!


    He did not immediately make a choice within ten breaths, but instead, his expression twisted in pain as he turned his head with the last bit of hope toward Fat Long, ¡°Fat Long, is there any heavenly or earthly treasure that allows one to select previously discarded entries?¡±


    In this world, when everyone first reached the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm, they had no choice but to use whatever entry they were given, and if they were unlucky, they just had to suck it up.


    From the Foundation Establishment Stage onward, every time you broke through a Great Realm, you had to choose one out of three entries.


    There was sufficient choice, allowing cultivators to compile the most suitable combination of entries for themselves.


    ¡°Seems like there is¡­¡±


    Fat Long, although not understanding why Chen Qiu suddenly looked like this, furrowed his brow and thought before quickly responding, ¡°Definitely, I¡¯ve seen it on an auction list at the Asking Heaven Market; there¡¯s a talisman that can only be produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, called the ¡®Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman¡¯.¡±


    ¡°It allows cultivators to reselect previously discarded entries.¡±


    ¡°But the price isn¡¯t low, nothing from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm comes cheap¡­ and also, it can only select an entry discarded during the last three choices.¡±


    ¡°Like if you are a Nascent Soul cultivator, then you can only choose from the remaining two entries that were discarded when you broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage, you can¡¯t choose discarded entries from the Golden Core Stage breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°If you had other opportunities during the period after your ascension to the Nascent Soul Stage, acquiring an additional three-choice entry, you couldn¡¯t even choose the discarded entries from the Nascent Soul breakthrough, only the last discarded entry from the most recent three-choice opportunity.¡±


    ¡°As for below Foundation Establishment¡­¡±


    ¡°In the Qi Refinement Realm, there¡¯s no choice, you use what you¡¯re given.¡±


    ¡°At most, you can choose one discarded entry, if you want both discarded entries, then you¡¯d need to buy two.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Fat Long looked at Chen Qiu with some confusion, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, why did you suddenly ask about this?¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 23 - 23:

    Chapter 23: Chapter 23: ¡°How about a raise of 500 yuan every year?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Chen Qiu suppressed the excitement in his heart, took a deep breath, and forcefully pushed down the emotions inside him. After all, there was hope at last. He immediately chose the first white entry.


    ¡®Every plant and tree.¡¯


    Almost at the same time, he saw a large amount of Spiritual Energy suddenly begin to condense in front of him, and in the blink of an eye, it formed into three low-grade Spirit Stones that fell to the ground.


    The entry he selected awarded three Spirit Stones for every breakthrough in a small realm, and this breakthrough was included as well.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ...


    Fat Long looked befuddled as he gazed at the three Spirit Stones that had condensed out of thin air, somewhat unable to react. Could the Spiritual Energy in the air really gather into Spirit Stones? What kind of operation was this?


    Chen Qiu did not address Fat Long¡¯s confusion, but instead tilted his head and asked, ¡°How much does that Heavenly Dao Talisman, the ¡®Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman,¡¯ you mentioned just now sell for at Wentian Pavilion Market?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the grade.¡±


    Fat Long patiently explained, ¡°The ¡®Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman¡¯ is divided into four grades: low, mid, high, and top-grade. Among them, a low-grade retrospection charm can only be used on cultivators below the Foundation Establishment. In other words, you can only re-select the discarded entry from the three choices you had during the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°But there are no three choices for entry levels in the Qi Refinement Realm, so the low-grade charm sells for the cheapest, just 50 Spirit Stones each.¡±


    ¡°And the higher you go, the more expensive it gets.¡±


    ¡°A mid-grade retrospection charm starts at 500 Spirit Stones and up, and that is only for the discarded entries from the three choices during the Foundation Establishment Stage. After all, think about it, the higher your cultivation, the higher the entry level you can randomly access.¡±


    ¡°By that time, a high or top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman might be equivalent to a golden or pink entry, and no matter how expensive it is, people will scramble to get it.¡±


    ¡°Moreover¡­¡±


    It must be said that Fat Long¡¯s intelligence sources are indeed very rich, and he is naturally suited for exploring new worlds, but Chen Qiu already lacked the patience to listen any further. All he heard was one thing¡ªthat a low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman cost only 50 Spirit Stones.


    Ordinary people had no use for it, but he happened to be able to use it.


    Even so, the price was already comparable to 10 low-grade Yellow Level Spiritual Treasures from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Just then¡ª


    The resentful spirit of Huang Shikai in Chen Qiu¡¯s hand had completely vanished between heaven and earth, and at the same time, he gained almost thirty more resentful spirits of Human Face Spiders around the seventh or eighth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm. This was another crucial method to use at a key moment.


    This green entry was really useful.


    Before the two could further converse, they suddenly heard a piercing sound of something tearing through the sky. They looked up instinctively, only to see a bearded, burly man plummeting straight from the sky!


    The two of them hurriedly dodged out of the way.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    This was the first time the two had seen the bearded, burly man fall from the high sky before them and smash into the ground, creating a sizable crater. He got up from the ground as if nothing had happened, patted his buttocks, grabbed their arms, and then the three of them vanished on the spot.


    Leaving only a mess behind.


    ¡­


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground, upon seeing that Chen Qiu and his companion had hardly any injuries, flashed a hint of surprise in his eyes but still smiled and said, ¡°Next, I should send the two of you back to Wentian Pavilion Market. We¡¯ll meet again if fate allows it.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡±


    Chen Qiu looked serious as he stared at the scholar seated on the ground and said earnestly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this morning that my offer was too low? Work for me, I¡¯ll give you 3000 Spirit Stones in one go.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°And 500 Spirit Stones every month from here on out.¡±


    ¡°And to increase the monthly payment by 500 Spirit Stones every year, how does that sound?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar, who had been subconsciously preparing to refuse, found his mouth gradually gaping open upon hearing the price. A one-time payment of 3000 Spirit Stones? And then a monthly salary of 500 Spirit Stones?


    That was far more than he had expected!


    His expectation was a one-time payment of 3000 Spirit Stones as a fee for risking his life, after which he wouldn¡¯t need a monthly salary¡ªas long as he had food and shelter. As long as he had enough to buy a ¡°Heavenly Dao Jade¡± to remove the Bone Devouring Poison from his body and live a few more years, he would be content.


    But the young man before him was offering him 3000 Spirit Stones straight up?


    This was the most anyone had ever offered him!


    Honestly, it was hard to refuse.


    It¡¯s just that¡­ The scholar quickly came to his senses, sizing up Chen Qiu¡¯s clothes and appearance with an indescribable twist in his expression, ¡°That¡­ Sir, are you sure you can come up with that many Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°Or are you promising now to then go back and apply to your family for the funds?¡±


    Honestly, this man in front of him didn¡¯t look like he had that many Spirit Stones to his name, nor did he seem like the scion of a great family¡ªno matter how low-profile a scion might be, they wouldn¡¯t wear these plain linen clothes.


    ¡°Positive.¡±


    Chen Qiu squatted down with a serious expression, looked the scholar in the eyes, and said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s not just anyone offering you this¡ªit¡¯s me. I have no family backing me, I¡¯m alone in the Jianghu. My power might not be great, but the treatment I offer you will not be low.¡±


    ¡°However¡­ I need you to give me five days. I can give you the Spirit Stones in five days.¡±


    ¡°During these five days, you will need to work for me. Even if I go back on my word after five days, you wouldn¡¯t have lost much by doing five days less work.


    ¡°How about it?¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    The scholar silently stood in his spot, looking up at his younger brother beside him, who was looking back at him with anticipation. After a long time, he hoarsely said, ¡°Fine, but let me clarify in advance that my brother and I were injured years ago and have almost no combat ability. Our only skill lies in our ability to travel quickly.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t expect us to defend you.¡±


    ¡°Understood. That¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°How should I address you, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground struggled to sit up straight, then leaned forward slightly and said in a quiet voice, ¡°I am known in the Jianghu as ¡®Scholar,¡¯ having lost my own name years ago. Scholar has met Mr. Chen.¡±


    The bearded strongman standing by signaled his presence with the same seriousness, straightening his posture and formally bowing to Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Chen Qiu responded with equal delight, ¡°Good.¡± With these two joining his service, many of his plans could be significantly accelerated. It was good they had no combat ability; otherwise, with his current limited strength, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to control two such capable fighters.


    This was much better.


    He had encountered these two earlier this morning and thought they would command a much higher price. It turned out that 3000 Spirit Stones were enough.


    At this moment, Chen Qiu clearly didn¡¯t realize that if he were to earn 3000 Spirit Stones by chopping wood, Da Xia would have fallen three or four times over before he had amassed that sum. If it were such a small amount, these two brothers wouldn¡¯t have spent several years in the Qitian Fang Market unable to find a good master.


    ¡°With both of you joining, I believe we will soon make a name for ourselves in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a small issue at the moment.¡±

 Chapter 24 - 24: Heavenly Dao Blessing, Secret Realm Reemerges.

    Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Heavenly Dao Blessing, Secret Realm Reemerges.


    Chen Qiu coughed lightly with some lack of confidence, and then he spoke softly, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not an ordinary person. I am the current Young Master of a major family from outside of Da Xia, who unexpectedly fell into Da Xia and lost all my Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°This led to the problem that I can¡¯t open my Lifebound Storage Ring hidden inside my Dantian, as there¡¯s no Spiritual Energy to activate it.¡±


    ¡°I must use a Secret Technique to extract the Spiritual Energy from Spirit Stones to barely crack open a slit in the Lifebound Storage Ring within my Dantian, thereby retrieving my former wealth.¡±


    ¡°Not much, just 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°You two have been doing business here in Wentiang¡¯s market for quite some time, haven¡¯t you? Have you earned 100 Spirit Stones? I wonder if you can lend them to me first?¡±


    ¡°Within seven days, I will return them along with the agreed-upon 3,000 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As his words fell, the three of them, including Fat Long, all stood in stunned silence, their faces a mix of confusion and embarrassment. Even Fat Long, who was known for his thick skin, felt a bit ashamed as he awkwardly twitched the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°Mr. Chen.¡±


    After a long silence, the scholar finally spoke in a complex tone, ¡°You guys even scam disabled people, huh? If you¡¯re going to scam, can¡¯t you at least refine your methods a bit? You should at least try to dress it up. Such a lowly scam makes me feel insulted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    Chen Qiu knew his words sounded absurd and could hardly offer any good explanations, so he could only say as sincerely as possible, ¡°I can¡¯t provide a more convincing argument. You¡¯ll have to judge based on your own experiences.¡±


    He really needed those 100 Spirit Stones.


    With those stones, he could buy two ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans,¡± then find a corner to hide away, and then reselect the two Heavenly Dao Terms he had previously discarded. By rapidly increasing his Cultivation and then quickly dropping it back to the Qi Refinement Realm first level, he could acquire a large number of Spirit Stones.


    From the first level to the eleventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, there are ten realms, and each realm could grant him three Spirit Stones, making a total of thirty Spirit Stones.


    As long as he kept repeating the process of failing Foundation Establishment and starting from scratch, he could obtain an infinite supply of Spirit Stones.


    With an initial investment of 100 Spirit Stones, he could earn¡ª


    1,000, 10,000, or even 100,000 Spirit Stones!


    ¡­


    Just like that.


    The four of them stood silently at the edge of the cliff, gazing at each other, and the atmosphere gradually became awkward.


    Fat Long started to look around in utter despair, it was apparent that the negotiation would collapse soon, and under such circumstances, the others would likely just leave without helping them. They were a full twenty li from Wentiang market!


    There were no roads in sight.


    It was a godforsaken place where not even birds would relieve themselves.


    It would be a significant challenge for them just to get to a populated place without starving to death in this wilderness.


    ¡°Alright.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just then, the seated scholar suddenly nodded, ¡°Mr. Chen, I believe you. I¡¯ll lend you the 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    He did not know why, but something suddenly possessed him to take a gamble that the two people before him were not swindlers. Perhaps it was because after waiting in Wentiang market for several years without hope, he had become somewhat desperate. Suddenly, a lifeline had appeared, and even though he knew it could break at any moment, he wanted to grasp it.


    At that moment¡ª


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Blessing¡¯: Responding to the sincere call of the residents, the Heavenly Dao bestows a blessing. Three li west of Fufeng City, beside a stream, a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will appear, only accessible to Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage sixth level and below.


    The type of Secret Realm is ¡®assault¡¯.


    It will open in five days.


    An announcement from above the Nine Heavens reached the ears of the few.


    ¨C


    ¡°Is there actually an ¡®assault¡¯ type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm appearing near Fufeng City?¡±


    A look of surprise crossed the scholar¡¯s eyes, then he calmed down and thoughtfully said, ¡°No wonder I¡¯ve felt recently that quite a number of forces are sending people to Wentiang. But that¡¯s not right, does that mean someone can now predict in advance where the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will appear?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Heavenly Dao Terms.¡±


    Chen Qiu was also in a good mood at this point and said with a smile, ¡°We received news that the Huang Family of Fufeng City will soon bring into the open a Heavenly Dao Term. Now it seems it¡¯s likely within this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. But such a big commotion has probably made the Huang Family¡¯s secret-keeping efforts over these days completely futile.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Terms?¡±


    The scholar shook his head and denied, ¡°No, no, no. This is a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that only Cultivators below the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage can enter. It is indeed possible for Heavenly Dao Terms to appear there, but such a low-level Heavenly Dao Secret Realm definitely contains not only Heavenly Dao Terms but other valuable treasures as well.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, where the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will materialize is absolutely unpredictable in advance; only heaven knows.¡±


    ¡°The value of Heavenly Dao Terms is very high, with a price of at least 1,000 Spirit Stones. It¡¯s an entry that can be passed down through bloodline relations.¡±


    ¡°Passed to sons, not daughters; only male direct descendants can inherit it while females cannot, which ensures that generally, a family¡¯s Heavenly Dao Terms are rather stable, without the risk of birthing a daughter who marries off and then the family¡¯s Heavenly Dao Terms become another¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°The effects of Heavenly Dao Terms are completely random; they can be both a curse and an inheritance.¡±


    ¡°For instance, there might be an entry that increases the speed of cultivating movement techniques by thirty percent.¡±


    ¡°Or there might be one that doubles the Sword Control speed.¡±


    ¡°Or possibly one that slows down the Sword Flight speed by ten percent, and so on.¡±


    ¡°And so on?¡±


    Fat Long opened his mouth in confusion, ¡°Are all Heavenly Dao Terms like this? There are no other effects? Like¡­ having three heads?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± said the scholar, his expression calm as he explained, ¡°Heavenly Dao Terms all relate to the ¡®cultivation speed¡¯ and ¡®effectiveness of a Cultivation Technique,¡¯ either enhancing or reducing them.¡±


    ¡°How much they increase or decrease by is completely random.¡±


    ¡°There are advantages and disadvantages, all depending on luck.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, Heavenly Dao Terms are individual; they almost have no synergistic effects with other terms.¡±


    ¡°Just like there¡¯s an ¡®ancient city¡¯ about three hundred miles away with a family known as the Qiu Family. Their ancestors managed to obtain several Heavenly Dao Terms in the past, including one that reduced their Sword Flight speed by ninety percent.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Terms are deeply ingrained in one¡¯s bloodline and cannot be removed, forcing the members of the Qiu Family to rely entirely on Flying Demon Beasts and official roads for travel; nobody cultivates Sword Flight as it is barely faster than running a few steps.¡±


    ¡°And not one Sword Cultivator has emerged from them in a century.¡±


    ¡°Most families¡¯ inherited Heavenly Dao Terms have both benefits and drawbacks ¨C the battle style and cultivation direction become fixed, and most of the direct descendants can only follow the preset path.¡±


    ¡°The advantage is that the family has walked this path countless times and is very smooth at it. The downside is that the weaknesses are too obvious.¡±


    ¡°I remember that in Da Xia, there is only one great family whose Heavenly Dao Terms are all positive without a single negative term ¨C that family is the Xia Family, also the current Da Xia Imperial Family.¡±


    ¡°That the Xia Family¡¯s ancestors managed to continually obtain positive effects from over a dozen Heavenly Dao Terms, without a single negative one, can only mean they were favored by the Heavenly Dao; no other explanation can be found.¡±


    ¡°Some small families are very envious of these Heavenly Dao Terms.¡±


    ¡°Selling for around 1,000 Spirit Stones is not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Especially for families like the Huang Family of Fufeng City, who are at the Foundation Establishment Stage, this counts as a great opportunity. The Huang Family probably doesn¡¯t earn 1,000 Spirit Stones in a year, so whether they use it themselves or exchange it for Spirit Stones, it¡¯s a good deal.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The scholar paused for a moment before speaking softly, ¡°If the news you mentioned is true, then this involves two separate matters. It¡¯s indeed the case that the Huang Family has found an imminent Heavenly Dao Term opportunity, but the arrival of Heavenly Dao Terms causes no disturbance whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°Fortune favors those who find it.¡±


    ¡°And this ¡®trial¡¯ type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm just happens to be blessed upon Fufeng City.¡±


    ¡°Having two Heavenly Dao Secret Realms blessing Fufeng City within just a few days, and with the added arrival of a Heavenly Dao Term, truly is a strange occurrence. Could something big be happening in Fufeng City soon?¡±


    He pondered with some confusion for a good while without reaching any conclusion, then he continued.


    ¡°¡®Trial¡¯ type Heavenly Dao Secret Realms are about completing challenges. With each successful challenge, a participant receives a substantial reward, and the risk of death is very low. Such realms can often accommodate a large number of participants.¡±


    ¡°Within these five days, various powers within a few hundred miles will likely send people here to let their disciples undergo trials while competing for the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°The next five days will be quite lively.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, took the Storage Bag handed to him by the scholar, took a deep breath, and then looked towards the horizon and spoke softly, ¡°First, take me back to Wentian Market.¡±


    With his current strength, he wasn¡¯t yet capable of fighting for opportunities in this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    However, the Secret Realm wouldn¡¯t open for another five days.


    What the scene would be like in five days was hard to predict.

 Chapter 25 - 25: The divination dares not exhaust, fearing heaven, earth, and ghosts.

    Chapter 25: Chapter 25: The divination dares not exhaust, fearing heaven, earth, and ghosts.


    With the addition of the two scholars, short journeys had already lost their meaning for Chen Qiu.


    Teleportation out of thin air was possible as long as they didn¡¯t encounter a powerful being who restricted space, basically making the whole world accessible.


    In the blink of an eye, he had returned to the Wentian Market and arrived at the auction house Fat Long had mentioned.


    ¡°Zhao¡¯s Commerce.¡±


    It was said to be a fairly influential family business, primarily generating income through trading and auctions. The low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman he needed was here, not as an auction item but sold separately in the shop.


    ¡°Can¡¯t it be a bit cheaper?¡±


    ...


    Fat Long stood in Zhao¡¯s Commerce, gazing at the Shopkeeper and earnestly haggled, ¡°How about 10 spirit stones each? Hardly anyone needs these, as you know, and no one will buy them if they¡¯re too expensive.¡±


    The Shopkeeper glanced at Fat Long with a strange expression and said, ¡°If no one needs them, why are you buying it?¡±


    ¡°If no one buys it, how can it have a price?¡±


    ¡°Of course, if someone buys, then it has a price.¡±


    ¡°Ninety percent of people in the Qi Refinement Realm don¡¯t even get a chance for three choices on the entry level, but there are opportunities in this world, and this item is prepared for these people. Since you came to buy, it means you need it. 50 spirit stones is really a fair price, it can¡¯t go any lower.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long was momentarily at a loss for words, his argument seemed logical, and he couldn¡¯t refute it.


    ¡°Let it be at that price.¡±


    Chen Qiu did not want to delay any further, as time was of the essence to him. He paid and took the two low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, slipping them into his storage bag, and then walked out of the shop.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t stop as he walked out of the shop, heading straight towards the outskirts of Wentian Market along the main path, with the two scholars waiting for him at the old spot.


    He had killed the Seventh Elder of the Huang family, but the Huang family either hadn¡¯t received the news yet or was too preoccupied to seek him out¡ªat least for now, no further news had come.


    At that moment¡ª


    ¡°Young friend, please wait.¡±


    An elderly man with silver hair sat by the street, holding a tattered black flag, stopping his way and saying, ¡°I see many Wandering Ghosts and heavy resentful energy on you, your brow is darkened, I fear there may be a bloody disaster soon.¡±


    ¡°One spirit stone, and I can calculate for you, perhaps saving your life.¡±


    And on that black flag, two rows of somewhat crooked letters were embroidered with white thread.


    ¡°Fate dare not be fully told, fearing the heavens and the spirits.¡±


    ¡°Words cannot be fully expressed, fearing the world falls into chaos.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced briefly at the fortune-teller without stopping, merely nodding slightly to show he was aware, and continued walking forward. It was unclear whether the old man was speaking offhand or had truly perceived something.


    Indeed, many Wandering Ghosts adorned him, but they were just resentful spirits.


    He knew his own affairs; these were all his methods, not some specter possession.


    He soon left Wentian Market and arrived at the cliff¡¯s edge.


    Just as he was about to speak, he saw two scholars on the edge of the cliff, gazing far into the horizon, seemingly observing something unknown. Chen Qiu followed the scholars¡¯ gaze, his eyelids twitching slightly, a trace of shock flashing in his pupils.


    In the distant clouds just below the cliff.


    A middle-aged man about forty yards tall, with a giant sword over thirty yards long on his shoulder, was calmly stepping on blossoming lotuses in the air, approaching the Ask-Heaven Market under the watchful eyes of countless people.


    ¡°Goodness¡­¡±


    Fat Long couldn¡¯t help but slightly open his mouth in disbelief, stunned on the spot. With a smash of that sword, even if it weren¡¯t sharpened, merely the blade itself could kill a large group of people¡ªwas this a cultivator?


    This wasn¡¯t much different from the Giant Clan, was it?


    Meanwhile, the seated scholar softly said, ¡°This person is called Zhao Yishi, ranked one hundred and seven on the ¡®Da Xia Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡¯, with a Cultivation at the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage and no family backing him.


    ¡°In his early years, he was an ordinary loose cultivator, who later supposedly had some great fortune and subsequently joined the Caotian Sect.¡±


    ¡°He possesses a Pink Entry ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯. With each demon beast he kills, he grows taller by about an inch, and his physique also enlarges. It¡¯s a strong Body Cultivation Pink Entry, and he has only become a known Heavenly Pride in recent years.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right,¡±


    Fat Long, standing to the side, looked at the robust man approaching them, stepping on blue lotuses, and said in confusion, ¡°Killing one demon beast increases his height by an inch. After all these years, he¡¯s only forty yards tall?


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he also be over a hundred yards tall by now? With his strength, he could specifically target weak but numerous demon beast groups to kill. It should be easy, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar nodded and explained softly, ¡°The Pink Entry level is extremely high, something that ordinary people could never possess in their lifetime, but most Pink Entries don¡¯t directly convert to combat power.¡±


    ¡°Take the ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯ Pink Entry, for instance.¡±


    ¡°Pink Entries only have one effect, which is to allow some aspect of you to increase boundlessly, like the ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯s height and physique, just like I know a Pink Entry called ¡®I Have a Sword¡¯, which makes your Flying Sword speed increase by a minute amount with every demon beast you kill.¡±


    ¡°And in the Cultivation World, where talented and powerful individuals abound, having a body over forty yards tall has almost no use, becoming more of a sitting target, the focal point in a crowd.¡±


    ¡°Only by gathering some compatible entries, like entries that increase bodily strength with size, or certain matching Cultivation Techniques, can the full power of a Pink Entry be unleashed. Otherwise, a single Pink Entry isn¡¯t very strong.¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°The power of Pink Entries lies in their rarity and their boundless growth potential. To truly bring out the strength of Pink Entries, however, you must possess other entries that match well with them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°In this world, there are countless entries, and aside from those obtained by breakthroughs in Great Realms, acquiring additional entries through other means is incredibly difficult.¡±


    ¡°Without these matching entries, his stature, no matter how tall or large it becomes, is meaningless. And with this appearance in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, his Cultivation precisely meets the entry conditions. Such a level of Secret Realm could potentially grant him additional entries.¡±


    ¡°This sudden arrival here likely means he is preparing to enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, taking a gamble.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in place, looking at the robust man in the sky who, despite being quite far, appeared as though he was only an arm¡¯s length away. His expression was complex, and he remained silent; he also possessed a Pink Entry.


    ¡®Dantian Expansion (Unique)¡¯.


    Moreover, it was the only Pink Entry, and he had already matched it with a compatible White Entry, just waiting to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage and master a spell. Then, his combat power would greatly increase.


    Only then would he truly have a voice in this strange world.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Without saying more, he gestured to the scholar to get ready to move. The scholar nodded in understanding, and as the green peak shot into the clouds, the four people quickly vanished from the spot.

 Chapter 26 - 26: Cultivation Soars, Advancing to the Eleventh Level of Qi Refinement Realm.

    Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Cultivation Soars, Advancing to the Eleventh Level of Qi Refinement Realm.


    When he reappeared, he found himself back in the familiar desolate wilderness, only at a different fissure deep within the canyon, which was similarly infested with Human Face Spiders. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    Deep in the canyon.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath and summoned all the accumulated resentful spirits of the Human Face Spiders, repeating the previous tasks. With these resentful spirits fighting for him, the overwhelming number of Human Face Spiders in this location didn¡¯t put too much pressure on him.


    He didn¡¯t feel too stressed.


    Of course, before that, he used two Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans to reselect the two discarded entries from the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, ¡°start from scratch¡± and ¡°Never Discouraged.¡±


    ...


    Fat Long sighed lightly, moved his slightly sore body, and muttered softly, then joined the battlefield wielding his long sword¡ªhe was responsible for drawing the monsters, while Chen Qiu handled the killing.


    He knew one thing for sure: Chen Qiu had the opportunity to make three choices at the Qi Refinement Realm, and although he didn¡¯t know the specifics, he was certain that none who had such an opportunity were insignificant.


    Being with Chen Qiu was much safer than venturing alone; at least they could watch each other¡¯s backs.


    ¡­


    At the edge of a cliff over the canyon.


    The bearded strongman spoke with a hoarse voice, ¡°Brother, do you believe Mr. Chen is the young master of a great family from outside Da Xia Country?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Even you have doubts, how could I believe it? Mr. Chen didn¡¯t expect us to believe him when he said that, he just made up an excuse.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, there must be some opportunity he finds inconvenient to reveal.¡±


    ¡°But what does that have to do with us?¡±


    ¡°As long as he¡¯s willing and able to pay the price, we¡¯ll just work with him. Even if we are deceived, then so be it. In this world, no choice comes without a cost.¡±


    This world is too vast, immensely so.


    Every moment, a large number of people encounter opportunities; it¡¯s quite normal for those who cultivated past the Golden Core Stage to have experienced opportunities. Opportunities aren¡¯t rare; surviving long enough is what¡¯s rare.


    ¡­


    The dense mass of Human Face Spiders kept dying, and countless crying sounds of infants drifted through the deep canyon¡ªit was incredibly shrill. The number of Human Face Spiders here far exceeded those they encountered in the previous canyon.


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu¡¯s cultivation was continuously improving.


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, officially advancing to the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    There weren¡¯t any good entries this time.


    He quickly glanced and chose one white entry.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Timber Chopping Sacred Body.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: white entry.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you chop wood, it will be more efficient and you won¡¯t feel tired.


    ¨C


    All three random entries for this realm breakthrough were useless white entries, but he didn¡¯t mind and chose one casually, perfect for using in an entry self-detonation as a trump card.


    The effect of the entry self-detonation allows for a strike that crosses one Great Realm of cultivation by self-detonating an entry.


    If he self-detonated an entry at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, the power released would be that of the first level of the Golden Core Stage.


    It¡¯s simple and brutal, yet effective.


    The only downside is that it¡¯s somewhat a waste of entries, but he was not short on entries.


    ¡­


    Soon, the sky had gradually darkened, the stars shifted, and the moon began to emerge above the dark clouds. The canyon was constantly swept by the night wind.


    ¡°Something¡¯s off with this weather.¡±


    Fat Long, visibly exhausted, gasped heavily for breath, hand on his waist as he looked up, noticing the sky had unexpectedly filled with dark clouds, creating a rather oppressive atmosphere, ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a storm coming.¡±


    He was now at the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm. Although he mostly drew monsters for Chen Qiu to handle, the scattered kills over this extended period had also allowed him to break through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Damn.


    Killing these creatures really boosts one¡¯s cultivation quickly.


    On Chen Qiu¡¯s side, his cultivation was once again undergoing a breakthrough.


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, officially advancing to the tenth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    Yet again, three useless entries.


    He quickly glanced and once again selected a white entry.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Alchemy Posture.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Your success rate in producing Pills will slightly increase.


    ¨C


    He wondered if this white entry had appeared before, was the chance of randomly getting this white entry so high? He also didn¡¯t know how many types of white entries there were in total.


    He would look in the markets later to see if there was any information about an entry database for sale.


    While pondering over these trivial matters, Chen Qiu, feeling somewhat fatigued, sat on the ground taking deep breaths and took out a leather water bag from his storage bag, gulping down its contents.


    Meanwhile, at his side.


    There were about fifty to sixty resentful spirits of Human Face Spiders fighting for him.


    If resentful spirits could endure longer than an hour, there would have been even more Human Face Spider resentful spirits fighting for him.


    ¡°Continue!¡±


    After catching his breath briefly, Chen Qiu stood up from the ground again, gripping the handle of his knife with a determined look as he once again charged towards the countless Human Face Spiders surging toward him.


    This task was definitely more exhausting than chopping wood.


    But it brought much more positive feedback than chopping wood.


    Normally, a mortal could earn more than a hundred Wen in gains from chopping wood each day, but since he had crossed over as an unregistered resident, he could only sell the wood he chopped at low prices to others, earning a meager profit, not even enough to cover his meals.


    ¡­


    Finally¡ª


    After chopping for an unknown duration, Chen Qiu felt his whole body sore and a black cloud had formed overhead, seemingly about to bring a rainstorm and gusting winds at any moment.


    And he had finally broken through to the Qi Refinement Realm, level eleven!


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, formally stepping into the Qi Refinement Realm, level eleven.¡±


    ¡°Please make a choice among the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Flawless Body.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: After you turn 18, for every additional ten years you maintain a Flawless Body, you gain a random entry.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Stealing Jade and Flowers.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: After you turn 18, for every person with a ¡®Flawless Body¡¯ entry you break, you gain a random entry.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: All In.


    ¡°Entry level¡±? White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: All entries you own will be forcibly cleared, thereafter you cannot obtain or keep any permanent entries, but you will gain ten temporary entries every day.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the panel in front of him, sighed lightly, and this was already the third Realm breakthrough without getting an entry suitable for him; all three entries were of little use to him.


    Especially the third entry, not only was it useless, but its side effects were also very severe.


    His livelihood relied on entries, and to have them all forcibly cleared would be utterly nonsensical.


    Without thinking further, he casually selected the ¡°Flawless Body¡± entry.


    So far, including this entry, he now had three completely useless entries that could be discarded at will, forming a not so small trump card. If the situation turned critical, the ¡°Heavenly Deficiency¡± entry that enhanced his five senses could also be discarded.


    Having many entries was always good, even if useless, just consider them as fireworks for fun.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu stood in the canyon, looking upward at the black clouds above, as the gusty winds gradually swept through the canyon, chilling his hemp garments. After a night of struggle, the surrounding area was littered with the corpses of Human Face Spiders.


    And his Cultivation had now reached the eleventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    He only needed to fill the progress of the eleventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm to reach Great Perfection, and then he could begin Foundation Establishment.


    The progress was much faster than he had anticipated.

 Chapter 27 - 27:

    Chapter 27: Chapter 27: ¡°From now on, I, Chen Qiu, will be your benefactor.


    The sky grew darker and darker, with not a sliver of light visible, as boundless and endless black clouds spread across the wilderness overhead, and the howling wind in the ravine sounded like ghosts and deities roaring, capturing one¡¯s soul.


    Though no raindrops were seen, the sense of impending rain could be felt.


    ¡°This weather¡­¡±


    Fat Long, who was panting a bit, looked up at the sky and couldn¡¯t help but mutter softly, ¡°This weather doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s about to storm normally. Under normal circumstances, if the black clouds have been accumulating for so long, it should have rained by now.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t be some ancient demon emerging, could it?¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s face changed slightly as he realized something and quickly spat three times in succession.


    ...


    ¡°Ptui, ptui, ptui!¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced up, ignored Fat Long, and instead tightened his grip on the knife at the remaining Human Face Spiders around him, which he had frightened quite a bit. But being mindless Fierce Beasts, even though they clearly were facing death, they still charged towards him in the cold wind after letting out several sharp screams!


    The slaughter began once again!


    ¡­


    The Cultivation Progress from the eleventh level of Qi Refinement to Great Perfection wasn¡¯t much, and after about half an hour, Chen Qiu sensed something and practiced introspection.


    Plenty of Spiritual Energy surged through the meridians in his body.


    At this moment, his physical strength was far greater than when he was at the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm. He could probably beat ten Fat Longs at the same time. If the Huang Family¡¯s Seventh Elder appeared before him again, he wouldn¡¯t even need to summon a resentful spirit; he himself could defeat the elder!


    Only¡­


    He could faintly feel that the Spiritual Energy in his meridians was somewhat insufficient. He had broken through several small realms continuously tonight, and his meridians had indeed widened a lot, but he had not absorbed Spiritual Energy, which meant that although the container had expanded, nothing had been put inside.


    He had to fill his meridians with Spiritual Energy, which would greatly increase his chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment.


    With insufficient Spiritual Energy in the body, the failure rate of Foundation Establishment was very high.


    But¡ª


    He was seeking failure.


    ¡°Hoo!¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Chen Qiu sat down cross-legged on the spot, focusing all his attention inward, and started to operate his mental method to slowly gather the Spiritual Energy in his meridians toward his Dantian.


    With the gathering of Spiritual Energy, the Tao Foundation platform gradually took shape above his Dantian, shifting from illusory to solid, and the name of his entry was slowly appearing upon the Tao Foundation.


    Seeing that the Foundation Establishment process was already half done but the Spiritual Energy in his meridians was not enough to complete it, the Tao Foundation platform, which was about to solidify, instantly collapsed when no more Spiritual Energy flowed in.


    Almost in an instant!


    The aura of Cultivation on Chen Qiu¡¯s body began to plummet swiftly!


    Qi Refinement Realm ninth level¡­ Qi Refinement Realm sixth level¡­ Qi Refinement Realm third level¡­


    In merely the blink of an eye, Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation had fallen to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    ¡°Puh!¡±


    The backlash from the failed Foundation Establishment caused Chen Qiu to spit out a mouthful of bright red blood with a taste of rust, splashing onto the grey-yellow rock ground in front of him.


    ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, are you alright?¡±


    Fat Long, who was sitting by Chen Qiu¡¯s side to protect his Cultivation Path, saw this and was suddenly shocked, becoming somewhat panicked, ¡°You weren¡¯t forcing your way into Foundation Establishment, were you? I thought you were just operating your mental method to recover your Spiritual Energy!¡±


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s the rush? You were a mortal just yesterday, and now you want to force your way into Foundation Establishment?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to push yourself so hard!¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°And how did you suddenly drop to the first level of Qi Refinement? Even if Foundation Establishment failed, you shouldn¡¯t have dropped back to the first level of Qi Refinement Realm so quickly!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Chen Qiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and carefully sensed his body¡¯s condition. There wasn¡¯t too much of an impact; the spurt of fresh blood was simply due to a sudden decrease in physical strength, which his body wasn¡¯t quite accustomed to, causing some capillaries to rupture as a result.


    Afterward, he raised his head to look around.


    Dozens of badly injured Human Face Spiders remained in the vicinity, all that was left of the local canyon¡¯s population. Originally, there must have been a group of them, now reduced to so few by his hand.


    And these few dozen severely injured Human Face Spiders were deliberately spared by him, precisely for this moment.


    He casually waved his hand, indicating for a resentful spirit of a Human Face Spider protecting his vicinity to rush forward and kill a badly wounded Human Face Spider. At the moment of the spider¡¯s death, Chen Qiu¡¯s Dantian overhead continuously burgeoned with panels enveloped in clouds and mist.


    ¡®Cultivation greatly increased¡­¡¯


    ¡®Cultivation greatly increased¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Merely by killing a Qi Refinement Realm level seven Human Face Spider, his cultivation soared like it was riding a rocket, instantly reaching the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    At the same time¡ª


    Spiritual energy began to gather abruptly in front of him, eventually forming eighteen Spirit Stones that fell from mid-air onto the ground.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Sitting cross-legged on the spot, Chen Qiu looked sincerely happy as he watched the scene before him unfold, laughing more heartily than ever since his arrival. It meant that all his conjectures had succeeded; just give him enough time!


    He could earn enough Spirit Stones to buy the entire Cultivation World!


    And because of the white entry ¡®Never Discouraged,¡¯ the Cultivation Progress he gained from killing demon beasts after a failed Foundation Establishment was a hundred times faster. It was for this reason that he could reach the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm in an instant by killing a level seven demon beast while at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    It¡¯s just that each small realm breakthrough only yielded Spirit Stones and did not offer him another chance to choose one of three entries.


    That seemed normal, however, or else these entries should not simply be white entries.


    ¡­


    ¡°What is this¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked on with a dumbfounded and incredulous expression at the dozen or so Spirit Stones appearing out of nowhere, as well as Chen Qiu¡¯s cultivation aura suddenly returning to seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm in a flash, completely at a loss and feeling somewhat dazed.


    ¡°Just a little trick.¡±


    Chen Qiu was in quite a good mood and patted Fat Long¡¯s shoulder, laughing, ¡°To me, you are a benefactor. Without you, I could not have embarked on the Cultivation Path yesterday. But from now on, I, Chen Qiu, will be your benefactor.¡±


    ¡°As long as I live, you will never be captured by the Flower Offering Sect as a supplement like before.¡±


    ¡°Unless I create my own Flower Offering Sect.¡±


    After making a casual jest at Fat Long, Chen Qiu was unwilling to dawdle further. The Cultivation Progress required for subsequent small realm advancements was much higher. He had to kill two more Human Face Spiders at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm before he smoothly advanced to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Again, he obtained twelve Spirit Stones.


    Thus, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, thirty Spirit Stones easily fell into his hands.


    And the well-practiced Chen Qiu once again quickly attempted Foundation Establishment and failed swiftly again, plummeting back down to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm before rapidly returning to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm.


    ¡­


    In Fat Long¡¯s view.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s cultivation was like a roller coaster, dropping to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm in the blink of an eye, then just as quickly returning to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Realm, with an accompanying shower of Spirit Stones appearing all around him.


    Spirit Stones kept materializing out of thin air, falling to the ground.


    ¡°Thud, thud, thud!¡±


    Another thirty Spirit Stones appeared scattered out of nowhere and fell to the ground, with Fat Long who had already been waiting nearby swiftly pocketing these Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag, then looking up somewhat sheepishly at the sky above the canyon.


    He was a little afraid of being discovered by those two brothers.


    Although he did not understand what kind of trick Chen Qiu was pulling, one thing was certain¡ªif Chen Qiu¡¯s method of endlessly creating Spirit Stones out of thin air spread, the two of them wouldn¡¯t live past three days.

 Chapter 28 - 28:

    Chapter 28: Chapter 28: ¡°Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree¡±: Bestowing the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed.


    By all accounts, it should have been daylight already, but the dark clouds in the sky showed no sign of dispersing; instead, they thickened, and the perpetual twilight left Fat Long gradually losing his sense of time.


    Yet, there was only the promise of rain without a single drop falling.


    By this point, Fat Long¡¯s legs were already shaking.


    ¡°Motherfucker¡­¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s eyes were red-rimmed and tearful, his face a picture of despair, with a deep unease in his eyes as he continuously stuffed Spirit Stones into the Storage Bag he held. He had lost count of how many he had put in.


    ...


    All he knew was that his Storage Bags were all filled up, and he even had to take a few more from Chen Qiu¡¯s brothers¡¯ embrace; otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be enough Storage Bags.


    At first, he was excited.


    So many Spirit Stones, enough for them to make a name for themselves in this strange world!


    But¡­ as the number of Spirit Stones grew, so did his fear. Once word got out, the two of them would probably become public enemies in an instant. There was such a thing as too much; his appetite couldn¡¯t handle so many.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu remained sitting cross-legged, maintaining the same posture for who knows how long. He had already killed all the Human Face Spiders around him and had no demon beasts left to kill to improve his Cultivation Progress. He was ready to move to another location.


    But who could have expected.


    Perhaps due to the drastic changes in the sky, a large number of Human Face Spiders from deep within the gorge suddenly surged towards him, fleeing for their lives. These spiders were like fuel to his fire, providing him a tremendous boost.


    Thanks to this, he could stay in the same place without having to move.


    From initially vomiting blood after every failed Foundation Establishment due to discomfort, to later adapting so that failure no longer necessitated vomiting blood. Perhaps due to failing too many times, he felt somewhat dizzy.


    Just when his Cultivation reached the peak of the Qi Refinement Great Perfection and he was ready to go through the motions of another failed Foundation Establishment attempt,


    a wispy, ethereal voice suddenly reached his ears.


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Heavenly Dao has sensed, within a hundred miles of Fufeng City in Da Xia Country, that a mortal of iron will has persistently failed at Foundation Establishment 999 times yet continues his relentless efforts! Such perseverance is commendable.


    He is bestowed with ¡®Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment¡¯ in the hope that all may follow his example.


    ¨C


    This ephemeral voice from beyond the heavens echoed across the skies of Da Xia, causing countless people to look upward, listening intently to the Heavenly Dao Decree with puzzled faces, visibly shocked. Clearly, they had a hard time believing it.


    However¡­


    These people were not admiring the mortal¡¯s determination.


    They were somewhat baffled, wondering is Foundation Establishment so difficult to break through that one could fail 999 times in succession?


    Logically, the more one fails at Foundation Establishment, the narrower the Tao Foundation becomes, signifying that it can hold less Spiritual Energy. They didn¡¯t dare imagine what a Tao Foundation would look like after failing more than nine hundred times, if it weren¡¯t for the timely ¡®Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment¡¯; probably, just using a low-grade Yellow Level Spell would completely deplete the Spiritual Energy in the Tao Foundation, if it could be released at all.


    It was unexpected that by a stroke of misfortune, one would gain ¡®Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment¡¯. Seeing these four characters, many in Da Xia Country cast envious glances toward Fufeng City.


    If they had known that failing at Foundation Establishment 999 times would grant them Heavenly Dao Foundation, they would¡¯ve tried it sooner. Now, some Qi Refinement Realm cultivators were also getting ideas, wondering if they too could receive this reward after 999 failed attempts.


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment¡¯, as the name implies, is a Tao Foundation built on the principles of the Heavenly Dao.


    It¡¯s only obtainable under extremely rare and special circumstances and can only be acquired during the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Since the founding of Da Xia Country, very few had the Heavenly Dao Foundation. Without exception, those who had it were the anomalies among prodigies. The last famous cultivator to receive it was a Sword Cultivator, but he is already dead.


    The benefits of the Heavenly Dao Foundation are simple and brutal.


    The foundations are extremely stable.


    Whether it¡¯s the speed of absorbing Spiritual Energy or the sturdiness of the Tao Foundation during battle, it¡¯s several times stronger than a regular Foundation. Moreover, if one can later break through to the Golden Core Stage, the Golden Core formed on the Heavenly Dao Foundation will be far superior to a regular Golden Core.


    There¡¯s another immensely powerful benefit ¨C the Heavenly Dao Foundation doesn¡¯t require one to run a mental method; it can rotate on its own to absorb Spiritual Energy. Although it¡¯s slower than running a mental method, this means that even while you¡¯re sleeping, relieving yourself, or eating, your Tao Foundation is rotating to absorb Spiritual Energy and improve your Cultivation Progress.


    It¡¯s essentially a means of production.


    ¡­ Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree reached his ears, Chen Qiu discovered that the surrounding Spiritual Energy began to rush into his body uncontrollably. He wasn¡¯t even running a mental method, but the Spiritual Energy rapidly filled his meridians.


    In the blink of an eye, they were full, and under his introspection, his Tao Foundation solidified quickly.


    In the blink of an eye.


    Foundation Establishment was successful.


    A Tao Foundation that was one hundred and ten centimeters wide and one hundred centimeters tall rooted itself atop his Dantian. The whole Tao Foundation was white jade in appearance, with faint golden Liu Guang flowing over its surface. It was this unremarkable golden Liu Guang that made the entire Tao Foundation look extraordinary.


    The names of the entries he possessed were neatly engraved on the surface of the Tao Foundation.


    He hadn¡¯t prepared any Foundation Establishment Pills that could enhance the quality and success rate of Foundation Establishment, nor had he prepared any heavenly materials or earthly treasures. Logically speaking, his should have been a standard centimeter Tao Foundation.


    But because he possessed an entry that could slightly enhance Foundation Establishment quality, his Tao Foundation¡¯s width reached one hundred and ten centimeters.


    At this moment, the Tao Foundation was slowly rotating, trying to draw in the Spiritual Energy from the outside world.


    But¡­


    After turning for quite a while, it didn¡¯t draw in a trace of Spiritual Energy.


    Mr. Chen, whose Cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, was already able to release Spiritual Energy from his body. He could now fully utilize the power of a Yellow Level low-grade Spiritual Treasure, use Spells, and also sense the richness of the Spiritual Energy in the outside world.


    However, under his senses, the deep valley at this moment seemed to be completely devoid of Spiritual Energy.


    It was like a desert of Spiritual Energy, and an extremely barren one at that.


    When Mr. Chen slowly opened his eyes he saw Fat Long standing anxiously nearby, fidgeting restlessly.


    ¡°My goodness, you¡¯re finally awake,¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s voice trembled slightly; his hands shaking as he handed over seven or eight Storage Bags to Mr. Chen, ¡°The Spirit Stones are all here. I didn¡¯t count them carefully, but there must be more than twenty thousand. What should we do next?¡±


    ¡°If people find out about this, both our Divine Souls could be extracted by others!¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone think Spirit Stones are hot potatoes.¡±


    Mr. Chen took the Storage Bags and tucked them all into his bosom. He got up and stretched his limbs to feel the strength brought by the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. For the first time in this world, he felt a slight sense of security and then couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Although he didn¡¯t count them carefully, he was clear about how many Spirit Stones there were.


    29,970 Spirit Stones, if nothing unexpected happened.


    At this moment, he could now channel Spiritual Energy into the ¡°Heaven Slaying¡± Spiritual Treasure long saber in his hand, unleashing the full power of this Spiritual Treasure.


    The width of his Tao Foundation currently stood at one hundred and ten centimeters.


    The demon beasts he had killed before Foundation Establishment weren¡¯t included; otherwise, it would have been at least several thousand centimeters by now.


    Next, he only needed to do two things¡ª


    Buy a Spell to maximize his power, preferably one produced from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm so that mastering it would be instantly successful. Then, purchase more supplementary items like talismans, Sound Transmission Stones, Pills, and so forth that could save his life and enhance his combat strength.


    Secondly, he needed to expand the width of his Tao Foundation as much as possible.


    To allow his Tao Foundation to contain more Spiritual Energy.


    In that way, he would genuinely possess a certain degree of influence in this world, or in other words¡­ the right to live standing up.


    ¡­


    The ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± could only summon a bolt of Thunder from the Nine Heavens to attack the enemy. Using this mid-grade Yellow Level Spell at the first level of Foundation Establishment would often nearly deplete more than half of the Spiritual Energy in the body. But, if the Spiritual Energy in his Tao Foundation was abundant enough.


    Then it wouldn¡¯t just be any Thunder Summoning Technique.


    It would be¡­ ¡°Hundred-mile Thunder Punishment,¡± ¡°Zero-Frame Strike,¡± ¡°Instant Kill on Exposure¡±!


    Having settled his mind, Mr. Chen, as previously agreed, took out a low-level talisman from his bosom. Upon channeling Spiritual Energy into it, a streak of red light shot from the depths of the valley straight into the sky!


    He had purchased this low-level talisman in the market at Heaven¡¯s Inquiry Town. It was very cheap, costing only one tael of silver. He had casually bought ten of them at Zhao¡¯s Shop when he couldn¡¯t afford a Sound Transmission Stone, and under those circumstances, it was a better choice for communicating information.


    When the two of them were retrieved by the bearded burly man and brought back to the edge of the crevice above the valley.


    The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground looked at the two with a complex expression and after a long while, asked hoarsely, ¡°Mr. Chen, what were you doing down there?¡±


    ¡°Is Mr. Chen the same person mentioned in the Heavenly Dao Decree, the mortal near Fufeng City who failed Foundation Establishment nine hundred ninety-nine times?¡±


    ¡°The Spiritual Energy here is already sparse, and all the Spiritual Energy within tens of miles has been absorbed by the valley below you. The commotion you¡¯ve caused is no smaller than someone breaking through to the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    He suddenly felt that Mr. Chen¡¯s claim to be the Young Master of some hidden clan outside of Da Xia Country might not have been a lie.


    To cause such a commotion, one must either be breaking through to the Golden Core Stage or must be using a mental method to draw in Spiritual Energy.


    A mental method capable of causing such a scene would have to be at least of the high-grade Xuan level. He had never heard of anyone in Da Xia Country possessing such a method; they were the stuff of legends recorded in history books.


    Such an existence isn¡¯t something a mere mortal could come across by chance. If it wasn¡¯t for the deep heritage passed down by a great family, the chances of a Qi Refinement Realm mortal possessing such a thing would be hardly better than the chance of getting a Seven-colored entry on the first random entry in the Qi Refinement Realm.


    Oh, he¡¯s not a Qi Refinement Realm mortal.


    Mr. Chen is now at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

 Chapter 29 - 29:

    Chapter 29: Chapter 29: ¡°Entry Name¡±: Late Bloomer.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t explain much, just smiled and shook his head, ¡°I must have been out for over a day, let¡¯s head back to Wentian Market first.¡±


    ¡°A day?¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°Two days have passed already, and there are less than three days left until the ¡®challenge¡¯ type Secret Realm in Fufeng City opens. The weather has been like this for several days now, with no sign of the sun rising.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    ...


    The group quickly returned to Wentian Market. The scholar and his brother stayed at the old place, while Chen Qiu took Fat Long and the other person into the city alone.


    ¡°Has it been two days already?¡±


    Chen Qiu furrowed his brow in confusion. To tell the truth, he really had lost his sense of time. These past two days, he felt like an assembly line robot continuously attempting Foundation Establishment and failing consistently, barely ever stopping.


    But¡­did this process take two days?


    Moreover, he originally didn¡¯t feel tired or hungry, but when he found out he hadn¡¯t closed his eyes for two days and nights, he suddenly felt somewhat tired, although not too intensely¡ªbut this sense of hunger¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m already at the Foundation Establishment Stage and still feeling hungry.¡± S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Fat Long said somewhat helplessly, ¡°The Foundation Establishment Stage only extends life span. Compared to ordinary people, one has a full 200 years of life, enough to support a family. Many families with a Foundation Establishment just have one person at the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡±


    ¡°But it only extends life. It doesn¡¯t break the need for worldly sustenance.¡±


    ¡°With the sky being this way for days, I also didn¡¯t realize two days had passed. I only felt very tired. I didn¡¯t expect it to have been so long.¡±


    He looked up at the sky above Wentian Market. The market was built atop the highest point of Wentian Mountain Range, thousands of meters above the ground, where the spread of thousands of miles of dark clouds seemed to hang right above one¡¯s head.


    ¡°Speaking of the weather, it truly is bizarre. It gives a sense of security as if disaster could strike at any moment.¡±


    These past two days, he was essentially doing one thing¡ª stuffing the endless Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag, his expressions fluctuating between excitement and fear throughout, leaving him no time to even think about sleep.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, planning to come out again tomorrow to spend, ¡°Let¡¯s find a restaurant to fill up our stomachs, then get some sleep. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow upon waking.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Brother Qiu, aren¡¯t the two brothers coming?¡±


    ¡°The scholar said he doesn¡¯t like to enter Wentian Market. Probably has his reasons to avoid it, no need to worry about them.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    He looked at Fat Long with a somewhat peculiar expression, ¡°Didn¡¯t you use to call me Brother Chen Qiu? Why suddenly call me Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s expression turned slightly serious and sincere, ¡°Among two persons walking, the more proficient one becomes the master; once one is your master, he is like a father for life, and an elder brother is akin to a father. Now that you have reached the Cultivator status of the Foundation Establishment Stage, it¡¯s only natural to call you Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡­


    After casually finding an inn to eat something, Chen Qiu and the other found a nearby guesthouse and booked two rooms.


    Chen Qiu, though weary, simply washed up and then sat at the desk and poured himself a cup of hot tea to warm his stomach. His eyes closed tight as he went into introspection.


    A panel enshrouded in cloud and mist was slowly floating above his Foundation Establishment.


    Although the panel insisted on making a choice within ten breaths, as long one didn¡¯t perform introspection to view it, it wouldn¡¯t count towards the ten-breath time limit. This prevented the occurrence of a critical battle breakthrough where one didn¡¯t have the time to introspect within and would miss the ten-breath window.


    ¡®Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the first layer of Foundation Establishment Phase.¡¯


    ¡®Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Power of the Nine Yins.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Has nine Yin Yin.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Late Bloomer.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you have less than ten years of life remaining, you will gain three random entries.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Focus Power.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: If you learn the ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique¡¯ spell, the power of this spell will be increased by fifty percent.


    ¨C


    Looking at the familiar panel inside him, Chen Qiu, who sat on the chair, was quite moved. Who could have imagined that just a few days ago, he was a young and robust lad toiling away at chopping wood, not even at the Qi Refinement Realm first layer.


    A mere mortal among mortals.


    And yet, a mere few days later, he had become a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    In this somewhat chaotic world, he finally had a bit of confidence to call his own.


    Without much thought, he had chosen the third entry from the three before him.


    The first entry was purely a waste of one of his chances to choose. He was not a woman, so why would he randomly get this entry? Or could men also have this entry? What would that make him then, nine Yin one beef?


    He couldn¡¯t even imagine what that situation would look like. Better keep that away from him.


    He actually quite liked the second entry; he liked any entry that could give him more entries, but the conditions to activate it were too tough. After his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, he had a life span of 200 years, with over 170 years left.


    That meant to wait for this entry to be activated, at least another 160 years would have to pass, by which time the chrysanthemums would have long wilted.


    The third entry suited him best.


    It was his first time seeing an entry that provided an amplification bonus for a specific spell. Choosing this entry meant that you had to follow the path of a Magic Practitioner; otherwise, the entry would be in vain.


    This was perfect for him, as he was intending to follow the path of a Magic Practitioner. After all, with a Pink Entry like ¡®Dantian Expansion¡¯ in hand, it would be a pure waste if he didn¡¯t choose the path of a Magic Practitioner.


    Time to sleep.


    Even if the sky were falling down, that would be a problem for tomorrow after waking up.


    Exhausted to the limit, Chen Qiu stuffed the Storage Bag full of Spirit Stones under his pillow before he fell into a slumber, his right hand still clutching the handle of his knife.


    ¡­


    Dawn broke.


    Chen Qiu stumbled to the window of the guest room, slightly dazed. Dawn had finally arrived¡ªthe dark clouds overhead had dissipated in the night. Looking out of the window, the stone pavement was wet, indicating there must have been a heavy rain last night.


    After a simple wash, he got dressed and walked out of the guest room, only to find Fat Long already awake, standing outside the door waiting for him, with dark circles under his eyes that clearly showed a lack of sleep.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t sleep well?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡­


    On the main road of the Trade Area in District 7 of the Wentian Market, Chen Qiu and Fat Long began their shopping spree for the day.


    After 999 consecutive failures at Foundation Establishment, they had amassed a total of 29,970 Spirit Stones.


    This was an incredibly exaggerated number.


    One should understand that the vast majority of Loose Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage didn¡¯t have twenty or thirty Spirit Stones in their pockets. Some disciples from Major Sects or big families might have a few hundred Spirit Stones, and those with more might possess a couple of thousand Spirit Stones.


    But surely, no Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage walked around with tens of thousands of Spirit Stones in their pocket.

 Chapter 30 - 30:

    Chapter 30: Chapter 30: ¡°Entry Name¡±: Self-Extinguishing Root.


    ¡°`


    If the Heavenly Dao hadn¡¯t interrupted him by forcefully gifting him the ¡°Heavenly Dao Foundation,¡± he definitely wouldn¡¯t have stopped after earning just that small amount. After all, something like the ¡°Heavenly Dao Foundation¡± can¡¯t be bought with Spirit Stones.


    It¡¯s hard to say whether he made a profit or a loss.


    For instance, right now, as he was strolling on the main road, the Heavenly Dao Foundation within him was slowly rotating, automatically absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the air around him to gradually improve his Cultivation Progress.


    Although the speed was indeed a bit slow, it didn¡¯t require him to close his eyes and meditate on his mental method, effectively allowing him to cultivate on autopilot.


    The concentration of Spiritual Energy in the Wentian Mountain Range wasn¡¯t particularly rich, which should actually be considered common knowledge in the Cultivation World. Generally, places with rich Spiritual Energy were either Forbidden Lands or had already been claimed by major families and sects.


    ...


    It was unlikely for a marketplace to be situated in a place with rich Spiritual Energy.


    ¡­


    ¡°First, I¡¯ll change clothes.¡±


    Chen Qiu had wanted to change out of the clothes that Fat Long had given him, which didn¡¯t fit at all ¨C they were too loose, giving him a somewhat sloppy appearance.


    When the two of them walked out of a shop, they were completely transformed.


    They bought eight sets.


    All of them were made from high-quality material.


    One set cost two Spirit Stones, totaling sixteen Spirit Stones spent. Each of them took two sets, and they also brought along two sets for the scholar brothers.


    In reality, even the best materials were still mere mortal items and weren¡¯t worth this price. However, each garment had a mini ¡°dust prevention array¡± embroidered with ¡°golden silk thread.¡±


    The function was very simple ¨C it prevented the clothes from getting dusty.


    Beyond that, they had no other use.


    ¡°Without this dust prevention array, these clothes would be worth at most 10 Silver!¡±


    Fat Long looked down and cautiously stroked the fabric of his new clothes, grumbling discontentedly, but the corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but turn up; he really liked the material and workmanship. The design of the black and red robe suited his aesthetic very well, making even his big belly look imposing. The only issue was the excessive price.


    And it wasn¡¯t very convenient for fighting.


    The damn shopkeeper even told him that people who buy this kind of clothes usually don¡¯t get involved in fights themselves.


    But he couldn¡¯t deny¡­ it did look good.


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without saying a word. He had picked out a green robe for himself and, walking around the ancient town after the rain, he felt as though he had stepped out of an ink painting. He found the dust prevention quite necessary ¨C it could keep blood from staining his clothes.


    He also bought for himself a quite expensive Jade Feather Fan, worth a whole Spirit Stone.


    With a flick of his hand.


    Tsk, it felt really good, much more comfortable than chopping wood.


    ¡­


    Continue to the next shop.


    ¡°Shopkeeper, come out and serve your customers!¡±


    ¡°Do you have any Sound Transmission Talismans? What¡¯s the price?¡±


    Fat Long strode into ¡°Zhao¡¯s Commerce,¡± the shop they had visited a few days before, and called out confidently. It had to be said, though the clothes were a bit overpriced, wearing them somehow boosted his confidence significantly.


    Having crossed over five months ago, he hadn¡¯t felt this arrogant in a long time.


    Tsk, this feeling is really satisfying, much better than being a supplement in the Flower Offering Sect.


    The shopkeeper who attended to them was the same one as last time. Hearing the loud calls, he hurriedly came out from behind the counter, slightly stunned when he saw Fat Long and the others, recognizing them as the two who had bought the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman a few days ago. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although he was somewhat surprised, he still maintained a warm smile, ¡°Of course we have them. Zhao¡¯s Commerce has stores throughout the whole Da Xia Country, and a must-have item like the Sound Transmission Talisman is certainly available.¡±


    ¡°Come this way, please.¡±


    The shopkeeper led them to a corner of the shop. ¡°These are Low-grade Sound Transmission Talismans, one Mother Talisman with seven Child Talismans, for use within ten miles. It costs one Spirit Stone and the Spiritual Energy within the talisman lasts for one year.¡±


    ¡°Next to it is the Mid-grade Sound Transmission Talisman, one Mother Talisman with fifty Child Talismans, for use within a hundred miles. The price is fifty Spirit Stones. This is generally for families or smaller sects.¡±


    ¡°The one on the top is the High-grade Sound Transmission Talisman, one Mother Talisman with three hundred Child Talismans, for use within three hundred miles. The price is three hundred Spirit Stones.¡±


    The shopkeeper with slightly graying temples paused for a moment before tentatively saying, ¡°High-grade Sound Transmission Talismans are usually used by sects with significant power to recall disciples who are traveling outside or to issue tasks.¡±


    ¡°All these Sound Transmission Talismans can be used for one year, after which you need to purchase them again.¡±


    ¡°Which type would the sirs like?¡±


    ¡°How about that one? How much is it sold for?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes turned toward the ring displayed at the top shelf of the stand, carefully placed in a half-open Jade Box. Next to the box was an information card displaying the name of the ring.


    ¡°`


    ¡°Sound Transmission Ring.¡±


    ¡°This?¡±


    The shopkeeper carefully took down the box and presented it to the two, explaining, ¡°This is the Sound Transmission Ring, which is more convenient to use than the Sound Transmission Talisman, whether in terms of transmission speed or distance, it far surpasses the talisman.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s made by dividing a piece of extremely rare material, the ¡®Mother-child Stone,¡¯ into several pieces: one Mother Ring and ten Child Rings.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, it can not only transmit sound but also images. It¡¯s generally used by the core True Disciples of the Major Sects or the legitimate offspring of major families.¡±


    ¡°The price for a set is 1000 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no limit to its use. As long as it¡¯s not destroyed in battle or lost, it can be used indefinitely.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly. Although he didn¡¯t speak, it was clear that he favored the Sound Transmission Ring. Not to mention anything else, but in the midst of battle, speaking into a ring would definitely be much more convenient and faster than fishing out a Sound Transmission Talisman from one¡¯s bosom.


    The price was a bit expensive, but since it could be used permanently, it was worth it.


    ¡°Wrap this up for me, we¡¯ll settle the bill together later.¡±


    He glanced around, ¡°Do you have any talismans or the like? Ones for preserving life, attacking, or perhaps for accelerating cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course!¡±


    Even though the shopkeeper, who had white hair at his temples, had seen much of the world and was very knowledgeable, his cloudy eyes nevertheless shone with a keen light. Anyone who could afford the ¡®Sound Transmission Ring¡¯ was surely the son of some major power, and the fact that he had come to buy it himself, without any family accompanying him, indicated that his authority was already considerable, capable of standing on his own.


    The power behind him must be significant. The Sound Transmission Ring had been on display in this shop for over a decade and wasn¡¯t really intended to be sold because no local force within a hundred miles could afford such a thing.


    It was displayed here simply to demonstrate the strength of Zhao¡¯s Commerce and to show that the price of the few Sound Transmission Talismans below was actually not expensive.


    He had encountered such sons of privilege in the Capital before, buying up talismans as if they were ordering wholesale for a business.


    It could be a big deal!


    ¡°Right¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, something occurred to the shopkeeper. He pulled out two invitations and a list of auction items and handed them over: ¡°There¡¯s an annual auction event tonight at Wentian Marketplace. Many items are prepared for this year, and here are two reserved invitations. Would you be interested?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu took the list of auction items, and initially, he just skimmed it, but his gaze was quickly captured by an entry: ¡°You¡¯re actually auctioning off an entry at your auction event?¡±


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Self-extinguishing root.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Self-extinguish One Bull to acquire a random white or green entry, the more you have, the more random entries you¡¯ll receive.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Pride written all over his face, the shopkeeper said, ¡°After all, it¡¯s the annual auction event of Wentian Marketplace. Many of the items indeed come from our Zhao¡¯s Commerce. This entry is also from our Zhao¡¯s Commerce. We have branches all over Da Xia Country.¡±


    Chen Qiu had a rather strange look as he turned his head to glance at Fat Long.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    With an expressionless face, Fat Long spoke word by word, ¡°There are strangers here; save me some face. If it¡¯s private, we¡¯ll talk later.¡±


    The shopkeeper, who was about to continue introducing his wares, suddenly looked cloudy-eyed and walked to a set of shelves, muttering, ¡°How come there¡¯s dust here that hasn¡¯t been cleaned? I¡¯ll wipe it off.¡±


    After the shopkeeper left.


    With a serious expression, Fat Long turned to Chen Qiu, ¡°Brother Qiu, you once said I was your benefactor. I don¡¯t think this behavior quite matches repaying a drop of kindness with a gush of gratitude. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it.¡±


    After a slight cough, Chen Qiu spoke in a low voice, ¡°I know, I just thought you might want it. Since you don¡¯t, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t you going to think about it? There are nine random entries there.¡±


    ¡°Not everybody has this opportunity like you do.¡±


    ¡°Why not buy it first, and if you need it later, we can use it then?¡±


    ..


    PS: Those who are keeping up with this book at midnight today without any mishap are likely to be single, maybe you¡¯re already lying in bed, with the phone plugged into the charger, lights off, ready to sleep.


    I feel sorry for you.


    Giving out 200 red packets of 0.52 to let you also have your own 520, search ¡®Xin Ge¡¯s 520¡¯ in Alipay for the red packet password.


    Those who are working in the fields, please be safe, and thank you for your hard work.

 Chapter 31 - 31:

    Chapter 31: Chapter 31: ¡°Isn¡¯t the profession of talisman master way too profitable?


    ¡°Impossible!!¡±


    Fat Long firmly shook his head, ¡°Brother Qiu, rest assured, I absolutely won¡¯t need to use this entry. Thanks for your kind intention, Brother Qiu. I appreciate the thought, but this entry should be kept for someone who needs it more.¡±


    To tell the truth, he was often frustrated about why he was randomly assigned the Nine Ox Power entry, and because it was an Initial Entry, he hadn¡¯t yet found a way to remove it.


    But since he had randomly gotten it, he gradually accepted the fact.


    Compared to castrating himself, he felt it was better to maintain the status quo.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu did not say more, just glanced at the auction list. Many items indeed caught his interest, for instance, the green Entry, ¡°self-extinguishing root.¡± Although Fat Long couldn¡¯t use it, he certainly could. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This trash entry was perfect for him. As long as he triggered its Self-Destruction, it amounted to a full-force strike at crossing a Great Realm, equivalent to a first-layer Golden Core Stage full-force strike.


    This was truly a last-ditch effort.


    If someone didn¡¯t possess Nine Ox Power or a similar entry, they definitely wouldn¡¯t bid for this entry. After all, exchanging one¡¯s sole ¡°Bull Strength¡± for some random white or green entry seemed like a bad deal.


    If nothing unexpected happened, the price of this entry should not be too high. Perhaps he could even snag a bargain.


    ¡°OK.¡±


    He tucked the auction list along with two invitations inside his jacket, then turned to the shopkeeper and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s check out the talismans.¡±


    ¡­


    Half an hour later.


    The two came out of the Zhao¡¯s Commerce shop, with Fat Long¡¯s face full of distress after having spent quite a few Spirit Stones there.


    The first were talismans.


    The ¡°Summoning Thunder Talisman,¡± an offensive talisman that could summon a Heavenly Thunder to attack the enemy, equivalent to a first-layer Foundation Establishment Stage full-force attack, priced at two Spirit Stones each.


    They bought 100.


    The ¡°Golden Bell Talisman,¡± a defensive talisman activated to form a Spiritual Energy shield around the user, capable of blocking a first-layer Foundation Establishment full-force attack, priced at four Spirit Stones each.


    They also bought 100.


    The ¡°Light Wind Talisman,¡± an escape talisman, on activation when plastered on the body, could significantly increase movement speed, priced at two Spirit Stones each.


    They bought 100 of these too.


    Just the talismans alone cost 800 Spirit Stones.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s expensive!¡±


    ¡°This talisman master profession really makes a killing, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Fat Long covered his food ring on his index finger, pain evident on his face: ¡°If I had so many talismans now, I could dominate that small world we were in a few days ago, taking on a crowd single-handedly wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and chuckled without a word.


    The total loot from that small world added up to only 50 Spirit Stones, yet the talismans cost a total of 800 Spirit Stones. With such an arsenal, even a pig could run amok in the small world.


    He finally understood the battle style of those heirs from the aristocratic families of this world¡ªleading with a lavish spending spree.


    The advantage of talismans lies in their instant activation. Although their power is slightly inferior compared to spells of the same name and rank, they are advantageous because they don¡¯t require the expenditure of the Spiritual Energy stored in the Dantian, needing only a small amount of Spiritual Energy to activate the talisman.


    The higher the level of the talisman, the more Spiritual Energy it requires to activate.


    For example, a Foundation Establishment Stage spell like ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± allows most cultivators at the first layer of Foundation Establishment Stage to cast it only four to five times before their internal Spiritual Energy is nearly depleted, but if using ¡°Summoning Thunder Talismans,¡± one could use over a hundred before depleting the internal Spiritual Energy.


    In such a fight,


    one could use one¡¯s rear end to figure out who would win.


    ¡­


    He only bought some talismans whose power was equivalent to a first-layer Foundation Establishment Stage full-force attack. Defensive talismans were a bit more expensive than offensive ones and were also rarer, reportedly because defensive talismans require a higher stability, making their manufacturing process more complex.


    The more powerful the talisman, the more expensive it would be.


    For example, an attack-type talisman equivalent to a full-strength strike at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage had a selling price as high as 300 Spirit Stones, which was enough to buy a set of high-quality Sound Transmission Talismans.


    For him, the cost-effectiveness was very low.


    If he really encountered a situation that required such a method, why would he use any talisman? He would just unleash a full-strength strike from the first level of the Golden Core Stage using his self-destruction term, and that would be far superior to any talisman.


    However, he also asked if there were any Golden Core Stage talismans available, and the answer was no. Such talismans belonged to an extremely rare category, and no shop in any city of Wentiang had them.


    Besides talismans.


    They also purchased some odds and ends.


    Like three high-quality Storage Rings, which had much more space than a Storage Bag and were more convenient to access while being easier to wear and having little risk of loss. Even if lost, it would take quite an effort to break into a blood-bound Storage Ring.


    Unlike Storage Bags, which anyone who finds can use.


    But the price was not cheap.


    300 Spirit Stones each.


    Apart from that, they also bought a bunch of miscellaneous items, which cost another 300 Spirit Stones. After a lavish spending spree, the total amount spent was 3617 Spirit Stones.


    Chen Qiu felt the massive pile of Spirit Stones inside his index finger¡¯s Storage Ring and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and laugh.


    After a reckless shopping spree.


    There were still 26,356 Spirit Stones in the Storage Ring.


    The odd change hadn¡¯t even been spent, almost giving the feeling that the money was unending; this amount should be enough for him to push forward to the Golden Core Stage.


    Next, the two of them left Wentiang, gave a Sound Transmission Ring to each of the scholar brothers, and handed over a Storage Bag containing 3500 Spirit Stones and several sets of clothes, gave some instructions, and then returned to Wentiang.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sound Transmission Ring.¡±


    The scholar, seated cross-legged on the ground, watched as Chen Qiu and his companion gradually disappeared down the path before he looked down at the Sound Transmission Ring in his hand and seemed to think of something, chuckling suddenly after a long while.


    This was no cheap item; ordinary people couldn¡¯t afford this thing. This set was worth 1000 Spirit Stones.


    When he was at the pinnacle of his life, known as the number one Sword Cultivator in Da Xia, he naturally didn¡¯t lack Spirit Stones to buy Sound Transmission Rings, but the calamitous final battle which nearly cost him his life made him flee in defeat, abandoning everything.


    Which included the Sound Transmission Ring he once possessed.


    He shook the Spirit Stones totaling 3100 inside his Storage Bag and, after a long silence, softly said, ¡°This Mr. Chen is quite generous.¡±


    Mr. Chen had given him 3500 Spirit Stones, including 500 Spirit Stones as monthly pay, from which he returned 400. The 500 Spirit Stones as a monthly payment felt really difficult to accept; they, the two brothers, almost had no attack methods, not worth the price.


    If he accepted the 500 Spirit Stones as monthly payment, he would feel as if he couldn¡¯t raise his head when facing Mr. Chen. A hundred Spirit Stones a month was more than sufficient, far exceeding the monthly income of over ninety percent of Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.


    He knew well that this money was his ransom. Although Mr. Chen didn¡¯t say it, since he had taken this money, he was definitely going to ensure it paid off its intended value.


    At least in case¡­


    Should his reputation be mentioned again in the future, people might praise him for upholding his commitments.


    It wasn¡¯t that there were no retainers who had run away with their master¡¯s Spirit Stones, but their reputations were often very bad.


    If Mr. Chen really proved reliable, he could entrust his life to Mr. Chen, only hoping Mr. Chen would take good care of his younger brother after his death. In his life, there were only two matters he cared about.


    The first thing was how people in the world spoke of him.


    The second was his younger brother.


    Heavenly Dao Jade was not sold in Wentiang Market but was available only in one place.


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Pavilion.¡±


    Thousands of miles away from here.


    ¡°I need to make a trip.¡±


    The scholar sat on the ground, gazing at the clouds on the horizon, murmuring to himself, his fingers twitched slightly, and a flash of blue light shot out from his sleeve directly toward the clouds to the east, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 32 - 32:

    Chapter 32: Chapter 32: ¡°In turbulent times, more children, more blessings.


    After giving the two scholarly brothers some instructions on minor matters, Chen Qiu returned to area 8 of the Asking Heaven Market, the ¡°Demon Beast Area,¡± and once again purchased a large batch of demon beasts. Just like last time, he instructed the shopkeeper to severely wound them before delivering them to a certain inn.


    Although his strength was already completely capable of dealing with these Qi Refinement realm demon beasts.


    He tried to avoid troubling himself with things that could be handled by others.


    ¡­


    Spending less than 200 spirit stones, Chen Qiu and his companion watched from a guest room in an inn as the demon beast shop¡¯s shopkeeper, with an uncontrollable smile, continuously brought in large batches of demon beasts.


    They filled three whole guest rooms.


    ...


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Chen Qiu sat on a wooden chair, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and said nonchalantly to the side where Fat Long was standing, ¡°What are you dazed about? Helping you break through your cultivation for less than 200 spirit stones is quite a bargain.¡±


    Yes.


    The breakthrough in the Qi Refinement stage of cultivation was just that simple, provided you could find a large cluster of Qi Refinement stage demon beasts and had the strength to kill them or enough spirit stones to buy the severely wounded ones, building a foundation in a single day was a simple matter.


    But either way, it had nothing to do with ordinary people.


    Not to mention the 200 spirit stones required for someone like Fat Long to break through from the seventh level of Qi Refinement stage to the Foundation Establishment stage, even the thirty spirit stones needed to move from the third level of the Qi Refinement realm to the seventh level were beyond what most Qi Refinement cultivators could afford.


    Many cultivators at the Qi Refinement stage were quite poor.


    Or rather, the logic should be reversed.


    It¡¯s not that the Qi Refinement stage is poor; rather, those who stay in the Qi Refinement stage are poor. Those with even a small amount of savings would have already established their foundation, as only with Foundation Establishment can one truly step into the threshold of cultivation.


    As long as you have 300 spirit stones, you can go from the first level of the Qi Refinement stage to the first level of the Foundation Establishment stage in a day.


    The breakthrough in the Qi Refinement stage of cultivation was just that simple.


    After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the progress of cultivation would slow down significantly. At this point, killing Qi Refinement stage demon beasts no longer increased cultivation progress, and adult demon beasts at the Foundation Establishment stage were essentially not for sale, as such beasts could not be bred in mass through human efforts; one had to find them in the wild.


    They were hard to kill and, even if one managed to kill one, the increase in cultivation progress was minimal, which was the most headache-inducing part.


    The mainstream methods for enhancing cultivation at this stage relied on two types.


    The first type involved possessing a sufficiently good mental method and finding a place with dense spiritual energy, then cultivating the mental method in seclusion daily seeking breakthroughs.


    The second type relied on persisting with pills.


    Just like his Heavenly Dao Foundation, which had been rotating automatically from last night to now for almost half a day, but his cultivation progress hadn¡¯t increased at all, not even filling his Dantian with spiritual energy.


    After his Foundation Establishment stage, the spiritual energy inside his Dantian was half empty, not yet full.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu, a bit reluctant to see Fat Long¡¯s grateful expression, waved his hand, ¡°Start quickly, don¡¯t delay.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    The guest room entered a state of noisy silence. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long, holding a butcher knife, went ¡°crack, crack¡± with each beast.


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed, holding spirit stones, absorbing the spiritual energy within them.


    Finally.


    An hour later.


    When Chen Qiu opened his eyes again, the guest room was in complete disarray, and Fat Long was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and looked down at a few shattered spirit stones on the bed, as he had just consumed three spirit stones to replenish the spiritual energy in his Dantian.


    It wasn¡¯t that the consumption was too much.


    But the absorption was too slow.


    It had taken him an entire hour just to absorb all the spiritual energy from those three spirit stones.


    His current Foundation Establishment was of a width of 110 centimeters and a height of 100 centimeters with Heavenly Dao Foundation enhancement. Even with the Heavenly Dao Foundation¡¯s enhancement, the absorption was still slow, which meant his Foundation Establishment couldn¡¯t accommodate much spiritual energy.


    After he attended the auction tonight and went out tomorrow to hunt demon beasts, increasing his Foundation width to several hundred centimeters or even a thousand centimeters.


    Did that mean that every time he replenished the spiritual energy in his Dantian, it would take nearly ten hours?


    What about when it reached ten thousand centimeters or even a hundred thousand centimeters?


    Would it take a month to fill his Dantian with spiritual energy?


    Such a long time was enough for his enemies to decimate his Nine Tribes three or four times!


    ¡°This won¡¯t do¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and muttered, ¡°I need to find a better mental method.¡±


    The strength of the Heavenly Dao Foundation was linked to the mental method; if the mental method was too weak, then the Heavenly Dao Foundation couldn¡¯t play too big a role. His current mental method was just a mid-grade Yellow Level, still insufficient for his needs.


    He took out the auction item list from his bosom, scanned it a few more times, and indeed saw a mental method auction item on the last page.


    The supreme mental method of the Foundation Establishment stage, ¡°Seven Lamps Awakening the World¡±.


    In reality, it was merely a top-tier Yellow Level mental method, which is just a half-slang term used in Jianghu to classify cultivation techniques and spiritual treasures, whereas the official terms grouped them as¡ª


    Qi Refinement Realm, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, and so on.


    A top-tier mental method during the Foundation Establishment Stage is the one best suited for cultivators at that stage, being the strongest among them, and it remains highly effective even up to the Golden Core Stage.


    Furthermore.


    There was another item in the auction list that he was determined to acquire.


    The Mid-grade Thunder Summoning Technique during the Foundation Establishment Stage, which perfectly complemented his entry, ¡°Focus Power.¡± This spell was a great fit for him.


    This type of spell was actually quite common; Zhao¡¯s Commerce shops even sold it, and it was not expensive.


    It could be bought for just 2 spirit stones; bargaining might bring it down to one spirit stone, especially since it was a copy and genuinely had no significant cost. If you have some friends, getting a friend who practices this spell to make a free copy for you might be no problem at all.


    But the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± at the auction was a product of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; once learned, it would instantly be at a highly accomplished stage, naturally making it extraordinary and no mere trifle.


    Moreover, there were also two mid-grade ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans¡± in the auction list appropriate for use during the Foundation Establishment Stage, and he needed these too. Many items at this auction were things he really wanted, all of them valuable.


    Only through the shopkeeper did he learn about the ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman,¡± which could only be used twice per great realm. He had already used two low-grade ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans¡± during his Qi Refinement stage. By obtaining this mid-grade ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman,¡± he could take all entries when breaking through a small realm during Foundation Establishment if the three random entries he received were all good.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the bed studying the auction list, pondering how to arrange the next few days, when Fat Long entered with a grim expression.


    The uncontrollable aura of the Foundation Establishment Stage that seeped from him was a sign that his realm had just broken through and was not yet stable.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡±


    Chen Qiu put away the auction list he held, stood up, and walked over to the table; he filled his cup with cool tea again, looked towards Fat Long, and said smilingly, ¡°How does it feel to be at Foundation Establishment Stage? Why the long face? Surely the three random entries you got aren¡¯t all trash?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Fat Long sat down on the wooden chair with a bitter face and began guzzling cool tea from the teapot directly to his mouth. The initial entries had been trash, which was agonizing enough, and he had reluctantly come to accept this, harboring a hopeful anticipation for the ¡°three choices¡± entries upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    However¡­


    It seemed like God was playing a joke on him.


    Just thinking of the three random entries he got upon breaking through brought a surge of desire to smash his head and die!!!


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly improved, officially stepping into the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Yama¡¯s personal decree.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You will definitely die one year from now, but you absolutely will not die within this year.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Prodigy.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Any progress you make in cultivation will be ten times faster and without any bottlenecks, but you can only live to be 25 years old, with no means to extend your life.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Hundred Percent Accuracy.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Any female of the same race who shares a room with you will definitely become pregnant afterwards.


    ¡­


    ¡°I am 24 years old this year, and in thirty days it will be my birthday, officially turning 25.¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s face was nearly filled with despair as he spoke with a trembling, sobbing voice, ¡°If I choose the first entry, I¡¯ll die next year. If I choose the second entry, I¡¯ll die as soon as winter begins in thirty days. Do these ¡®three choices¡¯ even give me a chance to choose?¡±


    ¡°Only the third entry won¡¯t end in death, but what the hell is the use of the third entry!!!¡±


    ¡°I came to cultivate!!!¡±


    ¡°Not to have babies!!!¡±


    ¡°Relax¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu patted Fat Long on the shoulder with a complex expression, struggling to find words of comfort, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, ¡°Maybe there¡¯s some pink entry that makes ¡®the more children you have, the stronger you become.''¡±


    ¡°I have already thought of a name for this pink entry, ¡®More children, more blessings.''¡±


    ¡°There are also other ways to obtain entries, such as through the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and auctions. There is still hope in the future.¡±


    ¡°Consider this entry as a free pick for now; relax, don¡¯t rush.¡±


    ¡°It will get better.¡±

 Chapter 33 - 33: What is the Meaning of Cultivation?

    Chapter 33: Chapter 33: What is the Meaning of Cultivation?


    It must be said, Fat Long was quite adept at adjusting his mood, quickly recovering from his emotions and seriously pondering whether there were other uses for the white entry.


    There was no such thing as a completely useless white entry.


    Even his trashy white entry of ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± could easily be exchanged for nine random entries through the green entry ¡°self-extinguishing root,¡± if he wished.


    Soon, Fat Long thought of something and said thoughtfully, ¡°Brother Qiu, what do you think if I went around all the brothels in Da Xia and freed all the lost women there?¡±


    ¡°Once these girls are pregnant, the brothels definitely won¡¯t keep them, right? Maybe they¡¯ll all just take a break? Then if I open my own brothel at that time, isn¡¯t that a monopoly kill?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ...


    After a long silence and without any expression, Chen Qiu gently patted Fat Long¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°The girls who become pregnant are more likely to become a turnover pearl than take a break. Stop thinking about these unrealistic things and let¡¯s go to the auction now.¡±


    ¡­


    The two of them walked one after the other on the main road of the trading area in Zone 7 of Wentian Pavilion market. It was still early, and the auction wouldn¡¯t start for another couple of hours, yet the streets were already populated with many pedestrians.


    This auction was hosted by Wentian Pavilion market and occurred annually.


    It gathered many fine treasures prepared by shops in Wentian Pavilion market in recent days, including many treasures not usually seen, and just two days later, the ¡°challenge¡± type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm would open in Fufeng City.


    Many Loose Cultivators and disciples from various major sect families had temporarily gathered in Wentian Pavilion market.


    After the auction, a two-day rest would fit perfectly for attending the soon-to-open Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in Fufeng City.


    Chen Qiu wandered around the streets casually, occasionally buying some appealing items. Before they knew it, a couple of hours had passed, and the auction was about to commence.


    ¡­


    The auction was located in a three-story low-rise building in the center of Area 7 of Wentian Pavilion market, named ¡°Wentian Pavilion.¡± It was not usually open, only during the annual or quarterly auctions held by Wentian Pavilion market.


    It opened only five times a year, each time packed with people.


    Many powers within a hundred miles would send representatives, even if not to bid on anything, just to experience the sight, which was rare on regular days.


    With an invitation letter, Chen Qiu had unobstructed access into the grand hall of the auction and found wooden benches marked with their numbers, a total of a thousand chairs filled the hall.


    The space was indeed large, with most seats already occupied at that time.


    The first and second floors were connected, and looking up, one could see the third-floor floor. The second floor was just a ring of private rooms built around the upper perimeter of the hall to accommodate guests, with about thirty or so private rooms in total.


    Shortly after taking their seats, they saw the Shopkeeper from Zhao¡¯s Commerce of Wentian Pavilion market hustling over with a bowed posture, speaking in a low, respectful voice, ¡°Mr. Chen, all the private rooms are booked. It¡¯s a bit difficult to arrange, but we can¡¯t possibly have you stay in the hall.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I still have some friends in Wentian Pavilion market. I¡¯ve managed to find you a private room, Heavenly No. 7 room. Please excuse us,¡± he said.


    ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    Mr. Chen had spent thousands of Spirit Stones in his shop, qualifying as a VIP. Such guests must be well-maintained, as Zhao¡¯s Commerce, although spread throughout Da Xia Country, was not the only one. Maintaining such a VIP would significantly increase the annual sales of their Wentian Pavilion market shop.


    His position could be promoted again soon. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and stood up, gesturing for the shopkeeper to lead the way. He didn¡¯t refuse since indeed, making bids in the main hall was a bit too conspicuous.


    ¡­


    After the two of them took their seats in the ¡°Heavenly Character 7¡± private room on the second floor, two maids dressed in wine-red sheer gauze quickly came in, carrying fruit platters. They carefully crouched beside the two men and then delicately picked up fruits with their slender jade hands and fed them to the men.


    Chen Qiu casually glanced at the two maids ¡ª they were just beautiful skeletons but admittedly good-looking ones.


    The gauze on their bodies was as thin as cicada wings, and they wore nothing else, making the room¡¯s dim lighting, illuminated only by a few flickering oil lamps on the walls, slightly more obscure.


    In the swaying light and shadows, that barely-there gauze added quite a flavor.


    And in a corner of the room, another woman also draped in wine-red gauze and cradling a pipa was kneeling softly, playing a tune with an additional white face veil that gave her a purer appearance.


    The private room was walled on three sides, and directly in front, a small formation had been set up. They could clearly see the scene of the main hall and the auction podium below, yet the people below couldn¡¯t look up and see them, which provided some privacy.


    Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t paying attention to the maids; although they were pretty, they were just beautiful skeletons after all. He currently had no interest in such distractions, as chopping wood for a month had obliterated all his other thoughts.


    Right now, he just wanted to become stronger, strong enough to live a dignified life.


    Although he felt nothing for these beautiful skeletons, he knew that if he hadn¡¯t already advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage and if his pockets weren¡¯t filled with spirit stones, he wouldn¡¯t even dream of enjoying this kind of life.


    For him, the purpose of cultivation was simple¡ªto survive.


    To live a dignified life.


    And now, the melodious sound of the pipa behind him also gradually became more plaintive, as if narrating the tragic story of a child who had left home at an early age, living a lonely and miserable life under others¡¯ roofs.


    And at this moment¡ª


    The auction below hadn¡¯t officially started yet; many people were sitting in their seats and chatting with one another. Some were acquaintances who had just not had the time to gather together, each busy with their own affairs, and were using this opportunity to catch up properly.


    Others came in groups, discussing together, and it seemed they were already prepared to bid on some goods.


    Most of the rest were more or less there for the excitement; items appearing in the auction were usually quite rare and not cheap, and not many could afford to buy them.


    There were also those who were genuinely interested in a particular treasure but didn¡¯t have enough spirit stones. They came hoping against hope to see if they could snag a bargain.


    A thousand people, a thousand faces.


    Everyone had their own thoughts.


    Among them were several Foundation Establishment strong ones, their gazes dark and secretive as they swept over every individual present, searching for easy yet lucrative targets to strike. Foundation strong ones had several ways to earn spirit stones, provided they were not at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.


    Of course, some of the Foundation strong ones preferred the methods that involved plundering to earn spirit stones.

 Chapter 34 - 34:

    Chapter 34: Chapter 34: ¡°Make a fortune in one fell swoop!


    As an elder with a face full of age and wrinkles ascended the auction stage, the venue immediately quieted down.


    ¡°Bang.¡±


    The auction hammer in his hand tapped the square table on the stage like a gavel, and soon five women in cheongsam with veils covering their faces filed out from behind the stage, each holding a mahogany tray.


    Covered with a layer of red cloth on top.


    The elder walked up to the first woman, whipped off the red cloth, and with a casual wave of his right hand, spiritual energy in the air strikingly formed several lines of large characters.


    ¡°The first auction item.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Spiritual Treasure, Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Alchemy Furnace ¡®Eight Trigrams Pill Furnace,¡¯ using this furnace to refine pills will result in a higher success rate.¡±


    ¡°Starting bid 20 Spirit Stones, each increase must be no less than 10 Spirit Stones.¡±


    Just the casual display of skill had already proven his strength. Such control of spiritual energy, practiced to this fine degree, must be at least at the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Barely short of the existence at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.


    As long as one had sufficient lifespan, it was almost a certainty to break through to the Great Realm and become a Golden Core Great Power.


    A Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Alchemy Furnace, according to Jianghu slang, is actually a Yellow Level Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure. A Yellow Level Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure isn¡¯t worth much, worth only about 50 Spirit Stones, and doesn¡¯t even qualify for the auction.


    But this Spiritual Treasure is an Alchemy Furnace, so its price is a different story.


    An Alchemy Furnace of this sort of Spiritual Treasure is extremely difficult to craft and its price is several times higher than that of another Spiritual Treasure of the same level.


    Very quickly¡ª


    many people started to call out their bids.


    ¡°50 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°60 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°100 Spirit Stones!¡±


    In the end, a middle-aged man in the hall stood up, held up his number board and called out a high bid of 200 Spirit Stones, securing this first auction item. This price was about right; after all, an Alchemist is a money tree, and the Alchemy Furnace is the Alchemist¡¯s bread and butter, so naturally, the price wouldn¡¯t be low.


    However, not a single person in the private rooms made a bid. Those who could sit in the private rooms generally had their own backing, and training an Alchemist was something they were already doing. Thus, a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Alchemy Furnace was a bit beneath their notice.


    They weren¡¯t here for these initial auction items. The real highlights were yet to come.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, too, gazed somewhat listlessly down at the auction stage, showing little interest in the several items that had come up, whether they were for alchemy or talisman making, as he had no thoughts about either of these two arts.


    Until¡ª


    When the fifth auction item was unveiled, Chen Qiu sat up straight, finally finding something he wanted.


    ¡°The fifth auction item.¡±


    ¡°Entry Jade Slip, green entry ¡®Self-Extinguishing Root,¡¯ sacrifice one organ to receive a random white or green entry. The more sacrificed, the more entries received.¡±


    ¡°Starting bid 50 Spirit Stones, each bid must increase by 10 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°500 Spirit Stones!¡±


    Chen Qiu picked up the Sound Transmission Talisman from the table next to him, channeled spiritual energy into it, and whispered his bid, and as his voice reached the expanse of the hall, it was automatically disguised to sound like an old man.


    This entry had the same meaning to him as a full-strength strike from someone at the first level of the Golden Core Stage; 500 Spirit Stones was absolutely appropriate.


    The power of a talisman equivalent to a full-strength strike of a ninth level Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator was 300 Spirit Stones. As for the price of one equivalent to a full-strength strike of someone at the first level of the Golden Core Stage, he wasn¡¯t sure, but it was definitely not less than 1000 Spirit Stones.


    After all, the gap between the Golden Core Stage and the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage was too vast; they were not on the same level.


    ¡­


    The elder looked up at the second floor, and after seeing the flash of red light from the jade embedded outside the Heavenly Number 7 private room, picked up the auction hammer and lightly tapped it on the square table, ¡°Heavenly Number 7 bids 500 Spirit Stones.¡±


    He then swept his gaze over the audience, and seeing no one raise their number board, he continued.


    ¡°500 Spirit Stones for the first time!¡±


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    The crowd in the hall also discussed with odd expressions on their faces. It wasn¡¯t surprising that someone would spend 500 Spirit Stones on a green entry as entry jade slips were extremely rare in the market. Any that made it to the market, if not utterly worthless, could easily sell for over two thousand Spirit Stones.


    But¡­


    Would someone qualified to sit in the Heavenly Number 7 private room use this entry?


    Or was it intended for use by someone below them? In that case, it would make sense.


    ¡­


    In the crowd of the hall, a young man was looking at the middle-aged man beside him with an urgent expression and anxiously said, ¡°Master, what are you hesitating for? Bid! BID!!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, this entry is absolutely priceless to you, let alone 500 spirit stones, even if it¡¯s 2000 spirit stones, you must buy it!¡±


    After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged man still didn¡¯t raise his bidding placard. Meanwhile, the auctioneer had already started the first call for 500 spirit stones, and the middle-aged man looked worriedly at the young man beside him.


    ¡°Venerable Liu, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but you know my Initial Entry is ¡®Nine Ox Power.''¡±


    ¡°Indeed, this entry could grant me eight random entries, but they would only be random white or green entries at best. Whether their effects are beneficial to me is still unknown, and even if they are, it¡¯s very difficult for me to break through to the Golden Core Stage. If I can¡¯t make the breakthrough, earning back so many spirit stones will be difficult.¡±


    His name was Wang Tiedan, fifty-six years of skeletal age, a third-layer Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. He started from scratch and formed his own small family, a small Foundation Establishment family in a place hundreds of miles away from Fufeng City. Although they didn¡¯t have many big businesses, they managed to earn a profit of more than two hundred spirit stones each year.


    Life was also considered comfortable.


    Until a year ago, when he met this young man who was said to have fled from a village ransacked by mountain bandits. Out of kindness, he took him in and gradually discovered that this man named Liu Zide had a very clever mind.


    He often spoke of new ideas which Wang had never heard of before.


    Terms like market operations, industry barriers, omnichannels, endorsement harvesting, and the like.


    He gave Wang quite a few suggestions, and with the young man¡¯s help, his business grew steadily larger. Winter was approaching this year, and it was estimated that the net profit would amount to 500 spirit stones¡ªan amount equating to double the annual earnings.


    He officially employed the young man as a family retainer, serving as a strategist, and providing counsel and strategies on a daily basis.


    He had hardly ever been wrong.


    This time, after Venerable Liu saw the list of auction items for the annual Wentiang Fang Market auction, he insisted that Wang bring all the spirit stones that the family could mobilize. They traveled for five days just to reach Wentiang Fang Market in time for the auction, all for the sake of the green entry ¡®Self-Extinguishing Root.¡¯


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re being foolish!!!¡±


    Seeing the second call at 500 spirit stones was about to end, the young man urged with an anxious tone, ¡°Master, can¡¯t you change your way of thinking? Who told you that buying this entry was just to enhance your strength?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you, if someone stood in the Wentiang Fang Market now saying they possessed both ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ and ¡®Self-Extinguishing Root¡¯ and were about to perform a live carv, with everyone watching what random entries they might get, do you think people would want to see that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they¡¯d want to see it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s human nature! What¡¯s at the deepest part of human nature? It¡¯s the gambling urge. Rationality restrains most people as much as possible, but watching others gamble also provides a thrilling sense of excitement.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be fair to charge 1 spirit stone for a ticket to see such an exciting show?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just setting up such a spectacle. Now, with the annual Wentiang Fang Market auction and the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in Fufeng City, there will surely be a large number of cultivators gathering in Fufeng City in the coming days. The timing and conditions are perfect. For those sect family descendants, paying 1 spirit stone for such a rare spectacle is a bargain!¡±


    ¡°1 spirit stone isn¡¯t much for them, but they won¡¯t have another chance to see such a show again.¡±


    ¡°As long as we can advertise and attract 3000 spectators, that would be 3000 spirit stones. If there are 5000 spectators, that would directly net us 5000 spirit stones!¡±


    ¡°Leave the operation to me; I¡¯m confident we¡¯re going to make a killing!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to start a groundbreaking live broadcast of Bull Cutting in Fufeng City!¡±


    ¡°Those with less money can watch real-time through the ¡®Mother-child Realm¡¯ from the outside, paying 1 tael of silver, while those slightly wealthier can watch from the rooftops around for a better view, costing them 10 taels of silver. For those sect family descendants, we¡¯ll arrange the closest seats for real-time viewing, charging 1 spirit stone!¡±


    ¡°In Da Xia Country, there¡¯s really no entertainment. With the natural inclination to watch lively scenes, the number of people coming will certainly not be small.¡±


    ¡°Master, trust me, just win this entry, and I can promise you a brand-new tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t have to worry about losing face, Master. We¡¯re 800 miles from our main base, and after we make a profit here, we¡¯ll head home. Once we¡¯re back at our main base, no one will know about this!¡±


    Perhaps it was the young man¡¯s excited fervor that touched the middle-aged man, or maybe it was his past achievements that made the middle-aged man quite trusting in him. In the end, just before the third call for 500 spirit stones was concluded,


    the middle-aged man stood up, raised his bidding placard, and shouted with a trembling voice, ¡°1000 spirit stones!!!¡±


    ¡°1200.¡±


    Chen Qiu in the private room glanced down at the middle-aged man in the hall below and, after a moment of contemplation, raised the bid again. This was his bottom line; any higher would be unjustifiable. Buying an entry for self-destruction at such a price was a poor value for money.


    ¡°1500 spirit stones!!!¡±


    Almost immediately after Chen Qiu finished speaking, the middle-aged man raised his bidding placard again, and with almost all his might, roared, ¡°I bid 1500 spirit stones!!!¡±


    This was almost all his family had accumulated over the years, and for him, it was a high-stakes gamble.


    He could indeed become rich overnight, as Venerable Liu had said, but he might also lose everything in the blink of an eye.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sitting in the private room, Chen Qiu shook his head slightly in disbelief; the price was getting absurd. He wasn¡¯t going to bid any higher. 1500 spirit stones for such a green entry? Had they gone mad?


    The person bidding below couldn¡¯t possibly have the ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ entry as well, could they?


    Still, he was quite curious to see which entries this person could acquire with both ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ and ¡®Self-Extinguishing Root¡¯, although each cultivator¡¯s entries were private and not easily revealed to others under normal circumstances.


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 Chapter 35 - 35:

    Chapter 35: Chapter 35: ¡°Foundation Establishment Loan¡±.


    The auction continued in an orderly fashion, and Chen Qiu was not particularly interested in the next two items, thus he did not bid, until¡ª


    ¡°The eighth item.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Terms, special entry, entry effect inheritable.¡±


    ¡°Starting bid 100 Spirit Stones, with each bid increment of 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    The moment the words of the elder on stage fell,


    Chen Qiu could clearly feel the whole hall instantly quiet down, while almost at the same time, lights in other private rooms on the second floor began to light up continuously.


    ...


    ¡°800 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°1000 Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°1300 Spirit Stones!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, the price surged from the starting bid of 100 Spirit Stones to 1300. The Wentian Market auctions always started with an arbitrary starting bid. A low starting price did not mean that the item was worth just that.


    Of course, there was almost no chance of obtaining it below its value. If the highest bid called out onsite was far below the actual value of the item, insiders of Wentian Market would simply bid themselves and bring it back for the next auction.


    ¡­


    The instant the eighth item was presented, it immediately ignited the enthusiasm of the entire venue. Many powers had come specifically for the ¡°Heavenly Dao Terms.¡± Who wouldn¡¯t love a permanent entry that could be passed down?


    While it was a gamble, none who started from nothing and aspired to achieve something in this chaotic world would consider themselves anything less than the favored children of heaven.


    Meanwhile, the hall was buzzing with discussions.


    ¡°This auction does have Heavenly Dao Terms for sale. Even though it was already listed in the catalog, it¡¯s still exciting to see them in person. It¡¯s not often that one gets a chance to witness such things.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, they say that the type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm opening in Fufeng City in a few days might produce Heavenly Dao Terms as well. If one is lucky enough to obtain a Heavenly Dao Term in the Secret Realm, wouldn¡¯t that mean striking it rich instantly?¡±


    ¡°Thousands of Spirit Stones, truly enviable, alas, I haven¡¯t finished paying off my Foundation Loan yet, so I don¡¯t have the qualifications to enter the Secret Realm. Otherwise, I¡¯d also like to try my luck in the Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°Foundation Loan.¡±


    It¡¯s a type of loan provided by the Qian Family Bank of Da Xia, specifically designed for members of the government office who make more than 5 Spirit Stones a month, with a fixed amount of 300 Spirit Stones¡ªjust enough to advance swiftly from the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm to the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    To be eligible for such a loan, one must meet one criterion: a government office member with a monthly salary of over 5 Spirit Stones, and to fulfill this requirement, one must be at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    For a Qi Refinement Cultivator to get a Foundation Loan, they must become a member of the Da Xia government office; otherwise, they cannot get the loan. But to become a member of the Da Xia government office, one must first reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    It seems like a vicious cycle, but in fact, as long as there¡¯s a ¡®middleman¡¯ to facilitate the process, taking apart the western bridge to cross to the east, then dismantling the eastern bridge to cross to the west, it¡¯s feasible. The only downside is that until the loan is paid off, a whiff of Qi will remain in the Dantian.


    This Qi has only one function: preventing entry to any Secret Realm.


    After all, the death rate in Secret Realms is too high, and the Qian Family Bank does not wish for all their clients to fucking die in the Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The man next to him, upon hearing this, paused slightly, envy flashing in his eyes: ¡°It¡¯s said that this year, Fufeng City¡¯s government office recruited less than a hundred people in total. Could it be that you¡¯re one of them? A monthly salary of 5 Spirit Stones, with no risk to life¡ªwhat a cushy job.¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The man who started speaking had a hint of pride on his face, but he let out a helpless sigh, ¡°It¡¯s just good luck that I had a benefactor pulling strings for me, but real life is still a mess.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel it before, but after joining the government office, one day my aunts are severely ill and need to borrow money, the next day my parents want to build an impressive large house in the village, and I have to maintain good relations with my colleagues, taking them out every now and then for a meal. Although the benefactor hasn¡¯t said anything, you must show some gratitude, right?¡±


    ¡°The childhood friends who used to hang out with you also come by from time to time asking you to drink, although they don¡¯t explicitly say it, the implication is they¡¯re hoping for a helping hand. My wife¡¯s family brags everywhere they¡¯ve found a good son-in-law, and whenever her relatives run into trouble, they also come to me for help, and it¡¯s hard to refuse. If I refuse, it just bursts all the bubbles my father-in-law has been blowing.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t refuse, doesn¡¯t everything I do now require Spirit Stones to pave the way?¡±


    ¡°Every month, I also have to pay back the ¡®Foundation Establishment Loan¡¯. My brother, you don¡¯t know, although my Cultivation is much stronger than before and I have some confidence in Fufeng City, I really feel less carefree than I used to.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I think, if I were alone, I might be able to strive for the Golden Core Stage, seeking the Golden Core Path!¡±


    ¡°Although Demon Cultivators are denounced by everyone, I think their practice¡ª¡±


    ¡°The day you step on the path to immortality, first kill your parents, then your children.¡±


    ¡°Really can eliminate a lot of attachments.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    The man who was initially envious was at a loss for words upon hearing this. He was about to offer some comfort, but then thinking of his own pile of troubles, he suddenly lost the mood to console.


    ¡­


    The private room on the second floor continued to make bids.


    The price had sky-rocketed to 1700 Spirit Stones.


    This was basically beyond the market price of Heavenly Dao Terms, which are a gamble, as they might leave a legacy entry that could make a family prosper or a flaw entry that couldn¡¯t be removed.


    Generally speaking, 1500 Spirit Stones is about the market price for a Heavenly Dao Term.


    ¡°Who¡¯s seated in room number six with the word ¡®Heaven¡¯? To call out 1700 Spirit Stones without even blinking an eye?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I do know that families with ¡®Heavenly Dao Terms¡¯ have an extremely complicated set of rituals when marrying. It is said to be for the Heavenly Dao to witness, and only then can the children born be eligible to inherit the Heavenly Dao Terms. Illegitimate children born without marriage ceremonies cannot inherit the Heavenly Dao Terms, and it is only the principal wife who counts, while the marriages of concubines aren¡¯t recognized by the Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, I can¡¯t even imagine how happy it must be to be born into such a family, way ahead of peers from the start.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily a good thing, what if your mother is a concubine, then your status in the family¡­¡±


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    ¡°1700 Spirit Stones for the third time!!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations to the bidder in room number six with the word ¡®Heaven¡¯ for winning the eighth auction item, the Heavenly Dao Term, at the price of 1700 Spirit Stones!¡±


    And in room number six with the word ¡®Heaven¡¯, a middle-aged man was excitedly hugging a beautiful woman, laughing as he said, ¡°My dear, another Heavenly Dao Term is ours. The two Heavenly Dao Terms we got before were good ones, even if this third one has a negative effect, it¡¯s completely acceptable.¡±


    ¡°If all three Heavenly Dao Terms are positive, our child will be born far ahead of his peers and will surely lead the Zhang Family to rise another step!¡±


    ¡°And you will be the premier wife of the Zhang Family!¡±


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 Chapter 36 - 36:

    Chapter 36: Chapter 36: ¡°This is the main vein; it cannot be severed.


    The growth of an emerging power has its limits. For example, families that start from scratch and develop into Foundation Establishment families are as numerous as hairs on an ox, but those that become Golden Core families from nothing are nearly non-existent. For a family to bring forth a Golden Core Great Power to protect the family for 500 years,


    it must be the accumulation of generations. In a particular generation, when the timing, location, and people are all perfectly aligned, a Golden Core Great Power unexpectedly emerges, propelling the family into the status of a Golden Core family. From there, the family continues to build its wealth and influence over generations until they are able to foster another Golden Core Great Power.


    Only then can the family legacy continue.


    This middle-aged man had started from nothing to found a Foundation Establishment family and was acutely aware that both his strength and vitality had reached their limits. To ensure that the family legacy would carry on, he had to place his hopes in the next generation, and the Heavenly Dao Terms were a fine choice.


    Though it was a gamble,


    none who could start from scratch were afraid of taking risks.


    ...


    Unnoticed by the middle-aged man, the young man standing behind him had pupils filled with intense, resentful flames.


    ¡­


    The young man tried to forcibly suppress the emotions at the bottom of his heart, but the anger uncontrollably surged within him. He was originally thrilled when his father suddenly, in his middle age, had found an opportunity and started a small family from scratch.


    His father had only one son¡ªhimself, and the seat of the future Family Head would certainly be his.


    His mother had died early, and for reasons unknown to him, his father suddenly desired to pass down several Heavenly Dao Terms, transforming into the kind of family that possessed them. Thus, he took a new wife, preparing to let his younger son, who was born with Heavenly Dao Terms, take on the role of Family Head.


    The Heavenly Dao Terms could certainly be inherited, but his father did not have any such blasted Heavenly Dao Terms when he was born, so naturally, he would not inherit them.


    Heavenly Dao Terms could only be passed down through the primary wife who had a marriage ceremony, but this was regarding subsequent inheritances.


    The first to have Heavenly Dao Terms was called Dragon Head, and this restriction did not apply to them. A Dragon Head¡¯s secondary wife, as long as there was a marriage ceremony, could also pass down the Heavenly Dao Terms, provided that the primary wife had died.


    It was precisely because of this¡ª


    he detested that beautiful woman in his father¡¯s arms immensely but was unable to interfere with his father¡¯s plan. With the addition of the Heavenly Dao Terms, his father had already spent a large amount of money to purchase three Heavenly Dao Terms. The Spirit Stones were spent, and there was no possibility to abandon the plan halfway.


    Nor would he possibly give up his position as the future Family Head.


    ¡°Father,¡±


    After a long while, the young man suddenly started with a calm expression, ¡°I just thought of something. My yet-to-be-met little brother is still unborn, and it will be a long while before he can understand things. How about letting me take the position of Young Master first? When you, Father, grow old, I will take over as Family Head, and when my little brother is fully matured, I will pass the position of Family Head to him. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, what if the second mother gives birth to a girl? Women cannot inherit the Heavenly Dao Terms.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head resolutely, leaving no room for negotiation, ¡°There¡¯s no possibility. The inheritance of a family must follow an orderly sequence. Just find any family with Heavenly Dao Terms, and tell me which Family Head doesn¡¯t possess them?¡±


    ¡°This is the main lineage; it cannot be broken.¡±


    ¡°I understand that you feel wronged, but even if you¡¯re wronged, you have to bear it. The development of a family certainly can¡¯t cater to everyone. For the sake of the family¡¯s progress, individual interests should be put into perspective.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, this family was built by your father single-handedly. I will pass it to whomever I want!¡±


    Upon hearing this, the young man said nothing more, turning his head to look at his reflection in a copper mirror. After a long silence, he suddenly started to chuckle, realizing that his master¡¯s words were indeed true.


    If one day I embark on the path to immortality, I shall kill my parents and son first.


    Since that is the case, then let us reveal our true abilities in the Secret Realm of Fufeng City in two days.


    He, too, wanted to ask this second mother what abilities she possessed that could make his father so bewitched by a few words, abandoning the son with whom he had built up their family from scratch, and willing to give everything for a child he had never met.


    At the same time, he was also curious about the taste of this second mother.


    ¡­


    ¡°The ninth item up for auction.¡±


    ¡°A mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman, suitable for the Foundation Establishment Stage, allows for the selection of an additional entry from the three abandoned entries during the breakthrough at Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°Two pieces, sold as a set in this auction.¡±


    ¡°The starting bid is 100 Spirit Stones, with each bid increasing by 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, many began to bid, and the price quickly reached 1300 Spirit Stones; the value of this item varied from person to person.


    If you had the chance to choose one entry out of three during your Foundation Establishment breakthrough and the remaining two entries you had to abandon were good in terms of level or effect, then these two talismans would be of great value to you.


    No amount of Spirit Stones would be too much to spend.


    However, if the effects of the two entries you abandoned during your Foundation Establishment were worthless, the value of these talismans to you would be limited unless you could have another chance to choose one entry out of three during your Foundation Establishment period; otherwise, their sole value to you would be to exchange them for Spirit Stones.


    Seeing that the bidding had slowed down,


    Chen Qiu also made a bid of 1800 Spirit Stones, which ended the bidding War. For him, the two mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans were still very meaningful, and the price was not expensive, acceptable.


    The auction continued¡ª


    None of the subsequent items appealed to him.


    Until¡­


    ¡°The twelfth item up for auction.¡±


    ¡°A mid-grade spell for the Foundation Establishment Stage, ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique,¡¯ originating from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, mastered to the Great Achievement Realm upon learning.¡±


    ¡°The starting bid is 100 Spirit Stones, with each increase of at least 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    In the end, Chen Qiu won the bid for ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique¡¯ with 600 Spirit Stones. A direct damage-dealing spell such as this was far more expensive than the ¡®Blinding Spell¡¯ he had acquired before.


    ¡­


    ¡°The fourteenth item up for auction.¡±


    ¡°An exceptional mental method for the Foundation Establishment Stage, ¡®Seven Lights Inquiry,¡¯ originating from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, mastered to the Great Achievement Realm upon learning.¡±


    ¡°The starting bid is 100 Spirit Stones, with each increase of at least 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    It was one of the top mental methods for the Foundation Establishment Stage, useful all the way to the Golden Core Stage, and even the mental methods of many Golden Core Great Powers originated from exceptional Foundation Establishment mental methods. A mental method of this caliber, whether for absorbing or recovering spiritual energy, would be far superior to low-grade or mid-grade mental methods of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    This round of bidding was much more heated.


    Even many cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage participated in the bidding, and finally, Chen Qiu secured it for 3000 Spirit Stones.


    And the auction was gradually drawing to a close.


    An attendant knocked and entered, carrying a tray with all the items Chen Qiu had won at the auction. With a casual toss, Chen Qiu threw over a Storage Bag, and after the attendant had tallied the Spirit Stones, he removed them, returned the Storage Bag, and then set the tray down before leaving.


    Chen Qiu did not speak, merely tallying up how many Spirit Stones he had spent at the auction. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He bought two mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, one exceptional Foundation Establishment mental method ¡®Seven Lights Inquiry,¡¯ and one mid-grade Foundation Establishment spell ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique,¡¯ spending a total of 5400 Spirit Stones.


    Expensive, indeed.


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 Chapter 37 - 37: Focusing on High-End, Right?

    Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Focusing on High-End, Right?


    He had worked so hard to earn those spirit stones, yet in such a short time, he only had 17,856 spirit stones left. He couldn¡¯t help thinking that these things seemed to run out rather quickly. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just as Chen Qiu was about to stand up.


    A middle-aged woman dressed in a cheongsam, exuding an intellectual beauty, followed by two servants, slowly stepped in. After they gave a slight bow, she said with a soft voice, ¡°This servant is the person in charge of the Wentian Pavilion¡¯s auction house, mainly responsible for the auctions in Wentian Market. I have seen Mr. Chen.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen is a distinguished guest of Wentian Market and has a dedicated passage to leave the auction house. Please follow me afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Are you satisfied with these two maids, Mr. Chen? Would you like to keep them?¡±


    Perhaps noticing the confusion in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes, the mature woman smiled slyly as she explained, ¡°It is a rule of our Wentian Pavilion auction house in Wentian Market that only the maids who receive affirmation from the guests on their first appearance are allowed to stay. Today is the first time for both these maids to appear.¡±


    ...


    ¡°If you are satisfied, then they can stay at Wentian Pavilion to serve as maids for serving tea and water on regular days. If you are not satisfied, they will be expelled from Wentian Pavilion.¡±


    The mature woman¡¯s voice fell.


    The two maids serving in the private room immediately knelt on the ground with a thud. Although they didn¡¯t speak, their eyes were filled with pleading and panic.


    Apparently, for an ordinary woman, the monthly salary from Wentian Pavilion was not considered small, and staying as a maid in Wentian Pavilion was a rather decent occupation, certainly better than his initial job of chopping wood.


    And the work was also easier.


    ¡°Let them stay. They are quite good.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the maids kneeling before him, his brows slightly furrowed. After a long pause, he still spoke softly. It was indeed difficult for ordinary people to survive in this world. Perhaps because he had experienced the hardship of chopping wood himself, he could empathize strongly with the impoverished.


    But he also felt a bit of disdain for their lack of ambition.


    Why settle for chopping wood? He had only chopped wood for 29 days before realizing that chopping wood had no future and that one could only prosper by ¡°chopping people.¡± Why could some people spend a lifetime chopping wood?


    He also knew that if he hadn¡¯t met Fat Long and set foot on the path of cultivation, he might have died from retaliation by a group of local bullies long ago.


    There is a myriad of cause and effect in the world; who can make it all clear?


    And as Chen Qiu¡¯s words ended, a flicker of immense excitement passed through the eyes of one of the kneeling girls. Her face was full of gratitude as she kowtowed, and if it were not inappropriate, she might have jumped up right there and then.


    For the girls here.


    Being able to stay in Wentian Pavilion as a long-term maid rather than being expelled meant that they would receive a substantial monthly salary for many years. Although one day they would age and no longer be able to work for long, the spirit stones they had saved would be enough for a very decent life in their later years.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Under the guidance of the mature woman, Chen Qiu and his companion left the auction house without encountering a single person along the way, thanks to the special passage.


    ¡­


    By the time they left the auction house.


    The sky had darkened.


    The number of people on the roads had gradually dwindled, and many from Wentian Market had already settled in the auxiliary city nearby, as staying overnight in Wentian Market was extremely expensive. However, the cost was nothing for Chen Qiu and his companion.


    One room for one night cost just one spirit stone.


    Two rooms cost just two spirit stones.


    By that time, the restaurants were no longer open, so after returning to the inn and parting ways with Fat Long.


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed and began his cultivation practice for the night, starting with the replacement of his mental method.


    He was going to switch his mental method to the premium Foundation Establishment Stage mental method ¡°Seven Lanterns Inquiry.¡±


    It didn¡¯t require too much effort, just needed to circulate Spiritual Energy to cleanse his Heavenly Dao Foundation, run it several times to wash away the name of the original mental method inscribed on the Heavenly Dao Foundation, and then relearn ¡°Seven Lanterns Inquiry.¡±


    An hour later.


    Chen Qiu exhaled a turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes, his mental method had successfully been changed to ¡°Seven Lanterns Inquiry.¡±


    Last time, when only thirty percent of the Spiritual Energy remained within his Tao Foundation, it took an hour and three Spirit Stones to fill it.


    This was already because of using Spirit Stones, if he were to absorb the wandering Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, it would take at least twenty-four hours.


    After acquiring the ¡°Seven Lanterns Inquiry,¡± a superior mental method for the Foundation Establishment Stage, he could clearly feel the faster rotation of his Heavenly Dao Foundation and the quicker absorption of Spiritual Energy, similar to the last time when only thirty percent of energy was left in his Tao Foundation.


    He estimated it would only take the time it took to drink a cup of tea to fill the Tao Foundation, which was much faster than an hour.


    For him, a good mental method was indispensable.


    The pool might be large, but if the inlet is too small, no matter how big the pool is, it¡¯s useless; nobody can stand taking ten days to half a month to fill it just once.


    Then Chen Qiu closed his eyes again and began to practice the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique,¡± a spell.


    ¡­


    It is only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage that one truly steps onto the path of cultivation.


    At this level of cultivation, there are many ways to improve, unlike in the Qi Refinement Realm where one just needed to increase their cultivation rank; the first thing a cultivator from a formal sect would do after Foundation Establishment is to practice Sword Flight.


    Through Sword Flight, one can fluently familiarize with the process of establishing communication between Spiritual Energy and Spiritual Treasures, gaining not only a new mode of travel but also maximizing the power of other Spiritual Treasures.


    Besides that, there are also simple protective measures like the external release of Spiritual Energy to form Protective Spirit Qi.


    However, Chen Qiu, being an unorthodox Loose Cultivator, had no one to teach him these things; naturally, he had to rely on his own intuition.


    Several hours blinked by.


    When Chen Qiu opened his eyes again, it was already daylight, and he had finally mastered the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique,¡± a spell for the Foundation Establishment Stage, and entered the Great Achievement Realm; he also had an obscure awareness of the might of this spell.


    Whether it¡¯s a spell or a mental method, there are five realms of cultivation mastery: introductory, minor achievement, great achievement, entry to the hall, and great perfection.


    Introductory level only allows one to release a portion of the power, at this realm, the Thunder Summoning Technique would create a thunder as thin as a thumb out of thin air to strike the enemy, effective only within nine feet, beyond which the power rapidly diminishes and dissipates quickly.


    Minor achievement indicates some progress, with power unchanged, but now the attack can reach up to thirty feet.


    By the time it reaches great achievement, one can almost perfectly unleash the power of the spell, with thunder as thick as a wrist, capable of striking enemies within ninety feet.


    The spells at the entry to the hall and great perfection realms unleash thunder as thick as a hundred-year-old tree, with the capability to attack enemies within three hundred feet, truly a sign of culmination of the Cultivation Technique!


    Just that¡­


    To bring a spell to the pinnacle of its realm requires constant usage to comprehend its essence, and the Spiritual Energy within the Foundation is not inexhaustible; it needs time to replenish.


    This is why progress at the Foundation Establishment Stage of cultivation is so slow.


    Besides cycling the mental method, one also needs to enhance their combat strength through practicing spells, swordsmanship, and so on; otherwise, no matter how high your cultivation level is, if you lack a means of defense, you¡¯ll shatter at a single touch, rendering mere cultivation fighting useless.


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 Chapter 38 - 38: Heavenly Treasure, Earthly Storehouse.

    Chapter 38: Chapter 38: ¡®Heavenly Treasure, Earthly Storehouse¡¯.


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled a deep breath of murky air and did not feel tired at all despite not having slept the entire night. After reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage in his cultivation, although he could not practice fasting, his spirit had vastly improved, making him feel many years younger.


    Stepping out of the guest room, Fat Long was waiting outside early, just as he had the day before.


    Together, the two walked out to the bustling Ask Heaven Market, where they saw the two scholars in their usual spot. The scholar was seated cross-legged, cracking sunflower seeds and looking at a comic book in his lap as before, while the bearded, muscular man was no longer meeting guests at the foot of the mountain but stood beside the scholar, silent as a rock.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the wilderness we saw the day before yesterday and test my skills.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡­


    After a brief exchange, Chen Qiu and his three companions once again arrived at the wilderness they had visited two days prior.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, feeling somewhat nervous, then closed his eyes tightly. Moments later, he opened them fiercely.


    Instantly¡ª


    Three thunderbolts, as thick as wrists, appeared out of thin air next to him, and then shot like auroras toward the dry ground in the distance, blasting up countless clouds of dust. When the dust settled, only three basin-sized shallow pits remained.


    Seeing this scene,


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but slightly raise the corners of his mouth, looking down at his right hand, ¡°Is this what using spells feels like?¡± This was his first time using a spell, and it felt great. If he used this method to chop wood, he could surely cut down many trees at once.


    That¡¯s not right.


    He shook his head, dismissing the strange thought that had suddenly sprung up, and then he performed introspection to look at his Foundation Establishment. The spiritual energy that had been difficult to fully store last night within his Foundation Establishment had now decreased to about thirty percent after releasing those three Thunder Summoning Techniques.


    Although powerful, the spell consumed too much spiritual energy.


    However, it proved one thing: as long as the spiritual energy was sufficient, he could indeed cast the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± multiple times in succession.


    ¡°Mr. Chen,¡±


    The scholar, sitting cross-legged nearby, hesitated for a long time before speaking uncertainly, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t confront enemies like this. The spell Mr. Chen used should be the mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage spell ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique,¡¯ which seems to have reached the Great Achievement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Although its power is strong, it consumes too much spiritual energy. Normally, a cultivator at the first level of Foundation Establishment could only use it four or five times before depleting the spiritual energy within their Tao Foundation, putting them in extremely perilous conditions.¡±


    ¡°So typically, early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in combat let their spiritual energy surge into their spiritual weapons, which allows them to save spiritual energy while maximizing their power; they then wait for their enemy to deplete their spiritual energy or show a flaw before releasing a spell for a fatal attack!¡±


    ¡°If you launch a series of spells at the start and if the opponent either dodges or blocks it with a Protective Talisman, then in a low-energy condition, Mr. Chen, your further combat process will always be disadvantaged.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, indicating he understood. He was just testing out the effects; in a real crisis, he certainly wouldn¡¯t act this way, especially since he had 100 talismans stored in his Storage Ring, each equivalent to a full-strength Foundation Establishment Stage attack.


    Given the narrow width of his Tao Foundation, talismans were much more useful than his spells.


    Just then¡ª


    The ground trembled slightly.


    A crimson stone pillar grew from under the earth where the group was looking, stopping its ascent four feet above the ground, while two lines of crimson characters formed from spiritual energy hovered above it.


    ¡°Heavenly Treasure Earth Store.¡±


    ¡°Fate comes on its own.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked somewhat bewildered toward the red stone pillar that pierced the ground and exposed itself in midair. He instinctively took a step back, as his experience over the past few months told him that such inexplicable phenomena often came with crises.


    ¡°It¡¯s Heavenly Treasure Trove!¡±


    While the scholar sat cross-legged on the spot, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in shock, ¡°Mr. Chen, you truly are a person of great Qi Fortune. The Heavenly Treasure Trove is a type of random opportunity in the Cultivation World.¡±


    ¡°It appears without any warning and only lasts for the duration of one tea time.¡±


    ¡°For many years, I¡¯ve often heard of lucky ones who have encountered it, but I¡¯ve never come across it myself. Today is also the first time, and there are many treasures on that red stone pillar, many of which are extremely rare and can only be found in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°Each treasure is priced, but they all have different discounts. As long as you have enough Spirit Stones, you can exchange them for these treasures.¡±


    Though he had once been a Golden Core cultivator, he had never encountered an opportunity like the ¡®Heavenly Treasure Trove.¡¯ There were too many opportunities in the Cultivation World, who could guarantee meeting every opportunity?


    Opportunities like the ¡®Heavenly Treasure Trove,¡¯ if one didn¡¯t have great Qi Fortune, how could they encounter it? But even if one did encounter it, if you happened to not have any Spirit Stones in your pocket, you could only watch the opportunity slip by, showing that you aren¡¯t too fated either.


    However, since Mr. Chen could give him 3100 Spirit Stones, he certainly wasn¡¯t short of Spirit Stones in his pocket.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hearing that the ¡®Heavenly Treasure Trove¡¯ lasted only a tea¡¯s time, Chen Qiu dared not delay any longer and immediately walked over quickly. When he got close, he saw that the surface of the red stone pillar was exactly seven feet wide and seven feet long.


    The surface was a perfect square.


    On the surface of the seven-foot by seven-foot square, it was precisely divided into six grids, each containing an item with a small inscription detailing the item¡¯s name and effects next to it.


    Above each item was a semi-transparent thin film. Just a probe with Divine Sense revealed the power of the Heavenly Dao on this thin film. To force it would definitely not be advisable.


    Each item¡¯s thin film listed the item¡¯s name and price.


    For example, the first grid held ten stacks of talismans.


    ¡°Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman*10.¡±


    ¡°Allows you to absorb Spiritual Energy ten times faster and lasts for one hour.¡±


    ¡°10 Spirit Stones¡±


    ¡°A 10% discount.¡±


    The scholar, worried Mr. Chen was not clear about the market price, had his brother carry him on his shoulders, and then looking over at the six grids on the red stone pillar, he explained, ¡°Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman, a commonly used talisman that can be used in conjunction with Spirit Replenishing Pill.¡±


    ¡°During combat, this talisman can help you quickly replenish the Spiritual Energy in your Tao Foundation, allowing you more Spiritual Energy to use against enemies.¡±


    ¡°The market price for one Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman is 10 Spirit Stones, but here 10 pieces only cost 10 Spirit Stones, which is a great deal, whether for personal use or to resell in the market.¡±


    ¡°While this first grid can make a bit of money, it can¡¯t make too much. Mr. Chen, take a look at the second grid¡¯s ¡®Spirit Beast Ring,¡¯ which has a certain chance of making a severely injured demon beast with a cultivation lesser than the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage recognize you as its master, treating it as a significant combat force.¡±


    ¡°Although it doesn¡¯t have the spirit like those beasts raised from infancy, nor does it have the kind of tacit understanding between a master and a main pet, it¡¯s still good, most importantly because it only costs 50 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°The market price is 200 Spirit Stones.¡±


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 Chapter 39 - 39: Wielding the Power of Heaven and Earth, Slaying Demons and Evil Spirits!

    Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Wielding the Power of Heaven and Earth, Slaying Demons and Evil Spirits!


    Chen Qiu looked around bewilderedly before finally resting his gaze on the red stone pillar. He found it somewhat absurd. Before he transmigrated, he had read immortal novels, and he knew that a recurring theme in these stories was opportunity. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was quite normal.


    But at least those immortal novels had some basic logic to the opportunities, right?


    Like discovering an ancient divine artifact covered in dust at a street stall, or falling into a cliff only to find a powerful person¡¯s secret realm and treasures at the bottom. At the very least, there should have been some twists and hardships before encountering an opportunity, right?


    Yet, in this world he had transmigrated to, the so-called opportunity just burst forth from the ground?


    Whoever was nearby was the destined one?


    ...


    It seemed a bit too childish.


    He threw these jumbled thoughts to the back of his mind. Perhaps a real opportunity should just emerge abruptly from the ground, and whoever approached it first would gain it.


    The items on this red stone pillar were all discounted good stuff. Buying them randomly would definitely not result in a loss.


    He placed the corresponding spirit stones on the translucent membrane of the ¡°Spirit Beast Ring¡± and ¡°Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman¡±. The spirit stones quickly melted into the membrane and disappeared while the membranes above the two items also disappeared correspondingly, allowing them to be freely taken out.


    ¡°Mr. Chen, the first two compartments are ones that talisman masters and artifact refiners can create. The ¡®Heavenly Treasure Repository¡¯ contains many treasures that can only be produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm,¡± said the scholar.


    ¡°And the item in this third compartment is¡­¡±


    Before the scholar could finish, a voice eerily echoed in everyone¡¯s ears, ¡°The item in this third compartment is the ¡®Enlightenment Stone¡¯. With this treasure, any spell below the peak of the Foundation Establishment can instantly comprehend to the Great Perfection realm.¡±


    ¡°To call it the strongest treasure of the Foundation Establishment Stage is not an exaggeration.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary people would need at least a year of rigorous training daily to advance a Foundation Establishment Stage spell to the Great Perfection Realm, but with the Enlightenment Stone, it only takes a moment.¡±


    ¡°Its value is extremely high.¡±


    ¡­


    Fat Long and his companions¡¯ expressions changed slightly. Following their line of sight, they saw a middle-aged man in a red robe with long hair, carried on his back, riding a long crimson sword, shooting towards them.


    His voice reached them before he did.


    By the time the voice fell, the middle-aged man was only a few meters away, floating slightly above them.


    ¡°Heavenly Treasure Repository, destiny approaches. ¡±


    With greed and excitement flickering in his eyes as he looked down at Chen Qiu and the others, the corner of his mouth curled up, ¡°It seems I am more fated than you. You all are also at the Foundation Establishment level. Why don¡¯t you join my ¡®Ten Thousand Souls Banner¡¯ as a team spirit?¡±


    ¡°That would be a double joy!¡±


    ¡°Today is indeed a good day. That fortune-teller in the market square of Ask Heaven included even calculated it right!¡±


    ¡°This person is a demon cultivator, his cultivation is at least at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and he is incredibly ruthless in his actions,¡± the scholar spoke in a slightly distressed tone, then subtly moved his right hand behind his back, preparing to find an opportunity to control his flying sword to escape with Chen Qiu and the others. They definitely couldn¡¯t defeat someone of his cultivation level.


    The strongest among them was him, but he was currently riddled with lethal poison and had no ability to fight. Mr. Chen was their most capable fighter, but his cultivation was only at the first layer of Foundation Establishment Stage, definitely incapable of overcoming the opponent.


    The only option was to run.


    Fortunately, as long as he wanted to run, a demon cultivator at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment couldn¡¯t keep him there.


    ¡°Heehee, quite an accurate judgment~¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Demon cultivator?¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the unsealed treasures on the red stone pillar, then placed his hand on the scholar¡¯s right hand that was prepared to draw the sword and escape, whispering softly, ¡°Are demon cultivators very strong?¡±


    ¡°Very strong, invincible among peers!¡±


    ¡°Can you fight across levels?¡±


    ¡°Almost every demon cultivator can. Demon cultivators don¡¯t seek immortality; they only seek to slay other cultivators who do, before they themselves die!¡±


    ¡°Can one at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage fight against someone in the Golden Core Stage?¡±


    ¡°¡­That definitely can¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, he hadn¡¯t planned to flee. He quite liked the treasures here, and comparatively, self-destructing an entry seemed more cost-effective. He didn¡¯t hesitate further and took the initiative to strike first.


    The white entry ¡°Flawless Body,¡± self-destruct!


    The next second¡ª


    Chen Qiu suddenly felt the Tao Foundation above his Dantian begin to spin rapidly, followed by the sky above the wilderness darkening suddenly. The spiritual energy in the surrounding air began to flow swiftly. Using his divine sense, he could even see a massive tornado formed by the spiritual energy gathering in the sky above his head!


    Immediately after, he sensed the entry ¡°Flawless Body¡± engraved on his Tao Foundation. The white letters started to fall off gradually and traveled through his meridians to his hands, feeling the extremely violent power within them.


    He just subconsciously pushed forward with both hands.


    Then!


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    A bolt of thunder as wide as a dragon suddenly surged from the dark clouds above, striking directly down from the clouds to the ground, reaching the head of the demon cultivator in mid-air who was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage in the blink of an eye!


    Not even a scream was heard.


    Following the thunder, the clouds dispersed in a flash.


    All that remained was the thunder-stricken, completely charred magic treasure that lost all its spiritual essence on the ground, and two shattered storage rings. The shattered storage rings meant that the contents naturally scattered into a different dimension.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu thoughtfully looked down at his right hand. He had been curious about how powerful a full-strength strike enabled by the self-destruction of an entry could be.


    Now he knew.


    An ¡°entry¡± seemed more like a tangible force of the laws of this world. Even a white entry contained powerful law forces, and the energy released in an instant by these law forces after self-destruction was enough to briefly propel him to the next Great Realm, then randomly select one of the spells he cultivated and temporarily elevate it to the Great Perfection Realm.


    This was the full force of a strike at the Golden Core Stage.


    The lightning bolt that could be seen clearly from tens of miles away, crossing the entire sky that had just occurred, was the power brought by unleashing the Thunder Summoning Technique at the Great Perfection Realm by a cultivator in the first level of the Golden Core Stage.


    This¡­ is what it means to be a magic practitioner!


    Control the forces of heaven and earth, slay demons and devils!


    After this trial, he became even more certain of the path he wanted to follow in the future.


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡­this¡­this¡­¡±


    Fat Long pointed somewhat bewilderedly at the pitch-black flying sword that had crashed to the ground, stuttering. He had just been ready to run away at any moment by grabbing his scholar brother¡¯s sleeve, not wanting to be left behind, and suddenly Brother Qiu obliterated the enemy?


    Wasn¡¯t that a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage? Wasn¡¯t Brother Qiu still a mortal a few days ago, and now he could obliterate a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage in an instant?


    Being transmigrators, honestly speaking, Brother Qiu, do you have an extra golden finger?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even the scholar¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, he now believed even more that Mr. Chen was the Young Master of some hidden family outside Da Xia Country. The might of that attack just now might not be perceivable by Fat Long, but he could sense it clearly.


    This was the genuine might of the Golden Core!

 Chapter 40 - 40: Just Two Moves to Start.

    Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Just Two Moves to Start.


    ¡°`


    A Foundation Establishment Cultivator could only unleash the power of a Golden Core through one method, which was to use a Golden Core Stage talisman. However, such talismans, even in the Capital, were extremely rare and incredibly difficult to produce.


    Only the young masters of major clans, who could afford to use Golden Core Stage talismans without batting an eye, could possibly do such a thing.


    Money is indeed good when you have it.


    The scholar thought to himself silently. Although he had been famous and strong in his early years, he had never used a Golden Core talisman. Generally, a Golden Core talisman would not be as strong as his peak full-strength blow, but this feeling of smashing others with Spirit Stones¡­ was indeed very satisfying.


    ¡­


    ...


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu had already thought of an excuse, but, finding that neither the scholar nor Fat Long asked any questions, he was relieved and moved to the front of the ¡°Heavenly Dao Treasure¡± and began taking away the items on it.


    This so-called Demon Cultivation had mentioned the ¡°Enlightenment Stone¡±, which was priced at 1000 Spirit Stones here.


    Though unaware of the market price, he was certain there was a discount. Treasures like this, which could only be produced in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, surely cost a fortune.


    1000 Spirit Stones to save a year of time was a good deal for him.


    He then took the remaining three treasures into his possession as well.


    ¨C


    ¡°Random Teleportation Talisman*1.¡±


    ¡°Random teleportation within a hundred-mile radius.¡±


    ¡°10 Spirit Stones¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spirit Replenishing Pill*100.¡±


    ¡°Can quickly replenish the body¡¯s Spiritual Energy.¡±


    ¡°100 Spirit Stones¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Demon Burning Incense*10.¡±


    ¡°Made from demon oil, once lit, all demon beasts within a ten-mile radius will furiously rush towards the incense and indiscriminately attack all nearby.¡±


    ¡°100 Spirit Stones¡±


    ¨C


    The remaining three items were not expensive and were not exclusive to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Among the six slots, only the ¡°Enlightenment Stone¡± was exclusive to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, that is, according to what he knew from his previous life.


    This unboxing only yielded one red item, the rest were white.


    Fortunately, the items were nearly a steal, and it wasn¡¯t a loss, especially since many of the items were exactly what he urgently needed.


    He spent a total of 1270 Spirit Stones, leaving him with 16586.


    Before leaving, Chen Qiu still attempted to search the bodies. The Flying Sword was completely destroyed upon touch, and the Storage Ring was also perfectly shattered, leaving him with no inheritance¡­which was quite satisfying.


    The death was clean.


    ¡­


    ¡°Why does it feel like there are so many more Foundation Establishment cultivators recently? A demon cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Stage can pop up anytime.¡±


    Fat Long muttered in front of a cave.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal.¡±


    The scholar said softly, ¡°Recently it¡¯s the annual auction of the Ask-Tian Firm, and also the day when the Fufeng City Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is about to open. Naturally, a large number of cultivators will flock here, resulting in a mix of good and bad. Fufeng City itself is just a mortal city, and it¡¯s not common to see a Foundation Establishment Cultivator here.¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few Foundation Establishment families in Fufeng City. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator can form a small family by gathering their relatives, and some close relatives can even take on the title of elder.¡±


    ¡°They can appear quite impressive in front of mortals on ordinary days.¡±


    ¡°But mortals don¡¯t have much money, and these Foundation Establishment families that mainly earn from mortals are basically small fry. The Huang Family is considered not bad in Fufeng City since they have two individuals at the Foundation Establishment, but even they aren¡¯t impressive enough when out in the wider world.¡±


    ¡°None of these families in Fufeng City really count as true clans, but the real clans are extremely terrifying.¡±


    He did not continue further.


    ¡°`


    After all, at that time, he was chased by a family to the point of ¡°no way out under heaven.¡± If I give you face, you¡¯re Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator, a rising star.


    If I don¡¯t give you face, you¡¯re just a Loose Cultivator without a family to back you up.


    It¡¯s just a pity¡­ his sword wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    ¡­


    For the entire next day, the scholar led Chen Qiu and the others around the vicinity of Fufeng City, inch by inch, searching for places with low-level demon beasts. He alone had gone through 89 Qi Replenishing Pills.


    The Pills were almost completely used up.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore¡­ I can¡¯t take any more¡­¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scholar, seated cross-legged and gasping for breath, shook his hand and said with a trembling voice to Chen Qiu, who was handing him a pill, ¡°My body¡¯s tolerance for this pill is nearly at its limit, and the Spiritual Energy isn¡¯t recovering anymore. This pill is having very limited effects on me now; I really don¡¯t have enough Spiritual Energy. Should we continue this tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow?¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned and pondered without speaking. Tomorrow would be the opening day of the Secret Realm; they would not have enough time.


    The scholar¡¯s main job was to scout for Spirit Beasts and then lead them to the spot, ignite the ¡°Demon Burning Incense¡± to attract all the demon beasts within several miles, and then he would kill these demon beasts to sacrifice to his Tao Foundation.


    He had been busy with these tasks from sunrise until now, which was nearing sunset.


    It¡¯s just that the scholar¡¯s Tao Foundation capacity was too small; his Spiritual Energy would run out not long after controlling the Flying Sword, so he had to keep taking Qi Replenishing Pills. Of the 100 Qi Replenishing Pills he had just bought in the ¡°Heavenly Dao Treasure,¡± only 11 were left, and now even the Qi Replenishing Pills had lost their effect.


    ¡°No problem, there¡¯s still a way.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, pulled out a ¡°Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman¡± from his chest, affixed it to the scholar¡¯s body, and took out two Spirit Stones, stuffing them into the scholar¡¯s chest: ¡°There, this should make the absorption of Spiritual Energy quicker, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quicker¡­¡±


    The scholar looked at the talisman on his body with a bit of resignation. He actually wanted to say that he hadn¡¯t been this tired in a long time. Controlling the Flying Sword with Divine Sense was not an easy task.


    Before he found a patron, he thought he was about to die.


    After finding a patron, he felt he might as well have died.


    Why is it so exhausting¡­


    ¡­


    Finally¡ª


    After sunset, Chen Qiu and his group returned to Ask the Sky Market, while the scholar and his companion went to their usual haunt. Chen Qiu took Fat Long and headed towards Ask the Sky Market.


    He too was exhausted, and the day¡¯s events had been especially taxing on him.


    Today, they had slaughtered exactly nine thousand eight hundred and ninety demon beasts, almost wiping out all the stray demon beast groups of the Qi Refinement Realm around Fufeng City.


    The good news: Fufeng City would have a particularly safe period ahead, and those villagers no longer had to worry about demon beasts invading their spirit fields.


    The bad news: the Qi Refinement Realm Cultivators of Fufeng City won¡¯t encounter Qi Refinement Realm demon beasts in their outdoor adventures for a long time, which would slow down their Cultivation progress considerably¡­


    As for the width of his Tao Foundation, it had reached an entire ten thousand millimeters!


    Originally it was one hundred and ten millimeters wide, and being somewhat obsessive-compulsive, he had made it a neat round number.


    Normally, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator¡¯s Tao Foundation is a perfect cube, one hundred millimeters wide and one hundred millimeters tall, looking quite harmonious. His Tao Foundation, on the other hand, had become an extremely flat rectangle, ten thousand millimeters wide and one hundred millimeters tall.


    It was a bit odd.


    But it could accommodate quite a bit more Spiritual Energy. An ordinary cultivator at the first level of Foundation Establishment could only cast a spell like the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± four or five times before their internal Spiritual Energy would be depleted. If his Tao Foundation were to be filled to capacity, he could cast it four or five hundred times!


    Don¡¯t give him any of that nonsense about Sword Cultivators being unparalleled with a single sword stroke or Body Cultivators shaking the heavens with their fists.


    The first thing he would do upon meeting someone would be to smash down four or five hundred Thunder Summoning Techniques. He wanted to see which Body Cultivator could withstand such a stormy barrage. There¡¯s also a difference between Magic Practitioners, okay?


    And when the time came to learn a body-protecting spell.


    He would start with two moves.


    The first move, thousands of defensive spells would rise up out of nowhere.


    The second move, thousands of Attack Magic spells would smash right into your face.


    After all, his Tao Foundation was wide enough, and he had enough Spiritual Energy to squash you with it.

 Chapter 41 - 41:

    Chapter 41: Chapter 41: ¡°Let¡¯s say we have met once before¡­ Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu was immersed in his own fantasies about the future while also feeling a bit of a headache.


    His Tao Foundation was now a full ten thousand miles wide¡­ but it was almost entirely empty, devoid of any Spiritual Energy. There was no way he could fill it up completely.


    To rapidly replenish the Spiritual Energy in his Tao Foundation through absorbing it from Spirit Stones, he would need at least 300 Spirit Stones.


    This is just¡­


    300 Spirit Stones would be enough for a little fellow at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm to shoot straight to Foundation Establishment, yet here they were, only enough to fill up his Tao Foundation with Spiritual Energy?


    For some reason, he had a vague premonition that his unique way of fighting as a Magic Practitioner might indeed be quite powerful, but it could very likely consume a massive amount of Spirit Stones.


    ...


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, wait a moment!¡±


    Chen Qiu was walking along the main road of Wentian Market with Fat Long when he suddenly heard a voice near his ear, turning his head to look at the source of the sound.


    The street was now nearly devoid of pedestrians, and a lonely old man with a full head of silvery hair sat on the side of the road, holding a battered black banner and speaking in a hoarse voice that seemed to laugh non-laugh.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, a few days have passed, and the number of Wandering Ghosts around you has become too many to count.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you let me do a reading for you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll only cost you one Spirit Stone.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, within three days, a grave danger will surely befall you.¡±


    On the black banner, there were two rows of somewhat crooked and twisted characters embroidered with white thread.


    ¡®Dare not divine it all, for fear of heaven, earth, and spirits.¡¯


    ¡®Words can¡¯t be spoken plainly, lest the world falls into chaos.¡¯


    ¡°Can you speak?¡±


    Fat Long reached the old man¡¯s side with an expressionless face, squatted down, and spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°Those in your line of work can¡¯t get any business without cursing people, right?¡±


    ¡°Not so, not so.¡±


    The old man shook his head, stroked his beard, and laughed mysteriously, ¡°Divination is a tradition of ten thousand years, it isn¡¯t about deception.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu also squatted down in front of the old man, chuckling as he tossed out a Spirit Stone, ¡°Then give me a reading and let¡¯s see what you can come up with.¡±


    This was already his second encounter with the old man.


    Seeing this, a glint flashed in the old man¡¯s eyes, and he hastily stuffed the Spirit Stone into his chest as if fearing it would be snatched away in the next second, then he closed his eyes and began to murmur mysteriously while making calculations with his fingers.


    At that moment¡ª


    ¡°Hey! You immortal conman, are you scamming people again?¡±


    A voice suddenly erupted on the street, and dozens of Wentian Market guards were seen hurrying over, while the old man picked up his black banner and ran toward an alley without looking back.


    He hadn¡¯t run far when it seemed he remembered something, abruptly ran back to Chen Qiu¡¯s side, said a few urgent words, and then hurried off once again, vanishing into the distance of the alley.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mr. Chen, you weren¡¯t swindled, were you?¡±


    ¡°This old guy has been in Wentian Market for over a decade, and he doesn¡¯t really know how to predict anything; he just makes things up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the old man¡¯s departing back and looked at the head of the guards with a smile, ¡°Thanks for the warning. Are you off duty?¡±


    He remembered this guard, the one who had collected the body after he killed the Huang Family¡¯s Seventh Elder at the city gate of the market.


    ¡°Not yet, we¡¯re on patrol tonight.¡±


    The head guard spoke helplessly, ¡°Whatever that old guy says, you shouldn¡¯t believe it. I remember there was a man he fooled into believing that if you knelt and kowtowed towards the east every morning, the next random entry for your child who breaks through a layer in the Qi Refinement Realm would definitely be a good one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that isn¡¯t just fooling people? Mainly because when I tried to explain it to that man, he wouldn¡¯t believe me, saying that the old guy didn¡¯t even take a penny from him, so why would he lie to him?¡±


    ¡°Why the east?¡±


    ¡°Because where he sits every day is just to the east of that family¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t believe anything he says, anyway. Today there was even a Cultivator in a red robe with long hair who came to have his fortune told by the old guy, and he seemed excited as he departed, flew off towards the west right after leaving the city, looking like he got fooled quite badly too,¡± said the head guard.


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s expression suddenly became odd, ¡°You mean a Cultivator in a red robe with long hair?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one, do you know him?¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say we¡¯ve met before¡­¡±


    Fat Long fell silent suddenly, remembering that Demon Cultivator who had mentioned before that a fortune-teller in Wentian Market told him he would encounter double happiness that day. It seemed this fortune-teller might indeed be inaccurate.


    They didn¡¯t continue the conversation.


    The two parties went their separate ways, and Chen Qiu stood in place with his eyes narrowed slightly, pondering something.


    Before escaping into the alley, the old man had returned to whisper a few words to him, which left Chen Qiu momentarily uncertain about their significance.


    ¡°Kid, it¡¯s true that I was spouting nonsense with the fortune-telling, but with your case, I actually do know something.¡±


    ¡°You definitely have a green entry ¡®Resentful Spirit Summoning.¡¯ Don¡¯t look at me like that, the resentful energy on you is almost ten fathoms higher than Wentian Fang Market. I could see the resentful energy over your head before you even entered the city¡ªit¡¯s too eye-catching.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen someone with this entry before, and it is indeed a very powerful one. It can turn the creatures you¡¯ve killed into resentful spirits that attach to you and fight on your behalf for an hour.¡±


    ¡°But think about it, resentful spirits are born from deep resentful energy. Ordinary people would catch a cold or get sick just by touching them, not to mention dying of serious illnesses if they stay for too long. You¡¯re directly carrying six or seven thousand of them, are you trying to become the Resentful Spirit King or what!¡±


    ¡°You must deal with all these resentful spirits within three days, or the consequences will be unimaginable. I¡¯ve seen someone with this entry before; within just half a year, the person went completely mad, neither human nor ghost. Another half a year later, they were found having bizarrely hung themselves in a desolate temple outside the city, where the body was already rotten and crawling with maggots.¡±


    ¡°The resentful spirits on you are far more numerous than his. When using this entry, make sure not to store too many resentful spirits on yourself and¡­ remember at all costs, the stronger the resentful spirit compared to your strength, the faster the corruption will be.¡±


    ¡°If you can find a way to remove this entry, do so as soon as possible. Otherwise, no matter how careful you are in using it, the resentful spirits will still corrode you. It¡¯s only a matter of how fast. I¡¯ve never seen anyone with this entry die a peaceful death.¡±


    ¡°Look after yourself. For this Spirit Stone, I truly didn¡¯t earn it in vain.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu, what are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and after pondering with a frown for a while, he then turned to Fat Long and asked, ¡°Have you felt the weather getting colder?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s almost winter, of course it¡¯s getting colder.¡±


    ¡°What I mean is, have you felt a chill?¡±


    ¡°What kind of chill?¡±


    Fat Long, somewhat confused, touched the back of Chen Qiu¡¯s hand, then suddenly jumped up with a shudder: ¡°Brother Qiu, why is your body so cold? It¡¯s like you¡¯re a dead corpse.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say anything else but shook his head and headed straight for the guest room. Although he had been feeling cold these past few days, he hadn¡¯t taken it seriously, assuming it was just the dropping temperatures. Being prompted by the fortune-teller, he indeed felt something subtly amiss.


    He was carrying more than six thousand demon beast resentful spirits, including the one from a demon cultivator with a seventh-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivation. These were all supposed to be his trump cards, prepared for slow use in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that was soon to open in Fufeng City.


    Carrying so many resentful spirits on oneself was indeed a bit excessive.


    So be it.


    Once he entered the Secret Realm tomorrow, he planned to release all these resentful spirits, lest they actually corrode him. Releasing so many resentful spirits all at once, he just hoped it wouldn¡¯t frighten the other cultivators also entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Tsk.


    ¡­


    That night, using the Enlightenment Stone, Chen Qiu raised his cultivation of the Thunder Summoning Technique to the highest level, which is Great Perfection. A mysterious understanding suddenly emerged in his mind.


    The three characters of the Thunder Summoning Technique, inscribed on his Tao Foundation, seemed to grow even deeper.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique he could now unleash was as thick as a hundred-year-old tree and capable of striking enemies within a hundred fathoms. Such a move was already difficult to defend against for an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator at level one.


    And he could unleash it four or five hundred times.


    This was the power of the pink entry ¡®Dantian Expansion (Unique).¡¯


    But before going to sleep,


    Chen Qiu sighed softly, took out a pile of Spirit Stones from his bosom, and laid them on the bed to start absorbing enough Spiritual Energy to fill his Tao Foundation. Even with his superior mental method for Foundation Establishment, ¡®Seven Lights Questioning the World,¡¯ this was still a very time-consuming task.


    An hour consisted of eight quarters, with the time of three cups of tea equaling one quarter.


    Last time, it took him the time of one cup of tea to fill his Tao Foundation. This time, it took¡­ less than half an hour to fill his Tao Foundation.


    This was because he used a ¡®Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Soul Absorption Talisman.¡¯ Otherwise, it would have taken at least four hours.


    Forget about not sleeping tonight, he wouldn¡¯t even make it to the Secret Realm.


    That was just ten thousandths, what to do if it were a hundred thousandths in the future¡­


    Lost in his thoughts, Chen Qiu drifted into a fitful sleep. A great battle awaited him tomorrow, and he needed an early rest to prepare for the next day.


    ¡­


    The next day, at dawn.


    Chen Qiu set out early with his companion from Wentian Fang Market, bringing along the two scholars, and returned to Fufeng City.


    Last time he left Fufeng City in a rush; this time, he was unsure of the whereabouts of those who had pursued them. If fate allowed them to meet again, it would be a good opportunity to let the other party realize what it meant to see someone in a new light after just three days.


    Today¡¯s Fufeng City was bustling due to the soon-to-open Secret Realm.


    The streets were filled with vendors shouting out their wares. Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who were seldom seen on ordinary days, were almost everywhere today. The arrogant young masters of Foundation Establishment families, who were usually quite conspicuous, were nowhere to be seen today; no one knew which corner they were cowering in.


    Just upon entering the city,


    A disheveled boy, eyes lighting up at the sight of Chen Qiu and his party¡¯s luxurious robes, jogged over with a look of anticipation and said somewhat nervously, ¡°Greetings to the four Immortals. An hour from now at the city square, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with the entries ¡®Bull Strength¡¯ and ¡®self-extinguishing root¡¯ is planning to publicly chop up eight bulls to see what random entries he may get.¡±


    ¡°Would you Immortals be interested in watching?¡±


    ¡°For just one Spirit Stone, you can watch from a close distance, and all the random entries obtained will be publicly shown to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Many from the great families and sect disciples have gone. There are so many people there, it¡¯s quite lively.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­?¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s expression slowly turned peculiar. A public execution?


    Could this be the guy from the auction who spent 1500 Spirit Stones on the green entry ¡®self-extinguishing root¡¯?

 Chapter 42 - 42: Entry Name: Stepping on the Path of Immortality.

    Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Entry Name: Stepping on the Path of Immortality.


    ¡°`


    ¡°What do you say, Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°`


    Fat Long stroked the smooth head of the lad and turned his head toward Chen Qiu. His heart actually harbored the idea of going to see for himself. He was indeed a bit curious to see what sort of thing this person could gamble out.


    But, after all, Chen Qiu was the one in charge, so he could not make decisions on his own.


    The Flower Offering Sect was not considered a particularly righteous sect. He had managed to survive in the Flower Offering Sect, even breaking through small realms in his cultivation multiple times within the sect, relying not just on his unique secret techniques, but more so on his ability to read the room.


    ...


    Who could refuse a lackey who never opposed you and did whatever you said?


    To be an excellent leader,


    You need to be sufficiently strong, you need to know how to win people¡¯s hearts, you need to have a big-picture mindset, you need to interact with many powers, you need to provide enough benefits to those beneath you, and so on.


    And to be an excellent lackey,


    You just need to find an excellent leader and then follow closely behind them.


    Which one is simpler is self-evident.


    At least with Brother Qiu¡¯s current progress, as long as he did not die prematurely, he felt he was definitely more comfortable than his past life in the Flower Offering Sect.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡±


    Chen Qiu fiddled with the Jade Feather Fan in his hand and signaled for the lad to lead the way.


    ¡°Alrighty.¡±


    The lad excitedly waved his hand to signal to the coachman with the horse-drawn carriage nearby to come over and pick up the customers. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Qiu and his group had arrived at their destination, the central square of Fufeng City.


    A square platform, about three feet high.


    Not a single weed in sight, and on the platform, one could vaguely see the mottled bloodstains left by time. Normally, whatever announcements the City Lord Mansion had were made here and then distributed throughout Fufeng City.


    Occasionally, it served other purposes, like beheadings, for instance.


    Today, the place was already full of people.


    Around the platform, numerous chairs were neatly placed, with many spectators already sitting and waiting, chatting with each other, while the rooftops of nearby low buildings were also temporarily outfitted with railings and were filled with people.


    All along the way,


    Chen Qiu noticed that in many corners of Fufeng City, Mother-Child Mirrors were relaying real-time images of the square.


    Mother-Child Mirror.


    It was a kind of special Spiritual Treasure, whose sole function was to transmit the scene from one place to the other in real time; one mother mirror generally came with twelve child mirrors, and it was quite valuable. It was somewhat similar to the Sound Transmission Ring, but not exactly the same. This was fixed and not portable, plus it had a shorter range, but the image quality was clearer.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    Fat Long licked his lips and glanced around, ¡°There sure are a lot of people.¡±


    ¡­


    And at that moment, in a courtyard surrounding the square,


    Minister Liu was facing about a dozen dirty-looking children, meticulously instructing: ¡°Have you all remembered what I just said? Remember, you must add that many descendants from great families and Major Sects are here.¡±


    ¡°Go now.¡±


    ¡°For each person you bring in, I¡¯ll give you 100 wen!¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As his voice fell,


    These dirty children¡¯s eyes brimmed with excitement as they rushed out the door. For them, 100 wen was quite a fortune.


    And after these children had left,


    ¡°`


    The middle-aged man standing next to Minister Liu said with a bitter expression, ¡°Minister Liu, although I¡¯ve left the entire matter in your hands, isn¡¯t it a bit much to invest so much? Not only giving gifts but also renting those expensive garments¡­.¡±


    ¡°What if we lose out?¡±


    ¡°My lord.¡±


    Minister Liu sighed softly, his expression turned solemn as he looked at the lord, ¡°When have I ever made you take a loss?¡±


    ¡°Although Fufeng City doesn¡¯t have a rule about reporting large events to the government, just think, if we don¡¯t report and don¡¯t give them some benefits, and we cause such a big commotion in Fufeng City, what do you think the City Lord will think?¡±


    ¡°And if Fufeng City doesn¡¯t send troops to maintain order for us, wouldn¡¯t there be some petty thieves who might come to cause trouble?¡±


    ¡°Renting those expensive garments is also a must, my lord. Do you know what the scions of these influential families and Major Sects fear the most? They all carry a sense of superiority in their hearts and dread being seen as having poor taste the most.¡±


    ¡°So when we promote the event, we must say that many people of the same status as them will be present; otherwise, they might think that watching someone chop up a bull is an embarrassing affair.¡±


    ¡°Once they arrive at the scene and see that everyone¡¯s attire is not cheap, they will naturally want to blend in with the crowd and won¡¯t feel embarrassed anymore. People¡¯s IQ often drops by half when they follow the crowd!¡±


    ¡°Trust me, my lord; we definitely won¡¯t lose out this time. With the Spirit Stones we¡¯ve collected so far, we¡¯ve already broken even. It¡¯s just a matter of how much we will earn. Just wait for my good news.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The middle-aged man sighed deeply and patted Minister Liu¡¯s shoulder helplessly, ¡°Minister Liu, I¡¯m not doubting your abilities, but I¡¯m indeed a bit anxious in my heart¡­ have I ever told you that I¡¯m quite afraid of pain?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu and the others had been waiting in the square for over half an hour. The crowd around them was growing more and more dense, and the noise of conversations became more and more chaotic, yet he managed to gather quite a bit of information from the chatter of these people.


    Like the two people beside him.


    ¡°Who knows which family the friend who is going to chop the bull belongs to, they¡¯ve got a lot of nerve, randomly drawing eight white or green entries, aren¡¯t they afraid of accidentally drawing a Demon Cultivation Term and getting themselves killed?¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ if they happen to draw the classic Demon Cultivation Terms¡ª¡¯Should one embark on the path to immortality, sever parents and slaughter children first.''¡±


    ¡°Those Fufeng City soldiers maintaining order would probably charge forward and surround him for the kill. This guy is betting fiercely; I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to gamble like that in public. Isn¡¯t that the same as betting with your life?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, after all, only he can see his entries. If he doesn¡¯t display them, isn¡¯t that the end of it?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that just directly indicate he has something to hide? And so many people are here to see what entries he will bet on. He has collected the Spirit Stones but won¡¯t let people see the entries? Is he kidding?¡±


    From the conversation of these two people, Chen Qiu came to know.


    Many entries are suitable for Demon Cultivation and Evil Cultivation, but these entries will not explicitly indicate to you, ¡°this entry is suitable for Demon Cultivation.¡± Instead, if you want to fully utilize the entry, that¡¯s what makes your practice Demon Cultivation.


    If you choose not to use this entry, firmly deciding not to become a Demon Cultivator, then it¡¯s fine as well.


    As long as you don¡¯t expose your entry in public or go to places that require entry inspections, it¡¯s basically fine. Having a knife in hand indeed means you could become a butcher, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you will become one.


    Only when you receive the Potion for breaking through the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm and acquire the first random entry, being assigned a Demon Cultivation or Evil Cultivation entry will result in immediate execution. At other times, as long as you don¡¯t ask for trouble, no one will bother you.


    Actually, this is akin to strict laws being enforced leniently: as long as you don¡¯t make a spectacle of yourself, you won¡¯t be troubled.


    Of course¡­


    Those who go to the City Lord to receive Potions are generally poor people, and once given such an opportunity, most would rather become Demon Cultivators in order to change their dire living conditions.


    Like¡ª


    The most classic entry for Demon Cultivation, also the most widely spread and most recognizable one.


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Embarking on the Immortal Path.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White entry.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: For each direct blood relative within three generations that you kill, earn three Spirit Stones.

 Chapter 43 - 43:

    Chapter 43: Chapter 43: ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m not that afraid of pain.


    It was exactly because this entry was the most widely circulated and recognizable that the ubiquitous Jianghu saying of Demon Cultivation came into existence.


    ¡°The day you step onto the path of immortality, first kill your parents, then your child!¡±


    Perhaps when you first acquired the entry, you had no such thoughts, but this entry would plant a seed of Demon Cultivation in your mind. As the days became tougher, a particularly fierce argument might cloud your judgment.


    A rash slash of the knife.


    The appearance of three Spirit Stones, a sight of wealth you¡¯d never seen before, made your eyes turn red with greed, prompting you to start panting heavily. Afterward¡­


    Congratulations, you have become a Demon Cultivator.


    ...


    Alone in the world, the heavens and the earth seem vast.


    ¡­


    ¡°Frankly speaking, this immortality-stepping entry suits you quite well¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head towards Fat Long and teased, ¡°You have that Hundred Percent Accuracy, just find ten thousand girls, and ten months later, you¡¯ll have ten thousand direct descendants¡ªthat¡¯s thirty thousand Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, Fat Long finally spoke hoarsely, ¡°Brother Qiu, I might indeed not have the highest moral baseline, but I¡¯m surely not that beastly, am I?¡±


    ¡°Is that even human?¡±


    ¡°Even if you become a beast, you need to have some bottom lines, right?¡±


    Chen Qiu started laughing and shook his head without saying more, finally understanding why some entries were Demon Cultivation Terms. He believed most people upon obtaining such an entry would never consider using it.


    But¡­life is long.


    The seed will eventually sprout until one day you suddenly realize¡­it¡¯s just some minor hardships after all, followed by a ¡®One thought controls all.¡¯


    Just at that moment¡ª


    Several fireworks burst into the high sky, followed by a middle-aged man with a somewhat pale face stepping onto the stage. He was naked, holding only a thin short sword in his hand. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Without any opening remarks, his ferocious scream quieted the audience instantly as he stood gasping for air.


    After a few moments, he still hadn¡¯t swung his sword.


    None in the audience urged him; many had even already twisted their faces and leaned back in their chairs¡ªthe pain seemed palpable even before the sword had slashed down.


    There were many female cultivators at the scene, yet they didn¡¯t act coy like mortal women but watched boldly, their faces filled with curiosity.


    ¡°Nine Ox Power.¡±


    Not a particularly popular White entry, but still many had heard of it since White entries are the most numerous, making many of them well-known due to their sheer volume.


    Yet, this might be the first time most cultivators saw someone with the Nine Ox Power entry in action.


    ¡°Roar!!!¡±


    Finally¡ª


    After dozens of moments, the middle-aged man on stage roared, his sword carrying a murderous intent as he, under everyone¡¯s gaze, grabbed one and stabbed directly downward.


    ¡°Puchi!¡±


    Blood gushed out, as Spiritual Energy quickly surged to the wound, momentarily stopping the bleeding.


    After doing introspection within his body, the middle-aged man swung his right hand, and a panel made of Spiritual Energy appeared overhead.


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Audience.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: When you are in a crowd, your presence becomes significantly reduced.


    ¡­


    As the entry panel emerged, many from the audience started clapping. It wasn¡¯t that the entry was particularly good, but it felt¡­ really lively.


    Here were many from the Major Sects.


    They had seen much of the world.


    Even though they had witnessed Pink Entries, this was the first time they saw someone gambling over entries. It was an exciting feeling, both hoping to see a good entry turn up and not.


    Just one Spirit Stone to watch such an event was truly worthwhile.


    It felt like watching stone gambling.


    ¡°The second sword!!!¡±


    The middle-aged man on stage gritted his teeth and screamed again as he lifted the short sword. Although no one there knew him, he was the Family Head of a Foundation Establishment family. Standing naked and watched by the public caused him a mix of pain, shame, and a hint of fear of drawing a Demon Cultivation term.


    His emotions were extremely complex.


    But he knew what Mentor Liu said was right; to enjoy the bliss uncommon to others, one must endure the hardships others can¡¯t. He had started from scratch, what¡¯s face worth anyway, just a cheap thing.


    It¡¯s just that being a Family Head for so long got him a bit burdened, if it were before, not to mention being naked, as long as there were enough Spirit Stones, he would even perform in live spring shows on the stage!


    ¡­


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    Another sword stabbed down.


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Alchemy Posture.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: The success rate of your alchemy will slightly increase.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists are awesome!!!¡±


    ¡°Exciting!¡±


    ¡°This is making me more thrilled than when I broke through the Foundation Establishment with three choices!¡±


    The atmosphere below was getting better, with many enthusiastically clapping and cheering on. These sect descendants usually stayed within their sects, and if not for the appearance of a Secret Realm in Fufeng City, they barely had chances to leave their sects. This entertainment excited them immensely.


    The demeanor they purposely maintained while in the mortal city relaxed instantly and returned to their true natures.


    ¡­


    The third sword!


    The fourth sword!


    The fifth sword!


    With each sword, the atmosphere became increasingly lively, and even Fat Long couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cheer loudly. He might be the most empathetic among them, as he truly had nine.


    Watching the middle-aged man gamble on entries felt especially thrilling as though he was personally on the battlefield.


    However¡ª


    As the sixth strike descended,


    the middle-aged man on stage suddenly stood rooted in shock, as if he had randomly received an extraordinary entry, and after a few moments, a panel slowly emerged above his head.


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Nine Ox Power.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Possess nine oxen.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The audience, who had been excitedly jeering up until then, suddenly stood dumbfounded with complex expressions, only to see that the middle-aged man, who had already chopped six, leaving three, but after randomly receiving this entry,


    was replenished to nine.


    The audience then learned a potential rule about entries: When you possess a number of oxen and randomly receive the ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± entry, it doesn¡¯t give you nine additional oxen; rather, it replenishes the total to nine.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man on stage, somewhat bewildered, tilted his head toward the officer standing below the platform, unsure how to proceed. Could one encounter the same entry twice?


    Was this good or bad?


    It seemed he could earn a few more entries¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the middle-aged man on stage with a strange expression. Honestly, even he felt tempted. If one were exceptionally lucky and kept getting the ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± entry every time, wouldn¡¯t one potentially continue endlessly, like a perpetual motion machine?


    And his biggest trump card at the moment was¡ª


    ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡±!


    This entry allowed him to unleash an attack far exceeding his strength by one Great Realm.


    One very important point was¡­


    This entry was merely a White entry, and he didn¡¯t know how many White entries there were, but if a person continually had the chance to draw White entries, there was certainly a good chance they could draw this one.


    By then¡­ the gains wouldn¡¯t just be a few Spirit Stones.


    ¡­


    The atmosphere swiftly became subdued, but soon the audience excitedly started making noise again. The more chopping, the more chances to bet, and the more fun they found it.


    Continue!


    There were nine again, starting from the first cut!


    The second cut!


    The third cut!


    Until the eighth cut!


    ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± appeared again!


    Again replenished to nine, only the fourteen pieces of bloody meat that fell on the platform proved that a tremendously bloody disaster had taken place here.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The audience stopped talking; everyone¡¯s smiles gradually faded, expressionlessly watching the increasingly proficient middle-aged man chopping his own ¡°bulls.¡±


    The first cut, the second cut, the third cut!


    Until the fourth cut¡ª


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Self-Destruction Term.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You may detonate any entry to initiate an attack one Realm Cultivation greater than your current cultivation level.


    ¨C


    When this panel appeared above the man¡¯s head, the audience was totally silent.


    Everyone stood there expressionlessly, silent.


    It took the man on stage quite some time to realize what had occurred; with an excited expression, he bounced up, chopping the remaining few bulls, leaving one for himself, then gathered all the bulls that had fallen on the ground and packed them up.


    He looked at the audience with a somewhat frenzied expression, excitedly yelling and then sprinting off the stage.


    He tightly hugged the still-stunned officer below, hysterically excited to the point of incoherence, ¡°Officer Liu!!! Wang Family is extremely fortunate to have you; you are at the same level as me in the Wang Family now!!¡±


    ¡°In the future, we will enjoy wealth and honor together!!!¡±


    ¡°What a thrill, chopping bulls is truly fucking thrilling!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so fucking happy!¡±


    The stage was silent, the audience was excited.


    The stage was excited, the audience was silent.


    You see.


    The joys and sorrows of people really are not the same, the emotions of those on and off the stage can never be in sync.


    ¡­


    The play ended just like that.


    After sitting in silence for a long time, the audience almost simultaneously took out Sound Transmission Talismans from their robes, spreading the news about today¡¯s events in Fufeng City to their respective sects and powers; they needed to reevaluate the value of the ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± + ¡°self-extinguishing root¡± entries.


    As expected,


    the ¡°self-extinguishing root¡± entry¡¯s price was likely to skyrocket in the future.


    They could not remember how many entries the man on stage had, but they could confirm that, in a way, this man was already in the Golden Core Stage, and that too under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes.


    His underlying Foundation Establishment Family could now be considered a Semi-Step Golden Core Family.


    Maybe calling them a Golden Core Family was a bit of a stretch, but they would definitely be the strongest among all Foundation Establishment Families.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long also stayed silent for a long time before he murmured, ¡°Suddenly, I have some regrets.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m not that afraid of pain.¡±

 Chapter 44 - 44:

    Chapter 44: Chapter 44: ¡°Steward Liu, do you think there is anyone in the Secret Realm who can rival me?


    ¡°`


    It¡¯s not so much regret as it is envy.


    The man on the stage who¡¯d gone completely mad was just lucky, not only did he randomly get two ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± entries, but he also got the ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡±. How many people could boast such luck? Now that¡¯s what you truly call a gamble on entries.


    And Fat Long did not consider himself particularly fortunate. Even if he had another chance, he¡¯d probably not choose the ¡°self-extinguishing root¡±. Pain was only one reason, the main reason he felt things were fine as they were, and the pleasures of the bedroom were, after all, quite enjoyable. Besides, aesthetically, it¡¯s much better than eight bloody holes and not as good as the Nine Ox.


    One could only say it was fate, that this middle-aged man was destined for this fortune.


    However, this also proved from a certain perspective, that even the most useless-looking White entries, as long as one is fated to obtain and match them with the right entries, can be useful. The challenge is precisely in obtaining the entries that can match.


    ...


    ¡­


    The drama had come to a close.


    The audience in the square had gradually departed, yet the smiles on everyone¡¯s faces had disappeared without them noticing and what mattered most now was not envy, it wasn¡¯t witnessing a lucky fellow soar to the heavens.


    It was whether this damn Foundation Establishment man¡¯s Cultivation had exceeded the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment!!!


    If it hadn¡¯t¡­


    Having such a monster with them in the Secret Realm, there would be no point in thinking about competing for treasures, all they would need to do is run for their lives. What was supposed to be a ¡®challenge¡¯ type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm would completely turn into a survival game.


    None of the people present were confident they could handle such a monster.


    ¡°Um¡­ Boss.¡±


    In a corner of the square, a thin man clad in a cloak cautiously approached a brawny man beside him and hesitated, ¡°Are we still going to follow him to look for an opportunity to make a move?¡±


    This spectacle had attracted quite a crowd, including desperados. Their thoughts were simple, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator carrying so many Spirit Stones was no different from a walking spirit stone mine.


    If they didn¡¯t rob him, it would be like refusing the gifts of heaven, and they would surely be struck by divine punishment.


    They would be courting retribution.


    But now it looked like it wasn¡¯t a good time to make a move.


    ¡°Rob your mother¡¯s head!!!¡±


    The brawny man, somewhat infuriated and embarrassed, slapped the cloak off the thin man¡¯s head, ¡°If I said let¡¯s go rob, would you dare be the first motherfucker to go?¡±


    ¡°I dare.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    The brawny man angrily turned and walked towards the exit of the square. What he forgot was this, that his brother had the courage to risk his life, who could have predicted that this man¡¯s luck could be so good? Not only didn¡¯t he snatch a single Spirit Stone, but he also lost two Spirit Stones for nothing.


    Pure fucking nonsense!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in a courtyard in the center of the square.


    Wang Tiedan, the middle-aged man who had gotten lucky, was now excitedly standing in the courtyard, looking towards the west side of Fufeng City with anticipation, ¡°Heaven truly favors me, who could have thought that I, Wang Tiedan at the age of fifty-six, would still encounter such an opportunity!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I had already given up on the idea of climbing higher, but now it seems possible that I might not have to give up on reaching the Golden Core Stage in my lifetime!¡±


    ¡°My Cultivation is at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, just right to enter the soon-to-open Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Steward Liu, do you think anyone in that Secret Realm can match me?¡±


    ¡°`


    He originally had no intention of entering the Secret Realm. He was just taking advantage of the crowd to make a quick profit. However, times had changed, and now he was equipped with dozens of talismans, each with the full strength of a third-level Golden Core strike.


    His confidence soared.


    Perhaps he could gradually shift his focus away from his family and once again set foot on the Cultivation Path. After so many years without descending into a Secret Realm, he found himself missing it. Back then, he hadn¡¯t yet broken through to Foundation Establishment, and he remembered the fellow Daoists he met along the way, eager to charge into the Secret Realm.


    They battled through challenges and were the last ones standing.


    It was incredibly satisfying, but as one grows older, their courage dims. He no longer possessed the same fervor and even felt a sense of fear when thinking about the past. Truly, ignorance knows no fear.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing to the side, Minister Liu let out a resigned sigh before waving his hand to dismiss the servants nearby and spoke with a serious expression, ¡°My lord, let me sort this out for you, your emotions are a bit too agitated right now.¡±


    ¡°First of all, we have definitely won this time, and won very convincingly.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention anything else, just the Spirit Stones alone we¡¯ve earned over 5,000 pieces. That¡¯s already equivalent to more than a decade of our family¡¯s Spirit Stone output, and this batch of Spirit Stones can also serve as very good seed capital.¡±


    ¡°My lord, although you are now akin to half-step Golden Core, think about it, can you defeat a true Golden Core expert?¡±


    ¡°How many times can you use your full-strength strike? How many times can a Golden Core expert use theirs?¡±


    ¡°A Golden Core expert can withstand your full-strength strike, but can you withstand a Golden Core expert¡¯s full-strength strike?¡±


    ¡°A Golden Core expert can control everything within dozens of miles with a single thought. My lord, can you outrun a Golden Core expert?¡±


    ¡°To use a phrase from my hometown, you¡¯re currently a target with high attack but low defense and low mobility. Bullying the weak may work, but facing the strong, it¡¯s impossible for you to win.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Wang Tiedan¡¯s head, snapping him back to reality. After a long while, he muttered, ¡°Minister Liu, what you say makes a lot of sense, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that before I had these entries, I had to keep laying low. Now that I already have so much strength from these entries, I still have to keep hiding my power. Then isn¡¯t all the pain I¡¯ve endured fucking pointless?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Minister Liu shook his head with a serious look and replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say? Bullying the weak is fine. So let¡¯s go bully the weak, that¡¯s all. What good does it do to kill all those disciples from the Major Sects and powerful families in the Secret Realm?¡±


    ¡°If a few of them die in normal Secret Realm skirmishes, those sects won¡¯t make much fuss about it. It¡¯s very common for people to die in the Secret Realm. But if you go on a killing spree like you suggested, the Golden Cores from those sect families will come after you. My lord, how would you deal with that?¡±


    ¡°Provoking such major powers has no benefits whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°Now everyone knows you possess the strength comparable to that of the Golden Core Stage. This is a deterrent. We should use this deterrence to harshly bully the Foundation Establishment families. We can¡¯t provoke the Golden Core Powers, but aren¡¯t the Foundation Establishment families easy to crush?¡±


    ¡°The weak deserve to be trampled mercilessly!¡±


    ¡°Once we bully the Foundation Establishment families and obtain a large amount of Spirit Stones and Cultivation Resources to grow stronger, with each small realm breakthrough in your Cultivation, my lord, your deterrence will increase. When you break through to the Golden Core Stage and possess Nascent Soul combat power, then we can go bully those Golden Core Powers fiercely!¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful?¡±


    ¡°It makes sense,¡± Wang Tiedan pondered thoughtfully for a long time before hesitantly saying, ¡°There¡¯s just one small problem. You say that if I¡¯m close to breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, will those Golden Core experts just let me break through so easily?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®hard to say¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I were a Golden Core expert living near you, I would already be on my way to kill you.¡±

 Chapter 45 - 45:

    Chapter 45: Chapter 45: ¡°The Da Xia Beauty Rankings¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master.¡±


    Liu the Steward again soothed, ¡°There will indeed be certain dangers, but in this world, what can ever be entirely safe? We can¡¯t just stop moving forward because there might be risks on the road ahead, just like you can¡¯t stop living today simply because you¡¯ll die one day.¡±


    ¡°When the time comes, there will always be a path to follow.¡±


    Besides, there¡¯s a good chance that even Golden Core experts won¡¯t come after you, considering the explosion of those dozens of entries at once, even a Golden Core expert couldn¡¯t bear it. Even if they could kill you, they¡¯d definitely be seriously injured. Even Demon Cultivation practitioners wouldn¡¯t do something that harms others without benefiting themselves.¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡­¡±


    Wang Tiedan looked towards the west of Fufeng City with some regret. After listening to Liu the Steward¡¯s analysis, he realized that entering the Secret Realm was indeed not an option, but the gains from this trip were still incredibly substantial. Carrying so many Spirit Stones back to Yuncheng, hundreds of miles away, was more than enough to accomplish a great deal.


    ...


    ¡­


    Seeing that the Master¡¯s mood had been steadied,


    Liu the Steward finally let out a sigh of relief, dressed in a black robe with one hand held behind his back, he gazed complexly into the distance. A year ago, he had transmigrated to this strange world¡ªfrom nearly starving to death at the very beginning to finally having a little bit of authority.


    The family he supported was prospering more by the day, and his own status was on the rise.


    He had actually approached Wang Tiedan on purpose. Back then, he had secretly selected many powers to pledge allegiance to and ultimately chose the Yuncheng Wang Family for a simple reason: the Wang Family began from scratch, and as a first-generation Family Head had considerable say, with little internal intrigue or complications.


    Secondly¡­ the Wang Family Master seemed a bit foolish, honest, timid, indecisive, and lacked courage.


    All seemingly flaws,


    but to him, they were advantages. Such a master wouldn¡¯t kill the donkey once the grinding is done, and at the very least, he¡¯d receive the treatment he deserved. He had learned months ago that he wasn¡¯t the only transmigrator in this world; some predecessors had arrived years before him.


    They now held high positions in the Capital.


    But¡­


    Who knows if your official post was honestly earned? Just a few years and you¡¯re in high office¡ªprobably sold your ass for it. Give him another ten years, and he too could raise the Yuncheng Wang Family into a Golden Core Power renowned throughout Da Xia Country!


    As a fellow transmigrator, not weaker than you!


    ¡­


    The curtain fell, and fewer people walked the streets within Fufeng City. Numerous cultivators gathered by the stream three miles outside Fufeng City. A usually scarcely populated area was now swarming with people.


    Heavenly Dao Blessing only mentioned that the Secret Realm would open today, at this location.


    It did not provide an exact time for its opening.


    Many had already begun sitting cross-legged on the spot, closing their eyes to cultivate and conserve their energy. Even a quick glance revealed there were quite a few small groups.


    There were clansmen who had teamed up for experience outside.


    Disciples of the same sect that had left their sect together.


    And some Loose Cultivators who had joined forces with acquaintances. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Basically, no one came alone; the least anyone did was come in pairs, for in the Secret Realm, anyone could be an enemy, and it¡¯s a simple fact that one can¡¯t fight against many.


    Chen Qiu, however, was not sitting cross-legged to cultivate. Instead, he leaned against a pine tree, observing the cultivators gathered. His Heavenly Dao Foundation could rotate and cultivate automatically, although the speed wasn¡¯t as fast as actively using mental methods¡ªit was only about a third as fast.


    But he didn¡¯t lack that bit of time right now.


    This was his first time seeing so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Listening to their conversations, hearing the tales and knowledge from all over¡ªthough many of them were embellished, he could still gain a more comprehensive understanding of this world.


    Under the effect of the ¡°Heavenly Dao¡¯s Absence¡± entry,


    after closing his eyes, his hearing was doubled, and he could faintly pick up on many of the hushed whispers and conversations around him.


    He was quite confident about this Secret Realm; he had been preparing for this day for a long time.


    His Tao Foundation breadth was ten thousandth of an inch, charged full with Spiritual Energy, enough for him to unleash four to five hundred Thunder Summoning Techniques, and under the effect of the Enlightenment Stone, this spell had reached the Great Perfection Realm.


    Each release was like a thunderbolt as thick as a hundred-year-old dead tree smashing down on his enemies.


    It was incredibly powerful.


    And most importantly¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Spiritual Energy Intimidating.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: After your Tao Foundation exceeds one hundredth of an inch in width, for every additional one-thousandth of an inch, the power of your spells will increase slightly.


    ¨C


    He also had this entry, and with this as well as the ¡°Focus Power¡± entry that amplified Thunder Summoning Technique specifically, the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique was now frighteningly large. It was just that since reaching the breadth of ten thousandth of an inch, he had yet to cast it.


    And he did not know its exact power.


    Once inside the Secret Realm, time to find an unwary target to practice on first.


    With such a foundation of confidence, coupled with the chilling six thousand-plus Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment resentful spirits filling his body, as well as those numerous entries that could explode with the power of a Golden Core and nearly a hundred offensive and defensive talismans,


    he had fully armed himself to the teeth.


    What did it matter if he faced the prodigies of great families and Major Sects?


    Unless you carry an elder with you, he refused to believe that anyone below the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage could outdo him.


    Just then¡ª


    The scene suddenly became noisy.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Zhao Yishi¡¯ from ¡®Caotian Sect¡¯. A few days ago, he reportedly broke through to the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage. He also ranks quite high on the ¡®Da Xia Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡¯, at 107th place. I didn¡¯t expect this secret realm to even draw him out.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been to that Wentian Market nearby? He came to Wentian Market a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, ¡®Caotian Sect¡¯ itself is ranked 79th in the Da Xia Sect rankings, and they haven¡¯t produced any remarkable talents in recent decades, dropping a little each year. In the last few years, it¡¯s said that the sect has invested a lot of resources in him. As long as they find an entry that¡¯s a perfect fit for him, Caotian Sect¡¯s ranking is sure to skyrocket next year!¡±


    ¡°After all, owning the Pink Entry ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯, he¡¯s indeed worth the full support of Caotian Sect.¡±


    Suddenly, at the horizon, a middle-aged man about forty zhang tall landed on the ground from the sky, carrying a thirty zhang long saber on his shoulder and creating lotuses with every step, attracting all eyes with his extremely conspicuous entrance.


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes indifferently, glancing at the highly conspicuous middle-aged man who had landed amidst the crowd, without saying a word.


    In this world, a seven chi height is equivalent to the former world¡¯s 1.7 meters.


    One chi equals twenty-four centimeters, one zhang equals ten chi, so this man was over four hundred chi tall, that is, 96 meters. His towering presence among the crowd was beyond outstanding.


    Too conspicuous, from the moment he appeared, he captured the attention of everyone present.


    Many people looked on with envy at the man; sometimes luck is indeed very important.


    But it wasn¡¯t over yet¡ª


    While everyone was still amazed, suddenly, plum blossoms bloomed across the sky, followed by the sight of a delicate woman dressed in a pink long dress, with a cold demeanor, descending slowly to the ground on the plum blossoms.


    And there were four or five young men in different attire beside her, each of them looking at the surrounding crowd with hostility.


    ¡°Is this¡­ is this ¡®Ma Yinxue¡¯ who ranks 78th on the ¡®Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s her. I¡¯ve seen her portrait before, but today is the first time I¡¯m seeing her in person. She truly seems to have stepped out of a fairyland, mortal women simply can¡¯t compare.¡±


    ¡°Who could be worthy of such a lady? To marry her would be a blessing of three lifetimes!¡±


    ¡°Those few men by her side must be her followers, right?¡±


    ¡°Definitely, any woman ranked on the Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard has a number of followers. It¡¯s said that the top ten beauties constantly have over a hundred followers each, and thier every outing is a major event.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the woman who had descended into the crowd with a puzzled expression. He had heard from Fat Long about the existence of a beauty leaderboard in this world, but this was his first time seeing a real person ranked on the beauty leaderboard.


    Truth be told, she was quite beautiful.


    She possessed an inexplicable charm, looking so fresh and spirited, especially with that cold demeanor that could awaken the desire to conquer in many men, prompting them to pay any price just to witness the contrast she presented in bed.


    But he was puzzled about something.


    ¡°Fat Long, these leaderboards are all automatically ranked by the Heavenly Dao, right? I can understand the sect and Heavenly Pride leaderboards, since they have clear boundaries. But the Beauty Leaderboard¡ªeveryone has different tastes, so how is it ranked?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For some reason, Fat Long did not respond with his usual enthusiasm and instead remained expressionless and silent for a long while before speaking softly, ¡°Brother Qiu, the Beauty Leaderboard is indeed ranked by the Heavenly Dao itself.¡±


    ¡°Whose ranking will rise and whose will fall is all up to the Heavenly Dao¡¯s perception.¡±


    ¡°The Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard consists of a total of 100 beauties. These 100 beauties are not just pretty faces, they come with special effects, and each beauty¡¯s effect is unique.¡±


    ¡°Some can increase their husband¡¯s success rate in Alchemy, others can accelerate their husband¡¯s cultivation speed, and some can even make their husband¡¯s breakthroughs free from bottlenecks.¡±


    ¡°But the premise is, you have to win the beauty¡¯s true heart. Only when a beauty genuinely falls in love with you, can you have that effect.¡±


    ¡°And since beauties are favored by the Heavenly Dao, anyone daring to force or coerce them into giving their heart or body will incur the disdain of the Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ¡°In Da Xia Country, such Heavenly Dao Beauties are an exceedingly special existence. Every scion of the great families or powers has dreamt of marrying a Heavenly Dao Beauty.¡±


    ¡°Both in terms of practical benefits and reputation, they far surpass ordinary women.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled and said, ¡°Your means of gathering information are as formidable as ever, even knowing so much about the Beauty Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After remaining silent for a while, Fat Long continued, ¡°The Heavenly Dao Beauty you see was my ex-girlfriend. We transmigrated to this era around the same time, and after I arrived, I made some money doing hard labor because I was worried she might awaken to a Demon Cultivation term and get executed by the government.¡±


    ¡°So I saved money for over ten days to buy a potion that could help her to breakthrough to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°After she used it, she advanced to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm and became a Heavenly Dao Beauty, ascending to the ¡®Da Xia Beauty Leaderboard¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Many Foundation Establishment Cultivators who pursued her came, including sons of Golden Core Powerhouses. Later¡­ afterwards, she left me, and I fell into depression for a while before saving money again to buy myself a potion, awakening the ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ entry.¡±


    ¡°Not long after, I was captured by the ¡®Flower Offering Sect¡¯ to be used as a nourishing supplement.¡±


    ¡°Then I escaped to Fufeng City, where I met you, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The smile on Chen Qiu¡¯s face slowly stiffened, and he looked at the beauty among the crowd, his mouth opening and closing for a while before he fell silent again.

 Chapter 46 - 46:

    Chapter 46: Chapter 46: ¡°The Twelve Handsome Men of Da Xia.


    ¡°Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve had it tough these past few months¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    With an expression hard to read, Fat Long shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve always said that only those who don¡¯t believe they can become strong feel humiliated by yesterday¡¯s kneeling.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ...


    ¡°These setbacks are the trials I must endure on the path to becoming a significant figure, they are the Heavenly Dao¡¯s tempering of me.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded complicatedly without saying anything else. He had to admit that Fat Long¡¯s mentality was truly admirable. An ordinary person, having transmigrated and gone through a series of shitty events, would probably be mentally disturbed by now, but when he first met Fat Long¡­


    Fat Long was still intent on stealing his pig-head meat to eat.


    That was a bit heartless and thoughtless.


    ¡°By the way¡ª¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards a woman surrounded by several young men in the distance, his brow slightly furrowed. He did not have a good impression of those young men who were closely guarding Ma Yinxue in the middle, their eyes full of hostility toward all the other men around.


    It was as if they were terrified that more rivals in love would pop up.


    ¡°What¡¯s the effect of that Ma Yinxue¡¯s beauty ranking?¡±


    ¡°It allows one¡¯s husband to be favoured by the Heavenly Dao, enabling the husband to ignore the Secret Realm¡¯s restrictions and increase his Cultivation by three small realms within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, and also to randomly gain two time-limited entries.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, ¡°So there¡¯s only a beauty ranking? No rankings for handsome men?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no ranking for handsome men.¡±


    ¡°The beauty ranking includes men. According to the intelligence I received a while ago, there are twelve men on the beauty list. These men are also Heavenly Dao Beauties, but the ranking is updated in real-time, so I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still twelve now.¡±


    ¡°Once someone is fortunate enough to become a Heavenly Dao Beauty, they¡¯re basically not taken off the list unless they die, after which a new Heavenly Dao Beauty will replace them.¡±


    ¡°Those men are also surrounded by groups of women. These twelve men are also known as the Twelve Beauties of Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°Of course, in private, everyone calls them the Twelve Public Livestock of Da Xia.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    Ma Yinxue in the crowd suddenly noticed Chen Qiu and Fat Long standing under a pine tree. The corner of her mouth turned slightly upwards, as if she was thinking of something, and she gracefully waved her sleeve and slowly walked towards Fat Long.


    The flower guard servants by her side also followed closely behind her, their faces full of vigilance, like those of competent house slaves. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Almost everyone¡¯s gaze was on the girl in the pink dress, and Ma Yinxue also seemed to enjoy the feeling of being watched by everyone.


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s walking towards you, and the posture doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s here to catch up with you,¡± Chen Qiu said in a low voice as he watched Ma Yinxue approaching them.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Fat Long nodded, his voice a bit hoarse, ¡°If she mocks me later and I talk back, can you protect me, Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Are you so sure she¡¯s going to mock you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just her character. In my previous life when my company was doing well, she was good to me. But after the company¡¯s performance declined, her attitude did a complete 180.¡±


    ¡°Just these few people? No problem, you can say whatever you want, just don¡¯t criticize them as a group. ¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t beat so many people at once. The scholar and the others are still in Fufeng City, so it¡¯d be tough to run away.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I¡¯ve got it now.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Long time no see, Fat Long.¡±


    With each step Ma Yinxue took, a plum blossom appeared on the ground beneath her feet, her cat-like steps gracefully brought her to Fat Long¡¯s side. She raised her hand with a mocking smile and gently slid it across Fat Long¡¯s cheek, finally resting it on his Adam¡¯s apple, her voice saccharine to the point of dripping.


    ¡°This Heavenly Dao Secret Realm has a Cultivation cap of the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment. Are you here to try your luck as well?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re still the same as before, addicted to gambling.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that deal was no good and you still went through with it? What was the outcome? Didn¡¯t you lose everything? Why do you always think you¡¯re invincible, as if everything you do is right?¡±


    ¡°Seeing me again, do you feel any regret? If you had humbled yourself and clung to me instead of insisting on making me your virtuous wife, maybe now you would have the qualifications to stand among these men behind me.¡±


    Fat Long emotionlessly swatted Ma Yinxue¡¯s hand away and coldly said, ¡°A few days apart and you¡¯ve become as flirtatious as a prostitute?¡±


    ¡°Did you get stabbed in the head? Did it scramble your brains too?¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, who was originally standing to the side, playing with a Jade Feather Fan and watching the commotion with glee, suddenly had his smile stiffen on his face. He then silently slipped the fan into his Storage Ring and prepared to draw his sword for battle at any moment.


    It seemed a fight was inevitable today.


    The crowd that had been gathering around to watch the excitement quickly dispersed with tacit understanding; the area under the pine tree, previously crowded, was now deserted.


    The stage was set for them to perform, and the rest was up to their own devices.


    While the crowd dispersed, every face was filled with a gossip-hungry look. This kind of gossip about the Heavenly Dao Beauty was always irresistible, especially new gossip.


    No sooner had Fat Long¡¯s words fallen than the several men standing behind Ma Yinxue drew their weapons in rage and pointed them at Fat Long.


    ¡°Audacious!!!¡±


    ¡°Who gave you the courage to speak to Sister Xue in such a manner?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!!!!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve never even held Sister Xue¡¯s hand, how dare you so brazenly tarnish her reputation!¡±


    Just as the men seemed ready to charge in fury and slay the insolent Fat Long right there, Ma Yinxue, with a flash of coldness on her face, gestured for the men behind her to stop and whispered into Fat Long¡¯s ear, articulating each word.


    ¡°I once heard a saying¡ª¡±


    ¡°A man¡¯s money is not for a woman to spend, but for her to gaze upon.¡±


    ¡°I think it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°A woman¡¯s charm is not for a man to use, but for him to look upon.¡±


    ¡°As long as I choose not to pick a husband, every man wants to possess me, and I can make use of all these men. But you, what do you have? I will let you see that my decisions have always been right, and men like you, arrogant and ignorant, can only rage impotently.¡±


    ¡°Your heart filled with regret and frustration, you¡¯ll shiver with realization and then have to face reality once more, continuing to hide in a filthy gutter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Taking a step back, the woman suddenly laughed, pulled out ten porcelain bottles from her Storage Ring, and tossed them in front of Fat Long: ¡°These are the Potions you gave me back then; I¡¯m returning tenfold.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you worked day and night for over ten days to earn the money for this Potion? You had to mention it every single day, as if you wanted me to be indebted to you for a lifetime over this, a thing worth a few hundred coins. Do you intend for me to remember it for the rest of my life?¡±


    ¡°Is returning tenfold enough for you?¡±

 Chapter 47 - 47:

    Chapter 47: Chapter 47: ¡°Brother Qiu, you are being presumptuous.


    ¡°If ten more isn¡¯t enough, I¡¯ll give you ten more.¡±


    Standing behind Ma Yinxue, a young man with a smirk pulled out ten porcelain bottles from his storage ring and threw them on the ground, ¡°Sister Xue mentioned you. You¡¯ve toiled for over ten days gathering potions, haven¡¯t you moved yourself to tears?¡±


    ¡°How about that?¡±


    Ma Yinxue, arms crossed, looked at Fat Long with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, ¡°Do you feel a fire burning inside you right now? Uncomfortable and angry? Yes, that¡¯s the feeling. I felt the same every time I asked you for money to buy bags.¡±


    ¡°But what about after that? Do you have any temper left?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ...


    Ma Yinxue pulled out a storage bag from her bosom and threw it at Fat Long¡¯s feet, taunting, ¡°This bag contains some of my used personal clothes, consider it a reward for you, a keepsake.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huuh.¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Fat Long slowly looked at the few young men standing behind Ma Yinxue, who looked furious, and suddenly laughed, ¡°Are all of you chasing after Ma Yinxue?¡±


    ¡°Want me to share what Ma Yinxue¡¯s favorite tricks are? So you won¡¯t be clueless once you have her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already sick of playing those games.¡±


    ¡°And you guys treat them like treasures in your hands, truly amusing.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡ª¡±


    ¡°She really isn¡¯t well-behaved!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking asking for it!¡±


    As soon as these words fell.


    The five young men standing behind Ma Yinxue could no longer contain themselves, their bodies swelling with spiritual energy as they drew their spiritual weapons and charged at Fat Long with fierce roars.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to waste spiritual energy before entering the Secret Realm, but if you¡¯re seeking death, I can¡¯t blame me!¡±


    ¡°Today, no one can save you!¡±


    Fat Long grinned, took a slight step back to stand behind Chen Qiu, and shrugged, ¡°Here, let me introduce you¡ªthis is my boss, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed helplessly. He knew since the first time he met Fat Long that Fat Long had a foul mouth, but he didn¡¯t remember it being this bad before. The attacks were too sharp.


    It was indeed quite heart-stabbing.


    But Ma Yinxue¡¯s attacks were pretty strong too. You two were quite a match when you were together before.


    He stepped forward, blocking in front of Fat Long, casually throwing out five Defensive talismans ¡°Golden Bell Talisman,¡± instantly five golden light shields enveloped him. The weapons of those men clanged metallically against the golden light.


    Only two of the golden lights shattered.


    Then he looked at the few men who were now red-eyed in front of him, sighed lightly, ¡°Ever since ancient times, many have died for beauty¡ªa lesson that you guys might understand in your next life.¡±


    The next second¡ª


    The Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment above his Dantian began to spin rapidly.


    Seventy to eighty bolts of thunder, each about seven feet thick, appeared out of nowhere around Chen Qiu. Countless flashes of thunder surged around him, engulfing those men with clusters of thunder blossoms!


    This entire process took merely a moment!


    The spells of the Foundation Establishment Stage are nearly instant manifestations, requiring neither Taoist Technique nor gesture.


    And these men, having never witnessed such a sight, frantically tried to stop themselves, their faces paling as they activated every Defensive talisman and Spiritual Treasure on them, and hastily retreated. Yet, Chen Qiu¡¯s ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± was an enhanced version.


    Their immense power was increased in number as well.


    There was no possibility of escape.


    ¡­


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    A series of deafening blasts like firecrackers erupted, and within several feet of Chen Qiu, the ground had turned charred with scattered charred bones here and there.


    No traces of clothing, no flesh.


    Utterly clean.


    These men were dead beyond dead, leaving only Ma Yinxue sitting on the spot, her face filled with terror, her body obviously trembling, so much that she even forgot to run away.


    ¡°Seems like I used too much¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the Spirit Energy in his Heavenly Dao Foundation that had decreased by about ten to twenty percent, nodded thoughtfully as this was his first time using ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± in actual combat, not quite sure how many would be enough to kill a person. For safety, he used a bit more.


    Now it seemed, the damage was overdone.


    He estimated that perhaps thirty to forty would have been adequate.


    Still too inexperienced in battle.


    Needs to kill more to foster that experience.


    ¡­


    The expressions of the people who had stepped back to watch the show slowly stiffened. They could sense through the spiritual energy emitting from this man that he was merely a cultivator at the first level of Foundation Establishment. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    But the power of the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± was clearly not that of the first level¡ªit was already at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment!


    Moreover, releasing the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡±, a cultivator at the first level of spiritual energy could cast it three or four times at most before their spiritual energy was depleted. Yet, this man had released it seventy to eighty times in one go?


    Are you kidding?


    Did your Dantian have enough spiritual energy for you to play around like this? How could a cultivator at the first level store so much spiritual energy?


    Here¡¯s another one who could battle beyond his level, the formidable kind.


    Many people stepped back a few more steps as this thought crossed their minds.


    In the crowd, Zhao Yishi, towering like a heaven-reaching giant with a height of several dozen feet, looked down at the scene before him with twitching corners of his mouth. Unable to help himself, he stepped back several steps, carefully pulled out a sound transmission talisman from the gap between his huge fingernails, and cautiously said into the tiny talisman the size of a sesame seed as he infused it with spiritual energy.


    ¡°Sect Master, can I opt out of this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm? There are monsters in this Secret Realm, and I can¡¯t beat them; I might die.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!!!¡±


    An angry roar quickly came from the talisman, ¡°Even if the sky falls this time, you must go in. The sect has spent a ton of resources on you, and yet you, such a big guy, are scared like a mouse, avoiding battles every time!¡±


    ¡°The sect has already sent five experienced Inner Sect disciples at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment to protect you, and you¡¯re still scared!¡±


    ¡°You must go this time. If you have the Pink Entry ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯, it means you are a person of great Qi Fortune. The opportunities meant for you can only be found by yourself. The sect can only assist you, not do everything for you, right?¡±


    ¡°Not only do you need to find your own opportunities this time, but you also need to fight with disciples from other sects as much as possible. You have too little combat experience. If you keep this up, don¡¯t even think about ever getting a full meal!¡±


    ¡°If I had known that your appetite would grow as your body grew, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have fucking invested so heavily in you!¡±


    ¡°Have you ever calculated how many spirit stones your single meal consumes?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re about to bankrupt me!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Zhao Yishi, feeling a bit sullen, crushed the sound transmission talisman in his hand. Tanking and bankruptcy were new terms lately coming from Capital; such terms frequently popped up in recent years.


    What a terrible sect, not even providing disciples with enough food. No wonder it keeps dropping in the sect rankings every year.


    If only I had switched to another sect back then.


    ¡­


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Fat Long, with a look of melancholy, pulled out a ¡°Dragon Slayer¡± broadsword from his bosom and walked up to Ma Yinxue, who was sitting on the ground, ¡°See, isn¡¯t my backing a bit cooler?¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao only said that you can¡¯t be forced into devotion or sacrifice, not that I couldn¡¯t kill you, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t slander me like you did earlier in your next life; I¡¯ve never smelled your stinky feet.¡±


    Just as Fat Long was about to swing his blade.


    Chen Qiu suddenly realized something with a peculiar expression, ¡°Fat Long, did she just call you Fat Long?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it, Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Fat Long was a name you adopted later, something about being a lurking dragon?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the corner of Fat Long¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. As his blade swiftly swung down, splattering blood across the sky, he sheathed the sword back into his bosom and turned to Brother Qiu with a serious look: ¡°It¡¯s not important, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°If you really must know, I actually used to be called Fat Long too.¡±


    ¡°Your face looks like it has many stories.¡±


    ¡°You can see that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and also that your cut didn¡¯t kill her, she¡¯s still breathing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh, I haven¡¯t cut anyone in a long time, my hand is a bit stiff. Let me take a few more swings.¡±


    Fat Long hastily spun around and swung his blade again, then took a few heavy breaths, ¡°There, God damn, slandering me, you nearly destroyed my reputation, lady.¡±


    ¡°Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°After you separated from her, did you really do what she said, hiding in a corner at night and fantasizing about those images of you guys together?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯re being presumptuous.¡±


    ¡°Presumptuous again, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 48 - 48:

    Chapter 48: Chapter 48: ¡°Of course, I have always valued harmony.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t pursue the matter further but turned to look behind Fat Long where Ma Yinxue now lay in a pool of blood, sighing, ¡°After all, you had a rapport with you, just to kill her like this?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t killed Ma Yinxue just now, after all, she was Fat Long¡¯s woman, and he certainly didn¡¯t feel it was his place to decide her fate.


    ¡°You consider an evil rapport as rapport?¡±


    Fat Long shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve grown disillusioned with women now, at least until I achieve enlightenment and immortalhood, I won¡¯t think about these matters again. It feels incredibly hard to find a woman who truly connects with you emotionally, who doesn¡¯t mock you when you¡¯re down.¡±


    Just then¡ª S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A white vortex, about thirty feet high and thirty feet wide, gradually appeared beside a small stream.


    ...


    Hovering above the vortex was a pane enveloped in white mist.


    ¨C


    ¡®Secret Realm Name¡¯: Chao Tian Small World.


    ¡®Secret Realm Restriction¡¯: Only accessible to Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment¡¯s sixth level and below.


    ¡®Secret Realm Type¡¯: ¡®Trial¡¯.


    ¡®Secret Realm Introduction¡¯: Contains seven challenges, with a reward for passing each. Up to 10,000 Cultivators may enter. The entrance will close after a thousand breaths or when someone completes all challenges or after thirty-six hours, whichever comes first, and the Secret Realm will close.


    ¨C


    ¡°The Secret Realm has opened!¡±


    ¡°It can hold up to 10,000 Cultivators!¡±


    The crowd that had already dispersed around the area suddenly let out bursts of excited shouts, many instinctively stepping forward, tempted by the prospect. What else had brought them to the far-flung, insignificant Fufeng City if not for this Secret Realm, for this opportunity?


    On the path of Cultivation, one must seize their own opportunities.


    But now¡­


    They hesitated to enter; the Secret Realm seemed to be filled with too many formidable entities this time, with one Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage having dozens of Self-Destruction Terms that could rival the might of a Golden Core, and another seemingly at Foundation Establishment level one, but who could easily kill five mid-Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the blink of an eye.


    The competitive pressure was somewhat intense.


    ¡°On this path of Cultivation, to not advance is to die, let¡¯s go!¡±


    As everyone hesitated, a middle-aged man from some clan bit his lip slightly and led a dozen or so junior family members, taking the first bold strides into the white vortex, disappearing by the side of the stream.


    And as he passed by Chen Qiu, he cast a wary glance, as if facing a formidable opponent.


    This left Chen Qiu feeling rather speechless.


    With no grudge or grievance, why would he want to fight with you? It¡¯s such a waste of Spiritual Energy, isn¡¯t it? That Spiritual Energy comes from Spirit Stones. Why look at him like that? If there¡¯s no conflict of interest, why would he bother with you for no reason?


    If there is a conflict of interest¡­


    Then it¡¯s the one with the bigger fist who gets to speak.


    Perhaps encouraged by this man¡¯s example, the others who had been hesitating around him no longer wavered. Gritting their teeth, they braved entry into the Secret Realm, reasoning that since it was a trial-type realm, the mortality rate wouldn¡¯t be high. As long as they didn¡¯t run into a monster like Chen Qiu, they probably wouldn¡¯t have any issues.


    As each person passed by Chen Qiu, they nodded solemnly at him, as if conveying some message.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head helplessly and then tucked the Storage Ring he had just picked from Ma Yinxue¡¯s body into his chest. The Storage Ring had been bound by blood and his Spiritual Sense couldn¡¯t break it; he would just need to find an Artifact Refiner to help him with it after getting out.


    He was also quite curious about the thing that caused plum blossoms to bloom with each step she took, whether it was a Spell or some Spiritual Treasure.


    ¡°Fat Long, did we forget to ask those guys what kind of backing they had?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    ¡°There couldn¡¯t be someone coming for revenge, could there?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say, considering there are so many witnesses here. Unless after entering the secret realm, we kill everyone without leaving a single survivor, that way no news would get out.¡±


    No sooner had the voice faded away.


    A young man, who was just about to enter a secret realm nearby, felt a twitch in his ear and then without the slightest hesitation, channeled all his spiritual energy into his legs, activating his movement technique, and with the speed surpassing the thunder¡¯s roar and faster than one could cover their ears, he shot off into the distance!


    Whoever loved that secret realm could go; as for himself, fuck that, he was not going!


    Such swift movement technique prompted many to exclaim in admiration.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just forget it.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°There are nearly ten thousand people here, I don¡¯t have that kind of ability to silence everyone here. Even if these people just stood there and let me kill them, I wouldn¡¯t have enough spiritual energy.¡±


    And at that moment¡ª


    The ground began to tremble faintly, and then they saw Zhao Yishi, towering like a heaven-reaching giant, slowly walking towards them. Stopping a few zhang away, he looked down at them and waved his hand as if signaling something.


    Shortly thereafter, a young man standing next to Zhao Yishi¡¯s feet rushed over, handing over a sound transmission talisman and whispered, ¡°Fellow daoist, Senior Brother Zhao would like to have a few words with you, if convenience allows?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the sound transmission talisman handed over by the young man before him and looked up at the towering giant, his lips twitching slightly in amusement. Being so tall was not without its drawbacks; to have a conversation with a normal person, it was necessary to use a sound transmission talisman.


    Otherwise, the distance of dozens of zhang would indeed make it hard to hear a normal voice clearly, and if one were to use spiritual energy to amplify their voice, then everyone would hear.


    After accepting the sound transmission talisman.


    He soon heard a muffled voice emanating from within.


    ¡°Big brother, if there¡¯s a chance later, I won¡¯t compete with you for it, can you promise not to kill me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A trace of bemusement crossed Chen Qiu¡¯s face as he raised his eyes towards the giant sword, over thirty zhang long, on the shoulder of the heaven-reaching giant. He felt a strong sense of incongruity. It wasn¡¯t the weapon in your hand that you were talking about when you asked me not to kill you, was it?


    Are you really so sure you can¡¯t defeat me?


    Are you that lacking in confidence?


    But to be honest, he wasn¡¯t really keen on making an enemy of Zhao Yishi either. With such a large frame, even if Zhao stood still and let him attack, he¡¯d have to waste a lot of spiritual energy, so he nodded in agreement right away.


    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ve always favored peace.¡±


    ¡°Good, big brother, with your word I can rest assured.¡±


    Then, the muffled voice continued from the sound transmission talisman, ¡°You guys don¡¯t need to follow me. Just wait outside. You few are too conspicuous and can easily give me away.¡±


    The sect disciple who handed Chen Qiu the sound transmission talisman looked somewhat puzzled for a moment, looking up at the disciple behind him. Who the hell is conspicuous? With you standing there, who wouldn¡¯t see you within tens of miles?


    You just watched someone else taking his share without paying the entrance fee, seeing it all from outside the city wall!


    But remembering the mission given to him by the sect master, the sect disciple was still anxious as he hurriedly said, ¡°Senior Brother Zhao, the sect master said we should protect your safety. You are the hope and future of the sect. If anything happens to you, we can¡¯t explain ourselves when we return.¡±


    ¡°Also¡­ compared to you, Senior Brother Zhao, we really aren¡¯t that noticeable.¡±


    ¡°No need to say so much.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stay outside, I won¡¯t go in.¡±


    The several sect disciples exchanged glances, sighing helplessly, ¡°Senior Brother Zhao, we¡¯ll wait for you outside as you¡¯ve instructed. Please be careful inside.¡±


    ¡°Your safety is the most important thing.¡±

 Chapter 49 - 49:

    Chapter 49: Chapter 49: ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡±.


    Subsequently, Zhao Yishi, massive as a Heaven-reaching Giant, waved his hand at Chen Qiu, as if to greet him, and strode towards the White whirlpool not far away. To Zhao Yishi, that White whirlpool seemed no more than a pebble.


    With a step, Zhao Yishi entered it, vanishing on the spot amidst an incredibly discordant and eerie sensation.


    ¡°Zhao Yishi?¡±


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and chuckle, ¡°Indeed, an impressive name, suggesting a peerless and invincible aura.¡±


    Yet he seemed to lack a trace of domineering presence, replaced instead by a thread of prudence¡ªwhether this was a ruse, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t tell.


    The ¡°Pink Entry¡± is exceedingly rare, a kind of entry most unique. Almost all such entries possess the potential for infinite growth; as long as you live long enough, that entry will undoubtedly grow stronger over time.


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The few Caotian Sect disciples standing there twitched their lips frantically without speaking. Years ago, the Sect Master had ventured out, discovering Zhao Yishi, who possessed a Pink Entry ¡°Heaven-reaching Giant,¡± and immediately abducted him back to the sect to take him as a True Disciple.


    Full of hope, they awaited Zhao Yishi¡¯s leadership, under which the sect would return to its former glory!


    And they bestowed upon him the name ¡°Zhao Batian.¡±


    Later, as Zhao Yishi gradually matured, he forcefully changed his own name, believing that Zhao Batian was too arrogant and likely to affect his Qi Fortune. He chose Zhao Yishi instead, signifying the belief that one should be cautious in their single lifetime.


    It could be said that Zhao Yishi had become the sole hope of the Caotian Sect, which truly invested everything in nurturing him over the years.


    ¡­


    ¡°Now that he¡¯s entered, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s very good.¡±


    ¡°This child has been diligently cultivating in the back mountains all this time; there must have been a breakthrough.¡±


    High above in the sky, a Divine Sense that could traverse thousands of miles sighed in satisfaction as it looked down. This Divine Sense appeared like a wisp of mist, but on closer inspection, one could feel the terrifying aura it emitted.


    Indeed, it belonged to a Golden Core expert.


    The master of this Divine Sense was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Caotian Sect, assigned to guard Zhao Yishi. Although Zhao Yishi was somewhat avoidant of battle, with his strength, no one in the Secret Realm could threaten his life.


    But since Zhao Yishi had become the near sole hope of the Caotian Sect, it was necessary for a Golden Core expert to guard him, to prevent assassination attempts from other sects on the way.


    Around this Golden Core Divine Sense floated three or four other similar presences.


    All were guarding some demon seed down below.


    There were unspoken rules among the various powers: Except in situations of dire emergency or doctrinal wars, Golden Core cultivators were not permitted to strike at cultivators of lower Cultivation from other forces; otherwise, mutual slaughter would leave no young talent in any power, only a bunch of old fellows.


    The continuance of a legacy relied mainly on the newcomers.


    Such guardianship by Golden Core experts was meant to prevent accidents. If someone with the backing of another power at the Golden Core level attacked one¡¯s own demon seed, they would intervene to block the attack without taking lives.


    If the attacker¡¯s backing lacked a Golden Core presence, they would be killed outright.


    However, it wasn¡¯t feasible to rescue at every sign of danger; true demon seeds had to grow through fighting and tangling with death. Hence, even with Golden Core protection, many demon seeds died accidentally each year.


    Of course, a dead demon seed no longer bore that title.


    It simply meant that the effort and resources invested by their backing force had been in vain.


    Demon seeds with significant Qi Fortune returned from the brink of death each time with great rewards.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu and his companion did not linger outside, stepping into the White whirlpool by the nearby stream. With a flash of White light before their eyes, when their vision finally restored, the first sight they beheld was an immensely magnificent ruined architecture.


    The ground underfoot was desolate and barren, while not far away was a small hill, atop which lay numerous majestic and huge structures, many of which were hundreds of feet tall, giving one the distinct feeling of being utterly insignificant.


    These buildings had clearly been abandoned for a long time; their walls were overgrown with climbing ivy and covered in moss. At first glance, the place seemed devoid of life, and in the dim light, dust wafting in the air contributed to an atmosphere of utter desolation.


    This was the small world within the Secret Realm.


    All the people who had entered the Secret Realm stood motionless. This was one of the Secret Realm¡¯s rules: any cultivator who entered the Secret Realm would be bound in place by the Heavenly Dao¡¯s power, unable to move.


    In this state, one could neither attack nor be harmed even if attacked.


    This was a protective rule.


    Only when the Secret Realm¡¯s entrance closed would this Heavenly Dao restriction dissipate.


    Atop that hill, one could clearly see an immensely large Mountain Gate, on which were inscribed three sharp and forceful characters.


    Chao Tian Sect.


    Although the characters were covered in dust, one could still sense the keen Sword Intent emanating from them.


    It looked like the ruins of a sect after its destruction.


    Just then¡ª


    When everyone else was restrained in place, Zhao Yishi, who had entered the Secret Realm first, appeared to be completely unrestricted. He stood up and strode towards the hills, vanishing behind the Mountain Gate in the blink of an eye, no one knew where to.


    Suddenly, many people looked enviously at Zhao Yishi, certain that he must have the ¡°Take the Initiative¡± entry, allowing him to ignore the bindings of the Heavenly Dao and move freely before the entrance to the Secret Realm was closed.


    This sect¡¯s peak clearly had seen particularly glorious days in the past, possibly containing many ancient Pills, Spells, Spirit Grasses, and Spiritual Treasures within. Now, they couldn¡¯t possibly all fall into Zhao Yishi¡¯s hands, could they?


    Soon, thirty minutes passed.


    The entrance to the Secret Realm fully closed, and everyone could move freely, quickly breaking into several small groups that gathered together, watching their surroundings with wary expressions. Many eyes were particularly focused on Chen Qiu, fearing he might suddenly lash out.


    And a majestic yet hoarse voice sounded above the ruins of the entire sect.


    ¡°To become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Chao Tian Sect, one must pass through four rounds.¡±


    ¡°The first round.¡±


    ¡°Severing Worldly Thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Upon entering the Mountain Gate, you will face the first round, where you must sever all ties and dependencies to the mundane world, to become a top Sword Cultivator that makes the world tremble at your name, the most important point being to have no weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°Family, spouses, and children are your weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°If you wish to become an Inner Sect Disciple, cut them away.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Family, spouses, children?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression turned complex as he spoke oddly, ¡°I don¡¯t have that stuff, Fat Long, do you?¡±


    ¡°I might have had half of one a few sticks of incense ago, now there¡¯s not even half left.¡±


    Fat Long shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that if we really pass through four rounds, I might actually become an Inner Sect Disciple of this ¡®Chao Tian Sect.¡¯ This sect isn¡¯t recognized by the Heavenly Dao, right? I don¡¯t want my panel to show I¡¯m an Inner Sect Disciple of the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Becoming an Inner Sect Disciple of a sect that¡¯s been extinct for who knows how many years would truly be too troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, just by looking at the content of the first round, this ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ doesn¡¯t seem like any righteous sect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed true.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded earnestly, conceding the point, but something that puzzled him was why becoming an Inner Sect Disciple of the ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ only required passing four rounds? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Didn¡¯t the Secret Realm panel say to pass through seven rounds?


    But at this moment, there was no time to ponder these things, as he led Fat Long and followed the crowd along the mountain path towards the Mountain Gate to see what this so-called ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ was all about.


    It sounded a bit like the ¡®Caotian Sect.¡¯


    The only difference being one mocked the Heavenly Dao, and the other submitted to the Heavenly Dao.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, inside a corner of the Mountain Gate.


    Zhao Yishi, free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao, had rushed into the Mountain Gate first and looked around anxiously before his expression turned to one of satisfaction as he faced an abandoned building a hundred zhang (a ¡°zhang¡± is approximately 3.58 meters or 11.75 feet) tall not far ahead.


    He walked briskly into the corner and crouched down.


    With a serious face, his right hand formed a Taoist Technique and he whispered lowly, ¡°Invisibility.¡±


    The next moment!


    Zhao Yishi¡¯s originally enormous body began to fade away right there; even with Divine Sense sweeping over, one could not detect anyone hidden here, except by colliding with what seemed like a wall of air.


    Hiding in the corner, a hint of smugness flashed across Zhao Yishi¡¯s face.


    Feeling somewhat safe, he surveyed the interior of the building, which looked like a place for practice; however, the ground was covered in dust and appeared to have been in disrepair for a long time. He had arrived by stepping on a Qinglian (Green Lotus) and hadn¡¯t left any footprints.


    His Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spell ¡°Invisibility Technique¡± had been trained to Great Perfection through his diligent cultivation over these days. Unless one¡¯s Cultivation was several realms higher than his, they wouldn¡¯t dream of discovering him!


    It was just that the name of this sect was so similar to his own Sect¡¯s name¡ªwhat a coincidence.


    But he was certain it was not the same lineage, as the ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ here was clearly a Sword Cultivation Sect, and his ¡®Caotian Sect¡¯ was not a Sword Cultivation Sect.


    Besides, with its impoverished state, his sect couldn¡¯t even nurture Sword Cultivators, and any Sword Cultivation heritage would be wasted on them.


    Better to sell the heritage and buy some demon beast meat to eat.

 Chapter 50 - 50:

    Chapter 50: Chapter 50: ¡°You brought me in, I¡¯ll see you out.


    Chen Qiu, accompanied by Fat Long, walked along the mountain path all the way to the Mountain Gate of Chao Tian Sect. Along the way, other cultivators entering the Secret Realm looked at each other cautiously. As a rule, ¡°trial¡± type Secret Realms generally posed little danger to life.


    Just confidently take on your trial.


    But you can¡¯t stand those who have itchy hands.


    They just have to stab you.


    Stepping through the Mountain Gate, what came into view was a vast expanse of ruins and magnificent buildings, covered in moss, while a decaying scent wafted through the air. Behind the Mountain Gate was a copper bell that stood ten zhang high.


    Etched upon the bell were lines filled with the Sword Intent of looking down upon the world.


    ...


    ¡°The first round, sever worldly ties.¡±


    ¡°Pass this round, and you may become a menial Disciple of Chao Tian Sect; only then does the path of the Sword Cultivator truly begin.¡±


    Not a speck of dust could be found near the copper bell, as if an invisible Barrier blocked the dust from falling. Clearly, as soon as one stepped into this Barrier, the first round should start smoothly.


    At this moment, people also gathered in front of the copper bell, exchanging gazes, each hesitating and none daring to be the first to step forward.


    The first one to eat the crab often reaps a bountiful harvest.


    But the first to eat the poisonous arrow pig probably won¡¯t gain much.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t in a hurry either; he and Fat Long stood quietly in their spot, his gaze bypassing the copper bell to survey the ruins behind it. However, he did not see any traces of Zhao Yishi, indicating that Zhao Yishi had probably not entered this round yet but had instead gone to other places to search for treasures.


    At that moment¡ª


    Several cultivators also came to their senses, deciding to ignore this first round and spread out to other ruined buildings to see if they could scavenge some treasures. It seemed to be ruins of an Ancient Sect; it was impossible that there were no treasures at all.


    Even something like Spirit Grass of a hundred thousand years would be satisfying enough.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Besides those cultivators who preferred to explore, there were still a great number of cultivators who felt that the rewards for passing the trials might be better. They watched a middle-aged man with a stern face and an imposing air stride decisively towards the copper bell.


    The moment he stepped into the range of the Barrier,


    the whole person suddenly appeared as though struck on the head by a blunt object, stunned on the spot. But after a breath¡¯s time, he regained consciousness, his eyes had turned bloodshot, and his body trembled violently, obviously having gone through some unknown ordeal in a place invisible to the onlookers.


    The man did not speak but with bloodshot eyes, briskly walked past the copper bell towards the deeper parts of the ruined buildings.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Fat Long nodded thoughtfully, ¡°It seems like creating an illusion where you have to kill your loved ones, is that simple?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu spoke softly, ¡°In the past, it probably was real, but after the sect¡¯s decline, for some reason, it appeared again in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, so it probably turned into an illusion.¡±


    After someone had shown the way,


    those who followed didn¡¯t dawdle anymore.


    They stepped into the range of the Barrier one by one, and after a single breath, they successfully passed the round, but each person reacted differently. Some had bloodshot eyes, some shook uncontrollably, some bore ferocious faces, some showed neither sorrow nor joy, some were full of grief.


    Thousands of people, thousands of faces; it was nothing more than that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡±


    Without any further hesitation, Chen Qiu stepped into the range of the Copper Bell Barrier. He felt a jolt in his heart, and with a buzz in his mind, he found himself in a white space surrounded by clouds and mist, obscuring the distance.


    And standing before him was¡­ Fat Long.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He was somewhat at a loss for words. Had they, failing to find his family and children, simply decided to use Fat Long, the one closest to him, as his Heart Demon instead?


    The Fat Long standing before him looked innocent, gazing at him with pitiable eyes, and said with his usual cautiousness, ¡°Brother Qiu, where are we going next?¡±


    Just then¡ª


    A panel wrapped in mist slowly emerged beside Fat Long.


    ¡®This is your beloved kin and sworn brothers.¡¯


    ¡®Together, you have slain demon beasts, cultivated, and fought side by side. He has accompanied you through many days and nights, and you both could confidently entrust your backs to each other.¡¯


    ¡®To become a Sword Cultivator, you must first slay this man.¡¯


    ¡®Can you bring yourself to do it?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed quietly, his view of the ancient Chao Tian Sect¡¯s filter diminishing once more. It was no wonder it had declined; there were reasons after all. He shook his head, ignoring the innocent expression on Fat Long¡¯s face, and casually cast three Thunder Summoning Techniques.


    Amidst the flickering of Thunder Light,


    Fat Long had turned into a charred skeleton, the air filled with the scent of scorched fat.


    The surrounding mist gradually dissipated, and everything returned to normal. But just as he was about to turn back to give Fat Long some instructions, he suddenly saw Fat Long standing outside the copper bell, his face incredulous, covered in bloody wounds, as he toppled backward.


    ¡°Fat Long!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but cry out in shock, rushing over, and at that moment, that hollow and ethereal voice echoed in his ears again.


    ¡®Cut through worldly attachments, enter the path of Sword Cultivation.¡¯


    ¡®The Heart Demon you have slain in this round is not an illusion, but a physical manifestation. You have killed your own beloved kin by your own hand, and you now possess the qualifications to become a Sword Cultivator.¡¯


    Chen Qiu, somewhat in disbelief, hurried to Fat Long¡¯s side, and was just about to take some Healing Pills from his Storage Ring to feed to Fat Long, only to find that Fat Long had already breathed his last, without a trace of life.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd only glanced his way before moving on without pause, stepping confidently into the range of the Copper Bell Barrier.


    He finally understood why every person who had passed the round wore a face of sorrow; they must also know that what they had killed was not an illusion, but a physical manifestation, that their kin had truly been killed by their own hands.


    What kind of damned Sword Cultivation is this?!


    His face blank with confusion, he sat there holding Fat Long¡¯s corpse in his arms, sitting on the ground and looking around, feeling somewhat dazed. There was no sorrow on his face, only a blankness of not knowing what to do next.


    His memory seemed to slip back to several days before. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long had called out to him, snatching his pork head meat, and took him to the bamboo forest to give him a Potion that awakened his first entry in the Qi Refinement Realm, making Fat Long his guide. He had always been grateful to Fat Long.


    In the first Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, Fat Long had helped him severely injure numerous demon beasts, passing his Cultivation Progress on to him. It was truly Fat Long that had allowed his initial Cultivation Progress to advance so swiftly.


    But now¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long while, the sitting Chen Qiu sighed lightly. His lifeless eyes gradually regained their brightness, and after a long silence, he stood up and used the Thunder Summoning Technique to blast a large pit in the ground. He buried Fat Long¡¯s body into it.


    Then he filled the pit back up.


    ¡°You led me into the sect, and now I lay you to rest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not so bad.¡±

 Chapter 51 - 51: Why Would Someone Like You Come to Chao Tian Sect?

    Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Why Would Someone Like You Come to Chao Tian Sect?


    And just as Chen Qiu was about to get up¡ª


    The scene before him suddenly began to change, and he found himself at the place where he had first met Fat Long, outside the gates of Fufeng City, surrounded by onlookers who were crammed around to watch the spectacle.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please wait!¡±


    A familiar voice rang in his ears. Turning around, he saw Fat Long running toward him with his head bowed, as if he was afraid of letting anyone see his face.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced around with a slightly furrowed brow. Was this an illusion too, or a memory?


    ...


    Next to Fat Long, a panel enveloped in mist reappeared.


    ¡°This is your beloved kin, siblings¡­¡±


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Before the panel could fully manifest, Chen Qiu¡¯s long sword had already pierced through it, thrusting directly into the embrace of the unresistant Fat Long.


    He looked at Fat Long¡¯s incredulous eyes and whispered softly, ¡°I got carried away with my feelings just now and almost forgot¡ª you haven¡¯t turned into a resentful spirit, how could you possibly be dead?¡±


    ¡°It seems this illusion can only extract part of a person¡¯s memories?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t see what a person¡¯s entry is?¡±


    ¡°It really is¡­¡±


    ¡°Almost made me cry there.¡±


    ¡°And your illusion is too shoddy, as if it¡¯s afraid people won¡¯t notice it¡¯s an illusion.¡±


    As his words fell, the portly Fat Long suddenly started laughing, his face no longer showing disbelief and pain, as he looked meaningfully at Chen Qiu, ¡°Turns out to be a promising sword cultivator.¡±


    Simultaneously¡ª


    A panel wrapped in mist slowly emerged in front of Chen Qiu.


    ¡°First round, Cutting Worldly Ties, completed.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations on successfully becoming a janitorial Disciple of Chao Tian Sect. This round tests the ability of disciples to maintain their true self in an illusion, with two ways to pass.¡±


    ¡°1: Verbally exposing the illusion.¡±


    ¡°2: Killing the target 99 times.¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°For passing this round, you are rewarded with a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment ¡®Revitalizing Pill¡¯, which can effectively and quickly heal superficial injuries. Do not look back or communicate any information about this round with anyone else. Continue forward thirty paces, and the Alchemy Hall you see will be the second round.¡±


    As the Fat Long before him quickly transformed into mist and dispersed, everything around him also vanished swiftly like smoke, and when his vision cleared, he found himself back inside the Copper Bell Barrier.


    A force controlled his body, preventing him from turning back or speaking.


    He had originally wanted to randomly kill a person to see if a resentful spirit would appear, thus confirming whether he was still in an illusion, but he eventually dismissed the idea and walked past the copper bell toward the Alchemy Hall thirty paces away.


    He would wait there for Fat Long.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu, Brother Qiu?!¡±


    Fat Long looked on in confusion as Chen Qiu grew further away, leaving only his silhouette behind. Just as Brother Qiu had stepped into the Copper Bell Barrier, he had frozen in place for a moment, then like everyone else, walked forward without looking back.


    It looked bizarre, could it be some kind of trap?


    Being naturally cautious, Fat Long glanced around and decided to temporarily avoid the copper bell. He planned to find Brother Qiu first. However, after taking a few steps, he realized that exploring the ruins near the copper bell was entirely possible.


    But if he wanted to get past the copper bell to explore the ruins behind it, a wall of air blocked his way.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Seeing his plan fail and unable to find an alternate route, Fat Long, noticing that Brother Qiu¡¯s figure was about to vanish from sight, gritted his teeth and strode toward the Copper Bell Barrier. He wanted to see what was really going on!


    His heart also jolted as he found himself in a white space enveloped by clouds and mist.


    Not far off, Ma Yinxue, wearing a pink long dress with tear stains on her face, was sitting on the ground with her legs together, looking up with a trembling voice and said, ¡°You¡¯re so cruel, why did you have the heart to kill me just now?¡±


    ¡°Luckily, the Chao Tian Sect saved me and preserved a Residual Soul. As soon as you break through to the Golden Core, you can reshape my body for me.¡±


    Beside Ma Yinxue, a panel slowly emerged, enveloped in clouds and mist.


    ¡°This is the love of your life, your ultimate pursuit.¡±


    ¡°You have spent many beautiful moments together, you¡¯ve put a lot of effort into her, trying to bring stability even in times of chaos.¡±


    ¡°To become a Sword Cultivator, you must first slay this person.¡±


    ¡°Can you bring yourself to do it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Shocked and somewhat in disbelief, Fat Long looked at Ma Yinxue sitting on the ground, recognizing her familiar face and figure. He glanced around, swallowed, and muttered, ¡°Is this what they call ¡®Severing Worldly Attachments¡¯?¡±


    He subconsciously reached for his crotch and fumbled around.


    ¡°It¡¯s usable.¡±


    He then couldn¡¯t help but gradually beam with excitement, eyeing Ma Yinxue¡¯s long, straight jade legs, his eyes filled with greed as he stepped closer, ¡°There were too many people outside just now, didn¡¯t feel it was appropriate. I thought I¡¯d never have the chance again, but who knew such a good thing would happen.¡±


    A tea time later.


    Looking at Ma Yinxue lying on the ground, her face full of humiliation and relief, Fat Long took a deep breath with satisfaction, ¡°That was satisfying, a pity it can¡¯t be used continuously; this is way more real than just imagining it in my head, and there¡¯s physical sensation too, really nice.¡±


    ¡°But I need to go find Brother Qiu now, don¡¯t want him to worry.¡±


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    Just as he was fastening his belt, Fat Long casually drew the long knife from his waist and plunged it into Ma Yinxue¡¯s chest, just then the surrounding mist swirled and the scene shifted again.


    ¡­


    As Fat Long was fastening his belt, he looked around; he was in the same derelict thatched house just outside the town where he and Ma Yinxue had been staying. Hearing some noise outside, Ma Yinxue, wearing only a tube top, opened the door and looked at him with resentment, complaining.


    ¡°You earn just a few dozen wen a day; when can we afford to live in the city?¡±


    ¡°I met a sister in the city today; her man makes hundreds of wen a day, do you realize how embarrassed you make me feel outside?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long blankly glanced around, then realized that this was his fourth day after having crossed over. He remembered he used to hand over all the money he earned each day to Ma Yinxue for safekeeping, to later purchase potions for Qi Refinement breakthroughs. But today, Ma Yinxue had spent all the money in the city, not leaving a single penny.


    She bought quite a lot of pork head meat and liquor dishes, thinking since it¡¯s spent, might as well improve the meal. But she had eaten it all before he got back, and while that was okay, when he found out that there had been a few coins left in her pocket after buying these things and she had given it all away to beggars at the city gate, he had exploded in anger.


    If he remembered correctly, they had had a fierce argument today.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    That was before, but as for now.


    Fat Long sighed helplessly, his hands that had been tying his belt suddenly stopped, ¡°You should have told me earlier. If I had known this was coming, why would I bother tying my belt?¡±


    He looked up and smiled again at Ma Yinxue, who was chattering at the door.


    ¡°Here it comes.¡±


    ¡­


    Another moment passed, and the scene changed again.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡­


    The scene changed again.


    ¡°I like this scene.


    ¡­


    Change.


    ¡°Might as well throw the belt away, no chance to tie it anyway.¡±


    ¡­


    It was the ninety-ninth time when Fat Long and Ma Yinxue, under the watchful eyes of a slow-moving crowd on the stage, shared a room. The always grieving Ma Yinxue suddenly became expressionless and silent, then she looked up at Fat Long on her and said word by word.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know this is an illusion?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say it?¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    ¡°Say that this is an illusion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for later. I wasn¡¯t done enjoying myself.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly realizing that Ma Yinxue was talking to him, Fat Long, somewhat incredulously looking at her beneath him, then slapped his butt more excitedly.


    ¡°Call me daddy!¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Ma Yinxue, with a cold wave of her sleeve, unleashed her Spiritual Energy which sent Fat Long flying off the stage; she then stood up, adjusted her clothes expressionlessly, and said, ¡°Absolutely ridiculous. Why would someone like you come to Chao Tian Sect? If you had gone to Joyful Union Sect, at least you¡¯d be a True Disciple.¡±


    ¡°You passed the first round irregularly, but I must tell you, I look down on your kind¡­¡±


    Before she could finish.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long, thrown off the stage, shook his head and sneered as he stood up, ¡°Starting to fight, are we?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    At that moment, Fat Long slightly rubbed his fingers together and in the blink of an eye, dozens of talismans equivalent to a full-strength hit at the Foundation Establishment level appeared at his fingertips. He tossed them all at Ma Yinxue on the stage before he excitedly pulled out the ¡°Dragon Slayer¡± long knife and charged up onto the stage.


    A few moments later.


    Ma Yinxue lay on the ground, her face filled with grief and despair, pain etched into her features as tears slowly slid from the corners of her closed eyes.


    ¡­


    After another moment.


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Only then did Fat Long stand up satisfied, withdrawing his knife to kill Ma Yinxue lying on the ground. Just as he was preparing for the next scene, he suddenly realized he had returned to the copper bell.


    And a panel enshrouded in mist slowly emerged in front of him.


    ¡°First round, Severing Worldly Ties, cleared.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations on successfully becoming a chore disciple of Chao Tian Sect. This round assessed the disciple¡¯s ability to maintain their own heart in an illusion. There were two ways to clear the round.¡±


    ¡°1: Verbalize and expose the illusion.¡±


    ¡°2: Kill the target 99 times.¡±


    ¡°So, just kill 99 times to clear.¡±


    Fat Long calculated, ¡°That just makes it, I could have cleared it with my abilities alone, yet they had to make me clear it irregularly ahead of time. It¡¯s so embarrassing, it makes me look like I took a shortcut.¡±


    He shook his head and didn¡¯t bother with it anymore, walking straight past the copper bell. He needed to catch up with Brother Qiu quickly to keep him from worrying, thankful that regardless of how long he stayed inside, only a moment passed outside; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t waste his time in there. He¡¯d figured this out after entering and regaining consciousness after everyone took a breather, and not a single talisman from his Storage Ring was missing, proving talismans could not be used for real in the illusion.


    What Fat Long didn¡¯t notice was.


    After he left, the copper bell that had been emitting a faint milky white light suddenly dimmed completely, and those who cleared the stage after him were also confusedly looking at each other with puzzled expressions.


    ¡°Why did I just step into the range of the copper bell, nothing happened, and I was instantly notified I had cleared?¡±


    ¡°Me too, wasn¡¯t it supposed to be Severing Worldly Ties? I was all mentally prepared, and nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it said that you get a fixed reward for clearing each round? Why didn¡¯t I get any rewards, did you guys get any?¡±


    ¡°People stepping into the bell¡¯s range earlier would be absentminded for a moment, but why did nothing happen with us?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Has it come?¡±


    Standing outside the Alchemy Hall for the second round, Chen Qiu, looking toward Fat Long running his way, asked softly, ¡°You okay? The first round didn¡¯t leave you with any psychological trauma, did it?¡±


    Like him, Fat Long had no parents. Most likely, his target in the Worldly Ties was Chen Qiu.


    Having to kill him by his own hands probably left some psychological scarring on Fat Long, especially after the first time he killed him and realized it was indeed him he had killed, there might have been some pain.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    A bit awkwardly, Fat Long shifted his gaze and whispered hesitantly, ¡°All good¡­ quite thrilling actually.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression darkened gradually, and after a long silence, he finally said softly, ¡°Once we¡¯re out, we should have a chance to spar a bit.¡±


    ¡°Help you gain some combat experience.¡±

 Chapter 52 - 52: Its getting dark again.

    Chapter 52: Chapter 52: It¡¯s getting dark again.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, let¡¯s talk outside.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression remained calm as he shifted his gaze from Fat Long and glanced towards the few lines of text carved onto the pillar at the entrance of the Alchemy Hall.


    ¡®The second round, beheading the cowardly.¡¯


    ¡®Pass this round, and you may become an outer sect disciple of the Chao Tian Sect.¡¯


    Inside the Alchemy Hall, it seemed as though it was shrouded in a barrier. The ground was spotless; the moment one stepped through the entrance of the Alchemy Hall, the trial of the second round would officially begin.


    Many people had already gone inside, but quite a few had met with failure.


    ...


    The difficulty seemed to have risen a notch from the first round, unlike the first round¡¯s crude illusions, which practically everyone could pass with ease, as the illusions didn¡¯t block their memories and everyone knew they were in an illusion, hence they could proceed without hesitation.


    Had it been an illusion which blocked your memories, making you unaware of why you found yourself there, the number of people passing the round would have been far fewer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the group inside the Alchemy Hall, straining with twisted expressions as they struggled to walk due to the gravity, which was several times stronger inside this special area. The further one went, the stronger the gravity became, making it increasingly difficult to move.


    One only needed to reach the Pill Furnace at the center of the Alchemy Hall to pass the trial, but retreating even a single step meant failure, at which point the gravity would rapidly dissipate, thereby forcibly ejecting the individual from the Alchemy Hall.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Fat Long nodded, hurriedly following along but with a slight sense of unease in his heart. Although what happened in the illusion couldn¡¯t be projected into reality and was all fake, his legs still seemed to feel a bit wobbly.


    They were shaking with nervousness.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Near the ruins of an abandoned building close to the first round, Zhao Yishi was hiding in a corner, observing the outside through a broken hole in the wall, cautiously remaining hidden, trying not to draw any attention.


    It seemed the first round wasn¡¯t very dangerous, as practically everyone had passed.


    Moreover, the evil entity hadn¡¯t gone on a sudden killing spree.


    He planned to wait until no one was around and then go to the first round. Following behind others and picking up what they missed wasn¡¯t very rewarding, but it was certainly safer.


    While feces might not be as tasty as red mushrooms in the wild, at least one could be certain they were absolutely non-toxic.


    Precedent had verified it; anything toxic wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to be excreted.


    Just then, a few young cultivators who hadn¡¯t managed to pass the first round were huddling together, feeling their way around near the first round. Soon they found their way into this grand yet decrepit hall.


    Only those who had passed the first round could explore the ruins around the second round; otherwise, a barrier would block your path. If one failed the first round, they could only explore the ruins near the first round.


    Feeling a slight pain, Zhao Yishi looked down.


    Right then, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator was prodding at his big toe with a long sword: ¡°Hey, look, it seems like there¡¯s an unknown barrier here, invisible, but you can definitely feel something.¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel as solid as a barrier, more like a partially abandoned one.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys think there might be a small world or something similar sealed behind this barrier? I¡¯ve always heard that the treasures of ancient sects are hidden inside small worlds!¡±


    ¡°That makes sense!¡±


    The cultivators¡¯ eyes lit up, and they simultaneously took out their flying swords and began attacking this invisible yet tangible barrier, having no opportunity to move on to the second round. They had searched near the first round for a long time and found nothing, and unexpectedly here they had stumbled upon something that looked like a treasure might be concealed!


    Several breaths later.


    A Heaven-reaching Giant huddled in a corner slowly unwrapped his Invisibility Technique, expressionlessly rose to his feet, and looked down at the few ¡°little ants¡± below, saying dispassionately, ¡°Crazy, like a sickness.¡±


    Then he strode out of the great hall and headed toward the first round. By this time, there weren¡¯t many people left at the first round¡ªit was his turn to enter the stage.


    ¡­


    Fufeng City, inside a certain tea house.


    The scholar, seated cross-legged in the corner of the hall, looked intoxicated and transfixed as he stared at the cup of tea in his hands, his ears quivering as he listened intently to the storyteller on stage narrating the tale of a once-great hero.


    ¡°Hey!¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The storyteller struck the gong, exciting everyone¡¯s anticipation, and then chuckled, ¡°The character I was just talking about¡ªyou folks must have heard of him before!¡±


    ¡°He is none other than the once leading Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!¡±


    ¡°The White-clothed Sword Cultivator!¡±


    ¡°A young man in his prime is naturally full of arrogance, but he never considered that his last blunder would be meddling with someone he shouldn¡¯t have, which ultimately lead to the disappearance of the name ¡®Bai Yi¡¯ from Da Xia. The story, however, starts from the very beginning, so listen closely as I recount it slowly¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    The burly man with a tufted beard beside the scholar looked excited as he leaned in and shook the scholar¡¯s head vigorously, gesturing for him to listen attentively.


    These past years, on days when his brother had nothing else to do, he would drag him to the tea house to listen to the storyteller, knowing full well his brother didn¡¯t really like these stories. But the only reason his brother came so often was in the hope of hearing his own tale recounted from the storyteller¡¯s lips.


    Unfortunately, those storytellers would only speak of the recently famous; those were the tales people liked to hear.


    No one spoke of the ones who had faded from glory, and no one listened.


    Finally hearing his own name mentioned by the storyteller, he knew his brother must be thrilled.


    After finishing the tea with one gulp, the scholar shrugged off his brother¡¯s hand and said impatiently, ¡°Back when I was famous, there were plenty of storytellers who talked about me. I got tired of hearing it. Don¡¯t act like such a disgrace.¡±


    However, at that moment¡ª


    A middle-aged man in the audience suddenly waved dismissively and said, ¡°Can we get someone else to tell the story? How can someone who¡¯s been dead for so many years still be called the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia? If he really were the top Sword Cultivator, would he have died so easily?¡±


    ¡°Just a lucky piece of trash, wasn¡¯t he; still ended up being chased and running away like a dog.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar was about to pour himself more tea when his hand suddenly stopped, and he turned his head to look at the man who had waved dismissively, remaining silent and expressionless.


    ¡°Bro!¡±


    At that moment, the burly bearded man pressed down on the scholar¡¯s right hand and urged sternly, ¡°You¡¯ve just taken the Heavenly Dao Jade, and the hidden poison in your body has barely been cleared away; you¡¯re still in the recovery phase. You absolutely mustn¡¯t start a fight now¡ªif your spiritual energy becomes chaotic, you won¡¯t live long!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar nodded, the green blade in his sleeve quivering slightly. After a long moment, he exhaled gently and patted his brother¡¯s shoulder, signaling for him to carry him out of the place. The storyteller on stage, under the audience¡¯s scorn, had already switched to another character.


    Not just any character.


    It was the coming-of-age story of the current top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    Outside the tea house.


    The sky, just like the past few days, was engulfed by thousands of miles of dark clouds pressing down like a lid, covering the entire sky, leaving almost no trace of sunlight, creating an oppressive atmosphere yet filled with a sense of freedom.


    The day had darkened again.

 Chapter 53 - 53:

    Chapter 53: Chapter 53: ¡°If a person is not afraid of death, then sooner or later they will die.


    ¡°Beast!!!¡±


    Meanwhile, in a courtyard within Fufeng City, a middle-aged man stood under the dark clouds with an enraged expression, brandishing a knife at a young man kneeling before him, drenched in blood, and shouted angrily, ¡°What? If I don¡¯t pass the position of Family Head to you, will you kill your old man?¡±


    ¡°How could you be so heartless as to raise your hand against your own father!¡±


    ¡°Deceiving me, all of you deceive me¡­¡±


    The young man kneeling on the ground, covered in blood, had already fallen into a state of despair. The few hired thugs from his family that he had gathered were now all lying in pools of blood, and he himself was at the end of his tether.


    His greatest confidence was his demon cultivation master.


    ...


    The master had told him to act as he pleased, assuring him that he was in Fufeng City and that he would arrive within a hundred breaths upon being contacted via a Sound Transmission Talisman.


    That was his confidence.


    But now, thousands of breaths had passed, even approaching ten thousand, and he hadn¡¯t seen so much as a shadow of his demon cultivation master. There was no response from the Sound Transmission Talisman; he didn¡¯t know where the hell his master had died!!!


    Bitter resentment surged in the young man¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Ah!!!¡±


    Under the weight of collapse, the young man forced himself up with the tip of his knife, standing shakily in place with a ferocious expression, pointing the blade directly at his father: ¡°Old beast, at your age you still can¡¯t control what¡¯s below your waist, what right do you have to lecture me?¡±


    ¡°A man destined for great things can never be captivated by a woman.¡±


    ¡°Especially not by such a worn-out shoe trampled by thousands!¡±


    ¡°Although I die, I do so unresigned!¡±


    With those words falling.


    He still looked hopefully toward the top of the courtyard wall, wishing to see his master in red robes with long hair, who was harsh yet kind and expectant, appear on the wall to support him. But after waiting for several breaths, there was still no sign of his master.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    With a bitter laugh, the young man looked toward his father not far away: ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry, you won¡¯t live much longer. I¡¯ll be waiting for you down below.¡±


    Then, without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he placed the knife blade on his own neck and violently stabbed.


    His gaze gradually became vacant as his body softened, falling heavily backward onto the ground.


    ¡°Thud.¡±


    Seeing his own son die before his eyes, the middle-aged man, whose expression was still angry, suddenly felt a pain in his heart, a flash of complexity in his eyes. He sheathed his blade, took big strides toward his son¡¯s body, knelt down to pick up his body to prepare for burial.


    But just as he approached.


    The young man lying on the ground suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light bursting forth, and the blade in his hand stabbed violently, piercing his father¡¯s neck without the slightest bit of mercy.


    He stirred rapidly, and soon a blood hole as large as a fist appeared in his father¡¯s neck.


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff.¡±


    The young man slowly got up, casually took out a handkerchief from his bosom to cover his neck, staunching the blood, then after taking several Healing Pills, he glanced at his father now lying in a pool of blood. He struck his father with a dozen more knife blows,


    Before raising his head to look at the beautiful yet scared rigid stepmother standing not far away and started to smile grimly.


    ¡°Stepmother.¡±


    ¡°You seem a bit frightened.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, remember, from today onwards, I no longer bear the surname Chen.¡±


    ¡°My name is Qi Tian.¡±


    ¡°Kneel and crawl over here, and I¡¯ll spare you.¡±


    The attractive woman standing not far away, biting her lip, forcibly suppressed her terror and, in a humiliating fashion, knelt on the ground, trembling as she slowly crawled toward Qi Tian standing in the center of the courtyard.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Qi Tian chuckled lightly as he stroked the head of his stepmother kneeling before him, his fingers invading her mouth, brutally stirring for a while before forcefully tilting her head back, murmuring,


    ¡°Within three years, I want everyone within a thousand miles of Fufeng City to know the name Qi Tian.¡±


    ¡°To leave a mark upon this world, you have to be either gloriously renowned or utterly infamous.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Stepmother?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°One step, two steps¡­¡±


    At this moment in the Alchemy Hall of the second round within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, Chen Qiu was moving slowly and with great difficulty. This second round was more challenging than he had anticipated; he even felt like his bones were creaking and on the verge of falling apart.


    Each step was excruciatingly difficult.


    Moreover, there were no tricks to this round. The gravity each person faced was different, tailored specifically to them, not more or less, but just enough to exceed their tolerance. One had to break through within their capacity in order to pass this second round.


    This round tested perseverance and resilience.


    Just then¡ª


    Chen Qiu saw Fat Long not far away, moving at a swift pace and nearly reaching the central Alchemy Furnace within the hall. Fat Long lay flat on the ground, inching forward like a maggot, using his hands, feet, and belly together to wriggle onward. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although the technique looked rather ungraceful, his speed was quite fast.


    Other people around started copying him, lying on the ground and wriggling like maggots toward the central Alchemy Furnace of the Alchemy Hall. For a moment, only Chen Qiu and a few others remained standing in place.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood still and fell silent for a short while but ultimately chose not to imitate this method of advancement. He continued moving slowly but steadily towards the Alchemy Furnace, feeling that he could still hold on. If he truly couldn¡¯t go on later, he would resort to that method.


    There was no time limit in this round anyway, so being a bit slower was not an issue.


    His resilience was still quite good.


    After all, he was someone who had once chopped wood for twenty-nine days straight without a single day of rest. Even so, when he was only a short distance from the Alchemy Furnace, he found himself unable to take another step.


    At that moment, he felt as though a mountain was pressing down on his back, almost bending him double.


    Chen Qiu let out a soft sigh, and in the end, he had to admit that he indeed could not reach the Alchemy Furnace. However, he had just thought of a possible clever method.


    With a wave of his hand¡ª


    Nearly a hundred vengeful spirits of the Human Face Spider appeared beside him. Then, these numerous creatures spun webs that interlinked them together, pooling their strength. He stood on the back of this giant Human Face Spider formation, and as they moved, he slowly progressed towards the Alchemy Furnace.


    The pace was still slow, but much faster than if he had gone by himself.


    The gravity affected these Human Face Spiders too, and occasionally one would explode and perish, but he had so many vengeful spirits at his disposal that he could easily replenish them. In this way, he even reached the Alchemy Furnace a step faster than Fat Long.


    The panel, shrouded in mist, slowly popped up before him.


    ¡°Second round, ¡®Cutting Art¡¯, pass.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations on successfully becoming an Outer Sect Disciple of the Chao Tian Sect. This round tested disciples¡¯ resilience when faced with adversity. There are two ways to pass.¡±


    ¡°1: Stand firm without kneeling, demonstrating the talent of a Sword Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°2: Move while prostrate, showing an active mind, suitable for specializing in Alchemy, Formation, or Artifact Refining.¡±


    ¡°For passing this round, you are rewarded with three Mid-grade Foundation Establishment ¡®Qi Replenishing Pills¡¯ that can quickly replenish your internal Spiritual Energy. The Martial Arts Hall you see upon walking a hundred paces is the third round.¡±


    ¡°Outer Sect Disciple?¡±


    Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering in silence without speaking. After passing the fourth round, he would be an Inner Sect Disciple. The Heavenly Dao Secret Realm mainly has seven rounds, so if he cleared them all, wouldn¡¯t he directly become the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect?


    Moreover, the standards of this ancient sect for selecting disciples seemed somewhat low. If the trials were all of this level, wouldn¡¯t the Outer Sect Disciples of the Chao Tian Sect be as numerous as the hairs on a bull?


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Fat Long, who had also passed the round and came to Chen Qiu¡¯s side, looked at the panel that popped up and couldn¡¯t help but purse his lips: ¡°I finally understand why this ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ was destroyed. It¡¯s because of their insistence on not kneeling.¡±


    ¡°A person will eventually die if they are not afraid of death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the truth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, a person who firmly believes that they will become a dominant force in the future won¡¯t feel humiliated for kneeling in the past. Refusing to be flexible and insisting on not kneeling, no wonder the sect was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Surely not all Sword Cultivators can be so obstinate, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long with a calm expression: ¡°Since we¡¯ve known each other, you¡¯ve already said that three times now.¡±


    ¡°Have I?¡±


    ¡°You have.¡±

 Chapter 54 - 54: Top Grade Foundation Establishment Earth Fire Pill

    Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Top Grade Foundation Establishment Earth Fire Pill


    Up until now, fewer than a thousand people have passed the second level. Most were still struggling in the gravity field of the Alchemy Hall, with many showing blood at the corners of their mouths, clearly at the end of their strength.


    Even Body Cultivators had no advantage in this challenge.


    The intensity of the gravity varied from person to person.


    Meanwhile, many who had already passed were heading towards the third level. The rewards for the first two levels had been quite ordinary, but a Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Secret Realm definitely did not limit its rewards to just these, which meant that the better treasures were further on.


    Just as expected¡ª


    When a group arrived at the Martial Arts Hall, the site of the third level, they saw a line of characters carved on the towering doors of the hall.


    ...


    ¡°The Third Level, Heart Demon Slayer.¡±


    ¡°Pass this level, and you may become a candidate for the Inner Sect of Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°And will receive an ¡®Earth Fire Pill¡¯ of superior Foundation Establishment grade.¡±


    ¡°An Earth Fire Pill?!¡±


    Seeing the words carved on the door, many in the crowd exclaimed in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read about this in ancient texts. It is said that this pill, belonging to several versions of Heavenly Dao ago, has the effect of possibly creating an ¡®Earth Fire Dao Foundation¡¯ if taken before Foundation Establishment. This type of Dao Foundation is extremely suitable for Magic Practitioners, and using the spell ¡®One Flame Thousand Miles¡¯ with this Dao Foundation would greatly enhance its power!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it too, but it was my master who forced me to read about it, afraid that I wouldn¡¯t recognize treasures when I encountered them during my travels. However, it is said to have been lost for a long time, not seen for ages, and I didn¡¯t expect to see it here today.¡±


    ¡°Although it¡¯s a superior Foundation Establishment grade pill, its effects far surpass those of ordinary superior Foundation Establishment grade pills. Just this one pill, if brought to market now, would be worth at least 1000 Spirit Stones, right?!¡±


    ¡°I think it could even be higher, after all, that¡¯s an Earth Fire Dao Foundation!¡±


    ¡­


    Standing in place, Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, listening to the discussions around him, he realized distinctly what set him apart from those Sect Disciples¡ªthose people could systematically study many theoretical subjects, including such ancient, lost pills, and discuss them freely.


    Yet, he had never even heard of the Earth Fire Pill.


    Once out, he planned to see where he could find some ancient texts and related books outside of joining a sect, to make up for his lack of theoretical knowledge.


    But in those recent conversations,


    there was one point that intrigued him more. He turned his head toward Fat Long and whispered, ¡°What does ¡®Heavenly Dao version¡¯ mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡±


    Fat Long murmured somewhat blankly, ¡°But it sounds a bit like some kind of game update, what¡¯s the deal, does it mean this world gets a Heavenly Dao version update every so often, adding and deleting content?¡±


    ¡°At least as long as I¡¯ve been here, I¡¯ve never heard anyone mention this, which means the last Heavenly Dao version update must have been at least a few hundred years ago. Many have forgotten about it. When I get out, I¡¯ll look into what this Heavenly Dao version actually is.¡±


    Perhaps it was the allure of the Earth Fire Pill.


    Many couldn¡¯t hide their greed and strode towards the Martial Arts Hall, only to be stopped by a barrier at the entrance. They exchanged glances, many guessing that this level would only open once all those who had passed the second level had arrived.


    They could only subdue their greed and excitement, forcing themselves to calm down and sit cross-legged on the spot to restore their Spiritual Energy.


    A fierce battle was inevitable.


    The main reason no one vied for the first two levels was that their rewards were too meager, not worth risking their lives for; but the Earth Fire Pill was different¡ªit was a pill produced only by the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm during the Ancient Era!


    No one could manufacture it! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Take one out, and there¡¯s one less!¡±


    Due to its rare properties, the price would likely double, even though they no longer needed it for Foundation Establishment. Still, that didn¡¯t stop them from trading it for Spirit Stones, which they could use either for cultivation or to purchase top-tier Spiritual Treasures, significantly enhancing their combat abilities!


    Many already began to emit uncontrollable murderous intent, clenching their teeth and trembling slightly on their lips.


    In such times, even if you were a person who loved peace, you could only pick up the butcher¡¯s knife and act as though you couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    Show even a hint of fear,


    and you¡¯d be marked as a target for the cowards.


    Once many had marked you as a target for cowards, and if you still managed to successfully pass the third level, there wouldn¡¯t be just one butcher¡¯s knife falling on the back of your head.


    Many cultivators, not very high in Cultivation but who just came to try their luck, also gradually sensed the killing intent in the air, slowly rising, silently stepping back, moving to one side of the ruins of the third level, and hiding.


    Nobody went after them; at this time, Spiritual Energy was not to be wasted in the slightest.


    ¡­


    ¡°Nice stuff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu murmured with a complex expression, ¡°It really does make one envious. Such rewards for just the third level, what about the fifth or sixth? Or even the seventh?¡±


    Finally¡ª


    When a Heaven-reaching Giant bent down and walked out from behind the crowd in the Alchemy Hall, the Barrier on the door of the Martial Arts Hall slowly faded, and the third level officially began!


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here.¡±


    Zhao Yishi stood still, looking down at these people who seemed as small as ants, feeling the impulse to strip off his clothing as he caught everyone¡¯s gaze shifting towards him, but realizing they weren¡¯t there to fight, he slightly relaxed.


    Before leaving the sect,


    the Sect Master had specifically instructed him that, even if the sky were falling, to at least strip off his clothes before fighting.


    Talking about how the cost of making him a suit of clothes was comparable to outfitting all sect disciples with sect robes for over a decade. He wasn¡¯t sure if the Sect Master was exaggerating, but he knew every time he destroyed his clothes in the past, the Sect Master always seemed very angry and upset, cursing profusely.


    A Sect Master of a renowned immortal sect.


    How could he speak so foully?


    He was puzzled by it.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu glanced at Zhao Yishi standing behind him, smiled, and gestured him to enter the Martial Arts Hall together, then led Fat Long into the hall first.


    This third level was named Heart Demon Slayer, obviously similar to levels like Heart Demon challenges.


    It might be another illusion.


    Only after entering the Martial Arts Hall was it discovered that inside, a hundred large fighting rings were neatly arranged, and at that moment, each ring flickered with light, clearly signaling for people to step forward.


    All who had passed the second level were already here, about 8000 people in total.


    The second level had eliminated a whopping 2000-plus people.


    This elimination ratio was higher than expected. Logically, the second level wasn¡¯t that difficult, but stubborn injuries plagued some contestants. Forcing their way through would only result in their bodies exploding in death. Lying down was also futile, leaving them no choice but to give up and withdraw.

 Chapter 55 - 55:

    Chapter 55: Chapter 55: ¡°I have eaten and I have also killed.


    And at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, several lines of text were carved into the ground in a crimson color, exuding an imposing aura.


    ¡°The third challenge, Sever the Heart.¡±


    ¡°Each stage can hold 20 Disciples, with the one facing south at noon starting off by talking about the most unique thing they have ever done, which could be true or false.¡±


    ¡°The stories cannot relate to age, gender, specific parts of the body, Cultivation Technique names, mental method names, or similar matters, and each story can only be told once without repetition.¡±


    ¡°After the previous Disciple has finished speaking, if the next one suspects that the previous Disciple is lying, they can call out the falsehood. If the judgement is correct, the other party is eliminated; if it¡¯s mistaken, they themselves are out.¡±


    ¡°If unable to judge whether the other party is lying, one can skip this process. The next statement must build on what the previous Disciple said, adding their own story for the next Disciple to judge, and so on.¡±


    ...


    ¡°For example, if the previous Disciple said ¡®I have saved a person,¡¯ the next Disciple must add to it with their own story, saying ¡®I have saved a person, and I have also killed someone.''¡±


    ¡°When only one Disciple remains on the stage, that Disciple is the winner and will receive the victory reward.¡±


    ¡­


    People did not rush into the Martial Arts Hall immediately; instead, they stood at the entrance of the hall and carefully committed the words carved into the ground to memory before exchanging glances with each other. In almost an instant, many hurried toward the various stages to secure a spot.


    The rules were clear.


    Only one person on each stage could win a reward.


    Naturally, one had to avoid competing against fellow sect members to avoid confrontation.


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long bid each other a hasty farewell and ran toward different stages.


    Some cultivators from the same family had their eyes light up and activated their movement techniques, dashing toward the stages at the far end. Their idea was simple: if they could occupy a stage entirely, it didn¡¯t matter who won in the end¡ªthe Pill would definitely end up in their family¡¯s hands.


    However¡­


    They were not the only ones with this idea.


    ¡°Get lost!!!¡±


    A Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator, with an expression ravaged by time, glared at the other family cultivators running shoulder to shoulder with him toward the distant stage, his eyes filled with ferocity. Spiritual Energy surged into his left palm, and he swung with all his might!


    Although this attack did not use any Cultivation Technique, it was purely a Spiritual Energy assault.


    But if it hit, the impact was not to be underestimated.


    His strike was not intended to injure or kill, but simply to repel the others, to deter them from fighting over the spot with him. The force wasn¡¯t tremendous, but it was energy-saving to deal with the chaos likely to ensue.


    However¡ª


    Just as he unleashed his attack, before he could accelerate further, a tremendous oppressive force suddenly descended from the sky of the Martial Arts Hall. Countless Array Patterns on the ceiling emerged and flickered wildly, and then, as the Foundation Establishment Cultivator looked on in terror, a bolt of Thunder as thick as a bucket struck down.


    Instantly turned into a pile of ashes.


    The other cultivators, who had been ready to fight for a position, all twitched at this spectacle. The Spiritual Energy that had been gathering in their palms forcibly reversed flow back into their Dantians, causing blood to ooze from the corners of their mouths¡ªobviously, they¡¯d been internally injured.


    The reason was simple, backlash from Spiritual Energy.


    Naturally, it could cause internal injuries.


    All at once, the atmosphere in the Martial Arts Hall, which was on the verge of chaos, quieted down. People began to compete quietly with their movement technique speeds. Once the stages were full, they waited patiently on the sidelines, in no rush.


    ¡­


    ¡°Big Brother, I just thought of something. Why are we rushing for the first round?¡±


    ¡°There are nearly 8,000 people here and only 100 stages, 20 to a group, so it¡¯s definitely going to take several rounds to finish. If we go last, there are bound to be many empty stages for us to choose from.¡±


    ¡°By then, wouldn¡¯t it guarantee our family gets an Earth Fire Pill?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, if you had shared your insight before Big Brother was struck by lightning, that would¡¯ve been better. And I¡¯m Second Brother, not Big Brother. You¡¯ve got the wrong person,¡± said the middle-aged man with a complex expression, looking at the pile of black ashes at his feet, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Old Big Brother is dead, now you¡¯re Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Fat Long had already taken his seat on cushion number 18 in the martial arts hall, looking at the other 19 cushions where cultivators were already sitting cross-legged with serious expressions. He shrunk his head timidly, trying to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible.


    He was a bit socially anxious.


    He didn¡¯t like places with lots of people.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu had taken his seat on cushion number 19. His hundred resentful spirits, summoned earlier, were still present since their hour had not yet passed, lying quietly under the martial arts platform, looking just like a group of spectators.


    Consequently, their platform was the coldest in the entire martial arts hall.


    Chillingly cold.


    One must say, if this entry were to be used to keep cool during summer, it would probably be quite effective.


    As a barrier slowly rose around the platform, enclosing it, the third challenge officially began¡ªstarting with the disciple stationed at high noon taking the lead to speak, given only three breaths¡¯ time to think.


    Anyone who failed to make a decision within three breaths would be automatically eliminated.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    This was a rather young man, dressed in lavish clothes, clearly a young master from some family. After contemplating for a moment, he spoke hoarsely, ¡°I have eaten a meal!¡±


    Then, the young man turned to look at the disciple seated below him.


    This was almost a perfect beginning; this challenge resembled something like a game of idiom solitaire, except it tested your life experiences rather than vocabulary. His statement was clearly true, leaving no room for doubt for the next disciple.


    And the next disciple quickly followed up.


    ¡°I have eaten a meal, and I have also killed a man.¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, having killed was quite normal.


    The third disciple had no cause for doubt and smoothly continued, ¡°I have eaten a meal, and I have also killed a man, and I have even eaten shit.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking,


    the fourth disciple seated cross-legged on his cushion began to twitch at the corners of his mouth uncontrollably, feeling as if his scalp was about to explode!


    There were only two options before him now!


    1: Challenge the claim, but if it turned out to be true, he¡¯d be eliminated.


    2: Don¡¯t challenge it, and continue the narrative, but the problem was, he had never eaten shit, and if the disciple below him were to challenge his claim, he¡¯d be out of the game.


    Dammit¡­


    The previous disciple had spoken so smoothly; it was clear as day that he bloody well had eaten it!


    The disciple took a deep breath, trying to keep his expression as calm as possible, and said indifferantly, ¡°I have eaten a meal, and I have also killed a man, and I have eaten shit, and I have bought a talisman.¡±


    At this moment, the disciple below him turned his head to look at the man who had just spoken, and gave a sly laugh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    As soon as those words were out,


    a soft yet powerful surge of Formation energy suddenly appeared on the platform, pushing the previous speaker off the platform and signalling his official elimination, meaning the first round had ended and the second round had officially begun.


    The first to speak in the second round was the one who had just raised the challenge.


    After pondering for a moment, the disciple began anew, ¡°I have watched my young auntie take a bath.¡±


    Then he looked provocatively at the cultivator seated below him, which was Chen Qiu.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long pause, Chen Qiu softly said, ¡°I have watched my young auntie take a bath, and I own a green entry.¡±


    He was starting to get the feeling that he was gradually beginning to understand the educational principles of this sect.

 Chapter 56 - 56: Now it Seems, He Himself is Niche

    Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Now it Seems, He Himself is Niche


    This stage is named ¡°Severing the Heart¡±!


    Now, it appears more to be an examination of one¡¯s ability to perceive subtle expressions in others and control one¡¯s own expressions, determining whether someone is lying through various details, and at the same time, making it as difficult as possible for others to judge whether you are lying.


    It also examines the richness of the experiences you¡¯ve had in the first half of your life.


    Chao Tian Sect is a pure Sword Cultivation Sect. A Sword Cultivator needs to experience the mortal world, he could understand, only by seeing through the mortal world could one prove their true heart. But the examination of one¡¯s ability to judge others¡¯ subtle expressions puzzled him. Does a Sword Cultivator really need to learn this?


    Actually, he had a very killer thing.


    That was¡ª


    ...


    Seven-colored term!


    If he had just said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen my aunt bathing, and I possess a Seven-colored term,¡± it would directly be a killer move, eliminating his next-house player one hundred percent. The next-house player would only have two choices.


    Either to expose him or to reluctantly follow along.


    In any case, both options were essentially guaranteed losses.


    Even if you were bold enough to dare to follow, guess whether your next-house player believes you? Unless that next-house player also has a Seven-colored term.


    It was just a bit unnecessary.


    After all, it was only a top-grade Earth Fire Pill of Foundation Establishment, not worth exposing his own Seven-colored term. If the rule was that everyone eliminated in the arena would die instantly, with no leakage of information, he wouldn¡¯t mind demonstrating to the remaining people what despair looks like.


    ¡­


    After saying this, Chen Qiu calmly sat cross-legged on the spot without glancing at his subordinate at all.


    Honestly speaking.


    He had never seen his own aunt bathing; he didn¡¯t even have an aunt, where would he see her.


    But he couldn¡¯t judge whether the person in the upper position was lying, so he just followed along. As long as his subordinate didn¡¯t question him, he would be undisturbed and it was now a test of luck.


    Fortunately.


    It could be seen that the moral standards of these people were quite low.


    His next-house player didn¡¯t even have a hint of doubt about whether he had peeped at his aunt bathing, directly taking it for granted that doing such a thing was quite normal, already beginning to think about what he should say next.


    ¡°I have seen my aunt bathing, and I possess a green entry, and I once rose from the first level of Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment Stage in just three days!¡±


    The next-house player thought for a moment then expanded on this statement.


    The problem was passed to the next-house player¡¯s next-house player. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This trial, the earlier ones were the simplest, the further back it got the harder it became; everyone¡¯s life was different, those unique experiences that the previous people came up with, if you have also experienced them all, it would mean your life experiences were incredibly complex.


    Hard to distinguish the components.


    The clothing on the next-house player appeared to be quite valuable, and the whole person sitting there looked calm and quiet. Although there was no overt arrogance, one could still faintly feel a hint of unspoken superiority.


    In this situation, rushing Foundation Establishment in three days seemed not so dubious.


    The next-house player¡¯s next-house player continued.


    ¡°I have seen my aunt bathing, and I possess a green entry, and I have even climbed directly from the first level of Qi Refinement to the Foundation Establishment Stage in just three days, and in the Qi Refinement period I once killed a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!¡±


    Each person was racking their brains to come up with the most unique experience from their lives.


    Trying to directly eliminate their next-house player.


    The next-house player of this person contemplated grimly for several moments, chose to challenge, and was then eliminated on the spot, perhaps not even he himself expected that what his superior had said was all true. But there was no help for it, he no longer had the courage to follow.


    The more they spoke, the more outrageous it became.


    ¡°If he isn¡¯t from a prestigious family, who else could have gone through these four things?¡±


    The first two might be debatable, but the last two are just nonsense for a Loose Cultivator, his clothes are worthless, even if he dares to continue, his downstream wouldn¡¯t believe him.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s face remained calm as he glanced at his two downstream, both of whom had just admitted to peeping on their aunt bathing. If neither of them lied, then including his own upstream, all three of them had done it.


    Actually,


    how should I put it, he had always thought peeping at one¡¯s aunt bathing was a rather niche activity.


    Now it seemed, he was the niche one.


    ¡­


    As time passed, only three people remained on platform number 19 where Chen Qiu was, the rest had already been eliminated, and a new round began, with the remaining two wracking their brains, faces slightly pale, thinking frantically.


    Each fact couldn¡¯t be repeated.


    In the previous dozen or so rounds, they had exhausted all the unique experiences of their lifetimes. This round, they truly were at a loss for words.


    Like now, this round had already circulated among the three of them several times without challenge, at this point, no one wanted to bet on whether the upstream¡¯s statement was false.


    The upstream, forcing himself, recited painstakingly,


    ¡°I once ate six bowls of rice, chopped wood, used Invisibility Technique to peep at a stranger bathing, ate six buns at a meal, chopped a man, used Invisibility Technique to peep through a neighbor bathing, ate six dishes at a meal, chopped a demon beast, used Invisibility Technique to peep at a relative bathing¡ªand I possess five or more entries!!!¡±


    By the time he spurted out the last few words, his voice had gone hoarse.


    There was no helping it, in the final round, everyone just started telling the truth.


    His downstream behaved like a lunatic, either chopping wood or chopping people.


    His upstream was just an idiot, either peeping at neighbors or relatives bathing, your father sending you to cultivate was truly an ancestral sin!


    Sensing it might take many more rounds like this, he couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. He finally pulled out his trump card, ready to make a killing move!


    A normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator could only possess two entries.


    Someone like him possessing more than five entries had indeed had several fortunate occasions, which under normal circumstances, should not be casually revealed to avoid drawing fatal trouble. But under some pressure now, he couldn¡¯t care less.


    His eyes filled with blood, he stared fixedly at Chen Qiu, and with a twisted smile, pronounced each word distinctly, ¡°Want to try challenging me? Or do you have the guts to compete?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu casually scanned and then diverted his gaze, saying softly, ¡°I once ate six bowls of rice, chopped wood¡­ and possess five or more entries, and also chopped the price.¡±


    And with a casual wave of his hand.


    Five panels wrapped in mist appeared out of thin air, displaying his five irrelevant entries.


    ¡°Just five entries, who doesn¡¯t have one?¡±


    Actually, he really didn¡¯t want to do this, but had no choice.


    In his downstream¡¯s perspective, learning the Invisibility Technique to peep on someone bathing was a perfectly normal thing.


    So he had never doubted him for that.


    But¡­ having five entries was the kind of thing that could raise suspicion. He feared that his downstream would challenge him about his five entries, exposing him, which would truly have gotten him eliminated, even though his final statement had been true.


    But all those claims about peeping during baths were false.

 Chapter 57 - 57: Entry Name: Sword Bone.

    Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Entry Name: Sword Bone.


    Now it was Chen Qiu¡¯s next opponent¡¯s turn to be dumbfounded.


    His face constantly changed between pale and flushed as he stood stiffly on the spot, his lips trembling slightly, yet he couldn¡¯t utter a word for a long time. Chen Qiu played his cards openly; those five entries were laid out there, surrounded by clouds on the panel formed by the Heavenly Dao.


    Even if you have exquisite control over spiritual energy, you can¡¯t form such a panel out of thin air.


    You can only form words in the air, but not that cloud-enshrouded panel.


    Genuine and beyond doubt.


    Then the dilemma was handed over to him; doubting was certainly not possible, he could only grit his teeth and follow up with another statement. However, Chen Qiu¡¯s previous opponent, sitting beside him, could no longer contain his impatience and roared excitedly, ¡°Go fool a ghost!¡±


    ...


    ¡°Bang.¡±


    The next contestant was eliminated; now only two people were left on the stage.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, casually playing with the jade fan in his hand and speaking little, admitting to himself that he had been somewhat lucky. If his next opponent had been more serious or had a few dozen breaths¡¯ time to think, he would have easily realized that the boasting tone Chen Qiu used when showing the entry panel didn¡¯t quite match his persona.


    From the beginning, he had been sitting there in an extremely calm state.


    Suddenly flaunting his open challenge was a bit too abnormal.


    And abnormal behavior often heralds mischief.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us left.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s previous opponent stared at him icily, word by word, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to actually have five entries. I¡¯m too lazy to waste time speaking pointless repetitious words like last round. Let¡¯s decide life and death right now!¡±


    ¡°I have six or more entries!¡±


    ¡°Do you dare to follow?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head casually, ¡°I have six or more entries, and I¡¯ve eaten six buns.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    His opponent, taken aback, his eyes flickered with confusion. Wasn¡¯t this what he had said in the previous round? He reacted instinctively, ¡°I have six or more entries, and I¡¯ve eaten six buns, and I also have seven or more entries!¡±


    Chen Qiu quietly added, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten six bowls of rice.¡±


    He no longer needed to doubt his opponent; his opponent had all he claimed to have, and now he was speaking purely from his own experiences, waiting for his opponent to lose his temper.


    ¡°Eight.¡±


    ¡°A meal of six dishes.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    When Chen Qiu added one more thing, his opponent finally couldn¡¯t help laughing wildly, stood up from his cushion, shook off the dust from his clothes, and looked at Chen Qiu with a hint of triumph in his eyes, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve lost my mind? That I would keep increasing my claim?¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I was just setting a hook for you.¡±


    ¡°Eight entries, you really dare to follow? I don¡¯t have eight entries, so why do you think you could have them? Or do you firmly believe I wouldn¡¯t dare to doubt you? Oh right, I almost forgot, only the lower player can doubt the upper player, the upper player cannot accuse the lower player.¡±


    ¡°After so many rounds, you might have gotten used to it.¡±


    ¡°But did you forget? There are only two of us left on the stage, and I too am your lower player now!¡±


    ¡°Fool.¡±


    The man sneered coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not buying that bullshit today. Show me if you can come up with three more entries?!!!¡±


    As his voice fell, accompanied by the surge of spiritual energy on the stage, the man who had just stood up was suddenly slammed by the spiritual energy and flew out of the stage, falling several meters away before incredulously climbing up from below the stage.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood up with a hint of helplessness, patted the nonexistent dust off his clothes, didn¡¯t even glance at the man below the stage, and walked straight down from the stage towards Fat Long waiting by the side of the stage.


    And that superior Foundation Establishment Earth Fire Pill, too, slowly ascended from beneath the stage when he was the only one left, easily grabbed by him and tucked into his chest.


    This passage through.


    It meant he had officially become a selected Inner Sect Disciple for Chao Tian Sect, though this status was useless since it was just a form of challenge within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. The Earth Fire Pill was the real highlight, a true treasure that could be exchanged for a significant amount of Spirit Stones.


    ¡­


    He was unsure of the content of the fourth round, but hoped it was not a challenge heavily reliant on luck like this one. Although he had passed this time, no one¡¯s good fortune lasts forever.


    At this time, Fat Long was feeling gloomy near his stage, coming over immediately when he saw him stepping down.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look like you didn¡¯t make it through.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started!¡±


    Fat Long said angrily, ¡°I was eliminated in the third round after I got on stage; my previous opponent straight-up said he ate crap. At that moment, everyone¡¯s gaze turned to that bastard. To be honest, I wanted to grit my teeth and follow, but my next opponent clearly told me that if I dared to follow, he would definitely confront me head-on.¡±


    ¡°His logic was simple.¡±


    ¡°Though eating crap is a rather unusual habit, it¡¯s not impossible; however, the likelihood of two Foundation Establishment Cultivators who don¡¯t know each other and sitting next to each other both having done this is too low.¡±


    ¡°The logic is simplistic and brute.¡±


    ¡°But I have to admit, he made sense.¡±


    ¡°So I had to confront my previous opponent, betting that he was lying, and then I got eliminated. The bastard truly had eaten crap!!!¡±


    ¡°I truly don¡¯t understand!¡±


    ¡°An Ancient Sword Cultivation Sect that looks like it was quite powerful in ancient times, named ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯, which means mocking the heavens, but what are all these messy trials the sect disciple selection consists of? Allowing someone who has eaten shit to become a candidate for the Inner Sect, isn¡¯t that too damn insulting to sword cultivation?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu helplessly patted Fat Long on the shoulder. ¡°Stay safe and start by exploring the buildings around the third round. If you encounter any opportunities, just remember the faces; there¡¯s no need to fight over them.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured about that, Brother Qiu. I have my own path of survival in this regard,¡± Fat Long answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a bit hard to accept, I should have known¡­¡±


    Although Fat Long didn¡¯t finish his sentence, the meaning was clear¡ªhe would have made several choices differently, if only he had known about such trials before entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Chen Qiu smiled and comforted Fat Long before heading alone towards the entrance of the fourth round.


    The fourth round was in a ¡®Sword Pavilion¡¯ a few hundred yards away from the Martial Arts Hall.


    He also felt puzzled internally. It seemed somewhat frivolous for a Major Sect to conduct disciple selection in this manner, or perhaps¡­ these selection criteria were precisely suited to the iteration of Heavenly Dao at the time?


    Did subsequent versions of Heavenly Dao evolve, and the ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯, unable to keep up with the latest iterations, faded into complete desolation or even extinction?


    The term ¡®Heavenly Dao versions¡¯ was something he heard during a conversation at the third round; the people talking about it didn¡¯t conceal much, implying that this concept wasn¡¯t highly secretive. While ordinary people might not know about Heavenly Dao versions, it seemed to be an open secret within sects and major families.


    ¡­


    The fourth round, Sword Pavilion.


    By this time, hundreds of people had gathered here, all patiently waiting for the winners of the other arenas in the third round. Only when everyone had arrived would they be able to enter the fourth round.


    A magnificent and towering pavilion soared high into the clouds, the whole building shaped like a long sword with its blade thrusting into the ground, towering hundreds of yards high. Standing before this pavilion made one feel particularly insignificant.


    Even though the place had been abandoned for a long time, the lingering sword intent in the air still brought a stinging pain.


    If one¡¯s cultivation wasn¡¯t sufficient, they could even be severely injured by the sword intent lingering for who knows how many tens of thousands of years.


    Once this was over, he planned to find a place to cultivate bitterly.


    Chen Qiu silently planned his next moves in his mind. He had not had time to cultivate after reaching Foundation Establishment, merely managing basic spiritual energy protection. He couldn¡¯t, like others, precisely adjust the strength of spiritual energy protection on different parts of his body.


    He knew only one spell, the ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique¡¯, and two low-level techniques: ¡®Earth Tunneling Technique¡¯ and ¡®Blinding Technique¡¯.


    And he could only release them with full force. Normally, the upper limit of a spell¡¯s power is determined by one¡¯s cultivation and several other factors, but the lower limit could be controlled by oneself. However, since he had entered this Secret Realm right after his Foundation Establishment, he hadn¡¯t had any additional time to cultivate, resulting in weak control over his spiritual energy.


    At the entrance of the Sword Pavilion, the familiar barrier once again blocked everyone¡¯s path.


    At the entrance of the pavilion, seated neatly cross-legged on a short stone pillar was a human skeleton, without a trace of flesh, its bones transparent and greenish-white due to the passage of time, which looked quite aesthetic.


    The fourth round¡ª


    ¡°Sever One¡¯s Self.¡±


    Surrounding the base of the short pillar beneath the skeleton were numerous, somewhat unique decorations. Although worn by the years and appearing somewhat decrepit, one could imagine that, tens of thousands of years ago, the people of Chao Tian Sect must have held this set of bones in the highest regard.


    The pillar was engraved with several lines filled with dense sword intent.


    A daring cultivator tentatively touched it with his hand, only to rapidly retract it, the extended fingers already bloody and covered in countless tiny cuts, and the man¡¯s complexion turned ugly as he sealed his fingers with spiritual energy. The sword intent had entered his body, complicating its removal.


    If not removed from the body, the sword intent would continue to burrow inward as time passed, eventually causing excruciating pain and death.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Sword Bone.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Grey.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Your understanding of swordsmanship will be extremely slow, but anyone who touches your skeleton after your death will gain a certain degree of enhanced understanding of their own learned swordsmanship, the extent depending on the individual¡¯s innate talent.


    ¨C


    ¡°A rather good entry,¡± Chen Qiu nodded silently. Honestly, having such a figure meant that a sword cultivation sect truly had a legacy, or perhaps it was precisely because of this figure¡¯s presence that such a pure sword cultivation sect existed.


    It¡¯s a pity he didn¡¯t cultivate in swordsmanship and hadn¡¯t learned any sword techniques.


    Otherwise, even as a magic practitioner, he wouldn¡¯t mind gaining a deeper understanding of swordsmanship.


    This inscription wasn¡¯t only visible to him; however, everyone who tried to touch the Sword Bone had been repelled by a mysterious force, perhaps indicating that only Inner Sect Disciples were qualified to touch the Sword Bone.


    Just then¡ª


    All the cultivators who had passed the third round arrived.


    As the barrier at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion gradually faded, the crowd also saw several lines engraved into the ground at the entrance.


    ¡®Fourth round, Sever One¡¯s Self.¡¯


    ¡®To sever the enemy, one must first sever oneself. Only through countless life and death situations can one clearly discern and correct their weaknesses.¡¯


    ¡®Entering the Sword Pavilion is like entering an illusion; it contains a thousand puppets with the same level of cultivation as yourself, all wielding swords and launching simultaneous attacks on you.¡¯


    ¡®Kill ten, and you pass the round.¡¯


    ¡®Kill a hundred, and you are deemed to have passed the fifth round.¡¯


    ¡®Kill a thousand, and you are deemed to have passed the sixth round.¡¯


    ¡®Although this round is an illusion, one can still die here. If you die in the illusion, your physical body will also be severely injured, and if you¡¯re killed in the illusion while losing your true self, you will truly die.¡¯


    ¡®Passing this round makes one an Inner Sect Disciple of Chao Tian Sect and awards a Sword Enlightenment Stone.¡¯

 Chapter 58 - 58:

    Chapter 58: Chapter 58: ¡°Seven Sufferings of Mortals.


    Looking at the large characters on the ground at the entrance to the Sword Pavilion, everyone exchanged glances, and no one stepped forward; they were all somewhat hesitant, as the danger level of this round seemed rather high¡ªan attack launched simultaneously by a thousand puppets with the same Cultivation as you.


    It was akin to one person against a thousand, and you had to kill at least ten of those puppets while making a full retreat.


    The difficulty was certainly not ordinary.


    ¡°Forget it, forget it.¡±


    Zhao Yishi, who had been standing at the back of the crowd, couldn¡¯t see the characters at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion due to his height, but those characters mysteriously appeared above his Dantian. He could see them as soon as he performed introspection.


    After reading the content of the fourth round, he shook his head and chose to give up without any hesitation.


    ...


    Fighting against a thousand puppets with the same level of Cultivation as oneself?


    Forget about it. If he had that ability, why would he remain a disciple when he could directly become a Sect Master.


    He turned and walked towards the depths of the ruined building on the side, finding a corner to squat on the ground, and took off the necklace around his neck to place it on the ground. The necklace was conspicuously made of nearly a hundred Storage Bags linked together.


    Zhao Yishi began to activate the Storage Bags nonstop, and soon, he took out a massive pile of cooked demon beast meat, towering seven or eight zhang high like a small mountain, and started swallowing it in big bites.


    After a tiring day, it was time to eat.


    Today had been quite strenuous.


    ¡­


    But those who could enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm were at least somewhat courageous¡ªthe truly timid would never come to a place as crowded as the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. With more people came more peril.


    A man took a deep breath and with a cold expression on his face, he stepped into the Sword Pavilion while wielding a sharp blade.


    Just like in the first round, his whole body instantly stiffened in place; it seemed that he had entered an illusion.


    Once there was one, there was the second. Before this person could come out with a result, many more followed him into the illusion.


    Chen Qiu stood patiently in place for a moment, and after about a dozen breaths¡¯ time, the man who entered first regained consciousness, drenched in cold sweat and somewhat frightened, took big strides towards the deeper part of the Sword Pavilion¡ªhe appeared to have passed the round.


    Feeling slightly reassured,


    he also did not delay any longer, calmly put away the fan in his hand, and took big steps into the Sword Pavilion.


    ¡­


    The familiar illusion once again enveloped him.


    In an incredibly vast space, exactly one thousand bronze puppets surrounded him, each holding a long sword with the Cultivation of the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage uniformly.


    The puppets did not pause at all, and the moment they appeared, they brandished their swords towards Chen Qiu in synchrony.


    Chen Qiu took a quick scan of his surroundings and roughly grasped the situation.


    Their Cultivation was the same as his, but it seemed they couldn¡¯t cast spells; otherwise, a thousand puppets, to say the least, could knock him down here with a thousand spells. They only channeled Spiritual Energy into their Magic Artifacts, attacking with more basic methods.


    Even though there were a thousand puppets, only about a dozen could attack him at first, while the others were blocked by the puppets in front and couldn¡¯t reach him immediately.


    He saw the puppets almost reaching him.


    Suddenly, Chen Qiu casually flicked his sleeve, and more than six thousand resentful spirits of demon beasts instantly filled the space nearly to capacity, the dense resentful energy chilling the air to the freezing point. He had accumulated all these resentful spirits over time.


    Entering the Secret Realm this time also had a very important mission¡ªto exhaust these resentful spirits. Having resentful spirits enter one¡¯s body was not a good thing, and had it not been for the reminder from the fortune-teller in the city, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed his own body temperature getting lower and lower.


    Although almost all these demon beast resentful spirits had the Cultivation of the Qi Refinement Realm, let¡¯s not forget that he also had a resentful spirit of Demon Cultivation at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, which was not a low level of Cultivation.


    What followed was an almost one-sided slaughter.


    Under the leadership of this seventh-layer Demon Cultivation resentful spirit, the horde-like swarm of demon beast resentful spirits brutally slaughtered the surrounding puppets.


    The death of these puppets did not turn them into resentful spirits.


    Less than the time it takes three sticks of incense to burn.


    All thousand puppets were thoroughly annihilated on the spot.


    In front of Chen Qiu, who stood amidst the demon beast resentful spirits, a hazy panel appeared.


    ¡°Fourth round, Slaying the Self, cleared.¡±


    ¡°Officially become an Inner Sect Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, awarded one ¡®Sword Enlightenment Stone¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Fifth Level, Slaying the Lowly, cleared.¡±


    ¡°Officially become a True Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, awarded one ¡®Foundation Establishment top-grade sword talisman¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Sixth Level, Slaying the Enemy, cleared.¡±


    ¡°Officially become an Inner Sect Elder of Chao Tian Sect, awarded one ¡®Foundation Establishment top-grade Swordsmanship Seven Sufferings of Mortals¡¯ Inheritance Stone.¡±


    ¡­


    When Chen Qiu awoke from the illusion, the inside of the Sword Pavilion was already filled with many people, each with their eyes tightly shut and their bodies trembling, seemingly engaged in battle within the illusion.


    As long as all the puppets are slain in the fourth round, it counts as having cleared the sixth level. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meaning, now only the last challenge awaited him.


    At this moment, he also sensed that the resentful spirits he had summoned earlier were still surrounding him, that chilling sensation washing over his skin once again, making him realize the maneuvers used in the illusion did not bring about any real exhaustion.


    He had forgotten about that.


    Well, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a chance to use them in the seventh level, although he planned to dispose of these more than six thousand resentful spirits as soon as possible, to prevent the resentful energy from entering his body. But he wanted these six thousand resentful spirits to serve some purpose at least; it felt rather wasteful to just throw them away without any use¡ªhe was still somewhat reluctant to do so.


    This Heavenly Dao Secret Realm wasn¡¯t quite suitable for him; before entering, he had no idea it was a Sword Cultivation Secret Realm.


    The ¡®Sword Enlightenment Stone,¡¯ a treasure that could help one comprehend the mysteries of Sword Intent and accelerate the cultivation of one¡¯s own Sword Intent.


    ¡®Foundation Establishment top-grade sword talisman,¡¯ a one-time use Sword Cultivator talisman with power equivalent to the full-strength strike of a peak Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator.


    ¡®Foundation Establishment top-grade Swordsmanship Seven Sufferings of Mortals,¡¯ a top-level Sword Cultivation technique for Foundation Establishment.


    All good items.


    But all useless to him. His pink entry meant he couldn¡¯t easily abandon Magic Practitioner for Sword Cultivation; that would be putting the cart before the horse unless another entry regarding Sword Cultivation, either seven-colored or pink, appeared. Then he could consider Dual Cultivation of Swordsmanship.


    Fortunately, they could still sell for a good price.


    So, the trip wasn¡¯t a total waste.


    Chen Qiu pondered as he strode through the Sword Pavilion, heading towards the location of the Seventh Level.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, at the same time, Steward Liu, who had just left Fufeng City with Family Head Wang Tiedan, sat on the outside of a carriage traveling on the official road, lifting his head to gaze at the thousands of miles of strange dark clouds overhead and muttered to himself.


    ¡°The weather¡¯s been like this for the past few days, how come it¡¯s the same today.¡±


    ¡°This weather always makes one feel as if something big is about to happen, could it be the omen of some unparalleled Demon Cultivation emerging in the world?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ominous.¡±


    ¡°Family Head, shall we go back to Fufeng City first? This weather doesn¡¯t seem suitable for a long journey. Let¡¯s stay in Fufeng City for a few days before returning home.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Family Head?¡±


    ¡°Hey?!¡±

 Chapter 59 - 59:

    Chapter 59: Chapter 59: ¡°Just Wish to Bring Glory to Sword Cultivators!


    Despite calling out several times without response, the expressionless Liu turned and lifted the curtain of the carriage behind him, staring at the Family Head seated on the soft cushions inside. He spoke word by word, ¡°Family Head, are you even listening to me at all?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Priest Liu¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man sitting on the soft cushions of the carriage, with a complex expression on his face, remained silent for a long while before finally lifting his head and hesitantly looking at Liu in front of him. ¡°Do you think, if I chop down this last Bull also, is there a chance I could gamble out a White entry ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°I just have this very strong premonition that as long as I chop down this one, I can definitely gamble another Nine Ox Power!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ...


    Looking at the Family Head¡¯s frantic gambler-like expression, Liu let out a sigh, drew the carriage curtains closed without a word, and leaned against the carriage, massaging his temples as he felt a headache beginning to throb.


    He didn¡¯t want to explain anymore.


    If the Family Head hadn¡¯t treated him well these days, he would have run away long ago.


    What on earth is stuffed inside this man¡¯s head?


    Just at that moment¡ª


    He suddenly felt the ground violently shaking, and a strong, pungent smell, accompanied by fierce winds, invaded his nostrils. In the distance, he saw a dense mass of demon beasts charging in his direction.


    The thick demon energy almost took solid form!


    It must be hundreds of thousands of demon beasts stampeding together to cause such commotion.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Priest Liu trembled and jolted with fear flashing in the depth of his eyes. Without a second thought, he opened the carriage curtain, pulled the Family Head out of the carriage, and frantically slapped them both with ¡®Swift Movement Talismans¡¯ as he shouted.


    ¡°Family Head, run for it, back to Fufeng City!¡±


    ¡°The demon beasts are in frenzy!¡±


    For now, he didn¡¯t want to know where these demon beasts came from; he only knew that the chances of the official road protecting them were slim. Their best bet was to escape to Fufeng City as quickly as possible. Although Fufeng City was a mortal city and didn¡¯t have many high-level cultivators,


    It was still one of the three hundred and sixty-five large cities of Da Xia!


    Inside was a City Lord appointed by Da Xia himself, carrying the Qi Fortune of Da Xia, whose strength far exceeded that of cultivators of the same level, making them invincible among their peers. As long as they made it to Fufeng City, they could seek protection.


    And the target of those rampaging demon beasts at the end of their sight seemed to be¡ª


    Fufeng City!


    As massive fluctuations of Spiritual Energy spread across the official road, the Array Stones on either side began to flicker incessantly. A golden-yellow barrier enveloped their section of the road, able to defend against any attack from cultivators below the Golden Core Stage.


    And the ¡®Wind Formation¡¯ embedded underneath the road was also activated in an instant!


    Bestowing Wind Walking Skill upon every creature on the road, it increased their running speed to twenty times the usual!


    With the augmentation of the Wind Formation and Swift Movement Talismans,


    Liu and the Family Head¡¯s speed surged to near-instantaneous rapidity, fleeing along the road toward Fufeng City with a speed that was hard to catch with the naked eye, much faster than when they had arrived.


    And the steed pulling the carriage was not stupid either.


    After forcefully shaking off the reins over its head, the horse turned and bolted after them at an impressive speed, also frenzying down the road under the boost of the ¡®Wind Formation.¡¯ Its intermittent neighing seemed oddly excited for some reason.


    Priest Liu also smacked his forehead as realization struck, quickly pulling out more Swift Movement Talismans and slapping them onto the four limbs of the horse following behind. Then grabbing the Family Head, he climbed onto the horse¡¯s back and continued their frenetic escape.


    Their current speed was much faster than traveling by Sword Flight.


    After all, Sword Flight would leave the official road and thus lose the acceleration of the ¡®Wind Formation.¡¯


    Temporarily escaping the crisis, Liu looked back uneasily at the massive horde of demon beasts following them like an incoming tide, experiencing for the first time on land what it meant for the sky and water to blur into one color.


    The pitch-black wave of beasts and the clouds that seemed to suck one¡¯s soul into their darkness nearly merged into one. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, within the borders of Da Xia, demon beast herds of this size were always overseen by high-level demon beasts with Spiritual Wisdom. These high-level demon beasts were well aware of the consequences of slaughtering their way onto an official road¡ªthey would never be so reckless!


    How did these damned demon beasts appear within the boundaries of Da Xia?


    Fortunately, they hadn¡¯t gone too far from Fufeng City. At this rate, they would reach Fufeng City within half an hour.


    Then, even if the sky were to fall, there would be someone tall enough to hold it up.


    It wasn¡¯t his problem anymore!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile,


    Chen Qiu had already passed through the fourth round¡¯s Sword Pavilion, the Fifth Level¡¯s Scripture Pavilion, and the Law Enforcement Hall of the sixth level, arriving at the seventh level, in front of the Sect Hall. There, inscribed on the pillars of the Sect Hall were rows of characters imbued with a strong Sword Intent, so forceful that they were etched deeply into the wood.


    ¡®Magic Practitioner, fragile as glass upon touch.¡¯


    ¡°Talisman cultivators, performing acrobats with fragile skins.¡±


    ¡°Array Repairers, doorkeepers with fragile skins.¡±


    ¡°Alchemy Cultivators, quacks with fragile skins.¡±


    ¡°Artifact Cultivators, hammer swingers with fragile skins.¡±


    ¡°Evil Cultivators, the motherless with fragile skins.¡±


    ¡°Demon Cultivators, riffraff with fragile skins.¡±


    ¡°Body Cultivators, not fragile but brainless.¡±


    ¡°Sword Cultivators¡ª


    Offense and defense as one, with one swing of the sword, they can shatter the mountains and rivers far and wide!


    Every plant and tree, every speck of dust and grain of sand, can become a sword to slice the stars!


    When Magic Practitioners get angry, they angrily knock back three vats of Qi Replenishing Pills!


    When Sword Cultivators get angry, their sword light leaves corpses over ten thousand li!


    All are inferior, only Sword Cultivators are supreme!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at these lines carved on the pillar of the Sect Hall with a complex expression, feeling that the Chao Tian Sect seemed to have a bit of contempt for Magic Practitioners. What did they mean by, ¡°When Magic Practitioners get angry, they angrily knock back three vats of Qi Replenishing Pills¡±?


    You just perished too soon.


    If they could be passed down to the present, give them a chance in the future to see what real Magic Practitioners are like.


    Under the entry for ¡°Dantian Expansion,¡± his Foundation Establishment breadth had reached ten thousandths, and the capacity of Spiritual Energy was a hundred times that of an ordinary first-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Chen Qiu stopped thinking about these things.


    Instead, he walked toward the depths of the hall; so far, he was the only one to reach the Fifth Level. When passing by the Fifth Level, he saw that there were three or four people attempting it, while the Fourth Level had no one at all.


    With this progress, it would be very difficult for these people to catch up to him.


    Although he didn¡¯t know whether other cultivators had found any treasures in the ruins near the levels, it seemed that this Secret Realm was indeed more suited for Sword Cultivators, and for him, being a Magic Practitioner, it was a bit less fitting. Only the Earth Fire Pill seemed to be some sort of consolation for Magic Practitioners.


    Such discrimination, no wonder the legacy was lost.


    ¡­


    Stepping into the Sect Hall, he walked straight towards the innermost part of the Sect Hall. Along the way, many inscriptions were carved on the pillars, some were about the main tenets of the sect, others were some brief stories.


    For example¡­


    ¡°One day in a desert, a severely injured Golden Core cultivator who was close to dying of thirst excitedly discovered a corpse, rushed forward to take its Storage Ring, used up all remaining spirit to break the ring¡¯s restrictions, and then collapsed next to the body, face full of despair.¡±


    ¡°The Storage Ring was filled with Qi Replenishing Pills, and it contained nothing but Qi Replenishing Pills.¡±


    ¡°The corpse was a Magic Practitioner.¡±


    ¡°Later on, another Golden Core cultivator on the verge of death passed by and found the two corpses. Excited, he rushed to take the other cultivator¡¯s Storage Ring. After opening it, he too collapsed in despair.¡±


    ¡°The Storage Ring was filled with demon beast meat, the previous corpse that collapsed was a Body Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Then, another Golden Core cultivator about to die of thirst passed by here and, after opening the last cultivator¡¯s Storage Ring, despaired once more; this time, the Storage Ring was full of talismans.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, expressionless, continued deeper into the Sect Hall, every pillar within this dusty and ruined hall inscribed with discrimination against other cultivators, with most of it directed at Magic Practitioners.


    To be starved for stories to mock Magic Practitioners, you began to abandon logic, didn¡¯t you?


    Such a chilling story.


    Until finally, he reached the end of the hall.


    And there he saw the familiar Barrier.


    ¡°Fifth Level, Severing Sword.¡±


    ¡°Pass this level, and you may inherit the position of Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°The heavens abandon us, not due to the war.¡±


    ¡°The demise of the sect today has become inevitable. In the future, whoever reaches this point, as long as they sit on the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair, they can inherit the position of Sect Master!¡±


    ¡°After becoming Sect Master, you will inherit all the sect¡¯s resources, possess the highest authority over all Formations within the sect. The Chao Tian Sect is established within a small world; everything within the small world belongs to the new Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°Only ask to glorify Sword Cultivators!¡±


    ¡°Let the people know that Sword Cultivators are the strongest!¡±

 Chapter 60 - 60:

    Chapter 60: Chapter 60: ¡°Forces¡±: Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master.


    In the Sect Hall.


    Chen Qiu stood on the dust-covered bluestone floor, silently contemplating as the Barrier slowly faded, revealing the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair shrouded in cobwebs, his expression complex. This challenge could be said to have posed no difficulty at all.


    Simply sitting in the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair would signify victory.


    So theoretically, the sixth challenge should have been the last one. However, he knew nothing of what that challenge entailed, having skipped directly to the seventh.


    An eerie thought suddenly flashed through his mind.


    Perhaps these seven challenges¡ªhow the Chao Tian Sect selected its disciples over tens of thousands of years¡ªwere not as simple as they seemed. Were they made easier out of fear that no one would pass and the position of Sect Master would remain unclaimed after the sect¡¯s fall?


    ...


    Or was it because of its transformation into a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm?


    It was indeed lamentable.


    A sect from the ancient past, one that bore an impressive name, met its end as a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Throughout his journey, nearly all the buildings on the mountain were ruined; most structures were chopped in half with no roofs remaining, a clear indication of an ancient great enemy. Even the Sect Hall was cleaved in two by a single strike, allowing sunlight to spill directly onto the ground.


    Yet, there were no traces of blood to be found, which was quite bizarre.


    If one could argue that the bloodstains had been erased by the passage of time, the absence of even a single skeleton was harder to explain. After all, the skeleton outside the Sword Pavilion was still sitting there quietly, suggesting that not enough time had passed for bones to turn to dust.


    He shook his head and thought no further.


    Previously, he had contemplated founding a sect recognized by the Heavenly Dao, a complex process requiring the passing of a Golden Core and the payment of 100 Spirit Stones. Now, inheriting an existing sect was naturally beneficial, but it was unclear whether this sect was acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao.


    It was quite strange that the assistance of a being at the level of Golden Core in establishing a Heavenly Dao-recognized sect apparently cost only a mere 100 Spirit Stones.


    It was likely the handiwork of minions, since even Golden Core cultivators needed to accumulate Spirit Stones to pave their paths of cultivation. Many sects never considered inheritance; their sole purpose was to provide a secure environment for seclusion, allowing subordinates to use their names for personal wealth accumulation.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu did not despise the spiderweb-covered chair; after pausing silently for a few moments, he calmly approached and sat down on the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair. The webs, aged over time, seemed nebulous. Spiders were nowhere to be seen and probably had starved to death in some unknown corner.


    And the moment he sat down,


    A panel enveloped in mist appeared before him.


    ¡°You have inherited the position of Sect Master of ¡®Chao Tian Sect,¡¯ becoming the seventeenth-generation Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°At present, the overall strength of this sect ranks 3,483rd on the ¡®Da Xia Sect Rankings,¡¯ which are updated annually on the first day of the year.¡±


    ¡°Differing ranks receive differing blessings from the Heavenly Dao; the higher the rank, the stronger the Heavenly Dao Blessing received.¡±


    ¡°Currently, the level of Heavenly Dao Blessing received is: none.¡±


    ¡°The lowest level of Heavenly Dao Blessing requires the sect to be within the top one-thousand in the rankings.¡±


    ¨C


    Without surprise, there must be exactly 3,483 sects throughout Da Xia, and at this moment, he was the only person in his sect. This was the advantage of inheritance: no prerequisites required, no need for disciples, no need for a Golden Core.


    He had not anticipated that there would be over three thousand sects within Da Xia Country.


    He estimated that two thousand of those were likely no more than shell institutions.


    Similar to the type Fat Long had initially set up, lacking even a piece of land, possessing just the name of a sect. Its members devoted themselves to cultivating through worldly experience, never needing to return¡ªconsidering the entire world their home.


    And at the same time¡ª


    In his personal panel, there was a minor change in the ¡°Influence¡± entry.


    ¡°Influence¡±: Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master.


    So far, the Chao Tian Sect consisted of him alone, and it was only when he took his seat in the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair that he discovered the entire Chao Tian Sect was enveloped by a colossal Mountain Protection Array, with every formation within the sect intricately linked to this protective formation.


    The Sect Leader¡¯s Chair beneath him acted as both the focal point of the array and an Array Talisman.


    Once a blood oath was sworn, he would be able to control any corner¡¯s formation at will within the sect, and his Divine Sense would survey the entire interior of the sect through the formations.


    ¡°Drip.¡±


    As a drop of blood fell on the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair, what was originally a dust-covered and long-abandoned chair suddenly seemed to be reborn, a thin red glow fleeting across the surface of the chair.


    Immediately after!


    Chen Qiu suddenly felt as if he had merged with the peak of the mountain; if he wished, he could see any corner within the sect.


    For example¡­


    Zhao Yishi, who was hiding in a corner, was holding a bowl full of what appeared to be chili sauce, grabbing chunks of enormous cooked demon beast meat from Demon Beast Mountain, dipping them in the sauce, and wolfing them down.


    The monster-sized pieces of demon beast meat, in the presence of Zhao Yishi¡¯s exaggerated mouth, seemed like mere sunflower seeds.


    He didn¡¯t even spit out the bones.


    That biting power is truly remarkable.


    And Fat Long, who was carefully following behind others in the ruined buildings, hoping to find something valuable overlooked by others.


    Everything in the small world suddenly felt extremely familiar to him. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This small world now completely belonged to him, and with a mere thought, he could open this small world and enter it from the outside world at any time. As long as he didn¡¯t encounter someone with much higher cultivation, no one could touch him once he sought refuge in the small world.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked down upon the cultivators exploring for treasures in the ruins, sighed helplessly, and thought about what they were searching for. After he took full control over the sect, he instantly became well acquainted with all the conditions within the sect.


    There was nothing.


    No ancient medicinal herbs or Spiritual Treasures had been passed down; the sect was completely devoid of everything, clean and empty.


    Almost all formations had also suffered severe damage, and to repair these, he would need to find a High-level Array Master. Although he could not understand the formations, he could sense that they were not of a low level.


    Average Foundation Establishment Array Repairers probably wouldn¡¯t be able to fix them; at the very least, a Golden Core Array Repairer would be required.


    But what¡¯s most critical is¡ª


    Array Repairers are also divided into many types.


    The formations of the Chao Tian Sect are mostly ¡°Sword Arrays,¡± and to set up such formations, one must have considerable expertise in both the paths of Sword Cultivation and Array Repair in order to deploy, maintain, and repair them. Such Array Masters are even rarer, so it seems there¡¯s little chance for an immediate repair.


    But he didn¡¯t plan on repairing them anyhow.


    Although the power of these formations was quite formidable, he simply couldn¡¯t afford to spend so many Spirit Stones to maintain them.


    However, it couldn¡¯t be said that nothing was left for him at all.


    For example, in front of the Sword Pavilion, there was that¡­ Sword Bone.

 Chapter 61 - 61:

    Chapter 61: Chapter 61: ¡°Knock!


    After this sect had completely become his, the Sword Bone naturally belonged entirely to him as well. It was indeed a valuable asset, as touching the Sword Bone would increase one¡¯s understanding of the sword techniques they had learned to a certain extent.


    Although it was currently of no use to him.


    But for Sword Cultivators, it possessed a fatal attraction. Later when his power grew stronger, he could trade it for items more suitable for Magic Practitioners.


    Besides the Sword Bone, all that remained were two Artifact Spirits.


    The Chao Tian Sect originally housed many Artifact Spirits, and each of the seven levels harbored one, but as time passed, many of the Artifact Spirits gradually lost their spiritual wisdom and reverted to mundane objects.


    Only the Artifact Spirits from the first round, Zhanshi Nian, and from the Fourth Level¡¯s Sword Pavilion were still alive.


    ...


    Both Artifact Spirits had slipped back into slumber, it seemed that the trial they had just undergone caused them considerable wear, and the method to quickly restore these two Artifact Spirits was simple¡ªjust a provision of some Spirit Stones would suffice.


    Regarding this¡­


    His choice was, ¡°You guys keep sleeping for a bit longer.¡±


    Noisy to death, everything demands money.


    He would first handle the matters at hand, then spend some Spirit Stones to awaken the Artifact Spirit from the Fourth Level and inquire about the sudden destruction of the Chao Tian Sect and some matters from the ancient times. Being the Artifact Spirit of the Fourth Level, it certainly knew more than that of the first.


    He had initially harbored hope that since completing the trials yielded rewards, there must still be some reserves within the sect, right?


    But the result was utterly empty, and the rewards weren¡¯t even from within the sect but were direct rewards from the Heavenly Dao for passing the levels. The Chao Tian Sect was now truly a mere shell.


    ¡­


    Approximately the duration of half a cup of tea after Chen Qiu had successfully taken over as the Sect Leader of the Chao Tian Sect.


    All the cultivators inside the small world suddenly felt an incredibly strong repulsion enveloping them. Accompanied by the ethereal and hoarse voice from the horizon, many cast complicated looks towards the depths of the sect.


    Someone had passed the seventh round.


    No one knew what the reward for passing the seventh round was, just unclear who could pass the seventh round so quickly.


    They weren¡¯t given much time to think.


    Following a dizzying sense of disorientation that arrived abruptly, when their vision restored, they found themselves back at the original entrance of the Secret Realm by the creek beside Fufeng City¡ªnow, the white vortex was nowhere to be seen.


    Many almost immediately looked up overhead.


    Even though the weather was fine before they entered the Secret Realm, why had it turned, just as before a few days ago, as they emerged, to skies overcast with black clouds? And they wondered whether it was an illusion, but it seemed the black clouds were lower this time.


    Giving the impression that the sky was about to collapse.


    The thick, menacing clouds seemed as if they might crash down at any moment.


    After exchanging glances,


    Without any hesitation,


    Everyone activated their movement techniques or resorted to Sword Flight, scattering in all directions. But almost within a few breaths, cultivators dispersed in three directions quickly fled back the way they came, charging directly towards Fufeng City.


    And their faces were marked with stark terror.


    Especially Zhao Yishi, who stood tall and saw afar. Having just come out of the small world, he did not hesitate even a bit. He leapt up, stepping on lotus leaves and sprinted towards Fufeng City at full speed, his immense frame contrasting sharply with his velocity.


    ¡­


    After meeting with Fat Long, Chen Qiu also did not dare delay any further. After attaching talismans to themselves, they ran towards Fufeng City.


    ¡°I need to learn a movement technique and Sword Flight.¡±


    On his wild run, Chen Qiu glanced back at the demon energy-filled black clouds behind him and murmured softly,


    Only when the tide goes out can you discover who¡¯s been swimming naked.


    This was not something he had realized before: even though he was covered with Light Wind Talismans, he was nearly the slowest person there. The cultivators around him looked ordinary, but it had to be said that each one of them must have diligently practiced their movement techniques.


    That speed¡­


    It was truly not slow.


    When venturing into the Jianghu, one must first perfect a certain movement technique to have some confidence in surviving.


    At the Foundation Establishment level of cultivation, the speed of movement techniques is much faster than Sword Flight, but they can only be maintained for a shorter time and consume more Spiritual Energy. Generally, they are not used for traveling but are used in combat.


    Of course, in a situation where one needs to flee for their life, no one would consider the consumption of Spiritual Energy anymore.


    Chen Qiu could even smell the stench of blood emanating from the roar of the massive demon beasts behind him; the demon energy was so dense it even formed black clouds¡ªan indication that among them were high-level demon beasts with awakened Spiritual Wisdom!


    First, escape to Fufeng City.


    As long as he meets up with the scholar, the beast tide shouldn¡¯t be able to stop them.


    At this moment, Fufeng City was fully on alert, not a single person was entering or leaving, all city gates were tightly closed except for some small gates left open for people fleeing to enter the city for refuge.


    ¡­


    ¡°Whew!¡±


    After rushing into the city gates among the crowd, Chen Qiu finally let out a slight sigh of relief. After entering, he turned to look carefully and saw tens of thousands of indiscernible demon beasts roaring simultaneously, kicking up dust under the dark clouds as they charged straight towards Fufeng City!


    It seemed they were ready to smash the city walls with their heads.


    At that moment, numerous array patterns appeared on the walls of Fufeng City, constantly flashing, and even the ordinarily unremarkable blue brick main road on the ground of Fufeng City had countless white lines made of Spiritual Energy that stayed illuminated.


    The City Protection Array was activated!


    Though Fufeng City was a mortal city, being one of Da Xia¡¯s main cities, it naturally had its defenses, especially since it was located in a remote corner of the Da Xia Territory. It was said that there had been demon beast attacks on the city in previous years.


    They had experience handling these situations now.


    It wasn¡¯t their first time.


    However, just as he entered the city, he was immediately pulled into a side alley by a burly man with a mutton-chop beard who was waiting there. Seeing that Chen Qiu and another person had finally entered the city, the scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground breathed a sigh of relief, holding a sword technique with one hand and speaking urgently.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally entered the city. There¡¯s no time to explain, let¡¯s leave first!¡±


    ¡°Something major has happened!¡±


    ¡°Someone wants to use all the million living creatures of Fufeng City for a Heavenly sacrifice!¡±


    After finishing, he spoke in a low, urgent voice, as usual, ¡°Knock!¡±


    However¡­


    This time.


    The Azure Blade in the scholar¡¯s sleeve did not, as usual, transform into a ray of light shooting towards the distance. The blade trembled violently as if sensing something, yet it did not leave the sleeve. The scholar¡¯s expression turned ugly, and a trace of gloom flashed in his eyes; he tried the spell several more times in disbelief.


    Although the trembling of the Azure Blade in the sleeve grew more violent, it still did not leave the sleeve.


    After numerous attempts.


    The scholar finally gave up, and his expression gradually calmed down. After a brief silence, he quietly said, ¡°It¡¯s too late to leave now. Before you arrived, I had tried and it was possible to leave. You came into the city a bit late.¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the Sound Transmission Talisman and Divine Sense have already been cut off by the array; otherwise, I could have left the city to find your locations.¡±


    ¡°Unable to find your locations, I could only wait for you by the west city gate.¡±


    ¡°If only¡­¡±


    ¡°If only my cultivation were still intact, such a restraint could have been broken with a single sword stroke.¡±

 Chapter 62 - 62: Not seeking immortality, only seeking combat power.

    Chapter 62: Chapter 62: ¡®Not seeking immortality, only seeking combat power.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the scholar. His Cultivation was still intact? This was the first time the scholar had so openly spoken about it¡ªif his Cultivation had still been intact. Although he could often guess as much before, they had never explicitly addressed it.


    However, he did not say much about it.


    Instead, he bowed his head and pondered for a moment before softly asking, ¡°How did you learn that someone is planning to use the lives of a million cultivators in Fufeng City as a sacrifice to Heaven? Are there any traces of Evil Cultivation or Demon Cultivation activities?¡±


    The scholar, seated cross-legged on the ground in the alley, remained silent for a long while before finally speaking hoarsely, ¡°This method is very familiar, the one behind it is Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, a practitioner of Evil Cultivation. His usual tactic is to control countless demon beasts to attack the small towns and villages outside the city. After sacrificing the townspeople to Heaven, he greatly enhances his own Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°He had always been pursued by me in the past.¡±


    ...


    ¡°But this thief is extremely cunning, with many means of escape, making many of my attempts to kill him unsuccessful.¡±


    ¡°After I was down on my luck, I could no longer afford to care about it. Unexpectedly, over these years, he has grown to the point where his Cultivation has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, and he is just one step away from breaking through to Golden Core. He just needs to sacrifice all the million living souls in Fufeng City to breakthrough on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Those demon beasts outside the city are all under his control, becoming more ferocious as they lose their reason and fear of pain. Once they swarm, they will be unstoppable.¡±


    ¡°There is no one in Fufeng City who can match him. The best strategy before the formation is complete is to flee quickly. But unfortunately¡­ it¡¯s already too late.¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent, scanning the surroundings. By now, quite a few armor-clad soldiers had surged onto the city walls. Loads of strategic resources were continuously being delivered to the top of the walls¡ªdisposable magic artifacts, talismans, war-level Spiritual Treasures, Array Plates, and so forth.


    The city¡¯s defenses were strong.


    According to the scholar, those demon beasts outside should only be at most at the peak of Foundation Establishment too. After all, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons himself only possessed the Cultivation of the peak Foundation Establishment. Could he control Golden Core demon beasts?


    In Xia Country, basically the City Lord of each city has Golden Core Cultivation. Of course, Fufeng City is a mundane city, and the City Lord has relatively weaker Cultivation, only at the peak of Foundation Establishment. But being an official of Da Xia, he carries the Qi Fortune of Da Xia, making him almost invincible among his peers.


    Additionally, the workshop owner from Wentian Market is a Golden Core Great Power. As long as the City Lord sincerely requests his assistance, dealing with a peak Foundation Establishment practitioner of Evil Cultivation should be secure.


    Moreover, at this time, Fufeng City had gathered many youngsters from powerful families and Major Sects. The collective power behind these individuals was not weak. With their young generations trapped in the city by Evil Cultivation, could their backing Golden Core Great Powers just sit back and watch?


    Furthermore, Xia Country would definitely not allow its Fufeng City to be slaughtered; they must have already received the news, and perhaps the City Lords from nearby cities were already en route to reinforce them.


    A mere peak Foundation Establishment practitioner of Evil Cultivation. Given all these factors, it did not seem he could possibly slaughter Fufeng City.


    It rather seemed like he was sending himself to death.


    At this moment, Fat Long also expressed his confusion, ¡°Can a mere peak Foundation Establishment practitioner of Evil Cultivation truly pose such a threat? Even make Fufeng City face the danger of being slaughtered? Brother Qiu, last time you also killed a late-stage Demon Cultivation practitioner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°Demon Cultivators are just a bit¡­ unorthodox in their methods but are more or less still normal people; their combat power, although a bit stronger than a regular cultivator of the same rank, isn¡¯t much stronger.¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Evil Cultivators, on the other hand, are genuinely invincible among their peers.¡±


    ¡°They seek not immortality, but only battle power.¡±


    ¡°Besides these, various eerie methods are also impossible to guard against, and fighting beyond one¡¯s level is a common tactic for soldiers, just like this Evil Cultivator, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons. To my knowledge, he alone has at least three types of Far Escape Techniques.¡±


    ¡°Each type comes with the price of consuming lifespan.¡±


    ¡°Other eerie methods are too numerous to count, and this man also possesses a particularly eerie technique. As soon as a demon beast controlled by him dies, it transforms into a mass of flesh and blood that fills the sky. Then, this flesh and blood reassembles into ten demon beasts. The original beast¡¯s three souls and seven spirits each enter a body. Though they lack Spiritual Wisdom and only possess a bloodthirsty instinct, their strength is weaker compared to before.¡±


    ¡°Of course, when these ten demon beasts die, they are completely annihilated.¡±


    ¡°But even so, it is still a terrifying method.¡±


    ¡°If you kill one of his demon beasts, that beast immediately turns into ten demon beasts upon death.¡±


    ¡°The more you kill, the more they appear; it¡¯s endless.¡±


    ¡°Unless you quickly locate this man and execute a strike to kill him instantly, these waves of demon beasts could bring an extremely terrifying disaster to Fufeng City within a few hours.¡±


    ¡°I understand your point, and as for why I am somewhat pessimistic¡­ follow me.¡±


    As his words fell, the scholar¡¯s sleeve trembled slightly, transforming into a stream of light that shot toward the city wall, leading the group to a less crowded part of the wall: ¡°Take a look outside.¡±


    Although his Qingfeng sword couldn¡¯t fly outside the array, it could still freely choose its landing points within Fufeng City.


    At this moment, the scene was quite chaotic, with many cultivators of decent Cultivation voluntarily stepping forward to ascend the walls and prepare for the defense of the city.


    ¡­


    Miles of continuous black clouds nearly blocked out all light, with Thunder Light constantly flashing among them, and the spirit fields surrounding Fufeng City were already trampled by the demon beasts.


    Countless demon beasts surged from all directions, firmly enclosing Fufeng City in the middle.


    But as these demon beasts were about to rush to the walls of Fufeng City, their speed gradually slowed down, and they did not launch an immediate attack, merely surrounding the city, seemingly waiting for something.


    The entire wall was filled with a murderous aura.


    A great battle was inevitable.


    Even the air seemed to have been permeated with the scent of blood, and one could vaguely see numerous completely black crows with white pupils perched on the eaves of buildings.


    The scholar, in silence, overlooked the countless ferocious demon beasts roaring outside the wall and murmured, ¡°Although the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons could forcefully control demon beasts before, based on my understanding of him, his Divine Sense has not reached the level of controlling so many creatures, even with his Cultivation having broken through to the peak of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°Unless something unexpected happens, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons must have joined the ¡®Evil Hall¡¯, a power composed of Evil Cultivators. Every member within this power is an Evil Cultivator, yet no one has found where their stronghold is located for many years.¡±


    ¡°And the ¡®Evil Hall¡¯ possesses a supreme Foundation Establishment treasure with one effect, that being to greatly enhance Divine Sense. I remember that this treasure is the strongest in Da Xia Country for enhancing Divine Sense.¡±


    ¡°Only with this treasure could the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons control so many demon beasts at the peak of Foundation Establishment, meaning this disaster was concocted by the ¡®Evil Hall¡¯. This is a completely different concept from just the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons alone; the ¡®Evil Hall¡¯ has no shortage of Golden Core experts.¡±

 Chapter 63 - 63: The Sky...Has Fallen.

    Chapter 63: Chapter 63: The Sky¡­Has Fallen.


    ¡°If Fufeng City is the target of the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, then we still have a considerable chance of surviving.¡±


    ¡°If Fufeng City is the target of ¡®Evil Hall¡¯, then all of us will likely perish right here.¡±


    ¡°At this moment, Fufeng City has already been enveloped by a Formation, a unique Formation of ¡®Evil Hall¡¯, known as ¡®Soul-breaking Array¡¯, which can block all Sound Transmission Talismans, Mind Transmission, Teleportation Talismans, Flying Swords, and other means of traversal and communication.¡±


    ¡°Right now, Fufeng City is essentially a solitary city; whatever happens here, the outside world has no way of knowing, unless the Formation is broken from the outside.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fat Long started with a somewhat odd expression, ¡°Do these Evil Cultivators actually refer to themselves as Evil Cultivators? I thought that was a somewhat derogatory term.¡±


    ...


    ¡°To us, it is, but from their perspective, they quite like the term, and so do the Demon Cultivators.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu stood upon the city walls, looking down at the roaring demon beasts below. These demon beasts seemed to have no intention of launching an attack anytime soon, only surrounding and continuously roaring at Fufeng City as if waiting for something.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the City Lord?¡±


    He glanced around but could not find the City Lord of Fufeng City. Logically, given the calamity that had befallen Fufeng City, the City Lord should have been the first to step forward, not necessarily to lead an attack, but at least to make a public appearance and stabilize the morale of the forces.


    And like that, two hours passed quickly.


    During these two hours, the demon beasts below did not launch an attack, and the soldiers on the walls did not engage offensively either. It seemed like both sides were waiting; Fufeng City was waiting for reinforcements, but what was the Evil Cultivator hidden among the demon beasts below waiting for?


    Just then¡ª


    A furious shout came from the horizon.


    ¡°Despicable vermin, come forth and meet your demise!¡±


    A towering azure sword light almost tore through the thousands of miles of dark clouds, striking toward Fufeng City. At the same time, the Formation around Fufeng City began to slowly reveal its true form amidst this onslaught.


    A white, semi-transparent shell, like an eggshell, covered the entire Fufeng City and its surroundings.


    And this great Formation, under the towering azure sword light, was almost instantly torn apart, dissolving into white light that disappeared into the air.


    At the same moment, the people inside the city discovered that the Sound Transmission Talismans could once again be used, and the means provided by Teleportation Talismans were available as well.


    ¡°Cackle cackle cackle!¡±


    As the Formation shattered, a blood-red light bolted toward the horizon at a speed almost too fast for the naked eye to capture, leaving behind a rather arrogant laugh: ¡°Since everyone has arrived, I won¡¯t stay any longer. I wish you all a delightful time.¡±


    The moment the voice fell!


    The tens of thousands of red-eyed demon beasts surrounding Fufeng City, as if crazed, let out a collective roar and launched a desperate total assault on the city.


    Several streaks of golden light shot across the sky, landing above Fufeng City, their Divine Senses carrying the formidable pressure of Golden Cores swept quickly through Fufeng City. Then with a wave of their sleeves, they scooped up their own juniors and rapidly left Fufeng City without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡­


    ¡°Quick, leave!¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect, his expression grim, with a wave of his sleeve, unleashed a surge of Spiritual Energy that swept up Zhao Yishi, who was still crouching invisibly in a corner, and immediately turned into a ray of light intending to flee from Fufeng City.


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡±


    Zhao Yishi urgently said, ¡°Sect Master, are we just going to leave like this? What about Fufeng City?¡±


    ¡°Right now, we can¡¯t worry about Fufeng City.¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect, while transforming into a ray of light that covered dozens of miles in just a few breaths, said with an ugly expression, ¡°Fufeng City will soon be littered with corpses, and nobody can stop it. The Heavenly Dao is about to undergo another change. Before the major version ¡®World Conflict,¡¯ there¡¯s a precursor mini-version named by Heavenly Dao as ¡®Demon Race Invasion.¡¯


    ¡°And this mini-version ¡®Demon Race Invasion¡¯ is set to descend within a thousand miles centered around Fufeng City.¡±


    ¡°¡®Evil Hall¡¯ knew about this before we did and trapped you all in Fufeng City to lure us here. If we don¡¯t leave soon, we won¡¯t be able to escape either. Don¡¯t think just because I¡¯m a Golden Core that I amount to anything; in the face of Heavenly Dao¡¯s change, a Golden Core means jack shit!¡±


    ¡°The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons is way faster than me!¡±


    A few hundred breaths later.


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect, pushing his movement technique to the limit without any reservation, kept sticking talisman after talisman onto his body, even as blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth, pulling his speed to the extreme. Finally, before the black clouds could plummet down, he escaped beyond the range of the clouds.


    And Zhao Yishi was left with a face full of disbelief and shock as he looked back.


    Behind him.


    The black clouds that stretched for a thousand miles and possessed an extremely compelling presence were now thunderously descending, as if the sky had collapsed, heavily crashing toward the ground. It was almost instant that he found his Divine Sense completely blocked by these black clouds.


    The entire area behind him was now covered by the extremely dense black clouds.


    The sky¡­ had it really collapsed?!


    Meanwhile¡ª


    A voice from the edge of the sky, weathered and devoid of emotion, slowly echoed in the ears of everyone in Da Xia Country.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Only one year remains until the next shift in the Heavenly Dao version, the ¡°Conflict of All Under Heaven.¡± The preceding minor version change, ¡°Demon Race Invasion,¡± will descend within a thousand miles centered upon Fufeng City.


    As black clouds bear down, the Demon Race invades.


    Within thirty days, should the Demon Race prevail, their status as prisoners of the Heavenly Prison will be removed.


    If the Demon Race is defeated, then the black clouds will dissipate and all will return to as before.


    The number and Cultivation of Demon Race allowed to participate in battle will be equivalent to that of the cultivators within a thousand miles of Fufeng City.


    ¨C


    At the same time.


    Inside Fufeng City, the scene became incredibly chaotic in an instant.


    The sky had truly collapsed.


    The black clouds that extended for a thousand miles brought with them an unstoppable force as they heavily smashed down. There was no rain, no thunder¡ªjust the black clouds crashing down. Though they caused no harm, they filled the air with black mist, reducing visibility to almost zero.


    Outside the city, tens of thousands of demon beasts had begun charging toward Fufeng City recklessly. With such low visibility, the beasts below the city walls were barely visible¡ªonly the constant trembling of the city walls could be felt.


    The city¡¯s defense soldiers, in their fear, kept hurling the talismans handed down to them toward the area below.


    ¡°Now I understand.¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scholar, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked around at the black mist and spoke softly, ¡°I thought it was the demon beasts attacking the city. I didn¡¯t expect the sky to have collapsed.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Fat Long frowned and looked at the scholar: ¡°It sounds like the second scenario is better?¡±


    ¡°Mm, if it were demon beasts attacking the city, we would have to worry about whether we could survive, but now that the sky has collapsed, we don¡¯t need to think about that issue at all.¡±


    ¡°Every major change in the Heavenly Dao version is preceded by many minor changes, such as this ¡®Demon Race Invasion¡¯ minor version. Its essence is to give those discarded by the last Heavenly Dao version a chance to re-enter the fray.¡±


    ¡°The so-called Demon Race is the side that lost in the last Heavenly Dao version.¡±


    ¡°Imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao in some unknown small world, until the next Heavenly Dao version is about to shift again, they participate as the discarded in a war. If they win, they can rejoin the current Heavenly Dao version; if they lose, they will be utterly annihilated.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re quite lucky, just having been chosen to join the battle.¡±


    Chen Qiu said nothing, his eyes slightly narrowed as he felt the black mist around him. Casually, he released a Thunder Summoning Technique, and the Spiritual Energy he had just used was almost instantly replenished through the automatic rotation of his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.


    ¡°Have you noticed?¡±


    The scholar said with an indifferent expression, ¡°This black mist is Spiritual Energy at its thickest, which can quickly fill your Tao Foundation with Spiritual Energy to the brim. In the following days, there will be corpses strewn all around within a thousand miles of Fufeng City. The power of the Demon Race is almost unmatched among their peers.¡±


    ¡°Looking at the situation now, it seems that quite a few people received the message in advance.¡±


    ¡°The City Lord of Fufeng and the workshop owner of the Ask Heaven Market must have fled. In some ways, this might not be such a bad thing, at least it means that no Golden Core Demon Race of equivalent Cultivation will descend upon us. It¡¯s just unclear whether the Capital received the message in advance. If they knew, why didn¡¯t they come?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, Chen Qiu calmly looked at the Thunder Light re-emerging in the palm of his hand and at his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, which had once again almost instantly replenished his Spiritual Energy to full. Then he suddenly chuckled.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about one thing.¡±


    ¡°We are indeed quite lucky.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to show these so-called Demon Race what it means¡­¡±


    ¡°To be a Magic Practitioner.¡±

 Chapter 64 - 64: I am... the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.

    Chapter 64: Chapter 64: ¡®I am¡­ the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.


    ¡°Boom, boom!!!¡±


    A blanket of black mist shrouded the entire Fufeng City, visibility was extremely low. Fat Long stood on the edge of the city wall, looking down without spotting a single demon beast, only able to hear the countless roars of demon beasts ringing in his ears.


    The Evil Cultivation Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had escaped, leaving these demon beasts behind.


    However, it must be said that the speed at which the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons transformed into a red light and escaped was truly fast, seemingly even faster than the Golden Core Great Powers when they left.


    ¡°Is this Demon Race some kind of species apart from the Devil Clan?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ...


    The scholar shook his head, his expression complicated as he spoke slowly, ¡°They are also from the Human Race, but in the last update of the Heavenly Dao, due to some special reasons, they were defeated and became prisoners of the Heavenly Dao, then the Heavenly Dao labeled them as the Demon Race.¡±


    ¡°Once labeled as prisoners of the Heavenly Dao, although alive, it¡¯s worse than death.¡±


    ¡°Imprisoned in a small world, that small world is constantly filled with such dense Spiritual Energy. By operating their mental methods and enduring harsh cultivation, the speed of their Cultivation advancement would be extremely fast. Sadly, after becoming prisoners of the Heavenly Dao, their bodies were also stricken with several Heavenly Dao Curses, and they are unable to make any progress in their Cultivation in this lifetime, only able to maintain the Cultivation they had at the time they became prisoners.¡±


    ¡°To see such dense Spiritual Energy yet be unable to advance in Cultivation, this feeling is extremely painful.¡±


    ¡°And in that small world, these prisoners of the Heavenly Dao are absolutely immortal.¡±


    ¡°Since they cannot advance their Cultivation, these members of the Demon Race naturally could only practice Spells and various other techniques. Without even thinking about it, over such a lengthy period, these people must have cultivated every type of spell to the Peak of Perfection.¡±


    ¡°With such techniques¡­¡±


    ¡°To be deemed invincible among their peers is not an exaggeration.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked down from the city wall, somewhat understanding as he asked, ¡°You just mentioned that Evil Cultivation is also unmatched among his peers. If the two of them clashed, who would be more invincible?¡±


    ¡°That is unclear.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, not answering the question, ¡°But one thing is certain, the strength of these members of the Demon Race is definitely not to be underestimated, and they are extremely experienced in battle and exceedingly desperate for victory.¡±


    ¡°They can only escape the status of prisoners of the Heavenly Dao if they win. Only then can their Cultivation advance again, and they could reappear in the new cycle of the Heavenly Dao. If they lose, it would mean true annihilation.¡±


    ¡°Before every major update of the Heavenly Dao, there is always this kind of minor update.¡±


    Having said this,


    the scholar stopped speaking, his expression calm as he looked in the direction where the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had long since disappeared. He had been celebrated as the greatest Sword Cultivator of Da Xia in his early years, ranking among the top three on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, truly a peerless Heavenly Pride.


    But he just couldn¡¯t kill that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.


    At that time, that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was merely at the mid Foundation Establishment stage.


    His sword was very fast, but it could not kill him.


    Or it might be said that he had killed him many times, but this person always managed to come back again.


    This person must have some sort of ability related to an external body, and especially his Far Escape Technique was mystifying, and almost every time it was different, no one knew why this person had so many variations of the Far Escape Technique.


    Moreover, even though such Far Escape Techniques heavily drained one¡¯s life, this person could use it multiple times, as if he had infinite life.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    The sound of the city gate being broken and collapsing came from below, and the intense screams and sounds of battle suddenly magnified several times and entered Chen Qiu and the others¡¯ ears.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu turned and walked toward the city wall, ¡°Before those so-called members of the Demon Race show up, let¡¯s deal with these demon beasts first.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Ouch!!!¡±


    At this moment, in a hidden cave on a cliff thousands of miles away from Fufeng City, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was continuously spewing blood, lying on the ground with his body convulsing violently. Despite his face twisted in agony, his crimson pupils were bursting with an extremely excited glow!


    ¡°Success¡­ achieved!¡±


    ¡°Finally succeeded, Master can finally return!¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Those who had once betrayed and killed Master will spend their days in fear and panic!¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother, I succeeded, did you see? We finally succeeded, you can rest in peace below!¡±


    Inside the cave, only a few dim candlesticks were emitting a faint light, and on the altar, eight Spiritual Tablets were neatly arranged.


    There were no names on the Spiritual Tablets, but they were engraved with portraits, which upon closer inspection, appeared almost identical. Lying on the ground, convulsing yet struggling to rise and look up at the altar, the face of the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons strikingly resembled the portraits on those Spiritual Tablets.


    ¡°Puh!¡±


    As his injuries worsened, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons couldn¡¯t help but vomit another mouthful of fresh blood; his hands trembling as he took out a bottle of Healing Pills from his chest and stuffed them all into his mouth at once. He had been pursued by a Golden Core Great Power for several hundred miles when he escaped Fufeng City.


    Although his Blood Jutsu, taught by his Master, was extremely powerful, he was still severely injured being chased by a Golden Core.


    He and his eight brothers were born in the same litter.


    Their appearances were the same, their heights, and even their likes and dislikes on a normal day. Once, Master had mentioned to them that they were men of great fortune; it was nearly impossible for a normal human to give birth to nine in one litter, indicating signs of ¡®the dragon bearing nine sons,¡¯ a great Qi Fortune!


    Their parents had died at the hands of thieves shortly after their birth.


    It was their Master who had raised them and set them on the path of cultivation.


    Master was a Golden Core Great Power, very powerful, but he had a notorious reputation. He had to conceal his identity everywhere he went, fearing discovery and subsequent assassination; others referred to their Master as Evil Cultivation.


    They said Master did all kinds of evil deeds.


    They said Master¡¯s hands were stained with blood.


    They didn¡¯t understand.


    They didn¡¯t know what was evil, what was demonic; they only knew that when their parents died at the hands of thieves just after they were born, it was Master who saved them, it was Master who fed them, it was Master who raised them.


    Not those who claimed so vocally to abide by goodness.


    Master was the righteous one.


    Only¡­


    Hundreds of years ago, with a major shift in the Heavenly Dao, though Master was powerful in his Cultivation, he fell victim to a trap set by several Golden Core Great Powers and became a prisoner of the Heavenly Dao, confined in a small world. Before leaving, Master transmitted a message instructing them to forget all gratitude and resentment and to find a place to live in hiding.


    They had known since childhood that Master must have had his own motives for adopting them. Their greatest dream since childhood was to serve Master.


    They were born in the same litter.


    The ranking of Big Brother and Second Brother wasn¡¯t determined by the order they came out from their mother¡¯s womb, but instead by who was least afraid of death back then; he was the most fearful of death, thus he became Xiao Jiu.


    Big Brother was the least afraid of death, becoming the eldest, and he was the first to die.


    Their only goal over the centuries was to rescue Master from the minor versions of the Heavenly Dao before the next major shift arrived, allowing Master to return to Da Xia Country!


    In this century alone, their plan had led to countless pursuers trying to kill them.


    From Big Brother to Eight Brother, all had died at these people¡¯s hands.


    Those people always shouted slogans of slaying demons and eliminating devils and, without any conflict arising, raised their slaughtering knives against them as if killing them could prove they were indeed people of the righteous path.


    From beginning to end, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had always been nine people.


    Not one person.


    And him, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, was the last of these nine.

 Chapter 65 - 65:

    Chapter 65: Chapter 65: ¡°Evil Cultivation, Everyone Should Eliminate It!


    ¡°Heh heh¡­¡±


    Lying on the ground, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons¡¯ body slowly stopped twitching under the effect of the healing pills, and only after stuffing several more pills into that terrifying wound in his abdomen did he shakily stand up. He took out a handkerchief from his bosom and carefully wiped the spiritual tablets on the altar.


    ¡°Big Brother¡­ Xiao Jiu has finally succeeded. Haven¡¯t you always said that Xiao Jiu is the most cowardly, the most afraid of death, and the one with the smallest courage among the brothers?¡±


    ¡°If only you were still alive.¡±


    ¡°I really wanted to show you, I¡¯m not afraid of death; I just didn¡¯t want to leave you all. Now that even Eighth Brother is dead, I have nothing left to hold onto.¡±


    ¡°Look, I can be fearless too.¡±


    ...


    He didn¡¯t know who had killed Big Brother and Second Brother.


    Big Brother was mortally wounded and had escaped to a cave to die, but before his last breath, he refused to say who had killed him and told them to never seek revenge. Their only goal was to rescue their master. No matter who among them died at the hands of others, it was meant to happen.


    Forget all hatred, seeking revenge would only hinder their progress.


    Ignore everything, rescue the master.


    Big Brother was at least lucky to have left behind some last words.


    Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother all died outside, without even leaving any final words.


    ¡­


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, with a dazed and trembling expression, took out twenty-four incense sticks from his bosom, lit them, and inserted them into the eight incense burners in front of the spiritual tablets. The spiritual tablets had been custom-made a long time ago; there were nine in total.


    And now¡­


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, dressed in tattered clothes and covered with wounds, suddenly cracked a smile, took out a brand-new spiritual tablet from his bosom, and neatly placed it at the far right of the altar, setting up a new incense burner in front of it.


    Having lit three more incense sticks, he bowed respectfully three times towards the ninth spiritual tablet before softly speaking.


    ¡°Brothers.¡±


    ¡°Only one last step remains, and it¡¯s Xiao Jiu¡¯s turn to depart. Before leaving, I really missed you all and wanted to see you one last time.¡±


    ¡°After you left, Xiao Jiu has been very lonely.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Jiu misses you.¡±


    ¡°Fufeng City was successfully chosen as the location for Master¡¯s arrival. It is the weakest area in the entire Da Xia Country, and I have already spread the word in advance. Those with some backing have already fled Fufeng City; now, only a bunch of chickens and dogs remain, hardly worth mentioning.¡±


    ¡°Master will surely succeed.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Jiu¡­ now bids farewell to the brothers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    With those words,


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons¡¯ hunched back straightened, and his ragged clothes fluttered in the strong wind. He turned and walked out of the cave, standing high in the sky with a ferocious face. With a wave of his sleeve, spiritual energy burst forth, completely destroying the cave.


    This cave was the hiding place that Big Brother found for them after the master had left; for a long time, it had been their home.


    Now, he had personally destroyed it.


    A home without family is not truly a home, and he had no chance to return.


    Over the years, although the brothers had let go of all hatred for the sake of rescuing their master, refusing even in death to reveal who killed them,


    Da Xia was only so large.


    Those who killed the brothers boasted everywhere that they had slain the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons.


    How could he not know?


    Only to make the brothers happy, to ensure their plan succeeded smoothly, he always forced a smile and pretended ignorance, secretly etching those names deep into his heart. Now that the plan had succeeded, the rest was up to the master.


    And what he had to do now¡­


    Was to make those who killed his brothers feel the pain of losing loved ones!


    In the final step of the plan, he indulged his personal vendetta by leading those Golden Core cultivators who had killed his brothers to a certain place. He couldn¡¯t defeat Golden Cores, but killing some Foundation Establishment juniors was not a problem.


    ¡°Ah!!!!¡±


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, who thought he had prepared for everything, hovered in the air and gazed toward Fufeng City shrouded in miles of black fog, still unable to suppress a fierce, anguished howl, as twin tears of blood slowly slid down.


    He didn¡¯t understand.


    His brothers had no conflicts with those people; it was just the killing of some mortals. Why did those people want to kill his brothers?


    If anyone should kill them, it should be the powers entwined with those mortals!


    What right do you bystanders have to act as agents of the Heavenly Dao!


    The next second¡ª


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons transformed into a red streak of light, shooting towards the horizon at a speed that even surpassed some Golden Core Great Powers, recklessly consuming his lifespan as if it were worth nothing.


    To some, lifespan is a useless thing.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you all fond of killing the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons to prove your righteous identities?!¡±


    ¡°This time I¡¯m not running, I¡¯m coming for you!¡±


    ¡°Come and kill!¡±


    In almost an instant, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons arrived above a mediocre mortal city. The one who killed his Fourth Brother was a Golden Core Great Power known as ¡®the Carefree Daoist,¡¯ originating from this city, and his relatives now were the city¡¯s largest family.


    The strongest in this city was merely at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.


    Wrapped in a surging evil energy, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons looked down at the terrified mortals in the city below, and a cruel smile crept onto his pained face.


    ¡°Remember this¡ª¡±


    ¡°The one killing you is named the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!¡±


    ¡°Evil Cultivator, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!¡±


    ¡°Today, I will show the world, what it means to be an Evil Cultivator, what it is to be the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!¡±


    ¡°Blood Floods a Thousand Miles, for the old man¡­ Open!!¡±


    This was the Scion of Ten Thousand Demon¡¯s first proactive retaliation in Da Xia Country in years, and also the last.


    Under the premise of being willing to greatly consume his lifespan, the sky was almost dyed half-red with the endlessly surging blood mist, accompanied by the Scion of Ten Thousand Demon¡¯s bellowing roar. Within a hundred miles, tens of thousands of demon beasts¡¯ eyes gradually turned blood-red as they lost their senses and sinisterly gathered in hordes, running wildly toward the city.


    The demon beasts kept within the city also lost their sanity, their eyes turned blood-red as they began to indiscriminately attack anyone their eyes could see.


    Perhaps Master was right. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The nine of them were indeed individuals with great Qi Fortune, born with a Bloodline Entry, sharing lifespan, cultivation, and Cultivation Method Realm among them.


    If one person cultivated a certain Cultivation Technique to Great Perfection, the other eight would also reach Great Perfection in that Cultivation Method Realm.


    If one person broke through the peak of Foundation Establishment, the others¡¯ cultivation would also break through to the peak of Foundation Establishment.


    If one person died accidentally, the remaining lifespan would be shared equally among the remaining eight.


    Sometimes he also wondered if their Master were not an Evil Cultivator but a righteous Magic Practitioner, whether they could live like everyone else.


    Live a normal person¡¯s life.


    But now¡­


    He just wanted all those who deserved death to die!


    If the world called him evil, he would show the world what true evil is!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    At the shattered gates of Fufeng City, the soldiers had lost their formation under the relentless assault of insensibly rampaging demon beasts, and the entire scene had descended into utter chaos. Amidst the black fog, Chen Qiu, wearing a green robe, held a long sword in his hand.


    His robe billowed intensely with the wind, and his footsteps were steady as he moved against the current, through the scrambling crowd towards the city gate.


    Soon.


    Chen Qiu gradually halted his pace. In front of him were countless beasts that had lost their rationality, their eyes wildly red. Behind him were over six thousand equally irrational and ferocious Demon Beast Resentful Spirits.


    It seemed as if the entire scene had suddenly become quiet.


    But soon, those demon beasts roared furiously and charged towards Chen Qiu on a suicidal run!


    ¡°All like to knock.¡±


    ¡°Then I will knock too.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s face showed not a ripple as he slowly raised the long sword in his hand, pointing it at the swarm of demon beasts rushing towards him, and quietly said, ¡°Knock.¡±


    The next moment!


    Hundreds of Thunder Lights suddenly, drawn by the sword, turned into several Thunder Snakes, madly smashing at the demon beasts!


    It was so bright that even the sky lit up for a moment.


    Almost in the blink of an eye, countless demon beasts were struck dead on the spot, and the dead demon beasts turned into ten more, which instantly died once more, turning into ten more Demon Beast Resentful Spirits, joining the battlefield again.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s methods are still fierce,¡± said Fat Long, standing behind and looking towards the city gate where hundreds of Thunder Snakes raged, murmuring, ¡°But that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons is also impressive. With just the cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment, he¡¯s able to control so many demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, according to what you said, that Scion of Ten Thousand Demons has mastered at least three Escape Techniques. To exceed a normal Golden Core in speed, that Escape Technique must be at the Great Perfection Realm. But is it necessary for one person to cultivate three Escape Techniques to Great Perfection Realm? You also said that this Scion of Ten Thousand Demons possesses several bizarre methods. Does he have that talent and time?¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, you mentioned that his three Escape Techniques rely on consuming lifespan to activate.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just at the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet his lifespan feels much more durable than mine.¡±


    ¡°Not clear.¡±


    The scholar, floating cross-legged on the Green Blade Long Sword beneath him, said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve killed him three times, but each time, he always manages to reappear soon after.¡±


    ¡°I only killed something like his external incarnation. This person¡¯s Escape Technique is extremely formidable; several Golden Core Great Powers pursued the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons but only severely injured him without killing him on the spot. Only I have managed to kill the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons on the spot three times.¡±


    ¡°It is precisely those three times that solidified my reputation as Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator. But each time, it wasn¡¯t the Scion of Ten Thousand Demon¡¯s true body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to kill him completely, to make my name truly famous.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s truly difficult to kill.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also a regret in my life.¡±


    ¡°Killing three times, you seem very strong in the past, the title of Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator sounds quite impressive. Do you have any grudge between you that made you kill him three times?¡± Fat Long asked, arms folded, somewhat nostalgically, as he looked at the scholar floating cross-legged on the Green Blade, suspended in mid-air.


    ¡°No grudge, no enmity.¡±


    ¡°Without enmity, why kill him three times?¡±


    ¡°Evil Cultivator, everyone should execute them!¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Suddenly thinking of something, Fat Long turned his head and looked at the scholar floating in mid-air on the Green Blade, smiling, ¡°We¡¯re all frank people, why not just admit it¡¯s for fame?¡±


    The scholar remained silent, floating in mid-air without speaking. After a long while, he finally said softly.


    ¡°It seems a bit too utilitarian to say it that way.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Besides, someone has to act for the Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ¡°But if the Heavenly Dao doesn¡¯t care, why should you care? Perhaps the Heavenly Dao doesn¡¯t care at all.¡±


    ¡°But this Xiao Yu cares, and that Xiao Yu also cares.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you even know that story.¡±


    ¡°I heard a storyteller recount it when I was in the Capital, I found it interesting, so I remembered it.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, that¡¯s even more reasonable.¡±

 Chapter 66 - 66:

    Chapter 66: Chapter 66: ¡°One demon beast¡­ Two demon beasts¡­


    Fat Long looked at Chen Qiu¡¯s back with a complex expression and did not speak. At the time, when he was captured and taken to Flower Offering Sect on the road, he had desperately hoped for someone like a scholar to descend from the sky and rescue him from the dire situation.


    But¡­


    He never came.


    If he hadn¡¯t relied on selling himself to save his life, perhaps he would have been completely drained and turned into a dried corpse, discarded in the back mountains by now.


    The Heavenly Dao might not care, but Xiao Yu did care.


    ¡­


    ...


    At this moment¡ª


    Chen Qiu¡¯s palm continuously flashed with Thunder Light, as he single-handedly blocked the city gate, throwing Hand Palm Thunder without even needing to aim, and still hitting his targets.


    Only after reaching the later stages of Foundation Establishment could one¡¯s Divine Sense be released over a wide area, allowing it to lock onto enemies and ensure that one¡¯s Spells hit with maximum accuracy. Before that, one had to rely on mere eyesight to aim.


    Nevertheless, the number of demon beasts in front of him was so great he could barely count them, naturally eliminating the need for precise aiming.


    Even though nature¡¯s spiritual energy was very rich here, to recover spiritual energy one still needed to sit in meditation and absorb spiritual energy using a mental method. This was where the benefit of the Heavenly Dao Foundation showed itself¡ªChen Qiu didn¡¯t need to circulate mental methods at all, as the Heavenly Dao Foundation would automatically rotate and help him absorb spiritual energy.


    And the number of resentful spirits behind him was also increasing.


    A single dead demon beast could bring him ten resentful spirit demon beasts, mostly in the Qi Refinement Realm.


    But¡­after all, the demon beasts were still too numerous.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brow slightly furrowed, ordering all the resentful spirits to charge forward and firmly block the city gate, putting himself in a relatively safe realm. Then, he threw out dozens of Hand Palm Thunder!


    Under the entry ¡°Spiritual Energy Intimidating,¡± the power of his Spell at this moment was far beyond that of Cultivators of the same level, further enhanced by the Great Perfection Realm of this Spell, boosted by the entry ¡°Focused Power.¡±


    The power was staggeringly exaggerated.


    An indiscriminate strike could instantly kill some demon beasts in Qi Refinement and early Foundation Establishment Realm stages, with virtually no resistance.


    Plus, with the extremely abundant spiritual energy available.


    At this time, he seemed to reincarnate as the Duke of Thunder himself. Standing there, countless Thunder Lights smashed into the darkness, the dazzling light making the entire battlefield gleam brightly.


    ¡°One demon beast¡­ Two demon beasts¡­¡±


    With every demon beast killed, Chen Qiu silently counted in his heart. For each demon beast slain, his Tao Foundation expanded slightly. It was just regrettable that the three souls and seven spirits from these demon beasts did not count as individual kills.


    A bit of a pity.


    Scion of Ten Thousand Demons¡­


    He silently remembered this name in his heart, wondering if there might be a chance to capture this person someday. Not to discuss other aspects, but just this mastery over subduing myriad demons was far more effective than his use of ¡°Demon Burning Incense.¡± S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Truly thrilling.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, feeling the extremely dense spiritual energy around him. For a moment, he even felt a bit envious of these Heavenly Dao prisoners who lived in such a richly spiritual environment for extended periods.


    ¡­


    Just like that.


    An hour later, the city gate was covered in a massive number of demon beast corpses, and Chen Qiu finally snapped back from the trance of the melee, his teeth slightly trembling as he scanned the surroundings.


    At this time, his Tao Foundation had expanded to over twenty-one thousand centimeters.


    The demon beasts that had died at his hands numbered over eleven thousand, which also allowed his Tao Foundation to accommodate a double the amount of spiritual energy than before, especially in the surrounding environment where the spiritual energy was extremely rich. He didn¡¯t even need to take Qi Replenishing Pills, as his Tao Foundation was filled to the brim.


    He looked back.


    He found that the city behind him was already filled with countless angry roars and sounds of fighting. The demon beasts were not only blocking this one gate¡ªhe could guard one gate, but couldn¡¯t protect the remaining ones.


    ¡°Where are the scholars?¡±


    Chen Qiu subconsciously wrapped his robe tighter around himself, his teeth chattering as he looked at Fat Long, who stood at the city gate. At that moment, there were more than eighty thousand resentful spirits surrounding him, the intense chill penetrating to the bone.


    He only felt very cold at the time.


    Cold enough to shiver.


    He had only killed over ten thousand demon beasts. However, each demon beast¡¯s split souls had individually transformed into a resentful spirit demon beast. Excluding those lost in battle, there were still more than eighty thousand resentful spirits quietly standing behind him.


    That towering resentful energy almost made ghost cultivators unable to withstand retreating!


    Once, a Taoist in Wentian Market had told him that he was carrying thousands of resentful spirits on his back and needed to resolve them quickly, but now it had already exceeded eighty thousand. The powerful resentful energy had made his body icy cold to the bone.


    This was also why these resentful spirits had already been released and stayed behind him, which was slightly better. If they hadn¡¯t been released and stayed on his back, they probably would have completely crushed him.


    ¡°The scholars went into the city to kill demon beasts,¡± he said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the scholar say he was poisoned and couldn¡¯t take action?¡±


    ¡°He said that on ordinary days, indeed, he couldn¡¯t. A large amount of spiritual energy was needed to suppress the toxins in his body. Although taking the Heavenly Dao Jade had relieved much of it, it only ensured that his cultivation wouldn¡¯t fall further. Normally, he could only use a small amount of spiritual energy to wield his flying sword.¡±


    ¡°But here, where the degree of spiritual energy is extremely dense, there is no need to worry about that. He can use some techniques.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyelids drooped as he nodded slightly, the whole person standing in place, using his long sword to support his body to prevent himself from falling. At this moment, he only felt very sleepy, very tired, and very cold.


    It felt as though a thousand catties were pressing on his back, making it hard for him to stand straight.


    The last solution now was to control these demon beasts to move towards the depths of the black mist away from him and then wait for the hour to pass so they naturally dissipate into the ether, but this also eliminated a significant aspect of his combat capability.


    Currently, many demon beasts had already rushed into the city, and he needed to deal with these demon beasts first.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu had Fat Long come over to help support him. After taking a deep breath and slowly straightening his back, he walked toward the city, and the tens of thousands of resentful spirit demon beasts also closely followed behind him. Although he could control these resentful spirit demon beasts, they couldn¡¯t be too far from him and could only carry out some simple commands.


    Such as attacking, defending, etc.


    He couldn¡¯t make those resentful spirit demon beasts behind him charge into the city and spread out to attack the demon beasts in a detailed operation.


    Looking along the way.


    Fufeng City, which was once quite bustling, was now covered with corpses. The bluestone road was full of overturned baskets of fruits and vendor stalls. The children¡¯s pitiful cries mixed with the demon beasts¡¯ roars echoed throughout the skies of Fufeng City.


    Shrouded in black mist, the visibility in Fufeng City was very low.


    In such an environment, fear surged up, causing one to run around chaotically like a headless fly. From time to time, commands were also issued, but at such a time, who could remain calm? Everyone was fighting for themselves.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Just as a massive bear-like demon beast opened its gaping maw to devour a little girl cowering in a corner crying.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Tens of resentful spirit demon beasts surged out of the black mist and knocked the bear-like demon beast aside.

 Chapter 67 - 67:

    Chapter 67: Chapter 67: ¡°Isn¡¯t this coming?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the bear-type demon beast being besieged nearby, then looked toward the little girl still curled up in a corner crying. He walked over, stuffed her into the stove room of a nearby courtyard, and then turned to leave the courtyard, looking at the cobblestone road shrouded in darkness. He murmured,


    ¡°The world shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡± S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He could accept being killed by bandits who blocked his way, or being killed by other cultivators for his treasures, or even being taken by the Flower Offering Sect to be used as a nourishing ingredient.


    Although it was a resentful way to die, there was at least a reason for it.


    But¡­


    ...


    What reason did these people in Fufeng City have to die? Without doing anything wrong, they had to be buried alongside so many others just because of a minor version change in the Heavenly Dao, or because an Evil Cultivator came with an army of ten thousand demon beasts, causing hundreds of thousands to die here.


    If he hadn¡¯t encountered Fat Long and obtained his own chance, perhaps¡­ he would have also died unnoticed in Fufeng City.


    Even if he had known in advance, it was not possible to escape thousands of miles away from Fufeng City within a few hours.


    There weren¡¯t only Fufeng City nearby, but also Ask Heaven market town, and other cities too.


    Fufeng City had him here, so the death toll was somewhat less, but what about the other cities?


    Did the lords of those other cities also run away?


    Probably.


    After all, with the ¡°Demon Clan Invasion¡± update, the invading Demon Clan cultivators were matched in number and Cultivation with the cultivators within a thousand miles of Fufeng City. If there were Golden Core cultivators in that range, then a Demon Clan Golden Core would also descend.


    Perhaps those Golden Core cultivators also lacked the confidence to kill a Golden Core of the Demon Clan.


    ¡­


    Thus, with ¡®Light Wind Talismans¡¯ attached, Chen Qiu and his comrades walked on, and the vast army of resentful spirit demon beasts obediently followed behind, killing any demon beasts that entered the city gates and converting them into resentful spirits of their own kind.


    After who knows how many hours.


    At that time, Chen Qiu, already trembling uncontrollably and curled up from the piercing cold, sat on a stone pillar by the East City gate; behind him stood nearly 150,000 resentful spirit demon beasts.


    At that moment, he even felt hallucinations appearing before his eyes.


    The shrill and piercing cries of ghosts echoed unceasingly around his ears.


    His skin had turned to an extremely exaggerated degree of paleness.


    Fat Long also felt a bit horrified, but nowhere near as extreme as him, since these resentful spirits were all his, with the majority of the backlash affecting him.


    ¡°Brother Qiu,¡±


    Fat Long, standing by the side, picked up a bloodstained blanket from the ground and wrapped it around Chen Qiu. He couldn¡¯t help but say anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t wait any longer. At this rate, Brother Qiu, you¡¯ll die before the Demon Clan even arrive!¡±


    ¡°This resentment from nearly two hundred thousand resentful spirits is enough to completely crush a person!¡±


    He understood Brother Qiu¡¯s intentions.


    The number and Cultivation of the arriving Demon Clan were matched with the cultivators in the area. As Fufeng City had a million civilians, this also meant that an equal number of Demon Clan would descend within a thousand miles.


    In the imminent great war,


    These hundred and fifty thousand resentful spirits would be the best assistance and the strongest force.


    It¡¯s just¡­ the price of backlash from resentment was indeed a bit heavy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting on the stone by the city gate, looked at the countless figures in black, slowly walking out from the dark mist with blades in their hands, and gave a faint smile, ¡°Here they come, right?¡±


    ¡°Really, they took their time. If they¡¯d been any later, all these resentful spirits would have returned to the earth.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still okay.¡±


    ¡°Not too late.¡±


    Foundation Establishment cultivators already found it difficult to increase their Cultivation by killing demon beasts, leaving only those at the Qi Refinement Realm to rapidly improve their Cultivation by slaying demon beasts. Even so, after killing tens of thousands of demon beasts from the early, middle, and even later stages of Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment,


    his Cultivation Progress had already reached nearly ninety-nine percent.


    He was just one step away from breaking through to the second layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    It was as if everything would be fine as long as the quantity was sufficient.


    No sooner had he spoken.


    Than the tens of thousands of resentful spirit demon beasts gathered behind Chen Qiu roared and howled as they rushed towards the countless black-clothed individuals in the black mist. The first batch of resentful spirits had already dispersed into the heavens and earth, and if it weren¡¯t for the restriction of one hour, the number of resentful spirits he could control would be even greater.


    And those of the Demon Clan, for some reason, wore unified black robes, which made them quite easy to identify.


    Each of them bore a bloodthirsty, savage, and excited smile on their face.


    They didn¡¯t seem quite sane.


    Looking over, men made up more than ninety percent of them. Being in such a highly confined space for a long period, it¡¯s understandable that their sanity might be affected.


    ¡­


    After the group of resentful spirit demon beasts had all rushed out behind him, Chen Qiu suddenly felt the chill on his body lessen significantly. Although he had not completely recovered, it was much better than before, at least he didn¡¯t feel like he was carrying a mountain on his back, unable to straighten up.


    But the Demon Cultivators that appeared at the edge of his vision were not as numerous as he expected. Forget a million, even ten thousand seemed far off at a glance.


    It was pitifully few.


    And among those who charged out with the countless resentful spirits and demon beasts were thousands of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Fufeng City. With roars, these Foundation Establishment Cultivators employed various methods. There were Magic Practitioners throwing lightning, Sword Cultivators manipulating flying swords, and others.


    Fufeng City didn¡¯t originally have so many Sword Cultivators.


    But with the opening of the ¡°Heavenly Dao Secret Realm,¡± Fufeng City had attracted quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Not every one of them had a Golden Core from their power backing them to leave, which resulted in many disciples from families and sects being forced to stay in Fufeng City.


    Everyone knew this was truly a fight for their lives.


    Only when one side was completely annihilated, would the battle cease.


    In an environment rich with Spiritual Energy, each person used their spells without restraint. Whether they were Sword Cultivators, Alchemy Cultivators, or Artifact Cultivators, it was impossible not to know a single spell. So at this moment, all of them were in the rear, unceasingly casting spells towards those demon beasts entangled by resentful spirits indiscriminately.


    After all, even if they ran out of Spiritual Energy, they could just sit down, cross-legged, circulate their mental method, and their Spiritual Energy would be refilled in no time.


    Everyone was going all out, employing every method at their disposal.


    ¡­


    ¡°Kill!!!¡±


    Among the Demon Clan cultivators, one bare-chested man with a ferocious look and a face full of anger raised his long sword, slashing at the resentful spirit demon beasts charging towards him. With each slash, his sword light shot out, and in a flash, dozens of demon beasts lay dead.


    Though the specific Sword Skill was unknown, his every move displayed ease and proficiency.


    And his control over Spiritual Energy was so fine that it didn¡¯t seem at all like that of an average mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    At that moment, he was boiling with rage with nowhere to vent. After so many years of waiting, just when an opportunity emerged to return to Da Xia Country due to changes in the Heavenly Dao version, who would have expected to land in such a godforsaken place!


    A bunch of mortals who hadn¡¯t even reached Foundation Establishment!


    In this group of Heavenly Dao prisoners, the most numerous were those in the Foundation Establishment Stage; there were hardly any in the Qi Refinement Realm. Or to put it another way, what Qi Refinement Realm cultivator would qualify to be a prisoner? Even if you wanted to be captured, you wouldn¡¯t be eligible!


    As a result, when the ¡°Demon Invasion¡± version started, there were hardly any Qi Refinement Cultivation level cultivators among these Heavenly Dao prisoners to stand up, wasting a large number of slots!


    If it were a major city, rich with resources and surrounded by Major Sects¡­


    A place where Foundation Establishment was as common as the dirt and with Golden Cores holding sway¡­


    When tens of thousands of Heavenly Dao prisoners at the Foundation Establishment level and Golden Core Great Powers descended, who could resist?!


    But instead¡­


    They landed in such a wretched place where they couldn¡¯t unleash their full strength. Nevertheless, although the numbers were imbalanced, in the end, the other side was just more Qi Refinement Realm mortals, which didn¡¯t matter. It was just more effort in the slaughter.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu,¡±


    Fat Long looked toward the Heavenly Dao prisoners fighting not far away, and suddenly muttered, ¡°I just thought of something. The Wentiang Workshop is also within a thousand miles, and though the workshop owner has run off, do you think the treasures of the many shops in Wentiang Workshop could have escaped?¡±


    ¡°If we can survive this, do these count as rewards?¡±

 Chapter 68 - 68: Unified reply, not open.

    Chapter 68: Chapter 68: ¡®Unified reply, not open.


    ¡°Naturally, it counts.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression remained calm as he gazed at the battlefield not far away; those Demon Clan cultivators indeed seemed much stronger than cultivators of the same level, with every Cultivation Technique at the Great Perfection Realm, moving with effortless ease.


    Compared to them, those people were evidently more suited to fighting in this environment.


    They didn¡¯t need to sit cross-legged to maintain their composure, but instead, absorbed Spiritual Energy through their mental methods amid the battle, achieving effects equivalent to his Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    Logically speaking,


    it was absolutely impossible to operate a mental method during battle, considering how hard it is to maintain composure and circulate a mental method amidst combat.


    ...


    But obviously¡­


    These Demon Clan cultivators, having stayed long in this environment, almost everyone was capable of this technique, which was equivalent to everyone possessing the effect of his Heavenly Dao Foundation, albeit with a smaller capacity and slightly more complicated than his.


    During his numerous releases of the Thunder Summoning Technique, Chen Qiu¡¯s control over Spiritual Energy also became increasingly proficient.


    He had originally planned to leave the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and find a place to cultivate for a while, but now it seemed that battling could significantly enhance his control over Spiritual Energy.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Swoosh!!!¡±


    A powerful golden light burst forth from the crowd and slammed directly towards him; caught off guard, Chen Qiu was sent flying a full several zhang away, crashing heavily onto the ground.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled a long breath and climbed up from the ground, rubbing his slightly aching chest. His right arm hung limply by his side as dozens of shattered Golden Bell Talisman slowly trickled down from his sleeve onto the ground.


    The ¡°Golden Bell Talisman,¡± a low-grade Defensive talisman of the Foundation Establishment stage, could block a full-strength attack from a first stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Yet, it was this blast of golden light that had completely ruined his twenty to thirty ¡°Golden Bell Talismans.¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    He lifted his head to look at a Demon Clan cultivator in the crowd sneering and beckoning him with a crooked finger and then turned his head to look at a golden arrow lying on the ground beside him, murmuring, ¡°I need to find some way to get something to protect myself.¡±


    That bow and arrow must be at least a high-grade Spiritual Treasure of the Foundation Establishment.


    Hitting the body, it hurts a bit.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu looked at the mocking Demon Clan cultivator and suddenly started laughing, a spell clash, right?


    He saw his fingertips tremble slightly.


    The next moment¡ª


    Hundreds of Thunder Lights suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside him. The blinding light instantly illuminated the entire battlefield, and in the blink of an eye, all the Thunder Lights, carrying a terrifying deterrent, smashed toward the hidden Arrow Cultivator from the Demon Clan in the crowd!


    ¡°Boom¡­!¡±


    Several explosions erupted loudly within the black mist.


    Various colors of light burst forth from many Demon Clan cultivators; all sorts of Protective Body Techniques, talismans, and other methods were automatically triggered. The already chaotic battlefield instantly became even more chaotic. Some keen-eyed cultivators, their faces contorted, charged toward Chen Qiu all at once!


    In the chaos of battle, prioritize killing the Magic Practitioners!


    Moreover, the environment here was extremely suitable for Magic Practitioners to fight in. Although most cultivators knew spells, the power was definitely not as great as those who specialized in spells. Hundreds of Demon Clan cultivators quickly abandoned their current adversaries and, after slaying all the resentful spirit demon beasts along the way, they rushed straight at Chen Qiu!


    A distance of hundreds of zhang.


    For these Demon Clan cultivators with fully engaged movement techniques, it wasn¡¯t too far.


    Especially since not everyone was capable of their technique of fighting while circulating a mental method; even if the region¡¯s Spiritual Energy was rich, once the Spiritual Energy in the Tao Foundation was depleted, one would still need to sit cross-legged and calm down to circulate the mental method to recover Spiritual Energy, and in this gap, that was when Magic Practitioners were most vulnerable!


    This Magic Practitioner seemed to only be at the first level of Foundation Establishment by feeling, but for some reason, the intensity of the spells he deployed was already on par with the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Moreover, typically, for Cultivation at the first level of Foundation Establishment, the Thunder Summoning Technique, a common spell, would be exhausted after just four or five uses of Spiritual Energy.


    Why was this person able to cast spells hundreds of times in one go?


    Could the Tao Foundation within his body truly accommodate so much Spiritual Energy?


    It didn¡¯t seem like a talisman either?


    Although there were hundreds of questions in his mind, the years of combat experience in the Heavenly Dao Prison had caused hundreds of Demon Clan cultivators to still rush out of the encirclement aggressively, charging straight towards Chen Qiu!


    In the Heavenly Dao Prison, one would never die no matter what.


    The combat experience that could only be acquired at the brink of life and death, they had experienced countless times.


    To kill a Magic Practitioner who was at a moment when he was out of Spiritual Energy was not much harder than killing a chicken!


    ¡°Protect this fellow Daoist!!!¡±


    ¡°Quick, quick, quick!!¡±


    At the same time¡ª


    Loud shouts also continually arose in the middle of the battlefield, and at this moment, the black fog on the plains outside the city gate had thinned out a lot, significantly increasing visibility.


    The black fog was composed of dense Spiritual Energy; now that so many people were absorbing Spiritual Energy uncontrollably, it naturally thinned out a great deal, and the Spiritual Energy from all directions was continuously flowing to this place.


    Many Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Fufeng City also realized something at this time, that this unknown Magic Practitioner was obviously not an ordinary one, and his capabilities certainly stemmed from a major family or Major Sect, definitely possessing Spiritual Treasures above top-tier Foundation Establishment.


    In such an environment where the Spiritual Energy was so dense it nearly condensed into a solid form, the role of a top Magic Practitioner was tremendously significant.


    The Demon Clan cultivators were able to realize this issue.


    Others naturally could too.


    They must protect this Magic Practitioner, to prevent him from dying at the hands of the Demon Clan cultivators, as this would increase their chances of victory a bit after a brief exchange; they realized that these Demon Clan cultivators, whether in terms of combat experience or Cultivation Method Realm, were far superior to them!


    If there were no unforeseen changes, they were almost destined to die here as expendables.


    Therefore, the originally chaotic battlefield instantly gained some order, many Demon Clan cultivators charged directly at Chen Qiu, while other Foundation Establishment Cultivators who remained in Fufeng City also hurriedly rushed toward Chen Qiu with anxious expressions, ready to protect Chen Qiu behind them so he could have a chance to recover his Spiritual Energy.


    ¡­


    ¡°Run?¡±


    The scholar, who had at some point situated himself cross-legged on his longsword, appeared beside Chen Qiu, floating in mid-air and frowning, ¡°Shall we move away from here first and then come back after recovering Spiritual Energy?¡±


    He actually quite liked this environment.


    Here, he could sit cross-legged on his longsword and move around, which gave him a sense of not being useless. The density of Spiritual Energy here even allowed him to retrieve the grandeur of the top Sword Cultivator from the old days of Da Xia.


    ¡°No issue.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in place, letting his green robe flutter with the wind, calmly looking at the hundreds of Demon Clan cultivators charging directly towards him. He slowly raised his right arm and spread his fingers, the palm aimed at the hundreds of cultivators. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a pause, he softly spoke.


    ¡°Unified reply, not activated.¡±


    The next instant¡ª


    The Tao Foundation, which had already recovered all Spiritual Energy, began to spin wildly again, and hundreds of Thunder Lights instantly emerged from his body, suspending in mid-air. They didn¡¯t strike out but instead spun wildly along with the Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    The Thunder Lights gathering around him grew more and more.


    One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand!

 Chapter 69 - 69:

    Chapter 69: Chapter 69: ¡°This is How a Magic Practitioner Should Play.


    In just less than ten breaths of time, thousands of Thunder Lights gathered behind him, and their number continued to increase.


    At this moment, Chen Qiu looked as if he had emerged from the Heavenly Thunder, with countless blue Thunder Snakes flashing with Thunder Light constantly entwining behind him. The quantity of Thunder Snakes was so enormous that they even piled up to form a wall of thunder dozens of feet high behind him!


    Even amid the black fog,


    this scene was exceedingly conspicuous.


    It was hard to ignore.


    The deep blue Thunder Snakes, mixed with purple and even a tinge of pale white, irresistibly drew the eye. Their utmost charm carried an undercurrent of debilitating fear from deep within.


    ...


    And at that moment¡ª


    The fastest Demon Clan cultivator was now less than thirty feet away from Chen Qiu. For some reason, his pace had slowed, and with a shocked and disbelieving expression, he stood his ground, holding his butcher¡¯s knife somewhat aimlessly and fearfully, staring at the wall of thunder formed by tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes behind Chen Qiu!


    Even with the combat experience he honed in the Prison, he was at a loss, standing in place with uncontrollable trembling in his legs.


    Even the Demon Clan cultivators who were closely following him in the kill had also begun to slow down their pace.


    Then, almost without any hesitation,


    the leading Demon Clan cultivator turned and ran in the opposite direction without a word, his speed even faster than when he arrived. The other Demon Clan cultivators, filled with intense fear, also made an about-face and fled in all directions.


    How the hell do you fight this?


    This is a Magic Practitioner!


    Are you the favored son of the Heavenly Dao, controlling the Heavenly Tribulation?


    If someone had told him before that a Foundation Establishment level one cultivator could unleash tens of thousands of Thunder Summoning Techniques at once, and each one was far more powerful than those of his peers, he would have thought it was nonsense.


    But having seen it today, he had no choice but to believe.


    Even the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Fufeng City who had come to reinforce were momentarily stunned by this spectacle, and without any hesitation, they also fled rapidly in the opposite direction¡ªonly they fled behind Chen Qiu.


    Spells don¡¯t differentiate between friend and foe.


    If one were enveloped by it at this time, then death was certain.


    After all, they did not believe their life-saving measures could withstand tens of thousands of Thunder Summoning Techniques. Could this still be called a Thunder Summoning Technique?


    ¡­


    ¡°Running away?¡±


    As the Thunder Snakes continued to multiply behind Chen Qiu, the dazzling bright light even pierced through the black fog, illuminating the entire battlefield. Seeing the Demon Clan cultivators starting to flee, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique, a spell of Foundation Establishment, had an attack range of a full hundred feet when cultivated to the Great Perfection Realm.


    Which by all accounts wasn¡¯t short. The peak that pierced the clouds over the marketplace at Wentiang Fang was only a few thousand feet tall. But this didn¡¯t account for the incredible speed of the Demon Clan cultivators, especially as they scattered in all directions. In less than ten breaths of time, a large number of Demon Clan cultivators had already escaped beyond a distance of one hundred feet.


    Even many of the Demon Clan cultivators had stopped running three to four hundred feet away, turning back to look at him, clearly understanding that the spells of a Foundation Establishment early-stage Magic Practitioner couldn¡¯t reach such distances.


    But¡­ when it came to speed,


    Chen Qiu had something even faster on his side.


    ¡­


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at the scholar beside him and softly asked, while the number of Thunder Snakes behind him continued to grow.


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    the scholar replied with a complex expression, ¡°This place¡¯s Spiritual Energy is rich enough. The thing you mentioned can indeed be achieved, it¡¯s just that it feels a bit¡­ unbecoming of a Sword Cultivator, it¡¯s somewhat beneath the dignity of swordsmanship.¡±


    Nevertheless, the scholar sat back down cross-legged on the ground, enlarging the Green Blade Long Sword by a few inches, presenting it in front of Chen Qiu.


    ¡°This is called cooperative combat between sword and magic practitioners,¡±


    Chen Qiu said with a smile, stepping onto the long sword, surrounded by tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes. The Spiritual Energy erupted from the soles of his feet, transforming into strands of Spirit Lines that firmly fixed him atop the Flying Sword. He couldn¡¯t manipulate Spiritual Energy with such precision in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    But¡­


    As they say, combat is the best form of cultivation.


    The next second¡ª


    The long sword suddenly transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the distance. In the blink of an eye, it vanished tens of miles away. The scenery around Chen Qiu instantly blurred, as if time itself was rewinding, rendering the surrounding landscape indecipherable.


    And the tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes were closely following behind Chen Qiu.


    At a glance,


    It appeared like a gigantic Light Ball emitting intense radiance, shooting towards the distance.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu activated several ¡°Golden Bell Talismans¡± to fend off the strong winds, his Spiritual Energy continuously surged into the meridians throughout his body to resist the discomfort from such acceleration, he couldn¡¯t help but retch as he shouted into the Sound Transmission Ring on his finger.


    ¡°You¡¯re flying too damn fast, you overshot it, come back a bit!¡±


    And soon, an anxious voice came through the Sound Transmission Ring.


    ¡°Right away, right away, I got quite a lot on my hands, it¡¯s a bit unaccustomed to slow down, but it¡¯ll be alright soon!¡±


    ¡­


    One must say.


    The scholar¡¯s sword was really fast, far surpassing that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Chen Qiu had once asked the scholar why he claimed he had no combat ability. With such speed, even just on velocity alone, one could pierce through many Foundation Establishment Cultivators¡¯ Protective Spirit Qi.


    The scholar didn¡¯t give him a specific answer at the time, only shook his head with a helpless wry smile.


    Perhaps there were some unspeakable difficulties.


    He didn¡¯t press the issue further.


    And the long sword beneath his feet slowed considerably, returning to the battlefield above, the speed now slow enough for him to clearly catch sight of the Demon Clan cultivators below, stunned and immobile in disbelief.


    But even so,


    The gusts of wind by his side still made his blue robe flutter and whip about.


    ¡°Magic Practitioners should play like this.¡±


    ¡°Being a stationary turret is not being a Magic Practitioner, that¡¯s being a live target.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked down at the Demon Clan cultivators, smirked, and then with a slight tremor of his fingers, tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes descended like Heavenly Thunder from the sky, raining down a sweeping bombardment on the Demon Clan cultivators below!


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!!!¡±


    The tens of thousands of Thunder Lights, incredibly dense and nearly merging into a waterfall-like cascade, fell in batches from the sky, heavily crashing onto the ground.


    The sounds of countless explosions arose one after the other.


    The ground almost instantly turned charred black.


    In the blink of an eye,


    Nearly a thousand Demon Clan Foundation Establishment Cultivators had their Protective Spirit Qi shattered and, amidst the screams, turned to ash.


    ¡°Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!¡±


    Realizing the grim situation,


    Some Demon Clan cultivators didn¡¯t say a word and flew away with Sword Flight, trying to temporarily escape from there, but when it came to the speed of flying swords, who could compare to the scholar.


    ¡­


    ¡°Where are you running to?¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing on his Green Blade Long Sword, caught up in the blink of an eye to a Demon Clan cultivator fleeing on their sword, fiddling with several Hand Palm Thunders in his hand, looking towards this person¡¯s fear-filled eyes with a light chuckle.


    ¡°Not long ago, someone told me that among all, Sword Cultivators are the strongest.¡±


    ¡°I think he made a lot of sense.¡±


    ¡°Sword Cultivators are indeed strong.¡±


    In the midst of laughter,


    Tens of shimmering Thunder Snakes had already enveloped the fleeing Demon Clan cultivator on their sword, the frail Protective Spirit Qi almost instantly shattered, and the charred long sword and corpse fell from mid-air in a parabola to the ground.


    Chen Qiu stood aloft on the Green Blade, his hand nonchalantly behind his back, toying with several Hand Palm Thunders in the other hand with a smile, looking down at the fleeing Demon Clan cultivators below, with tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes, emitting endless Thunder Light, intertwining behind him.


    And his voice, augmented by Spiritual Energy, was like a devil¡¯s whisper, tapping on the heart of every fleeing Demon Clan cultivator.


    ¡°But Magic Practitioners aren¡¯t weak either, huh?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 70 - 70:

    Chapter 70: Chapter 70: ¡°As long as you have the Golden Core, you can choose any beauty in the world at will!


    This was his first collaboration with the scholar.


    The synergy between Sword Cultivator and Magic Practitioner turned out to be much better than he had imagined.


    The speed of the scholar¡¯s Flying Sword, far surpassing that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators, coupled with his own attack methods that far exceeded those of a normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator in this environment rich in Spiritual Energy, was almost like a fish taking to water.


    These people naturally didn¡¯t want to just passively take hits, but how to counterattack?


    They were simply unable to catch the green light that constantly shuttled through the high sky; by the time you could catch the green light, you would see a young man in a green robe, smiling, appearing before you with several Hand Palm Thunders playfully in his hands.


    Coverage bombardment.


    ...


    Precise targeting.


    There wasn¡¯t even a need for a third axe; these two axes alone dealt a devastating blow to nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivators at the scene.


    ¡­


    In less than half an hour.


    The plain outside Fufeng City gradually quieted down, a large amount of dark mist surged over again, making the plain that had already become much clearer once again as limited in visibility as before.


    ¡°Hu¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, stepped down from the Flying Sword, and through the black mist faintly saw the charred land not far away and those bodies, a slight smile appearing on his face as he said softly.


    ¡°We coordinated pretty well.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar nodded with a somewhat unhappy expression, admitting that the effect was indeed very good, but it somewhat differed from his idea of Sword Cultivators, feeling that it was somewhat unbefitting of the scholarliness of Sword Cultivators.


    ¡°Can your Cultivation still be recovered?¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at the scholar and asked softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s very difficult.¡±


    The scholar shook his head: ¡°Thanks to Brother Qiu for the Heavenly Dao Jade you bestowed last time, it has greatly suppressed the toxins in my body. However, it¡¯s very difficult to completely remove the toxins, at least I currently don¡¯t know of any pill that can thoroughly eliminate this type of toxin.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, without saying much more, but he already had a rough idea in mind.


    He obtained quite a few treasures suitable for Sword Cultivators at Chao Tian Sect, such as that statue that would increase one¡¯s understanding of the learned Swordsmanship upon touching the ¡®Sword Bone.¡¯ He planned to thoroughly study Chao Tian Sect once things here settled down.


    As well as what exactly the Heavenly Dao Blessing was after the sect was ranked.


    After that, he could consider taking the scholar into Chao Tian Sect.


    For now, the combination of Magic Practitioner and Sword Cultivator was a very good pairing, especially a Sword Cultivator who specialized in the speed of the Flying Sword, but this model could only be realized in an environment of rich Spiritual Energy. Once they left this environment, the scholar wouldn¡¯t be able to use the Spiritual Energy as recklessly as now.


    When he had an opportunity, he would see if he could help the scholar recover some Cultivation. Even if it was very difficult to completely restore the Cultivation, he could at least intend to rise it to the mid Foundation Establishment stage. That way, even outside, he would be able to use more Spiritual Energy and control the Flying Sword for longer durations.


    He didn¡¯t continue talking.


    Instead, he glanced at the Fufeng City Cultivators who were stunned and standing nearby, then looked towards the Demon Cultivation bodies in the depths of the black mist and said with a light laugh, ¡°I¡¯ll stand guard here, you guys go search the bodies.¡±


    ¡°Collect the spoils of war.¡±


    ¡­


    Within a thousand miles, enveloped by the dark mist.


    The major update ¡®World Conflict¡¯ of Heavenly Dao was preceded by the minor update ¡®Demon Race Invasion,¡¯ and this piece of news had fully spread following the fall of Fufeng City. It wasn¡¯t to say that everyone in the country knew about it, but at least those with some power were basically aware of this event.


    At this moment, many powers had already dispatched people to stand guard at the edge of the dark mist.


    Patiently waiting for the dark mist to dissipate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad anymore,¡±


    the Sect Master of Caotian Sect said with some helplessness as he sat on Zhao Yishi¡¯s shoulder. Glancing at Zhao Yishi¡¯s huge, vacant pupils, he sighed with a hint of guilt, ¡°You should have told me earlier about the new friend you made in Fufeng City. You mentioned it too late.¡±


    ¡°By the time you brought it up, it was already too late to go back.¡±


    ¡°I could only save you and the other disciples from our Caotian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t be too sad. Perhaps they were lucky enough to make it out alive.¡±


    Indeed, he knew that what he was saying was against his conscience, but he had no other choice but to say that. He couldn¡¯t just tell him to give up hope and assume that all his riff-raff friends were as good as dead.


    If he caused the only hope of their sect to fall into depression, that would be utter nonsense.


    After all, an equal number of Demon Clan cultivators with identical Cultivation had descended upon them. If he had been even slightly slower, there would be another Demon Clan cultivator inside with the same Cultivation as him.


    To put it bluntly, being tormented by a Demon Clan cultivator of the same level was like bullying a chick for him.


    What a joke, within the Heavenly Dao Prison, the Cultivation of human cultivators was completely fixed. They spent hundreds of years doing nothing but rigorously practicing various spells, and even the most basic Earth Tunneling Technique had probably reached the Great Perfection Realm.


    They completely outclassed him in every way, so if he could beat them, that would be a miracle.


    The only advantage he might have was that the people from the Heavenly Dao Prison probably didn¡¯t have many talismans or pills, those external means of battle. The Heavenly Dao Prison wasn¡¯t a new phenomenon, and historically, those who emerged from it always lacked these resources.


    Over those hundred years, such external items would have been nearly depleted.


    Only Spiritual Treasures, if used sparingly, wouldn¡¯t necessarily shatter.


    ¡°Oh,¡±


    like a towering mountain, Zhao Yishi stood in place, overlooking the young man and woman whispering to each other on the ground and murmured, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about them, Sect Master. I was just wondering if I could ever find my own Taoist couple in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect instinctively looked down between Zhao Yishi¡¯s legs, his mouth twitching slightly before he gently patted the solid shoulder next to him, comforting, ¡°Those who cultivate the great path must not be swayed by lust for women.¡±


    ¡°But I desire intimacy.¡±


    ¡°How vulgar, don¡¯t forget the principles of Caotian Sect. Stay away from temptation and maintain purity in body and mind.¡±


    ¡°I still desire it.¡±


    ¡°Just try not to think about it for now. Once you become a Golden Core cultivator, won¡¯t you be able to choose any beauty in this world?¡±


    ¡°You said the same thing when I was at the Qi Refinement Realm; that once I break through to Foundation Establishment, I would have everything I wanted.¡±


    ¡°Foundation Establishment is just a minor threshold. Believe me, once you become a Golden Core cultivator, you will definitely be able to pick any beauty in this world!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sect Master, have you achieved Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have,¡±


    ¡°So have you been able to pick any beauty in this world?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°Is it because you¡¯re unable to?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect remained silent for a long time, not saying a word. Who was it that originally proposed putting the entire effort of the sect into desperately raising Zhao Yishi?


    He now found himself in a dilemma.


    Even a fool knew that as long as Zhao Yishi was properly cultivated, and they eventually found a Cultivation Technique or an entry that suited his physique, just as soon as he reached Golden Core, he would definitely become one of the most formidable Golden Core cultivators out there!


    But the current issue was¡­


    If they continued to nurture him like this, the present Zhao Yishi could easily drag down the sect.

 Chapter 71 - 71: Added

    Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Added ¡°Fame Ranking¡±.


    In the Capital, there¡¯s been a popular term lately.


    It¡¯s called the sunk cost fallacy.


    He felt these words made a lot of sense, thinking back on how he ended up on this irreversible path.


    The Sect Master of the Caotian Sect heaved a long sigh, his gaze becoming distant as his thoughts drifted toward the horizon.


    Being a Sect Master was too exhausting; he somewhat missed the joyous times when he had just joined the sect as an outer disciple.


    ¡­


    ...


    Meanwhile, not far from Fufeng City in the Wen Tian Fang Market.


    Under a dead tree by the side of a cliff thousands of feet high.


    An old man with white hair was casually picking up a white piece and placing it on the chessboard as he chuckled, ¡°The ¡®strife under heaven¡¯ is about to arrive, His Majesty seems rather anxious, as if a mere invasion by the Demon Race is enough for him to dispatch both of us at once.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apparent that His Majesty is indeed in a hurry, almost as if he¡¯s afraid something will go awry.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡±


    the sharp-featured middle-aged man on the other side of the chessboard shook his head, carefully placing a black piece before he said helplessly, ¡°I say, Elder Qiu, we should refrain from discussing His Majesty behind his back. He must have his own considerations.¡±


    ¡°What considerations?¡±


    The white-haired old man cast a casual glance in the direction of Fufeng City, his gaze penetrating the black mist as if seeing everything happening there, and a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes, ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone know, or are you still unclear?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Da Xia Country¡¯s predecessor the prisoner who survived the last sweep of the Heavenly Dao Prison?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty is well aware of the consequences if all the prisoners of Heavenly Dao were released. That¡¯s why he dispatched the two strongest peak Golden Core experts from Da Xia to quell this disaster.¡±


    ¡°Clearly, His Majesty¡­ is afraid.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    he asked, still smiling, looking toward the two hideously faced Golden Core Demon Clan cultivators on the ground nearby who were completely immobilized by the overwhelming Spiritual Energy, and chuckled.


    ¡°I must admit, this environment is quite comfortable.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the peak of Cultivation here is just Golden Core Peak; even with the rich Spiritual Energy here, it¡¯s impossible to advance further. Otherwise, maybe it would be possible to attain the Nascent Soul here.¡±


    ¡°But now, it seems that even if His Majesty hadn¡¯t dispatched us, these prisoners of Heavenly Dao couldn¡¯t make it out alive.¡±


    ¡°That youngster down there definitely has at least one Pink Entry suitable for a Magic Practitioner in his Tao Foundation, and is merely at the first layer of Foundation Establishment. I wonder if he acquired it when he first started Qi Refinement or when he first entered Foundation Establishment. That¡¯s some good fortune.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man with a square face was silent for a moment, losing interest in the game, and looked up at the white-haired old man, speaking softly, ¡°We both serve His Majesty, must we discuss him in such terms behind his back?¡±


    ¡°And what difference does it make if we discuss him?¡±


    The white-haired old man said contemptuously, ¡°If he hadn¡¯t promised to help me achieve a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul, would I even work for him? But so many years have passed; has His Majesty fulfilled this promise?¡±


    ¡°The fact that I even refer to him as ¡®His Majesty¡¯ is already giving him face.¡±


    ¡°To speak an unforgivable truth, I don¡¯t have many years left to live. If His promise remains unfulfilled before my life runs out, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking a trip to the Yellow Springs with His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°What about you? Since when have you been so loyally devoted to His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget who we are. We¡¯re just revered experts of Da Xia, not some Da Xia house slaves.¡±


    Then the white-haired old man scoffed, no longer amused. His sleeve swept a mighty wave of powerful Spiritual Energy, instantly causing the two struggling Demon Clan cultivators to bleed from all orifices. Even their Golden Cores, attempting to break free and escape, were crushed by a huge hand formed from Spiritual Energy.


    With another sweep of his sleeve,


    all the treasures within the Wen Tian Fang Market had been collected into his possession.


    He slowly stood up and, taking one step forward, disappeared at the edge of the cliff.


    Leaving only an ethereal voice behind.


    ¡°Upon returning, just say that the Fang Market was breached by Golden Core Demon cultivators, and all the Spiritual Treasures have vanished into thin air.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll split everything evenly between us.¡±


    ¡°Even if we can¡¯t achieve Nascent Soul, we still need to leave something for the next generation.¡±


    ¡­


    The two Golden Core Demon Clan cultivators, both at the third layer of the Golden Core realm, had no chance of fighting back against the peak Golden Core old demon.


    ¡°As a prisoner of the Heavenly Dao, your Cultivation cannot break through, and you can only devote yourself to studying spells?¡±


    It so happened that these peak Golden Core old demons were in the same situation, and their Cultivation completely crushed yours, how could you possibly defeat them?


    Even the highest Cultivation among these Heavenly Dao prisoners was merely the third layer of Golden Core, and now that these peak Golden Core old demons had appeared in Fufeng City, the Demon Race¡¯s Golden Core cultivators might as well descend two at a time in Fufeng City, but what of it?


    After this white-haired elder appeared.


    Nearly all the Demon Cultivation within the two nearby cities perished on the spot as the white-haired elder passed by, such was the overwhelming power. A peak Golden Core old demon dealing with these Foundation Establishment Demon Clan cultivators, even if you spent thousands of years in the Heavenly Dao Prison and brought thousands of spells to the Great Perfection Realm, it would be useless.


    The crushing nature of quality cannot be changed by quantity.


    In an instant¡ª


    The unrestrained might of the peak Golden Core realm blanketed the land within a thousand miles, the formidable Divine Sense instantly released and swiftly swept across the thousand miles, the terrifying Cultivation causing all cultivators to instantly feel as if they were crushed by a mountain, their bodies flattened against the ground, unable to move an inch!


    Those who were weaker in Cultivation, not even at the Foundation Establishment Stage, had already started bleeding from all five orifices.


    Though not fatal, their internal organs were definitely injured.


    ¡­


    Even Chen Qiu of Fufeng City found himself involuntarily pinned to the ground by this powerful force, as if the sky had collapsed onto him, and he tried to stand up.


    Only to find that he had almost lost control over his body.


    Even when he clenched his teeth and exerted all his strength, he could not lift his body by even a fraction.


    After a few moments,


    this extremely terrifying Golden Core presence gradually dissipated, and Chen Qiu gasped for air as he climbed up from the ground, turned his head to look at the Foundation Establishment Cultivator beside him in Fufeng City, who was in even greater disarray and terror, flattened on the ground.


    Is this what it means to be a Golden Core cultivator?


    There was a time when he thought that as long as he killed enough demon beasts during the Foundation Establishment Stage, as long as the Spiritual Energy his Tao Foundation could contain was plentiful, and under the ¡°Spiritual Energy Intimidating¡± entry effect, ensuring the power of his spells was strong enough, he might be able to oppose a Golden Core.


    Now it seems that was nothing but a delusion, considering he had never encountered a Golden Core cultivator.


    The vast and terrifying Spiritual Energy was not a matter of quantity, but a matter of quality!


    With Spiritual Energy of this caliber, unless his own energy could accumulate in such a great quantity, an exaggerated extent, there was no way to compete with this kind of qualitative crush.


    If¡­


    If such a being wanted to kill him, he would have nearly no means to survive.


    Just then¡ª


    A deep and ethereal voice rang in his ear.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Demon Race has been defeated, and the surviving Demons in the prison are deemed to have perished as well.


    Furthermore, with the major version change to ¡®Conflict Under Heaven¡¯, a new Heavenly Dao Fame Ranking has been added.


    This ranking will be based on how many people are aware of the listed cultivators.


    This ranking is updated in real-time, and every day according to the individual¡¯s ranking, a Heavenly Dao Blessing can be received. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    As this voice emerged, the thick black mist that enveloped the surroundings started to slowly dissipate, signaling the end of this ¡®Demon Invasion¡¯.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression subtly changed as he immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his mental method, his Heavenly Dao Foundation rotating swiftly, absorbing the nature¡¯s spiritual energy around him.


    During the battle just now, he had already broken through to the second level of the Foundation Establishment Stage; after all, his Cultivation Progress had reached ninety-nine percent before leaving the city gates, only a step away from the second level. Furthermore, his Heavenly Dao Foundation constantly rotated automatically, helping to advance his Cultivation, so breaking through to the second level of Foundation Establishment was hardly surprising.


    However, he deliberately refrained from introspecting his body¡¯s post-breakthrough Cultivation entries, allowing himself to choose later beyond the ten-breath limit.


    It¡¯s not easy to find an environment where the Spiritual Energy is so rich.


    While the black mist hasn¡¯t fully cleared, he took the opportunity to circulate his mental method, advancing his Cultivation Progress, meanwhile filling his Tao Foundation¡ªall of which would usually require wasting a good number of Spirit Stones. This opportunity for a free boost was not to be missed.

 Chapter 72 - 72: Listing Remarks

    Chapter 72: Listing Remarks


    Sigh¡­


    After a month, my book ¡°Cultivating Immortality in Chaotic Times¡± is finally going on the shelves, long story short.


    Tonight at midnight, it will be officially released, updating with ten chapters.


    At 23:59, there will be two more free chapters, which is the regular update for today. After midnight, it will be officially launched, and at 00:05, ten paid chapters will be uploaded, which constitutes the post-launch update.


    After the launch, there will be a guaranteed daily update of at least five chapters, that is, 10,000 words.


    The update time is set at 23:59 every evening.


    ...


    Starting from zero ¡°monthly tickets¡± each month, for every additional 100 monthly tickets, an extra update will be added, tallied at the end of the month.


    For each alliance leader, one extra update will be added, for silver, ten extra updates.


    I hope everyone will come to the Qidian reading platform to support the legitimate subscription.


    Thank you.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Now that the formalities are out of the way, I¡¯d like to thank four big shots who recommended my book during its new book promotion.


    ¨C Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Misbehaving in a Stopped World¡±


    Pudding¡¯s book is super cute and very interesting, and the author updates frequently.


    ¨C


    ¡°Then Let Them Offer Loyalty!¡±


    An established master in the light novel area, Changshi¡¯s work is also very good, with frequent updates. He¡¯s a genuine senior of mine, having been in the industry many years longer than I have.


    ¨C


    ¡°High Martial Era¡±


    A book by the future platinum-level author Faker Immortal, it¡¯s a great urban martial arts novel with outstanding performance, and truly frequent updates that have put a lot of pressure on me.


    ¨C


    ¡°My Son Yang Jian Has the Qualities of a Great Emperor¡±


    A fascinating book from Liu Lian¡¯s old homestead, it¡¯s also a headliner in this genre, worth checking out if you¡¯re interested.


    ¨C


    Initially, I didn¡¯t expect this book to perform so well during its new book promotion, so I didn¡¯t seek out any entry recommendations. It was only during the third round of recommendations that I belatedly sought support from a few big shots.


    If I¡¯d known, I would¡¯ve thickened my skin and asked for more entry recommendations. Who knows, the results might have been even better.


    It¡¯s just that I¡¯d already done it once with my last book, and I felt somewhat embarrassed to ask again for this one.


    Smile.


    I suddenly feel like I¡¯ve changed a lot. When I wrote my first book for Qidian, the operations officer said he got me an entry recommendation from the famous author Yuan Tong. I freaked out and insisted the operations officer cancel the recommendation.


    And now, I¡¯ve started to thickly apply some face in asking for entry recommendations myself.


    After writing for several years, my skin has indeed gotten much thicker.


    ¡­


    In conclusion.


    Thanks to all the readers for your support, allowing me to complete nearly all the promotions for the new book period. The book even reached as high as third on the new book list, just behind ¡°The Talking Elbow¡± and ¡°Offering Flowers in Front of Buddha¡±, and a week before that were Gu Zhenren and I Eat Tomatoes¡­


    This new book list was indeed very competitive, with three platinum authors and six great ones in the top dozen or so. Reaching the third place was very satisfying to me, and I thank all the reader lords.


    The upcoming plot will be very exciting, and I hope you will like it.


    See you tonight.

 Chapter 74 - 73:

    Chapter 74: Chapter 73: ¡°Did I ever say that Sword Cultivators were weaker than Magic Practitioners?


    Moreover, this long sword Spiritual Treasure doesn¡¯t offer any enhancements to Magic Practitioners.


    Spiritual Treasures suitable for Magic Practitioners are those that can provide them with enhancements.


    For instance, increasing Spell power, reducing the consumption of Spiritual Energy during Spellcasting, extending the range of Spells, or even¡­ ignoring the silent incantation of Spell hearts.


    For a relatively basic Foundation Establishment Spell like the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique,¡± there¡¯s no need for silent incantation; it¡¯s an instant cast, but some more complex Spells with greater power do require silent incantation of the Spell¡¯s heart.


    Some even more powerful Spells need the caster to form hand seals to cast them.


    In such complicated situations, having a Spiritual Treasure that can ignore silent incantations is naturally a significant enhancement for Magic Practitioners.


    ...


    However¡­


    He still felt that in most cases, the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± was more useful. Although it was just a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spell, the instantaneous nature of the Spell allowed him to unleash it repeatedly with a power that was not weaker than high-level Spells.


    Of course, it¡¯s still necessary to find some high-level Spells.


    Currently, his attack methods were a bit too one-dimensional. Leave alone anything else, if he were to meet an idiot with an entry immune to all Thunder Spells, he would be left staring blankly.


    ¡­


    ¡°I need to find more attack methods.¡±


    ¡°And some life-saving methods.¡±


    ¡°That Scion of Ten Thousand Demons¡¯ escape technique was incredibly powerful; I¡¯ve got to pick up one of those.¡±


    ¡°And some more Spiritual Treasures suitable for Magic Practitioners.¡±


    ¡°Also need to¡­¡±


    Standing still, Chen Qiu was playing with his index finger, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the thought of how busy he was about to be, when Fat Long and the others came running back with a large pile of Storage Bags and Storage Rings.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, all the spoils of war are here.¡±


    ¡°But Brother Qiu, you were a bit heavy-handed; many of the Storage Bags and Storage Rings were smashed, only these Storage Bags that the Demon Clan cultivators subconsciously pressed under themselves before dying were preserved.¡±


    ¡°I must say, they were quite nice people.¡±


    ¡°Not too many intact Spiritual Treasures; there are some that haven¡¯t been severely damaged and the scholar said we could sell these for some Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long¡¯s smiling face with a complex expression. Ever since he encountered the ¡°Reversing Yin and Yang¡± entry, he had been unable to look at Fat Long the same way.


    Who would join the Flower Offering Sect?


    It was a Dual Cultivation sect; if one willingly joined this sect, then surely they had a suitable entry for this cultivation style, right?


    And among them, who¡¯s to say there weren¡¯t any with the ¡°Reversing Yin and Yang¡± entry?


    After all, it was just a green entry, not too rare.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Why do your eyes look so strange?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Chen Qiu silently shook his head, deciding to keep this to himself and not tell Fat Long, lest he shatter Fat Long¡¯s cultivation focus. It was better to act as if nothing had happened; ignorance is bliss.


    He thought they wouldn¡¯t have much in the way of spoils, but to his surprise, there was still quite a lot.


    Wait a minute!


    A sudden thought struck him: when the Demon Race invaded, the workshop owners of Wentiang Market had fled in advance, so wasn¡¯t the market now left unguarded? The merchants would most likely have fled too; if not now, then when?


    ¡°Let¡¯s set off, scholar!¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t even bother to check the haul from the Storage Bags and immediately grabbed the scholar, ready to head to Wentiang Market.


    The parting words left by Chao Tian Sect couldn¡¯t have been truer.


    Sword Cultivators are truly powerful.


    At least when it comes to traveling, no matter how hard Magic Practitioners try, they can¡¯t catch up to Sword Cultivators. In terms of speed, Sword Cultivators definitely earn the title of the fastest in the world!


    ¡­


    ¡°`


    Before setting off, the scholar might have noticed that Chen Qiu had some misconceptions about sword cultivators and couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth to explain, ¡°Brother Qiu, actually, sword cultivators don¡¯t just wield their swords and fight the enemy up close.¡±


    ¡°Once they enter the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    ¡°Sword cultivators often are such that you see the sword but not the person, able to take an enemy¡¯s head from a thousand miles away.¡±


    ¡°Especially the Golden Core Sword Technique, that¡¯s tens of thousands of green sword shadows spreading like a rain of swords for nearly a hundred miles, leaving not a blade of grass alive within that range.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, there are many branches of sword cultivators, like those who specialize in sword arrays. Combining sword cultivation with array repair, carrying a sword box, and forming a sword array with dozens of flying swords often allows them to defeat enemies above their own level!¡±


    ¡°They are not weaker than magic practitioners.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head toward the scholar with some confusion, ¡°Did I ever say that sword cultivators are weaker than magic practitioners?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The scholar said somewhat resentfully, ¡°Well, indeed I didn¡¯t, I just said that off the cuff.¡±


    ¡°If sword cultivators are so strong, and you were once ranked as the number one sword cultivator of Da Xia, why couldn¡¯t you kill the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, who was just at the Foundation Establishment Stage, multiple times?¡±


    Fat Long interjected at the right moment, his tone laced with a hint of teasing.


    ¡°This, this, this¡­¡±


    The scholar was somewhat provoked by this and indignantly explained, ¡°You haven¡¯t faced the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons directly, once you do, you¡¯ll know. It¡¯s impossible to kill him. I killed him three times, and the last time, I was very sure that I had killed him!¡±


    ¡°Moreover, I even dissected that corpse, ensuring that it was the body of a living person, yet not long after, he began moving around in Da Xia Country again.¡±


    ¡°I really had no other options, I exhausted all means, but just couldn¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Chen Qiu helped the scholar out with a light laugh, ¡°That Scion of Ten Thousand Demons indeed has some techniques. Without some methods, he wouldn¡¯t have caused such a commotion in Fufeng City in front of so many Golden Core cultivators.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said that you got chased down back then because you were upholding justice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that you do have a heart of gold. After Fufeng City was breached by a demon beast, you immediately went to rescue the city¡¯s civilians. This act of caring for the well-being of the people, even as you fell from grace, is indeed worthy of the title of Da Xia¡¯s number one sword cultivator.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    The scholar¡¯s brother, the bearded, burly man who rarely spoke up, couldn¡¯t resist chiming in, ¡°There was a storyteller in the city who spoke recently of my brother¡¯s past glory. My brother was actually there to save that storyteller; the rescue of others was just incidental.¡±


    ¡°Right, this is the first storyteller in these years to mention my brother in Fufeng City.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, no one will think you¡¯re mute.¡±


    The scholar looked at his younger brother expressionlessly, ¡°Learning to be quiet is the first rule in understanding the ways of the world.¡±


    Then, perhaps as a form of release, the Qingfeng in his sleeve vanished in a flash, turning into a Liu Guang that disappeared between heaven and earth, and entering Wentiang market.


    ¡­


    In just a few breaths of time,


    Chen Qiu and the others had already arrived at the gate of Wentiang market.


    But¡­ at that moment, the skies above Wentiang market were filled with an extremely thick scent of blood, the sight meeting their eyes was one of bodies torn asunder; the whole market was completely deserted, and one could see that almost every building had been cut off at the waist.


    All the pills, talismans, and spiritual treasures in the shops had been plundered.


    And he even saw an old acquaintance.


    A guard captain lay in a pool of blood. He had once given some silver taels to this man, asking him to help clean up the battlefield, and in return, the man had once warned him not to be deceived by that old taoist.


    But now¡­


    This man was lying in a pool of blood, his body torn to pieces, and only through his bloodstained face could one barely recognize the familiar face.


    Just then¡ª


    A familiar, age-worn voice slowly sounded from behind him. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°A long time ago, when my master sent me down the mountain, he told me something.¡±


    ¡°In the business of fortune-telling, you can¡¯t save a ghost that¡¯s meant to die.¡±


    ¡°See, I told him a few days ago that there was going to be a bloody disaster in Wentiang market soon and advised him to leave this place quickly.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t believe it.¡±

 Chapter 75 - 74:

    Chapter 75: Chapter 74: ¡°Fortune comes out of disaster, fortune comes out of disaster!


    A familiar voice arose from behind, and Chen Qiu almost instantly turned his head to see the expressionless old man now standing behind a few people, holding his tattered black flag, looking over the mess in the Ask Heaven Workshop Market.


    It was no one else.


    It was precisely the fortune-telling Taoist who had warned him about the excess of resentful spirits on his person.


    ¡°Did you know about the disaster that would befall the Ask Heaven Workshop Market?¡±


    Seated cross-legged on the shoulders of the bearded muscleman, the scholar asked curiously, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you inform everyone in advance so they could know? That way, they wouldn¡¯t have had to die here, and so many people in Fufeng City wouldn¡¯t have had to die.¡±


    ¡°How should I say this?¡±


    ...


    The silver-haired old man glanced at the scholar and said indifferently, ¡°Even if the people of Ask Heaven Workshop Market and Fufeng City had heeded the advice and were willing to flee, then what? The invasion of the Demon Clan would still have to occur elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°To save one small fish at the expense of another.¡±


    ¡°That could not be considered a virtuous deed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me about righteousness. This old man has his own path to follow. What I hate most in this life is hearing people say, ¡®Why didn¡¯t you speak out to prevent the disaster if you could have avoided it¡¯?¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°The only reason I was willing to shoulder some karma to warn this young child was simply because I took a liking to him.¡±


    ¡°Regrettably, he doesn¡¯t heed advice very well.¡±


    Afterwards, the old man shook his head and shook the black flag in his hand, turned around, and gazed distantly toward the sky, murmuring, ¡°Turbulent times are on the horizon, who can remain untouched forever?¡±


    ¡°Even the ¡®Avoiding Heaven Sect¡¯ has shown signs of activity in this world.¡±


    ¡°Who can truly hide?¡±


    ¡°Right, young man, you are quite persuadable. The resentful spirits of the demon beasts on you are gone, but now you¡¯ve accumulated a slew of resentful spirits from Demon Clan cultivators. That¡¯s good, you figure it out yourself.¡±


    With that¡ª


    The old man slowly stepped forward and vanished on the spot like smoke.


    From beginning to end, not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuated from the elder, making it impossible to gauge his level of cultivation.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu gazed emotionlessly in the direction where the old man had disappeared, without speaking. He knew he had met someone formidable the last time he encountered this elder¡ªordinary people could not have identified the fact that he had an excess buildup of resentful spirits.


    And now, it seemed he was indeed right.


    However, it also reminded him that he should deal with the resentful spirits of the Demon Clan cultivators that were on him as soon as possible. After all, they represented a not-insubstantial fighting strength, which he was somewhat reluctant to waste for no good reason.


    If by tonight there were still no useful opportunities,


    Then he would not hesitate to deal with them immediately; it would not be worth risking his body being invaded by resentful energy just for a bit of fighting strength.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    A powerful pressure of someone at the Golden Core stage suddenly enveloped the entire Ask Heaven Workshop Market. Out of nowhere, a barefoot middle-aged man floated above the marketplace, his spiritual energy carrying a terrifying force that surged like waves toward Chen Qiu and the others.


    In almost an instant¡ª


    Such formidable power forced Chen Qiu and the others to uncontrollably fall face-first to the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Barefoot Immortal¡­¡±


    Pressed to the ground, the scholar couldn¡¯t help but say in a hoarse and hurried voice, ¡°It¡¯s the Barefoot Immortal, the workshop owner of the Ask Heaven Workshop Market, with the cultivation of the fourth layer of the Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, forcefully pushed to the ground by the wave-like terrifying power, tasted the bitterness of dirt in his mouth and couldn¡¯t help but feel a nameless fury rising within him. This was the second time today he had been overpowered and brought to the ground by the mere presence of someone at the Golden Core stage!


    While it immensely irritated him, it also filled him with an intense longing to break through to the Golden Core stage himself.


    Immediately afterwards,


    the barefoot middle-aged man floating in mid-air looked down at the four people lying on the ground with an indifferent gaze, as if looking at ants, and said, ¡°Was it you who robbed my Mystical Market?¡±


    ¡°Killed my people?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Qiu, whose cheek was forcibly pressed against the ground, couldn¡¯t even lift his head to look at the middle-aged man in the air. He could only scream with all his might, ¡°When we arrived, it was already like this.¡±


    ¡°We are only at the Foundation Establishment level of cultivation; it¡¯s impossible for us to kill so many people in such a short time!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The barefoot middle-aged man glanced at his nails casually and said, ¡°Apart from you, there¡¯s also the presence of Da Xia¡¯s envoys here; you¡¯re not suggesting that it was the Da Xia envoys who robbed my Mystical Market, are you?¡±


    ¡°Da Xia Country has decreed that no envoy may kill without cause, nor may they rob others of their opportunities and possessions without cause.¡±


    ¡°Just as it is absolutely forbidden to kill on the Da Xia Official Road.¡±


    ¡°Both are iron laws of the country.¡±


    ¡°Here, there are only traces of you and the Da Xia envoys. If it wasn¡¯t you, could it really be the Da Xia envoys? I¡¯ll take you to the Capital to see how His Majesty intends to explain this time.¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    An overwhelming surge of Spiritual Energy suddenly transformed into tens of thousands of Spirit Lines, binding Chen Qiu and the others, and just as the barefoot man prepared to rise, his pupils suddenly burst with an incredulous light. The man instantly lost his previous indifferent composure, excitement taking over as his breathing became hurried and intense!


    In an instant, he descended from mid-air and stopped in front of the scholar.


    ¡°Is¡­ is that the scent of a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure?¡±


    ¡°You actually possess the scent of a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure?¡±


    ¡°Quick, quick, quick, bring it out!¡±


    ¡°Fortune in misfortune, fortune in misfortune indeed!¡±


    With a greedy gaze fixed unblinkingly on the scholar¡¯s sleeve, where a miniature longsword seemed to shrink back with a life of its own, the barefoot middle-aged man became extremely excited as he said, ¡°Never would I have imagined I¡¯d one day have the chance to possess a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure.¡±


    Having said that,


    the barefoot man waved his hand casually, retracting all the Spirit Lines bound to the group, and transformed his Spiritual Energy into a massive cage, enveloping them all.


    A lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure already possesses a certain level of Spiritual Wisdom; to capture such a treasure, one must construct an airtight cage to prevent the Spiritual Treasure from escaping.


    To be on the safe side, this cage had to be extremely solid; wasting Spiritual Energy on binding them would be making a mountain out of a molehill ¨C after all, they were but a few Foundation Establishment infants. Even if I let you run, how far could you possibly get?


    Then, with a face filled with greed and ferocity, he took step by step toward the scholar, ready to claim his own opportunity.


    A group of Foundation Establishment infants possessing a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure ¨C wasn¡¯t this an opportunity just waiting to be picked?


    Even if he stood still and let these Foundation Establishment infants hit him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to shatter his Protective Spirit Qi no matter how hard they tried.


    Golden Core and Foundation Establishment, the difference is like heaven and earth.


    Once one reaches Golden Core, one enjoys boundless freedom beneath the Nine Heavens.


    It¡¯s not just a mere jest.


    ¡°Fellow daoist.¡±


    Feeling the restraints off his body, the scholar, with a rather pale face, sat back down cross-legged in place and hoarsely said to the barefoot man approaching him step by step, ¡°My name is Bai Yi. You should have heard of me; I was once the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, and I was also at the Golden Core level.¡±


    ¡°Could you do me the honor and let us go today?¡±


    ¡°Once my cultivation is restored, I will surely repay you handsomely. You know as well as I do that we have nothing to do with what happened to the Mystical Market.¡±

 Chapter 76 - 75:

    Chapter 76: Chapter 75: ¡°Is this your evaluation of me, White-clothed Sword Cultivator?


    ¡°My Azure Edge was indeed a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure in the past, my Lifebound Spirit Treasure, yet as my Cultivation Realm plummeted, it has now degraded to a lower-grade Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure and is not worth much. Taking it would be of little use to you.¡±


    ¡°How about it?¡±


    ¡°You should have heard of my reputation as a scholar; I have never broken my word.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The corners of the Barefoot Immortal¡¯s mouth curled up, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been sitting on the cliff edge of Wentiangfang Market for a few years now. I really hadn¡¯t expected you to be the once top-ranked Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°The White-clothed Sword Cultivator, I have indeed heard of your name, chased and hunted like a homeless dog for months on end. I thought you were long dead by now, yet here you are, still clinging on to life.¡±


    ...


    ¡°If I were to capture you alive and deliver you to the Zhang Family, that would be quite an opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Today is really a good day.¡±


    ¡°It truly is a blessing in disguise.¡±


    Having said that¡ª


    The murderous intent in the Barefoot Immortal¡¯s eyes surged out intensely, but just at this moment, the man before him spoke urgently and with utmost seriousness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯ll tell you about a great opportunity that can lead to a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul!¡±


    This statement momentarily threw the Barefoot Immortal into confusion.


    To this day, no one in Da Xia Country has managed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.


    If it were anyone else, he certainly wouldn¡¯t believe them, but the White-clothed Sword Cultivator was once acclaimed as the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, the most prominent of the younger generation, the unparalleled pride of those years!


    Such a person having access to this kind of information was not impossible.


    Perhaps¡­


    It was precisely because the White-clothed Sword Cultivator had learned of this secret that he had attracted the full-force pursuit from the Capital City Zhang Family!


    However, it was at this moment that he sensed something amiss, his gaze turning towards the scholar¡¯s face, perceiving a hint of unease behind the seriousness.


    Unfortunately¡­


    It was too late.


    Behind the Barefoot Immortal, Chen Qiu had at some unknown time already stood with a sword in each hand, his expression icy as a tremendously powerful aura, rivaling that of a Golden Core Great Power, suddenly burst forth from him.


    Almost in the blink of an eye, dark clouds covered the skies above Wentiangfang Market.


    ¡°Die!!!¡±


    Accompanied by Chen Qiu¡¯s furious roar, a strikingly exaggerated bolt of thunder instantly fell from the Nine Heavens, smashing directly onto the hastily gathered Protective Spirit Shield of the Barefoot Immortal. With just that single strike, the Protective Spirit Shield was covered with cracks and nearly shattered!


    But it was far from over!


    Almost in the blink of an eye.


    Three consecutive bolts of thunder, like a bolt out of the blue, slammed down upon the Barefoot Immortal from the skies above!


    The Protective Spirit Shield shattered!


    The Protective Spirit Treasure fell to the ground!


    Four successive thunderbolts with the full power of a second-layer Golden Core realm, unleashed by the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique,¡± unexpectedly struck the Barefoot Immortal on the crown of his head, akin to the calamitous thunder atop the Five Thunders, causing the middle-aged Barefoot Immortal¡¯s pupils to gradually dilate.


    Numerous cracks appeared on the surface of his body.


    Immediately following that, hundreds of thunder snakes, each a fraction of their original size, materialized beside Chen Qiu and struck the Barefoot Immortal in an instant. He spared no effort, having detonated four entries in succession, and yet the Barefoot Immortal, despite looking like he was on the verge of immediate death, was just tottering on the brink!


    Almost simultaneously¡ª


    Fat Long, the bearded strong man, and the sword in Chen Qiu¡¯s hand thrust out like a sudden clap of thunder, piercing straight into the body of the Barefoot Immortal, who had lost their Protective Spirit Shield!


    This strike, which would usually be unable to penetrate his defenses, became the final straw that broke the Barefoot Immortal.


    The Barefoot Immortal¡¯s body surface began to rapidly crack open, spreading like a shattered doll; in an instant, his whole body turned into a pile of minced flesh and fell to the ground.


    Immediately after, a Golden Core emanating golden light shot out from the broken flesh, transforming into a streak of light and shooting towards the horizon! S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This speed far exceeded that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators!


    As long as the Golden Core wasn¡¯t lost, there would be a chance to seize a new body and be reborn, albeit with heavy losses; after all, there was still an opportunity to live another life.


    With Chen Qiu¡¯s speed, it was absolutely impossible to catch up to this Golden Core.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t in a hurry, his expression remained calm as he watched the Golden Core that was about to disappear into the clouds.


    In the next moment¡ª


    The scholar sitting cross-legged nearby had a slight tremor at his fingertips, and his cyan blade turned into a ray of light that also shot out at a speed far surpassing the Golden Core by several times. In almost the time it took to breathe a few breaths, the cyan blade returned, piercing through a Golden Core that was trembling continually and sending messages of entreaty through its Divine Sense.


    ¡°A stray dog?¡±


    A hint of coldness emerged in the scholar¡¯s eyes as he looked at the pierced Golden Core on the tip of his blade and chuckled, ¡°Is that your evaluation of me, a White-clothed Sword Cultivator?¡±


    ¡°When did the White-clothed Sword Cultivator, who once suppressed thirteen cities with a single sword, become nothing more than a stray dog in your eyes?¡±


    His three-foot cyan blade was once a low-grade Spiritual Treasure of the Golden Core, but as his realm plummeted, it had degenerated into a low-grade Spiritual Treasure of Foundation Establishment, commonly used for transportation and not for attack.


    The cyan blade was already at the end of its strength, and even ordinary battles could likely lead to its shattering.


    If his Lifebound Spirit Treasure were to shatter, the backlash for him would be extremely severe.


    Only with his Lifebound Spirit Treasure, was he able to manipulate freely under the condition of being able to use the slightest bit of Spiritual Energy, for its greatest effect was that it almost didn¡¯t consume any Spiritual Energy.


    Their luck was also not bad.


    This person was merely at the fourth level of Golden Core Cultivation, and the core was still fragile without proper cultivation. Once one¡¯s Cultivation broke through to the sixth level of the Golden Core, the core would become extremely sturdy, even wielding terrifying power.


    The Golden Core could attack enemies while out of the body.


    It could even be stronger than some low-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasures.


    To think of escaping the body at that level of Golden Core Cultivation, he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up, and even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t dare to strike it, but with a sixth level Golden Core, they probably wouldn¡¯t have managed to assassinate him and cause the core to flee the body anyway.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    The scholar withdrew his gaze from the Golden Core, turned his head slightly to look at Chen Qiu and softly said, ¡°The common method for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to increase their Cultivation is to slowly comprehend the way through their mental method. Aside from that, although killing demon beasts can also improve Cultivation Progress, the increase for Foundation Establishment Cultivators from killing demon beasts is very low, far less than during the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°But apart from that, there are some opportunities that can greatly boost Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Such as swallowing a Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°It can significantly increase Cultivation without any side effects.¡±


    He roughly figured out what Chen Qiu¡¯s tactic was just now; if nothing unexpected, it should be the ¡®Self-Destruction Term,¡¯ a type of entry that allows the possibility of fighting beyond one¡¯s level. The downside is that it¡¯s too cost-intensive for entries.


    Brother Qiu had just acted four times in succession, equivalent to self-destructing four entries.


    Although he wasn¡¯t sure where Brother Qiu got so many entries from, the loss was certainly significant. A Golden Core might not make up for the entire loss, but it could at least mitigate some of it.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say much, taking the Golden Core and ignoring the fear and pleas for mercy transmitted through Divine Sense, and immediately swallowed it. Upon entry, it melted with no particular taste.


    Soon after, an extremely scorching heat flowed instantly through his veins and arteries.


    Vast and powerful Spiritual Energy began to surge wildly throughout his veins, and his Heavenly Dao Foundation also began to revolve rapidly.


    Not daring to delay even a moment.


    Chen Qiu immediately sat down cross-legged, began to practice his mental method with his eyes tightly closed, and started to quickly digest the heat brought about by swallowing the Golden Core.

 Chapter 77 - 76:

    Chapter 77: Chapter 76: ¡°From today onwards, you will no longer receive your monthly allowance.


    Dozens of breaths later.


    ¡°Hoo¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a hot, arrow-like mist, a sensation that was quite wonderful. He even felt as if he was floating, about to ascend to immortality.


    It felt as if his body had been thoroughly cleansed. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A bit like a divine communion.


    What are flirtatious skeletons compared to the exhilarating rush brought by a significant increase in Cultivation?


    ...


    Only then did he perform introspection.


    His Cultivation Progress had reached 96%.


    He was just a step away from breaking through to the third level of Foundation Establishment.


    Honestly, he was extremely satisfied with this progress. He had a visceral understanding of how slow Cultivation progress became after making a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.


    He had killed tens of thousands of demon beasts, on top of being in an environment with such dense Spiritual Energy.


    And only just managed to break through from the first to the second level of Foundation Establishment.


    This speed was already exceedingly fast.


    Next, even if he didn¡¯t circulate his mental method, just relying on the Heavenly Dao Foundation to daily rotate and absorb nature¡¯s spiritual energy, it would take him only fifty days to break through to the third level of Foundation Establishment. If he operated his mental method day and night, this speed could be even faster, needing less than fifteen days.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu looked toward the Heavenly Dao Foundation slowly rotating above his Dantian.


    There were now four fewer entries on it.


    They were¡ª


    ¡°Foundation Temporarily Halted,¡± ¡°Start from Scratch,¡± ¡°Never Discouraged,¡± ¡°Chopping Wood Sacred Body.¡±


    The first three entries were completely useless after the breakthrough in Foundation Establishment; the last entry was also useless.


    He didn¡¯t have to chop wood any longer, there was no future in it.


    And it had to be said, his luck was indeed good.


    For a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill a fourth-level Golden Core, the difference in levels was enough to stuff a Fat Long between them, an almost impossible feat!


    But just then.


    The scholar timely activated the aura of a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure from inside his sleeve, drawing all of the Barefoot Immortal¡¯s attention and causing him to release the Spirit Line that bound them. He transformed his Spiritual Energy into an even larger cage, ready to entrap the escaping Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure.


    Furthermore, at the critical moment, the scholar disturbed the Barefoot Immortal¡¯s mind, causing a moment of distraction, and he didn¡¯t immediately activate his Protective Spirit Qi with full force. Chen Qiu then utilized the almost unthinkable tactic of self-destructing four entries in succession.


    Only by these extremely forced means was he able to surpass more than a dozen small realms and kill a fourth-level Golden Core!


    If there had been the slightest mishap along the way, they would have met their demise right then and there.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for the scholar¡¯s reputation causing a moment of distraction in the Barefoot Immortal¡ªif Fat Long had said those words, it¡¯s likely the Barefoot Immortal wouldn¡¯t have been distracted at all and would¡¯ve simply struck them down with a cold laugh.


    Or if Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t been able to self-destruct four entries, if he hadn¡¯t just broken through to the second level of Foundation Establishment, allowing the power of his Self-Destruction Term to match a full-force blow from a second-level Golden Core.


    Or if the scholar¡¯s Flying Sword hadn¡¯t been exceptionally fast, a speed few in the world could match, they wouldn¡¯t have caught up to the fleeing Golden Core.


    And if the Barefoot Immortal hadn¡¯t been overconfident, feeling that binding them was pointless and thus focusing all his attention on capturing the Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure.


    They would have failed.


    It was this series of coincidences that led to such a rare cross-level battle, spanning more than a dozen grades!


    A full-force blow from a second-level Golden Core!


    The power was extraordinary¡ªafter all, even a cultivator at the Golden Core Realm couldn¡¯t continuously deliver several full-force blows. Full-force meant a desperate move, otherwise four strikes wouldn¡¯t have nearly sent the Barefoot Immortal to the brink of demise.


    After the Golden Core Realm.


    Each realm is a chasm apart.


    If one does not possess some supreme Spiritual Treasures or other means, even battling across a minor realm would be a fantasy.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu shifted his gaze from his Tao Foundation, the recent cross-level battle had drained a considerable amount of his foundation, leaving him with only three entries he could use for Self-Destruction.


    ¡°Alchemy Posture,¡± ¡°Every Plant and Tree,¡± ¡°Heavenly Deficiency.¡±


    Besides these three entries, the others were quite useful to him.


    The ¡°Heavenly Deficiency¡± entry allowed him to enhance his remaining senses when he closed his eyes, which was actually a pretty good effect and sometimes very useful. If it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary, he didn¡¯t really want to self-destruct this entry.


    He also had two ¡°Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talismans,¡± with which he could select any two entries that he had discarded during the last ¡®three choices¡¯ within the Great Realm of Foundation Establishment.


    If he was willing,


    he could use the retrospection charms right now to reclaim the two useless entries from his recent advancement to the second level of Foundation Establishment and reserve them for future self-destruction.


    However, a cultivator could only use the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talisman twice within the Great Realm of Foundation Establishment. He was saving them for the contingency that during a ¡®three choices,¡¯ all three randomly selected entries would be incredibly useful to him.


    Using them purely for the sake of Self-Destruction Terms would be a bit too wasteful.


    However, if those four previous self-destructs had not killed that Barefoot Immortal, he wouldn¡¯t have held back. As long as he was willing, he would only need to pay a tiny price to self-destruct at least five more times!


    After those five times¡­ each subsequent self-destruction would be like stabbing a knife in his own heart.


    The remaining entries were extremely well-matched to him; self-destructing any of them would cause him agonizing pain.


    It would be like exchanging future potential for a chance to save his life now.


    ¡­


    Just then¡ª


    Fat Long grinned, playing with several small items in his hand, ¡°Got some good news, Brother Qiu. Only three storage rings from this guy were destroyed; three are still intact.¡±


    ¡°As long as we find an Artifact Refiner to break the restrictions in these three storage rings, the wealth of a Golden Core Great Power is still something to look forward to.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth curved into a smile as he took the three storage rings, glanced at the pile of storage rings and Storage Bags that resembled a small mountain within his small world, and then looked towards his companions, ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to take stock of our gains.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll sell what needs to be sold and exchange what needs to be traded.¡±


    ¡°You all should also see if there¡¯s anything you need.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t want any, I¡¯m on a stipend; taking a share of the spoils would be overstepping.¡±


    ¡°In Da Xia, someone on a stipend like me is considered an employed guest and does not share in the spoils.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the scholar with a smile and said, ¡°From today, you won¡¯t get your stipend anymore. I¡¯ve formed this sect called ¡®Chao Tian Sect,¡¯ and I¡¯ll initiate you later. You might find something of interest in this sect.¡±


    ¡°Inside, you may even find a chance to restore your Cultivation, and possibly advance your swordsmanship further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the position of a sect elder. As an elder, you naturally share the fate of the sect, so no need for a stipend.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The scholar turned his head towards Fat Long with a helpless expression, his eyes revealing a hint of amusement.


    He actually wanted to say that sect elders usually do receive a stipend too.


    But more than the stipend, what made him happier was the feeling of being part of a group, something he had never experienced before.


    This was the first time he was really integrating into a group.

 Chapter 78 - 77:

    Chapter 78: Chapter 77: ¡°Top of the List¡±: Xia Xundao, Prestige Value 18.92 million.


    Since his debut!


    The White-clothed Sword Cultivator had fought alone with his sword and killed his way to the top three of the Da Xia Heavenly Pride Leaderboard!


    People thought him to be of a solitary nature.


    In truth, he simply couldn¡¯t fit into any sect or family; he was naturally free-spirited, disliked constraints, and wouldn¡¯t do anything he didn¡¯t want to, not even if the Heavenly King himself insisted.


    Following Chen Qiu, he suddenly realized that the Cultivation Path could be traveled with so many others.


    Lively and bustling was actually quite nice.


    ...


    He had always envied the group, especially when he was being chased by a crowd and, damn it, had no one to even entrust his last wishes to.


    From now on, he could finally outnumber others just like the other sects did.


    ¡°I want to be the Great Elder.¡±


    Fat Long, standing next to him, patted the scholar on the shoulder with a serious expression, ¡°What do you think, scholar? I¡¯ve been with Brother Qiu longer and have a bit more experience than you; you don¡¯t mind, right?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    The scholar helplessly shook his head and smiled, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be the Second Elder.¡±


    ¡°Can I¡­ be the Third Elder?¡±


    A burly man with a goatee hesitantly questioned in a muffled voice, standing aside.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at them and smiled, ¡°The future reputation of ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ depends on all of you.¡±


    ¡­ Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Mommy¡­ that¡¯s really scary.¡±


    At this moment, Fufeng City was in disarray, covered with corpses; the City Lord of Fufeng City, who had returned at some point, was dispatching people to collect the bodies and clear the debris-littered cobblestone roads.


    The entire Fufeng City was in chaos, filled with cries of lamentation.


    Meanwhile, the Family Head of Yuncheng Wang Family, who had initially planned to leave Fufeng City but was forced back by demon beasts, was now hiding in a collapsed teahouse. He cautiously peered outside and only after confirming it was safe, retracted his head with a terrified expression, continuously patting his chest.


    ¡°It ended just like that?¡±


    ¡°How did so many Demon Clan cultivators die?¡±


    ¡°I was ready to play the hero, and it turns out I wasn¡¯t needed at all?¡±


    After the breach of Fufeng City, he felt some fear, but still gritted his teeth, ready to step forward and use a Self-Destruction Term to protect the safety of Fufeng City despite lacking lofty aspirations.


    He always felt that if he wasn¡¯t strong, then watching Fufeng City fall was just that.


    But now that he had some strength, just watching the citizens of Fufeng City being slaughtered, though it wasn¡¯t really a problem, felt somewhat uncomfortable to him.


    Although the entries were precious, he still had many even after using three or four. He thought using three or four entries to ensure the safety of Fufeng City¡¯s citizens was worth it.


    Just as he was about to take action¡ª


    Someone stepped forward, riding a Flying Sword with Thunder Snakes all around like a descending Thunder God, wiping out the Demon Clan cultivators outside the city in the blink of an eye. The whole process seemed effortless.


    The head he had barely managed to courageously stick out was quickly pulled back in.


    ¡°That¡­ Minister Liu.¡±


    The Wang Family Patriarch looked at the young man sheltering with him and cautiously said, ¡°It seems safe now, and I suddenly have an idea. Fufeng City is now in great need of rebuilding.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we don¡¯t need to hurry back to Yuncheng so soon.¡±


    ¡°We can find many profitable ventures here, don¡¯t you think, Minister Liu?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Minister Liu looked at his Family Head with a speechless expression and couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°You¡¯ve actually got a plan now.¡±


    ¡°Master, you think too small. Didn¡¯t you hear the Heavenly Dao Decree just now?¡±


    ¡°The major update ¡®Chaotic World Struggle¡¯ to the Heavenly Dao introduced a new Fame Ranking!¡±


    ¡°The rules for ranking are extremely simple. As long as more people know about you, you can make the list. Everyone on the list receives a different Heavenly Dao Blessing daily based on their ranking. Don¡¯t you have even a slight interest in this ranking?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Wang Family Patriarch stood frozen on the spot, carefully examining the attendant Liu and taking a good look at him from head to toe, ¡°Who do you think between the two of us could make it onto that list? Have you seen who are on that list?¡±


    ¡°You compare our fame with theirs?¡±


    ¨C


    ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯


    ¡®Rank One¡¯: Xia Xundao, fame value 18,920,000.


    ¡®Rank Two¡¯: Xia Dexin, fame value 12,930,000.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Rank Five¡¯: Ji Renjian, fame value 9,290,000.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Rank Thirteen¡¯: Ji Taiping, fame value 7,820,000.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Rank Nineteen¡¯: Lie Yang, fame value 6,820,000.


    ¡®Rank Twenty¡¯: Ying Fengzi, fame value 6,530,000.


    ¨C


    The Wang Family Patriarch looked at the ranking again and continued, ¡°Look at the list yourself. The first place is His Majesty, the second is the Crown Prince, the fifth is Da Xia¡¯s top beauty, ranked first on the beauty list as the ¡®Heavenly Dao Beauty¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not just about being the Heavenly Dao Beauty; she¡¯s truly a beauty even in the eyes of the common folk.¡±


    ¡°The thirteenth, is the current top Sword Cultivator in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°The nineteenth, is the current top Artifact Cultivator in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°The twentieth, is the current top Array Repairer in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°Even the last person on the list, which is the one thousandth, is a well-known Evil Cultivator wanted by Da Xia Country, who has slaughtered several villages. Which one do you think we could replace on that list?¡±


    Upon hearing this,


    Attendant Liu meaningfully patted the Family Head¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Sometimes, you really shouldn¡¯t belittle yourself. After all, this is a Fame Ranking, based on how many people know of you, not on your Cultivation, strength, or experience.¡±


    ¡°This list even includes a mere actor. How could you not match up to her?¡±


    ¡°The scene of you slicing nine oxen in Fufeng City, I¡¯ve already saved it in a Memory Stone. Next, we just need to make copies and widely distribute them across various cities. No one will be able to resist witnessing such an extraordinary scene.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯ is still in its initial phase. Those listed are currently well-known, and there aren¡¯t any out-of-the-box strategies in play yet.¡±


    ¡°As long as we can make it to the top ranks in a short period, the Heavenly Dao Blessings we receive daily will be an immense fortune.¡±


    ¡°What we need to do is quite simple¡­¡±


    ¡°We simply find a few local tyrants in each city, then sell the Memory Stones to them at a low price. If they realize the value, they¡¯ll naturally think of ways to make many copies and distribute them.¡±


    ¡°Master, don¡¯t speak yet, I know what you¡¯re about to say. Doing this, our profit margin will definitely be low, but that doesn¡¯t matter. Otherwise, Master, if you alone went to a foreign city to sell these Memory Stones, let¡¯s not even discuss whether you could visit several cities at once; consider, if you were taking meat from the local tyrants¡¯ plates, wouldn¡¯t they let you feast in their city after seeing red from jealousy?¡±


    ¡°We only need to spread these Memory Stones across Da Xia¡¯s 365 major cities as quickly as possible. Then, you will reap an unimaginable amount of fame.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    The Wang Family Patriarch¡¯s eyes flashed with astonishment as it truly hadn¡¯t crossed his mind that this could work; it took him a while to respond, ¡°But what if those local tyrants set the selling price too high, leading to few being able to afford them?¡±

 Chapter 79 - 78:

    Chapter 79: Chapter 78: ¡°Disagree, then kill.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡±


    Liu Gongfeng said solemnly, ¡°We just need to find a few more shops in each city to prevent them from forming a monopoly. They¡¯ll compete with each other on price. Plus, they¡¯re certainly aware that this sort of thing is all about making money from people¡¯s curiosity.¡±


    ¡°After the first wave of interest passes, it won¡¯t be worth much.¡±


    ¡°Moreover,¡± he added, ¡°those who buy the replica Memory Stones will keep talking about them with relatives and friends. I estimate that within seven days at most, if all goes well, your fame, my lord, without mention of anything else, should have no problem surpassing that of the least known among the Evil Cultivation.¡±


    The Wang Family Patriarch¡¯s mouth slowly opened, and after a long while, he muttered, ¡°But isn¡¯t this¡­ somewhat disgraceful? I have many relatives and friends in Yun City.¡±


    ¡°Face is the least valuable thing,¡±


    ...


    ¡°Forget about that, come here!¡±


    Liu Gongfeng hurriedly pulled out a Memory Stone from his bosom and aimed it at the Wang Family Patriarch, ¡°We need to add another scene; you have to say your name. I¡¯ll come up with a catchy phrase for you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I, Wang Tiedan from Yun City, dare to stake my life against the Heavenly Dao, who else dares to stand on the same stage!¡±


    ¡­


    Fame Ranking.


    At the time of major updates to Heavenly Dao, a new ranking based on the cultivators¡¯ fame will change daily; however, the accumulated fame points will not be removed.


    This means that even if you become nationally known within three days, but no one talks about you after those days,


    your fame points will still not decrease.


    You will still receive the daily Heavenly Dao Blessing associated with your rank.


    This is perhaps what they call striking while the iron is hot. One could anticipate that the cultivators ranked in the top hundred of the Fame Ranking will consider their daily Heavenly Dao Blessing as an unexpected boon.


    And just like that, the gap between cultivators of the same rank gradually widens.


    ¡­


    Outside the Capital, within a certain peak.


    A middle-aged man, dressed in a black robe embroidered with black peonies, stood erect like a pine tree at the edge of a cliff, his back carrying a long sword, exuding a sharp Sword Intent.


    Simply standing there,


    made one feel a pain in the eyes at first glance.


    This was a sign of Human Sword Unity, with every plant and tree acting as a sword, and the released Sword Intent made it impossible to look directly; but since he had only recently stepped into this realm, he could not yet control the Sword Intent freely.


    This man was none other than Ji Taiping.


    The number one Sword Cultivator in Da Xia Country.


    With the Cultivation of the fifth level of Golden Core, he wielded a Cold Sword unmatched in the world; as long as those old demons did not emerge, even cultivators at the sixth level of Golden Core, he could just as easily slay them.


    At that moment, Ji Taiping stood at the cliff¡¯s edge with a cold expression, looking towards the Fame Ranking in front of him.


    However, upon seeing himself ranked thirteenth, a cold glint flashed across his eyes, clearly dissatisfied with his position.


    And it was at this moment¡ª


    A tall and beautiful woman, looking as if she had stepped out of the Immortal Realm, dressed in a white long dress and barefoot without a speck of dust on her feet, slowly walked out from the bamboo forest, leaning her head against Ji Taiping and whispered,


    ¡°Kill everyone ahead, and brother will naturally be number one.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    Ji Taiping shook his head before affectionately tousling the woman¡¯s hair, his eyes flickering with a mischievous light as he laid his hand on her shoulder and let it slide down, ¡°You too are ranked ahead of me, at fifth place.¡±


    ¡°Could I actually kill you as well? Besides, the first place is surely His Majesty¡¯s, who would dare surpass that.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Ji Renjian gazed distantly at the rolling clouds in the sky, and after a moment, she murmured softly as if her voice was made of cotton, ¡°Brother, are you with me merely because as a Heavenly Dao Beauty, I can greatly accelerate your understanding of the Sword Dao.¡±


    ¡°Or do you truly love me?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense.¡±


    Ji Taiping¡¯s expression darkened as he shook his head, ¡°Since you were little, I¡¯ve doted on you in every way. Were you a Heavenly Dao Beauty back then? In your heart, do you really see your brother as such a utilitarian person?¡±


    ¡°I truly love you,¡±


    ¡°I once made an oath before you, with the sword in my hand, declaring that if my love for you contained even a speck of impurity, one day I would certainly shatter into pieces along with my sword.¡±


    ¡°You also know that I am a Sword Cultivator,¡±


    ¡°Oaths taken by Sword Cultivators with their swords are absolutely without a hint of falsehood,¡±


    ¡°How about¡ª¡±


    As a glint of lust flashed in Ji Taiping¡¯s eyes, he abruptly drew Ji Renjian¡¯s soft, boneless body into his arms, caressing her up and down, ¡°Let me take good care of you right now.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ji Renjian¡¯s cheeks instantly blushed as her mouth was sealed: ¡°But¡­you are my distant cousin¡­and the Crown Prince won¡¯t agree¡­¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll kill him,¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­ kill¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what do you suggest we do, once I become the strongest in Da Xia, my sword will be the only law of this world!¡±


    ¡°I want to marry you, who dares to stop me!¡±


    ¡­


    Two teacups later.


    Ji Taiping lay on a grass mat beside a cliff, his eyes flickering with ruthlessness and anticipation as he gazed at the name ¡°Bai Yi,¡± ranked 986th on the list.


    White-clothed Sword Cultivator.


    The former premier Sword Cultivator of Da Xia Country.


    They both gained fame on the same day, both renowned for their rare talent in the Sword Dao,


    But the world deemed Bai Yi stronger because he always bested him by just one move¡ªno more, no less. Even after Bai Yi fell in battle as he was hunted down by the Capital City Zhang Family, some still believed he was inferior to the White-clothed Sword Cultivator.


    Just because¡­


    He lost by only one move every time.


    Just a single move was enough to keep his position as the foremost Sword Cultivator of Da Xia unstable. When people occasionally spoke of him, some shortsighted ones would remark that if not for the White-clothed Sword Cultivator being hunted to death, Ji Taiping would never have become the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    Over the years.


    He had killed many storytellers who boasted of the White-clothed Sword Cultivator.


    He wanted the world to forget the White-clothed Sword Cultivator and only remember him, Ji Taiping, as the true premier Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!


    He had thought that Bai Yi had long perished, killed by the relentless pursuit of the Capital City Zhang Family. But unexpectedly, Bai Yi had reappeared on the ¡°Fame Ranking,¡± indicating he was still alive, whereabouts unknown!


    As long as he found Bai Yi!


    Defeating him honorably before the eyes of the world!


    No one would then dare to question his status as the first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, and it would also clear the unease in his heart.


    Thinking of this,


    Feeling exhilarated, Ji Taiping couldn¡¯t help but caress Ji Renjian firmly in his embrace. Hearing the beauty in his arms softly cry out in pain, he quickly came back to his senses, affectionately resting his chin on her head and muttered dreamily,


    ¡°I, Ji Taiping, must become the Sword Cultivator recognized by everyone as the premier of Da Xia¡­¡±


    ¡°No, not just as a symbol of the younger generation¡¯s top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, I want to be the foremost Sword Cultivator that even the old demons would fear!¡±


    ¡°And you, the most beautiful woman in the world.¡±


    ¡°With me, it is just right.¡± Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in an inn in Fufeng City, Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his entire body ice-cold as he circulated his mental technique. Fat Long and others sat anxiously by his side acting as guardians, not knowing what else they could do.


    The issue was quite serious.


    The resentful spirit of that Golden Core fourth-layer Cultivator was currently perched on Chen Qiu, almost crushing him to death, his body as cold as the underworld itself. If you stuck out your tongue to lick it, it might freeze and stick together.

 Chapter 80 - 79:

    Chapter 80: Chapter 79: ¡°It would be great if we could kill another Golden Core.


    It took a full three sticks of incense for Chen Qiu¡¯s condition to somewhat recover. Originally, they did not plan to stay in Fufeng City, but they had no choice but to stop and rest there for a moment when Chen Qiu¡¯s condition suddenly deteriorated rapidly on the way.


    Seeing Chen Qiu open his eyes,


    Fat Long approached him anxiously, ¡°How are you feeling, Brother Qiu? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not serious.¡±


    Chen Qiu, his body covered in a layer of sticky cold sweat, sat cross-legged on the bed with a beast fur blanket wrapped around him. His condition had almost improved a bit by then. Although he had not returned to normal, he was no longer in danger of passing out.


    On the way, that intense resentful energy had almost penetrated his body. Fortunately, he had enough spiritual energy within him to barely resist it.


    ...


    Swallowing that golden pill had not only greatly enhanced his cultivation but also refilled his drained Tao Foundation to the brim.


    ¡°It would be great if I could kill another golden core.¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the bed, licked his lips with a hint of greed flickering in his eyes. He was contemplating the thrill of the gamble. In fact, there were many ways to solve his current predicament.


    He could release the resentful spirit and let it flee as far as possible, disappearing into the world after an hour.


    Or he could destroy the resentful spirit entry.


    Either would perfectly resolve the issue.


    But¡­ sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was a Golden Core Fourth Layer resentful spirit!


    It was almost the strongest tool he had at his disposal. If he could use this resentful spirit to kill another golden core, he would not only gain a new golden core, allowing for a significant breakthrough in his cultivation, but he would also acquire a new Golden Core resentful spirit.


    It was just a pity that his body couldn¡¯t hold on much longer.


    The backlash from this Golden Core Fourth Layer resentful spirit was more severe than the combined backlash of hundreds of thousands of resentful energies from demon beasts. It was a qualitative change that sheer quantity couldn¡¯t address.


    Foundation Establishment and Golden Core were as different as heaven and earth.


    If he wasn¡¯t a Foundation Establishment first level cultivator with the assistance of the Heavenly Dao Foundation and an exceptionally expanded body able to contain vast amounts of spiritual energy, he would have already passed out.


    Once resentful energy invaded the body and corroded the Dantian,


    there were hardly any solutions¡ªit was basically a wait for death unless a top-notch Alchemy Cultivator happened to pass by, willing to help, and had the right heavenly and earthly treasures in their storage ring to refine the corresponding pill.


    ¡°I can still hold on for another hour!¡±


    After assessing his physical condition, Chen Qiu looked up at the scholar whose complexion was deathly pale and said in a weakened voice, ¡°Do you have any weak early-stage Golden Core enemies with no backing sect, the kind that my Golden Core Fourth Layer resentful spirit can certainly defeat?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The scholar¡¯s brain whirred, murmuring subconsciously, ¡°Brother Qiu, the kind of person you¡¯re talking about¡­ wouldn¡¯t really qualify to be my enemy. I would have cut them down with a single sword long ago; how could they have lasted until now?¡±


    ¡°And besides, aside from a few with stubborn personalities, there are very few Loose Cultivators among Golden Cores. Even if they¡¯ve been Loose Cultivators all along, with their patchwork and disparate techniques, joining a sect as a patron is not an issue.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve actually thought of one!¡±


    ¡°Over a thousand miles from here, there is a Forbidden Land called ¡®Poisonous Thunder Swamp¡¯. The swamp spans over forty miles and covers a large area, perpetually enshrouded in a poison cloud that obstructs both visibility and Divine Sense.¡±


    ¡°And from time to time, Heavenly Thunder flashes within the poison cloud. Rumors say that in ancient times, a poison cultivator and a Magic Practitioner fought fiercely there, and both fell. The remnants of the battle from thousands of years ago still linger. Ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators stepping into it would struggle to escape with their lives.¡±


    ¡°Even Golden Core cultivators, without top-grade Detoxification Pills, would suffer greatly from entering rashly.¡±


    ¡°There has always been a ¡®Poison Thunder Old Man¡¯ who is a Golden Core Great Power with Dual Cultivation of poison magic, secluded in cultivation here,¡±


    ¡°Back then, he and I had a bit of grudge. Every time he emerged from seclusion, he would inevitably kidnap a group of mortal women, bringing them back to enjoy in the Poisonous Thunder Swamp. The ones he abducted were always women without much background, and he did so within the rules, with the nearby City Lord¡¯s Mansion turning a blind eye.¡±


    ¡°After all, no one reported to the government, so there was no need for the authorities to pursue the matter forcibly.¡±


    ¡°But just as I was about to catch up with him to deliver a deadly blow, the Zhang Family sent people after me, and I was unable to attend to him,¡±


    ¡°What does it mean to ¡®abduct within the rules¡¯?¡± Fat Long asked with a frown of confusion.


    ¡°It means not to make a move on the official roads and not to act openly and honorably within the city.¡±


    ¡°This is considered ¡®abduction within the rules¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Then did none of the victims¡¯ families dare to report to the authorities?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that none dared, it¡¯s just that this man is extremely ruthless, always leaving no traces behind in his actions, causing no trouble for the nearby government. The families of the abducted women were all killed, and naturally, no one was left to report him. Though he is not a Demon Cultivation, his actions are not much different from those of the Demon Cultivation,¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s teeth chattered from the extreme cold, and he spoke weakly, ¡°Meet with him.¡±


    ¡­


    It was only a matter of twenty or so breaths.


    Chen Qiu and his companions had already left Fufeng City by several hundred li.


    And the scholar also stopped, quickly pulling out a bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills from his pocket and guzzling them down, ¡°Wait a moment, Brother Qiu. I¡¯m running low on Spiritual Energy, I need to take some pills.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Thus, with stops and starts along the way, had it not been for the Demon Clan cultivators¡¯ Storage Bags filled with plenty of Qi Replenishing Pills, they truly would have run short on them.


    It¡¯s worth mentioning that¡ª


    The most abundant item in the Storage Bags of those Demon Clan cultivators was Qi Replenishing Pills. It makes sense, considering what they lacked in the Heavenly Dao Prison was everything but Spiritual Energy, so naturally there was no need for the pills.


    In terms of speed of replenishing Spiritual Energy,


    Taking Qi Replenishing Pills was indeed much faster than absorbing Spirit Stones.


    The difference is that the Spiritual Energy obtained from absorbing Spirit Stones is absolutely pure, whereas although the pills work quickly, they inevitably contain some impurities, which would continuously coat the Tao Foundation, causing it to rotate slower and slowing down the absorption of external Spiritual Energy.


    But it wasn¡¯t much of a problem.


    After all, as long as one practiced the mental method and spent some time, these impurities could easily be expelled from the body. However, it meant spending time, which implied that taking too many Qi Replenishing Pills at once would gradually weaken their effect.


    Once the impurities were completely cleared, their effect would be restored.


    And the top-grade Qi Replenishing Pills contained extremely few impurities, requiring consumption of many more to feel the weakening effect, so for a Magic Practitioner, top-grade Qi Replenishing Pills were also a rare treasure.


    After quite a few hundred breaths of walking and stopping along the way, Chen Qiu and his companions finally arrived at the ¡®Poisonous Thunder Swamp¡¯ mentioned by the scholar.


    Just as the scholar said,


    This was a swamp spanning several tens of li, with thick sludge churning and emitting a foul stench, shrouded in large volumes of black smog above, completely obscuring the interior of the swamp.


    Merely getting a distant whiff was enough to feel the intense foul smell and a slightly dizzying sense of confusion.


    It was evident just how domineering the toxicity within the swamp was.

 Chapter 81 - 80:

    Chapter 81: Chapter 80: ¡°What a great partner.


    ¡°This is the place, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu, his complexion deathly pale, nodded slightly. His fingertips trembled as the Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit that had been clinging to him suddenly burst forth like a tiger breaking free from its chains, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into substance and roared as it charged into the swamp¡¯s poison mist.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    The moment the Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit left him, Chen Qiu¡¯s complexion visibly regained some of its color, and his spirits lifted significantly. The coldness emitting from his body, which had been palpable, also ceased.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    ...


    He watched the fading figure of the resentful spirit and couldn¡¯t help but curse under his breath.


    The green entry ¡°Resentful Spirit Summoning¡± was truly powerful. He relied on this resentful spirit to survive many crises, but the cost was also truly great. Just thinking about how close he was to being devoured by the resentful spirit sent shivers down his spine.


    Now, he felt much better.


    Although his complexion was still unsightly, this was due to the nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivator resentful spirits weighing down on him. He had originally found it quite unbearable, but after experiencing the intensity of the Golden Core resentful spirit, he found that the nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivator resentful spirits weren¡¯t as distressing.


    It was bearable, after all.


    Without comparison, there was no harm.


    Earlier, when he attacked the Barefoot Immortal in the Qiantian Pavilion Market, he had not used these nearly ten thousand resentful spirits. Mainly because controlling resentful spirits caused too much commotion, and the surging resentful energy could almost instantly make the Barefoot Immortal become alert.


    Only a quick-acting Killing Move like the Self-Destruction Term could seize the moment of the Barefoot Immortal¡¯s distraction and deliver a fatal blow!


    ¡­


    Even after becoming a resentful spirit, the combat power might be slightly reduced, as they lack self-awareness and act purely on instinct. The poisonous substance blocked his Divine Sense, and since his Divine Sense couldn¡¯t extend that far from his body, he had no way to remotely control it.


    He merely issued a simple command, kill all living beings in the swamp.


    The rest was left up to its instincts.


    After all, even as a Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit, crushing a Golden Core first-layer poison cultivator should be no problem at all.


    However, moments later¡ª


    There suddenly came a cacophony of countless roars and curses from within the swamp.


    Numerous spells exploded within the swamp, tearing gaps in the black mist, clearly indicating that there might be quite a few people inside.


    ¡°This is not good¡­¡±


    The scholar murmured with a somewhat unpleasant expression, ¡°Although I haven¡¯t seen anyone, the accents of those speaking sound very much like the Poison Sect. A sect where from the Sect Master to the outer disciples, all are poison cultivators, it seems they have consulted with Poison Thunder Old Man and sent quite a few disciples here for training.¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, this sect often sends their disciples to various deadly places in Da Xia Country to train.¡±


    ¡°They might not be Demon Cultivation, but their behavior is no different from that of Demon Cultivators.¡±


    ¡°This sect ranks at number 78 in the ¡®Da Xia Sect rankings.¡¯ The Supreme Elder is an old poison cultivator with a mid-stage Golden Core. A genuine poison cultivator, from entries to spells, everything is distinctly poison-related and forms their unique system, unlike those Loose Cultivators like the Barefoot Immortal who don¡¯t have their own system.¡±


    ¡°Of course, since it¡¯s training, the elders definitely will not be here, but¡­ just in case a disciple escapes and remembers what we look like, we would be facing some retaliation from the Supreme Elder in the future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big issue.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°If we kill them all, there¡¯ll be no one to carry the message. We¡¯ll keep our distance, and even if they use Sound Transmission Talismans to send messages back, they won¡¯t know who killed them.¡±


    ¡°You use your Flying Sword to hover around the swamp. If anyone escapes the swamp, eliminate them.¡±


    Having said that,


    his nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivator resentful spirits on the surface of his body all materialized, enveloping the few of them like a vast army. Then, all at once, they let out a ghastly howl reminiscent of the wailing of ghosts from the depths of the underworld and madly charged into the Poison Mist Swamp.


    Poison mist?


    This thing has no effect on resentful spirits, how can you corrode a body that doesn¡¯t even exist?


    ¡­


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The scholar hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with an ugly expression, ¡°Brother Qiu, the tactic used in Fufeng City can¡¯t be replicated here. My spiritual energy won¡¯t allow me to employ that sort of tactic in this environment.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t manipulate the size of the Spiritual Treasure as I wish, nor can I use the Flying Sword for transportation.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, my Flying Sword is at the end of its strength, unsuitable for confronting enemies. It can only penetrate something as soft as tofu that normal Golden Core cultivators are made of; otherwise, even the Protective Spirit Qi of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could shatter my Flying Sword.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, his expression calm, ¡°You Sword Cultivators are so stubborn. Can¡¯t you think of a different approach?¡±


    ¡°The speed of the Flying Sword is an advantage in itself, why must you insist on using the sword to confront enemies?¡±


    ¡°Later, I¡¯ll load up your Flying Sword with talismans. Once you¡¯ve found the target, you just control the Flying Sword to fly above their head, flip the sword over, and release the spiritual energy controlling the talismans on the blade. That shouldn¡¯t consume too much spiritual energy, right?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you still confront the enemy that way?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary for the Flying Sword to strike someone in order to confront the enemy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar, expressionless, fell silent for a long time before speaking hoarsely, ¡°Since ancient times, there has never been a Sword Cultivator who fought like this. It feels¡­ strange.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s such a waste of talismans.¡±


    ¡°Not a waste.¡±


    Without another word, Chen Qiu handed over the few dozen low-grade Foundation Establishment ¡®Summoning Thunder Talismans¡¯ to the scholar, ¡°Consider it inventory clearance. These talismans, equivalent to a full-strength Foundation Establishment strike, are of no use to me now.¡±


    ¡°Besides, as long as we don¡¯t let even one escape to send a message, a few talismans are worth the expense.¡±


    ¡°Once we have more Spirit Stones in the future, I¡¯ll buy you some Golden Core Talismans to stick on your sword and throw around for fun.¡±


    ¡°Take them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar took the stack of talismans with a dazed look, remaining silent. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that his path as a Sword Cultivator was veering off course, although it seemed this method was indeed quite suitable for him at the moment.


    ¡­


    ¡°So many disciples.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the freshly spawned resentful spirits behind him. For every Poison Sect disciple that died in the swamp, a new resentful spirit was added to his side¡ªfor a total of over eighty now.


    What a joke.


    Demon Clan cultivators were nearly invincible among their peers, and even with a slight decrease in battle strength as resentful spirits, their overwhelming numbers were unstoppable as they swept through the Poison Mist Swamp.


    Finally¡ª


    After a few sticks of incense had burned, no more sounds of battle emanated from the swamp.


    Only a Golden Core shot out from the poison fog, attempting to flee the swamp, but the scholar, who had been lying in wait, trembled at the fingertip. The green sword shot out from his sleeve in an instant, piercing the Golden Core within a few breaths and returning to him. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Truly a good partner.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the three-foot green sword floating in front of him, a Golden Core impaled on its tip, and couldn¡¯t help commenting with satisfaction. Without the scholar, even if he could kill a Golden Core cultivator through deception, he would have no way to seize this nourishing essence.


    Back when he didn¡¯t even have a single Spirit Stone, how did he dare to promise the scholar 3000 Spirit Stones?


    Looking back now, that decision was indeed correct.

 Chapter 82 - 81: There was once an Evil Cultivation, named... Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!

    Chapter 82: Chapter 81: ¡®There was once an Evil Cultivation, named¡­ Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!


    And the talismans he had handed over to the scholar went unused, for not a single disciple of the Poison Sect had escaped the Poison Mist Swamp; all had perished within the marsh.


    At that moment¡ª


    The resentful spirit of the Barefoot Immortal, with pupils glazed white, was holding the withered body of an old man. He strode out of the swamp and threw the body down in front of Chen Qiu.


    ¡°The process of collecting bodies is still the most enjoyable,¡± he said.


    Chen Qiu, smiling, wrapped his arms with Spiritual Energy and carefully stripped the Storage Ring and all else from the old man¡¯s body, not even sparing items like shoes and belt, for they might be some fine Spiritual Treasures.


    Immediately following,


    ...


    Thousands of Demon Clan cultivators also emerged, each carrying the bodies of several hundred Poison Sect disciples and dumping them on the open ground.


    Fat Long and his acquaintances swiftly approached and stripped all of the Storage Bags and Storage Rings from their waists.


    ¡­


    ¡°I really can¡¯t fit anymore,¡±


    Fat Long opened his robe to reveal the dozens of Storage Bags tied with ropes from his chest to his thighs, and the inner pockets lined with dozens of Storage Rings; a gentle shake emitted a multitude of metallic clanking sounds.


    A look of extreme happiness appeared on his face, his lips almost stretching to his ears.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, this time I¡¯ve really eaten my fill, so full I couldn¡¯t be fuller,¡± he said.


    ¡°I can hardly stow away any more.¡±


    Storage Bags and Storage Rings each possessed a separate small space, and cannot be nested within each other.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu gave Fat Long a look but said nothing. As a member of Chao Tian Sect who possessed a small world, that space could fit another hundred thousand Storage Rings, but Fat Long insisted on hanging some on himself, claiming it brought him a sense of happiness.


    He didn¡¯t stop him.


    After all, there would be no fierce battle coming up, and if Fat Long liked wearing them, he let him be.


    The items on Fat Long¡¯s person were just a small portion; most were kept in his ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ small world.


    He glanced down at the black Golden Core struggling on the tip of his sword, and he did not devour it immediately. The Golden Core Great Power¡¯s resentful spirit was still nearby, and consuming the Golden Core now could bring forth resentful energy potent enough to overwhelm him in an instant!


    He planned to leave both the severely injured Golden Core Great Power¡¯s resentful spirit and the remaining Demon Cultivar resentful spirits here to disappear automatically from the cosmos when the hour came.


    On his person were only over three hundred resentful spirits of the Poison Sect disciples, all from the Foundation Establishment Stage and Qi Refinement Realm. After swallowing this Golden Core, it would only add a resentful spirit of a single layer of Golden Core to his collection.


    Although it would still be uncomfortable,


    At least it didn¡¯t carry the risk of resentful energy entering his body like earlier.


    Compared to having a Golden Core level resentful spirit as an ace up his sleeve, suffering a bit in normal times is better than being helpless in the face of danger.


    ¡­


    Just as he was about to leave after stripping down the Storage Rings, Storage Bags, Spiritual Treasures, and other items from the bodies,


    Chen Qiu suddenly pondered while gazing at the pile of bodies, ¡°What do you say, should we leave a name? Say that it was a sacrifice by Da Xia?¡±


    From the reaction of the Barefoot Immortal from the market, he had roughly figured out that the Capital had probably been aware of the Demon Clan¡¯s invasion and had sent a Da Xia Sacrifice to suppress this chaos.


    And this Da Xia Sacrifice did not trouble himself, for after suppressing the chaos, he conveniently plundered the market.


    Chen Qiu happened to be framed, even though he indeed had such intentions, but he hadn¡¯t taken action yet!


    That was the workshop owner of the market!


    He estimated that there were many fine spiritual treasures and talismans at their disposal; if it weren¡¯t for the fact that their fates did not dictate their demise just yet, how could they stand here at this moment? What he disliked most in his entire life was being falsely accused.


    Now¡­


    Could he take this small opportunity for revenge?


    ¡°No.¡±


    Fat Long shook his head helplessly, ¡°Brother Qiu, this frame-up seems too obvious, and besides, you don¡¯t even know which Da Xia official it is, you could at least leave a name?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    At that moment, the scholar next to him hesitantly said, ¡°Why not say it¡¯s¡­ Bai Yi, the premier sword cultivator of Da Xia, who acts for heaven to strike down evildoers?¡±


    Before Chen Qiu and others could even speak, he quickly shook his head apologetically.


    ¡°That, forget I said anything.¡±


    ¡°I just mentioned it offhandedly; it really isn¡¯t proper. I don¡¯t have much desire for fame, after all, being ranked 986th on the ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯ already satisfies me, but seeing Scion of Ten Thousand Demons ranks at 712th feels somewhat inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked emotionlessly at the scholar, and after a moment, he said slowly, ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like someone who doesn¡¯t care about fame.¡±


    ¡°Ever since the ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯ appeared, I remember we have been quite busy, right? When did you have time to check the Fame Ranking?¡±


    ¡°You even found your ranking and that of Scion of Ten Thousand Demons at the earliest opportunity, didn¡¯t you eagerly search for your name as soon as the list was released?¡±


    Just as Chen Qiu shook his head, preparing to end this topic and leave this place for a nearby large city.


    ¡°Kekeke!!!¡±


    A voice filled with viciousness and brutality laughed wildly next to their ears, and a streak of red light shot from the horizon and landed in front of them in the blink of an eye.


    This red light was composed of a sky full of blood mist.


    When the blood mist dispersed, Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    a man in tattered clothing covered in wounds, with dried blood on his lips and a fierce, greedy expression, looked excitedly at the hundreds of poison cultivator corpses on the barren ground before him.


    ¡°Truly, heaven does not forsake me, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!¡±


    ¡°Heaven does not forsake me, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!!!¡±


    ¡°These poison cultivator corpses will be excellent Blood Meal to greatly heal my injuries; I smell it, I smell the scent of fresh Blood Meal.¡±


    As his words fell,


    Scion of Ten Thousand Demons suddenly realized something, his expression filled with intense shock as he looked at the skeletal, blood-stained elder¡¯s corpse among the bodies¡ªit was indeed the corpse of a Golden Core poison cultivator.


    And it looked to have died not long ago.


    Could there be some Golden Core Great Power here?


    He quickly glanced around, only spotting a few men standing nearby and the pile of corpses without any Storage Rings, and he immediately realized that just recently, a tremendously powerful Golden Core cultivator must have slaughtered these poison cultivators and taken all the Storage Rings.


    These men were likely just passers-by, drawn by the residual battle fluctuations and prepared to loot the corpses.


    After realizing this, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, with a malicious smile, looked toward Chen Qiu and his companions; the blood mist surged out from his hand again, transforming into a massive hammer, as he advanced step by step towards them: ¡°Since you¡¯ve come, don¡¯t leave. Become my Blood Meal.¡±


    ¡°Consider it a slight contribution to my plan for vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Let everyone in this world know, there was once an Evil Cultivator named¡­¡±


    ¡°Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!¡±

 Chapter 83 - 82:

    Chapter 83: Chapter 82: ¡°So You¡¯re the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked oddly at the young man in tattered clothes and covered in wounds before him. Was this the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons that the scholar had been so full of praise for?


    Wasn¡¯t he said to be unkillable, no matter what?


    He seemed to be just an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and it looked like his luck wasn¡¯t particularly good either.


    At this moment¡ª


    Within the Poison Mist Swamp.


    ...


    A resentful spirit at the fourth level of the Golden Core, who had once lain down, now silently got up and walked out of the Poison Mist Swamp. In a few breaths, it reached directly behind the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, and then casually slapped down.


    ¡°I want this world¡­¡±


    ¡°Smack!¡±


    The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons¡¯ fierce roar suddenly came to an abrupt halt, then his entire body exploded into a mist of blood that dispersed between heaven and earth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, Brother Qiu!¡±


    The scholar, who was sitting cross-legged on the back of the bearded strong man, had a wary and tense expression as he controlled the Flying Sword, constantly hovering around and quickly scanning the surroundings. He had to find out what method the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was using to repeatedly escape his pursuit.


    ¡°This thief¡¯s methods are unfathomable, and he surely wouldn¡¯t die so easily!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he is already feigning death and has escaped thousands of miles away by now!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    Standing to the side, Fat Long hesitated for a moment before stretching out a finger and poking the thigh of the scholar sitting on the strong man. ¡°Hey, scholar, I want to ask you something. If a name disappears from the ranking list, does that mean that person is dead?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, the Heavenly Dao Ranking wouldn¡¯t list the name of a dead person!¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t know why Fat Long had suddenly brought this up,


    the scholar still swiftly responded with a guarded expression, but soon thought of something incredible. His mind flashed with an unbelievable possibility, and he immediately looked toward the Fame Ranking.


    He saw¡­


    His own ranking had risen from the original ¡°986th¡± place to ¡°985th,¡± while the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons, who had been ¡°712th,¡± now had his name replaced by someone unfamiliar.


    After scouring the entire Fame Ranking list, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons¡¯ name was nowhere to be found.


    And this also meant that the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had been removed from the Heavenly Dao Ranking, that is¡­ he was dead beyond doubt.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After confirming this message, the scholar looked dazed as if struck by a hammer, standing there in disbelief, muttering to the pool of flesh and blood not far away on the ground, ¡°How is it possible, how is it possible!¡±


    ¡°The Scion of Ten Thousand Demons¡¯ Escape Technique is of the highest level among Evil Cultivation Jutsu, and he must have mastered at least three, each at the Great Perfection Realm. How could he have died so easily!¡±


    ¡°In my prime, I killed him three times, and never truly managed to kill him!¡±


    ¡°He¡­¡±


    ¡°How did he die so easily this time?¡±


    The impact of this scene on him was too great; he even began to doubt whether he had really been the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia. Maybe after becoming deranged, he had fabricated this title for himself.


    Perhaps he was never really the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!


    He was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator!


    ¡°You know¡­¡±


    At this point, Fat Long added the final blow tentatively, ¡°Scholar, this Scion of Ten Thousand Demons didn¡¯t seem as strong as you said. It feels like he died at the slightest touch. Did you really kill him three times without actually killing him?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Alright,¡±


    Chen Qiu could tell that the scholar¡¯s Dao heart was about to shatter and hastily signalled Fat Long with his eyes not to talk too much before coughing softly and comforting, ¡°This Scion of Ten Thousand Demons must have been chased and killed all the way here and had already suffered severe injuries.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, when he made his move just now, I could sense that the adversary had three extremely grievous concealed wounds.¡±


    ¡°These three extremely severe injuries are likely left by the scholar back in the day.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons wouldn¡¯t have died so easily. Those three swords of the scholar from that time probably contributed to seventy percent of the effort.¡±


    Then, he turned his gaze to the bodies of the poison cultivators.


    He had intended to just leave these poison cultivator bodies here, but seeing how the Evil Cultivation Scion of Ten Thousand Demons was earlier, perhaps these bodies could still be a great supplement to an Evil Cultivator?


    After hesitating for a moment,


    he took out a pocket-sized Sect Leader¡¯s Chair from his bosom. This Sect Leader¡¯s Chair was the core of all the Formation of the ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡± and was also the Spiritual Treasure that could open this small world ¨C or rather, that small world was hidden within this Sect Leader¡¯s Chair.


    The greatest gain this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm had brought to him was this small world.


    Leaving aside the items left by the Chao Tian Sect, just this small world alone, once word got out, even the Golden Core Great Powers would be envious and vie for it. Most Golden Core cultivators never had the opportunity to own such a thing as a small world throughout their lives to their deaths.


    A Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Secret Realm¡¯s final reward turned out to be a small world ¨C this was indeed something that no one had expected.


    Fortunately¡ª


    After that Heavenly Dao Secret Realm event concluded, the Heavenly Dao Decree did not expose this piece of news, otherwise the moment the news that Chen Qiu owned a small world got out, he would practically have to hide within the small world until he cultivated to the Golden Core Stage.


    His spiritual energy poured into the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair, and a powerful suction force burst forth from his sleeve, drawing all those poison cultivator bodies into the small world, neatly placed on a wasteland within the Chao Tian Sect.


    To be used later.


    These poison cultivator bodies were also quite the treasures.


    ¡­


    Having done all this, Chen Qiu cleaned up the traces of the battlefield before he and the scholar headed for a city not far from here.


    ¡°Kai Mountain City.¡±


    It was one of the 365 cities of Da Xia but not an ordinary one; although there were Qi Refinement commoners to be seen everywhere, it was clear that there were quite a few more Foundation Establishment Cultivators ¨C about four or five could be seen among every hundred people.


    Some carried long swords on their backs.


    Some wore Daoist robes.


    It seemed rather lively. This city was over a thousand miles away from Fufeng City. Interestingly, there were no markets around Kai Mountain City, or rather, the markets were located inside the city itself.


    The market and Kai Mountain City had become one and the same.


    They encountered no trouble entering the city, and after tipping a few silvers, they easily entered without having to queue.


    ¡°Huh?¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Right as they were entering the city, Fat Long suddenly hesitated and glanced at a woman not far away being adored like a star amidst her entourage, saying subconsciously, ¡°Brother Qiu, isn¡¯t that an old acquaintance we¡¯ve run into?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu followed Fat Long¡¯s gaze and saw a woman followed by four or five men, also entering the city through another passage to their left. That woman was not someone else but the ¡®Heavenly Girl¡¯, a roving emissary of the Flower Offering Sect who had favored Fat Long several times.


    He had a rather good impression of this woman.


    After all, back then in the Heaven Asking Market inn, this woman had come to warn Fat Long specially, saying that there would be a big crisis in Fufeng City soon and it would be wise for Fat Long to leave quickly. He hadn¡¯t seen this woman again since the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and the Demon Race invasion.


    Unexpectedly, he encountered her here.


    But upon this second meeting, she lacked her previous radiance and glamour. Although she was surrounded by crowds, by the looks of it, she was clearly being held hostage.

 Chapter 85 - 84:

    Chapter 85: Chapter 84: ¡°The Caotian Sect Shall Surely Prosper!


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Within the Caotian Sect, hundreds of disciples looked blankly and in shock at the scene projected by the Memory Stone in mid-air, momentarily at a loss for words.


    A Magic Practitioner, quite normal.


    A Sword Cultivator, also quite normal.


    Why does it become so damn abnormal when you combine the two?!!!


    Is this the kind of effect two Foundation Establishment Cultivators can produce when they work together?


    ...


    ¡°Have you learned it?¡±


    The Inner Sect Elder of the Caotian Sect looked at the Outer Sect Elder beside him with a hesitant expression, ¡°What do you think? Can we also select a few disciples to replicate this? Such synergy in the near future at the Major Sect competition for the younger generation will surely yield impressive results.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The Outer Sect Elder made a surprised sound and incredulously turned to the Inner Sect Elder, ¡°Elder Liu, don¡¯t you want to take a look at the methods used by that Magic Practitioner? To cultivate the Thunder Summoning Technique to the Great Perfection Realm at the first level of Foundation Establishment is already remarkable, difficult but not impossible.¡±


    ¡°But his Spiritual Energy is like it has no limit, unleashing spells like a storm. Even when Fufeng City was reeling under a Demon Race invasion and the Spiritual Energy was incredibly rich, you at least need to exit the battle and recuperate your Spiritual Energy with a mental method, right?¡±


    ¡°Look at him, he hasn¡¯t stopped at all, has he?¡±


    ¡°And that Sword Cultivator, which Sword Cultivator could make the Flying Sword move so fast at Foundation Establishment? Forget our sect, how many can be found in the entirety of Da Xia?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, this familiar technique, this familiar Flying Sword, isn¡¯t this Sword Cultivator the former number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi?¡±


    ¡°How can this be replicated?¡±


    At this moment, the disciples who were still confused below also began to realize, yeah, how the hell can this be replicated.


    ¡­


    On the high platform at the sect plaza.


    ¡°Sect Master.¡±


    The Great Elder of the Caotian Sect spoke with an ugly expression, ¡°The annual Sect Disciple fighting competition held in the Capital is about to begin. This year, we still haven¡¯t cultivated any particularly outstanding disciples. How about letting Zhao Yishi compete this year?¡±


    ¡°Even if he can¡¯t secure the championship, he could at least seize a commendable ranking and win a decent prize, bringing some positive feedback for the sect.¡±


    Zhao Yishi, though he has not yet acquired an entry that can synergize with the ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant,¡¯ has indeed found several Body Cultivation Methods. His strength should not be underestimated: saying that with one punch he could split a mountain is an exaggeration, but he¡¯s certainly not weak.


    He counts as outstanding among the younger generation of disciples.


    However, in past ¡®Sect Disciple Fighting Competitions,¡¯ the Sect Master has always refrained from letting Zhao Yishi compete.


    The Sect Master¡¯s intention is that Zhao Yishi must have a decisive effect, make a name for the Caotian Sect instantly; otherwise, he will not compete at all. If he does compete, it must be to secure first place.


    The impact of such an outcome would be extremely significant.


    ¡°Not urgent¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of the Caotian Sect stood on the high platform, his eyes slightly narrowed as he thoughtfully watched the scene projected by the Memory Stone in mid-air, ¡°That Magic Practitioner named Chen Qiu is a new friend Zhao Yishi made in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°A friend of Zhao Yishi is a friend of the Caotian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu has not yet joined any sect and is a Loose Cultivator. If I send Zhao Yishi to win him over, Chen Qiu will likely not refuse to join the Caotian Sect, especially since even in decline, we remain one of the top sects in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°If we manage to persuade Chen Qiu to join the Caotian Sect, let¡¯s not consider this year¡¯s ¡®Sect Disciple Fighting Competition¡¯ where I expect Chen Qiu could represent the Caotian Sect and achieve a not-so-bad result.¡±


    ¡°Just speaking of¡­¡±


    ¡°If these two grow in stature in the future, one an exceptional Body Cultivator, the other a Heavenly Thunder Magic Practitioner, wouldn¡¯t they be invincible under the heavens?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, I did not expect that the former first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia had not perished, just that his Cultivation had greatly declined. This individual is also without a sect, if we could ask the Supreme Elder to come out of seclusion, withstand the pressure from the Capital City Zhang Family, we can also bring him into the sect.¡±


    ¡°The talent for the Sword Dao of this individual,¡± you should also know, ¡°was mentioned years ago alongside Ji Taiping as the being most likely to attain the Nascent Soul through Sword Dao in Da Xia!¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If we could help him restore his cultivation.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then the future Caotian Sect would have, one peerless Body Cultivator, one Heavenly Thunder Magic Practitioner, one invincible Sword Cultivator!¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the prosperity of Caotian Sect be just around the corner?¡±


    ¡°And after I die, my memorial tablet could be placed at the highest position within the Caotian Sect¡¯s ancestral shrine!¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect grew more and more excited as he spoke, already envisioning a scene years down the line with three Golden Core Peak powerhouses, garbed in robes embroidered with the Caotian Sect insignia, looking down upon all living beings. As Sect Master, if he could lead the sect to such heights, he truly would die without regrets!


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided!¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect slapped his thigh root with an exhilarated tone, ¡°Let Zhao Yishi be kicked out to wander outside the sect. Although we don¡¯t know where Chen Qiu is right now, a child of heaven such as he cannot conceal himself forever; he is bound to explode onto the scene one day!¡±


    ¡°As long as we find traces of Chen Qiu, we should take the opportunity to have Zhao Yishi meet him.¡±


    ¡°Remember not to be too deliberate, don¡¯t tell Zhao Yishi anything, and don¡¯t reveal even a hint of a desire to recruit him. These children of heaven often have a great deal of pride and hate it most when people approach them with an agenda.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Yishi is a simple-hearted kid. Just let him be himself, and if they hit it off, wouldn¡¯t the rest just come naturally?¡±


    ¡°Such a child of heaven can¡¯t possibly remain a Loose Cultivator for a lifetime, right?¡±


    ¡°I have a premonition¡ª¡±


    ¡°I seem to see it now, the name of Caotian Sect resounding throughout the entire Da Xia Country.¡±


    ¡°Caotian Sect will surely prosper greatly!¡±


    ¡­


    Within a mountain stream in the Caotian Sect territory, Zhao Yishi lay in the crevice, mouthful of spring water, while casting both ¡°Invisibility Technique¡± and ¡°Disguise Skill¡± to blend himself with the surrounding nature.


    Only his mouth, brimming with spring water, remained visible.


    Anyone standing by would see nothing more than a hot spring.


    At this moment.


    Several young women in thin veils were frolicking in the hot spring.


    ¡°Sister, how did you find such a hidden hot spring?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the temperature here is just right, very comfortable, and the scenery is beautiful too. If only I could live here every day. Unfortunately, my master keeps pushing me to sword cultivation, and I can only sneak out once in a while, which is so annoying.¡±


    ¡°Be quieter, shh! This is Caotian Sect territory. I also discovered this place by chance when I was chasing a wild rabbit and stumbled upon it. If we make too much noise and the patrolling disciples hear us, we¡¯ll be expelled.¡±


    ¡°Sister, look, the hot spring is bubbling.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so amazed; isn¡¯t it normal for hot springs to bubble?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Yishi listened to the playful voices of the young women above while enjoying the peace of the moment. He loved this kind of life, serene and tranquil.


    Just then¡ª


    An urgent mission message from the sect came through the Sound Transmission Ring embedded in his molar.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Zhao Yishi, who was reluctant to get up, pondered the severity of disobeying orders, and after a deep sigh in his heart, he slowly rose from the stream like a Heaven-reaching Giant.

 Chapter 86 - 85:

    Chapter 86: Chapter 85: ¡°Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.


    He then spat out the spring water that still lingered in his mouth, mixed with the few young women who had been swimming inside it, onto his palm, and gently placed them on the rocks beneath the mountain stream, squatting down as he did so.


    Zhao Yishi squatted down, looking down on the young women with their expressions of disbelief and shock, and said in a deep voice,


    ¡°I should thank you all.¡±


    ¡°During the third challenge of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm last time, some moron of a previous owner claimed he had drunk urine, so I could take over from there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that this habit isn¡¯t very good; you should keep it tighter in the future.¡±


    ¡°I have some matters to attend to first, I¡¯ll host you again next time.¡±


    ...


    With that,


    Zhao Yishi¡¯s massive form took steps that rose like stepping on lotuses, moving through the air, and swiftly disappeared into the clouds.


    Only leaving behind the young women standing there with their thin, soaked veils, staring in the direction Zhao Yishi disappeared, their pupils filled with bewilderment and terror.


    ¡­


    Dawn arrived.


    Chen Qiu, who had been cultivating cross-legged on the bed overnight, sensed the sunlight from outside the window and slowly opened his eyes.


    The changes from that one night were significant.


    It had allowed him to make two consecutive breakthroughs in a single day, which he had now solidified considerably.


    Upon introspection,


    His Tao Foundation appeared much brighter and more solid than before.


    At least now, his body showed no signs of instability or spiritual energy chaos; he looked at the spiritual energy leaping on his fingertips like flames, then at the teacup on the mahogany table, and flicked his finger lightly.


    A spirit line immediately coiled up the teacup, and as the spirit line retracted back into his body, the teacup from the previous night, filled to the brim, returned to his hand.


    Not spilling a drop.


    Chen Qiu picked up the teacup and took a sip, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. Although turning spiritual energy into threads was a fairly simple technique, after all, it represented considerable progress compared to his past self, giving him a sense of significant accomplishment.


    It was somewhat like the feeling he had as a child when he first learned to ride a bicycle.


    Now, at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, he was no small fry in any city, even the Capital; Foundation Establishment cultivators were now Da Xia¡¯s backbone.


    Afterward, he extended his Divine Sense into the small world to take stock of his latest gains.


    Before parting ways the previous night, Fat Long had already handed over all the Storage Bags he was carrying to him.


    Within the small world now¡ª


    Over a thousand Storage Bags, which weren¡¯t valuable and couldn¡¯t fetch much money. He didn¡¯t plan to sell them but instead decided to keep them in the small world, as they might come in handy in the future.


    From the Storage Bags, he found quite a few low-level talismans, Pills, Spiritual Treasures, and some fragments of Spirit Stones and silver, worth a total of about two thousand Spirit Stones at a glance.


    Over three hundred Storage Rings with unbroken seals.


    These rings were left by the Demon Clan cultivators and disciples of the Poison Sect; the seals had not been broken yet, and the items inside the rings usually had a higher value. Breaking the seals on this batch of Storage Rings would certainly reveal more valuable treasures than those found in the Storage Bags.


    There were also some semi-ruined Spiritual Treasures and such, which, according to the scholar, could also fetch some money as materials, although the exact price was unknown but surely not too much.


    However, the real jackpot was¡ª


    The three personal Storage Rings left by the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market!


    And the two Storage Rings snatched from the Poison Thunder Old Man! S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Both of them were Golden Core cultivators!


    The Storage Rings were sure to contain a lot of good treasures.


    And the two Storage Rings on the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons; he wondered if they contained his Far Escape Technique. Even Golden Core Stage cultivators couldn¡¯t catch up with that Far Escape Technique, which really made him quite envious.


    ¡­


    After organizing his gains, Chen Qiu finally got up and left the guest room.


    As usual, Fat Long was already standing outside the door of the guest room, grinning and waiting for him.


    But this time, there was a scholar and his younger brother.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go have some breakfast.¡±


    Chen Qiu, looking touched, patted Fat Long¡¯s shoulder and turned to walk down the corridor towards the stairs. It had to be said that the emotional value Fat Long provided was indeed very high; waking up to his grinning face waiting outside the room every morning was really something.


    The group quickly found a roadside vendor selling mutton soup.


    Dipping into the soup, they enjoyed a few hot pancakes fresh out of the pan.


    It was already winter.


    The snow had not yet fallen.


    On the streets, many commoners dressed in thick jackets greeted everyone with joy on their faces, looking quite festive.


    ¡°It seems like today is the Winter Solstice.¡±


    Glancing at the people on the road, Fat Long pondered and said, ¡°Then later today we must have some dumplings. A bit of festive ritual is still necessary.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The scholar, who had been drinking meat soup, suddenly revealed a flash of surprise in his eyes, ¡°How did my ranking on the Fame Ranking go up to No. 898? I knew the Heavenly Dao Blessing from last night was particularly generous.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯re on the list too!¡±


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow and looked at the Fame Ranking, finding his name at No. 982. He searched with his Consciousness in the Storage Ring and found last night¡¯s Heavenly Dao Blessing.


    The Fame Ranking changed every day, and after midnight, the Heavenly Dao Blessing would automatically appear in the Storage Ring. He had no idea he was on the list yesterday and thus had not been conscious of it.


    Only now did he pay attention to it.


    In the Storage Ring on his index finger was a small box, roughly the size of a small bench.


    It was inscribed with four sharp and bold characters in seal script on the top.


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Blessing¡±.


    Chen Qiu took it out of the Storage Ring and tentatively opened the wooden box wrapped in black cloth. Inside, a pill lay quietly, with lines of small print introducing it at the bottom of the box next to the pill.


    ¡°Foundation Establishment low-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.¡±


    ¡°Consumption can increase a small amount of Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill!¡±


    The scholar sitting beside him lit up and couldn¡¯t help exclaiming, ¡°A Cultivation Pill of this kind can be taken to improve Cultivation Progress, and is a specialty pill crafted by Alchemy Cultivators.¡±


    ¡°There are low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade Cultivation Pills.¡±


    ¡°Different grades of Cultivation Pills enhance different amounts of Cultivation, and they need to be consumed along with the running of a mental method. However, Cultivation Pills leave impurities in the body that, if not regularly and promptly cleansed, will merge into the Tao Foundation, resulting in an unstable foundation.¡±


    ¡°Generally speaking, consuming a low-grade Cultivation Pill typically requires spending three days to eliminate the impurities. The higher the grade of Cultivation, the more it boosts, and correspondingly more time is needed to remove the impurities.¡±


    ¡°Such things are usually prepared for Cultivators who do not have many Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°After all, directly absorbing Spirit Stones is definitely the best. The Spiritual Energy in Spirit Stones is absolutely pure, so there¡¯s no need to spend time removing impurities.¡±


    ¡°In the short term, ¡®Cultivation Pills¡¯ surely increase Cultivation speed more than Spirit Stones, but if you include the time needed to remove impurities, in the long run, taking Cultivation Pills is far less effective than absorbing Spirit Stones.¡±


    The scholar paused before continuing.


    ¡°However, Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills have no side effects and contain no impurities.¡±


    ¡°At most, consuming too many at once can result in an unstable foundation, so some time is needed to consolidate the foundation.¡±

 Chapter 87 - 86: Becoming famous should be done early, this saying really makes sense.

    Chapter 87: Chapter 86: ¡®Becoming famous should be done early,¡¯ this saying really makes sense.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying, the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill increases the speed of cultivation much faster than a Spirit Stone?¡±


    Fat Long pondered aloud.


    ¡°Not much faster.¡± The scholar shook his head, ¡°If it¡¯s just a low-grade Cultivation Pill, it actually won¡¯t be much faster than a Spirit Stone.¡±


    ¡°But the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill has no impurities, which means you can use both at the same time.¡±


    ¡°You can take the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill while absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stone.¡±


    ¡°The combined speed would then be much faster than just absorbing from the Spirit Stone.¡±


    ...


    ¡°The Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills can¡¯t be crafted by Alchemists and often appear in places like the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, and they are extremely rare. It¡¯s quite a surprise that this time the Fame Ranking¡¯s Heavenly Dao Blessing turned out to be the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu glanced at the wooden box in the scholar¡¯s hand, then at his own.


    Both contained a low-grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Cultivation Pill.


    That is to say.


    The blessings for the 898th and 982nd ranks are the same, making it unclear how much the ranking needs to change for the blessings to change again. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He did not speak but tentatively pinched the transparent, shrimp dumpling-like Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and brought it to his mouth.


    It melted in his mouth with a sweet flavor.


    No sooner had this thought appeared in his mind than he felt a wildly violent surge of Spiritual Energy rampage throughout his body. Regardless of being at a roadside stall, he immediately closed his eyes to meditate, controlling the flow of Spiritual Energy slowly along the meridian paths within his body.


    A few breaths later.


    He slowly opened his eyes and performed introspection on his inner panel.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Foundation Establishment Stage third level (36.8%)


    ¨C


    ¡°Good stuff.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the Cultivation Progress on the panel and chuckled lightly. It had increased by 0.7%, from 36.1% which he checked this morning; the 0.1% was from last night when he consolidated his realm by practicing his mental method.


    The effect was quite good.


    The most important was the absorption speed, much faster than with a Spirit Stone, just a few breaths¡¯ time. It¡¯s just that one pill felt hardly satisfying. It would be nice to have more.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about taking too many at once and destabilizing his foundation.


    Breaking through two realms in one day yesterday, the breakthrough speed at the Foundation Establishment stage is much slower than during the Qi Refinement Realm. Such speed almost guaranteed an unstable foundation and disordered aura.


    But last night he discovered another wonderful use of the Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    That is¡­


    A Tao Foundation built on the base of the Heavenly Dao is truly hard to destabilize.


    Just practicing for one night had virtually stabilized his realm. His aura was already stable by this morning, and in three or four more days, his aura would be completely stable, much faster than he had imagined.


    ¡°If only there were more, or if they were mid-grade or high-grade ones.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked regretfully at the Fame Ranking. Although the exact thresholds were unclear, it was almost certain that the higher one¡¯s rank, the greater the grade and quantity of the Heavenly Dao Blessings received each day.


    ¡°How can I move up this Fame Ranking?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡±


    The scholar shook his head helplessly, ¡°Brother Qiu, take a look at who are on the Fame Ranking. Without exception, they are all well-known for a long time. To surpass these people in fame is almost as hard as reaching the heavens.¡±


    ¡°Also, I have a feeling that this ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯ won¡¯t last too long. After all, the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was very rare in the past and isn¡¯t likely to suddenly appear in large quantities.¡±


    ¡°According to historical records, there are many small changes before a major version change in the Heavenly Dao. This includes temporary rankings like this.¡±


    ¡°Last night, when we suddenly rose in the rankings, I thought about it. Most likely, our battle in Fufeng City was recorded with a Memory Stone and then spread by the disciples of various major sects and families.¡±


    ¡°But it should be very difficult to rise further after that.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t reach the top of the list in a short time, even if you get there later, the list might disappear one day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really true that fame should be achieved early.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu sat there thoughtfully, not speaking. How to become famous?


    That itself had become a problem.


    He wanted the blessings that came with fame, but he didn¡¯t want to be too conspicuous and catch the attention of some old demons; it was a difficult balance to maintain.


    Just yesterday, he had acquired an entry ¡°Capable of toppling a nation and a city.¡±


    It could enhance his charm to the opposite sex; perhaps he could use that to amplify his fame?


    Just as he was pondering¡ª


    A noisy commotion suddenly emerged from the road.


    ¡°Damn it, who told you to copy the Memory Stone for other families?¡±


    ¡°Just a Nine Ox Image Stone and you want to make how much money?¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s talk it over slowly outside the city.¡±


    ¡°Today, I¡¯ll let you see exactly how many eyes the Horse King has!¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head, almost reflexively.


    On the bluestone road, a burly man with a broad sword strapped to his waist and wearing armor was gripping a thin young man by the neck, cursing as they walked towards the city gates, followed by several other similarly dressed, brawny men.


    It looked like they were preparing to settle the matter outside the city.


    Such incidents were not very common, but they were normal enough.


    This area had no government patrols, and the people around them kept their heads down, pretending not to see anything, trying to avoid unnecessary trouble.


    ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong, please let me go, I really was wrong!¡±


    The thin young man, gripped by the neck, was struggling to breathe, his face flushed red, his heels couldn¡¯t touch the ground, and he was almost being dragged forward.


    He looked quite pitiful.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu had only glanced briefly before returning his gaze. It was a common sight in Fufeng City, nothing unusual.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have the soup first; it¡¯ll get cold otherwise.¡±


    He lowered his head to look at the mutton soup in front of him, spiced with chili oil. He picked up the porcelain bowl and shoveled the mutton and glass noodles into his mouth with his chopsticks, followed by a bite of crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside pancake.


    That bite was satisfying.


    But just then¡ª


    The thin young man, being held by the brawny men towards the city outskirts, caught sight of Fat Long and a few others sitting at a roadside stand out of the corner of his eye and, after confirming he hadn¡¯t mistaken them, called out with all the strength he could muster.


    ¡°Fufeng City, Sky-bursting Gang!¡±


    ¡°Folks, save me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked at the soon-to-be-dragged-away thin man, his mouth twitching slightly, before glancing at Chen Qiu.


    At that moment, the burly men also heard the shout and stopped. They turned to look in Chen Qiu¡¯s direction, and seeing no reaction from them, they slapped the thin young man¡¯s head hard and roared.


    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me cut off your tongue first!¡±

 Chapter 88 - 87:

    Chapter 88: Chapter 87: ¡°What are the rules in Kai Mountain City?


    ¡°Folks from the same hometown meeting each other, eyes brimming with tears, huh.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed lightly and deliberately finished the lamb soup in his bowl before setting it down. Digging a handkerchief from his breast pocket, he wiped the corners of his mouth and said helplessly.


    ¡°Fat Long, the slogan you shouted for the Sky-bursting Gang that day was too loud.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t get rid of this guy, he might spill something if he¡¯s dying, causing a whole lot of trouble.¡±


    They had transmigrated to this world.


    It could be a big deal or a small one.


    ...


    If this person survived or somehow blurted out on his deathbed that he was a transmigrator and exposed them as well, it would significantly impact them. It wasn¡¯t impossible that some old demons might want to dissect what transmigrators were made of.


    Everyone is curious.


    Even old Demon Race cultivators with Golden Cores are curious.


    Unfortunately, Demon Race cultivators with Golden Cores often have ways to satisfy all their curiosities.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Thinking about the seriousness of the matter, Fat Long nodded as he watched the young man being kidnapped slowly walk away, a fierce light flickering in his eyes.


    ¡°Shopkeeper, time to settle the bill.¡±


    Chen Qiu gestured for the shopkeeper to come over and, after throwing down some money, pointed toward the departing figures of the burly men and asked, ¡°Which power in Kai Mountain City do these men belong to?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The shopkeeper hesitated significantly, reluctant to say more, but after glancing at the coins, noticeably more than the cost of the meal, he whispered, ¡°Those guys are from Kai Mountain City¡¯s ¡®Fierce Tiger Gang,¡¯ a bunch of scoundrels. The gang leader is a third-layer Foundation Establishment strongman.¡±


    ¡°You seem like you¡¯re from out of town, so it¡¯s best if you avoid provoking any trouble.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not on good terms, pretend you didn¡¯t hear anything. Don¡¯t lose your life over a moment of valor.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood up, patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder with a smile, and turned to leave the stall, following the figures that had almost disappeared from sight.


    If it¡¯s just the third layer of Foundation Establishment, it should be manageable.


    ¡­


    Outside Kai Mountain City, in a certain part of the Deserted Forest.


    The burly man was at that moment holding a knife to the ear of the young man kneeling on the ground, his face showing a fierce grin, ¡°Brother, remember this¡ªwhen you come to Kai Mountain City, you abide by Kai Mountain City¡¯s rules.¡±


    ¡°Today, I will show you what the rules of Kai Mountain City are.¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°What are the rules of Kai Mountain City?¡±


    A casual voice came from behind through the woods.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that!¡±


    The burly man holding the knife instantly changed his expression, turned around, and saw Chen Qiu and his three companions emerging from behind the trees, their footsteps crunching dry leaves as they walked.


    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    The burly man¡¯s eyes flashed with recognition, and he bellowed angrily, his aura as a peak Qi Refinement cultivator fully unleashed, ¡°I am the third ranking officer of the Fierce Tiger Gang in Kai Mountain City!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to make an enemy of the Fierce Tiger Gang?¡±


    ¡°Care to share your names?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long, slightly exasperated, rested his elbow on the scholar-like young man¡¯s shoulder, gazing coldly at the burly man before him, and snorted, ¡°Just be a local ruffian, will you? Calling yourself ¡®I am¡¯ like you¡¯re someone important?¡±


    ¡°Trying to clear your name or what?¡±


    ¡°Neither scholarly nor martial.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it sound awkward hearing your own words?¡±


    As his words finished.


    The burly man¡¯s expression darkened immediately. Without another word, he advanced with his knife toward Chen Qiu and his companions.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long saw this and got excited, hurriedly standing up and rubbing his hands together as he moved forward, ¡°Don¡¯t anyone else act, let me handle this. It¡¯s not often I get someone I can beat!¡±


    The burly man¡¯s speed grew more exhilarating.


    In the last few strides he reached his peak, leaping into the air with a fierce roar, his large blade carrying a terrifying momentum as it cleaved towards Fat Long who was approaching him!


    He was confident. If this strike hit home, even if this fat man was at the peak of Qi Refinement, he was confident he could sever the fat man¡¯s body!


    However¡ª


    The next instant!


    Fat Long¡¯s body suddenly radiated a milky-white, semi-transparent light shield that firmly enclosed him. The terrifying strike of the blade landed on the spiritual energy shield and didn¡¯t even make a crack.


    ¡°Clang.¡±


    The sound of metal clashing echoed through the jungle.


    The burly man was flung several meters away, struggling to rise from the ground. Looking towards his blade that had been knocked away and his own tingling and uncontrollably trembling hand, he found it hard to believe. His throat was dry, his eyes filled with a hint of despair as he looked at Fat Long and said with a trembling voice.


    ¡°Spiritual energy protection. That¡¯s a hallmark of a Foundation Establishment expert!¡±


    ¡°You¡­you¡¯re a Foundation Establishment¡­ expert?¡±


    ¡°Could you spare my life?¡±


    ¡°This rule-breaking fellow is yours. My boss is also a third-level Foundation Establishment expert. If you kill us, it will attract retaliation. We have no grudge against each other, so how about we call it even?¡±


    ¡°If you gentlemen are still in Kai Mountain City today and you spare my life, I will definitely have our boss come and apologize personally.¡±


    ¡°Can¡­ you?¡±


    As he spoke, the burly man¡¯s voice even started to whine. Can you? Naturally, you can¡¯t. In the past, many had pled for mercy from him and he¡¯d never spared any of them. Now he finally understood the despair of those he had faced.


    Even though he knew it was impossible, at this point, he couldn¡¯t help but pin all his hopes on those words.


    It was like grasping at a lifeline.


    ¡­


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s face beamed with a smile as he twisted his neck, step by step approaching the burly man who had been knocked to the ground, lifting his fist. It felt truly exhilarating. Finally, someone he could actually beat. None of the enemies he had encountered in the past few days had been beatable by him.


    Facing such an easy target, of course he wanted to take full advantage.


    Meanwhile, the other members of the Fierce Tiger Gang within the Deserted Forest were also fearfully supporting the burly man, crouching together, waiting for the unknown verdict.


    Run?


    How could one in the Qi Refinement Realm outrun someone in the Foundation Establishment Stage?


    Just then¡ª


    A wiry young man, tied up and abandoned to the side, looked urgently towards Fat Long who had already walked up to the burly man and raised his fist, shouting hurriedly and anxiously, ¡°Big brother, hold back, don¡¯t kill him!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still useful!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked emotionlessly towards the wiry young man, as if looking at an idiot. Did you think he was here to save you, still shouting at this moment for mercy? Wait and you¡¯ll be killed along with the others.


    Moreover, your mind doesn¡¯t seem right either.


    They were about to chop off your head just now, and now you start shouting to spare him.


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡±


    The burly man sitting on the ground looked at the fist, just inches from his head, suspended in mid-air carrying a terrifying force. His entire body trembled faster, gasping for air, the fear making him wait even longer for the impending verdict.


    That fist.


    If it smashed on his head, his head would burst on the spot!


    No surprises!


    At that moment, the wiry young man spoke even more urgently, ¡°Big brother, give me a chance to explain in the forest nearby. After I explain, you¡¯ll understand!¡±


    ¡°When you were killing Demon Clan cultivators in Fufeng City, I was hiding inside the city. We¡¯ve actually met before.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you in Kai Mountain City today; it must be fate.¡±


    ¡°Just give me a hundred breaths¡¯ time, I¡¯ll definitely make things clear!¡±

 Chapter 89 - 88:

    Chapter 89: Chapter 88: ¡°Night Raid on Xuzhou¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long glanced doubtfully at the thin young man sitting on the ground, hesitated, and then turned to look behind him at Chen Qiu, who nodded and began walking towards the depths of the Deserted Forest before he casually said to the young man,


    and likewise followed Chen Qiu¡¯s pace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s hear your explanation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much!¡±


    Seeing this, the skinny young man quickly scrambled up from the ground with grateful eyes and followed the two into the jungle.


    ...


    ¡­


    After the group had left,


    the burly man who had been full of fear suddenly became lively in spirit and looked at the remaining two people left behind by the group.


    One looked to be a taciturn fellow, short in stature with a full beard.


    The other, a scholar with disabled legs, sat cross-legged on the shoulders of the bearded man.


    They didn¡¯t seem to be very capable of fighting.


    The burly man seemed to move casually towards another part of the Deserted Forest and tentatively asked, ¡°May I inquire what your Cultivation is?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking,


    the bearded strong man¡¯s Foundation Establishment Cultivation was unmistakably revealed.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    The initially escape-minded burly man immediately stopped moving, expressionlessly looked down at the crimson soil beneath him, and absentmindedly fiddled with the dead grass around him, resigning to the fact that it seemed like he was fated to die there that day.


    ¡­


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    Deep in the Deserted Forest, the skinny man glanced at Chen Qiu and whispered to Fat Long, ¡°We used to be fellow villagers, and this gentleman, this gentleman¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all fellow villagers.¡±


    Fat Long said irritably, ¡°Just say what you want to say.¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing to one side, took out a soundproofing charm from his chest, activated it, and enveloped the group to ensure their conversation could not be heard by others.


    ¡°This gentleman is also a fellow villager?¡±


    The skinny man looked at Chen Qiu with a flash of astonishment in his eyes, then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, ¡°Since we¡¯re all fellow villagers, let me introduce myself first. I am an offering from the ¡®Yuncheng Wang Family.''¡±


    ¡°My name is Liu Zide.¡±


    ¡°You may not have heard of the ¡®Yuncheng Wang Family,¡¯ but since you¡¯re in Fufeng City, you must surely know about the Nine Ox Festival. I was the one who planned the whole event. With just that one event, we earned thousands of Spirit Stones, which is the total profit of the Yuncheng Wang Family for over a decade!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu, who had shown little interest at first, suddenly perked up and sized up Liu Zide, a glint of appreciation flashing in his eyes, ¡°You were the one who organized that festival?¡±


    ¡°Gambling spirit and ability combined, not bad at all.¡±


    Last time, he¡¯d felt that the person who orchestrated the festival was quite talented, perfectly seizing upon the lack of entertainment in this world, and profited heavily. He hadn¡¯t expected that it was his fellow villager who did it, which made him far more interested in the man before him.


    ¡°The gambling spirit is something the master possesses; it has nothing to do with me.¡±


    Seeing that Chen Qiu acknowledged his past achievements and even showed admiration, Liu Zide finally relaxed, letting out a long sigh of relief. With this, the subsequent conversation would be much easier.


    He naturally knew that Chen Qiu was the leader of these people.


    I just didn¡¯t know that Chen Qiu was also a fellow villager.


    When I first arrived in Fufeng City, I saw Fat Long shouting about the Sky-bursting Gang. Although I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a coincidence or a case of the same name, I still took note of it in my heart. I tentatively shouted earlier and, unexpectedly, it really was a fellow villager.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a formal introduction.¡±


    With a serious expression, Liu Zide looked at the two of them and said word by word, ¡°I used to be a small owner of an MCN, with hundreds of marketing accounts under my banner, mainly profiting from generating traffic.¡±


    ¡°In my previous life, I didn¡¯t learn any skills, except for how to manipulate traffic.¡±


    ¡°Since we are all fellow villagers, I¡¯ll just speak frankly. I¡¯ve smelled a big business opportunity, but it¡¯s too big for me to handle alone, I need to find partners to cooperate.¡±


    ¡°I recorded the scene of the Nine Ox Festival onto Memory Stones, and I have already started to spread it wildly in two cities. Initially, my plan was to sell Memory Stones to let various city factions help spread them, thereby quickly increasing the lord¡¯s fame.¡±


    ¡°Just like that, in one day, I spread it across two cities and successfully got the lord onto the list before yesterday¡¯s midnight.¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°But after last night¡¯s midnight, after seeing the content of the Heavenly Dao Blessing, I realized the value of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill far exceeds the cost of the Memory Stones. I noticed that you two are already on the list; you must know the Heavenly Dao Blessing provides the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.¡±


    ¡°No need to speak more on the value of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.¡±


    Having said this,


    Liu Zide¡¯s whole demeanor became extremely agitated, and, with an excited expression, he said excitedly, ¡°In my initial plan, I calculated the cost of the Memory Stones, but now the profit from the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills has far surpassed the cost of the Memory Stones!¡±


    ¡°We can completely ignore the cost of the Memory Stones, distributing them for free through all channels!¡±


    ¡°With enough Spirit Stones for activation, I can mass-produce at least three celebrities with hundreds of followers!¡±


    ¡°The more vulgar and exaggerated items attract more attention. This world has not yet experienced the dirty baptism of capital. Just a few coarse, exaggerated things entering the market, especially for free, will attract a lot of attention and bring massive fame to the protagonist!¡±


    ¡°For instance, one female with nine males!¡±


    ¡°Nine men with their faces covered, only revealing one woman to gain fame.¡±


    ¡°To be more sensational, you could even add some plot, like nine evil cultivators and one pure, unblemished Daoist Holy Daughter.¡±


    ¡°Brothels are everywhere in this world, but no one shoots this kind of thing. This is a huge market gap, as watching the excitement and visiting brothels are not conflicting activities. We could even cooperate with brothels!¡±


    ¡°Or take those with unique talents, for example!¡±


    ¡°For example, find two people with entries like ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ and ¡®Bull Strength,¡¯ record them with Memory Stones, and the spread would definitely be wide, boosting their fame tremendously!¡±


    ¡°I can think of countless ways in my mind!¡±


    ¡°Everyone deemed ¡®Da Xia¡¯s No.1 Array Repairer¡¯ and such would not rank in terms of fame. Ordinary people who don¡¯t care about Cultivation won¡¯t care who Da Xia¡¯s No.1 Array Repairer is. They love whom they love; it has nothing to do with them.¡±


    ¡°But precisely these ordinary people are the ones with the greatest base numbers. They may not care who the No.1 Array Repairer of Da Xia is, but they definitely won¡¯t be able to resist something like ¡®Nine Ox Power¡¯ and ¡®Bull Strength¡¯, which they may have never even heard of!¡±


    ¡°As long as we control the three hundred people we promote, the Heavenly Dao Blessings they receive every day will be ours!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nearly a thousand Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills every day!¡±


    As if already seeing fruit of victory, an agitated Liu Zide, with his neck swollen and face flushed red, said, ¡°That will be a tremendously huge interest, and in the early stage, it only requires a portion of Spirit Stones as startup capital.¡±


    With Da Xia Territory divided into nineteen provinces and 365 large cities, both Fufeng City and Kai Mountain City belong to ¡®Xuzhou¡¯ province.¡±


    ¡°And ¡®Xuzhou¡¯ is a large state, with a total of 47 large cities.¡±


    ¡°The territory of Da Xia is too vast. We obviously can¡¯t reach all the cities, but we can take over all 47 cities, and the ordinary people in these 47 cities will be an important force for us to climb the charts!¡±


    ¡°The only key element of this plan is speed!¡±


    ¡°Before others have time to react, we¡¯ll take over all the cities within ¡®Xuzhou¡¯ in an instant. So even if others catch on and want to imitate us, they will have to move to other provinces.¡±


    ¡°Although we¡¯ll lose some profits to competition.¡±


    ¡°There is a silver lining. If any major family is envious of us, their energy will definitely focus on how to expand into other provinces, not us, at least we will be lower on the priority list to plunder our fruits.¡±

 Chapter 90 - 89:

    Chapter 90: Chapter 89: ¡°That will be the game-winner!


    I must say, S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liu Zide¡¯s emotional contagion is very strong.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long, standing in place, slowly opened their mouths in astonishment, a flash of shock crossing their eyes. They had already begun to imagine the earth-shattering changes that would occur throughout Da Xia Country if Liu Zide¡¯s plan were to succeed.


    Damn it¡­


    This could be considered a complete transformation of a world.


    ...


    In the past, it was said that if one cannot change the world, then one must adapt to it. Whereas Liu Zide¡¯s philosophy seemed to be if you can¡¯t change the world, then forcibly make a miracle, just damn change it!


    Chen Qiu pondered Liu Zide¡¯s train of thought.


    I must say, it seems like it really could work, and there was already a successful case precedent. He found the name of the Patriarch of the Yuncheng Wang Family that Liu Zide mentioned on the ¡°Fame Ranking,¡± ranked 936th.


    ¨C


    ¡®Rank 936¡¯: Wang Tiedan, fame value 9203.


    ¨C


    Higher than his own rank.


    He was only ranked 982, dozens of ranks below him.


    It turns out that the recognition he gained from bravely slaughtering nearly ten thousand Demon Clan cultivators was not as much as one Nine Ox Festival.


    And the name ¡®Wang Tiedan¡¯ was the first on the entire ¡°Fame Ranking¡± that was neither a murderous Evil Cultivation, nor a famed young generation Disciple, nor a big shot in any industry, nor any famed courtesan or the like.


    It can be said that Wang Tiedan is the only one who made it to the ranking by being ¡°unconventional.¡±


    And Liu Zide¡¯s plan was to mass-produce three hundred Wang Tiedans, essentially a case of bad money driving out good.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood silently, his expression complex; after pondering for a long time, he concluded that the plan was basically feasible, especially given that Liu Zide had invested all his talent points in this aspect; nobody else could manage it as effectively as Liu Zide himself.


    Of course, mass-producing three hundred Wang Tiedans was definitely an exaggeration.


    But mass-producing seventy or eighty felt entirely possible.


    The most significant issue here is that¡­ the benefits are too substantial, and the greed is somewhat unseemly. It involves vulgarity and lowliness, which could easily attract the disdain and greed of some morally fastidious old demons.


    In other words,


    the risks are as great as the benefits.


    But as Liu Zide said, if only one is fast enough to eat a full wave before anyone else can react, then even if you leave the stage afterward, you¡¯ve had your fill.


    ¡°Huff.¡±


    Chen Qiu took a long breath and finally decided internally. He patted Liu Zide¡¯s shoulder and said with a sure expression, ¡°Tell me your specific plan for cooperation; I¡¯m quite intrigued.¡±


    Liu Zide nodded, his expression serious as he held up three fingers.


    ¡°Three points.¡±


    ¡°First, we need a large amount of Spirit Stones in the initial stage because everything must be done quickly. Traveling will require the use of Flying Boats, recruiting a large number of talents must be widely advertised with a heavy investment of Spirit Stones, and we will also need many hands on deck to negotiate with the local tyrants in all the cities as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°This will definitely result in expenses being several times higher due to the need for ¡®speed.¡¯


    ¡°In simple terms, it¡¯s about using the most Spirit Stones in the shortest time to carve out a place in the world.¡±


    ¡°We will need roughly fifteen thousand Spirit Stones in capital.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent, not saying a word. He had a total of eighteen thousand spirit stones in his small world, including those from the storage bags. This was all his possessions. With Liu Zide¡¯s single request, he was asking for all the spirit stones Chen Qiu had earned recently.


    Although there were still many storage rings with restrictions that hadn¡¯t been cracked open, it was uncertain how many spirit stones were contained within them.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡±


    Fat Long looked at Liu Zide with a speechless expression, ¡°Do you have any idea what fifteen thousand spirit stones represent? Even if I give you that many spirit stones, would you dare to accept them? Wouldn¡¯t your hand tremble just holding them?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no other way¡­¡± Liu Zide shook his head helplessly, ¡°I know it sounds exaggerated, I¡¯m well aware of what fifteen thousand spirit stones mean.¡±


    ¡°Our Wang Family¡¯s annual profit used to be just a few hundred spirit stones. Even a set of large Sound Transmission Talismans purchased by the sect for their disciples wouldn¡¯t cost more than a thousand spirit stones.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen thousand spirit stones are equivalent to the annual profit of more than fifty Wang Families combined.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I¡¯ve calculated carefully, to cover the entire ¡®Xuzhou¡¯ in the shortest time, and to find a family that specializes in making Memory Stones, placing large orders and so on, indeed, approximately that number is needed.¡±


    If it were an ordinary person, he would not have said it, since an ordinary person would not have so many spirit stones, but he saw Chen Qiu and his companions take away all the storage bags and storage rings from the bodies of the Demon Clan cultivators while in Fufeng City.


    The harvest should have been considerable.


    Maybe it would be enough to support his plan.


    The initial investment of spirit stones required for his plan was too vast; a typical sect or even a family might not be able to support it, and the Yuncheng Wang Family he was currently working for was even less likely to afford it.


    He had almost given up on the plan, but then he encountered Chen Qiu and his group here. Perhaps it was also Heaven¡¯s way of encouraging him to be bold and go for it.


    After pondering for a moment, Chen Qiu finally spoke softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the Nine Ox Festival you organized last time earned several thousand spirit stones? Where are those spirit stones? Are you discussing this with me in the capacity of an offering from the Wang Family, or are you speaking as Liu Zide?¡±


    ¡°As Liu Zide.¡±


    Liu Zide said sternly, ¡°Even though the old master is a good person, he cares a bit too much about face¡­ After setting up in two cities, no matter how I persuaded him, the old master resolutely gave up.¡±


    ¡°He said a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was not worth the loss of his face.¡±


    ¡°The old master has already traveled overnight back to ¡®Yun City,¡¯ saying I should come back when I¡¯ve thought it through. I wanted to follow the old master back to Yun City, but I really couldn¡¯t bear to miss out on such a big business opportunity, so I left the inn this morning intending to get some food, but then I was discovered by the ¡®Fierce Tiger Gang.¡¯ They think it¡¯s unethical for me to have given a copy of the Memory Stone to several forces.¡±


    ¡°Then I ran into you guys.¡±


    ¡°State your second condition.¡±


    ¡°I will take some of the spirit stones from the fifteen thousand and go to ¡®Zhao¡¯s Escort Agency¡¯ to hire a few escort masters who can protect my personal safety. This needs to be negotiated in advance.¡±


    ¡°And the third?¡±


    ¡°I need one-tenth of all profits.¡±


    Perhaps worried Chen Qiu and others would refuse, Liu Zide spoke with less confidence but forced himself to say, ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m worth the price. Apart from me, you won¡¯t find a better candidate.¡±


    ¡°And I will offer you a value-added service.¡±


    ¡°For example, Brother Qiu, although your appearance may not be particularly stunning, you have a rather unique aura, and when compared to other cultivators of the same rank, you are undoubtedly invincible.¡±


    ¡°I can package you up so that Brother Qiu¡¯s fame soars in a short time.¡±


    ¡°The method is very simple.¡±


    ¡°Shower every storyteller in all the big cities with spirit stones, then spend heavily to get a few high-ranking beauties on the Fame Ranking to express their affection for Brother Qiu, and then Brother Qiu rejects them.¡±


    ¡°Then find a few past-their-prime seniors to publicly lament that they were not as good as Chen Qiu in their youth.¡±


    ¡°Finally, concoct some stories, and combine that with other tactics. After one set is launched, Brother Qiu, your fame will skyrocket.¡±


    ¡°If Brother Qiu has any unique trump cards as well¡­¡±


    ¡°That would be a finishing move!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ how about half of one-tenth? At least let me take something back, so I can have some face when I return to Yun City. Otherwise, I¡¯ll feel utterly disgraced.¡±

 Chapter 91 - 90:

    Chapter 91: Chapter 90: ¡°In Jianghu, he is known as Wang Laoqi!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and looked towards Liu Zide, ¡°This is our first meeting, and you¡¯re already asking me for fifteen thousand Spirit Stones. You really have the nerve to ask.¡±


    ¡°However, I think you¡¯re quite imaginative.¡±


    ¡°The fifteen thousand Spirit Stones are yours, and this Sound Transmission Ring too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about ten percent or five percent anymore. Let¡¯s go with the ten percent you mentioned. I¡¯ll give you ten percent.¡±


    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    ...


    ¡­ sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Very soon.


    Chen Qiu dispelled the soundproofing charm and, taking Liu Zide with him, returned to the Deserted Forest. He looked towards the scholar and softly said, ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard on you these two days following him. Temporarily obey his commands, do whatever he tells you.¡±


    ¡°And this man.¡±


    He glanced indifferently at the robust and burly man on the ground, ¡°Since you said not to kill him, then we won¡¯t kill him.¡±


    Then, he casually tossed a Storage Bag full of Spirit Stones in front of the burly man.


    ¡°Go back and tell your boss to mobilize all the members of your gang to buy up all the Qi Replenishing Pills in Kai Mountain City.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡±


    Only then did he look towards Liu Zide, clapped his shoulder with a smile and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for a Flying Boat anymore. My two brothers here are much faster than any Flying Boat. I¡¯m entrusting them to you for these few days; they should help you speed up significantly.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Quick, quick, quick!!¡±


    ¡°Shopkeeper, bring out all the Qi Replenishing Pills in your shop. We¡¯re buying all of them!¡±


    In an instant.


    Hundreds of burly men, shirtless and wearing armor, frenziedly bought up Qi Replenishing Pills in all the big pharmacies of Kai Mountain City, as if they intended to buy up every single pill in the city!


    ¡°Boss.¡±


    The burly man from the Deserted Forest tentatively stood in front of a young man and said weakly, ¡°Are we really going to deliver the Qi Replenishing Pills to him? With so many Spirit Stones, we could completely run away.¡±


    ¡°Run away?¡±


    The young man sitting in a rocking chair shook his head helplessly, ¡°A person who can casually throw out two thousand Spirit Stones won¡¯t be afraid of you running away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just not clear where this person comes from, why he needs so many Qi Replenishing Pills, and why he needs them so urgently.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re off.¡±


    Liu Zide, with a serious expression, stood in the Deserted Forest and bowed towards Chen Qiu and the others, ¡°Thank you, Brother Qiu, for your trust. Rest assured, I¡¯ll definitely make these fifteen thousand Spirit Stones earn you several times more!¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s a loss of even one stone, I¡¯ll bring my head to you.¡±


    The scholar, on the other hand, turned his head away with some resignation, as if he felt like a concubine who had been passed on to another master.


    Damn.


    He was so annoyed; he didn¡¯t want to leave Chen Qiu¡¯s side at all.


    Chen Qiu also noticed the scholar¡¯s discomfort and couldn¡¯t help but comfort him with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s up to you, scholar. As the Second Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, this is your first mission. Take it seriously.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve staked everything on this.¡±


    ¡°This batch of Qi Replenishing Pills is almost like the last straw that will break my back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sect Master.¡±


    The scholar also brightened up upon hearing this, ¡°As the Second Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, I will give it my all!¡±


    ¡°Shall we first go to Qiu Yuan City?¡±


    Liu Zide looked tentatively at the scholar beside him, unsure what method the latter would use to take him away.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    The scholar nodded lightly. From his sleeve, a three-foot green blade transformed into a beam of Liu Guang, shooting towards the distance. Immediately thereafter, the scholar and his two companions vanished on the spot without a trace, a method of travel far superior to any Flying Boat.


    It¡¯s just¡­ somewhat costly in terms of Qi Replenishing Pills.


    ¡­


    After the others had left, the boss of ¡°Fierce Tiger Gang¡± came to see Chen Qiu, expressed his apologies, and also departed.


    The vast forest was suddenly left with only Chen Qiu and Fat Long.


    ¡°It feels so empty all of a sudden.¡±


    Fat Long sighed as he glanced around.


    Chen Qiu did not speak, only shook his head and returned to Kai Mountain City. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t quite used to the absence of the scholar, and always felt like something was missing at his side.


    The most important thing was¡­


    His deficiency in movement technique became entirely exposed after the scholar left.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu helplessly affixed a ¡°Gale Talisman¡± to himself, then proceeded to stride forward!


    He now had too many weaknesses that had to be addressed!


    ¡­


    ¡°What, cracking a forbidden spell?¡±


    Inside a shop in Kai Mountain City, a shopkeeper with a face full of flesh looked sternly at Chen Qiu and his group, saying, ¡°We can¡¯t take on this job. Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s strictly forbidden by Da Xia Country¡¯s laws to break the spells on others¡¯ Storage Rings?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t do it, can¡¯t do it.¡±


    But as he saw Chen Qiu and the other turn to leave, he lowered his voice and added with a light cough, ¡°However, you might want to have a look at the abandoned temple three miles west of the city after nightfall, there seems to be an old expert there who does this kind of work.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡­


    Night fell.


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long were already waiting in the abandoned temple three miles west of the city, sitting on the dusty ground and warming themselves with a campfire.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long looked at Chen Qiu beside him, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, recuperating and rotating his mental method, and said somewhat boredly, ¡°When is the shopkeeper coming? It¡¯s almost time.¡±


    ¡°Just wait a little longer.¡±


    Chen Qiu said calmly with his eyes closed.


    This shopkeeper was recommended by the scholar, who said that this business had the best reputation for cracking forbidden spells, and in many years, there hadn¡¯t been a single case of leaking customer information or double-crossing.


    For someone recommended by the old Jianghu hand like the scholar, he was still trustworthy.


    Sometimes he felt his luck was truly good.


    When he first entered Jianghu, Fat Long, the All-Knowing, had told him much information, which saved him from many detours.


    And when the things they touched upon rose to a higher level, and Fat Long no longer knew the relevant information, he met the scholar, who, as an ex-Jianghu hand, took over the role of All-Knowing.


    Without the scholar and Fat Long,


    It might have taken him many more days to embark on the cultivation path, and he might have hit wall after wall, perhaps even without knowing the term ¡®Step by Step¡¯.


    It¡¯s not that people become more fatalistic with age,


    but as they grow older and look back on their lives, they find that many very right decisions were not made by themselves but under the influence of fate, made unconsciously.


    Just then¡ª


    Footsteps crunching on fallen leaves could be heard outside the temple. Soon, a middle-aged man with a mask walked in and stood at the entrance, speaking in a purposely lowered and gravelly voice.


    ¡°Are you two young friends here to break a Storage Ring¡¯s spell?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Fat Long, already somewhat impatient, said gruffly, ¡°Hurry it up, shopkeeper. We¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡±


    ¡°What shopkeeper, not shopkeeper. You¡¯re mistaken, young friend.¡±


    ¡°I remain unchanged in name and deed, known in the Jianghu as Wang Laoqi!¡±


    After that, the masked middle-aged man didn¡¯t say much else, directly moving to sit cross-legged in front of Chen Qiu and said hoarsely, ¡°Bring out the Storage Ring.¡±

 Chapter 92 - 91: Devote Yourself to Your Profession.

    Chapter 92: Chapter 91: Devote Yourself to Your Profession.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, opened his eyes, lifted his sleeve and gave it a shake, causing more than thirty Storage Rings to fall down. Then, he quietly said, ¡°Thank you, elder.¡±


    If this Shopkeeper insisted on acting like an elder, Chen Qiu had no objections to addressing him as one.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    A hint of surprise flashed in the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes, ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot.¡±


    Then, one could see the middle-aged man¡¯s fingertips spark with a strand of Spiritual Energy, finer than a strand of hair and barely visible in the dim light. He picked up a Storage Ring, closed his eyes, and drove the Spiritual Energy into the ring¡ªit took him several breaths to fiddle with it.


    ...


    A very faint, crisp sound was heard in the silent temple.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    The middle-aged man exhaled softly, a trace of pride appearing on his face as he set the Storage Ring aside and chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s just the most basic restriction, obviously from ¡®Xuzhou.¡¯ ¡®Xuzhou¡¯ likes to make these barely-there restrictions.¡±


    ¡°Low cost, less hassle.¡±


    Then, he picked up another Storage Ring, followed the same method as before and easily broke the seal again, proudly saying, ¡°Another ¡®Xuzhou¡¯ restriction, though this one is a bit more complicated, with some extra seals added by the sect.¡±


    ¡°However, the person who set the restriction from that sect was clearly half-baked. All the extra restrictions they added focused on the key point of breaking the previous restriction, which is like worrying about thieves, so you add an extra lock to your door.¡±


    ¡°I just had to smash the door.¡±


    ¡°No challenge.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    As the middle-aged man picked up another Storage Ring, a flash of combativeness appeared in his eyes, ¡°Interesting, I haven¡¯t seen this type of restriction for many years. You¡¯ve come to the right person; such restrictions have been lost for many years.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention breaking them.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, I happen to have read some ancient texts on how to break these types of restrictions.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­ alright, this will take some effort, but it¡¯s manageable.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long had a complicated look as he stared at the Shopkeeper, whose neck was covered in sweat, who was fighting more vigorously, and even seemed excited. His eyes sparkled with a brilliance that not even a mask could hide. How should I put it?


    He now understood what it meant to really love what one does.


    For some reason, he felt that compared to the profits from breaking the restrictions, the Shopkeeper might be more obsessed with the act of breaking them¡ªit¡¯s addictive, huh?


    ¡­


    ¡°Refreshing!¡±


    After breaking the seals on more than thirty Storage Rings, the middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his neck, took a long breath, looked up at Chen Qiu and his companion with a smile, and said, ¡°All done, my Divine Sense did not leak out at all, as both of you could sense.¡±


    ¡°I know the rules. In our line of work, we value reputation greatly.¡±


    ¡°Now that the job is finished¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking.


    Chen Qiu once again waved his sleeve, and another batch of Storage Rings clattered to the ground, this time even more, amounting to three hundred plus, ¡°Here are some more, please trouble yourself again, elder.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Shopkeeper looked at the Storage Rings scattered across the floor, his mouth twitching slightly, thinking, this guy must have slaughtered a sect or something, right?


    Buddy, that¡¯s quite dark.


    ¡°Well¡­ my young friend, breaking restrictions is very draining on Spiritual Energy, and my own cultivation is quite shallow, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking again.


    Chen Qiu once again waved his sleeve, and clink-clank, about a dozen bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills fell to the ground: ¡°No worries, I have enough Qi Replenishing Pills, keep at it.¡±


    All thanks to the scholar.


    It made him develop the good habit of always carrying extra Qi Replenishing Pills.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    The Shopkeeper let out a long breath, a fighting spirit surged across his face as he said solemnly, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need to worry about anything else, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡­


    Finally¡ª


    Several hours later.


    The sky had already turned fish-belly white and was starting to brighten.


    The middle-aged man, whose face was ashen and lips were slightly purplish, had long lost his face mask, not that he cared anymore. His body was covered in cold sweat, clearly, this night had taken a toll on him.


    Though his physical condition seemed poor, he felt a surge of pride as he looked at the neatly arranged stack of Storage Rings beside him.


    ¡°Finally got it done, and it¡¯s almost dawn, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Before he could finish, Chen Qiu interrupted again, solemnly placing seven Storage Rings on the ground, ¡°There are seven more Storage Rings, I ask for your assistance, old sir.¡±


    ¡°More?¡±


    The middle-aged man paused for a moment and then his gaze quickly settled on five of the Storage Rings, his voice filled with disbelief, ¡°Are these Golden Core Great Power¡¯s Storage Rings?¡±


    He felt the aura of Golden Core Great Power emanating from these five Storage Rings!


    The remaining two Storage Rings were not ordinary either; the Evil Energy emanating from them almost soared to the heavens, clearly belonging to a poison cultivator who had many lost souls on his hands.


    Without even waiting for Chen Qiu to speak, the middle-aged man took a deep breath, his face written with determination and excitement as he rasped out.


    ¡°Rest assured, young friend, leave it to me!¡±


    This was the first time he had the chance to break the seals on a Golden Core Great Power¡¯s Storage Rings, which to him was almost like facing a sacred entity!


    ¡­


    Then, from Fat Long¡¯s perspective.


    He saw the middle-aged man first perform the Spring Rain Technique to cleanse his hands, then with a devout expression, he held the Storage Ring imbued with Golden Core aura in his hands. The moment the hair-thin Spiritual Energy Threads penetrated, his face instantly flushed abnormally red, and his eyes closed tight, his voice shaking with excitement.


    ¡°Worthy of being a Golden Core Great Power¡¯s Storage Ring!¡±


    ¡°This Golden Core Great Power must be a poison cultivator, with quite a few self-imposed seals within, specifically targeting the Divine Soul with poison seals. If someone attempts to break them, the soul-corroding poison will instantly kill the intruder.¡±


    ¡°I must be extremely careful, even the slightest mistake could be disastrous!¡±


    ¡°Exciting, exciting, really exciting!!¡±


    ¡°Truly thrilling!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked at this scene and scratched his head in resignation. Frankly speaking, as a guest, he quite liked the Shopkeeper¡¯s passionate demeanor¡ªit was clear that the Shopkeeper genuinely loved his profession.


    As a guest, he appreciated people who loved their job.


    But¡­ S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From another perspective, he really couldn¡¯t understand why someone would be so interested in breaking the seals of Storage Rings.


    If you¡¯re really so fascinated by seals, why not switch to Array Repair?


    Studying Formations would expose you to even more seals.


    Chen Qiu also looked interestedly at the middle-aged man in front of him, recognizing that this man was not putting on a show, but genuinely loved what he did, and was also talented. It seemed, from what the other said, that besides him, it would be difficult for others to break the seal of this Golden Core poison cultivator¡¯s Storage Ring.


    He liked people who were dedicated to their professions.

 Chapter 93 - 92: Open and Clear Young Master.

    Chapter 93: Chapter 92: ¡®Open and Clear Young Master¡¯.


    This time, breaking the seal took even longer than before, consuming an entire three sticks of incense¡¯s time.


    It was not until the middle-aged man let out a long sigh that he carefully placed the storage ring to one side, his forehead already covered in cold sweat. After placing the storage ring on the ground, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.


    This trembling was a result of his hands being intensely focused on performing extremely delicate tasks for an extended period. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was clear that he had been forcibly suppressing it earlier, and after he put down the storage ring, he immediately released the suppression.


    ¡°Young friend,¡±


    the middle-aged man, looking extremely pale and in poor condition, spoke in a hoarse voice,¡±I really can¡¯t go on, not at all. I can only get this far today. Shall we continue with the remaining rings tomorrow night here?¡±


    ...


    His hoarseness was not feigned this time.


    It was as if he had been shouting for dozens of minutes, rendering his throat hoarse; his lips were cracked, and he truly looked completely spent.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu got up, looked at the middle-aged man, and passed him a storage bag while speaking softly, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, sir. This storage bag contains the previously agreed upon price.¡±


    The price for breaking a storage ring¡¯s seal wasn¡¯t expensive.


    A single spirit stone could break the seal on three storage rings.


    Although this was something prohibited by Da Xia¡¯s law, how should one put it? There are many things forbidden by Da Xia¡¯s law. Some are absolutely untouchable in public, some are strict laws that result in immediate punishment upon infringement, some are ignored if the public turns a blind eye, and some are even overlooked when done right in front of government officials.


    Different laws have different degrees of enforcement across various states and at different times.


    Like the act of breaking the seal of a storage ring, in ¡°Xuzhou,¡± it wasn¡¯t strictly enforced; it was more of a turn-a-blind-eye situation. If it were strictly enforced, naturally, the price would skyrocket.


    He gave thirty more spirit stones.


    First, it was to form a good relationship; he didn¡¯t mind spending a little money to make a connection with someone skilled in a particular area.


    Second, the poison cultivator¡¯s storage ring seemed genuinely difficult to break and, from what the other party had said, the risks were not small. He would have felt guilty if he did not give a few more spirit stones.


    The middle-aged man who took the storage bag and probed it with his divine sense couldn¡¯t help but smile and, with joy in his face, made an obeisant gesture towards Chen Qiu, ¡°The young master is generous, and this old man thanks the young master.¡±


    Only then did he slowly turn towards Chen Qiu and his companions, leaving the temple.


    The rustling sound of footsteps on fallen leaves grew fainter and fainter until they finally disappeared.


    ¡­


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Fat Long, watching the man leave, clicked his tongue and said, ¡°I thought he was the kind of person who gave up everything for his hobbies. Turns out he¡¯s still happy to take spirit stones.¡±


    ¡°He changed his address quite quickly, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°After receiving the tip, he went from ¡®young friend¡¯ to ¡®young master¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Quite smooth on the tongue.¡±


    ¡°Normal.¡± Chen Qiu, with a calm expression, swept a glance at the extinguished bonfire beside him, ¡°The standards of a saint are only fit to be imposed on saints and should not be used to judge others. Everyone likes spirit stones.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not returning to Kai Mountain City tonight.¡±


    Without waiting for Fat Long to speak, Chen Qiu waved his sleeve, and a strong force of suction enveloped them, drawing him and Fat Long into the small world.


    ¡­


    Under the dusk.


    The mountain gate engraved with the words ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡± stood in decline at the mountain¡¯s peak.


    This was the site, or rather the ruins, of Chao Tian Sect.


    It was his second time entering this small world since acquiring it.


    This small world had no stars, and the light didn¡¯t change much; it remained in a constant state of near dusk, without any night.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu swept his gaze around. The last time he had entered this small world was in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Now, as he re-entered holding the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair, all Formations and restrictions made way for him.


    With a single thought, he could observe any corner of the Chao Tian Sect.


    However, the place had fallen into considerable disrepair; to renovate these collapsed buildings would require a large number of Spirit Stones and would be a time-consuming task. Not to mention, repairing the Formations was a major project.


    He didn¡¯t think further on it.


    After his Divine Sense swept through the Chao Tian Sect via the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair, he headed towards one of the disciple dormitories that was still in relatively good shape.


    He found that he was really getting lazier. Since losing the scholar, even walking a few steps felt unbearably slow.


    Shaking his head, he applied another ¡®Gale Talisman¡¯ to himself and Fat Long before striding toward the disciple dormitory.


    Those Storage Bags may not have had much else, but they were full of these low-level talismans.


    Even Loose Cultivators commonly stocked a few talismans in their Storage Bags¡ªthese things could be life-saving in critical moments. Being stingy with Spirit Stones and reluctant to spend them could cost you your life when it really mattered.


    Perhaps because of this mindset, there were scarcely any Spirit Stones in those Storage Bags.


    ¡­


    After finding a bed in the disciple dormitory that was still reasonably intact and sweeping away the dust with a surge of Spiritual Energy, Chen Qiu then sat cross-legged on the bed and began his cultivation for the night.


    This act of dust-clearing also signified that his control over Spiritual Energy was improving.


    At that moment, he suddenly remembered how the middle-aged man that night had turned Spiritual Energy into Spiritual Silk, finer than hair by several times. With a thought, a thread of Spiritual Silk burst forth from his fingertip as well.


    Yet no matter how focused he was, he could only control the Spiritual Energy to the thickness of a strand of hair. Any finer and it would shatter, dissipating back into the world as Spiritual Energy.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    He let out a helpless sigh, realizing there was still much room for improvement in his fine control over Spiritual Energy.


    After reaching Foundation Establishment, he found that his nighttime cultivation almost replaced the need for sleep. He would feel just as refreshed the next day, as if he had slept a whole night.


    Before beginning cultivation,


    he first sent his Consciousness to probe into each of the Storage Rings whose restrictions had been breached that night.


    Two incense sticks of time later, he had finally sorted through the contents of this batch of Storage Rings.


    ¡®There are over nine thousand Spirit Stones.¡¯


    ¡®Various low-level talismans, low-grade Pills, low-grade Spiritual Treasures, and low-level Spells, among others.¡¯


    Most of the Spirit Stones had come from the Storage Rings of those few hundred Poison Sect disciples. The Storage Rings of the Demon Clan cultivators were virtually empty.


    Moreover, those Demon Clan cultivators liked to collect all sorts of odds and ends.


    For example, several pieces of red bellybands that had turned stiff and white.


    Perhaps, in the Heavenly Dao Prison, these items were more precious than any Cultivation Technique or Spirit Stone.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Suppressing his disgust, Chen Qiu sorted out those odds and ends and threw them outside the door, planning to dispose of them outside the temple first thing in the morning.


    After all this, he took a deep breath and seriously rubbed his hands together.


    Full of anticipation, he probed his Consciousness into the Storage Ring of that poison cultivator with a Golden Core.


    So¡­


    Let¡¯s see what treasures the Storage Ring of a Golden Core Great Power might contain!


    Hopefully, it held tens of thousands of Spirit Stones or something of the sort; that would be worthy of a Golden Core¡¯s reputation!

 Chapter 94 - 93:

    Chapter 94: Chapter 93: ¡°Professional Ethics are Maxed Out.


    As soon as the Divine Sense probed into the ring, he discovered that the space within this Storage Ring was many times larger than that of other Storage Rings.


    It was clearly not an ordinary item.


    Just this Storage Ring alone must be worth quite a sum of money.


    It had to be said that the scholar¡¯s recommendation was reliable. The shopkeeper with the Foundation Establishment fifth-layer Cultivation did not even entertain a single thought of snatching when he saw a person with third-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivation holding such a treasure.


    Even though the shopkeeper definitely couldn¡¯t defeat him, according to common sense, a fifth-layer Foundation Establishment should definitely be able to crush a third-layer.


    One could only say that his professional ethics were maxed out.


    ...


    ¡­


    When this Storage Ring came into view, the first thing he saw was a huge pile of Spirit Stones, roughly sweeping through, there were about more than eight thousand pieces.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    Chen Qiu grinned with satisfaction, because among this pile of Spirit Stones, he also found about twenty or so milk-white ones with even richer Spiritual Energy, which should, without a doubt, be Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    A single Mid-grade Spirit Stone was worth a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.


    These twenty-four Mid-grade Spirit Stones were roughly equivalent to 2400 Spirit Stones.


    But in actual value, they were worth more than 10,000 Spirit Stones.


    Because although a single Mid-grade Spirit Stone contained about a hundred times the Spiritual Energy of a low-grade Spirit Stone, in many applications, such as when laying out arrays, the array¡¯s eye must be fitted with a Mid-grade Spirit Stone, so you couldn¡¯t possibly replace it with a few hundred low-grade Spirit Stones during that time. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Therefore, the actual exchange rate is much higher.


    Worthy of being the Storage Ring of a Golden Core poison cultivator, just the Spirit Stones alone amount to about 14,000, more than all the Spirit Stones combined in the Storage Rings of all the Poison Sect disciples and those Demon Clan cultivators.


    Originally, his pockets were pretty much emptied for that plan involving Liu Zide.


    And then, these Storage Rings suddenly brought him a total of about 18,000 low-grade Spirit Stones and twenty-four Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    A feast overnight.


    This was nearly catching up to the earnings he had accumulated after continuously reaching Foundation Establishment 999 times in the wilderness of Fufeng City.


    A full belly.


    ¡°Murder for loot adds a gold belt to your robe; the ancients really did not deceive me.¡±


    Content with what he found, Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense continued to probe into the depths of the Storage Ring, coming across some spare clothes and some poisonous herbs that looked unrecognizable and rather dangerous.


    That damn grass was so dark it was gleaming, adorned with some purple, looking not at all safe.


    I¡¯ll have to ask the scholar what these are when he comes back; there¡¯s an entire large patch of them.


    However, these are probably not very valuable. He noticed that there were a dozen or so Jade Boxes also filled with medicinal herbs. The herbs in the Jade Boxes obviously seemed more precious, and there were many porcelain bottles filled with pills.


    Some he recognized, others he had never heard of.


    ¡®Qi Replenishing Pill,¡¯ ¡®Cultivation Pill,¡¯ ¡®Three Corpses Brain Divine Pill,¡¯ ¡®Nine Flower Jade Dew Pill,¡¯ ¡®Bloodthirsty Seal Throat Pill,¡¯ ¡®Herb of Clear Sight,¡¯ ¡®Five Poison Immunity Pill,¡¯ and so on.


    Although he didn¡¯t understand all of them, he could still easily identify some of the pills as poison pills.


    The quality of these pills was not low; if he couldn¡¯t use them, selling them would bring in a great wealth.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes suddenly narrowed, his Divine Sense lingering on a short pedestal within the Storage Ring¡¯s space, where a Jade Scroll was placed with five big characters engraved on it: ¡®Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique.¡¯


    The Jade Scroll was also shimmering with a familiar light!


    Shockingly, it was a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm product that one could master to great accomplishment once learned!


    And it was an extremely superior Foundation Establishment Daoist Skill.


    At the same time, he saw something in the Storage Space that he had once used: an ¡®Enlightenment Stone,¡¯ which could elevate any Cultivation Technique to the Great Perfection Realm!


    When his Divine Sense probed the ¡®Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique,¡¯ his mind vaguely received a message from between heaven and earth.


    ¡®To learn this technique.¡¯


    ¡®One must first immerse the body in Nine Poison Liquids for 24 hours and personally slay three hundred and thirty people who have committed the seven deadly sins.¡¯


    ¡®Otherwise, one will surely suffer from poison corroding the Divine Soul and die on the spot, beyond the help of gods or immortals.¡¯


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Chen Qiu processed this information in his mind, his mouth slowly opened wide, and his Divine Sense swept over the interior space of the Storage Ring, murmuring, ¡°Damn, I¡¯ve really hit the mother lode this time, I hope this doesn¡¯t cut my lifespan short, right?¡±


    According to the information in his mind.


    The seven deadly sins are the seven evils of the Buddhist Sect, namely: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and idle chatter.


    And that faint sense of information from the cosmos had informed him that he had met the condition.


    Which meant,


    he had, at some point, already killed over three hundred and thirty people guilty of the seven deadly sins.


    To commit all the seven sins, to be honest, would be quite difficult for a normal person to achieve.


    So, unless there was an unexpected turn, if his guess was correct, the three hundred and thirty sinners he had killed were those disciples from the Poisonous Thunder Swamp, who he initially thought were sent by the Poison Sect for training.


    Now it seemed there might be more to the story.


    Putting everything else aside, it would indeed be challenging for the Poison Sect to ensure that every disciple had committed the seven sins.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s divine sense swept over the poison herbs, pills, Enlightenment Stones, and the Jade Scrolls from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, stored in his space. Clearly, it must have taken the Poison Thunder Old Man many years to gather all these items.


    Just as he was about to achieve a milestone in his cultivation technique.


    A Golden Core fourth-layer resentful spirit, appearing from out of nowhere, barged into the Poisonous Thunder Swamp without a word and assaulted him with punches and kicks, killing the Poison Thunder Old Man right there in the swamp.


    Years of accumulation were finally intercepted just as everything was about to succeed.


    And the interloper¡­


    Was none other than him, Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, a flicker of intense interest passing through his eyes. To tell the truth, he quite liked the ¡®Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique.¡¯ It was a spell that suited magic practitioners.


    Poison cultivators commonly used various spells as their attack methods, similar to magic practitioners. Poison cultivation was a specialization within the broader magic practitioner category. Compared to magic practitioners, poison cultivators favored spells with toxic effect.


    ¡®Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique¡¯


    A top-grade Foundation Establishment spell.


    After extending his divine sense into the jade scroll, he soon understood the general information about this spell.


    When cast,


    it would convert the spiritual energy released from the body into green demon fire with toxic properties. Once touched, the protective spirit Qi would be corroded instantly, riddled with holes, followed by the enemy¡¯s agonizing screams as they melted into a puddle of green pasty flesh within the maggot-filled soles of the feet.


    The more abundant the spiritual energy within the body, the more green demon fire one could release.


    Even if the enemy had a higher cultivation and their protective spirit Qi couldn¡¯t be corroded, the toxicity contained within the green demon fire could directly scorch the divine soul. It would flow against the protective spirit Qi, attacking the divine soul directly.


    Without the right methods to protect the divine soul, one would grow weaker with each battle until the divine soul was completely eroded away, leaving a soulless husk of a body.


    A somewhat strange but powerful spell.


    And when cultivated to the Great Perfection Realm, the resentful spirits accompanying you could heed your command during the casting of this spell, each adhering to a strand of demon fire, increasing its speed and power. Moreover, they could emit a continuous, piercing wail of spirits in the enemy¡¯s ears, inducing a faint illusion.


    When the Daoist skill is cultivated to the peak,


    hundreds of captivating emerald-colored demon fires could easily obliterate all enemies that dare to invade in the night.


    And make the invaders understand what true fear is.


    It could be called a true inferno of darkness.


    Targeting the body, the mind, and the soul.


    ¡­


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction. This would become his second main offensive spell, ensuring his attack methods were not so monotonous anymore.


    With the Enlightenment Stone and all the necessary materials prepared, he almost needed to prepare nothing.


    He could just pick up what was already there.


    He would start practicing tonight. Thinking of this, he could scarcely contain his excitement. Immediately, his divine sense left the storage ring, and he stood up and walked outside to the courtyard of his residence, waking up Fat Long.


    It was time to light a fire and boil a bath for himself with the Nine Poisons.


    After understanding the Poison Thunder Old Man¡¯s intentions and looking at the pills and medicinal herbs beside him, everything became crystal clear at once.


    Indeed, there were nine different types of poison, along with some neutralizing medicinal herbs and various Detoxification Pills just in case. He didn¡¯t need to worry about making a mistake, as the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm Jade Scroll would remind him through the cosmic intent which poisons to add to the cauldron, following a standard procedure.


    ¡°Good, everything¡¯s well prepared,¡± he muttered to himself.


    Before long, the water in the large cauldron began to emit steam, and after Chen Qiu waved his sleeve to extinguish the flames with a burst of spiritual energy, he stripped off his clothes and jumped into the cauldron. He didn¡¯t add the poisons right away, but instead turned to Fat Long and instructed seriously,


    ¡°Keep an eye on things, If I faint midway or something unexpected happens, the Detoxification Pills are right there. Just pour them into my mouth.¡±


    ¡°You got that?¡±

 Chapter 95 - 94: Birds of a Feather.

    Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Birds of a Feather.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Fat Long nodded solemnly and seriously.


    Chen Qiu did not delay any further but immediately, according to the information from the Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll, placed the surrounding poison fog and neutralizing herbs in the warm medicinal tub in order, soon feeling a slight sting.


    The spiritual energy inside his body began to boil and gradually turned violent.


    He instinctively closed his eyes, preparing to circulate his mental method.


    But the next instant¡ª


    ...


    He opened his eyes even faster, his mouth twitching in pain he couldn¡¯t suppress.


    Under the entry ¡°One with Heavenly Deficit,¡± all his senses were enhanced, including his sense of pain.


    Damn it¡­ I might as well keep my eyes open, keeping them open doesn¡¯t affect the cultivation, it just feels weird, like how some people don¡¯t want to stare into each other¡¯s eyes while kissing, usually at least one person has their eyes closed.


    If both are stubborn, then the scene is quite tender.


    Time flew by.


    Chen Qiu was not in a hurry, simultaneously circulating his mental method and experiencing the tingling sensation from the poison immersion. He was a Magic Practitioner, not a poison cultivator; if he were the latter, he probably wouldn¡¯t even feel this slight pain.


    Many poison cultivators have grown up ingesting poisons since their childhood, their internal spiritual energy turning a jade green color.


    With a casual strike, their blows carried toxicity. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile here¡ª


    The scholar, initially reluctant, was gradually turning into a state of full admiration and shock. He could never have expected that this thin man in the Qi Refinement Realm beside him had so many ideas in his head.


    For example, during their journey, they briefly talked a few times.


    They discussed his identity as Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator, an identity that he had now openly acknowledged. With the leak of the Memory Stone, enemies were assuredly going to come knocking, and since hiding was no longer an option, he no longer wished to conceal his identity.


    They talked about the time he competed with Ji Taiping for the title of Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator.


    They also talked about his reputation in Da Xia.


    This man named Liu Zide was the one giving him these strategies.


    ¡°You could occasionally look distressed and stare at your late wife¡¯s hairband in public. What use is a Sword Cultivator no matter how formidable? Isn¡¯t there always someone in the world deemed the strongest Sword Cultivator? This persona is strong, but to maintain it, you¡¯ll always have to face challengers.¡±


    ¡°How dangerous is that, what if you die one day?¡±


    ¡°We can switch to a persona that is safer and more memorable.¡±


    ¡°This way, even if someday you are no longer the strongest Sword Cultivator, you still have your uniqueness.¡±


    ¡°The persona of a widower who remains faithful is very suitable for you. Then, in those brothels where others are lecherously frolicking, you, clad in a green robe, would sit alone in the attic, your face showing signs of vicissitude as you drink wine under the moon.¡±


    ¡°Broadcast this scene with a Memory Stone, then find a few scholars to compose some poems about this moment.¡±


    ¡°Then you can spend a few Spirit Stones to hire some admirers, so wherever you go, a crowd of them will scream excitedly at you; wouldn¡¯t others become even more curious about you then?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, people tend to follow the crowd; when many people like something or someone, others tend to more easily like that thing or person. This way¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Liu Zide said a lot, and it sounded like these were just the most basic strategies; he hadn¡¯t even started on the more clever ones.


    What a genius.


    If he had known these tricks back then, he couldn¡¯t even imagine how imposing he would have been.


    ¡­


    In Qiu Yuan City.


    The scholar sat cross-legged in a chair, looking towards Liu Zide nearby who was anxiously and urgently directing in the courtyard, lifting his tea cup to his lips with an emotional sigh: ¡°Truly a great talent.¡±


    The bearded strong man sitting beside him did not say anything but just looked down at the ants on the ground.


    His brother¡¯s favorite thing was fame.


    Liu Zide¡¯s greatest skill was making people famous.


    These two really matched each other.


    Birds of a feather.


    Meanwhile, Liu Zide was furiously yelling into his Sound Transmission Ring: ¡°No matter how much that woman with the ¡®Nine Yin Strength¡¯ is offering, tell him, I¡¯m offering ten times that!!!¡±


    ¡°Money is no object, understand!!¡±


    ¡°Have her board the fastest Flying Boat and come to Qiu Yuan City at the highest speed!¡±


    Then, turning to the nine men pretending to be Evil Cultivators, he angrily yelled: ¡°Have you jerks ever even seen an Evil Cultivator? Can you act out that kind of brutal inhumanity of an Evil Cultivator?!¡±


    ¡°A pitiable White-clothed Saintess of a famous sect is right in front of you.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re asking her if she has a husband?!¡±


    ¡°Be more brutal, understand?¡±


    Standing among the nine Evil Cultivators, the Saintess in white, her eyes glistening as if teary, coyly turned to Liu Zide and seductively said: ¡°Boss, this is my first time in front of so many people, with so many people.¡±


    ¡°Can you add two more Spirit Stones later?¡±


    ¡°Add, add!!!¡±


    Liu Zide, with one hand on his hip, looked towards this White-clothed Saintess, pointing at her nose and scolded: ¡°I¡¯ll add your mother, can you drop that slutty act?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be portraying a naive and pitiable Holy Daughter from a proper sect, understand?!¡±


    ¡°The kind that is unknowing and innocent!¡±


    ¡°Act slutty one more time, and I¡¯ll kick you out; I can find loads of sluts for ten Spirit Stones, got it?!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The Saintess looked a bit aggrieved and nodded her head.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, that¡¯s the spirit!¡±


    ¡°Get ready with the Memory Stone, let¡¯s try it again!¡±


    ¡­


    A few moments later.

 Chapter 96 - 94: Critters of the Same Mound. _2

    Chapter 96: Chapter 94: Critters of the Same Mound. _2


    ¡°Okay, perfect!!!¡±


    Liu Zide nodded with satisfaction, not bothering to review the footage on the Memory Stone again. Instead, he immediately handed the Memory Stone over to the burly man beside him in Kai Mountain City, speaking seriously and urgently.


    ¡°There are no restrictions on this Memory Stone; it can be copied freely!¡±


    ¡°Take it and replicate three hundred thousand copies for me at the fastest speed!¡±


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The burly man, bare-chested and clad in armor, nodded very seriously and left the courtyard in a hurry to find his boss with the Memory Stone in hand.


    ...


    He originally had some grievances with Liu Zide in Kai Mountain City.


    But later, those grievances had been settled.


    Moreover, Liu Zide had given them a handsome reward to do some odd jobs, like communicating with the local tyrants of other cities, something they were undoubtedly better at!


    ¡­


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    After completing the scene, Liu Zide didn¡¯t dare delay for a moment. Looking around and seeing that the two with the ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± and ¡°Nine Yin Power¡± entries hadn¡¯t arrived yet, he couldn¡¯t help cursing through the Sound Transmission Ring again.


    ¡°Did they fucking die on the way?¡±


    ¡°Have they gone back halfway through a funeral?¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t get here within an hour, it¡¯s all bullshit. The Spirit Stones I gave you are enough for you to take the fastest Flying Boat. If you try to save some Spirit Stones at the expense of my time!¡±


    ¡°Then all of you can get lost. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar, sitting cross-legged on a chair and sipping his tea cup, looked at Liu Zide, who was so busy his heels couldn¡¯t touch the ground in the courtyard, and couldn¡¯t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.


    This person¡­ is pretty fierce.


    And his language is rather unclean.


    ¡­


    ¡°Come on, on to the second scene!¡±


    After casually wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead, Liu Zide looked at the script he had written in advance and shouted to several men and women who were already prepared not far away, ¡°You¡¯ll play a female cultivator at the Golden Core Peak.¡±


    ¡°You are a well-known Demon Cultivator, who then, in a great battle, got heavily wounded and lost all your Cultivation, falling into a poor remote area. And you three will play Woodcutters at the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm.¡±


    ¡°Come on, prepare the Memory Stone!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Come on, the third scene!¡±


    ¡°You play the current Empress, and then¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡± The scholar, who originally wanted to sit indifferently on the side, spat out a mouthful of strong tea when he heard this, his eyes flashing with shock. Without caring about consuming Spiritual Energy, he immediately slapped the chair and flew over to Liu Zide, his voice even trembling as he said.


    ¡°Brother, that¡¯s really too daring, do you have a death wish?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a vendetta against Brother Qiu? If this gets out, it¡¯s hard to say how many people in Xuzhou will survive.¡±


    ¡°Really? Can¡¯t do it?¡± Liu Zide shook his head with a touch of regret: ¡°Well, if it¡¯s not possible, never mind. It¡¯s just a pity, though, as such a huge difference in status would definitely be a hit if filmed. Oh well, forget it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next one.¡±


    ¡°Come on, continue with the third scene ¡ª this time you¡¯ll play a Sect Master with the power of a Golden Core Great Power, who in an effort to further advance the sect, resignedly allows his wife to¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Come on, the ninth scene!¡±


    ¡°Give those two a close-up; together, they¡¯re bound to be a huge hit!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°The twelfth scene!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you put a little feeling into it, don¡¯t you understand emotion? When you speak your lines, don¡¯t be so dry, can you get a little more excited?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been an insulted and disregarded branch family member for three years, but suddenly, after making a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, you acquire a Seven-colored entry, and your strength skyrockets. Those in front of you are the same people who used to mock you.¡±


    ¡°Now they all fear you and put on forced smiles in your presence.¡±


    ¡°Put yourself in the shoes of this discarded one ¨C what would you do? Yeah, right, just go for it!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°The seventeenth scene!¡±


    ¡°The thirty-eighth scene!¡±


    ¡°The seventy-ninth scene!¡±


    ¡°The¡­¡±


    ¡­


    The sun rose and then set.


    By this time, more and more outsiders had poured into Qiu Yuan City. After a lot of Spirit Stones were invested, the stores all over Xuzhou from ¡°Zhao¡¯s Commerce¡± mobilized family power to serve Liu Zide.


    Even the Family Head, at the early stage of Golden Core, accompanied Liu Zide throughout, receiving his commands. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His mouth almost uncontrollably twisted toward his ear; with so many Spirit Stones being spent, it was almost equivalent to a year¡¯s profit for Zhao¡¯s Commerce. Not just accompanying him, he even wanted to call Liu Zide his brother.


    In these days, it¡¯s not easy to find a patron who spends so lavishly.


    Occasionally, he even released a bit of Golden Core aura, to make the actors playing Golden Core cultivators in the Memory Stone appear even more convincing.


    At the same time.


    Massive quantities of Memory Stones were constantly replicated, and then the scholar personally took charge of delivering them to the local tyrants in the 47 major cities of Xuzhou, who distributed them in large quantities for free. From there, it spread rapidly toward the surrounding villages and smaller counties.


    Everything was moving forward rapidly and in an orderly fashion.


    It has to be said, Liu Zide¡¯s command abilities were indeed strong, and so was his ability to inspire emotion. He dealt with every minor detail in an orderly manner, with basically no mistakes.


    Only Liu Zide didn¡¯t seem to be in good shape at the moment; having not slept or eaten for a long time and just sipping water, he looked so pale he seemed about to faint at any second. The physician of Qiu Yuan City had been ready nearby, administering concoctions from time to time to ensure he remained alert.


    Just as he said.


    He wanted to spread across the 47 cities of Xuzhou at the fastest speed before anyone could react. It was all about speed, the fastest possible, and for this, he was willing to pay several times the price.

 Chapter 97 - 94: Birds of a Feather Flock Together. _3

    Chapter 97: Chapter 94: Birds of a Feather Flock Together. _3


    ¡­


    At this moment, almost every family in Xuzhou that had a business in creating Memory Stones, the Family Heads all flushed with excitement, personally went to the family workshop, standing on the frontline to encourage their people!


    ¡°Everyone better work your asses off for me, after we nail this deal, everyone gets triple pay this month!!!¡±


    Honestly speaking, the Memory Stone business was quite niche, but there had always been orders, the kind that provided a steady stream of income.


    But they couldn¡¯t withstand the sudden arrival of a big client.


    Who started with a single sentence.


    ...


    Double the price, payment first, goods later, they wanted as much as there was available.


    That single, simple sentence had completely spurred the passion of all the family workshops in Xuzhou that produced Memory Stones, everyone working together, day and night without rest, halting all other business activities to produce only Memory Stones.


    Having lived a lifetime,


    they never imagined that there would come a day when they could get rich off Memory Stones.


    Indeed, life is full of opportunities.


    ¡­


    ¡°Dig, dig with all your might!¡±


    The most basic material for making Memory Stones was something called ¡°soft stone,¡± and at this time, in Xuzhou, the owners of every mine with this ore, similarly flushed with excitement, were waving their whips, present in the mines themselves!


    To motivate the people below.


    They even specially hired some women from brothels to perform enticing dances on a high platform.


    ¡°Brothers, put some muscle into it!¡±


    ¡°Swing those picks, goddamn it, after this haul is done, everyone can go to the brothel and splurge for three days, my treat!¡±


    He was originally just a side member of the family, assigned to this unwanted mine, unable to make many Spirit Stones in a year, but suddenly there were many big orders, many small families buying ¡°soft stone¡± at an inflated price.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    But he knew one thing, he was about to make a killing!


    ¡­


    ¡°Quickly!!!¡±


    In Qiu Yuan City, a shopkeeper bellowed into the Sound Transmission Talisman, ¡°Everything¡¯s sold out, all sold out, someone in Qiu Yuan City is buying up all the Qi Replenishing Pills, quickly have your sect send some more over, business has never been this good!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Where are the Flying Boats? Weren¡¯t there a lot of Flying Boats docked here on other days?¡±


    ¡°Today, for some reason, suddenly a lot more people are taking Flying Boats, and there aren¡¯t enough available, there¡¯s been no return trips yet.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°No way, where are the girls from your Qiu Yuan City brothels? I checked three places, and those madams told me that the girls have left, what, can your Qiu Yuan City brothel girls go for collective training or something? There¡¯s none at your place either?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re not aware, today for some reason, many people have been demanding the girls from the brothels to go out, all booking by the day. Truly, we¡¯re running short on girls.¡±


    ¡°This is so annoying¡­ erm, madam, I see you¡¯ve still got some charm to you, do you still take customers?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Young Master, you have quite the eye.¡±


    ¡­


    The entire Qiu Yuan City, and even Xuzhou,


    was stirred into huge ripples after a reckless expenditure of fifteen thousand Spirit Stones, kicking various industries and countless people into frenetic activity.


    The fifteen thousand Spirit Stones directly hit the sinking market area, benefitting so many that had it all been spent at an auction, it wouldn¡¯t have had such an extensive impact.


    Liu Zide was resolute in following through with his plan.


    He dialed up the speed to the maximum, cutting a path with Spirit Stones, in just one day, he had made nearly a hundred Internet celebrities who gained fame in unconventional, large-scale ways.


    This rate of spending money,


    Made the scholar twitch at the corners of his mouth in agonized madness, often feeling that this Liu Zide didn¡¯t feel any pain spending money since it wasn¡¯t his own Spirit Stones.


    Apart from that,


    To save time even for relieving himself, Liu Zide hired a specific Foundation Establishment Cultivator. This Cultivator had nothing else to do, his only task was to use Spiritual Energy to collect Liu Zide¡¯s urine during his commands and bathroom breaks, and redirect it into a nearby dry toilet.


    The work wasn¡¯t tiring, but it was somewhat demeaning for the dignity of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Of course, after twenty Spirit Stones were thrown his way, the so-called dignity vanished into thin air.


    ¡­


    And so¡ª


    After 24 hours had passed, Chen Qiu had already crawled out of the medicinal vat, left the small world, reappearing in the temple near Kai Mountain City where he had been before.


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, looking at the small green Demon Fire on his fingertip, murmuring with satisfaction, ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve gained another Attack Method.¡±


    The Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique, under the influence of the Enlightenment Stone, had been cultivated to the realm of Great Perfection.


    Just one look and one could feel the terrifying destructive power contained within the small wisp of Demon Fire.


    He had arranged with the Shopkeeper the night before to meet here at midnight, to have the remaining Storage Rings¡¯ seals all broken. It had been a while since midnight now, so it seemed like the other party was late.


    Just then!


    A Liu Guang sword suddenly shot from outside the temple and hung in the air, followed by the scholar appearing cross-legged in midair, then landing hard on the ground, looking up at Chen Qiu with a pale face and hoarsely said.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, Liu Zide sent me to deliver you a message.¡±


    ¡°Message?¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned, glancing at the Sound Transmission Ring on his finger, which had no incoming messages, ¡°Don¡¯t we have Sound Transmission Rings? Why did he send you in person?¡±


    ¡°He said he didn¡¯t dare to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is it, he didn¡¯t dare to tell me?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Even the scholar sucked in a few breaths, his face pained, before he finally forced himself to say, ¡°Liu Zide said the fifteen thousand Spirit Stones are almost spent, only a bit over three thousand left. It¡¯s not quite enough, so he¡¯s asking if you, Brother Qiu, could spare another ten thousand Spirit Stones¡­¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s eyes almost popped out at this, yelling in disbelief, ¡°That¡¯s fifteen thousand Spirit Stones we¡¯re talking about, not fifteen thousand coins, in just one day that bastard is about to run through it all?¡±

 Chapter 98 - 94: Birds of a Feather Flock Together. _4

    Chapter 98: Chapter 94: Birds of a Feather Flock Together. _4


    ¡°Even if he was literally throwing them into the river, it wouldn¡¯t have been this fast, would it?¡±


    After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the scholar, ¡°Let¡¯s go, take me to him. If I don¡¯t knock his teeth out today, I¡¯ll take his surname!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s face was expressionless as he remained silent, repeatedly telling himself in his heart to stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. Then, after taking a deep breath, he said with a slightly trembling voice, ¡°Are you sure he didn¡¯t just throw all the Spirit Stones into the river?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, pulling out an account book from his bosom, ¡°I¡¯m not making excuses for him, but the truth is I¡¯ve seen most of the expenditure myself; it¡¯s not been wasted. He even hired three accountants from Zhao¡¯s Commerce, with all the accounts recorded here.¡±


    ...


    ¡°But the spending was a bit too fast¡­¡±


    ¡°The City Lord of Qiu Yuan City even specially allocated an area outside the city for him¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took the account book and skimmed through it, finding a long list of expenses neatly recorded. The account book was nearly fifty pages thick, and it appeared that indeed many of the expenses were necessary.


    Before he could speak,


    the scholar took out a Storage Bag from his bosom and handed it over, ¡°This is the Heavenly Dao Blessing from Liu Zide and his group as of midnight tonight, with a total of 67 people making the list. The highest-ranked individual is now 829th on the Fame Ranking.¡±


    Liu Zide said, ¡°The main task today was replicating the Memory Stones; they haven¡¯t been distributed widely yet. Wait until tomorrow when they start distributing them widely, and after it ferments a bit more.¡±


    ¡°There will definitely be a huge harvest.¡±


    Chen Qiu accepted the Storage Bag and probed inside with his Divine Sense. A total of 67 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills lay quietly inside, rather tempting to the eye.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    After pondering for a short while, he still took out a Storage Ring containing ten thousand Spirit Stones and tossed it over, saying earnestly, ¡°Tell Liu Zide for me, if I¡¯m to throw down 25,000 Spirit Stones and end up earning just a few hundred Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in return.¡±


    ¡°He should get ready to experience what heaven on earth truly feels like.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    As soon as these words were uttered, the scholar¡¯s figure had already vanished from the spot, and in the blink of an eye, he was by the side of Liu Zide in Qiu Yuan City, throwing the Storage Ring filled with Spirit Stones into the expectant arms of Liu Zide without any cheer.


    ¡°Here, Brother Qiu gave this to you.¡±


    ¡°But Brother Qiu was clear, if you can earn him a few hundred Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in return for throwing down 25,000 Spirit Stones, then you can look forward to your latter life.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Liu Zide¡¯s cheeks flashed with an abnormally excited blush, his entire complexion pale and the circles around his eyes dark, looking like a sickling as he pocketed the Storage Ring. Then he took out dozens of Spirit Stones and tossed them to the expectant crowd around him, roaring


    ¡°Triple the price!¡±


    ¡°Tell those family workshops, I¡¯m offering triple the price for them to speed up, we¡¯re running out of Memory Stones!¡±


    ¡°Whoever is fast gets a feast; whoever is slow can go eat dog shit!¡±


    ¡­ S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In a temple in Kai Mountain City.


    Chen Qiu introspectively looked at his purse that had instantly deflated again with some distress. Just last night he had gained 18,000 low-grade Spirit Stones and 24 Mid-grade Spirit Stones from the Storage Ring.


    In the blink of an eye, 10,000 Spirit Stones had vanished.


    Does Liu Zide even realize what 20,000 Spirit Stones signify?


    But soon, he turned his attention to the 67 Foundation Establishment grade low-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in the Storage Ring.


    To tell the truth, he was actually very satisfied with the harvest of the first day.


    After all, 67 names had made it onto the list, which means that Liu Zide must have shot at least 67 scenes. Then, in a short period of time, he spread the Memory Stones enough to make these 67 individuals known enough to be listed, which was quite sufficient.


    He believed that, barring any accidents, the harvest in the next few days would definitely be increasing significantly.


    He finally understood why the Wang Family Patriarch of Yuncheng was so bold to place his bets; it¡¯s not that the patriarch had such great courage, but with someone like this acting as an advisor, once you approve his plan, you¡¯re essentially ready to bet everything you have.

 Chapter 99 - 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes.

    Chapter 99: Chapter 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes.


    ¡°Hu!¡±


    Chen Qiu no longer felt heartache over those Spirit Stones. Since he had already spent them, there was no need to dwell on it; he just needed to patiently wait for the results to come.


    Then, he turned his attention to his Cultivation panel.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Foundation Establishment Stage Three (36.9%)


    ¨C


    ...


    The effect of the lower-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills was quite impressive. One pill could increase his Cultivation Progress by 0.7%; he had a total of 67 pills here, which, if he consumed them all, would raise his Cultivation Progress by 46.9%.


    That far exceeded the progress provided by consuming a Golden Core of a Foundation Establishment Stage One cultivator.


    Moreover, these pills came with no side effects, left no impurities, and were quickly absorbed.


    ¡°Good stuff indeed.¡±


    Chen Qiu weighed the Storage Bag in his hand. The shopkeeper who had made the appointment with them had not yet arrived, but he did not hesitate any longer and took out a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and put it into his mouth.


    It melted upon entering his mouth, and within a few breaths, the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill had been completely absorbed by him.


    He did not linger any longer and reached for another pill.


    One after another, yet another.


    After three sticks of incense had burned.


    He slowly opened his eyes. Now his Cultivation Progress had reached:


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Foundation Establishment Stage Three (83.8%)


    ¨C


    Advancing in the Foundation Establishment Stage was extremely difficult. It was quite common for Foundation Establishment cultivators to be stuck in a small realm for three to four years. If one was the head of a household or held an important position in a sect, unable to focus on cultivation,


    then advancing a small realm in five to six years was considered quite normal.


    Especially from Foundation Establishment Stage One to Nine, advancing through each stage became exceedingly difficult.


    Most people in their lifetimes, given a little fortune, could cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    But to break through to the Golden Core, or to reach the latter stages or even the peak of Foundation Establishment, one needed not just a little fortune but hundreds of such fortunes to progress this far on the path of cultivation.


    The reason he had been able to advance so quickly in the Foundation Establishment Stage was essentially due to two things:


    Golden Cores and Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    These were no longer little strokes of fortune; they were big fortunes that many Golden Core cultivators could hardly come across. Unfortunately, to put it bluntly, throughout the entire Da Xia Country, counting all the Golden Core cultivators, one by one,


    at least half of them


    had never killed two Golden Core cultivators in their lifetimes.


    Golden Cores were not so easy to kill. After breaking through to Golden Core, everyone had climbed up through countless fortunes, and who knew what kind of trump cards or last resorts other Golden Core cultivators had. Engaging in a life-and-death battle and who would fall could really not be predicted.


    Just at this moment¡ª


    Rustling footsteps came from outside the temple.


    The shopkeeper from the night before arrived late, stepping into the temple, he immediately looked towards the two by the campfire, their faces flickering with shadows, and said apologetically, ¡°Gentlemen, I have arrived late, there was a minor mishap on the road.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ shall we begin?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Chen Qiu placed the remaining six Storage Rings on the ground seriously and said, ¡°Then I will trouble you, elder.¡±


    Although the shopkeeper appeared somewhat exhausted, he quickly entered the state of concentration. Without uttering many words, he focused his Spiritual Energy once more and began to sit cross-legged on the ground, attentively starting the ban-breaking process again.


    ¡­


    This time it was evidently much quicker than before. Perhaps having some experience from breaking the ban on a Golden Core Storage Ring once before, all six Storage Rings were decrypted before dawn.


    ¡°Now the job is truly complete.¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s eyebrows concealed his unhideable fatigue, and with a pale face and hoarse voice, he said: ¡°Then I shall take my leave first.¡±


    ¡­


    After the shopkeeper left.


    Chen Qiu inserted his Divine Sense into the six Storage Rings. The Storage Ring of the poison cultivator Golden Core was completely empty, devoid of anything, not even a set of changes of clothes.


    It was as if it were a newly purchased Storage Ring.


    However, according to the shopkeeper¡¯s words, this Storage Ring had many bans added by the poison cultivator Golden Core, even several times more than the one that contained the Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll.


    With such a serious approach, there must be a reason.


    But after pondering for a moment, he couldn¡¯t understand why the poison cultivator Golden Core had added so many bans to a Storage Ring that did not contain anything. He set it aside for the time being and looked towards the remaining five Storage Rings.


    Two of them belonged to that Evil Cultivation.


    Disappointingly.


    These two Storage Rings did not even have changes of clothes inside.


    No Spirit Stones, no pills, and most regretfully, none of the fleeing techniques he had hoped for.


    Each Storage Ring contained a piece of paper.


    ¡°Remember this, I am¡­ Evil Cultivation, Scion of Ten Thousand Demons!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was evident that the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons had thrown away or hidden all the contents of his Storage Rings elsewhere, perhaps when he was seriously injured. Even if he died, he wouldn¡¯t leave any benefits to his enemies.


    No wonder, although he was just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    When the shopkeeper worked on decrypting these two Storage Rings, his brows were deeply furrowed, and he seemed to be having a lot of trouble, presumably because the bans laid inside were as numerous as the spider webs of the Chao Tian Sect.


    Chen Qiu shook his head and stored these two Storage Rings inside his small world, then turned his head to look at the other three Storage Rings.


    These three Storage Rings belonged to the workshop owner of the Ask Heaven Market. Although a Loose Cultivator, he had a significant Cultivation and was undoubtedly in possession of substantial stock, as managing a market could bring substantial revenues, not to mention the earnings from the inns of Ask Heaven Market alone each year.


    The first Storage Ring.


    Was starkly minimal, containing only Spirit Stones. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But for some unknown reason, it had much fewer than the poison cultivator Golden Core. The poison cultivator, who had merely reached the initial stage of Golden Core, possessed tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, and here you are, a mid-stage Golden Core workshop owner with barely 2,000 Spirit Stones in your possession?

 Chapter 100 - 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes._2

    Chapter 100: Chapter 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes._2


    Embracing the possibility that the other two Storage Rings might still contain Spirit Stones, Chen Qiu tentatively extended his Divine Sense into the second Storage Ring.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    He stood slightly stunned in place.


    He really did see something good.


    And it was his favorite kind of thing.


    Amidst a large number of Pills and talismans, there were a few Jade Scrolls emitting a milky white glow.


    ...


    Those three Jade Scrolls were indeed ¡°entry jade slips.¡±


    ¡°Goodness gracious.¡±


    Chen Qiu squinted with slight anticipation, his Divine Sense ventured further, thinking that this old brother really was a good man, leaving behind such entry jade slips in a Storage Ring to benefit future generations, huh?


    ¨C


    ¡°entry name¡±: Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation.


    ¡°entry level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°entry effect¡±: When you possess either ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± or ¡°Nine Yin Power,¡± the speed at which you cultivate any Dual Cultivation Heart Method will increase ninefold, and if you possess both these entries, the speed will be eighteen times faster.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­Holy moly!¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the entry panel in front of him, his mouth slowly opening in disbelief, as the entry panel was somewhat exaggerated, exaggerated if the conditions were met.


    This entry was comparable to a Pink Entry, or even a Seven-colored term!


    Not accounting for special entries like Grey, Bloodline, and Heavenly Dao Terms.


    The levels of entries from lowest to highest are White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Red, Golden, Pink, Seven-colored.


    And this entry was a Purple Entry!!!


    It was already considered a very high-level entry, although it was unknown where the workshop owner from Fufeng Market got this entry jade slip, what could be anticipated was that if this entry were put on the market, it would definitely sell for a sky-high price.


    ¡°Fat Long¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s throat moved slightly, pulling his mind back from the small world and looking towards Fat Long, who was sitting nearby cultivating with his heart method, murmured, ¡°It seems like your opportunity has arrived¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The cultivating Fat Long, slightly bewildered, opened his eyes and asked in confusion, ¡°Brother Qiu, what are you talking about? Isn¡¯t my greatest opportunity having met you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was somewhat speechless and did not speak immediately; he later took out the ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡± Purple Entry jade slip from his pocket and tossed it into Fat Long¡¯s lap: ¡°Take a look.¡±


    He was the only one around who suited this entry the best.


    As long as a suitable Dual Cultivation Heart Method was found for him, under this entry¡¯s effect, Fat Long¡¯s Cultivation Progress would see a meteoric rise.


    This was also his first time encountering a Purple Entry.


    In the past, the highest level entries he had seen were either ¡°Pink Entries¡±, which had limitless growth potential, or ¡°Seven-colored terms¡±, which were basically impossible to possess.


    The highest-grade entry he had seen before was a Yellow Entry.


    He vaguely remembered that it was a lucky fellow, a young master of the Huang Family, who had the Yellow Entry ¡°Hundred Percent Accuracy,¡± but unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t very bright.


    One thing puzzled him.


    Who could simultaneously possess the entries ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± and ¡°Nine Yin Power¡±?


    Logically, the ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± entry is mostly available to male cultivators, and while females can also obtain it, the probability is very low, and the ¡°Nine Yin Power¡± entry is similar.


    Furthermore, after the grand ceremony in Fufeng City, he had specifically inquired and found out that entries like ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± and ¡°Nine Yin Power¡± do not possess jade slips, not all entries can be produced from places like the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    For instance, the ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± entry can only be obtained randomly during a breakthrough in realms.


    Wait¡ª


    A bright idea suddenly flashed through Chen Qiu¡¯s mind, he thought of a possibility.


    If a cultivator randomly obtained the ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± entry upon entering the Qi Refinement Realm, then chose the ¡°Yin-Yang Reversal¡± entry during the three choices at Foundation Establishment, and finally chose ¡°Nine Yin Power¡± upon breaking through to the Golden Core Stage.


    In that case, it would entirely satisfy the stringent condition of simultaneously possessing ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± and ¡°Nine Yin Power¡± entries.


    At that moment, by adding the ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡± entry,


    My goodness¡­


    Cultivating Dual Cultivation Heart Methods at eighteen times the speed, he could hardly imagine how fast the cultivation level would rise¡­!


    But such conditions were too harsh, continuously obtaining several entries that did not enhance combat power at all and successfully breaking through to the Golden Core Stage would be difficult; late-stage entries are not necessarily beneficial as they mean you struggle in the early stages.


    ¡­


    ¡°Great stuff!!!¡±


    Upon finishing reading the entry effect, Fat Long, ecstatically excited, jumped up on the spot and looked towards Chen Qiu with excitement, ¡°Brother Qiu, are you giving me this entry?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great, that¡¯s great¡­¡± Fat Long, excitedly somewhat incoherently, initially wanted to say some words of gratitude, but quickly felt like he remembered something, paused in place, and looked up at Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Wait, Brother Qiu, it seems I can¡¯t practice Dual Cultivation Heart Methods, can I?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, have you forgotten I have the ¡®Hundred Percent Accuracy¡¯ entry? Every encounter leads to conception, remember?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was only then, reacting suddenly, that Chen Qiu recalled this matter, falling silent for a moment before tentatively asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a kind of Dual Cultivation Heart Method that isn¡¯t rated eighteen plus? ¡±


    ¡°Like the type where you don¡¯t need to share a room but just need two people sitting face to face in the lotus position, with hands together in prayer, to practice?¡±

 Chapter 101 - 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes._3

    Chapter 101: Chapter 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes._3


    ¡°No.¡±


    Fat Long shook his head affirmatively, ¡°At least I haven¡¯t heard of any place that has.¡±


    ¡°This really is a problem,¡± Chen Qiu fell into deep thought, unable to figure out how to solve this issue for quite some time. It was indeed a drawback; it wasn¡¯t practical to embark on the Cultivation Path with a bunch of children in tow, but neither could he just let the children meet their demise.


    Even if he had to do it, he would need to acquire the ¡®Immortal Road¡¯ entry before dealing with them.


    Otherwise, it would be quite wasteful.


    Killing them in the womb? That felt even stranger and more sinful.


    ...


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t answer right away; he couldn¡¯t think of any good solution either, merely gazing subconsciously at the remaining two entry jade slips in his Storage Ring.


    One of them was indeed quite useful to him.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Every Step a Fortress.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Grey.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: After you master the ¡®Inch as Miles¡¯ movement technique, when you employ this technique, the distance you cross will be enhanced fivefold, and it will consume nature¡¯s spiritual energy instead of your own spiritual energy. However, you will not be able to control the direction or the landing spot, both will be entirely random.


    ¨C


    ¡®Inch as Miles¡¯.


    Like the ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique¡¯, it is one of the more basic spells in the Cultivation World. Even many cultivators who aren¡¯t Magic Practitioners, such as Sword Cultivators and Alchemy Cultivators, would know ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique¡¯.


    After all, it¡¯s not too complex of a spell.


    Just as many cultivators would learn the ¡®Spring Rain Technique¡¯, primarily used to irrigate the spirit fields, but many would also use it to shower when outside.


    ¡®Inch as Miles¡¯ is a very classic and widely disseminated movement technique.


    It¡¯s suitable for close-range combat but not for travel and escape.


    It allows one to swiftly move to a position several meters away.


    It¡¯s very fast, even faster than some long-range Teleportation techniques, but the consumption of spiritual energy is quite significant, making it difficult to use repeatedly in a short time. It¡¯s a technique used in critical moments to dodge lethal blows from enemies.


    But with this entry¡­


    The movement technique becomes out of the ordinary. Just the fact that it doesn¡¯t consume spiritual energy is strong, meaning it can be used without any limit. Its speed is faster than many long-range techniques.


    Only¡­


    The randomness of the landing spot and direction implies high unpredictability, such as¡­ you could teleport directly in front of an enemy, essentially face to face.


    However, despite the drawback, Chen Qiu still shattered the jade slip, and the name of the entry gradually appeared on his Tao Foundation.


    In the short term, the effect of this entry was quite good for him, at least making up for the shortcoming of not having a movement technique.


    Later, when he acquired a better movement technique and no longer needed ¡®Inch as Miles¡¯, he could self-destruct the entry.


    ¡®Inch as Miles¡¯ is a very common technique; his small world even had a pile of over a dozen spell Secret Realms for it, though he didn¡¯t plan to practice it.


    Tomorrow, he would go to Kai Mountain City and purchase an ¡®Inch as Miles¡¯ from a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm product.


    Once mastered, it will be at the Great Achievement Realm.


    ¡­


    But when Chen Qiu looked at the last entry jade slip, his expression gradually turned odd, and for a moment, he didn¡¯t know what to say, just tossing the entry jade slip into Fat Long¡¯s arms. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Parents Untouched by Foes.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Any attack you suffer will be distributed to your progeny, and any attack your parents suffer will be transferred to you.


    ¨C


    What an entry, Parents Untouched by Foes!


    It could be said to magnify filial piety!


    To a certain extent, for some species with strong reproductive capabilities, this could be a very powerful entry.


    This world isn¡¯t just inhabited by the Human Race.


    There are the Demon Race, the bona fide Demon Race, not those Demon Clan cultivators.


    There¡¯s also the Devil Clan, and so on.


    However, within the bounds of Da Xia, the Human Race is the highest ranking, any Devil Clan must stay obediently within the designated areas, and those from the Demon Race haven¡¯t been seen in many years; it¡¯s unknown if they¡¯ve already gone extinct.


    Some Demons, like the Rabbit Demon, can have many in one litter. For those capable of such reproduction, this entry is quite powerful.


    And¡­


    The entry seems rather suitable for Fat Long as well.


    ¡­


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long with a complex expression, ¡°It¡¯s like the heavens themselves want you to have children. Just have tens of thousands, and you could directly withstand a Golden Core level cultivator.


    ¡°As long as your children don¡¯t die off, you¡¯re certain not to die.


    ¡°That would make you invincible.


    ¡°Plus, you don¡¯t have a father or mother, so there are no side effects.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, hold on¡­¡± Fat Long looked bewildered at the ¡®Parents Untouched by Foes¡¯ entry, muttering in a daze, ¡°Let me sort this out, why do I feel so confused?


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to have children, I¡¯m here for cultivation, not to have a bunch of kids?


    ¡°I¡¯m still aiming to achieve a Nascent Soul!¡±


    ¡­


    And so, after several sticks of incense had passed!


    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea!!!¡± Fat Long suddenly shouted in excitement, almost causing the spiritual energy of Chen Qiu, who was meditating and cultivating, to backflow. He couldn¡¯t help opening his eyes and said irritably, ¡°Out with it!¡±


    ¡°Look, Brother Qiu.¡± Fat Long spoke earnestly, counting on his fingers, ¡°I now have an entry that is extremely suitable for Dual Cultivation, but I also have the ¡®Hundred Percent Accuracy¡¯ entry that is not conducive to Dual Cultivation, right?¡±


    ¡°But you know about reproductive barriers, right?¡±


    ¡°Humans and Demons can¡¯t procreate.¡±


    ¡°So, I can look for some female Demons, thus perfectly harnessing my ¡®Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡¯ entry while ignoring the negative effects of the ¡®Hundred Percent Accuracy¡¯ entry.¡±

 Chapter 102 - 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes._4

    Chapter 102: Chapter 95: Parents Unthreatened by Foes._4


    ¡°Absolutely perfect!¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained expressionless and silent for a long time before he softly said, ¡°A female demon? Do you really need to debase yourself so much for cultivation? Can you really bring yourself to do it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ...


    Fat Long suddenly calmed down, his expression distant as he looked through the gap in the temple roof at the stars above: ¡°How could I bring myself to do it? Just thinking about those shells, that viscous liquid, those terrifying mouthparts, I can¡¯t bring myself to do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a human, not a mere savage beast.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°How could I see a hole and be able to do it?¡±


    ¡°Especially when I think about those demons even having eaten people, I feel utterly nauseated.¡±


    ¡°But then¡­¡±


    ¡°What can be done about it?¡±


    ¡°Meeting you, Brother Qiu, was my opportunity, but as your cultivation advances faster and faster, I can¡¯t keep holding you back, can I? Scholar and the others have all found their places in Chao Tian Sect, while I, Fat Long, though self-proclaimed as the Great Elder of Chao Tian Sect, am utterly useless.¡±


    ¡°People need to realize their value, no one wants to be an unknown waste forever.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, I, Fat Long, even vainly hope to someday achieve the Nascent Soul, how could I live under others¡¯ protection all my life?¡±


    ¡°So¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t bring myself to do it, even if I feel utterly disgusted, even if I am nauseated to the extreme, and even if misunderstood by the world, I still have to force myself to do it.¡±


    ¡°Just consider it¡­ slaying demons and eliminating devils.¡±


    ¡°It would also count as a service to the people.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Chen Qiu remained expressionless and silent, actually wanting to retort right then why you have to portray this matter as if you were going to sacrifice yourself for some unattainable ideal.


    But seeing Fat Long¡¯s serious demeanor, he held his tongue, not wanting to discourage Fat Long.


    A moment later, he still gave a slight nod and said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon, the sun had risen halfway into the sky.


    It was already noon.


    Chen Qiu slowly woke up from a room in the sky-character room of an inn in Kai Mountain City. He had not practiced and rested well the previous night, having slept rather sweetly, having already decided to continue sleeping in the disciple dormitory of Chao Tian Sect in the small world the night before.


    But¡­


    Chao Tian Sect was really too shabby.


    It was not at all comfortable to sleep there, so in the latter part of the night, they entered the city and went to an inn. The sky-character room was far more comfortable than the stone beds in the disciple dormitory.


    After getting up and sitting on the bed to circulate his mental method, expelling all the turbid air and external impurities from his body, Chen Qiu then opened his eyes, playing with a token in his hand.


    This token was found yesterday in the third Storage Ring on the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market.


    When he saw this token.


    He knew why the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market had only those 2,000-odd Spirit Stones on him.


    Most likely, most of the Spirit Stones had been used to buy this token.


    ¡®Fiery Flame Seven Killings Array¡¯


    ¡®Golden Core Mid-grade Array Plate, capable of slaying a fifth layer Golden Core cultivator when activated.¡¯


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was playing with the token in his hand, his expression distant as he looked out the window, now recalling that he had had a close brush with death back then, it was just that he had acted too quickly, and Ask Heaven Market had not reacted in time.


    Otherwise, once the Array Plate was activated.


    Even if it was just activated and its power had not yet reached its peak, it would still be enough to kill him!


    It was just a bit too lucky. If there had been even the slightest error, he wouldn¡¯t have seen tomorrow¡¯s sun. Now this good thing belonged to him.


    He wondered why the workshop owner of Ask Heaven Market had spent so much to purchase this Array Plate.

 Chapter 103 - 96:

    Chapter 103: Chapter 96: ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡±.


    Chen Qiu frowned with some toothache as he gasped the cool air, at the same time his desire to enhance his Cultivation grew even stronger.


    It¡¯s still too weak in terms of Cultivation.


    If his Cultivation could be a little stronger, who cares about any numbers, anyone who dares to provoke him would be wholly annihilated!


    This world is still too dangerous, he must become stronger as soon as possible!


    ¡­


    That day, he went nowhere and concentrated on cultivating in the inn.


    ...


    The sense of unknown danger made him completely reluctant to go out; he only wanted to stay inside the inn and cultivate, although he knew that even after a whole day of cultivation, his Cultivation would not improve much.


    Soon, the evening passed, and it was midnight.


    After the scholar inquired about his whereabouts using the Sound Transmission Ring, accompanied by a Liu Guang longsword shooting into the inn, the scholar quickly appeared before him, handing him two Storage Bags with an excited smile on his face. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, take a look, it¡¯s an absolute surprise.¡±


    ¡°I can only tell you, Brother Qiu, that Liu Zide is definitely a genius. I¡¯ve never seen anyone crazier than him. He¡¯s not particularly smart, but he¡¯s extremely crazy, crazy to the point where I wanted to run away.¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s gains will definitely satisfy you, Brother Qiu, and I expect even more tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brows rose slightly as he took the Storage Bag handed over by the scholar, probing with his Divine Sense and saying with slight amazement, ¡°So many?¡±


    In the bag, there were precisely 283 Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for Foundation Establishment.


    There were only 67 yesterday, but today there were roughly four times more.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The scholar was also a bit proud of this achievement, showing off with a satisfied expression: ¡°Today, there were 187 people on the board. Those in the last five hundred names on the ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯ were mostly our people.¡±


    ¡°The news about the Heavenly Dao Blessing being Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills has not been divulged.¡±


    ¡°Those people in Qiu Yuan City don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°And this hasn¡¯t even begun to ferment. According to Liu Zide¡¯s plan, we can at least double it by tomorrow, and then double it again the day after. The fame points of our people are skyrocketing, and once the rankings rise, the blessings we get from the Heavenly Dao will also increase!¡±


    ¡°As of midnight tonight, the highest ranked person has already reached 781st place on the ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction. This progress was indeed quite good. Based on this progress, the 25,000 Spirit Stones he invested seemed likely to be recouped, and there was still great hope for breaking even.


    ¡­


    After the scholar departed.


    Chen Qiu looked at the bag of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and without saying anything, began stuffing them into his mouth as though they were candy beans.


    After taking 24 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his Cultivation broke through to the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    At the same time, a familiar panel wrapped in clouds and mist appeared above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Significant improvement in Cultivation, formally stepping into the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Sword Heart.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: This will slightly enhance your talent in the Sword Dao.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Ancestors Under Siege.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Any attack you suffer will be transferred to your parents.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Unknown.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Unknown.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: This entry is the only unknown one. Confirm your choice to reveal its true nature, and this entry cannot be discarded by any means.


    ¨C


    Another Sword Cultivator entry¡­


    Chen Qiu was a bit speechless. Did Heaven really want him to pursue the Sword Dao? Could it be that he was truly destined for this path?


    If there was another entry suitable for Sword Cultivation next time, he would practice Swordsmanship dual cultivation!


    He refused to believe in curses.


    The ¡®Ancestors Under Siege¡¯ entry was completely useless to him; he had no parents. Unless calling someone father would magically make that person his parent, combining that with this entry would be quite invincible. But on closer thought, such an entry obviously didn¡¯t exist.


    Otherwise, it would be too overpowered.


    The only choice left to him was the last unknown entry. To be honest, he was quite looking forward to it; his ¡®Dantian Expansion¡¯ entry had come from an unknown one.


    And it was a unique level, the only unique level entry so far.


    He wondered what kind of entry he would get this time from picking the unknown one.


    Quickly¡ª


    A panel shrouded in clouds and mist appeared before him once again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Dual Casting.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you release any Spell, another will be cast without any consumption.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu arched an eyebrow and nodded. Not bad, it was equivalent to doubling his combat power.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Bang, bang.¡±


    There was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, it¡¯s me.¡±


    After Chen Qiu opened the door with a thread of Spiritual Energy, he turned to see Fat Long standing at the doorway and asked with a frown, ¡°What are you doing at my room in the middle of the night with the bodies of two dead Rabbit Demons?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    Fat Long said somewhat awkwardly and quietly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you give me some Spirit Stones today, Brother Qiu, and asked me to go buy a Dual Cultivation heart method?¡±


    ¡°I bought a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Dual Cultivation heart method from Kai Mountain City¡¯s Square, which came from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; the effect is quite good, so I went to the demon beast market there and bought some demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°I figured the Rabbit Demon would be somewhat easier to handle.¡±


    ¡°So I bought a bunch of them.¡±


    ¡°But Rabbit Demons are a bit frail, usually dying after one session. Of course, there are benefits to killing demon beasts as well; it can increase your Cultivation Progress a little, though the amount you gain from Qi Refinement Rabbit Demons is basically negligible, but it¡¯s better than nothing, right?¡±

 Chapter 104 - 96:

    Chapter 104: Chapter 96: ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡±._2


    ¡°`


    ¡°These Rabbit Demons at the first level of Qi Refinement are so cheap because their Cultivation is too low and they breed too fast, many ordinary people will buy a Rabbit Demon to take home for their kids to play with.¡±


    ¡°I guess I just wanted to get stronger too much.¡±


    ¡°So now I¡¯ve got thousands of dead Rabbit Demons in my room, figuring the meat isn¡¯t worth much to sell, I thought since I¡¯m idle anyway.¡±


    ¡°How about we go to the rooftop and barbecue some rabbit meat?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly toward Fat Long, who stood at the door holding two dead rabbits, and after a long silence, finally waved and said, ¡°Come here, walk in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Then, Chen Qiu silently took out the Jade Feather Fan he had bought at Wentian Market and, his expression filled with rage, leaped up from the bed and started beating Fat Long with it.


    ¡°Are you fucking insane?!!¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°Did you fuck up your brain Dual Cultivating yourself into stupidity?¡±


    ¡°You fucking think I¡¯m going to eat your dead Rabbit Demons? Do you believe I¡¯ll go find Liu Zide right now and have you castrated?!¡±


    ¡°Are you just trying to piss me off in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡­¡±


    After getting beaten black and blue by Chen Qiu, Fat Long finally came to his senses, curled up in the corner of the room holding his head, and said with a crying and aggrieved voice, ¡°I just killed these Rabbit Demons!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re clean!¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly offer you a used Rabbit Demon to eat, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that today you gave me some Spirit Stones to buy a Dual Cultivation Technique and the entry jade slip, I didn¡¯t know how else to thank you, so I picked the two fattest and juiciest Rabbit Demons, I didn¡¯t even want to use them, I just brought some peanuts and liquor, thinking to have a drink with you on the rooftop.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°How could I be that stupid!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly felt apologetic and stiffened in place, sheepishly saying, ¡°So it is that way, really, sorry for misunderstanding you, it¡¯s quite unfair the beating you took, just take it as thanks.¡±


    ¡°What about it, go to the rooftop for a drink?¡±


    With a sense of grievance, Fat Long lifted his arm and wiped away the tear streaks from the corner of his eyes, and nodded heavily.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    ¡­


    In Kai Mountain City, on the rooftop of the inn.


    Chen Qiu and his companion sat on the rooftop, leisurely roasting rabbit meat on the grill beside them, each taking a sip of liquor and a bite of meat, thoroughly enjoying their casual chat with each other.


    Talking about the past life.


    Talking about things before they met.


    Talking about things after they met.


    Talking about everything.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°`


    Maybe it was the excess drinking, but Fat Long was slurring as he draped an arm around Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulders, saying groggily, ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m called Fat Long?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t practiced Cultivation tonight but chose to sit on the roof and drink with Fat Long for half the night, and he replied somewhat fuzzily and nonchalantly, ¡°One minute you say you changed your name to Fat Long, the next you say it¡¯s always been your name, who the hell knows why you¡¯re called Fat Long.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t used Spiritual Energy to expel the effects of alcohol.


    If you¡¯re going to drink and then use Spiritual Energy to sober up, what¡¯s the difference between that and drinking water?


    ¡°Heh heh.¡±


    With his slurred speech and a grin, Fat Long chuckled, ¡°Actually, when I was born, there really was a fatty five-clawed dragon circling above our door. Then, my parents named me Fat Long.¡±


    As he said this, he started laughing himself, clearly thinking it was quite far-fetched.


    ¡°Here¡¯s to you, Brother Qiu, another one!¡±


    Just then¡ª


    Chen Qiu suddenly saw in the distance, in the night, a Heaven-reaching Giant, stepping on lotuses that bloomed with each step in midair, heading right towards Kai Mountain City, and quickly landing right in front of them.


    The giant¡¯s enormous figure was exceedingly conspicuous in the darkness!


    Squatting down, he almost filled the entire cobblestone road and towered over the inn, only able to look down upon Chen Qiu and the others on the roof as he boomed, ¡°Brother Chen Qiu, the Sect Master sent me to find you, said you might be in danger, and told me to support you.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked up at the towering giant before him, a bit bewildered, ¡°The Sect Master sent you to find me? What danger is there around here?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t even started to talk.


    When he saw Zhao Yishi¡¯s throat move slightly, the sound of swallowing saliva was like a bolt from the blue, and his eyes intently stared at the rabbit meat on the grill, radiating aroma, ¡°What does this rabbit meat taste like, is it good?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Although Chen Qiu didn¡¯t know why Zhao Yishi had shown up here, he still helplessly gestured for Fat Long to hand the rabbit meat to Zhao Yishi. The originally not-so-small rabbit meat looked like just a tiny morsel once it entered Zhao Yishi¡¯s mouth.


    As expected.


    Zhao Yishi merely pursed his lips, the food seeming to have disappeared before one could even see it travel down his throat, and sheepishly after smacking his lips, he mumbled, ¡°Do you have more? I barely got a taste.¡±


    ¡°The Sect Master hasn¡¯t fed me my fill in a long time, I¡¯m so hungry.¡±


    Although Fat Long was a bit speechless with this familiarity, he still got up and went to the guest rooms downstairs, ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll go butcher two for you, there are just two rabbit demons left.¡±


    Soon¡ª


    Fat Long came up to the roof holding two freshly killed rabbit demons, and before he could even put them on the grill, Zhao Yishi¡¯s stomach roared with a deafening turmoil, ¡°That¡­ I can eat them raw, no need to cook.¡±


    ¡°You eat them raw?¡±


    ¡°As long as they¡¯re not alive, it¡¯s all fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long couldn¡¯t be bothered to say more, and just tossed the two rabbit demons into Zhao Yishi¡¯s mouth. After finishing these two, Zhao Yishi still looked unfilled and dropped his massive head. His large eyes peered excitedly through the window of Fat Long¡¯s room and exclaimed.


    ¡°Fat Long, you¡¯ve got lots of yummy stuff in your room!¡±


    ¡°Those have been dead for a while, they¡¯re still raw.¡± Fat Long replied grumpily, as he grabbed the bottle to continue guzzling half a jug, before slurring, ¡°If you like it, it¡¯s all yours.¡±

 Chapter 105 - 96:

    Chapter 105: Chapter 96: ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡±. _3


    Then he looked towards Chen Qiu, who was drunkenly slurring, ¡°Come on, Brother Qiu, let¡¯s keep drinking.¡±


    ¡°Hold on¡­¡±


    Fat Long suddenly remembered something, instantly sobered up, his face anxious and he shouted hurriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t eat it, don¡¯t eat that!!¡±


    However, it was already too late.


    Zhao Yishi raised his head, holding a giant toothpick in his hand. He had just used it to extract and eat the Rabbit Demon from Fat Long¡¯s guest room, similar to picking out snail meat.


    With a somewhat blank look, he gazed down at Fat Long, ¡°What, I¡¯ve already eaten it.¡±


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was also instantly sober by then, remaining silent at first, he forcefully controlled the spiritual energy to suppress the tumultuous feelings inside him, pretending as if nothing had happened, and turned his head to look aside.


    He didn¡¯t want to be in this world anymore.


    He wanted to go home.


    This world was too chaotic, many things were too distorted, and he no longer knew how to face this world.


    Even Fat Long remained silent, not knowing what to say and not bothering to address the still perplexed Zhao Yishi but just looked down at the mud on his boots. He also wanted to go home, as this world gradually turned him into something he couldn¡¯t comprehend himself.


    At least.


    Before this, he had never thought of the Rabbit Demon.


    But¡­


    One must become stronger, right?


    If not, he would die.


    What choice did he have? If he had a choice, he wouldn¡¯t want this either, but he wanted even less to die.


    He still had many things he hadn¡¯t done; how could he just die trivially? He still had dreams to fulfill, he had yet to exact revenge on the Flower Offering Sect.


    ¡­


    Just as Chen Qiu and Fat Long both fell into silence and Zhao Yishi was still puzzled.


    Suddenly, a roar came from high in the sky, and the originally silent night was instantly enveloped by a brilliant light as bright as day, a terrifying Golden Core Intermediate Level Cultivation carrying immense Sword Intent coming from the west, speeding towards Kai Mountain City.


    ¡°Qiu Shan, the old ghost!¡±


    ¡°Hand over the ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ entry jade slip, and I¡¯ll spare your life! Otherwise, I¡¯ll hunt you to the ends of the earth!¡±


    Two streaks of Liu Guang could be vaguely seen speeding up towards Kai Mountain City.


    In the forefront, the black Liu Guang carried an extremely terrifying surge of Demonic Qi. The pressure it emitted, even though not targeted at Kai Mountain City, still made them feel an intense oppression.


    ¡°Hehehe!!¡±


    It was clear that the Sword Cultivator following was a bit stronger; the Sword Intent he emitted even made the long sword inside his Storage Ring tremble, and it seemed about to catch up with the front black Liu Guang.


    The other, also a Golden Core Intermediate Level Demon Cultivator, seemed somewhat afraid as he taunted.


    ¡°Want it, huh?¡±


    ¡°Then here you go!¡±


    The voice echoed above Kai Mountain City, waking many sleeping mortals below.


    Immediately afterward, a jade scroll was seen thrown from the high sky, heading straight down towards Kai Mountain City.


    However¡­ the Golden Core Late Stage Sword Cultivator behind didn¡¯t stop at all, continuing to doggedly chase the Demon Cultivator, sneering, ¡°Do you think I, Ji Taiping, the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, am a fool?¡±


    ¡°Such a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain, would I fall for it?¡±


    Amidst the noise.


    The two streaks of Liu Guang vanished in a blink above Kai Mountain City, carrying along two terrifying forces shooting far away!


    ¡­


    Only Chen Qiu stared blankly and disbelievingly at the entry jade slip that had just fallen from the sky and landed precisely into his arms.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Ten Layers of Spellcasting.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Purple.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Any spell you cast will be cast ten additional times without any consumption.


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu slightly swallowed, his expression somewhat shocked as he looked towards the two streaks of light that had long vanished above Kai Mountain City.


    The number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia?


    Ji Taiping?


    The guy didn¡¯t trick you, he really did drop it!


    You misunderstood him!


    But almost instantly he reacted, pulling out a Sound Transmission Ring from his chest and frantically and urgently said, ¡°Scholar, come and protect me, protect me!!!¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Within a few moments.


    The scholar appeared in front of him.


    Without a second word, Chen Qiu grabbed the scholar¡¯s collar and hurriedly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, don¡¯t ask!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, they, along with Zhao Yishi, disappeared from the spot!


    The moment they vanished, Ji Taiping, with a gloomy face, returned empty-handed to the sky above Kai Mountain City, casually waving his hand, unleashing a sky filled with golden Sword Rain that encircled Kai Mountain City!


    This was Ji Taiping¡¯s signature Swordsmanship.


    ¡®Seven Killings Extinguishing World Sword¡¯.


    It belongs to a Sword Array, combining his understanding of the Sword Dao and Formation into one Swordsmanship. If one¡¯s strength is inferior to Ji Taiping, they fundamentally cannot break this array, whether it is Sound Transmission, Teleportation Array, or any other means; all are incapable of breaking through such a great array.


    A voice, suppressing angry emotions, boomed like a thunderclap in the sky above Kai Mountain City.


    ¡°The City Lord of Kai Mountain City, come out for a talk!¡±


    ¡°The number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Ji Taiping, has lost an item in Kai Mountain City!¡±


    ¡°Please cooperate with a search of the city!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°That was terrifying.¡±


    By now, having escaped to Qiu Yuan City, Chen Qiu, remembering the horrifying Sword Intent from before, muttered as if he had narrowly escaped a disaster, ¡°The number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, truly as terrifying as rumored.¡±


    ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯.


    Indeed, a fine item.


    Whether for a Magic Practitioner, a Sword Cultivator, or even a Demon Cultivator or Evil Cultivator, it¡¯s an invaluable treasure without any side effects, who would mind if their spells were cast a little more often?


    Even the Spring Rain Technique could plow a few more acres, couldn¡¯t it?


    ¡­


    An hour later.

 Chapter 106 - 96:

    Chapter 106: Chapter 96: ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡±. _4


    Ji Taiping¡¯s Divine Sense swept past everyone in Kai Mountain City but could not find the entry jade slip, which suggested only two possibilities.


    One possibility was that the person who found the entry jade slip had already fled.


    But this possibility was almost nil, as no one could move that fast.


    The remaining possibility was that it had been crushed and engraved into the Tao Foundation.


    For the moment, he could not determine which possibility it was, as he couldn¡¯t possibly inspect the Dantian of every person in Kai Mountain City one by one.


    Millions of people, it would exhaust him to death.


    ...


    Moreover, if it had already been crushed and inscribed into the Tao Foundation, then even if he found it, it would be meaningless.


    However¡­


    Ji Taiping looked towards the Capital with a dark expression. When he flew over Kai Mountain City just now, he had faintly seen a giant within the city. There was only one giant in the entire Da Xia, and that was Zhao Yishi of the Caotian Sect.


    And now, Zhao Yishi was no longer in Kai Mountain City.


    No matter what means Zhao Yishi used to escape under his nose, a visit to the Caotian Sect was evidently required.


    Only after that did he lower his head to look at the portrait people had given him.


    Those two had also left Kai Mountain City as well, a young man in a blue robe, and a fat man.


    Conveniently, he recognized the man in the blue robe.


    Chen Qiu, a Magic Practitioner.


    The Memory Stone depicting this person working with Bai Yi had already spread in the Capital, and he was extremely concerned about any news of Bai Yi, so how could he have not seen that Memory Stone?


    ¡°Bai Yi¡­ Chen Qiu¡­¡±


    Ji Taiping looked around calmly. It seemed he had to settle new grudges along with the old ones. According to the information given to him by the City Lord of Kai Mountain City, Bai Yi had been quite active in Xuzhou in the last two days, seen by many, mainly staying in Qiu Yuan City, apparently dealing with something related to a Memory Stone, stirring up quite a commotion anyway.


    Very well.


    Bai Yi dared to act without disguise, which seemed like he didn¡¯t take him, Ji Taiping, seriously. Since that was the case, he would go to Qiu Yuan City tonight for a visit.


    It¡¯s been a long time since he¡¯s seen Bai Yi.


    And he indeed missed him dearly.


    ¡­


    Inside Qiu Yuan City.


    Chen Qiu, who had just caught his breath, quickly remembered something and turned to look at the enormous presence of Zhao Yishi next to him, his expression somewhat complex.


    ¡°Zhao Yishi, I think it¡¯s best for you to return to your sect for a while.¡±


    ¡°It might be dangerous outside.¡±


    When Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator, Ji Taiping, flew over Kai Mountain City, although he didn¡¯t say anything about it, he probably caught a glimpse of Zhao Yishi with the corner of his eye, especially since Zhao Yishi¡¯s stature in the middle of the city was just too noticeable.


    It was impossible not to notice him.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Zhao Yishi nodded seriously: ¡°I was thinking the same thing, it¡¯s indeed too dangerous outside, Golden Core Sword Cultivators are flying all over the sky, I won¡¯t leave the sect again until I reach Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°In a few days, it will be the annual ¡®Heavenly Pride Leaderboard Competition¡¯, young disciples from all the major sects will participate. Are you guys coming?¡±


    ¡°Even those without a sect can join the competition, mainly to strive for a place on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, His Majesty will also bestow additional rewards based on the rankings, for both the sects and the participating disciples.¡±


    ¡°I might take part this time, you can come and cheer for me.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when the time comes.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced around, motioning to Zhao Yishi with some unease: ¡°You better hurry back to the sect, it¡¯s a bit dangerous outside.¡±


    Then he watched Zhao Yishi¡¯s figure disappear into the night sky.


    He sighed in relief, then turned to the scholar with a frown: ¡°Liu Zide¡¯s plan is too ambitious. That entry jade slip from Ji Taiping is with me, as long as he finds the Shopkeeper of the inn and inquires a bit, he will know that Fat Long and I have disappeared, and it¡¯s very likely he¡¯ll eventually trace it back to us.¡±


    ¡°We need to change location immediately.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the progress on Liu Zide¡¯s side?¡±


    The scholar whispered, ¡°It can be wrapped up now. According to Liu Zide¡¯s plan, we could actually bail tonight since the groundwork has already been laid, what¡¯s left is just to let it ferment.¡±


    ¡°As long as those few hundred people are controlled, then going forward, there will be a continuous income every day.¡±


    ¡°We expect to hit the peak income in three days, then maintain that peak before slowly declining.¡±


    ¡°But Liu Zide thinks there¡¯s no danger yet, and the government of Qiu Yuan City is quite supportive of him, so he¡¯s planning to expand the scope further tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    Chen Qiu said softly.


    ¡°Tell Liu Zide to bring those people here, the scheme is big enough already, let the rest just ferment naturally.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon.


    Liu Zide came over with more than two hundred people from a distance, standing beside Chen Qiu, explaining, ¡°Among these people, 187 have made it onto the list, the remaining 38 are still fermenting, but they are estimated to be listed by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, glanced over the two hundred-plus people, and then quietly said to Liu Zide, ¡°I may not be able to give you a full tenth share of the profits, as it¡¯s just beginning and I don¡¯t even know how much a tenth is. You name the amount.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Liu Zide hesitated, ¡°Brother Qiu, the Spirit Stones you gave me, I haven¡¯t even spent two thousand Spirit Stones, how about these two thousand Spirit Stones as my tenth share?¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Chen Qiu nodded in approval, ¡°Then let¡¯s close up the scheme now. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡­


    Taking the two hundred people to a quiet and deserted area late at night, ensuring there was no one around, Chen Qiu waved his sleeve, and instantly sucked the two hundred-odd people into his small world.


    ¡°Please settle here for some time.¡±


    The Cultivation of these people was unanimously in the Qi Refinement Realm, and he easily took them into his small world.


    ¡°Brother Qiu,¡±


    The scholar spoke up, ¡°Where to next?¡±


    ¡°Find a secluded place, cultivate for a while, I still have many Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills to consume.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition in the Capital?¡±


    ¡°For such small benefits, it¡¯s too dangerous to expose oneself under so many watchful eyes.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. I happen to know of a hidden place, a cave dwelling I constructed during my Foundation Establishment Stage, in a very secluded location. Shall we go there?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­

 Chapter 107 - 97:

    Chapter 107: Chapter 97: ¡°Da Xia Prison Cage¡±.


    Not long after Chen Qiu had left, Ji Taiping, the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, had descended above Qiu Yuan City with a towering Sword Intent. Although he was quite anxious and angry, he still lowered his voice and hoarsely said.


    ¡°Please, summon the City Lord of Qiu Yuan City.¡±


    The number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    A title pursued by the younger generation of Heavenly Prides, it did not mean invincibility. There were three hundred and sixty-five major cities in Da Xia, and most of these cities¡¯ City Lords possessed Golden Core Cultivation with the Qi Fortune of Da Xia.


    They were not to be underestimated, and although it was highly likely that they couldn¡¯t defeat him, the City Lord represented Da Xia Country, so he couldn¡¯t just barge into Qiu Yuan City recklessly. That would make him no different from an Evil Cultivation practitioner.


    By this time, Chen Qiu and the others had already fled. As for Liu Zide, though not as quick as Chen Qiu and the others, he was also fast. Having previously purchased a Random Teleportation Talisman, he had left Qiu Yuan City under the cover of night and was already disguised, making his way toward Yun City.


    ...


    A plan that had just begun instantly crumbled as each scrambled to flee separately.


    However¡­


    The remnants were like dandelions, spreading across forty-seven large cities of Xuzhou, and they had already taken root and sprouted, only waiting a few days to ferment, and would explode into a terror of public opinion unseen by anyone.


    Gossip, this thing is like a spiritual drug, spreading as soon as you converse with someone.


    The City Lord Mansion, though tasked with controlling public opinion, was also engrossed in it for the time being, and did not see any immediate need to intervene.


    ¡­


    At this time¡ª


    Chen Qiu and his group had already arrived at a cliff within the territory of Xuzhou.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    The scholar looked down at the cliff shrouded in mist and nostalgically said, ¡°Back then, I was just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, spending most of my time here in arduous cultivation before heading to the Secret Realm to seek opportunities.¡±


    Da Xia Country comprises nineteen provinces, among which Xuzhou is a major one.


    It is also the northernmost province.


    Since ancient times, being a major province often means the land is barren. Xuzhou is no different, its spiritual energy is thinner compared to other major provinces, the frequency of Secret Realms appearing is also lower, the land is less fertile, and there are fewer heavenly materials and earthly treasures. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Many famous sects have their sect premises near the Capital, which is in ¡®Jing Province¡¯.


    The spiritual energy there is significantly richer, and in some Cave Heaven Blessed Lands, the density of spiritual energy is even more than twice that of Xuzhou, hence the speed of Cultivation growth is naturally much faster than that of Xuzhou.


    ¡°The territory of Xuzhou is extremely vast, from the easternmost to the westernmost point, it would take a normal Foundation Establishment sixth-level Cultivator using Sword Flight, assuming they fly non-stop and their spiritual energy isn¡¯t exhausted, approximately three days and nights.¡±


    ¡°From the northernmost to the southernmost point, it just takes a day.¡±


    ¡°The Capital is located to the south of Xuzhou, and Xuzhou and Jing Province are adjacent on the map of Da Xia, with eleven provinces further south of Jing Province, hence most of the provinces are referred to as the Southern State.¡±


    ¡°The density of spiritual energy in the Southern State is not much less than in Jing Province, hence the Southern State also frequently gives rise to Heavenly Prides.¡±


    The scholar sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, his gaze drifting through the mist to the north and quietly said, ¡°Directly north of Xuzhou, outside the boundaries of the Da Xia Territory, lies a vast, endless desert.¡±


    ¡°I have heard that a Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivator once went to explore it and returned severely injured after three months, claiming he never saw the edge of the desert, and while crossing one area, he felt an extremely terrifying Nascent Soul aura. That Nascent Soul merely swept its Divine Sense over him and caused him severe injuries.¡±


    ¡°That desert has thus been named the ¡®Endless Desert¡¯.¡±


    ¡°No one knows where the end of the desert lies, nor what lies beyond the edge of the desert, only that there is a Nascent Soul within the Endless Desert.¡±


    Fat Long nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Da Xia have any Nascent Souls?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°I can be certain of one thing, there is absolutely no Nascent Soul in Da Xia. Otherwise, Da Xia would have declared it to the world immediately, not for any other reason but to tell those unknown entities around us that we too have a Nascent Soul in Da Xia, and we should live together in peace.¡±


    ¡°That cannot be, can it?¡±


    Fat Long furrowed his brows in confusion, ¡°To establish a sect recognized by the Heavenly Dao, the Sect Master needs at least an initial stage of Golden Core Cultivation. With so many sects in Da Xia, even if excluding those who are just passed over, there should be three or four hundred with Golden Cores, right?¡±


    ¡°Plus, with three hundred and sixty-five major cities in Da Xia, each city¡¯s City Lord mostly has Golden Core Cultivation, let¡¯s say three hundred for those.¡±


    ¡°Then add some Golden Core Loose Cultivators, and some key figures like Supreme Elders and Family Heads in major families.¡±


    ¡°How can it be plausible that among so many Golden Cores, not one has ascended to Nascent Soul?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar did not speak immediately but fell into a rare silence with an unreadable expression, only shaking his head softly after a while and quietly said, ¡°No, not a single Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure of the specific reasons, but I know that Da Xia is more troubled by this than I am.¡±


    ¡°As for those Golden Core City Lords of the main cities in Da Xia that you mentioned, at least seventy percent of them are pseudo-Golden Cores.¡±


    ¡°These individuals are mostly stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment without being able to break through. After pledging loyalty to Da Xia and being appointed to their positions by royal decree, they carry a hint of Da Xia¡¯s national fate, which allows them to break through to Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Though they have achieved Golden Core, they are fundamentally stuck at this stage, and advancing further in their Cultivation is very difficult. Moreover, once they are dismissed from office and Da Xia withdraws their national fate, their Cultivation will immediately fall back to the peak of Foundation Establishment.¡±

 Chapter 108 - 97:

    Chapter 108: Chapter 97: ¡°Da Xia Prison Cage¡±. _2


    ¡°`


    ¡°But even so, these Golden Cores carrying the fate of Da Xia Country are still very strong among their peers,¡±


    ¡°Back then, Da Xia also relied on this method to quickly win over a large number of Golden Cores, thereby securing its leading position among the hundred sects.¡±


    ¡°The country as the mainstay, the family sects as the support.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to think of something, ¡°Could it be that the Da Xia Official Road is actually a Formation to counter the Nascent Soul?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ...


    The scholar said with a smile, ¡°Da Xia was quite interesting back then; they couldn¡¯t produce a Nascent Soul, so they spent a lot of manpower and resources under the coordination of an Array Repairer at the Golden Core Peak, taking decades to build this Formation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said to be able to kill Nascent Souls at the initial stage.¡±


    ¡°At the beginning, because it was the first time that Golden Core Peak Array Repairer was setting up such a Nascent Soul Formation, the difficulty was increased tenfold due to his cultivation and mental capabilities struggling to keep up, leading to many drawbacks. For example, blood couldn¡¯t be spilled on the Official Road, which is the Formation¡¯s meridians, or else it would cause the Formation to reveal flaws at that spot.¡±


    ¡°Hence the saying, ¡®Step on the Official Road, execute the Nine Tribes.''¡±


    ¡°Although it was a drawback, at that time, in the midst of war turmoil, this edict unexpectedly attracted many cultivators from other countries to come and join, turning misfortune into a blessing.¡±


    ¡°Seeing the benefits, Da Xia gradually added some things, like stones that could detect fluctuations of spiritual energy, and some Formations buried underneath the Official Road that could accelerate movement.¡±


    ¡°After being perfected over several hundred years, that flaw no longer existed, and the law became less stringent.¡±


    ¡°But perhaps Da Xia overthought it.¡±


    ¡°All these years passed, and the great Nascent Soul Formation that nearly drained the national treasury at the time, has never been activated, not a single Nascent Soul stepped into Da Xia territory, or rather, it seems those Nascent Souls completely ignored Da Xia, never even approaching.¡±


    ¡°The grand feat of the time, is now said by many to be a waste of national strength.¡±


    The scholar looked north and continued, ¡°In the Endless Desert north of Xuzhou, there still live many Devil Clans, the genuine kind with spiritual wisdom, not merely demon beasts like those we usually kill.¡±


    ¡°The Devil Clan has entries.¡±


    ¡°Unlike demon beasts, who possess nothing but brute strength.¡±


    ¡°Those Devil Clans have repeatedly harassed Xuzhou in the last few years, almost seeming to want to take over Xuzhou, but after being swept through seventeen times in thirty years by General Yu, the most prestigious in Da Xia at the time, they gradually faded away.¡±


    ¡°Devil Clans live in tribal communities; different species do not cohabit and are in a predatory relationship with each other, even among the same species they live in tribal communities based on blood relations.¡±


    ¡°Overall, they are disconnected like loose sand. There wouldn¡¯t be an issue if they didn¡¯t provoke Da Xia, but once provoked, the desert could be dyed red.¡±


    ¡°Although Da Xia dares not venture deep into the desert, slaughtering some Devil Clans on its fringes is no problem.¡±


    ¡°What about the east side?¡± Fat Long asked curiously, looking eastward, ¡°What¡¯s to the east of Da Xia?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the sea.¡±


    The scholar said softly, ¡°It¡¯s the Boundless Sea. Back then, that Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivator was famous for his speed. After returning severely wounded from the Endless Desert, His Majesty rewarded him, and once his injuries were healed¡­¡±


    ¡°Ordered him to explore the sea to the east.¡±


    ¡°Three months later, he returned severely wounded, not having seen the end of the sea, only spotting numerous islands with many human traces in the depths of the East Sea. But before he could investigate further, he sensed a Nascent Soul and repeated his previous misfortune.¡±


    This time Fat Long didn¡¯t wait to ask further, and the scholar continued, ¡°After his injuries were healed, His Majesty once again rewarded him and sent him to explore the west.¡±


    ¡°He saw the Hundred Countries, all small nations, supposedly once part of a great country that split into a hundred smaller states after wars and turmoil.¡±


    ¡°Combined, they are not even as large as Da Xia Country¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°In earlier years, because of the turmoil in the Hundred Countries, many people headed north, stepping onto Xuzhou to flee to Da Xia Country. Following the Official Road, one would be safe, but after crossing the Hundred Countries, that Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivator said he saw a mountain higher than the heavens.¡±


    ¡°That mountain range was year-round covered in heavy snow; as a Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivator, he couldn¡¯t even fly over the peak. The higher he flew, the more an extremely oppressive sensation built up in his chest, akin to the pressure of heaven and earth.¡±


    ¡°If one stubbornly tried to fly over the peak, there was a high chance that they would fall dead before even passing the summit.¡±


    ¡°That mountain range stretched for millions of miles, or maybe even longer.¡±


    ¡°Since he couldn¡¯t fly over, he tried to fly around, but the Golden Core Sword Cultivator said he flew for a month without seeing the end, just when it seemed like the end was near, he sensed a Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°He returned severely wounded once more.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long interjected with an odd look, ¡°I feel like I can guess what you¡¯re going to say next. Is it that the Golden Core Sword Cultivator continued to be rewarded by His Majesty after healing, only to go south and then return severely wounded again?¡±


    ¡°Not so.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°Indeed, after returning severely wounded, the Golden Core Sword Cultivator did receive His Majesty¡¯s reward again, and after healing his injuries, he was once more sent by the command of His Majesty to the south.¡±


    ¡°At the very southern end of Southern State, there is an ice plain.¡±


    ¡°That ice plain has always been covered by an extremely thick layer of ice; the deeper one goes, the colder it gets, and it is enveloped in black clouds spanning a million miles, perpetually shrouded, without a sliver of light, nearly the kind of pitch-black silence where one can¡¯t see their own hand yet devoid of any signs of life.¡±


    ¡°The Golden Core Sword Cultivator was ordered to investigate the south.¡±


    ¡°This time¡­¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°He did not return severely wounded. Nearly a hundred years have passed, and he has yet to return. If it¡¯s not because he¡¯s overly fond of the environment on the ice plain and reluctant to leave, which is an unlikely answer, then there¡¯s a high probability that he died there.¡±

 Chapter 109 - 97:

    Chapter 109: Chapter 97: ¡°Da Xia Cage¡±. _3


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression remained calm as he finally spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°To the north is the Endless Desert, to the south is the Boundless Icefield.¡±


    ¡°To the east is the Boundless Sea, to the west is the Boundless Snow Mountain.¡±


    ¡°The north, west, and east are all guarded by a Nascent Soul, and although there¡¯s no news from the south, it¡¯s highly likely that there¡¯s a Nascent Soul sitting there as well.¡±


    ¡°It seems that Da Xia is like a prison.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the scholar suddenly thought of something and chuckled meaningfully, ¡°Exactly, it looks just like a prison, hence for a long time, there¡¯s been a saying in Da Xia Country, that is¡­¡±


    ¡°The reason why no one in Da Xia has managed to prove the Nascent Soul¡­¡±


    ¡°Is because of the prison¡¯s restrictions, which do not allow the appearance of a Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°But how to break this prison is a difficult problem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry, but I wonder if those old demons at the peak of the Golden Core with their lifespans running out are getting anxious. They must be too restless to sleep by now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and didn¡¯t continue on this topic, ¡°These matters are too far away from us, let¡¯s head down.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The bearded brute beside them saw the scholar¡¯s gaze and didn¡¯t hesitate. He dashed forward and in an instant plunged straight down the cliff into the depths.


    ¡­


    After a few moments.


    Chen Qiu and the others arrived at the bottom of the cliff.


    The scholar pointed at the layer of clouds rolling above their heads and introduced with a smile, ¡°This place is basically absolutely safe. It¡¯s a secret base I discovered a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°See that layer of clouds flowing above the ravine? As soon as you touch it, the Spiritual Energy in your Dantian is instantly frozen, leaving you unable to use Spiritual Energy for a hundred breaths.¡±


    ¡°Thus, besides my junior brother, it¡¯s very difficult for others to come down here.¡±


    ¡°This place is a thousand zhang from the surface, even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to use Spiritual Energy during the fall, and would get injured on reaching the bottom of the gorge, not to mention, getting back up with your Spiritual Energy frozen by the clouds is another problem.¡±


    ¡°Those clouds don¡¯t just freeze the Spiritual Energy in the Dantian, they also sever the link between you and your Flying Sword.¡±


    ¡°It does sound like a nice place.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked around the ravine; the area below was fairly open with brownish-red soil, scattered with wild grass and stone pieces. Under the moonlight shining through the clouds, it was quite pleasant.


    Not far away was a thatched cottage that had been abandoned for a long time.


    It must be the scholarly brother¡¯s former Foundation Establishment cave dwelling.


    Originally, he thought it would just be a hole dug in the rock wall, but it seemed not as rudimentary as that.


    Moreover, deep in the ravine was a stream, the source of which was unknown, now continuously exuding a cool aura, with water that looked extremely clear and even teeming with plump fish.


    It had to be said,


    This place really was an excellent spot for secluded cultivation.


    Chen Qiu quickly found a spot suitable for himself, a half-human high oval stone by the brook. He walked over to the stone, leapt upon it, and with knees crossed sat down to get a feel.


    ¡°Hmm, just right.¡±


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    After exhaling a breath of stale air, he then closed his eyes, placed his palms naturally on his knees facing up, started to circulate his mental method to consolidate the breakthrough he just achieved tonight, and then planed to consume the remaining Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills to continue improving his Cultivation.


    He must increase his Cultivation as soon as possible to have some sense of security.


    The Foundation Establishment Stage, though extremely difficult to advance in Cultivation, has no bottleneck to break through, but there is a significant bottleneck at the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage for breaking through to Golden Core. Various factors such as an unstable Tao Foundation or hidden injuries make it very difficult to break through.


    But the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage was still too far away for him.


    He was currently only at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment.


    However, with these Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his arms and the ones he would produce daily for a while, his Cultivation would progress rapidly, and he would soon far exceed the rate of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators by hundreds of times.


    ¡­


    Seeing Brother Qiu entering the state of cultivation,


    Fat Long and the others unconsciously lowered their voices, cleared the dust in the thatched cottage, and removed the surrounding weeds while whispering to each other.


    ¡°Hey, Scholar, did Liu Zide give you a copy of those Memory Stones he made? Let me see what he captured.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Speaking of this, the scholar¡¯s face showed genuine admiration, ¡°I¡¯ve kept many copies of every scene, take a look.¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Especially the Nine Ox Power and the power of Nine Yin, really, I¡¯ve seen them for the first time.¡±


    ¡°I once was considered Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that I am more experienced than ninety-nine percent of people in Da Xia, but this, I¡¯ve never seen before, and it requires someone to assist, otherwise, it¡¯s impossible to align properly.¡±


    ¡°And this one, a despised and neglected scion of a family breaking through Foundation Establishment and obtaining a Seven-colored entry and then wreaking havoc everywhere, this is quite illogical. The chances of getting a Seven-colored entry at Foundation Establishment are barely less than the odds of a entry jade slip falling from the sky.¡±


    ¡°But Liu Zide¡¯s exact words were, ¡®Logic? According to logic, the fate of those despised family outcasts is to be suppressed all their lives, then give birth to a collateral descendent, and have the child continue to be suppressed. Do you think those people would like that?''¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Fat Long nodded in agreement, then went through the big pile of Memory Stones he was holding, making tutting noises all the while.


    In the moonlight.


    Their small group in the depth of the ravine was quite harmonious, and as the night deepened, Fat Long caught a few plump yellow fishes and sat by the brook grilling and eating them.

 Chapter 110 - 97:

    Chapter 110: Chapter 97: ¡°Da Xia Cage¡±. _4


    There was a sense of solitude like that of a sanctuary far from the bustling Cultivation World. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Under the night sky.


    On the edge of the Endless Desert near Xuzhou.


    A brown bear standing about nine feet tall, its fur mottled with white spots, was now giving orders for his fellow Bear Clan members to plant Spirit Rice deep in the desert. Several larger brown bears heeded the command, burying the Spirit Rice seeds in the sand, then watering them with bear urine, considering that sufficient irrigation.


    The night temperature in the desert was significantly lower, so the bear urine wasn¡¯t instantly absorbed by the scalding grains of sand, but it didn¡¯t seem like an effective way to water the crops either.


    ...


    ¡°Son,¡±


    a larger brown bear stood next to the one with spotted fur and said in human speech with a deep voice, ¡°You can¡¯t grow Spirit Rice in the desert, your plan is doomed to fail.¡±


    ¡°I understand your wish to unite the ¡®Brown Bear Clan¡¯ and lead them out of the desert to fertile and rich lands,¡±


    ¡°but¡­¡±


    ¡°you really can¡¯t grow Spirit Rice in the desert.¡±


    ¡°Father,¡±


    the younger, seemingly not fully grown brown bear with a strange gleam in his eyes, grinned broadly and said, ¡°I told you a long time ago that only by uniting can the Devil Clan stand against Da Xia Country, do you remember?¡±


    ¡°I remember, but the Devil Clan will never be united,¡±


    ¡°They are destined and also must unite. All Devil Clan members actually realize that we must come together to withstand Da Xia and set foot on that fertile and cool land.¡±


    The young brown bear¡¯s voice revealed fatigue, ¡°But just as you have tried, Father, it¡¯s impossible for the Devil Clan to unite due to various historical issues.¡±


    ¡°So, I need to create a miracle for the Devil Clan, a big enough miracle to unite us, at least to unite the ¡®Brown Bear Clan.''¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    This sturdy bear, seemingly the strongest among them, shook his huge head, ¡°Since your were little, you¡¯ve been more insightful than the rest of our clan. Perhaps you truly have a way, let¡¯s do as you say.¡±


    ¡°But I can be certain of one thing, Spirit Rice will absolutely not grow in the desert.¡±


    ¡°Especially not with bear urine.¡±


    Then he turned and walked away, starting to knock lazy clan members with his bear paws.


    After his father left,


    the young brown bear stood up, face full of resolve and absent-mindedness, gazing toward the lands of Xuzhou in Da Xia Country, hidden beneath clouds and exuding a sweet fragrance.


    A few months ago, he had transmigrated. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the body of this brown bear.


    From initial discomfort to gradual adaptation, he grew used to this powerful body.


    ¡®Brown Bear Clan¡¯, all newborns fell to the ground with the Cultivation of the Qi Refinement Fourth Stage and naturally reached the peak of Qi Refinement upon maturity, with a bit of cultivation they could break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    He was now at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm and still had four months until adulthood.


    And by then, he would be a formidable brown bear.


    Moreover, he had a pretty good entry.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Bloody Claws.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Your beast claws will become sharper and harder, and will improve as your Cultivation strengthens.


    ¨C


    This entry made his beast claws extremely sharp.


    At first, he thought he was the only one with this entry, a special advantage from crossing over, which he kept secret and revealed to no one, almost leading his father to consider him a Heavenly Dao outcast without an awakened entry, one who should be killed and served as roast meat.


    In a panic, he revealed his entry and managed to save his life.


    Only then did he learn that every member of the Devil Clan could randomly obtain an entry during the Qi Refinement Realm. Every time they broke through to a new Great Realm starting with Foundation Establishment, they could choose one of two random entries.


    The Human Race followed the same rules.


    Except that humans could choose from three random entries.


    He once asked his father, the Clan Leader of this Brown Bear Clan.


    His father shook his head indicating that he didn¡¯t know and said it had always been this way.

 Chapter 111 - 98:

    Chapter 111: Chapter 98: ¡°Is there anything wrong with asking for a refund?


    ¡°`


    Has it always been this way?


    A cold glint flashed in the little brown bear¡¯s eyes. Just because it has always been this way, does it mean it¡¯s right? Had he not come to this world, it would have been fine, but since he had arrived, if he did not carve out a name for himself or strive for great achievements,


    then his arrival in this world would have been in vain.


    Gazing toward the south, a heroic spirit surged within him.


    It¡¯s said that the human clan cultivators¡¯ momentum is like a rainbow, but his bear paw is also sharp and unmatched!


    ...


    Why not ask whether those human clan cultivators are afraid of me?


    ¡­


    ¡°Shopkeeper.¡±


    In Qiu Yuan City, after Da Xia¡¯s number one sword cultivator, Ji Taiping, had departed, and Chen Qiu and others had settled into the inn, several burly men surrounded the shopkeeper with expressionless faces, saying, ¡°In the middle of the night, an eyeball larger than a person appeared outside the window.¡±


    ¡°Is it so wrong to ask for a refund?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The shopkeeper helplessly glanced over the men. He really wanted to say it was wrong, but after thinking it through, he felt that he indeed had no grounds to argue.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Shopkeeper!¡±


    A woman, ragged and with severe injuries, stumbled in, her body leaning weakly against the counter, and hoarsely whispered, ¡°Where are the two who stayed in your inn last night?¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°One was a chubby fatso, and the other a young man in a green robe.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking for them, too?¡±


    The shopkeeper paused for a moment before instinctively shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t know, they disappeared last night. Da Xia¡¯s number one sword cultivator Ji Taiping is also looking for them.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    After a long silence, the woman spoke wearily, ¡°If they come back later, tell them that the woman who¡¯s been humiliating you for months is looking for them and has important matters to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The shopkeeper nodded.


    This woman was the wandering Heavenly Girl from the Flower Offering Sect, with whom Fat Long had a tragic connection.


    Despite her tattered clothes and visible sword wounds, they served to unintentionally reveal her charm, adding a sense of captive beauty.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The men who had come for refunds no longer cared about the silver taels, their lustful eyes greedily and unabashedly raked over her as they said suggestively, ¡°What kind of treatment did you endure? Can we try it out, too?¡±


    The woman turned her head to look at the men, paused, and then with her hair swept coquettishly behind one ear, she smiled provocatively, ¡°Of course, you can.¡±


    Having said that, she turned to walk outside the inn.


    The men exchanged looks, their eyes alight with desire, and they burst into lecherous laughter together, ¡°Interesting.¡±


    The men followed the woman out of the city to the woods.


    Several incense sticks later.


    The woman emerged from the woods with a touch of red on her pale face, looking much improved. The wounds on her body were mostly healed, and in the woods there were now several more bodies, dried out like kindling.


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    At this moment, dawn was breaking.


    Chen Qiu, who had been sitting cross-legged on a round rock cultivating all night, finally stabilized his realm and took out the remaining Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from his embrace.


    There were 259 left.


    ¡°This Liu Zide does have some tricks.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the full bag of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and despite his considerable appetite, he couldn¡¯t help but remark that in this aspect, Liu Zide was indeed better than him, yet it seemed that Liu Zide was somewhat foolishly loyal?


    He had tried to retain him, but Liu Zide insisted on returning to Yun City.


    Claiming that when he first arrived in this world, it was the lord who took him in, and that he couldn¡¯t serve a second master.


    Since he couldn¡¯t be retained, all he could do was wish him smooth sailing.


    After spending several hours absorbing all 200 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his cultivation naturally broke through to the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Ordinarily, according to taking one pill for a 0.7% increase in cultivation progress, it should have taken 143 pills for a breakthrough, but the difficulty of breaking through the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment was clearly greater than the third layer, with one pill only increasing the progress by 0.5%.


    At the same time¡ª


    A familiar panel shrouded in mist reappeared above his Tao Foundation.


    ¨C


    ¡¸Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡¹


    ¡¸Please choose one of the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡¹


    1:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Nonsensical Babble.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: White.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: When someone is deceived by your lies, you will gain a certain increase in cultivation. The greater the lie and the higher the cultivation of the person you deceive, the more cultivation you can improve, and you cannot gain cultivation progress through other means.


    2:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: One-day Golden Core.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Blue.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: Your cultivation will be raised to the early stage of Golden Core for one day, but you will not be able to increase your cultivation, and every year your cultivation will automatically drop by one small realm. This entry cannot be cleared.


    3:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Guaranteed Cultivation.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Grey.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: You cannot enhance your cultivation through any means, but when your lifespan at each Great Realm is ending, you will automatically break through to the next Great Realm. The upper limit is the initial stage of Golden Core, and this entry cannot be cleared.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu furrowed his brows as he looked at the three random entries that had appeared before him.


    Honestly.


    These three entries gave him the feeling of not knowing where to start. If he hadn¡¯t drawn the Seven-colored term ¡°Step by Step¡± at the first level of Qi Refinement Stage, he honestly thought these three entries would all be quite good.


    Whichever one it was, he would have been very excited.


    But now, he felt like he had a toothache.


    Firstly, the entry ¡°Nonsensical Babble¡± didn¡¯t need mentioning; as long as someone was deceived by you, you could increase your cultivation progress. Although this method of gaining cultivation certainly wouldn¡¯t be as fast as taking Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills directly,


    ¡°`

 Chapter 112 - 98:

    Chapter 112: Chapter 98: ¡°There¡¯s Nothing Wrong with Asking for a Refund, Right?¡±_2


    But it was certainly faster than diligently following a mental method to cultivate.


    In the Cultivation World, there are many methods to increase one¡¯s cultivation.


    Diligent cultivation is considered the orthodox way, and naturally, it is the slowest of them all. The main issue with this type of cultivation is that it¡¯s the most common and cannot be linked with any entry.


    Take dual cultivation, for example.


    Not only is the speed of enhancing one¡¯s cultivation faster than regular cultivation, but once it is linked with certain entries, the speed becomes even faster.


    Of course.


    ...


    The reason why diligent cultivation is considered orthodox is that the cultivation gained from this method is more stable; although slower, the foundation is also much more solid.


    The ¡°Nonsense¡± entry is naturally excellent.


    The second entry, ¡°Golden Core in One Day,¡± would be divine if it fell into the hands of some family¡¯s abandoned child, a loose cultivator, or even a mere woodcutter.


    Golden Core in a day.


    Free and unfettered across the Nine Heavens.


    Overnight, transforming from a mere mortal to a Golden Core Great Power, though one would fall back to the peak of Foundation Establishment after a year. But even at the peak of Foundation Establishment, one could walk sideways in the majority of cities.


    Moreover, a year at Golden Core is enough to get a lot done; even without any Spiritual Treasures or spells, the weakest Golden Core can easily squash a Foundation Establishment cultivator.


    One year is ample time to accomplish many things.


    Then, each year one would drop a small realm.


    Until after eighteen years, one falls back to being a mortal.


    Life would be nearly over by then, and it would be about time to die, amounting to only three or four years of glory before one inevitably spirals downwards. Moreover, this entry can¡¯t be cleared, meaning it can¡¯t be removed with the ¡°Self-Destruction Term.¡±


    The third entry.


    ¡°Guaranteed Cultivation.¡±


    It¡¯s perfect for those with no grand aspirations; one needn¡¯t do anything every day, indulging in food, drink, and vice.


    Just muddle along for a few hundred years.


    One day you wake up from sleep and, lo and behold, you find that you suddenly have a Golden Core.


    Then you can start protecting your family, becoming a local tyrant. Is there any entry more suitable for a lazy bum? Just be a bit vigilant to prevent an accidental death, and there are no issues.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu shook his head, no longer contemplating, and promptly chose the ¡°Nonsense¡± entry. He then gestured for Fat Long to come over and after a moment of contemplation, looked at the puzzled Fat Long solemnly.


    ¡°Actually, my name isn¡¯t Chen Qiu, it¡¯s Chen Ziyang.¡±


    ¡°Hmm hmm, so should I start calling you Brother Yang?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe me when I say my name is Chen Ziyang?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at his Cultivation Progress, which hadn¡¯t increased at all: ¡°You don¡¯t really believe me.¡±


    ¡°I really do believe you, Brother Yang.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Chen Qiu waved his hand dismissively, somewhat defeated, and gestured for Fat Long to leave: ¡°It¡¯s fine, just go on with what you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay, Brother Qiu, so should I call you Brother Yang later?¡±


    ¡°I was just kidding before.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I knew it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long¡¯s retreating back, feeling somewhat powerless for a moment. To be honest, he didn¡¯t really want any of these three entries, as each had significant downsides.


    But since the other two entries couldn¡¯t be cleared, he had no choice but to select the first one.


    After choosing this entry, despite swallowing Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he wouldn¡¯t gain any progress in his cultivation. He could only obtain cultivation progress by deceiving others.


    He glanced around.


    He began to consider where to self-destruct this entry.


    It still pained him somewhat, as self-destructing the entry now would be equivalent to a full-force blow from a ¡°Golden Core Fifth Layer¡± cultivator. Blasting at the air really seemed like a waste.


    But even so, he still had to painfully self-destruct it.


    His only goal now was to raise his cultivation to the Golden Core Stage as soon as possible. According to the scholar, there were no cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage within Da Xia at present, which meant that as soon as his cultivation reached the first layer of Golden Core, S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    he could, with the ¡°Self-Destruction Term,¡± unleash a full-force attack equivalent to that of the first stage of Nascent Soul.


    By then, he would essentially be able to walk sideways across Da Xia.


    As for the ¡°Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡± competition that Zhao Yishi invited him to, he wouldn¡¯t consider stepping into Jing Province at all until he had reached Golden Core.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go up for a bit.¡±


    Having made up his mind, Chen Qiu got up and gestured for the scholar and others to head down the valley first, as he didn¡¯t want to accidentally collapse the scholar¡¯s secret hideout with his attack.


    ¡­


    A few breaths later.


    They came to the surface.


    ¡°Scholar.¡±


    Fat Long, with a puzzled expression, tilted his head and looked at the scholar: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the mist could block Spiritual Energy? How did your sword fly up here?¡±


    ¡°I took a long detour from below the valley. It¡¯s quite far.¡±


    Chen Qiu scanned the surrounding area; this place was a wasteland with no spirit fields or signs of living creatures, seemingly a remote Boundary. He wondered how the scholar found this place.


    At that moment¡ª


    He noticed a Rabbit Demon hopping nearby and just so happened to stop near them, its red eyes staring straight at them, appearing quite cute.


    There wasn¡¯t even a weed in the vicinity, leaving him to wonder where the Rabbit Demon had come from.


    Nonetheless, Chen Qiu shook his head, not fussing over it. With a casual wave, he self-destructed the ¡°Nonsense¡± entry. A strike with the full force of a Golden Core Fifth Layer, carrying terrifying might, smashed down directly onto the Qi Refinement Stage Rabbit Demon.


    Suddenly, dust billowed, and at the site where the Rabbit Demon was, a huge crater hundreds of yards wide formed.


    As for the Rabbit Demon, it had long since disappeared.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡±


    Chen Qiu turned to the scholar: ¡°Let¡¯s continue cultivating below.¡±


    He actually thought the ¡°Nonsense¡± entry was quite good. If he had this entry right after transmigrating, he would certainly have made good use of it. But unfortunately, having chosen this entry, he could no longer use any other means to increase his Cultivation Progress.

 Chapter 113 - 98:

    Chapter 113: Chapter 98: ¡°There¡¯s Nothing Wrong with Asking for a Refund, Right?¡±_3


    ¡°`


    Right now, there were still dozens of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his Storage Bag, and in the following days, even more would be arriving.


    He had no time to weave lies to deceive the world.


    If he had that kind of time, he would spend it popping pills until he reached the Golden Core stage.


    ¡­


    The burly man took the lead and jumped down first.


    ...


    The scholar watched with a complex expression as he looked at the huge pit several hundred feet wide not too far away, still bearing the terrifying traces of Heavenly Thunder. It was clear that Chen Qiu had held back, concentrating the destructive force at a single point as much as possible. Otherwise, if he had let it dissipate, the surrounding several thousand feet would probably have been barren.


    A Thunder Summoning Technique unleashed with full power by a fifth-layer Golden Core Cultivator was indeed somewhat frightening.


    But he didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Brother Qiu, why he had suddenly come up and then used such a terrifying strike¡ªjust to kill a Qi Refinement Realm first-level Rabbit Demon?


    Did this Rabbit Demon carry some unknown plot that he was unaware of?


    Or was this Rabbit Demon actually an externality of an old Demon?


    Or¡­


    Maybe Brother Qiu simply didn¡¯t like Rabbit Demons very much.


    But even if he didn¡¯t like them, wasn¡¯t this a bit too wasteful? He had thought that Brother Qiu would be in pain for a long time after self-destructing an entry once, but it didn¡¯t seem like Brother Qiu felt any remorse now.


    As for Fat Long, he looked at the huge pit with a complex and thoughtful expression, likely having realized something.


    It was very possible that because of him, Brother Qiu had become extremely averse to Rabbit Demons.


    Perhaps he had disgusted Brother Qiu, so he should try to avoid him as much as possible during Dual Cultivation in the future.


    ¡­


    Only when he returned to the bottom of the canyon did Chen Qiu finally take a deep breath, preparing to consolidate his Foundation Establishment fifth-layer realm a bit before starting to pop pills again.


    By now, it was already light outside.


    At least he was clear about two things.


    The first was that neither Dual Casting nor Ten Layers of Spellcasting had any effect against the full force of a Self-Destruction Term.


    Furthermore,


    he had tried combining Dual Casting with Ten Layers of Spellcasting, and without expending any energy, he could cast eleven layers in total. For a Magic Practitioner, this was considered divine-level. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Dual Casting¡± is a green entry.


    ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡± is a Purple Entry.


    He was now very suspicious that there might even be a ¡°Hundred-layered Spellcasting,¡± which would be a Seven-colored entry.


    Once he finished popping all the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in the next few days, he planned to go out and find a suitable Spiritual Treasure and some defensive spells for himself.


    After secretly planning his future itinerary in his heart,


    Chen Qiu once again sat cross-legged and began to cultivate on the platform.


    As for why he targeted that Rabbit Demon, it was just by chance. After all, since he was going to blast, it was naturally easier to have a target, just like how men inherently need to aim at something when they urinate.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In Fufeng City, atop a tree, a black crow with white eyes stood emotionlessly on a branch as if deep in thought, doubting life itself.


    Her name was July Cat.


    It was a name she chose for herself in her previous life. Due to her parents¡¯ divorce and other factors, she had entered society at an early age and had given herself this name. She liked July and cats, so she called herself July Cat.


    July was her birthday.


    It was also the day her parents divorced.


    In her ancestral home, elders passed away in July, and newborns were born in July. She felt she had a special connection with July, and thus she chose this name.


    Three months ago,


    she had just transitioned to this world and found herself in a body that looked exactly like her own.


    After busking on the streets of Fufeng City for two months, she earned enough money for a Potion.


    She successfully broke through to the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm and randomly drew her first entry.


    ¨C


    ¡°entry name¡±: Cats have nine lives


    ¡°entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°entry effect¡±: You will have nine lives. Each time you die, you will randomly resurrect in a body, with your Cultivation depending on that body¡¯s foundation.


    ¨C


    She liked this entry a lot.


    Not just because the entry was of a high level or because its effect was powerful, but also because she liked the name of the entry.


    Not long after she obtained this entry,


    Fufeng City was invaded by the Demon Race. Acting like a madman, a Demon Clan cultivator targeted her and killed her on the spot.


    Then she immediately randomly landed on a dying Demon Clan cultivator¡¯s body. She thought she should be safe this time, being on the powerful side; she couldn¡¯t possibly die again, right? Just as she was about to find a place to hide, a man surrounded by countless Heavenly Thunders and riding a Flying Sword appeared.


    The man pressed close to her face and brutally stuffed a Thunder Snake down her throat.


    She didn¡¯t even have time to beg for mercy.


    Great, out of the nine lives her entry had given her, she had now lost two. After the Demon Clan cultivator¡¯s body died, her luck wasn¡¯t too bad; she moved far away from the chaotic Fufeng City and ended up in Kai Mountain City.


    A city thousands of miles from Fufeng City.


    This time, it had to be safe, right?


    There was no war here, and although she had reincarnated into an extremely weak Rabbit Demon body, it was still not bad. She lay in a cage every day, enjoying the caresses of passers-by. Life was leisurely.


    Until a fat man waved his hand, bought her, and took her to an inn.


    To be honest,


    she had never considered the possibility of someone with nine lives, and even if there was one, she would resign herself to it.


    But a person should not, at least should not¡­ with a rabbit!


    She watched helplessly as her fellow Rabbit Demons were pampered one by one by the fat man. Just as it was about to be her turn, the man suddenly stopped and pierced her throat with a sword.


    Then he picked her up to roast.


    She screamed desperately because the fat man hadn¡¯t killed her completely; she was still half-alive, struggling painfully, wanting the man to end her suffering quickly.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 114 - 98:

    Chapter 114: Chapter 98: ¡°There¡¯s Nothing Wrong with Asking for a Refund, Right?¡±_4


    But that man seemed to have stuffed donkey hair in his ears!


    He simply couldn¡¯t hear!


    Her third life was gone again.


    In her fourth life, she found herself inside the frail body of a Rabbit Demon. This time, she cautiously poked her head out to survey her surroundings. Good, there were no cities or signs of any living creatures nearby.


    It looked very secluded.


    This life, she could quietly be a Rabbit Demon and enjoy a moment of peace.


    ...


    However¡­


    Before she even had time to think about what to eat, she saw four men appear out of nowhere not far away. Two of them were extremely familiar to her, almost to the point that she could remember them even if they turned into ashes. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then, she saw that man in the blue robe take out a method that seemed to contend with the Heavenly Dao, wielding the terrifying power of a Golden Core to smash towards her.


    Until now.


    She was on her fifth life and had returned to the damned starting point of Fufeng City. She had been standing on this tree branch for a long while, and she just couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    Why that man in the blue robe wanted to kill her with such means.


    What had she done to deserve this?


    She was just thinking about what to eat for dinner. She was merely a harmless Rabbit Demon at the first level of Qi Refinement, doing nothing but sitting there and looking around, and yet she was killed?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This Black Crow with white pupils had been perched on top of the tree for a long time before it finally realized something.


    She had to seek revenge, otherwise she couldn¡¯t swallow this grievance.


    Just¡­


    She gazed towards the horizon, wondering how far she could fly with this body of a cultivation-less Black Crow.


    But soon, she would no longer have to worry about this issue.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    A streak of Spiritual Energy suddenly shot towards her. Soon, she felt her Life Force rapidly fading away, fixating her eyes straightforwardly on a skinny man drooling below the tree as she died.


    ¡°Finally reached Fufeng City, soon I will return to Yun City.¡±


    ¡°The master will definitely be very happy.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit hungry now, I¡¯ll eat some game meat without entering the city, must rush back to Yun City as soon as possible, and¡­¡±


    The voice gradually became weaker, and she couldn¡¯t hear the rest clearly anymore.


    A final thought flashed through her mind.


    Damn it, sooner or later I¡¯ll kill you all!!!


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Liu Zide slightly swallowed, looking at the plucked and roasted Black Crow in his hands. After sprinkling some seasoning, he tore off a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.


    The taste was somewhat mediocre.


    But it was tolerable. He decided not to enter the city and quickly head back to Yun City.


    When Elder Chen Qiu had recruited him, he had actually been very tempted.


    First, because Chen Qiu was very powerful, and with the batch of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his cultivation would definitely rise significantly, and having an adviser like a scholar under him, he would surely make a name for himself in the future.


    Joining at this time also counted as being an Elder, so later on, it would be pure enjoyment.


    Second was because they were all from the same hometown, which meant more understanding among each other, making daily interactions more comfortable.


    But¡­


    After pondering the pros and cons for a long while, he still decided to return to Yun City.


    In Chen Qiu¡¯s side, at best, he would just be an adviser, whose glory and profits were all on Chen Qiu¡¯s side, but his own master mostly listened to him, and he also had the Self-Destruction Term, a powerful trick up his sleeve. His strength wasn¡¯t weak either.


    Though this time the master had fled halfway, having a successful case of bringing back over two thousand Spirit Stones, the master would definitely trust him more in the future.


    Then he could slowly start planning from Yun City to the surrounding areas.


    One day, he too could make a name for himself.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Imagining the future glory, Liu Zide vigorously tore off a piece of crow meat, stuffing it into his mouth with a silly smile, gazing towards the horizon and dreaming.


    ¡°One day.¡±


    ¡°I, Liu Zide, will be renowned across the world!¡±

 Chapter 115 - 99: If You Cant Win, Flip the Table.

    Chapter 115: Chapter 99: If You Can¡¯t Win, Flip the Table.


    ¡°Be honest with your master.¡±


    In the Caotian Sect, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect stood sternly on Zhao Yishi¡¯s shoulder and leaned to look at him, ¡°Did you or did you not take Ji Taiping¡¯s entry jade slip?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured.¡±


    ¡°Whether you took it or not, your master would never ask you to hand it over. What falls into your hands is your fate, how could it be easily handed over just because of Ji Taiping.¡±


    ¡°But you should at least let your master know whether you are in the right or wrong, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take it.¡±


    ...


    Like a giant standing in the back mountains of Caotian Sect, Zhao Yishi shook his head and said in a deep voice, ¡°When I got to Kai Mountain City, I ate some rabbit meat and then Bai Yi brought me to Qiu Yuan City, I didn¡¯t take anything.¡±


    ¡°The rabbit meat was pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Caotian Sect Master nodded in understanding, it wasn¡¯t surprising that the entry jade slip was likely in Chen Qiu¡¯s possession, because otherwise Chen Qiu wouldn¡¯t have had to flee the scene. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This kid is quite kind-hearted.


    To think of taking Zhao Yishi along while fleeing, but¡­ with Zhao Yishi¡¯s build, it¡¯s a case of ¡®you can run away from the monk, but not from the temple¡¯.


    After roughly understanding what had happened, he looked towards the Sect Master, who was standing mid-air outside the Mountain Gate gate, and declared loudly.


    ¡°The Sect Master here has inquired with the disciple, and he did not take your so-called entry jade slip.¡±


    ¡°This is the explanation for you.¡±


    ¡°Even children know to report to the government when they lose something; you should try asking them, and let them help you look for it.¡±


    ¡°Regarding your desire to investigate the disciple¡¯s Tao Foundation, that is even more preposterous. The Ji Family might be strong, but here at the Caotian Sect, it isn¡¯t just the younger generation of disciples who are lacking, the Supreme Elder hasn¡¯t passed away yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With a dark expression, Ji Taiping stood outside the Mountain Gate of the Caotian Sect, feeling the might emanating from the Mountain Protection Array, he turned and walked away without saying a word.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In a canyon in Xuzhou.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on a rock, had finished absorbing all of the remaining fifty-nine Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and his Cultivation Progress had reached the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage at 29%, only then did he perform introspection on those over two hundred people confined in the disciple dormitory of the small world.


    By tonight.


    This batch of people could produce a large amount of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills again.


    The plan conceived by Liu Zide was truly excellent; no matter how many Spirit Stones there were, at most, they would lay down a Spirit Gathering Array to accelerate the absorption of Spiritual Energy, but it definitely couldn¡¯t match the speed and dominance of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in elevating Cultivation.


    So many Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills could significantly accelerate his Cultivation increase.


    Just now, it had given him a semblance of security.


    Just waiting for nightfall.


    Upon receiving the remaining batch of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he could then break through to the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Meanwhile, Fat Long had caught several plump yellow fish in a stream and was continually flipping them over a campfire, the smoky aroma wafting through, greatly stimulating one¡¯s appetite.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t hold back.


    He immediately stopped cultivating, glanced at the sunlight obscured by clouds, stood up, sat beside the campfire, took a piece of the fish, blew on it to cool it down, and then brought it to his mouth.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu, who just wanted a taste of something mundane, was surprised as the fish¡¯s flesh slid into his mouth; its silky texture and plump flesh burst on his palate with a slightly burnt and spicy flavor.


    Truly delicious.


    He had tasted the roasted rabbit prepared by Fat Long, and it was just mediocre, barely edible.


    But the delectable taste of this fish had nothing to do with Fat Long¡¯s culinary skills; it was solely because the yellow fish¡¯s flesh was plump and delicious.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    Fat Long, quite pleased with himself, grabbed a plump yellow fish skewered on a stick, took a big bite, and then said contentedly, ¡°The yellow fish in this stream are probably so big because there are no human activities nearby.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re boneless too, just a sprinkle of seasoning makes them indescribably perfect.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and was about to take another bite when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a yellow fish energetically leaping out of the water in the periphery of his vision.


    Once, twice, three times.


    As if it never tired.


    And this peculiar scene also caught Chen Qiu¡¯s attention. He walked to the edge of the stream, squatting down to carefully observe the fish. Its entire body was covered in gorgeous scales, yellow mixed with some milky white.


    And not a single scale was damaged; truly a rare and plump yellow fish.


    Upon Chen Qiu¡¯s approach, the fish stopped jumping out of the water, instead swimming upstream only to return in front of him and leap again, then continued moving against the current.


    After repeating this four or five times,


    Chen Qiu understood, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise, ¡°Can a yellow fish also possess Spiritual Wisdom? I feel like this fish is guiding us, suggesting we follow it upstream?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Fat Long, squatting beside him, smacked his lips, ¡°I think it¡¯s saying it¡¯s the fattest and tastiest, asking us to eat it first.¡±


    ¡°Scholar, where does this small stream originate?¡±


    ¡°The stream originates from underground water flowing out of the mountain; I¡¯m not sure about further upstream.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a look. Scholar, you stay here. Let your brother come with me. We¡¯re free anyway,¡± Chen Qiu always felt the little yellow fish was showing them the way, and when he thought about the proverb of the fish leaping over the dragon gate, it felt like some kind of fortuitous encounter.


    It would be a pity to miss it.


    With the Scholar¡¯s brother accompanying them, even if they encountered any danger, they could return instantly.


    ¡­


    Thus, the three of them followed the little fish and headed upstream against the current, soon reaching a small waterfall about three to four feet high in the canyon, taller than a person, with a dark pool below it.

 Chapter 116 - 99: If you cant win, flip the table. _2

    Chapter 116: Chapter 99: If you can¡¯t win, flip the table. _2


    And as the yellow fish leaped out of the water before them, with a flick of its tail, it dove straight into the depths of the pond.


    A few exchanged glances.


    After Chen Qiu released Spiritual Energy to encircle Fat Long and the others, he slowly submerged into the water, following the little yellow fish towards the bottom of the pond to explore, the Spiritual Energy acting as a barrier to keep the water at bay and ensure they could breathe.


    Thus, they descended.


    A considerable amount of time had passed, perhaps the duration of several incense sticks, and they were now a fair distance from the surface. Yet the little yellow fish seemed unaffected by the pressure and continued to swim deeper.


    The water was extremely clear.


    ...


    However, at this depth, there was no light whatsoever, and they relied solely on the glow from the Spiritual Energy for illumination. Chen Qiu was not feeling much pressure; he had enough Spiritual Energy to sleep for a while down here.


    The consumption of Spiritual Energy at this level wasn¡¯t even as much as he would naturally regenerate through the rotation of his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.


    Time passed unknowingly.


    Chen Qiu began to feel a tightness in his chest, having descended several hundred meters, still without sight of the bottom. Just as he considered retreating, they finally reached the base, where the little yellow fish swam into a cave at the side.


    A somewhat cramped cave.


    But there was no problem for the three to pass through side by side.


    It seemed to lead to an underground river.


    Once intent on retreat, Chen Qiu followed once more. This time, it didn¡¯t take long, perhaps the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. In the meantime, they had passed through many tortuously complex caves at the bottom of the pond.


    And after passing through the final passage formed by underwater rock walls¡­


    Suddenly, everything opened up before them!


    Chen Qiu and the others emerged from the water, appearing inside a colossal underground natural cavern. The cavern¡¯s roof was laden with odd and mysterious stalactites, and at a glance, the cavern seemed large enough to fit a small village.


    Moreover, breathing was easy here; there was definitely a connection to the outside world, although the exact pathway was unknown.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Fat Long looked around in awe, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such beauty in my life. To cultivate here would be the utmost secret; surely no one would find us.¡±


    Their voices echoed, the empty sound drifting by their ears.


    At this moment, Chen Qiu noticed that the little yellow fish had disappeared without a trace. It seemed that this was the place the fish intended to bring them, but what was special about it?


    He carefully scanned the interior of the cavern.


    It was a very pure cavern, clean, with no trace of human activity or carving. Indeed, it was like a paradise beyond the world, but how was this related to serendipity?


    Just then¡ª


    From a distance, along the rocky wall passage of the cavern, the sounds of conversation and scattered footsteps came closer.


    ¡°The group of brothers who went to the Poisonous Thunder Swamp the other day are all dead, and the killer still hasn¡¯t been found. It¡¯s said that even Poison Thunder Old Man died, and he was on the same level as a Golden Core Great Power like the Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°Who in Xuzhou could silently kill a Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°Could it be one of those reclusive old demons?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely. The Sect Master said those reclusive old demons are all in deep seclusion, sustaining themselves on a thread of Spiritual Energy without expending it on anything else, just waiting for a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Those old demons wouldn¡¯t likely make a move.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s really strange.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    Four or five disciples clad in the sect¡¯s standard robes came walking into the cavern through the narrow passage, chatting idly as they cautiously knocked off a stalactite from the roof of the cave before returning the way they had come.


    Only after these disciples had left, did Fat Long and the others reemerge from the small world.


    Chen Qiu thoughtfully watched the retreating figures of the disciples. This cavern was actually Poison Sect territory? Poison Sect was so close to them.


    Poison Sect was no minor force.


    In the sect rankings, it ranked 78th, a position not at all low, and even higher than Caotian Sect.


    But these were not important.


    What was important was what he had just seen in the small world: the disciples of Poison Sect carefully knocking down and taking away shards from stalactites that had fallen from above the cavern. Although he didn¡¯t know the specifics, the careful and serious manner of the others suggested it was no ordinary matter.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled and with a grand wave of his hand, said, ¡°Pack it up!¡±


    ¡­


    After the time it took several incense sticks to burn.


    The cavern that had been full of stalactites was now bare, even those with just a point sticking out had been knocked down and packed away by them, totaling more than two hundred.


    Just as they were preparing to search the surroundings for any heaven and earth treasures¡­ S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Damnit!¡±


    Perhaps their actions were too grand and triggered some restriction, as a formidable Golden Core presence rapidly advanced towards the cavern from afar. Chen Qiu and Fat Long, without a hint of hesitation, instantly grabbed the shoulders of their scholar brother.


    The next instant!


    The three disappeared from the spot.


    A moment later, a middle-aged man with red hair and a beard suddenly appeared in the cavern, floating in mid-air, staring fiercely at the now desecrated and empty cavern and roared, ¡°Damn, damn it!!!¡±


    ¡°Whoever it is that dares to intrude upon Poison Sect¡¯s forbidden land, to take what Poison Sect has accumulated over a hundred years!¡±


    ¡°Once I find you, I swear to chase you to the ends of earth and sea!¡±


    Whoever it was.


    Since they had taken his ¡®Dragon Vein Stone,¡¯ they would surely appear at the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition, and at that time, all would be revealed!


    ¡­


    ¡°Dragon Vein Stone?¡±


    The scholar looked incredulously at the pile of stalactites Chen Qiu brought out, deeply shocked, ¡°An ordinary one is a treasure for forging Spiritual Treasure, just one added to the forging process and your Spiritual Energy will flow more smoothly in the Spiritual Treasure created from Dragon Vein Stone.¡±

 Chapter 117 - 99: Flip the Table if You Cant Win._3

    Chapter 117: Chapter 99: Flip the Table if You Can¡¯t Win._3


    ¡°And our connection will deepen even further.¡±


    ¡°For instance, my Qingfeng, even if he is hundreds of miles away, I can still maintain a spiritual energy connection with him, precisely because a Dragon Vein Stone was added during its forging.¡±


    ¡°And here you have hundreds¡­¡±


    ¡°Although only nine are fully mature, the rest were plucked while still saplings, but they still have an effect, just not as strong. Dragon Vein Stones, such treasures of heaven and earth, have extremely harsh growing conditions.¡±


    ¡°They must be on an Earth Vein, and moreover, that Earth Vein must pass through underground water, and only after years of relentless clashes between the malevolent energy and the Earth Vein¡¯s righteous energy can they form.¡±


    ¡°A single mature Dragon Vein Stone takes a good three hundred years to form.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, with a somewhat odd expression, turned around to look at the stream behind him: ¡°Given how rare they are, I just followed that yellow fish all the way here, and then I found so many.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even the scholar fell silent, tilting his head towards the stream. Was that yellow fish really a fortunate encounter? He had lived there for a long time before, so why hadn¡¯t the yellow fish shown him the way then?


    Moreover, why would the yellow fish grant Brother Qiu such fortune?


    He just ate a lot of your kin, is this how you treat your family grudge?


    After a long silence, the scholar softly said, ¡°Brother Qiu, this is also your destiny, and since you have encountered this opportunity, it means you must embark on your journey to the Capital.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head firmly: ¡°Without reaching Golden Core, stepping into Jing Province is forbidden; opportunities can arise anytime, but life is only one.¡±


    ¡°This opportunity might not always be available¡­¡±


    The scholar¡¯s expression turned complex as he explained, ¡°Why do the young ones of the world aspire towards the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard so eagerly? Apart from the rewards of the Heavenly Dao Blessing and the fame, the most crucial is the rewards during the ranking confirmation of Heavenly Pride Leaderboard itself.¡±


    ¡°¡®Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡¯ confirms the ranks at the end of each year and starts a new leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°It updates once a year.¡±


    ¡°In a few days, on the first of the New Year, it is the day when the sect¡¯s leaderboards and the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard among other rankings refresh and confirm.¡±


    ¡°That day.¡±


    ¡°The favored youths gathered in the Capital will enter a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm exclusive to them; only cultivators below the age of fifty and above the first layer of Foundation Establishment can enter.¡±


    ¡°Inside the Secret Realm, they undergo various trials to determine the top three of the new year¡¯s ¡®Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡¯


    ¡°After the ranking confirmation, this ranking will remain fixed for an entire year, unless someone at the top unexpectedly dies, the ranks won¡¯t rise further.¡±


    ¡°After ranking confirmation.¡±


    ¡°Those ranked in the top thousand of ¡®Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡¯ will receive the Heavenly Dao Blessing, and the top three will have the chance of receiving treasures bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ¡°Simply put, you provide the materials for forging a Spiritual Treasure, and then the Heavenly Dao helps you forge the most suitable Spiritual Treasure for you.¡±


    ¡°This kind of Spiritual Treasure is known as a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a result even the peak artifact creators in Da Xia Country cannot achieve, perfectly tailored to you and it¡¯s also a Lifebound Spirit Treasure that can grow as your cultivation advances.¡±


    The scholar suddenly had a hint of indulgence on his face, looking down at the miniature long sword in his sleeve: ¡°My Qingfeng here is a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, full of spirit.¡±


    ¡°¡®Dragon Vein Stone,¡¯ such a rare heavenly and earthly treasure, Brother Qiu aren¡¯t you saying you¡¯ve never had a suitable Spiritual Treasure for a Magic Practitioner?¡±


    ¡°This time at the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is your chance, Brother Qiu. With your skills, winning the top three should be no problem.¡±


    ¡°Top three?¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned deeply without speaking; indeed, the prospect of obtaining a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure was enticing. Even though he was resolute about not entering Golden Core before reaching the Capital, he did need a Spiritual Treasure that suited him especially well.


    Thinking for a moment, he then inquired.


    ¡°Is the selection of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard conducted within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, not on some platform?¡±


    ¡°It is not.¡±


    ¡°Can those Golden Core old demons meddle in matters within the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm?¡±


    ¡°They cannot, but the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm used for the selection of Heavenly Pride can be seen by outsiders.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding; a few days ago it was the winter solstice, and in seven days a new year would begin, which also meant there were only seven days until the start of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition.


    Then he made up his mind, looking up at the scholar.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set off.¡±


    ¡­ S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As night fell, during the hour of the pig.


    In DaMing City near the Capital of Jing Province, inside a named ¡®Xinghua House¡¯ in a brothel private room.


    Chen Qiu sat by the window overlooking the bustling street below, occasionally hearing the shouts of the old madam and the laughter of the girls, casually picking up a grain of golden-brown peanut and tossing it into his mouth.


    He chewed leisurely, savoring it.


    Then, he picked up a cup of clear liquor and took a light sip, the spicy sensation soothing his mood quite a bit as the street below filled with the smoke and scent of people carrying loads and hawking their wares, imbuing the entire city with a sense of liveliness.


    The scholar sat opposite him, also smiling as he looked down at the scene below.


    At this moment, only the two of them were in the private room.


    Fat Long and the scholar¡¯s brother had gone out to gather information, with Fat Long responsible for gathering the information and the scholar¡¯s brother handling crucial moments of escaping.


    Just then, a knock came at the door.


    The old madam entered laughing, waving a handkerchief and followed by seven or eight girls in a row standing neatly in front of Chen Qiu and the scholar, hands stacked above and below on their abdomens, looking at Chen Qiu and the scholar with synchronized moves, their voices carrying a flirtatious tone.


    ¡°Greetings to the young masters.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The old madam looked eagerly at Chen Qiu and his companion: ¡°These girls are all transferred from the Capital, each skilled in numerous arts, many officials and nobles specifically come here to enjoy their company, what do you young masters think, are they satisfactory?¡±

 Chapter 118 - 99: If You Cant Win, Flip the Table._4

    Chapter 118: Chapter 99: If You Can¡¯t Win, Flip the Table._4


    The scholar seated cross-legged on the chair, his cheeks faintly flushed, turned his head to look out the window and snorted coldly.


    ¡°Red powdered skeletons.¡±


    ¡°As a sword cultivator, no matter how many red powdered skeletons I see, only my sword remains firm.¡±


    Chen Qiu grabbed a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, drained the cup of wine in his hand, and then, propping his cheek with his hand, he swept his gaze over the seven or eight girls, one after another, before waving his hand dismissively.


    ¡°Bring in another group.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ...


    ¡­


    Soon, the old madam led in another string of girls, one by one.


    ¡°How about this time?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, with an expressionless face, took out a few spirit stones from his bosom and threw them over, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same damn group from before? You think changing clothes fools me? Bring some top-tier girls with some clout.¡±


    The old madam, without a hint of embarrassment, joyfully picked up the spirit stones from the ground and tucked them into her bosom, then said excitedly, ¡°Understood, understood.¡±


    ¡­


    This time, the old madam brought in only three.


    But each one was a top-tier heavenly immortal in the eyes of mortals; their temperament and attire were first-class.


    ¡°Young master, how about this time?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and then gestured with his hand, ¡°Keep all three.¡±


    ¡°The one on the far left, take my brother to the side room next door; he¡¯s a bit shy, you take the initiative.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    The scholar, who had been pretending to be composed, could no longer hold back and said sternly, ¡°I am a sword cultivator! Sword cultivators do not indulge in worldly pleasures!¡±


    ¡°Do not indulge in worldly pleasures?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t understand sword cultivation, but considering your leg¡¯s been crippled for so many years, you must be suffocated. As your sect leader, it¡¯s my duty to help you release some of that pent-up energy.¡±


    Half pushed, half escorted,


    the scholar, his neck growing red, was led into a side room of the private chamber by the tall girl who had been on his left.


    ¡°Keep these two here; I¡¯ll have two more brothers coming over later, for them.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    The old madam tentatively asked, ¡°Won¡¯t you join in, young master?¡±


    ¡°I do not indulge in worldly pleasures.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The old madam tactfully closed the door and withdrew.


    ¡­


    ¡°Can you play any instruments?¡±


    Chen Qiu, holding his wine glass, turned his head to look at the two girls in the private chamber and casually inquired.


    Dressed in light gauzy skirts, the one on the left in pink and the girl on the right in blush red, their faces naturally very beautiful, every movement they made even carried a hint of shyness, and they seemed almost like maidens untouched by men.


    ¡°Yes, we can also dance, would you like to see, young master?¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    Soon,


    the girl in the pink dress sat on a high stool cradling a pipa, her face sorrowful as she softly sang while gazing out the window, while the remaining girl in the blush red long dress danced in the dim light of the room.


    The dance was very graceful.


    And Chen Qiu¡¯s thoughts gradually drifted, he turned his head to look out at the bustling street, not sure what was on his mind, but felt that at this moment, things seemed very peaceful, as peaceful as when he was beside the stream in the canyon.


    It was a kind of tranquility, yet it was not.


    ¡­


    Just at this moment¡ª¡ª


    The scholar¡¯s disciple brother came out of the private room expressionlessly, followed by a very embarrassed Fat Long and the scholar brother¡¯s noticeably frustrated and indignant cursing.


    ¡°I told you not to misuse your entries like that¡­¡±


    Fat Long tugged at the scholar¡¯s disciple brother¡¯s sleeve somewhat embarrassedly: ¡°Your brother also needs his own space. We could have just walked back, it¡¯s not that far. Don¡¯t scare your brother witless, that would be a real sin.¡±


    The scholar¡¯s disciple brother stood by without saying a word, his face expressionless.


    Fat Long didn¡¯t say anything more but dashed to Chen Qiu¡¯s side and took out an enormous parchment: ¡°Brother Qiu, the names listed here are of those who pose a strong threat to your ranking within the top three.¡±


    Chen Qiu waved his hand to signal the two girls to wait in another room, then frowned as he looked at the parchment list.


    ¡°So many names, huh?¡±


    ¡°Must be seventy or eighty, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long nodded helplessly: ¡°Brother Qiu, although your Cultivation has been improving rapidly, you are currently only at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment. This time, in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition, there are several Heavenly Prides with Golden Core Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Plus other Heavenly Prides with at least the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and there are so many of them.¡±


    ¡°Most of the Heavenly Prides¡¯ entries cannot be investigated, only a small portion of them can be known.¡±


    ¡°For example, this ¡®True Disciple¡¯ from the Mechanical Puppet Sect is unanimously considered by the outsiders to be a strong contender for the top ten. This cultivator employs the rare, long-lost Puppet Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°They use demon beast flesh and blood and resentful spirits, combined with various heavenly and earthly treasures, to create powerful Mechanical Puppets.¡±


    ¡°They control the puppets with Spiritual Energy to fight for themselves.¡±


    ¡°It is said that this time they have prepared a large amount of heavenly and earthly treasures, intending to seize one of the top three spots and then construct a Lifebound Puppet from the Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ¡°The Puppet can be controlled remotely with Spiritual Energy or even piloted from within.¡±


    ¡°Its entire body is made of the very rare ¡®Black Shining Stone¡¯ which can significantly absorb damage from Spells, making it your most troublesome opponent this time, Brother Qiu. It somewhat counters you.¡±


    ¡°All the information is here, but most of this information is publicly available. What I can find out, others can too. There¡¯s so much surveillance that there are hardly any secrets left.¡±


    ¡°Take a look, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say anything more, gesturing with a wave of his hand for Fat Long and the girls to go off and play in the adjacent room before he started to frown at the stack of information handed to him.


    It had to be said.


    Indeed, there were many strong contenders.


    Almost every Heavenly Pride listed here was fully supported by a sect and family; not a single weak one among them, and their entry pairs were all well-matched.


    In this situation, he felt if he didn¡¯t use Self-Destruction Terms, it would be tough even to make it into the top twenty.


    And he didn¡¯t have that many entries to self-destruct with, to begin with.


    There were seven more days until the competition officially started.


    In those seven days, he should be able to raise his Cultivation to around the seventh or eighth layer of Foundation Establishment with the help of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. By then, paired with his Thunder Summoning Technique and the newly learned ¡®Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique¡¯, he should be able to fight those at the peak of Foundation Establishment Cultivation.


    But those early-stage Golden Core Heavenly Prides would be a bit more troublesome.


    He had a Golden Core stage resentful spirit on his back; if he could start a snowball effect, it wasn¡¯t out of reach, yet those Heavenly Prides were the very peak of Da Xia¡¯s younger generation.


    They would undoubtedly be difficult to handle.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he began to consider whether there was a chance to overturn the situation before the competition started.


    The Heavenly Dao didn¡¯t care how many people entered the selection for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    It would start and end on schedule.


    If he couldn¡¯t beat them, he would overturn the tables.


    If he were the only one to enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, then he would undoubtedly be the rightful number one.

 Chapter 119 - 100:

    Chapter 119: Chapter 100: ¡°Why don¡¯t you go try playing at the Flower Offering Sect?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At that moment, inside a private room of Xinghua House, Fat Long and a few others had already left for the adjoining chamber, accompanied by singing and laughter. Chen Qiu sat alone at a table by the window, overlooking the bustling street below, deep in thought and silent.


    He indeed needed a suitable Magic Treasure.


    The prospect of obtaining one of the top three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures from the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was very enticing to him.


    Only¡­


    He felt the risks were a bit too great, with Golden Core Heavenly Prides competing, and the specific rules of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm unknown. According to the information gathered by Fat Long, the selection process within the Secret Realm varied every year.


    ...


    Nobody knew what it would be this year.


    Perhaps it would be a good choice to wait until next year?


    By next year, he would definitely be at the Golden Core stage one hundred percent. Even if he faced some difficult challenges, hurling a Self-Destruction Term would force them to kneel before him.


    But what about this situation¡­


    He had considered other methods too, such as poisoning other Heavenly Prides before the competition or ambushing them, ensuring they¡¯d be eliminated before even entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. However, whatever he could think of, other sects would surely have thought of as well.


    The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard wasn¡¯t being held for the first time.


    Such scenarios must have occurred many times already, and those sects would have long since developed corresponding strategies.


    The scholar was quite familiar with the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. It would be better to ask him about it later and make plans accordingly.


    ¡­


    ¡°So soon?¡±


    Chen Qiu lifted his gaze toward the scholar, who had swiftly redressed and, using his Spiritual Energy to support himself, flew over to take his seat cross-legged on a red chair opposite him. Chen Qiu asked softly, ¡°You¡¯re quite knowledgeable about the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. Tell me about the time you participated.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    At this moment, the scholar only felt refreshed and invigorated. This was his first time indulging in such pleasures. Many years ago, he too had pursued the top beauty of Da Xia on the Heavenly Dao beauty rankings, Ji Renjian. Only¡­ the story that followed was quite distressing for him.


    After his Cultivation was wasted, there was no more to the story.


    Perhaps noticing the scholar¡¯s distant gaze, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°What, struck by a beauty¡¯s poison?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The scholar shook his head with a complex expression, ¡°I¡¯m just reminded of someone I admired a long time ago. If she knew of my fall from grace now, she might be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Admired? You expressed your love?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®guess so¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I helped her many times in secret. In all of Da Xia, no one wielded such dense Sword Intent but me. She must have recognized it, but she never sought me out, rejecting me in a rather indirect manner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, you should learn more from Fat Long in this regard.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, choosing not to continue the conversation on this topic and went straight to the point, ¡°Tell me about your time at the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After a moment of silence, the scholar spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯ve participated in the contest for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard twice.¡±


    ¡°The first time I was fourth, and Ji Taiping was fifth.¡±


    ¡°Not very famous.¡±


    ¡°After that, I cultivated arduously for half a year, and six months later I single-handedly fought the top three on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, slaying them all with my sword, becoming famous overnight.¡±


    ¡°The next year I competed again, and without any doubt, I took first place.¡±


    ¡°The following year, Ji Taiping also secured the first place in the Heavenly Pride.¡±


    Speaking of this, the scholar¡¯s face was filled with pride and disdain, ¡°Ji Taiping didn¡¯t dare compete with me on the same stage the second year, refraining from participating in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard contest, fearing he wouldn¡¯t get first place. The thing Sword Cultivators fear the most is hesitating to draw their swords.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t dare to cross swords with me. Even though he secured the top spot in the Heavenly Pride the following year¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much.¡±


    ¡°The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is open only to those with Foundation Establishment or higher Cultivation, under the age of fifty, and one can participate in the contest a maximum of two times.¡±


    ¡°The content of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm for determining the rankings is always different.¡±


    ¡°The first time I participated, it was a tournament of direct combat, sword against sword, blade against blade.¡±


    ¡°The second time, it was a treasure hunt. There were 1,024 Heavenly Dao Fragments scattered in a small world, and the rankings were based on the number of Heavenly Dao Fragments one possessed.¡±


    ¡°The battles were always brutal.¡±


    ¡°However, one does not truly die in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. When one is severely injured, the will of the Heavenly Dao expels them from the small world, or one can opt to concede and leave the small world early, unless one doesn¡¯t even have the chance to be severely injured, dying too swiftly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s real death.¡±


    ¡°And such cases were not rare in previous years.¡±


    ¡°Every year there are Golden Core Heavenly Prides, these contestants often being strong contenders for the top spot, who go all out against Foundation Establishment Heavenly Prides from other sects, leaving them no chance of surviving the injury, thereby weakening the young generation¡¯s strength of other sects.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, speaking earnestly, ¡°I think you really should give it a try, Brother Qiu. Even if you can¡¯t vie for the top three, you can still place around thirtieth or fortieth. After the rankings are set, you can receive the Heavenly Dao Blessing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible to vie for the top three next year.¡±


    ¡°I think with your strength, Brother Qiu, it¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in understanding and then absentmindedly tapped his fingertip against the table surface, his gaze drifting out the window as he already had a rough plan in mind.


    ¡­


    If it weren¡¯t for the stroke of luck that brought him a significant cache of Dragon Vein Stones and knowledge that the top three on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard would receive Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, he wouldn¡¯t have set foot into the Capital before reaching the Golden Core stage.


    And now he was already in a satellite city just outside the Capital.


    Mainly, the allure of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure was far too great for him.

 Chapter 120 - 100:

    Chapter 120: Chapter 100: ¡°Why Don¡¯t You Give the Flower Offering Sect a Try?¡±_2


    It now seems quite difficult to contend for the top three spots.


    ¡°Well then.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and murmured softly.


    This time let¡¯s just give up temporarily, and see again next year. Not having reached the Golden Core stage makes me feel a bit hesitant, somewhat lacking in confidence; what¡¯s more, I currently only have the ¡°Dragon Vein Stone¡±¡ªa top-tier material for forging.


    To create a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure that is strong enough, suitable for him, and has a growth aspect, this material alone is not enough.


    The timing is also not quite right.


    ...


    Just when he was ready to give up and try again next year,


    ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    The scholar sitting opposite suddenly thought of something, his expression odd as he said, ¡°Unless, Brother Qiu, you can obtain a Magic Practitioner inheritance. If Brother Qiu could obtain the Magic Practitioner inheritance, your strength would greatly increase, and by then participating in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard contest will definitely not be a problem!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just anything,¡± Chen Qiu shook his head with some resignation, ¡°Just tell me.¡±


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t hold out much hope; the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard contest was already tough enough, so the supposedly even more difficult Magic Practitioner inheritance was likely beyond reach.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡±


    The scholar¡¯s expression became serious, his finger dipped in clear wine to write on the table: ¡°Since ancient times, cultivators could basically be divided into nine main paths. Excluding some particularly obscure ones, and Loose Cultivators who practice a bit of everything, the vast majority of cultivators follow one of these nine paths.¡±


    ¡°Magic Practitioner, talisman cultivator, Array Repairer, Alchemy Cultivator, Artifact Cultivator, Evil Cultivation, Demon Cultivation, Body Cultivation, Sword Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°These nine paths are the nine main cultivation paths for cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Existences like Puppet Cultivation, Gua Cultivation, Dual Cultivation, etc., are abnormalities developed over a long time and don¡¯t have corresponding inheritances.¡±


    ¡°In the very south of Da Xia Country!¡±


    ¡°That is, at the edge of the Boundless Icefield, there¡¯s a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that is always open. Inside that Secret Realm, there are inheritances for these nine paths. Just pass the corresponding challenge, and you can obtain the corresponding inheritance.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure what the inheritances specifically entail, but they must be rare and capable of greatly enhancing one¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Always open?¡± Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise, ¡°Based on what you¡¯re saying, it must have been open for at least several decades. Has no one obtained any inheritance?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The scholar shook his head helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s been open for at least a thousand years, those nine inheritances were there even before the founding of Da Xia Country. As long as you have the strength, you can take them at any time. But to this day, let alone the Magic Practitioner inheritance, none of the other eight inheritances have been claimed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried for the Sword Cultivator inheritance three times.¡±


    ¡°No chance, it¡¯s just too difficult. I even think that not even in a thousand years will someone be able to claim it.¡±


    ¡°But I think Brother Qiu, you¡¯re not an ordinary Magic Practitioner, maybe you should give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    After pondering for a moment with his hand on his cheek, Chen Qiu nodded, ¡°You make a good point.¡±


    ¡­


    That night.


    After Fat Long and the scholar¡¯s brother finished their affairs, Chen Qiu purchased some dry food and prepared to head to the ¡°Boundless Icefield.¡± With seven days left until the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, he first planned to check out what that Magic Practitioner inheritance was about.


    Then make plans accordingly.


    Before leaving the auxiliary city, Chen Qiu once again bought a large quantity of Qi Replenishing Pills. However, with the Capital being too far from the Boundless Icefield, one must stop to purge impurities if too many Qi Replenishing Pills are taken at once.


    The average speed would be much slower, but even so, it¡¯s a speed the Flying Boat could hardly aspire to.


    Like right now,


    they had stopped in a small county town in Southern State, and this town didn¡¯t even have an inn, entirely populated by locals, who all gave them looks of scrutiny after they entered¡ªclearly, it had been a long time since any strangers had come here.


    In the end, they stayed at a temple outside the town and entered a small world within the temple.


    ¡­


    In the small world, within the Chao Tian Sect.


    Fat Long looked towards the scholar not far away, who was circulating his mental method to purge impurities from his Tao Foundation, and he couldn¡¯t help but lament, ¡°This won¡¯t do, your pill consumption rate is even more exaggerated than a Magic Practitioner¡¯s. When will you find an Alchemy Cultivator for the ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, buying such a large quantity of Qi Replenishing Pills every time, it¡¯s not very proper.¡±


    It was already past midnight, Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    and in the disciple dormitory not far away, each dormitory housed four people. Fat Long had arranged all 200+ people in the disciple dormitories. The Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills gathered so far were placed in a Storage Bag and handed over to Chen Qiu.


    Those 200+ people represented Chen Qiu¡¯s most substantial wealth so far.


    As long as the ¡°Fame Ranking¡± exists, every day he could obtain a large amount of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills through these people.


    Like now¡ª


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the ground, looking at the 389 low-grade Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in the Storage Bag, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile. The previous night it had been 259 pills, tonight it was 389, nearly double.


    Who knows how many there will be tomorrow.


    Without further ado, right when the scholar needed to purge the impurities from overdosing on the Qi Replenishing Pills and couldn¡¯t continue on the journey,


    Chen Qiu began to cycle his mental method through a Grand Circulation. Then he pinched a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and brought it to his mouth.


    ¡­


    At this moment¡ª


    Several days had passed since the release of the ¡°Fame Ranking,¡± and this leaderboard, which hadn¡¯t initially attracted much attention, caused quite a stir once people learned that the daily Heavenly Dao Blessing was a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill. Many people could not sit still.


    Originally, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered much¡ªmany people had a sense of their own limits. In such a big country as Da Xia, those on the leaderboard were either extremely famous in a certain domain, or notorious Evil Cultivators, or Heavenly Dao Beauties. What chance would an ordinary person have?

 Chapter 121 - 100:

    Chapter 121: Chapter 100: ¡°Why Don¡¯t You Give the Flower Offering Sect a Try?¡±_3


    This time, the Heavenly Dao Ranking was doomed to be just a plaything for those people.


    Apart from feeling envious, they had no other means.


    But when the Fame Ranking began displaying one unheard-of name after another¡ª not just three or four, but hundreds¡ªthose sects and families that had given up could no longer sit still!


    Especially when they learned that these individuals were neither suddenly emerging evils nor Heavenly Prides of any sect, and their Cultivation was only at the third or fourth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, those originally envious sects almost went mad.


    Outside the capital, inside the Flower Offering Sect Hall.


    The Flower Offering Sect Master was incredulously looking at the few Memory Stones in his hand, casting aside his prejudices, and after closely observing them several times, he finally sat in the Sect Master¡¯s chair and looked down at the Flower Offering Sect¡¯s Heavenly Girl, exclaiming in shock,


    ...


    ¡°It¡¯s these Memory Stones that allowed those mortals to climb onto the Fame Ranking?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that my reputation as the Flower Offering Sect Master is actually lower than those mortals who expose their shameful deeds to the world?¡±


    ¡°Would people rather remember these mortals and not me, the Flower Offering Sect Master?¡±


    Honestly, the moment this ¡®Fame Ranking¡¯ was released, he, the Flower Offering Sect Master, saw an opportunity and immediately dispatched sect disciples to buy a large quantity of porridge to distribute near small towns in Jing Province.


    And every time they served a bowl of porridge, the disciples would loudly state, ¡°This is a gift from the Flower Offering Sect Master ¡®Bao Yichao¡¯ to you.¡±


    However, after two days, he hadn¡¯t even made it into the top thousand, so he gave up.


    But who would have thought that these mortals could climb to over six hundred on the ranking by such insidious means? This was practically insulting him, throwing his face to the ground and trampling on it harshly.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Flower Offering Sect Heavenly Girl, kneeling in the Sect Hall, her limbs on the ground, her body trembling slightly with fear, hoarsely said, ¡°Responding to Sect Master, the disciple ensures this is true, that group of people used such means to massively push hundreds of mortals onto the ranking.¡±


    ¡°The entire Xuzhou is filled with countless Memory Stones spreading continuously, and those people¡¯s fame is still rising.¡±


    ¡°Feeling the significant opportunity of this matter, the disciple returned to the sect immediately to report to you face to face.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Sitting on the quest chair, the Flower Offering Sect Master narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtfully saying, ¡°This indeed is a good tactic; your report was very timely. Just Xuzhou alone has gotten so many people onto the list; what if I could snap up three provinces before other sects react?¡±


    ¡°Pass the order!¡±


    ¡°Let all elders come out of seclusion to discuss important matters together at the Sect Hall!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The disciple standing at the entrance of the hall responded loudly and quickly retreated.


    ¡­


    ¡°Come up.¡±


    The Flower Offering Sect Master, his temples already turning white, looked down at the kneeling Heavenly Girl with an ambiguous smile, waving his hand to signal her to come forward, ¡°If I remember correctly, the task I sent you on was not this, was it?¡±


    ¡°Although this is also a merit.¡±


    ¡°But what about the task I assigned to you?¡±


    The Heavenly Girl, kneeling on the ground, shook even more at these words, but still forcibly suppressed her fear, crawling step by step onto the platform, and familiarly placed her blood-stained head on the Sect Master¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Sect Master, smiling, stroked the Heavenly Girl¡¯s head: ¡°You previously let go of the Flower Offering Sect¡¯s nutritional supplement privately, already committing a taboo of the Flower Offering Sect, I let you redeem yourself by going to Fufeng City in Xuzhou.¡±


    ¡°I ordered you to seduce Zhao Yishi, the True Disciple of the Caotian Sect, and kill the supplement you let go, but you failed to do either.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Zhao Yishi¡¯s physique makes it difficult for him to find a Taoist couple, and your entry perfectly satisfies him, you are his best partner, his nature is naive, how could he withstand your Charming Technique?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The Heavenly Girl, her head pressed firmly, struggled to voice out hoarsely, ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t find¡­ the opportunity.¡±


    At this time¡ª


    The Great Elder of the Flower Offering Sect and other elders took their seats one after the other, all old men in poor condition, regarding the Heavenly Girl kneeling before the Sect Master as usual, but only after everyone was seated did the Great Elder voice his doubts, ¡°Sect Master, why have you called us all out of seclusion?¡±


    ¡°You all,¡±


    The Flower Offering Sect Master, expressionless, glanced at the gathered elders: ¡°You¡¯ve really let your brains rust shut in seclusion, take a look at the recent Fame Ranking.¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The Heavenly Girl, her injuries more severe, staggered out of the Sect Hall, her ragged clothes revealing too much, yet indifferent to it all, her gaze numb as she made her way toward her own cave abode under the complex looks from the Flower Offering Sect disciples.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing at the entrance to her cave, the Heavenly Girl waved to release the barrier, looking at the stone bed covered in pink reeds, she stood silently for a long time before finally sitting on the bed, gazing into the distance outside her dwelling.


    Fat Long was the one she had let escape; releasing a supplement in the Flower Offering Sect was no small matter.


    As a result, she also faced some punishment.


    Fat Long¡­


    At the time Fat Long was captured and returned to the Flower Offering Sect, to escape from there, he had flattered her in every way, such as specifically searching for the pink reeds for her, like skillfully making her a hairpin from human bones from the back mountain, and even telling many jokes to make her laugh.


    She naturally knew that Fat Long¡¯s affections were feigned, his purpose merely to escape the Flower Offering Sect.

 Chapter 122 - 100:

    Chapter 122: Chapter 100: ¡°Why Don¡¯t You Give the Flower Offering Sect a Try?¡±_4


    But even so,


    this was the first time someone was willing to pretend to care about her, to make her laugh, and to care about her feelings.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The wandering Heavenly Girl gazed hazily at the hairpin placed on the table beside her. The hairpin was truly ugly. The primary task of the Flower Offering Sect¡¯s wandering Heavenly Girl was to seduce the Heavens¡¯ Pride of various sects.


    She had tried her best too.


    For instance, being the top geisha in the Capital¡¯s brothel allowed her to save some private money to escape from the Flower Offering Sect. Fat Long had also given her advice, spreading rumors about a bigwig who offered three Spirit Stones but didn¡¯t purchase her body; after that, indeed more people sought her out.


    ...


    She once asked Fat Long why not spread that even three thousand Spirit Stones couldn¡¯t buy her body, wouldn¡¯t that be an even better gimmick?


    Fat Long¡¯s evaluation of her was ¡®foolish¡¯. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The gimmick of three Spirit Stones, the bigwigs would just treat it as a joke and laugh it off. The gimmick of three thousand Spirit Stones would likely make them really want to come and see, which would be absurd.


    She found it very logical.


    Fat Long was really smart if he wasn¡¯t randomly assigned the ¡°Bull Strength¡± entry, he definitely could have made a name for himself. Just¡­ bad luck, just like her.


    Such are the times.


    Who can really be lucky?


    Just then¡ª


    A hoarse male voice came from outside the cave: ¡°Senior sister finally returns to the sect, how could you not come and see your junior brothers?¡±


    Upon hearing the voice outside the cave, the wandering Heavenly Girl¡¯s face flashed with fear as she tightly gripped the hairpin in her hand and trembled, ¡°Junior brother, senior sister is a bit unwell today, can it wait for another day?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Sounds of breaking through the formation already came from outside the cave.


    The wandering Heavenly Girl, with a deathly pale face, looked down at the hairpin in her hand for a while before quickly gathering the pink reeds beneath her and storing them in her Storage Ring; then she forced a smile, sitting on the bed and looking towards the several young men who had entered the cave, slyly laughed.


    ¡°My junior brothers, can it wait for another day? Wait until my injuries are better, would that be okay?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡±


    The leader, a young man holding a whip, stepped closer with a smirk, half-smiling: ¡°We would also like to taste the Sect Master¡¯s flavor, how about giving us a chance, sister?¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The wandering Heavenly Girl lay on the bed covered in whip marks, gazing hazily at the starry sky outside the cave, as if she again saw Fat Long, who had sat outside her cave and told her stories all night long.


    She said she, as a wandering Heavenly Girl, had no power at all; she couldn¡¯t let him go.


    Fat Long shook his head in disbelief; being called a wandering Heavenly Girl sounded powerful, how could she have no power?


    When they parted,


    she saw excitement and ambition written all over Fat Long¡¯s face; he told her he would one day become a big shot and then flatten the Flower Offering Sect.


    Latter on¡­


    Later, by the Sect Master¡¯s command, she went to Fufeng City, and just before entering Fufeng City, she saw Fat Long turning his back and fleeing, as if terribly afraid she¡¯d see him.


    Thinking of this,


    the wandering Heavenly Girl lying on the bed couldn¡¯t help but smile, the stars outside the cave twinkling brighter: Fat Long¡¯s fearful demeanor of being seen and then dragged back to the Flower Offering Sect was indeed charming.


    But how could Fat Long know that everyone captured by the Flower Offering Sect had a marker left in their body that could find them from a thousand miles away, it¡¯s just a matter of whether the sect wants to find you or not.


    Upon entering Fufeng City, she saw Fat Long.


    Still with that carefree demeanor.


    Still saying no matter how much suffering he endured, ¡°the strong will never feel humiliated for yesterday¡¯s kneeling.¡±


    Latter on, when the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm opened, she was supposed to seduce Zhao Yishi by the Sect Master¡¯s command, but she saw Fat Long publicly killing his former Taoist couple, declaring he hated such promiscuous women the most!


    She stood in the crowd and did not approach.


    Somehow, she didn¡¯t really want Fat Long to see her promiscuous side in front of him.


    Even though she was already seen as a promiscuous woman in Fat Long¡¯s eyes.


    But hearing about it and seeing it are, after all, two different concepts.


    She still remembered sitting outside the cave with Fat Long, looking at the starry sky, saying the Flower Offering Sect was like that night, and we were like the stars; no matter how bright we were, we couldn¡¯t drive away the darkness.


    Fat Long carelessly said,


    ¡°The darker the night, the brighter the stars seem.¡±


    Yeah.


    She had to admit that at the time, Fat Long¡¯s unexplainably confident chubby face was quite charming. It was also Fat Long who inspired her to seriously think about escaping the Flower Offering Sect, a thought that had crossed her mind quite early on.


    Only¡­


    All disciples of the Flower Offering Sect had their Life Plates kept at the sect, no matter where she went, they could always locate her through the Life Plate; where could she escape to?


    In a daze,


    she again thought of Fat Long and what he said when they parted, declaring that one day he would become a major figure and definitely flatten the Flower Offering Sect.


    ¡°Fat Long¡­¡±


    The wandering Heavenly Girl lay on the bed, flipping over the hairpin she had just hid under the bed, playing with it unconsciously as she muttered, ¡°When will you become a big shot and flatten the Flower Offering Sect?¡±


    ¡°I may not be able to wait for you¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Forget about it.¡±


    Inside the Chao Tian Sect, Fat Long looked at the scholar with annoyance: ¡°The Flower Offering Sect is purely a place where only a beast can survive; luckily, I¡¯m beastly enough to thrive there. If your brother with his personality were to become a replacement there, he¡¯d have been drained into a mummy on the first day.¡±


    ¡°I really pulled out all the stops that time.¡±


    ¡°That was a lick from head to toe, so disgusting that even I found it repulsive, but that¡¯s how I narrowly managed to escape with my life.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®I played around in the Flower Offering Sect and came out still wanting to play¡¯? Try playing in the Flower Offering Sect yourself.¡±

 Chapter 123 - 101: Over and over again, until its done.

    Chapter 123: Chapter 101: Over and over again, until it¡¯s done.


    Within the Chao Tian Sect. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long built up a bonfire and sat on the ground with the scholar and his younger brother, chatting casually.


    ¡°Although life was tough before.¡±


    Fat Long remarked with a wistful tone, ¡°I¡¯ve always believed that life won¡¯t always be this harsh. There will be a day when the bitterness ends and sweetness begins, a true powerhouse will never feel humiliated by yesterday¡¯s kneeling.¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ve made it through, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    His face brimming with pride, he couldn¡¯t help but boast, ¡°With my ¡®Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡¯ entry, maybe in a few years, I¡¯ll be able to reach the Golden Core. Then, I¡¯ll trample over the Flower Offering Sect, and slaughter everyone there!¡±


    ...


    ¡°Damn it, I can remember this grudge for a lifetime!¡±


    ¡°Moreover, with Brother Qiu covering for me, even if it¡¯s harder now, it¡¯s still many times better than before. Even if we become enemies of the entire world, at least we have the small world as a place where we can take shelter and not be reduced to stray dogs.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty good as it is now.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The scholar too smiled and patted his legs, ¡°I always felt that after becoming a cripple, the only reason to keep living was my brother. But I don¡¯t know why, after spending more time with you guys, it feels like my life has some hope of its own.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long laughed, slung his arm around the scholar¡¯s shoulder, and grinned, ¡°Life always gets better, come on, let¡¯s drink to celebrate our surely bright future!¡±


    Even the typically quiet brother of the scholar raised his cup and said in a deep voice, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always hated it when my brother says he lives for me, but he keeps saying so.¡±


    The three gathered by the bonfire, their laughter and conversation echoing into the night as they reminisced about the past and looked forward to the future, their bond deepening with each moment.


    Not far away.


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on an oval stone, cultivating alone.


    Yes, when he had left the valley, he had packed that oval stone by the stream into his small world.


    This stone was quite comfortable to cultivate on.


    After he had absorbed all 142 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    His Cultivation had gone from¡­


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Foundation Establishment Stage Five (29%)


    To¡ª¡ª


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Foundation Establishment Stage Six (0%)


    ¡­


    ¡°Foundation Establishment Six.¡±


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a cloud of impure breath. His body was covered with a layer of Spiritual Energy like a film. Casually summoning a Thunder Summoning Technique towards the barren ground nearby, he nodded with satisfaction.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique released at Foundation Establishment Stage Six was significantly larger than before.


    And in the moment he executed it, the ¡®Dual Casting¡¯ and ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ turned it into twelve Thunder Summoning Techniques.


    Foundation Establishment Stage Six, just one step away from the upper phase of Foundation Establishment.


    Under the effect of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, his speed of breaking through Cultivation was astounding to everyone, and at the same time, that familiar panel wrapped in mist and clouds appeared above his Dantian.


    Under the effect of the ¡®Step by Step¡¯ entry, breaking through each small realm allowed him to freely choose one of three random entries.


    ¨C


    ¡®Your Cultivation has surged, officially entering Foundation Establishment Stage Six.¡¯


    ¡®Please choose one from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Saving Lives and Healing the Wounded.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: All your spells for healing injuries will not work on yourself but will be three times more effective on others.


    2:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Slippery.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Each time you are attacked, you will automatically teleport to a random location within thirty feet.


    3:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Complementary Enhancements.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: The larger your Tao Foundation overall, the farther your Divine Sense can reach.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Looking at the three entries, Chen Qiu¡¯s face finally revealed a smile; without any hesitation, he chose the third one. Several upgrades had passed without landing an entry that suited him, but this time he got one that was perfectly aligned.


    The accuracy of a spell primarily depends on Divine Sense.


    Once the Divine Sense locks on to an enemy, as long as your spell is faster than the enemy¡¯s movement, it will be traced and hit by your spell.


    The same applies to a Sword Cultivator controlling a Flying Sword to attack enemies.


    However, Divine Sense leaving the body is a technique of Golden Core Great Powers. Before reaching the Golden Core, Divine Sense can only leave the body for a short distance, used for opening Storage Rings and such, and the idea of locking onto an enemy is just a pipe dream.


    This is also why Foundation Establishment Cultivators don¡¯t start by throwing spells in battle.


    If you miss and run out of Spiritual Energy, you¡¯re just a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.


    Even Magic Practitioners primarily use Spiritual Treasure as their Attack Method, ensuring that spells are almost certain to hit before making a move.


    Of course¡ª


    He is an exception.


    He generally aims with his naked eye and then smashes hundreds of spells over, sure that some will hit. This kind is a special case, usual Foundation Establishment Cultivators can¡¯t do it like he does.


    With ¡®Complementary Enhancements,¡¯ even before reaching Golden Core, he can use Divine Sense externally, which greatly enhances his Attack Method. In Foundation Establishment, many times this could catch the enemy by surprise. He could even smash hundreds of Thunder Summoning Techniques in the sky, then lock the enemy with Divine Sense.


    ¡­


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s gaze sharpened as he looked at a small stone in the barren land not far away, casually sending a Thunder Summoning Technique smashing towards it.


    The twelve Thunder Summoning Techniques drawn in different arcs precisely hit the small stone.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled with satisfaction. This entry greatly enriched his means of attack. At the Foundation Establishment Stage, it would often catch the enemy off guard. He could even rain down hundreds of Thunder Summoning Techniques from the sky and lock on to the enemy with Divine Sense.

 Chapter 124 - 101: Over and over again, until its done._2

    Chapter 124: Chapter 101: Over and over again, until it¡¯s done._2


    Hundreds of Thunder Summoning Techniques traced different arcs across the sky and smashed towards the enemy, giving them a huge surprise.


    Although the distance his Divine Sense could extend from his body was far inferior to a Golden Core Great Power¡ªhe had tested it to be roughly within a hundred meters¡ªit was enough. Any enemy within a radius of a hundred meters, no matter how they moved, could be precisely targeted by his Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Once he reached the Golden Core stage, with the enhancement of this entry, his range of Divine Sense would be much farther than that of his peers at the same level.


    By then, he would be able to initiate an attack with his Thunder Summoning Technique even before entering his opponent¡¯s attack range, basically always seizing the initiative.


    Quite good.


    In fact, the first entry was also quite good. If it were chosen by another cultivator, they would only need to diligently practice spells that could heal injuries. Then, on the battlefield, they could become a powerful healer, frantically restoring their teammates¡¯ health, ensuring that as long as they did not fall, their teammates would not fall either.


    ...


    The second entry wasn¡¯t bad either.


    If it weren¡¯t for the third entry being so perfectly suited for him, he estimated that he would most likely have chosen the second one. With that, combined with the ¡°Shrink Earth into Inches¡± he had yet to learn, he could directly teleport randomly without a fixed point.


    Never mind whether the enemy could find his position, even he himself would not be able to find where he landed.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Chen Qiu took a long, satisfied breath and then continued to circulate his mental method to solidify his sixth layer of Foundation Establishment realm cultivation. Tonight, of the 389 Cultivation Pills, there were still 247 left after consuming 142.


    If the Fame Ranking remains and exists for the next seven days,


    the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills he would obtain should be enough for him to break through to the peak of Foundation Establishment before the start of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition. By then, with his numerous hidden cards, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to try venturing into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    ¡­ Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Based on this rate, Brother Qiu isn¡¯t far from Golden Core anymore. Are there any restrictions for breaking through to Golden Core?¡±


    Fat Long looked towards Chen Qiu, who was diligently cultivating, and turned his head to ask the scholar curiously.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scholar nodded and said with a smile, ¡°The most basic restriction is that one needs to raise their cultivation to the peak of Foundation Establishment and then choose a day with good heavenly conditions to circulate the mental method and condense the Spiritual Energy in the body into Spiritual Liquid.¡±


    ¡°And try to make the Spiritual Liquid boil vigorously, constantly scouring the Tao Foundation. After washing the Tao Foundation countless times, the Golden Core hidden within the Tao Foundation will be revealed.¡±


    ¡°If you break through successfully, that is the Golden Core stage.¡±


    ¡°Is it that simple?¡± Fat Long raised an eyebrow, ¡°I heard that so many cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment in your Da Xia Country failed to break into Golden Core and could only submit to Da Xia to serve as City Lords, relying on Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune to break through to Golden Core. I thought it was very difficult to break through.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just simple to talk about,¡±


    the scholar continued with a nod.


    ¡°The process of condensing Spiritual Energy into Spiritual Liquid requires a massive amount of Spiritual Energy, to begin with, which means you need to prepare a sufficient number of Spirit Stones for yourself. The absorption speed of low-grade Spirit Stones is definitely too slow, so mid-grade Spirit Stones are a must.¡±


    ¡°Qi Replenishing Pills have impurities and are certainly not suitable to use on such an important occasion as breaking through to Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Even the absorption speed of mid-grade Spirit Stones is not enough; you need to prepare at least forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones to set up a Spirit Gathering Array and sit at the Array Core to prepare for the breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°This is the first difficulty: wealth!¡±


    ¡°A single mid-grade Spirit Stone is worth nearly 600 low-grade Spirit Stones on the market and is incredibly hard to collect. You must prepare nearly 30,000 low-grade Spirit Stones and spend several years to acquire forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Just this first difficulty essentially filters out most people from the threshold of Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Without the support of a family or sect, to put it bluntly, how many terrible deeds must you commit to gather forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones for yourself?¡±


    ¡°The second difficulty: once, twice, and thrice, exhaustion after the third.¡±


    The scholar paused before continuing, ¡°After the Spiritual Energy becomes Spiritual Liquid, it must be made to boil and then you must scour the Tao Foundation with the mental method. This process is very painful, similar to the agony of scraping therapy during the scouring of the Tao Foundation.¡±


    ¡°And not a single accident can occur.¡±


    ¡°If the outside world fails to provide enough Spirit Stone energy, fail.¡±


    ¡°If someone interferes from the outside, fail.¡±


    ¡°If you become faint-hearted from unbearable pain, fail.¡±


    ¡°If the Tao Foundation has hidden injuries or an unstable foundation, then each scouring will multiply the pain several times. In case of any distraction, it will still be a fail.¡±


    ¡°If any accident occurs midway, causing the first attempt to break through to Golden Core to fail, then the Spiritual Energy in your Tao Foundation will transform into Spiritual Liquid, and although you won¡¯t have Golden Core cultivation, you will possess the Spiritual Liquid that only those with Golden Core have.¡±


    ¡°After Spiritual Energy turns into liquid, the power of spells will be significantly strengthened.¡±


    ¡°At that point, you¡¯re called a Half-Step Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°To break through from Half-Step Golden Core to Golden Core is much more difficult than the first breakthrough. If you fail again, the difficulty of the next attempt will be multiple times higher, and without some fortuitous encounter, you could very well be stuck there for life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why, virtually all cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment try to prepare everything possible and then open the Sect Protection Array, either in their sect or family, with numerous people joining hands to protect them while they wholeheartedly attempt to break through to Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°As for Loose Cultivators, they often find a desolate place to attempt the breakthrough alone.¡±


    ¡°Goodness¡­¡±


    Fat Long murmured in shock, ¡°It does sound very difficult, no wonder so many people are stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment and can only rely on Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune to step into Golden Core. Just these 30,000 Spirit Stones can crush the majority of people.¡±

 Chapter 125 - 101: Over and over again, until its done._3

    Chapter 125: Chapter 101: Over and over again, until it¡¯s done._3


    ¡°Otherwise?¡±


    The scholar helplessly shook his head and said, ¡°What else did you think the purpose of founding a sect was, to find a Golden Core Great Power in the early stages to help you cross the bridge for just 100 Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°Are those Golden Core Great Powers worth only 100 Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°If you even dared to ask for 150 Spirit Stones, you wouldn¡¯t even see the list, as it would have been taken by someone else.¡±


    ¡°Those families nearly deplete their entire fortune raising a Golden Core, if you don¡¯t reciprocate, all the people in your family will starve to death.¡±


    ¡°For something as harmless and effortless as crossing the bridge, getting 100 Spirit Stones is already quite good.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Just this¡ª¡±


    ¡°You feel it¡¯s already quite challenging, right?¡±


    ¡°But even if you accomplish all that I¡¯ve mentioned, the Golden Core formed would just be a First-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Golden Cores are graded from First to Fifth Grade.¡±


    ¡°First Grade is the weakest, Fifth Grade the strongest.¡±


    ¡°Each advancement in grade requires a large amount of heavenly treasures and resources, all those crisp Spirit Stones; I nearly lost half my life trying to achieve a Second-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about this, Brother Qiu will definitely be the strongest, a Fifth-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar rolled his eyes at Fat Long and said, ¡°Although I also have great faith in Brother Qiu, I must tell you that in Da Xia Country, openly, I have only heard of one person with a Fourth-grade Golden Core, and that is His Majesty. How many more there are in secret, I do not know.¡±


    ¡°But as for a Fifth-grade Golden Core, I can definitively tell you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not a single person has it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s recorded in historical legends.¡±


    ¡°¡±


    ¡­


    After the scholar had finished purifying the impurities, Chen Qiu circulated his mental method to slightly solidify his cultivation realm, then he no longer intended to continue taking Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills; letting himself adjust to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment first would ensure a stable Tao Foundation.


    Leaving the small world, they prepared to hit the road again.


    Traveling intermittently, by the time the sun reached mid-sky at noon, they had already stopped at a high mountain in Southern State, having covered a third of the total journey to the Boundless Icefield.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a roundabout way?¡±


    Fat Long, staring at the map in his hands, wondered, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be faster if we just went straight across ¡®Qiang State¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar shrugged and said, ¡°Theoretically, yes, but many years ago, His Majesty took a Flying Boat to ¡®Qiang State¡¯ for a disguised inspection. On the way, he was overtaken by several Sword Cultivators using Sword Flight, and soon after, ¡®Qiang State¡¯ banned Sword Flight in the entire state.¡±


    ¡°Only officials from Qiang State are allowed to use Sword Flight, it¡¯s forbidden to others.¡±


    ¡°So, we have to go around ¡®Qiang State¡¯. Also because of this ban, ¡®Qiang State¡¯, originally one of the more prosperous states in Southern State, has gradually become somewhat deserted over the years.¡±


    ¡°It has become a haven for many Evil Cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Those Evil Cultivators don¡¯t rely on Sword Flight, so in Qiang State, they¡¯re like fish in water.¡±


    ¡°Let me rest a while, I¡¯ve taken too many Qi Replenishing Pills. We¡¯ll continue the journey later; if nothing unexpected happens, we will surely reach the Boundless Icefield before nightfall.¡±


    ¡­


    Capital City, within the Zhang Family.


    ¡°Family Head.¡±


    A figure clad in black kneeled on one knee and solemnly reported, ¡°It has been clearly investigated; the former White-clothed Sword Cultivator who was hunted by the Zhang Family is indeed still alive, only his cultivation has fallen to the initial stages of Foundation Establishment. Recently, he appeared at the Heavenly Dao Pavilion and bought a ¡®Heavenly Dao Jade,¡¯ presumably to suppress the poison.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d been hiding in Wentiang Workshop Town in the past years, but the current whereabouts of the workshop owner of Wentiang Workshop Town are unknown, nowhere to inquire.¡±


    ¡°The Magic Practitioner that follows him, according to the Huang Family in Fufeng City, was still in the Qi Refinement Realm a few days back and had some feuds with their Huang Family, yet in less than half a month, he has already stepped into the second layer of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Magic Practitioner renowned for frequently releasing multiple Spells to gain fame.¡±


    ¡°Wherever he passed, all the Qi Replenishing Pills in the city¡¯s shops were nearly sold out. According to my subordinate¡¯s assumption, this Magic Practitioner must have an entry that highly suits Magic Practitioners, but to maintain his combat power, he must consume a large amount of Qi Replenishing Pills.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± The middle-aged man sitting on the chair with eyes slightly narrowed, looked at the image of Chen Qiu and the scholar fighting together in Fufeng City, murmured, ¡°Good that he didn¡¯t die, very good indeed.¡±


    ¡°This is just too perfect.¡±


    ¡°This time, I must get from his mouth how to prove Nascent Soul.¡±


    Back then.


    Everyone thought it was just a trivial grudge, but the Capital City Zhang Family mobilized their whole clan to hunt this Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, but the real reason, only they knew.


    That was¡­


    This Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, knew how to prove Nascent Soul!


    This unresolved issue of Da Xia Country for centuries, Bai Yi knew it, and back then, they had tried as much as possible to only severely injure Bai Yi to force out that secret, but unfortunately, he still died. They have been regretting that matter all these years.


    However, unexpectedly, he had faked his death that day, which reignited a glimmer of hope in their hearts.


    ¡°Issue the orders!¡±


    ¡°Do not be stingy with Spirit Stones; gather all information about Bai Yi and that Magic Practitioner including those around them.¡±


    ¡°Find a suitable opportunity, and catch them all at once with a thunder strike.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The figure in black solemnly responded, and then slowly retreated from the dim room.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    After the black-clad figure had left, the Zhang Family Patriarch slowly stood up with his hands behind his back, paced around the room a few times, his face unable to suppress the excitement emerging. Once they, the Zhang Family, learned this answer, they would possess the only Nascent Soul in Da Xia!


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    Chapter 125: Chapter 101: Over and over again, until it¡¯s done._3


    ¡°Otherwise?¡±


    The scholar helplessly shook his head and said, ¡°What else did you think the purpose of founding a sect was, to find a Golden Core Great Power in the early stages to help you cross the bridge for just 100 Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°Are those Golden Core Great Powers worth only 100 Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°If you even dared to ask for 150 Spirit Stones, you wouldn¡¯t even see the list, as it would have been taken by someone else.¡±


    ¡°Those families nearly deplete their entire fortune raising a Golden Core, if you don¡¯t reciprocate, all the people in your family will starve to death.¡±


    ¡°For something as harmless and effortless as crossing the bridge, getting 100 Spirit Stones is already quite good.¡±


    ¡°Just this¡ª¡±


    ¡°You feel it¡¯s already quite challenging, right?¡±


    ¡°But even if you accomplish all that I¡¯ve mentioned, the Golden Core formed would just be a First-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Golden Cores are graded from First to Fifth Grade.¡±


    ¡°First Grade is the weakest, Fifth Grade the strongest.¡±


    ¡°Each advancement in grade requires a large amount of heavenly treasures and resources, all those crisp Spirit Stones; I nearly lost half my life trying to achieve a Second-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about this, Brother Qiu will definitely be the strongest, a Fifth-grade Golden Core.¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar rolled his eyes at Fat Long and said, ¡°Although I also have great faith in Brother Qiu, I must tell you that in Da Xia Country, openly, I have only heard of one person with a Fourth-grade Golden Core, and that is His Majesty. How many more there are in secret, I do not know.¡±


    ¡°But as for a Fifth-grade Golden Core, I can definitively tell you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not a single person has it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s recorded in historical legends.¡±


    ¡°¡±


    ¡­


    After the scholar had finished purifying the impurities, Chen Qiu circulated his mental method to slightly solidify his cultivation realm, then he no longer intended to continue taking Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills; letting himself adjust to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment first would ensure a stable Tao Foundation.


    Leaving the small world, they prepared to hit the road again.


    Traveling intermittently, by the time the sun reached mid-sky at noon, they had already stopped at a high mountain in Southern State, having covered a third of the total journey to the Boundless Icefield.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a roundabout way?¡±


    Fat Long, staring at the map in his hands, wondered, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be faster if we just went straight across ¡®Qiang State¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar shrugged and said, ¡°Theoretically, yes, but many years ago, His Majesty took a Flying Boat to ¡®Qiang State¡¯ for a disguised inspection. On the way, he was overtaken by several Sword Cultivators using Sword Flight, and soon after, ¡®Qiang State¡¯ banned Sword Flight in the entire state.¡±


    ¡°Only officials from Qiang State are allowed to use Sword Flight, it¡¯s forbidden to others.¡±


    ¡°So, we have to go around ¡®Qiang State¡¯. Also because of this ban, ¡®Qiang State¡¯, originally one of the more prosperous states in Southern State, has gradually become somewhat deserted over the years.¡±


    ¡°It has become a haven for many Evil Cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Those Evil Cultivators don¡¯t rely on Sword Flight, so in Qiang State, they¡¯re like fish in water.¡±


    ¡°Let me rest a while, I¡¯ve taken too many Qi Replenishing Pills. We¡¯ll continue the journey later; if nothing unexpected happens, we will surely reach the Boundless Icefield before nightfall.¡±


    ¡­


    Capital City, within the Zhang Family.


    ¡°Family Head.¡±


    A figure clad in black kneeled on one knee and solemnly reported, ¡°It has been clearly investigated; the former White-clothed Sword Cultivator who was hunted by the Zhang Family is indeed still alive, only his cultivation has fallen to the initial stages of Foundation Establishment. Recently, he appeared at the Heavenly Dao Pavilion and bought a ¡®Heavenly Dao Jade,¡¯ presumably to suppress the poison.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d been hiding in Wentiang Workshop Town in the past years, but the current whereabouts of the workshop owner of Wentiang Workshop Town are unknown, nowhere to inquire.¡±


    ¡°The Magic Practitioner that follows him, according to the Huang Family in Fufeng City, was still in the Qi Refinement Realm a few days back and had some feuds with their Huang Family, yet in less than half a month, he has already stepped into the second layer of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Magic Practitioner renowned for frequently releasing multiple Spells to gain fame.¡±


    ¡°Wherever he passed, all the Qi Replenishing Pills in the city¡¯s shops were nearly sold out. According to my subordinate¡¯s assumption, this Magic Practitioner must have an entry that highly suits Magic Practitioners, but to maintain his combat power, he must consume a large amount of Qi Replenishing Pills.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± The middle-aged man sitting on the chair with eyes slightly narrowed, looked at the image of Chen Qiu and the scholar fighting together in Fufeng City, murmured, ¡°Good that he didn¡¯t die, very good indeed.¡±


    ¡°This is just too perfect.¡±


    ¡°This time, I must get from his mouth how to prove Nascent Soul.¡±


    Back then.


    Everyone thought it was just a trivial grudge, but the Capital City Zhang Family mobilized their whole clan to hunt this Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, but the real reason, only they knew.


    That was¡­


    This Number One Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, knew how to prove Nascent Soul!


    This unresolved issue of Da Xia Country for centuries, Bai Yi knew it, and back then, they had tried as much as possible to only severely injure Bai Yi to force out that secret, but unfortunately, he still died. They have been regretting that matter all these years.


    However, unexpectedly, he had faked his death that day, which reignited a glimmer of hope in their hearts.


    ¡°Issue the orders!¡±


    ¡°Do not be stingy with Spirit Stones; gather all information about Bai Yi and that Magic Practitioner including those around them.¡±


    ¡°Find a suitable opportunity, and catch them all at once with a thunder strike.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The figure in black solemnly responded, and then slowly retreated from the dim room.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    After the black-clad figure had left, the Zhang Family Patriarch slowly stood up with his hands behind his back, paced around the room a few times, his face unable to suppress the excitement emerging. Once they, the Zhang Family, learned this answer, they would possess the only Nascent Soul in Da Xia!

 Chapter 126 - 101: First Time and Again, Thrice to Exhaustion. _4

    Chapter 126: Chapter 101: First Time and Again, Thrice to Exhaustion. _4


    By then, Da Xia Country might as well change its name.


    He would also have to sit upon that imperial throne.


    But soon, his expression revealed a hint of worry and tension, uncertain whether Bai Yi had leaked this news. No, he had to act swiftly, before too many people noticed Bai Yi, and capture him!


    Although Bai Yi¡¯s techniques for escaping were exceedingly powerful, as long as a trap was set in advance, even wings wouldn¡¯t help him escape.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Zhang Family Patriarch suddenly thought of something, looking towards a shadowy corner of the room and hoarsely said, ¡°Find something for Ji Taiping to do, preferably send him away from the Capital. He has a deadly feud with Bai Yi and I don¡¯t want that fool to interfere with my plans.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    A voice of an elderly man came from the shadowy corner of the room, his presence felt but not seen.


    ¡­


    In the Capital, within a certain mountain peak.


    Ji Taiping furrowed his brows as he looked at the message coming from his Sound Transmission Ring Palace, his back to everyone as he stood at the edge of a cliff. After a long silence, he turned to his side to speak softly to Ji Renjian.


    ¡°The palace commands, there¡¯s turmoil in the Hundred Countries to the West, I must go there to quell the disturbances and mediate peace,¡± he said.


    ¡°This journey is likely to take dozens of days.¡±


    ¡°I will accompany you,¡± Ji Renjian, barefoot on the green stone, leaned against Ji Taiping¡¯s shoulder with a dazed look and said softly.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±


    Ji Taiping shook his head and said, ¡°Have you forgotten the promise between you and me? You cannot leave Jing Province. Last time, you sneaked out without telling me, encountering danger many times along the way. If I hadn¡¯t been secretly protecting you, would you still be standing here?¡±


    ¡°The outside world is dangerous. Just stay on ¡®Qingfeng¡¯ and don¡¯t run around. Wait patiently for my return.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Ji Renjian looked at Ji Taiping with reluctance and said, ¡°Then you be careful.¡±


    She had always thought her brother to be indulgent in wine and women, somewhat dissolute and not serious. That was until she, on a whim, disguised herself and snuck out of Jing Province by herself. Even though she was dressed in disguise and deliberately made herself less attractive, as the Heavenly Dao¡¯s number one beauty, the slightest bit of her beauty that leaked was enough to drive many to madness.


    Yet, every time she faced danger,


    there would always be a green sword shot from afar to protect her.


    Though the wielder of the sword was unseen,


    she chattered with the sword incessantly along the way, and as it danced joyously around her as if expressing happiness, she knew that in the whole of Da Xia, only two people possessed such intense Sword Intent.


    One was the White-clothed Sword Cultivator, the other was her brother, Ji Taiping.


    At that time, the palace had given an order for both of them to quell the turmoil in the Hundred Countries; whoever succeeded would be appointed the title of National Guardian Sword Master, which would allow them to wield a thread of Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune, and enhance their understanding of the Sword Dao, greatly strengthening their own power.


    In her memory, the White-clothed Sword Cultivator was obsessed with sword cultivation.


    He concerned himself with nothing but sword cultivation and had only met her once.


    The sword that protected her was, of course, her brother, Ji Taiping.


    Upon returning to the Capital and sharing her adventures with her brother, he remained expressionless and silent for a long time before admitting to his actions, and he forbade her from leaving Jing Province on a whim in the future.


    Soon afterwards, her brother took care of those relatives who had improper intentions towards her during her travels, executing them all.


    Although she felt her brother¡¯s actions were somewhat cruel, thinking that he was avenging her, she felt very fortunate.


    From then on, her impression of her brother changed drastically.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Ji Taiping affectionately pinched Ji Renjian¡¯s nose, then messed up her hair with a gentle smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s not a person in this world who can kill your brother who has been born yet.¡±


    ¡°When I return, I¡¯ll bring you some specialties from the Hundred Countries.¡±


    Afterwards.


    Ji Taiping no longer lingered, turning to walk down the mountain, leaving Ji Renjian alone, gazing absentmindedly at his departing figure, lost for words.


    Her name was Renjian.


    Her brother¡¯s name was Taiping.


    When their parents named them, they intended it to mean ¡®peace in the human world¡¯.


    She truly wished for peace in the human world so that her brother wouldn¡¯t have to keep going to the Hundred Countries to pacify turmoil, so he could always stay by her side, and she could travel with him to other provinces.


    ¡­


    Descending the mountain, as soon as Ji Taiping set foot at the base, a man in black approached him hastily and said, ¡°Lord Sword Master, as per your orders, we have identified three more storytellers who often brag about Bai Yi¡¯s past deeds.¡±


    ¡°Kill them all.¡±


    Ji Taiping walked forward with a cold expression and said, ¡°In the future, you do not need to consult me on such matters. Not three, but even three hundred¡ªanyone who dares to brag about Bai Yi, count them one by one and kill them all.¡±


    ¡°No matter how big a problem arises, I, Ji Taiping, can handle it.¡±


    ¡°If one person in this world says I am not as good as Bai Yi,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill that one person.¡±


    ¡°If the whole world says I am not as good as Bai Yi,¡±


    ¡°then I¡¯ll kill the entire world.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re reporting to me when you could have killed them by now. In the future, if you encounter any problems, consult your predecessor before doing such foolish things. If it happens again, I¡¯ll start with you.¡±


    The man in black lowered his head quickly, a flicker of fear in his eyes, and whispered, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡®Fei City¡¯.


    It was the southernmost of the nineteen provinces in Da Xia, perpetually cold due to the climate, which led the people here to be robust and stout, hence the name ¡®Fei City¡¯.


    Originally, by crossing this province, they would have reached their intended destination, the Boundless Icefield.


    However, the scholar insisted on bringing them to the most prosperous city in ¡®Fei City¡¯¡ªFei City itself¡ªclaiming he wanted to show them a great treasure.

 Chapter 127 - 102: Life is almost depleted, about to fucking die!

    Chapter 127: Chapter 102: Life is almost depleted, about to fucking die! Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Fei City¡±.


    At the end of the busiest street, sitting by the window of a teahouse, Fat Long looked at the furnace embedded in the table in front of him, huffed cold air, and shivered while holding a cup of hot tea, ¡°Isn¡¯t the temperature in Fei City too low?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a teahouse with a furnace embedded in the table.¡±


    ¡°No wonder everyone here is so fat.¡±


    ¡°Any mortal who¡¯s a bit thinner might have trouble surviving this winter.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, Scholar, why did you insist on bringing us here? Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to show us a great treasure? Where¡¯s the treasure?¡±


    ...


    ¡°Here!¡±


    The scholar, with eyes brimming with excitement, looked down at the bustling street below, pointed at a woman sitting in a sedan chair, and said with a smile, ¡°This is the Heavenly Dao second beauty. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve never seen her. Not everyone gets the chance to see the Heavenly Dao second beauty. Don¡¯t you want to take a look?¡±


    It was twilight.


    The street was lively, and there was the sound of gongs and drums.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Hearing the scholar¡¯s words, Fat Long suddenly became interested. He stuck his head out the window and saw a woman sitting in a large red sedan chair being carried down the street by eight robust men, each step leaving a deep footprint, and their foreheads beaded with more sweat.


    They were followed by a group of people beating gongs and drums, making it quite lively.


    It was as if a wedding procession was approaching from afar.


    The woman in the sedan chair was so overweight that she seemed to combine the size of eight or nine women, slumped inside, and with every movement forward, you could see her excess flesh shake like waves.


    No legs, no chest, and not even a stomach could be seen.


    All you could see was a smiling face and a large mass of fat.


    ¡°What the heck?¡±


    Fat Long pointed out the window at the woman in disbelief and exclaimed, ¡°You call this the Heavenly Dao second beauty? Are you sure she ranks second on the Da Xia beauty rankings?¡±


    ¡°With that physique, if you slaughtered her, you could feed the whole country. There¡¯d be enough meat for the entire population of Da Xia Country to indulge for three years!¡±


    ¡°Not to mention?¡±


    ¡°Unless that thing is three zhang long, even if you were in bed with her for three years, she¡¯d still remain a virgin ¨C believe it or not?¡±


    ¡°Smack.¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting opposite Fat Long, expressionlessly picked up his Jade Feather Fan and swatted away Fat Long¡¯s hand that was pointing out of the window, ¡°Talk all you want, but don¡¯t point at people.¡±


    No matter what her appearance was, since she could be the Heavenly Dao second beauty, she definitely must have suitors.


    He didn¡¯t want Fat Long¡¯s words to cause any trouble here.


    It wasn¡¯t that he was worried about not being able to fight.


    But having less trouble was certainly better than more.


    ¡°That¡¯s exaggerated.¡±


    The scholar shook his head and clicked his tongue, ¡°No need for three zhang, three feet should be enough. It¡¯s said that this woman was once an ordinary girl who one day saved enough potion money, broke through to the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, and suddenly became the Heavenly Dao second beauty.¡±


    ¡°Back then, the original Heavenly Dao second beauty became the third because of her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all about that power.¡±


    ¡°Then overnight, suitors filled her doorstep. It was like she had achieved great success in one step.¡±


    ¡°Originally, due to her extreme obesity and ugliness, she was extremely unpopular among her neighbors, and they despised her in their conversations. Because she was unwilling to go out and stayed at home every day, she got fatter and fatter.¡±


    ¡°And then suddenly, she became a Heavenly Dao beauty, turning into a golden phoenix overnight. Every day at this time, she has to be carried around the city in her sedan chair with gongs and drums. She also needs to find a husband, claiming she wants to find one who truly loves her and is willing to protect her.¡±


    ¡°But to put it bluntly¡­¡±


    ¡°What good man could truly fall in love with a pile of fat? To kiss her, you¡¯d still have to use your hands to forcefully pull open the dangling fat around her mouth sitting on her chest; otherwise, you couldn¡¯t even find where the mouth is. So despite becoming the Heavenly Dao second beauty and gaining wealth and honor, she still hasn¡¯t found her ideal husband.¡±


    Hearing the scholar, Chen Qiu also became somewhat interested in the woman making her rounds in the sedan chair outside the window. Although her body was indeed exaggerated, she had a very gentle smile.


    Not the kind of smugness seen in petty people who suddenly get their way.


    It seemed more like¡­ just a very happy smile.


    It was visibly apparent that the people around were used to it, with hardly anyone giving the woman much attention. Meanwhile, some foreigners stood on Green Stone Street, watching with wide-eyed amazement, finding it quite strange.


    ¡°What¡¯s the effect of this woman¡¯s Heavenly Dao beauty status?¡±


    Each Heavenly Dao beauty has a unique effect, and anyone truly loved by a Heavenly Dao beauty will gain that effect.


    The second Heavenly Dao beauty must have a good effect.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    The scholar, somewhat gleefully, pointed at a few men following the sedan chair procession: ¡°That one looking lifeless in the light blue robe on the left is the top true disciple from Capital¡¯s ¡®Jade Medicine Sect,¡¯ the middle-aged man forcing a happy face is the Great Elder from ¡®Purple Moon Palace¡¯s¡¯ Outer Sect.¡±


    ¡°And that old man is the Inner Sect Third Elder from ¡®Medicine King Mountain.¡¯


    ¡°Medicine King Mountain is also an Alchemy Cultivation Sect renowned in Southern State, and those people behind them are all followers of this Heavenly Dao beauty, hoping they might someday take this Heavenly Dao beauty home.¡±


    ¡°These sects, without exception, are all Alchemy Cultivation Sects, with the highest number of Alchemy Cultivators, and are also known for their Alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, the effect of this Heavenly Dao beauty is¡ª¡±


    ¡°To give her husband a success rate of one hundred percent whenever he refines pills.¡±


    ¡°A straightforward and brutal effect of a Heavenly Dao beauty.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, do you think these Alchemy Cultivators, who are so high and mighty that it¡¯s hard to even meet them, would chase after her like this? That Inner Sect Third Elder from ¡®Medicine King Mountain¡¯ used to be quite domineering. When you asked him to refine pills, you had to provide three sets of ingredients yourself, two of which would be his, and if it was a rare pill formula, you¡¯d need five sets of ingredients.¡±

 Chapter 128 - 102: Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_2

    Chapter 128: Chapter 102: Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_2


    ¡°Look at you now, still shamelessly following behind.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, I¡¯m curious about that old man who looks almost ready to croak. Even if he takes a bride home, what good would it do?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes squinted slightly with a flicker of excitement. The effects of the Heavenly Dao Beauty were indeed awe-inspiringly powerful. Normally an Alchemy Cultivator could achieve a success rate of thirty percent per batch of pills, which was considered pretty good.


    Especially with some high-level pills.


    ...


    In that case, you¡¯d be lucky to even get one pill from a batch, let alone a whole pill¡ªit was entirely normal even for the attempt to end in an explosion.


    But if you became the husband of a Heavenly Dao Beauty.


    Then no matter how difficult the high-level pills you were crafting were, as long as there wasn¡¯t an issue in the alchemical process, a success rate that was normally ten percent could now be a full one hundred percent.


    This wasn¡¯t just an ordinary improvement.


    It was extremely useful when crafting some high-level pills.


    Of course, if you couldn¡¯t produce even a single pill, then the benefits of this one hundred percent improvement wouldn¡¯t manifest at all.


    ¡°This Heavenly Dao Beauty effect is really good.¡±


    Even Chen Qiu, who wasn¡¯t an Alchemy Cultivator but a Magic Practitioner, couldn¡¯t help feeling tempted after hearing about the effects of the Heavenly Dao Beauty, not to mention the Alchemy Cultivators¡ªit probably kept them awake at night, so eager they couldn¡¯t sleep.


    Bringing such a Heavenly Dao Beauty home was like bringing home a gold mine.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Fat Long suddenly thought of something and started flipping through the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking, then grinned and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a Heavenly Dao Beauty suitable for Magic Practitioners. Maybe we can find a wife for Brother Qiu, and get ourselves a sister-in-law.¡±


    Soon¡ª


    Fat Long¡¯s eyes lit up as he found his target: ¡°The sixteenth entry on the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking has great effects, the power of the Heavenly Dao Beauty can accelerate the husband¡¯s Spell cultivation speed, allowing him to master multiple Great Perfection Realm Spells much faster.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No good.¡±


    The scholar shook his head: ¡°She already has a husband, the Young Master of the Qu family from the Capital, Qu Qi.¡±


    ¡°Never mind, the Heavenly Dao Beauty ranked twenty-seventh is also quite suitable for Magic Practitioners. Her effect can enhance the husband¡¯s speed of absorbing Spiritual Energy, which would greatly speed up both replenishing Spiritual Energy and improving Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t work either, she¡¯s also taken.¡±


    ¡°By who?¡±


    ¡°The Young Master of the Qu family from the Capital, Qu Qi.¡±


    ¡°How about the thirty-third?¡±


    The scholar quietly interrupted: ¡°She has a husband too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me it¡¯s Qu Qi again, are you?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°What about the forty-third?¡±


    ¡°Qu Qi.¡±


    ¡°Surely the eighty-ninth one isn¡¯t Qu Qi as well?¡±


    ¡°Still Qu Qi.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked up expressionlessly at the scholar: ¡°What¡¯s the deal, there are only five Heavenly Dao Beauties suitable for Magic Practitioners on this ranking, and all five are with that Qu Qi?¡±


    ¡°His father has quite the knack for naming, huh?¡±


    ¡°Can one person really marry five Heavenly Dao Beauties?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scholar spoke with mixed emotions: ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing and charming enough, you could even marry everyone on the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking. Qu Qi is in fact a Magic Practitioner. He¡¯s now in the early stages of the Golden Core and has just broken through a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s also one of the strong contenders for the top spot on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°If Brother Qiu decides to participate in this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, he may even meet him.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®Qu family¡¯ has always been into commerce; they¡¯re not lacking in anything but Spirit Stones. His father equipped him from head to toe, only the best of everything, several defensive Spiritual Treasures, to say nothing of talismans, pills, Array Plates, and more.¡±


    ¡°To marry these five wives for Qu Qi, the Qu family really spent a huge sum of Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°At that time, many people in the Capital said that the effects of these five Heavenly Dao Beauties weren¡¯t worth that many Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Guess what the old man Qu said?¡±


    ¡°That old man Qu simply waved his hand disdainfully and said that no matter how good Spiritual Treasures are, how strong Spells are, other Magic Practitioners might have what Qu Qi has, but something like ¡®Heavenly Dao Beauty¡¯ is unique!¡±


    ¡°Once Qu Qi has it, nobody else does!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an everlasting gap!¡±


    ¡°An unbridgeable gap!¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    The scholar spoke softly: ¡°So the Capital created this miracle, the only one in Da Xia who has married five Heavenly Dao Beauties. These past few years, the Qu family has also been aggressively buying up entry jade slips that are suitable for Magic Practitioners.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fair to say, a lot of people consider Qu Qi the hottest candidate for the chief spot this year.¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Fat Long said somewhat dazed, ¡°So, someone who¡¯s just been bolstered by Spirit Stones can be considered Heavenly Pride?¡±


    Gazing complexly at Fat Long, the scholar said: ¡°Otherwise, why do you think the saying goes ¡®Wealth, Companionship, Magic, and Land,¡¯ with ¡®Wealth¡¯ ranked first, ¡®Companionship¡¯ second, ¡®Magic¡¯ third, and ¡®Land¡¯ fourth?¡±


    ¡°Having all four, and all of the highest caliber.¡±


    ¡°If such a person isn¡¯t Heavenly Pride, then who is?¡±


    ¡­


    After their conversation and a sigh about the immense talents the future husband of the Heavenly Dao Beauty must possess, they got up and left Fei City to continue their journey towards the Boundless Icefield.


    An hour later, the sky had darkened, and they had arrived at the Boundless Icefield.


    At a glance.


    The icefield stretched boundlessly, its cracked earth frozen solid. Standing there, one could feel the endless chill rushing towards them, and above the icefield spread a cloud so pitch black it covered hundreds of thousands of miles.


    It almost blocked all sight.


    The deeper one went, the blacker it became.


    Until, in its deepest part, it was almost like a black hole swallowing all light, where you couldn¡¯t even see your own hand in front of you, losing all sense of feeling, unable even to tell if you were standing on solid ground.


    Such conditions could gradually lead to a breakdown of the spirit.

 Chapter 129 - 102: Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_3

    Chapter 129: Chapter 102: Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_3


    And the Sword Cultivator from Da Xia Country who had reached the peak of the Golden Core cultivation never returned after delving into the Boundless Icefield.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡±


    the scholar pointed deep into the Boundless Icefield, ¡°The Inheritance Secret Realm is right at the edge of the Boundless Icefield. The temperature there isn¡¯t too low, and the light hasn¡¯t been completely devoured. It¡¯s considered a safe area with no dangers lurking.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡±


    Chen Qiu scanned the surroundings and nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s set out.¡±


    The Spiritual Energy here also contained a bone-piercing cold, constantly rotating automatically. The Tao Foundation absorbing the Spiritual Energy gave him the illusion that his Dantian felt like it was about to freeze over.


    ...


    Though uncertain whether he would be able to get through that Magic Practitioner inheritance,


    he still had to take a look.


    But he didn¡¯t hold much hope. Bai Yi, once the foremost Sword Cultivator in Da Xia, hadn¡¯t obtained the Sword Cultivator inheritance, so his chances of obtaining the Magic Practitioner inheritance weren¡¯t high.


    ¡­


    ¡°Qu Family Master,¡±


    Inside the Qu Family Courtyard, Ji Taiping, dressed in white, sat on a Taishi Chair and apologetically said to the Qu Family Master, ¡°Initially, I had secured the ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ entry jade slip, but an unexpected incident occurred along the way resulting in the jade slip falling into someone else¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve roughly identified who it is,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the hot topic Magic Practitioner from Fufeng City these days, Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°But with sudden orders from the palace demanding my presence to quell the turmoil in the Hundred Countries, I¡¯m a bit preoccupied to personally attend to this matter. It could trouble the Qu Family Master to take more care. Perhaps that youngster hasn¡¯t crushed the entry jade slip yet, hoping to sell it for a good price in the future.¡±


    ¡°After all, for a Loose Cultivator, Spirit Stones are most important. To him, a hefty sum of Spirit Stones would indeed be more valuable than the ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ entry.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡±


    The Qu Family Master, somewhat portly and cheerful, waved his hand for a servant to bring forth a tray, upon which lay a Storage Ring, ¡°Since it concerns my son, I¡¯ll naturally take it to heart. Lord Sword Master, you just go and quell the chaos.¡±


    ¡°I will remember this person,¡±


    ¡°Although the entry jade slip wasn¡¯t brought back, Lord Sword Master has also spent so much effort. Please don¡¯t refuse this little token of my appreciation,¡±


    Seated on the Taishi Chair, Ji Taiping¡¯s Divine Sense swept over the Storage Ring, showing a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Without any pretense, he waved his sleeve to pocket the Storage Ring and then stood up to bow, ¡°Then I¡¯ll thank the Qu Family Master.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡±


    The Qu Family Master stood up and jovially escorted Ji Taiping to the gate of the Qu Family Mansion. After watching Ji Taiping leave, the Qu Family Master¡¯s smile faded to a calm expression as he turned to a servant, ¡°How is the progress with Qu Qi?¡±


    ¡°The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is about to start, hasn¡¯t he returned yet?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to the Family Master,¡±


    said a person in black clothing softly, ¡°According to the messages from the Boundless Icefield, the assessment conditions for the Magic Practitioner inheritance are too strict. The young master is already on his way back, planning to acquire the Magic Practitioner inheritance after the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard finishes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The Qu Family Master¡¯s brows furrowed, ¡°I¡¯ve spent a significant amount of money to hire a Demon at the Golden Core Peak and even the Supreme Elder has left his retreat to escort. Accompanied by two Golden Core Peak cultivators, they couldn¡¯t secure a Magic Practitioner inheritance?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡±


    the person in black lowered their head cautiously, ¡°That Inheritance Secret Realm has existed for over a thousand years, and it¡¯s not something ordinary people can obtain. To date, none of the inheritances there have been taken away.¡±


    ¡°The young master has already made rapid progress, clearing the first three levels. With another attempt after the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, he will undoubtedly clear all the assessments and successfully obtain the Magic Practitioner inheritance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡±


    The Qu Family Master¡¯s tightly knit brows soon relaxed, and he chuckled with one hand behind his back, ¡°Send word to have Qi Tian Restaurant in the Capital prepare several tables of fine food and wine to be sent to the mansion. When my son comes back, we¡¯ll have a good father-and-son talk.¡±


    ¡°Also tell him, I have found another excellent entry that fits well with his Magic Practitioner path.¡±


    ¡°At this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, he must at least clinch a spot in the top three,¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the Qu Family Master,¡±


    A middle-aged man in a long robe with red hair and a helpless expression stood at the door to the Qu Family Mansion and said to the Qu Family Master, ¡°I was just about to send someone to notify you, but here you are. Perfect, I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Today is indeed a day of double happiness,¡±


    The Qu Family Master cheerfully waved his hand, ¡°Bring out the wine. I shall have a good drink with Sect Leader Qiu.¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡±


    The grey-robed, red-haired, middle-aged man looked somewhat upset as he said hoarsely, ¡°There¡¯s been a mishap. The nine Dragon Vein Stones you reserved were all ripe, but some thieves broke into the Forbidden Land of my ¡®Poison Sect¡¯ and took away all the Dragon Vein Stones, even the immature ones.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The smile on the Qu Family Master¡¯s face abruptly stiffened; after a moment of silence, he spoke calmly, ¡°Sect Leader Qiu, surely you jest?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re aware that Dragon Vein Stones are a top-tier material for crafting Magic Practitioner¡¯s treasures!¡±


    ¡°My Qu family has gathered all the top-tier materials across the world to forge an unparalleled Magic Practitioner treasure for my son. Those Dragon Vein Stones were key.¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯re telling me they¡¯re all gone?¡±


    ¡°With you overseeing the Poison Sect, is your Forbidden Land someplace that people can just barge into?¡±


    ¡°Or are you implying that someone paid more than I did, or perhaps you no longer wish to sell?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡±


    Sect Leader Qiu heaved a sigh of resignation, ¡°To put it nicely, I, Qiu, am always as good as my word; to put it bluntly, there is no one in Da Xia who can offer a higher price than your Qu family.¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 130 - 102: Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_4

    Chapter 130: Chapter 102: Lifespan is Almost Depleted, Dying Fast!_4


    ¡°`


    ¡°The Forbidden Land was indeed breached by thieves, and the Dragon Vein Stones were plundered completely.¡±


    ¡°I had originally kept one Dragon Vein Stone to forge a Magic Artifact for myself, but now I won¡¯t keep it either. I¡¯ll give it to my nephew.¡±


    Having said that, he took out a two-foot-long Jade Box from his bosom and handed it over.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Qu Family Master¡¯s face finally looked a bit better. Although one was not as good as nine, it was certainly better than none. He waved his hand to signal the servants to take the Jade Box before frowning and asking, ¡°Did you not catch the thief?¡±


    ...


    ¡°Your Poison Sect¡¯s Forbidden Land shouldn¡¯t be so easy to breach, right? Could the culprit just leave without a trace?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Sect Leader Qiu spoke with eyes full of painful anger, ¡°That thief didn¡¯t leave any trace behind, very slick with the escape. I¡¯ve already offered a hefty reward for the Taoist Sect to help me retrace the scene.¡±


    ¡°We will soon know who the thief is!¡±


    ¡°No matter who the thief is, I will certainly tear him into pieces and let the thief taste what it¡¯s like to be devoured by all kinds of poisons!!!¡±


    ¡°No one can take my things for free in this world!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Qu Family Master looked up emotionlessly at Sect Leader Qiu and said, ¡°Were you hinting at me? Someone, bring a Xuan-grade Storage Ring.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Upon hearing ¡®Xuan-grade Storage Ring,¡¯ Sect Leader Qiu¡¯s face immediately filled with a smile. He nodded his head, quite satisfied.


    It was said that in the Qu family¡¯s accounts, there were more than a dozen shelves filled with Storage Rings.


    Different Storage Rings contained different quantities of Spirit Stones.


    Ranked from highest to lowest, they were Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Xuan-grade Storage Ring contained quite a few Spirit Stones. Although a large number of Dragon Vein Stones were lost, it was, after all, a bit of blood returned, and once the Taoist Sect found out the result, those Dragon Vein Stones might still be recoverable.


    Upon departing.


    Qu Family Master gazed earnestly at Sect Leader Qiu, ¡°Tell the Taoist Sect to speed up their work and find the lost Dragon Vein Stones as soon as possible. My son is preparing to take one of the top three spots in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard and then use these materials to forge a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure that perfectly fits him.¡±


    ¡°You know how rare this opportunity is.¡±


    ¡°This is a matter concerning my son¡¯s lifetime. If it can be made perfect, we must strive for perfection. I don¡¯t want my son to have any regrets. Nine Dragon Vein Stones are certainly better than one, so I¡¯ll have to trouble Sect Leader Qiu to put in extra effort.¡±


    ¡°Once the matter is dealt with, there will be a hefty reward!¡±


    ¡°Rest assured.¡±


    Sect Leader Qiu also nodded solemnly in agreement, saying, ¡°Qu Qi is like my own nephew, whom I¡¯ve watched grow up. His matters are my matters. As his uncle, I will naturally do my utmost.¡±


    ¡­


    Upon the Boundless Icefield.


    Aboard a rather luxurious Flying Boat, a young man lay shirtless on a long chair, casting a lazy glance at the Icefield outside the Flying Boat, his mouth slightly open to swallow a grape that a maid peeled with her slender jade hands and passed to him.


    Impatiently waving his hand, he said, ¡°Speed it up. Every extra moment spent in this godforsaken place is a waste of life.¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that old man at home who insisted I come here to retrieve some Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, I would never have come to this lousy place.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The servants around him nodded in agreement, and they pretended not to hear the disrespectful words the young master had for the old man.


    ¡°What a bore¡­¡±


    The young man, shirtless and lying on the long chair inside the Flying Boat, thought about finding some fun after he started heading back. There was a Spiritual Energy Shield outside the Flying Boat, maintaining a constant temperature inside, so the cold outside couldn¡¯t affect the inside of the Flying Boat.


    His name was Qu Qi.


    He had crossed into this world three years ago.


    At first, he was quite frightened¡ªa completely unfamiliar world, and there were Immortals. One could be killed at any moment. But he quickly realized that¡­ his life seemed pretty good this time.


    In his father¡¯s eyes, he was the only son who had been foolish for seventeen years and had suddenly come back to his senses.


    ¡°`


    That was an incredibly good fortune.


    To him, it was a hundredfold adoration. In just three years of effort, he broke through from a mortal body to the early stages of Golden Core, and he barely even suffered. Is cultivating supposed to be exhausting?


    He was even too lazy to think about what he needed.


    Anyway, whether he thought of it or not, he had it all.


    The Heavenly Dao Beauties that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even dream of meeting in their lifetimes¡ªhe had five of them, and he didn¡¯t even know what he was lacking.


    All he had to do was lie down every day, and he became what the world saw as a Golden Core Great Power.


    It was that simple, without any difficulty.


    ¡°I have to go back to face that old immortal again¡­¡±


    Lying on the couch, Qu Qi murmured absent-mindedly. If there was anything painful, it was that his cheap father liked to have a heart-to-heart with him. Every time they met again after a separation, he always seemed to want to sit down for a long chat.


    But toward this cheap father, he could say he felt no affection at all.


    Every time he saw the other¡¯s face full of fat, he felt disgusted.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    A Divine Sense came from above the Flying Boat; it was the Qu Family¡¯s Supreme Elder.


    ¡°A hundred miles away, there¡¯s a group of people delving deep into the Boundless Icefield. It looks like they¡¯re heading for the Inheritance Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with them.¡±


    Qu Qi shook his head, ¡°There are always some so-called geniuses in this world who overestimate themselves. Not to talk about others, that once first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, Bai Yi, is said to have gone several times, yet he also failed to obtain the sword cultivation inheritance, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Genius is the most worthless thing in this world.¡±


    ¡°Some people are born standing at the peak of the world.¡±


    ¡°This gap in status can¡¯t be made up for by mere effort.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and without saying a word, the Qu Family¡¯s Supreme Elder with Golden Core Peak cultivation on the Flying Boat had many times wanted to strangle this damned Qu Qi to death!


    So what if you¡¯re a transmigrator? Who the hell do you think you are showing off!


    It¡¯s just a bit of luck that gave you the audacity to flaunt it all day.


    But he didn¡¯t dare.


    The good news was, he transmigrated as a Golden Core Peak cultivator, almost invincible in this world!


    The bad news, his life was nearly at an end, damn near dead!


    Every bit of Spiritual Energy he used up was consuming the last of his lifespan. He even suspected that it was only when the original body was on the brink of death that he transmigrated. Although he didn¡¯t die after transmigration, it was pretty close.


    He was now barely hanging on to a thread of life, hoping someone could successfully cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, so with the help of the Qu Family, he too could achieve Nascent Soul and extend his life a little.


    He transmigrated a month earlier than Qu Qi.


    At first, he was in closed-door meditation, so no one noticed anything unusual about him, but he saw all of Qu Qi¡¯s oddities and monologues, realizing his secret instantly. He just chose not to expose it.


    Wait until he achieved Nascent Soul one day!


    The first thing he would do is slap Qu Qi to death!


    Just to let this beast know, the gap in cultivation can¡¯t be compensated for by a difference in status!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ps: Qi Dian recently had a ¡°50% off for full subscription¡± event for old books. You can enter it in My Activity Center. Those suffering from book droughts can go to the event page and fully subscribe to ¡°New Rules Every Month,¡± an old book by this author.


    164 characters, 12k average subscription, the result is still not bad. If you¡¯re interested, feel free to have a look.


    50% off for a full subscription is quite a good deal, and while we¡¯re at it¡­ I¡¯m asking for monthly votes, brothers~


    If you fully subscribe to an old book, you can get a monthly ticket and then cast it for me, cough, my thanks to the readers and lords.

 Chapter 131 - 103: Sword Bone.

    Chapter 131: Chapter 103: Sword Bone.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    At the edge of the Boundless Icefield, dark clouds that extended for hundreds of miles above almost absorbed most of the light, and the bone-piercing cold, along with the howling wind, made Chen Qiu and his companions¡¯ robes flap vigorously.


    The scholar pointed at a slowly rotating colorful vortex not far away and whispered, ¡°This is the entrance to the Inheritance Secret Realm; inside are the nine inheritances.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, gazing into the depths of the icefield. From the moment he stepped into the Boundless Icefield, the wind direction never changed. It was as if there was a Fierce Beast in the depths of the icefield, constantly breathing out, with relentless icy winds blowing ceaselessly from deep within the Boundless Icefield.


    The deeper one went, the stronger the cold wind became.


    ...


    It was hard to imagine that a Sword Cultivator with the peak Golden Core Cultivation actually persisted in moving deeper in such conditions. Merely standing at the edge of the Boundless Icefield and glancing into the utter darkness that absorbed all light, he already felt like fleeing from this place.


    This kind of might from nature would instill fear even in those with the peak Golden Core Cultivation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go in first.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar and the others, ¡°You guys head to the small world to take shelter. Oh yes, scholar, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you. I left a gift for you; go and check it out.¡±


    With that said,


    he waved his sleeve, and the scholar and the others, without any resistance, were naturally sucked into the small world.


    He, on the other hand, squinted his eyes slightly and strode towards the entrace of the Inheritance Secret Realm against the bone-piercing cold wind.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, inside the small world, at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion of Chao Tian Sect.


    The scholar was looking at a translucent and greenish-white Sword Bone sitting upright on a short stone pillar with a visibly excited expression, ¡°Is¡­ Is this from Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¨C


    ¡®entry name¡¯: Sword Bone.


    ¡®entry level¡¯: Grey.


    ¡®entry effect¡¯: Your understanding of swordsmanship will be extremely slow, but after your death, anyone who touches your remains will have their comprehension of the swordsmanship they have learned improved to some extent. The exact amount of improved understanding depends on the individual¡¯s natural talent.


    ¨C


    Sword Bone.


    Touching these remains can enhance one¡¯s understanding of their own learned swordsmanship; it is a treasured legacy for Sword Cultivators.


    Or to say, the reason why Chao Tian Sect can become a prestigious Sword Sect, a significant factor is the inheritance of this treasured Sword Cultivator legacy.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Fat Long, standing to the side, chuckled and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s for you, who else here is a Sword Cultivator? But just now, when I was looking at the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking, that top Heavenly Dao Beauty, Ji Renjian, has an entry effect that is very well-suited for Sword Cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you once the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia? Have you never tried to win her over?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have.¡±


    The scholar, his mind fully captivated by the Sword Bone, closed his eyes in a frenzy, his body frozen in place as though struck by a hammer. His slender fingers trembled as they gently and tenderly glided over the Sword Bone, murmuring in a trance.


    ¡°Back then, it wasn¡¯t just me pursuing Ji Renjian. The effect of that Heavenly Dao Beauty was enough to drive every Sword Cultivator in the world mad.¡±


    ¡°I tried as well, and I was even close to succeeding.¡±


    ¡°Once Da Xia sent me and Ji Taiping to quell the chaos in the Hundred Countries. Whoever could pacify the chaos would be granted the title of ¡®National Guardian Sword Master¡¯ by the palace, which allowed one to wield a strand of Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune. This title could significantly enhance one¡¯s understanding of the Sword Dao.¡±


    ¡°At that time, Ji Taiping¡¯s distant cousin, Ji Renjian, set out alone from Jing Province to tour other provinces. I gave up the title of National Guardian Sword Master and helped Ji Renjian through numerous crises along the way.¡±


    ¡°Although we never met in person, she spoke a lot to my Qingfeng sword, and our communication was quite intimate. If I had revealed myself then, maybe it would have already happened.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Fat Long asked with a curious frown, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you show yourself? That¡¯s the top Heavenly Dao Beauty we¡¯re talking about. Having that Heavenly Dao effect, you might have not been hunted by the Capital City Zhang Family to the extent of falling in rank and wouldn¡¯t have been in such a state for so long.¡±


    The scholar smiled, opening his eyes, and took a step back, looking at the Sword Bone with a sentimental expression, ¡°The ¡®National Guardian Sword Master¡¯ is not such a good thing. With that thread of Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune above your head, you indeed grow stronger, but you also become a dog for the palace.¡±


    ¡°Wherever the palace says to go, you have to go.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to become the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, but I didn¡¯t want to be the top Sword Cultivator driven by others.¡±


    ¡°Back then, I, like all other Sword Cultivators, was utterly infatuated with Ji Renjian, fantasizing that with Ji Renjian¡¯s help, I could completely break through the barriers of Sword Dao and ascend to Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°This made me very conflicted internally.¡±


    ¡°Such acts of exploiting someone to satisfy my own desires, I couldn¡¯t do them; they go against my principles of Sword Dao.¡±


    ¡°My principle of Sword Dao is, to cut down all that is unjust in the world, to right all that is not right.¡±


    ¡°The more I escorted her, the more conflicted I became. When it came down to the final step, I gave up. I still wanted to ascend on my own, not relying on a woman.¡±


    As he said this,


    the scholar suddenly glanced around, fell silent for a long time, then spoke hoarsely, ¡°Everything I just said, those are the reasons my brain tells me, but¡­ the truth is not like that.¡±


    ¡°I was planning to go to the Hundred Countries. Even though I didn¡¯t intend to quell the chaos, I remember there was a sword genius from the Hundred Countries who became famous, and I wanted to exchange thoughts on Sword Dao with him.¡±


    ¡°But on the way, I inexplicably changed my route and did not head to the Hundred Countries, and on the way back to Xia Country¡­ I just happened to meet Ji Renjian.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute¡ª¡± Fat Long frowned in confusion, ¡°I¡¯m a bit confused by what you¡¯re saying. Do you mean someone secretly influenced you, changed your itinerary? You were the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia; what kind of Illusion Technique could have interfered with you?¡±

 Chapter 132 - 103: Sword Bone. _2

    Chapter 132: Chapter 103: Sword Bone. _2


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar was silent for even longer this time, appearing as though he was waiting for something. Moments later, he continued, ¡°The Heavenly Dao Beauty is a product favored by the Heavenly Dao. Anyone who dares to imprison, coerce, or use force to make Ji Renjian offer herself will be detested by the Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ¡°The backlash from the Heavenly Dao¡¯s loathing is swift.¡±


    ¡°There have been attempts in the past, and heavenly thunder struck immediately.¡±


    ¡°But on Ji Renjian¡¯s journey away from Jing Province, she encountered many petty thieves, yet not a single heavenly thunder fell. Once, I even waited a moment longer, and those villains had already removed Ji Renjian¡¯s outer garments, but still, no heavenly thunder descended.¡±


    ¡°In the end, I took action.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Do you understand what this means?¡±


    Fat Long looked at the scholar¡¯s younger brother bewilderingly, hoping to exchange glances with him, but the younger brother stood quietly by his side as if he had heard nothing at all.


    ¡°Er¡­¡± Fat Long pondered hard for a while before he ventured, ¡°Does this mean you replaced that heavenly thunder?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°The Heavenly Dao has no self-awareness. The absence of heavenly thunder means that those petty thieves had no lust in their hearts, they were just giving me the opportunity to play the hero and rescue the beauty.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think too much of it at the time. It was only later, when I was being pursued, that I understood much more.¡±


    ¡°And that included this matter.¡±


    ¡°Someone had struck me with a Heart Gu, causing me to coincidentally encounter Ji Renjian and used the lives of a great many pawns to deepen the karmic ties between Ji Renjian and me.¡±


    ¡°Attempted to make Ji Renjian and me become a Taoist couple.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ just wait!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long took a deep breath and, with one hand propping his chin and a thoughtful look, paced around three times before he seriously looked at the scholar, ¡°You mean to say, someone used the lives of numerous pawns as the price, just to help you win the beauty?¡±


    ¡°All the benefits are yours?¡±


    ¡°What is he plotting?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to prove his way to Nascent Soul, or rather, he¡¯s trying to break out of this cage.¡±


    The scholar stretched out his arm, feeling the Sword Intent of the engravings on the stone pillar, gently touching them, and feeling a pricking sensation as he spoke softly, ¡°I dare not say his name, but I can tell you who he is.¡±


    ¡°He is the current State Preceptor of Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°A very terrifying person.¡±


    ¡°He tried to bestow Ji Renjian to me, to create an unparalleled peerless Sword Cultivator and then utilize me to break the cage of Da Xia. However, at the final moment, my true nature was too resistant to such an act.¡±


    ¡°The State Preceptor then shifted his target to Ji Taiping.¡±


    ¡°I have observed Ji Taiping over the years; he has progressed rapidly and has stepped into the realm of Human Sword Unity, a realm all Sword Cultivators dream of. Last time in Kai Mountain City, I sensed the residual Sword Intent, it was violent like a volcano under a layer of ice.¡±


    ¡°This is a sign of rapidly elevating one¡¯s realm by forceful reliance on external objects.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hearing these secrets for the first time, Fat Long opened his mouth in disbelief and murmured, ¡°Is the State Preceptor really so terrifying? Even Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator is his pawn?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scholar suddenly smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve met him once, a very young man, but for some reason, his pupils seemed cloudy, and his behaviors and methods didn¡¯t seem to belong to a young person.¡±


    ¡°By chance, I discovered one of the entries in his word group.¡±


    ¡°The white entry, talking nonsense.¡±


    ¡°The more people the spun lies deceive, and the higher the Cultivation of those deceived, the more Cultivation he can enhance for himself.¡±


    ¡°Such a person has taken the seat of State Preceptor of Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°Many times, I wonder whether His Majesty is still clear-headed, and how many people and things inside Da Xia can still be believed; no one can tell.¡±


    Upon suddenly encountering this information, Fat Long¡¯s mind crashed for a moment before he murmured, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you talk about these things when Brother Qiu was around?¡±


    ¡°Because of the Sword Bone.¡±


    The scholar¡¯s expression remained calm as he caressed the engravings filled with Sword Intent on the short stone pillar, ¡°These memories were sealed with Sword Intent in the deepest part of my Sea of Consciousness when I faked my death. Later, as my Cultivation plummeted, I couldn¡¯t unlock these memories.¡±


    ¡°The Sword Intent contained in these engravings shattered the fetters I had laid.¡±


    Fat Long looked at the scholar slowly touching the engravings on the short stone pillar and suddenly remembered that at this challenge, Brother Qiu told him that someone who touched the engravings had been injured by the remaining Sword Intent, splattering blood everywhere.


    Yet the scholar, having touched the engravings for a long time, suffered no harm at all.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡± Fat Long furrowed his brows and looked at the scholar, ¡°The State Preceptor probably thinks you¡¯re dead, but now you¡¯ve appeared in Da Xia again; doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯ll come after you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°All he wants is a peerless Sword Cultivator, and me, now reduced to a cripple, definitely cannot match Ji Taiping. Ji Taiping is now the strongest Sword Cultivator in his eyes.¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Chen Qiu had already stepped into the colorful vortex in front of him, appearing in a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    This Secret Realm was not extensive, a platform similar to a sect square, with a giant Eight Trigrams Array carved into the ground.


    This Eight Trigrams Array was divided into nine palaces: Qian Palace, Kan Palace, Gen Palace, Zhen Palace, Central Palace, Xun Palace, Li Palace, Kun Palace, and Dui Palace.


    And these nine palaces each corresponded to.


    Magic Practitioners, talisman cultivators, Array Repairers, Alchemy Cultivators, Artifact Cultivators, Evil Cultivation, Demon Cultivation, Body Cultivation, Sword Cultivators.


    These nine palaces were situated in nine different directions, and the moment he stepped into the Eight Trigrams Array, eight palaces instantly dimmed, with no color, while the ground of the palace representing Magic Practitioners faintly emitted a milky white light.

 Chapter 133 - 103: Sword Bone. _3

    Chapter 133: Chapter 103: Sword Bone. _3


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows slightly furrowed as he scanned his surroundings. Outside the Eight Diagram Platform, he was enveloped by thick and inscrutable Chaos Qi. The ground was divided into nine squares, each ending with a vortex of white swirling.


    At this point, the other eight vortices had already stopped turning and were colorless and dim.


    Only the one representing Magic Practitioners was still slowly rotating.


    He didn¡¯t linger long.


    He drew a long sword from his bosom, squinted slightly, and with a wary expression, slowly approached the white vortex symbolizing Magic Practitioners and then stepped boldly into it.


    With the arrival of a dazzling bright light,


    ...


    he suddenly appeared above a vast ocean. There he stood atop the water, where the sea allowed him to stand effortlessly on its surface like on a viscous liquid, with no light around him, just a sliver of moonlight.


    The pitch-black sea surface, like the gaping mouth of a Fierce Beast, was intimidating to the heart.


    Not a single island was in sight around him.


    Only a sky full of stars above his head.


    At the same time, an ancient and ethereal voice reached his ears.


    ¡ª


    ¡°To obtain the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, you must pass five rounds.¡±


    ¡°The challenger has Cultivation at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, and the difficulty of the rounds will adjust accordingly to the challenger¡¯s Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°The first round, Navigating the Sea.¡±


    ¡°From this moment on, you cannot absorb nature¡¯s spiritual energy, and each of your movements will consume your own Spiritual Energy. You must reach an island before your Spiritual Energy is exhausted.¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu swept his gaze around. With the naked eye, he saw no island anywhere, and there wasn¡¯t a map or anything to indicate where the nearest island might be, meaning if he took the wrong path, he would have to cover a lot more ground.


    So far, he had no movement technique.


    His speed wasn¡¯t fast.


    Although he had abundant Spiritual Energy and could last for a long time, he wasn¡¯t fast without a movement technique.


    This round tested whether one could find an island before the internal reserve of Spiritual Energy was exhausted.


    ¡­


    After Chen Qiu looked around and understood the situation, he didn¡¯t ponder too much and immediately exited the Inheritance Secret Realm, directly taking the scholar and others to the nearest Fei City.


    He purchased a ¡°Shrinking Earth into Inches¡± produced by Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Then he returned to the Inheritance Secret Realm once more.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, ¡°This time, it should be much easier to handle.¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Tactical Advance.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Once you have mastered the ¡®Shrinking Earth into Inches¡¯ movement technique, when you use this technique, the distance you cross will be enhanced fivefold, and it will consume nature¡¯s spiritual energy, not your own. However, you will not be able to control the direction and landing spot; both will be entirely random.


    ¡ª


    This was the entry jade slip he¡¯d found last time in the workshop owner¡¯s Storage Ring.


    He¡¯d just forgotten to buy the ¡®Shrinking Earth into Inches¡¯ from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm¡¯s products.


    Products of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, once learned, were at Great Achievement Realm.


    This entry had no significant benefits except it did not consume one¡¯s own Spiritual Energy, only nature¡¯s spiritual energy, allowing for the possibility of eventually landing on an island, as long as the timeline was stretched long enough, even if the landing points were random.


    ¡°Swoosh!¡±


    Chen Qiu activated the ¡®Shrinking Earth into Inches¡¯ spell, taking a probing step forward. The surrounding scenery flashed by twelve times in an instant, and when he stopped, he looked back to find he was a hundred yards away from the original spot.


    This spell could indeed link with Dual Casting and Ten Layers of Spellcasting!


    One use, directly leveraging it eleven times without consumption.


    Chen Qiu sighed and held his forehead. The main issue was the excessive randomness of landing points; just now, he moved from three feet in the air to the surface of the sea, chaining twelve consecutive teleportations. He had to be careful using this spell in battle due to its unpredictability.


    But its randomness was perfect for this place.


    And the most perfect aspect was it didn¡¯t consume any Spiritual Energy.


    ¡°Continue!¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later,


    Chen Qiu, drenched, stood on the sea surface expressionlessly pulling a teapot out of his Storage Ring to his mouth. He wasn¡¯t sure how many times he had teleported into the sea, and so far, he had not seen a single island.


    Most importantly¡ª


    He had completely lost his sense of direction.


    He wasn¡¯t even sure if he had left the starting point, or how far he had gone.


    ¡°Continue!¡±


    Chen Qiu muttered defiantly, continuing to teleport relentlessly.


    Logically, as long as there were islands in this sea, and since his ¡®Shrinking Earth into Inches¡¯ didn¡¯t consume his own Spiritual Energy, he would surely reach an island as long as the timeline was stretched long enough.


    ¡­


    An hour later,


    ¡°Damn it!¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu stood on the sea surface, swept his gaze around, and couldn¡¯t help but curse silently. This place was also too quiet, without a single living creature, as if he was the only being left in the entire world.


    Moreover, here, his connection with the small world was severed.


    There was no way to chat with Fat Long and others to pass the time.


    ¡°Continue!¡±


    ¡­


    Three hours later,


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings emotionlessly, now doubting whether there was any island at all in this vast sea. He felt as if he had been deceived.


    And he had a suspicion: there might not be any islands above the water at all.


    The islands could be under the sea.


    But when he tried to dive using his Spiritual Energy, he found that a force much stronger than the buoyancy of the water, several times more powerful, prevented him from diving too deep.


    ¡°No matter, continue.¡±


    ¡­


    Nine hours later,


    ¡°Finally, land!¡±


    A glint of joy flashed in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes as he looked towards the land not far from the sea level. He no longer used ¡®Shrinking Earth into Inches,¡¯ but relied on his own Spiritual Energy to run towards the distant land across the sea surface!

 Chapter 134 - 103: Sword Bone. _4

    Chapter 134: Chapter 103: Sword Bone. _4


    As the saying goes, a faraway mountain can kill a horse that looks close.


    What appeared to be nearby actually took him the time of several sticks of incense to finally step onto the beach.


    And at that moment, sitting on the edge of the beach, was an old man with silver hair holding a fishing rod, leisurely fishing. Nearby, in the sand, was planted a broken and tattered black flag, which had two lines of slightly crooked white stitching.


    ¡°Dare not predict too much, fearing heaven and the ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Words must not be fully explained, lest they throw the world into chaos.¡±


    ¡­


    ...


    ¡°Why are you here?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?!¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the familiar old man, feeling a bit dumbfounded, and blurted out subconsciously, while the other party also seemed equally flustered and incredulous as if they had seen a ghost!


    The old and the young asked the same question out loud.


    This old man wasn¡¯t a stranger; he was the fortune-telling old man who he had encountered a few times before.


    He reminded him that there were too many resentful spirits on him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s throat moved slightly, his face full of disbelief and confusion. After taking a few deep breaths, he abandoned his fishing rod and stepped briskly over to Chen Qiu, examining him up and down. Trembling, he said, ¡°Never mind why I am here, you tell me first, why the hell are you here?!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Chen Qiu pointed at himself: ¡°I am here to go through the trials, preparing to obtain the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance.¡±


    ¡°Old man, why are you here? Is this your true identity?¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to get through a back door or something?¡±


    ¡°The hell with your back door!¡±


    The old man, as if he had truly seen a ghost, glared at Chen Qiu and couldn¡¯t help but roar, ¡°Are you fucking crazy?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going through the Magic Practitioner¡¯s trial, and you run onto my Array Repairer¡¯s territory to do what exactly?!¡±


    ¡°The first round for the Magic Practitioner¡¯s island is deep under the sea, did you not do any research before coming?¡±


    ¡°You just barged in?¡±


    ¡°How did you manage to get through the Forbidden Sea and end up on my Array Repair Continent¡¯s turf? You¡¯re quite the runner, aren¡¯t you? Come on, tell me how you did it, I¡¯m really curious!¡±


    ¡°I knew it was strange that I saw someone when no one was supposed to be going through the trials. I thought I¡¯d seen a ghost!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu wore a strange expression as he silently stood in place, turning to look at the blue sea behind him. He had guessed that the island might be underwater, but after trying and failing to dive down, he had given up.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    He glanced around tentatively, ¡°This should also count as an island, right?¡±


    ¡°After all, the condition to pass the first round is just to reach any island. It didn¡¯t specify that it had to be the one deep under the sea, did it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s mouth twitched uncontrollably before he waved dismissively, turned around, picked up his fishing rod, and sat back down in his original spot: ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I don¡¯t know. The Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance isn¡¯t my responsibility.¡±


    Chen Qiu trotted over, reinserted the flag that had been made crooked by the sea breeze a bit deeper into the sand, and straightened it before blinking and speaking: ¡°Excuse me, senior.¡±


    ¡°Is there any other source of information leakage?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    The old man glanced at Chen Qiu irritably and cut him off: ¡°And don¡¯t take out any roasted chicken or roasted rabbits or anything like that. People I¡¯ve met in recent years are getting weirder and weirder, always taking out roasted chicken and handing it over out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°As if a roasted chicken could make me open my heart to them.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°At the very least hand over some Spirit Stones and I would¡¯ve kept my mouth shut, delivery chicken to your mom, I¡¯ve lived so long, what kind of chicken haven¡¯t I eaten?¡±


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression turned serious, and he immediately pulled out a Storage Ring containing two thousand Spirit Stones and handed it over: ¡°No offense intended, I mainly wanted to thank you for the warning you gave me back at the Wen Tian market; otherwise, I might now be infected with resentful energy.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The old man sneered and expertly grabbed the Storage Ring, stuffing it into his pocket: ¡°You don¡¯t seem like someone who listens to advice either, aren¡¯t you still carrying a Golden Core resentful spirit on your back?¡±


    ¡°Senior, you jest. It¡¯s mainly cause young folks have fiery temperaments, gotta cool down the resentful spirit, especially when it¡¯s hot.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    The old man shook his head: ¡°Your Cultivation is up there now. A Golden Core resentful spirit can¡¯t take you down; I¡¯m too lazy to talk about it. But don¡¯t waste your efforts, I can¡¯t tell you anything.¡±


    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve definitely passed the first round.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll have to wait a bit.¡±


    ¡°Wait for what?¡±


    The old man rolled his eyes at Chen Qiu again: ¡°Wait for that qualified old man who has to cross the Forbidden Sea to come here to announce your success and then take you back. But with his frail old bones, I seriously doubt whether he can make it across the Forbidden Sea.¡±


    ¡°The last time he came over for a catch-up was thirty years ago.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to your good fortune, before I die, I might get to see that old guy one more time.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu thus chatted aimlessly with the old man on the beach for an hour.


    One could tell.


    The old man was talkative and liked to converse; he just restrained himself a lot. He would subconsciously start to boast about his past, and then abruptly stop, leaving Chen Qiu to hear the emotions but without the full story.


    In the middle, Chen Qiu also asked several times about this location.


    Is the Forbidden Sea and the Array Repair Continent inside a small world, or somewhere in Da Xia Country, or outside it?


    The old man shook his head but still didn¡¯t answer. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just reminiscing.


    ¡°Alas, when I was young, I was also a hothead just like you.¡±


    The old man sat on the beach with a reflective look, gazing into the depths of the Forbidden Sea: ¡°I was barely considered a prodigy when I was young, had a strong talent in Array Repair, but I didn¡¯t like Array Repair, I preferred Gua Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°But my damn master insisted that I practice Array Repair, he provoked me, saying I would never pass the Array Repair inheritance.¡±


    ¡°Back then, being hot-tempered and stubborn, I went through all the rounds and made it to my master¡¯s presence, only when I saw that sly smile of his did I realize I¡¯d been tricked.¡±


    ¡°Afterward¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty much been like this ever since.¡±


    ¡°And that damn old fossils, they all have their day to die eventually.¡±


    Sitting by the side, Chen Qiu rotated the roast chicken on the grill and ventured: ¡°Isn¡¯t it true that no one has claimed the inheritance in the Inheritance Secret Realm?¡±


    Luckily Fat Long liked to grill some meat to eat, so his Storage Ring was never short of that kind of stuff.


    The old man said he didn¡¯t like people giving him roast chicken and stuff, but he didn¡¯t stop munching on the chicken and sipping small drinks, seemingly relishing the food quite a bit.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    The old man, lifting his sleeve and not caring about his appearance, wiped the grease from his mouth and said reflectively: ¡°You¡¯ve hit the nail on the head, but I can¡¯t say. Yet I know what you¡¯re thinking, don¡¯t worry about being imprisoned here just because you passed the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, this place can¡¯t really be called a prison.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a place where you can barely cling to life when your time is nearing its end, ordinary people don¡¯t even have the opportunity to stay here.¡±


    ¡°You certainly don¡¯t have that privilege.¡±

 Chapter 135 - 104:

    Chapter 135: Chapter 104: ¡°Thank you for the hospitality, I¡¯ll treat you to Roasted Goose next time we meet!


    ¡°However¡ª¡±


    The old man paused, spat out a chicken bone, then turned his head to look at Chen Qiu, his expression a mix of smile and non-smile, ¡°Young friend, you and I indeed share a certain fate, and you truly possess some talent and opportunity on the path of a Magic Practitioner.¡±


    ¡°This Magic Practitioner heritage, perhaps you really could make it through.¡±


    By this time, a full hour had passed since Chen Qiu had arrived at the beach.


    Finally!


    Chen Qiu saw an old man with white hair and beard, who looked quite immortal, striding over the sea surface toward him, with each step flashing golden light, as if he was stepping from an unreachable shore.


    ...


    In the blink of an eye.


    He was standing expressionlessly in front of Chen Qiu, that familiar and ethereal ancient voice once again echoed by his ear.


    ¨C


    ¡°You have successfully passed the first round.¡±


    ¨C


    Strangely.


    Although he could see the old man¡¯s mouth moving, and the shape of his lips matched the voice by his ear, the voice was directly resonating in the depths of his brain, similar to the way the ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡± transmitted sound.


    Only the voice sounded less oppressive than that in the Heavenly Dao Decree.


    Afterwards.


    The old man paid him no more heed, walking to one side, sitting down crossed-legged, and began circulating his mental method. Suddenly, the nature¡¯s spiritual energy around him was sucked in like water by a whale, forming a vortex as it entered the old man¡¯s body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡±


    Sitting nearby and enjoying his roasted chicken, the old man glanced at the dignified elder absorbing spiritual energy not far away, his lips stretching to a happy grin, ¡°This old immortal probably hasn¡¯t felt the sensation of depleted spiritual energy in a long time.¡±


    ¡°Crossing the Forbidden Sea with this frail body really takes a toll on him,¡± he added.


    ¡°Let him restore some spiritual energy first.¡±


    ¡­


    This elder representing the Magic Practitioner heritage restored spiritual energy quickly, needing only a few breaths to circulate his mental method, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to rush into his body as if answering his call.


    Just thirty minutes.


    The elder stood up, looking fully restored.


    Meanwhile, the fortune-telling old man beside Chen Qiu on the beach also stood up immediately, walking over with a playful look on his face, while the elder replied in an impatient and annoyed tone.


    From the occasional smile, it was evident that these two had known each other for a long time and had a good relationship.


    However, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t hear their conversation, uncertain what they were discussing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Finally, after a conversation, the white-haired, bearded elder came over to Chen Qiu, waved his hand, and a golden light appeared under his feet, immediately taking him back across the ¡°Forbidden Sea.¡±


    As they were leaving.


    Chen Qiu heard the fortune-teller¡¯s voice behind him.


    ¡°Good luck, young friend, I have a premonition that the next time we meet, you might already be the number one Magic Practitioner in Da Xia!¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha.¡±


    The old man¡¯s laughter carried a clear and robust sound, tinged with a hint of melancholy as they parted.


    He also turned back to look at the old man, waved his hand, and loudly said, ¡°Thanks for your hospitality, next time I¡¯ll treat you to roasted goose!¡±


    ¡°Deal, it¡¯s a promise!¡±


    ¡­


    Another hour passed.


    Chen Qiu returned to the original spot, standing on the sea surface, surrounded by no islands or creatures, only the gentle sea breeze mixed with moisture and saltiness brushing against his face.


    The expression of the elder beside him looked quite unpleasant.


    He was all too familiar with that look.


    It was the look of someone whose internal spiritual energy was nearly depleted. Despite being the guardian of this Magic Practitioner heritage, the elder seemed incapable of absorbing the nature¡¯s spiritual energy in the Forbidden Sea, a restriction more akin to a rule of nature than something a guardian could control.


    For instance, he felt that the second round could have been held on that beach.


    But they had to bring him to this other place for the second round. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One could see that the elder¡¯s expression was somewhat pale but still showed no emotion, very much in the style of an immortal; his lips slightly parted, and his voice resonated in Chen Qiu¡¯s mind.


    ¨C


    ¡°Second round, spell duel.¡±


    ¡°A competent Magic Practitioner, even if faced with ten thousand enemies, should remain poised and composed.¡±


    ¡°In thirty minutes, ten thousand spiritual-energy limitless Magic Practitioner Puppets will simultaneously launch an attack at you, employing only the most basic and simplified version of the Thunder Summoning Technique, which will not harm you.¡±


    ¡°Using ¡®movement technique¡¯ is strictly forbidden in this round.¡±


    ¡°Passing condition: within five hours, if you¡¯re hit less than ten thousand times, you pass.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Dodging attacks?¡±


    Shock flashed through Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes, ten thousand spiritual-energy limitless Magic Practitioner Puppets simultaneously attacking him was daunting; never mind being hit less than ten thousand times in five hours, just one round would number in the thousands.


    Anyone weaker in movement technique would be eliminated in the blink of an eye.


    He scanned his surroundings, already no longer seeing that immortal-like elder, wondering where he might have gone¡ªprobably to find a place to restore his spiritual energy.


    There was still half an hour before the ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets would appear.


    He squinted his eyes, contemplating his strategy. His only movement technique was expressly forbidden, which seemed not as an inherent restriction of this round, but as if the elder had explicitly banned it for him.


    If he could have used this movement technique,


    he might have had a fair chance to pass relying on its randomness.


    But without this movement technique, unable to restore spiritual energy here, and his storage ring lacking other movement techniques from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he could exit and reenter later.


    But he was worried that if he came back another time, the elder might ban his movement technique right from the first round.

 Chapter 136 - 104:

    Chapter 136: Chapter 104: ¡°Thanks for the hospitality, I¡¯ll treat you to roasted goose next time we meet!¡±_2


    By then, it would become even more troublesome.


    Soon¡ª


    Chen Qiu suddenly burst into laughter. He thought of a method. Although he didn¡¯t know if it would work, he treated it like a last resort. He absentmindedly took out a mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Law from his Storage Ring and crushed it.


    Without any hesitation,


    He abandoned the entry he had previously chosen when breaking through to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment and re-selected it.


    ¨C


    ...


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Slippery.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Every time you are attacked, you will automatically teleport to a random space within thirty feet.


    ¨C


    With this entry, it could barely be considered a movement technique.


    Shortly, the time it took to drink a cup of tea passed, and the initially clear expanse of sea suddenly began to churn. Immediately after, ten thousand Puppets emerged from the depths of the sea, hovering in mid-air, surrounding him in the center.


    He didn¡¯t wait to speak.


    Over a thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets nearly simultaneously took the initiative to strike. Their index fingers sharply pointed at him, and instantly, thousands of miniature Thunder Snakes shot towards him, making him feel for the first time what his former opponents had experienced.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in place, his eyes slightly narrowed as he watched the thousands of Thunder Snakes shooting straight at him; he stood there forcibly suppressing the subconscious desire to dodge, ready to withstand the assault of these thousands of Thunder Snakes.


    At the same time¡ª


    As these Thunder Snakes were about to hit him, he noticed that among the remaining Magic Practitioner Puppets that had not yet taken action, another thousand were raising their hands, ready to strike. These Magic Practitioner Puppets did not attack simultaneously but rather staggered their attacks.


    Just as the first Thunder Snake hit him.


    He only felt a blur before his eyes, and when his vision restored, he had already appeared ten feet to the left. Chen Qiu glanced at the second challenge panel and chuckled lightly when he saw the result, looking toward the Puppets nearby.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Hits Received: 1/10,000.¡±


    Just as he thought.


    These Magic Practitioner Puppets couldn¡¯t possibly strike simultaneously, and even if they did strike at the same time, the distance and the uneven surfaces of his body would cause the exact arrival time of each Thunder Snake to vary.


    As long as the determination speed of his entry ¡°Slippery¡± was fast enough,


    he could completely disappear from his original location after merely enduring the first Thunder Snake attack, in what seemed like a sky filled with thunder and rain. The results now were almost exactly as he had thought. If nothing unexpected happened,


    it should be no problem for him to pass this second challenge easily.


    Moreover, those Magic Practitioner Puppets also quickly flew to his side, and whether they were provoked or otherwise, they doubled their attack frequency immediately.


    However¡ª


    With every new round of Thunder Snakes about to engulf Chen Qiu, he always managed to teleport away in time.


    Thus¡­


    On the vast boundless sea surface, a rather strange scene emerged.


    Ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets kept launching countless Thunder Snakes, orbiting around Chen Qiu incessantly changing positions on the sea surface, while Chen Qiu managed to teleport multiple times every second, barely even able to make out his surroundings.


    Before he could recover his sight after teleporting, he had already teleported once again. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And those Magic Practitioner Puppets became even more furious, with their attack frequency increasing by more than five times.


    Since he could not make out his surroundings, he simply stopped trying to look. At this point, he had nothing else to do, so he might as well take a moment to rest his eyes.


    In this manner¡ª


    God knows how much time passed.


    He felt like his body no longer had the sensation of teleporting, and only then did he groggily open his eyes, standing on the sand and sweeping a glance around, noticing that the Magic Practitioner Puppets had somehow fallen on the beach nearby¡­


    Huh? The beach?


    Chen Qiu was startled, instantly coming to his senses, he quickly scanned his surroundings, and soon saw an old man with an expressionless face staring at him, holding a fishing rod in his arms, with a black fortune-telling flag planted beside him.


    Am I back here again?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Before he could speak, the fortune-telling old man expressionlessly spoke first, ¡°Awake? You seemed to be sleeping soundly. Sit here for a while, that old man is probably still on his way here.¡±


    ¡°That old man, if I¡¯m not mistaken, is probably not in a good mood right now.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, slightly embarrassed, carefully sat next to the fortune-telling old man and cautiously asked, ¡°Is crossing the Forbidden Sea once tiring?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have avoided seeing me for thirty years.¡±


    ¡°Would crossing twice in one day be even more tiring?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Will he make things difficult for me?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak further, instead sitting dejectedly on the beach, gazing out at the sea. The second challenge¡¯s five hours had already ended, and it had been over fourteen hours since he entered the Inheritance Secret Realm.


    It was almost midnight when he entered the Inheritance Secret Realm.


    He could already collect today¡¯s Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.


    Now, after more than fourteen hours had passed, the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills had already arrived two times and were quietly waiting in his small world.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu eventually couldn¡¯t resist speaking, ¡°This was ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets, and that old man even disabled my movement technique ¡®Shrink Earth Into Inches¡¯. Without using movement techniques, I can¡¯t think of any way to pass through this challenge.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The fortune-telling old man rolled his eyes at Chen Qiu and spoke irritably, ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell you, but since you¡¯ve already passed, there¡¯s no harm in telling you. First off, I can tell you for sure that the Gatekeeper cannot intentionally target the challenger, so disabling your ¡®Shrink Earth Into Inches¡¯ was partly to make things easier for himself and also, in a way, a hint to you.¡±

 Chapter 137 - 104:

    Chapter 137: Chapter 104: ¡°Thanks for the hospitality, I¡¯ll treat you to roasted goose next time we meet!¡±_3


    ¡°Uh¡­ remind me that this level actually doesn¡¯t require using movement technique?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, your brain isn¡¯t that dull, huh? Weren¡¯t there initially only a thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets attacking you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you stand still and patiently wait for those ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets to attack once, you¡¯ll find that the spot three steps to the left and four steps back has the fewest number of attacks.¡±


    ¡°Then you just need to stand there and wait for five hours, and you¡¯ll be attacked at most nine thousand times before you can smoothly pass the level.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that the Magic Practitioner Puppets began to go berserk when you moved away from your spot? This is actually a reminder for you to quickly return to where you should be, and that¡¯s why that old man took the trouble to bring you back for the second level.¡±


    ...


    ¡°The only way to clear the second level is to quickly figure out the Magic Practitioner Puppets¡¯ pattern of attacks and then find the safe spot.¡±


    The fortune-telling old man took a swig of liquor from a leather pouch before muttering, ¡°But now there seems to be a second method.¡±


    ¡°You lad remind me a bit of myself back in the day.¡±


    Speaking of the past, the fortune-telling old man¡¯s face showed a nostalgic smile as he sighed, ¡°After I received the Array Repair inheritance, my master was happy, but when he learned how I passed, he got so angry, he chased me with a whip down three streets.¡±


    ¡°Back then, the fifth level of Array Repair inheritance threw you into an extremely complex array.¡±


    ¡°There were nine hundred ninety-nine Death Gates and only one Life Gate.¡±


    ¡°You had to step into the Life Gate in the shortest time to succeed in the level. No matter how terrifying the array, there¡¯s definitely a Life Gate, as the great path has fifty, but nature evolves forty-nine, leaving one as an escape.¡±


    ¡°Normally, an Array Repairer would need to find a Death Gate first if they want to break the array from within, then deduce from there, new Death Gates totaling nine hundred ninety-nine. Can you imagine how long it would take to deduce all of them?¡±¡±


    ¡°I was only given three hours at that time.¡±


    ¡°Guess how I succeeded in the level?¡±


    Without waiting for Chen Qiu to speak, the fortune-telling old man chuckled proudly, ¡°I calculated with my fingers and immediately figured out where the Life Gate was, and within thirty minutes, I successfully completed the level, which really infuriated my master.¡±


    ¡°I kept saying I was more suited for Gua Cultivation, but my master wouldn¡¯t believe me, insisting that Gua Cultivation was a minor path with no future.¡±


    ¡°Impressive!¡±


    Chen Qiu, looking serious, set up the grill again and started preparing the Roasted Goose. After ensuring the liquor was ready, he then asked, ¡°So now I just have to wait?¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡­


    Finally¡ª


    One and a half hours later.


    Chen Qiu, sitting on the beach, finally saw the celestial-looking elder, pale-faced with Golden Light under his feet, swiftly making his way toward the beach from across the Forbidden Sea. Landing on the beach without a word, he almost instantly sat down cross-legged and started revolving his mental method to recuperate his Spiritual Energy.


    The immense nature¡¯s spiritual energy once again transformed into a tornado, funneling into the elder¡¯s body.


    ¡°I can¡¯t risk going through that again.¡±


    The fortune-telling old man cautiously whispered in Chen Qiu¡¯s ear, ¡°If you make this old fellow cross the Forbidden Sea again, I reckon we might never see him again.¡±


    Thirty minutes later.


    A familiar voice echoed in his ears again.


    ¨C


    ¡°You have successfully passed the second level.¡±


    ¨C


    Then, just like last time, the elder waved his sleeve and casually collected the Puppet that fell on the beach into his sleeve, and soon a Golden Light emerged under Chen Qiu¡¯s feet, taking him swiftly toward the depths of the Forbidden Sea.


    ¡°Senior!¡±


    Chen Qiu turned around, looking at the fortune-telling old man still fishing on the beach and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m leaving first. If you get a chance, come and chat with me. I might be heading to the Capital to participate in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard!¡±


    ¡°You might find it interesting to come and watch!¡±


    The old man on the beach waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Get lost already. Next time I see you, I hope you really have become the top Magic Practitioner in Da Xia. Oh, and you forgot your grill.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it for you, Senior. Grill some chicken for yourself sometimes, take good care of yourself.¡±


    ¡­


    Another one and a half hours.


    The elder finally brought Chen Qiu back to the starting point of the Forbidden Sea. This time, the elder looked paler and didn¡¯t immediately announce the third level.


    Instead, he stood still, took a few deep breaths until his complexion gained a bit of rosiness, then looked at Chen Qiu with a distressed expression.


    ¡°My friend.¡±


    ¡°Can you stay put and focus on the levels without running around?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression was a bit awkward as he nodded in agreement, not daring to meet the elder¡¯s eyes directly. This was the first time the elder had spoken to him, and he didn¡¯t seem as intimidating. It wasn¡¯t his intention to wander off.¡±


    ¡°I only have two movement techniques, Shrink Ground to an Inch and Slippery.¡±


    ¡°But these two movement techniques¡­ ¡± S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Coincidentally, they¡¯re completely random.¡±


    ¡°Where I end up, I can¡¯t control at all, and even I don¡¯t know where I might end up.¡±


    ¡°But to end up at the fortune-telling old man¡¯s beach on the Array Repair Continent twice in completely random circumstances does indeed seem too coincidental.¡±


    Without saying more¡ª


    The elder once again mouthed words, with his voice directly echoing in his mind.


    ¨C


    ¡°The third level, Battle Foes.¡±


    ¡°A competent Magic Practitioner must be unrivaled in the world.¡±


    ¡°In one cup of tea¡¯s time, ten thousand infinitely Spiritual Energy endowed Magic Practitioner Puppets will launch attacks on you simultaneously, all employing the Thunder Summoning Technique. This level poses a risk of death, but you can shout to exit at any time.¡±


    ¡°Among these ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets, there are a hundred traitor puppets.¡±

 Chapter 138 - 104:

    Chapter 138: Chapter 104: ¡°Thank you for the hospitality, I¡¯ll treat you to Roasted Goose next time we meet!¡±_4


    ¡°This round strictly prohibits the use of ¡®Shrinking Technique¡¯ and the entry ¡®Slippery¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Trial condition: Within one hour, knock down those one hundred traitor puppets.¡±


    ¨C


    The moment the voice echoed in his mind, the elder by his side had disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu squinted his eyes and looked seriously at the panel for the third round, the first and second rounds both had tricks for passing, such as infiltrating the island at the bottom of the sea or finding a safe spot.


    ...


    Conditions that seem utterly impossible to pass all have their tricks.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what abilities of Magic Practitioners were being tested by infiltrating the sea bottom and finding safe spots.


    But since the assessment was like this, there must be a reason for it.


    It¡¯s just this third round¡­


    Among ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets, knocking down one hundred traitor puppets, the Thunder Summoning Technique used by these ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets was not a simplified version, but real attacks that would indeed hurt a lot if they hit a person.


    In such a situation, to quickly find those one hundred traitor puppets, it seemed somewhat impossible.


    While he was pondering, the time of a cup of tea had passed, but those ten thousand puppets had not emerged from the seabed.


    As he was looking around, puzzled, a voice came to his ear.


    ¡°Hold on, the puppets got broken on the beach, let me fix them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    About the time it took for three sticks of incense to burn, the sea water finally boiled up just like last time, and ten thousand patchwork Magic Practitioner Puppets, emanating fearsome might, flew into the air, completely surrounding Chen Qiu in the middle, looking down on Chen Qiu with the disdain with which Heavenly Soldiers might look at ants.


    Just the sight was enough to strike terror into countless hearts.


    Right after, these Magic Practitioner Puppets, without the slightest hesitation, were about to simultaneously gesture with Taoist Techniques, looking toward Chen Qiu with cold expressions, ready to wave their hands. It was foreseeable that in a breath¡¯s time, tens of thousands of Thunder Snakes would envelop Chen Qiu!


    However¡ª


    Chen Qiu was even faster!


    Almost at the moment those Magic Practitioner Puppets had just emerged from the sea, the Heavenly Dao Foundation within Chen Qiu began to rotate rapidly, with all the spiritual energy in his body surging through his meridians at several times the speed of previous days.


    By the time the Magic Practitioner Puppets were suspended in mid-air, Chen Qiu, his face now red with exertion, roared fiercely with the long sword in his hands raised above his head.


    ¡°Break!!!¡±


    The next breath!


    Before those Magic Practitioner Puppets could make a move.


    ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡±!


    ¡°Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique¡±!


    ¡°Dual Casting¡±!


    ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡±!


    ¡°Focused Power¡±!


    ¡°Spiritual Energy Intimidating¡±! sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The terrifying Cultivation of the sixth level of Foundation Establishment was released without restraint, the Heavenly Dao Foundation inside began to rotate rapidly. Although it couldn¡¯t absorb nature¡¯s spiritual energy, it could make spiritual energy rush out quickly!


    A full force strike without holding back.


    This was the solution he came up with, using every method available to destroy all ten thousand puppets. That way, no matter where those one hundred traitor puppets were hiding, they would surely be destroyed too!


    The quickest way to kill bandits hiding among hostages is to go all-in!


    Under ¡°Dual Casting¡± and ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting,¡± more than four thousand enhanced by ¡°Focused Power¡± and ¡°Spiritual Energy Intimidating,¡± Great Perfection Realm Thunder Summoning Technique transformed into thousands of Thunder Dragons in mid-air, roaring fiercely as they charged towards the ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets high in the sky!


    That scene was as if they were trying to break through the cage to see the light of day once again.


    Compared to this ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique,¡± the tens of thousands of Thunder Summoning Techniques that the Magic Practitioner Puppets had just started to cast seemed like child¡¯s play, completely incomparable in scale.


    One was a Thunder Loach, the other a Thunder Dragon.


    An overwhelming difference like that between heaven and earth!


    However, these thousands of Thunder Dragons were just a simple Starting Move, amidst the roaring of the Thunder Dragons.


    Tens of thousands of green Demon Fire appeared beside Chen Qiu, like countless stars reflecting in the sea, carrying with them a sky full of toxins and a sinister aura. Chen Qiu had stuffed all the resentful spirits he had collected over the past days into these Demon Fires, except for that early Golden Core resentful spirit!


    Suddenly¡ª


    The Demon Fires seemed to have gained sentience, their might amplified while the entire sea echoed with the anguished howls of the resentful spirits from the netherworld, mingling with the roaring of the Thunder Dragons, one bright and one dark.


    This was Chen Qiu¡¯s strongest Attack Method, without using his Self-Destruction Term, Golden Core resentful spirit, or Fiery Flame Seven Killings Array Plate and other trump cards!


    Just with this one strike, he had completely exhausted the Spiritual Energy in his body. If this strike was ineffective, he would have to activate his Golden Core resentful spirit trump card.


    But¡­


    He felt like he might have underestimated himself a bit. He had always considered himself an ant in the Cultivation World, but now it seemed he wasn¡¯t that weak.


    Those thousands of Thunder Dragons and the sky full of Demon Fire almost instantly engulfed the Magic Practitioner Puppets.


    Immediately afterward.


    All ten thousand Magic Practitioner Puppets exploded in midair, sending a sky full of orange-red fireworks into the sky.


    Exceptionally beautiful.


    In a few moments, the fluctuations of Spiritual Energy on the sea¡¯s surface gradually ceased, and Chen Qiu quickly replenished the Spiritual Energy inside him with dozens of Spirit Stones. Meanwhile, the sea¡¯s surface was littered with countless pieces of Magic Practitioner Puppet debris.


    Many pieces of debris were still burning, emitting black smoke.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a long breath, seemingly having passed the round, and everything appeared normal this time. He didn¡¯t end up on the Array Repair Continent so there should be no problem, definitely having passed in a regular manner.


    Just then¡ª


    The old man with an air of celestial grace reappeared beside him. His complexion no longer looked as pale, probably because his Spiritual Energy had mostly recovered. However, he now stood in midair, gazing at the numerous Puppet debris on the sea¡¯s surface with an expression of neither joy nor sorrow, silent for a long time.


    This made Chen Qiu feel slightly uneasy inside, and he ventured, ¡°Senior?¡±


    After a long while.


    The old man replied with neither sadness nor joy, ¡°Isn¡¯t the rule to destroy one hundred traitor puppets? Did the other puppets provoke you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Disciple is somewhat foolish and couldn¡¯t quite discern which ones were traitor puppets. And since my strength is insignificant and I couldn¡¯t withstand the simultaneous attack of tens of thousands of Magic Practitioner Puppets, I had to strike first for strength.¡±


    It might have been an illusion, but Chen Qiu thought he saw the old man¡¯s eyelid twitch.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After another long silence, the old man spoke again with a blank face, ¡°Your strength doesn¡¯t seem weak.¡±


    ¡°Is it that hard to distinguish? Only the Thunder Summoning Technique from traitor puppets can harm you; the Thunder Summoning Techniques from other puppets are just illusions. If you pay close attention when you¡¯re attacked, you would be able to identify which ones are traitor puppets. Is that difficult?¡±


    ¡°At least you should give the puppets a chance to attack you, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t come to the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy; you should go to Body Cultivation¡¯s legacy.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu replied sheepishly, ¡°Disciple is not adept at Body Cultivation.¡±


    The old man turned his head to glance at Chen Qiu, his lips trembling slightly as if he was about to say something, but in the end, he said nothing and with a wave of his sleeve, he collected all the remains of the Magic Practitioner Puppets into his Storage Ring.


    Good, no need to repair this time, and certainly no way to repair anyway.


    Immediately after¡ª


    The familiar voice once again emerged deep within Chen Qiu¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 139 - 105:

    Chapter 139: Chapter 105: ¡°Young friend, you¡¯re still lacking a bit.


    ¡°You have successfully passed the third level.¡±


    ¨C


    These words emerged in Chen Qiu¡¯s mind, signifying that he had successfully passed the third level of the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance trial.


    The Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance trial consists of a total of five levels.


    At this moment, having passed three levels, he was only two away from obtaining the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression was firm and serious as he took a deep breath, ready to face the unknown challenges of the fourth level. He had a premonition that this would be his closest reach to the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance yet.


    He had already passed the first three levels.


    No matter what trump cards he needed to play for these last two levels, he must pass them; otherwise, his journey would have been in vain.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Fat Long, somewhat bored, was lying in a rocking chair at the Mountain Gate of Chao Tian Sect, chewing on a piece of grass, and gazing at the chaotic sky above as he mused, ¡°Is the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance so time-consuming? Brother Qiu still hasn¡¯t come out.¡±


    ¡°There are only five days left until the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard begins.¡±


    ¡°If Brother Qiu is any later, he might really have to wait for next year¡¯s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think waiting until next year is not bad. By then, Brother Qiu will definitely have reached Golden Core, and no matter which of those Heavenly Prides, it will all be a breeze for him, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    He turned his head to look at the scholar, attempting to get a response.


    Ever since the scholar touched the Sword Bone, he had stayed by its side for days, regardless of eating or sleeping, acting as if in a trance and constantly mumbling about having enlightenment and realizations.


    It was unclear what exactly he had understood.


    Thus, only the scholar could keep him company for a chat. But¡­ that guy was indeed reticent, not uttering a word no matter how hard Fat Long tried to make conversation.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Fat Long suddenly remembered something, turned over in his chair, and looked at the scholar with curiosity: ¡°We¡¯ve been together for so long now, yet I still don¡¯t know your name.¡±


    ¡°How should I address you?¡±


    However, as expected, the reply was still the scholar¡¯s silence.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long lay back in the rocking chair with resignation and said to himself, ¡°Forget it. If you don¡¯t want to say it, that¡¯s fine. Actually, I¡¯m curious about something.¡±


    ¡°If¡ª¡±


    ¡°You were sitting in the position of the State Preceptor of Da Xia Country, and you also possessed the entry ¡®nonsensical¡¯, what kind of lie would you weave to deceive the world?¡±


    ¡°This lie would surely be agreed upon by many, even some Cultivators with high Cultivation levels would recognize it.¡±


    ¡°So in Da Xia, what consensus could match such a grand deceit?¡±


    ¡°For instance, that Da Xia is not actually a cage? Are the Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivators sent out to investigate merely figments? No, that piece of news isn¡¯t widely known; its spread isn¡¯t extensive enough.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything more widespread?¡±


    Fat Long lay self-entertained in the rocking chair, chewing on grass, lost in thoughts. With no demons or female cultivators around, and unable to cultivate further, he could only let his imagination wander.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The usually silent scholar sitting beside him suddenly spoke up in a deep voice: ¡°For example, that Da Xia Country has no State Preceptor at all.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense?¡±


    Fat Long gave the scholar an annoyed look: ¡°Da Xia Country¡­¡±


    But he quickly froze in place and sat up in the rocking chair to ponder: this could indeed be considered a colossal lie. Everyone in the world knew that Da Xia had a State Preceptor, but in truth, if Da Xia had none, would that count as a world-deceiving lie?


    After pondering seriously for a long time, he suddenly slapped his forehead and lay back down in the rocking chair.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave those questions for Brother Qiu to think about, and instead think about what to have for dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°I feel like having some noodles.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Fat Long immediately got up and scampered excitedly toward the Chao Tian Sect, saying, ¡°You know, I¡¯m really good at making noodles. Just you wait!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°The fourth level, Trial of the Heart.¡±


    ¡°A qualified Magic Practitioner, even at the lowest point, can find the determination to stand up again.¡±


    ¡°You will lose all memories and revert to the lowest commoner in the Cultivation World. If you break through to the first level of Foundation Establishment within a year in your dream, you will succeed in the trial.¡±


    ¨C


    The voice echoed in his mind in an instant.


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the sea surface, clutching a Spirit Stone to recover his Spiritual Energy, had no time to say anything more; he suddenly collapsed, his eyes vacant, and lay flat on the sea surface.


    The Immortal-like elder standing in the air looked at Chen Qiu without sorrow or joy.


    In one¡¯s life, there are many opportunities. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not a single Golden Core cultivator who has climbed up from the bottom would guarantee that, even if they could do it all over again, they would still be able to cultivate to the Golden Core Stage. There are just too many chances along the path of cultivation.


    Any Golden Core cultivator who has climbed up from the bottom has been through countless fortuitous encounters to get to where they are now.


    But¡­


    If they had to do it all over again, how many could reach the same position?


    The elder in the air fell silent, not speaking, just quietly observing Chen Qiu lying on the sea surface below. It was evident that Chen Qiu, unlike the previous challenger, had no family background or power.


    No one had told him how to pass the trial.


    Nobody had prepared treasures for the corresponding levels.


    He had simply relied on his own bit of luck to emerge from obscurity and smoothly pass the first three levels. But if he were to revert to a commoner again, could he still stand up?


    With that¡ª


    He waved his hand, and the scenes from Chen Qiu¡¯s experiences in the dream rapidly unfolded in the air.

 Chapter 140 - 105:

    Chapter 140: Chapter 105: ¡°Young friend, you¡¯re still lacking a bit.¡±_2


    He wasn¡¯t clear about the adventures Chen Qiu had experienced before, but that did not prevent him from observing how Chen Qiu was redoing everything from the beginning in his dream trial.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The elder nodded in appreciation as he looked at Chen Qiu, who was covered in sweat from his strenuous effort chopping wood. Chen Qiu had been working diligently for 29 days in the dream, saving up for his first potion.


    This kid really was quite down-to-earth.


    Unlike the previous challenger, who went straight to begging on the streets after awakening an unremarkable entry at the government office upon losing all memory in the dream. It was a mystery what the last challenger had been through to think of begging as the first thing to do after losing his memory.


    ...


    However, at that moment¡ª


    The Chen Qiu in the image, who had been chopping wood for 29 days, suddenly threw down his axe, his face contorted in rage as he bellowed.


    ¡°To stand out among people, chopping wood will never be the play!¡±


    ¡°If you want to get rich, first chop people!¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then he picked up his axe and headed towards the local bullies not far away.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    On the 30th day in the dream, Chen Qiu successfully entered the first level of Qi Refinement and awakened the White entry ¡°Man of Destiny¡±.


    He then gathered all the orphans in town to form a roaming gang. Whenever they came upon an isolated local bully, they swarmed him. And so, he killed for half a year.


    Chen Qiu had reached the fifth level of Cultivation.


    Then he ventured into a Secret Realm alone, learned new Cultivation Techniques, and greatly increased his strength. When he emerged, he went after the bullies he couldn¡¯t beat before. Day after day, if he could beat them, he¡¯d finish them today; if not, he¡¯d flee and come back to finish them when he could.


    His combat experience soared rapidly.


    By the sixth month, Chen Qiu was trapped and surrounded. In desperation, he blinded himself to increase his other senses fivefold, which hugely boosted his combat power, allowing him to break out of the encirclement.


    It was only with the Healing Pills begged for by his gang that he barely pulled through. After his injuries recovered over several days, he dove straight into the newly opened Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    When he came out, he was at the eighth level of Qi Refinement.


    Wielding a Spiritual Treasure.


    His strength had significantly increased again, allowing him to smirk as he eliminated all the local bullies, then he took his gang to a larger city nearby and continued the process.


    He killed the bullies he could defeat on the spot.


    For those he couldn¡¯t beat, he took notes in a little book to come back for them later.


    And so¡ª


    Every day was spent either fighting or on the way to fight. At the end of the twelfth month in the dream, Chen Qiu finally succeeded in Foundation Establishment. He grabbed a great sword and made a beeline for those bullies he couldn¡¯t defeat before.


    ¡­


    ¡°Did I pass the trial?¡±


    Lying on the sea surface, Chen Qiu slowly awoke and scanned the surroundings, remembering where he was and all that he had experienced, as if it all played vividly in his mind.


    After reviewing everything again, Chen Qiu smiled, stood up, looked up at the elder in the sky and said, ¡°Senior, I should have passed this level, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The elder, with a complicated expression, looked at Chen Qiu and asked softly, ¡°In the dream, why did you not awaken an entry at the government office? Awakening an entry at the government office is free. Why bother to chop wood?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Scratching the back of his head, Chen Qiu replied quietly, ¡°What if I awakened an Evil Cultivation or Demon Cultivation entry and got executed on the spot?¡±


    ¡°If you could discipline yourself to chop wood for 29 days, you¡¯re clearly not someone who lacks patience. So why did you give up chopping wood on the thirtieth day and decisively turn to chopping people?¡±


    ¡°That, I wanted to chop people on the second day already. But I felt like I couldn¡¯t beat others, so I used chopping wood as a month of practice to ensure my accuracy when it came to chop people later on.¡±


    The elder remained silent for a while before speaking no further, only waving his hand.


    He always felt that his emotional fluctuations today were greater than the emotional fluctuations of the previous decades combined. Was this because he was getting old, that his heart seemed so easily stirred?


    ¨C


    ¡°You have successfully passed the fourth round.¡±


    ¨C


    After confirming that he had successfully passed the fourth round, Chen Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, then without any hesitation, he sat down cross-legged on the spot, pulled out a handful of Qi Replenishing Pills from his bosom, and began to chew them voraciously.


    At the same time, he rapidly absorbed the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stones scattered around him.


    The Spiritual Energy within his Tao Foundation had been utterly depleted since the third round.


    This place did not allow one to absorb nature¡¯s spiritual energy.


    One could only recover quickly through Spirit Stones and Qi Replenishing Pills. Although he did not know what the fifth level involved, it was always right to quickly restore Spiritual Energy.


    Perhaps the elder also noticed that he had no Spiritual Energy inside him, for he did not immediately announce the contents of the fifth level but waited until he had replenished his Spiritual Energy. Then, with trembling lips, a familiar voice emerged in his mind.


    ¨C


    ¡°The fifth level, challenge the prohibition.¡±


    ¡°To acquire the Magic Practitioner inheritance, one must pass five trials. This is the final trial.¡±


    ¡°Once you pass this trial, you will receive the Magic Practitioner inheritance.¡±


    ¡°In the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew, ten thousand puppets will attack you simultaneously. These puppets include Array Repairers, Magic Practitioners, and Body Cultivators, among others. You need to survive half an hour under the onslaught of ten thousand puppets with the same level of Cultivation as you.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    After receiving the contents of the fifth level trial, Chen Qiu felt somewhat relieved, as it seemed similar to the third round. His Spiritual Energy had fully recovered, and he felt ready to face the same type of challenge again!


    Moreover, this fifth level.


    It did not restrict his ¡°Space Shrinking¡± and ¡°Slippery¡± entries, meaning he had even more room to maneuver.

 Chapter 141 - 105:

    Chapter 141: Chapter 105: ¡°Young friend, you¡¯re still lacking a bit.¡±_3


    However, after just a short while, he had made his preparations and awaited the moment when those ten thousand puppets would emerge once more from the sea bed. The sea beneath his feet was calm, showing no sign of puppet activity.


    Chen Qiu looked up doubtfully at the guardian elder who stood midair.


    For some reason, after the Fifth Level had begun, the guardian elder didn¡¯t disappear as he had in the previous levels but stood suspended in midair. Only after seeing Chen Qiu¡¯s perplexed look did he speak, neither sad nor happy.


    ¡°The puppets are gone, you¡¯ve destroyed them.¡±


    ¡°I will take the place of the puppets for this level. I will suppress my cultivation to the sixth tier of Foundation Establishment, equal to yours. If you can survive for half an hour, you will be considered to have passed.¡±


    With that said,


    ...


    the elder¡¯s cultivation began to fall, stabilizing at the sixth tier of Foundation Establishment.


    ¡°Are you ready? Because I¡¯m about to¡­¡±


    Before the elder could finish!


    ¡°Kill!!!¡±


    Chen Qiu, his face flushed red, pointed at the elder and launched his attack.


    Thunder Summoning Technique!


    Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique!


    Dual Casting!


    Ten Layers of Spellcasting!


    Focus Power!


    Spiritual Energy Intimidating!


    The methods he had used just moments before came into play once again.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The elder¡¯s feet trembled slightly, Golden Light flashed, and he reappeared dozens of feet away, easily dodging the barrage of attacks. But his eyebrows slightly raised in mild surprise when he saw the Thunder Dragons weaving a strange arc in the sky, homing in on him again. ¡°Divine Sense targeting at Foundation Establishment?¡±


    There was no panic, however.


    The Golden Light beneath his feet kept flashing as he teleported dozens of times. Only after that did the attacks dissipate without further support in midair.


    ¡°Not bad for tricks, but that¡¯s as far as it goes.¡±


    The elder, with hands clasped behind his back, turned around and looked towards the dissipating Thunder Dragons in the sky and chuckled, ¡°This does seem somewhat unfair to you. After all, the ¡®Golden Light Escape¡¯ is not a spell meant for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Winning this way seems a bit dishonorable.¡±


    ¡°This must be your strongest attack method, right?¡±


    ¡°But there is no helping it.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve destroyed all my puppets, I have no choice but to face you myself.¡±


    ¡°Remember, kid, there is no such thing as absolute fairness in this world. Even if I suppress my cultivation to the sixth tier of Foundation Establishment, you still won¡¯t stand a chance at defeating me.¡±


    ¡°Try passing the level next time.¡±


    ¡°And as a Magic Practitioner, mastering ¡®Golden Light Escape¡¯ is only logical. It¡¯s your fault for not knowing it.¡±


    But then¡­ the guardian elder looked down at the sea below and didn¡¯t see Chen Qiu; an uncomfortable premonition arose, and he quickly moved dozens of feet away with a flash of Golden Light.


    And there¡ª


    Chen Qiu was sitting on the shoulder of a resentful spirit of a Golden Core first-tier Cultivator, smiling at him amiably, showing a gentle grin, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand, being a Magic Practitioner, it¡¯s perfectly normal to have a movement technique like ¡®Golden Light Escape¡¯.¡±


    ¡°But as a Magic Practitioner, isn¡¯t it reasonable to summon some resentful spirits as well?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The guardian elder stood expressionless, silent, his eyelids jumping slightly. After a while, his voice hoarse, ¡°I forgot to tell you, normally for the Fifth Level, that one ten thousand puppet combination at the final juncture would Unify, greatly increasing its cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Thus, based on your cultivation of the sixth tier of Foundation Establishment, the strongest opponent you¡¯d face at the final moment would be a puppet with the power of the second tier of Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Since the puppets have been destroyed by you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll reluctantly take their place.¡±


    As his words fell,


    the cultivation of the guardian elder began to rise rapidly, stopping at the second tier of Golden Core. The dense and magnificent Spiritual Energy around his body emitted a terrifying presence, as he stepped closer to Chen Qiu, stopping three zhang (approximately 10 meters) away, also beginning to smile.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s reasonable for you to summon resentful spirits as a Magic Practitioner¡­¡±


    The next instant¡ª


    The entire sea surface suddenly surged up with countless terrifying water dragons composed of seawater, roaring ferociously in the sky behind the guardian elder, circling continuously. With just this one strike, it was enough to completely destroy the Golden Core first-tier resentful spirit beneath Chen Qiu.


    Leaving not even scraps behind.


    ¡°So, if I, as a Magic Practitioner, play a little trick and conjure some sea dragons, that¡¯s not over the top, right?¡±


    ¡°Shall we now try again?¡±


    The guardian elder looked at Chen Qiu with a half-smile.


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s smile grew even gentler, and with a grand gesture, two cloud-wrapped panels reappeared in midair, including the ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± and ¡°Heaven¡¯s Gap individual.¡±


    ¡°If you can manage sea dragons, then it¡¯s certainly reasonable for me, as a Magic Practitioner, to explode a few entries, right?¡±


    ¡°Shall we try again now?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The guardian elder looked at the ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± and ¡°Heaven¡¯s Gap individual¡± above Chen Qiu¡¯s head and fell silent, not speaking. These two entries combined could unleash the full power of a Golden Core sixth tier with just one strike.


    His current cultivation was only at the second tier of the Golden Core, and he naturally couldn¡¯t withstand it.


    But then¡ª


    the elder smiled again: ¡°Sorry, young friend, I forgot to mention, normally in the Fifth Level, that puppet at the end with Unification also has a Frenzy Period where its power significantly surges again.¡±


    ¡°According to your Foundation Establishment sixth tier cultivation, that amounts to around the fourth tier of Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°You see¡­¡±


    ¡°How do we resolve this.¡±


    With his words falling, S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    the guardian elder¡¯s cultivation surged to the fourth tier of the Golden Core, his terrifying presence emanating unabashedly from his body. Then he boasted with a stroke of his beard.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m stable. With Golden Core fourth tier power and my Protective Body Technique, I can completely withstand your Golden Core sixth tier self-destruction strike. I might get injured, but wouldn¡¯t capturing you still be a piece of cake?¡±


    ¡°Young friend, it seems you¡¯re still lacking a little.¡±


    ¡°What a pity.¡±

 Chapter 142 - 105:

    Chapter 142: Chapter 105: ¡°Young friend, you¡¯re still lacking a bit.¡±_4


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Chen Qiu, who sat atop the shoulder of a Golden Core level one resentful spirit, had a smile on his face that grew even warmer. With a casual wave, five panels shrouded in mist once again floated into the air.


    ¡°Alchemy Posture,¡± ¡°Every plant and tree,¡± ¡°Recovery Wind,¡± ¡°Slippery,¡± ¡°Every step counts.¡±


    ¡°I also forgot to mention earlier, I don¡¯t have just that one entry that can self-destruct,¡± he said.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at that little thing on the sea surface?¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu pointed at the sea surface.


    There, an Array Plate lay stable and even upon the water.


    ¡°Fiery Flame Seven Killings Array Plate.¡±


    ¡°Ready to be activated at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Once activated, capable of slaying a Golden Core level five cultivator.¡±


    It was a trinket he had gotten at that time from a workshop owner in the Ask the Heavens market, perfect for using right now.


    Chen Qiu revealed his teeth, smiling warmly at the guardian elder, ¡°So I¡¯d like to ask senior, besides Unification and Berserk, does your puppet have any other tricks?¡±


    ¡°Why not try having children again?¡±


    ¡°After going Berserk, giving birth to a Golden Core level six puppet would be quite reasonable for a Magic Practitioner.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The guardian elder, who had the appearance of an immortal, twitched the corners of his mouth slightly, looking at the entries shrouded in mist above Chen Qiu¡¯s head, the level one Golden Core resentful spirit he was sitting on, and the Array Plate on the sea surface that could be activated at any time.


    He also glanced at Chen Qiu¡¯s Foundation Establishment level six cultivation.


    And his own Golden Core level four cultivation.


    This was almost pushing down a Great Realm. Even with his thick skin, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his old face heating up at this moment. He waved his hand in feigned calmness, ¡°Nonsense, how can a puppet have children?¡±


    ¡°Berserk Unification is already the limit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you think all this talk of puppets¡¯ Berserk Unification and such is just something I made up to fool you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    The elder waved his hand irritably, ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve passed. You¡¯ve cleared the Fifth Level, and as a Magic Practitioner, the tricks you keep up your sleeve are indeed an odd assortment.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, senior.¡±


    A trace of excitement and joy flashed across Chen Qiu¡¯s face.


    He hadn¡¯t expected before coming that he could actually succeed in breaking through this Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy, a legacy that had been unbroken for a thousand years. Could it be this easy to clear?


    It didn¡¯t seem that hard, at least.


    At least it was much simpler than he had imagined. If it were just this level of difficulty, it seemed unlikely that no one would have broken through in a thousand years.


    Before he entered, the voice in his mind had told him that the difficulty of the levels would adjust according to his cultivation. If one were at Golden Core cultivation attempting to clear the levels, he didn¡¯t know how much more difficult the challenges would become.


    At least for now,


    He believed that any Foundation Establishment cultivator, as long as they had his exclusive entry ¡°Dantian Expansion,¡± along with ¡°Resentful Spirit Summoning,¡± ¡°Every step counts,¡± ¡°Slippery,¡± ¡°Focus Strength,¡± among others, and if they prepared a Golden Core resentful spirit in advance as well as an Array Plate capable of killing a Golden Core level five,


    Could also pass easily.


    As of now, he didn¡¯t know what the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy contained. The scholar had also said he didn¡¯t know what the legacy entailed.


    Even if the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy contained nothing else, if it just passed down the movements ¡°Golden Light Underground¡± and ¡°Sea Transformation Dragon,¡± that would be enough for him, as he wasn¡¯t greedy.


    The movement technique was what he lacked the most right now. Although he already possessed a movement technique and an entry that could substitute for one, both came with an element of randomness, which was too unstable. He needed a movement technique with higher stability.


    And at that moment¡ª


    The familiar voice once again entered his mind.


    ¨C


    ¡°You have successfully cleared the Fifth Level.¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You have cleared all levels and successfully obtained the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy.¡±


    ¨C

 Chapter 143 - 106:

    Chapter 143: Chapter 106: ¡°Become famous in one fell swoop, known to the world.


    When this familiar voice reached Chen Qiu¡¯s mind, almost at the same time¡ª


    he once again heard the long-absent and profound voice of the Heavenly Dao slowly resounding in his ears.


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Heavenly Dao has sensed it, in the Boundless Icefield south of Fat State in Da Xia Country, one of the nine great inheritances, the Magic Practitioner Legacy, has been obtained by the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, ¡®Chen Qiu¡¯.


    Such strength commands the admiration of all people.


    As he is the first cultivator to acquire the legacy,


    ...


    therefore, he is granted a wisp of ¡®Heavenly Dao Destiny¡¯, in hope that all people will regard this as a model.


    ¨C


    This voice echoed in the ears of everyone in Da Xia Country, and for a moment countless people subconsciously looked in the direction of Southern State. Could it be that someone had seized the Magic Practitioner Legacy?


    How is that possible?


    The nine great inheritances have existed for over a thousand years. Frankly speaking, over the years, countless Heavenly Prides have ventured to the Boundless Icefield to cultivate, their goal being one of the nine great inheritances, but without exception, all have returned without success.


    Who exactly is this Chen Qiu?


    How did he manage to seize the Magic Practitioner Legacy that no one has surpassed in over a thousand years?


    And what is this Chao Tian Sect that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere? One has heard of the Caotian Sect, but what is this Chao Tian Sect? It doesn¡¯t appear on the sect rankings at all.


    ¡­


    The moment Chen Qiu heard the Heavenly Dao Decree beside his ear, he thought to himself that he was set; this time there shouldn¡¯t be any unexpected developments, mainly because the challenge guardian seemed to have too much authority, with puppets capable of unification and rage.


    He was afraid the guardian would come up with some unpredictable trick.


    But what was this ¡®Heavenly Dao Destiny¡¯?


    He scanned his Storage Ring with Divine Sense and found nothing tangible, nor did he feel any different in his body.


    He didn¡¯t ask aloud, standing quietly in his place, appearing quite obedient.


    In front of such a powerful being, obedience definitely wasn¡¯t the best answer, but it was certainly the least likely to lead to mistakes.


    He also faintly looked forward to what the Magic Practitioner inheritance might entail next.


    Was it a Spiritual Treasure?


    Or was it a Spell?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As for the celestial guardian standing mid-air, upon hearing the Heavenly Dao Decree, he appeared to be lost in thought as he gazed distantly towards the horizon, and only after a long while did he softly say, ¡°Before I give you the Magic Practitioner inheritance, I¡¯ll take you to meet Old Man Cao first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s proper to bid farewell before parting.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu obediently nodded in agreement, having roughly guessed that Old Man Cao must be the fortune-teller.


    Golden Light soon enveloped him once more, and both the young and the old turned into streaks of Liu Guang, rapidly shooting towards the depths of the Forbidden Sea.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Within the small world, Fat Long and the others also heard this Heavenly Dao Decree. Fat Long was slightly stunned before he couldn¡¯t help grinning, turning to look at the scholar beside him: ¡°Tell me, scholar, is Brother Qiu too strong, or what¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°You were the once Golden Core Cultivation, Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator who slew the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons several times and failed to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu slapped him to death with one slap.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve tried several times and couldn¡¯t obtain the Sword Cultivator legacy, yet Brother Qiu finished it in slightly more than a day.¡±


    ¡°Has the nine great inheritances really been unattainable for over a thousand years? It doesn¡¯t seem that difficult.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of the scholar¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, and he then spoke with a resigned expression: ¡°First of all, I need to clarify one point, that the Escape Technique and the art of evasion used by the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons are definitely top-notch! I truly couldn¡¯t kill him, and that¡¯s honestly infuriating.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why Brother Qiu could so easily slap the Scion of Ten Thousand Demons to death with one slap. I really don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Secondly!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never gone for the Magic Practitioner inheritance, but the criteria for the Sword Cultivator inheritance are so harsh it could make you question life. My Sword Intent, which I am proud of, was barely presentable there, and the threshold for passing the fourth round was Human Sword Unity.


    ¡°You should know that so far in Da Xia, only Ji Taiping has barely cultivated to Human Sword Unity. A few years back, there wasn¡¯t a single person in the whole of Da Xia who had reached this realm. Although I¡¯ve never sought the Magic Practitioner inheritance, it can¡¯t be too simple either.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, no one would have succeeded in all these years.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°As for Brother Qiu¡­ I can only say, he truly is a Magic Practitioner genius. It might seem unreasonable if it were anyone else, but if it¡¯s Brother Qiu, I think it makes perfect sense.¡±


    After finishing, the scholar suddenly laughed: ¡°There¡¯s good news, the name ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ was mentioned in the Heavenly Dao Decree just now. The reputation of Chao Tian Sect has surely increased now!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been touring around the corners of Chao Tian Sect these past few days!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered that it is an ancient sect of Sword Cultivators passed down in utmost purity, especially those sword cultivation values in the Sect Hall¡ªI highly approve of them. Sword Cultivators should indeed be like this!¡±


    ¡°So once Brother Qiu helps me find a way to restore my cultivation, I, the Second Elder of Chao Tian Sect, plan to make Chao Tian Sect great again!¡±


    ¡°Let the world know¡ª¡±


    ¡°What it means to be, a true Sword Cultivator!¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long said expressionlessly: ¡°The Sect Master is a Magic Practitioner, and you, the Second Elder, want to make the Sword Cultivators great again? Are you not taking me, the Great Elder who cultivates dual companionship, into consideration?¡±


    ¡°If anyone should be great again, it should be Magic Practitioners!¡±


    ¡°By the way, what does your brother cultivate?¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡­¡±


    The scholar pursed his lips and shrugged but did not speak.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that a bit too much?¡±


    ¡°After all this time together, he doesn¡¯t tell people his name or what he cultivates? Is your brother being too unreasonable?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    In the Capital, within the Caotian Sect, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect was sitting on Zhao Yishi¡¯s shoulders and said in shock, ¡°Why does that name sound so familiar?¡±

 Chapter 144 - 106:

    Chapter 144: Chapter 106: ¡°Become famous in one fell swoop, known to the world.¡±_2


    ¡°Have you forgotten, Sect Master?¡±


    Standing in the center of the rear mountain, towering like a high mountain, Zhao Yishi said in a resonant voice, ¡°The last time I went to Fufeng City, I participated in that Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, which is the site of the Chao Tian Sect, as I¡¯ve told you.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, why does this name sound so much like Caotian Sect?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you this before, Sect Master. What are you surprised about?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect, with a serious expression, supported his cheek with one hand and thought for a long while before shaking his head, ¡°Originally, I wanted to absorb Chen Qiu into our sect, but now it seems he passed that Heavenly Dao Secret Realm last time and directly inherited the position of the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, transforming into a Sect Master himself.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Since he, Chen Qiu, could inherit through Magic Practitioner, you, Zhao Yishi, could also potentially inherit through Body Cultivation!¡±


    ¡°There are only a few days left until the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard; you should also try your luck.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already tried, Sect Master, have you forgotten? I didn¡¯t make it through.¡±


    ¡°Try again. If Chen Qiu could do it, why can¡¯t you, Zhao Yishi? Do you really think you¡¯re inferior to him? Cultivation should be about defying the heavens; you¡¯ve always avoided combat and lack resolve, how can you achieve greatness in the future?¡±


    ¡°What else then?¡± Zhao Yishi said in a resonant voice, ¡°Sect Master, you¡¯re so full of spirit, why don¡¯t you claim that inheritance yourself? Don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    The nine inheritances, the Magic Practitioner inheritance, has been obtained by Chen Qiu of Chao Tian Sect.


    This news, spread instantly throughout Da Xia Country via the Heavenly Dao Decree, even showing tendencies of spreading to the Hundred Countries¡ªit was an unprecedented big news, as shocking as if the Emperor had suddenly passed away.


    The Magic Practitioner inheritance, which had not been claimed for over a thousand years, was unexpectedly taken by an unknown individual.


    This reignited the fierce ambitions of many Heavenly Prides who had tried several times and given up.¡±


    For a time¡­


    Many forces began to inquire about Chao Tian Sect and Chen Qiu, whose battle alongside a scholar in Fufeng City, although not well-known, had only spread within some families and sects of the Capital. But claiming the Magic Practitioner inheritance was truly a fame that resounded throughout the world!


    Many watched as the fame value behind Chen Qiu¡¯s name on the Fame Ranking skyrocketed like a rocket, just within thirty minutes after the Heavenly Dao Decree had been issued.


    His rank had already soared to the 98th place.


    And his fame continued to rise rapidly, showing no signs of stopping soon. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Many forces quickly gathered a lot of information about Chen Qiu.


    ¡­


    ¡°Confirmed.¡±


    In Wentiang Square, the Shopkeeper of Zhao¡¯s Commerce, at the first sign of the Demon Race invasion, without any hesitation, packed up the merchandise in his store into his Storage Ring and fled. Based on his experience, during such chaos, a person like him would be a glaringly obvious target.


    As expected¡­


    After the invasion, news came that Wentiang Square had been plundered, and the casualties were numerous.


    Only he and some others who were quick to flee had escaped in advance.


    Now standing in front of the Zhao¡¯s Commerce, he reported earnestly, ¡°When I saw him a few days ago, about ten days prior, he was still a late-stage Qi Refinement Cultivator, and his aura was not stable, suggesting he had just entered this realm.¡±


    ¡°He bought a low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman from me here.¡±


    ¡°Later, he quickly advanced to Foundation Establishment and bought many talismans, pills, and mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans from me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The leader of Zhao¡¯s Commerce nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, ¡°A suddenly risen Heavenly Pride, huh? You didn¡¯t send someone to kill or insult him or anything, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, we had a fairly good conversation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, such good karma is beneficial.¡±


    ¡­


    Other forces even sent people to find the Huang Family in Fufeng City.


    ¡°Woodcutter?¡±


    ¡°Chopped wood for several tens of days and then suddenly realized the Dao?¡±


    ¡°Chopping wood has such an effect?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ve really made a name for yourself now, I didn¡¯t expect you to actually make it through the Magic Practitioner inheritance.¡±


    On the beach of Array Plate Continent¡­


    The fortune-telling old man looked at Chen Qiu with a sense of sentiment, ¡°This Magic Practitioner inheritance has attracted countless people over the past thousand years. Everyone comes eagerly but leaves disheartened, yet you are the only one who made it on your first try.¡±


    ¡°Good, just wait a moment, let me catch up with an old friend for a bit, as I won¡¯t have this chance again in the future.¡±


    Chen Qiu responded and quietly sat down, setting up the grill again, and kept pouring wine for the two old men sitting cross-legged on the beach. He could not hear what they were talking about; he could only see their lips moving.


    Even though he could not hear, he could roughly guess that the two were talking about the past.


    As people age, they no longer have a future to look forward to, so all that¡¯s left to talk about is the past.


    Two young people sitting together would most likely talk about their aspirations for the future, but two old men, half into the grave, would probably only talk about the regrets of the past.


    After a long while¡­


    Finally¡ª


    The guardian of the Magic Practitioner inheritance rose from the beach and with a wave of his hand, Chen Qiu felt a blur before his eyes, and he found himself in a void, feeling as though he was floating in the air.


    ¡°Young friend.¡±


    The venerable old man, floating in midair as if on the surface of the sea, looked at Chen Qiu and slowly said, ¡°This is your Sea of Consciousness. Once you enter the Golden Core, you will be able to perform introspection and see your own Sea of Consciousness. The Magic Practitioner inheritance will be granted to you here by me.¡±


    ¡°The Sea of Consciousness is also where the Divine Soul is placed.¡±


    ¡°The biggest reason a Golden Core cultivator can absolutely overwhelm a Foundation Establishment Cultivator is that the Golden Core cultivator can use their powerful Divine Sense to instantly destroy the Foundation Establishment Cultivator¡¯s Sea of Consciousness, which is completely chaotic with no defenses.¡±

 Chapter 145 - 106:

    Chapter 145: Chapter 106: ¡°Become famous in one fell swoop, known throughout the world.¡±_3


    ¡°In other words,¡±


    ¡°Even if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator has really powerful external forces that enable them to threaten a Golden Core cultivator, it doesn¡¯t mean the Foundation Establishment Cultivator can survive a single breath under the hands of a Golden Core cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu questioned with some confusion, ¡°How did you admit defeat at the Fifth Level, senior?¡±


    He had killed two Golden Core cultivators.


    One was a workshop owner from the Ask the Heaven marketplace. Caught off guard by a sneak attack, the owner was bewildered by the scholar¡¯s words and didn¡¯t even have the chance to react.


    ...


    The other was Poison Thunder Old Man, whom he ambushed from afar, directly sending out the resentful spirit of the workshop owner to execute the kill.


    The old man shook his head.


    ¡°The final Puppet at the Fifth Level doesn¡¯t know Divine Sense Attack, so naturally, I don¡¯t use it either.¡±


    ¡°The Unification and Frenzy Period I mentioned are challenges everyone faces upon reaching the Fifth Level. They aren¡¯t specifically targeted at you, and these rules are not something a mere old Guardian like me could interfere with.¡±


    ¡°The first technique I¡¯m passing on to you,¡±


    ¡°Is how to construct Divine Sense defense.¡±


    ¡°This is the most critical technique for Magic Practitioners. After entering the Golden Core Stage, Divine Sense will become a Magic Practitioner¡¯s strongest asset. Whether it¡¯s locking onto an enemy or conducting area searches, Divine Sense is indispensable. How to construct strong defenses in the Sea of Consciousness, is something every Magic Practitioner must learn.¡±


    ¡°You are currently at the Foundation Establishment stage of Cultivation, so I can¡¯t teach you hand-in-hand. I can only tell you the trick, and you¡¯ll have to try it yourself once you break through to the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    ¡­


    Several hours later,


    Chen Qiu nodded seriously, ¡°Thank you for your guidance, senior. The disciple will closely remember it in his heart.¡±


    There are many ways to construct Divine Sense defenses.


    The method that the old man passed down to him was extremely straightforward and crude; he was to prepare a ¡°Spiritual Treasure¡± in the very core of the Sea of Consciousness to withstand Divine Sense Attacks, and then set up a Divine Sense Array on the periphery, adding toxins that could corrode Divine Sense within the array. Once a Divine Sense Attack is detected, the poison would trace up the vine towards its source. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And that Array¡ª


    By this time, the senior had already set up an Array called the ¡°Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array¡± in his Sea of Consciousness. It could already resist some Divine Sense Attacks, and after breaking through to the Golden Core Stage,


    The Array would be fully operational.


    He had asked the senior why, as a Magic Practitioner, he could set up Arrays?


    The senior¡¯s answer was that one cannot have too many skills.


    He then passed on how to control Divine Sense to set up a maze at the outermost layer of the Sea of Consciousness. There he would establish a false Sea of Consciousness, leading enemies to believe they had penetrated your defenses and, at the moment of their complacency, strike them unawares.


    He also taught him many intense combat techniques used among high-level cultivators during Divine Sense battles.


    Divine Sense is not the primary Attack Method.


    It¡¯s considered a casual strike before a fight begins: use it to see if it works, because after entering the Golden Core Stage, it¡¯s assumed that everyone¡¯s Sea of Consciousness will have defenses. However, if it does work, it will be a devastating blow.


    ¡­


    After Chen Qiu comprehensively grasped how to arrange Divine Sense defenses, the Magic Practitioner Guardian continued speaking.


    ¡°The first aspect of Magic Practitioner inheritance is this Divine Sense defense.¡±


    ¡°The second is this, Divine Sense Attack.¡±


    ¡°What I have here is a Divine Sense Attack Technique called ¡®Heart-piercing Stab¡¯, a product of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm suitable for early Golden Core Stage. You can¡¯t cultivate it now; wait until you enter the Golden Core Stage to practice it. Take good care of it, as Divine Sense Attack techniques are extremely rare.¡±


    ¡°Thirdly, what I offer is my own Nascent Soul body. The greatest significance of a Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, aside from my experience and some valueless estate, is this Nascent Soul body. A Nascent Soul body can guarantee that when you reach the Golden Core Stage, your core will be at least Fourth-grade.¡±


    ¡°If you were to receive Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance during the Golden Core Stage, it could also guarantee that once you step into the Nascent Soul Stage, you¡¯d achieve at least a Second-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    A glimmer of shock appeared in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes: ¡°Nascent Soul?¡±


    He had always thought that Da Xia had no Nascent Souls, given how confidently the scholar had claimed. But now, standing before him was a Nascent Soul great power? Then weren¡¯t Old Man Cao and the remaining seven Guardians also Nascent Souls?


    That¡¯s nine Nascent Souls!


    The bullshit claim that Da Xia had no Nascent Souls!


    With only four Nascent Souls from the east, south, west and north combined, Da Xia had nine Nascent Souls himself. He now understood why those Nascent Souls wouldn¡¯t come near Da Xia¡ªisn¡¯t it because they simply dare not?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The old man glanced at Chen Qiu without speaking, simply waving his hand lightly. The Sea of Consciousness turned into a vast sea like the Forbidden Sea: ¡°Next are some minor techniques. I will demonstrate various spells several times, watch closely.¡±


    The very next moment¡ª


    The old man¡¯s body suddenly became semi-transparent in his eyes, with numerous meridians clearly visible. He could even clearly see the old man adjusting the flow of Spiritual Energy through those meridians before releasing the Spell.


    Even though the old man suppressed his Cultivation level to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment,


    The Thunder Summoning Technique he used was as powerful as Chen Qiu¡¯s own.


    Keep in mind, his Thunder Summoning Technique was enhanced to that level of power through multiple entry bonuses, while the old man simply had different meridians through which the Spiritual Energy flowed, resulting in the same level of power as his Thunder Summoning Technique.


    ¡­


    Time seemed to blur.


    Chen Qiu gradually lost his sense of time, feeling as if he had been in the Sea of Consciousness for nearly a month, fervently learning from the old man, why the same Spell would have more power when the old man used it.


    Just like this¡ª


    When he slowly opened his eyes, only Old Man Cao was left fishing on the beach. The figure of the Magic Practitioner Guardian had disappeared, leaving only a red Pill on the sand.


    He could distinctly sense the intense energy contained within the red Pill.

 Chapter 146 - 106:

    Chapter 146: Chapter 106: ¡°Become famous in one fell swoop, known to the world.¡±_4 sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Senior¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the familiar red pill quietly lying on the sand, his face showing a complex expression as he hoarsely said, ¡°Has the senior passed away?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The fortune-teller seemed quite indifferent, ¡°As for the inheritance of a Magic Practitioner, since it¡¯s an inheritance, the previous generation must die for it to qualify as an inheritance. The moment you passed the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, it meant his time had come.¡±


    ¡°His last bit of Spiritual Energy left an inheritance in your Sea of Consciousness, and regardless of how much time passed within the Sea of Consciousness, it was only a moment in the outside world.¡±


    ¡°He has stayed here too long.¡±


    ...


    ¡°For him, it was also a release.¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu softly said, ¡°Are there any Nascent Souls within Da Xia Country?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The fortune-teller nodded, ¡°There can¡¯t be any.¡±


    ¡°Then you all¡­¡±


    ¡°We are special cases. Even if we sneak out occasionally for fun, we can¡¯t take action; otherwise, I would have slapped that thief to death long ago at the Ask Heaven Market.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us; you can think of us nine as old men who once made a mistake and were imprisoned, leaving behind an inheritance to atone for our deeds.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is eight now.¡±


    ¡°And this body of a Nascent Soul¡­¡±


    The fortune-teller glanced at the red pill left by his old friend and with a sweep of his sleeve, sent it in front of Chen Qiu, ¡°Once your Cultivation breaks through to a Nascent Soul, the Golden Core inside your body will sprout limbs and turn into an infant. After death, it will quickly shrink, condensing all its essence into this pill.¡±


    ¡°Do not rashly consume it; the energy it contains could absolutely blow all your internal organs to smithereens.¡±


    ¡°When breaking through to a Golden Core, using this Nascent Soul Pill as Fusion material guarantees you at least a Fourth-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°If you plan to use that thread of ¡®Heavenly Dao Destiny,¡¯ or have other preparations, a Fifth-grade Golden Core, even a Sixth-grade, is not impossible.¡±


    ¡°Sixth-grade?¡± Chen Qiu furrowed his brow, ¡°Isn¡¯t the highest Fifth-grade?¡±


    The fortune-teller shook his head, ¡°Da Xia¡¯s history books are incomplete; the highest is Ninth-grade, and there¡¯s even a realm above Ninth-grade that no one has ever reached, called Tenth-grade, also known as Heavenly Dao Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°That requirement is too harsh.¡±


    ¡°Even many from outside the domains¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s voice suddenly stopped, then continued, ¡°Basically, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°First, you must have a Heavenly Dao Foundation, and you might know how rare that is, apart from which, it also requires gathering a vast amount of Heavenly and Earthly treasures to form a Heavenly Dao Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot, you do indeed have a Heavenly Dao Foundation.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    After rummaging in his bosom for a while, the fortune-teller pulled out a jade scroll and threw it over, ¡°This records in detail the conditions needed to be fulfilled and the Heavenly and Earthly treasures required for each grade from First-grade to Tenth-grade Golden Core.¡±


    Chen Qiu received the Jade Scroll and respectfully put it into his bosom, thanked the man, then asked again, ¡°That thread of ¡®Heavenly Dao Destiny¡¯ is used as a material during Pill Refining, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no.¡±


    The fortune-teller, somewhat irritated, threw another jade scroll, ¡°How could you know nothing? The uses of Heavenly Dao Destiny are all in here, take it and see for yourself.¡±


    ¡°This is good stuff, I haven¡¯t even had it, don¡¯t waste it.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡±


    The fortune-teller waved his hand, ¡°You should go, the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance has already ended.¡±


    Before he could speak,


    A sensation of the sky spinning and the earth swirling came, and he was already back in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm where he had entered the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, only now the Eight Trigrams Array on the ground, representing the Magic Practitioner¡¯s Qian Palace, had gone dim.


    This also represented that the inheritance of the Magic Practitioner had been obtained by someone else.


    It was no longer possible to enter again.


    ¡­


    Upon leaving the Inheritance Secret Realm, Chen Qiu stood on the Boundless Icefield. He scanned his surroundings and immediately returned to the small world, looking at the two Jade Scrolls in his hand.


    The first Jade Scroll.


    It contained the various conditions and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures required for Golden Cores from First Grade to Ninth Grade.


    ¡°First Grade Golden Core¡±: Only naturally achieved breakthroughs in Cultivation can result in a First Grade Golden Core.


    ¡°Second Grade Golden Core¡±: Using one Golden Core as fusion material can result in a Second Grade Golden Core.


    ¡°Third Grade Golden Core¡±: Using three Golden Cores and one mature Dragon Vein Stone as fusion materials, and having all Cultivation methods at the Great Perfection Realm can result in a Third Grade Golden Core.


    ¡°Fourth Grade Golden Core¡±: Using the body of a nascent soul as fusion material can result in a Fourth Grade Golden Core.


    ¡°Fifth Grade Golden Core¡±: Using the body of a nascent soul, a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny, and having a Tao Foundation with no hidden injuries can result in a Fifth Grade Golden Core.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tenth Grade Golden Core¡±: Must possess Heavenly Dao Foundation and one Seven-colored term as preconditions, and use ten entry terms of any level, three nascent soul bodies, a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny, nine Second Grade Golden Cores, one Eight Desolate Fruit, and one stick of Evil Wood as fusion materials to result in a Tenth Grade Golden Core.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Fat Long¡¯s finger touched the Jade Scroll and he sensed the information transferred into his mind through Divine Sense, his mouth slowly opened wide with his entire persona filled with incredulity, he exclaimed, ¡°Damn it, the scholar told me yesterday that the highest record in the historical texts was a Fifth Grade Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°Now we even have a Tenth Grade Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°Scholar, didn¡¯t you tell me that you nearly lost your life over a Second Grade Golden Core? This Second Grade Golden Core doesn¡¯t even seem that hard.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    At this moment, the scholar, with a face full of shock, murmured bewilderedly, ¡°For a Sword Cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, obtaining a single Golden Core could nearly cost half a life, right?¡±


    ¡°I specifically targeted my opponent who had just broken through and was mentally unstable in my attack, or else do you think it¡¯s that easy to fight above one¡¯s level?¡±


    ¡°But this¡­¡±


    ¡°I only knew the threshold for a Second Grade Golden Core, but I never knew about the threshold for a Third Grade Golden Core¡ªthe threshold for a Fourth Grade Golden Core actually requires the body of a nascent soul. But where did the Emperor of Da Xia get the body of a nascent soul from?¡±


    ¡­


    The gap between each grade of Golden Core from First to Tenth Grade greatly increases combat capability.


    With equal levels in Cultivation, Spell, Divine Sense, and Spiritual Treasures, a Second Grade Golden Core would undoubtedly crush a First Grade Golden Core, while that Tenth Grade Golden Core would crush all Golden Cores of Ninth Grade and below effortlessly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the severe conditions for the Tenth Grade Golden Core with a complex expression. If he did not have Heavenly Dao Foundation, a nascent soul body, a Seven-colored term, or that strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny, he certainly wouldn¡¯t even think about this Tenth Grade Golden Core situation.


    Or rather, if he didn¡¯t know about the Tenth Grade Golden Core, he definitely wouldn¡¯t want to think about it at all.


    But the problem lay right there.


    In the arduous conditions akin to ascending to the heavens for the Tenth Grade Golden Core, he happened to meet half of them.


    The probability of possessing both Heavenly Dao Foundation and a Seven-colored term as a Sword Cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment is barely less than the chance of Da Xia Country suddenly ascending to immortality tomorrow; this also posed the most severe condition for the Tenth Grade Golden Core.


    And¡­ he just happened to have it.


    He possessed those two most stringent conditions along with that strand of ¡®Heavenly Dao Destiny¡¯ that even Old Man Cao said he never had.


    He also had the body of a nascent soul.


    It could be said that he met most of the requirements, but¡­ the few that remained were like an insurmountable chasm for him.

 Chapter 147 - 107:

    Chapter 147: Chapter 107: ¡°Is it that obvious?


    He was still lacking the following materials for his Tenth-grade Golden Core.


    Ten arbitrary grade entries, two Nascent Soul corpses, nine Second-grade Golden Cores, one Eight Desolate Fruit, and one stem of Evil Wood.


    That part about ten arbitrary grade entries was the least of his worries, now that he was at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment. He still had three small realms to go before reaching the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, which meant he could obtain three more entries, plus he could still use the Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman once, making it four entries.


    Together with some less useful entries, by gathering some entry jade slips, he could easily muster up ten useless arbitrary grade entries for use as pill refining materials.


    There was no difficulty in this.


    But those two Nascent Soul corpses¡­ He really had no idea where to procure them unless he succeeded in obtaining them through two more inheritances. He doubted he had the ability to pass other inheritances¡¯ trials.


    ...


    Nine Second-grade Golden Cores meant that he needed the Golden Cores of nine Heavenly Prides like the scholar.


    As for the remaining Eight Desolate Fruit and Evil Wood, they were heaven and earth treasures that he had never even heard of.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. The difficulty was truly extraordinary, but he couldn¡¯t deny that the allure of the ¡®Tenth-grade Golden Core¡¯ was enormous. He really wanted it. If he hadn¡¯t had the Seven-colored entry, it might be another matter, but having the most challenging part completed yet giving up now would be like spurning a gift from the heavens.


    That would be inviting celestial retribution.


    With his current foundation, as long as he wished and stepped into the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, he could become a Fifth-grade Golden Core anytime, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of Da Xia Country.


    But¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    The scholar excitedly said, ¡°This Third-grade Golden Core is perfect for you, just needing three Golden Cores as the pill refining materials. Though not as good as Fourth-grade, it¡¯s still much better than Second-grade.¡±


    ¡°Dumbass.¡±


    Fat Long said irritably, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the Heavenly Dao Decree just now? It granted Brother Qiu a whiff of Heavenly Dao Destiny. With such a treasure, he¡¯s definitely aiming for the Fifth-grade Golden Core. If you¡¯re going to form a core, aim for the strongest in Da Xia!¡±


    ¡°But a Fifth-grade Golden Core requires a Nascent Soul corpse, and there are none in Da Xia Country. Who can obtain a Nascent Soul corpse from the depths of the Endless Desert?¡±


    ¡°How did His Majesty of Da Xia get a Nascent Soul corpse? If he could get one, so can we.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being unrealistic,¡± the scholar shook his head. ¡°A Nascent Soul corpse is out of the question. A Third-grade Golden Core is already very powerful, making a fine starting point. With that, your speed of cultivation and power in the Golden Core Stage will be much stronger than your peers, enough to be invincible at the same level.¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge, there are only a few people in the whole Da Xia Country who have a Third-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only slightly below His Majesty¡¯s Fourth-grade Golden Core. Aside from him, no one¡¯s Golden Core ranks higher than Third-grade.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu ignored the ongoing argument between Fat Long and the scholar, already having secretly made up his mind to elevate his Cultivation to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and then gradually seek the rest of the materials he was missing.


    As for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, let whoever wants to go, go; he was not interested! S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A mere Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, he¡¯d come for it next year!


    He had been preparing in the next few days to use Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills to see if he could rapidly enhance his Cultivation. He aimed to reach the Golden Core early stage before the start of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition, where with his combat power and trump cards, he was confident there wouldn¡¯t be much problem sweeping through to the top three.


    Now it seemed,


    Forming the core would have to wait. Like the Tao Foundation, the Golden Core was part of the foundation of Cultivation; the stronger, the better.


    A Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure had to make way in front of a Tenth-grade Golden Core.


    After a long while,


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t keep it secret but calmly turned to the scholar and Fat Long saying, ¡°I have a Nascent Soul corpse. After passing the Magic Practitioner inheritance, the predecessor passed away leaving his Nascent Soul corpse to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The scholar and Fat Long abruptly stopped their argument, standing still in shock, before their eyes lit up with excitement, exclaiming, ¡°Then what are we waiting for? A Fifth-grade Golden Core is a sure thing!!!¡±


    ¡°What are we waiting for? Brother Qiu, I¡¯ve been saving the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills I collected these past days just for you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s aim for a Fifth-grade Golden Core before the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard starts, and completely crush those Heavenly Prides!¡±


    Just moments ago, they had been debating the possibility of obtaining a Nascent Soul corpse, and now that was no longer an issue.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, paused for a moment, and continued in a calm, soft voice.


    ¡°I also have the Heavenly Dao Foundation and a Seven-colored term.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    This statement stunned the still excited scholar and Fat Long into silence. They both checked the jade slip in their hands again,


    It was only after a moment that Fat Long, with a shaky voice, said, ¡°Brother Qiu, you have a Seven-colored entry?¡±


    He knew about Brother Qiu¡¯s Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    Back when he had failed to reach Foundation Establishment 999 times outside Fufeng City, the Heavenly Dao was impressed by Brother Qiu¡¯s perseverance and granted him the Heavenly Dao Foundation, but he really didn¡¯t know that Brother Qiu actually had a Seven-colored entry.


    ¡°A Seven-colored entry¡­¡±


    The scholar subconsciously sat down with his legs crossed on the ground, not surprised by the Heavenly Dao Foundation because he had one as well. But a Seven-colored entry¡­ that was beyond his comprehension. He had never even seen anyone with a Red or golden entry, let alone Seven-colored.


    Though pink entries were just behind Seven-colored entries,


    pink entries were an anomaly¡ªall of them being of the unlimited growth type without upper limits, even rarer than the Red entries which were not as high-grade as pink ones.


    As for Seven-colored entries, they were mentioned nowhere in historical records, nor did anyone even speculate on their effects. Mainly, it was impossible to guess without knowing the effects of Red and golden entries.

 Chapter 148 - 107:

    Chapter 148: Chapter 107: ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±_2


    Only by guessing the effects of the seven-colored term that are even stronger than the red and golden entries, right?


    But no one has ever seen a red or golden entry, so how can they guess about the seven-colored term?


    ¡­


    Fat Long and the scholar exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other¡¯s eyes. Then, they took a deep breath simultaneously, and with tremulous voices, they turned to Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of attempting to form a tenth-grade Golden Core, are you?¡±


    ...


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, his face emotionlessly said, ¡°I have decided to give up on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition in a few days, until I gather all the materials needed for the tenth-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°The reason I¡¯m telling you this is because I need your help.¡±


    He looked at the scholar, ¡°If I find a way to help you restore your cultivation, do you have the confidence to pass the Sword Cultivator inheritance? As long as you can pass, then I can gain another Nascent Soul body.¡±


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve formed your core, a Nascent Soul body is of no use to you. I will compensate you in other ways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary,¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°Brother Qiu, you have already saved my life with the Heavenly Dao Jade. If you can also help me recover my cultivation, it¡¯s a great kindness. The Nascent Soul body should naturally be offered to Brother Qiu as thanks, but¡­ I really can¡¯t pass that Sword Cultivator inheritance. I¡¯ve tried several times already.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ really comes down to a matter of strength.¡±


    ¡°What if you also step into the realm of Human Sword Unity?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s even tougher,¡± the scholar said with a helpless tone, ¡°In the whole of Da Xia, only Ji Taiping barely touched the realm of Human Sword Unity.¡±


    Chen Qiu gave the scholar a soft look and whispered, ¡°You said yesterday that Ji Taiping barely touched the realm of Human Sword Unity thanks to Ji Renjian. If I arrange for Ji Renjian to fall out of love and in love with you anew, could you step into the realm of Human Sword Unity with Ji Renjian¡¯s influence?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The scholar was dumbfounded, momentarily at a loss. This was a conversation he¡¯d had with Fat Long the day before, and Brother Qiu hadn¡¯t been in the small world then; how could Brother Qiu know about it?


    ¡°The Array Core of this small world is in my possession. While entering the Magic Practitioner inheritance, my connection to the small world was cut off, but it was restored when I came out. The content of your conversation was recorded by the Sound Recording Stone embedded in the arrays of Chao Tian Sect and automatically transmitted to my mind when the connection resumed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar didn¡¯t speak again, but after a long silence, he still shook his head with a somewhat hoarse voice, ¡°Brother Qiu, this actually puts me in a difficult position. I really am reluctant to step into the realm of Human Sword Unity by such means.¡±


    ¡°Ji Taiping is someone I¡¯ve always looked down upon.¡±


    ¡°In doing so, I¡¯d be no different from him.¡±


    ¡°But Brother Qiu, you saved my life. If it¡¯s something you¡¯re set on, Brother Qiu, I will cooperate with you unconditionally.¡±


    ¡°I will heed your instruction.¡±


    ¡­


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu smiled abruptly at the scholar, ¡°Congratulations, your chance of obtaining the Sword Cultivator inheritance has just increased a bit.¡±


    ¡°In the Inheritance Secret Realm, there¡¯s an old acquaintance of mine.¡±


    ¡°He disclosed some insider information to me that, to pass the Sword Cultivator inheritance, one of the most important implicit conditions is the test of one¡¯s nature. One must maintain their original intention after ups and downs to pass the fourth and the fifth levels.¡±


    ¡°In other words, you must experience ups and downs to obtain the Sword Cultivator inheritance!¡±


    Chen Qiu, clearly invigorated, patted the scholar¡¯s shoulder and smiled, ¡°I think you will be fine. After I help you restore your cultivation, try again, then let¡¯s see who else we can help obtain other inheritances¡­¡±


    ¡°That would make for three Nascent Soul Bodies.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what about Zhao Yishi? He has the top Body Cultivation pink entry.¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡±


    Fat Long shook his head, ¡°That guy seems big, but he looks like he doesn¡¯t have any combat power, and we¡¯re not that close to him either. If we help him obtain the Body Cultivation inheritance, will he give us a Nascent Soul body?¡±


    ¡°Even if he¡¯s willing, would the Sect Master and elders behind him agree?¡±


    ¡°If we directly fight to seize it, Caotian Sect has Golden Core Peak cultivators and Supreme Elders. We probably can¡¯t outfight them.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and began pondering the remaining candidates. When that Old Man Cao slapped him out of the Inheritance Secret Realm, he stealthily gave him a Jade Scroll, which recorded the implicit conditions for passing several other inheritances.


    These were unknown to the outside world.


    It even included the Array Repairer inheritance.


    He remembered asking in a low voice, ¡°You and the Gatekeeper of the Magic Practitioner inheritance have been friends for many years; why don¡¯t you seem saddened by his passing?¡± Old Man Cao had not answered him but had given him a meaningful glance.


    In that glance, he saw many things Old Man Cao couldn¡¯t voice.


    Several possibilities popped into his mind.


    Although he wasn¡¯t sure what the exact situation was, he could vaguely guess that obtaining the inheritance wasn¡¯t bad for the Gatekeeper, but rather¡­ it might be a good thing?


    Passed away?


    Perhaps it is more appropriate to say ¡®released from imprisonment¡¯ instead?


    ¡­


    After a brief exchange.


    Chen Qiu took the Storage Bag full of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from Fat Long and started walking towards the inner part of Chao Tian Sect, ready to find a place to upgrade his cultivation.


    After his cultivation had been upgraded to the Foundation Establishment peak level, he planned to start preparing for the tenth-grade Golden Core.


    ¡­ S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After Chen Qiu left.


    The group, sitting at the mountain gate of Chao Tian Sect, fell into a prolonged silence. After a while, the scholar broke the silence tentatively, ¡°What do you think Brother Qiu¡¯s seven-colored term might be?¡±


    As soon as he spoke.


    Even the scholarly apprentice, who usually seemed unconcerned about anything, pricked up his ears quietly.

 Chapter 149 - 107:

    Chapter 149: Chapter 107: ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±_3


    ¡°You said it first!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Fat Long¡¯s face, which had been feigning calmness, instantly lit up with excitement. He rose to his feet and bellowed, ¡°Brother Qiu, did you hear that? The scholar is asking about the effect of your Seven-colored Entry, his intentions could be punishable, truly punishable!!!¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t!¡±


    The scholar, his face turning deathly pale, no longer cared about the consumption of Spiritual Energy. He instantly sat on his Flying Sword, hovering mid-air, and hastily covered Fat Long¡¯s mouth, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, I wasn¡¯t asking, I was just casually inquiring.¡±


    In the Cultivation World.


    Asking about someone else¡¯s entries is a taboo that could be big or small, depending entirely on the entry level, and with a Seven-colored Entry, naturally, it was the greatest taboo.


    ...


    None other.


    No wonder the scholar was so anxious to explain. If it were anyone else, it indeed could be considered punishable by heart, especially since he had never heard of such a thing as a Seven-colored Entry and couldn¡¯t help wanting to discuss it.


    After teasing the scholar for a while, Fat Long cheerfully sat back down cross-legged, saying, ¡°Not clear, don¡¯t know, don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know either.¡±


    The scholar pouted, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that something like a Seven-colored Entry actually existed.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Fat Long laughed and laid back down in his rocking chair, nonchalantly saying, ¡°What¡¯s there to be curious about, just like you have the Heavenly Dao Foundation and a Pink Entry which you haven¡¯t told us about.¡±


    ¡°Eh? How did you know?¡±


    ¡°You think people are fools¡­ even a fool could guess from that example you brought up about the Pink Entry, you almost said your own name.¡±


    ¡°Was it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    ¡­


    Inside the Chao Tian Sect.


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on a bare rock on a high peak of the back mountain, looking at the bag of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his arms.


    This here is two days¡¯ worth.


    Totaling 838 pills.


    Though they were all lower-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills of the Foundation Establishment Stage, together with the ones he hadn¡¯t used up last time, he now had exactly 1085 of these pills.


    The group cultivated by Liu Zide, although they had made it onto the Fame Ranking, were only famous in Xuzhou and could only receive lower-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. By now, he was already at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment Stage.


    The effect of the lower-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills had decreased considerably for him compared to before.


    He glanced again at his ranking on the Fame Ranking.


    ¨C


    ¡°Rank seventy-eight¡±: Chen Qiu, fame value 2.53 million.


    ¨C


    Merely an Imperial Decree had directly increased his fame value by over 2 million, making him famous overnight from obscurity, and his fame value was still rapidly increasing. At this rate,


    he felt he could reach the top fifty by tonight.


    He was also unsure how generous the Heavenly Dao Blessing of this rank would be.


    It was still three or four hours until dusk, and noon had just passed not long ago, but he had indeed been in the Inheritance Secret Realm for quite a while. Now, there were only four days left until the competition for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard began.


    At this point¡ª


    All the Heavenly Prides from the nineteen provinces of Da Xia Country, including some from the Hundred Countries, had already arrived at the Capital, preparing to enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm to compete.


    This day each year was a big day.


    ¡­


    After running his mental method through several Grand Circulations, Chen Qiu cleared the impurities caused by consuming a large number of Qi Replenishing Pills in the Inheritance Secret Realm and then took a deep breath and swallowed a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill. Because he couldn¡¯t absorb the nature¡¯s Spiritual Energy these past few days in the Inheritance Secret Realm, his Cultivation had not progressed at all.


    Otherwise, even if he hadn¡¯t run his mental method, relying on the Heavenly Dao Foundation, his Cultivation Progress wouldn¡¯t have remained unchanged.


    A few breaths later¡ª


    The lower-grade Foundation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill had been completely absorbed by him, but now, one pill could only increase his Cultivation Progress by 0.3%.


    From the initial 0.7% to 0.5% and now to 0.3%.


    As his Cultivation increased, the effect of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill also weakened.


    But it didn¡¯t matter.


    After all, he had so many Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills that these were more than enough to break through to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes and let out a long sigh, gazing at the horizon.


    After 334 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were absorbed, his Cultivation successfully advanced from the sixth level to the seventh level of the Foundation Stage!


    He still had 751 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills remaining, and he could harvest another batch tonight.


    It was enough.


    At the same time¡ª


    A long-forgotten and familiar panel, enveloped in clouds and mist, reappeared above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation significantly increased, officially stepping into the seventh level of the Foundation Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Precise Throw.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The distance, speed, and accuracy of talismans you throw will significantly increase.¡±


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Logistics God.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You will only be able to refine Qi Replenishing Pills, but the pills you produce will have no impurities and their Qi replenishing effects will be twice as normal.¡±


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Utilize for Myself.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When your body is attacked and injured, you can recover a small amount of Spiritual Energy.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brow furrowed slightly, instantly noticing the third entry. An entry that could restore Spiritual Energy was divine for him as he lacked methods for rapid Spiritual Energy recovery. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Both Spirit Stones and Heavenly Dao Foundation were a bit slow during combat situations, insufficient for his use.

 Chapter 150 - 107:

    Chapter 150: Chapter 107: ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±_4


    Although Qi Replenishing Pills are fast, they contain a large number of impurities, making it impossible to rely on consuming a large amount of these pills for prolonged combat.


    ¡°Logistics God.¡±


    To be honest, he truly liked this entry. If it were possible to choose the entries that came randomly for others, it would be great. He could just pull an Alchemy Cultivator into the group, and then this Alchemy Cultivator wouldn¡¯t need to worry about anything else, just focus on making Qi Replenishing Pills daily.


    Having a substantial amount of pure, double-effectiveness Qi Replenishing Pills as supply.


    The scholar¡¯s moving speed would increase significantly, and he wouldn¡¯t have to rest along the way, just continuously consuming pills would suffice.


    And he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about restoring Spiritual Energy being too slow any longer.


    ...


    All he had to do was continuously consume pills.


    Thus, when a Magic Practitioner angrily consumed a vat of Qi Replenishing Pills, it wasn¡¯t without reason ¡ª he truly needed these items.


    As for the first entry, it was completely a talisman cultivator¡¯s entry and had nothing to do with him.


    Without any hesitation, he immediately chose the third entry.


    ¡­


    Only then did Chen Qiu rise, and with a wave of his palm, launched the Thunder Summoning Technique, tentatively blasting his own abdomen.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    His body immediately lost control and was blasted tens of feet away, and there were signs of blood seeping from his abdomen too. To test the entry effect, he hadn¡¯t activated any protective measures, relying solely on his own body to withstand this blow.


    This resulted in him sustaining injuries, even though he had purposefully limited the power of Thunder Summoning Technique to less than 30 percent.


    Without speaking, he immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and began circulating his mental method to restore his Spiritual Energy.


    Under the effect of the ¡°Recovery Wind¡± entry, as his Spiritual Energy continuously restored inside his body, his injuries were also quickly recuperating.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Recovery Wind.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When absorbing Spiritual Energy, your injuries will also gradually heal. The speed of injury recovery is the same as the speed of absorbing Spiritual Energy.


    ¨C


    Afterward, he tested with a less powerful Thunder Summoning Technique.


    After experimenting several times consecutively,


    he came to two conclusions.


    1: No matter how large or small the attack on his body, the restored Spiritual Energy was fixed, and it was roughly enough for him to cast a Thunder Summoning Technique at 50 percent power, not much more.


    2: Under the ¡°Recovery Wind¡± entry effect, the instant he restored Spiritual Energy from being attacked also instantly healed a small portion of the injury.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A trace of shock flashed in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes; he seemed to have discovered a perpetual motion machine¡­Who says perpetual motion machines don¡¯t exist?


    Through his experimentation,


    as long as he was continuously bombarded with spells or directly stabbed with a sword, each time he was attacked, he could restore about one-eighteenth of his Spiritual Energy, and the injuries caused on his body by those minimal power spell bombardments.


    were exactly offset by ¡°Recovery Wind.¡±


    Of course, these attacks had to ensure they landed on his body and not his Protective Spiritual Qi, and he must be injured, which sounds quite strict, yet this can be very practical in certain situations.


    For example¡­


    During a Demon Invasion.


    He could stand alone on the city wall, continually casting thousands of Heavenly Thunders, then dispel the Protective Spiritual Qi behind him and let the scholars Fat Long and several others continuously stab his back, thereby quickly obtaining a continuous stream of Spiritual Energy.


    And the wounds inflicted by the stabs, as long as the force was well-controlled, injuries would instantly heal at the moment of Spiritual Energy restoration, just like that.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly stood in silence, expressionless, as the idea indeed sounded powerful. As long as the speed of his sword strikes was fast enough and he wielded enough swords, he could even replenish his Spiritual Energy in a single breath.


    But¡­


    It wasn¡¯t particularly elegant.


    Imagine that scene.


    On a dark and windy night, he stood alone on the city walls, facing hundreds of thousands of Fierce Beasts with a cold expression. With a wave of his hand, nearly ten thousand Thunder Dragons would slam down and his Spiritual Energy seemed endless, striking with the same number nearly every time he swung his hand.


    Meanwhile, behind him,


    The Fat Long Scholar and others had their faces turning red, continuously stabbing him in the back with their swords, even creating several afterimages in the air.


    Although it wouldn¡¯t injure him, it really lacked the demeanor of a master.


    He silently made a decision in his heart¡ªif there ever were a Demon Tide, he would custom-make a large cloak that could also block Divine Sense investigation, covering Fat Long and the others entirely. That way, nobody else would witness this scene.


    Let the enemies ponder where his Spiritual Energy came from.


    As long as he didn¡¯t tell, they would never be able to figure it out.


    ¡°Recovery Wind¡± and ¡°At My Command¡± were really good entries, quite fitting.


    Only¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched helplessly; he still had to prepare ten random entries for the fusion with a Rank-10 Golden Core. This entry, he definitely couldn¡¯t afford to use for fusion and needed to find a way to get more entry jade slips.


    He really wasn¡¯t willing to use his current entries for fusion.


    The next year, just before the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, was a good time since there would be auction of entry jade slips in Fufeng City. Besides collecting materials for the Golden Core, he could gather more entry jade slips. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apart from preparing for fusion, he could also prepare some backups for his Self-Destruction Term.


    ¡­


    ¡°Feels a bit unnatural,¡± Chen Qiu remarked as he moved his body around, standing at the peak behind the Chao Tian Sect.


    At this moment, there were no resentful spirits on him. The only Golden Core resentful spirit had been used for Magic Practitioner inheritance, leaving him feeling somewhat unaccustomed and not very adapted.


    He shook his head, not dwelling on it anymore.


    Instead, he sat down cross-legged again, running his mental method through several cycles of Grand Circulation, consolidating his cultivation. Then he resumed taking Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, aiming to break through to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment in one go today!


    The remaining Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills should be enough!


    ¡­


    An hour and a half later.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu let out another breath, looking helplessly at the dwindling number of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills¡ªhe had only 251 left. After reaching the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, the effectiveness of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills weakened again.


    From 0.3% it dropped to 0.2%.


    This meant, he had to consume 500 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills to break through to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment.


    Standing up, he felt the abundant and formidable Spiritual Energy within him. With his current cultivation, if he were to stand in Fufeng City during the Demon Race invasion again, it felt like he wouldn¡¯t need the scholar.


    With his own cultivation alone, he could melt all those Demon Race members in the blink of an eye.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, enhanced by various entry effects and the Spirit Control Techniques he had learned from his seniors during the Magic Practitioner inheritance, released such power that even a single Thunder Dragon, when used, was enough to barely block another cultivator at the same level.


    Two or three Thunder Dragons would shatter the opponent¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi.


    After four or five Thunder Dragons, any Protective Spiritual Treasure or Protective Talismans would also shatter.


    What followed was pure domination.


    At this point, he could definitely be considered absolutely invincible among his peers unless he faced a Son of Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, no one of the same cultivation level had any reason to defeat him if the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard restricted participants to those at the peak of Foundation Establishment or below.


    Then none of the remaining participants rushing forward would be his match.

 Chapter 151 - 108: Betting Everything Twice.

    Chapter 151: Chapter 108: Betting Everything Twice.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood up with a satisfied expression, familiarizing himself with the surging Spiritual Energy within his body. At the same time, he made up his mind that, aside from preparing for next year¡¯s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard and collecting materials for the Golden Core of the tenth grade,


    there was another important matter.


    That was, he needed to kill more demon beasts to allow his Tao Foundation to accommodate more Spiritual Energy.


    This year, if he went to participate in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard and played all his trump cards, with a bit of luck, there was indeed a chance of making it into the top three.


    But if he went again next year, by that time, it would be a total annihilation!


    ...


    He stopped thinking about these matters and instead used introspection to look inside his body, where the familiar panel enveloped by clouds and mist reappeared above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please make a choice from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Betting everything twice.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: All your entries will be randomly replaced with entries of the same level, including this entry and the Grey entries, excluding those that cannot be cleared.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Unbearable pain.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Your sense of pain will increase fivefold, and all your attacks will also cause the enemy to experience five times the amount of pain. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Resurrection.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you die, your Residual Soul will wander the underworld without consciousness, and after a trillion years, you will be resurrected.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What a Resurrection.¡±


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corner of his mouth as he looked at the third entry.


    Hard to evaluate.


    He was even somewhat at a loss for how to evaluate it. From a certain perspective, this entry was very strong¡ªafter all, it was the first he had seen that offered resurrection. But the problem was¡­ isn¡¯t that time span a bit too long?


    A trillion years?


    By that time, let alone enemies or family, it was uncertain whether the Continent itself would still exist.


    But as the ten breaths were about to end, he still chose the ¡°Resurrection¡± entry. The reason was that of the three entries, it was the only one with no side effects, which made it perfectly suitable as a Fusion material.


    The first entry could go as far away as possible. He was quite satisfied with his current set of entries and didn¡¯t want to change any of them.


    Even if there were no weak Seven-colored terms, and perhaps ¡°Step by Step¡± could be traded for a Seven-colored term that could boost his combat power in an instant, he wasn¡¯t interested.


    To put it bluntly,


    even ¡°Hundred-layered Spellcasting¡± or the possibly existing ¡°Thousand-layered Spellcasting¡± Seven-colored terms, to him, were not as valuable as ¡°Step by Step,¡± an entry with high growth potential, especially suitable for someone with low Cultivation like himself.


    However, once he could step into the Transcendance Tribulation Stage in the future, ¡°Step by Step¡± would lose its usefulness, and he wouldn¡¯t mind trading it for a Seven-colored term if he had the chance.


    As for the second entry, it was purely a negative entry for him.


    Actually, the enemies who died by his hand were quite fortunate; they didn¡¯t feel any pain at all and were basically instantly disintegrated. With thousands of Thunder Dragons surging over, the enemies had no chance to feel any pain.


    Which meant that for him, it was purely about making himself feel five times more pain, which was pointless.


    He was no masochist, so why would he want such pain?


    ¡­


    Originally planning to continue increasing his Cultivation, Chen Qiu glanced at the remaining 251 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and found them insufficient for his breakthrough to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. However, there was only a little more than an hour left until nightfall.


    When that time came, another batch of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills would be bestowed.


    By then, it should be just about enough.


    If the Fame Ranking continued for a few more days, he calculated that he would be able to enter the peak of Foundation Establishment Cultivation right when the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard began. Afterward, he could start preparing for Core Formation.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, expressionless and silent, turned around to look at Fat Long Scholar and the others behind him. He had originally wanted to try out the perpetual motion machine idea he had in mind,


    to have Fat Long and the others stab him with their swords from behind to continuously replenish his Spiritual Energy when he needed to be a mobile turret.


    But in the actual practice, he discovered a flaw.


    That was¡­


    Under the ¡°Slippery¡± entry, every time he was attacked, he would automatically Teleport¡ªan uncontrollable effect, rendering the perpetual motion machine plan a failure.


    He couldn¡¯t possibly blow up this entry; it was one of the few movement techniques he had.


    He had wanted to learn the ¡°Golden Light Underground¡± spell from his senior, but was told it couldn¡¯t be passed on. Although he wasn¡¯t given a specific reason, it was explained that the spell involved transforming seawater into a dragon, which was manipulating nature¡¯s Spiritual Energy¡ªa Nascent Soul method beyond his current abilities.


    Once you reach Nascent Soul, you can also command nature¡¯s Spiritual Energy to fight for you.


    As a result, his current movement techniques were still limited to these two tools: Slippery and Shrinking Earth to Inches.


    Both were random.


    ¡°Teach me Sword Flight.¡±


    Chen Qiu, abandoning the perpetual motion machine idea for the moment, turned to the scholar.


    In theory, Sword Flight should have been learned right after entering the first level of Foundation Establishment, but he had advanced in Cultivation too quickly, and one thing after another had kept him extremely busy, leaving no time to learn these skills that all low-level Foundation Establishment Cultivators know.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡­


    Perhaps it was due to his natural talent as a Sword Cultivator, or maybe because of his current capacity for Spiritual Energy and the fine control he had over it, the Sword Flight technique seemed too elementary for him. In just the time it took to drink a cup of tea,

 Chapter 152 - 108: Betting Everything Twice._2

    Chapter 152: Chapter 108: Betting Everything Twice._2


    Chen Qiu could now stand on his sword and soar freely between heaven and earth.


    This meant¡­


    He could arguably consider himself to have mastered a third movement technique, but the speed of Sword Flight was not really fast, significantly slower than the scholar¡¯s speed.


    ¡­


    Two incense sticks later.


    Chen Qiu and the others returned to ¡°Fei City¡± under the cover of night from the Boundless Icefield. By then, the streets were mostly empty as they checked into a fairly decent inn.


    ...


    Planning to rest there for the night.


    Although the small world was quite convenient and safe, it was¡­ somewhat uncomfortable.


    In their room.


    Chen Qiu and his companions gathered around, eating the food and drinks provided by the innkeeper while chatting casually.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long picked up a duck leg and brought it to his mouth, ¡°Maybe we should find some people to repair the Chao Tian Sect after a while. Not necessarily fixing the big array right away, but at least rebuilding the collapsed ruins to officially establish our base.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, scheduling the refurbishment for the Chao Tian Sect. Indeed, the Sect Protection Array might not need much spending if left unrepaired.


    Residing within the small world, the Sect Protection Array wasn¡¯t urgently needed.


    However¡­


    It risked leaking the information that he owned a small world, so utmost caution was advisable. The best approach was to keep the construction team inside the small world and not let them out until he reached the Golden Core stage, where no one could threaten him.


    Then, even if someone knew he had a small world, they could do nothing about it. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    After a satisfying meal and drinks.


    The scholars returned to their respective rooms to rest, while Fat Long went back to the small world, preparing to harvest the forthcoming Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills; it was almost midnight.


    Shortly, a few cups of tea later.


    Fat Long was let out of the small world by Chen Qiu, standing in place with a storage bag in hand and grinning, ¡°Brother Qiu, got even more today, broke through 500, got 512 now.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at his ranking on the Fame Ranking.


    ¨C


    ¡°Rank Fifty-four¡±: Chen Qiu, fame value 4.03 million.


    ¨C


    The rate of increase in his fame value was already slowing down. An Imperial Decree had turned him nearly into a household name, but his rise in the ranking could only go so far.


    Above him were individuals who had been famous for a long time.


    The quickest way to surpass the people above him was to eliminate everyone above him, whose positions ranged from Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator to the most beautiful, the leading Array Repairer, and top Alchemy Cultivator.


    The Heavenly Dao Blessing for rank fifty-four was¡ª


    ¡°10 Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    He first took out a Low-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and consumed it, this improvement only increased his Cultivation Progress by 0.1%.


    Then he swallowed a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.


    It increased his Cultivation Progress by 1%.


    Which means,


    this one Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was equivalent to ten Low-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    With a ranking of 50, he could collect an amount equivalent to 100 Low-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills per day, while Liu Zide, with all his elaborate arrangements and spending numerous Spirit Stones, could only obtain around four to five hundred such pills a day.


    And now he even suspected that those ranked in the top few places might be getting more than that daily.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu calmly looked at the ¡°Fame Ranking¡±; most of those ahead were in the Golden Core stage, and consuming Foundation Establishment pills was futile for them, but they could easily gift them to younger family members or sell them for Spirit Stones.


    Thus, the gap between family-backed Cultivators and Loose Cultivators widened.


    Without much thought,


    after Fat Long withdrew to another room to rest, he took out all the Cultivation Pills again to absorb the Spiritual Energy within, sitting cross-legged on the bed to enhance his own Cultivation.


    The greater the force, the easier it is to chop wood.


    The higher the Cultivation, the easier it is to chop people down too.


    ¡­


    Nearly two hours later, when all the Cultivation Pills were absorbed completely, Chen Qiu opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air, inspected his body, and found his Cultivation had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Foundation Establishment Stage Level Eight (86.3%)


    ¨C


    By tomorrow night when the next batch of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills arrived, his Cultivation would smoothly advance to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment Stage.


    In two or three days,


    he would reach the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and then he could save the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills to exchange for Spirit Stones.


    Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were of no use to those in the Golden Core stage.


    And Fat Long¡¯s entry decided that Dual Cultivation enhanced Cultivation speed the fastest, at nine times the rate, making using Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills a waste. The scholar¡¯s injuries hadn¡¯t healed and his Cultivation could not be improved, and as for the scholar¡¯s brother, the scholar did not clarify, only mentioning that his brother couldn¡¯t use them.


    ¡­


    Just like that, after a night passed.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, having cultivated through the night, Chen Qiu looked toward the window as dawn approached, the sky faintly lighting with the white of fish bellies, the dawn had arrived.


    The snow had drifted throughout the night;


    looking out the window now, the entire city was coated in silver white, as if covered by a mysterious veil, transforming into a tranquil, cool world of ice and snow. Street vendors were already up early, shouting along the roadside.


    The scattered shouting, accompanied by the steam in the air,


    and the aroma of meat soup wafting through the air,


    inevitably eased one¡¯s spirit.


    After a night of cultivation, his Cultivation Realm had almost completely consolidated, another advantage of being in the Heavenly Dao Realm is that unless you attained Golden Core in one day, your Cultivation Realm was hardly unstable.

 Chapter 153 - 108: Betting Everything Twice._3

    Chapter 153: Chapter 108: Betting Everything Twice._3


    ¡­


    In Fei City, at an inn downstairs, there was a meat soup shop.


    Chen Qiu and his companions took advantage of the early morning, when the streets were not yet bustling, and sat at the stall to ask the shopkeeper for a few bowls of the first pot of meat soup. At the moment, goose feather-like snow still fluttered in the air. Drinking a mouthful of the scalding meat soup in this kind of weather was extremely comforting.


    ¡°This is so comfortable.¡±


    Fat Long slowly rotated the porcelain bowl in his hand, slurped a mouthful of the meat soup along the edge of the bowl, and couldn¡¯t help but draw in a few breaths of cold air with the soup still in his mouth, before swallowing and contentedly said.


    ¡°I think, even if I achieve Fasting after reaching Golden Core in the future, I¡¯ll still come to drink a bowl of this meat soup in winter.¡±


    ...


    ¡°It warms the heart.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    The scholar nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw a Flying Boat approaching from afar over Fei City, and standing on it was a giant figure.


    Even though the distance was too great to see the face clearly, he could guess who the giant was.


    ¡°Zhao Yishi? Why has he suddenly come to Fei City?¡±


    A hint of surprise flashed in the scholar¡¯s eyes, ¡°He¡¯s not planning to attempt the Body Cultivation inheritance challenge, is he?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡±


    Fat Long nodded, his expression slightly strange, ¡°It¡¯s probably because the leader of the Caotian Sect heard that Brother Qiu snatched the Magic Practitioner inheritance and couldn¡¯t sit still, so he brought Zhao Yishi along.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced up briefly and kept silent, instead contemplating the next steps of his plan in his mind.


    There were many things to do next.


    But they needed to be prioritized. Southern State was quite developed, a land rich in Spiritual Energy, and it housed many Major Sects, especially those focusing on Artifact Cultivation, Alchemy Cultivation, and Array Repair, which were mostly located in Southern State.


    ¡°Fat Long, after eating, you and the scholar go gather some information,¡±


    ¡°See what and where you can find out about the Eight Desolate Fruit and the Evil Wood.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Both were essential materials for refining a Grade Ten Golden Core. Though he had never heard of them, since they were qualified to be materials for a Grade Ten Golden Core, they must be extremely rare. He didn¡¯t have much hope that Fat Long would be able to find information, but it was worth trying.


    These things wouldn¡¯t just fall out of the sky.


    It was always worth a shot.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Bang.¡±


    An object suddenly fell from the Flying Boat high in the sky, tracing a beautiful parabola before crashing next to Chen Qiu¡¯s stall, bouncing heavily off the ground several times, and rolling to rest quietly next to Chen Qiu¡¯s feet.


    It was a piece of dried-up wood, resembling the kind villagers would use for kindling.


    Immediately afterward, a voice of complaint could be heard from near to far.


    ¡°That¡¯s Evil Wood, can you not just toss it around carelessly? It¡¯s very dangerous, you know?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As the voice reached them, Fat Long Scholar and the others were utterly bewildered on the spot, staring at the inconspicuous piece of wood lying at Chen Qiu¡¯s foot, which contained a faint Spiritual Energy, their minds momentarily crashing with no idea what to say.


    Sometime ago, the sky dropped entry jade slips.


    And now, the sky dropped the precious Evil Wood.


    Could the sky truly rain treasures?


    Fat Long looked up at the blue sky somewhat blankly, considering whether to make a wish himself; this was just too preposterous.


    Soon¡ª


    A middle-aged man appeared out of the streaming light, first casually revealing his Golden Core Cultivation, then with a trace of apology, looked towards Chen Qiu and his companions with a smile, ¡°Fellow Daoists¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±


    The middle-aged man suddenly froze on the spot, ¡°Aren¡¯t you Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Let me introduce myself, my name is Zhao Dezhu, I¡¯m the Sect Master of Caotian Sect, and your buddy Zhao Yishi is my Direct Disciple.¡±


    Then he put on a very amiable smile.


    ¡°To bump into you guys here, it really is fate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched. How could a Sect Master seem to have no pretense at all? Then, he seriously got up and gave a respectful bow with clasped hands, ¡°I have seen Sect Master Zhao.¡±


    ¡°What junior and senior? There¡¯s no need for such formalities,¡±


    Zhao Dezhu pretended to be dissatisfied and sat down at the stall, then looked at Chen Qiu with a serious expression, ¡°From now on, you call me brother, and I¡¯ll call you little brother.¡±


    ¡°Although we are meeting for the first time, since you are Zhao Yishi¡¯s brother, you are also a brother of Mr. Zhao.¡±


    ¡°Little brother, elder brother wants to ask you for a favor.¡±


    ¡°How did you get through the Magic Practitioner inheritance? Are there any tricks or something? I want to see if Zhao Yishi can give it another try. His talent for Body Cultivation is not weak, and I believe that one day he will surely grow into a peerless warrior of Body Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After remaining silent for a while, Chen Qiu looked up at Sect Master Zhao seriously, ¡°There is indeed a little trick, but might I presumptuously ask, where did this piece of Evil Wood come from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡±


    Zhao Dezhu looked curiously at the piece of wood in his hand, ¡°This thing isn¡¯t worth much. It¡¯s just wood that grows in the Evil Land. It generates more heat when burned and is used for warming up. But the malevolent energy it emits can be somewhat fatal to ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°So, when it fell to the city below, I came down immediately, intending to pick it up.¡±


    ¡°You want it?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhao Dezhu took out a Storage Ring from his robes and stuffed it back, ¡°It¡¯s filled up; I¡¯m giving it to you. Fei City is indeed cold enough; you do need to keep warm.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Consciousness swept through the Storage Ring, which was filled with large amounts of Evil Wood, its characteristics and appearance exactly matching the information recorded in the jade slip given to him by the fortune-telling old man. It really was the Evil Wood needed for a Grade Ten Golden Core.


    He had thought it was something very precious, but now it seemed the Evil Wood was probably not even as valuable as the Storage Ring itself.


    After pausing for a moment without holding back, he looked at the Caotian Sect Master and said seriously, ¡°There is indeed a little trick for the Body Cultivation inheritance: from start to finish, one needs a strong fighting spirit.¡±

 Chapter 154 - 108: Betting Everything Twice._4

    Chapter 154: Chapter 108: Betting Everything Twice._4


    ¡°How intense?¡±


    ¡°With broken legs, split body, crippled hands and only a head remaining, still using the mouth to bite the enemy to death.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t be truer.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Zhao Dezhu stood up, his face serious as he bowed to Chen Qiu, ¡°Thank you, brother, for passing on the technique. I won¡¯t stay here longer. Feel free to visit the Caotian Sect whenever you are free.¡±


    ¡°As long as I am in the Capital, no one dares to touch you.¡±


    ...


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Fat Long looked at the flying boat, which had turned into a beam of light and started heading back oddly, ¡°This Sect Master of the Caotian Sect, why does he seem so odd? It feels a bit¡­inappropriate.¡±


    Though the idiom wasn¡¯t quite apt, he really felt like using it at that moment.


    Being a Golden Core and the master of a sect.


    That status could allow one to strut around Da Xia Country, but he didn¡¯t seem conceited at all, which was peculiar. There¡¯s an old saying, ¡°Position brings vanity.¡±


    Just by sitting in that position, even if you are normally a gentle person, you would involuntarily become pretentious.


    ¡°Not sure.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head. After throwing a few pieces of silver on the table, he got up to leave the shop and headed towards the street, planning to return to the inn and let Fat Long gather some intelligence. He also wanted to check if there was an auction nearby selling entry jade slips.


    He had not finished his advice to the Sect Master of Caotian Sect.


    Maintaining intense battle intent indeed could make it possible to breakthrough to the fourth level, but just having intense battle intent wouldn¡¯t suffice for the fifth level.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to discuss this; after passing the levels, there would be a Nascent Soul body, which was what he needed. This matter would need to be slowly strategized later, at least for now, it wasn¡¯t suitable to tell the Sect Master of Caotian Sect.


    Moreover¡­


    Even having intense battle intent, it would still be hard to reach the fourth level, let alone the fifth level. Intense battle intent is merely a technique, and not a guaranteed way to pass; Body Cultivation inheritance definitely includes extremely harsh challenges.


    Exactly what challenges he didn¡¯t know; he only knew some little tricks that some old fortune tellers had told him.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sect Master?¡±


    Zhao Yishi, sitting on the Flying Boat, looked puzzled at the Sect Master resting on his shoulder, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were going to challenge the Body Cultivation inheritance?¡±


    ¡°Not going yet.¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect remained silent with a stern face. Chen Qiu had no reason to lie to him; hence, to attain the Body Cultivation inheritance one definitely needs intense battle intent.


    It actually makes sense.


    As a practitioner of Body Cultivation, one should indeed embody the belief that bare fists can break any spell.


    Ironically


    His Direct Disciple hardly had any battle intent. The ¡®Invisibility Technique,¡¯ a spell that becomes harder to cultivate with a larger body type, Zhao Yishi managed to cultivate it to the Great Perfection Realm.


    That was hard-won.


    He needed to think of a way to take Zhao Yishi back to the sect, call everyone in the sect to perform a play to stimulate the latent battle intent in Zhao Yishi¡¯s heart.


    For instance¡­


    The sect being slaughtered!


    All his former brothers meeting their death at the hands of an enemy!


    His senior sister violated and killed by the enemy!


    The Sect Master he dearly loved, also miserably killed by the enemy because he wasn¡¯t strong enough!


    Even the Supreme Elder cut down by the enemy in one stroke!


    Only by making Zhao Yishi feel the crisis of insufficient strength and intense hatred, could the battle intent be stimulated, thereby seizing the Body Cultivation inheritance opportunistically!


    However¡­


    The Sect Master sitting on Zhao Yishi¡¯s shoulder turned his head slightly towards Zhao Yishi with some inner trepidation. He faintly worried whether this might backfire and make the inherently timid and battle-shy Zhao Yishi even more fearful upon witnessing such a scene.


    That would truly be a disaster.


    By the way, why have so many new phrases been popping up in the Capital recently? And they all seem pretty catchy.

 Chapter 155 - 109: Useless Things.

    Chapter 155: Chapter 109: Useless Things.


    Fei City, noon.


    Snow blanketed the ground; the sunlight was relatively warm as it shone down, imparting a faint sense of warmth. This place was close to the Boundless Icefield, where summer was almost nonexistent, and autumn and winter dominated all year round. The howling cold winds from the Boundless Icefield poured into Fei City at every moment.


    And Fat Long was in the inn, reporting the information he had gathered.


    ¡°The Evil Wood is indeed as the Sect Master of the Caotian Sect said, originating from Fei City. While it is said to grow in the lands of Evil, no one knows why only the Evil Lands of Fei City can produce such wood.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because of the cold climate in Fei City that this object exists.¡±


    ¡°Just like there is said to be an antidote within seven steps of a snake bite.¡±


    ...


    ¡°It¡¯s a common item used by the local sects and families in Fei City for heating, truly not anything valuable.¡±


    ¡°As for the Eight Desolate Fruit¡ª¡±


    Fat Long paused, then remarked with a sigh, ¡°This piece of information cost some Spirit Stones; I learned about it from the ¡®World Pavilion¡¯ that specializes in selling intelligence. The Evil Wood can still be used for heating, but the Eight Desolate Fruit is a truly useless item.¡±


    ¡°It belongs to the category of Spirit Fruits.¡±


    ¡°It grows completely at random, possibly sprouting from an apple tree or a pear tree. Any type of fruit tree could potentially bear the Eight Desolate Fruit; it¡¯s a bit against the natural order.¡±


    ¡°And any tree that bears the Eight Desolate Fruit will never bear another fruit again, nor will it ever bear fruit in the future.¡±


    ¡°The Eight Desolate Fruit is octagonal, resembling a starfruit.¡±


    ¡°If there is any singular effect, it would be¡­ its rarity.¡±


    ¡°Because this fruit has no side effects when eaten, nor does it have any effect. It also lacks any taste, not sweet, not astringent, not sour, not spicy, and the texture is nothing extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, once the fruit is plucked from the tree, it will rot within nine hours.¡±


    ¡°It must be kept in a Jade Box to prevent decay.¡±


    ¡°The price is not high; if one desires it, it can be obtained for a little over three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, with the main expenses being the journey and the search. In the end, the fruit farmers will only receive a few taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°I have already paid a deposit to the World Pavilion, and I have arranged for someone there to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, puzzled within his heart. The requirements for each stage of the Golden Core were extremely stringent, but he wondered why the two mentioned heavenly treasures were such ordinary items.


    The requirements for a third-grade Golden Core already included rare materials for forging such as Dragon Vein Stones, so why did the tenth-grade Golden Core only require something like Evil Wood for heating? The Eight Desolate Fruit was indeed a bit rarer but still a useless item.


    Before he could ponder further.


    Fat Long spoke again, ¡°There is indeed an auction tonight in Fei City. This auction has been long in preparation, and most of the items on offer are things like Alchemy Furnaces, recipes, Formation manuals, and the like, prepared for Alchemy Cultivators and talisman cultivators.¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°After all, there is a noticeable predominance of Alchemy and talisman cultivators in the Southern State.¡±


    ¡°However, I have heard that they will be selling two entry jade slips at the auction.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look tonight,¡± Chen Qiu responded with an understanding nod.


    ¡­


    That night.


    Chen Qiu was already standing at the entrance of the ¡°Fei City¡± Jia Clan¡¯s commercial building, a five-story pavilion that was one of the taller structures in Fei City. At this time, many Cultivators were entering the pavilion¡¯s entrance.


    The auction was about to begin tonight.


    Entry jade slips, even the most worthless ones, were rather rare and would often be promoted in advance and then sold to the highest bidder at the auction, of course, only the lower-grade entries. The high-grade entry jade slips didn¡¯t have the chance to make it to auction, as they were mostly prearranged internally.


    Chen Qiu, standing at the entrance, did not enter immediately, but engaged in introspection of his small world.


    He still had more than four thousand Lower-grade Spirit Stones and twenty-four Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    The Mid-grade Spirit Stones must be saved for breaking through to the Golden Core.


    According to the scholar, an ordinary Cultivator should prepare at least forty-nine Mid-grade Spirit Stones when breaking through to the Golden Core, and then lay out a Spirit Gathering Array to ensure a smooth transition.


    To be on the safe side, he planned to set up a higher-level Spirit Gathering Array, which would require one hundred and eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    After all, his goal was the tenth-grade Golden Core, and forty-nine Mid-grade Spirit Stones might not be enough.


    One of his goals in the coming year was to accumulate enough Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Based on the information from Fat Long, the two entry jade slips on auction weren¡¯t particularly outstanding, so the four thousand Lower-grade Spirit Stones he had should suffice for the purchase.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu, about to step into the auction pavilion with Fat Long and the others, suddenly heard a sneering voice, ¡°Where did these country bumpkins come from, bringing a cripple to an auction?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long stood still, looking around to confirm that there were no other disabled people nearby, before realizing the words were directed at them. With some disbelief, he looked at the young, richly-dressed gentleman beside them.


    This person¡­ was he really that audacious?


    To speak to them in such a manner? And for their part, they had spent several Spirit Stones on their clothes at the Wentiangfang Market; they shouldn¡¯t appear to be country bumpkins, should they?


    Chen Qiu glanced at the person and then, without saying another word, strode towards the auction pavilion without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The young noble who had just spoken, with a playful smile on his face, called out to Chen Qiu and his group loudly, ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, are you deaf?¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t respond, but simply patted Fat Long on the shoulder to signal him to enter the auction first.


    ¡­


    The young noble, accompanied by a gathering of other nobles, watched Chen Qiu¡¯s retreating back without restraint, laughing loudly, while the young noble who had started the conversation grinned even more arrogantly at the others.

 Chapter 156 - 109: Useless Things._2

    Chapter 156: Chapter 109: Useless Things._2


    ¡°`


    ¡°See? Even Chen Qiu, who seized the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, still has to bow his head when he sees me, Ning Laiping.¡±


    ¡°Since he¡¯s asking my grandfather for a favor, he naturally has to behave submissively.¡±


    He certainly recognized Chen Qiu.


    The moment Chen Qiu seized the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, his portrait was basically sent to every family and sect with a bit of power within Da Xia Country. His grandfather was none other than the most famous Foundation Establishment peak Artifact Refiner in Fei City.


    Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t miss out on this news.


    ...


    By now, Chen Qiu had already stepped into the auction, and Ning Laiping looked in the direction Chen Qiu left with a cold smile, ¡°An out-of-town Magic Practitioner who wants to acquire the Lifebound Treasure crafted by my grandfather has to learn to keep his head bowed.¡±


    Tonight¡¯s auction highlight¡ª


    Was his grandfather!


    His grandfather was at the peak of Foundation Establishment and on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core stage. All Artifact Refiners, when using the power of heaven and earth to craft a Spiritual Treasure at the moment of their breakthrough, would imbue it with a more potent force than other Spiritual Treasures of the same level!


    Stronger, more expensive, and rarer!


    His grandfather happened to be especially skilled at crafting Spiritual Treasures for Magic Practitioners and had gained fame for it. Chen Qiu¡¯s purpose in attending tonight¡¯s auction was clear; he wanted to win the privilege of having a Spiritual Treasure crafted by his grandfather at the very moment he broke through his Cultivation level.


    Thus, through this formidable treasure, he could participate in the competition for Heavenly Prides four days later.


    But Ning Laiping didn¡¯t like this person.


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of conflicting interests, rather, the news that his grandfather would break through that night and craft a Magic Practitioner¡¯s Treasure had spread throughout the entirety of Fei City. He had been the center of conversation, with everyone congratulating him that his grandfather was about to become a Golden Core Artifact Refiner and would soon be able to craft Golden Core Spiritual Treasures for Golden Core cultivators. This would greatly enhance both his prestige and power.


    Since Chen Qiu had gained the Magic Practitioner inheritance, the focus of conversation had shifted away from him. Initially, he was just internally uncomfortable with it but could not voice his feelings without seeming petty to others.


    But since Chen Qiu just happened to be asking his grandfather for a favor, it was impossible to hold back the resentful energy in his heart without venting it a little.


    And those surrounding him also laughed and joined in.


    ¡°He¡¯s just a Loose Cultivator from the remote areas of North Continent, getting arrogant now. Does he really think acquiring a Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance makes him invincible?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, even with his arrogance, doesn¡¯t he still have to come beg Mr. Ning¡¯s grandfather to craft a Treasure for him?¡±


    ¡°No matter what, he¡¯s just a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator, after all, we¡¯re either Artifact or Alchemy Cultivators. If we were Magic Practitioners, how would it be his turn, Chen Qiu, to seize a Magic Practitioner inheritance?¡±


    Those gathered around Ning Laiping were Alchemy and Artifact Cultivators.


    Either disciples of prestigious lineages or inheritors of family traditions.


    In Southern State.


    Artifact and Alchemy Cultivators were highly regarded and held the highest status. Whether it be Sword or Magic Practitioners, they often needed to seek the help of Artifact and Alchemy Cultivators. Moreover, both required immense talent and accumulation, making those capable Artifact and Alchemy Cultivators exceedingly rare.


    Hence a renowned Artifact Cultivator, in terms of connections and status, would far surpass cultivators of the same level.


    The younger generations of these Artifact and Alchemy Cultivators often associated with one another, forming a small clique. Even some Golden Core cultivators, when seeking favors from their elders, would treat them quite amiably and speak to them with praise.


    As the saying goes,


    ¡°No dealings without scholars; conversation always of the learned.¡±


    In ordinary families, even the Golden Core Great Powers that could be treated as honored guests had crossed paths with them, and these powers were highly respectful when asking for their elders¡¯ help, indicative of a seller¡¯s market.


    After years of immersion, they too didn¡¯t think mocking a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator was a big deal, regardless of whether that cultivator had won a Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance or not. Once he came to Fei City, he had to learn to keep a low profile.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Inside the auction, Chen Qiu and others had taken their seats in the hall.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    The scholar sitting cross-legged in the hall smacked his lips, ¡°Looks like we might not have to spend any Spirit Stones this time, someone is going to pick up the tab for us.¡±


    ¡°Them?¡±


    Fat Long looked up toward those provoking young masters, sitting in the room labeled with the character for ¡®Heaven¡¯ on the second floor; he grinned, ¡°You¡¯ve got a point, just don¡¯t know if those young masters will engage in a bidding war and save us some Spirit Stones.¡±


    Chen Qiu leaned back in his chair, flipping through the auction listing in his hand, turning to the last page where he saw an old man who bore a resemblance to the young master who had challenged him earlier.


    There were also a few lines of small text introducing him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Ning Taiping.¡±


    ¡°A Foundation Establishment peak Artifact Refiner, the Supreme Elder of the Ning Family of Fei City. Though his Cultivation is at the peak of Foundation Establishment, his threats extend to the early stages of the Golden Core, courtesy of the Spiritual Treasures in his possession.¡±


    ¡°Ranked first among the top ten Foundation Establishment Artifact Refiners of Fei State, regarded as the most likely to step into the Golden Core realm in recent years.¡±


    ¡°Specializes in forging Spiritual Treasures for Magic Practitioners and can tailor them to fit the usual tactics of cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Tonight¡¯s highest bidder will earn the privilege of having an exceptional Treasure crafted with the power of heaven and earth when Ning Taiping breaks through to Golden Core outside the city.¡±


    ¡°Note: Tonight¡¯s highest bid secures only the forging privilege. Forging fees and the necessary heavenly and earthly materials must be provided separately.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, casually flipping through the auction list and said nonchalantly, ¡°So Ning Taiping¡¯s grandson thinks we¡¯re here to request his grandfather to forge a Magic Practitioner¡¯s Treasure, which is why he provoked us?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    Fat Long nodded, ¡°Seems like he¡¯s used to being spoiled in Fei City; his grandfather would probably smack him if he knew he was acting like this.¡±


    ¡°`


    S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 157 - 109: Useless Things._3

    Chapter 157: Chapter 109: Useless Things._3


    And at this time, the auction had not yet begun.


    Onstage, the beautiful woman hosting the auction was still preparing, while many cultivators who had just entered the hall were finding seats.


    Just then¡ª¡ª


    A white-bearded elder dressed in a rather luxurious robe walked onto the stage with an icy expression, generously releasing his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, ¡°Everyone present probably recognizes me, I am Ning Taiping.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I just heard from my grandson that a Magic Practitioner from outside said that all the Artifact Cultivators in Fei City are nothing but a disorderly crowd?¡±


    ¡°I would like to see which Magic Practitioner is so bold and reckless in my Fei City!¡±


    ...


    Although phrased as a question, his eyes, sharp as an eagle¡¯s, filled with gloom, he stared directly through the crowd at Chen Qiu leaning on his chair and spoke word by word, ¡°I heard from my son that this person calls himself Chen Qiu, the lucky one who has just obtained the inheritance of a Magic Practitioner in the Heavenly Dao Decree.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where that person is?¡±


    ¡°I want to see where this person gets such courage from!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The hall, which had been somewhat noisy, instantly fell silent; many looked oddly towards the direction of Ning Taiping, who was gazing at a young man lounging calmly in his chair with his legs crossed.


    This person was Chen Qiu?


    He looked indeed young and had the air of a Heavenly Pride.


    Although Ning Taiping did not straightforwardly state that this man was Chen Qiu, his words nearly pointed directly at him ¡ª did these two have a feud?


    Seeing Chen Qiu not speaking,


    Ning Taiping, standing on the stage, flashed a hint of satisfaction in his eyes and scanned the audience, ¡°A minor dispute, let¡¯s not disturb everyone¡¯s refined tastes. The auction is about to start, please take your seats.¡±


    ¡­


    Inside the Room No. 3 of the second floor¡¯s Heavenly Character section,


    a charming lady wearing a low-cut, slit cheongsam, gently swirling the Spiritual Wine in her glass, looked towards Ning Taiping stepping down from the stage with a faint smile, ¡°That Chen Qiu is still young, somewhat unable to play against the cunning old fox, Ning Taiping.¡±


    ¡°Ning Taiping also knows that this Chen Qiu is seeking something from him tonight, so he certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to refute him directly to his face, thus using suppression against the newly arising momentum of Chen Qiu to build his own.¡±


    ¡°Word will spread out.¡±


    ¡°That the one who obtained the Magic Practitioner inheritance, Chen Qiu, has to behave obediently like a grandson in front of him, Ning Taiping, who has always wanted to become the next leader of the Artifact Repair Alliance.¡±


    ¡°With this momentum-building, coupled with his breakthrough into the Golden Core Artifact Refiner tonight, on the day of the leader¡¯s reelection in seven days, Ning Taiping might indeed secure that position.¡±


    Next to the woman, an old man in hemp clothing looked disdainfully at Chen Qiu standing below the stage, ¡°This kid is young, just having obtained the Magic Practitioner inheritance, being in his moment of pride.¡±


    ¡°Being suppressed by Ning Taiping like this might leave some mental scars; it¡¯s feared that his spirit might disperse a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Just needing to consolidate for a while and stepping into the Golden Core later, he could have made a significant name for himself.¡±


    ¡°Now, being humiliated in public, those unusual looks stabbing directly into his heart, it¡¯s hard to gather up spirit again; one could basically say it¡¯s ruined, such is the brittleness of a Loose Cultivator suddenly bestowed with a fortune.¡±


    ¡°Typical.¡±


    The woman, her slender white legs perched on a stool beside her, looked rather amused at Chen Qiu as she smiled, ¡°Building momentum is exactly about swallowing up others¡¯ momentum to form one¡¯s own.¡±


    ¡°That Chen Qiu, having no backing and needing others¡¯ help, rushed to let others use him as a stepping stone, no one can stop that.¡±


    ¡°Still too impatient after all.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯d find a place to endure hardship and fully digest the Magic Practitioner inheritance first, next year¡¯s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard could not be without his place; instead, he wanted to come here before the battle for Heavenly Pride with a handy Spiritual Treasure to seek favors, thus losing both face and substance.¡±


    ¡°But even so, being someone with a Magic Practitioner inheritance, taking him into the family to work for the family wouldn¡¯t be out of question.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Grandfather, looking at that Chen Qiu below, he still acts composed till now, probably gritting his teeth on the inside.¡±


    Inside Room No. 7 of the Heavenly Character section,


    Ning Wuping looked at Chen Qiu sitting in the great hall and laughed with great satisfaction, ¡°Grandfather, you are truly imposing.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Ning Taiping was also quite pleased inside, he stroked his white beard, picked up a cup of steaming tea, took a sip, and then pretended to be calm and disdainful, ¡°Just a little kid, after a few scoldings, would he dare to talk back?¡±


    ¡°If he dares to answer back with even a single word, once I take the seat of the leader of the Artifact Repair Alliance, I¡¯ll call on all Artifact Cultivators and Alchemy Cultivators not to do business with him, a Loose Cultivator without backing from a family needs no managing, in a few years he will fade into the crowd.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared a Golden Core with a hefty sum, tonight with a second-grade Golden Core, I will step into the Golden Core Realm!¡±


    ¡°This Fei City should also be renamed as Ning City in the future.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu was currently leaning back on his chair, patiently waiting for the auction to begin, while various discussions entered his ears, all consisting of some praising Ning Taiping and others pitying him; he initially didn¡¯t take it to heart.


    Until¡ª¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s said that Elder Ning has already prepared a Golden Core, and tonight at the top of Furnace Peak outside the city, he will step into the Golden Core Stage with a second-grade Golden Core. The Ning Family will soon be a Golden Core Family, prospering under Elder Ning¡¯s protection for a few hundred more years.¡±


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    Hearing this news, Chen Qiu suddenly lightened up with a laugh; his tenth-grade Golden Core needed nine second-grade Golden Cores as fusion materials. He had been troubled about where to collect these since second-grade Golden Cores weren¡¯t something common people could form.


    The first one had just been delivered to his door.


    Just an Artifact Cultivator who had stepped into the first layer of the Golden Core was not so difficult to kill; the biggest crushing tactic against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was the Divine Sense Attack, and just having stepped into the Golden Core, he probably hadn¡¯t yet learned how to perform a Divine Sense Attack, lacking this biggest crushing tactic.

 Chapter 158 - 109: Useless Things._4

    Chapter 158: Chapter 109: Useless Things._4


    In such a situation, he was only half a step away from Golden Core.


    Moreover, as an Artifact Cultivator, his strength mostly came from external forces.


    He didn¡¯t even need to activate the Self-Destruction Term to obliterate him with his own power, and this was his first time witnessing someone breakthrough to Golden Core in the presence of others. He seemed to be fearlessly creating momentum regardless of the consequences.


    ¡­


    The auction didn¡¯t take long to begin.


    The first auction item.


    ...


    ¡°The first auction item.¡±


    ¡°Spiritual Treasure, Mid-grade Alchemy Furnace ¡®Earth Fire Tripod Furnace,¡¯ starting bid¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu leaned back in his chair with his eyelids slightly drooped as he waited for the subsequent items. He had almost reviewed the entire auction list, and there was nothing particularly useful for him, except for those two entries.


    Not much later.


    ¨C


    ¡°The thirteenth auction item.¡±


    ¡°Entry Jade Scroll, White entry.¡±


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Refining Technique.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you forge a Spiritual Treasure, the success rate will slightly increase.


    ¡°Starting bid 100 Spirit Stones, each bid must be no less than 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¨C


    This entry could be considered one of the highlights of the auction, as many Cultivators in the hall were eagerly bidding.


    The price quickly reached 1,200 Spirit Stones, and the pace of the bids started to slow.


    ¡°Third call¡­¡±


    Just as the hammer was about to fall, Fat Long raised his plaque and shouted loudly, ¡°1,300 Spirit Stones.¡±


    Almost immediately after his words fell, Ning Wuping in Room No. 7, who initially showed no interest in bidding, provocatively raised his eyebrows towards Fat Long sitting in the hall, ¡°1,400 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long started to smile and was about to continue bidding when he was stopped by Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t raise the bid anymore, let him spend more Spirit Stones so we¡¯ll have to give up fewer Spirit Stones later.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°The fourteenth auction item.¡±


    ¡°Entry Jade Scroll, green entry.¡±


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Artifact Refining God.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Every time you forge a Spiritual Treasure, there is a low chance to randomly add a special effect.


    ¡°Starting bid 100 Spirit Stones, each bid must be no less than 100 Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡­


    This time, before Fat Long even had a chance to bid, Ning Wuping snatched the entry for 3,900 Spirit Stones, a price significantly higher than that of the green entry that had been auctioned at Wen Tian Fang Market.


    After all, this entry can be considered a Divine-level for Artifact Cultivators.


    With this entry, any forged Spiritual Treasure could be sold for a much better price.


    ¡°This Artifact Cultivator is truly wealthy.¡±


    Meeting Ning Wuping¡¯s challenging gaze from Room No. 7, Fat Long replied with a smile, ¡°Nearly four thousand Spirit Stones, tossed away just like that. It really does make people envy the life of an Artifact Cultivator.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°The fifteenth auction item!¡±


    ¡°Elder Ning¡¯s qualification to forge a treasure by borrowing the power of Heaven and Earth during his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.¡±


    It was indeed the main event of the evening.


    Many people had come specifically for this.


    The bids rose one after another, and those rooms with the character ¡®Heaven¡¯ in their number continuously increased their offers until the final price stopped at 12,300 Spirit Stones, an absurdly high sum. After all, so many Spirit Stones were merely for a qualification.


    That didn¡¯t even include the forging fee or the precious materials needed to craft the Spiritual Treasure.


    Even though a Spiritual Treasure crafted with the help of Heaven and Earth¡¯s power during a Great Realm breakthrough could be nearly twice as powerful as ordinary ones of the same level, it definitely wasn¡¯t worth 12,300 Spirit Stones; the price was purely a case of willingly being taken advantage of.


    No one knew what kind of a sucker was sitting in room number nine with the ¡®Heaven¡¯ character.


    Many people in the large hall were quite shocked by the price, discussing among themselves, unclear why it had reached such an outrageous amount.


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu had not made a single bid from beginning to end.


    Truth be told, he somewhat looked down on such level of Spiritual Treasure. The Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure in the top three of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was his goal. Such treasures needed to become one¡¯s Lifebound Spirit Treasure to unleash their full power, and he simply couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste his efforts on cultivating them.


    Before such a reputation could even be cultivated, he would already have obtained his Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    ¡°Hahahaha!!!¡±


    A very hearty laugh came from room number seven with the ¡®Heaven¡¯ character, as Ning Taiping, with his white beard and looking rather robust, stood by the window with hands clasped in front of him, bowing to the opposite room number nine: ¡°Thank you, fellow Daoist, for your support, at the cost of your wealth.¡±


    And from room number nine with the ¡®Heaven¡¯ character came a dull, hoarse voice.


    ¡°Elder Ning is too modest. The whole world knows that Elder Ning is Fei City¡¯s number one Foundation Establishment Artifact Cultivator. After stepping into the Golden Core stage, with just a bit of settling, he will become Da Xia¡¯s number one Artifact Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°It is I who have picked up a bargain. These people don¡¯t understand the significance of the four words ¡®Elder Ning¡¯. This is worth the more than ten thousand Spirit Stones I spent.¡±


    ¡°Once Elder Ning officially ascends to the position of Da Xia¡¯s number one Artifact Cultivator, this treasure crafted by Elder Ning during his Golden Core breakthrough will also have great significance for collection and commemoration.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Ning Taiping, quite pleased by the words, stroked his beard heartily and said, ¡°You flatter me, fellow Daoist. Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s not delay any further and set off immediately for the outside of Fei City¡¯s Furnace Peak. I will breakthrough before everyone¡¯s eyes and forge the treasure on-site with the power of Heaven and Earth for you.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    ¡­


    Fei City, Furnace Peak.


    Named for its resemblance to an Artifact Cultivator¡¯s forging furnace, it was also considered a sacred site by countless Artifact Cultivators. And it was atop Furnace Peak that Ning Taiping had chosen to make his Golden Core breakthrough.


    At this moment, Ning Taiping was sitting cross-legged on the ground, circulating his mental method with a Spirit Gathering Array made from forty-nine Mid-grade Spirit Stones arranged around him.


    In front of him, a Golden Core lay quietly within a Jade Box.


    Already, quite a number of people had gathered around him within a few meters, mostly Artifact Cultivators who had come to witness the historic moment of Ning Taiping¡¯s Golden Core breakthrough.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Fat Long said, clicking his tongue as he stood among the crowd, ¡°It¡¯s not only about publicly suppressing Brother Qiu and hiring others to buy the treasure you will craft during his Core Formation at an exorbitant price, but also about choosing to make the breakthrough at Furnace Peak¡ªa sacred site among Artifact Cultivators.¡±


    ¡°This old man is creating momentum.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t too difficult to figure out. Anyone with clear sight could see how ridiculous it was to spend more than ten thousand Spirit Stones just for a qualification, when with that many Spirit Stones one could purchase a superior early-stage Golden Core Spiritual Treasure.


    Using it to buy a peak Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure would be downright foolish, wouldn¡¯t it?


    And that¡¯s just for the qualification, not to mention the extra costs for forging and precious materials. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was indeed a clumsy tactic.


    But it had to be said it was effective; with the right push from interested parties to spread the story, it would create a long-term positive effect for Ning Taiping similar to the one of ¡®spending a fortune on a horse¡¯s bones¡¯.


    ¡°From a certain perspective,¡± Fat Long said, arms crossed, standing on the spot and raising an eyebrow, ¡°this old man is quite savvy with his plays. If it weren¡¯t for using Brother Qiu as a stepping stone, he might¡¯ve really built up his own momentum.¡±


    ¡°With this momentum, he could become a renowned Golden Core Artifact Cultivator in the future, and the Ning Family would become a truly major family in Fei City.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    ¡°Too bad, though.¡±

 Chapter 159 - 110:

    Chapter 159: Chapter 110: ¡°I am a Buddhist, I do not kill.


    Just then¡ª


    Ning Wuping, who was surrounded by a group of young lords in the crowd, noticed Chen Qiu and his companions standing among the people. He sneered and waved his hand, leading his entourage of equally frivolous friends towards Chen Qiu.


    Standing in front of Chen Qiu.


    He deliberately projected his voice with spiritual energy, allowing everyone to hear his mockery clearly, ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t that Chen Qiu who just acquired the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Feeling unwilling, coming here to see if you have a chance to obtain the treasure my grandfather, Ning Taiping, crafted during his Golden Core breakthrough?¡±


    ...


    ¡°If you had the time, why didn¡¯t you bid earlier? Or could it be that you can¡¯t afford it?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that all Artifact Cultivators are trash? Why are you silent now? Keep talking.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu still did not speak, simply glancing at Ning Wuping. He had one merit¡ªhe never wasted words on the dead. They were just resentful spirits soon to cool his temper, talking more would be pointless.


    Meanwhile, the Artifact Cultivators present couldn¡¯t help but frown and start discussing Chen Qiu amongst themselves.


    ¡°Did Chen Qiu really say that?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, he did. Otherwise, he would have retorted by now. Look, Elder Ning and Mr. Ning said it in front of him twice, and he didn¡¯t respond at all. Doesn¡¯t that mean he tacitly accepts it, lacking the confidence to counter?¡±


    ¡°Heh, after all, he just seized a Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy, it¡¯s natural for him to be a bit arrogant.¡±


    Suddenly.


    The looks many people gave Chen Qiu gradually filled with disdain and contempt.


    If they were alone with Chen Qiu, they certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to show such expressions, given he was a Heavenly Pride who had seized the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy, definitely more formidable than them. But, under the successive insults from Elder Ning and Mr. Ning, Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t bitten back.


    It must be either that his nature was weak, or he recognized his own lack of strength.


    They also got to join in on the fun, looking down on Chen Qiu. Many began to feel an unusual sensation of pleasure, as it was their first time publicly mocking such a Heavenly Pride, feeling a sudden thrill of being above others.


    ¡°Go back to North Continent!¡±


    Suddenly, a Cultivator in the crowd shouted angrily at Chen Qiu.


    Following that remark, as if empowered by it, others no longer whispered amongst themselves but looked at Chen Qiu with anger and roared similarly.


    ¡°Fei City doesn¡¯t welcome your kind of beast!¡±


    ¡°Get lost back to North Continent, country bumpkin!¡±


    ¡°You were just lucky to seize the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy, and now you think you¡¯re something special!¡±


    ¡°Pretending to be decent, yet you¡¯re only following behind Elder Ning, begging for him to craft a Spiritual Treasure for you.¡±


    ¡°Pah, you dare to call yourself a Heavenly Pride?!¡±


    Meanwhile, Ning Wuping, who hadn¡¯t expected this outcome, saw almost everyone emotionally aligning with him. He felt a rush as if he could lead a charge; his heart filled with an even greater sense of mockery as he laughed at Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Look, Chen Qiu, I know you urgently need a treasure for the Heavenly Pride competition in four days.¡±


    ¡°If you kneel here in public and bark like a dog three times¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have my grandfather craft you another Peak Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure. How about that?¡±


    No sooner had he finished speaking¡ª


    A person from the crowd immediately knelt down and barked three times, looking expectantly at Ning Wuping, ¡°Mr. Ning, I barked three times, can you give it to me?¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    Ning Wuping kicked out impatiently, then fixed his gaze on Chen Qiu. His eyes shimmered darkly, his countenance growing grim, ¡°Don¡¯t act ungrateful when I¡¯m speaking to you so much.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t said a word, until when do you plan to keep enduring?¡±


    ¡°So, the one who seized the Magic Practitioner¡¯s legacy is just a coward hiding in his shell.¡±


    Laughter erupted once more from the crowd.


    And at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Elder Ning, who had been sitting in meditation and circulating his mental method, was almost ready. With a fierce shout, his face contorted as forty-nine Mid-grade Spirit Stones suddenly shone brightly. The Spiritual Energy produced by the Spirit Gathering Array was instantly absorbed by Ning Taiping into his body.


    Eyes closed tightly.


    Face flushed red as his body emitted steam.


    With that roar, the place became quiet at once, as everyone looked on with envy and admiration towards Ning Taiping at the center. Even Chen Qiu¡¯s face revealed a hint of curiosity; this was his first time witnessing someone breaking through to Golden Core. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then glanced nonchalantly at a robed elder standing beside Ning Taiping.


    He couldn¡¯t sense the elder¡¯s cultivation level.


    But he could guess that the person was likely a Golden Core Great Power, invited by Ning Taiping to guard the way during his Golden Core breakthrough. It seemed Ning Taiping wasn¡¯t completely foolish; despite the dangers of breaking through to Golden Core in front of a large audience, the risk was much smaller with a Golden Core protecting him.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s gaze quickly swept past the robed figure without lingering, concerned about raising suspicion.


    Plans had to change.


    If it were just a newly advanced Golden Core Artifact Cultivator, he wouldn¡¯t need to use his trump card, the Self-Destruction Term; his overt strength would suffice. But now, with an unknown level of Golden Core protecting the way¡­


    A new plan was necessary.


    Using a Self-Destruction Term to assassinate that guarding Golden Core was not a great idea. He had succeeded in taking out the workshop owner from the Qiantian market that day mainly because the latter was virtually unguarded against them, a group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and had carelessly exposed his back in a moment of distraction.


    Only then was he able to instantly detonate multiple entries, preventing the opponent from even launching a Divine Sense Attack before being killed on the spot.

 Chapter 160 - 110:

    Chapter 160: Chapter 110: ¡°I am a Buddhist, I do not kill living beings.¡± _2


    At this time, the Golden Core Protector must have been extremely tense and alert, fearing that some petty thieves would strike foully at the critical moment of the breakthrough. Given the long distance between them, when he unleashed his full power with the Golden Core eight-layer through a Self-Destruction Term, he could naturally kill the Protector.


    But he would also die from the Divine Sense counterattack of the opponent at the moment of their death.


    He had the Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array arranged by an ancestor Magic Practitioner in his Sea of Consciousness. Although it could not exert its full effects at the Foundation Establishment Stage, it could still defend against some Divine Sense Attacks. Perhaps he could escape with severe injuries, but Fat Long and the others would definitely not survive.


    Therefore, the best choice was still¡ª


    ¡°Fiery Flame Seven Killings Array Plate.¡±


    ¡°Once the array is formed, it can execute up to a fifth-layer Golden Core Cultivator.¡±


    ...


    He had confiscated it from the workshop owner in the Ask Heaven market; using it here was just perfect. As long as the Golden Core Protector was not at the fifth Golden Core layer, he was pretty much doomed.


    As for the other onlookers here.


    Chen Qiu glanced calmly at the crowd who had come to watch the ceremony. A middle-aged man standing next to him saw Chen Qiu looking over and immediately raised his fist in the air with a disdainful and threatening expression: ¡°Stare at your daddy again, and I¡¯ll smash your head!¡±


    He looked at the raised fist of the middle-aged man and suddenly couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°I see your Cultivation is only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, while my Cultivation is at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, and I¡¯ve also acquired the inheritance of a Magic Practitioner. Not to mention resting on the laurels of a famous name.¡±


    ¡°With your level of Cultivation, how dare you talk to me like that?¡±


    ¡°When I was at your level of Cultivation, I wasn¡¯t nearly as bold.¡±


    The middle-aged man heard this, regained a hint of clarity in his pupils, and shrunk his head slightly. But remembering Chen Qiu¡¯s previous weakness, he still retorted with hardened scalp, ¡°If you have the guts, go and talk to Elder Ning or Mr. Ning.¡±


    ¡°What kind of ability is it to show off to me?¡±


    ¡°Waste.¡±


    After this verbal spar, the middle-aged man might have felt something was not quite right and quickly retreated to the back of the crowd, switching spots to continue watching the proceedings.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, and then, like everyone else, he stood still and watched quietly. The boundless Spiritual Energy inside the Mid-grade Spirit Stones was nearly all rushing into Ning Taiping¡¯s body at this moment.


    Suddenly, Ning Taiping¡¯s eyes burst open with bright light. The Golden Core flew from the Jade Box and turned to dust under the impact of the surging Spiritual Energy, blending into his body.


    Immediately afterward¡ª


    Ning Taiping waved his left hand, and a brown Forging Furnace heavily slammed onto the ground. He waved his hand again, and countless precious materials fell into the furnace.


    As Spiritual Energy continually flowed out, waves of orange flames rose inside the furnace.


    The onlookers, especially those with lower Cultivation, couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back from the heat waves.


    In just a few hundred moments.


    Ning Taiping shouted loudly again. A silver-white liquid-solid flew straight out of the furnace and floated in the air. Without any hesitation, he pulled out a hammer from his bosom. Then, with the power he could now harness from the breakthrough to the Golden Core, he began hammering furiously, his face flushed with effort.


    His hands moved incredibly fast.


    One could only see countless hammer afterimages. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The silver-white liquid-solid, under countless hammer blows, gradually took the shape of a longsword. When Ning Taiping shouted again, he plunged the sword into a pool of prepared yin water.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    The red-hot longsword hissed as it entered the yin water, like cold water hitting hot oil.


    Subsequently, Ning Taiping, his face flushed and Cultivation rising rapidly, didn¡¯t care about getting scalded and thrust his right hand into the silver water, lifting the silver-white sword into the air and pointing it towards the sky.


    And at this moment¡ª


    Under the shower of sparks, Ning Taiping¡¯s white beard was dyed orange-red, and his Cultivation finally entered the first layer of the Golden Core. The precious sword was thoroughly forged.


    ¡°Brothers, I¡¯ve made it!!!¡±


    Ning Taiping stood in the center of the onlookers, pointing his sword to the heavens, his face flushed with emotion as he looked up to the dense clouds overhead that had gathered unknowingly, feeling relieved from all the frustration, feeling the powerful and abundant Spiritual Energy in his body, he roared with excitement and pride.


    ¡°Brothers, I¡¯ve made it!! Hahaha, I¡¯ve finally made it!¡±


    Everything went as he had planned, achieving the greatest prestige by advancing to the Golden Core stage in full view of everyone. Everything was normal, plus he got an unexpected bonus: Chen Qiu, who had just acquired the Magic Practitioner inheritance, came just in time to be a stepping stone, allowing him to build even greater power on the momentum Chen Qiu had just begun.


    Who asked you to seek help from others?


    He had no reason not to take advantage of it.


    However¡­


    Those clouds seemed a bit too thick and were getting uncomfortably close.


    The next instant!


    Powerful waves of Spiritual Energy engulfed the entire Furnace Peak in an instant, and everyone clearly saw tens of thousands of white Spiritual Energy lines, like a cage of lines, covering the Furnace Peak.


    Ning Taiping, having not yet reacted to the situation, had the Golden Core Protector by his side whose expression had already drastically changed. Immediately, he thrust his right arm out to grab Ning Taiping, wanting to break through the forming array and escape!


    It was an Array Plate!


    Moreover, it was a mid-Golden Core Array Plate!


    He was only at the third layer of Golden Core; he couldn¡¯t possibly withstand it.


    However¡­


    It was too late. In the blink of an eye, those tens of thousands of Spiritual Energy lines in the air closed in on each other and finally formed a massive Spiritual Energy Prison, constructed from the boundless Spiritual Energy.


    The Golden Core Protector, transformed into a golden light, smashed against the wall of the Spiritual Energy Prison and was bounced back, his face pale and his expression terrified as he glanced around and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Ning Taiping, this is a mid-Golden Core Array Plate, the array is complete, there¡¯s no escaping now.¡±

 Chapter 161 - 110:

    Chapter 161: Chapter 110: ¡°I am a Buddhist, I do not kill living beings.¡± _3


    ¡°It¡¯s still the main killing formation Array Plate, if one¡¯s Cultivation is not at least the fifth level of Golden Core, death is certain,¡±


    ¡°Such an Array Plate is extraordinarily valuable, whom have you provoked that they would find it worth their while to bomb you with such a major move?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ ¡±


    At this moment, Ning Taiping also completely lost his earlier demeanor of mastery, his entire person was so frightened that his voice changed in tone, and his voice even mixed with a thick crying tone: ¡°I¡­ really don¡¯t know.¡±


    During his Qi Refinement Realm, he feared everything, feared poverty, feared a lack of future, but he just wasn¡¯t afraid of death.


    During his Foundation Establishment, he was somewhat famous, began to fear death a bit, but he would not cower when it was time to fight to the death.


    ...


    Now he had entered Golden Core, his future had just begun, he feared nothing but death.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°First Kill, Earth Fire.¡±


    Out of nowhere, a line of characters formed by Spiritual Energy suddenly appeared in the air.


    Immediately after, an extremely high-temperature heatwave swept across the entire mountaintop, a large amount of Spiritual Energy condensed into blue flames that instantaneously flooded the ground, and many Foundation Establishment Cultivators who hadn¡¯t had time to fly into midair.


    were painfully howling as they fell into the sea of fire.


    The blue flames seemed like bone-eroding poison, once touched, there was simply no way to extinguish them.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu and others were sitting in midair.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Fat Long looked towards the sky with interest at that line formed by Spiritual Energy: ¡°The Array Repairer who created this Array Plate seems to have a sense of ceremony, adding such a little gizmo. The Fiery Flame Seven Killings Array Plate, means there are a total of seven kills, huh?¡±


    And then¡ª


    The Golden Core Guardian in midair also noticed, and seeing Fat Long, who was laughing merrily in midair, immediately reacted, his face darkened as his Divine Sense surged towards several people, thinking that no one else apart from the perpetrator could be laughing so heartily in such a major formation.


    These few people were only of Foundation Establishment Cultivation, his Divine Sense as long as penetrated their Sea of Consciousness, could instantly kill them.


    With the Main Array Person dead, this great formation would naturally break without a fight.


    However¡­


    His almost always successful Divine Sense Attack on Foundation Establishment Cultivators, just as it was about to touch Chen Qiu and others, suddenly, a faint blue light shield surged around them, completely neutralizing his Divine Sense Attack as if it had sunk into the sea.


    However, this commotion also caught Fat Long¡¯s attention.


    Fat Long raised his hand and knocked on the faint blue light shield that wrapped them up, and grinned: ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, buddy, this is a Mid-grade Golden Core Array Plate, guess if there¡¯s a measure to protect the Main Array Person?¡±


    ¡°This is called the Array Core.¡±


    ¡°Unless the main formation breaks, the Array Core will not break.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Ask that old man you got your hands on, didn¡¯t he just say that I had succeeded, I¡¯m quite curious to see what he has become, the way he was excited made it seem like he was invincible.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Second Kill, Sky Burning.¡±


    ¨C


    At that moment, another segment of characters made of Spiritual Energy emerged in the air.


    The ground covered in floral seas suddenly sprouted countless flower-like flames, shooting violently in all directions in the air, and numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators were instantly killed upon contact!


    ¡°Please, I beg you!¡±


    And then¡ª


    Relying on his Protective Spiritual Treasure, still barely clinging to life, Ning Wuping knelt in the sea of fire, his eyes filled with fear and despair as he looked up at the people in the sky, trembling and shouting: ¡°Can you please let us go, at most we offended you with a few words, what crime deserves this?¡±


    ¡°If you resort to killing over a mere verbal disagreement, how are you any different from Evil Cultivation?¡±


    ¡°If you felt uncomfortable at that time, couldn¡¯t you have just cursed back?¡±


    ¡°It was just a trivial matter, today was supposed to be a joyful day, everything was perfect, why must you ruin it all, why!!!¡±


    Towards the end, Ning Wuping stood up, full of resentment and anger, glaring fiercely and bellowing at Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Is it just because you didn¡¯t forge a Spiritual Treasure for you?¡±


    ¡°Is it just because I snatched a couple of your entry jade slips?¡±


    ¡°Such pettiness, unworthy of a Magic Practitioner!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at Ning Wuping below, who was in a fit of rage, waved his hand casually, and a mass of sparks enveloped Ning Wuping, Spiritual Energy surged and also swept back his Storage Ring, and the fierce bellowing suddenly stopped, and yet he spoke not a word.


    Only after seeing Ning Wuping¡¯s resentful spirit appear on his shoulder did he start to chuckle lightly, patting its head.


    ¡°This is much cooler now.¡±


    It must be said, there are truly many treasures on the bodies of these Artifact Cultivators.


    ¡°Chen Qiu!¡±


    Quite a few Artifact Cultivators, relying on their own spiritual treasures, still struggled to survive in the sea of fire. Seeing Ning Wuping¡¯s pleas useless, all of them ferociously threatened with both hostility and fear.


    ¡°My grandfather is an elder of the ¡®Sect of the Myriad Artifacts¡¯ in Fatzhou, if you kill me, my grandfather will use all his connections to hunt you down to the ends of the earth!¡±


    ¡°If you let me go, this matter can be considered over.¡±


    ¡°My master is¡­¡±


    ¡°My clan is¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at those Artifact Cultivators below in the sea of fire, who had just mocked and insulted him, waved his hand again, and a mass of sparks instantly enveloped those people, silencing them at once.


    Without waiting for ¡°Third Kill¡± to fall, only those two Golden Cores remained on the entire mountaintop.


    ¡°Young friend.¡±


    Hanging in midair, Ning Taiping, now unable to mourn his grandson¡¯s death, his face deathly pale as he stared fixedly at Chen Qiu and trembled: ¡°Killing me brings you no benefits, if you spare me, I can be your servant.¡±


    ¡°Craft Spiritual Treasures for you all my life.¡±


    ¡°My skills in forging are excellent, allow me to live and maximize my value.¡±

 Chapter 162 - 110:

    Chapter 162: Chapter 110: ¡°I am a Buddhist, I do not kill living beings.¡± _4


    ¡°Killing me is pointless; I know you might have some misunderstandings about me, but I can assure you I harbor no ill will towards you. I only wanted to surpass you in rank, I never intended to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Spare my life; I¡¯ve only just advanced to Golden Core. My life has just begun, I can¡¯t just die here in this godforsaken place!¡±


    Chen Qiu, with an indifferent expression, met Ning Taiping¡¯s pleading gaze that hid a trace of deep malignity, and suddenly laughed, responding for the first time. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°Your death is of greater value to me.¡±


    ¡°And this place isn¡¯t a godforsaken area, isn¡¯t this the Furnace Peak that your Artifact Cultivators revere as sacred?¡±


    ...


    Following that¡ª


    ¡°Triple Kill, Rain of Fire.¡±


    Dense flames fell like rain from the sky towards the two men.


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The large array that had encompassed the entire Furnace Peak finally began to dissipate slowly as the Spiritual Energy was exhausted, and the Array Plate that had sustained the whole formation completely shattered.


    When the large array was dispersed,


    The once hundreds of meters high Furnace Peak had vanished, leveled to the ground in a rain of fire, with not a single corpse or drop of blood visible, only the intense heat wave seemingly advising people to keep warm in winter.


    Chen Qiu, with a good mood, walked out from the formation, stepping on the residual flames, enjoying the intense heat wave behind him, which nicely neutralized the cold of the resentful spirits, feeling quite perfect and comfortable.


    The Storage Rings and Storage Bags of those Foundation Establishment Cultivators were already completely destroyed.


    However, the nine Storage Rings from Ning Taiping and that Golden Core Guardian had already fallen into his possession.


    The possessions of an Artifact Cultivator, he was indeed looking forward to them, just Ning Taiping alone had seven Storage Rings.


    And the gain was far beyond his expectations.


    Not only was Ning Taiping a second-grade Golden Core, that Golden Core Guardian turned out to be a second-grade too, directly making up two second-grade Golden Cores, now only seven short of the target of nine second-grade Golden Cores.


    It could be called a double happiness.


    And after the restrictions on those Storage Rings were broken, securing at least ten thousand Spirit Stones was exactly what was needed to supplement his currently depleted store of Spirit Stones, which after switching from left hand to the right during the auction and even after deducting the service fee, should also be at least ten thousand.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Clap, clap, clap.¡±


    Crisp applause suddenly rang out in the night.


    A still charming matron was standing on a high rock, wearing a low-cut cheongsam with crossed legs, looking down at Chen Qiu with a smirk, saying, ¡°You really are full of surprises, young man who seized the Magic Practitioner legacy.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, you have caught my interest, now you can¡­¡±


    Before she could finish!


    Over two thousand Thunder Dragons suddenly surged in mid-air, carrying immense terror, silently roaring as they rushed towards the woman locked by Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense.


    The smile on the matron¡¯s face froze mid-air, her expression drastically changing as she immediately retreated¡­but her speed was still a bit slow.


    After numerous explosions.


    Chen Qiu, with an indifferent expression, glanced at the deep pit that replaced the rock, waved his hand and continued walking nonchalantly, ¡°These days, anyone thinks they can show off.¡±


    ¡°Do they have the strength?¡±


    ¡°Likes to call.¡±


    Just at that moment¡ª


    An old man with a pained and angry expression suddenly burst out from the bushes. Seeing the matron¡¯s body scattered and shattered, he furiously turned his head and glared straight at Chen Qiu, his peak Foundation Establishment Cultivation bursting forth unrestrainedly.


    ¡°Dare to kill my lady, you¡¯re dead for sure!¡±


    ¡°Nobody can provoke us¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, he was enveloped by over a thousand Thunder Dragons and abruptly cut off.


    ¡°Completely nonsensical.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and continued walking.


    However, at this moment¡ª


    All the Ning Family members who had come to celebrate the Supreme Elder¡¯s breakthrough to Golden Core, upon seeing Furnace Peak reduced to flat ground and the long sword held in Fat Long¡¯s hand that carried the aura of the Supreme Elder, immediately had their expressions change and a flicker of disbelief pass through their hearts, immediately stopping Chen Qiu and others.


    ¡°Stop, old¡­¡±


    ¡°Boom¡­¡±


    After thousands of Thunder Dragons smashed down, tranquility returned to the world once again.


    No one came after that.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in place, looking up at the moon above his head and murmured absentmindedly, ¡°It¡¯s cooled down, it¡¯s a bit cold now.¡±


    ¡­


    He actually didn¡¯t know why these people were so bold, whether it was the Ning Family or the audience, everyone was daring. Why would a small fry at the third layer of Foundation Establishment dare to provoke him, thinking it would be fine just because there were many of them?


    He also didn¡¯t understand why the Ning Family was so bold. Just because he was just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, even though they knew he had claimed the Magic Practitioner inheritance that no one had passed in over a thousand years, they still didn¡¯t take him seriously?


    And why did they keep calling him a Loose Cultivator?


    It really sounded uncomfortable.


    He clearly had a sect, for goodness¡¯ sake. Did no one remember that?


    Chen Qiu stood in his original spot, turned around, and forgot the furnace peak which had been flattened behind him, smacked his lips, suddenly turned back, and erected a sign on the ruins with four lines engraved on it.


    ¨C


    ¡°I believe in Buddhism, I do not kill.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡±


    ¡°They said so.¡±


    ¡°¡ªChao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¨C


    If he had been just a normal Heavenly Pride who, at the beginning of his rise, was suddenly humiliated publicly and used as a stepping stone, that was a grievance of life or death that could ruin one¡¯s spiritual resolve,


    To block his path was to secure enmity.


    And to think Ning Wuping dared to say it was just a few insults.


    That was quite surprising to him.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, didn¡¯t linger further, and took the scholar and others, returning to the Fat City Inn within a few breaths.


    It was almost the last watch of the night.


    His Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for today was due to arrive, he needed to hasten to cultivate.


    With a higher cultivation, when facing these inexplicable hostilities, he could maintain a ripple-less heart, which was a backbone of true confidence. If he had only been at the first layer of Foundation Establishment and had suddenly faced this ordeal, there might have been resentment in his heart.


    But he was not.


    He could maintain his composure when insulted, as he never wished to waste words with the dead.


    ¡­


    Fat City, inside the inn.


    The scholars had already returned to their respective rooms to rest, and Fat Long, after collecting the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill in the small world and handing it to him, also withdrew.


    Chen Qiu was sitting alone cross-legged on the bed.


    After circulating his mental method several times, he then with a thought entered the small world, and using Sword Control, flew above the back mountain of the Chao Tian Sect. He drew another long sword from his bosom and crazily stabbed his own arm.


    His Spiritual Energy had almost run out under the furnace peak, so he needed to replenish it before cultivating; in no rush, he decided to save some Spirit Stones wherever possible.


    Under the combination of the entries ¡°Recovery Wind¡± and ¡°So Mine to Command¡±, the injury on his arm was rapidly healing, and, simultaneously, the Spiritual Energy inside his body was recovering quickly.


    After stabbing nearly a thousand times,


    his Spiritual Energy was completely replenished to full, and the efficiency wasn¡¯t slow either.


    It was just¡­


    Under the effect of the ¡°Slippery¡± entry, his entire body repeatedly teleported in mid-air, creating quite a bizarre scene.


    Chen Qiu nodded his head as he looked toward his arm, which had not even a single scar left, suddenly pondering something.


    The Artifact Cultivator was killed too early.


    He could really use an Artifact Cultivator right now.

 Chapter 163 - 111: That was a miracle.

    Chapter 163: Chapter 111: That was a miracle.


    For instance¡ª


    Design an arm guard with hundreds of tiny needle tips inside. Whenever he willed it, these needle tips would pierce into his body. With such an object, he would need only three breaths to instantly recover full Spiritual Energy.


    Although, due to the ¡°Slippery¡± entry, it could cause uncontrollable Teleportation everywhere.


    But all he needed to do was to retreat to his small world when his Spiritual Energy was depleted, replenish it in three breaths, and then burst out again¡ªthat would be perfect.


    That¡¯s what a perpetual motion machine would be like.


    Chen Qiu noted this matter in his heart, preparing to find an Artifact Cultivator to design such a Spiritual Treasure the next day.


    ... S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was only then that he exited the small world.


    Sitting cross-legged on the guest room bed, he looked up to the Heavenly Dao Blessing of the night.


    512 Foundation Establishment Stage low-grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, no change from yesterday¡ªit seemed these people¡¯s enthusiasm was gradually fading.


    Many things are like this, even if they¡¯re interesting, the level of discussion will slowly decrease.


    Moreover, the Fame Ranking has a mechanism where, once listed, your fame won¡¯t drop, even if no one discusses you anymore. Unless someone else catches up in fame, you can maintain your position indefinitely.


    He had risen by only one place in the Fame Ranking, it seemed that the effects of ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡± had reached their limit. Still, it was 10 mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Chen Qiu swallowed a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Stage Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, activating his mental method and slowly beginning to cultivate again.


    ¡­


    Two hours later.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath; he had absorbed all the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills granted by the night¡¯s blessing, and his Cultivation had reached¡­


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Foundation Establishment Stage Ninth Layer (47.5%)


    ¨C


    He was just half a step away from reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment Cultivation.


    After tomorrow¡¯s arrival of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he would have just enough. In fact, if he took a Golden Core pill now, he could probably reach the peak of Foundation Establishment Cultivation instantly, but that seemed somewhat unnecessary.


    To him, there was not much difference between the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment and its peak.


    ¡°Still seven pills short.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the Jade Box in his chest holding a second-grade Golden Core in each, murmuring with a distant expression. He was seven short of collecting nine second-grade Golden Cores.


    He had thought he would gain only one second-grade Golden Core tonight.


    Unexpectedly, there were two. To be honest, this was truly beyond his expectations¡ªa real pleasant surprise.


    The power of that Array Plate was too fierce; he didn¡¯t have the time to collect all the Storage Rings and Storage Bags. Most of them melted in the flames, but he had taken special care of Ning Wuping and other opulently-dressed Artifact Cultivators.


    Twenty-three Storage Rings from these people were now resting quietly in his small world.


    The auction¡¯s entry jade slips were inside one of the Storage Rings, but whether it was one or two remained to be seen. The White Artifact Refining entry, Ning Wuping clearly had little desire for it, likely because he already possessed it, definitely not to be crushed and inscribed into his Tao Foundation.


    But the other Green Artifact Refining entry¡­


    Ning Wuping seemed quite keen on it. He hoped the young man wouldn¡¯t act so hastily, crushing the entry jade slip and inscribing it into his Tao Foundation as soon as he acquired it.


    Otherwise, his gains this time would be one entry jade slip short.


    After approximately inventorying his gains, he then stored everything in his small world and turned his head to look out the window at the starry sky, a smile in his eyes.


    ¡­


    Soon, day broke.


    A piece of news had already spread throughout Fei City last night, and it continued to disseminate to nearby cities without decreasing speed.


    Forging Furnace Mountain.


    Named for its resemblance to the furnaces used by Artifact Cultivators, it was regarded as sacred ground by Da Xia¡¯s Artifact Cultivators. Last night, it was leveled to the ground by a grand array.


    Leading the Ning Family¡ªhome to ten of Fei State¡¯s peak Foundation Establishment Artifact Cultivators, headed by Ning Taiping¡ªalong with young master Ning, were wiped out overnight.


    Almost a hundred Artifact Cultivators who attended the ceremony that night vanished without a trace.


    An ominous sign stood at the remains of Forging Furnace Mountain.


    ¨C


    ¡®I¡¯m a Buddhist; I don¡¯t kill.¡¯


    ¡®Who said that?¡¯


    ¡®They said it.¡¯


    ¡ªSect Master Chen Qiu of Chao Tian Sect.


    ¨C


    Nearly a hundred people had attended the event at Forging Furnace Mountain that night, but in the end, only a few like Chen Qiu survived; the others were nowhere to be found.


    And that Chen Qiu even arrogantly refused to live incognito from then on. Instead, he left behind such a sign as if declaring war to all Artifact Cultivators in the world.


    Last night¡¯s disaster¡­


    Many young generation Artifact Cultivators of Fei State died on the spot, and Elder Ning, who was almost certain to advance to a Golden Core Artifact Refiner, perished on the spot, along with his Golden Core protectors.


    For a time¡ª


    Many sects and families received the news.


    This was the first time so many Fei State¡¯s Artifact Cultivators had fallen at the hands of another. Typically respected wherever they went, such a tragedy had never occurred before. An undercurrent imperceptible to ordinary folk began to stir throughout Fei State.


    ¡­


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    In the Fei City Lord Mansion, a portly middle-aged man sitting in a chair couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he looked at the message delivered to him by the person below: ¡°This Ning Taiping wanted to ride on Chen Qiu¡¯s momentum to boost his own.¡±


    ¡°But instead, he used his influence to enhance Chen Qiu¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°Just after acquiring the Magic Practitioner inheritance, causing such a commotion in Fei City, this Chen Qiu will no longer simply be known as a lucky Loose Cultivator. Perhaps the words heartless and of indeterminate strength will have to be added.¡±


    ¡°Quite interesting.¡±


    Meanwhile, the Elder standing behind him hesitated and said, ¡°Master, won¡¯t you take action? You are one of the top ten amongst the three hundred and sixty-five City Lords of Da Xia. With your Golden Core Seventh Layer Cultivation, capturing that Chen Qiu would be effortless.¡±

 Chapter 164 - 111: That was a miracle. _2

    Chapter 164: Chapter 111: That was a miracle. _2


    ¡°`


    ¡°Why should I intervene?¡±


    The middle-aged man looked back at the elder in puzzlement and said, ¡°I have no grudge against him, why should I attack out of the blue? When you take a shit, it¡¯s because you need to, right?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly bend over to take a crap out of nowhere, can you?¡±


    ¡°Why would I intervene without any reason?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ...


    The elder hesitated for a moment before hesitantly responding, ¡°He killed someone on your territory, which is disrespectful to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s expression turned speechless and he rolled his eyes at the elder before leaning back in his chair and taking a deep breath, saying leisurely, ¡°I know you are also an Artifact Cultivator, I understand a bit of empathy, but he didn¡¯t kill anyone within Fat City, so even if I wanted to intervene, I have no grounds to do so.¡±


    ¡°Besides, it was Ning Taiping who destroyed his Tao Foundation first, creating a deadly feud. No matter how you put it, he isn¡¯t in the right.¡±


    ¡°And besides, His Majesty assigned me to defend the Boundless Icefield, not to manage these trivial matters.¡±


    ¡°Boundless Icefield¡­¡±


    The elder looked up towards the south and muttered, ¡°City Lord, you¡¯ve been saying since you took office thirty years ago that the State Preceptor predicted a disaster for Fat Province, where countless demons will emerge from the depths of the Boundless Icefield to slaughter the entire Fat Province.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°So many years have passed with no sign of it, and not even Sword Cultivators with Golden Core Peak Cultivation who entered the depths of the Boundless Icefield have returned. What kind of demon could possibly survive in its depths?¡±


    The middle-aged man let out a cold snort, ¡°If I knew, I would be the State Preceptor.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    At this time, Chen Qiu and his group sat in the same meat soup shop as yesterday, as if nothing happened. The scholar looked at Chen Qiu with a nervous expression and said softly, ¡°These past two days, I¡¯ve figured out how to restore my Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows arched playfully as he turned to look at the scholar and said with a smile, ¡°Damn, that¡¯s good news! I¡¯m still waiting for you to inherit the Sword Cultivator¡¯s legacy and give me that Nascent Soul body.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m still two Nascent Soul bodies short and have no clue where to start.¡±


    ¡°Such good news, why that expression? Is it going to require a lot of Spirit Stones? No worries, I¡¯ve got them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡±


    The scholar shook his head feeling slightly embarrassed, but after a pause, he affirmed, ¡°Brother Qiu, the Heavenly Dao Jade you gave me last time has already mostly suppressed the toxins in my Tao Foundation.¡±


    ¡°But my legs have been eroded by the toxins for years and are useless.¡±


    ¡°To restore my Cultivation and embark on the Sword Cultivator¡¯s path again, I must first replace my bones and then detoxify them. If I exchange the Sword Bone of the Chao Tian Sect with my own¡­¡±


    ¡°I could stand again and also start cultivating once more.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary human bones certainly won¡¯t do, but that Sword Bone is no ordinary object. Moreover, if I integrate that Sword Bone into my body, my Sword Intent will become even stronger; it¡¯s just¡­ once fused, that Sword Bone can¡¯t be passed on anymore, becoming one with me.¡±


    ¡°Only after my death can it appear in the world again.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head with a sense of helplessness, ¡°I thought it was something big. That Sword Bone was intended for you anyway; just handle it as you see fit. None of us here are Sword Cultivators anymore, nor do we plan to pass it on.¡±


    ¡°But this bone-replacement sounds somewhat gruesomely surprising. Are you really going to do it just like that?¡±


    ¡°Without any other preparation?¡±


    In fact, what he really wanted to say was that the Sword Bone being exposed for tens of thousands of years might carry all sorts of bacteria, which could be deadly if swapped into the body carelessly. But then he remembered it was a Sword Bone and it felt somewhat reasonable.


    If Sword Intent can kill a person, it can surely kill some bacteria.


    ¡°We need them.¡±


    The scholar nodded, ¡°We need some heavenly materials and earth treasures to assist, some hemostatic items, roughly around three hundred Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu immediately got up to settle the bill and then prepared to go shopping with the scholar.


    ¡­


    In the small world.


    Chen Qiu had already acquired all of the heavenly materials and earth treasures the scholar needed. Now, the scholar was sitting cross-legged in a room that had been tidied into a clean dormitory, with a Sword Bone as tall as the scholar himself beside him.


    ¡°Who will do it?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    After circulating the mental method several times, the scholar took a deep breath, his fingertips trembling slightly as the long sword from his sleeve shot out, piercing deep into the root of his thigh, gouging out the leg bone.


    Immediately, his entire thigh turned limp like a deboned chicken wing drenched in chili oil.


    He then chopped off the leg bone of the Sword Bone.


    And inserted it into his right leg. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Quickly, he did the same with his left leg.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu looked on with admiration, seeing the scholar¡¯s slightly pale face devoid of blood and his tightly pressed lips; the guy had an incredible tolerance for pain!


    It was almost creepy how natural he made it seem.


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The Sword Bone¡¯s head lay quietly on the bedside, while the rest of the bones had been fully swapped into the scholar¡¯s body.


    Fat Long, puzzled, asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we swapping the skull too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    At this point, the scholar, covered in unhealed wounds and blood pooling on the ground, was exceptionally excited as he moved his legs, his voice trembling with excitement, ¡°My legs can move, my legs can move!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a cripple anymore!¡±


    A human¡¯s bones or the bones of a beast, once inside his body, would instantly be crushed to dust by his powerful Sword Intent. Only the Sword Bone, cleansed by the Sword Intent for tens of thousands of years, could fully withstand the purging of Sword Intent in his body.


    Allowing him to stand and walk again.


    And consequently nourishing him.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    After shaking with excitement and studying for a while, the scholar got up, knelt on the bed, his upper body very upright as he looked at Chen Qiu, his voice revealing a determination and huskiness.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 165 - 111: That was a miracle. _3

    Chapter 165: Chapter 111: That was a miracle. _3


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Qiu, for bestowing the Sword Bone.¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°In the future, as a scholar¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar¡¯s leg where the wound had not yet healed; the act of kneeling even revealed the ghastly white bone. He hastily waved his hand, signaling the scholar to lie down, ¡°I know, I know; there¡¯s no need for words of loyalty. Just lie down and focus on recovering.¡±


    ¡°The best way to repay me is to quickly inherit the Sword Cultivator¡¯s legacy.¡±


    ¡­


    ...


    With the aid of numerous heaven and earth treasures, the scholar¡¯s injuries recovered quickly. Even though the wound had not fully healed, the scholar could not help but get up from bed and continually paced around the disciple dormitory courtyard.


    His steps were a bit trembling.


    This was because he hadn¡¯t walked in years and was still unaccustomed to it.


    ¡°How wonderful.¡±


    Sitting on a small stool, Fat Long looked into the courtyard at the scholar, vaguely saying, ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯re close to reaching Golden Core, and the scholar is also close to regaining his cultivation. You both have bright futures.¡±


    ¡°You do too.¡±


    Chen Qiu cast a glance at Fat Long and said displeasedly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t forget you. In a few days, I¡¯ll arrange some witches for you to perform dual cultivation with.¡±


    Meanwhile,


    The scholar also struggled towards him.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± The scholar¡¯s smile was genuine; it stretched nearly to his ears, indicating his extreme excitement. ¡°After not being left maimed, the spiritual energy doesn¡¯t leak out anymore. I have much more spiritual energy available now, and all I need to do is cleanse the residual toxins from my Tao Foundation.¡±


    ¡°However¡­ I currently do not know which pill can detoxify this toxin.¡±


    ¡°But at least now I can consume far fewer Qi Replenishing Pills, so we can travel much faster.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s very good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled and said, ¡°Regarding the pills, let¡¯s see if we can find an Alchemy Cultivator to take a look at you.¡±


    ¡°But for now¡ª¡±


    ¡°We need to find an Artifact Cultivator first.¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later,


    Outside Fei City, Chen Qiu seriously squatted down and faced an old man cowering and trembling on the ground: ¡°You¡¯re Li Jia, right? I hear you¡¯re the second-ranked Artifact Cultivator in Fei City.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The old man, his eyes full of fear and body uncontrollably shaking, replied. Someone had once told him that people only remember the first and never the second. He really wanted to retort right now, calling it nonsense.


    He had been remembered, and by a dangerous man at that!


    The slaughter of the Ning Family and nearly a hundred Artifact Cultivators by Chen Qiu the previous night had already spread throughout Fei City; how could he not know and not recognize him, having even distributed portraits to his apprentices.


    He told his apprentices to be more observant and not to offend the wrong people.


    Yet he didn¡¯t do anything and didn¡¯t understand why this dangerous man had targeted him.


    He had been relieved thinking that now he would be the number one Artifact Cultivator of Fei City. He had just made a wooden plaque that read ¡°Fei City¡¯s Number One Artifact Cultivator¡± for his private room, and before he had time to hang it, this ruthless person barged in and captured him to this remote wilderness.


    Now it seemed¡­ the third-ranked Artifact Cultivator might be taking his place soon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    Chen Qiu gently patted the old man¡¯s shoulder and smiled, ¡°I need you to forge a Spiritual Treasure, a piece of arm guard, with some special requirements¡­¡±


    After reiterating his idea from last night, he then said.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The old man nodded his head like a bobblehead, saying, ¡°No problem, it¡¯s completely doable.¡±


    After learning about the design requirements, his impression of the dangerous man before him became even more concrete. A normal person wouldn¡¯t forge such a torture device. Though he didn¡¯t know who would be subjected to it, merely thinking about it was painful.


    ¡°This exchange is going rather well, no?¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head to Fat Long and smiled, ¡°The outside world always says that Fei State¡¯s Artifact Cultivators are very proud, and if you need one to craft a Spiritual Treasure, you have to beg on your knees. But it seems that sometimes rumors aren¡¯t very accurate. I find this senior very agreeable, and the communications are like a breath of fresh air.¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t know how to respond and could only force a smile that looked uglier than crying.


    ¡°What do you charge for the forging?¡±


    The old man¡¯s head quickly shook again, ¡°Your requirements are very simple, no need for Spirit Stones. Let¡¯s just take it as an apology for last night¡¯s unintelligent actions of those Artifact Cultivators offending Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s good.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood up laughing, ¡°Did you bring all the tools? I¡¯ll wait here for you, start now.¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    Chen Qiu let the old man go and sat in the inn playing with his new arm guard, a lower-quality Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure, just as the old man had said, not very powerful but just right for him.


    Once he donned this arm guard,


    and spiritual energy surged in with a thought, over a hundred steel needles would pierce into his body. Because it was a lower-quality Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure, it ensured it would harm him but not cause major injuries.


    It only took less than three breaths.


    to instantly refill his spiritual energy, which was much faster than any Qi Replenishing Pill or Spirit Stone, and without any impurities. This seemingly insignificant lower-quality Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure was definitely a crucial tactic in his enduring battles.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    Chen Qiu, satisfied, wore the arm guard inside his clothes on his left arm. From the outside, it was completely invisible. This arm guard had some defensive power, but being just a lower-quality Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure, one shouldn¡¯t hope for too much.


    It was already noon by then.


    But the entire Fei City was still very quiet without any disturbances.


    Chen Qiu looked out the window, puzzled, ¡°Didn¡¯t those Artifact Cultivators claim they had many protectors behind them? Isn¡¯t anyone coming for revenge?¡±

 Chapter 166 - 111: That was a miracle. _4

    Chapter 166: Chapter 111: That was a miracle. _4


    He had also prepared to lure over the Golden Cores behind those people.


    Then, he planned to raid some sects and families without great formations, those Artifact Cultivators were truly wealthy, he was genuinely envious.


    Indeed, it was a land of plenty.


    Spiritual Energy abundant, tempers abundant too.


    He shook his head and said no more, introspecting within himself, he hadn¡¯t yet chosen the entry that appeared after his breakthrough to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, he had been too busy to look at it until now when he finally had the time.


    ¡­


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In the northernmost part of Da Xia Country.


    Within the Endless Desert.


    A young Brown Bear stood on a high platform, enjoying the excited cheers of countless members of the Brown Bear Clan, while not far away, in the very center of the desert, dense patches of Spirit Rice were gracefully dancing.


    ¡°Son, you¡¯ve done it.¡±


    The young Brown Bear¡¯s father was equally excited as he patted his son¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I apologize for doubting you earlier, I never imagined you could actually grow Spirit Rice in the desert!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a miracle!¡±


    ¡°A problem that the Devil Clan hasn¡¯t solved for so many years, and you¡¯ve solved it!¡±


    ¡°Son, do you see the fanatical look in the eyes of our clan members? You¡¯ve replaced me as the Clan Leader of this tribe already, and before long, you could even become the king of the Brown Bear Clan!¡±


    The young Brown Bear¡¯s furry mouth corners lifted slightly, as he stood on his hind legs, his gaze icy and filled with fighting spirit as he looked toward the direction of Xuzhou, ¡°I¡¯ve always said, the Devil Clan must be united!¡±


    ¡°It starts with the unification of the Brown Bear Clan, becoming the king of the Brown Bear Clan is just the beginning, not the end.¡±


    ¡°Father, please select some strong members of the Brown Bear Clan. I need to train soldiers, arm them to the teeth. In the future, they will be the core strength of my Devil Clan¡¯s army, as well as my trusted followers.¡±


    ¡°When the Devil Clan¡¯s army breaks through Xuzhou¡ª¡±


    ¡°The glory belonging to the Brown Bear Clan will spread across the entire continent!¡±


    Just as the young Brown Bear¡¯s eyes showed his unabashed vision for the future, and the aura of a ruler almost materialized around him, he failed to notice that the tribe members down below, who had been excitedly cheering, had begun to fall silent, their eyes filled with confusion as they looked toward their new Clan Leader.


    Even the Old Clan Chief looked at the young Brown Bear with some confusion, ¡°Son, I have a question, what do you need trained soldiers for?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The young Brown Bear frowned deeply, turning to his father with some incomprehension, but still raised his furry bear paw coldly and said, ¡°It¡¯s of course to invade Da Xia, to occupy the fertile lands of Xuzhou!¡±


    ¡°To carve out a homeland for the Brown Bear Clan!¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of conquering territories?¡±


    ¡°Countless food!!!¡±


    The young Brown Bear declared decisively and with fiery enthusiasm.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The Old Clan Chief, puzzled, pointed towards the dense Spirit Rice dancing in the desert: ¡°Don¡¯t we already have an endless supply of food?¡±


    ¡°Under your leadership, my son, it took us less than ten days to successfully cultivate a vast expanse of Spirit Rice in the desert and even brought in a great harvest. We already have so much food now, why take the risk of our people dying to invade Da Xia Country?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of the young Brown Bear¡¯s mouth twitched, and after a long silence, he finally spoke softly, ¡°That was a miracle.¡±


    ¡°A miracle that unites the Devil Clan. My intention was to use this miracle to strengthen the Devil Clan¡¯s unity, not for the Devil Clan to live happily off these rice crops in the Endless Desert.¡±


    ¡°I understand your intention, son. My point is we already have endless food, so why attack Da Xia Country?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young Brown Bear stopped speaking, his face expressionless as he walked to the side of the high platform, leaped into the air gracefully, tracing an elegant parabola, and nosedived head-first into the desert, motionless.


    He was feeling weary at heart, he longed for home, how he wished he could go back home.


    Impossible to lead.


    Wasn¡¯t it just by rousing people¡¯s emotions with half a million loaves of bread during that one person¡¯s speech? Why couldn¡¯t he stir them up.

 Chapter 167 - 112:

    Chapter 167: Chapter 112: ¡°Whom Shall I Choose?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young brown bear, with an expressionless face, pulled its head out of the desert and sat on the sands, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon. All around him, the excited voices of his tribespeople celebrating the bountiful harvest of Spirit Rice filled the air, yet he remained silent and unmoving.


    The joys and sorrows between individuals are often disconnected.


    It is the same among brown bears.


    The Endless Desert is no ordinary desert; its sands, baked under the intense sun, would instantly roast a seed placed within them, even at night. To cultivate rice in such an environment would indeed be astonishing.


    Naturally, it was he who stealthily planted the Spirit Rice while all his tribespeople slept, thus creating an illusion that he led his people to a miraculous harvest, which, while solidifying their unity, also cemented his position as the Young Clan Leader.


    ...


    But now¡­


    It seemed he had strayed a bit off course.


    Or perhaps these brown bears held no great animosity towards Da Xia Country. In the eyes of these brown bears, the demon beasts, still void of Spiritual Wisdom, were fundamentally different from themselves; no matter how many of these demon beasts were killed, they felt no pity. They even killed and devoured them themselves.


    In such a case, to train an army of their own from the Devil Clan, he needed to think of another way.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young brown bear looked down at his fluffy bear paws for a moment and then lifted his gaze towards the edge of the desert¡¯s sunset, muttering to himself.


    ¡°If I weren¡¯t a transmigrator, I might live in obscurity.¡±


    ¡°But since heaven has given me this opportunity to change the world,¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t achieve something significant¡ª¡±


    ¡°How could I face my hometown and elders.¡±


    ¡­


    In Fei City, within Fei Country.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the bed of an inn¡¯s room, introspecting above his Dantian where a panel, enshrouded in mist, appeared after he broke through to the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. He had yet to choose his new entry.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, officially stepping into the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: If not mad, then not alive. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you feel pain, you will slowly recover from your injuries. The more intense the pain your body endures, the faster you will heal.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Lunar Night Demon Wolf.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you sign a Beast Taming Contract with the first ¡®Lunar Night Demon Wolf,¡¯ its size will increase tenfold, and it will be able to absorb Moonlight Essence for cultivation.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Real and Illusion.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Every time you launch a spell attack, it will automatically generate an Illusion of the attack that cannot cause any damage and cannot be discerned by Divine Sense.


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu slightly squinted his eyes at the three entries before him. To be honest, he was a bit tempted to choose ¡°If not mad, then not alive,¡± the White-level entry, mainly because it could combo with another entry he had.


    ¡°Man of Heavenly Defect.¡±


    This entry could significantly enhance the sense of pain when one closed their eyes or was blinded.


    And the entry he got randomly when he broke through to the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°Unbearable pain.¡±


    The pain endured is increased by five times but will also make the enemy¡¯s pain feel five times greater with each attack.


    He did not choose it at the time, but he still had one Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman he hadn¡¯t used yet, and he could completely pick the entry he had passed up on if he wanted to. However, it seemed somewhat unnecessary; amplifying the sense of pain only increased the speed of his physical injury recovery.


    It overlapped a bit with his set of entries.


    Currently, he didn¡¯t really need to enhance the speed at which he healed from physical injuries.


    It seemed like an entry more suited for Body Cultivation practitioners, like¡­ Zhao Yishi.


    ¡°Man of Heavenly Defect¡± + ¡°Unbearable pain¡± + ¡°If not mad, then not alive¡±, and if one is more ruthless, blinding oneself or being born blind, they might be able to withstand a demon tide and fight their way through.


    If the enemy also has the ¡°Unbearable pain¡± entry, the attack inflicted on you would make your pain increase by another five times.


    One could potentially withstand a rain of swords and advance boldly, but¡­ it would probably be quite painful.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and eventually gave up on the ¡°If not mad, then not alive¡± entry set. This set had quite a large drawback. Not to mention anything else, the human capacity to endure pain has limits; if the pain is too intense, even with a firm will, one is likely to faint from the pain.


    If one were to be afflicted by some extremely painful poison or curse,


    It was not impossible to die purely from pain.


    He still had one chance to use a Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman, and if he didn¡¯t use it now, it would be useless after advancing to the Golden Core Stage. Since ¡°If not mad, then not alive¡± was out,


    That left only ¡°Lunar Night Demon Wolf¡± and ¡°Real and Illusion¡± to choose from.


    He quite liked ¡°Real and Illusion¡±; doubling his future Thunder Dragon attack with half of them real and half illusions, it would take quite some time to discern them. Not to mention anything else, just in terms of the impact on morale, it would be a significant boost.


    And ¡°Lunar Night Demon Wolf¡± seemed to be a top-tier entry in ¡°Cultivation Hundred Skills¡± under the category of ¡°Beast Taming.¡±


    With this entry, as long as he signed a Beast Taming Contract with a Lunar Night Demon Wolf, his strength would significantly increase. But it wasn¡¯t very useful for him; he didn¡¯t really need it.


    Could he handle a Lunar Night Demon Wolf if he encountered one?


    Nevertheless, since it was a rare entry that he had not seen before, he¡¯d see if he could encounter a ¡°Lunar Night Demon Wolf¡± before his Core Formation Stage. If he did, he would keep the entry for it; if not, he would just use the entry as Core Formation Material.

 Chapter 168 - 112:

    Chapter 168: Chapter 112: ¡°Who Should I Choose?¡±_2


    ¡­


    ¡°Lunar Night Demon Wolf?¡±


    The scholar furrowed his brows and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it, but the name suggests it¡¯s one of those Devil Clan members with Spiritual Wisdom, not the kind of demon beast that lacks it.¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few Beast Tamers in Da Xia, some even practice Dual Cultivation with demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°Who are you hinting at?¡± Fat Long looked expressionlessly at the scholar.


    ¡°Nobody, I¡¯m not referring to you, Fat Long. It¡¯s true that besides you, there are these people in Da Xia, and not a few of them at that. After all, some people possess entries that are very suitable for Dual Cultivation. For them, to not take the path of Dual Cultivation would be akin to wasting all the entries they were randomly granted.¡±


    ...


    ¡°But then, if you tell them to treat men and women as supplements and consumables like the ¡®Flower Offering Sect¡¯, an approach similar to that of the demon path, their conscience wouldn¡¯t allow them to harm the innocent.¡±


    ¡°And so, those Dual Cultivators with a conscience go looking for demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°From time to time, you hear about someone who found a Devil Clan member with Spiritual Wisdom, washed their hands of their past life, and fell in love, living together at the ends of the earth. After all, ordinary demon beasts can¡¯t survive the intense Spiritual Energy impact brought about by Dual Cultivation, but the higher-cultivated Devil Clan members with Wisdom can withstand it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, for the same reason, I rarely go to small taverns to eat meat dishes. Those who practice Dual Cultivation with demon beasts, they wouldn¡¯t just throw away the dead beasts. After all, it¡¯s money. And some would specifically bargain to buy such meat and send it to the smaller taverns¡­ Once it¡¯s chopped up for stuffing, you wouldn¡¯t know what meat it is.¡±


    Fat Long nodded thoughtfully, ¡°I always thought my behavior was somewhat beastly, sometimes even feel a bit inferior. But hearing you say this, it seems I¡¯m actually one of the conscientious ones?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you are.¡±


    ¡°What Devil Clan member did that man in love in Da Xia Country recently find? Let me use it as a reference.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Elephant Demon.¡±


    ¡°Elephant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, with all four limbs on the ground, the back is more than thirty zhang high from the ground.¡±


    ¡°And¡­?¡±


    ¡°That Heavenly Elephant Demon is a Golden Core Demon Cultivator; Devil Clan members who have reached the Golden Core can transform into human form.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I thought as much.¡±


    Fat Long waved his hand awkwardly, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Da Xia care about this human-demon romance?¡±


    ¡°Why should Da Xia care about that?¡±


    ¡°Forbidden love.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The scholar said somewhat speechlessly, ¡°Da Xia isn¡¯t that idle.¡±


    Only then did he look seriously at Chen Qiu, who was nearby, enjoying his wine, ¡°Brother Qiu, as for that Lunar Night Demon Wolf you mentioned, although I haven¡¯t heard of it, it¡¯s definitely not in the Endless Desert, that¡¯s for sure. Although the Endless Desert is home to a number of Devil Clan members, not every clan member is suitable for life in the desert.¡±


    ¡°Just from the name, Lunar Night Demon Wolf doesn¡¯t sound like it would be very suited to the Devil Clan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Most likely, it¡¯s in the Boundless Icefield, Boundless Sea, or the Boundless Snow Mountain.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, not too concerned about the matter. He had merely asked casually; if he couldn¡¯t find it, he wasn¡¯t going to bother looking. It wasn¡¯t anything important. Then, appearing quite pleased, he finished the wine in his cup and looked over at the two scholars.


    ¡°Indeed, Spiritual Wine tastes much better than ordinary wine. Do you want to try some?¡±


    He had plenty of Spirit Stones in his pocket.


    However, he had never heard of Spiritual Wine nor had anyone mentioned it to him. When he returned to the inn just now, he saw someone order a jar of Spiritual Wine, so he decided to try it as well.


    It must be said.


    The taste was indeed delightful, sour and sweet, clear without much impurity, with hardly any alcohol flavor, almost non-existent. When drunk, it brought a faint permeation of Spiritual Energy into the body, which was almost negligible in aiding Cultivation.


    But indeed, it was comfortable to drink.


    Without waiting for the two to speak, Chen Qiu stood up, quickly finished two jars of wine, then slapped the table and headed for the door.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I suddenly remembered something.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hu¡­¡±


    In Fei City, within the underground seclusion chamber of a certain family, an old man with a wrinkled face took a deep breath and looked at the entrance that had just been repaired. He then settled down a bit and sat down on the chair.


    His name was Li Jia.


    Previously, he was the second-ranked Artifact Cultivator in Fei City.


    Of course, now he was the number one Artifact Cultivator.


    Although the fierce person had blown open the entrance to the seclusion chamber with one move and dragged him outside to the wilds of Fei City, no matter what, that person still seemed quite honorable by letting him go. It didn¡¯t seem like he was as bloodthirsty as the rumors suggested.


    Now everything had passed; sitting on the chair, he couldn¡¯t help but gaze at the wooden plaque newly hung on the wall, indulging in its sight.


    ¡®Fei City¡¯s Number One Artifact Cultivator.¡¯


    The title sounded so pleasing; he had coveted it for a long time. Of course, the wooden plaque definitely couldn¡¯t be hung out in the open; people would laugh at him. But there was no problem in hanging it in the seclusion chamber for personal admiration.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The freshly sealed entrance to the seclusion chamber was once again blasted open by a Thunder Dragon, and he just glimpsed four men rushing toward him. Then, the next moment he opened his eyes, he was already outside in the wilderness of Fei City.


    ¡­


    ¡°Elderly sir.¡±


    Chen Qiu squatted down, patting the shoulder of the old man in front of him with a serious face, ¡°I just remembered, there¡¯s something I need your help with. I have a batch of Storage Rings with enchantments that need breaking. Can you do it?¡±


    With that¡ª


    A handful of Storage Rings were scattered on the ground by Chen Qiu.


    These were all amassed by him over the past few days, or more accurately, collected over the previous night. There were those of Elder Ning, Mr. Ning, and others from the Artifact Cultivators and Alchemy Cultivators. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 169 - 112:

    Chapter 169: Chapter 112: ¡°Who to Choose?¡±_3


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The old man looked around at the familiar scene with a desire to cry but no tears to shed, then glanced down at the storage rings on the ground and said with a trembling voice, ¡°It¡¯s possible to break them, all these storage rings can be broken, but I can¡¯t break those few with the aura of golden cores in them.¡±


    ¡°Those two storage rings with strong golden core auras usually have enchantments laid by a Golden Core Great Power, which ordinary people find difficult to unlock.¡±


    ¡°As for the remaining seven¡­ their golden core auras are weak, they belong to Old Thief Ning¡­ but Old Thief Ning himself is extremely skilled at breaking the enchantments on storage rings, and he has set up many enchantments in his rings too, I can¡¯t break those either.¡±


    ¡°I can break all the others, though.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brows slightly furrowed. Is the second-ranked artifact cultivator in Fei City this incompetent? Back in Kai Mountain City, he randomly picked a shopkeeper, and that old man could even break Golden Core storage rings; it seemed like he might need to take a trip back to Kai Mountain City again.


    Afterward, without saying much more, he simply gathered up the nine golden core-aura storage rings.


    ¡°Then leave these nine to me, and break the others.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Three hours later.


    The sky had darkened, and the stars above looked especially beautiful, getting brighter and seemingly closer, as if they were about to crash down at any moment.


    On the grass beside him.


    Chen Qiu was lying on the grass, using his arms as a pillow, gazing at the stars above with a distant look in his eyes. The view was truly captivating. In his previous life, he rarely had the chance to see so many stars. Under the starry sky, one often feels a sense of insignificance.


    He wondered if one day his cultivation would advance enough for him to travel to those stars and take a closer look.


    And at that moment¡ª


    The old man, whose hands were trembling from long hours of intense focus, finally set down all the storage rings and looked up at Chen Qiu, his voice trembling, ¡°I¡¯ve unlocked them all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then you can go.¡±


    Chen Qiu waved his hand, indicating the old man could go home, but just as the old man prepared to turn around and leave, Chen Qiu suddenly spoke up, ¡°Fat Long, settle the old gentleman¡¯s account according to the rates for breaking storage ring enchantments in Kai Mountain City.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not evil cultivators or demon cultivators or anything like that; we can¡¯t let him leave empty-handed. We can¡¯t even take one needle or thread from ordinary folks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them lose heart.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡±


    Fat Long stood up and walked briskly toward the old man, stuffing a storage bag into his embrace with a smile, ¡°All the spirit stones are in here, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t break the two Golden Cores¡¯ storage rings, he got what he wanted the most: two entry jade slips. Ning Wuping was a good man; he didn¡¯t crush the entry jade slips right away. It seemed he had been planning to find an auspicious day for it, which gave Chen Qiu an opportunity.


    That¡¯s really good.


    The rest was just a bunch of miscellaneous items, totaling more than 4,000 spirit stones, along with some pills, a forging furnace, and various materials for refining spiritual treasures. Most of them he didn¡¯t recognize.


    But carelessly placed in the storage rings, not even packaged in boxes, they probably weren¡¯t very valuable materials.


    He piled all of them in a corner of the small world he had set aside as storage.


    These things won¡¯t sell for much, but it¡¯s better to keep them in case they come in handy one day.


    After that, he turned his attention to his own stats panel.


    ¨C


    ¡°Name¡±: Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Foundation Establishment Stage Nine Layers (47.5%).


    ¡°Entries¡±: Step by Step High, Resentful Spirit Summoning, Deficient One, Spiritual Energy Intimidating, Dantian Expansion (Unique), Self-Destruction Term, Every Plant and Tree, Alchemy Posture, Concentrated Power (Thunder Summoning Technique), Recovery Wind, Calculated Step by Step, Slippery, Resurrection, Capable of Toppling a Nation and a City, For My Use, Lunar Night Demon Wolf, Real and Illusion, Refining Technique, Artifact Refining God, Complements Each Other, Dual Casting, Ten Layers of Spellcasting.


    ¡°Cultivation Technique¡±: Earth Tunneling Technique, Obfuscation Spell, Thunder Summoning Technique, Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique.


    ¡°Spirit Beast¡±: None.


    ¡°Sect¡±: Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master.


    ¡°Country¡±: Da Xia Country.


    ¨C


    Total of 22 entries.


    There are a few entries that are practically useless and can be used for self-destruction at any time, such as ¡°Alchemy Posture,¡± ¡°Refining Technique,¡± etc. These self-destructible entries are considered his last resort.


    They can also be used as materials for core formation.


    A ten-tier Golden Core requires ten entries of any kind as core formation materials.


    There are also some that are useful, but not that significant, like ¡°Deficient One,¡± which can also be used as a self-destruction entry in a critical moment.


    These 22 entries are currently his biggest trump cards.


    If he was truly cornered¡­


    Apart from some untouchable entries, a succession of more than a dozen all-out attacks from Golden Core nine-layer power, as long as the opponent isn¡¯t a Nascent Soul, he didn¡¯t believe anyone could withstand it. Of course, this was pretty much a mutual destruction tactic, and even if he survived, his future potential would drop significantly.


    While Chen Qiu was examining his panel and thinking about what he might have missed, Fat Long suddenly said with a trembling voice, ¡°Brother Qiu¡­ It looks like the sky is falling.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s falling again?¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed somewhat helplessly. His consciousness withdrew from his body, and he looked up following Fat Long¡¯s line of sight. The smile that was on his face slowly froze. The stars above, like a shower of meteors, were plummeting down with trails of red flame.


    Not traveling across. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But¡­ crashing down!


    Visible to the naked eye, countless stars were getting closer to them, at least tens of thousands of stars falling from the sky.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He immediately got up and slapped the scholar, who had fallen asleep next to him, awake while saying anxiously, ¡°Get up, time to run!¡±


    Yes, it was time to run again.


    He had a feeling that if he didn¡¯t leave soon, he might end up getting swept up in it just like the Demon Race invasion.

 Chapter 170 - 112:

    Chapter 170: Chapter 112: ¡°Who to Choose?¡±_4


    However, before he could say anything more, he heard a time-worn and ethereal voice beside his ear.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Calamity descends upon the world, ¡°Evil Clan invasion¡± shall arise in the Boundless Icefield south of Fei City.


    Stars plummeting from the sky, the Evil Clan invades.


    ¨C


    A decree exceedingly brief, and yet almost simultaneously, three more arose.


    ...


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Calamity descends upon the world, ¡°Evil Clan invasion¡± shall arise in the Endless Desert north of Xuzhou.


    Stars plummeting from the sky, the Evil Clan invades.


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±:¡­


    ¨C


    East, south, west, north, the four corners.


    Endless Desert, Boundless Icefield, Boundless Snow Mountain, Boundless Sea.


    All at the same time succumbed to the ¡°Evil Clan Invasion¡±, only the central region of Da Xia Country remained unscathed,


    ¡°¡­run first,¡±


    Chen Qiu gazed into the distance, noticing that this time there were no dark clouds bearing down, and the decree did not indicate they were forbidden to leave Fei City, meaning they could leave. The scholar wasted no time either.


    Within ten breaths, spiritual energy surged forth.


    Soon they arrived at the summit of the tallest mountain at the edge of Fei City, where they could at any moment leave the boundaries of Fei City, watching as the sky full of stars smashed into the edges of the Boundless Icefield, even causing the ground to shake.


    Chen Qiu looked up and noticed that the countless stars in the sky barely seemed reduced in number, insignificant compared to the entirety of the night sky.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving, Brother Qiu?¡±


    Fat Long stood beside him on the peak, overlooking the entire Fei City, which had been plunged into darkness with the coming of night, but as the decree echoed, countless homes lit up with lights, so that at a glance, Fei City seemed ablaze with a wildfire of stars.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Without speaking, Chen Qiu¡¯s brows furrowed as he looked toward the edge of the Boundless Icefield, at which point he could already feel a vast evil energy surging towards Fei City from the Boundless Icefield. This time, the number of members of the Evil Clan was undoubtedly much greater than that during the last Demon Race invasion.


    This time, Fei City was probably in danger.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Chen Qiu did not hesitate further but immediately called on the scholar, not staying long on the mountaintop, and shot towards the Da Xia Capital.


    The scale of this Evil Clan invasion was much larger than that of the previous Demon Race incursion.


    There must be members of the Evil Clan with Golden Cores among them.


    In such a grand battlefield, not to mention anything else, a single sweep of the Divine Sense from a Golden Core Evil Clan member would be enough to end them on the spot, leaving no room for involvement.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Inside the City Lord Mansion. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A fat-faced man sitting in the City Lord Chair, currently laughing with a cup of wine in his hand, closed his eyes and drunkenly savored the overwhelming evil energy coming from the Boundless Icefield, murmuring,


    ¡°I¡¯ve waited thirty years, and finally, it has come. The Lord National Master is truly omniscient.¡±


    ¡°It really is¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been itching to throw a punch for so long.¡±


    The next moment!


    A tumultuous spiritual energy burst forth with a skyward murderous intent within the City Lord Mansion, and the man vanished on the spot without a trace.


    ¡­


    Just as Chen Qiu was already far from Fei City, shooting toward the Capital,


    that time-worn and ethereal voice sounded once again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The world is on the brink of conflict, and the invasion of the ¡°Evil Clan¡± has commenced. In this version, cultivators, members of the Devil Clan, the Evil Clan, and others with a cultivation level of the early Golden Core stage and above are unable to take action, nor can they be attacked.


    The ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking¡± is now open.


    After the invasion of the Evil Clan concludes, rewards will be given based on the ranking positions.


    If the ¡°Evil Clan invasion¡± does not conclude within ten days, the ¡°worldwide conflict¡± will immediately commence.


    ¨C


    At this moment, on the Boundless Icefield.


    The Fat City Lord who was lying on the ground panting with a ferocious expression suddenly felt the pressure on him vanish as he heard the voice of the Heavenly Dao Decree by his ear. He struggled to get up from the ground and looked towards the nine Evil Clan members, each at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak.


    He started to laugh with a sense of having survived a calamity.


    ¡°Almost died there.¡±


    ¡°Before the State Preceptor sent me here, he didn¡¯t tell me that my opponents were nine Evil Clan members at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak, huh?¡±


    ¡°Does the State Preceptor trust me that much?¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu and others who had already left the boundary of Fei City, upon hearing the Heavenly Dao Decree, did not hesitate for a moment and immediately turned around to rush towards the Boundless Icefield.


    Golden Cores cannot take action, so what is there for him to fear?


    No matter how numerous the Evil Clan is, he alone could slaughter them all. With his current strength, as long as Golden Cores do not take action, any number of Foundation Establishment would be mere ants to him.


    A hundred breaths later.


    Chen Qiu and the others once again set foot on the Boundless Icefield. The Icefield was still like any other day, with millions of miles of dark clouds spreading overhead, and there was no end in sight. The bone-chillingly cold wind roared out from the depths of the Boundless Icefield.


    Only today, there was an addition of evil energy.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood on the Boundless Icefield, looking towards the horizon where there were as many as a hundred thousand members of the Evil Clan. He frowned without saying a word, and his main concern was that these Evil Clan members did not seem particularly pleasant in appearance.


    Somewhat human, yet not.


    With hands and feet, as well as¡­ nine pairs of eyes.


    The upper body was naked, with eight pairs of eyes neatly embedded on the abdomen, resembling a sow¡¯s belly. And as for the head, there was not a single piece of skin to be found, as if the scalp had been ripped off, the flesh exposed.


    And no skull.


    The white brain matter was exposed to the air, jiggling with every step taken ¨C there must be some transparent membrane protecting the brain matter, or else it would all fall out if they were to stand on their heads.


    Now, these Evil Clan members who occupied almost the entire Boundless Icefield were rushing out from the depths of the Icefield, clashing with the cultivators from Fei City.


    The grand and chaotic fluctuations of spiritual energy along with the collision of the two sides created an extremely shocking roar above the Boundless Icefield.


    Countless severed limbs flew through the air.


    Blood dyed the ground of the Boundless Icefield red.


    The continuous screams and roars formed the main theme of the Boundless Icefield.


    Those members of the Evil Clan seemed unable to speak, or perhaps their language was incomprehensible to others ¨C they were just making random, unintelligible noises. However, it was evident that they possessed spiritual wisdom.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, who stood still and did not immediately join the battlefield, observed the edges of the combat zone. His eyes suddenly narrowed slightly when he noticed a dead tree growing incongruously in a corner of the Boundless Icefield.


    He didn¡¯t recognize this thing before.


    But he had learned last time that this was called the Evil Wood.


    It grew in the Evil Land, and the peculiar thing was that only the Evil Land in and around Fei City could produce such wood. Moreover, it was not a rare object, quite common in fact.


    And it wasn¡¯t particularly valuable.


    He hadn¡¯t noticed that there was an Evil Wood growing on the Boundless Icefield before. What really caught his attention was that some of the members of the Evil Clan, who looked like monsters, were about a dozen whose eyes shone with visible excitement and agitation as they rushed desperately at the dead tree!


    And even¡­


    The slowest among the Evil Clan had begun to raise their blades and strike at their own kind.


    As the two races began their great battle, the Evil Clan not only refrained from joining the fray but instead turned their blades against each other, creating an eerie tableau.

 Chapter 171 - 113: Damn it...

    Chapter 171: Chapter 113: ¡®Damn it¡­


    This scene was extremely inconspicuous within the chaotic battlefield, so much so that almost no one noticed it.


    But Chen Qiu happened to catch this scene.


    Although the Golden Core couldn¡¯t make a move, and the combined Evil Clan members here were no match for him, he was used to making a decision internally before acting. Thus, he didn¡¯t join the battlefield right away. This observation allowed him to witness this scene exactly.


    The dozen or so members of the Evil Clan, faces flush with excitement and exhilaration, were running toward the Evil Wood.


    Contending with each other along the way.


    In the end¡­


    ...


    One badly injured member of the Evil Clan grabbed the Evil Wood and immediately placed it into his Storage Ring. He then yelled loudly and did not continue to fight; instead, he turned around and fled into the depths of the Boundless Icefield.


    It looked like he intended to become a deserter.


    As for the other members of the Evil Clan who brushed past him, not one paid him any attention; they all brandished their cleavers and roared ferociously as they continued to charge toward the Cultivators of Fei Zhou!


    ¡°Hold the line, hold the line!!!¡±


    At the edge of the Boundless Icefield, the Great Elder of Sky Wolf Sect, unable to act because of the Heavenly Dao rules, stood frozen in place, unable to move. He could only turn his head and look towards his battling disciples as the veins on his neck bulged with his bellowed command: ¡°Kill these ghostly fiends!!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Follow.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes remained fixed on the member of the Evil Clan who had snatched up the Evil Wood and turned to run deep into the Icefield, and he patted the scholar on the shoulder, signaling him to follow.


    Liu Guang shot out.


    They flew over the battlefield; their speed was so great that the chaotic battlefield below had not yet reacted, and they had already jumped over it, standing high above and overlooking the Evil Clan member running excitedly against the crowd below.


    The Evil Clan member ran upstream, ignoring his kin who were charging forward around him.


    After running for about the time it takes three sticks of incense to burn, the area was only half a stick of incense away from the Inheritance Secret Realm.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted; he had originally thought that this Evil Clan attack was only what he had just seen, but deep in the Boundless Icefield, a hundred Zhang in diameter circle of light was spreading on the ground.


    At that moment, an endless number of members of the Evil Clan were emerging from within the circle.


    Every member of the Evil Clan emerged from the circle wielding a cleaver, their faces filled with eager and ferocious expressions, and proceeded to charge forward and gather together.


    And that circle¡­


    Was strikingly formed by 1024 meteorites.


    These falling stars that plummeted to the ground, most of the meteorites scattered aside, but these 1024 meteorites, arranged in a huge circle like some Formation, neatly crashed deep into the ground.


    The meteorites continuously emitted strange glows, a white beam connected all the meteorites together, and eventually formed a large teleportation array-like white circle of light.


    As for that¡ª


    The Evil Clan member holding the Evil Wood, his face flushed with excitement, was briskly jogging to the side of the circle, then without any hesitation, soared midair through Sword Flight, directly plummeting into the hundred Zhang wide circle.


    But just as this member of the Evil Clan was about to drop into the circle¡­


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Dozens of Thunder Dragons appeared without warning above this member of the Evil Clan, instantly blasting the person into pieces, with a large amount of flesh falling into the circle and, accompanied by a faint white flash, instantly disappeared from the spot.


    He fell dead on the spot.


    Even that Storage Ring carrying the Evil Wood also fell into the circle, disappearing along with the flesh.


    This commotion also caught the attention of quite a few members of the Evil Clan below.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    In an instant, countless members of the Evil Clan roared and soared into the sky through Sword Flight, aiming to encircle and kill Chen Qiu. Chen Qiu, watching this scene unfold, didn¡¯t immediately take action, but merely furrowed his brows slightly, taking the Storage Ring with the Evil Wood that Sect Master Zhao had given him.


    He scattered them all towards the far reaches above.


    The moment thousands of Evil Wood appeared¡­


    He could even feel the breathing of those members of the Evil Clan below halting for a moment, followed by an extremely terrifying roar of excitement bursting forth. Almost instantly, everyone virtually dropped their target of Chen Qiu, all soaring in the air towards those thousands of Evil Wood!


    Like mice seeing cheese.


    Instantly losing their minds.


    And even hundreds of members of the Evil Clan in the air had already started fighting fiercely, their cleavers mercilessly smashing on the heads of their kin, with a lot of brain matter mixed with blood scattered in mid-air.


    All members of the Evil Clan¡¯s eyes were blood-red at this moment, having completely lost their rationality, their eyes solely fixed on the Evil Wood scattered in mid-air.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, knitted brows looking downward, was completely certain of his thought; his right hand waved again, sending thousands of silk-like Spiritual Energy out, gathering back all those Evil Wood nearby midair into the small world.


    He then made no move.


    But he and the group of scholars turned into Liu Guang and disappeared from the place.


    The members of the Evil Clan below, seeing the sudden disappearance of the Evil Wood, all glared in the direction where the scholar had fled, faces fierce and angry as they roared. But with their speed, it was absolutely impossible to catch up with the scholar.


    But as if they were certain of something.


    The emotions of these members of the Evil Clan surged even higher, they raised the cleavers in their hands, faces fierce and eagerly excited as they charged toward Fei Zhou!


    ¡­


    Returning to the edge of the Boundless Icefield.


    Chen Qiu once again observed the battlefield closely. The war had already been raging for quite some time, but not too many Fei Zhou Cultivators had fallen. It¡¯s not that the Fei Zhou Cultivators were too strong, but those members of the Evil Clan¡­ simply had no heart in the fight.


    Those members of the Evil Clan seemed to have only one goal, which was to bypass these tough Fei Zhou Cultivator bones and penetrate into the interior of Fei Zhou. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So as to seize a large number of Evil Wood.

 Chapter 172 - 113: Damn it..._2

    Chapter 172: Chapter 113: ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯_2


    Yes, the Evil Wood.


    From various indications, it could basically be confirmed that the Evil Wood, which may not be found everywhere in the State of Fei but is certainly not considered of much value, seemed like an extremely rare heavenly material and earthly treasure in the eyes of those from the Evil Clan.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Standing to the side, Fat Long¡¯s complexion was complex as he hesitated and then said, ¡°Did you feel that the hundred zhang light circle just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood what Fat Long meant. It seemed that the Evil Clan had specifically come for the Evil Wood, and that white light circle was a Teleportation Array set up by the Evil Clan, capable of crossing vast distances.


    ...


    The Evil Clan member who had first snatched the Evil Wood ran towards the light circle with the wood in arms, seemingly ready to head home.


    Like a mouse that had stolen a peach, scurrying back to its nest.


    Of course.


    In the end, he failed to make it home, the last thing he saw in his life being dozens of Thunder Dragons.


    This feeling was somewhat like¡­ like that of their Da Xia Country, which was imprisoned in the center by the Four Forbidden Lands, appearing like a treasure land protected within a Formation, while those from the Evil Clan were like those who had broken into the treasure land to snatch away the treasures.


    It gave him that kind of feeling.


    His Divine Sense swept over the small world again, where the Evil Wood was piled up like a small mountain. He really hadn¡¯t expected this insignificant thing in the State of Fei to possibly be a priceless treasure?


    Was it just that they had not found the way to use it, only knowing to burn it for warmth?


    If this thing really was a treasure, then who would seek justice for the Evil Wood burned in the past? Wouldn¡¯t that be a terrible waste?


    ¡­


    He knew that the other conditions and thresholds for the tenth-grade Golden Core were extremely rare, so how could the final two required heavenly materials and earthly treasures be mere common items? Since the Evil Wood wasn¡¯t a common item, then that even rarer fruit called the ¡°Eight Desolate Fruit,¡± which they dubbed useless, must certainly be a significant heavenly material and earthly treasure.


    It was just that they failed to recognize its value.


    It was a pity that the Eight Desolate Fruit Fat Long had asked ¡°World Pavilion¡± to purchase hadn¡¯t arrived yet; otherwise, he could have taken it out now to test the reactions of these Evil Clan members.


    Subsequently, Chen Qiu turned his gaze towards the not too distant Boundless Icefield, where nine members of the Evil Clan carrying the heavy pressure of the Golden Core Peak stood in mid-air. For this invasion by the Evil Clan, just the Boundless Icefield alone astonishingly had nine members of the Golden Core Peak leading the team.


    If in the other three places¡ªthe Endless Desert, the Boundless Sea, and the Boundless Snow Mountain¡ªthere were also nine Golden Core Peaks leading¡­


    That would make a total of thirty-six Golden Core Peak members of the Evil Clan.


    Under the rules of Heavenly Dao, those nine Golden Core Peaks standing in mid-air couldn¡¯t even move, they could only stand there in the sky, unable to take any action and silently watching the battle.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu always felt as if he was beginning to vaguely understand what the limitation in Da Xia Country was about. These Golden Core Peaks of the Evil Clan were different from those in Da Xia. The Golden Core Peaks in Da Xia were at the end of their lifespans, aged and frail, even reluctant to consume Spiritual Energy for fear of shortening their remaining life with each action taken.


    But these Golden Core Peaks from the Evil Clan didn¡¯t seem to show any signs of old age and clearly had long lives ahead of them.


    Their combat strength was much stronger than that of Da Xia¡¯s Golden Core Peaks.


    Since the Evil Clan had thirty-six Golden Core Peaks in their prime, it was likely that they also had members with Nascent Soul in their race, but they had not sent a Nascent Soul to lead because they probably knew¡­ Da Xia Country did not allow the presence of Nascent Souls.


    Therefore, they sent these thirty-six, who within Da Xia Country, belonged to the absolute ceiling of battle strength.


    But who would have thought¡­


    Before they even landed and took action, Heavenly Dao had directly applied a ¡°patch.¡± An Imperial Decree from Heavenly Dao forbade anyone with Golden Core Cultivation and above to take action, catching these thirty-six Golden Core Peaks of the Evil Clan completely off guard and forcing them to stand in place as a penalty.


    It is said that Heavenly Dao is impersonal and lacks self-awareness.


    But¡­


    The ¡°patch¡± was applied so timely it didn¡¯t seem like it was without consciousness.


    Or perhaps it was a hidden rule?


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head without speaking and slowly took a step forward, ready to make a move.


    The situation was already clear at this point; there was no need to keep observing. What needed to be done now was to eliminate all these members of the Evil Clan and then, after the invasion by the Evil Clan was over, to avidly purchase all the Evil Wood and Eight Desolate Fruits within the territory of the State of Fei.


    If the cage of Da Xia were to be broken in the future¡­ S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    These two heavenly materials and earthly treasures would become his greatest accumulated wealth. As for whether the cage of Da Xia could be broken, that was not for him to decide. He suddenly felt he understood the State Preceptor of Da Xia a little better; no one wanted to stay in a prison forever.


    But he also felt that this thing seemed to be more like protection than a cage. Without these prisons, let alone anything else, a single Nascent Soul could have decimated Xia Country.


    Chen Qiu stood still and took a deep breath, then flew upon his sword into the sky. The moment he flew into the air, countless Evil Clan members below bombarded him in unison.


    All kinds of attacks hailed down on him.


    That¡¯s why everyone fought on the ground; it¡¯s not that they couldn¡¯t fly, but flying in the air made one too conspicuous and easy to become a target.


    Chen Qiu glanced at the sky-filling attacks and immediately retreated to the small world. Three breaths later, he reappeared at a distance. Now it was his turn. Along with the Heavenly Dao Foundation spinning rapidly above his Dantian!


    The flood of Spiritual Energy within him surged swiftly!


    In the next moment¡ª


    Thousands of Thunder Dragons appeared out of nowhere around him, striking straight towards the core area of the Evil Clan Cultivators below!

 Chapter 173 - 113:

    Chapter 173: Chapter 113: ¡°Dammit¡­¡±_3


    Meanwhile, nearly ten thousand green demon fires fell from the sky like stars, enveloping the Evil Clan cultivators below. Other than Ning Taiping and his Guardian¡¯s two Golden Core resentful spirits, the rest of the resentful spirits collected during this time were all sent by him into the demon fire.


    Fueled by resentful spirits, those green demon fires burned even more fiercely, emitting an extremely unsettling aura. Once they landed on someone, they were impossible to extinguish, leaving no option but to let the demon fire spread and burn over one¡¯s body.


    Full firepower.


    It was but a moment, and the Spiritual Energy within his body was depleted.


    No matter how abundant the Spiritual Energy, it couldn¡¯t withstand such use.


    Under this attack, the Evil Clan cultivators below suffered countless deaths and injuries.


    ...


    Even with his Spiritual Energy depleted, Chen Qiu had no intention of retreating into his small world to recover. There were no Golden Cores here, or rather, Golden Cores were not allowed to intervene, so he was completely free to teleport at will in mid-air without any reservations.


    He had no need to worry about teleporting into an attack that he could not withstand.


    ¡°Fat Long cultivators, all fall back!¡±


    Hovering mid-air with depleted Spiritual Energy, Chen Qiu glanced at the nearby Fat Long cultivators fighting fiercely with Evil Clan cultivators. After letting out a loud shout with Spiritual Energy surging in his throat, he then channeled Spiritual Energy into his armguards, and in an instant, hundreds of needle-like spikes pierced into his body.


    The next moment!


    He began to teleport irregularly and frequently in mid-air, and the Spiritual Energy within his body almost instantly recovered to about thirty percent.


    Rather than waiting for his Spiritual Energy to fully recover before making his move, he immediately unleashed nearly a thousand Thunder Dragons and over a thousand green demon fires again. As soon as he recovered a bit of Spiritual Energy, he used it. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And the Evil Clan members who died by his hand turned into resentful spirits and materialized behind him, immediately thrown by him into the demon fire, which made the fires burn even more intensely and with greater power.


    So¡­


    A scene like this appeared above the battlefield.


    Chen Qiu, who turned to Liu Guang and teleported incessantly across the sky, could not be captured by the naked eye; meanwhile, the sky-filled Thunder Dragons and green demon fires fell like stars, blanketing the field below.


    For a moment, the Evil Clan suffered innumerable casualties. Many gritted their teeth and flew up, attempting to cut down Chen Qiu. However, they could not locate him amidst countless shouts from Human Clan Cultivators that they couldn¡¯t understand. Those from the Evil Clan finally reacted and began launching indiscriminate attacks overhead without aiming.


    However, by that time, only a small fraction of Evil Clan cultivators remained.


    The indiscriminate spell attacks they organized posed no substantial threat to Chen Qiu. Even the few spells that hit him couldn¡¯t break his Protective Spirit Qi.


    After all, Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation was at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.


    Even without relying on entries.


    Just with Cultivation alone, he was enough to overwhelm most people below.


    ¡­


    ¡°Like mowing the lawn,¡±


    Fat Long, who had already stood far away, watched the scene unfold with immense shock. This was the first time he witnessed Brother Qiu¡¯s full firepower. The Thunder Dragons and green demon fires seemed endless.


    Before the last wave of Thunder Dragons had even landed, a new wave was already in position.


    At a glance,


    Countless Thunder Dragons mixed with purple and blue lightning arcs swarmed the entire sky, the dominance they brought far surpassing the early Golden Core stage.


    The few remaining Evil Clan members on the ground began to flee in all directions. It wasn¡¯t that no one wanted to ascend and escape, but those who did died even faster. Regardless of how they fled, they couldn¡¯t escape the range of Chen Qiu¡¯s attacks.


    It was evident that Brother Qiu didn¡¯t even lock onto them with Divine Sense; he merely glanced roughly at where the Evil Clan was, and then thousands of Thunder Dragons rained down. There was no need for precision, and the ground blasted by the Thunder Dragons left no chance for an Evil Clan member to survive.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation was at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, and the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique he exerted with his full strength, enhanced by entries like ¡°Spiritual Energy Intimidating¡± and ¡°Dedication,¡± along with the Spirit Control Techniques learned from Magic Practitioner heritage,


    The power of this Thunder Summoning Technique, without exaggeration, was already the pinnacle of what one with Foundation Establishment Cultivation could unleash!


    A mere single Thunder Summoning Technique caused cultivators of the same rank to keep a respectful distance.


    With thousands of these techniques raining down in a mix of both real and illusion, no one could withstand them.


    The Evil Clan could only watch in despair as innumerable Thunder Dragons rained down from the sky with overwhelming force.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a bit exaggerated,¡±


    The scholar standing next to Fat Long slightly twitched the corners of his mouth. To say it was a bit exaggerated was an understatement. His own Cultivation had reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, possessing a Heavenly Dao Foundation and pink entries, and he was also extremely gifted in Sword Dao.


    At that time, he was already invincible among his peers.


    As a ninth layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator, no one could best him. He even killed an enemy right after their breakthrough to the Golden Core stage!


    It was a battle across a Great Realm, and even a newly advanced Golden Core is still a Golden Core. That he could kill a Golden Core as a ninth layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator was something he could boast about for a long time, and it was with that Golden Core that he successfully stepped into the Golden Core Stage as a second-grade Golden Core.


    But¡­


    Viewing the scene unfolding before him, he realized that there¡¯s no such thing as absolute invincibility; it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t encountered someone truly invincible at your level.


    At this moment, Brother Qiu was also at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, yet if he had encountered Brother Qiu back then, Brother Qiu could have handled hundreds of him without any problem.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar stood in silence with a complicated expression. The blow to his pride was a bit too much. Despite being an absolutely invincible existence among his peers, even a being like him could be so thoroughly crushed by Brother Qiu¡¯s power at the same level of Cultivation, which he found difficult to accept.

 Chapter 174 - 113:

    Chapter 174: Chapter 113: ¡°Dammit¡­¡±_4


    Overpowering them was normal.


    But to overpower¡­ this many?


    He had once considered himself a Heavenly Pride, and the world said the same, but after seeing this scene, he felt that there should be a rank above Heavenly Pride, that is, Destructive Genius.


    This was outrageous.


    ¡°But this is good as well¡­¡± the scholar suddenly smiled with a face full of emotion. After all, he and Brother Qiu were not on opposing sides. Although it felt like a bit of a blow, the stronger Brother Qiu got, the higher both his power and status would surely rise.


    He didn¡¯t even need to ask for anything.


    ...


    Once Brother Qiu attains the Nascent Soul, wouldn¡¯t the things that casually slipped through his fingers be things he had never even dreamed of having before?


    Like this Sword Bone that allowed him to stand like a normal person again.


    Fat Long glanced at the scholar and instantly understood why he smiled. He couldn¡¯t help but smile as well; who could have thought that the most correct decision in his life was uttering those four words in Fufeng City.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please stay.¡±


    Sheesh, what was he thinking at that time, to have found himself such a solid backing amidst the crowd.


    ¡­


    ¡°?¡±


    Standing still and unable to move, the Fat City Lord, who had just survived a disaster, was now looking towards the god-like, world-slaughtering Chen Qiu and the sky full of Thunder Dragons, muttering in astonishment.


    ¡°Who exactly is invading whom¡­¡±


    This didn¡¯t look like the Evil Clan¡¯s invasion at all, it seemed more like Chen Qiu was the invader.


    Uninformed bystanders who came by would surely think that the Evil Clan was the victim, and Chen Qiu a world-destroying demon; he was merely at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, yet how could his methods be so exaggerated.


    The power of each Thunder Dragon far exceeded the power that a ninth-level Foundation Establishment Cultivator could release using the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    And it wasn¡¯t just one¡­


    It was thousands with a single wave of his hand, and the Spiritual Energy inside him seemed endless as the sky full of Thunder Dragons slammed incessantly from the sky towards the ground.


    ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique.¡±


    An extremely ordinary spell, yet in Chen Qiu¡¯s hands, it transformed into Destructive Thunder Dragons.


    ¡°Did Lord National Master foresee even this?¡±


    The Fat City Lord gazed at Chen Qiu, who was surrounded by tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons in the distance, thoughtfully saying.


    Thirty years ago.


    Lord National Master foresaw a disaster at the Boundless Icefield and specifically commanded him to guard Fei City. Being a seventh-level Golden Core cultivator, he was considered among the highest in combat power in Da Xia. After the invasion of the Evil Clan, he rushed to the Boundless Icefield, only to be shocked when he found the enemy was nine Evil Clan Warriors at the Golden Core Peak.


    Before he could even speak, he was slapped into the ground.


    He thought then whether the National Master had not foreseen this, but soon after, the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded, forbidding Golden Core practitioners from intervening, and then Chen Qiu took action and began the slaughter.


    He had thought that the National Master sent him because he valued his cultivation, but it turned out he valued his character.


    If a narrow-minded City Lord had been assigned to guard instead, could it be that today he would have already attacked Chen Qiu, leading to no one being able to intervene during the Evil Clan¡¯s invasion, consequently resulting in countless lives in Fei State being lost?


    Had the National Master calculated even this far? This many layers?


    Indeed he is the National Master!


    ¡­


    The Endless Desert, Boundless Snow Mountain, and Boundless Sea were similarly facing invasions by the Evil Clan.


    But for some reason.


    Perhaps receiving some news, the Evil Clan at these three locations disappeared without a trace in just half an hour, and the Foundation Establishment Cultivators sent there saw only scattered Meteorite Fragments on the ground and no trace of any Evil Clan.


    ¡­


    At this moment, somewhere in an Earth Cave.


    A Nascent Soul, its body radiating an aura of terrifying Cultivation, looked excitedly at the Evil Wood in its hand, stained with fresh blood. Due to overwhelming emotions, the fluctuations of Spiritual Energy in its body began to uncontrollably surge violently.


    The Earth Cave was a reddish-brown color, vast at a glance.


    At this moment, in the center of the Earth Cave, there were four huge light circles slowly rotating, three of which had already begun to shrink.


    Only one light circle was still rotating, and a large number of Evil Clan warriors stood nearby. They seemed to carelessly toss a large number of Spirit Stones into the light circle to maintain its normal operation.


    ¡°Roar!!!¡±


    At this time¡ª


    The Nascent Soul, turning its head to look at the Evil Clan Warriors who had just exited the other three light circles, excitedly pointed at the remaining spinning circle below, raising the Evil Wood high in its hand and roared.


    ¡°Roar, roar, roar!!!¡±


    The Evil Clan Warriors just below, upon hearing this, also immediately had their pupils dilate and veins on their necks bulge, and the eight eyes on their chests blinked continuously before they collectively charged towards the remaining light circle.


    Tens of thousands of Evil Clan Warriors, one after another, leapt into the light circle and then disappeared within the Earth Cave.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, on the Boundless Icefield.


    Chen Qiu had already slaughtered all the Evil Clan Warriors at the forefront and was now positioned in the deeper parts of the Boundless Icefield above a hundred-zhang light circle, continuously bombarding the circle below with spells. Countless Thunder Dragons and numerous green Demon Fires, although unable to penetrate the white light circle,


    had just emerged from below the white light circle, not even having a chance to clear their surroundings, before turning into minced meat and disappearing into the light circle again.


    Not even bodies remained.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Fat Long, floating in mid-air overlooking the white light circle, remarked with a sigh, ¡°Brother Qiu is directly blocking the spawn point to kill, not sure how the situation is at the other three locations.¡±


    A large number of Evil Clan kept emerging from the white light circle, only to be greeted by countless Thunder Dragons as soon as they surfaced.


    The hundred-zhang light circle, large and yet not so large,


    but just perfectly within Chen Qiu¡¯s range of attack.


    ¡°They might have retreated.¡±


    The scholar glanced at the ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking¡± and frowned, ¡°The kill count for many on the leaderboard has not changed for a long time, only two scenarios could cause this.¡±


    ¡°One is that they are dead, and naturally, if they are dead, the kill count won¡¯t change.¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not possible that so many are dead, and even if so many were dead, surely new ones would take their place. Moreover, according to the past rules of the Heavenly Dao leaderboard, those who die are automatically removed from the list.¡±


    ¡°The only other possibility is that the Evil Clan at the other three invasion sites have all retreated, and undoubtedly, they have all come to the southern Boundless Icefield. Haven¡¯t you noticed that every moment inside the white light circle, a large number of Evil Clan emerge, obviously much more than before.¡±


    ¡°This invasion of the Evil Clan¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very likely purely targeted at the Evil Wood.¡±


    ¡°After they discovered the Evil Wood on the Boundless Icefield, they withdrew from the other three locations, concentrating all their forces on the Boundless Icefield, preparing to plunder more Evil Wood.¡±


    ¡°Just unfortunately¡­¡±


    The scholar looked up at Chen Qiu, surrounded by tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons in the center above the hundred-zhang light circle, and murmured, ¡°Brother Qiu just happens to be on the Boundless Icefield.¡±


    Indeed, every moment, a large number of Evil Clan emerged from the hundred-zhang light circle.


    However, no one could step out of the hundred-zhang light circle.


    They all turned into minced meat and disappeared back into the light circle as soon as they appeared.


    What could now be confirmed was¡ª


    This hundred-zhang light circle, part of a large Teleportation Array, linked the Boundless Icefield with another place unknown to them, but they tried throwing objects like stones into it, finding it utterly ineffective.


    They conducted many experiments.


    Resentful spirits cannot enter.


    Neither humans nor demon beasts could enter, only the Evil Clan and the items they carried, such as weapons and Storage Rings, could pass through.

 Chapter 175 - 114:

    Chapter 175: Chapter 114: ¡°Take your time, I trust you.


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    At this moment, atop a mountain peak behind the Caotian Sect, the Sect Master of the Caotian Sect sat on Zhao Yishi¡¯s shoulder, gazing vacantly at the name Chen Qiu, who led with a cliff-like advantage on the ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking¡± list, and muttered to himself.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t such a Heavenly Pride one of us from the Caotian Sect.¡±


    ¡°How did he end up at the Chao Tian Sect, which is almost our equal?¡±


    He had just rushed back from Fei State, preparing to stage a play for Zhao Yishi, when the Heavenly Dao Decree announcing the Evil Clan¡¯s invasion arrived.


    Although he did not know by what means Chen Qiu had slaughtered so many members of the Evil Clan.


    ...


    Given the terrifying gap he had created, he must certainly be like a demon incarnate; he felt a twinge of regret for bringing Zhao Yishi back to Fei State. If Zhao Yishi had witnessed this scene, it would surely have ignited the longing in his heart.


    And thus spurred a strong desire to fight.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking¡±


    ¡°Rank One¡±: Chen Qiu, Number of Kills: 140,319.


    ¡°Rank Two¡±: Yan Yuanzhen, Number of Kills: 392.


    ¡°Rank Three¡±: Gong Bochu, Number of Kills: 341.


    ¡°Rank Four¡±: ¡­


    ¨C


    To what extent was the cliff-like difference exaggerated? There were 1,000 people on the list, and the combined kill count of the 999 people from the second to the last rank did not match up to Chen Qiu¡¯s kill count alone.


    And everyone else¡¯s kill count had stopped rising.


    Only Chen Qiu¡¯s count was still climbing rapidly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing within the mountain at the rear, Zhao Yishi too looked at Chen Qiu¡¯s frightening kill count on the ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking¡± and felt increasingly that his decision to yield when he descended into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm with Chen Qiu had been the right one.


    This person was a true unparalleled Heavenly Pride.


    As the Caotian Sect Master looked at Zhao Yishi, whose expression didn¡¯t waver too much, he could not help but feel a sense of disappointment and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel even a bit of jealousy or envy?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a person have some negative emotions?¡±


    ¡°Your peer who entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm with you has now become a legendary Heavenly Pride and even obtained the Magic Practitioner inheritance, don¡¯t you feel the slightest bit of envy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Zhao Yishi shook his head. Due to the excessive movement, he almost sent the Sect Master flying off his shoulder and said with a deep voice, ¡°There must be those who act as the splendid flower, but there must also be those who serve as the green leaves.¡±


    ¡°Those who should be the splendid flower should contentedly be the best splendid flower they can be.¡±


    ¡°Those who should be the green leaves should contentedly be the best green leaves they can be.¡±


    ¡°If one is clearly a green leaf but insists on trying to be the splendid flower, then real suffering ensues.¡±


    ¡°I think my life is quite good as it is.


    ¡°If I must say there¡¯s something I want, it would be a woman.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a lengthy silence, the Caotian Sect Master spoke softly, ¡°Go fuck yourself.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said, go! fuck! yourself!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re expelled from the sect!¡±


    ¡°Get the hell out of here!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, in the once empty Earth Cave, a thick scent of blood wafted through the air.


    The Nascent Soul of the Evil Clan, standing aloft, looked down silently at the white circle below, which was now ringed with piles of minced meat as high as small hills.


    There wasn¡¯t a single intact body, only minced meat.


    Until now, they had only brought out a single piece of Evil Wood, and no second piece had emerged.


    The ferocious Evil Clan Warriors who were so fearsome on normal days were now trembling like leaves far away, adamantly refusing to step into the white circle again. The expensive Teleportation Array they had built resembled the entrance to the underworld.


    Enter one, one dies.


    Enter ten, ten die.


    Clearly, someone was blocking the exit of the Teleportation Array. Where had those Golden Core Peak Evil Clan Warriors gone that he had sent through? Could they all really be dead? Although he was puzzled that the Golden Core Peak Evil Clan Warriors didn¡¯t return during the retreat from the other three locations.


    He was so blinded by the lust for Evil Wood that he paid no attention to it.


    Until now¡­


    Suddenly, a flash of horror crossed the eyes of the Nascent Soul¡­ could it be¡­ that a Nascent Soul had been born there?


    Otherwise, why was not a single one of his thirty-six Golden Core Peak Evil Clan Warriors in sight?


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm? No more opponents?¡±


    Fat Long, holding a blood-dripping sword, stood at the outer edge of the white circle, sticking his head out and licking his lips with a sense of unfulfilled craving.


    After the Evil Clan invasion concluded, those on the leaderboard would receive different rewards according to their ranking. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    By this point, the advantage was entirely theirs.


    Therefore, Brother Qiu let them finish off the severely wounded members of the Evil Clan to ensure they¡¯d also make it onto the ranking. He was currently in third place, with the scholar in second¡ªdamn that guy, killing slightly faster than him.


    As for the scholar¡¯s younger brother, he didn¡¯t make it onto the ranking.


    The scholar¡¯s younger brother didn¡¯t lift a finger.


    Chen Qiu, hovering in mid-air, with ten thousand Thunder Dragons swirling around him, also looked at the white circle below with some confusion. That was it¡ªno one left. He hadn¡¯t had such a satisfying kill in a long time. The sensation of mowing them down was truly exhilarating.


    It¡¯s just a shame¡­


    There were too few of them.


    And at that moment¡ª


    The white vortex at his feet suddenly began to dim, and simultaneously, the nine Golden Core Peak Nascent Souls from the Evil Clan at the edge of the Boundless Icefield, as if summoned, turned into nine streaks of light and disappeared into the white vortex in an instant.


    Simultaneously,


    Twenty-seven streaks of light also shot from afar, instantly entering the white vortex and vanishing. Subsequently, the white vortex slowly closed, but just as it was about to shut,


    a large amount of Evil Clan corpses and minced flesh were tossed out like trash.


    Thus, after the white circle disappeared, only the mountains of minced limbs and flesh remained piled upon the Boundless Icefield, as the howling cold wind swept through and the once flowing blood quickly froze together.

 Chapter 176 - 114:

    Chapter 176: Chapter 114: ¡°Take your time, I trust you.¡±_2


    ¡°`


    It was just a few dozen breaths of time.


    This Snow Mountain, formed from the accumulation of broken flesh and limbs, had already frozen together at its outermost layer.


    It stood erect on the Boundless Icefield.


    It was an extremely glaring sight.


    ¨C


    ...


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Evil Clan invasion has ended, and Da Xia has achieved a complete victory.


    The Human Clan Cultivator ¡®Chen Qiu¡¯ single-handedly slaughtered tens of thousands of the Evil Clan, protecting the people of Fatty State,


    Such breadth of mind and strength earns the admiration of the people, and may all look to it as an example.


    ¨C


    As this voice echoed in the ears of all in Da Xia, the Evil Clan invasion came to an official end.


    It is worth mentioning that.


    When the Evil Clan invaded and it was known that Golden Cores could not participate, many sects deep within Da Xia brought their Foundation Establishment disciples to the nearest areas to prepare for battle, to protect the common people with all their might; not only were there rewards, but it also served as combat experience for the disciples.


    But¡­


    Before they could arrive, the Evil Clan invasion was already over.


    It didn¡¯t even last an hour.


    That was incredibly fast.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, at the Boundless Icefield, next to the mountain made of countless Evil Clan¡¯s broken flesh and limbs.


    Chen Qiu descended to the ground, a voice only he could hear whispered that the reward for first place had been delivered to his Storage Ring, a small box similar to the ¡°Heavenly Dao Blessing.¡±


    Just as he was about to open the box to see what the first place reward was,


    he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, an Evil Clan member was shakily controlling a Flying Sword, flying towards them.


    ¡°Hmm, still some fish that escaped the net?¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly raised an eyebrow; the Evil Clan member looked injured, quite severely at that, and shakily flew near the Ice Mountain, not even glancing at Chen Qiu and the others. Upon realizing that the hundred-yard light circle had disappeared,


    fear flashed in their eyes, and they screamed tremulously.


    Instantly rushing to where the light circle had been, the whole person hysterically thrust their Flying Sword towards the ground repeatedly, as if questioning why the light circle was gone.


    Halfway through digging,


    as if they had heard something, the person¡¯s color flushed as if in a final burst of energy, and Spiritual Energy surged out, turning into a stream of light thrusting deep into the Boundless Icefield.


    However¡­


    They quickly screamed and fell to the ground, then in the gaze of Chen Qiu and others, wailed in agony and turned into ashes.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Fat Long stood frozen in place, scanning the surroundings in confusion and said, ¡°Did someone attack him? How did he turn into a pile of ashes out of nowhere?¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu walked up to the pile of ashes and unexpectedly found a Storage Ring inside, most likely belonging to this member of the Evil Clan. He picked up the Storage Ring and rolled it over in his hand.


    It seemed to be made of a material similar to their Storage Rings.


    Except it was covered with some patterns that looked rather sinister.


    His Consciousness probed inside, encountering a restriction.


    This was the first Evil Clan Storage Ring he had captured; he had wanted to seize other Evil Clan Storage Rings, but somehow, when the other Evil Clan members died, the Storage Rings would shatter, and no mercy from him could change that.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long, who was following behind, had a thoughtful look on his face as he clicked his tongue, ¡°I think I know what happened. This brother must be a deserter, then when he wanted to go home, he found out the Teleportation Array was gone.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t go home.¡±


    ¡°As for why he suddenly turned into ashes, that¡¯s completely unknown.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked in the direction from which the Evil Clan member had come, deep into the Boundless Icefield. These Evil Clan members had a clear goal¡ªthe Evil Wood.


    If they sought the Evil Wood, they would have to rush towards Fatty State; there was no Evil Wood deep in the Boundless Icefield.


    In fact, practically all of the Evil Clan did just that.


    And yet that Evil Clan member had just flown back from deep in the Boundless Icefield. What could be there?


    Wait¡ª


    His pupils constricted sharply. After venturing further into the Boundless Icefield for about half an incense stick¡¯s time, they could see the Inheritance Secret Realm. Could it be¡­


    ¡°Scholar, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Without further thought.


    A few breaths later, Chen Qiu appeared at the familiar entrance to the Inheritance Secret Realm, immediately stepping in and reappearing in the familiar Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, with an Eight Trigrams Array laid out on the ground.


    At this moment, in the nine cells of the Eight Trigrams Array, two had already darkened.


    One cell was for Magic Practitioners.


    The other cell was for Evil Cultivation.


    This meant that the inheritances of both Magic Practitioners and Evil Cultivation had already been taken.


    ¡°Hit the jackpot, huh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood at the center of the Eight Trigrams Array in a daze, looking down at the Evil Clan Storage Ring in his hand. Could it be that this Evil Clan member had come to clear the Evil Cultivation inheritance?


    That was fast enough.


    It had taken him nearly two days to clear the Magic Practitioner inheritance, but this Evil Clan member had cleared it in less than an hour?


    An Evil Cultivation prodigy?


    Indeed, as a member of the Evil Clan, there must be some connection with Evil Cultivation; they looked fiendish enough, so it seemed normal for them to clear the Evil Cultivation inheritance. However¡­ if nothing went wrong, the Nascent Soul body from clearing the Evil Cultivation inheritance should now be inside this Storage Ring.


    As long as he opened this Storage Ring and took out the Nascent Soul body inside, plus the one he obtained from clearing the Magic Practitioner inheritance, he¡¯d then possess two Nascent Soul bodies.


    Only one Nascent Soul body away from the three required for a rank ten Golden Core!


    The conditions that seemed quite harsh at the time now seemed almost within reach.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Chen Qiu placed the Storage Ring carefully in the corner of the warehouse in his small world, his lips curving unconsciously upward, he needed to hurry back to North Continent and Kai Mountain City to find that Shopkeeper.


    That Fatty State¡¯s second-best Artifact Cultivator, who couldn¡¯t even unlock the restrictions of a Golden Core Storage Ring.


    ¡°`


    Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 177 - 114:

    Chapter 177: Chapter 114: ¡°Take your time, I trust you.¡± _3


    The prohibition on the Evil Clan Storage Ring is now likely beyond resolution.


    As long as I help the scholar restore his Cultivation and allow him to obtain the Sword Cultivator inheritance, these three Nascent Soul bodies will be completely assembled!


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, after emerging from the Inheritance Secret Realm, looked toward the two scholars, his lips uncontrollably curling upward and his brows filled with mirth.


    ¡°Back to the North Continent.¡±


    ¡°Now.¡±


    ...


    He needed to go to Kai Mountain City to find that shopkeeper and to Yun City to seek out Liu Zide.


    He needed someone to help him purchase large quantities of Evil Wood and Eight Desolate Fruit in Fat State. He needed someone utterly trustworthy, and the purchases had to be inconspicuous; otherwise, even a fool would know something was up. Liu Zide was the perfect person for the job.


    He believed Liu Zide could do it well.


    Although Liu Zide was intent on serving his own lord, it didn¡¯t affect Chen Qiu¡¯s plan to bring Liu Zide¡¯s lord to Fat State as well; Liu Zide¡¯s lord was no match for him now.


    He knew it.


    The Evil Wood and Eight Desolate Fruit that could be used for a Ten-grade Golden Elixir couldn¡¯t possibly be that simple.


    ¡­


    At the top of a certain mountain peak. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scholar was sitting cross-legged, swallowing Qi Replenishing Pills to rapidly restore his Cultivation, and circulating his mental method to quickly remove impurities from his Dantian. Although the scholar¡¯s ability to utilize Spiritual Energy had significantly increased after changing his Sword Bone,


    It was still much lower compared to cultivators of the same level. He had to rely on a large number of Qi Replenishing Pills to maintain it.


    The journey here took about a day, but the return trip would likely take only half a day, effectively halving the time.


    Fat Long, who was sitting on a rock at the moment, was playing with the Evil Wood in his hands and said, puzzled, ¡°I¡¯ve looked this thing over and over and still can¡¯t see anything special about it. Shouldn¡¯t there be something that sets it apart since the Evil Clan regards it as a treasure, a rare material of heaven and earth? It¡¯s like a kind of cherished treasure.¡±


    ¡°This thing is all soft and squishy. If I press down hard with my thumb, I can even make an indentation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not suitable for forging Spiritual Treasures.¡±


    ¡°Nor is it suitable for Pills.¡±


    ¡°But if it can¡¯t be used to forge Spiritual Treasures and isn¡¯t fit for Alchemy, what do you think this Evil Wood can be used for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head; he too had not discerned the use of the Evil Wood. But one thing was for sure: something the Evil Clan fought so desperately for must be valuable. Now that he had collected plenty, it would surely be beneficial in the future.


    And the same went for the Eight Desolate Fruit.


    Not only the Eight Desolate Fruit and Evil Wood, but he had also secretly resolved to have Liu Zide purchase some exotic but not particularly valuable rare materials of heaven and earth.


    Who knows, one of those inexpensive treasures might actually be valuable.


    It¡¯s just that they didn¡¯t recognize its worth, or perhaps it was simply of no use to them.


    Afterward, he looked down at the jade box in his arms, the reward for coming first in the Heavenly Dao Evil Killing Ranking, a Jade Scroll.


    When his Divine Sense entered, information surfaced in his mind.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Roulette.¡±


    ¡°Upon breaking, you may choose two items from any five Heavenly Dao Treasures.¡±


    ¨C


    This Jade Scroll, or rather the Heavenly Dao Roulette, was his reward for topping the leaderboard. He played with it for a while, then glanced at the scholar sitting cross-legged next to him, who was still circulating his mental method; it would still take quite some time.


    He pulled out the Memory Stone that a young servant boy had sold him during his first trip to Kai Mountain City for the Nine Ox Festival.


    After retrieving it from the depths of the Storage Ring and placing it in his palm, he muttered softly,


    ¡°Borrow some good luck.¡±


    He then stopped lingering and instantly crushed the Jade Scroll, widely acclaimed as the Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    The next moment¡ª


    Above the space of his Dantian appeared five panels enveloped in clouds.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make a choice within a hundred breaths.¡±


    1: Red entry (one-day version): You will receive a random Red Entry, but it will only last for twelve hours and will automatically disappear after that period.


    2: Green Entry Jade Slip ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡±: Whenever you receive a special blessing from the Heavenly Dao Decree, you will receive double the blessing.


    3: Eight Desolate Fruit * 1.


    4: 2000 Foundation Establishment low-grade Cultivation Pills.


    5: One additional entry three-choice opportunity.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly narrowed his eyes as he looked at the five rewards. He needed to choose two out of these five rewards, and he had a hundred breaths to make his decision, so there was no hurry.


    Firstly, the Eight Desolate Fruit and the 2000 Foundation Establishment low-grade Cultivation Pills could be eliminated.


    He didn¡¯t need the Eight Desolate Fruit, nor did he need the Foundation Establishment low-grade Cultivation Pills.


    However, this did provide him with one insight.


    That is, in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, the Eight Desolate Fruit is considered a relatively rare material of heaven and earth, at least on par with 2000 Foundation Establishment low-grade Cultivation Pills.


    As for the one-day Red Entry, he was actually quite interested.


    Thus far, he had not obtained a Red Entry, and he was curious about its effects.


    But¡­


    The temporary version definitely wouldn¡¯t be as good as the permanent one. In the end, he chose the Green Entry Jade Slip ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡± and the additional entry three-choice opportunity.


    He quite liked the ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡± Jade Slip.


    It would have been even better if he could have received it earlier. Then, when he last obtained the Magic Practitioner inheritance, he could have directly received two strands of ¡°Heavenly Dao Destiny,¡± which indeed is an incredibly rare and valuable asset.


    In the Jade Scroll given by Old Man Cao,


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Destiny.¡±


    Is an extremely scarce existence, invisible and without substance, enshrouding a cultivator, usable for Core Formation, enabling the creation of a high-grade Golden Core, or during the cultivation of a Cultivation Technique, allowing an upgrade of a Great Perfection Realm spell into a more powerful Heavenly Dao Skill.


    It can also be used in forging.


    There are many uses.


    But he thought the best use, naturally, was as an ingredient for forming a Ten-grade Core Formation. According to Old Man Cao, a Ten-grade Golden Core was a realm that no one could reach; it was virtually non-existent.

 Chapter 178 - 114:

    Chapter 178: Chapter 114: ¡°Take Your Time, I Trust You.¡± _4


    After all, that Seven-colored term was too harsh. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    To possess a Seven-colored term during the Foundation Establishment Stage was almost an absolutely impossible task.


    However, he didn¡¯t know when he would next ascend the Imperial Decree and receive a specific blessing, as the difficulty was rather significant. This time when he repelled the Evil Clan, the Heavenly Dao Decree had only offered him verbal praise and had given him nothing substantial.


    Even with that inheritance from the Secret Realm, only the first person to receive the inheritance got a specific blessing. Those who came after received nothing.


    After Chen Qiu crushed the ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡± Jade Scroll and embedded it in his Tao Foundation, he temporarily placed another Jade Scroll in his small world.


    Crushing this Jade Scroll would grant an additional opportunity to choose from three entries.


    ...


    But he wasn¡¯t ready to use it yet.


    He planned to use it at night. He felt his luck wasn¡¯t very good at the moment and hoped it might turn around in the evening.


    By this time, the scholar had completely restored his spiritual energy. He needed to hurry to Kai Mountain City in the North Continent to find that Shopkeeper, as the body of the Nascent Soul quietly lay waiting for him in the Evil Clan Storage Ring.


    He needed to quickly break the seal on the Storage Ring.


    Only by storing it within the warehouse of his small world could he rest easy.


    This was called securing Down Into the Bag.


    ¡­


    Thus, before dawn, Chen Qiu and the scholar, along with a few others, arrived at Kai Mountain City and successfully brought that Shopkeeper to a dilapidated temple nearby where they had been last time.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Upon receiving the Evil Clan Storage Ring passed by Chen Qiu.


    Shock flickered through the Shopkeeper¡¯s eyes as he muttered, ¡°This enforcement is completely a different technique, something I¡¯ve never encountered before. Let me study it a bit, think it over.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged to one side, nodded and said softly, ¡°Take your time, I believe in you.¡±


    He then took out a Storage Bag full of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from his bosom, circulated his mental method, and prepared to continue his cultivation.


    The Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills had already arrived last night at midnight.


    But at that time, he was busy dealing with the Evil Clan, too busy to care about this. Now that everything was handled, and there was nothing else to bother him before the Shopkeeper decoded the Storage Ring enforcement, it was a good time to cultivate.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In the Capital, in front of a grand mansion¡¯s gate on a street, pedestrians passing by the door hurriedly clamped their mouths shut and sped through. This mansion belonged to the Qu Family of the Capital.


    A major family.


    Yet the atmosphere within the Qu Family had been quite tense these past few days, often filled with cursing. Those who lived nearby long-term knew exactly what was happening. At this time, it was best to keep a low profile, lest they become scapegoats.


    The young master of the Qu Family, Qu Qi, had attempted the Magic Practitioner inheritance several times.


    It¡¯s said that for this Magic Practitioner inheritance, the Qu Family prepared a vast amount of natural treasures and spent a great deal of Spirit Stones, yet even so, they only managed to get Qu Qi as far as the fourth round.


    Qu Qi had virtually considered the Magic Practitioner inheritance as something in his bag.


    But who knew¡­


    Chen Qiu, emerging out of nowhere, seized the Magic Practitioner inheritance first, reportedly angering Qu Qi to the point of smashing many things.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At dawn inside the Qu Family Courtyard.


    The Supreme Elder of the Qu Family, with a Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak, was currently lying in a room. He swept a glance with his Divine Sense at Qu Qi, who was losing temper in the neighboring room, and couldn¡¯t help but snicker, ¡°Thinking of obtaining the Magic Practitioner inheritance with your capabilities? Dream on.¡±


    ¡°Wait till I achieve Nascent Soul, I¡¯ll strangle you first.¡±


    He did not need to cultivate.


    His Cultivation was already complete; there was nothing left for him to cultivate. Whether or not he could achieve Nascent Soul had nothing to do with him. All he needed to do was to ensure he conserved his Spiritual Energy on a daily basis, avoided injuries, and just needed to stay alive till someone achieved Nascent Soul.


    Or to say, stay alive till someone broke the celestial limit.


    Then he could smoothly achieve Nascent Soul and live yet another lifetime.

 Chapter 179 - 115:

    Chapter 179: Chapter 115: ¡°Heavenly Pride Order¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After snickering, the Qu Family Supreme Elder once again lapsed into silence, his heart swelling with a wave of sadness.


    He was a transmigrator.


    No sooner had he transmigrated than he found himself at the Golden Core Peak of Cultivation, which was already the ceiling in Da Xia; basically, no one could beat him. But¡­ he had just over a year to live.


    That was if he didn¡¯t engage in combat.


    If he fought and even got a bit injured, he¡¯d be dead in a month or two.


    ...


    There was only one way to save himself, which was to attain the Nascent Soul.


    Sometimes he really envied Qu Qi, the young lord of the Qu Family. Qu Qi was also a transmigrator but was far better off, the sole male of his generation in the Qu family. Piled with massive amounts of the family¡¯s resources, they desperately fostered him into an extraordinary Magic Practitioner.


    Nearly invincible among his peers.


    Not to mention, those five Heavenly Dao Beauties with their enhancing effects on Magic Practitioners alone were an inheritance others didn¡¯t have. Out of one hundred Heavenly Dao Beauties in total, only five could bolster a Magic Practitioner, and as fate would have it, all five became Qu Qi¡¯s wives.


    Practically everyone in the Capital was convinced that Qu Qi was destined to be Da Xia¡¯s foremost Magic Practitioner in the future.


    But then¡­


    The meteoric rise of Chen Qiu from Fufeng City cast a strange cast in the gazes everyone directed at Qu Qi.


    The Qu family had invested so much in you, yet a Loose Cultivator from Fufeng City was the first to clear the heritage of Magic Practitioners, such unusual gazes nearly made the young lord of the Qu family¡¯s eyes burst with rage. His years of pampered luxury rendered him utterly incapable of enduring such mockery.


    He repeatedly smashed the family¡¯s crockery and other objects, snarling in a vicious rage, swearing he would challenge Chen Qiu to a duel and mercilessly kill him, to let the world know who was truly the number one Magic Practitioner in Da Xia.


    Well, that¡¯s admirable.


    You, an early stage Golden Core Magic Practitioner, seeking to duel someone at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage¡ªif you win, you won¡¯t fear being ridiculed by the world.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Lying on the bed, the Qu Family Supreme Elder looked at his right arm, which had shriveled and sagged skin covered in age spots. Although reluctant, he was helpless; he too wanted to strive¡­ but he simply had no opportunity to do so.


    He didn¡¯t even dare leave his home and flaunt his Cultivation.


    Fearing that the slightest injury might kill him on the spot, that¡¯s a truly torturous way to live.


    And in Da Xia, there were many like him. Essentially, they were the most powerful trump cards of various sects and clans, all at the Golden Core Peak of Cultivation but perpetually unable to break through to Nascent Soul, they could only watch as their lifespans diminished step by step.


    Aside from waiting to die, there was no other way.


    ¡­


    Kai Mountain City, within a deserted temple three miles out.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged, circulating his mental method to absorb the power from the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Last night, at the stroke of midnight, he had acquired a total of 511 lower-grade Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and 10 mid-grade ones.


    There was no change, basically. Until last night at midnight, there hadn¡¯t been any change in his Fame Ranking.


    However, after midnight, when the Heavenly Dao Decree arrived, his fame began soaring again, and he was the only one on the entire Fame Ranking increasing his fame through the Heavenly Dao Decree.


    The others all built their reputations through word of mouth, but his was directly bestowed by the heavens.


    At that moment, he had climbed to the 29th rank, but that was about as far as he would go. The people ahead of him were all ancient demons; it was rather difficult to surpass them in terms of fame.


    After fully absorbing the power of the 511 lower-grade Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and two mid-grade ones, his Cultivation finally reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Foundation Establishment Stage Nine Layers (100.00%).


    ¨C


    This meant he had officially reached the Great Perfection peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    He had reached the limit of Foundation Establishment Cultivation.


    Next, he would have to form his Core.


    After a successful Core Formation, one could advance to become a Golden Core Master. Many at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment spent their entire lives stuck there; some fought too much in their youth and accumulated too many hidden injuries in their Tao Foundation, making it extremely difficult to breakthrough.


    Some couldn¡¯t gather enough of the forty-nine mid-grade Spirit Stones needed for the breakthrough.


    Others, prouder of their talents, refused to enter the Golden Core Realm with merely a First Grade Golden Core, insisting on obtaining a Golden Core to affirm a Second Grade Golden Core. As a result, they wasted too much time, and by the time they found a Golden Core, they were already old and weak. With their Foundation Establishment lifespan at its limit and their internal Spiritual Energy waning, they could no longer break through to the Golden Core.


    The grades of Golden Cores range from First to Tenth.


    However, the Tao Foundation does not have such grades.


    The Tao Foundation is distinguished in only two ways: one is the Heavenly Dao Foundation, and the other is all the rest. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And within the rest, there are two types.


    One is a special Tao Foundation. For instance, the ¡®upper-grade Earth Fire Pill¡¯ which could be obtained by passing the third challenge in the ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Heavenly Dao Secret Realm¡¯, is said to have been a pill that existed a long time ago. When consumed during Foundation Establishment, it forms a ¡®Earth Fire Dao Foundation,¡¯ which is extremely suitable for fire-type Magic Practitioners.


    The other type is the ordinary Tao Foundation that most possess.


    There are others like the Earth Fire Dao Foundation, such as the metal-chopping Tao Foundation beneficial for Sword Cultivators. The advantage of this kind of Tao Foundation is that if you are a Magic Practitioner or a Sword Cultivator, it will be quite compatible, but the downside is that you are completely locked into that path, unable to switch to another Cultivation practice or engage in Dual or Triple Cultivation.


    Once you achieve the Golden Core, it is graded between First and Tenth, with the Tenth Grade referred to as the Heavenly Dao Golden Core that no one has ever attained.


    ¡­


    By now, Chen Qiu had finished his Cultivation and glanced at the Shopkeeper, his forehead covered in fine sweat. He did not bother him further, knowing that the Storage Ring from the Evil Clan was subject to restrictions that Da Xia had never seen, and it might indeed be challenging to break them.


    He could not be of much help, except for promising a generous reward, he could only silently cheer him on.

 Chapter 180 - 115:

    Chapter 180: Chapter 115: ¡°Heavenly Pride Order¡±. _2


    As different as heaven and earth.


    He had no problem with killing, but asking him to crack a seal was purely asking too much.


    He took out a second-grade Golden Core from his bosom, holding it carefully in his palm, admiring it. Indeed, a second-grade Golden Core, it looked much more exquisite than those seen in the Ask Heaven Pavilion market, and it felt harder to the touch.


    Faint cloud patterns could even be seen on the Golden Core.


    Quite eye-catching.


    Once one entered the sixth level of the Golden Core Stage, the Golden Core would become extremely solid, so much so that it could be used as a killing skill for external attacks, its power exceeding that of ordinary Lifebound Spirit Treasures. However, it could only be used in overwhelming battles, for if the Golden Core were damaged, the cost of precious materials needed to mend it would not be a small sum.


    ...


    But if your Golden Core¡¯s grade is higher, you could use it for external attacks before reaching the sixth level of the Golden Core Stage.


    Among cultivators of equal Cultivation,


    the difference in Golden Core grades is as vast as a chasm; a collision between a first-grade and a second-grade Golden Core would certainly result in the shattering of the first-grade Core. This gap is insurmountable by any means.


    This is also why some Magic Practitioners on the verge of Foundation Establishment, would rather wait a while than enter the Golden Core Stage with a first-grade Golden Core. Once the grade is set, it is impossible to enhance it through any methods in the future.


    At that moment¡ª


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The shopkeeper, sitting to one side, gently placed the seal of the Storage Ring aside, and then his hands started to tremble uncontrollably. He looked at Chen Qiu with a hint of pride and fatigue in his tone.


    ¡°Young Master, the restrictions on this Storage Ring have been fully cracked.¡±


    ¡°You have found the right person. I doubt anyone else in Da Xia could crack this seal; the restrictions within are quite complex, and the sealing technique is unprecedented in Da Xia. If I hadn¡¯t cracked enough Storage Rings and had plenty of experience, and my talent weren¡¯t bad, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it,¡± he said.


    Fat Long looked at the middle-aged man with a self-satisfied expression with a weird look. Before, he only thought the man had some tricks up his sleeve, but ever since he met that Artifact Cultivator in Fei City who couldn¡¯t even break the Golden Core Storage Ring¡¯s seal, he suddenly felt this middle-aged man was more than a little skilled.


    However¡­


    He could understand that everyone had different talent points and excelled in different things.


    But why would anyone put all their talent points into cracking Storage Ring restrictions?


    Chen Qiu, who had been waiting on the side, had a flash of brightness in his eyes. Spiritual Energy shot out like threads, wrapping around the Evil Clan Storage Ring and bringing it into his palm. He probed into it with his Divine Sense, quickly searching through it.


    At first glance, he saw the Nascent Soul body he had been yearning for.


    A brownish-red pill.


    After the death of a Nascent Soul powerhouse, their body will turn into this brownish-red pill, known as the ¡°Nascent Soul Pill.¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With this¡ª


    He was now only short of one Nascent Soul body and seven second-grade Golden Cores away from a tenth-grade Golden Core.


    ¡°Good, good, good!!!¡±


    Chen Qiu managed to utter three ¡®good¡¯s in a row, his face joyful as he carefully placed the Nascent Soul body in the corner of the warehouse he used as storage in his small world. Only then did he discover another Token in the Evil Clan Storage Ring.


    ¡°Heavenly Pride Order.¡±


    Diamond-shaped and, when held in hand, the material felt extraordinary. Despite that neither Divine Sense nor Spiritual Energy could elicit any response from it, its use remained a mystery at the moment, appearing to be merely a symbol of identity.


    But at least it was clear, this member of the Evil Clan was truly a Heavenly Pride.


    Which is to say, a talented Evil Cultivator.


    He liked talents, indeed. How else could one pass the Evil Cultivation heritage? Although he did not know what the Evil Cultivation heritage test comprised, his experience from the Magic Practitioner heritage suggested: entering with a sixth level Foundation Establishment Cultivation, one would have to face a Puppet with the fourth level Golden Core Stage Cultivation at the Fifth Level.


    Only a genius capable of fighting above their level could inherit it, and mere level-skipping was not enough; one had to leap several levels.


    The rest were just miscellaneous items.


    There were some common clothes, not a single Magic Artifact, and some Spirit Stones, over a thousand in total. However, there were no Mid-grade Spirit Stones at all. It was admirable for a Heavenly Pride at the Foundation Establishment level to have over a thousand Spirit Stones in their possession.


    Quite wealthy indeed.


    That was all there was.


    Wait, there were also two sticks of Evil Wood solemnly stored in a Jade Box in the corner. It was unknown where the Evil Clan prodigy had found them, but they did seem to carry Qi Fortune with them.


    Not only did they obtain two sticks of Evil Wood, but they also passed through the Evil Cultivation heritage, and were about to return home with a full load when they found the Teleportation Array back home had been shut down. This¡­ was indeed a rather frustrating predicament.


    He was starting to feel a little sorry for this Evil Clan genius.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu toyed with the ¡°Heavenly Pride Order¡± for a while, then stored it along with the Evil Clan Storage Ring and other miscellaneous items in the warehouse of his small world.


    Useful or not, he kept everything.


    After all, his small world was large enough to accommodate it all, and who knew, it might come in handy in the future. He even kept the Evil Clan¡¯s robes.


    Then, he took out the nine Golden Core Storage Rings and placed them sincerely in front of the shopkeeper, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you further, to see if you can crack these nine Storage Rings as well.¡±


    The middle-aged man glanced at the bright sky outside the temple, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, ¡°My Spiritual Energy¡­¡±


    ¡°Smack.¡±


    Without a second word, Chen Qiu took out several pots of Qi Replenishing Pills from his bosom and tossed them over, ¡°These Qi Replenishing Pills should keep you sated, take as many as you want. When you¡¯re out and about, you might run short on anything but these pills.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    The middle-aged man sat inside the temple, concentrating on breaking the seals, while Chen Qiu and his companions lay on top of the temple, basking in the sun. The North Continent was quite a bit warmer than the Southern State, but since winter had already set in, it was still somewhat cold.

 Chapter 181 - 115: The Heavenly Pride Order. _3

    Chapter 181: Chapter 115: The Heavenly Pride Order. _3


    Fat Long looked at the sun above his head with some confusion, ¡°Brother Qiu, have you noticed that along our journey, whether it¡¯s the North Continent or Southern State, all the temples we¡¯ve seen are abandoned?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lazily, ¡°Maybe people have realized that praying to these clay statues is quite useless.¡±


    He was currently carrying two Golden Core resentful spirits on his back, but his Cultivation had reached the peak of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, so these two resentful spirits couldn¡¯t pose much of a threat to him. As his Cultivation increased, so did his capacity to bear more resentful energy.


    He felt a bit uncomfortable when he didn¡¯t have any resentful spirits on him before, but now he felt much better.


    ¡°That might be possible, it¡¯s just that something feels a bit off.¡±


    ...


    Fat Long twisted his body to lie down more comfortably, muttering, ¡°Back in our place, praying to these clay statues was also useless, but there were still crowds who prayed. Since there were so many temples, it means that many people must have worshiped there in the past, not to the point where now not a single person does it.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu uttered some lazy sounds unconsciously, casually responding to Fat Long¡¯s query. The sun¡¯s warmth on his body made him feel quite comfortable; he didn¡¯t want to think about anything and just wanted to relax his mind for a moment, enjoying the brief comfort.


    The scholar was currently strolling around the temple, firstly to get accustomed to walking, and secondly because he had sat enough over the past few years and was excited to have his legs working again.


    Meanwhile, the scholar¡¯s burly brother with sideburns was squatting in a corner, intently watching ants move their nest.


    Everyone had something to do.


    It all seemed quite harmonious.


    Only the Shopkeeper inside the temple, whose forehead was covered with sweat, didn¡¯t dare to make the slightest mistake and was cautiously trying to break the seal.


    ¡­


    At that moment, within the Poison Sect, hundreds of miles away.


    The Taoist Sect and others who had come to investigate had already left.


    The Master of Poison Sect stared emotionlessly at the replayed scene in the air, watching those young men brazenly chopping off all the Dragon Vein Stones within the Forbidden Land of his Poison Sect, without even sparing the newly formed ones, uncontrollable fury surged in his eyes.


    His teeth were tightly clenched as he spat out each word, his eyes nearly bursting with rage.


    ¡°Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡°I swear I¡¯ll hunt you to the ends of the earth!!!¡±


    He recognized the young man leading the group in the scene; he was the recently famous Chen Qiu, who had taken the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance and single-handedly annihilated tens of thousands from the Evil Clan!


    You sure know how to pick your timing, huh?


    Before heading to Southern State to snatch the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, you actually took the time to ransack my Forbidden Land?


    Then he looked at the ¡®Trace-Following Stone¡¯ in his hand, created by the Taoist Sect from the residual energy of Chen Qiu and the others, projecting his Divine Sense into it and looking toward Chen Qiu¡¯s position, only a few hundred miles away from him, a glint of surprise flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°Very good, very good, I can¡¯t believe you dare to return to the North Continent!¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, come sit inside my Soul Banner!¡±


    Having said that, his body turned into a streak of Liu Guang and shot off into the distance. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No matter how much fame that Chen Qiu had recently gained, he was still just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator at the end of the day, and for a Golden Core fourth-level mighty being like himself, crushing a Foundation Establishment was no more difficult than flipping his hand, right?


    ¡­


    And at that moment, Chen Qiu and the others were lying on the temple roof sunbathing, waiting for the Shopkeeper to break into the Storage Ring and then head to Yun City to look for Liu Zide. They planned to bring him back to Fei State to make large purchases of Evil Wood and the Eight Desolate Fruit.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The languid Chen Qiu took out a Jade Scroll from his bosom, the extra ¡°three choices¡± entry opportunity he had obtained from the Heavenly Dao Roulette which he hadn¡¯t used yet. After playing with it for a while, he crushed it.


    Suddenly¡ª


    A panel shrouded in mist appeared above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Love Without Regret.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: green.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: For every same race, same gender individual that truly falls in love with you, you will receive a hundred Spirit Stones.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Life and Death Thin Line.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: white.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: You cannot be killed in one blow by anyone, not even by a Mahayana Realm powerhouse, but you will be severely injured by any attack you suffer.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Talismanic Cultivation Posture.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: white.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: The speed at which you draw talismans will be faster.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the three entries, the first entry obviously wasn¡¯t worth mentioning, even if it was tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, he wasn¡¯t very interested, he has no prejudice against same-sex relationships, though he respects but does not understand¡­


    Well, to be honest.


    He neither respects nor understands.


    The second entry would only have side effects for him, leaving him with only the third choice, though not very useful, it could still serve as materials for Core Formation.


    Just as he was about to choose¡ª


    ¡°Die!!!¡±


    A fierce roar grew from distant to near and sounded in his ears. A force carrying immense poisonous energy and revealing the formidable Spiritual Energy of a mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator was rapidly closing in on him!


    The great intent to kill almost solidified.


    In that very moment!


    The sensation of being locked on by a mid-stage Golden Core Divine Sense made Chen Qiu, who lay on the temple roof, suddenly feel a chill in his limbs as if plummeting into a deep abyss. He could faintly feel the Array Patterns of the ¡°Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array¡± in his Sea of Consciousness starting to light up as if they sensed the imminent Divine Sense Attack.


    ¡®Divine Sense Attack¡¯.


    This concept flashed through Chen Qiu¡¯s mind in an instant. A mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator¡¯s unannounced strike, launching a full-strength Divine Sense Attack on him, even if his Sea of Consciousness housed the ¡°Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array,¡± but since he had not entered the Golden Core Stage, the array could only exert a weak effect.

 Chapter 182 - 115: Heavenly Pride Order. _4

    Chapter 182: Chapter 115: Heavenly Pride Order. _4


    If this Divine Sense Attack were to truly strike into his Sea of Consciousness, it could almost instantaneously snatch away his life.


    This was an overwhelming assault from a Golden Core Master against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    No matter how many tricks a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had, a Divine Sense Attack could completely crush them. He wanted to escape into the small world but was tightly locked by the Golden Core Divine Sense. This prevented his Divine Sense from making any contact with the Storage Ring inside his body, rendering him unable to establish a connection with the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair or enter the small world.


    It was almost certainly a mortal situation.


    At this critical moment, Chen Qiu, lying on the temple roof, muttered, ¡°That Memory Stone really does bring good luck¡­¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    ...


    The Divine Sense Attack vanished in an instant from tens of miles away and suddenly pierced into his Sea of Consciousness like a dragon diving into a swamp, nearly instantly shredding his Sea of Consciousness to pieces, but just as it was about to completely destroy his Sea of Consciousness.


    The phrase ¡°life and death hanging by a thread¡± carved on Chen Qiu¡¯s Tao Foundation suddenly began to emit bursts of bright light.


    An indescribable power caused the Divine Sense Attack to gradually weaken and then disappear within the Sea of Consciousness.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Chen Qiu, although still lying motionless in the same spot on the temple roof, basking in the sun, now started bleeding from all seven orifices, a sign that his Sea of Consciousness had been completely destroyed.


    This Divine Sense Attack was focused solely on Chen Qiu; Fat Long and the scholar below the temple, among others, were completely unharmed.


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    Fat Long, lying next to him, looked anxiously at Chen Qiu, whose body was bleeding from the seven orifices, and held him in his arms, shouting urgently to the scholar who had already flown to the roof and the fast approaching Golden Core Great Power, ¡°Scholar, run!¡±


    ¡°Run? Where to run!¡±


    The voice of the Master of Poison Sect, which had been at the horizon just moments before, had now landed on the temple roof. With a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy, he swung his hand and sent the scholar, who had just shot out a Qingfeng from his sleeve, flying to the side.


    Only then did he look toward Chen Qiu, who lay in Fat Long¡¯s arms bleeding from the orifices, eyes tightly shut, evidently half-dead.


    He did not deliver another blow immediately.


    Instead, he threw his head back and laughed heartily, feeling extremely satisfied inside.


    ¡°Chen Qiu, oh Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°You should never have provoked my Poison Sect.¡±


    ¡°You could have become a generation¡¯s Heavenly Pride, alas, alas, because you provoked my Poison Sect today, you shall fall here, even if you are a Heavenly Pride, the chasm between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core is simply insurmountable!¡±


    ¡°Even if I were standing in front of you completely defenseless, without Protective Spirit Qi, just by the strength of my physical body, you also¡­¡±


    His words were suddenly cut off.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    The Master of Poison Sect, standing on the temple roof, suddenly froze in place, eyes filled with disbelief as he looked toward Chen Qiu and the others, continuously spitting out mouthfuls of blood, while overhead, unknown to him, limitless thunderclouds had silently gathered.


    A bout of thunder comparable to Heavenly Punishment struck down from the clouds, hitting the Master of Poison Sect right on the head in the middle of his boasting.


    The dying Master of Poison Sect, raising his hand with eyes full of resentment and unwillingness, looked toward Fat Long and others, intending to use a Divine Sense Attack to take them down with him. However, the Thunder Summoning Technique unleashed by a peak Golden Core Cultivation gave him no chance.


    The next instant¡ª


    The body of the Master of Poison Sect was blown to pieces, turning into dust that the wind blew away, disappearing from the world.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    A Golden Core burst forth from the powder and aimed to shoot into the distance, but the preparative scholar¡¯s fingers trembled lightly, and the three-foot green blade that had been slapped away shot out with even greater speed, catching up to the Golden Core, skewering it on its tip, and bringing it back.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    At this moment, Chen Qiu, who was in Fat Long¡¯s arms, slowly opened his eyes, somewhat struggling to push Fat Long away. He sat atop the temple¡¯s roof, swept a glance at the bloody mist in the sky, pulled out a handkerchief from his bosom to wipe the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, and turned his head towards the scholar and others, his voice hoarse.


    ¡°Villains often die from talking too much, that¡¯s a lesson from the past. Nonsense should be spouted after killing, not before.¡±


    ¡°Damn, ambushing.¡±


    He had always been the one ambushing Golden Cores; this was the first time a Golden Core had ambushed him, especially a fourth-layer Golden Core Great Power ambushing him with full force.


    For a Golden Core against a Foundation Establishment, it was a total crush, especially when it was a full-force ambush. The Divine Sense Attack of the fourth-layer Golden Core penetrated his Sea of Consciousness in an instant, nearly destroying all his Divine Sense. If it weren¡¯t for his last-moment choice of the entry ¡°Life or Death,¡±


    he would probably have died on the spot.


    This time, he could only say he was lucky.


    If it wasn¡¯t for him crushing the ¡°three choices¡± entry at this time, and coincidentally getting ¡°Life or Death,¡± which saved his life, it would be hard to say how things would¡¯ve turned out. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu struggled to stand up and stretch his limbs. His body wasn¡¯t injured externally but felt as if someone had stuffed a meat grinder inside his head, causing an almost explosive headache.


    The pain was so severe that he even experienced some blurring of vision.


    Spiritual Energy formed filaments that emerged from his body, rolled up the only remaining Storage Ring of the Master of Poison Sect from the bloody mist in mid-air, and through the broken hole in the temple¡¯s roof, looked down towards the Shopkeeper pretending to be dead in the temple¡¯s corner. He sent down the Storage Ring with Spiritual Energy, his voice hoarse.


    ¡°Shopkeeper, there¡¯s another Storage Ring here; trouble you to take care of it. Hard work.¡±


    While the Master of Poison Sect was grandly pontificating, he had secretly triggered the ¡°Life or Death¡± entry. The Thunder Summoning Technique released by the Peak Golden Core Cultivation in a full-force blow killed the Master of Poison Sect on the spot, completely disintegrating his robe and Storage Ring, leaving only one Storage Ring intact.


    Then he sat back down on the roof squarely.


    His eyebrows twisted in pain as he continuously massaged his temples. Although the ¡°Life or Death¡± entry had saved his life, his Sea of Consciousness felt almost completely destroyed, the pain piercing deep into his brain.


    It was both itchy and painful.


    He even felt like taking his sword, digging out his brains, and stomping them on the ground fiercely.


    ¡°Scholar.¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned and turned his head to look at the scholar, ¡°How do you treat damage to the Sea of Consciousness?¡±


    ¡°Take medicine.¡±


    The scholar¡¯s voice was urgent as he replied, ¡°Golden Core low-grade pill, ¡®Replenishing God Pill,¡¯ this kind of pill is specifically for repairing damage to Divine Sense. This kind of pill is generally not available in markets or auctions, but has to be directly sought from Alchemy sects.¡±


    ¡°The nearest sect that can concoct this pill is called ¡®Star Battle Sect,¡¯ located at the farthest north of Xuzhou, past Fufeng City and Yun City, and just by the border of the Endless Desert.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, feeling the bone-deep pain deep in his brain, and patted his head tiredly, ¡°Will this thing leave any hidden injuries?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°As long as all the damage to Divine Sense is completely repaired, it won¡¯t leave any hidden injuries. However, during this time, Divine Sense shouldn¡¯t leave the body, but since Brother Qiu, you are now a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it¡¯s essentially like not being affected at all.¡±


    ¡°But it will be painful.¡±


    ¡°A pain that ordinary people can hardly bear.¡±

 Chapter 183 - 116:

    Chapter 183: Chapter 116: ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like something I can solve.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    Chen Qiu sat on the temple roof and shook his head. As long as there wouldn¡¯t be any lingering internal injuries, it was already good that he was alive after being attacked with full force by a Golden Core fourth layer great power. This pain was inconsequential.


    He was just worried that if his Sea of Consciousness was damaged, it would lead to latent injuries that might prevent him from forming a tenth-grade Golden Core.


    Then he would really feel like killing someone.


    Now, this was completely acceptable. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t chosen that ¡°Unbearable Pain¡± entry which would have increased his sense of pain; otherwise, he might well have been in so much agony that he could have died from it.


    He was also unwilling to linger, as it was a priority to quickly proceed to the ¡°Star Battle Sect¡± to seek medicine.


    ...


    After a pause, he looked down at the temple below, towards the shopkeeper who still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock, and said hoarsely, ¡°Shopkeeper, how about you stay somewhere else for a while, and I¡¯ll let you out after some time?¡±


    Then, with a wave of his hand, he sucked the shopkeeper into the small world, and the shopkeeper did not resist.


    ¡­


    Chao Tian Sect, within a clean disciple dormitory.


    The shopkeeper appeared abruptly in this dormitory, still terrified. Before he could take a look around, he heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Shopkeeper, you¡¯ll have to endure staying in this room for a while.¡±


    ¡°After I¡¯ve broken into the storage ring, I¡¯ll let you out.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your efforts, shopkeeper. You¡¯ll get double the compensation this time.¡±


    ¡­


    Just as Chen Qiu motioned for the scholar to prepare to head to the ¡°Star Battle Sect,¡± he was taken aback by the Golden Core Pill of the Poison Sect Master that the scholar had passed to him. The headache and dizziness that had plagued him suddenly eased, and he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and chuckle.


    ¡°A second-grade Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The scholar couldn¡¯t help but laugh too, ¡°Brother Qiu, you can consider this a blessing in disguise. Second-grade Golden Cores are hard to come by; it¡¯s not often that one delivers itself to your doorstep.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, took out a wooden box from his chest ¨C he had many of those wooden boxes, each one was the box bestowed by the Heavenly Dao that contained the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. He placed the second-grade Golden Core inside the wooden box and placed it in the small world¡¯s storage room.


    Now he had three second-grade Golden Cores.


    Just six more to go.


    The progress towards nine second-grade Golden Cores was already one-third complete; considering this, Chen Qiu felt that being struck this time didn¡¯t seem like such a bad deal after all.


    Then, he glanced over the scholar¡¯s Flying Sword, noticing several cracks on it, he frowned and said, ¡°I remember that this Flying Sword is your Lifebound Spirit Treasure, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scholar nodded and then shook his head helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s been damaged a bit. The Lifebound Spirit Treasure is closely linked to me; I¡¯ve also been injured a bit, but it¡¯s not severe, and it¡¯s still usable. As long as it hasn¡¯t completely shattered, there¡¯s always a way to repair it in the future.¡±


    ¡°So, are we setting off now, Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡­


    When passing through Fufeng City, they placed the scholar¡¯s younger brother in Fufeng City.


    The trio of Chen Qiu was on their way to seek pills at the ¡°Star Battle Sect.¡± In case of any emergencies, they could retreat quickly to Fufeng City using the Bloodline Entry between the scholar and his younger brother.


    At the entrance of the Star Battle Sect¡¯s mountain gate.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too much trouble.¡±


    The scholar said in a low voice, ¡°This Star Battle Sect has always had a good reputation, never once resorting to harming those who come to seek pills. The Pill Sect usually maintains neutrality, treating Evil Cultivation, Demon Cultivation, and righteous cultivators all the same.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and looked at the mountain gate in front of him.


    The Star Battle Sect was located atop a tall peak, with the sect¡¯s location at the summit of the mountain and the mountain gate built halfway up the slope. Two ten-zhang high stone pillars with strange patterns stood erect halfway up the slope, not enclosed at the top; this place was the mountain gate.


    Anyone stepping onto Xing Dou¡¯s boundary from other places was considered to have hostile intentions. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At this moment, there were two Mountain Guarding Disciples at the gate sizing them up.


    ¡°Are you here to seek pills? Do you have any elder¡¯s recommendation in the form of a Spiritual Tablet?¡±


    One of the Mountain Guarding Disciples with a square face looked at Chen Qiu and his group and asked sternly.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head softly and said, ¡°No, we¡¯ve heard that the Star Battle Sect¡¯s skill in pill refinement is unparalleled in the Northern State and have specifically come to seek pills.¡±


    He then waved his hand, and Fat Long, by his side, discreetly took out two storage bags each containing ten Spirit Stones from his chest and slipped them into the Mountain Guarding Disciples¡¯ arms without leaving a trace.


    This place was already on the border with the Endless Desert.


    Standing on the mountainside, one could see the endless desert in the distance, without an oasis, without springs, without hills, only the boundless expanse of the Endless Desert.


    Even though it was the middle of winter.


    Yet, for some reason, he could even feel the heatwave coming from the Endless Desert; it was a stark contrast to the Boundless Icefield, forming a complete opposite extreme.


    ¡­


    ¡°Cough.¡±


    The two gate-keeping disciples casually accepted the storage bags handed by Fat Long. One of them coughed lightly in his fist then said in a low voice, ¡°Have you fellow daoists been deceived? Foundation Establishment pills can be bought in the market below, generally only Golden Core pills require you to come up the mountain to seek them.¡±


    ¡°The pill we seek is the Golden Core pill ¡®Replenishing God Pill¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Replenishing God Pill?¡±


    The gate-keeping disciple looked strangely at Chen Qiu and his group; what Foundation Establishment Cultivator would seek a Replenishing God Pill? It was a pill to repair Divine Sense damage, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators had no chance of Divine Sense damage. Only in a fight with a Golden Core Great Power could Divine Sense be harmed, and if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator suffered a Divine Sense Attack, they would¡¯ve likely perished immediately.


    But after some thought, they guessed that it must be an errand on behalf of some Golden Core Master behind them.


    Without delay, they treated the matter seriously and said, ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    Then, they flew towards the mountain¡¯s summit on their Flying Swords, with Chen Qiu and his companions following closely behind on their own Swords.

 Chapter 184 - 116:

    Chapter 184: Chapter 116: ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like something I can solve.¡±_2


    ¡­


    Before long¡ª


    they entered the inner part of the Star Battle Sect, passing through the areas for the servant disciples, outer sect disciples, and inner sect disciples, and arrived at the place where guests were received: a sizeable teahouse with a burning incense of agarwood.


    Along the way, they saw many disciples, and the entire sky above the Star Battle Sect was suffused with the scent of medicinal herbs.


    Most of the disciples were alchemy cultivators.


    However, it seemed that explosions from alchemy furnaces were quite common; on their way, they heard more than a dozen explosions.


    ...


    ¡°Please wait here for a moment,¡±


    said the Mountain Guarding Disciple who had led them to this place with a serious expression, ¡°I¡¯ll go report to the elder and be right back.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After the Mountain Guarding Disciple left, Fat Long heard the occasional explosions coming from outside the window and couldn¡¯t help but remark, ¡°No wonder alchemy cultivators spend so much money; with the rate these furnaces are blowing up, they must be spending quite a fortune just on alchemy furnaces over a year, right?¡±


    ¡°I remember the mid-grade Foundation Establishment alchemy furnace at the Qiantian Bazaar auction was sold for 200 spirit stones. If the ones that just exploded were all mid-grade Foundation Establishment alchemy furnaces, did thousands of spirit stones just go up in smoke within this short time?¡±


    ¡°Over the course of a day, that would be tens of thousands of spirit stones gone just from explosions ¨C that¡¯s a bit absurd.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡±


    said the scholar with a slightly strange look on his face as he gazed out of the window at the occasional explosions, ¡°I¡¯ve been to other alchemy cultivation sects, and I¡¯ve never seen one where the furnaces explode so frequently. What is this, refining pills or making fireworks?¡±


    ¡­


    About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed.


    An old man with white hair and noticeably singed eyebrows and beard entered the teahouse with hasty and anxious strides. On seeing Chen Qiu and his companions, the irritation on his face lessened a bit, but his voice still trembled with irritation.


    ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am the Inner Sect Third Elder of the Star Battle Sect.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I apologize for making you all wait. I just had a furnace explode. I hurried over here as soon as I heard from the disciples that distinguished guests had arrived,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been briefly informed by the disciples that you all require the Replenishing God Pill to repair damage to divine sense. May I ask about the cultivation of the person who will be taking this pill? So I can provide a suitable remedy based on the cultivation level, as different levels can withstand different potencies.¡±


    ¡°Peak of Foundation Establishment,¡±


    Chen Qiu, worn out from enduring pain for so long, replied in a somewhat tired and soft voice, ¡°It¡¯s for me to take. I¡¯ve had an accident, and my divine sense has been damaged, so I¡¯ve come to your sect specifically to request this pill.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    The elder flashed a hint of skepticism and said reflexively, ¡°Nonsense. How can the divine sense of someone at the peak of Foundation Establishment be damaged?¡±


    In most cases, divine sense damage occurs when battling a Golden Core Great Power, and by unfortunate chance, one¡¯s divine sense gets injured. But the Sea of Consciousness of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is in a state of chaos, which is completely defenseless, making it impossible to be damaged. Once it suffers a Divine Sense Attack, the only outcome is total destruction.


    There wouldn¡¯t be a chance just to be damaged.


    ¡°Wait a moment¡ª¡±


    Just then, the elder took another look at Chen Qiu from head to toe, suddenly pulled out a portrait from his chest, compared the portrait and Chen Qiu, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, ¡°Are you the recently renowned Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°The most powerful Talent of Magic Practitioner from Da Xia, Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you in the Boundless Icefield? How did you suddenly end up in the Endless Desert?¡±


    Then he seemed to have an epiphany; his voice mixed with a hint of admiration, ¡°If it¡¯s Chen Qiu, then I can understand. I¡¯ve heard that you once killed a Golden Core Great Power while being of a lower level; presumably, that¡¯s when your divine sense was injured, right?¡±


    ¡°No wonder you, hailing from Fufeng City, would go to the Boundless Icefield. Southern State has the most alchemy cultivation sects; you must have gone there seeking a cure, right? But it looks like you returned without success.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ unfortunately, the Star Battle Sect also has no solution.¡±


    ¡°The Replenishing God Pill is a low-grade Golden Core pill, specifically designed to repair the divine sense damage of a Golden Core. Even if the potency is adjusted to the weakest, it¡¯s still more than the Sea of Consciousness of a Foundation Establishment cultivator can bear, not only failing to heal but possibly exacerbating the damage.¡±


    ¡°A Foundation Establishment cultivator¡­ simply cannot take the Replenishing God Pill.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu, still unwilling to give up, probed again, ¡°Isn¡¯t there any possibility at all?¡±


    ¡°No,¡±


    the Inner Sect Third Elder replied regretfully, shaking his head, ¡°If you had come a few months earlier, there might have been a way, but the sect has encountered some trouble in the past few months, and it doesn¡¯t look like the trouble can be resolved anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°What kind of trouble?¡±


    Chen Qiu asked.


    If there was even the slightest chance, he did not want to give up. Damage to the Sea of Consciousness meant it would be difficult for him to form a perfect Golden Core. If it could be healed, it would naturally not affect him, but with ninety percent of his Sea of Consciousness destroyed, the thought of forming a perfect Golden Core was nothing but a dream.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The elder hesitated for a moment, then seemed about to speak but paused. After a moment, he added, ¡°Wait here for a moment; I¡¯ll request guidance from the Great Elder.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon, the elder returned, following another elder who looked even older. This elder had deep green hair and beard, resembling the color of a pickled garlic clove, but like the Third Elder behind him, his beard and eyebrows were singed, clearly also a victim of a recent furnace explosion.


    ¡°This is the Great Elder of our Star Battle Sect.¡±


    As soon as the Great Elder took his seat, he looked seriously at Chen Qiu and said, word for word, ¡°Daoist Chen, what I¡¯m about to discuss with you is one of the core secrets of the Star Battle Sect. I hope that, after learning about it, whether or not you can help, you will try to keep it confidential.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only shared this information with you, Daoist Chen,¡± he continued.


    ¡°And the Replenishing God Pill you seek is closely related to this matter.¡±

 Chapter 185 - 116:

    Chapter 185: Chapter 116: ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like something I can solve.¡±_3


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded seriously, listening patiently to the continuation.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    After the Great Elder let out a long sigh, he slowly continued, ¡°Since ancient times, most Alchemy Cultivation Sects have been based in the Southern State, where the Spiritual Energy is richer compared to the North Continent, naturally making it suitable for Alchemy Cultivation Sects.¡±


    ¡°However, the reason why the Star Battle Sect established its sect near Xuzhou, close to the Endless Desert¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­is because hundreds of years ago, our founder discovered a stream of Earth Fire flowing underground like a river beneath the Endless Desert. This flowing Earth Fire keeps the Endless Desert extremely hot even in winter.¡±


    ...


    ¡°This Earth Fire is extremely docile, and it took our founder decades to draw a thread of this Earth Fire to the base of this mountain. Using this thread of Earth Fire, the Pills produced by our sect¡¯s disciples have a very high success rate and very low cost.¡±


    ¡°Especially since this Earth Fire is extremely mild, we can control its temperature at will, allowing us to produce some pills that other sects cannot.¡±


    ¡°For instance, the ¡®Replenishing God Pill¡¯ you requested, Chen Daoist, for those at the peak of Foundation Establishment Cultivation, no other sect in the entire Da Xia can produce it, only our Star Battle Sect can, with the help of this Earth Fire.¡±


    ¡°Until recently, the Earth Fire was as mild as ever.¡±


    ¡°However, a few months ago, this Earth Fire, for some unknown reason, became extremely violent, and it became impossible to produce any pills. We tried countless times but could no longer use the Earth Fire for alchemy; instead, it became increasingly violent, and we were about to give up.¡±


    The Great Elder of the Star Battle Sect suddenly looked at Chen Qiu earnestly and said sincerely, ¡°But unexpectedly, Daoist Chen, you suddenly visited. You are currently the most powerful Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia. If there is one person who can solve this Earth Fire problem, it must be you.¡±


    ¡°As long as you can help the Star Battle Sect solve this Earth Fire problem¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Not only can we refine the Replenishing God Pill for Daoist Chen for free, but we will also offer a hefty reward, and Daoist Chen will earn the long-term friendship of the Star Battle Sect.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like something I can handle.¡±


    ¡°You can.¡±


    The Great Elder of the Star Battle Sect looked at Chen Qiu with great trust and said earnestly, ¡°We have seen your battle in the Boundless Icefield. To delve deep into the Earth Fire and find out what happened, you must constantly activate your Protective Spirit Qi.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ the Earth Fire is too deep.¡±


    ¡°We even summoned the Supreme Elder with Golden Core Peak Cultivation, who is also the founder of our sect, but even with his Cultivation, he couldn¡¯t reach the depths of the Earth Fire before his Spiritual Energy was about to run out by half.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, he couldn¡¯t determine what was happening beneath the Earth Fire.¡±


    ¡°As a result, the founder even got slightly injured, reducing his already scarce remaining lifespan.¡±


    ¡°The Spiritual Energy your body holds, according to the Sect Master from the images on the Memory Stone, we believe the Spiritual Energy your body holds even surpasses that of our founder. If Daoist Chen is willing to help us, perhaps you could find the reason for such volatility in the Earth Fire, and then we could find a solution.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, Chen Qiu spoke softly, ¡°Take me to see it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡­


    Under the guidance of the Great Elder, Chen Qiu and his group made their way to the back mountain of the Star Battle Sect, inside a house protected by a Formation, at the center of which lay a well.


    The well continuously erupted with a substantial flow of flames, which followed trenches dug on the floor towards every corner of the Star Battle Sect.


    The entire house was filled with scorching heat waves.


    One could observe from the naked eye that the flames were filled with a violent aura, far from being mild in any way.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    The Great Elder spoke with a complex expression, ¡°Although we really want to resolve the Earth Fire issue for the Star Battle Sect, Daoist Chen, I must remind you that the Earth Fire below is more abundant and deeper than you imagine.¡±


    ¡°A Golden Core Master can leave a thread of Divine Sense at the mouth of the well, so when Spiritual Energy is about to be exhausted, he can follow the Divine Sense along the original path back.¡±


    ¡°But Daoist Chen, with your peak Foundation Establishment Cultivation, you can¡¯t project Divine Sense from your body. Once you fall into the Earth Fire below, you¡¯ll instantly lose your sense of direction, and there¡¯s a high chance you won¡¯t come back until your Spirit Energy is exhausted¡­¡±


    The Great Elder left his words unspoken.


    But the implication was clear.


    After the Spiritual Energy is exhausted, staying in this obviously no mere flame, which could corrode Spiritual Energy, your fate would certainly not be pleasant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    The Scholar looked at Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded. Having the Scholar with him would indeed solve the issue of not being able to return as long as the distance from the Scholar¡¯s brother did not exceed ten thousand miles, they could instantly return to his side.


    ¡°No concerns.¡±


    Chen Qiu did not want to delay further, now that he almost understood the situation, there was no need to hesitate further. Spiritual Energy surged out, enveloping Fat Long and the Scholar before he stepped into the well of fire in front of him at once. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Though protecting two additional people would consume more Protective Spirit Qi¡­


    ¡­it made no significant difference to him.


    Leaving Fat Long alone in the Star Battle Sect was not very reassuring.


    The three of them instantly disappeared on the spot.


    ¡­


    At that moment¡ª


    A square-faced, imposing middle-aged man stepped into the room briskly, scanned the interior, and said solemnly, ¡°Where is Daoist Chen?¡±


    ¡°Sect Master.¡±


    The Great Elder looked towards the entrance to the fire well with a complex expression, ¡°They have already gone down.¡±


    ¡°They have already gone down?¡±


    The middle-aged man paused and then let out a long sigh, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s have Daoist Chen give it a try. With the fame as Da Xia¡¯s unparalleled Magical Talent, he must surely possess extraordinary capabilities.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±

 Chapter 186 - 116:

    Chapter 186: Chapter 116: ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like something I can solve.¡±_4


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to tell him that the Earth Fire below has become more temperamental, and the damage to the Spiritual Energy will be even more severe.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope for a safe return.¡±


    ¡°You go down first and get ready to move to Southern State. The Earth Fire has become increasingly violent. In less than a month, it will erupt in large quantities, and by then, the entire sect will be covered by the Earth Fire, making it uninhabitable.¡±


    ¡°Already¡­¡± The Great Elder paused, exchanging an incredulous look with the Third Elder, ¡°Have we reached the point where we must move the sect?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After a long silence, the middle-aged man spoke with a somewhat hoarse voice, ¡°The ancestral master has passed away just now. Do not spread the word. The ancestral master was already low on life expectancy, and he didn¡¯t survive after sustaining some injuries from the Earth Fire.¡±


    ...


    ¡­


    At this moment, Chen Qiu had already led Fat Long and headed deep into the Earth Fire.


    At a glance¡ª


    The surroundings were filled with countless Earth Fires, which flowed like liquid, constantly corroding his Protective Spirit Qi¡ªeven though the Spiritual Energy capacity inside him far exceeded that of his fellow cultivators of the same level.


    But even so, it couldn¡¯t withstand more than thirty breaths.


    The corrosion of the Earth Fire on the Spiritual Energy was too strong.


    The entire underground seemed to be hollowed out, with nothing but Earth Fire. It was as if there was a vast Underground Fire Sea made up of flowing liquid flames.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Feeling the heat waves seeping into his body, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say much. Spiritual Energy surged into his armguards, countless sharp points piercing into his body, restoring Spiritual Energy while he repeatedly teleported multiple times within the Fire Sea.


    He did not know whether this would work.


    But now, this was the only path to take. He didn¡¯t know what had happened below the Earth Fire to make it so violent. All he could do was to prolong the timeline by continuously teleporting to find the anomaly.


    ¡­


    And so¡ª


    Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.


    Chen Qiu was still randomly teleporting deep within the Fire Sea without a single thought, but he was not irritable. With a calm expression, he surveyed his surroundings. Having experienced it twice on the Forbidden Sea, these mere two hours did not perturb his heart.


    ¡°I had never known that beneath the Endless Desert lay a hollow space, and that there was so much Earth Fire.¡±


    The scholar felt the complicated sensation of the distance from his younger brother growing, ¡°I can feel that my brother is getting farther and farther from us, which means we have been delving deep into the Endless Desert, but just beneath its surface.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, we¡¯ve already gone as deep as several miles.¡±


    ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, there might be an entire Fire Sea flowing under the Endless Desert, and this Fire Sea could be several times larger than Xuzhou. No wonder the ancestral master of the Star Battle Sect was unable to explore to the end of the Fire Sea.¡±


    ¡°Here, nature¡¯s spiritual energy has merged with the Earth Fire. Absorbing the spiritual energy here will make one¡¯s body unbearably hot and if too much is absorbed, even the meridians could ignite spontaneously. We can only rely on our own body¡¯s Spiritual Energy here.¡±


    ¡°The Spiritual Energy stored within someone at the Golden Core Peak is not enough to explore this Fire Sea.¡±


    Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings and to this point, he had not seen anything special. He only felt that the surrounding heat waves were getting more intense, and the speed at which they corroded his Spiritual Energy was increasing¡ªmeaning the temperature of the Earth Fire here was even higher.


    ¡­


    Star Battle Sect.


    By the side of the Fire Well inside the house, the Sect Master of the Star Battle Sect flashed a complex look in his eyes. It had been two hours, and Daoist Chen still had not shown any signs of returning.


    Most likely¡­


    He had perished.


    The ancestral master had only stayed half an hour in the Earth Fire before returning, and even then, due to miscalculations and absorbing some of nature¡¯s spiritual energy infused with the Earth Fire at the last moment when he was nearly back to the Fire Well, he sustained damage to his meridians.


    As a result, he did not survive long before passing away prematurely.


    The elderly Golden Core Peak Cultivator was like a precious yet fragile piece of porcelain.


    It would shatter upon contact.


    ¡­


    When another three hours had passed.


    The sky had darkened, and there were only two more days left before the competition for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.


    By now, Chen Qiu, deep within the Earth Fire, had no idea how far he had ventured into the Endless Desert, but as the surrounding heatwaves grew stronger, he finally found the source of the rampant Earth Fire.


    At the deepest part of the Underground Fire Sea.


    An Eight-petal Fire Lotus, rootless and drifting freely within the fire sea, its petals moving as if breathing. With every tremble, it caused the surrounding Earth Fire to become even more volatile.


    And with that, it sent waves of heat rolling towards the depths of the fire sea.


    The source of the entire Earth Fire¡¯s volatility was none other than this Fire Lotus growing within the fire sea.


    However¡ª


    Chen Qiu had only stood and observed for less than a moment before he had to once again repeatedly teleport away from the area, needing to restore his Spiritual Energy with Teleportation, which invariably took him farther away from the Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    ¡°¡­¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu turned and looked at the Eight-petal Fire Lotus several dozen meters behind him, gauged the amount of Spiritual Energy left in his body, took out a heap of Qi Replenishing Pills from his chest and shoved them all into his mouth, then proceeded without activating his arm guard.


    He charged towards the Eight-petal Fire Lotus in the depths of the fire sea, protected by his Protective Spirit Qi!


    His Spiritual Energy burst out forcefully, swept up the Eight-petal Fire Lotus, and stuffed it into a wooden box; however, being composed entirely of flames, the wooden box was instantly burnt to ashes, and when he attempted to place it into his Storage Ring, the Storage Ring was instantly burnt to ashes as well.


    He hesitated for a moment.


    Then he tossed it directly into his small world, and this time, it was stable.


    The Eight-petal Fire Lotus floated in the sky of the small world}, turning the originally dim small world into one with its own sun for the first time; the blistering light showered down upon the ruins of the Chao Tian Sect in the small world, as if a scorching heat wave swept through the entire space.


    After the Eight-petal Fire Lotus was taken into the small world, the ground fire that had been violently surging around it suddenly began to calm down, and the wild aura gradually dissipated.


    Seeing that the Spiritual Energy in his body was about to be exhausted.


    Chen Qiu directly took Fat Long and the others into the small world.


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Inside the small world, Fat Long, bare-chested and sweating profusely, vigorously waved his fan and looked up at the Eight-petal Fire Lotus acting as a mini sun overhead, his face barely concealing his excitement, ¡°Brother Qiu, I¡¯m telling you, this thing is definitely a major treasure!


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a flower like this, rootless and growing in a fire sea, composed entirely of flames.


    ¡°With such a big Underground Fire Sea going wild because of this thing, it definitely can¡¯t be underestimated. Scholar, do you know what treasure this is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The scholar shook his head helplessly, ¡°You¡¯re overestimating me. Even at the peak of my Cultivation, the Underground Fire Sea was not a place I could come to, and this thing was not something I was qualified to touch.¡±


    Chen Qiu, on the other hand, felt the temperature was bearable. The three resentful spirits of the Golden Core on his back cooled him down quite nicely, so he didn¡¯t feel very hot. He, too, looked at the Eight-petal Fire Lotus floating in mid-air with a fair bit of emotion.


    This was the disadvantage of being a Loose Cultivator.


    Having finally encountered a treasure, he had no idea what it was or what it was used for, but then he thought that even the Major Sects of Da Xia probably didn¡¯t know what this thing was for, and that made him feel a bit better.


    Only¡­


    He couldn¡¯t just let it float in the air forever; he felt somewhat of a headache. How to find out what this thing was for? He could be certain of one thing, the Eight-petal Fire Lotus was definitely a top-notch Spiritual Treasure.


    The problem was he didn¡¯t know how to use it. If only he had the chance to meet Old Man Cao, perhaps he would know.

 Chapter 187 - 117:

    Chapter 187: Chapter 117: ¡°Green Fishing Rod.


    He had already completed the Magic Practitioner inheritance, and the Forbidden Sea was no longer accessible. He was unsure where to find Old Man Cao and decided to try his luck in the Array Repairer inheritance next and see if he could meet Old Man Cao there.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu retracted his gaze from the Eight-petal Fire Lotus above the Chao Tian Sect, replenished his Spiritual Energy above the back mountain, and then led the scholar and others back to the Underground Fire Sea, prepared to use the scholar¡¯s Bloodline Entry to return to the scholar¡¯s brother.


    The space within the small world was isolated from Da Xia.


    It was not possible to teleport directly from the small world to the scholar¡¯s brother.


    However¡ª


    ...


    As soon as they appeared over the Underground Fire Sea, they saw a gigantic eyeball almost directly in front of them, staring intently at them.


    ¡°Swoosh.¡±


    Chen Qiu almost instantaneously moved dozens of yards away into the deeper parts of the Fire Sea, squinting towards the huge demon beast in the sea of fire nearby.


    It was a tiger.


    A tiger that was dozens of yards in size, completely enveloped in flames, angrily looked towards them as if on the verge of attacking,


    being incredibly gigantic¡ªit was just one eyeball that was much larger than they were, appeared to possess intelligence, though it wasn¡¯t very high.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    The crimson giant tiger wrapped in flames stood on the flames and roared loudly, its bellow echoing throughout the Underground Fire Sea. It then charged towards Chen Qiu and the others.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t want to linger and fight; instead, he lightly tapped the scholar on the shoulder.


    The next moment¡ª


    Chen Qiu and his companions disappeared on the spot.


    The giant tiger that had pounced on empty air had a brief flash of confusion in its massive pupils, followed by an irritable swatting of the surrounding flowing flames with its paws, sending waves of heat bursting around like shockwaves.


    Back beside the scholar¡¯s brother in Fufeng City, Chen Qiu and his companions, without much delay, continued their journey toward the Xing Dou Sect.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    The Xing Dou Sect Master, who had been standing by the Fire Well with little hope, looked at the now calming Earth Fire inside and vibrated with an excited quiver in his voice.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done it, we¡¯ve truly done it!!!¡±


    The Earth Fire had calmed down once again.


    This meant that Xing Dou Sect did not need to relocate.


    Unexpectedly, Chen Qiu had resolved what even their ancestor couldn¡¯t.


    The Great Elder and others couldn¡¯t contain their excitement either; the significance of the Earth Fire to Xing Dou Sect was¡­ critical!


    Right then!


    Chen Qiu appeared at the doorstep, led by a door-keeping disciple, and with a smile asked the Xing Dou Sect Master, ¡°Is the problem resolved now?¡±


    ¡°Resolved, resolved!¡±


    The Xing Dou Sect Master, a bit undignified in his excitement, excitedly grinned at Chen Qiu and said, ¡°From now on, Xing Dou Sect will be your closest ally, Daoist Chen. You¡¯re welcome to come to us anytime for anything Pill-related; if we can manage it, it will all be free!¡±


    ¡°Come this way, please; I will personally refine a Replenishing God Pill for you, Daoist Chen!¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t know why Chen Qiu appeared outside, at the moment he couldn¡¯t care less; he was eager to share the great news with his long-deceased ancestor.


    The only worry of his ancestor¡¯s life had been for Xing Dou Sect; knowing this news would surely make him too happy to shut his mouth even below in the underworld.


    ¡­


    It was already night.


    Chen Qiu sat in the guest room, leisurely sipping the spiritual tea brought by the Great Elder, tasting quite nice. Like the spiritual wine, the tea carried a mild Spiritual Energy which spread coolly through his organs.


    In the somewhat hot climate of the Endless Desert, it was just perfect.


    It was now past midnight.


    His nightly quota of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills had also been credited: 499 low-grade Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills and 15 mid-grade Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills¡ªhis reward for moving up in the Fame Rankings. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    By now, he noticed that the Fame Ranking had disappeared.


    Seemingly, its time had expired; it was always a temporary leaderboard before a Heavenly Dao version update, but it disappeared just when he no longer needed the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Quite good.


    Right then¡ª


    The visibly exhausted Xing Dou Sect Master strode into the tea room and handed a jade box to Chen Qiu with a serious expression, advising, ¡°I have minimized the medical power to ensure that even at the peak of Foundation Establishment, you can consume it.¡±


    ¡°Due to the reduced potency, one pill¡¯s medical power might be insufficient.¡±


    ¡°Here are three pills.¡±


    ¡°First, swallow one pill and absorb all its efficacy, then move on to the next. This will ensure that you can completely withstand the power of the Replenishing God Pill.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled and nodded slightly.


    The Xing Dou Sect Master, grateful, gestured for Chen Qiu to sit down, and the two of them sat and chatted.


    After chatting for about half an hour, Chen Qiu stood up to leave.


    He then left the Xing Dou Sect and headed towards Yun City.


    ¡­


    Yun City.


    A small city near the Endless Desert, not one of Da Xia¡¯s 365 major cities, Chen Qiu and his companions spent the night at an inn in this city.


    Fat Long and the others had already returned to their respective rooms to sleep.


    Only Chen Qiu remained seated cross-legged on the bed, looking at the now empty jade box in front of him, his expression quite pensive.


    Truly, fortune and disaster rely on each other; who can know their extremes?


    He had almost lost his life under the full-power attack of the Master of Poison Sect, but luckily, he was selecting an entry at that time and chose the ¡°Between Life and Death¡± entry in the last moment. The entry saved his life but severely damaged his Sea of Consciousness.

 Chapter 188 - 117:

    Chapter 188: Chapter 117: ¡°Green Fishing Rod.¡±_2


    Seeking the elixir at Star Battle Sect, he coincidentally found them in dire straits and helped resolve the disturbances of the Earth Fire, gaining an invaluable heaven and earth treasure that he couldn¡¯t identify.


    He also effortlessly obtained the second-grade Golden Core of the Master of Poison Sect.


    By now, he had fully absorbed all three Replenishing God Pills, his damaged Divine Sense completely healed as if nothing had happened. Yet he mysteriously ended up with a Golden Core resentful spirit, a second-grade Golden Core, an Eight-petal Fire Lotus, and even the Storage Ring of the Master of Poison Sect.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards the interior of the small world, at his small warehouse now packed full, and couldn¡¯t help but smile with satisfaction.


    The spoils of his recent adventures were neatly categorized and organized within the small world¡¯s warehouse.


    ...


    He decided to rest here for the night.


    Then, once it was daylight, he would visit Liu Zide at the Yuncheng Wang Family. Despite some unexpected turns, the overall plan progressed smoothly.


    ¡­


    That night, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t cultivate but instead slept soundly.


    Early in the morning, he and Fat Long sat at a roadside stall in Yun City, ordering a bowl of cold noodles.


    Yun City, near the Endless Desert, remained relatively hot and dry even during winter.


    The talkative Shopkeeper of the cold noodle stall chatted up as he served their food, ¡°The weather is getting stranger by the day. Just recently, the heat waves from the Endless Desert were relentlessly rolling into Yun City, but today, for some reason, it feels quite a bit cooler.¡±


    ¡°Heh, pretty weird indeed.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without responding, simply enjoying the local delicacy of Yun City with his spoon. The coolness was likely because he took that Eight-petal Fire Lotus, subduing the Earth Fire and thereby preventing the heat waves from emerging.


    After breakfast.


    A few casual inquiries led them straight to the Wang Family of Yun City, a not-so-small family that, especially in recent days, was said to be prospering, making them easy to find.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Liu Zide, clad in a short robe and carrying a birdcage strolling at the entrance, was pleasantly surprised to see Chen Qiu and others visit and immediately greeted them, ¡°What brings you to Yun City?¡±


    ¡°Just here to see you.¡±


    Chen Qiu lifted his hand to smooth the creases on the shoulder of Liu Zide¡¯s short robe, smiling, ¡°Seems like you¡¯re living pretty well, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    Embarrassed, Liu Zide waved his hand, ¡°Without a Golden Core in Yun City and no experts visiting often, the Family Head here is the strongest we¡¯ve got. There¡¯s not much development, but it¡¯s comfortably laid-back.¡±


    ¡°Certainly nowhere near Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Even in a small city like this, I hear tales of Brother Qiu¡¯s exploits, which are nothing short of sensational. It¡¯s a pity I don¡¯t have enough strength; otherwise, I would¡¯ve loved to follow you and personally slay members of the Evil Clan. If there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯d really like to do another job for Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Qiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Of course, really.¡±


    Liu Zide declared sincerely, beating his chest, ¡°Could there be any doubt? Absolutely true.¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu patted Liu Zide¡¯s shoulder sentimentally, ¡°There actually is something I need your help with. I need someone to go to Fatty State to purchase lots of Evil Wood and Eight Desolate Fruit; these items are common there, with the Eight Desolate Fruit being relatively rare but not too expensive.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t found a suitable candidate.¡±


    ¡°After thinking it over, you seem to be the best choice.¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Liu Zide hesitated, glancing back at the Wang Family¡¯s gate, ¡°I don¡¯t see any problem on my part, just not sure about what the Family Head would think¡­¡±


    ¡°No worries, your Family Head will go too.¡±


    At that moment, the Wang Family Patriarch came from the gate, initially confident, he declined on behalf of Liu Zide, showing the Self-Destruction Term and his Foundation Establishment fourth layer Cultivation.


    Before he could say much more, he saw Chen Qiu also reveal a Self-Destruction Term along with the peak of the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivation.


    He immediately, earnestly, and seriously expressed his commitment to completing the task.


    The entire negotiation was exceptionally smooth.


    And just like that¡­


    Liu Zide and the Wang Family Patriarch were temporarily housed in Chen Qiu¡¯s small world, prepared to be settled in Fatty State upon the return trip, where he would leave them with a sum of Spirit Stones to procure a large quantity of Eight Desolate Fruit and Evil Wood for a long term.


    Now, there were only two days left until the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.


    The battle for the rankings of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, set in the Capital, would start early in the day after tomorrow, attracting countless people to the Capital, including competitors and many more just to watch.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu and his companions didn¡¯t stay long in the forsaken and secluded Yun City¡ªwhere development was scarce and the Yuncheng Wang Family was already the largest there.


    With his peak Foundation Establishment Cultivation, he was the absolute apex within Yun City.


    Even the City Lord had much lower Cultivation.


    After sampling the local specialties of Yun City, he took Liu Zide and the Wang Family Patriarch and soared towards Fatty State. Passing by Kai Mountain City, they let the Shopkeeper go.


    The prohibitions on the Storage Rings had all been broken.


    The most significant haul was over fifteen thousand low-grade Spirit Stones, which were initially for Ning Taiping¡¯s campaign to influence perception¡ªafter passing from one hand to another, they all ended up with him.


    The rest was a mix of various items, many materials for Artifact Cultivators, all tossed into another warehouse set aside for miscellaneous items.


    However, just as he was about to leave Kai Mountain City,


    he noticed many Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Cultivators gathered around, which from his experience meant a Secret Realm was opening. After some inquiry, just as expected, there was an Imperial Decree from the Heavenly Dao that day stating a Secret Realm would open in Kai Mountain City in half an hour.

 Chapter 189 - 117:

    Chapter 189: Chapter 117: ¡°Green Fishing Rod.¡±_3


    But it wasn¡¯t the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    It was a random adventure Secret Realm, restricted to Cultivators of ¡°Great Perfection Foundation Establishment¡± and below, which is why it attracted a large number of Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Cultivators. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Since he was passing by, there was no reason not to go, he just happened to be at the peak of Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and there was no one in this Secret Realm who could defeat him, frankly speaking, even if you were a once-in-a-millennium exceptional Heavenly Pride, he didn¡¯t believe that anyone of the same cultivation level could defeat him.


    Mainly because his adventures were too filled up.


    In such a case, unless your family had a heritage of over ten thousand years and all the resources accumulated over these years were used on you, perhaps then you could challenge him.


    But that was merely a chance to challenge him.


    ...


    ¡­


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Chen Qiu and others, wearing masks, stood amid the crowd. Fat Long looked towards the dilapidated temple outside Kai Mountain City and said, ¡°According to the news I gathered, just yesterday after we left Kai Mountain City, the Imperial Decree of the Heavenly Dao region was activated, and coincidentally, this Secret Realm¡¯s entrance is this temple.¡±


    ¡°Quite a few people have come.¡±


    Not wearing a mask wasn¡¯t an option, it was too easy to be recognized. Initially, without wearing masks, several female cultivators even pretended not to know them and approached flirtatiously to ask for directions and intentionally dropped Sound Transmission Talismans, which was quite overwhelming.


    ¡°The content of the Secret Realm is said to be ¡®fishing¡¯ type.¡±


    Before Fat Long could elaborate further¡ª


    A white light circle slowly appeared at the entrance of the temple courtyard, and a panel floated above the white light circle.


    ¨C


    ¡°Secret Realm Name¡±: Overwhelming Sea Fishing.


    ¡°Secret Realm Restriction¡±: Only Cultivators of Great Perfection Foundation Establishment and below may enter.


    ¡°Secret Realm Type¡±: ¡®Fishing¡¯.


    ¡°Secret Realm Description¡±: Cultivators will appear on a vast ocean; each fish caught, depending on the Grade of the fish, will result in different rewards. Cultivators cannot attack each other. After three hours, all Cultivators will be ejected from the small world and randomly appear within a hundred miles, limited to 1000 entrants.


    ¨C


    ¡°Fishing type?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked with a slightly strange expression at the Secret Realm panel in front of him, just by reading the panel, it truly seemed like a rather¡­ peaceful Secret Realm.


    Cultivators couldn¡¯t attack each other; everyone would fish peacefully on the ocean.


    How harmonious indeed.


    At this moment, a large number of Cultivators were already rushing towards the entrance of the Secret Realm.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t delay and immediately, along with Fat Long and others, strode towards the entrance of the Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    The moment he stepped into the white light circle,


    Accompanied by a dizzying whirl of disorientation, when his vision restored, he found himself on the deck of a large wooden boat, the vast endless ocean surrounded him, the sea¡¯s surface extremely calm, without a single wave.


    Moist and slightly salty sea breeze hit his face.


    The Secret Realm entrance had not yet temporarily closed; he was still unable to move.


    Very soon¡ª


    1000 people had filled the quota, and everyone could start moving freely. The wooden boat was extremely spacious, allowing all to comfortably fish at the boat¡¯s edge. Many had already rushed to the edge and started casting their rods.


    Not wasting a single second.


    A very rudimentary wooden fishing rod appeared in Chen Qiu¡¯s hands, his Divine Sense delved into the rod, and soon a panel materialized above his Dantian.


    ¡°White fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°Can catch up to White fish. Upgrade to green level requires catching ¡®one White fish¡¯ and passing the first round inside the lower deck cabin.¡±


    ¡°I knew this Secret Realm wouldn¡¯t be so harmonious,¡±


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow slightly, and after glancing at many cultivators who had already gone below to explore the situation, he didn¡¯t immediately head down. Instead, he walked to the edge of the boat and tentatively cast a line, mimicking others.


    He had never fished before; this was his first time.


    Looking at the hook that had disappeared into the seawater, he felt somewhat unsure inside; he really wasn¡¯t certain he could catch anything, primarily because he had never fished before and was truly a complete novice in this area.


    Just then, he suddenly remembered he hadn¡¯t prepared any bait. Just as he was about to enter the small world to find some, he discovered that the connection between him and the small world had been cut off after entering the Secret Realm.


    But just at that moment¡ª


    The fishing line suddenly quivered violently.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Surprise and delight flashed in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes; he actually got a bite without any bait? Could it be that he was a fishing prodigy?


    He immediately lifted the rod quickly, pulling back the line. It was a plump white fish that had just fallen onto the deck when it suddenly transformed into a beam of white light, becoming a Spirit Stone.


    ¡°This big white fish is just a Spirit Stone?¡±


    ¡°And just a white one at that?¡±


    ¡°What about a green one?¡±


    At this time, many Cultivators had already caught their first fish. He glanced around; practically all the Cultivistors¡¯ big white fish had transformed into Spirit Stones, with only a few Cultivators¡¯s big white fish turning into talismans.


    Meanwhile, Fat Long Scholar and the others had also successively caught their first white fish.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu laughed and strode toward the cabin below the deck, a little eager to quickly pass this first round and see what kind of rewards the green fishing rod would bring. This Secret Realm was quite interesting,


    A pure fishing Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    There were seven rooms inside the cabin below the deck, the door of the first room had a sign saying ¡°first round.¡±


    At this time, many Cultivators had already pushed the door and entered.


    But the room seemed to accommodate many people; regardless of how many entered, it could still accommodate more Cultivators.

 Chapter 190 - 117: Green Fishing Rod._4

    Chapter 190: Chapter 117: ¡®Green Fishing Rod.¡¯_4


    Chen Qiu walked up to the door marked ¡°first round¡± and tried pushing it open. As he stepped into the room, he was met with a blinding bright light that filled the space, making it almost impossible to keep his eyes open.


    But it only lasted a moment.


    When he opened his eyes again.


    He found himself back on the deck, but now it was deserted except for him. Not far in front of him stood three Fishman Monsters, each armed with a Fish Spear, eyeing him with a sinister gaze.


    There was also a panel wrapped in mist floating mid-air.


    ¡°First round, defeat three Foundation Establishment level six Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths.¡±


    ...


    Following that¡ª


    The three Fishman Monsters, each holding a Fish Spear, roared and charged at him.


    ¡°This is interesting.¡±


    Chen Qiu watched the scene unfold with interest, casually released a hundred Thunder Dragons, and the three Foundation Establishment level six Fishman Monsters immediately turned into wisps of green smoke and vanished from the deck. The deck was instantly filled with a large amount of mist, and by the time the mist had cleared, he was back at the doorway of the first-round room.


    The rough fishing rod in his hand had now turned into a smooth, green fishing rod without any burrs.


    ¨C


    ¡°Green fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°Can catch green fish at the highest, to upgrade to the yellow level, catch ¡®two green fish¡¯ and pass through the second challenge inside the ship¡¯s deck.¡±


    ¨C


    At that moment¡ª


    Fat Long also appeared beside him. Seeing Chen Qiu, he quickly came over, excitedly reported, ¡°My first-round opponents were three Qi Refinement level seven Fishman Monsters, easily handled.¡±


    ¡°Qi Refinement level seven?¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully. The Cultivation of the Fishman Monsters in this round was not the same for everyone; instead, it was tailored based on the individual¡¯s Cultivation. This way, even those with higher Cultivation had no particular advantage here.


    This was a relatively fair Secret Realm.


    No matter the level of Cultivation, everyone competed fairly from the same starting point here.


    Even Qi Refinement cultivators could gain something.


    This Secret Realm was limited to those with Foundation Establishment peak Cultivation and below, and many Qi Refinement cultivators also entered.


    Foundation Establishment was overwhelmingly superior to Qi Refinement, and it was no surprise that Fat Long had easily resolved his challenge.


    At that time, the scholar also came out having smoothly passed the first round, but the scholar¡¯s brother shook his head, indicating that he hadn¡¯t passed.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, holding his green fishing rod, returned to the deck and settled back at the edge of the wooden boat to start fishing again. Many around him now held smooth green fishing rods.


    Only a minority still held white fishing rods.


    The first round wasn¡¯t very difficult, except for a few cultivators who were really not good at fighting; most could pass it easily. Of course, even if one failed the first round, there was no mortal danger, only that they must continue to use a white fishing rod.


    Although the white fishing rod was the lowest grade,


    One big white fish was equivalent to a Spirit Stone. The Secret Realm lasted three hours, so catching enough fish could still be quite profitable.


    He lifted his green fishing rod and cast it again; perhaps with the experience of his previous successful catch, he was much more confident in his throw this time.


    He had thought about flying in the sky, but since this Secret Realm was a no-fly zone and because cultivators couldn¡¯t attack each other, he couldn¡¯t even utilize his own Spiritual Energy on the deck, which completely stalled his plan to blast the fish. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Otherwise, the thought of thousands of Thunder Dragons bombing down didn¡¯t bear thinking about; the fish would be annihilated.


    This wasn¡¯t faster than fishing anyway.


    Lost in thought, the fishing line trembled violently again.


    ¡°Hey,¡±


    Chen Qiu laughed as he lifted the rod high, pulling a large, plump green fish onto the deck. The hook rate was still quite high, and the moment this plump green fish landed on the deck,


    A flash of white light transformed it into three Spirit Stones.


    He never imagined that one day, he, Chen Qiu, would also become a master fisherman.

 Chapter 191 - 118: Worthy of being the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It.

    Chapter 191: Chapter 118: Worthy of being the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It.


    His fishing hook had no bait at all, and he had no fishing technique. Being a complete newbie, he had cast twice and both times he had caught something. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t think his fishing talent was particularly good.


    The Secret Realm lasted only three hours.


    Not too long.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t delay too much, casting his line again. This time it took slightly longer, about forty seconds or so, before he finally caught another green fish, which once again transformed into three Spirit Stones.


    Then, he stuffed the fishing rod into his Storage Ring and immediately strode toward the deck cabin below.


    Having met the requirement of catching two green fish, he could level up his fishing rod again by passing the second challenge.


    ...


    ¡­


    After he entered the second challenge room below deck,


    he returned to the empty deck.


    ¡°The second challenge, defeat four Foundation Establishment eighth-level Fishman Monsters within a hundred seconds.¡±


    Not far from the deck,


    four Fishman Monsters, emanating the aura of the Foundation Establishment eighth level, were holding Fish Spears. In the instant the mist transformed into clouds and disappeared, they roared in unison and charged at him!


    ¡°Boom¡­!¡±


    After casually releasing a hundred Thunder Dragons again, these Fishman Monsters had only taken a few steps before turning into green smoke and dissipating in mid-air.


    ¡°Magic Practitioners are just this strong.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the Fishman Monsters, weak to the point of collapsing at a single blow, and chuckled. He relished the sense that no one could withstand his casual strike, feeling that, as a Magic Practitioner, this is how it should be!


    Soon¡ª


    Chen Qiu, who had walked out from below the deck cabin, now held a fishing rod that had turned into the waxy Yellow fishing rod.


    ¨C


    ¡°Yellow fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°Can catch up to Yellow fish, upgrade to blue level by catching ¡®three Yellow fish¡¯ and passing the third challenge inside the cabin below deck.¡±


    ¨C Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Cast the rod!¡±


    Chen Qiu stood on the edge of the deck and confidently cast his line. Within ten seconds, the fishing line trembled violently again. His eyes sparkled as he swiftly reeled in his catch, hauling up a large White fish.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked at the White fish on the ground that had transformed into a Spirit Stone, his brow slightly furrowed.


    But he didn¡¯t overthink it and prepared to cast again since the highest he could catch were Yellow fish. Not every catch could be a White fish, right?


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Shouts of astonishment came from a nearby crowd, where a dozen people surrounded a young man with a face flushed from excitement. Before the young man on the deck, there was a fish changing colors between grey, green, and seven-colored.


    This peculiar fish was hovering in a cloud-mist panel above, displaying images of three fish.


    ¡°Which fish did you catch?¡±


    ¡°Grey fish, green fish, seven-colored fish.¡±


    ¡°Please make a selection within ten seconds.¡±


    The surrounding Cultivators crowded around the young man, offering their opinions fervently. After a deep thought and a serious expression, the young man chose the ¡°grey fish¡± option.


    This choice clearly tested his greed, demonstrating that as long as he remained earnest without arrogance or humility, he was bound to receive the best reward.


    After the man made his choice,


    the fish with its ever-changing glow slowly turned into a Grey fish, then alongside the disappearance of the Grey fish, a coin appeared on the deck.


    The moment he saw that coin, the young man, who had just been neither servile nor arrogant, suddenly stiffened, then collapsed on the deck and began to scream hysterically, appearing nothing like a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    The Cultivators who had been vociferously offering advice around him now dispersed with satisfied expressions, clearly finding this outcome very satisfying to most.


    It¡¯s painful not having an adventure of your own.


    But watching someone else earn an adventure is even more painful.


    ¡­


    ¡°That panel looks so familiar¡­¡±


    Fat Long tilted his head towards the man lying on the ground amid an emotional breakdown: ¡°At first, I also thought the grey one was the correct answer. Now, it seems like the seven-colored fish should be the right answer?¡±


    ¡°Impossible.¡±


    Chen Qiu cast his line again and looked towards the horizon: ¡°There¡¯s no way the seven-colored fish would be given away that easily. Even if you chose the seven-colored fish, it probably would have turned into a grey fish. I think the correct answer might be the green fish, choosing it might actually win you a green fish.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Fat Long pondered: ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Fish on!¡±


    With the fishing line trembling fiercely, Chen Qiu finally caught a Yellow fish for the first time. As the Yellow fish was hauled onto the deck, it transformed into ten Spirit Stones in a flash of white light.


    ¡°More Spirit Stones?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows twitched; he had thought something special might happen, but it turned out everything he caught was just Spirit Stones. That way, his gain from this Secret Realm would be minimal. Even if he upgraded his fishing rod to the highest level and fished for the full three hours, he¡¯d gather just a few thousand Spirit Stones at most.


    Though not a small amount, it was much less than he had expected.


    Without further thought, Chen Qiu continued fishing. Even the tiniest bite had to be chewed since it was being fed straight to his mouth, and a few thousand Spirit Stones were not a small sum for him.


    ¡­


    An hour later,


    three Yellow fish had been hooked, all transforming into thirty Spirit Stones.


    Chen Qiu immediately got up and strode towards the cabin below the deck.

 Chapter 192 - 118: Truly an Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It. _2

    Chapter 192: Chapter 118: Truly an Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It. _2


    Once more, he arrived at the deserted deck.


    ¡°Third level, defeat five Foundation Establishment stage nine Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes as he looked at the five Foundation Establishment stage nine Fishman Monsters before him. Was it merely the third level, yet he already faced five opponents of the same Cultivation level?


    This level could stymie ninety-nine percent of participants.


    It also meant that ninety-nine percent of the people possess only a yellow fishing rod at best, with hardly any chance of upgrading to a blue one.


    ...


    Generally speaking,


    even for the geniuses from cities or sects, there was no way someone of the same Cultivation level could handle five opponents simultaneously¡ªit was too strenuous unless they had multiple advantages like Spiritual Treasures and spells.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, not dwelling on it further; he cast hundreds of Thunder Dragons with a flick of his hand, and then as the mist filled the deck, he once again walked out from the cabin to the deck.


    Now, the fishing rod in his hand had been upgraded to blue.


    Its blue was like the vast sea, and holding it, you could even see specks within the rod, twinkling like stars in the sky, its quality evidently many times superior to the yellow fishing rods.


    ¡°What a pity.¡±


    Chen Qiu felt regret as he weighed the fishing rod in his hands, lamenting that this item couldn¡¯t be taken out of the Secret Realm. Otherwise, it would make a fine object to fiddle with, feeling much more comfortable to the touch than the Jade Feather Fan he had initially bought at the Ask Heaven Market.


    He scanned his surroundings.


    At this moment, around sixty percent of the people on the deck were using green fishing rods, ten percent were using white fishing rods, and the rest had yellow fishing rods.


    As for the blue fishing rods, only he had one.


    However, when he had first entered the third level, he saw a few people seated in meditation with Spirit Stones at the entrance, possibly having failed one or two attempts already, but not giving up and preparing to try again after restoring their Spiritual Energy.


    Maybe they would succeed next time.


    Chen Qiu glanced around and decided not to linger. He gripped the blue fishing rod in his hand and confidently strode to the deck, then swung the rod powerfully, casting the hook to the farthest distance.


    ¨C sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Blue fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°Can fish up blue fish at the highest, and to upgrade to the purple level, one needs to catch ¡®four blue fish¡¯ and pass the fourth level inside the deck¡¯s cabin.¡±


    ¨C


    Fat Long now possessed a yellow fishing rod, already reaching its limit. With Fat Long¡¯s combat ability, he currently wasn¡¯t qualified to have a blue fishing rod, while the scholar had a green fishing rod, which he likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to possess if he hadn¡¯t swapped for the Sword Bone.


    His available Spiritual Energy was minimal, hardly possessing any offensive capabilities. The green fishing rod was already his limit.


    This time, the blue fish seemed extraordinarily gentle. Chen Qiu had only waited a few breaths before catching a large fish completely blue and pulling it onto the deck.


    ¡°Splash, splash!¡±


    After a few flops on the deck, the blue fish transformed into a hundred Spirit Stones.


    ¡°A hundred Spirit Stones?¡±


    A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes. Yellow fish could only turn into ten Spirit Stones each, yet this blue fish, just one quality higher, could transform into a hundred Spirit Stones, which was ten times more.


    There were still over two hours until the end of the Secret Realm.


    Even if he didn¡¯t upgrade his fishing rod any further and just sat here fishing for two hours with this blue rod, he felt that by the time the Secret Realm ended, he could take away several thousand Spirit Stones¡ªa considerable fortune indeed.


    This scene was noticed by many people around.


    ¡°A blue fish is worth a hundred Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    In an instant, several cultivators who had tried the third level once but had barely failed without hesitation rushed to the cabin below the deck to try again. Although battling five Fishmen Monsters of the same Cultivation level was challenging, they were core disciples of their various sects.


    They were so close to making it through and originally didn¡¯t want to waste time trying, thinking even blue fish wouldn¡¯t be much more valuable than yellow ones. But now, seeing there was a tenfold difference, none were willing to fish for yellow fish anymore.


    Catching one blue fish was worth as much as catching ten yellow fish.


    ¡­


    After catching several green and yellow fish midway, Chen Qiu finally managed to catch four blue fish within the span of two cups of tea, ready to upgrade the fishing rod quality once he passed the fourth level.


    He strode towards the cabin under the deck and stepped into the fourth level.


    On the deserted deck,


    ten Foundation Establishment stage nine Fishman Monsters holding fish spears stood there.


    ¡°Ten?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly; the difficulty was not trivial. He wasted no time as he didn¡¯t want to finally have his fishing rod upgraded to the highest quality and then run out of time to fish.


    The rule was to kill within a hundred breaths.


    If a renowned sect¡¯s Heavenly Pride could manage to fight ten opponents of the same Cultivation using guerrilla tactics, then this hundred-breath limit essentially blocked that strategy completely.


    He casually released hundreds of Thunder Dragons, and these Fishman Monsters once again turned into wisps of green smoke.


    For him, unless they were Golden Core, whether it was five, ten, or even a hundred had no significance; his Thunder Summoning Technique now was not something that opponents at the Foundation Establishment level could withstand, having completely surpassed those limits.


    His domination over Foundation Establishment level opponents, barring Divine Sense Attacks, was virtually no different in dimension from a Golden Core dominating a Foundation Establishment opponent.


    As he walked onto the deck again.

 Chapter 193 - 118: Worthy of the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It._3

    Chapter 193: Chapter 118: Worthy of the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It._3


    The fishing rod in hand had transformed into a bewitchingly purple color that was quite captivating, and it had shortened considerably, looking less like a fishing rod and more like a long stick, having lost a bit of its elasticity and gained a bit of stiffness.


    ¨C


    ¡°Purple fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°Capable of catching purple fish at the highest level, upgrading to Red Level requires catching ¡®five purple fish¡¯ and passing the Fifth Level inside the lower deck of the cabin.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Continue!¡±


    ...


    A purple fish was worth one Mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    One Mid-grade Spirit Stone was worth nearly 600 lower-grade Spirit Stones, and Mid-grade Spirit Stones were exactly what Chen Qiu was in dire need of at the moment¡ªhe had less than thirty, and he would need a total of forty-nine Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to lay out a Spirit Gathering Array for his Golden Core breakthrough.


    The moment a purple fish transformed into a Mid-grade Spirit Stone¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes reddened with excitement, and he was even somewhat reluctant to continue upgrading his fishing rod. He wanted to keep using the purple rod until the end of the Secret Realm. Based on his current pace, he was sure he could gather the forty-nine Mid-grade Spirit Stones before the Secret Realm closed. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He might even be able to gather 108 Mid-grade Spirit Stones and lay out an even higher quality Spirit Gathering Array.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just Chen Qiu whose eyes had turned red¡ªeveryone around him felt a surge of envy upon seeing that Mid-grade Spirit Stone. Almost ninety percent of Foundation Establishment Cultivators would never have the chance to own a Mid-grade Spirit Stone in their lifetime.


    And in this Secret Realm, catching one purple fish would reward them with a Mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    They too desired a Purple fishing rod.


    But that Fourth Level¡­it simply wasn¡¯t meant for humans to pass.


    At that moment on the deck, there were only two people holding Blue fishing rods. Both were considered Heavenly Prides of their respective sects, capable of defeating five opponents of equal Cultivation, nearly invincible at their level. Even so¡­


    After exchanging glances, both could see dissatisfaction and helplessness in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Despite their reluctance to admit it, the Blue fishing rod truly represented their limit. Defeating ten opponents of equal Cultivation within a hundred breaths was an utterly fantastical idea for them!


    Passing the Fourth Level required not merely being Invincible on an equal level, but absolute domination within that level.


    ¡­


    After catching five purple fish and obtaining five Mid-grade Spirit Stones, which brought Chen Qiu¡¯s total number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Ring to thirty-one, he did not hesitate to turn around and head below deck once again.


    Now, there were only two hours left until the closure of the Secret Realm.


    Mid-grade Spirit Stones were indeed very tempting to him.


    But he was even more curious about what kind of treasures higher level fishing rods could catch. For instance¡­ a Red fishing rod.


    Many on the deck looked towards Chen Qiu as he left, their expressions complex and silent. Chen Qiu had now removed his mask, so they had naturally recognized him as the recently famed Chen Qiu.


    The one who single-handedly slaughtered tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment Evil Clan members on the Boundless Icefield, recognized as a peerless Heavenly Pride Magic Practitioner of Da Xia.


    Before this, no one had ever showcased such overwhelming dominance within their level.


    Being able to fight three at the same level was almost unbeatable, and handling five was genuinely invincible. They had never seen anyone capable of fighting tens of thousands like Chen Qiu. They figured they likely never would again, outside of him.


    It was no surprise for them that Chen Qiu managed to pass the Fourth Level. Ten opponents were probably nothing more than an appetizer for him.


    ¡­


    Inside the Fifth Level.


    On the empty deck¡­


    Fifty ninth-layer Foundation Establishment Fishmen Monsters surrounded Chen Qiu in the center¡ªthat was the challenge of the Fifth Level, to defeat fifty Fishman Monsters at his same level of Cultivation within a hundred breaths.


    It was near an impossible task.


    However¡­


    After several thousand Thunder Dragons roared past, the Fishman Monsters realized what true dominance at the same level was, right before they turned into green smoke and vanished.


    ¡­


    With anticipation flickering between his brows, Chen Qiu, holding the Red fishing rod, strode up onto the deck, ignoring the envious and jealous glances cast by those around him. He walked confidently to the edge of the deck and cast the rod out powerfully into the depths of the sea.


    ¨C


    ¡°Red fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°Capable of catching Red fish at the highest level, upgrading to Golden Level requires catching ¡®six red fish¡¯ and passing the Sixth Level located in the cabin below deck.¡±


    ¨C


    Cast the rod!


    Reel in!


    A hundred breaths later, a big Red fish, shimmering like crystal wine, was pulled onto the deck. It flopped around for a bit before transforming into an entry jade slip.


    ¡°Entry Jade Scroll¡±: Crush to randomly obtain one White entry.


    ¡°Heh!¡±


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but grin, for this was a genuine treasure. Whether it was for using ten entries as Refining Pill ingredients during Core Formation or for holding onto a Self-Destruction Term as a last-resort move, it was all good stuff.


    Even though it was a White entry,


    That was exactly what he wanted; he wouldn¡¯t want to use better entries as Refining Pill ingredients.


    This time, he couldn¡¯t resist, and after catching six more Red fish, he went on to catch four more Red fish, pulling up a total of ten entry jade slips into his Storage Ring. Only then did he hurriedly head deeper into the cabin.


    There was only an hour and a half left until the end of the Secret Realm, and he had to make the most of the remaining time.


    Those ten random White entries would become his greatest gains from this Secret Realm adventure, instantly easing his worries about not having enough entries for Refining Pills.


    On the deck, the others watched the transformation of the big Red fish into an entry jade slip with expressionless faces. They remained silent, and if it weren¡¯t for Chen Qiu, they would have been quite thrilled. An adventure secret realm with no danger but ample reward was their favorite kind of Secret Realm.

 Chapter 194 - 118: Worthy of the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It._4

    Chapter 194: Chapter 118: Worthy of the Adventure Secret Realm, He Likes It._4


    But with Chen Qiu, there was a basis for comparison. Once there was a comparison, looking at the entry jade slip and Mid-grade Spirit Stones in Chen Qiu¡¯s hand, then at the low-grade Spirit Stones in their own hands, their hearts couldn¡¯t help but feel unsatisfied.


    ¡­


    The Sixth Level.


    One hundred Foundation Establishment ninth layer Fishman Monsters surrounded Chen Qiu in the middle. The number was doubled compared to the last time, and the requirement was still to kill within a hundred breaths, which meant needing to defeat a Fishman Monster in each breath.


    The difficulty could almost be said to be at its maximum.


    However, at the instant the fog panel of the sixth level dissipated, thousands of Thunder Dragons surged out, and everything once again turned to ashes.


    ...


    It only took a few breaths¡¯ time.


    Having just stepped off the deck, Chen Qiu was now striding back onto the deck with a splendid golden fishing rod in hand, a smile on his lips and a hint of regret as he made his way toward the edge of the deck.


    He felt regret because after the golden fishing rod had once again improved in quality to the Pink Level, there was only a Seventh Level below deck, with no Eighth Level. This meant if he could upgrade the fishing rod to the Pink Level, there wouldn¡¯t be a level to allow him to elevate the rod to the Seven-colored Level.


    And thus no chance to catch a seven-colored fish.


    Just now, after seeing that lucky one who caught a Grey fish, with the selection panel in front of them showing a seven-colored fish, he thought there might be a Seven-colored fishing rod. He had been quite looking forward to what rewards the seven-colored fish might bring, but it now seemed the seven-colored fish probably didn¡¯t exist.


    ¨C


    ¡°Golden fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°It can catch fish up to the Golden Level. To upgrade to the Pink Level, one must catch ¡®seven Golden fish¡¯ and pass the seventh challenge below deck.¡±


    ¨C


    Cast the rod!


    After continuously catching two Green big fish and one Purple big fish, he finally caught the first Golden fish!


    That fish transformed into an Eight Desolate Fruit and lay flat on the ground.


    Almost immediately, before anyone had the chance to see, Chen Qiu had stuffed the Eight Desolate Fruit into the Jade Box inside his Storage Ring. He had not expected the Golden fish to transform into an Eight Desolate Fruit.


    Lucky that no one saw.


    If word got out that the Golden fish transformed into an Eight Desolate Fruit, even a fool would realize that in this Secret Realm, the Eight Desolate Fruit ranked higher than the entry jade slips and Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    The previously unsought Eight Desolate Fruits of Southern State would surely provoke a frenzy of purchasing.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what use this item had, if the Secret Realm considered it to be more valuable than entry jade slips, one should surely buy first and ask questions later, gathering them up just in case they turned out to be useful later on¡ªincurring riches. Those large families and Major Sects wouldn¡¯t mind spending thousands of Spirit Stones to buy some trinkets valued by the Heavenly Dao.


    Golden fish were harder to catch.


    Taking nearly half an hour, he had caught many kinds of fish, and finally managed to catch seven Golden big fish.


    At that moment, in the Jade Box inside his Storage Ring, seven Eight Desolate Fruits lay quietly.


    Just as the Jade Scroll described, shaped like an octagon, like enlarged star anise or carambola.


    There was one hour left before the closure of the Secret Realm.


    With no time to delay further, Chen Qiu stored the fishing rod in his Storage Ring and strode toward the last challenge inside the cabin, namely the Seventh Level.


    ¡­


    ¡°The Seventh Level, defeat two Golden Core first layer Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he stood on the deserted deck, looking toward the two Fishman Monsters not far away, carrying the terrifying Golden Core Cultivation, feeling somewhat apprehensive.


    This was the last level, the Seventh Level.


    He was unsure whether the Golden Core Fishman Monsters would use a Divine Sense Attack; if they did, it would be difficult for him to withstand it.


    In such situations, the best strategy was to strike first.


    Almost immediately, he crushed two random white entry jade slips he had just fished, without even looking closely at the content of the entries, and at the moment the fog panel disappeared, he detonated the Self-Destruction Terms instantly.


    Two Golden Core Peak cultivators unleashed the Thunder Summoning Technique with all their might, smiting the two Fishman Monsters like Heavenly Punishment the moment the cloud panel vanished.


    The two Fishman Monsters didn¡¯t even have the chance to react before they were reduced to ashes on the spot.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu let out a long breath, feeling relieved. Whether those two Golden Core Fishman Monsters hadn¡¯t had the chance to launch a Divine Sense Attack, or simply didn¡¯t possess such an Attack Method, either way, the last challenge had been surmounted.


    Though it cost him two white entry jade slips that he had just fished up.


    He hoped the rewards from the pink fishing rod wouldn¡¯t disappoint him.


    With a glint of hope in his eyes, he looked toward the dissipating green smoke of the fallen Golden Core Fishman Monsters, hoping to see a Golden Core drop, but there was none¡ªonly waves of green smoke as the mist wrapped around the deck once again.


    He found himself back at the entrance of the Seventh Level room, about to walk up to the deck, when he suddenly froze. His body turned stiffly towards an additional room that had appeared next to the seventh.


    The Eighth Level.


    The entrance to the room was a Seven-colored vortex, and he instinctively looked down at the pink fishing rod in his hand.


    ¨C


    ¡°Pink fishing rod.¡±


    ¡°Can fish up to Pink Level fish species, to upgrade to Seven-colored Level must catch ¡®eight Pink Level fish species¡¯, and pass through the eighth hidden Seven-colored challenge beneath the deck cabin.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the Seven-colored vortex of the eighth room and couldn¡¯t help but smile, then without any hesitation, he quickly made his way onto the deck, eager to catch eight Pink Level fish and then see what kind of good items the Seven-colored fishing rod could reel in. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Crossing into a Foundation Establishment Adventure Secret Realm, he didn¡¯t expect the rewards to be so good.


    As expected of an Adventure Secret Realm, he liked it.


    ¡­


    Cast the rod!


    Finally, after half an hour, he fished up his first Pink Level fish.


    The extremely tender big fish fell on the deck and transformed into a pink Pill.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu pinched the pink Pill in his hand, observing it. To be honest, he had no idea what the Pill was for, which was what he hated most about such situations¡ªgetting something good without having any clue about its purpose.


    He didn¡¯t even know if it was a poison pill.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, the scholar who had been quietly fishing with a green fishing rod beside him suddenly had his eyes spark with a dazzling light and spoke with a trembling voice due to overwhelming excitement, ¡°Brother Qiu, I recognize this Pill. Its whole body is pink, with the character for poison inscribed on its surface.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Heavenly Dao Detoxification Pill, capable of neutralizing all poisons.¡±


    ¡°After I was poisoned, I had collected a lot of information about this kind of Pill, but I heard that it was a product from several versions of the Heavenly Dao ago, and it had long since vanished. I never expected to encounter it here today.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu was somewhat surprised too, able to neutralize all toxins? That domineering?


    Then he quickly realized, ¡°Can it purge the poison within you?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!!!¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled, pulling out a Jade Box from his Storage Ring and stuffing the Pill inside. He then threw the Jade Box to the scholar, ¡°Once we¡¯re out, find a spot to detoxify. After your Tao Foundation recovers and you seize the Sword Cultivator inheritance, I¡¯ll be counting on you for my third Nascent Soul body.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    His Nascent Soul body was only missing one piece now, and with the scholar, there seemed to be a prospect for obtaining the third. The scholar perfectly met the requirement of maintaining their initial intent through the rise and fall for the Sword Cultivator inheritance.

 Chapter 195 - 119:

    Chapter 195: Chapter 119: ¡°You are the State Preceptor, right?


    The scholar gaining the inheritance of the Sword Cultivator was essentially a sure thing. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With the small tricks taught by Old Man Cao, combined with the scholar¡¯s dramatic ups and downs over the past few years, which perfectly matched the requirements of the Sword Cultivator¡¯s inheritance, it was basically a done deal.


    Having obtained three Nascent Soul bodies, that task was practically completed.


    All ten entries for Refining Pill were also ready.


    Both the Eight Desolate Fruit and the Evil Wood were in hand.


    He also possessed the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, the Seven-colored term, and a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    ...


    Now all that was missing were six mid-grade Golden Cores, and this rigorous condition would be completely fulfilled. For this rank ten Golden Core, he really went through a lot of trouble, and he was finally about to reap the fruits of his labor.


    Although Mid-grade Golden Cores were not easy to find, obtaining six within a year shouldn¡¯t be a big issue.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t think further but focused entirely on casting his line again, needing to catch a total of eight pink fish to qualify for the eighth-level secret Seven-colored stage¡ªso far, he had only caught one.


    Seven more to go.


    At this moment, not far away, another lucky individual managed to catch a fish that constantly changed colors among grey, green, and seven-colored. This time, the lucky one learned from the previous unfortunate soul¡¯s experience.


    With a determined expression, he chose the seven-colored.


    And so¡­


    The fish, shifting among the three colors, finally turned grey again and transformed into a single coin.


    The initially gloomy and regretful unfortunate soul, who was regretting not choosing the seven-colored fish initially, paused slightly after witnessing this scene and then suddenly displayed a heartfelt smile, looking genuinely happy.


    Suddenly, he felt much better, though he didn¡¯t know why.


    The once slightly damaged Tao Foundation felt as if it had been instantly repaired. Truly a divine doctor.


    ¡­


    ¡°Finally, eight of them!¡±


    After catching many fish of random colors, Chen Qiu finally caught the eighth pink fish. By now, his Storage Ring quietly contained seven ¡°Heavenly Dao Detoxification Pills.¡±


    He didn¡¯t need these now, but they would play a decisive role if he ever needed them in the future.


    After catching the eighth pink fish, he didn¡¯t stay a moment longer. He immediately stored the pink fishing rod into his Storage Ring and ran towards the cabin interior, heading straight for the secret eighth level!


    Time was running short.


    Now, less than half an hour was left before the Secret Realm closed.


    It was his first time feeling that time in the Secret Realm was so short and wishing it could last a bit longer.


    ¨C


    ¡®Secret Stage: Eighth Level, defeat five Golden Core third-layer Fishman Monsters within a hundred breaths.¡¯


    ¨C


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    The moment the cloud mist of the stage panel dispersed, Chen Qiu instantly detonated five white entry card slips he had just caught, releasing a Thunder Summoning Technique. Detonation of the entry card with a full force strike from a Golden Core Peak released only one Thunder Summoning Technique¡ªnot like thousands he could release simultaneously.


    If he had used a card to release the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique with a full force blow at Golden Core Peak, he would only need one entry to defeat all five Golden Core third-layer Fishman Monsters, as the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique was an area attack.


    But the advantage of Thunder Summoning Technique was its near-instantaneous execution.


    Unlike the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique, which needed green Demon Fire to rise in the air before drifting towards the enemy, he wasn¡¯t sure whether the five Fishman Monsters would use Divine Sense Attacks. Naturally, an instantaneous attack seemed more reliable to him, even though it would consume a few more white entries.


    But it didn¡¯t matter anyway.


    Later, when using the pink and golden fishing rods, he caught several more red fish transformed into white entry jade slips, enough for use.


    In this type of battle,


    The one who acts first would win.


    And he was clearly faster.


    The five Golden Core third-layer Fishman Monsters turned into wisps of green smoke in the blink of an eye and disappeared into the ether, accompanied by clouds once again enveloping the empty deck, and he reappeared inside the cabin.


    The eighth room had disappeared after he passed it.


    It seems this Secret Realm only allows one person to possess a Seven-colored fishing rod. Anyway, this rule hardly made any difference, as virtually no one in the Secret Realm even possessed a Purple fishing rod. He noticed only two people had Blue fishing rods, and most of the others had either green or Yellow fishing rods.


    There wasn¡¯t even anyone with a Purple fishing rod, capable of catching Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Not to mention possessing a Red fishing rod that could catch white entry jade slips.


    ¡­


    Standing in the cabin, Chen Qiu looked down at the Seven-colored fishing rod in his hand, its color identical to the Seven-colored term within his Tao Foundation. The rod, composed of seven intertwining colors, felt warm like jade in his hands.


    It was entirely translucent, and had shortened again, now roughly the length of a long sword, hardly resembling a fishing rod anymore.


    ¨C


    ¡®Seven-colored fishing rod.¡¯


    ¡®Capable of catching the highest level of Seven-colored fish, upgrade limit reached, can be taken out of the Secret Realm.¡¯


    ¨C


    The Seven-colored fishing rod had reached its limit, and its quality could no longer be upgraded. However, there was an additional line on the panel now: can be taken out of the Secret Realm.


    This made Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flash with joy.


    He quite liked the rod in his hand; it didn¡¯t look ordinary and even if it served no other purpose, it would make an excellent collectible.


    Moreover, only a Seven-colored fishing rod could be taken out of the Secret Realm.


    He wouldn¡¯t believe for a moment that this Seven-colored rod was utterly useless.


    ¡­


    Less than half an hour remained of the Secret Realm¡¯s duration. Now was not the time to study these matters. Chen Qiu had already walked briskly toward the edge of the deck, the Seven-colored fishing rod in his hand too conspicuous on the empty deck.

 Chapter 196 - 119:

    Chapter 196: Chapter 119: ¡°You are the State Preceptor, right?¡±_2


    Almost everyone had lost interest in fishing at this moment, their gazes all drawn towards the seven-colored fishing rod in Chen Qiu¡¯s hands.


    They were eager to see what the seven-colored fishing rod could reel in.


    Even though they knew the secret realm was about to end and that they should be completely focused on fishing, minding their own business, since only what was in their own hands would truly be their gain, curiosity deep within human nature still led many to glance over at Chen Qiu from time to time, unable to help themselves.


    Finally¡ª


    After hooking several fish of various muddled colors in succession,


    a colorful big fish with scale armor that glinted with seven-colored sparkles under the sunlight was yanked up from the azure sea and landed on the deck, its tail beating against the planks so forcefully that the water droplets cast into the air almost formed a subtle seven-colored rainbow.


    ...


    Very soon, after the colorful big fish flopped about on the deck for a bit, it transformed into a Golden Core amidst a flash of white light.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Golden Core!¡±


    A cultivator who was at the peak of Foundation Establishment with a look of feverish excitement in his eyes, his breathing becoming rapid, exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s a Golden Core! With this Golden Core, after stepping into the Golden Core Stage, one could form a second-grade Golden Core!¡±


    ¡°Most Golden Core Great Powers are of the first grade, and only a small number are second grade. Second-grade Golden Cores overwhelmingly surpass the first grade. Under equal cultivation, it¡¯s basically impossible for a first-grade Golden Core to defeat a second-grade one.¡±


    Ordinary cultivators of Foundation Establishment didn¡¯t react much to seeing this Golden Core.


    However, some cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment with Great Perfection Cultivation had eyes as red as starving wolves; it was as if the word ¡®envy¡¯ was written all over their faces. One such cultivator let out a long sigh after a long time, his expression dazed as he murmured.


    ¡°What a pity; attacking other cultivators is not allowed in this instance.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, if I could ascend to the Golden Core Stage with a second-grade Golden Core, my life would be without regret!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, with a strange look on his face, swept a glance at the cultivator who had spoken and then shifted his gaze away from behind him. He felt it was a shame too, but soon, he couldn¡¯t help but smile broadly, restraining the excitement in his heart as he carefully placed the Golden Core into a jade box and then into his storage ring.


    In his view, this was no ordinary Golden Core.


    It had two cloud patterns on its surface.


    This meant it was a second-grade Golden Core!


    That a seven-colored fish caught with the seven-colored fishing rod could transform into a second-grade Golden Core was something he had never imagined¡ªhe only needed six more second-grade Golden Cores to fulfill the conditions for a ten-grade Golden Core.


    Now that he had caught one, he only needed five more.


    ¡°And moreover¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu clenched the seven-colored fishing rod in his hand, took a deep breath without saying more, and forcefully cast the fishing line far away once again.


    With almost half an hour left, he was not only able to catch that one second-grade Golden Core.


    ¡­


    At this point, the scholar and the others had stopped fishing and were now taking out barbecue grills from their storage rings to start grilling chicken to eat.


    What was the point of continuing to fish?


    Fishing all day just to earn a few Spirit Stones was not worth the effort compared to resting.


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s ten¡­¡±


    Fat Long, looking touched, glanced at Chen Qiu¡¯s silhouette and suddenly stopped mid-sentence, scanning the countless gazes around them before whispering, ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s collection is almost complete.¡±


    ¡°Once it¡¯s complete, I can¡¯t imagine anyone in Da Xia who could contend with Brother Qiu.¡±


    The scholar also couldn¡¯t help but shake his head with a smile, remarking, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never even seen a third-grade one; Brother Qiu¡¯s collection has far surpassed my understanding. I can¡¯t even imagine how powerful that thing is.¡±


    ¡°Right now, I just want to get back to Fatty State and reclaim the glory I left behind.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    ¡°Clinging to this big thigh is really comfortable,¡± the scholar suddenly expressed some regret and sentimentality, ¡°I don¡¯t know why I used to be so arrogant, insisting on being a lone Sword Cultivator. If only I had met Brother Qiu sooner.¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Fat Long laughed but didn¡¯t speak, inwardly sneering, thinking that Brother Qiu was probably still slogging away in his previous life at this point.


    No, that¡¯s not right¡ªwhen he first met Brother Qiu, Brother Qiu had mentioned he was self-employed, not a laborer.


    He hadn¡¯t asked for details at the time, but he¡¯ll have to inquire about it later when there¡¯s a chance, to know what kind of self-employment exactly.


    ¡­


    Finally¡ª


    When the seventh seven-colored fish was caught by Chen Qiu, just as the fish¡¯s body transformed into white light and became a second-grade Golden Core, the entire secret realm began to slowly fade into an ethereal mist, an irresistible force of rejection enveloping everyone.


    The secret realm had ended.


    After Chen Qiu, with his sharp eyes and quick hands, stuffed the second-grade Golden Core that had landed on the deck into the jade box and threw it into his storage ring, this force of rejection suddenly intensified a thousandfold. His head spun, and his vision swirled; when he regained his sight, he found himself eighty miles away from Kai Mountain City in a desolate wilderness.


    The surroundings were barren.


    No official road was in sight.


    Only in the distance, one could see an abandoned temple covered with spider webs, where several black crows with white pupils perched on the eaves, staring at them.


    After the end of this secret realm, everyone was randomly teleported within a hundred miles, and it seemed the secret realm had deemed Chen Qiu and his group as a team, having sent them to the same location.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    After a long period of tension and concentrated effort had finally come to an end, Chen Qiu let out a long sigh of relief, stretching his somewhat sore body. Then, turning towards the abundant harvest in his storage ring, the smile on his face extended almost to the roots of his ears.


    This adventure secret realm had been incredibly satisfying.


    He simply adored this adventure secret realm.


    Starting with the Spirit Stones, there was a considerable sum¡ª

 Chapter 197 - 119:

    Chapter 197: Chapter 119: ¡°You are the State Preceptor, right?¡±_3


    25 mid-grade spirit stones, 3702 lower-grade spirit stones.


    So many spirit stones, mainly because after those fishing rods were upgraded, he still fished up various kinds of messy colored fish, and these fish often brought him a large number of spirit stones.


    Plus this harvest.


    He now had 50 mid-grade spirit stones and about 21,000 lower-grade spirit stones.


    Out of these, just Ning Taiping contributed more than 10,000 lower-grade spirit stones; it was a pity that there were no mid-grade spirit stones in Ning Taiping¡¯s storage ring, probably all used up during his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.


    In addition to that, there were 9 random white entry jade slips.


    ...


    Originally, he had fished up 16, but he used 7 in the secret realm, leaving only 9 random white entry jade slips. With these nine white entries, he could easily fish out another entry to make it ten.


    Additionally, there were 7 ¡°Eight Desolate Fruits¡± and 7 ¡°Heavenly Dao Detoxification Pills¡±¡ªtreasures that were not needed for now, but would definitely be useful in the future.


    He also brought out a seven-colored fishing rod.


    Of course, the most important harvest was the seven second-grade Golden Cores he fished up!


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was tallying his gains, his expression slightly bizarre without speaking. So many sevens?


    These seven second-grade Golden Cores, added to his original three, were already enough to make 10 second-grade Golden Cores, even one more than the requirement for condensing a ten-pattern Golden Core.


    ¡°Perfect!¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the scholar and the others, ¡°Let¡¯s set off for Fei Zhou, find a place there for the scholar to recover his cultivation, and then take the scholar to challenge the sword cultivator inheritance!¡±


    There were still two days left until the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.


    The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard would start the day after tomorrow morning.


    As the sun had already set behind the mountain, Chen Qiu looked towards the sunset with a hint of distraction, murmuring, ¡°Something seems off.¡±


    The progress was much faster than he had anticipated.


    His original plan was to give up on this year¡¯s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard and make a clean sweep in next year¡¯s, but now it seemed that the progress was much faster than he had planned.


    His plan was to take a year to gather the conditions for the ten-pattern Golden Core.


    Now¡­


    It seemed like he was close to gathering all of it in just a few days.


    If he could condense a ten-pattern Golden Core and step into the initial stage of the Golden Core before the competition of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard began, he really wanted to know if all the Heavenly Prides of the Da Xia Country combined could beat him?


    It was about time for the Heavenly Prides of Da Xia to witness what a true Heavenly Pride was like.


    Tsk, scary.


    He imagined in his mind what it would be like if he were just an ordinary Golden Core and his opponent was someone with a ten-pattern Golden Core. The thought alone was somewhat frightening.


    ¡­


    A night of rushing on the road.


    Without any delay.


    When the moon was halfway up the sky, they once again set foot in Fei Zhou, a place they hadn¡¯t visited in a long time, but they didn¡¯t enter an inn. Instead, they went into the small world and protected the scholar¡¯s cultivation.


    In the back mountain of Chao Tian Sect.


    After the scholar had cleared all the impurities from his Tao Foundation¡ªdue to excessive consumption of Qi Replenishing Pills¡ªhe sat cross-legged and swallowed a ¡°Heavenly Dao Detoxification Pill¡±. Accompanied by the mental method, billows of dark fog floated above his head.


    This fog was the toxin from the depths of the Tao Foundation being forced out of the body.


    A few sticks of incense later.


    The scholar slowly opened his eyes and stood up, looking refreshed and full of gratitude towards Chen Qiu. Then, with an excitement and a vigor that was never seen before, he clenched a sword technique in one hand and turned his head to the nearby bush, shouting lightly,


    ¡°Knock.¡±


    Familiar syllables, different sword formation.


    The scholar¡¯s sleeve revealed a Qingfeng sword that seemed particularly thrilled, trembling continuously before shooting into the skies. It quivered even more fiercely, and then in a blink of an eye, it formed hundreds of light swords in the sky, identical to the Qingfeng in shape and strong with sword intent.


    The scholar shouted again, ¡°Qinglian Sword Formation!¡±


    In the sky, the hundreds of light swords instantly shifted positions and formed an imposing sword array. Following the scholar¡¯s pupils suddenly contracting, the light swords plunged into the bushes in the blink of an eye.


    All trees, leaves, and everything along the way were cut into pieces by the intense sword intent.


    With just this one strike¡ª


    All the trees along the way collapsed.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked at the scene with a weird expression and said subconsciously, ¡°Just this?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that it wasn¡¯t strong.


    For the scholar, at the third layer of the Foundation Establishment, to have such a move, he was already way beyond his peers. It was just that after seeing Brother Qiu¡¯s grandiose Thunder Dragon overwhelming the sky, this Qinglian Sword Formation seemed almost child¡¯s play in contrast.


    With a light laugh, the scholar patted Fat Long¡¯s shoulder, leaving them with a view of his confident backside as he casually waved his hand without turning around, heading towards Chao Tian Sect, ¡°A sword cultivator never looks back, I¡¯m off.¡±


    The next moment!


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    The bushes that had been penetrated by hundreds of light swords suddenly exploded with a deafening noise. Countless dazzling lights burst from deep underground through the crevices, and at the same time, the entire forest within dozens of yards was blasted up into the air, turning into dust.


    What was left was a deep pit that was as wide as ten yards.


    At the bottom of the pit, an extremely dense sword intent could still be felt.


    This strike was not something an ordinary third-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator could achieve; it must have been an all-out attack of at least a seventh-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator!


    Exceptionally noteworthy! S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long watched the scholar¡¯s back and his mouth twitched slightly, ¡°This kid¡¯s really putting on an act for us.¡±


    Just then, the scholar quickly teleported beside his brother and reappeared next to Chen Qiu and the others, looking somewhat embarrassed as he clasped his fist and coughed slightly, ¡°That¡­ Brother Qiu, I won¡¯t say much about gratitude.¡±

 Chapter 198 - 119:

    Chapter 198: Chapter 119: ¡°You are the State Preceptor, right?¡±_4


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the Sword Cultivator inheritance now, to snatch the Nascent Soul body for you, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar with a light smile, ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait until you¡¯ve restored your Golden Core Cultivation before going?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± The scholar shook his head, ¡°The difficulty of the challenges in the Inheritance Secret Realm is determined by the cultivator¡¯s level. My current Cultivation is only at the third level of Foundation Establishment, so the difficulty is correspondingly at the level of Foundation Establishment third layer, and it will be lower.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡­


    ...


    Chen Qiu and others withdrew from the small world and ventured back into the Boundless Icefield, heading towards the Inheritance Secret Realm. This was already his third time stepping into the Boundless Icefield.


    The first time, he obtained the Magic Practitioner inheritance.


    The second time, he annihilated tens of thousands from the Evil Clan.


    The third time was to help the scholar obtain the Sword Cultivator inheritance.


    At the entrance of the Inheritance Secret Realm.


    After Chen Qiu briefed the scholar on some hidden techniques of the Sword Cultivator inheritance unknown to outsiders, he earnestly patted his shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Give it your all, it¡¯s all up to you.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    The scholar took a deep breath and then stepped determinedly into the Inheritance Secret Realm.


    It was already past midnight.


    Although the Fame Ranking had disappeared and he could no longer receive Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, the more than 200 people were still in his small world. Once he broke through to the Golden Core, there would be no one in Da Xia to fear, and then he could release all those people.


    With the Self-Destruction entry, his initial Golden Core Cultivation level could unleash a full-force blow of Nascent Soul cultivation.


    In Da Xia, who could stop him if the Nascent Souls didn¡¯t appear?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took out a rocking chair from his Storage Ring, lay down on it, and looked up at the dense black clouds in the sky, enjoying the leisure of the moment. His Cultivation had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, Great Perfection.


    He didn¡¯t need to consider cultivation at all.


    He hadn¡¯t been able to just lie here peacefully without a thought in a very long time. It was quite extravagant to let time slip away bit by bit. If the most precious thing in the world was time, then the happiest thing was to waste it.


    Fat Long, on the other hand, was kindling a bonfire and roasting Roasted Goose with the scholar¡¯s younger brother.


    ¡°Do you really like roasted meat that much?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long somewhat helplessly; he always felt like Fat Long was eating roasted meat at all times.


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Fat Long said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s just that the raising of the fire brings a sense of life, and it¡¯s also quite cold here, so roasting a fire can warm things up a bit.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say anything more and just felt quite comfortable at the moment. The resentful spirits on his body did indeed make him feel cold, and the fire did indeed make him more comfortable, although it still wasn¡¯t warm enough.


    He took out three sticks of Evil Wood from his bosom and threw them over.


    ¡°Burn this tonight, let¡¯s indulge for a change.¡±


    ¡°Feel the sensation of burning Spirit Stones.¡±


    Even though he didn¡¯t know exactly how many Spirit Stones this thing was worth, judging by the frenzy of the Evil Clan, it was definitely worth a lot. It was true extravagance, but what made him helpless was¡­ many people from Fat Long were even more wasteful than him!


    Those people were really using these things as firewood, truly a waste of heaven¡¯s gifts. If the Evil Clan knew that the people of Fat Long were using these things for warmth, they¡¯d probably die of rage on the spot.


    It must be said¡ª


    Evil Wood truly suits as firewood. The moment Evil Wood was added, the temperature around immediately rose quite a bit, instantly giving a feeling of warmth.


    And Chen Qiu, whose nerves had been tense for a long time, now seeing that the Grade Ten Golden Core was about to be in place, couldn¡¯t help but relax his mind, lying drowsily on the rocking chair.


    Just like that, with the icefield as his bed and the dark clouds as his blanket, he drowsily fell asleep.


    ¡­


    Noticing that Chen Qiu had fallen asleep, Fat Long intentionally lowered his voice, turned his head toward the scholar brother beside him, and whispered, ¡°I say, Brother, you¡¯re clearly a scholar brother, so why do you look much older than him?¡±


    ¡°That beard of yours is quite thick, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°And the difference in character between you and the scholar is too great. If it¡¯s not too presumptuous to ask¡­ are you two really brothers?¡±


    However, the scholar brother, as if he hadn¡¯t heard, sat cross-legged in place with a vacant look in his eyes, staring at the campfire in front of him, lost in thought.


    After staring at the scholar brother expressionlessly and in silence for a long time, Fat Long suddenly burst out laughing.


    ¡°Actually, I know who you are.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the State Preceptor, right?¡±


    At those words, the scholar brother finally showed some emotion, turned his head to look at Fat Long, his eyes flashing with incredulity.


    ¡°Did I guess right?¡±


    With excitement flickering in his eyes, Fat Long began to theorize, ¡°The scholar actually has no brother at all. The reason he thinks he has a brother and feels extremely close to you is because you possess an entry with the ability to hypnotize or even alter memories?¡±


    ¡°And you are the State Preceptor!¡±


    ¡°You stay by the scholar¡¯s side to cultivate him into becoming Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator, and to create opportunities for the scholar and Ji Renjian to meet, so as to allow the scholar to take advantage of Ji Renjian¡¯s Heavenly Dao Beauty effect to reach the realm of Human Sword Unity.¡±


    ¡°But this plan failed, and you shifted your focus onto Ji Taiping. However, since the plan has failed, why do you still stay by the scholar¡¯s side?¡±


    ¡°Let me think¡­¡±


    At this moment, Fat Long felt a flurry of thoughts whisking through his mind, and suddenly he caught one: ¡°Unless¡­ the scholar¡¯s downfall is also within your plan, you know that to gain the Sword Cultivator inheritance one must go through great ups and downs yet not fall into despair in the lows, maintaining one¡¯s initial resolve!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the mastermind behind everything!¡±


    ¡°That Ji Taiping is just a whetstone you prepared for the scholar; if things go as expected, the scholar will use Ji Taiping as his stepping stone when he reenters the Golden Core Cultivation!¡±


    ¡°You have been instilling certain notions in Ji Renjian, to make her realize one day that it was actually the scholar who saved her, and then the Heavenly Dao Beauty effect will also transfer to the scholar.¡±


    ¡°You plan to use these two variables at a critical moment to push the scholar to become the undisputed top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!¡±


    ¡°This has all been part of your plot, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The scholar has always thought that Ji Taiping was the State Preceptor¡¯s chosen top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, but little does he know that the State Preceptor¡¯s true target has always been him, with Ji Taiping just being a whetstone prepared by the State Preceptor for the scholar!¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s speech sped up progressively, feeling like he had uncovered the truth. He even subconsciously leaned a bit closer to Chen Qiu, his eyes glinting with shock and disbelief as he looked toward the scholar brother.


    ¡°You¡­ are truly terrifying!¡±


    ¡°Does the scholar know that you are the State Preceptor?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar brother quietly shifted his gaze away from Fat Long without offering any rebuttal, simply continuing to sit in place, silently poking at the charcoals in the fire with a stick he held in his hand.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right either.¡±


    Fat Long suddenly shook his head again, ¡°The logic isn¡¯t right. You and the scholar possess the Bloodline Entry; that can¡¯t be faked. You must definitely be real brothers.¡±


    ¡°But still¡ª¡±


    HIs facial expression abruptly took on a bizarre look. ¡°Even if you truly are the scholar¡¯s younger brother, that doesn¡¯t affect the fact that you¡¯re the State Preceptor!

 Chapter 199 - 120:

    Chapter 199: Chapter 120: ¡°How is it, Brother Qiu, is it a tenth-grade Golden Core?


    ¡°The scholar said you can¡¯t take the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, which confirms you have a special cultivation method.¡±


    ¡°And if I remember correctly¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, that entry precisely involves enhancing one¡¯s Cultivation through lies and deception!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it either.¡±


    Fat Long slapped his head, feeling like it was about to explode, and furrowed his brows, ¡°But you haven¡¯t even spoken, how could you deceive others, and clearly your Cultivation hasn¡¯t reached the Golden Core, whereas the State Preceptor¡¯s Cultivation must have.¡±


    The scholar remained silent.


    ...


    Fat Long had already overturned his own logic many times.


    After that, Fat Long paid no more attention to the scholar¡¯s brother and also silently sat beside the campfire, beginning to ponder seriously. He always felt like his reasoning was correct, even if the State Preceptor wasn¡¯t the scholar¡¯s brother.


    But¡­


    The State Preceptor¡¯s target might really have been the scholar from the beginning, and Ji Taiping was just a whetstone.


    Otherwise, if the State Preceptor¡¯s target were Ji Taiping, why would Ji Taiping¡¯s realm be so unstable? The State Preceptor definitely wouldn¡¯t want a top Sword Cultivator with an unstable realm.


    Proving this point was simple.


    If one day Ji Renjian suddenly learned the truth and shifted his admiration to the scholar, letting the scholar leverage the effect of the Heavenly Dao Beauty to break through a realm in his understanding of Sword Intent.


    Then it could be confirmed, the scholar was indeed the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, pushed forward by the State Preceptor.


    Over these years, the State Preceptor must have been using various methods, giving psychological suggestions to Ji Renjian, telling him the one you truly love is not Ji Taiping, but the one who saved you, you just thought it was Ji Taiping, so you fell in love with him.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Fat Long, sitting beside the campfire, murmured in shock, ¡°I think I might really have guessed how the State Preceptor did it¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn, how could I have guessed it? Could I actually be the State Preceptor?¡±


    ¡°Did I also seal my own memory and Cultivation?¡±


    ¡­


    In the Capital, on ¡°Qingfeng,¡± Ji Renjian, alone, sat atop a mountain rock, his eyelids half-closed, listening to Ji Taiping¡¯s curses from the Sound Transmission Ring in his hand. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I know you ran out to have fun last time, because I escorted you all the way, and you were moved.¡±


    ¡°But can you not bring it up all the time?¡±


    ¡°I really hate you bringing this up all the time!¡±


    Ji Taiping¡¯s voice in the Sound Transmission Ring carried a strong anger, leaving Ji Renjian at a loss on how to respond. His brother was still dealing with the war turmoil in the Hundred Countries, unable to come back soon, only able to contact through a Sound Transmission Ring.


    After a long while,


    Ji Renjian finally said softly,


    ¡°The State Preceptor prophesied that when I grew up, there would be a crisis, and in that crisis, someone would secretly protect me all along, and that person is my true love.¡±


    ¡°I just want to tell you, the State Preceptor said you¡¯re my true love, and I will always, always love you.¡±


    After a long silence on the other end, Ji Taiping¡¯s hoarse voice came again: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have lost my temper at you, it¡¯s mainly because things are hard to handle here. I will also love you always. Once things are settled here, I¡¯ll bring some specialties back for you, don¡¯t overthink.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me in peace on Qingfeng, I¡¯ll come back soon.¡±


    After the Sound Transmission Ring cutoff.


    Ji Renjian sat alone on the rock peak of Qingfeng, no longer speaking, only fiddling with her skirt hem, her expression somewhat lost and distant as she gazed at the ants moving house at the rock bottom.


    Lost in thought.


    ¡­


    In the Capital City Zhang Family.


    The Zhang Family Patriarch sat with a grim expression in the patriarch¡¯s chair. A few days back, he had communicated with the palace, asking his support within to see if they could somehow get Ji Taiping transferred out of the capital.


    To stop Ji Taiping from troubling Bai Yi.


    Leaving it to them to resolve.


    They aimed to capture Bai Yi and force out the secrets for a breakthrough to Nascent Soul.


    Honestly, he had only tentatively spoken with his palace support at the time, not expecting the support to be extremely reliable this time, directly arranging to send Ji Taiping to the Hundred Countries, not only far away but also unable to return soon.


    With heaven and earth as its allies, it was their best chance to strike at the scholar.


    But¡­


    A few days ago, a sudden decree from the palace reached the Zhang Family, stating that the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard would soon commence, with the top talents from the nineteen provinces of Da Xia, including those from the Hundred Countries, gathering in the capital. They tasked the Zhang Family with the responsibility of safeguarding the capital¡¯s security.


    No one from their family was allowed to leave the capital, not even a half step.


    Otherwise, it would be dealt with as treason.


    The palace seldom used such a stern tone in its messages; when it did, it meant the order left no room for refusal, and one must comply or be seen as defiance.


    Thus, the Zhang Family was forced to stay within the capital these days, only able to watch the scholar make his bold moves everywhere, yet unable to do anything about it.


    ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    After a long while, the countenance of the Zhang Family Patriarch gradually returned to composure, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.


    The palace was the strongest intelligence agency in Da Xia. Recently, through his palace support, he had learned a lot about Bai Yi and Chen Qiu. Chen Qiu was a Loose Cultivator who had suddenly risen, previously just a woodcutter in Fufeng City.


    Lately, he had taken over a Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance and annihilated tens of thousands from the Evil Clan, completely owning the spotlight.


    And Bai Yi claimed to be the Second Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, the one who claimed to be the Great Elder of the Chao Tian Sect being Fat Long, who had fled from the Flower Offering Sect as a fugitive.


    Chen Qiu held a peak Foundation Establishment Cultivation, having seized the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance, and might just arrive in the capital to join the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. Since Chen Qiu would be there, Bai Yi would definitely come along, and then¡­

 Chapter 200 - 120:

    Chapter 200: Chapter 120: ¡°How is it, Brother Qiu, is it a tenth-grade Golden Core?¡±_2


    Hmph.


    ¡°The Capital City Zhang Family cannot leave the Capital, but if you come to them willingly, they¡¯ll show you what the Capital City Zhang Family is truly like.¡±


    If Chen Qiu does not come to participate in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition, they¡¯ll have to wait until the competition is over and the Zhang Family no longer needs to be responsible for the safety of the Capital before they can freely capture Bai Yi.¡±


    ¡­


    Inside the Flower Offering Sect.


    Above the Heavenly Girl¡¯s cave dwelling in the sky, the Sect Master of the Flower Offering Sect was standing midway in the air with his figure concealed along with the Great Elder, who slightly furrowed his brows and looked down into the cave, expressing his doubts about the Heavenly Girl.


    ...


    ¡°Sect Master, have we been tormenting the Heavenly Girl too harshly during this period?¡±


    ¡°If you really dislike her, Sect Master, you could simply kill her, so why bother with such trouble?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of the Flower Offering Sect, with one hand behind his back, had no hint of lust on his face but merely looked down at the badly injured Heavenly Girl in the cave below and after a long silence, finally spoke softly.


    ¡°Cannot kill.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you more, but I can tell you this much: there¡¯s a high-ranking official in the palace who commanded me to do this.¡±


    ¡°As long as we align ourselves with that high-ranking official, the future of the Flower Offering Sect will be boundless.¡±


    ¡°In the palace?¡±


    After a long frown, the Great Elder shook his head uneasily and said, ¡°Sect Master, you are well aware of the kinds of people in the palace, cooperating with them seldom ends well.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    The Sect Master nodded and continued, ¡°But¡­ at least we do not need to pay any price, it¡¯s just tormenting the Heavenly Girl and ensuring she doesn¡¯t die.¡±


    The Great Elder did not speak again, but still felt somewhat uneasy.


    No price?


    In this world, there is nothing without a cost.


    ¡­


    At that moment, the Heavenly Girl below in the cave, covered in wounds, lay there, her expression dazed as she stared at the hairpin that Little Fatty had given to her, and after a while, she carefully took out pink reeds from her storage ring and spread them on the stone bed.


    She lay down on them.


    The piercing pain made her lips unconsciously twitch.


    She didn¡¯t mind.


    She just turned her head to look outside the cave at the sky full of stars and murmured,


    ¡°Little Fatty¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been quite impressive lately.¡±


    And in the part of her Tao Foundation that even the Heavenly Girl herself could not see, a rather strange Red Spider Lily was slowly blooming, rooting itself deep within the Tao Foundation and continuously drawing Spiritual Energy from within her Dantian.


    If Chen Qiu were here.


    He would find this Red Spider Lily strikingly identical to the Eight-petal Fire Lotus he had obtained from the Underground Fire Sea within the Endless Desert.


    Only one was entirely composed of flames.


    And the other was formed from a dense, extreme blackness of death.


    ¡­


    In the Endless Desert, inside the Underground Fire Sea.


    A young man cloaked in a cape, his face indiscernible, stood unconcernedly in the middle of the Fire Sea, expressionlessly looking towards a spot not far from him, where a mature Eight-petal Fire Lotus should have been found, but now it was nowhere to be seen.


    Where could one see an Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    Only a trembling, fear-filled figure lay beside an enormous tiger.


    After a long silence, the young man finally uttered lightly: ¡°Useless.¡±


    A massive surge of Spiritual Energy burst from his sleeve, slamming heavily onto the tiger beneath the Fire Sea.


    With this single strike.


    The rather formidable looking tiger instantly turned into innumerable pieces of flesh and blood that were consumed by the relentless Fire Sea, leaving nothing behind.


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The scholar, carrying injuries, tumbled out from the Inheritance Secret Realm, his movement awakening Chen Qiu. The scholar sat cross-legged on the ground and looked at Chen Qiu breathlessly, ¡°I made a mistake, but this time it will definitely work!¡±


    Then he immediately closed his eyes and swallowed a Healing Pill.


    Beginning to heal on the spot.


    Thirty minutes later.


    He rushed back into the Inheritance Secret Realm without looking back.


    Two hours later, the scholar fell out of the secret realm again, his injuries more serious than before, but this time there was excitement on his face: ¡°Brother Qiu, I¡¯ve already grasped the threshold of the fourth level.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling, the Sword Cultivator inheritance is very, very close to me now!¡±


    Another two hours passed.


    The sky had already brightened. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu lifted his head to look at the persistent dark clouds above, it was already daylight, but it remained dark around him, the Boundless Icefield was continuously shrouded in black clouds, nearly blocking all light, due to it not penetrating deep into the Boundless Icefield, there was still a bit of light.


    As it went deeper into the depths of the Endless Icefield, then there would truly be no light seen.


    Utter darkness.


    As if you were the only person in the entire world.


    Another two hours later.


    This time the scholar came out, still bearing injuries but with a self-satisfied smile, and took out a storage ring from his bosom to hand over to Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t disappoint you; I¡¯ve passed through the Sword Cultivator inheritance, something I never thought I would manage in my lifetime, a feat unachieved by anyone for over a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Qiu; without the techniques you shared with me, I might never have cleared it in my lifetime.¡±


    Chen Qiu accepted the storage ring, his Divine Sense probing inside and seeing the quietly lying Nascent Soul body, he too smiled.


    It was accomplished.


    Three Nascent Soul bodies, gathered.


    Nine second-grade Golden Cores, also gathered.


    All assembled.


    ¡°No need to thank me.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar without taking credit but with a flicker of anticipation shook his head; in truth, if Old Man Cao hadn¡¯t shared the techniques for clearing the other inheritances with him, he wouldn¡¯t have known them.


    Although he didn¡¯t know why Old Man Cao told him the techniques for the other inheritances, it was indeed very helpful to him.


    The next moment¡ª


    The few of them vanished on the spot and burrowed into the small world, leaving behind only a pile of extinguished campfires.

 Chapter 201 - 120:

    Chapter 201: Chapter 120: ¡°How is it, Brother Qiu, is it a tenth-grade Golden Core?¡±_3


    ¡­


    Chao Tian Sect, behind the mountain.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged at the highest point of the mountain peak, circulating his mental method to bring himself to the best state, calming himself as much as possible, then he took out various items from his bosom and placed them in front of him.


    Three Nascent Soul bodies.


    Nine mid-grade Golden Cores.


    One piece of Evil Wood, one Eight Desolate Fruit.


    ...


    Everything was ready.


    Also, the nine entry jade slips he had fished out from the adventure secret realm had already been crushed, these nine white entries, along with the ¡°Alchemy Posture¡± entry he had selected to discard, made up the ten jade slips used for Alchemy.


    A strand of Heavenly Dao Qi Fortune, Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, seven-colored entry.


    Also ready.


    All was ready.


    Next was the Refining Pill, Chen Qiu, who was seated cross-legged, glanced at the scholar next to him setting up the Spirit Gathering Array and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Scholar, will the Spirit Gathering Array set up with forty-nine Spirit Stones be sufficient?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely sufficient.¡±


    The scholar nodded earnestly and assuredly, ¡°Trust me, we really do not need to wait to gather 108 Mid-grade Spirit Stones to lay down a higher-level Spirit Gathering Array, the forty-nine Spirit Gathering Array is already ample.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely no errors will occur.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, what you need to do now is calm yourself down as much as possible, imagine yourself in the state you were in your mother¡¯s amniotic fluid, enveloped by the heavens and earth, and relax as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Then give it your all to breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, sat cross-legged and circulated his mental method, the thread of nervousness in his heart gradually disappearing, his eyes closed tightly, relaxing as much as possible, his brows which were tense from nervousness also slowly loosened.


    The disciples guarding him, including the scholar, stood by with tense expressions, not daring to utter a word, fearing they might disturb Chen Qiu.


    For Chen Qiu to break through with absolute peace of mind.


    Fat Long even bound more than 200 people from the disciple dormitory and gagged them, fearing any noise from them might disturb Brother Qiu.


    The next moment¡ª


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the rock, suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils contracted sharply, above his Dantian, the Tao Foundation began to rotate at an unprecedented speed, the entries engraved on the Tao Foundation, under high-speed rotation, were flung out, floating within the Dantian.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Accompanied by a low shout from Chen Qiu, the three Nascent Soul bodies, nine mid-grade Golden Cores, one piece of Evil Wood, and one Eight Desolate Fruit on the ground suddenly shot up into the air and instantly turned into powder.


    This powder was all sucked into the rapidly spinning Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment within the Dantian.


    In high-speed rotation.


    The Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment began to gradually disintegrate, finally completely disintegrated, revealing a golden, glittering Golden Core, which began to rotate rapidly the moment it appeared, remnants of the disintegrated Foundation Establishment also instantly turned to dust and were sucked into the Golden Core, merging with it.


    Accompanied by the high-speed rotation of this Golden Core.


    The entries floating in the Dantian were also drawn over and inscribed in extremely small letters back onto the Golden Core.


    The Golden Core continued to rotate rapidly, its speed even several times faster than that of the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, by this time all the entries had already been re-inscribed onto the Golden Core, and as the Golden Core spun rapidly, the Spiritual Energy in the Dantian also whirled around the Golden Core like a tsunami.


    The gaseous Spiritual Energy under rapid rotation, gradually turned into a liquid state and settled within the Dantian.


    It could be distinctly sensed that this liquid-state Spiritual Energy possessed a far greater power and destructive force than the gaseous Spiritual Energy.


    At this moment¡ª


    This Golden Core, which originally only had one strand of Cloud Pattern rotating rapidly, began to slowly display a second strand of Cloud Pattern.


    When the second strand of Cloud Pattern was officially inscribed on the Golden Core, it meant the Golden Core had transformed into a mid-grade Golden Core.


    Immediately thereafter¡­


    The third strand of Cloud Pattern, the fourth strand¡­


    The sixth strand, the seventh strand¡­


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the rock, frantically absorbed the Spiritual Energy from the surrounding Spirit Gathering Array made up of Mid-grade Spirit Stones, introspecting the changes in his internal Golden Core with slight nervousness, as long as the tenth strand of Cloud Pattern appeared.


    It would mean his ten-grade Golden Core was complete!


    Even though he knew there shouldn¡¯t be any problems, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit nervous.


    Finally¡ª


    After the ninth strand of Cloud Pattern had also been inscribed onto the Golden Core, the tenth strand of Cloud Pattern also arrived without any mishaps, slowly emerging on the Golden Core, but¡­ just as the tenth strand of Cloud Pattern was about to be fully inscribed on the surface of the Golden Core.


    The Golden Core suddenly stopped spinning.


    And that tenth strand of faint Cloud Pattern also paused just as it was about to fully emerge.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Chen Qiu anxiously scanned the surroundings, the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Gathering Array was still ample, completely sufficient, it wasn¡¯t a shortage of Spiritual Energy, then what was it that caused this ten-grade Golden Core, just about to be complete, to stall here?


    Had he not prepared enough materials?


    No, that wasn¡¯t it, everything had been prepared.


    Or had Old Man Cao deceived him?


    In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, he even considered trying the Eight Desolate Fruit to see if it could resolve the issue, although he also knew this was somewhat like clutching at straws.


    But just then¡ª S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The originally stopped Golden Core suddenly began to spin again, and its spinning speed was even faster than before, several times faster.


    The tenth strand of Cloud Pattern finally fully appeared on the Golden Core.


    Ten-grade Golden Core, complete!


    Only, the Golden Core showed no signs of stopping, instead, its spinning speed became even faster, the Spiritual Energy that had just turned into liquid state in his body was almost instantly drawn into the Golden Core.

 Chapter 202 - 120:

    Chapter 202: Chapter 120: ¡°How is it, Brother Qiu, is it a tenth-grade Golden Core?¡±_4


    ¡°Spiritual Energy is running out!¡±


    The scholars guarding the outside voiced their anxiousness urgently!


    They had no idea what was happening, only realizing that the Mid-grade Spirit Stones, which were originally full of Spiritual Energy, had dimmed significantly in an instant. Brother Qiu had done something to absorb a massive amount of Spiritual Energy in a moment!


    This situation had far exceeded what was normal for a cultivator at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment who was breaking through to Golden Core.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes and saw the Spiritual Energy quickly being drawn into the body by the Golden Core; those Mid-grade Spirit Stones couldn¡¯t hold out for much longer. He sensed why the Golden Core was spinning so wildly and crazily.


    ...


    He gritted his teeth and looked toward the Eight-petal Flower Lotus floating in midair, radiating vast amounts of light and heat waves.


    The Golden Core considered this thing as material for his breakthrough to Golden Core as well.


    Right now, it was using full power to draw that thing over, but¡­ the Eight-petal Fire Lotus wasn¡¯t under his control, and he didn¡¯t even know what that thing was, let alone what effect it would have if included into the Golden Core.


    In the Jade Scroll given by Old Man Cao.


    From First Grade Golden Core to Tenth Grade Golden Core, there was no mention of the necessity for an Eight-petal Fire Lotus for the ascension.


    But at this moment, he must absorb this Eight-petal Fire Lotus into his body.


    He could sense the Golden Core within him was spinning faster and faster, with a look of determination, completely disregarding the limits of his body. If it spun any faster, his Dantian would surely be completely destroyed by the high-speed spinning Golden Core!


    He must absorb that damned Eight-petal Fire Lotus into his body as quickly as possible!


    Without the slightest hesitation.


    He threw out all his Storage Rings, and without even glancing at the scholars, he shouted urgently, ¡°Add Spirit Stones! Fill it up for me!¡±


    If the Spirit Stones were insufficient.


    He might be the first to die from a Golden Core spinning too fast during the breakthrough.


    If it weren¡¯t for a breakthrough attempt inside a small world, this would not matter, but the Golden Core was acting like a madman, insisting, insisting, despite being told that the Eight-petal Fire Lotus wasn¡¯t meant for it!


    To keep pace with the supply of Spiritual Energy.


    The scholars smashed all the low-grade Spirit Stones to pieces and threw them into the Spirit Gathering Array. This would waste about thirty to forty percent of the Spiritual Energy, but the speed could barely keep up, otherwise, the low-grade Spirit Stones simply couldn¡¯t match the absorptive speed of the Spirit Gathering Array.


    Merely a few breaths of time.


    All of Chen Qiu¡¯s remaining Mid-grade Spirit Stones, low-grade Spirit Stones, including the ones from Fat Long Scholar and others, were all smashed and thrown in.


    With the massive supply of Spiritual Energy.


    The Eight-petal Fire Lotus in the air finally approached Chen Qiu slowly under the powerful suction of the rapidly spinning Golden Core. Now, just less than fifteen meters away from Chen Qiu, he could even feel the intense heat wave brought by the Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    ¡°Not enough!!!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Feeling the Golden Core in his Dantian spinning even faster, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Keep adding!¡±


    He was in the middle of a Golden Core breakthrough and couldn¡¯t move at all. He couldn¡¯t restore Spiritual Energy by allowing it to surge into his arm guards and injure his hands, as that would mean not worrying about Spirit Stones anymore, and the breakthrough would fail on the spot.


    ¡­


    ¡°What more to add? There aren¡¯t any left!¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s voice was filled with immense anxiety and even carried a whine as he sifted through all the Storage Rings thrown by Brother Qiu, confirming they were truly out of Spirit Stones.


    ¡°Wait¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, he saw six Eight Desolate Fruits in one of the Storage Rings, his eyes flickering with hesitation, but the next moment he gritted his teeth and threw all the Eight Desolate Fruits into the Spirit Gathering Array, treating a dead horse like a live horse doctor!


    There really were no more Spirit Stones!


    Qi Replenishing Pills, Spiritual Wine, and such had all been thrown into the Spirit Gathering Array by him. Although he was unsure whether these Eight Desolate Fruits would work, since they were deemed highly valuable by the Secret Realm, they should be somewhat useful, right? Surely they couldn¡¯t really be utterly useless?


    However¡­


    After the Eight Desolate Fruits were thrown into the Spirit Gathering Array, they were of no use at all; they just lay there quietly. Fat Long, somewhat anxious, crushed all six Eight Desolate Fruits, still without any Spiritual Energy seeping out.


    Just as he was completely despairing,


    The Eight-petal Fire Lotus, which was highly resistant in the air, suddenly gave up all struggle and dashed straight toward Chen Qiu, aiming for the six Eight Desolate Fruits!


    The crushed Six Eight Desolate Fruits were instantly absorbed by the Eight-petal Fire Lotus, causing the originally scorching temperature of the Eight-petal Fire Lotus to drop significantly.


    At that moment, the Eight-petal Fire Lotus, which was far away from Brother Qiu just a moment ago, was now face to face with him.


    The next moment¡ª


    The Eight-petal Fire Lotus instantly turned into dust, absorbed by the Golden Core within Chen Qiu.


    Almost immediately.


    The Golden Core within Chen Qiu stopped spinning rapidly, merely rotating slowly within his body, and it no longer had such a vast demand for Spiritual Energy.


    ¡­


    After a long while.


    Chen Qiu, with a slightly pale face, slowly opened his eyes and swept a glance at the mess around him. Fat Long and the others, having been anxiously waiting to the side, immediately gathered around, asking with concern.


    ¡°How is it, Brother Qiu, is it a Tenth Grade Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak but looked towards the Golden Core within his body, which was slowly rotating with twelve strands of Cloud Pattern, and after a long silence, he said hoarsely.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Fat Long and the others stiffened on the spot before forcing smiles, comforting Chen Qiu, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Brother Qiu, a Ninth Grade Golden Core is already very strong. After all, a Tenth Grade Golden Core is unheard of in the legends.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Old Man Cao also say that a Tenth Grade Golden Core is impossible to form, probably doesn¡¯t exist, maybe just fabricated entirely?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, even with a Ninth Grade Golden Core one would be invincible. Even His Majesty only has a Fourth Grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°A Ninth Grade Golden Core completely outclasses His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Listening to Fat Long and the others¡¯ incessant consolation, Chen Qiu spoke again hoarsely after a while.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, it¡¯s not a Tenth Grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a damn Twelfth Grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°You guys stop talking for a moment, let me sort this out, I¡¯m a bit stunned right now.¡±

 Chapter 203 - 121:

    Chapter 203: Chapter 121: ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, with a slightly pale face, sat cross-legged on a rock, introspecting the Golden Core that was slowly revolving above his Dantian, much like the Heavenly Dao Foundation, spinning automatically every moment.


    Whenever the Spiritual Energy inside his Dantian was not full, it replenished Spiritual Energy; once it was full, it enhanced his Cultivation.


    At this moment, on his Dantian,


    numerous entries were engraved, along with twelve strands of Cloud Pattern, and¡­ an Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    This did not look like an ordinary Golden Core, but rather an intricately carved work of art; he could clearly feel that the intensity of his Golden Core was somewhat outrageous. He didn¡¯t even need to step into the sixth layer of the Golden Core realm to be able to release his Golden Core from his body for an attack.


    ...


    ¡°Shoo!¡±


    With a single thought,


    the Golden Core within his Dantian instantly disappeared and appeared outside his body, transformed into a beam of Liu Guang that smashed towards the distant Deserted Forest, its speed even surpassing the scholar¡¯s Flying Sword. The Golden Core burrowed straight into the ground.


    There wasn¡¯t an explosion or commotion like the scholar¡¯s Qinglian Sword Formation, almost no disturbance at all, nor was there any noise; he could just feel that with an effortless strike, without even exerting much force, the Golden Core had already penetrated hundreds of feet deep into the ground.


    A very powerful single-target attack.


    Were it to hit a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it would shatter their Protective Spirit Qi and pierce their body in the blink of an eye, of course¡­ normally a Golden Core cultivator would not use a Golden Core to attack a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    Even this effortless strike had enough power to nearly instantly kill an early-stage Golden Core cultivator.


    Recalling the Golden Core, looking at it floating before him, marked with twelve strands of Cloud Pattern, Chen Qiu¡¯s expression was extremely complex. To be honest, he had not expected his Golden Core to reach the twelfth Grade.


    Old Man Cao was at the Nascent Soul stage and a Guardian of the Array Repairer lineage. In his speech, he clearly knew many things that Chen Qiu did not, yet he only told him that Golden Cores peaked at the tenth grade, and even that tended to be the stuff of legends.


    Almost no one had ever reached that goal.


    So what was the situation with this¡­ twelfth grade?


    ¡°Is there even such a thing as a twelfth-grade Golden Core?¡±


    Brother Qiu, sitting to the side with a dazed expression, looked at the Golden Core that was slowly revolving in mid-air and murmured, ¡°This Golden Core is really beautiful, feels like it¡¯s much more attractive than other Golden Cores.¡±


    Indeed.


    Though he was reluctant to use the word ¡°beautiful¡± to describe a Golden Core, Brother Qiu¡¯s Golden Core truly was beautiful, its overall golden luster shining brightly. The Cloud Patterns and entries engraved on it, including the Eight-petal Fire Lotus, made the Golden Core resemble a fragile piece of art.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡±


    The scholar shook his head in bewilderment: ¡°In my original understanding, the highest grade of a Golden Core is the fourth grade. In the entire Da Xia Country, only one person¡¯s Golden Core grade reached fourth, and that is His Majesty himself.¡±


    ¡°The fifth grade is the stuff of legends.¡±


    ¡°It was only after meeting Brother Qiu that I learned Golden Cores could reach the tenth grade. I thought that was the absolute pinnacle, but now this twelfth-grade emergence is even more baffling¡­¡±


    ¡°Between Golden Cores of each different grade, the higher one is absolutely overwhelming.¡±


    ¡°Among equal levels of Cultivation, if two Golden Core Great Powers were to collide their Golden Cores, a second-grade Golden Core could definitely smash a first-grade. Golden Core attacks and Divine Sense Attacks are the two most powerful attack methods that distinguish a Golden Core Great Power from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°However, Divine Sense Attacks can be used against opponents of the same level or even when fighting above one¡¯s level, but Golden Core attacks are absolutely not used when fighting above one¡¯s level. Once the Golden Core is damaged, at the very least, it will require consuming a vast amount of precious materials to repair, and at worst, it could even result in immediate death.¡±


    ¡°On the same level of Cultivation, a second-grade Golden Core would definitely shatter a first-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°If skipping a small realm, for example, a first-grade Golden Core at the second layer of the Golden Core could match a second-grade at the first layer, leading to mutual injury.¡±


    ¡°But a first-grade at the third layer of the Golden Core could smash a second-grade at the first layer.¡±


    ¡°As the Cultivation Realm advances, the strength of the Golden Core, Divine Sense, speed, and so on, all improve.¡±


    The scholar paused for a moment, his throat moving as he swallowed saliva before continuing, ¡°With Brother Qiu¡¯s twelfth-grade Golden Core, even if Brother Qiu is at the first layer of Golden Core, shattering a Golden Core at the peak Great Perfection level would be no problem at all!¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Of course¡­ this is only in theory!¡±


    ¡°Because below the sixth layer of the Golden Core stage, Golden Cores are often as fragile as tofu, completely unable to withstand battle outside the body.¡±


    ¡°Only once reaching above the sixth layer of Golden Core does the Golden Core become a crucial attack method for a Golden Core Great Power, one of the biggest reasons being because it doesn¡¯t dissipate in the air due to the opponent dodging swiftly after being locked on by Divine Sense like a Spell would.¡±


    ¡°The Golden Core can continuously lock onto the enemy, maintaining maximal speed and strength.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the speed of the Golden Core is faster than many Spells, making it perfect for sneak attacks.¡±


    ¡°As long as Brother Qiu fortifies your Sea of Consciousness, and adds the twelfth-grade Golden Core on top of that, even Golden Core Peak cultivators would not have a good way to handle you, only relying on their Cultivation Strength to oppress you.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ in terms of Cultivation Strength, indeed, those at Golden Core Peak Great Perfection have higher Spiritual Energy intensity than Brother Qiu at the first layer of Golden Core, but when it comes to endurance, those Golden Core Peak cultivators are no match for Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Really? That powerful?¡± Fat Long said, somewhat confused, ¡°A twelfth-grade Golden Core could face a Golden Core Peak without fear? Surpassing nine grades?¡±


    ¡°Are you joking?¡±


    The scholar rolled his eyes at Fat Long, irritated: ¡°This is a twelfth-grade Golden Core we¡¯re talking about. I even suspect that even if we look back tens of thousands of years, no one has ever formed a twelfth-grade Golden Core.¡±

 Chapter 204 - 121:

    Chapter 204: Chapter 121: ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint.¡± _2


    ¡°Back when I had a Second Grade Golden Core, I could easily beat down a group of those in the early stages of the Golden Core,¡± he said.


    ¡°With a Twelfth Grade Golden Core, wouldn¡¯t I be able to mercilessly beat down a whole bunch of early stage Golden Core cultivators?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense probed into the Golden Core; he remained silent with a complex expression on his face. The scholar was not entirely correct, after all, he was merely guessing, and there were many things the scholar didn¡¯t know.


    For example¡­ Divine Sense.


    ...


    Normally, a cultivator with a First Grade Golden Core would have a Divine Sense range of twenty li, meaning you could sense everything within twenty li, and if there was an enemy within this range, you could use Divine Sense to lock onto and attack the enemy with spells.


    This range is also referred to as a Golden Core¡¯s attack distance.


    If you were to focus your Divine Sense on a certain disciple or location, turning it into a single thread, that distance could extend nearly tenfold, about two hundred li, but you cannot use Divine Sense attacks or locks at that range.


    You can only detect the surroundings within the thread of Divine Sense that you have extended.


    The Divine Sense range of a First Grade Golden Core cultivator is twenty li.


    Twenty li can be roughly understood as a circle with a radius of twenty li.


    This is a basic measurement.


    As your cultivation improves, and with different grades, this Divine Sense range will also vary.


    The Divine Sense range of a Second Grade Golden Core cultivator is thirty li.


    The Divine Sense range of a Third Grade Golden Core cultivator is forty li.


    And his¡­


    The Divine Sense range granted by his Twelfth Grade Golden Core is a whopping one hundred and thirty li!!


    Moreover, if you have a First Grade Golden Core, even if you cultivate to the peak of the Golden Core, your Divine Sense range is only ninety li.


    It¡¯s important to note that he is now just at the first layer of his Golden Core, yet his Divine Sense range is already larger than that of the average peak Golden Core cultivator.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Divine Sense range means being able to lock onto enemies from farther away, detect enemies earlier, and launch Divine Sense attacks from a greater distance.


    If the elder from the Poison Sect who attacked him that day had possessed a Twelfth Grade Golden Core, he wouldn¡¯t even have seen the person¡ªhe would have died right there, without even knowing how he died.


    This means he has an absolute advantage in taking the initiative!


    He could cast spells on his enemies¡¯ faces even before they noticed him!


    And this is just the basic range¡­


    He also possesses the entry ¡°Mutually Reinforcing,¡± meaning the greater his Tao Foundation, the farther his Divine Sense range.


    The ¡°Dantian Expansion¡± entry is still applicable. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The effect of this entry is that killing a demon beast would expand the Tao Foundation by one, allowing for more Spiritual Energy to be accommodated. When the Tao Foundation fully converts into a Golden Core, all Spiritual Energy turns to liquid in the Dantian, beginning its expansion.


    The name has changed, but the actual effect remains.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, the Golden Core assimilated into his body, and he floated mid-air, activating the arm guards. He teleported for as long as ten breaths in the air before his internal Spiritual Energy was fully replenished.


    After entering Golden Core, his body could contain more Spiritual Energy than during the Foundation Establishment, and recovery took a few more breaths.


    Now he could perform introspection on his own Sea of Consciousness.


    At the center of the Sea of Consciousness.


    A complete ¡°Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array¡± was now fully protecting the center of his Sea of Consciousness. Upon entering the Golden Core, this grand array finally began to exert its full effect, which he could feel. If the Master of the Poison Sect were to use a Divine Sense Attack to try to assassinate him again, the Divine Sense Attack wouldn¡¯t even be able to breach the defense of the Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array.


    As the predecessor of Magic Practitioner and Array Repairer mentioned.


    Few people would set up an array within the Sea of Consciousness.


    You would need to be skilled in both Magic Practitioner and Array Repairer.


    And the forebear was skilled in both.


    With this grand array, Chen Qiu¡¯s original weakest point was now compensated for.


    Afterward, Chen Qiu looked at the ¡°Heart-piercing Stab,¡± a lower grade Golden Core spell for Divine Sense Attack from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm stored in his Storage Ring¡ªa spell according to what the Magic Practitioner ancestor had said.


    The Divine Sense attacks of most people are just regular attacks like those of the Master of Poison Sect.


    Basically, nobody uses specific spells for Divine Sense attacks.


    Such spells concerning Divine Sense attacks are extremely rare.


    Once mastered, if the opponent¡¯s defense in their Sea of Consciousness is weak, a single look could take their life.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, landed back on the rocks, swept a look over the surrounding chaos, waved his sleeve to gather everything back into the Storage Ring, and then looked towards the scholar and others.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest in Fei City, then prepare to go to the Capital.¡±


    Now that he had entered the Golden Core, there was no reason for him not to go to the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard; he was quite intrigued by the top three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, as he still lacked a handy Spiritual Treasure.


    Just as he had left the small world and re-emerged onto the Boundless Icefield.


    Suddenly, that ancient yet elusive sound of Heavenly Dao resonated in everyone¡¯s ears.


    ¨C


    ¡®Imperial Decree¡¯: By the detection of the Heavenly Dao, within the Boundless Icefield south of Fei State in Da Xia Country, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu, with his matchless demeanor, forged a ¡®Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core¡¯ and stepped into the Golden Core Path!


    This grand feat is unprecedented and unmatched, reverberating through the ages!


    He is granted ¡®a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯ and ¡®a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny.¡¯ The common folk need not take this as a model; simply watching will suffice.


    ¨C


    The Imperial Decree echoed in the ears of everyone in Da Xia Country.


    By this time, it was already late morning and nearly noon in Da Xia; almost everyone, shocked, instinctively looked south toward the direction of the Boundless Icefield but soon returned their gaze skyward.

 Chapter 205 - 121:

    Chapter 205: Chapter 121: ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint.¡±_3


    All over the Da Xia Territory¡¯s nineteen provinces, including the Hundred Countries, the Boundless Icefield, the Endless Desert, the Boundless Sea, and the skies above the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    For some unknown reason, vast seven-colored auspicious clouds had begun to appear.


    The massive, thick, and dense seven-colored auspicious clouds shrouded the entire Da Xia Territory and the skies above every land within the Hundred Countries, but instead of obstructing the view, they made the sky even brighter. Ethereal and indistinct celestial music wafted out from within the seven-colored auspicious clouds.


    It was as if fairies were playing and singing within them.


    On this day¡ª


    Everyone within Da Xia Country and the Hundred Countries saw this scene and heard the pleasant, lively, ethereal music imbued with an immortal aura, along with the auspicious dragon that roared joyfully as it swirled in and out of visibility within the seven-colored auspicious clouds.


    ...


    And the twelve fire phoenixes that continuously circled and sang around it.


    This lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.


    All the people instinctively looked up at the unprecedented heavenly auspicious omen above their heads.


    As the saying goes, seeing an auspicious omen heals all ailments.


    All those within the range of the auspicious omen, their original ailments including damaged Tao Foundations, impaired Divine Senses, and various longstanding pains, all healed instantaneously.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long stood in place, his face full of shock as he murmured towards the heavenly auspicious omen that shrouded the entire Da Xia Country and the Hundred Countries, ¡°Brother Qiu, it¡¯s a pity that the Fame Ranking has been canceled, otherwise I feel you could easily have topped the list now¡­¡±


    ¡°Not just the top of the list¡­¡±


    The scholar¡¯s eyes were full of shock, and his voice even trembled, ¡°In all the history of Da Xia as well as in unofficial records, there has never been mention of a celestial auspicious omen of such exaggerated scope!¡±


    ¡°His Majesty back then, when proving the Dao with his Fourth-grade Golden Core, also had a heavenly auspicious omen, but its range didn¡¯t even spread beyond the Capital, only enveloping the entire Imperial Palace. And there were no seven-colored auspicious clouds, no auspicious dragons, no phoenixes.¡±


    ¡°It was just a hazy figure of a tall Immortal in mid-air, holding mugwort dipped in water, pointing three times towards the direction of the Imperial Palace.¡±


    ¡°There was also a Heavenly Dao Decree that time, granting His Majesty a strand of ¡®Luck of Human Pride¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, this time your heavenly auspicious omen has directly shrouded the entire Da Xia Country; the history books of Da Xia are destined to record at least three pages on this celestial omen.¡±


    The scholar, his mouth agape from shock for too long, his throat even beginning to dry, hoarsely said, bewildered by the spectacle before him, ¡°Moreover, His Majesty¡¯s auspicious omen back then covered the entire Imperial Palace because that¡¯s how large the scope of the omen was.¡±


    ¡°But Brother Qiu, the reason your omen has enveloped the entire Da Xia Country and even the Hundred Countries including the Four Forbidden Lands might not be because your auspicious omen is only that large, but because¡­ farther places just couldn¡¯t contain the omen.¡±


    ¡°It was trapped by the Four Forbidden Lands.¡±


    ¡°And the most important point about the auspicious omen is: seeing the auspicious omen heals all sicknesses.¡±


    ¡°Those within the range of the omen, their damaged Tao Foundations, impaired Divine Senses, including some of the hidden injuries suffered in past battles, all of them would fully recover.¡±


    ¡°This is the Heavenly Dao acting on your behalf to perform meritorious deeds!¡±


    ¡°The merits you accumulate from healing these people, if they could be quantified, Brother Qiu, you could probably ascend to sainthood on the spot!¡±


    ¡°Merits?¡±


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the horizon, frankly feeling that these seven-colored auspicious clouds didn¡¯t seem very powerful, such as not dispersing the thick black clouds above the Boundless Icefield but merging with them instead.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of these merits?¡±


    ¡°Not sure.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°I only learned of this from unofficial histories, and I¡¯m not even sure if it¡¯s true. But even if I don¡¯t know what use merits have, having them is definitely better than not. They don¡¯t sound negative either.¡±


    But just then¡ª


    The familiar voice rang out again.


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: Responding to the Heavenly Dao, within the Boundless Icefield south of Fei Province in Da Xia Country, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu, has verified the title of ¡®Heavenly Dao Saint¡¯ through his charitable acts of healing!


    Such deeds shake heaven and earth.


    And specially opens the ¡®Da Xia Merit Ranking¡¯ permanently.


    Granting him the title of ¡®Heavenly Dao Saint,¡¯ may all people take this as a standard.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar, who was about to say something, heard the Heavenly Dao Decree by his ear, his mouth instinctively opened and closed a few times, then he silently closed it again.


    What a ¡®Heavenly Dao Saint.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu inspected the Golden Core within him through introspection, his expression slightly odd, as his Golden Core had become even more peculiar. Two strands of Red Heavenly Pride Fortune kept revolving around his Golden Core; he did not know what use these two strands of Heavenly Pride Fortune had.


    He was originally rewarded with one strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune and one strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    However, he had recently acquired a green entry called ¡®Imperial Decree Regular.¡¯


    The entry effect of this entry was: when you appear in a Heavenly Dao Decree, you can receive double the reward.


    He didn¡¯t even think this item should be a green entry, at most a White entry.


    After all, 99.9999% of the people would never have anything to do with the Heavenly Dao Decree in their lifetime, just like him. Since he had come to this world, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone else make it onto the Heavenly Dao Decree, of course, except for himself.


    Therefore¡ª


    Under the effect of ¡®Imperial Decree Regular,¡¯ both his strands of Heavenly Pride Fortune and Heavenly Dao Destiny had doubled.


    He was unclear about what Heavenly Pride Fortune was.


    But he knew the effect of Heavenly Dao Destiny, which Old Man Cao had told him was a good thing that he himself had never had, and he had only used one strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny for forging his tenth-grade Golden Core. Apart from that, this thing could also upgrade a certain Daoist Skill to a Heavenly Dao Skill.


    It could also be included in forging Spiritual Treasures, thereby greatly enhancing the Spirit Treasure Level and power.


    This was a good thing.


    S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 206 - 121:

    Chapter 206: Chapter 121: ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint.¡±_4


    At this moment, embedded in the center of his Golden Core were four red, three-dimensional characters: ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint¡±.


    There wasn¡¯t much space left on his Golden Core.


    What was supposed to be a smooth Golden Core now had characters engraved all over it, and with those two strands of Heavenly Pride Fortune slowly coiling around the Golden Core, one could no longer even recognize it as such.


    When his Divine Sense probed into the ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint¡±, he felt its effects.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Gifted Name¡±: Heavenly Dao Saint.


    ...


    ¡°Name effects¡±: Ignore all illusion techniques, memory alterations, dreams, and other confusing methods with less merit than yours, and with Merit Protection, eradicate all evil spirits and demons.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the effects of the Heavenly Dao Saint, his mouth twitching slightly. The line about eradicating all evil spirits and demons might have sounded vague, but when he saw that all the resentful spirits stored in his Golden Cores were instantaneously melted away, he understood what those words meant.


    This meant¡­


    He could never carry any resentful spirits with him in the future, as they would be directly obliterated by his immense aura of merit.


    The green entry ¡°Resentful Spirit Summoning¡±, an entry that had accompanied him since his lesser days, was now utterly obsolete at this moment; it was completely useless and only fit for self-destruction.


    He then turned his attention to the newly updated Da Xia Merit Rankings.


    ¨C


    ¡°Da Xia Merit Rankings¡±


    ¡°First place¡±: Chen Qiu, merit value 9.8 billion.


    ¡°Second place¡±: Xia Dexin, merit value 1.39 million.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Fifth place¡±: Grandmaster Zhang, merit value 120 thousand.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thirty-seventh place¡±: Ying Fengzi, merit value 20 thousand.


    ¨C


    The 9.8 billion merit value, those consecutive numbers, were somewhat eye-catching on the rankings, with golden characters Chen Qiu engraved at the top, and the second place Xia Dexin, the current Emperor.


    His merit value was not even close to a fraction of a fraction of his.


    A total of 100 people were on the list, and the combined merit value of the remaining 99 did not even reach a fraction of his.


    This was the auspicious sign descended by the heavens, the magnitude of merit obtained on his behalf by the Heavenly Dao.


    An auspicious sign enveloping the entire Da Xia Country and the Hundred Countries, curing diseases for the afflicted, extending life for the healthy, these merits were an astronomical number.


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint¡­¡±


    Although Chen Qiu felt that he had nothing to do with the word ¡°Saint¡±, apparently the Heavenly Dao did not take his view into account, for it considered him a Saint, even a Saint of a seismic caliber.


    He had never thought in his life.


    That one day, he would live up to the four characters ¡°hanging the pot to help the world¡±.


    How big a pot it must be to pour out so much seven-colored auspicious clouds.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, the scholar and Fat Long standing beside him had already fallen into silence. After a long while, Fat Long said mournfully, ¡°Brother Qiu, I think the Emperor of Da Xia might be somewhat displeased with you.¡±


    Before Chen Qiu¡¯s dramatic emergence.


    The current Emperor of Da Xia was the only one blessed by an auspicious sign from the heavens. The Emperor even had several Historians record the event in great detail, and had the image of that auspicious sign engraved on every city gate in the Capital.


    But¡­


    The auspicious sign received by Chen Qiu would probably give those Historians a headache at this moment.


    To record or not to record?


    How much narrative should be used?


    Should they provide more details than the Emperor¡¯s or just gloss over it?


    Chen Qiu, however, did not mind, and with a smile, he looked around and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡­


    Afterward, the group, donning masks specifically designed to block Divine Sense, set off towards an inn in Fei City to stabilize their Cultivation Realms before heading out to the Capital tomorrow night, in preparation for the Heavenly Pride Competition the morning after tomorrow.


    Such masks and similar trinkets could easily be found in the warehouse of the small world with a bit of searching.


    The main issue was that it was necessary to wear them.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s portraits had almost spread throughout the entire Da Xia Country. Without a mask, he would be recognized anywhere he went.


    Inside the inn.


    Fat Long and the others had already gone to rest, leaving Chen Qiu alone, seated cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, gathering his spirit and solidifying his Cultivation Realm, planning to familiarize himself with the use of Divine Sense and Golden Core later.


    After his Cultivation had broken through to the initial stage of Golden Core, he hadn¡¯t yet made his choice from the ¡®three choices¡¯ entry in his Dantian.


    Mainly because he¡¯d been too busy to pick.


    He would make his selection after his Cultivation stabilized a bit.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, as Chen Qiu was in the Fat City Inn cultivating and solidifying his Cultivation Realm.


    A message had already swiftly spread throughout the entire Da Xia Country.


    The main force behind its spread was none other than the consecutive Heavenly Dao Decrees.


    Before Chen Qiu¡¯s meteoric rise, a Heavenly Dao Decree was a rare occurrence, seen only once in several years. After the rise of Chen Qiu, the Heavenly Dao Decrees came as frequently as they were free, emerging every so often. Although this also had to do with the upcoming changes in the Heavenly Dao, but¡­


    Whose name has ever been mentioned by the Heavenly Dao as if they were its own child, casually mentioned at every turn.


    To put it rather bluntly, such treatment didn¡¯t even seem like that of a child anymore, as not even a father could do this, it¡¯s more like the Heavenly Dao was his actual father.


    Many people had their misgivings; after all, Chen Qiu was the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, and his name clearly showed disrespect towards the Heavenly Dao. Yet, the Heavenly Dao kept bestowing him with benefits¡ªit was as if it had lost its mind.


    And that news that spread throughout the entire Da Xia Country was¡ª


    ¡°Chen Qiu, with a Fifth-grade Golden Core, has stepped into the realm of Golden Core!¡±


    Before this.


    Everyone in Da Xia thought that a Fifth-grade Golden Core was only a legend, as Da Xia had never seen one before, with even the Emperor himself having only a Fourth-grade Golden Core. Many even doubted that a Fifth-grade Golden Core could exist at all.


    Until today!


    At the same time as the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded.


    Everyone became clear on one thing: Fifth-grade Golden Cores did exist, and they had another name in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, ¡°Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core.¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A Fifth-grade Golden Core is also referred to as a Heavenly Dao Golden Core.


    Just like the Heavenly Dao Foundation.


    ¡­


    ¡°Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Golden Core.¡±


    In the Capital, within the Caotian Sect.


    The Sect Master of the Caotian Sect stood on Zhao Yishi¡¯s shoulder with a complex expression, silently gazing towards the Boundless Icefield, not speaking. In the end, he did not expel Zhao Yishi from the sect. Although Zhao Yishi had consumed a significant amount of sect resources and had not made any significant contributions, this had caused dissatisfaction among many elders.


    But¡­


    Zhao Yishi had been with him for a very long time, and he had developed feelings for him; how could he simply expel him from the sect.


    Perhaps, as his master had said, he was not suitable to be a Sect Master.


    He didn¡¯t know how to be a qualified Sect Master.


    It was just like how he simply could not understand how someone could achieve a Fifth-grade Golden Core.


    He himself was merely a Second-grade Golden Core, and when he had entered the Golden Core stage, his master had found him one, allowing him to forge a Second-grade Golden Core. He had also prepared a Second-grade Golden Core for Zhao Yishi, planning for him to forge a Second-grade Golden Core when he stepped into that realm.


    He considered this tradition.


    It was also a method passed down through generations in the sect.


    He had also hoped that Zhao Yishi would become a Heavenly Pride like Chen Qiu, but when the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded at that moment, he fell silent, as he knew that even if he sacrificed the entire Caotian Sect, he could not make Zhao Yishi achieve a Fifth-grade Golden Core.


    This disparity was irreparable.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing on Zhao Yishi¡¯s shoulder, he turned his head with a complex look towards Zhao Yishi, ¡°The elders have discussed and decided to keep you in the sect, but the resources you¡¯ll enjoy from now on will have to be reduced significantly.¡±


    ¡°The sect has decided to allocate your resources to cultivate others.¡±

 Chapter 207 - 122:

    Chapter 207: Chapter 122: ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as I have enough to eat.


    ¡°I hope you can understand, it¡¯s not that the Sect is heartless, but when the Sect invests so many resources in cultivating you, it¡¯s definitely in the hope that you will repay the Sect in the future. However, you¡­ have been avoiding battle too much.¡±


    ¡°The elders see no hope in you.¡±


    ¡°They feel that instead of investing in you, it would be better to allocate the resources to others who, although less talented than you, are more willing to fight their way up.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Zhao Yishi shook his head, his eyes showing no sadness: ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as I have enough to eat.¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    ...


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect let out a long sigh and shook his head helplessly: ¡°Perhaps you are really not suited for the path of cultivation, but even so, you will always be my direct disciple. I will push you to the Golden Core stage with all my strength. At least when you step into the Golden Core stage and someone attacks the Sect, you will step out to protect it, right?¡±


    Zhao Yishi was someone he had picked up.


    There was a secret he hadn¡¯t told anyone: the first time he saw Zhao Yishi, Zhao¡¯s stature was nearly twelve meters tall, far surpassing that of an ordinary person. At that time, Zhao Yishi looked like a middle-aged man, but for some reason, his thinking seemed very simple.


    At that time, Zhao Yishi already had the ¡°Heaven-reaching Giant¡± Pink Entry, but according to him, he had never killed a demon beast, and he was this tall after reaching adulthood.


    He completely sealed off this information.


    Only he knew about it.


    That¡¯s why he had always, against the pressure of the Sect elders, tilted a vast amount of resources towards Zhao Yishi, because he always felt that there might be something in Zhao¡¯s body that was extremely suitable for Body Cultivation, such as bloodline.


    Otherwise, how could a normal person be nearly twelve meters tall?


    But so much time had passed, and no miracles had occurred in Zhao Yishi. He was also starting to falter under the pressure exerted by the Sect elders. Perhaps it was really just¡­ a common natural variant.


    ¡­


    ¡°Why, why!!!¡±


    At this moment, within the Qu Family Courtyard in the Capital.


    The young master of the Qu Family, Qu Qi, was currently smashing one porcelain piece after another with a ferocious expression, hysterically asking his father: ¡°Why can Chen Qiu, a mere Loose Cultivator, have a Fifth-grade Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°And I can only have a Third-grade Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that aside from the emperor, a Third-grade Golden Core was already the strongest?!!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The Qu Family Master, with a cold and gloomy face, slapped him across the face. The raging Qu Qi was immediately sent flying and hit a corner, covering his reddened cheek with resentment in his eyes as he glared bitterly at the Qu Family Master.


    Ignoring Qu Qi, the master took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the complex emotions in his heart. To tell the truth, Chen Qiu¡¯s sudden breakthrough to Fifth-grade Golden Core had disrupted many of his plans.


    He had never thought someone could forge a Fifth-grade Golden Core.


    He had once contemplated forging a Fourth-grade Golden Core for Qu Qi and had spent a vast amount of Spirit Stones to learn a secret from within the palace.


    ¨C


    ¡°Fourth-grade Golden Core¡±: Using the body of a Nascent Soul as fusion materials, one can forge a Fourth-grade Golden Core.


    ¨C


    To forge a Fourth-grade Golden Core, one needs the body of a Nascent Soul.


    He almost instantly abandoned the plan of forging a Fourth-grade Golden Core for Qu Qi. Where in Da Xia could one find a Nascent Soul, let alone a Nascent Soul body? Oh, it¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t any, everyone knows that each of the Four Forbidden Lands contains a Nascent Soul.


    But who dares to go? Or who can defeat a Nascent Soul?


    Although he was not clear how the emperor got his Fourth-grade Golden Core and from where he obtained the Nascent Soul body, he was absolutely certain about one thing: there was practically no chance of forging a Fourth-grade Golden Core. The Third-grade Golden Core for Qu Qi was already the limit.


    Even he himself was only a Second-grade Golden Core.


    When he stepped into the Golden Core stage, the Qu Family had not fully prospered yet, and they didn¡¯t have the ability to allow him to forge a Third-grade Golden Core.


    The conditions for a Fourth-grade Golden Core were so strict.


    He could hardly imagine how stringent the conditions for a Fifth-grade Golden Core must be, let alone how Chen Qiu managed to attain the Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Golden Core. He was already uncertain about what to do, and seeing Qu Qi¡¯s behavior made him even more irritable.


    A Golden Core was already a mighty being!


    How could a Golden Core like Qu Qi be so, encountering troubles and then wailing and lashing out, constantly smashing things¡ªa complete lack of dignity!


    Had his way of educating all these years been completely wrong?


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in the guest room in the back courtyard of the Qu Family.


    Qu Family¡¯s Supreme Elder was lying on the bed, leisurely picking up a green grape and putting it in his mouth, listening to the smashing noises coming from next door with delight. He was happy; the heavenly sign just now had extended his life by half a year.


    Do not underestimate this half-year.


    This meant that, along with his original remaining lifespan, he could now live for another year and a half.


    Perhaps he could wait for someone to break the Nascent Soul barrier, and he could then attain Nascent Soul with them, significantly extending his remaining life and officially starting his brand new life.


    Sometimes he felt his luck was not as good as Qu Qi¡¯s.


    Both were transmigrators.


    He didn¡¯t have Qu Qi¡¯s luck, he didn¡¯t have as much remaining life as Qu Qi, he didn¡¯t enjoy as many resources within the family as Qu Qi did.


    But sometimes.


    He felt that his luck was much better than Qu Qi¡¯s, at least¡­ he didn¡¯t have to do anything, just lay in bed every day and patiently wait, without the qualification to strive.


    Either wait to die or wait to attain Nascent Soul.


    Just these two paths.


    No need for him to make a choice; life suddenly became a lot easier.


    ¡­ Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At this time, Chen Qiu was peacefully cultivating inside Fat City Inn, while the scholar was also cultivating in the next room. Chen Qiu still had some Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills left in his Storage Ring, which he didn¡¯t need anymore; he gave them all to the scholar.

 Chapter 208 - 122:

    Chapter 208: Chapter 122: ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as I¡¯m well fed.¡±_2


    According to the scholar, because he was redoing the Cultivation, he could enhance his Cultivation speed much faster. With the assistance of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, the speed would be even faster. Maybe in a few months, he could recover his Golden Core.


    He had asked the scholar if, upon forming the core again, he could form a higher quality Golden Core, but the scholar shook his head and said no.


    For things like entries, the quality of the Golden Core, even if you lose your Cultivation and then regain it, there is no room for exchanging or upgrading.


    Even if he returned to the Golden Core Cultivation, it would still be a second-grade Golden Core.


    He didn¡¯t ask any further.


    After more than an hour of cultivation, his Cultivation Realm had completely stabilized at the first layer of Golden Core, which already counted as top combat power in Da Xia Country.


    ...


    Whether creating his own sect to pass down his legacy, or establishing a bloodline family, or even becoming the master of a city,


    he was absolutely qualified.


    Wherever he went, people would respectfully address him as a Golden Core Master.


    He calculated the days. From chopping wood to stepping into the Golden Core, it seemed to be not even 29 days.


    He chopped wood for 29 days, only earning a few hundred wen.


    By taking lives for 29 days, he directly became a Golden Core Master.


    The gap was truly significant.


    Afterward, he shook his head to clear these messy thoughts from his mind, introspecting on the familiar panel enveloped by clouds above his Dantian, which he had not seen for a long time.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t that long.


    It seemed he hadn¡¯t been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for long before breaking through to Golden Core.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, officially stepping into the first layer of the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Merit Golden Core.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When your merit value exceeds one hundred million and you have Golden Core Cultivation, you may randomly receive this entry which allows your Golden Core to transform into a Merit Golden Core, equivalent in strength to a fourth-grade Golden Core.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Blessing Descendants.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When your merit value exceeds ten billion, there is a chance to randomly receive this entry, which allows the first one hundred direct bloodline descendants during their Qi Refinement Realm to have a certain chance of receiving a higher-level entry.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Child of Heavenly Pride.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you move from the Qi Refinement first layer to Golden Core Stage within 30 days, there is a chance to randomly receive this entry. This entry is a one-time use item, consuming this entry can enhance the strength and grade of any one Spiritual Treasure.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking at these three random entries, Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows slightly raised. Indeed, it matched the Golden Core, as during the Qi Refinement Realm he never encountered entries of such high levels, unlike now where even the lowest-entry level was Blue.


    The first entry was quite strong.


    A Merit Golden Core equivalent to a fourth-grade Golden Core.


    If this entry effect got out, many Golden Cores might begin to generously aid the common people in order to accumulate merit for a Merit Golden Core of comparable strength to a fourth-grade Golden Core.


    But¡­ for him, it was the least useful one.


    Who wants your Merit Golden Core?


    A fourth-grade Golden Core, are you insulting me?


    However, this news might never become known to the world, because only when your merit value exceeds one billion can you learn this, and currently in Da Xia, his merit value is the highest, a whopping 9.8 billion.


    The second highest is the current emperor, with just over one million in merit value, still a long way from one billion merit value.


    The second entry is also quite strong, essentially boosting the potential of future generations.


    That item is stronger than Heavenly Dao entries.


    After all, Heavenly Dao entries only improve a specific spell, such as enhancing the power of your Thunder Summoning Technique, and the benefits can either be negative or random, while this entry directly enhances the Qi Refinement Realm¡¯s chance of receiving stronger entries.


    At least it won¡¯t start with a White entry.


    The initial entry will probably be Green, even Blue and Yellow entries.


    But it was useless to him.


    Instead, the third entry ¡°Child of Heavenly Pride¡± suited him well; he was preparing to head to the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. As long as he seized one of the top three spots, he would obtain a ¡°Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure¡± forged by Heavenly Dao, and then use this entry to enhance the quality and strength of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    He also had two strands of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    This material could also be used to improve the quality and strength of a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure. Adding a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny to his Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, his Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure could almost become the strongest Magic Artifact in history!


    Without equal!


    ¡­ Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    After selecting the entry, Chen Qiu left the inn and stepped into the air, arriving at a wasteland nearly a hundred miles away from Fei City.


    Having reached the Golden Core Stage,


    Although he didn¡¯t have any specialized movement technique, merely relying on his Cultivation, he could cross dozens of miles in ten breaths.


    Much faster than Sword Control.


    He didn¡¯t need Sword Control now, walking in the high skies as if on flat ground.


    Before coming here, he had already added a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny to strengthen the Thunder Summoning Technique into a Heavenly Dao Spell, which he could activate with just a thought, but he felt no difference himself. Hence, he found a place to test it out.


    He didn¡¯t test in the small world because with his current Cultivation, he was worried about collapsing the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s mountain back there.


    Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Even without a formal name, like the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique, it was just a simple Thunder Summoning Technique, not even exclusive to Magic Practitioners, as many Sword Cultivators and Artifact Cultivators knew how to invoke it.

 Chapter 209 - 122:

    Chapter 209: Chapter 122: ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as I¡¯m well fed.¡±_3


    After all, this spell isn¡¯t hard to learn; even without the Heavenly Dao¡¯s Thunder Summoning Technique, reaching minor proficiency wouldn¡¯t take much time. Like the Sword Control Technique, it¡¯s one of the spells many cultivators practice to fine-tune their control over Spiritual Energy when they first step into the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    But he was fond of this spell.


    Not for any particular reason but two points.


    Consuming little Spiritual Energy and being instantaneous.


    That was enough.


    Standing on a rock, Chen Qiu calmly looked towards a distant tree, his index finger trembling slightly.


    ...


    The next instant!


    ¡°Boom!!!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Suddenly, a thunderous roar shook the heavens and Earth, and then a Thunder Dragon, tens of zhang thick, appeared suspended next to him. Its mouth slowly opened in a silent roar and shot towards the old tree!!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    The earth-shattering explosion rang out again; the area for hundreds of zhang around the tree was leveled, leaving behind a huge pit where the old tree once stood, its bottom still visibly flickering with purplish-blue arcs of lightning.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A hint of shock flashed in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes; he had just released a single Thunder Summoning Technique!


    The power of this Thunder Summoning Technique was much more exaggerated than any he had cast before. Not to mention the enormous pressure brought by the tens of zhang thick Thunder Dragon that nearly suffocated him.


    What was the concept of a tens of zhang thick Thunder Dragon? Zhao Yishi was only about forty to fifty zhang tall, and this Thunder Dragon was over thirty zhang thick, almost as if Zhao Yishi had been laid horizontally across, and nearly as thick.


    The stifling sensation of a Thunder Dragon more than thirty zhang thick and several hundred zhang long rushing towards you was absolutely overwhelming.


    And it was at this moment¡ª


    He noticed.


    The Twelfth Grade Golden Core not only increased cultivation speed, Divine Sense range, and Golden Core strength, it also bloody increased the power of spells!


    And by several times at that!


    With his Golden Core Cultivation, countless entry effects, a Twelfth Grade Golden Core, the Heavenly Dao Skill Thunder Summoning Technique, and the Magic Practitioner¡¯s inheritance Spirit Control Decision and other techniques combined, his Thunder Summoning Technique had reached an absurdly exaggerated level. Just a casual spell could blast a pit hundreds of zhang wide in the ground.


    And that¡­ was just a single Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Under the entry effects of ¡°Dual Casting¡± and ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting,¡± each spell he cast was multiplied twelve times, mandatorily, and his entry ¡°Real and Illusion¡± also compulsorily added an Illusion spell each time he released a spell.


    So just now, to test the power of a single Thunder Summoning Technique.


    He had dumped the remaining eleven Real Thunder Summoning Techniques and twelve Phantom Summoning Thunder Techniques all behind him.


    Chen Qiu turned around, staring silently at the land behind him, where an even more terrifying pit had appeared¡ªa deep pit spanning thousands of zhang wide suddenly emerged from the ground.


    He suddenly wanted to gauge how powerful his full-force attack would be.


    His Divine Sense swept through quickly; this place was a wasteland, no pedestrians, no official roads, not even a demon beast in sight.


    He then leisurely stepped into the air and rose to mid-air.


    He took in a deep breath.


    The Golden Core above his Dantian began to spin rapidly again, the liquid Spiritual Energy inside his Dantian stirred like boiling water, and then massive amounts of Spiritual Energy surged crazily into his meridians.


    The entire sky darkened suddenly.


    As he mobilized the Spiritual Energy, vast clouds quickly gathered above him, and torrential rain poured down like a thousand-zhang waterfall, slamming into the ground.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Almost simultaneously, countless thunderous roars filled the sky!


    Thousands of Thunder Dragons, hundreds of zhang long, spiraled and roared around him. The appearance of these thousands of Thunder Dragons even affected the heavens and Earth, and then they surged one after another, like flood dragons emerging from the sea, slamming into the wasteland below.


    ¡°Boom boom boom!!!¡±


    Deafening explosions echoed across the wasteland below, one after another.


    After dozens of breaths.


    The dust gradually cleared among the storm, the downpour stopped, and the heavy clouds dissipated quickly, with the sky returning to its clarity, as if the overwhelming clouds and countless thunderous roars had never existed.


    And on the wasteland below¡ª


    A deep pit nearly a hundred li wide had replaced the wasteland.


    At a glance, one could not see the end of the pit.


    The bottom was out of sight.


    Only a dark, thunder arc-filled massive pit could be seen.


    That was his current full-force attack, or perhaps¡­ not quite a full-force attack, as he still had many cards up his sleeve, including the fact that he hadn¡¯t restored his Spiritual Energy but merely used a wave of it.


    This attack!


    If it were to fall on Fufeng City, the City Protection Array of Fufeng City wouldn¡¯t possibly withstand it.


    In the blink of an eye, Fufeng City would have to be erased from the Da Xia Territory.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he looked down at his own masterpiece, feeling it was a bit too exaggerated. He felt that a normal Golden Core first-layer cultivator probably wouldn¡¯t be this powerful, right?


    At least when he had faced Golden Core cultivators before, aside from feeling that their Divine Sense Attacks were indeed troublesome, he didn¡¯t feel this almost invincible suffocation at the cultivation level.


    He suddenly thought of something, muttering to himself, ¡°Isn¡¯t participating in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard with this kind of power bullying others a bit too much?¡±


    It was like a fully armed, armored man with a sharp blade and years of combat experience dueling a bunch of children.


    Of course.


    He knew where his weaknesses lay.


    His movement technique was lacking, and for now, his only protective measure was the Protective Spirit Qi; he didn¡¯t have any Protective Spirit Treasures or Protective Magic.


    But¡­


    No one could strike at him first, anyway. In the past, others could attack him first with Divine Sense Attacks, but now with his range of Divine Sense, he always had the first strike against anyone. You can¡¯t even hit me, so why does it matter how fragile I may be?

 Chapter 210 - 122:

    Chapter 210: Chapter 122: ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as I¡¯m well fed.¡±_4


    ¡°They say Magic Practitioners shatter to pieces at a single touch.¡±


    ¡°Let me touch you and we¡¯ll see who breaks first,¡± said Chen Qiu contently as he finished testing his current combat strength and turned to head towards Fei City.


    ¡°Heart-piercing Stab,¡± a low-grade Divine Sense Attack of the Golden Core.


    He had learned it and had even reached the Great Achievement Realm.


    But this thing couldn¡¯t be experimented with out of thin air; without a target to attack, there was no way to test it.


    However, during the last attack from the Master of Poison Sect, he discovered something.


    ...


    That was¡­


    When his Sea of Consciousness was under attack, he would not Teleport.


    It¡¯s strange, doesn¡¯t an attack on the Sea of Consciousness count as being attacked?


    ¡­


    Upon returning to Fei City, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t bother with the wasteland anymore.


    After all, it was just a wasteland.


    But there was someone who cared¡­


    A stray cat sat atop the eaves of a shop in the Capital, expressionlessly gazing at the horizon, wondering whom she had offended to have such a miserable life.


    Her name was July Cat.


    When she first transmigrated, she had one entry:


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Cats have nine lives


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: You will have nine lives. Every time you die, you¡¯ll randomly reincarnate in a body, with Cultivation depending on the body¡¯s own Cultivation.


    ¨C


    An entry that was basically useless.


    Yes, this entry didn¡¯t improve her ability to survive or get stronger; it just allowed her to die a few more times.


    She could only reincarnate in the body of a dying human or a demon beast with no Spiritual Wisdom.


    After her last death, she was reborn in the body of a dirt-eating mouse, similar to a hamster, that lived off eating dirt. Though it couldn¡¯t practice Cultivation, she was quite satisfied and had dug out an underground palace for herself under that wasteland. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Day by day, digging a little at a time.


    Wake up, eat, and after eating, continue digging the palace.


    She was excitedly looking forward to constructing her very own underground palace in this chaotic world, especially since this place was an absolutely desolate wasteland with no Cultivators or natural predators.


    She could live happily.


    However, just when she felt a bit tired and crawled out of the underground passage she had built to lie on the earthen lounge chair on the surface, planning to rest a bit,


    That¡¯s when¡ª


    She saw that familiar man shooting from afar, coming to a stop in the distance.


    Then, with a casual flick, he unleashed dozens of Thunder Dragons. They were clearly stronger than before; she could even feel the ground shaking. The impact tossed her high into the air, several meters up, before she crashed down.


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t die.


    The man was still quite far from her, not affecting her too much. Just as she worried whether the underground palace she had worked so hard on would collapse,


    She saw the man flying in the skies.


    Then, amidst the stormy winds and oppressive black clouds, thousands of roaring Thunder Dragons thundered down.


    Nice.


    She lied back in the rocking chair with a smile, closed her eyes, and began preparing to anticipate her next life. There was no playing around; this man seemed to have a feud with her in his fate, always finding her no matter where she went.


    Then, with the absolute crushing force of a thunderous ordeal, he blasted her to bits.


    Did I offend you?


    Crazy.


    ¡­


    Soon, it was evening on the following day.


    From yesterday to today.


    Chen Qiu had been continuously cultivating. Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills no longer had any effect on him, and he wanted to cultivate using Spirit Stones, but he had none left on him. Fat Long and the others had also emptied their belongings.


    So he simply tried to improve the speed of directly absorbing nature¡¯s spiritual energy to cultivate.


    Then¡­


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage first layer (0.1%).


    ¨C


    For more than a whole day, while he was still in the Heavenly Dao Golden Core, the situation where the speed of cultivation was meant to increase, after nearly a day and a half, his Cultivation Progress had only risen by 0.1%.


    With this rate of progress.


    If he doesn¡¯t consume Spirit Stones, he would roughly need about three years to cultivate to the second layer of the Golden Core.


    If he consumes Spirit Stones, the time could probably be shortened to just over a year.


    This speed isn¡¯t actually slow.


    After all, one¡¯s lifespan can be extended to 500 years upon reaching the Golden Core, and he entered the Golden Core stage in his twenties, not even thirty, which means he has over four hundred years of life left. If he doesn¡¯t encounter any major bottlenecks, he can completely cultivate to the peak of the Golden Core¡¯s Great Perfection before his lifespan is exhausted.


    But¡­


    Having grown accustomed to breaking through a small realm every few days, he naturally wasn¡¯t satisfied with this rate of cultivation.


    By the Foundation Establishment Stage, one could hardly improve the progress of cultivation by killing demon beasts. For those in the Golden Core Stage, the progress gained from killing demon beasts was even less,


    Looking at the scholar on the other hand.


    He had already stepped into the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.


    The scholar, having fully recovered his Cultivation, was taking Qi Replenishing Pills much less frequently, though he still occasionally needed to stop and replenish Spiritual Energy.


    Chen Qiu and his group were now almost at the Capital, in ¡°Jing Province¡± next to Jing Province, replenishing Spiritual Energy to prepare for entering the Capital tonight and participating in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard tomorrow.


    ¡°Scholar.¡±


    Chen Qiu introspected on the progress of his inner Cultivation and asked, ¡°Is there a quick way to increase Golden Core Cultivation?¡±


    ¡°There should be.¡±


    The scholar hesitated, shook his head, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not very clear about the specifics, but the stock of Golden Core Cultivation Pills is very limited and they are quite expensive. For an Alchemy Cultivator, trying to concoct Golden Core Cultivation Pills isn¡¯t a simple matter either.¡±


    ¡°As for Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pills, the last time they appeared was over a decade ago.¡±


    ¡°Most Golden Core Cultivators mainly train by finding a place rich in Spiritual Energy and absorbing nature¡¯s spiritual energy. If one has an abundance of Spirit Stones, they can set up a Spirit Gathering Array, which would also significantly increase the Cultivation Progress, but it would consume a lot of Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°As for other methods, I¡¯m not sure,¡± the scholar added.


    ¡°But generally, everyone relies on their remaining lifespan to endure. For each small realm one advances within the Golden Core Realm, their strength greatly enhances, so it¡¯s not easy to improve.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded silently, not speaking further. Since there was no way, he could only endure it. Fortunately, he had plenty of remaining life. If he found a location rich in Spiritual Energy and set up a Spirit Gathering Array, he should be able to break through to the second layer of the Golden Core in less than a year.


    Not too bad, nor too slow.


    It would take him twenty years to reach the peak of Great Perfection within the Golden Core.


    Then he could slowly search for how to overcome the shackles of the Nascent Soul and seek the secrets to certify a Nascent Soul.


    After replenishing Spiritual Energy,


    Chen Qiu and his group continued on their journey and soon arrived at Jing Province, but this time they didn¡¯t linger in Fei City and rushed directly towards the Capital.


    The last time they came to Jing Province, they didn¡¯t even dare enter the Capital.


    Once he said, ¡°Without reaching Golden Core, do not enter the Capital.¡±


    Now it seemed that he had perfectly abided by that statement; as soon as he had reached the Golden Core, he arrived at the Capital.


    ¡­


    Inside Jing Province, within the Capital.


    It was now dark outside, but the gates of the Capital were still wide open. A glance inside revealed bustling streets bright with lights, countless pedestrians and vendors still hawking their wares, and every so often, the cries of brothel madams beckoning customers could be heard.


    It all appeared very lively.


    In terms of fortress grandeur, area of territory, or level of prosperity, the Capital far surpassed Fufeng City by several streets; they weren¡¯t even on the same level.


    Da Xia, the Capital.


    It is where the Qi Fortune of the world converges.

 Chapter 211 - 123:

    Chapter 211: Chapter 123: ¡°It¡¯s Chen Qiu!!!


    ¡°`


    ¡°Is this the Capital?¡±


    Chen Qiu stood still, wearing a mask that shielded against Divine Sense detection, glanced at the long queue entering not far away, and then looked towards the bustling scene inside the Capital through the wide-open city gates.


    ¡°The gates of the Capital are open day and night.¡±


    The scholar beside him explained, ¡°As the Capital of Da Xia, it naturally has its own pride¡ªnever closing its gates even at night, without any worry of enemy attacks. In reality, an attack is practically impossible.¡±


    ¡°Unless a Nascent Soul decides to attack, but if a Nascent Soul does come, whether the gates are open or not wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference.¡±


    ...


    ¡°In the Capital, even at night, it¡¯s like a scene of peace and prosperity. It¡¯s just that on normal days, there aren¡¯t this many people. Because tomorrow the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard competition is about to begin, tonight the Capital has attracted quite a crowd.¡±


    ¡°After all, this is also a rare grand spectacle.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, not letting his Divine Sense spread out to avoid alerting some Golden Cores in the Capital. The reason he was wearing a mask that shielded against Divine Sense was to keep a low profile for now.


    He then performed introspection, looking at the Shopkeeper who lay sleeping in the disciple dormitory in Kai Mountain City.


    Before coming to the Capital.


    He had made a detour to Kai Mountain City in the Northern State, and temporarily placed the Shopkeeper, who was extremely skilled at breaking the restrictions of Storage Rings, into his small world. After all, in the upcoming Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, he was bound to snatch all kinds of treasures to contribute to his Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    He had long been prepared.


    To snatch all the treasures of every Heavenly Pride in the Secret Realm, and then create a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure. In case he encountered any who were unwilling to hand them over voluntarily, the Shopkeeper would be needed to break their seals.


    Snatching was definitely on the agenda.


    After all, only the top three have the qualification to create a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure. But you need your own treasures to craft a Spiritual Treasure of varying Grades based on what you possess.


    He was, essentially, empty-handed.


    No one had prepared these resources for him.


    Aside from his fighting prowess, he had nothing else.


    But no matter.


    With power, the foundations of others became his own.


    When leaving Fatty State.


    He released Liu Zide and his master to help him buy Evil Wood and Eight Desolate Fruit in Fatty State, including the group of more than two hundred people who provided him with many Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills, whom he also left in Fatty State.


    Liu Zide claimed these men were trained by him, used to working efficiently, and it would be convenient for them to run errands.


    So, he kept them there.


    Initially, he wanted to leave some Spirit Stones for Liu Zide and the others to use for purchasing, but¡­ after his breakthrough to Golden Core, he didn¡¯t have a single low-grade Spirit Stone left. He could only verbally promise to let Liu Zide¡¯s master front the money, and make up for it with Spirit Stones the next time he came to fetch the goods.


    He had intended to explain.


    But to his surprise, Liu Zide¡¯s master agreed extremely quickly, without any hesitation, and assured him with a slap on his chest, promising to take care of the matter to the best of his ability.


    He didn¡¯t say anything more.


    If only everyone were this easy to communicate with.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s enter the city.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the long queue entering not far away but didn¡¯t join it. Instead, he walked straight toward the city gate. As a Golden Core, he had special privileges in any city; even if you¡¯re the Emperor, you wouldn¡¯t expect a Golden Core to queue up like ordinary people.


    Are you crazy? S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not directly using Teleportation into your city is already showing respect for your City Protection Array.


    At the entrance of every city, there is an exclusive entry for Golden Core Masters.


    The Capital is no exception.


    After Chen Qiu released his Golden Core pressure, the city gate guards cordially invited them to enter through a side gate without even charging an entrance fee.


    All the way without incident.


    No insignificant challenges arose¡ªin the face of the genuine pressure of a Golden Core, no one was foolish enough to come forward and ridicule.


    While entering the city.


    Chen Qiu indeed saw a mural carved above the city gate wall, exactly as the scholar described¡ªa blurry Immortal holding Mugwort and sprinkling water.


    ¡­


    ¡°This city gate is the Great North Gate of the Capital.¡±


    ¡°And this main road after entering is called Xuanwu Road.¡±


    The scholar continued, ¡°This main road is the widest and straightest in the Capital. There are four of such roads in total, each named accordingly based on their direction¡ª¡¯Xuanwu Road,¡¯ ¡®White Tiger Road,¡¯ ¡®Azure Dragon Road,¡¯ ¡®Vermilion Bird Road.¡¯


    ¡°And at the crossroads where these four main roads meet, you¡¯ll find the Imperial Palace.¡±


    ¡°At the very center of the Imperial Palace sits the Imperial Chair.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the Emperor of Da Xia sits during the morning court.¡±


    It was nearly midnight by now.


    Still, Xuanwu Road was bustling with people. The vendors were shouting loudly as if they never tired, groups of giggling women in long dresses passed by, holding their mouths as they talked, and Sect Disciples in sect robes with swords at their waists moved in crowds.


    For those Sect Disciples.


    Most of their days were spent cultivating in their sects, and they rarely come to such bustling places. Now, they stared unblinkingly, clearly fascinated.


    From time to time, squads of soldiers clad in armor, with expressions as cold as ice, patrolled past.


    ¡­


    ¡°How about it, before the Heavenly Pride competition tomorrow, shall we listen to some music tonight?¡±


    The scholar turned and smiled at Chen Qiu and the others, ¡°The brothels of the Capital gather the finest ladies from Da Xia and the Hundred Countries, each with their own unique talents.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar strangely, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you are a Sword Cultivator and refrain from mundane entanglements?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu led me into the world of mortals last time, and only then did I realize I had been too stubborn before.¡±


    ¡°`

 Chapter 212 - 123:

    Chapter 212: Chapter 123: ¡°It¡¯s Chen Qiu!!!¡±_2


    The scholar¡¯s face was serious and sincere as he said, ¡°I used to think that as long as one does not enter the mundane world, that constitutes not entering the mundane world in the way of the Sword Dao. After last time, I¡¯ve truly come to understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°The so-called not entering the mundane world means that you¡¯ve been in the mundane world and then withdrawn, treating the mundane world henceforth as if it is invisible.¡±


    ¡°That is the true meaning of not entering the mundane world.¡±


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t been in the mundane world, how can you claim not to have entered it?¡±


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t tasted the flavor of a beauty, how can you claim not to love them, convincing yourself with the mere words ¡®beauties are but skeletons¡¯? That sort of detachment is nothing but self-deception.¡±


    Fat Long, standing to the side, couldn¡¯t help but mutter under his breath: ¡°This could¡¯ve been made clear with a simple statement that one is not of the mundane world only after experiencing and then renouncing it, yet he rambles on so much. Sword cultivators are really so pretentious.¡±


    ...


    ¡°It¡¯d be easier for you just to name the girl you found ¡®Mundane World¡¯ and then not inserting yourself, considering it as being detached.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t mind. Since the scholar had thought of it, they might as well take a look: ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡­


    Within the Qu Family Courtyard in the Capital,


    the Qu Family Master, with a stern expression, handed two storage rings to Qu Qi: ¡°This storage ring is filled with top-tier materials suitable for a Magic Practitioner to forge Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.¡±


    ¡°Plus the materials you already have in your storage ring, it¡¯ll be enough for you to create a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure perfectly suited to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that there is only one Dragon Vein Stone left.¡±


    ¡°I had originally prepared nine for you, but the Master of Poison Sect¡¯s Dragon Vein Stone from the Forbidden Land was stolen by thieves, leaving just this one. He said he would go back to the North Continent to investigate, but suddenly we lost contact with him, and I don¡¯t know where he went.¡±


    ¡°Remember¡ª¡±


    ¡°You definitely won¡¯t be able to defeat that Chen Qiu. His Fifth-grade Golden Core is not to be underestimated. You just need to avoid him and strive for a top-three ranking, that would be a success.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    A flash of unwillingness passed through Qu Qi¡¯s eyes, but then he said hoarsely, ¡°Even if I¡¯m not a match for that Chen Qiu, I won¡¯t be much weaker than him. With the three Mid-grade Golden Core talismans father prepared for me, plus the fact that I am already a peerless Talent of a Magic Practitioner from Da Xia, the top three shouldn¡¯t be too difficult!¡±


    He was confident!


    He possessed five Heavenly Dao Beauties that had an enhancing effect for a Magic Practitioner, along with a large number of Protective Spiritual Treasures and attack treasures suitable for a Magic Practitioner, numerous talismans, a variety of pills, three spells at the Great Perfection Realm early Golden Core stage, and four to five Spell abilities at the Great Perfection Realm of Foundation Establishment.


    Moreover, in recent years, his father had collected a substantial number of entry jade slips for him. At this point, he had a total of seven entries on his person that were especially compatible with a Magic Practitioner, plus several other auxiliary entries, making up twelve in total.


    That was an astonishing number. Normally, an early-stage Golden Core with no particular stroke of fortune would have at most three entries, and even those might not be suited to them.


    But almost all of his entries were ideal for him.


    Whether it was Heavenly Destiny or family heritage, he was one of the top figures in Da Xia.


    And this conversation between the Qu Family Master and Qu Qi was heard clearly by the Supreme Elder staying in a guest room in a backyard not far away.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder lay on the bed, his brows tightly furrowed in thought, absently picking up a piece of watermelon and biting into it. From his perspective, the Qu Family was doomed to fall.


    That Qu Qi clearly had no brains.


    No matter how one looked at it, that Chen Qiu was more like the true Child of Destiny. And here was Qu Qi, fixing to bring a heap of precious materials into the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm¡ªwasn¡¯t he obviously delivering resources to Chen Qiu?


    That Chen Qiu was worried about not having materials to forge a Spiritual Treasure suitable for a Magic Practitioner.


    And here comes Qu Qi, happily bringing his treasures over as if saying, ¡®Here, I have them, all you need.¡¯


    This Qu Family seems to be unreliable.


    But then again¡­


    One must be adaptable. Even though he was the Supreme Elder of the Qu Family, it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t switch sides. If he found Chen Qiu and shared this information, perhaps he could gain Chen Qiu¡¯s favor?


    This Chen Qiu seemed destined for greatness. Earning even a sliver of favor from Chen Qiu would certainly be much better than waiting to die within the Qu Family.


    It made sense!


    People need to know how to adapt!


    Just¡­ where could he find Chen Qiu?


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder was a bit troubled and turned over on the bed, then grabbed another green plum and tossed it into his mouth.


    ¡­


    Ultimately,


    Chen Qiu and the others did not go to listen to Qu. It wasn¡¯t for any particularly complicated reason; they simply remembered they didn¡¯t have even a single Spirit Stone in their pockets.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find an inn to stay in first.¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu patted the scholar on the shoulder, ¡°After the competition of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is over, we¡¯ll have Spirit Stones. Then, we¡¯ll take you.¡±


    The inns in the Capital were nearly full that night.


    Still, they found an okay inn and took out several worthless treasures from the small world storage, handing them over to the Shopkeeper as payment for the rooms.


    ¡­


    Soon, it was dawn.


    Chen Qiu did not cultivate that night, but instead, he slept soundly.


    In the morning, after having some breakfast with Fat Long and the others, they headed towards the city gates. The Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was to appear five miles north of the city, and the competition for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard would begin there.


    Once you reach the Golden Core, you can fast.


    But he still liked to eat something. He found it quite delicious, and as for those so-called impurities, they were nothing compared to the number of impurities in a single Qi Replenishing Pill.


    They soon arrived at a huge square to the north of the city, which had been under construction for several years.


    By this time, the place was already crowded with many people, and the noise was considerable. Gold Cores, usually a rare sight, could be seen almost every few steps here, as it was customary for a powerful Golden Core to escort their family¡¯s Heavenly Pride to the competition for the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.

 Chapter 213 - 123:

    Chapter 213: Chapter 123: ¡°It¡¯s Chen Qiu!!!¡±_3 S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One reason is to prevent rival sects from ambushing and killing on the way, resulting in death before the competition even begins.


    Another is a matter of face.


    All the family sects send Golden Cores, and anyone who doesn¡¯t will lose face.


    Most of the Heavenly Prides have Foundation Establishment cultivation, with only a few being Golden Core Cultivators. These Golden Core Prides are also considered strong contenders for the top three positions.


    When the time came.


    The entrance to the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm would appear at the very center of the square, and then the scenes from inside the Secret Realm would be projected in mid-air. Surrounding the square, tens of thousands of seats had been set up for visitors from various sects and families to watch their Heavenly Prides¡¯ performance inside the Secret Realm.


    ...


    At the same time, the images here would also be transmitted to various parts of the Capital through the Mother-child Realm, allowing some Loose Cultivators and mortals in the Capital to watch the competition.


    ¡­


    As soon as Chen Qiu and his group arrived, attendants came up to inquire about the sect name and the names of the contestants.


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master, Chen Qiu.¡±


    The sparkle in the attendant¡¯s eyes changed instantly, and he led Chen Qiu and the others with considerable respect all the way to the very front seats before informing them that they could wait here patiently, and after the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm opened, the Chao Tian Sect Elders behind him could also watch the battle here.


    Chen Qiu nodded and took a seat.


    He didn¡¯t plan on letting Fat Long and the others watch the battle here. If, by chance, he entered the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm and his enemies captured Fat Long and the others to threaten him, he would find that very bothersome.


    What¡¯s there to watch? Better stay inside the small world.


    Even though that attendant told him it was absolutely safe here and no one would start a fight, he acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard it.


    ¡°Yo.¡±


    At this moment¡ª


    A surprised voice came to Chen Qiu¡¯s ears.


    He saw that a middle-aged man sitting next to him, his eyes gleaming with surprise, smiled and said, ¡°Daoist Chen, long time no see, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here. It¡¯s quite a coincidence that our two sect¡¯s seats are next to each other.¡±


    This middle-aged man was none other than Zhao Yishi¡¯s master, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect, who had given him a Storage Ring filled with Evil Wood.


    Chen Qiu also smiled amicably and said, ¡°Indeed, it has been a long time¡­ Sect Master Zhao.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of the Caotian Sect Master¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he forced a smile, ¡°Daoist Chen is quite humorous; it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard someone call me that. My name is Zhao Dezhu; most people call me Sect Master Zhao.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Sect Master Zhao.¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly remembered something, took out the Storage Ring filled with Evil Wood that Sect Master Zhao had given him last time, and handed it back to Zhao Dezhu with a serious expression, ¡°Our last meeting was too hasty, and I forgot to return this to you.¡±


    ¡°There are a few thousand pieces of Evil Wood inside, it¡¯s too precious, and I feel ashamed to accept it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m returning it to you now.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    The Caotian Sect Master feigned annoyance and pushed the Storage Ring back, ¡°Bro, aren¡¯t you looking down on me, Zhao Dezhu? This Evil Wood isn¡¯t worth much; there¡¯s nothing to feel ashamed about, I gave it to you.¡±


    ¡°Really don¡¯t want it?¡±


    ¡°Really don¡¯t want it.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s face broke into a smile, he put his arm around the shoulders of the Caotian Sect Master, and said warmly, ¡°Sect Master Zhao is still so generous. How come I haven¡¯t seen Zhao Yishi? Is he not coming to the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm this time?¡±


    He, of course, knew the Caotian Sect Master wouldn¡¯t take it back.


    He just thought this person was pretty amusing and had none of the airs of a Golden Core Great Power.


    He purposely brought up the topic, and then when the restrictions of Nascent Soul in Da Xia Country were broken in the future, and everyone knew the true value of the Evil Wood, he was sure to visit the Caotian Sect specially, to see if Sect Master Zhao could still smile as happily as now.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The Caotian Sect Master sighed, ¡°He prefers peace and doesn¡¯t really like striving for such empty honors.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, I¡¯m the same.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s quite good then.¡±


    ¡­


    The two casually chatted, and more sects took their seats one after another. Those seated at the very front were usually from sects that ranked well on the leaderboard, except for their Chao Tian Sect.


    Soon¡ª


    The large square was almost completely filled with people.


    Subsequently, the terrifying pressure of six Golden Core Peak cultivators enveloped the entire square in an instant.


    In the middle of the square, six old men dressed in royal attendants¡¯ robes, expressionless, sat cross-legged on the ground, the pressure emanating from them continuously reverberating in everyone¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°These are all part of the Da Xia Imperial Family.¡±


    The Caotian Sect Master whispered to Chen Qiu: ¡°Mainly to maintain order at the scene, to prevent hostile sects from attacking when someone¡¯s Heavenly Pride descendent dies inside the Secret Realm, and when they leave the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°Nobody cares about disturbances outside the Capital.¡±


    ¡°But within the Capital itself, even the biggest grudges have to be held in check.¡±


    ¡°Of course, on another note, it also serves to display the foundations of the Da Xia Royal Family; in the entire Da Xia, aside from the Royal Family, there¡¯s no other power that can bring out six Golden Core Peak cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, indicating he understood.


    Just then¡ª


    The square, which had quieted down under the pressure of the Golden Core Peak cultivators, suddenly burst into murmurs again. Around fifteen impassive young men and women dressed in luxurious robes, led by a group of eunuchs, took their seats at the very front row, separate from all other seats.


    Even without the introduction from the Caotian Sect Master, Chen Qiu knew the identities of these people: members of the Xia Country¡¯s Royal Family. It was said that every member of the Xia family had more than a dozen Heavenly Dao Terms that boosted their abilities.


    He had never encountered them before.


    And now it was a good opportunity to see them for himself.


    Those fifteen or so young men and women of the Xia family, only three were at the early stage of Golden Core, and the rest were at the peak of Foundation Establishment. They also seemed very young, barely in their early twenties, true Heavenly Prides in essence.

 Chapter 214 - 123:

    Chapter 214: Chapter 123: ¡°It¡¯s Chen Qiu!!!¡±_4


    Immediately after,


    before Chen Qiu could shift his gaze away from that group of people, he saw a young girl at the early stage of Golden Core followed by four or five attendants slowly making her way to the front of him, then stared at him with a face devoid of sorrow or joy.


    ¡°My sister died at your hands.¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I will avenge her.¡±


    ¡°In the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, we separate the strong from the weak and decide life and death.¡±


    Having said this, the young Golden Core girl turned and walked towards a seat to the side.


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was left somewhat baffled, wondering when he had killed her sister. He didn¡¯t recall killing many people¡ªhow could he have an unknown enemy?


    Meanwhile, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect noticed the rather conspicuous insignia on the attendants¡¯ clothing and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes as he lowered his voice.


    ¡°They are from the Liu Family of the hidden families in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, how did you provoke them?¡±


    ¡°Hidden families are not to be trifled with. Each of these families has at least two powerful beings of the Golden Core Peak in their ranks. Only because they are desperate for a breakthrough, they are forced to shrink back into their small worlds, eking out a meager existence there.¡±


    ¡°Every hidden family has its own small world.¡±


    ¡°This is the strongest aspect of hidden families because you never know where they are hiding, yet they can emerge and strike at you at any time. You¡¯ll never be able to completely eradicate them, meaning you¡¯ll continuously face attacks from the Liu Family.¡±


    ¡°Their family hasn¡¯t emerged for seventy or eighty years. I don¡¯t know why they suddenly sent the younger generation out again.¡±


    ¡°They call that a hidden family?¡± Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly.


    In essence, wasn¡¯t it just an old family with an extra nearly-dead Golden Core Peak expert and a small world?


    And they were coming out of their small world to ambush him?


    Weren¡¯t they just delivering Spirit Stones to him? How could that be considered an ambush?


    However, after seeing the mark on those two attendants, he recognized them. After leaving Fuzhou¡¯s ¡°Furnace Peak,¡± he had casually killed an old man and a youth, and the old man had the same mark on his robe.


    So it was those two.


    At the time, the pair had offered him a condescending ¡®opportunity¡¯ to serve them after he ¡®passed a test¡¯¡­ of course, he hadn¡¯t listened to the rest before he acted since he found it extremely irritating when someone talked about testing him and then telling him he could serve them if he passed.


    If you can test me, then surely it¡¯s fair for me to test you. Unable to withstand even a single strike, you still dare to test others?


    Chen Qiu casually glanced at the woman who walked away without giving her another thought. He would take his time to deal with it once inside the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    It was at this moment¡ª


    All were seated, and the time for the opening of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was nearly upon them.


    A middle-aged man dressed in a long robe stepped onto the stage, standing at the center of the square, and looked around with a warm smile: ¡°The annual Heavenly Pride Secret Realm is about to commence, and in this iteration of Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, there will be¡­¡±


    ¡°First, I would like to thank His Majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°Secondly, welcome¡­¡±


    After a series of formalities had been conducted.


    ¡°Lastly, let us introduce the strong contenders for this year¡¯s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡±


    The middle-aged man took a deep breath, extended his flat palm towards the direction of Chen Qiu, and loudly announced with full confidence: ¡°The first formidable contender ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Golden Core holder, the one who single-handedly slain tens of thousands from the Evil Clan¡­¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu it is!!!¡±


    The man stretched out the last two syllables for a very long time.


    Simultaneously, a beam of intense light descended from above and shone on Chen Qiu¡¯s seat, while the surrounding audience members also looked towards Chen Qiu and clapped continuously. However, the expressions on their faces were indeed varied.


    Some were envious, some jealous, some admiring, some puzzled, some fierce, some helpless, and others resentful.


    Indeed, the reactions were as varied as the people themselves, each unique in their own way.

 Chapter 215 - 124:

    Chapter 215: Chapter 124: ¡°Ordinary people can¡¯t endure in silence.


    Looking at the column of light cast down from midair and surrounded by the applause of the elders from various sects seated nearby, a hint of surprise flashed through Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes as he sat still.


    He had not expected there to be a segment for introducing the contestants, nor had he thought he would be the first one to be introduced.


    Nonetheless, he stood up, a gentle smile appearing on his face as he nodded slightly to those around him before sitting back down.


    ¡­


    Not far away, a sect elder with an emotional expression turned to Chen Qiu: ¡°Truly a Talent of Magic Practitioner unparalleled today, normally when the younger generation makes such a big splash, having a Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Golden Core and being a Heavenly Dao Saint, one would expect their tail to be wagging up to the heavens.¡±


    ¡°But there must be some pride, right?¡±


    ...


    ¡°After all, it really is an astonishing achievement, and indeed there has been no one like him before and likely no one to come after him.¡±


    ¡°But look at that Chen Qiu, his face not showing the slightest hint of complacency, as if everything about the Heavenly Dao Golden Core were just ordinary affairs. With such a temperament on the Immortal Road, he will surely go far, don¡¯t you think, Sect Master?¡±


    The elder turned his head to look at the middle-aged woman beside him, who was his Sect Master. Though not a young girl, she had a unique charm that young girls did not possess.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The middle-aged woman, looking somewhat dreamy, murmured as she gazed at Chen Qiu¡¯s gentle smile: ¡°Do you feel¡­ there¡¯s a special aura about Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ like¡­ like a freshly baked pastry.¡±


    ¡°Smells tempting, makes you want to take a bite?¡±


    After a long silence, the sect elder turned his head again and looked at the now seated Chen Qiu before shaking his head: ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Pretending.¡±


    Not far away, Young Master Qu, Qu Qi, watched the gentle smile on Chen Qiu¡¯s face and could not help sneering: ¡°When he slaughtered the Evil Clan, I didn¡¯t see any gentle smiles; he took the lives of tens of thousands, now here he is pretending to be gentle.¡±


    ¡°And a Heavenly Dao Saint, too.¡±


    ¡°If even this can be considered a Saint, the Heavenly Dao really is blind¡­¡±


    The voice abruptly stopped, Qu Qi shrank his head and then murmured quietly, looking up: ¡°Heavenly Dao has been deceived.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Is that the Chen Qiu who formed a Fifth-grade Golden Core?¡±


    In the front row of seats, among the members of the Royal Family, a young girl in a gorgeous long dress turned interestedly toward Chen Qiu: ¡°It has been a long time since I saw father; has His Majesty shown any attitude towards this Fifth-grade Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    An older youth next to her shook his head silently: ¡°His Majesty manages countless affairs, and scarcely attends morning court anymore, hardly having the time to concern himself with this prodigy, even though that Fifth-grade Golden Core has made quite a stir.¡±


    ¡°But a Fifth-grade Golden Core ultimately merely indicates that your potential is quite impressive, not that your strength is strong.¡±


    ¡°No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s just a basic Golden Core level.¡±


    ¡°However, making it into the top three shouldn¡¯t be too difficult; as for being the first, that¡¯ll definitely still be Brother Xiao Qiu.¡±


    In recent years, the State Preceptor has been out of public view, and the Emperor has rarely appeared, spending most of his time alone in the deep palace, not allowing anyone to enter, only occasionally coming out for a stroll. Most of the morning courts these years have been presided over by His Crown Prince Highness on behalf of his father.


    Fortunately, the abilities of His Crown Prince Highness are also not bad, and no troubles have arisen.


    Amidst this group, a boy with a slightly immature face quietly sat in his seat, his head lowered watching ants running back and forth on the ground. After a while, he suddenly lifted his foot and crushed one of them, then, without saying anything, he continued to watch intently.


    The group of ants, completely indifferent to the death of their companion, continued busying themselves.


    This time, he lifted his foot and crushed all of the ants.


    No more ants were bustling about.


    He is deemed the most powerful among this group, possessing a Second-layer Golden Core Cultivation at only 19 years old. A 19-year-old with a Golden Core is an extremely terrifying entity across the entirety of Da Xia and is the Seventh Prince of Da Xia.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the man standing in the center of the plaza continued to introduce with a resonating and measured voice.


    ¡°The second formidable contestant¡ª¡±


    ¡°Da Xia¡¯s Seventh Prince, attained Golden Core at 17, a Third-grade Golden Core, once slaughtered thousands of demons single-handedly¡­¡±


    ¡°Xia Jiqiu!¡±


    The statement concluded.


    The youth sitting in the front row seemed as if he hadn¡¯t heard at all, remaining immobile in his seat and not even lifting his head as though the announcement was concerning someone else.


    The man in the center of the plaza also didn¡¯t mind, just continuing.


    ¡°The third formidable contestant¡ª¡±


    ¡°Young Master Qu of the Qu Family, the husband to five Heavenly Dao Beauties, stepped into the Golden Core within just three years, formerly the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia¡­¡±


    ¡°Qu Qi!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Qu Qi, who had initially prepared a smile and was about to stand up and greet everyone, blackened in complexion upon hearing the phrase ¡®formerly the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia,¡¯ causing many to look at him with strange expressions.


    Feeling everyone¡¯s peculiar stares and having an already fragile ego, he felt as if a fire of namelessness was burning inside him. After standing up, he expressionlessly stared at the man in the center of the plaza and pronounced each word deliberately.


    ¡°Explain¡­ S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®formerly the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia¡¯?¡±


    Seeing this, the Qu Family Master sitting beside him turned pale with fright, hastily grabbed Qu Qi¡¯s sleeve trying to get him to sit back down. The man in the center of the plaza represented Da Xia, and their Qu family lacked the strength to confront the Da Xia Imperial Family.


    Getting angry usually was one thing.


    Showing disrespect to Da Xia at this moment was asking for retribution later.


    While preparing to introduce the next prodigy, the middle-aged man standing in the center of the plaza, neither humble nor arrogant, looked at Qu Qi and smiled: ¡°Yesterday¡¯s Young Master Qu will always be the former strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia, because the newest Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia will always be today¡¯s Young Master Qu, not yesterday¡¯s.¡±

 Chapter 216 - 124:

    Chapter 216: Chapter 124: ¡°Ordinary people, they cannot hide their patience.¡±_2


    ¡°`


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Qu Qi, who was about to say something, stood up from his seat with satisfaction upon hearing these words. Looking down at Chen Qiu, who was sitting in the crowd not far away, he cast a provocative glance. The people around also looked at Chen Qiu with strange expressions, following Qu Qi¡¯s gaze.


    Do these two have a grudge against each other?


    ¡­


    ¡°So embarrassing, so embarrassing¡­¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu, sitting in his seat, looked down at his feet with an embarrassed expression, trying his best to bend over and avoid Qu Qi¡¯s gaze.


    When Qu Qi suddenly blurted out that statement, he already felt it was incredibly embarrassing, and he was still speechless.


    As a result, Qu Qi cast a provocative glance at him, dragging him into the embarrassing spotlight as well.


    Damn it¡­


    Once we enter the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, you¡¯re the first one I¡¯m going to kill!


    No negotiations on that.


    After this small interlude, everything returned to normal. The middle-aged man in the square below continued to introduce the Heavenly Prides, only mentioning the Golden Core Heavenly Prides and some rather famous Foundation Establishment Heavenly Prides at Great Perfection, while the rest were quickly skipped over.


    Chen Qiu also quietly observed the strength of the other competitors.


    There were quite a few strong participants this time, and he still felt somewhat unsure.


    The strongest among them was at the second level of Golden Core.


    Besides him, there were a total of 6 Golden Core Heavenly Prides, and most of the others were Heavenly Prides with Foundation Establishment at Great Perfection Cultivation. This was going to be a bit tricky to handle¡­


    Why are they all so weak? He worried that if he made even a slight move, he could end up killing all these people¡¯s Heavenly Prides.


    The sects and families behind these Heavenly Prides were not weak; many had Golden Core Peak experts with Great Perfection Cultivation in their ranks. If he killed this batch of Heavenly Prides, he would offend almost all the top-ranked sects in the Da Xia Sect rankings.


    If that happened, practically all the Golden Cores in Da Xia would likely unite to hunt him down.


    And for no good reason, too.


    He wasn¡¯t so bloodthirsty either.


    He just planned to plunder the Heavenly Prides¡¯ natural treasures to craft his own Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, but now¡­ realizing how weak these Heavenly Prides were, he started considering how to hold back during the fight. He wanted to make sure they felt the despair of being utterly unable to fight back without accidentally killing them all.


    Of course¡­


    Chen Qiu snuck a glance at Qu Qi among the crowd, still feeling smug. Some people didn¡¯t need him to hold back.


    It would be a good warning to others.


    Just then¡ª


    A strand of Golden Core Divine Sense quietly approached him. No Golden Core in the square was openly using their Divine Sense, not only because of the suppression from the six Royal Family members at Golden Core Peak Cultivation, but also because it was a very dangerous signal for Golden Cores to emit their Divine Sense.


    This was almost a sign of a battle to the death.


    Once Divine Sense was released, it meant that someone could lock onto you at any moment, and once you were targeted, you might face a barrage of spells, Golden Core attacks, or Divine Sense and Flying Sword attacks.


    Any of these would be quite unpleasant to deal with.


    Therefore, in Golden Core social interactions, it was basically an unspoken rule not to release Divine Sense, as doing so meant initiating a life-or-death fight, making the battle inevitable.


    Yet this strand of Divine Sense seemed to bear no malice¡­


    It sneaked, carefully hiding its fluctuations, bypassing everyone until it carefully approached Chen Qiu and gently probed him.


    It didn¡¯t lock on or launch a Divine Sense Attack.


    It was like someone knocking on your door.


    Divine Sense Transmission is an exclusive method employed by Golden Cores, usually used among acquaintances. Strangers wouldn¡¯t let just anyone¡¯s Divine Sense enter their Sea of Consciousness unless one¡¯s cultivation overpowered the other, allowing a direct invasion. Otherwise, who would allow a stranger¡¯s Divine Sense in when it could be an attack? S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That¡¯s why, given that he could clearly sense the weakness of this Divine Sense and discern that the owner deliberately emitted this faint strand, he allowed it into his own Sea of Consciousness. Even if it was an attack, at worst it would only cause a minor injury.


    As the saying goes, the skilled are bold.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t hesitate much and swiftly let the strand into his Sea of Consciousness. With his ¡®Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array¡¯, this strand could not harm him.


    However, he only allowed it into the outermost edge of his Sea of Consciousness. This way, the other party could not detect the ¡®Nine Heavens Divine Sense Array¡¯, but it would still serve the purpose of transmitting speech.


    Soon¡ª


    He sensed a voice message from that strand of Divine Sense.


    ¡°Daoist Chen, hello. I am the Qu Family Supreme Elder. I believe I have information you will be very interested in. The Storage Ring on Qu Qi¡¯s finger contains a vast amount of natural treasures necessary for forging a Magic Practitioner¡¯s treasures.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me why I am disclosing Qu Family secrets.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a premonition that you are the one who can truly save Da Xia from its crisis!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched, but he didn¡¯t reply immediately. He also didn¡¯t care what the Qu Family Supreme Elder meant by these words, whether it was betrayal or a scheme?


    It didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    In his eyes, Qu Qi was already a dead man walking, and as for the Storage Ring¡¯s natural treasures, he would gladly accept them.


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder, sitting beside the Qu Family Master, took a deep breath, unsure whether Chen Qiu would believe his reason. It was difficult for him to find a justifiable reason to betray the Qu Family openly.


    He certainly couldn¡¯t just say.


    He was a transmigrator with no emotional attachment to the Qu Family, and based on his previous life¡¯s experience of reading novels, you, Chen Qiu, seemed like the real protagonist of this world. Qu Qi was destined to die at your hands and supply you with the materials. I¡¯m just here to ingratiate myself with you early, so you might spare me when you come to annihilate the Qu Family later?

 Chapter 217 - 124:

    Chapter 217: Chapter 124: ¡°Ordinary people, they cannot hide their patience.¡±_3


    This is his true thought within, but he definitely can¡¯t say that.


    ¡­


    Finally¡ª


    All the famous Heavenly Prides had been introduced one after another, and just then, a white vortex slowly emerged in the center of the square, while at the same time, a familiar, ethereal voice sounded.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, situated five miles north of Da Xia Country Capital, has been revealed. It is limited to Heavenly Prides under the age of 50, and the rankings of this Heavenly Pride Secret Realm will constitute this year¡¯s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard rankings.


    ...


    The entrance to the Secret Realm will close after a thousand breaths.


    ¨C


    The regional Heavenly Dao Decree could only be heard by those within the Jing Province.


    Every year, the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm would appear here, hence a square with tens of thousands of seats was constructed for people to watch.


    One would not die inside the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    When on the brink of death, you would automatically be expelled from the Secret Realm.


    Unless¡­ you die too quickly, directly skipping the stage of being on the brink of death.


    By now, many Heavenly Prides on the seating of the square had already stood up and entered the white vortex.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    The scholar looked seriously towards Chen Qiu and instructed, ¡°Every time the content of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm is different. The two times I went to the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, once was a combat arena, and the other was a struggle in a large jungle for Heavenly Dao Fragments, where rankings were based on the number of Heavenly Dao Fragments.¡±


    ¡°Be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, stood up, and with a wave of his sleeve, collected the scholar and the others into the small world, then walked calmly towards the White vortex.


    This act was witnessed by many.


    ¡­


    ¡°A small world?¡±


    The Golden Core Heavenly Pride from the Hidden Family Liu Family, upon witnessing this scene, had her pupils abruptly contract, eyes flashing with disbelief. She had not expected this enemy, who had killed her sister, to possess a small world similar to their Liu Family¡¯s.


    And¡­


    It seemed to be of a higher grade than their Liu Family¡¯s small world!


    Their Liu Family¡¯s small world was fixed in place, not something that could be carried around. She¡¯d never heard of any Hidden Family having such a thing.


    ¡°This time, here¡¯s yet another reason to kill you¡­¡±


    The girl licked the dagger in her hand with a flash of murderous intent in her eyes, and a bloodthirsty, cruel smile formed on her lips.


    If she could bring this portable small world back to her family, it would be an unparalleled great merit.


    A Magic Practitioner?


    Her specialty was killing Magic Practitioners, whose physical strength was almost non-existent. Even a Golden Core¡¯s physical strength might not match that of a Body Cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and the Protective Body Technique of a Magic Practitioner at the stage of Foundation Establishment was nearly as thin as paper. A Golden Core¡¯s Protective Body Technique was indeed strong, but Chen Qiu had only just entered the Golden Core Stage; where would he find the time to cultivate a Golden Core Protective Body Technique?


    Even though she knew Chen Qiu¡¯s attack methods were strong.


    Having once single-handedly slain tens of thousands from the Evil Clan during his Foundation Establishment.


    But¡­ A Magic Practitioner with strong offensive abilities but without a Golden Core Protective Body Technique, in the eyes of someone skilled in assassination and concealment like her, was no different from a fragile doll that would break upon a touch.


    ¡°Go ahead, Second Miss.¡±


    A stoic elder standing behind the girl spoke softly, ¡°The Liu Family has not been seen for a long time, and now as the Heavenly Dao enters a new phase and chaos is about to unfold, the Liu Family should also step out.¡±


    ¡°It seems many have forgotten that the Liu Family, a long time ago, had another name, known as the Shadow Family.¡±


    ¡°Let these so-called Heavenly Prides of Da Xia reacquaint themselves with what it means to be the Shadow Family.¡±


    ¡­


    When Chen Qiu stepped into the white vortex, he appeared in a vast and boundless wasteland, where the power of heaven and earth immobilized him, preventing him from moving. Other Heavenly Prides who had entered the Secret Realm earlier were in the same situation.


    Dozens of Heavenly Prides stood on the reddish-brown soil, warily watching those around them, patiently waiting for the Secret Realm to officially open.


    There was only one Heavenly Pride, unaffected by the power of heaven and earth, who turned into a stream of light and shot off into the distance, seemingly ready to explore the vicinity while everyone else was immobilized.


    Finally¡ª


    After nearly a thousand breaths.


    The entrance to the Secret Realm slowly closed, followed by a voice that rang in the ears of all the Heavenly Prides inside the Secret Realm. At the same time, the scene within the Secret Realm was projected above the square outside, with the voice inside the Secret Realm also being relayed and resounding over the square.


    ¨C


    ¡°The world¡¯s conflicts are about to begin, and only through battle will the Heavenly Pride emerge.¡±


    ¡°This Heavenly Pride Secret Realm will decide just one Heavenly Pride, and this person will be the only Heavenly Pride at the top of the leaderboard, as well as the strongest peerless Heavenly Pride before the incoming era of chaos.¡±


    ¡°In this Secret Realm, only this Heavenly Pride will be qualified to forge a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, and the grade of this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure will be higher than in the past.¡±


    ¡°Who can become this Heavenly Pride, and who will have the authority to influence the forthcoming chaos?¡±


    ¡°As Heavenly Prides emerge, who truly is the strongest Heavenly Pride?¡±


    ¨C


    Shortly after.


    The immobilization on everyone lifted, and before anyone could act, 108 arenas suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the ground. The 215 Heavenly Prides already standing there, including the one who shot away a thousand breaths earlier, totalling 216 Heavenly Prides, were each pulled onto an arena. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This Secret Realm of Heavenly Pride was evidently an arena-based competition.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the man shaking a little across from him, who was at the peak of Foundation Establishment with Great Perfection Cultivation, as well as the panel enveloped in mist floating above the arena.


    ¡°In this Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, all treasures within the Cultivators¡¯ Storage Rings that can be used to forge a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure will be extracted.¡±


    ¡°The victor will obtain all the treasures.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked towards the empty red arena in the center, where numerous treasures were piled up at that moment, including many treasures that belonged to him, most of which he had acquired from the Artifact Cultivators of Fei State.

 Chapter 218 - 124:

    Chapter 218: Chapter 124: ¡°Ordinary people, they cannot hide their patience.¡±_4


    Even his Seven-colored fishing rod, which he regarded as a toy, was a heavenly material and earthly treasure that could be used to forge a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    He had not anticipated this.


    However¡­ it did save him a lot of trouble¡ªthe Heavenly Pride Secret Realm took care of the bad guys for him. Now, even if he took away all these heavenly materials and earthly treasures, no one could say anything about it, since that¡¯s the rule of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm. Could they blame him?


    Meanwhile.


    On the cloud screen above the arena, a countdown began. The moment the countdown ended, it would signal the start of the first battle in the arena.


    Chen Qiu looked up with a smile at the man not far away who had reached Great Perfection in Foundation Establishment.


    ...


    This time, because of the chaotic edition of Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, they had changed the usual rules. It was no longer about selecting the top 100 Heavenly Prides, nor about creating Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures for the top three. Instead, only one Heavenly Pride would be chosen to create the strongest Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    He had not anticipated this.


    At the same time, he felt somewhat fortunate. Thankfully, he had made his breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage before the start of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard. Otherwise, he would have missed this opportunity. A Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure for the only matchless Heavenly Pride was definitely better than the ones from previous Heavenly Pride Leaderboards.


    Just then¡ª


    The countdown ended.


    Chen Qiu had to admit that the man opposite him, who was at the peak of Great Perfection in Foundation Establishment, still had strong willpower. Although his body was trembling, he roared with a quivering voice, his sword filled with lethal intent, launching an attack on him the instant the countdown finished.


    This sword!


    If it hit him¡­ well, it couldn¡¯t even shatter his Protective Spirit Qi.


    For someone at Foundation Establishment to challenge Golden Core was still a bit too difficult.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, unwilling to prolong the fight, and merely glanced at the man. With a casual flick, he unleashed the Thunder Summoning Technique, its power reduced to the minimum, and a juvenile version of a Thunder Dragon shot forth.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    With just that one strike, he shattered the man¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi and Protective Spiritual Treasure, sending the man flying and crashing heavily against the barrier of the arena, only to fall afterward into a corner of the arena, his bones completely broken.


    The barrier, made of nature¡¯s spiritual energy, was invisible but extremely tough; ordinary attacks could hardly create a crack in it. Its main purpose was to prevent the battles within the arena from affecting the surrounding ones.


    The man now lay on the ground like a lump of mud, blood bubbles continuously gushing from his mouth, looking up at Chen Qiu with gratitude in his eyes.


    Obviously, he knew Chen Qiu had pulled his punches as much as possible.


    Otherwise, that strike would have been enough to kill him instantly.


    He had been prepared to die, not expecting that Chen Qiu would spare his life. Naturally, he felt grateful. No one wished to die¡ª who spread the rumor that Chen Qiu was ruthless?


    The next moment!


    The severely injured man disappeared from the arena, ejected by force from the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not enough¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned slightly as he looked at his right hand. He had controlled the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique to the lowest possible extent, but it was still nearly fatal for that man at Foundation Establishment. Didn¡¯t he have any less lethal methods?


    Divine Sense? No, that would kill instantly.


    Golden Core? Still an instant kill.


    Golden Core was an overwhelming force against Foundation Establishment, and especially his twelve-grade Golden Core, which was an absolutely crushing existence for them.


    ¡°It¡¯s tough.¡±


    Unable to find a solution, Chen Qiu sighed helplessly. The Thunder Summoning Technique he had just cast used the least possible Spiritual Energy, without utilizing Spirit Control Technique. Moreover, under the effect of Dual Casting and Ten Layers of Spellcasting, the remaining twenty or so illusory and real Thunder Summoning Techniques were all discarded behind him.


    But even so¡­


    For someone at Foundation Establishment, it seemed that the power was still too great.


    Were those at Foundation Establishment so fragile? S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He glanced over at the other arenas, where the other six Golden Core Heavenly Pride had resolved their battles quickly as well. Only a bunch of Foundation Establishment Heavenly Pride were still fighting on the arena, which looked quite exciting and entertaining to watch.


    Once all the battles on the arenas were decided.


    The victors would again be assigned to the arenas, and so on, until a final, matchless victor standing on the highest arena was determined.


    And the victor can obtain the unparalleled Heavenly Pride and take away all the treasures of heaven and earth.


    Very simple rules.


    ¡­


    ¡°Quick, quick, quick!!!¡±


    At this moment, on the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm Square, many sect elders looked anxious as they rushed into the square and quickly stuffed top-tier Healing Pills into the mouths of disciples severely injured and expelled from the secret realm.


    The first round was almost over.


    Sitting in the viewer¡¯s stand, the crowd looked complexly towards the images of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm in the sky above the square.


    The Sect Master of the Caotian Sect murmured as he looked at Chen Qiu, who was standing quietly on the platform, waiting, ¡°When the world is in turmoil, the unparalleled Heavenly Pride will emerge, and if you, Chen Qiu, can claim that title, it would mean a complete rise to power.¡±


    ¡°In the time of world conflict, there will be a place for you.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected the rules of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm to change so drastically this time. Although the rules were different every time, they had always unshakenly selected the top 100.


    The top 100 on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard received a Heavenly Dao Blessing daily.


    Those ranking after 100 would have their positions automatically determined based on their ranking within the secret realm.


    And the Da Xia Imperial Family¡­


    Would also reward the top 100 and their backing sects after the ending of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    But this time¡¯s Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was only selecting a single unparalleled Heavenly Pride. This change was clearly due to the impending world turmoil.


    Fortunately, Zhao Yishi didn¡¯t come.


    Otherwise, his participation would have been not only useless but also a waste of an opportunity to enter the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    Some are joyful, others are worried.


    For instance, the elder of the ¡°Warhammer Sect¡± looked grimly towards the direction of the Liu Family from the Hidden Family at this moment. Their Foundation Establishment disciple had just been killed by a Golden Core Heavenly Pride of the Liu Family.


    That woman was truly heartless.


    If it were merely a defeat due to inferior skills, they would naturally not say much, and accidental deaths were also considered normal. In a life or death battle, who could afford to hold back if the fight wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly one-sided?


    But that woman cruelly carved nearly a hundred pieces of flesh from their disciple with a dagger, torturing him brutally. Although the wounds were ghastly, they were only flesh wounds and not enough to expel him from the secret realm.


    That woman then sadistically killed their sect disciple while laughing like silver bells, depriving him of any chance to be expelled from the secret realm.


    This could no longer be considered a normal competition.


    It was humiliation, a provocation!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of the ¡°Warhammer Sect¡± held back an elder who was about to burst out in curses, looked towards the Liu Family members who seemed unconcerned, and suddenly laughed after a long silence, ¡°If it were another sect, they might indeed have endured it.¡±


    ¡°After all, your Liu Family is a Hidden Family with two Golden Core Peak masters renowned for assassinations and known as the Shadow Family.¡±


    ¡°How formidable indeed.¡±


    ¡°But unfortunately, you don¡¯t understand our Warhammer Sect. The fact that our sect has such a vulgar name indicates that from top to bottom, we are all commoners.¡±


    ¡°Commoners do not endure silently.¡±


    ¡°We seek vengeance on the spot, and if we can¡¯t, we¡¯d rather die.¡±


    Immediately following that¡­


    The Sect Master of the ¡°Warhammer Sect¡± calmly looked towards those uncaring Liu Family members and whispered to his Sound Transmission Ring on his finger, ¡°Have the Supreme Elder leave seclusion, all Warhammer Sect elders and disciples come forth from the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Today¡ª¡±


    ¡°I want that Liu Family Golden Core Heavenly Pride dead in Jing Province.¡±

 Chapter 219 - 125: At least give me a chance to make a move!

    Chapter 219: Chapter 125: ¡®At least give me a chance to make a move!


    The sound of his voice fell.


    Everyone present clapped, no joking matter as Da Xia hadn¡¯t seen a decisive battle between two sects emerge with full effort for a long time, especially those at the Golden Core Peak stage, who generally played a deterring role.


    They hadn¡¯t made a move.


    All were a group of old men whose lives were nearly depleted, where each action consumed their remaining life span.


    Even the six elderly cultivators at Golden Core Peak, who were sitting in the middle of the square to maintain order, couldn¡¯t help but be moved by the words, and one of them, with an expression neither sad nor happy, looked towards the Sect Master of the Warhammer Sect.


    ¡°No fighting outside the Capital.¡±


    ...


    ¡°I understand the rules.¡±


    The Sect Master of the Warhammer Sect smiled and nodded, ¡°I will wait for them to leave the Capital before making my move.¡±


    Seeing that the Warhammer Sect was not joking, several members of the hidden Liu Family sitting in the spectator section became restless, exchanging glances before hesitantly picking up their Sound Transmission Rings to send back the information from there.


    ¡­


    Just then¡ª


    The second arena battle began.


    This time, Chen Qiu¡¯s opponent was still one at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, bearing some injuries, appearing to have had a hard-won victory in the previous fight.


    The countdown ended in an instant.


    Before Chen Qiu could make a move,


    this man at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection violently drew his long sword and stabbed it into his own abdomen, stirring it fiercely a few times, then with a pained expression, rolled over to the edge of the arena, and after a few breaths, raised his head with pleading eyes looking at Chen Qiu, his voice trembling from the severe pain.


    ¡°Senior, could you¡­ send me off?¡±


    ¡°How have I not yet entered a near-death state, I haven¡¯t been expelled, it¡¯s killing me..¡±


    ¡°I admit defeat¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the man who had mangled his own abdomen in the corner of the platform with a peculiar expression, understanding what the man was trying to do¡ª to enter a near-death state so he could be transmitted out of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    But¡­ it seemed like the man had undershot.


    With the state he was in now, even the weakest Thunder Summoning Technique Chen Qiu could hurl at him would directly disintegrate him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡±


    Suddenly, he thought of a good method¡ª pulling out a long sword from his robe, he walked over to the man, crouched down gently, and said, ¡°Relax, it will be over quickly.¡±


    Then he picked up the long sword and continued stabbing the man constantly in the abdomen.


    Using no Spiritual Energy, no Spells,


    just purely physical attacks¡ªthis way, there should be no issues.


    To be extra cautious, he specifically controlled his strength, making each stab very gentle; finally, on the thirteenth stab, the man, with a trace of resentment in his eyes, was expelled from the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    The second match on the other platforms also ended quickly.


    Thus¡ª


    Only 54 people were left standing in the platforms of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    Soon, the third arena battle started.


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes gradually narrowed as he looked at his opponent and exhaled lightly, finally facing a formidable opponent. Standing across from him was a Golden Core Heavenly Pride!


    It was a Demon Cultivator.


    Golden Core first stage, a genius among Demon Cultivators, rumored to have cleared up to the third level in the Demon Cultivation heritage, narrowly missing the fourth round a few years ago and had slaughtered many demon beasts to create the Soul Banner.


    The Soul Banner contained over ten thousand strong Demon Beast Resentful Spirits, with a main formation spirit being a second-stage Golden Core Demon Beast Resentful Spirit, with the majority of other spirits being at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refinement stages complementing it.


    Under full exertion,


    dark clouds would cover the city, with a Night Parade of Hundred Demons, extremely powerful.


    This was the only Demon Cultivator participating in this competition, where typically Demon Cultivators and Evil Cultivators weren¡¯t allowed due to their status as public enemies in Da Xia, but this Demon Cultivator was rumored to be a non-murderous type, even creating the Soul Banner using weaker demon beast spirits.


    Belonging to a kind-hearted Demon Cultivator.


    Though everyone in Da Xia was encouraged to kill Demon and Evil Cultivators, that was because most of them gained power through slaughtering mortals; non-murderous Demon Cultivators, though not well-regarded, were not universally condemned.


    This was his first face-to-face battle with a Golden Core since he had reached that stage himself!


    Extremely meaningful.


    At the moment the countdown ended, the Golden Core Demon Cultivator Heavenly Pride opposite him swung the Soul Banner with a cold expression, instantly enveloping the platform in dark clouds, as a massive horde of demon beast ghosts surged out from the Soul Banner towards Chen Qiu!


    This strike!


    Ordinary Golden Core cultivators simply couldn¡¯t cope with it.


    To know that one of those resentful spirits in the horde was a second-stage Golden Core spirit; with just this Soul Banner, this Demon Cultivator Heavenly Pride could completely challenge an opponent with a second-stage Golden Core Cultivation!


    Just¡­


    Unluckily,


    ¡°¡­¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu, with a complicated expression, gazed at the countless demon beast ghosts surging towards him, which carried an intense aura of bloodthirstiness, looking quite sinister; but each time these resentful spirits approached him, they would inexplicably scream and dissipate into a wisp of green smoke.


    Heavenly Dao Saint.


    Able to obliterate all evil spirits and demons.


    Though unsure if this included Golden Core Peak or Nascent Soul resentful spirits,


    it seemed quite straightforward to extinguish a second-stage Golden Core spirit.


    In just a few breaths¡¯ time,


    the demon race Heavenly Pride, still vigorously waving the Soul Banner, realized no more demon beast spirits were emerging from it.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The man, who continued to energetically wave the Soul Banner, emitting intense Demonic Qi, suddenly noticed that the dark clouds above the platform had cleared and that the platform was now completely empty of any demon beast spirits, leaving him puzzled as he turned towards Chen Qiu, inadvertently asking, ¡°Where are my resentful spirits?¡±

 Chapter 220 - 125:

    Chapter 220: Chapter 125: ¡°At Least Give Me a Chance to Make a Move!¡±_2


    But soon, the man stored the banner into his Storage Ring, and Demonic Qi began to surge violently around him as he icily stared at Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Well, these little tricks have made you laugh.¡±


    ¡°Next, brace yourself for my second form!¡±


    ¡°So far, not many people¡­¡±


    His words cut off abruptly.


    Chen Qiu launched a Divine Sense Attack, ¡°Heart-piercing Stab,¡± striking the Demon Cultivation Talent who had just been speaking about activating his second form. Immediately, his eyes shut, his body stiffened, and he fell heavily backward onto the ground.


    ...


    Then he entered a near-death state and was expelled from the Secret Realm.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, with one hand supporting his chin, stood deep in thought. The banner¡¯s power had been decent, comparable to his green entry ¡°Resentful Spirit Summoning,¡± yet the resentful spirits in the banner fought more flexibly, even carrying overwhelming Demonic Qi that could induce illusions.


    With this tactic, Yun City would certainly not be able to withstand it.


    Destroying Yun City would be a simple task.


    This was indeed one of the more formidable champions at the first layer of Golden Core, although he didn¡¯t know what this so-called second form was, nor why a Demon Cultivator would have a second form, but that form would surely be stronger.


    But¡­ it seemed still no match for a single blow.


    The defense of his opponent¡¯s Sea of Consciousness was nearly nonexistent. A single Heart-piercing Stab crashed through, effectively ignoring the Protective Spirit Qi. Without any defense in the Sea of Consciousness, it couldn¡¯t withstand it at all.


    After waiting patiently for a few sticks of incense.


    The third arena battle finally ended.


    ¡­


    The fourth arena battle began!


    Now only 27 people remained on the platform, one lucky individual at the peak of Foundation Establishment had been given a bye, leaving 26 to face their opponents in the fourth round.


    In this round¡ª


    Chen Qiu¡¯s opponent was, a young girl from the Hidden Family Liu Family¡¯s Golden Core.


    Dressed in a black form-fitting bodysuit that showed off her figure, she was holding a dagger dripping with blood. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she stared at him, her smile chilling to those around her as her voice mixed threats and provocation.


    ¡°Did you ever think of today when you killed my sister?¡±


    ¡°My sister just wasn¡¯t good at cultivating.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard the saying, ¡®Magic Practitioners shatter on touch against the Shadow Family¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Within ten paces, no one¡¯s dagger is quicker than mine.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu absentmindedly hummed a syllable, his gaze fixed on the girl before him, obviously skilled in assassination and stealth. He tilted his head, pondering for a long while before nodding. ¡°It seems you may have some misconceptions about Magic Practitioners because of some lesser-known ones in Da Xia Country.¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see in a moment.¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    At the seating area outside the Heavenly Realm Square.


    The Sect Master of Warhammer Sect watched Chen Qiu face the Liu Family¡¯s Genius, his expression unreadable, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, this Liu Family Genius was very skilled in close-range assassination.


    This person had a technique for creating clones.


    He could instantly create dozens of clones, then it seemed he could swap places with any of them at will, making it impossible to predict where his dagger would strike from. Real and illusion intertwined, impossible to defend against.


    Moreover, that dagger was clearly a treasure, inflicting heavy damage on Protective Spirit Qi every time it struck.


    Her Spirit Armor not only greatly reduced damage from spells but also ignored Divine Sense targeting.


    In essence, a natural buster of Magic Practitioners.


    Magic Practitioners rely on two tactics: Divine Sense to target enemies with spells and Protective Spirit Qi to block attacks, then using Divine Sense to counterattack. Yet, both were perfectly countered by the Liu Family¡¯s Genius.


    Detection of the Liu Family¡¯s Genius was impossible, and with his ability to swap places with any of his clones and techniques like melting into shadows, spells could never hit the Liu Family¡¯s Genius.


    Even though he wanted this Liu Family Genius to die,


    he had to admit¡ª S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This time, Chen Qiu might lose, not because Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t strong, but because he had just met the opponent who could best counter him.


    ¡°Such a pity.¡±


    He shook his head feeling somewhat regretful; if it weren¡¯t for this particular Liu Family Genius, Chen Qiu could have gone further and possibly become an exceptional Genius in the end.


    ¡­


    The Liu Family Members sitting in the seats watched this scene excitedly, their lips involuntarily curving upwards.


    The Liu Family was famous for killing Magic Practitioners.


    In the Liu Family¡¯s eyes, dealing with Magic Practitioners, even those of higher stages, was easy; four of their passed down Heavenly Dao Terms specifically targeted Magic Practitioners.


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect looked towards the image broadcast above the square of the Heavenly Realm. He felt somewhat uncertain inside, although he knew Chen Qiu was strong and held a Fifth-grade Golden Core.


    But Fifth-grade Golden Cores were merely a symbol of potential.


    They could enhance strength, but only so much.


    And that Liu Family girl was at the second layer of Golden Core, which already constituted a crushing superiority. This situation, combined with her natural suppression of Magic Practitioners, made the outcome of the duel uncertain.


    For a moment¡ª


    Most of the spectators shifted their gaze from the other arenas, focusing on the match between Chen Qiu and the Liu Family Genius, clearly curious about how this recently risen Magic Practitioner Genius would handle someone who completely overpowered him and was famous for killing Magic Practitioners.


    Who would win and who would lose!


    Would the reputation of the Shadow Family prevail, or would Chen Qiu continue his legendary Genius streak.

 Chapter 221 - 125:

    Chapter 221: Chapter 125: ¡°At Least Give Me a Chance to Make a Move!¡±_3


    ¡­


    At this moment¡ª


    The countdown on the arena had entered the final phase, and the fourth match was about to begin!


    The petite girl standing opposite Chen Qiu, clutching a dagger in her palm, looked at Chen Qiu with a playful smile as the countdown ended. Suddenly, dozens of her clones appeared on the arena.


    A powerful Divine Sense Attack instantly pierced into Chen Qiu¡¯s mind, but it was ineffective. Although ineffective, it did not linger.


    Dozens of girls, each holding a dagger, charged towards Chen Qiu in unison.


    ...


    ¡°Guess!¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Guess!¡±


    ¡°Me!¡±


    ¡°Am!¡±


    ¡°Where!¡±


    In these dozens of girls, each girl spoke a single word, forming a sentence, and obviously only one of them was the real body; the rest were illusions.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say anything but merely glanced casually before stepping into the air.


    The next moment¡ª


    A mass of dense and heavy black clouds suddenly enveloped all of the arenas. The previously calm Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was struck by a sudden storm, the sudden downpour piercing through the arena barrier, pelting everyone.


    Deafening roars of thunder erupted one after another!


    The sudden change in weather left the people on the other arenas somewhat bewildered, looking unconsciously towards Chen Qiu¡¯s arena.


    That was the epicenter of the black clouds.


    Almost instantly, thousands of dozens of meters thick Thunder Dragons filled the entire Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, carrying terrifying oppressive power as if a thousand dragons were ending the world. Each Thunder Dragon flickered with a massive amount of pulsating blue-purple lightning arcs.


    With thunderous crashes, they fiercely slammed into the barrier of Chen Qiu¡¯s arena, almost instantly melting the barrier and enshrouding the whole arena.


    ¡°Boom boom boom!!!¡±


    Huge explosions resounded throughout the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm; even the ground and the arenas shook violently. The barriers of other arenas in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm even showed signs of fracturing.


    Following the rapid dispersion of massive amounts of dust through the rainstorm,


    The arena where Chen Qiu was located had vanished, leaving behind an only pitch-black pit about several dozens of meters wide, with cracks starting to appear on the surrounding arena grounds.


    At that time, Chen Qiu was holding a paper umbrella and squatting on the edge of the deep pit, looking down at the scattered fingernail-sized chunks of flesh at the bottom of the pit, and whispered softly,


    ¡°Guess your mom.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand what a Magic Practitioner is now?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t even seen the Golden Core flying out. The fire was too dense, and the Golden Core could not break free. He decided he shouldn¡¯t play like this in the future, as it was excessively wasteful.


    Then he slowly stood up, leaning on the paper umbrella, looking towards the other arenas where the other Heavenly Pride were now staring dumbfounded, and showed a quite gentle smile, ¡°So, let¡¯s accelerate the pace then.¡±


    If the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm did not want its arena barriers broken, then surely this barrier was not something he could destroy.


    This arena was not something he could blast to smithereens either.


    Since he had done so, it meant the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm had previously condoned such actions, or to say, aside from settling the only Heavenly Pride through the arena fight, there was another way: as long as you are strong enough, you can completely shatter the arena and send all other Heavenly Prides away.


    He had indeed discovered that he couldn¡¯t lock onto the Liu Family¡¯s Genius with his Divine Sense, which would indeed be troublesome for a typical Magic Practitioner.


    But¡­


    He never used Divine Sense to lock on when killing.


    He didn¡¯t even need to know which of those clones was real; he just needed a rough area, but it must be said that the ground within the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was rather solid.


    Although it was due to him focusing all the power of the Thunder Dragons at one spot, that thousands of Thunder Dragons only blasted a pit about several dozens of meters wide was still somewhat unsatisfactory to him.


    Since he was unsatisfied,


    Then he¡¯d give a satisfactory one.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, stepped into the high sky, and his body began to flicker. Within ten breaths, his Spiritual Energy had returned to full, and thousands of Thunder Dragons once again surged throughout the black clouds.


    But they did not smash down.


    Instead, his flickering body continued, and after another ten breaths, thousands more Thunder Dragons surged out of the black clouds.


    The wind grew more violent, and the rain intensified even more.


    Every Heavenly Pride on the arenas was swept by the fierce winds, causing their clothes to flutter loudly.


    Another hundred breaths later.


    Tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, each several dozens of meters thick, almost covered the entire world; on a glance, one could only see tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons bearing terrifying oppressive powers, staring fiercely at them!


    Countless deafening thunders almost struck at their hearts.


    Standing high in the sky, holding a paper umbrella and wearing a blue robe, Chen Qiu, whose body was not wet from the rain at all and whose clothes fluttered in the wind like the Thunder God of apocalypse, looked down at the Heavenly Prides below with a light smile, and said softly,


    ¡°It¡¯s coming.¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    Countless Thunder Dragons roared and charged towards the four Heavenly Prides still remaining on the arena below.


    Yes, only four Heavenly Prides.


    Originally, there were 27 Heavenly Prides in this round, but as he began to prepare for a big move, more than twenty Heavenly Prides, their faces filled with fear, pierced their own abdomens with their swords without hesitation.


    Obviously, they were terrified of being too late to escape.


    Among the remaining four Heavenly Prides,


    There was Qu Qi and also the Seventh Prince of Da Xia; the other two were at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment; these two were bold, wanting to linger until the last moment to leave the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, thinking this could also rank them higher, unaware if there was any reward. After Chen Qiu had already prepared, these two Foundation Establishment pinnacle practicers also began slashing their own throats without a word.


    ¡°Quite confident, aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 222 - 125:

    Chapter 222: Chapter 125: ¡°At Least Give Me a Chance to Make a Move!¡±_4


    Chen Qiu smiled as he stood high in the air, overlooking the two people on the platform below, his fingers trembling slightly.


    Then!


    Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons engulfed all the platforms indiscriminately, bombarding everything without specifically targeting anyone; even with only two people, he did not want to lock on with his Divine Sense. He just felt that the first wave of thousands of Thunder Dragons he had released only blasted out a pit dozens of feet wide.


    This infuriated him.


    He now wanted to indulge himself, curious to see just how hard the ground of this Heavenly Pride Secret Realm truly was.


    ¡°Boom, boom!!!¡±


    ...


    The deafening explosions continued relentlessly. This single attack instantly shattered all the barriers of the platforms, and the platforms themselves shattered immediately, flinging up a large cloud of dust into the air.


    As the dust quickly dispersed in the downpour,


    no platform was left visible.


    Instead, there was just an immense pit, replacing all platforms and spreading across the ground.


    Hundreds of moments passed.


    Not a stir came up from the deep pit, and just when everyone thought that this Heavenly Pride Secret Realm had ended thus,


    ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­¡±


    a coughing and blood-spitting sound emerged from the bottom of the pit. The Seventh Prince of Da Xia staggered to his feet from the bottom, his clothes tore and tattered, holding a long sword nearly depleted of Spiritual Energy.


    His body was covered in wounds, appearing gruesomely blood-soaked, and even one of his ears was missing.


    Nobody knew what price the Seventh Prince of Da Xia had paid to withstand this seemingly unstoppable attack, but¡­ he ultimately did.


    History is written by the victors.


    The Seventh Prince staggered as he stood there, his head bowed looking down into the bottom of the deep pit, starting to laugh neurotically, his laughter growing louder, ¡°Such a strong maneuver indeed.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu is it¡­ I¡¯ll remember your name, you¡¯re the mightiest Magic Practitioner I¡¯ve encountered.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°But it should end here.¡±


    ¡°If this is all you¡¯ve got, then next¡­ it¡¯s time for you to see my moves!!!¡±


    In the last few words, the Seventh Prince almost roared out, his bent back suddenly straightened as he held his sword and looked up at Chen Qiu in mid-air, his mouth that was wide open ready to roar suddenly stuck, letting the fierce wind pour into his abdomen.


    Even his body, ready to launch forward, froze in place.


    A hint of confusion flashed across his eyes as he looked up at Chen Qiu high in the sky, the heads of ten thousand Thunder Dragons that seemed to have emerged anew atop the vast dark clouds, his helpless body suddenly slumped.


    His arms, bulging with veins before, relaxed, and the battered sword in his hand dropped powerlessly to the ground.


    After a long while,


    the Seventh Prince¡¯s arrogance was completely crushed, his face filled with unwillingness and helplessness as he looked up at Chen Qiu high in the sky and said tremblingly, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that your strongest maneuver?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ why could you use it again so soon?¡±


    ¡°Does your strongest maneuver have no limitations at all?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°At least give me a chance to strike!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve honed my sword for decades, just for today, to make a name for myself. Why won¡¯t you even give me a chance to strike?!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, holding a wooden umbrella high in the air, squatted down, gazing at the Seventh Prince in the pit, tilting his head and pondering silently. He actually wanted to say, this wasn¡¯t his strongest move at all.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique was merely a basic skill.


    Every Cultivator knows it.


    It¡¯s just that his Thunder Summoning Technique was a bit more powerful, with slightly more dragons.


    At most, it was a minor skill; he hadn¡¯t even used his strongest maneuver yet.


    ¡°How about you take a strike?¡±


    In the end, feeling somewhat compassionate, he decided to give the Seventh Prince a chance to strike, thinking about it, after all, the man had cultivated arduously for a decade, participating in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm for the first time, aiming to make a name for himself.


    Not even giving him a chance to swing his sword seemed excessively cruel.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The Seventh Prince stood at the bottom of the pit, his trembling arm bulging again with veins, picked up the nearly depleted long sword from the ground, used his mental method to take a few deep breaths, brought himself to his strongest state, and then forcibly mobilized his remaining Spiritual Energy.


    His expression was ferocious and furious as countless Sword Intent surged from his body, his mouth constantly bubbling with blood as he hoarsely yelled, finger pointing at Chen Qiu,


    ¡°This sword was created by me when I was 9 years old, after ten years of painstaking practice, and it has never been revealed!¡±


    ¡°This is the first time this sword is revealed to the world!¡±


    ¡°Let the world know, there is another Seventh Prince among the strongest Sword Cultivators!¡±


    ¡°This sword is named¡ª¡±


    ¡°Qi Tian!¡±


    ¡°Watch closely!¡±


    The next moment!


    Numerous dense Sword Intents burst forth from the Seventh Prince, and the spiritual energy-damaged sword in his hand trembled and buzzed continuously, the dense Sword Intent turning into streams of blue light flowing on the sword, suddenly, a sword made of blue light appeared in mid-air.


    ¡°Die!!!¡±


    The Seventh Prince roared as he prepared to swing the sword, though not expecting to defeat Chen Qiu, but at least this sword would be witnessed by the world!


    But just then.


    He saw tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons plummeting towards him from the sky.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Seventh Prince, standing at the bottom of the deep pit, suddenly fell silent, his mouth twitching slightly, the sword tip reversed to stab into his abdomen, seriously injured, he left the Secret Realm just before the Thunder Dragons smashed down.


    He had never thought.


    His sword, which he had practiced hard for ten years, eventually made its debut in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm just as he had imagined.


    Only¡­ not swung at an enemy.


    But stabbed into himself.


    He suddenly felt his Tao heart might have been damaged.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards the Seventh Prince at the bottom of the pit with some confusion, not understanding why he suddenly committed suicide and left the Secret Realm, wasn¡¯t it meant to be a clash?


    He had specifically waited for the Seventh Prince to fully muster his sword before releasing the Thunder Dragons.


    What¡¯s the meaning?


    Did the Seventh Prince mean to ask him not to retaliate and just take the strike?


    That¡¯s nonsense¡­ with almost no defensive means, he absolutely couldn¡¯t withstand that sword, clearly being the trump card, if he had taken that strike, he would now be lying in the deep pit.


    He didn¡¯t have much time to think it over.


    Soon, a voice resounded by his ear¡ª


    Not only by his ear.


    But by the ears of everyone in Da Xia Country.


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: Sensing the Heavenly Dao, in the north of Da Xia Country Capital at Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint Chen Qiu captures the ¡®Unmatched Heavenly Pride¡¯ title with an invincible posture, dominating the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard with overwhelming force!


    This Heavenly Pride, representing the great fortune of heaven and earth!


    Should suppress the contemporaries.


    All should regard this as a standard.


    ¨C


    The Heavenly Pride Secret Realm had ended.


    Chen Qiu, with his absolutely overwhelming force, dominated all the Heavenly Pride of Da Xia alone.


    The Heavenly Dao Decree without reward.


    Chen Qiu smirked and didn¡¯t say much, doesn¡¯t the Unmatched Heavenly Pride deserve some exclusive reward?


    But soon, his mind was not on the Heavenly Dao Decree anymore, but resurfaced on the numerous heaven and earth treasures in the sky that he immediately noticed had disappeared in an instant from the highest stage, clearly having been collected.


    Thus, he was even more unbridled.


    Since the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm implicitly consented and even acknowledged his ascent to the top of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard in this manner, he saw no need to hold back at all.

 Chapter 223 - 126:

    Chapter 223: Chapter 126: ¡°Isn¡¯t that an exaggeration¡­


    At this moment, within the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    The dark clouds gradually dispersed, the storm abated, and a massive pit replaced the existence of all arenas.


    This might have been the most intense battle ever witnessed in the history of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    And at this moment, in front of Chen Qiu¡ª


    Those countless heavenly and earthly treasures were slowly melting under the power of the world and then continuously fusing together.


    Seeing this.


    ...


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately threw in a wisp of Heavenly Dao Destiny. The moment this wisp of Heavenly Dao Destiny was thrown in, a golden light suddenly appeared on all the earthly and heavenly treasures before they started to slowly merge once more.


    He noticed.


    The main body of this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure forming was astonishingly his Seven-colored fishing rod.


    And without even asking him what Spiritual Treasure he needed, this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure began to forge itself.


    ¡­


    At this time¡ª


    On the plaza outside of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, it was as silent as if there were no people present; even breathing couldn¡¯t be heard. Everyone was expressionless, staring at the now gradually quieting Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    Some sect masters, who had originally come with the intention of giving pointers to the geniuses, no longer had smiles or satisfaction on their faces.


    Because they had shockingly realized.


    That if the Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons were to strike them, with their Golden Core fourth layer Cultivation, they would be unable to withstand it.


    If they really had to resist forcefully, there would only be one outcome: death!


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    After a long while, a sect master among the crowd exhaled, breaking the silence, and people¡¯s faces began to reveal shock and disbelief as they discussed with each other.


    ¡°That was just too exaggerated¡­


    Right now, the Warhammer Sect Master remained frozen in place, muttering in shock. Originally, when he saw Chen Qiu facing the Liu Family¡¯s Genius, he felt somewhat sorry for Chen Qiu, as the latter¡¯s opponent had just the right means to counter Magic Practitioners.


    It was simply bad luck, no fault in the fight.


    But the moment the battle began, Chen Qiu immediately turned his understanding of Magic Practitioners upside down.


    Can¡¯t lock on with Divine Sense? Then don¡¯t lock on.


    Your dagger can cause significant damage to Protective Spirit Qi? Get close first, then talk.


    Your dagger is the fastest within thirty feet? The Thunder Summoning Technique laughed.


    Those thousands of Thunder Dragons directly blasted Liu Family¡¯s Genius and that arena into smithereens, making him redefine both Magic Practitioners and Chen Qiu. By then, he was almost sure that Chen Qiu would definitely win the title of the ultimate Heavenly Pride.


    But¡­


    The following tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons.


    Carrying an extremely terrifying pressure, they turned the entire Heavenly Pride Secret Realm into a giant pit, which completely dumbfounded him. He watched as Qu Qi, confident as he was, threw out many Protective Talismans and activated Protective Body Techniques when the Thunder Dragons struck.


    He protected himself to the teeth.


    However, in the face of absolute strength, defense is the most helpless tactic.


    Qu Qi melted in the blink of an eye, even his Golden Core was instantly dissolved.


    From the initial worry¡­ til now¡­ discovering he might not even be a match for Chen Qiu; and he had a Golden Core fourth layer Cultivation, while Chen Qiu was merely at the first layer. You¡¯ve just stepped into Golden Core, and you have the ability to fight across four small realms?


    Wasn¡¯t it said that Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Realm only improves potential and doesn¡¯t help much with combat power?


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    The Warhammer Sect Master subconsciously took a deep breath, still a bit dazed, he whispered to his Sound Transmission Ring: ¡°Tell the Supreme Elder to continue his retreat. The Liu Family¡¯s Genius¡­ he died in the Secret Realm, no need to start a war with the Liu Family for now.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, the Caotian Sect Master also stood in shock, his face filled with disbelief. He had seen the footage of Chen Qiu killing tens of thousands of the Evil Clan in the Endless Wilderness alone, but back then, the Thunder Dragons weren¡¯t as large and couldn¡¯t mobilize the power of heaven and earth!


    Spells capable of invoking the power of heaven and earth are typically within the means of those with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation!


    Back then, the Thunder Dragons weren¡¯t nearly as terrifying.


    He had only just stepped into Golden Core, so why did his combat power undergo such an earth-shattering change? He too had once been at Golden Core, so how could he not know that normally stepping into Golden Core would indeed increase one¡¯s strength significantly, but it doesn¡¯t increase that goddamn much!


    Not to mention¡ª


    If he were to take on those tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons head-on, he would not survive.


    It¡¯s that simple.


    ¡­


    In the crowd, the sect masters of the major sects and family heads of major families all looked towards Chen Qiu standing high in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, their faces filled with shock, finding it difficult to imagine how such a terrifying heavenly might could burst forth from the body of this young man who appeared somewhat slender and handsome.


    Is this still a Magic Practitioner?


    Are Magic Practitioners like this?


    However, since Chen Qiu¡¯s combat was in full public view, many caught on to his weakness.


    A sect elder shook his head, stating solemnly: ¡°This Chen Qiu¡¯s methods are indeed terrifying, but he also has a weakness, which is his Divine Sense. Didn¡¯t you notice that he hasn¡¯t used Divine Sense locking from beginning to end?¡±


    ¡°This indicates his poor control over Divine Sense locking. After all, he has just entered Golden Core. If one is fast enough, it might be possible to evade.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­¡± The head of a family standing beside the speaking sect elder looked incredulously at him, pointing to Chen Qiu in the Secret Realm, shocked: ¡°Fellow Daoist, are you joking?¡±


    ¡°Do those tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons need Divine Sense locking?¡±


    ¡°Where can you run to?¡± S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Did you see any of those Heavenly Prides escape?¡±


    ¡°Ordinary people definitely can¡¯t run away.¡± The sect elder said earnestly: ¡°But if your Cultivation is at the Golden Core third layer or higher, and you are proficient in movement techniques, you could indeed flee instantly, then return after the Thunder Dragons have dispersed.¡±

 Chapter 224 - 126:

    Chapter 224: Chapter 126: ¡°Isn¡¯t that an exaggeration¡­¡±_2


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s weakness is his Divine Sense.¡±


    ¡°As long as we grasp this weakness, there is still great hope to defeat Brother Qiu between the third and fourth layers of the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    The words fell.


    This time, nobody refuted. People around glanced at one another and felt that the sect elder made some sense. The Heavenly Prides couldn¡¯t escape, but they could. Once the Thunder Dragon dissipated, they could return, and it wasn¡¯t impossible to win then.


    However¡­


    Having to resort to such a strategy to fight a Golden Core Stage at the first layer, when one was in the third or fourth, and still only having a great hope rather than certainty, was somewhat embarrassing if word got out.


    ...


    No matter what everyone discussed.


    Brother Qiu¡¯s success in topping the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was now an unchangeable fact, and moreover, he was the most uncontestably worthy of all time to rank as the leader of the board without any dispute.


    In the past Heavenly Pride Secret Realms, due to the mechanisms involved, there were always some accidental factors that led to the elimination of very popular competitors, which caused no matter who ended up as the leaderboard leader¡­


    There would always be controversy, with people claiming that if it hadn¡¯t been for so-and-so¡¯s accidental elimination, how could he possibly have become the leaderboard leader.


    Even the time when the scholar became the leaderboard leader, there was a great deal of controversy.


    But¡­


    This time, uniquely¡­


    There was no controversy, no one opened their mouths to say that if it hadn¡¯t been for this or that, Brother Qiu could not have possibly become the leaderboard leader.


    The crushing momentum had been etched into everyone¡¯s hearts.


    There was simply no room for doubt.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm¡­


    Only Brother Qiu was there.


    He looked curiously at the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure that was gradually taking shape in front of him. Its foundation was his seven-colored fishing rod, which he truly hadn¡¯t expected to be the highest-grade amongst these treasures; an object he had initially regarded as just a handy tool.


    Only¡­ it would seem very strange if the main body were to be a short rod.


    What Magic Practitioner¡¯s Lifebound Spirit Treasure was a short rod?


    Even a sword would have seemed more reasonable to him.


    About thirty minutes later, the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure was finally fully formed. Its main body turned out to be the Seven-colored fishing rod, but¡­ with something different about it.


    Rather than a fishing rod¡­


    It was more like the frame of an umbrella.


    Yes, the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure he had crafted was an umbrella, with the Seven-colored fishing rod forming its frame and the other heavenly materials forming its canopy.


    At the instant the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure was completed¡ª


    He activated an entry.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Child of Heavenly Pride.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you advance from the first layer of Qi Refinement to the Golden Core Stage within 30 days, there is a chance to randomly receive this entry. This entry is one-time use, consuming it will enhance the strength and grade of any one of your Spiritual Treasures.


    ¨C


    At once¡­


    The inscription of the entry within his Golden Core began to slowly fade away and transformed into a beam of Liu Guang that shot into the umbrella, adding an extra touch to the already Seven-colored wooden umbrella. He could distinctly feel an improvement in the grade of the Spiritual Treasure.


    When the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure slowly settled into his hands¡­


    He also began to sense various pieces of information on how to refine it into his Lifebound Spirit Treasure, and how to nurture it, still unaware of its specific uses for now.


    One could only know its particular uses after the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure had been refined into his Lifebound Spirit Treasure.


    Following that¡ª


    He felt enveloped in an extremely powerful force of rejection, and then he was instantly ejected from the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.


    The moment he appeared¡­


    One of the six Golden Core Peak elders from the Royal Family, sitting at the center of the plaza, spoke in a clear, hoarse voice that echoed in everyone¡¯s ears, ¡°The Heavenly Pride Secret Realm is now concluded.¡±


    ¡°The top one hundred Heavenly Prides, please come forward to receive His Majesty¡¯s bounty.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    All those present looked expressionlessly at the elder. A hundred names? There weren¡¯t a hundred, there was just one, and wasn¡¯t that person standing right beside you?


    Yet the Golden Core Peak elder¡¯s expression remained unfazed; he mechanically finished a set phrase, then, using Spiritual Energy, sent a wooden box towards Brother Qiu and hoarsely stated,


    ¡°This is the bounty His Majesty prepared for the leader of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡±


    After Brother Qiu took the wooden box, the six elders disappeared from the spot.


    ¡­


    The event of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was officially concluded.


    But the crowd surrounding the plaza did not disperse; they turned their eyes to Brother Qiu, standing in the middle of the venue.


    Just as Brother Qiu was about to stand up¡ª


    ¡°Hey.¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A hoarse voice arose behind him, where the Seventh Prince of Da Xia, supported by two eunuchs, was limping towards him and stared at him resolutely, word by word, saying,


    ¡°Sooner or later, I will defeat you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm, keep it up,¡± Brother Qiu responded encouragingly.


    These geniuses simply needed to push themselves, unlike him, who also needed to consider when to really show his strength, when to act a bit weaker, or when to seem as though he wasn¡¯t cheating.


    After greeting the Sect Master of Caotian Sect and others for a while, letting Fat Long and the others out from the small world, he began his walk toward the Capital.


    ¡­


    In the Capital¡­


    On Xuanwu Road, Fat Long walked beside Brother Qiu, who was wearing a mask, shaking with excitement as he whispered, ¡°Brother Qiu, you didn¡¯t seriously look at those sect masters just now; they went stiff on the spot.¡±


    ¡°They looked at Brother Qiu like they were seeing a monster.¡±


    ¡°They were all dumbfounded, hahaha!¡±


    Even though he and the scholar were in the small world, they had a clear, uninterrupted view of everything happening outside, and he had to admit, Brother Qiu had truly made a name for himself in this Heavenly Pride Secret Realm.

 Chapter 225 - 126:

    Chapter 225: Chapter 126: ¡°Isn¡¯t that an exaggeration¡­¡±_3


    Anyone whose Dao heart isn¡¯t firm would probably have it shattered by now.


    After all, if you¡¯re a Heavenly Pride and you see someone twice as strong as you, you might still feel a twinge of defiance, thinking that someday you¡¯ll cut them down. But if you see someone whose cultivation and battle power are ten or even a hundred times yours,


    you¡¯ll never think that way again.


    You may even end up thinking that no matter how hard you try, you can never catch up, and if you can¡¯t catch up, why bother trying at all.


    Chen Qiu chuckled silently without speaking, just walking at the forefront, propping himself with the Seven-Colored Wooden Umbrella. He planned to rest awhile and then find a place to refine it into his Lifebound Magical Artifact, though he did find that using it as a walking stick was quite comfortable.


    Oddly handy.


    ...


    He was now preparing to take the scholar to listen to some music, fulfilling the promise he made yesterday. At that time, he didn¡¯t have any Spirit Stones, but after the leader¡¯s reward, he was given 20,000 inferior-grade Spirit Stones, making him suddenly wealthy again.


    He was somewhat tired himself and was looking forward to relaxing while listening to the music.


    ¡­


    The Capital¡¯s Chunfeng Shili Building, the most famous brothel in the Capital.


    The girls inside were not only from Da Xia, but also from the Hundred Countries, adding an exotic flavor.


    There were even some from the Devil Clan with awakened Spiritual Wisdom ¡ª from the Devil Clan, not demon beasts.


    Each had their own flavor.


    At this moment, in a premier room,


    seven or eight girls dressed in thin red gauze danced gracefully to the tune played by another girl, with occasional laughter that seemed to capture the essence of prosperity, while Fat Long was thoroughly enjoying himself, constantly laughing and toasting.


    Although the scholar was somewhat restrained, he too was quite delighted under Fat Long¡¯s lead.


    The scholar¡¯s little brother sat quietly to the side, munching on peanuts.


    And Chen Qiu leaned back in his chair, gazing at the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Rank one¡±: Chen Qiu.


    ¨C


    That was it.


    The Heavenly Pride Leaderboard had been updated following the end of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, representing this year¡¯s ranking. Today was January the first, and this leaderboard would last an entire year until the next Heavenly Pride Secret Realm when the ranking would change again. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And for this whole year,


    the only name on this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard would be his.


    The peerless Heavenly Pride.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed as he pondered the meaning of becoming the peerless Heavenly Pride while leaning against the back of his chair. There were no rewards for becoming the peerless Heavenly Pride nor any special effects like those bestowed upon a Heavenly Dao Saint. It seemed like the title of peerless Heavenly Pride was just that, a term of praise.


    But since the peerless Heavenly Pride emerged in anticipation of the impending chaos in the world,


    it definitely wasn¡¯t as simple as just a term of praise.


    Just as the changing rules within the Secret Realm had declared.


    The peerless Heavenly Pride would influence the chaos of the world.


    Finally, things were settling down.


    Sitting in the private room of Chunfeng Shili Building, even with the enticing twists and turns of the girls in front of him, he found his heart was calm, feeling like he could finally rest for a while.


    Just like the night before his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, lying on the Boundless Icefield.


    It was a comfortable feeling.


    He suddenly felt as though he had a realization.


    No matter how noisy the surroundings, once your heart is calm, you become calm.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu had his tranquility.


    But Da Xia Country was anything but peaceful. The Memory Stone of Chen Qiu dominating the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was replicated countless times and quickly spread to every corner of Da Xia Country and even to the Hundred Countries.


    Originally, many families in Da Xia Country that specialized in making Memory Stones were barely scraping by.


    But since Chen Qiu¡¯s rise.


    The orders for these families suddenly surged; in fact, many families started to worship Chen Qiu. They didn¡¯t ask for anything else but for Chen Qiu to cause a bit more of a stir. Every time Chen Qiu made waves,


    their orders would skyrocket, with great numbers of people ordering Memory Stones.


    Just like the last time Chen Qiu exterminated tens of thousands of the Evil Clan alone, the orders surged, but this time the increase was even more exaggerated. For the first time in Da Xia Country, the ordinarily mundane Memory Stones became a bestseller.


    Even though Chen Qiu had never been to the Hundred Countries,


    his reputation had already started spreading there.


    ¡­


    In an alley in the Capital,


    a dirty-looking old man sat cross-legged on the ground, blissfully devouring a freshly roasted chicken, with a black flag placed beside him.


    On the black flag, two lines of slightly crooked white stitches spelled out:


    ¡°One dares not predict all with divination, for fear of heaven, earth, ghosts, and gods.¡±


    ¡°One cannot speak clearly, for fear of throwing the world into chaos.¡±


    The chatter of passersby at the alley entrance drifted in with the breeze.


    ¡°Did you hear about that Heavenly Pride from Fufeng City who suddenly rose to fame? He achieved a Fifth-grade Golden Core and then dominated the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard with overwhelming force.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to hear it? I¡¯m nearly sick of that Heavenly Dao Decree. I can¡¯t escape it even if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s true that life is not fair. I¡¯m also a Loose Cultivator, and I¡¯ve chopped so much firewood too. How come I didn¡¯t suddenly rise to glory?¡±


    ¡°Stop dreaming, you¡¯ll just feel worse. That Chen Qiu single-handedly obliterated the determination of all the Heavenly Prides. What are we in comparison? Especially the Qu Family, their only son died in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm. I heard that the Qu Family Master is so furious that he¡¯s preparing to consult the Supreme Elder to intercept and kill Chen Qiu in revenge for Qu Qi.¡±


    ¡°The Qu Family Supreme Elder is at the Great Perfection stage of the Golden Core Peak, and Chen Qiu, though a Heavenly Pride, is only at the first layer of the Golden Core. Can he stand a chance against that, especially since he has no powerful backing?¡±


    ¡°He definitely can¡¯t withstand it. I don¡¯t know how things will turn out, but I feel that Da Xia is getting more and more chaotic. We might be on the verge of war soon.¡±

 Chapter 226 - 126:

    Chapter 226: Chapter 126: ¡°Isn¡¯t that an exaggeration¡­¡±_4


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The sounds of passersby conversing gradually faded away.


    Meanwhile, the old man, who was gnawing on a roasted chicken inside a box, suddenly looked meaningfully toward the alley entrance and revealed a yellow-toothed smile covered in shreds of meat.


    Fifth-grade Golden Core?


    A Fifth-grade Golden Core doesn¡¯t deserve the title of a Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core, nor does it match the miraculous phenomenon observed at the scene.


    All of Da Xia thought that Chen Qiu¡¯s Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core was a Fifth-grade one, but only he knew that Chen Qiu¡¯s Golden Core was a Tenth-grade!


    ...


    That Jade Scroll was also given to Chen Qiu by him.


    Honestly, he had never considered the possibility that Chen Qiu might have a Tenth-grade Golden Core, for it was exceedingly strict, and possessing things like a Seven-colored term or the bodies of three Nascent Souls was nearly impossible.


    He had never expected that Chen Qiu would actually possess a Seven-colored term.


    Tenth-grade Golden Core¡­


    The old man¡¯s expression gradually became distant. It was something even the countless top Heavenly Prides outside didn¡¯t possess. Who could have imagined that this legendary existence would appear in Da Xia?


    In his lifetime, he had seen much and knew a lot.


    But he had never heard of any top Heavenly Pride possessing a Tenth-grade Golden Core, an almost non-existent thing.


    ¡°Youth is truly wonderful.¡±


    After a long while.


    The old man suddenly sighed deeply. Youthfulness came with vigor; during his younger days, he too was vigorous and a Heavenly Pride, capable of reaching the Nascent Soul. Weren¡¯t all young people at that time considered Heavenly Prides?


    Heavenly Prides were many, as numerous as hairs on a cow.


    But those who ended up well were far too few.


    When you have seen many, whom you clearly know you could never surpass in your lifetime, that energy in your heart dissipates, and once this spirit is lost, you are no longer a Heavenly Pride.


    To become an exceptionally dominant Heavenly Pride,


    you must satisfy one condition.


    You must never be utterly defeated by another.


    Once you utterly lose, the path of the Heavenly Pride is cut short, except for a few with extremely resilient characters who can rise from the bottom and regain their spirit after setbacks. Most Heavenly Prides, after an utter defeat, fade into obscurity.


    The next moment¡ª


    The old man suddenly pinched his fingers and calculated for a long time, muttering incoherently with a mouth full of roasted chicken, ¡°Almost forgot, the path of Heavenly Pride seems to be opening again in a few years. Wonder who all the Heavenly Prides will be this time.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    ¡°Do we really need to take action¡­ ¡±


    Within the Qu Family Courtyard.


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder looked at the Qu Family Head standing before him with a fierce and angry appearance and sighed lightly before asking.


    ¡°We must kill Chen Qiu!¡±


    The Qu Family Head spelled out ferociously, ¡°I only had one son, Qu Qi, and Chen Qiu killed my son, my legacy is gone, who am I supposed to pass the Qu family to now? We must kill him, otherwise, I can¡¯t dispel this grievance in my heart!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ everyone else left the Secret Realm earlier, it was your son who confidently did not want to leave.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder¡¯s mouth twitched slightly before speaking again, ¡°With the years I have left, every move I make consumes my remaining years; you are aware of this, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware!¡±


    ¡°And yet you still ask me to act?¡±


    ¡°The Supreme Elder is the guardian deity of every family, not only to deter but also to exterminate the petty and evil. The Qu Family provides not a small amount of resources to the Supreme Elder every year. If, when the Qu Family needs him, the Supreme Elder can only serve as a decoration without taking action, then there isn¡¯t much point in having a Supreme Elder.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder eventually fell silent; he had realized that it wasn¡¯t because of the Qu Family Head that the Qu family had developed to this position, but all depended on his former self who later retreated and abdicated power, and at the brink of death, he had transmigrated.


    Take action?


    I can only live another year and a half, and you still ask me to take action?


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After a long pause, he slowly nodded and said, ¡°I will take action, but there has been a secret chamber in the Qu Family that you¡¯re unaware of. I will take you there first.¡±


    ¡°That secret chamber is a small world, which I discovered during my travels in my prime. That small world is quite special; one must enter without any Spiritual Energy in their body.¡±


    ¡°This pill is a Disperse Energy Pill. Swallow it and it will instantly disperse the Spiritual Energy in your body and prevent you from absorbing Spiritual Energy for an hour; take this pill first, then I will take you there.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    A flicker of surprise crossed the Qu Family Head¡¯s eyes: ¡°Our Qu Family actually has such a treasure as a small world?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true.¡±


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder said solemnly, ¡°What are you saying? Could I deceive you? I am the Qu Family¡¯s Supreme Elder, after all.¡±


    ¡­


    Da Xia Country was not at peace.


    Countless messages about Chen Qiu spread quickly both publicly and secretly, an undercurrent stirring; anyone discerning could feel that from some time ago, Da Xia had somehow become much livelier.


    At the very least¡­


    Wasn¡¯t the frequency of the appearances of the Heavenly Dao Decree a bit too high? It wasn¡¯t this frequent before.


    But regardless of the outside world.


    At this moment within the Capital, inside the Chunfeng Shili Building, Chen Qiu and a few others were enthusiastically gathered, playing ¡®Three-On-One Cards,¡¯ a card game for three people, usually played by those considered to squander their potential.


    Even those who played this game were often looked down upon.


    ¡°Wan San, go big!¡±


    Chen Qiu pushed his hand of cards forward, looking at the unconvinced faces of Fat Long and the scholar, and said with a smile, ¡°You two lost again, what do you say?¡±


    Finally, a break came.


    At this moment, he was quite enjoying this feeling of not having anything to worry about.


    Soon.


    As evening arrived, after strolling around for a bit with Fat Long and the others, they returned to the inn.


    Inside the inn.


    ¡°Hu¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed alone, took a deep breath, and looked seriously at the Seven-Colored Wooden Umbrella resting on his knees, preparing to refine it into his Lifebound Magical Artifact tonight.

 Chapter 227 - 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head.

    Chapter 227: Chapter 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head.


    It¡¯s called the Seven-Colored Wooden Umbrella.


    But it is more appropriately called the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella, with its main structure being the seven-colored fishing rod, painted in seven colors, as smooth as jade. Holding it feels just right¡ªnot too slippery, with a slight roughness that gives it a tangible quality when gripped in hand.


    No need to drip blood.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on his bed, gently exhaled his Golden Core, his eyes tightly shut as he circulated his mental method. All he needed to do was to bring the Golden Core close to the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella, and then after about six hours or so, it would be fully refined.


    By then, this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella would become his lifebound magical artifact.


    However, just as he had begun to circulate his mental method, he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. He saw that the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella had already transformed into a miniature version hovering over his Dantian, evidently already fully refined.


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent and did not speak.


    The speed was much faster than he had imagined, and he discovered another hidden effect of the twelve-grade Golden Core¡ªit could instantly refine a Spirit Treasure. After all¡­ a twelve-grade Golden Core was top grade, and no Spirit Treasure dared to act up.


    With a thought,


    The Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella appeared outside his body in a blink of an eye, flying continuously inside the room at his command.


    After successfully refining it, he felt a mysterious and profound connection between his spirit and this lifebound Spirit Treasure. Naturally, the power of the Spirit Treasure would significantly increase after becoming a lifebound one, and its use became more seamless. However, the downside was that if the lifebound Spirit Treasure was damaged, he would also suffer accordingly.


    After closing his eyes and feeling the specific effects of the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella,


    He opened his eyes, a flicker of astonishment passing through them.


    This Spirit Treasure¡­


    Was stronger than he had imagined.


    Spirit Treasure grades are divided into¡ª


    Foundation Establishment High Grade¡­ Foundation Establishment Top Grade¡­ Golden Core High Grade¡­ Golden Core Top Grade, etc.


    The higher the grade of the Spirit Treasure, the stronger its power. At the same time, only the corresponding Cultivation can unleash its full power. If one with insufficient Cultivation forcefully activates a very high-grade Spirit Treasure, at best they would seriously injure themselves, and at worst, they would be drained of all Spiritual Energy and even their Dantian would be absorbed, turning them into a dried corpse.


    This Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure of his was a growing Spirit Treasure; its grade would continuously rise as its nurture grade increased.


    This Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella was of Golden Core Low Grade, the same grade as his Cultivation.


    But¡­


    There are grades even within the same level, such as different Golden Core Low Grade Spirit Treasures having varying strengths, depending on which Cultivation could fully exert the Spirit Treasure¡¯s power.


    And Spirit Treasure grades are divided into three kinds.


    Human Level, Earth Level, Heavenly Level.


    Currently, all artifact cultivators in Da Xia Country can only create Human Level Spirit Treasures due to a break in the transmission of knowledge, hence nobody discusses this matter, and it¡¯s assumed all Spirit Treasures are of Human Level.


    And all past Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures were of Earth Level.


    This is also why Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures are highly sought after, and this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella in his hand, under the auspices of his entry and a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny, had reached the Heavenly Level.


    Golden Core Low Grade, Top Heavenly Level Spirit Treasure.


    This grade was already the strongest among all Golden Core Low Grade Spirit Treasures.


    There were many precious natural resources involved in this, attributable to his exceptional, yet uncommon material¡ª the seven-colored fishing rod. It also involved the entry and a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    Under all these factors, barring any accidents, this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella could be used indefinitely.


    An unlimited growth grade.


    No matter how high his Cultivation, it could always be of use, although breaking through a major grade, such as from Golden Core Top Grade to Nascent Soul Low Grade, would require replenishing with some precious natural treasures for promotion.


    And the effects of this Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella were even more astonishing.


    The effects are simple, just three.


    ¨C


    When you wield this Spirit Treasure, the power of the spells released will be enhanced, and the consumption of Spiritual Energy will be reduced by fifty percent.


    When the canopy is spread open, it can transform into a defensive Spirit Treasure, capable of blocking a full-force attack from a fourth-level Golden Core Cultivation and below.


    When the canopy is open, Divine Sense will automatically lock onto all beings within its range that you consider to be enemies.


    ¨C


    As the grade of this Spirit Treasure rises, these three effects will also improve. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Reflecting on these three effects, Chen Qiu gradually fell silent, not because they weren¡¯t strong, but because they seemed almost too powerful.


    The first effect needs no further discussion.


    There¡¯s nothing much to say.


    Nearly all magical practitioner¡¯s Spirit Treasures contain this effect; it¡¯s a universal effect. For a magical practitioner¡¯s Spirit Treasury, this effect is the most essential and the most important, although other magical practitioners¡¯ Spirit Treasures don¡¯t offer nearly as ridiculous an enhancement as his does.


    A fifty percent reduction in the consumption of Spiritual Energy theoretically equates to a direct doubling of combat power¡ªyou can cast twice as many spells.


    Originally, under his full fire, using various entries such as ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting,¡± he could emit over four thousand Thunder Dragons.


    Now, it would be eight thousand.


    Moreover, it also enhanced his spell¡¯s power, making the Thunder Summoning Technique he now wielded with the Seven-Colored Jade Umbrella even more powerful and intense. And not just for the Thunder Summoning Technique¡ªbut for spells like the ¡°Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique,¡± which he didn¡¯t use often, would also have increased power.


    The second effect integrates offense and defense. Defensive Spirit Treasures are extremely important for magical practitioners. Everyone knows that among the same level of Cultivation, the defense of magical practitioners is the weakest, after all, a person can only possess so many resources. If you spend most of your resources enhancing your offensive capabilities, naturally, there won¡¯t be much left to boost your defense.


    Unless one directly ignores their offensive capabilities and exchanges all their resources for defensive Spirit Treasures and defensive spells, but if so, what¡¯s the point of choosing to be a magical practitioner? One might as well choose Body Cultivation.


    Unless, like Qu Qi, you have an abundance of resources and can afford to buy many Protective Spiritual Treasures and Protective Talismans, naturally integrating offense and defense.

 Chapter 228 - 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head. _2

    Chapter 228: Chapter 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head. _2


    But even so¡­


    none can withstand as well as Body Cultivators. Body Cultivators forge their own bodies like Spiritual Treasures, with their flesh being a growable Spiritual Treasure. They don¡¯t rely on Protective Spirit Qi. Instead, they let Spiritual Energy seep into every part of their bodies directly through shattered meridians, which makes them extremely resilient.


    And this is currently his only Protective Spiritual Treasure.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Although he hasn¡¯t encountered a situation that requires self-defense, having one is always better than none.


    The third effect, bluntly put, is a wide-range, unlimited, automatic targeting ability.


    ...


    Normally speaking, a freshly advanced Golden Core Divine Sense can lock onto only one target.


    With more proficient control over Divine Sense, one can gradually increase this to three, five, or even dozens of targets. Locking onto hundreds simultaneously tends to be more difficult, since one has to split their Divine Sense into hundreds of strands to target different people.


    If one is a Golden Core with an extremely high control of Divine Sense, they might be able to achieve this during stationary training. But in the throes of fierce battle, it¡¯s almost impossible.


    And the enemies aren¡¯t fools either.


    Through the use of techniques like escape arts or stealth spells, as long as one moves quickly enough or can evade Divine Sense targeting, it¡¯s difficult for your Divine Sense to lock onto them.


    With his ability¡­


    within the range of his Divine Sense, every being he identifies as an enemy can be automatically targeted. His Divine Sense range isn¡¯t that of a typical first-layer Golden Core, which is about twenty miles in radius.


    It¡¯s one hundred and thirty miles.


    This means that as soon as enemies appear within his Divine Sense range, all of them will be automatically targeted, and being targeted by a Magic Practitioner¡¯s Divine Sense often means that in the next moment, multiple spells will come hurtling at incredible speed.


    Of course, Divine Sense Attacks are not feasible, as they cause wear to the Sea of Consciousness. After several uses, they require a slow recovery. The recovery of the Sea of Consciousness can¡¯t be hastened with external forces and must happen naturally. This is a last resort move, not to be squandered carelessly.


    Excessive use of the Sea of Consciousness can be dangerous to a person¡¯s mental state and life.


    Divine Sense Attacks can¡¯t launch dozens or hundreds simultaneously, but targeting with Divine Sense is different. This has minimal wear on the Sea of Consciousness, especially since he also possesses the ¡°Mutual Growth¡± entry, which enhances his Sea of Consciousness capacity.


    He can target more individuals simultaneously, though he hasn¡¯t tested it and isn¡¯t clear on the exact number he can lock onto.


    He certainly didn¡¯t dare experiment now in the Capital¡­


    If hundreds or even thousands were targeted by Divine Sense simultaneously, it was no joke. Such intense fluctuations of Divine Sense would activate the Capital¡¯s grand formation, and in the next moment, multiple Golden Core Peaks would descend above his inn.


    After refining his Lifebound Spirit Treasure, Chen Qiu was quite satisfied with it. Instead of cultivating further, he decided to sleep that night.


    Even though his Golden Core meant he didn¡¯t need to sleep to maintain his energy¡­


    sleeping was still more comfortable.


    After so many tiring days, it was also time to rest.


    Having refined it into his Lifebound Spirit Treasure, he also learned its official name.


    ¡°Seven-Colored Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in Da Xia¡¯s Capital, within the Imperial Palace¡­


    In a study guarded by several Golden Cores and concealed in darkness, a cloaked man with an indistinct face calmly looked at thirty-six brocade bags spread out on his desk.


    At this moment, twenty-four of the brocade bags had been opened.


    Twelve remained unopened.


    Each bag had a note stuck on its exterior.


    On the note stuck to the thirteenth bag, it read:


    ¡°To be opened when the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard is down to one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The man in the study stared at this note for a long while before he reached out with his slender, fair hand to pick up the brocade bag. He sent his Divine Sense into the bag. This bag was set with an extremely special restriction. If not opened with the Secret Technique, forcefully breaking it open would only cause the brocade bag to combust and prevent Divine Sense from penetrating.


    There was only one person capable of setting such a restriction.


    And that person had vanished along with the State Preceptor¡¯s seclusion, not to be seen since.


    After probing the brocade bag with his Divine Sense and dispelling it according to the Secret Technique, a piece of paper floated out.


    In the study¡­


    Only a single oil lamp burned, the light dim. Under the starry sky, the Imperial Palace seemed exceedingly quiet. The man sitting at the desk appeared somewhat dreamy as he recalled the note¡¯s contents, his fingers absentmindedly rubbing the paper as he murmured.


    ¡°State Preceptor¡­ State Preceptor¡­¡±


    ¡°Is he the one you chose?¡±


    He then fell silent once more and after a long pause gently shook a copper bell on the desk, saying softly to someone outside, ¡°Inform the Flower Offering Sect that they may begin.¡±


    ¡°Allow Ji Taiping to return to the Capital in thirty days.¡±


    No sound came from outside the study, and the man at the desk did not speak further, only glancing toward a placed Illusion Stone on the table. When used, this stone could wipe all memories and grant one the chance to live again.


    No powerful being could guarantee that starting from scratch, they would reach the same heights as before.


    Only one person, having discarded all memories with the Illusion Stone, lived thirty-six lifetimes. In twenty-seven of them, he attained extraordinary heights, and only in nine did he fail.


    In those nine lives, he died amidst the rise, never dying of old age.


    This man was the State Preceptor.


    Having secluded himself for cultivation years ago, he had not emerged since.


    After some time, the man at the desk, slightly exhausted, slowly closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

 Chapter 229 - 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head._3

    Chapter 229: Chapter 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head._3


    On the desk,


    The first brocade bag that was opened also had a note attached to the outside.


    ¡°Deliver to the Capital City Zhang Family, stating that the number one sword cultivator Bai Yi of Da Xia possesses the method to achieve the Nascent Soul, causing his cultivation to fall and leaving him wandering in Fufeng City¡¯s Wentian Fang Market. Pay close attention at all times and do not allow him to join any clans, sects, and powers. Whoever contacts him too much, kill.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°It has begun.¡±


    The face of the Flower Offering Sect Master flushed red, standing excitedly and trembling at the high altitude above the Flower Offering Sect, and looking down at the cave dwelling below the Heavenly Girl, he said with trembling voice, ¡°Someone of great importance from the palace has sent a letter!!¡±


    ...


    ¡°The opportunity for the Flower Offering Sect has finally arrived!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Flower Offering Sect Grand Elder stood beside, his expression complex and without saying much, always felt that there was something not quite right about this situation. There¡¯s a price for everything in the world, and different matters correspond to different prices.


    The revival of the Flower Offering Sect corresponds to the loss of a Heavenly Girl.


    The two are clearly not equivalent.


    Under such unequal circumstances,


    There are only two possibilities, one is that the former is false, and the other is that the latter is not just a Heavenly Girl. Whichever possibility it is, he felt it was not a good thing.


    But after all, he is just the Grand Elder and within the Flower Offering Sect, the Flower Offering Sect Master holds absolute authority; he cannot interfere.


    Nonetheless, he couldn¡¯t suppress the worry in his heart and spoke out to remind, ¡°Sect Master, the Supreme Elder of our Flower Offering Sect passed away a few years ago. Although we have hidden this news from the outside, you know well that our Flower Offering Sect currently does not have a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivation powerhouse to oversee it.¡±


    ¡°The strongest is you, Sect Master, with a Golden Core fourth-layer cultivation.¡±


    ¡°If this news spreads, in case any accident happens, the Flower Offering Sect does not have the capacity to combat the risks.¡±


    The Flower Offering Sect Master shook his head, his expression turning cold as he said solemnly, ¡°A while ago, we followed Fatten State¡¯s example and invested a large number of Spirit Stones, creating a large quantity of Memory Stones in two states, aiming to climb the Fame Ranking to obtain a large number of Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.¡±


    ¡°However, just as we invested a big amount of Spirit Stones and barely reaped the benefits for a few days, the Fame Ranking was closed.¡±


    ¡°Causing our sect to suffer a great loss of Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°The influential figure within the palace has promised us that after the matter is done, he will give us fifty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. This sum could inject a massive new life into the Flower Offering Sect. Don¡¯t be too timid to act, fearing wolves ahead and tigers behind.¡±


    ¡°Nothing can be accomplished that way.¡±


    ¡°Do as the influential figure in the palace has directed.¡±


    After a moment of silence, the Flower Offering Sect Grand Elder still nodded and replied, ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡­


    The next day¡ª


    Inside the Capital, Chen Qiu woke up in the inn, went out the door, and saw Fat Long and a few others waiting for him at the entrance with smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Helplessly glancing over them, Chen Qiu took the lead and walked down the inn¡¯s corridor, as if no matter how early he woke up, he could never be up earlier than Fat Long and the others. He was starting to suspect they started waiting for him even before dawn.


    Today there was nothing to do.


    But just as they had barely stepped into the inn¡¯s lobby, they heard the customers at a few nearby tables who were having breakfast whispering to each other.


    ¡°Did you hear? The news that Flower Offering Sect¡¯s Supreme Elder has long since passed away has leaked out, and the strongest they now have is the current Sect Master with a fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation. Without the Supreme Elder, the Sect Ranking is bound to fall significantly.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Whether or not a sect has a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivator fundamentally differentiates one sect from another.¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve heard that the Heavenly Girl, not knowing what grave mistake she made, is to be publicly executed today.¡±


    ¡°Who knows, in any case, that Heavenly Girl is not a good person, always trying to seduce various Heavenly Prides. Her frivolous conduct is genuinely nauseating.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, while about to leave the inn, upon hearing the news discussed by the surrounding customers, paused slightly and frowned. Then, he took big steps and left the inn, casually strolling down the alley with Fat Long and the others without much care.


    After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea,


    Chen Qiu suddenly laughed, turned his head and looked at Fat Long: ¡°Why are you silent? I thought you¡¯d be the first to speak up.¡±


    He knew that Fat Long had once suffered great humiliation in the Flower Offering Sect, and his greatest wish in life was to one day annihilate the Flower Offering Sect.


    Now that the Flower Offering Sect Supreme Elder had passed away and the strongest they had was just a Sect Master with a fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation, with his own strength, he was totally capable of annihilating the Flower Offering Sect. This was the best opportunity; he thought Fat Long would not be able to hold back from speaking up soon, but unexpectedly Fat Long did not show the slightest intention to speak.


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long, feeling somewhat embarrassed after his thoughts were exposed, whispered, ¡°Well¡­ Brother Qiu, the main thing is, after all, the Flower Offering Sect Master does have a fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation, and there¡¯s also the Mountain Protection Array. Even though you are very strong, Brother Qiu, you might still get injured.¡±


    ¡°Although I really want to destroy the Flower Offering Sect,¡±


    ¡°To wipe out those evil demons that absorb mortal life force once and for all, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Brother Qiu to get hurt even more.¡±


    ¡°We are developing well now. As long as we keep progressing step by step, there will come a day when we can annihilate the Flower Offering Sect without getting hurt at all. There is no need to take risks at this time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar nodded earnestly and said, ¡°Brother Qiu, Fat Long is right. Golden Core fourth-layer and Golden Core first or second layer are not on the same level. One is in the middle stage of Golden Core and the other is in the early stage of Golden Core. There¡¯s a world of difference.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, said nothing, and used his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella as a walking stick, tapping it on the ground and continued walking down the cobblestone path: ¡°Let¡¯s go, a mere fourth-layer Golden Core, it¡¯s not a problem.¡±

 Chapter 230 - 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head._4

    Chapter 230: Chapter 127: Wide Range Automatic Locking Head._4


    ¡­


    Since Chen Qiu was determined, the few others did not speak to stop him.


    After leaving the Capital, the scholar summoned Qingfeng and shot towards the direction of the Flower Offering Sect. Within a dozen breaths, they had already landed at the gate of the Flower Offering Sect.


    There were two Kai Mountain Disciples of the Flower Offering Sect guarding the gate, clutching the Sound Transmission Talisman in their hands and looking coldly at Chen Qiu¡¯s group, who had appeared out of thin air. In a hoarse voice, they demanded, ¡°Who goes there, state your name.¡±


    Chen Qiu did not speak.


    He simply surveyed the surroundings.


    ...


    The Flower Offering Sect was located within the massive range of mountains, Jing Province, where a vast expanse of endless mountains could be found, many of which were rich in Spiritual Energy. That¡¯s why many sects had set up their bases here.


    The Flower Offering Sect was on one of the peaks within this mountain range.


    In the midst of winter, most of the mountain was covered with bare branches, giving it a somewhat desolate look. Come next spring, these bare branches would sprout green leaves anew, a cycle repeating year after year.


    Although the Flower Offering Sect had announced that today¡¯s execution of the Heavenly Girl was open for the public to watch, no one had gone up the mountain. What kind of sect the Flower Offering Sect was, everyone knew ¨C not Evil Cultivation or Demon Cultivation, but it was much worse in comparison.


    Going up was simple, but it was uncertain whether one could come down.


    Anyone with a sensible mind wouldn¡¯t want to get involved in this troublesome matter.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    The pupils of the two Mountain Guarding Disciples at the gate started to show a hint of coldness, and they spoke again with an icy voice, ¡°I¡¯ll ask one more time, state your name, or else¡­¡±


    Their voices suddenly stopped.


    Two Divine Sense Attacks swept through them.


    The two Mountain Guarding Disciples immediately stiffened and crashed heavily onto the ground behind them, sleeping very soundly without moving an inch.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu, with a calm expression, opened the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and strode into the Mountain Gate, walking along the path towards the mountain top. Almost at the instant he opened the umbrella, dense black clouds swiftly enveloped the entire Flower Offering Sect.


    The light quickly dimmed.


    The storm howled and roared toward them.


    The originally calm and sunny Flower Offering Sect was suddenly shrouded in the storm. Such changes in the heavens and earth naturally completely startled the Flower Offering Sect.


    And his Divine Sense also instantly spread out, locking down everyone within the Flower Offering Sect. For the Foundation Establishment Disciples, being locked by the Divine Sense of a Golden Core cultivator basically meant that they were already hovering on the edge of death.


    ¡­


    Dozens of breaths later.


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, led Fat Long and the others up the stone steps through the storm, their robes flapping loudly in the wind. Today, he had switched to a black robe, having grown a bit tired of always wearing green.


    By the time he walked up the stone steps to the Sect Hall at the summit.


    In the black clouds overhead, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, carrying an incredibly terrifying pressure, churned with deafening roars of thunder.


    The awe of heaven and earth was terrifying indeed.


    Meanwhile, the Green Stone Square in front of the Sect Hall of the Flower Offering Sect was packed with people. Disciples, elders, and the Sect Master of the Flower Offering Sect all stood at the Sect Hall, their expressions on guard against the powerful intruders.


    And on the central stone column of the Sect Hall.


    The roaming Heavenly Girl of the Flower Offering Sect, covered in bloody whip marks and bound by iron chains to the stone column, was at her last breath. But when her blurry eyes saw Fat Long behind Chen Qiu, she couldn¡¯t help but cry with joy, using all her energy to speak with an excited and trembling voice.


    ¡°Little Fatty¡­ you really came!¡±


    ¡°I finally waited for you¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve really become a big shot and are here to slaughter the Flower Offering Sect, but you can¡¯t beat the Sect Master. You need to escape quickly!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late if you don¡¯t leave now!!¡±


    At that moment, the Sect Master of the Flower Offering Sect, his body surging with majestic Spiritual Energy and his fourth-layer Golden Core cultivation not hidden at all, stood expressionless in the storm as his robes flapped fiercely, but his eyes were intently fixed on Chen Qiu as he spoke each word coldly.


    ¡°Da Xia¡¯s unrivaled Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°You come alone to my Flower Offering Sect and initiate Divine Sense Lockdown. Are you declaring war on the Flower Offering Sect?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall us having any grievances.¡±


    If it were not for Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense Lockdown making him apprehensive, he would have attacked without hesitation. There was no need for idle talk. The Flower Offering Sect had over two thousand people including the Disciples and Servant Disciples, and all sorts of supplies.


    Yet all these more than two thousand people were locked down by Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense.


    He had never seen a Magic Practitioner who could lock onto so many people with their Divine Sense at the same time.


    It was simply inconceivable.


    ¡­


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and walking up the steps to the Sect Hall, stood on the Green Stone Square. Facing the storm, he looked at the Flower Offering Sect¡¯s disciples and elders, who were prepared for battle not far away, and the Flower Offering Sect Master at the forefront. After a long pause, he chuckled lightly.


    ¡°There¡¯s naturally no grudge between us.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a bit of a grudge between you and this brother of mine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m someone who not only likes to avenge myself, but also likes to help my brothers seek vengeance.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, I¡¯m a bit displeased with the way you use mortals as supplements to improve your cultivation.¡±


    ¡­


    The Flower Offering Sect Master at the very front stared coldly at Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes. Chen Qiu¡¯s Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella was held very low; he couldn¡¯t see Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes and nose, only his smile, which made it difficult for him to discern Chen Qiu¡¯s true intentions for this visit.


    Was it to show off his power before discussing a matter, or was it to get ready for a direct confrontation.


    Although Chen Qiu was only at the first level of the Golden Core Stage, it had to be said that the tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons did give him some trouble.


    If possible, better not to start a battle.


    ¡°Mortals?¡±


    Even though he was unclear about Chen Qiu¡¯s intentions, now that Chen Qiu had spoken, he had to continue the conversation. The Flower Offering Sect Master, looking straight at Chen Qiu, enunciated each word: ¡°Every year, fewer than a hundred thousand mortals die at the hands of the Flower Offering Sect.¡±


    ¡°But do you know how many mortals die in an earthquake?¡±


    ¡°How many die in a flood?¡±


    ¡°Who causes the floods and earthquakes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Heavenly Dao!¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao slaughters mortals, could it be that you also disapprove of Heavenly Dao¡¯s actions?¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Do you want to kill Heavenly Dao too?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±


    Chen Qiu held the Jade Umbrella, standing in the storm, and looking squarely at the Flower Offering Sect Master with a light chuckle: ¡°I¡¯m not here to debate the Dao with you. When it comes to Dao I disapprove of, destruction is a more efficient solution than persuasion.¡±


    With that said!


    Thunderous noises, deafening again, began to boom repeatedly!


    The tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons in the black clouds immediately descended upon the countless Flower Offering Sect disciples below who were locked by the Divine Sense Attack, leaving them with nowhere to escape. Initially, in the indiscriminate bombing, there might have been a slim chance for lucky survivors, but now, no fish would slip through the net.


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    Seeing that Chen Qiu had no intention of negotiating and attacked immediately, the Flower Offering Sect Master couldn¡¯t help but let out an angry howl, his face contorted in rage. Following his yell, the disciples of the Flower Offering Sect hurriedly pulled out the human supplements from behind to shield themselves.


    ¡°There are thousands of mortals here. Stop immediately, or else¡­¡±


    Before he could finish.


    ¡°Boom boom!!!¡±


    The countless Thunder Dragons almost instantly blasted the Flower Offering Sect¡¯s Mountain Protection Array to smithereens, then, carrying an extremely terrifying pressure, slammed hard onto the top of the Flower Offering Sect¡¯s mountain, accompanied by numerous explosions.


    Apart from the Flower Offering Sect Master and the Great Elder, everyone else turned to ash.


    The Flower Offering Sect Master managed to protect himself and the other elder, also at the Golden Core Stage, with a precious treasure. But now, they were also full of injuries, with unstoppable blood dripping from their fingertips onto the ground, standing in place with disordered breaths and a twisted expression, looking at Chen Qiu and roaring in anger.


    ¡°You said you disapproved of our slaughter of mortals, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing!!!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Chen Qiu, as if taking a leisurely walk in the garden, faced the storm and slowly walked towards the depths of the Green Stone Square, smiling: ¡°I¡¯m helping them. They¡¯ve been used as supplements by you for so long; they¡¯re barely alive. Even if they survived, they wouldn¡¯t live long.¡±


    ¡°I believe.¡±


    ¡°For them, I¡¯m sure they would rather not drag out their miserable existence and instead would prefer to take you, a group of evil demons, down with them.¡±

 Chapter 231 - 128:

    Chapter 231: Chapter 128: ¡°Destroying the foundation of my sect, a sin deserving of a thousand deaths!!!


    ¡°Dammit!!!¡±


    The severely injured Flower Offering Sect Master stood tottering on the spot. Just now, thousands of Thunder Dragons had struck him, nearly costing him half his life, and the defense treasure he had been relying on had also turned to ash.


    He had seen Chen Qiu in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.


    He knew that with such a tactic, Chen Qiu could use it a second time in a short period.


    He definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a second blow. Now was his only chance to strike back.


    ¡°You¡¯ve destroyed my sect¡¯s foundation, you deserve to die a thousand times!!!¡±


    ...


    Blood dripped from the fingertips of the Flower Offering Sect Master as his chaotic breathing rapidly settled. With a ferocious expression, he plunged his right hand forcefully into his left chest and, with bloodthirsty eyes staring straight at Chen Qiu, he roared, ¡°Heavenly Demon Destruction!¡±


    The majestic Spiritual Energy began to surge out from the body of the Flower Offering Sect Master, and the terrifying pressure of his fourth-level Golden Core mercilessly bore down on the hearts of everyone present.


    As his words fell,


    a Bone Chain, forged from countless skulls, suddenly appeared in the hands of the Flower Offering Sect Master, while behind him in the high sky, a skeletal phantom tens of meters tall materialized, its body carrying a rich aura of death, holding a Bone Chain as well.


    However, this was just the beginning. As the Flower Offering Sect Master exerted himself, skeletal armor began to gradually emerge on the body of the giant skeletal phantom behind him. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just then¡ª


    The emergence of the skeletal armor on the skeletal phantom abruptly ceased.


    At that moment, the body of the Flower Offering Sect Master also stiffened in place, blood streaming from his orifices as he stared with unwilling eyes at Chen Qiu, who was walking towards him through the storm. Just now, a Divine Sense Attack had directly shattered the defenses of his Sea of Consciousness in an instant, completely destroying his Sea of Consciousness!


    How¡­ how is this possible?


    Inside his Sea of Consciousness, he had placed a Spiritual Treasure specifically designed to defend against Divine Sense Attacks, capable of withstanding the attacks of a fifth-level Golden Core!


    The Divine Sense Attack that had just penetrated his Sea of Consciousness was even more powerful and violent than a fifth-level Golden Core¡¯s. Chen Qiu was only at the first level of Golden Core cultivation!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile,


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in the storm, with his robes billowing, slowly walked up to the Flower Offering Sect Master who stood stiffened in place, bleeding from the seven orifices. He then looked up at the collapsing giant skeletal phantom behind him and said with a light chuckle,


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a long windup for a big move.¡±


    He then reached out with his right hand and gave a gentle push to the stiffened Flower Offering Sect Master.


    The Sect Master¡¯s body immediately fell backward, hitting the rain-soaked ground hard, splashing up waves of water. The massive skeletal phantom behind him also completely disintegrated, and a sect leader thus perished.


    His death was straightforward and silent.


    Immediately after, a Golden Core burst out from his body and shot towards the sky, but the scholar¡¯s long-anticipated three-foot green blade, held up his sleeve, chased after it with greater speed, impaled it on the blade, and placed it into the Jade Box prepared in his embrace, then handed it over to Chen Qiu.


    The entire process was smooth and practiced.


    Chen Qiu casually took the Jade Box and threw it into the storage of his small world, then turned his head to look at the Sect Grand Elder of the Flower Offering Sect, disregarding his incoherent pleas for mercy due to fear. With a wave of his sleeve, a surge of Spiritual Energy burst forth, smashing the already severely injured and defenseless Sect Grand Elder to the ground, shattering his body into pieces.


    Turning into minced meat.


    But this time¡­


    The Golden Core of the Sect Grand Elder did not attempt to escape far. Perhaps knowing it couldn¡¯t, the Golden Core, carrying a wild and uncontrollable aura, hurled itself directly at Chen Qiu and the others.


    It seemed prepared to stop fleeing and was ready to detonate itself. Hoping to tear a piece of flesh from Chen Qiu and the others before dying.


    But the scholar was quicker.


    Before the Golden Core could self-destruct, a green blade instantly appeared in front of it, pierced it through, and then placed it in the Jade Box to hand to Chen Qiu once more.


    A Golden Core that is about to self-destruct will lose its force once pierced, rendering it unable to explode.


    This Golden Core was already fast, but the scholar, no longer suppressed by the poison, handled the sword even faster.


    ¡­


    It took less than the time of a single cup of tea.


    The once bustling Flower Offering Sect had been completely reduced to ruins, with countless collapsed buildings washed by the rain, giving off a stench of blood.


    At this moment¡ª


    The Heavenly Girl, bound in iron chains to a stone pillar, looked at Fat Long with an excited expression and trembling voice, ¡°Little Fatty¡­ you actually slaughtered the Flower Offering Sect¡­ I wasn¡¯t wrong about you!¡±


    ¡°I thought you would scorn me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you would really come to rescue me.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the drenched Heavenly Girl, bound to the pillar with her clothes soaked through, revealing her body. He averted his gaze and turned to look at Fat Long without speaking, waiting for his decision.


    When the Heavenly Thunder had struck earlier, he had deliberately avoided the Heavenly Girl¡¯s position, allowing her to survive the barrage of tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons.


    The Heavenly Girl had known Fat Long longer than him.


    When they had first set foot in the Flower Offering Sect, from what the Heavenly Girl had said, it seemed the two might have had an affair. He wasn¡¯t in a position to comment on that, and it was up to Fat Long to make his own choice. Whatever decision Fat Long made, he would support him.


    ¡­


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Fat Long, who was just shocked by Brother Qiu¡¯s methods and stood behind Chen Qiu, heard the voice and shifted his gaze from the corpse of the Flower Offering Sect Master on the ground, turning his frowning face towards the pitiable Heavenly Girl amidst the stormy weather.

 Chapter 232 - 128:

    Chapter 232: Chapter 128: ¡°Destroying the foundation of my sect, a sin deserving of a thousand deaths!!! _2


    ¡°Who said I came to rescue you? You tormented me for so long, you still expect me to save you?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°Do I have Stockholm syndrome?¡±


    ¡°And who exactly slaughtered the Flower Offering Sect, can¡¯t you see? Did I make a move throughout? Was Brother Qiu standing next to me completely ignored by you?¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    The scholar leaned over to Fat Long and whispered, ¡°What does that Stockholm thing mean?¡±


    ...


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, I used to have a dog named that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Heavenly Girl, excited and emotional, chained to the stone pillar, looked at Fat Long with a suddenly frozen smile on her face, somewhat at a loss, she murmured, ¡°Little fatty¡­ why are you so fierce?¡±


    ¡°You used to be kind to me, and even told me jokes.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    The more Fat Long thought about it, the angrier he became. He hands on his hips and pointed at the Heavenly Girl, scolding, ¡°Wait until the day you don¡¯t laugh means death; I believe you would also be very gentle and tell a lot of jokes!¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ have no feelings for me?¡±


    ¡°Are you high on drugs? What have you been through to think that a supplement you tormented for months would suddenly fall in love with you?¡±


    ¡°But you gave me a pink reed mat and hairpin.¡±


    ¡°Who gave you that? And pink reed? I was imprisoned in the Flower Offering Sect and couldn¡¯t go anywhere, go to the Flower Offering Sect yourself and see if there¡¯s any pink reed around here. Could I have conjured it up out of thin air?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Heavenly Girl¡¯s mouth slowly opened and closed a few times, standing stunned, suddenly realizing, the Flower Offering Sect didn¡¯t seem to have any pink reeds at all. A tinge of sadness swept through her eyes as she looked down at the rainwater on the ground and muttered.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who left the hairpin and the pink reeds at the entrance to my cave?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t that idle.¡±


    ¡°There was a note beside it, signed with your name.¡±


    ¡°Someone is framing me, and are you really okay? A woman who has been used by so many mortals as a supplement and drained, why would you think I would like you just because I told you jokes? You¡¯re too cheap.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The Heavenly Girl bowed her head, not speaking, intense sadness filling her eyes. She dared not look up, overwhelming shame making her wish she could die now. She didn¡¯t dare face Fat Long. So¡­ after all this time, had it been just her wishful thinking?


    She thought that the last meeting with Fat Long in Qiantian Market was a small romantic moment uniquely understood between the two of them.


    And in a place unknown to everyone.


    So it turns out, Little Fatty¡­ also thought she was dirty.


    The Tao Foundation within the Heavenly Girl was rapidly showing countless cracks, under the nourishment of intense sadness, that plant resonating with the Eight-petal Fire Lotus but entirely black, was silently growing rapidly until it matured.


    ¡­


    At this moment, Chen Qiu, standing on the side, roughly understood the situation.


    There was a divergence in perspectives between Fat Long and the Heavenly girl.


    In Fat Long¡¯s perspective, he tried his best wit and deceptive words to trick the Heavenly Girl, struggling to escape from the Flower Offering Sect, the den of demons, having almost died multiple times in the process, with everyone in the Flower Offering Sect being his enemy.


    But from the Heavenly Girl¡¯s perspective, Fat Long was a pitiful person like herself, and over the long-term shared experiences, she even developed feelings for Fat Long and secretly helped him escape from the Flower Offering Sect.


    At this moment¡ª


    The Heavenly Girl chained to the stone pillar suddenly began to transform, starting with her breasts shrinking and becoming flat, her body suddenly started to elongate, and her cheeks shifted towards a masculine look.


    It was just a blink of an eye.


    She had suddenly turned into a man bearing some resemblance to the Heavenly Girl.


    Before the dumbfounded Fat Long could react, the Heavenly Girl¡¯s body changed again, this time back to a woman, and after the blink of an eye, she changed back to a man, switching between genders several times within just a few breaths.


    For some reason.


    A sense of unease welled up in Chen Qiu¡¯s heart, and without further consulting Fat Long, he opened the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, letting the storm wash over him, as hundreds of Thunder Dragons silently roared, smashing towards the chained Heavenly Girl.


    ¡°Boom boom!!!¡±


    A huge explosion enveloped Green Stone Square, and as the dust dispersed in the storm, the stone pillar had disappeared, leaving only a half-man, half-woman standing naked in the storm, eyes filled with resentment staring straight at them, his mind clearly a bit unclear, though he remained silent, his body carried a thick intent to kill.


    In the storm.


    This naked half-man, half-woman was standing extremely erect, holding half of an iron chain corroded by Demonic Qi in each hand, the formerly mundane iron chains now emitting an extremely terrifying aura.


    And this half-man, half-woman, the aura he released was shockingly at the sixth level of Golden Core!


    The violent Spiritual Energy made the rainwater unable to drip onto his body.


    The hundreds of Thunder Dragons had not even caused him the slightest injury.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in the rain, looked towards the Heavenly Girl, who had just been a Foundation Establishment on death¡¯s door and had suddenly turned into a sixth level Golden Core demon, pausing for a moment before softly saying.


    ¡°Hidden boss, huh.¡±


    ¡°Fat Long, you never told me the Heavenly Girl had this capability.¡±


    Then, without waiting for Fat Long to start talking, Chen Qiu waved his sleeve and collected Fat Long and the others into the small world, knowing the upcoming battle would be hard to protect them from.

 Chapter 233 - 128:

    Chapter 233: Chapter 128: ¡°Destroying the foundation of my sect, a sin deserving of a thousand deaths!!! _3


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Swoosh!!!¡±


    Heavenly Girl snarled ferociously, and the iron chain in her hand suddenly became extremely thick, carrying an immensely terrifying might and boundless Demonic Qi as it whipped towards Chen Qiu with the sound of rending air.


    Chen Qiu nearly instantaneously activated his armguard.


    While rapidly restoring his Spiritual Energy, he quickly dodged the attack.


    However¡­


    ...


    The Heavenly Girl¡¯s speed was not slow either.


    Just as he stopped in mid-air after a mere ten breaths, the iron chain drenched in boundless Demonic Qi followed like a shadow, arriving in front of him. It was already too late to dodge, so he could only reflexively block it with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella he had spread open.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A loud and piercing sound explosion erupted.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s body was whipped dozens of feet away, and it was only after one breath that he was barely able to stabilize his figure in mid-air, looking down at the Heavenly Girl below him, who was radiating boundless Demonic Qi, as he wiped away the trail of blood from the corner of his mouth.


    He glanced at the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in his hand, unscathed, and felt a bit of comfort in his heart.


    Then, a gradually intensifying murderous intent began to surge in his eyes.


    It had been a long time since he had been injured; although the wound wasn¡¯t severe, it had made him bleed nonetheless.


    Standing in the sky, his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella aloft, a chill passed through Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes. Following that, his Divine Sense firmly locked onto the Heavenly Girl below, and nearly ten thousand Thunder Dragons immediately materialized in mid-air, lunging ferociously down at the Heavenly Girl without any hesitation.


    Without waiting for the nearly ten thousand Thunder Dragons to take effect,


    Chen Qiu¡¯s body once again began to teleport constantly in the air, every ten breaths unleashing nearly ten thousand Thunder Dragons at the Heavenly Girl locked in his Divine Sense.


    A hundred breaths passed in an instant.


    By now, the mountain peaks of the Flower Offering Sect had been leveled, and Chen Qiu, standing with his hands behind his back in mid-air, sensed the slightly unsightly expression of the Heavenly Girl in the pit below through his Divine Sense. After such ferocious attacks, she had yet to die.


    She was merely seriously injured.


    A Golden Core Stage cultivator so hard to kill?


    He had tried the ¡°Heart-piercing Stab¡±, to no avail; for some reason, the Heavenly Girl did not have a Sea of Consciousness. Even Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refinement Cultivators had a Sea of Consciousness; they simply couldn¡¯t introspect or harness their own Divine Sense.


    However, this Heavenly Girl simply lacked a Sea of Consciousness altogether, akin to a living dead person. Without a Sea of Consciousness, his Divine Sense attack was naturally ineffective, but the Heavenly Girl also couldn¡¯t use the Sea of Consciousness to attack him.


    It was a mixed blessing.


    The dust quickly dispersed in the pouring rain, and the staggering Heavenly Girl, now at the bottom of the deep pit, was lifting her head to stare with a creepy and ferocious smile at Chen Qiu, who stood proudly high above.


    She bore horrific wounds all over her body, but they were visibly healing at a rapid pace under the shroud of boundless Demonic Qi.


    In the blink of an eye.


    She was even completely recovered.


    And even the initially thoroughly disordered Qi had also started to stabilize quickly under the boundless Demonic Qi.


    In the moment the smoke cleared.


    She roared savagely, the iron chain swinging in her hand as she transformed into a streak of Liu Guang and shot fiercely toward Chen Qiu in the sky, and the iron chain devoured by boundless Demonic Qi also heavily smashed down on Chen Qiu¡¯s head, even igniting the air it passed through with a faint purple-black flame.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed softly, still high in the sky, his Divine Sense locked onto the Heavenly Girl shooting towards him, and without any further hesitation, just as the Heavenly Girl was about to collide with him.


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    A deafening thunderclap that could shake the entire one hundred thousand mountains suddenly erupted!


    The blinding light instantly illuminated the entire range of one hundred thousand mountains.


    A thunderous strike carrying the might of heaven and earth and of immense terror descended from the clouds, striking the Heavenly Girl with full force. The Thunder Summoning Technique unleashed with all the strength of the Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak, came crashing down instantaneously.


    The Self-Destruction Term said, ¡°Refining Technique¡± was self-destructed by him.


    However, the power released by the explosion was not the full strike of a Nascent Soul at the first layer, but that of the Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak. Inside Da Xia, not only was the emergence of Nascent Souls not permitted, but even the highest attack intensity was limited to below that of a Nascent Soul.


    Although this attack was just the full strike of Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak, its strength was far beyond that of most cultivators at the Great Perfection Cultivation of the Golden Core Peak. It was nearly the strongest Attack Method one could wield below the Nascent Soul.


    Maybe, it could be called the strongest strike of the Half-step Nascent Soul!


    And the Heavenly Girl below, who was about to charge up to Chen Qiu, was struck by this half-step Nascent Soul¡¯s full-force Thunder Summoning Technique, plummeting back toward the bottom of the deep pit with even greater speed.


    This time, she didn¡¯t emerge again.


    Chen Qiu, standing high in the sky, peered into the bottom of the deep pit. Probing with his Divine Sense, he found that the Golden Core Stage Level Six Heavenly Girl had not gotten up again after being struck by the full-force attack of the Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak. Her body lay in fragments at the bottom of the pit.


    Only¡­


    He saw no Golden Core fly out, and upon scanning with Divine Sense, astonishingly, there was no Golden Core inside the Heavenly Girl¡¯s body.


    This was the first time he had seen a Golden Core cultivator without a Golden Core.


    And his Divine Sense also detected, upon the severed chunks of flesh, a quietly floating flower.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With slightly knitted brows, Chen Qiu descended from the sky to the bottom of the pit, gazing at the flower not far in front of him. It was exactly like the Eight-petal Fire Lotus he had obtained deep in the Endless Desert Sea of Earth Fire.


    Only the aura was different.


    The Eight-petal Fire Lotus was composed entirely of flames, constantly releasing heatwaves.


    Whereas this Eight-petal Demon Lotus was composed entirely of black death Qi, constantly releasing boundless Demonic Qi.


    Why would this flower emerge from the corpse of the Heavenly Girl?


    Could this flower have been growing inside the Heavenly Girl¡¯s body all along?

 Chapter 234 - 128:

    Chapter 234: Chapter 128: ¡°Destroying My Sect¡¯s Foundation, Deserves Death A Thousand Times!!!¡±_4


    And the reason the Walking Heavenly Girl could instantly rise from the Foundation Establishment Stage to the sixth level of the Golden Core¡ªcould it be because of this Eight-petal Demon Lotus?


    At this moment, the overwhelming Demonic Qi emitted by this Eight-petal Demon Lotus bore no hint of the previous ferocity; rather, it was extremely calm, much like a tamed demon beast. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu sent forth his Divine Sense to probe, and the Eight-petal Demon Lotus did not evade. It quietly hovered in mid-air, and he waved his hand to collect it into his small world.


    And at the moment the Eight-petal Demon Lotus entered his body, again floating in the mid-air of the small world, it took over the original position of the Eight-petal Fire Lotus, emitting a deathly aura that made the entire Chao Tian Sect feel faintly cold and sinister.


    He didn¡¯t know what this Eight-petal Demon Lotus was.


    But it was definitely something on the same level as the Eight-petal Fire Lotus. To this day, he didn¡¯t know what the Eight-petal Fire Lotus was, what kind of divine material or treasure it was, or what its effects were. However, he knew that it was with the help of the Eight-petal Fire Lotus that he had elevated his Golden Core from the tenth grade to the twelfth grade.


    ...


    A divine material that could enhance a Golden Core from tenth to twelfth grade was certainly no ordinary object.


    Only then did he release Fat Long and others from his small world.


    ¡­


    ¡°Grandma¡¯s¡­¡±


    Standing at the bottom of the deep pit, Fat Long looked at the shattered remnant on the ground and couldn¡¯t help but feel his stomach churn violently, his face instantly turning pale as he said with unprecedented fear, ¡°Brother Qiu¡­ could this Walking Heavenly Girl be a man after all?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, don¡¯t scare me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu finally spoke reassuringly in a soft voice, ¡°It¡¯s a woman, don¡¯t worry. It was just the Demonic Qi entering her body, causing some minor changes.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t bear to tell the truth.


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether the Walking Heavenly Girl was male or female, but there was one thing he could be certain of¡­


    Fat Long had most likely encountered a male before.


    After all, he knew of an entry highly suitable for Dual Cultivation, where yin and yang are reversed, and genders can be altered. With so many disciples in the Flower Offering Sect, there definitely was a disciple with this entry, and Fat Long wasn¡¯t only used by the Walking Heavenly Girl as a supplement¡ªothers had used Fat Long as well.


    Maybe that included¡­


    But seeing that Fat Long¡¯s moral integrity was about to be completely shattered, Chen Qiu still felt that sometimes a well-intentioned lie was a form of kindness, just like the lie he was telling now¡ªit was a kindly one.


    He had originally wanted to see if the Flower Offering Sect had any warehouse where treasures were stored, to take as trophies, but the battle had been too fierce.


    The entire mountain of the Flower Offering Sect had been leveled to the ground, turning into a deep pit.


    All things had been turned to dust.


    The only treasures were the two storage rings in the hands of the Flower Offering Sect Master and the one in the hands of the Great Elder of the Flower Offering Sect, which he had collected, plus two Golden Cores.


    However, at this moment¡ª


    A voice suddenly resounded in everyone¡¯s ears.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Heavenly Dao senses¡ªthe Holy Daughter of the Demon Clan has perished, worldly disputes to emerge half a year prior.


    Furthermore, three days later, the Sea Clan will invade.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned slightly as the Heavenly Dao Decree rang beside his ear, looking downward toward the chunks blown apart at the bottom of the pit¡ªwas this Walking Heavenly Girl actually the Holy Daughter of the Demon Clan?


    The Demon Clan?


    This Demon Clan doesn¡¯t sound like the same one from the invasion of Fufeng City.


    And what was the connection between the death of the Demon Clan Holy Daughter and the worldly disputes emerging half a year earlier?


    After pausing to think for a moment on the spot.


    He shook his head, no longer dwelling on it, and instead stood up to prepare to head to the east of Da Xia to see what the situation with the Sea Clan invasion was, to see if he could find any opportunities. Da Xia was bordered by the sea only on the east, hence the so-called Sea Clan invasion would naturally occur on the east side of Da Xia.


    ¡­


    The sky gradually darkened.


    At that moment, Chen Qiu and his group were walking in a small coastal county town where numerous mortals had already started to pack in panic, preparing to temporarily flee the city.


    Even the inn they were staying at was deserted, the shopkeeper had run off, and no one was there to collect the silver taels.


    Only after asking around did they find out.


    It was not uncommon for demon beasts from the sea to land on the shores to slaughter lone humans for food, and although Da Xia had dispatched powerful guardians to protect the people, it was impossible for these protectors to watch over everyone at all times.


    At best, they could only minimize the death rate, but occasionally, humans were still taken by the demon beasts as food.


    This time, the invasion by the Sea Clan was a large-scale attack by sea demons on the coastal cities, which naturally prompted the people of these coastal towns to pack their belongings and flee inland, planning to return once the crisis was over.


    Meanwhile.


    Many Sect Disciples headed towards the coast, replacing the fleeing mortals by moving into the inns within the city.


    Chen Qiu, sensing the humid, fishy sea breeze in the air, leaned on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and walked silently along the cobblestone road forward, stopping only much later. He stood at the city gate, gazing at the sea nearby, then suddenly spoke with a calm expression,


    ¡°Scholar.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The nearby scholar immediately approached, puzzled. Since leaving the Flower Offering Sect and arriving in ¡°Hai Province,¡± Brother Qiu had been somewhat restless.


    ¡°You once said that the State Preceptor wants to train you to become Da Xia¡¯s top Sword Cultivator, right?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡±


    The scholar shook his head uncertainly, ¡°I¡¯m just guessing. Primarily because, years ago, I inexplicably returned from the Hundred Countries to Jing Province to escort Ji Renjian. That event was so strange that I eventually realized something was wrong. I walked away in time, without even seeing Ji Renjian¡¯s face.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the kind of person who could accomplish that.¡±


    ¡°Later, I also discussed it with Fat Long, and he mostly agreed with me. Fat Long also thought that the State Preceptor wanted to match Ji Renjian and me so that I could solidify my position as Da Xia¡¯s top Sword Cultivator with the ¡®Heavenly Dao Beauty¡¯ effect of Ji Renjian.¡±


    ¡°But later, I didn¡¯t want to be controlled by the State Preceptor, so I drew myself out. Furthermore, after being hunted down by the Capital City Zhang Family, I was already regarded as dead in the eyes of the world, and the State Preceptor gave up on me completely.¡±


    ¡°Seeing that this pawn was of no use, the State Preceptor then settled for second best by letting Ji Renjian and Ji Taiping be together, pushing Ji Taiping to become Da Xia¡¯s top Sword Cultivator. Now, Ji Taiping has reached the Human Sword Unity stage. Although his aura is still a bit chaotic and not very stable, it¡¯s already a realm that all Sword Cultivators aspire to.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, gazing at the sea and after a long silence, he softly said, ¡°If you became the strongest Sword Cultivator in Da Xia, reaching the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation, do you think you could break the Nascent Soul shackles and achieve the Nascent Soul stage?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know why the State Preceptor thinks that a supreme Sword Cultivator could break Da Xia¡¯s shackles.¡±


    ¡°What if there were also a supreme Magic Practitioner?¡±


    The scholar suddenly froze, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes, ¡°Brother Qiu, what do you mean?¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t respond, merely leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, standing in place, feeling the fishy and moist sea breeze, gazing at the calm sea, and remaining silent for a long time.


    He believed that the Eight-petal Fire Lotus in the Endless Desert Sea of Earth Fire was his to claim.


    Apart from him, no one could enter the Sea of Earth Fire without replenishing Spiritual Energy, not even the Supreme Elder of Xing Dou Sect.


    He believed it was his chance.


    But when a Eight-petal Demon Lotus suddenly emerged from the corpse of the Heavenly Girl, the situation didn¡¯t feel right anymore; one time he believed it was his opportunity, but happening again so soon, he began to doubt that his luck was that good.


    So, he thought it through further.


    Why he came to the Flower Offering Sect was because he heard people discussing it when leaving the inn.


    And why he forged a Twelve Grade Golden Core was because Old Man Cao gave him a Jade Scroll, containing all the breakthrough materials necessary from the First Grade to the Tenth Grade, and why he obtained the Eight-petal Fire Lotus and broke through to the Twelve Grade Golden Core.


    It was because the Master of Poison Sect gravely injured him, forcing him to seek pills at Xing Dou Sect.


    From the Jade Scroll of the Master of Poison Sect, he knew that it was ¡°Taoist Sect,¡± the Master of Poison Sect then knew who had entered his Forbidden Land, and ¡°Taoist Sect¡± is a¡­ Gua Cultivation sect.


    The guardian of the Array Repair inheritance, Old Man Cao.


    Who just happens to be proficient in Gua Cultivation.


    He had seen Old Man Cao more than once. The first time they met, Old Man Cao told him in Qi Tian Market that he had a resentful spirit on him. The second time was when Qi Tian Market was destroyed, and the third time was at the Array Repair inheritance.


    Why would Old Man Cao kindly tell him so much information?

 Chapter 235 - 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!

    Chapter 235: Chapter 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!


    Was it because of the 2,000 Spirit Stones he had given?


    Or was it because Old Man Cao had eaten his roast chicken?


    An entity at the Nascent Soul level wouldn¡¯t truly be attracted by these things. Everyone acts for a reason. Even going to defecate is because you feel the urge, not because you squat by the roadside without any urge to defecate.


    So what was the reason for Old Man Cao¡¯s actions?


    It was naturally¡­


    To cultivate a peerless Magic Practitioner!


    ...


    A peerless Sword Cultivator might not be able to break the shackles, but what if a peerless Magic Practitioner was added?


    If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, then Old Man Cao was the State Preceptor of Da Xia.


    Chen Qiu stood silently in his original spot, not speaking. Regardless of whether the truth was really as he suspected, he could be certain of one thing: There must be something about him that Old Man Cao was unaware of, such as his Seven-colored term.


    Then he gazed at the distant sea and said softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had met the State Preceptor? Tell me more about him.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    The scholar furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and then recalled, ¡°The State Preceptor is a very young man, but he has existed for a very long time, as though he has never aged. His skin is very delicate, but his pupils are murky, lacking the clarity of a young person.¡±


    ¡°He looks like an old man, and his methods are also very mature, showing none of the air of a young person.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also a White entry that¡¯s complete nonsense. The more people he deceives, the faster his Cultivation grows.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without replying. Everything matched up perfectly.


    Murky pupils were inevitable. That body was probably just one that Old Man Cao used to walk the outside world. With Old Man Cao¡¯s age and wisdom, no matter how much he disguised himself, he could not disguise his eyes.


    Liking to deceive matched up too.


    When he was in Wendian Market,


    he had a chance encounter called ¡°Heaven¡¯s Treasury,¡± which contained many deeply discounted treasures. At that time, an Evil Cultivator suddenly appeared intending to snatch their treasures, and he ended up being blasted to death by a Self-Destruction Term Chen Qiu used.


    After returning to Wendian Market, he learned from the captain of the guard at that time that an old diviner had told the Evil Cultivator that heading west that day would bring good fortune, and the west was the direction he was in.


    The Evil Cultivator died at his hand.


    Old Man Cao deceived an Evil Cultivator and liked to deceive.


    Furthermore, when someone had asked Old Man Cao for divination, Old Man Cao told him to kowtow three times towards the east every morning. This, too, was a deception, and if there were any method that easily deceived people, it was definitely prophesying and divining for others.


    Everything matched. It all matched.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s head back.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled, turned around, and walked back towards the city carrying his walking cane. He was not in conflict with the State Preceptor. Since Old Man Cao wanted to create opportunities to cultivate him into a peerless Magic Practitioner, he didn¡¯t mind.


    After all, Old Man Cao¡¯s intention was merely to break the shackles of Da Xia.


    And it didn¡¯t conflict with his own.


    When his Cultivation reached the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection, he wasn¡¯t willing to just watch his own lifespan run out, he also wanted to achieve the Nascent Soul through his own efforts.


    As long as he got enough benefits, he didn¡¯t mind being a pawn.


    However¡­


    If Old Man Cao thought he could completely control him,


    Then he was gravely mistaken.


    The scholar and Fat Long exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other¡¯s eyes. Why was Brother Qiu still smiling so happily after guessing that he might just be a pawn? Still, they shook their heads and quickly followed Chen Qiu back into the city.


    By now, the city gate was filled with many Sect Disciples, all of whom looked at Chen Qiu with a mix of respect and awe.


    No more jealousy.


    Jealousy only exists when someone is slightly better than you.


    When someone could effortlessly crush you to death, any normal person would certainly not harbor the negative emotion of jealousy.


    ¡­


    Soon night fell, and midnight arrived.


    The daily blessing from the ¡°Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡± had already been deposited. A Jade Box magically appeared again in the Storage Ring. Sitting cross-legged on the inn¡¯s bed, Chen Qiu looked at the pills inside the Jade Box and a trace of surprise flitted across his eyes.


    The pills in the Jade Box looked extremely familiar.


    They looked almost identical to the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, only the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy was stronger, and the pills themselves looked more lustrous.


    They were¡ª


    Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and not just one, but ten.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu laughed, realizing that the biggest gain from this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard might not only be the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure but also these Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. After reaching the Golden Core stage, there had been virtually no way to rapidly advance his Cultivation progress.


    Killing demon beasts was basically useless now, and consuming pills no longer improved Cultivation.


    He had been preparing to slowly spend time.


    Then the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill appeared.


    The blessing from the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was daily, meaning that every night at midnight, he could collect ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Coupled with methods like the Spirit Gathering Array, this could significantly accelerate his cultivation progress.


    He didn¡¯t know how much Cultivation Progress this single Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could enhance.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled lightly, a hint of anticipation in his eyes as he swallowed the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes tightly, and started to operate his mental method to rapidly absorb the medicinal power of the pill.


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The Chen Qiu sitting on the bed exhaled a long breath, feeling the immense Spiritual Energy in his Dantian and inspecting his bodily Dantian through introspection.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage first layer (5.1%). S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    Then, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly.

 Chapter 236 - 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_2

    Chapter 236: Chapter 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_2


    Although absorbing the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills took more time, requiring half an hour to absorb a single one, the progress made was quite substantial, a single Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could enhance the cultivation progress by 5%.


    And he still had 9 pills left.


    In other words, as long as he absorbed all 9 remaining Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills tonight, his cultivation progress would reach 50.1%.


    One must know that a few days ago, when he circulated his mental method to absorb nature¡¯s spiritual energy, it had taken nearly two days to increase by just 0.1%, but now, in just half an hour, his cultivation progress had risen by 5%.


    His original plan was to spend one to two years to advance his cultivation to the second level of the Golden Core stage.


    Now, it seemed it would only take two days.


    ...


    By the day after tomorrow, his cultivation would have advanced to the second level of the Golden Core stage.


    And that day after tomorrow was precisely the day of the Sea Clan¡¯s invasion.


    ¡°Just in time,¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at the Seven-Colored Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella placed beside the bed and murmured.


    It was a good opportunity to kill a large number of demon beasts that had gathered over the Boundless Sea to the east of Da Xia, which would expand his Dantian a bit, allowing him to accommodate more Spiritual Energy, and under the ¡°Spiritual Energy Intimidating¡± entry effect, the power of his spells would also be greater.


    Everything was just right.


    Perfect.


    After saying this,


    He did not dwell on it any longer, but picked up another Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill to swallow, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to absorb its medicinal energy by circulating his mental method.


    While the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were excellent, the time it took to absorb one pill was indeed not short; it took half an hour to absorb a single pill, making it five hours in total for ten pills.


    After absorbing the ten pills, it would be almost dawn.


    Another night of intensive training began anew.


    His strength was still too weak; facing a sixth level Golden Core, he would need to resort to a Self-Destruction Term. As long as his cultivation rose rapidly enough, even facing a sixth level Golden Core would become manageable, and besides, the ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± could not unleash the full force of a strike from a Nascent Soul under the restrictions of Heavenly Dao.


    The maximum was a full-force strike from a half-step Nascent Soul.


    While Chen Qiu was diligently cultivating,


    The scholar in the next room was swallowing the last few Foundation Establishment Cultivation Pills and continued his practice.


    ¡­


    Inside a small world,


    In the disciple dormitory,


    A middle-aged man, with forehead covered in fine sweat, was fully focused on cracking the three Storage Rings infused with the aura of the Golden Core, which Chen Qiu had entrusted to him before nightfall.


    He had followed Chen Qiu out of Kai Mountain City and was now staying in this small world, peacefully cracking Storage Rings for Chen Qiu.


    He had not expected Chen Qiu to possess such a Spiritual Treasure of heaven and earth as the small world.


    But that was of no consequence now.


    He only liked one thing in his life, solving puzzles and cracking seals. He didn¡¯t care much about anything else. Since Chen Qiu had agreed to provide him with an endless supply of Storage Rings to crack to his heart¡¯s desire, he didn¡¯t mind whether he was in the small world or Kai Mountain City.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In the Boundless Icefield, within the City Lord Mansion of Fei City, a plump man was sitting on the City Lord Chair with a dazed expression, saying: ¡°Has the palace not yet ordered me to return to the capital?¡±


    Thirty years ago,


    Lord National Master had sent him here, saying that in the future a disaster would befall the Boundless Icefield, and he was to guard this place.


    As expected,


    The Evil Clan did indeed descend, and even though he did not play much of a role, he believed the Lord National Master valued his character rather than his strength. If someone petty and narrow-minded had been tasked with guarding Fei City, perhaps they would have ended up killed by Chen Qiu.


    In that case, when the Evil Clan invaded, there would have been no one to stand up.


    But¡­


    Now that the Evil Clan¡¯s affair was over, why had there been no message from the palace? Logically speaking, his mission was accomplished, and he should be able to return to the palace.


    ¡°My lord.¡±


    At that moment¡ª


    The elder standing behind him quietly expressed his doubt, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Lord National Master has been in seclusion these past few years and hasn¡¯t been seen around. Could it be that he¡¯s forgotten about you, my lord?¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡±


    The man shook his head: ¡°You haven¡¯t met Lord National Master, you don¡¯t understand. He is the kind who considers every matter meticulously. Since he sent me to guard Fei City, it¡¯s impossible that he¡¯s forgotten about me.¡±


    ¡°Everything has a reason.¡±


    ¡°You only go to defecate when you feel the need, you wouldn¡¯t just squat by the roadside and relieve yourself without reason.¡±


    ¡°If the palace hasn¡¯t signaled for me to return, it means Fei City still needs me. Perhaps in the near future, Fei City will face a disaster that only I can resolve.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a long silence, the elder standing behind the man spoke in a low voice, ¡°My lord, why do you always use the crude act of defecating as an example¡­¡±


    ¡°Crude?¡±


    The City Lord turned around, puzzled, and glanced at the elder: ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever defecated?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, those words didn¡¯t originate from me; they were spoken by Lord National Master himself. Are you implying that Lord National Master is less refined than you?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡±


    The elder quickly looked down, a flicker of fear in his eyes: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that at all, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡±


    The middle-aged man snorted coldly before settling back into the City Lord Chair in a comfortable position and murmured: ¡°Since the National Master hasn¡¯t ordered me back, it clearly means I¡¯m still needed here.¡±


    ¡°The National Master once told me personally,¡±


    ¡°I am the most crucial part of his plan.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone has this honor. I must not act hastily and disrupt the National Master¡¯s plans.¡±


    ¡­


    At the same time, within the Hundred Countries,


    Ji Taiping was sitting with a dark expression at a table, looking at the two countries that were preparing to negotiate peace again, having been sent by the palace to resolve the chaos in the Hundred Countries. But these two countries had failed in their negotiations time and again, returning to battle right after each round of talks.

 Chapter 237 - 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_3

    Chapter 237: Chapter 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_3


    This was already the fourth negotiation during this period.


    He was eager to return home, wanting to quickly return to Jing Province¡¯s Qingfeng to be by Ji Renjian¡¯s side. Recently, there had been significant changes in Da Xia, even Bai Yi had once again resurrected and resumed his activities.


    He was very afraid that if Ji Renjian disobeyed and went out, finding out that it was not Ji Taiping but Bai Yi who had protected her through the crisis, what would happen.


    Would Ji Renjian abandon her and turn to Bai Yi¡¯s embrace?


    He couldn¡¯t accept this situation!


    At this moment, his state of Human Sword Unity was not very stable; once the effects of Ji Renjian¡¯s Heavenly Dao Beauty transferred to another person, his yet to be solidified state would instantly collapse.


    ...


    He could not tolerate this situation happening.


    He could only keep in contact with his subordinates in Qingfeng, and only after learning that Ji Renjian had never left Qingfeng and that no external news had reached her ears did he slightly relax.


    But even so, he still wanted to return to Qingfeng quickly. Only by staying by Ji Renjian¡¯s side would he feel secure.


    If it were not for the palace forbidding him from taking action.


    He would rather have wiped out both countries directly; at that moment, the intense killing intent emanating from him was as tangible as reality, like Heavenly Punishment hanging over everyone¡¯s heads, at his terrifying Cultivation at the fourth level of the Golden Core.


    He was the ¡°National Guardian Sword Master¡±!


    This was an honor, representing power, indicating that he could utilize a wisp of Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune, but it also meant that he had to obey Da Xia¡¯s commands and could not defy them; otherwise, Da Xia could reclaim that wisp of Qi Fortune at any moment.


    But he had no regrets!


    If it weren¡¯t for that wisp of Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to cultivate to the fourth level of the Golden Core so quickly. Bai Yi, priding himself on his lofty ideals, refused to accept the palace¡¯s orders, ultimately could not escape death ¡ª although he faked his death and escaped, his Cultivation had completely collapsed, presenting no threat to him at all.


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    Day had broken.


    In a coastal ¡°Xiao Yu City¡± of ¡°Hai Province,¡± Chen Qiu exhaled a breath of foul air as he sat cross-legged on the inn¡¯s bed, turning his head to look out of the window at the brightly lit sky and the sun rising from the sea level.


    Listening to the cries of seabird-like creatures circling above the sea.


    And feeling the chill sea breeze brushing against his face.


    He looked at the panel above the Dantian within his body, then his lips curled upward, and he chuckled without saying a word.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage level one (50.1%).


    ¨C


    After a night of strenuous cultivation.


    His Cultivation Progress had reached 50.1%. With today being the second day before the Sea Clan¡¯s invasion, the invasion would occur the day after tomorrow, but it was unknown whether it would be in the morning, noon, or evening.


    Once past midnight tonight, he would receive another ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    In this way, by tomorrow morning, which was this time, he would be able to step into the second level of the Golden Core.


    By then, his combat power would gain another boost.


    He could also choose another term.


    Perhaps, if he had the chance in this lifetime to witness Nascent Soul and continue cultivating, then he might not only have ¡°Step by Step¡± as his term, but in terms of helping him on his Cultivation Path, Step by Step was the most useful.


    Although he was unclear about the effects of the other Seven-colored terms.


    He believed that no other Seven-colored term could replace the position of ¡°Step by Step¡± when awaking the term for the first time during the Qi Refinement Realm.


    ¡°Lucky indeed.¡±


    Chen Qiu got out of bed and put on a black robe, standing in front of the mirror to adjust his attire: ¡°Just the right time, the smallest probability randomly brought me the term that helps me the most. This kind of luck isn¡¯t something everyone can have.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    A sensation came from the small world; his Divine Sense probed into it, revealing that the Storage Rings he obtained last night from the Flower Offering Sect Master had their restrictions broken.


    After sensing what was inside the Storage Rings, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud again.


    This fortune indeed wasn¡¯t singular.


    As he stepped out the door, just as expected, Fat Long Scholar was already there early, wearing a smile.


    ¡°Good morning, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Morning?¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Long and laughed, ¡°It¡¯s almost noon; just a bit more and it¡¯ll be time for dinner.¡±


    Then he turned his head towards the scholar: ¡°How¡¯s your recent cultivation progress?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The scholar shook his head helplessly: ¡°It¡¯s a bit slow. Although it¡¯s re-cultivation, the progress in Cultivation isn¡¯t much faster. Brother Qiu, I have already absorbed all the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills you gave me.¡±


    ¡°I am still at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. The realm hasn¡¯t elevated, but the Cultivation Progress did increase quite a bit last night after taking the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Chen Qiu casually took out a Storage Ring from his pocket and threw it over: ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky. The restrictions on the Storage Ring of the Flower Offering Sect Master were broken last night. It contains quite a few Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. I roughly glanced, almost 2000 of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for you to cultivate to the seventh or eighth level of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Having seen the Storage Ring and probed with his Divine Sense, the scholar then looked at Chen Qiu with a face full of gratitude: ¡°Brother Qiu¡­ you have granted me too many favors, I don¡¯t know how to express it, but rest assured Brother Qiu, whenever you say east, I will never go west!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long expressionlessly patted the scholar¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Next time you want to bootlick, talk to me first; I¡¯ll help you organize your language. Your flattery is too stiff.¡±


    ¡°Stiff?¡±


    ¡°Stiff, don¡¯t believe me? Ask Brother Qiu. By the way, Brother Qiu, where did the Flower Offering Sect Master get so many Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills?¡±

 Chapter 238 - 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_4

    Chapter 238: Chapter 129: Cultivating an Unmatched Magic Practitioner!_4


    Chen Qiu smiled as he walked down the corridor of the inn, leaning on his cane. ¡°The Flower Offering Sect Master has quite a few Memory Stones in his Storage Ring,¡± he laughed. ¡°He replicated the grand ceremony we had in Fat State in other states.¡±


    ¡°However, their luck was rather poor,¡± he continued.


    ¡°It seems they hadn¡¯t been at it for long before the Fame Ranking was shut down, but they put in quite a few Spirit Stones and still managed to get these 2,000-plus Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, which should be enough for our scholar. Along with the two Golden Cores in my Storage Ring, I think it might even be enough to charge straight to the peak of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment,¡± Chen Qiu mused.


    ¡°When that happens, our team will have another Golden Core Great Power,¡± he added.


    ¡°As for you, Fat Long, you¡¯ll need to step it up too,¡± Chen Qiu said.


    ¡°Me?¡± Fat Long responded, nodding somewhat bitterly. His Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation entry allowed his Dual Cultivation progress to increase by nine times, a very impressive entry. But¡­ he had been too busy recently, and failed to find any suitable demon beasts.


    ...


    ¡°Wait a moment¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind: ¡°Isn¡¯t there a lot of demon beasts with the Sea Clan invasion?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, stood silently for a moment, then turned around to look at Fat Long and calmly said, ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll keep an eye out for you, for some Sea Clan demon beasts that we can barely manage.¡±


    ¡°After they are severely injured, I¡¯ll leave them to you,¡± he promised.


    ¡­


    Xiao Yu Town,


    A small coastal county town that many mortals had fled from, yet many still remained to run their shops, as Xiao Yu Town was now frequented by more Foundation Establishment Cultivators than usual, who were far more generous with their money than mortals.


    Despite some danger, they were making much more money these days than before.


    Chen Qiu and his companions, including Fat Long, had some seafood porridge and wandered around for a bit before returning to the inn. Xiao Yu Town was simply too small¡ªso small, in fact, that it didn¡¯t even have a brothel, only a Red House.


    The Red House was rather crude and simple, and they were unwilling to visit such a place. They had wanted to listen to music in a refined setting, a sort of petit bourgeois indulgence, but going to the Red House would have been too explicit in purpose and lacking in quality.


    The Sea Clan would invade the day after tomorrow.


    With nothing else to do today, after wandering the streets for a while, Chen Qiu and his companions didn¡¯t linger long before returning to the inn to cultivate earnestly in preparation for the Sea Clan¡¯s invasion.


    It was one invasion after another¡ªwith the Sea Clan, the Evil Clan, and the Demon Race all encroaching.


    Da Xia was indeed busy.


    Three directions¡ªeast, south, and west¡ªwere all under attack, and who knew if next time the Boundless Snow Mountain to the west would be invaded by Snow Monsters as well?


    He felt he was nearly able to discern a pattern.


    ¡­


    After cultivating for the entire day, Chen Qiu¡¯s control over his Divine Sense became much smoother, and he also solidified the Cultivation Progress he had achieved the previous night, elevating his control over the vigorous Spiritual Energy within his body to a new level.


    And so, after midnight,


    A Jade Box containing ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills appeared on schedule in the Storage Ring.


    Chen Qiu wasted no time, sitting cross-legged on the bed, taking one Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, activating his mental method to envelop the pill¡¯s potency with Spiritual Energy, and distributing it to every corner of his meridians.


    Finally¡ª


    At dawn, during the hour of Si,


    Chen Qiu, who was still seated cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. He first looked out the window at the unchanged seascape, feeling the cold winter sea breeze that was damp and sticky.


    This cold was different from that of the Boundless Icefield; there, the cold was dry, intensely penetrating to the bone.


    And now, his Cultivation Progress had finally reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage Level 2 (0.1%).


    ¨C


    ¡°Finally, the second level of the Golden Core,¡± Chen Qiu said, inspecting the Cultivation Progress panel above his Dantian. He got up to stretch his limbs, and standing before the mirror, he smiled while straightening his robe. Only then did he prepare to select his Cultivation breakthrough entry.


    He was quite satisfied with the speed of his Cultivation improvement.


    He had asked the scholar if the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard champions of the past received anything like the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in their daily blessings. The scholar had said no; his daily Heavenly Dao Blessing as the champion back then had been a Spirit Stone reward.


    The Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill had not been seen for many years. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was only available this time because this Heavenly Pride Leaderboard was special, effectively condensing what used to be daily blessings for 100 people down to a single person receiving the Heavenly Dao Blessing each day. It was natural for the rewards of such a blessing to be increased under these circumstances.


    Quite logical.

 Chapter 239 - 130: Storm.

    Chapter 239: Chapter 130: Storm.


    Xiao Yu City, inside the inn.


    Chen Qiu stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking at the familiar panel enveloped by clouds and mist floating above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the second layer of the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ...


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Storm.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you are on the sea surface or in the rain, the power of your Water Immortal Magic will greatly increase. When you are in an environment of a storm with dense clouds and flashing lightning, the power of your Thunder Based Immortal Techniques will greatly increase.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Start from scratch.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You will lose all memories, entries, cultivation, etc., and be reborn at the time and place you were born, starting from scratch, and your lifespan, bone age, etc., will all restart, and all wounds and hidden injuries on your body will be healed.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Escape Technique.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When your physical body dies, the speed of your Golden Core escaping the body will greatly increase.


    ¨C


    These three entries were the ones randomly available to him upon his cultivation enhancement to the second layer of the Golden Core Stage.


    There was no room for choice.


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow and immediately chose the first entry. This entry was actually quite restrictive as it depended on specific environmental conditions like being on the surface of water or during stormy weather to enhance certain spells¡¯ power.


    One could say it was an entry that could only be utilized under special circumstances.


    But to him,


    it was essentially a long-term activated passive entry.


    His ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡±, if fully unleashed, could easily manipulate the forces of nature, instantly turning any place into a scene of striking lightning and stormy weather, meaning that his Thunder Summoning Technique would always receive a boost when fully unleashed.


    The more he considered it, the more he appreciated the benefits of the Thunder Summoning Technique, which wasn¡¯t even specifically a Magic Practitioner¡¯s spell.


    It featured instant activation without any delay.


    Like the Flower Offering Sect Master, to be honest, the oppressive presence of the several dozen feet tall skeletal phantom behind him was quite significant; its terrifying pressure made one¡¯s breathing uneasy, but its biggest drawback was that it took too long to activate.


    Thus, leading to the Flower Offering Sect Master¡¯s big move not being executed before he was killed.


    No one is foolish enough to stand there waiting for you to finish your big move before they attack you. And the originally ordinary Thunder Summoning Technique, enhanced by countless of his methods, had already far surpassed the full-strength blow of a typical cultivator of his level.


    It was a combination of a major move and instantaneous execution.


    He felt he could use this spell for a long time.


    As for the second entry, it was even more useless to him. He now had what one might call a perfect set of entries, the dream of all Magic Practitioners. Why would he bother to start from scratch for no reason? The third entry did tempt him somewhat.


    It would also count as a life-saving measure.


    If one day he truly faced an unstoppable foe, at least he could escape by having his Golden Core flee.


    But even though he was tempted, it was of no use. He currently lacked a Heavenly Dao High-Quality Retrospection Charm and thus could not choose between the discarded three entries from the selections at the Golden Core Stage. He had asked the scholar, who mentioned that the Heavenly Dao High-Quality Retrospection Charm was rather rare and occasionally appeared in auctions at extremely high prices.


    So he did not inquire further.


    This matter was also largely dependent on fate. When the time was right, it would be available; if not, then it wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡­


    After adjusting his attire, Chen Qiu walked out of the door, planning to take Fat Long and others for a stroll in the streets. They had no specific aim, just leisurely wandering. The Sea Clan wouldn¡¯t invade until the day after tomorrow, so there was still a day or two.


    Besides cultivating, it was important to balance work and rest.


    Occasionally enjoying the scenery was also beneficial for mental and physical health.


    The only attack spells he was currently practicing were the Thunder Summoning Technique and the Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique. The former was a basic spell in the Cultivation World that many people knew; the latter, strictly speaking, was a variant spell suitable for poison cultivators.


    Though he claimed to be a Magic Practitioner,


    he hadn¡¯t learned a single typical Magic Practitioner¡¯s spell, which was quite ironic.


    ¡­


    After strolling around Xiao Yu City for a while, Chen Qiu led Fat Long and the others back to the inn to cultivate.


    To cultivate vigorously.


    Finally, at the midnight hour, ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were delivered.


    Consume!


    With Chen Qiu¡¯s hard work, finally by dawn, after sitting cross-legged on the bed and letting out a long breath of turbid air, he looked towards the Cultivation Progress floating above his Dantian satisfied.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage second layer (40.2%).


    ¨C


    Cultivation progress had almost increased by half, and in another day or two, he would be able to advance to the third layer of the Golden Core Stage.


    Why was he so strong?


    While others were wasting time gossiping, he was cultivating hard; while others were enjoying music in brothels, he was cultivating hard; while others were comparing their Spiritual Treasures, he was cultivating hard.


    It was precisely because of this perseverance that his strength could steadily advance step by step.


    After reaching the second layer of the Golden Core Stage,


    a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could now only increase his Cultivation Progress by 4%, which was slightly less than during the first layer. As his cultivation increased, the effectiveness of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill also diminished.


    But even so, he was already satisfied. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This pace had far surpassed all Golden Core cultivators in Da Xia; he should be the fastest cultivator, without any competitors. After all, not many people could consume Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills like candy as he did.


    And while he swallowed the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills these two days, he was also operating his mental method, allowing his cultivation progress to advance by an additional 0.1%.

 Chapter 240 - 130: Storm._2

    Chapter 240: Chapter 130: Storm._2


    ¡­


    Today, there¡¯s nothing to report.


    Chen Qiu and the others went out for a stroll again, had some food, and then returned to the inn to continue their cultivation, ready for the Sea Clan invasion that was expected the next day.


    Nobody foolish enough came up to provoke them.


    Chen Qiu was not wearing a mask, and his face had already been spread throughout Da Xia via Memory Stones. Even though many had not seen Chen Qiu¡¯s Memory Stone recently due to his seclusion for cultivation, the murmurs from those who glanced his way made it clear they knew who he was.


    In such circumstances, anyone daring to provoke must either be out of their mind or harboring a sinister plot.


    ...


    Midnight came swiftly, and the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill reward arrived once again.


    By dawn, his Cultivation had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage second level (80.2%).


    ¨C


    Dawn broke.


    Chen Qiu sat in the inn, tilting his head to look out the window. Today, the sea was not as calm as usual. A thick blanket of dark clouds covered the entire sea, including the coastal areas, leaving no end in sight to the clouds.


    The light dimmed significantly, and the mental pressure from the vast expanse of dark clouds was immense, giving an almost suffocating feeling.


    Winds mixed with a foul stench roared incessantly from the depths of the sea.


    Layer upon layer of waves continuously crashed against the coastal rocks, sending up sprays of water and making thunderous noises. What seemed like ordinary waves without any strength, squeezed upon the rock walls, could produce a sound akin to thunder.


    The waves grew ever larger.


    The wind too grew ever stronger.


    Though it had yet not started to rain, the atmosphere already resembled that of an imminent storm.


    By that time, there were no common people left in the town. Even the greedier and bolder ones had fled overnight; while they were daring, they were not fearless ¨C there was a substantial difference between the two.


    Not a single Sea Demon was seen, but everyone was aware that the Sea Demons were about to make their appearance.


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    Numerous cultivators stood on a seaside cliff, their expressions grave as they watched the towering waves below, tightly gripping their swords.


    Chen Qiu also stood with his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella on a deserted part of the cliff, calmly gazing out to sea without speaking, unaware of what he was thinking. Fat Long and a few others stood quietly behind him.


    The coastline was not short.


    Nearly ten thousand miles.


    One-third of Da Xia Country¡¯s eastern territory was coastal,


    No one knew from where the Sea Clan would invade, so most cultivators headed to locations closest to their sects and patiently waited for the Sea Clan to come ashore.


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    The waves grew larger and larger. The gigantic waves struck the cliffs, making them tremble slightly. Following the fierce winds, the sea level suddenly rose sharply.


    The waves became higher.


    Until a nearly thirty-foot wave surged from the sky and smashed down on all the cultivators standing on the cliffs!


    Only then were the cultivators forced to leave the cliffs and circle in the air with their swords. However, the waves continued to rise, even towering as if to flood the coastal cities, causing many to frown slightly, indicating they would have to fight in the air.


    But the spiritual energy of those at the Foundation Establishment Stage was not sufficient for them to fight in the air for too long.


    ¡°BOOM!¡±


    Following a thunderclap, a dazzling lightning bolt flashed across the sky, instantly illuminating the dim world. The intense light caused many to look around and perceive the surroundings as even darker after the lightning faded.


    This bolt of lightning seemed to have flipped a switch.


    Countless bolts of lightning began to race across the sky, illuminating the whole world as if it were daytime amid the thunder and lightning.


    The scene lasted only for a few moments before it suddenly ceased, plunging the environment under a blanket of dense clouds back into extreme darkness, lasting about four or five breaths.


    A lightning bolt flashed across the sky once more.


    All cultivators flying in the air momentarily held their breaths, only to see that, when the previous wave receded, an immense number of Sea Demons had already landed below, densely covering the entire coastline.


    At a glance, there was no end in sight.


    They had no idea where these Sea Demons had come from, only catching a glimpse in the afterlight of the lightning. When the next wave surged, these Sea Clan creatures disappeared from their original positions and once more emerged a few yards farther inland.


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    Not sure which Foundation Establishment Cultivator suddenly roared, accompanied by a beam of sword light shooting downward, blowing the horn for the beginning of the battle.


    Countless spells and circling flying swords all crashed down below.


    Amid flashes of lightning and peals of thunder,


    Blood sprayed everywhere.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu said nothing, just thoroughly unleashed his Divine Sense. After reaching the second level of Golden Core, his range of Divine Sense had reached one hundred forty miles.


    Within the scope of his Divine Sense, these Sea Demons had spread out a battle line of more than ten miles, densely packed from the sea to the shore.


    Among those Sea Demons,


    There were ¡®Wolf Crabs¡¯ with enormous bodies and fierce light flickering in their pupils as they charged at the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the air on the waves.


    There were also ¡®Green Poison Octopuses¡¯ with numerous tentacles, dripping continuously with fluid, spraying green liquid towards the air.


    And there were ¡®Sea Demon Turtles,¡¯ several yards tall with massive shells on their backs, whose defense was so strong that they remained undamaged by flying sword attacks.


    Numerous Sea Demons covered ten miles, rapidly advancing inland with the push of the waves.


    Those Sea Demons with the ability to fly were already battling the cultivators in the air, those without flying abilities countered with their long-range attack methods, and those without any means of attack continued to advance further inland with the waves.

 Chapter 241 - 130: Storm._3

    Chapter 241: Chapter 130: Storm._3


    The present situation appeared extremely disadvantageous for the cultivators above.


    Foundation Establishment Cultivators lacked the ability to engage in prolonged aerial battles. During such times, if their Spiritual Energy were to be exhausted and they fell, being swarmed by countless Sea Demons would make survival difficult; thus, almost all Foundation Establishment Cultivators were extremely cautious when they acted.


    Fearful of depleting their internal Spiritual Energy.


    Just then ¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    A tremendously powerful Golden Core Cultivation aura instantly enveloped all the Sea Demons below, a middle-aged man with the prowess of the first layer of Golden Core, broadcasting a powerful pressure and with an icy expression, readied himself to throw a punch.


    ...


    The next moment!


    This middle-aged man¡¯s body suddenly stiffened in midair, and as he looked up at Chen Qiu, standing on the cliff already one-third submerged by the sea, right as he prepared to make a move, Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense firmly locked onto him!


    His heart somewhat shaken, it was apparent that just a few days ago during the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard, Chen Qiu had only been at the first layer of Golden Core. How had he now reached the second layer?


    He had witnessed Chen Qiu¡¯s abilities.


    If Chen Qiu wanted to kill him, even with just the first layer of Golden Core Cultivation, he could easily annihilate him, let alone with the second layer. But he was unclear whether he had offended Chen Qiu in any way. Why, on the brink of this great battle, would Chen Qiu suddenly lock his Divine Sense onto him?


    Being locked on by a Magic Practitioner¡¯s Divine Sense was not a good thing.


    Immediately following.


    He then saw Chen Qiu stride through the air beside him, first glancing at him then turning to look at his companion who had also arrived with the same first layer of Golden Core Cultivation, shaking his head, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t act yet.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu stood in the high sky, not waiting for these two Golden Cores to speak, he tilted his head towards the distant coastline and softly said, ¡°Da Xia¡¯s coastline stretches nearly ten thousand miles. The Sea Clan won¡¯t possibly be launching from just this location. We can¡¯t be that lucky to catch them just here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more inclined to believe the Sea Clan is landing from hundreds of directions simultaneously.¡±


    ¡°Then, based on the casualties among the Sea Demons, they determine the directions where our defenses are the weakest, and then they gather large numbers of Sea Demons at what they consider the weakest point to launch a full-scale attack.¡±


    ¡°My suggestion is that you gentlemen don¡¯t act for now. Take this group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators and retreat gradually, allowing these Sea Demons to think that our position is the weakest. Then, when the Sea Demons prepare their main force to attack us, we¡¯ll strike in one fell swoop and annihilate them.¡±


    ¡°What do you two think?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The two middle-aged men with the first layer of Golden Core looked at each other, recognizing the reluctance in each other¡¯s eyes. They really wanted to say that only an equal strength could discuss terms; for Chen Qiu, this was more of a command. Did they even have a choice but to comply?


    However¡­ Chen Qiu¡¯s suggestion indeed had merit.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good plan, but¡­¡±


    One of these middle-aged men hesitated for a long while before looking down at the densely packed Sea Demons and said tentatively, ¡°So far, there hasn¡¯t been a single Golden Core Sea Demon ashore, but there are definitely Golden Cores among the Sea Demons. If they really launch a full-scale attack towards us.¡±


    ¡°What if there are many Golden Core Sea Demons? Can we hold them off?¡±


    ¡°We can hold them off.¡±


    Chen Qiu said softly with a smile.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem.¡±


    Seeing Chen Qiu¡¯s confidence, the two middle-aged men felt reassured. After all, the impression Chen Qiu left in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was too profound. With his tactics, as long as the Sea Demons didn¡¯t have an extremely strong Golden Core, there should be no problem.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, ¡°Then please, two fellow Daoists, lead these Foundation Establishment Cultivators to retreat and try to kill fewer Sea Demons.¡±


    He then led the scholar and others towards the distance, shooting away.


    ¡­


    The two middle-aged men watched Chen Qiu disappear into the horizon, exchanged glances once more, and then a loud voice rang out to all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators: ¡°Everyone, retreat.¡±


    For Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Golden Core cultivators naturally held a hierarchical superiority.


    Even if they weren¡¯t from the same sect or family and even if they hadn¡¯t known each other in the past, once a Golden Core cultivator gave an order, Foundation Establishment Cultivators generally obeyed, purely out of reverence for the stronger and fear of death.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, with the scholar¡¯s help, Chen Qiu was already swiftly exploring along the sea surface.


    Just as he had guessed.


    On a nearly thousand-mile stretch of coastline, there were precisely five Sea Clan landings, about every 200 miles there was a batch of Sea Clan landing, and these Sea Clan chose only to land at places with cities, not even glancing at uninhabited areas.


    Each time they passed a battlefield.


    Chen Qiu casually unleashed almost a thousand Thunder Summoning Techniques, and under the natural storm conditions, his Thunder Summoning Technique under the newly acquired entry ¡°Storm¡± gained significantly increased power.


    Every casual strike basically cleared a large swath of Sea Demons on the battlefield.


    Afterward, he did not linger long.


    Nor did he care about the complex looks the cultivators on the battlefield gave him as he again shot off into the distance.


    His plan was simple.


    He was still prepared to kill a large number of demon beasts to enhance his Dantian Spiritual Energy capacity. With ten thousand miles of coastline, he could not possibly run back and forth; the scholar¡¯s Spiritual Energy did not support doing so, and without the scholar, his own speed of escape also did not support it.


    By means, control where the Sea Demons launched a full assault, and then catch them all in one net was a plan more suitable for him.


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    And so it was.

 Chapter 242 - 130: Storm._4

    Chapter 242: Chapter 130: Storm._4


    Having spent nearly two hours, Chen Qiu, under the influence of the scholar¡¯s Flying Sword, had almost run through the entire coastline. Each time they passed a battlefield, nearly a thousand Thunder Dragons would strike down, often instantly clearing the area.


    At this moment, he had returned to ¡°Xiao Yu City¡±.


    The flood had already submerged Xiao Yu City, and a large, dense number of Sea Demons were stepping over the waves, advancing deeper into the mainland beyond Xiao Yu City. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the front line of the Sea Demon charge, led by three Golden Core cultivators, a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators were retreating step by step, primarily defending and not attacking, while in other battlefields, the Sea Demons had only charged four or five miles into the mainland.


    Here, however, the Sea Demons had already charged nearly twenty miles inland.


    Chen Qiu scanned the Sea Demons below, noticing that their numbers were significantly higher than those on other battlefields and that more Sea Demons were continuously emerging from the waves, but the timing still wasn¡¯t right; he had not yet seen the main force of the Sea Demons.


    ...


    At that moment¡ª


    The three Golden Core cultivators also saw Chen Qiu and immediately shot towards him.


    The middle-aged man with his upper body bare and empty-handed, who was initially locked by Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense, spoke with a barely concealed excitement, ¡°Senior, is the timing right now? There are already quite a few more Sea Demons gathered below than before.¡±


    ¡°I have instructed the youngsters below to control their strength, to retreat and defend as much as possible without killing the Sea Demons.¡±


    Shortly after, the middle-aged man pointed to a bald man dressed in a Magic Robe who had arrived next to him and introduced, ¡°Senior, this fellow practitioner came to reinforce us after you left. He also has the cultivation of the first level of Golden Core, and like you, he is a Magic Practitioner.¡±


    ¡°I told him about your plan, and he thinks it¡¯s very good, so he joined us.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the bald man in the Magic Robe, nodded slightly in greeting, and realized that the robe was indeed a Spiritual Treasure. The intense fluctuations of Spiritual Energy on its surface flowed far surpass what the robe that he had bought for two Spirit Stones at the Ask Heaven market could offer.


    It seemed he needed to get himself a Magic Robe too.


    Then he looked down at the densely packed mass of demon beasts below and shook his head, ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit longer; the numbers are still too few. I¡¯ve run through all the battlefields and from what I¡¯ve observed, the true main attack force of the Sea Demons needs to be at least ten times this number.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The three Golden Core cultivators naturally had no objections, but the bald man in the Magic Robe looked at Chen Qiu with a somewhat fanatic and admiring gaze, as only a fellow Magic Practitioner would know how strong Chen Qiu really was!


    Even Chen Qiu himself did not know.


    He had now become a god in the hearts of all Magic Practitioners in Da Xia; this was what they envisioned a true Magic Practitioner to be!


    Anything less was mere slander!


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu did not continue to hover over the Sea Demons but retreated to a cliff behind, overlooking the densely packed Sea Demons rushing onto the land, pondering silently. This invasion by the Sea Clan was a tremendous opportunity for him.


    Even greater than the invasion by the Evil Clan.


    The Evil Clan was not considered demon beasts, whereas the Sea Clan were genuine, full-blooded Sea Demons.


    Killing one demon beast, his Dantian would expand by one millimeter, thus accommodating more Spiritual Energy.


    His original Dantian was twenty-one thousand millimeters.


    It was by leveraging this vast amount of Spiritual Energy, far exceeding his peers, that he had created many miracles.


    And after spending two hours and passing many battlefields, his Dantian had expanded to sixty thousand millimeters.


    The Dantian is a small world within the body; there¡¯s no need to worry about it becoming so large that it overflows.


    This meant that, in just these two hours, the capacity for Spiritual Energy inside his body had tripled.


    Previously,


    At his full burst, he could unleash nearly ten thousand Thunder Dragons in a blend of illusion and reality. Now, at full burst, he could unleash nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons!


    In an instant, his combat power had massively increased.


    However, in prolonged combat, there actually wasn¡¯t much change, after all, originally when the Spiritual Energy in his body was exhausted, activating the armguard only needed ten breaths to fully recover the Spiritual Energy. Now that he had more Spiritual Energy capacity, it took fully thirty breaths to slowly recover after activating the armguard.


    ¡­


    Perhaps the Sea Clan¡¯s speed in assembling a large force at the seabed was much slower than the scholar¡¯s speed.


    They had waited for an hour.


    Just when they wondered if this might already be the Sea Demon¡¯s main force, tens of thousands of small-bodied seagulls carrying demon energy suddenly covered the sky and flew in their direction.


    Immediately after, countless Sea Demons riding the waves surged out from the seabed. It only took a few breaths, and the number of Sea Demons visibly doubled, explosively increasing.


    ¡°They¡¯ve finally arrived.¡±


    Leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, standing on the edge of the cliff, Chen Qiu looked towards the scene in the distance and chuckled lightly; he had finally waited for them. Once this batch of Sea Demons were wiped out, he was somewhat afraid to imagine just how vast his Spiritual Energy capacity would become.


    There¡¯s no place in Da Xia Country like this, with such a dense population of demon beasts.


    ¡°Everyone, step back and give enough space for the Sea Clan to come ashore.¡±


    Divine Sense transmitted into the minds of those three Golden Core cultivators, who immediately led the Foundation Establishment cultivators to rapidly retreat, leaving the battlefield to Chen Qiu.


    About thirty minutes passed.


    Many Sea Demons had already come ashore, rushing toward the inland. The dense mass of Sea Demons was endless at a glance, including those flying in the sky, those in the sea, and those amphibious on land.


    Countless seagulls carrying demon energy crashed towards Chen Qiu, none of which got near him before exploding on their own.


    By now, the number of Sea Demons, compared to when they first came ashore, had increased by more than tenfold and continued to grow, as countless more surged from the seabed.


    ¡°Could there really be that many Sea Demons in the sea?¡±


    Standing on the cliff and overlooking the Sea Demons below, he murmured, ¡°I always thought that the place with the most demon beasts in Da Xia Country would be the Endless Desert, but it turns out there are even more in the Boundless Sea.¡±


    ¡°This might still only be the vanguard.¡±


    The scholar frowned slightly, looking down at those demon beasts: ¡°So far, I haven¡¯t seen a single Golden Core Sea Demon, and most are of Qi Refining level, only a small part are of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°Besides their numbers and fearlessness, I don¡¯t see anything particularly dangerous about them.¡±


    Perhaps the scholar¡¯s words were heard.


    The scholar had just spoken.


    Then, from the sea surface, three upright, humanoid Golden Core Sea Demons emerged, each naked, holding Spiritual Treasures suitably forged for demon beasts from Deep Sea Mysterious Iron with crude techniques.


    With icy expressions and pupils radiating a murderous intent, the overwhelming Golden Core Cultivation oppressed every cultivator¡¯s heart, their demon energy nearly solidified.


    With each step,


    many Sea Demons were trampled to death under the feet of these three Golden Core Sea Demons.


    Pure Golden Core level Cultivation.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Watching this scene, Chen Qiu¡¯s brow slightly furrowed, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes¡ªthose were his prey, and you just crushed them like that?


    This was also his first encounter with Golden Core Sea Demons.


    On other battlefields, not a single Golden Core Sea Demon was seen, and their entrance fundamentally suggested that the Sea Clan had chosen this location as their main attack direction.


    The initial plan was successful.

 Chapter 243 - 131:

    Chapter 243: Chapter 131: ¡°This is a Magic Practitioner!


    When the three Golden Core Sea Demons stepped onto the mainland, accompanied by one of the Sea Demons with a fierce face raising his weapon and roaring, all Sea Demons suddenly launched even more ferocious attacks.


    The overwhelming demon energy almost suffocated people.


    At that moment¡ª


    The number of Sea Demons emerging from the sea gradually decreased.


    ¡°About time.¡±


    Chen Qiu, who had been leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in his hand, opened it and raised it above his head, looking down at the densely packed Sea Demons below. Then, as a tremendous amount of Spiritual Energy surged out, another thick layer of clouds formed in the already cloud-filled sky.


    ...


    This layer of clouds plunged the whole world into complete darkness.


    The sea turned black, rendering the naked eye almost useless, and one could only use Divine Sense to perceive things.


    The whole world fell into extreme darkness, like the Boundless Icefield.


    At the same time, nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons, their bodies coursing with purple-blue electric arcs, roared furiously in the thundering sky, churning within the dark clouds.


    ¡­


    ¡°Here they come, they¡¯re here!!¡±


    The bald Golden Core cultivator standing at the rear, excitedly pointing at the tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons in the clouds and tremblingly exclaimed in excitement, ¡°The senior is using that move, this move, this is how Magic Practitioners should be!¡±


    ¡°This is true Magic Practitioner!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing proudly at the edge of the cliff and overlooking the countless Sea Demons below, spoke softly, followed by a storm that descended, with torrents of rain carrying the moist air crashing down on the Sea Demons like a waterfall.


    His Divine Sense spread out without sparing any effort.


    It locked onto three thousand demon beasts.


    Chen Qiu also tested the maximum number of individuals his Divine Sense could lock onto automatically at one time. With his second level Golden Core Cultivation, he could automatically lock onto three thousand individuals at one time, which was the limit.


    Of course, as his Cultivation and the Sea of Consciousness expanded, this number would also increase.


    However, he was just conducting an experiment; at this moment, he didn¡¯t need to use Divine Sense to lock on since the Sea Demons below were too densely packed. A direct, indiscriminate bombardment was sufficient, and Divine Sense locking was superfluous.


    ¡°Boom, boom, boom!!!¡±


    As the nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons all struck the Sea Demons on the ground from the clouds, each Thunder Dragon was dozens of zhang wide and hundreds of zhang long, each one like a Heavenly Punishment descending from the sky.


    Thirty thousand Heavenly Punishments, simultaneously striking the Sea Demons on the ground.


    The people at the rear witnessed the most shocking scene of their lives, bar none!


    When these thirty thousand Thunder Dragons carrying purple-blue electric arcs heavily crashed into the midst of the Sea Demons and exploded nearly at the same time, the deafening explosion rendered everyone present momentarily deaf, hearing nothing.


    They could only see the dazzling bright light, piercing through the clouds above and once again enveloping the entire world.


    And the only thing visible was this scene.


    Countless pieces of Sea Demon flesh were blown into mid-air, then fell back to the ground like a bloody rainstorm, washed away by the seawater, disappearing without a trace.


    Just this one strike.


    The mainland below had already turned into a huge deep pit, with seawater continuously pouring in, gradually forming a lake.


    The three Golden Core Sea Demons didn¡¯t even get a chance to strike, and together with the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Sea Demons below, turned into ashes under such dense Heavenly Punishment.


    Golden Core Sea Demons and Qi Refinement Sea Demons made no difference.


    They were all cannon fodder.


    In a sense, this could also be seen as equality for all.


    ¡­


    The numerous cultivators who had retreated from the battlefield were all frozen in place, shocked, their eyes filled with disbelief. They had seen Golden Core Great Powers in action before, but had never seen any Golden Core Great Power whose action could bring such a terrifying oppressive force.


    Even though they were just observers.


    Their legs couldn¡¯t help but tremble, the vision of the Heavenly Punishments akin to a natural disaster, was it really something humanly possible? S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Though many had seen images of Chen Qiu taking action in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm through the Memory Stone, that time did not have the oppressive feeling of this time, and this time they were experiencing it in person.


    They could not only see such a shocking scene but also feel the extremely terrifying oppressive force, accompanied by the stench of blood in the sea breeze, and the raging storm under the dark clouds.


    It couldn¡¯t get more real.


    After the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, many had thought the Seventh Prince was too cowardly, not daring to make a move and leaving the realm, but only after personally experiencing this scene did they begin to understand the reaction of the Seventh Prince when he looked up and saw the Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons on that day.


    Even a moment¡¯s hesitation might have left no chance to leave the Secret Realm but to die miserably inside.


    At the same time¡ª


    Many sharp-minded cultivators had already taken out their Memory Stones to record this shocking scene, perhaps even Chen Qiu didn¡¯t know that many people in the Da Xia Country were currently making money off him.


    If Chen Qiu accidentally died,


    Countless people would be very upset.


    The families whose main business was manufacturing Memory Stones had orders they could hardly keep up with.


    Many cultivators were recording firsthand footage, selling it at a high price to those merchants who then massively replicated the first-hand Memory Stones and sold them.


    And the storytellers, as long as they mentioned Chen Qiu, tea houses were definitely packed, and everyone listened with great interest.


    Mainly, Chen Qiu¡¯s rise against all odds fit the common imagination perfectly.


    An ordinary Loose Cultivator suddenly rose to prominence, then uncontrollably, in just a few dozen days, transformed from a woodcutter to Da Xia¡¯s unparalleled Talent of Magic Practitioner, forging a fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core, receiving the name bestowed by Heavenly Dao Saint, and with an absolutely overwhelming invincible posture, topped the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard!

 Chapter 244 - 131:

    Chapter 244: Chapter 131: ¡°This is a Magic Practitioner!¡±_2


    The journey so far had been full of bizarre and thrilling tales,


    as if born from the life of a natural storyteller.


    Further complemented by the storyteller¡¯s rhythmic intonation, punctuated by a dramatic slap of the clapper, the atmosphere on location was instantly enlivened, with virtually all the storytellers in Da Xia talking about Chen Qiu.


    Beyond that, many people from various professions were making money off Chen Qiu¡¯s fame. For example, the local bully from Fufeng City who Chen Qiu had once killed was now being spoken of by the group of thugs who had confronted Chen Qiu that day. They had dug up the corpse of their companion, whom Chen Qiu had killed, and displayed it outside the city, claiming it to be the first man Chen Qiu had slain on his rise to power.


    For ten silver, you could have a go at chopping.


    There were no shortage of takers, and ten silver wasn¡¯t much ¨C maybe chopping at the same corpse Chen Qiu had would bring them the same good fortune. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    These thugs were considered bold, unlike the Huang Family of Fufeng City, who had once had a run-in with Chen Qiu. They had stealthily sold off their property and fled in the middle of the night, hiding in a place where no one would pay them any mind, for fear that one day Chen Qiu would suddenly remember them and come seeking vengeance.


    ¡­


    Nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons struck with precision, leaving no space untouched as they smashed into the dense crowd of Sea Demons below. When the sea swiftly filled the deep pits made by the Thunder Dragons, not a single Sea Demon was to be seen.


    Only a large quantity of flesh and blood, not yet washed away by the sea, remained.


    The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.


    Chen Qiu, suspended in mid-air, had to continuously teleport for a total of two hundred and thirty breaths in order to fully recover his Spiritual Energy, which took considerably longer than before. His full-force attack had almost completely wiped out the Sea Demons below.


    After replenishing his Spiritual Energy, Chen Qiu floated midair, looking down at the lake below dyed red with blood, and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle lightly.


    That attack had killed close to four hundred thousand Sea Demons!


    It caused his Dantian to expand directly to forty-six million millimeters, an exaggerated figure that increased his Dantian from the original twenty thousand millimeters to forty-six million after just one invasion by the Sea Clan!


    Now the vast liquid Spiritual Energy inside his Dantian was as boundless as an ocean, seemingly inexhaustible.


    The concept may be hard to grasp.


    Let¡¯s put it another way.


    If he were to transform all that liquid Spiritual Energy within him into Thunder Dragons and unleash them, he could summon about two hundred and thirty thousand Thunder Dragons at once, each with the power equivalent to a full-force attack of a second-level Golden Core cultivator.


    Thunder Summoning Technique was never his most powerful method, but rather a typical attack method. When facing enemies who overwhelmingly out-Cultivated him, the Thunder Summoning Technique was often less useful than the Self-Destruction Term.


    Now his regular Attack Method had received a slight enhancement.


    Just a little more in quantity.


    And due to the ¡°Spiritual Energy Intimidating¡± entry, which makes Spell power stronger with greater Spiritual Energy capacity, the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique had also somewhat increased.


    Basically, there was little change.


    Yes, that¡¯s how it was.


    Just then¡ª


    The sea surface began to churn violently again, but perhaps knowing that sending more fodder was futile, after a few breaths, a Golden Core Sea Demon of the first layer stepped out from the seabed!


    One, two, three¡­


    Nine!


    A total of nine Golden Core Sea Demons emerged from the seabed, with the highest among them reaching the terrifying level of a fourth layer Golden Core Cultivator!


    But that wasn¡¯t all.


    After these Golden Core Sea Demons emerged from the water, they didn¡¯t immediately make a move. Instead, they gazed at Chen Qiu in the sky with murderous intent in their eyes. Then, a female Golden Core Sea Demon in human form walked out stark naked. Her Cultivation level was an extremely terrifying fifth layer of the Golden Core!


    Looking at Chen Qiu emotionlessly, she then let out an ear-piercing scream, and in an instant, countless pink mist enveloped Chen Qiu.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the pink mist near him, his Divine Sense detecting its hallucinogenic effects, but they were useless against him. Under the effect of the Heavenly Dao Saint, these hallucinatory methods had no significance for him.


    He then turned his gaze to the nine Golden Core Sea Demons rushing aggressively towards him, as well as the female Golden Core Sea Demon standing behind them.


    Holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and chuckling lightly as his robes fluttered in the storm, he was also curious to see what it would look like when two hundred and thirty thousand Thunder Dragons smashed down simultaneously.


    His forefinger trembled slightly.


    The dark clouds above thickened, and the Storm grew even more imposing. Countless Spiritual Energy began to drift from Chen Qiu and merge into the air, inducing subtle changes throughout heaven and earth alongside the fluctuations of Spiritual Energy.


    ¡­


    ¡°Can our senior hold out?¡±


    The bald Golden Core cultivator flashed a hint of worry in his eyes and asked anxiously, ¡°We¡¯re talking about nine Golden Core Sea Demons, including two of the fourth layer and three of the third layer.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even include the strongest one standing behind those nine, the fifth layer Golden Core Sea Demon!!¡±


    ¡°Even if our senior can fight above his level, surely he can¡¯t take on this many at the same time, can he?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    The bald Golden Core cultivator shook his head vigorously, gritted his teeth, and let his boundless Spiritual Energy seep out. With both hands raised above his head, he bellowed furiously as an immense Thunder Ball, composed of numerous arcs of lightning and measuring dozens of feet across, slowly formed above his head.


    Immediately after, he turned into a streak of Golden Light, shooting towards Chen Qiu and shouting loudly.

 Chapter 245 - 131:

    Chapter 245: Chapter 131: ¡°This is the Magic Practitioner!¡±_3


    ¡°`


    ¡°Senior, I¡¯ll lend you a hand!¡±


    But in the next moment!


    The Golden Core cultivator¡¯s face suddenly turned pale, and, having hardly managed to congeal a Thunder Ball as his trump card, he threw it towards the ground below and forcefully stopped himself mid-air, transforming into a streak of light and fleeing back the way he had come at an even greater speed!


    His face twisted with fear, he bellowed a heart-rending, blood-curdling scream.


    ¡°Run for your lives!!!¡±


    ...


    ¡°Escape!¡±


    However, before his cry even finished, the two Golden Core cultivators who had been watching from behind, along with a large group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, had already turned pale and were fleeing into the distance without looking back!


    Looking up at the sky above¡ª


    At some point, hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons as dense as mudfish in a pond began churning in the dark clouds, their deafening roars thundering through the heavens and earth as they nearly filled the sky for tens of miles around.


    With just one glance up!


    Hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons carrying a terrifying aura surged within the dark clouds!


    And this area had even engulfed all the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been watching from afar.


    If one didn¡¯t flee now, then there would be no need to flee ever again.


    The senior had no need for his support; he just needed to make sure he fled quickly enough not to be accidentally crushed to death by the senior along with the Sea Demon of the Golden Core.


    But it must be said, there will always be those in this world who are not afraid to die.


    Even in such a dire situation, there were Foundation Establishment cultivators with terror-stricken faces and trembling bodies staying at what they deemed a safe and utmost distant spot, activating all their Protective Talismans and Magic Treasures, and clutching a Memory Stone directed at Chen Qiu who stood underneath the thundercloud with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    Their bodies were trembling uncontrollably, yet they still bit down on their teeth and didn¡¯t move an inch.


    Rather than risking severe injury, near death, or even possible death, they wished to record this scene. If they could capture it, many would pay a high price for the footage.


    This scene was absolutely stunning!


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the nine Golden Cores who were almost upon him and lifted his head to look at the Thunder Dragons filling the sky in the black clouds, a light smile forming on his face as his Divine Sense burst forth, automatically locking onto the nine Golden Cores and the female Golden Core Sea Demon standing below at the very back.


    Just then¡ª


    His Divine Sense suddenly locked onto three additional Golden Core Sea Demons.


    Without him noticing, three Golden Core Sea Demons, who had never appeared in his line of sight, had already stealthily approached him from behind, preparing to launch an attack. When they felt that they had been locked onto by his Divine Sense, they no longer bothered to hide and charged towards his back with an angry roar!


    In an instant!


    Nine Golden Core Sea Demons were rushing towards him from the front, and three more were aiming for his back!


    And the fifth-level Golden Core Sea Demon below was eyeing him hungrily, ready to strike at any moment.


    Any other Golden Core at the second level standing here would face certain death, yet¡­


    Chen Qiu merely quirked an eyebrow, standing in the sky with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his forefinger trembling slightly as he showed a rather gentle smile.


    Immediately following¡ª


    Hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons roared as they charged toward the thirteen Golden Core Sea Demons that had been locked on by his Divine Sense!


    The Thunder Summoning Technique had no other strong points save for one: its instantaneous effect.


    It was almost in the blink of an eye.


    A deafening explosion erupted below, Chen Qiu¡¯s black robe fluttering louder in the strong wind while the previously dark world turned as bright as day in an instant!


    Great quantities of seawater were blasted into the air, reaching heights of tens of feet.


    As the water that had been blown high into the sky slowly began to fall back to the ground, not a single Golden Core Sea Demon was to be seen, only a huge, vast crater where Xiao Yu City once stood, now a part of the crater itself.


    Countless volumes of seawater poured into the immense crater. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With that one strike!


    Almost all of the thirteen Golden Core Sea Demons perished, only the fifth-level female Sea Demon was heavily injured and unconscious in the water, not yet dead; the other Sea Demons were essentially finished.


    Chen Qiu casually waved his hand, as vast Spiritual Energy collected the severely injured and unconscious female Golden Core Sea Demon into his small world, planning to give her to Fat Long. He had intentionally held back when his Divine Sense had locked onto this female Sea Demon; otherwise, she would have ended up just like the other Sea Demons, not even a piece of flesh remaining.


    Fat Long and the others had long been recalled into his small world.


    The cliff he had been standing on before had also collapsed, crumbling into dust and flowing into the sea.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped¡­


    He felt that every time he took action, the environmental damage seemed quite significant.


    ¡­


    After waiting in the sky for quite a while, not a single Sea Demon dared to step onto land. The seawater gradually receded and calmed down, and the vast expanse of black clouds quickly dissipated as well. Following that, along with a voice that rang in everyone¡¯s ears, it signified the complete end of the Sea Clan¡¯s invasion!


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Sea Clan invasion has ended, Da Xia prevails.


    The Human Clan Cultivator, Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, extraordinary Heavenly Pride ¡®Chen Qiu¡¯, single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of thousands of the Sea Clan, protecting the people of Hai Province.


    Such a breadth of virtue and strength is admired by the people, who look to him as an example.


    ¨C


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    Chen Qiu scanned the chaos below, accompanying the receding seawater, the huge crater virtually became an inland sea, and the geography was completely different from before he had arrived.


    After expending hundreds of breaths to replenish his Spiritual Energy to the full, he released the scholar and the others from the small world and transformed into a streak of light shooting towards the nearest city.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 246 - 131:

    Chapter 246: Chapter 131: ¡°This is a Magic Practitioner!¡±_4


    ¡°`


    Fighting still seemed to be very draining on one¡¯s strength.


    I¡¯m a bit hungry.


    Have some food, then find a place to rest a bit. I can also make plans to rebuild the Chao Tian Sect, maybe find a construction team to first repair those collapsed buildings at the sect.


    ¡­


    After Chen Qiu left.


    ...


    The Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had been watching the battle, as all the dark clouds finally dispersed and brightness returned to the world, their faces, once as pale as death, gradually regained some color as they exchanged glances.


    It took some courage before they started to walk towards the edge of the inland sea where the water had receded.


    From a distance, the inland sea didn¡¯t seem that vast.


    Only upon standing at the edge of the inland sea could one realize how huge the pit Chen Qiu had created was. By now, the water had washed away all traces of blood, and occasionally one could see bits of flesh that hadn¡¯t been swept away floating on the surface of the water.


    Soaked by the vast sea water, the ground was somewhat soft.


    Stepping on the ground, one could faintly feel their body sinking a bit.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    The Golden Core cultivator, standing bare-chested by the edge of the inland sea, looked agonisingly complex as he gazed toward the other side of the sea. Then, turning his head, he looked at the bald Magic Practitioner beside him who had blood at the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯ve become the person with the most severe injuries in this battle.¡±


    Before the Golden Core Sea Demons landed, a group of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Sea Demons, under their watch, were mostly unhurt, especially since they had been continually retreating, not really fighting fiercely in love with combat.


    When the Golden Core Sea Demons came ashore, the seniors arrived, so they didn¡¯t need them anymore.


    But there was this bald Magic Practitioner!


    Worried the senior couldn¡¯t handle it, he rushed forwards holding a huge Thunder Ball. As he got close to the senior, he saw the senior unleashing a powerful move, and there he stopped in his tracks, forcibly stopping the flow of Spiritual Energy spurting out of his meridians, freezing his body in midair. Then, he turned and shot back towards where he came from. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had suffered some serious internal damage and was still bleeding from his mouth.


    ¡°Magic Practitioners are really fragile.¡±


    This man baring his arms couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue in wonder, ¡°No one even touched you and you look like you¡¯ve nearly done yourself in.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±


    The bald Magic Practitioner stared at the man with an icy, defiant gaze, ¡°The senior is also a Magic Practitioner, is the senior fragile?¡±


    ¡°The senior is the senior, and you are you.¡±


    ¡­


    And this scene had already been recorded in its entirety by someone daring with a Memory Stone. Actually, this daring person bet right. Under Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense lock, the attacks didn¡¯t propagate too far, all directed at the Sea Demons identified by his Divine Sense.


    The content from the Memory Stone was soon copied multiple times, then spread like a virus throughout Da Xia Country at blazing speed!


    If there¡¯s someone most famous in Da Xia Country right now, someone who¡¯s the hottest topic of discussion,


    It is but one person.


    Chen Qiu.


    A legend who rose from obscurity, in a matter of just tens of days, from a loose cultivator to the top Talent of Magic Practitioner in Da Xia!


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    At this moment, within the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Jing Province, the Seventh Prince, already sweaty from practicing his sword for a long time and extremely tired, had an extremely excited look in his pupils; he had already found a way to defeat Chen Qiu!


    ¡°`


    After that defeat by Chen Qiu,


    he pondered for a long time on how to break that one move.


    He had experienced that move twice.


    The first time it hit him, the second time it was about to hit him when he managed to escape just in time with his keen judgment. When the Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons struck him the first time, he realized that nearly half of those Thunder Dragons were illusions.


    They looked like Thunder Dragons, but they had no power at all.


    Moreover, he noticed that Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense did not lock onto him at that time, so the Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons did not have a target; they simply smashed down in his direction!


    This meant that Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense locking was not his forte.


    All he needed was to find a Protective Spiritual Treasure that could evade Divine Sense locking, then make sure Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense still couldn¡¯t lock onto him next time, and then he wouldn¡¯t defend, but instead, rush forward to meet the Thunder Dragons before they could smash down!


    Theoretically speaking, even if ten thousand Thunder Dragons were coming down at him, he would have to withstand at most a dozen or so real Thunder Dragons, and half of them were illusions. Then, relying on the Protective Spiritual Treasure, he could completely pass through the Thunder Dragons and reach Chen Qiu!


    He had only been defeated last time because he was trapped in the arena and couldn¡¯t break out, which forced him to passively take hits.


    The tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons could only cause chain reactions due to massive fluctuations of Spiritual Energy when they smashed to the ground, creating an attack that covered the whole area. But if he rushed up before the Thunder Dragons touched the ground, he would only have to face a dozen or so real ones.


    The rest would simply brush past him.


    That was the strategy he had come up with to break Chen Qiu¡¯s Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons move!


    ¡°If there is another chance to fight¡­¡±


    The Seventh Prince stood tall on the spot, holding his sword level and pointing it at a dry tree beside him, a glint of battle intention flickered in his eyes as he murmured, ¡°This time, I will beat you!¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Seventh Prince,¡±


    a maid came up nervously and said in a low voice, ¡°I know you are practicing your sword, but you said that if there is any new information on Chen Qiu, we are to report to you immediately, no matter what you are doing.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The Seventh Prince sheathed his sword and took a deep breath, sitting cross-legged on the ground with a serious expression. He took the Memory Stone handed over by the maid. Chen Qiu, as the strongest peer of his lifetime, must be studied constantly for the latest news, so that he could be fully prepared for the next encounter.


    Let¡¯s see what new information there is about Chen Qiu recently.


    Recently there was only an invasion by the Sea Clan; that was to be expected, Chen Qiu must have gone. With Chen Qiu¡¯s method of Ten Thousand Thunder Dragons, it was indeed very effective against the cannon fodder Sea Demons.


    The images from the Memory Stone were projected into the air.


    In the image, the Sea Clan had just finished assembling when Chen Qiu, draped in a black robe and holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stood proudly in the sky. The intense fluctuations of Spiritual Energy around him clearly showed he had reached the second layer of the Golden Core.


    ¡°So soon?!¡±


    Surprise flickered in the Seventh Prince¡¯s eyes; their last encounter was only a few days ago, and at that time, Chen Qiu had barely broken through to the first layer of the Golden Core. How could he have reached the second layer of the Golden Core, equal to his Cultivation, in just a few days?


    How could he have advanced so quickly?


    He had broken through to the Golden Core at 17, now at 19, he was only at the second layer of the Golden Core. To break through to the third layer would probably take about another month; his speed of cultivation was already considered extremely fast.


    He was served by an array made of Mid-grade Spirit Stones every day for his cultivation.


    Plus the Golden Core Cultivation Pills regularly supplied by the palace, on top of the fact that the Capital was a land rich in Spiritual Energy, which made his cultivation speed so fast.


    How could Chen Qiu be so much faster than him?


    But soon¡ª


    the surprise in his eyes vanished, his gaze regained its determination, and a hint of battle intent emerged once again. Even if he had the same Cultivation level, as a Talent of Magic Practitioner of the young generation, he had never met a Heavenly Pride who could qualify as his opponent.


    Chen Qiu qualified!

 Chapter 247 - 132: Heavenly Pride Order.

    Chapter 247: Chapter 132: Heavenly Pride Order.


    But, it didn¡¯t matter!


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of strong opponents, nor was he afraid that his fighting spirit wouldn¡¯t be stimulated!


    Now he felt full of fighting spirit, which was great. He enjoyed this feeling. He felt his blood boiling, and he was already eagerly anticipating his next encounter with Chen Qiu! S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Seventh Prince, seated cross-legged on dry leaves, radiated intense fighting spirit as he continued to watch the scene projected in the air by the Memory Stone.


    The Sea Clan began a major offensive.


    Nearly thirty thousand Thunder Dragons, carrying an extremely terrifying aura, smashed down on the Sea Demons below, turning them all to ash with that single strike.


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The fighting spirit of the Seventh Prince suddenly diminished a lot, his mouth slowly gaping open involuntarily, a trace of disbelief flashing in his eyes. How had so little time passed, yet the scale and intensity of Chen Qiu¡¯s Thunder Summoning Technique had increased by a level?


    Just a few days ago, he could release a few thousand at most at one time, and it would take time to gather tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, yet those thirty thousand Thunder Dragons appeared instantaneously just now.


    That strike,


    had surpassed the destructive power caused by a second-layer Golden Core cultivator.


    If the word ¡®invincible¡¯ were to be used for Chen Qiu, it would seem almost like an insult to him.


    But soon!


    The previously somewhat downcast Seventh Prince¡¯s spirits lifted again, his body once again overflowing with thick fighting spirit. It was just a mob of foundation-establishing, qi refining Sea Demons, he could kill all of them as well, just that it would take him a bit longer than Chen Qiu!


    Of course, Chen Qiu¡¯s strengthening speed was quicker than he had imagined, so he would need to adjust his plans. However, that wasn¡¯t a big problem; he believed he could soon think of a way to counter this move again.


    The Seventh Prince, having regained his fighting spirit, continued to watch confidently.


    And then he saw¡ª


    Nine Golden Core Sea Demons, among which two were horrifying fourth-layer Golden Core, and three were third-layer, on the sea surface there was even a fifth-layer Golden Core Sea Demon!


    Almost in the blink of an eye!


    These nine Golden Core Sea Demons simultaneously shot towards Chen Qiu, and three more, unknown when they had hidden themselves, appeared behind Chen Qiu launching a fierce attack towards his back!


    Twelve Golden Core Sea Demons were ambushing him, and below was a fifth-layer Golden Core Sea Demon ready to strike at any moment.


    This was almost a certain death situation.


    He and Chen Qiu switched places, it would be a certain death situation for him too, let alone him, even if a fifth-layer Golden Core cultivator were placed there, it would be hard to survive.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    The eyes of the Seventh Prince slightly narrowed; finally, he would have the chance to witness Chen Qiu¡¯s long-distance escape technique. He had collected all of Chen Qiu¡¯s information, but had almost never seen Chen Qiu use any long-distance escape techniques, only knowing about a short-distance teleportation movement technique used in battle.


    Long-distance escape was his specialty,


    Chen Qiu definitely couldn¡¯t match him in this aspect.


    Right after¡­


    He then saw, amidst the howling storm, Chen Qiu standing high in the sky holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, didn¡¯t even glance properly at those Golden Core Sea Demons stabbing towards him, but looked distantly towards the coastline as if lost in thought, a corner of his mouth lifted in a warm smile that could attract countless young girls¡¯ hearts.


    Soon after,


    hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons carrying a suffocating oppression smashed down from the dark clouds, it was the most shocking scene he had ever seen in his life.


    From start to finish,


    Chen Qiu¡¯s figure standing in the air didn¡¯t even shift an inch, only his robe fluttered wildly in the storm.


    An unbending figure, fluttering robes,


    A distracted and lazy expression, savage-faced Sea Demons,


    The intense dynamic contrast, bringing the artistic quality of this painting to its peak.


    The Seventh Prince didn¡¯t even realize that he had forgotten to breathe, his eyes red as he stared intently at the scene projected in the air by the Memory Stone, until the next moment, hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons arrived as expected.


    The whole world seemed to pause for a moment.


    The towering sea waves carrying countless pieces of Sea Demon flesh slowly receded, leaving behind a massive inland sea.


    The battle ended,


    and so did the Memory Stone¡¯s projection.


    The Seventh Prince, sitting on the ground, began to breathe hastily, the fighting spirit on his body suddenly dissipating rapidly, there was no way to fight. If after their last encounter he still felt a sliver of chance to win, this time there was none at all!


    He always felt life was boring, no peer could keep up with his growth rate.


    But now¡­


    For the first time, he experienced the helplessness felt by those he had crushed, Chen Qiu¡¯s growth rate he would never be able to catch up with in this lifetime. Perhaps their last battle in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm was the only time their strengths were nearly equal in this lifetime.


    For the rest of his life,


    when facing Chen Qiu, he no longer had any right to draw his sword, only to look up.


    Utter dejection and helplessness enveloped him, he didn¡¯t even care about the Sword that fell by the side, his whole person despondently walked toward the direction of the Capital.


    ¡°Seventh Prince.¡±


    Seeing this, the Maid behind picked up the Sword and hurriedly followed, whispering softly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you practicing the sword today?¡±


    ¡°No, not today, not ever again.¡±


    The Seventh Prince walked despondently toward the Capital, his eyes filled with a blank look toward the future, unsure of what he should do next. Was there any point in practicing the sword anymore?


    Whether he was a second-layer, or a fourth-layer Golden Core, or even a fifth-layer,


    in Chen Qiu¡¯s hands, they were all equally mere existences that could be snuffed out at will.


    Clearly¡­ Chen Qiu was just on the same level of cultivation as him. Why was his strength so much greater?

 Chapter 248 - 132: Heavenly Pride Order. _2

    Chapter 248: Chapter 132: Heavenly Pride Order. _2


    His entire first half of life,


    he suffered from not having a peer of Heavenly Pride who could keep up with his cultivation speed, leaving him without an adversary he could acknowledge as an opponent.


    After finally meeting Chen Qiu, he thought he had found that rival, someone who could become the lifelong enemy he was looking for.


    They could even become both enemies and friends, as the storytellers say, often sparring, growing together, and eventually joining hands to reach the pinnacle.


    But today, he realized that in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes, this so-called Heavenly Pride was no different from any passerby.


    This disparity shattered his cultivation heart almost instantaneously.


    ...


    ¡­


    At this moment at the Caotian Sect premises, the Caotian Sect Master sat on the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair, gazing into the Memory Stone at this scene, his expression absently sinking into thought.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s growth exceeded his imagination.


    Too fast.


    Almost changing every day.


    His strength was greatly increasing daily, and if occasionally such a dramatic increase in strength was due to fortune, but Chen Qiu¡¯s was growing significantly every day, could it be you, Chen Qiu have fortune every day?


    Da Xia had its shackles. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unable to achieve Nascent Soul.


    This news was basically an open secret to all but mortals.


    Suddenly, he felt that if only one person in Da Xia could break these shackles and achieve Nascent Soul, it might just be Chen Qiu.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Chen Qiu and his group had already arrived at another city in ¡°Hai Province,¡± named ¡°Flying Fish City,¡± one of the three hundred and sixty-five major cities of Da Xia, and were immediately blocked at the city gates.


    He had forgotten to wear his mask.


    It led to a throng of Human Cultivators running over, none daring to come closer and offend him, instead hiding in the distance and continuously aiming their Memory Stones at him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, ¡°Why do I have this strange feeling.¡±


    The scholar, on the other hand, swept a look of envy around him, assuming that since Bai Yi, the once first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, was not dead and had returned to Jianghu, surely there would be word of him among the folk, and the storytellers would definitely mention him.


    But after secretly visiting several tea houses, he found that all the storytellers were uniformly talking about Chen Qiu, with not one mentioning him.


    Wasn¡¯t he once Da Xia¡¯s first Sword Cultivator?


    Is his presence that insignificant?


    Before Chen Qiu could react, he suddenly sensed that a powerful Cultivator with Golden Core Level Four Cultivation was quickly approaching from inside the city. In an instant, the person stopped in front of him with a face full of smiles, looking somewhat embarrassed as he rubbed his hands towards Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Daoist Chen, I am the current City Lord of Flying Fish City. It¡¯s an honor for Flying Fish City to have you here.¡±


    ¡°My daughter is very fond of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Could you possibly grace us with your calligraphy?¡±


    It is said that one does not slap a smiling face, so naturally Chen Qiu saw no reason to refuse. Rolling up his sleeve, he took the brush and paper handed over by the Flying Fish City Lord and chuckled, ¡°What should I write?¡±


    ¡°Just ¡®The Strongest City Lord¡¯ will do.¡±


    ¡°¡­Your daughter is the City Lord?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case.¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord somewhat awkwardly cleared his throat, ¡°My daughter has high expectations for me and wants to use this to motivate me. It would be even better if you could leave a trace of your aura on the calligraphy as an authentication.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t refuse, and promptly wrote down the four big characters for ¡®The Strongest City Lord¡¯ with fluid strokes of his brush and then left a trace of his aura on it before smilingly returning it to the Flying Fish City Lord.


    ¡°Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it.¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord, with eyes full of gratitude and excitement, walked ahead, ¡°Come, Daoist Chen, let me personally show you the way. I know which inn is the best in Flying Fish City.¡±


    ¡­


    He led Chen Qiu and the others to an inn within Flying Fish City.


    It was only after he excitedly turned into a beam of light and shot towards the City Lord Mansion, quickly returning to his study, that he carefully had the calligraphy framed and hung up in his study.


    Then, leaning back in his chair, he looked at those four big characters ¡®The Strongest City Lord¡¯ on the wall and couldn¡¯t help but laugh with satisfaction.


    So handsome!


    When his old friends visit his study in a few days, they would probably die of envy.


    Chen Qiu was currently the hottest figure in Da Xia, not only a Talent of Magic Practitioner but also just one step away from being the number one Magic Practitioner of Da Xia. Before this, he had never heard of Chen Qiu giving anyone his calligraphy.


    He was the first.


    And the only one.


    Such an honor was simply too grand.


    Just as the Flying Fish City Lord was looking at those four big characters ¡®The Strongest City Lord¡¯ on the wall, imagining the envious expressions of his old friends, and laughing so hard that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth, while sitting in his chair.


    His smile suddenly froze on his face.


    And slowly faded away.


    Any hint of lightheartedness vanished instantly as he suddenly stood up, hands pressing down on the desk; a trace of alarm flashed in his eyes, incredulously staring at the four characters on the wall.


    A slight movement in his throat.


    Carefully, he pulled out a brocade bag from his Storage Ring and extracted a slightly yellowed slip of paper, looking down at the calligraphy on the slip and then up at the calligraphy on the wall.


    Lowering his gaze, then raising it.


    Raising it, then lowering it.


    After rapidly comparing them several times, the Flying Fish City Lord finally collapsed weakly into his chair, his eyes filled with shock as an unbelievable possibility emerged in his mind. Moments later, he leaped up and rushed to the wall, swiftly taking down the framed characters.


    He placed them carefully and preciously into the deepest part of the Storage Ring.


    In the empty study,


    the trembling voice of the Flying Fish City Lord, shaken by disbelief, could be heard.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    ¡°This is not something to joke about¡­¡±

 Chapter 249 - 132: Heavenly Pride Order. _3

    Chapter 249: Chapter 132: Heavenly Pride Order. _3


    ¡­


    At that time, inside Flying Fish City.


    Chen Qiu and his companions had already left the inn with masks on and found a quite decent brothel, securing a private room to continue enjoying music.


    After such hard work on usual days, they finally got a chance to relax, so why not enjoy some music?


    However, this time they did not seek the company of any ladies.


    They just sat in the private room, enjoying some snacks and sipping on wine, listening to the melodious singing of the girls from the upstairs, feeling quite content.


    ...


    Chen Qiu sat on a soft sofa made from fox fur, picking up a peanut and putting it in his mouth, savoring the fragrance that lingered between his teeth, turned his head towards Fat Long and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve kept that witch in your small world.¡±


    ¡°With her Golden Core Fifth Layer Cultivation, she should be enough for your use.¡±


    He had thrown a lot of things into his storage.


    Among them was a device that could restrain both Golden Core Divine Sense and Cultivation. It was a large Spiritual Treasure, requiring chains to suspend someone in a spread-eagled pose in midair, ensuring that a Golden Core cultivator restrained on this Spiritual Treasure could not attack others with their Cultivation or Divine Sense.


    If he remembered correctly.


    This thing seemed to also have been found in the Storage Ring of a Golden Core Artifact Refiner.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    With a serious expression, Fat Long stood up and looked at Chen Qiu, proclaiming slowly and clearly, ¡°I¡¯m really grateful, truly, in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu waved his hand somewhat impatiently, ¡°Just sit down. You¡¯re still teaching the scholar, and you¡¯re not that much better yourself.¡±


    After pausing for a while,


    he squinted and whispered softly, ¡°I want to take a look at the depths of the Boundless Sea. I always feel like there should be something similar to the Eight-petal Fire Lotus under the sea, just like the one in the Underground Fire Sea under the Endless Desert.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°Brother Qiu, that¡¯s too risky. There are Nascent Souls in the deep parts of the Boundless Sea, and you might not come back if you go.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    After sitting on the sofa in silence for a while, Chen Qiu nodded in agreement with the advice, feeling that it indeed seemed too risky, but he still felt there must be something there, even if he didn¡¯t know what it was, but it certainly had to be something good.


    ¡­


    After relaxing for a moment in the brothel, they returned to the inn to resume their cultivation.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chen Qiu operated his mental method to consolidate his Golden Core Second Layer Cultivation Realm. His current progress had reached the second layer of the Golden Core Stage (80.2%).


    Just wait until today¡¯s hour arrives.


    Ten Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pills would be accounted for, and after absorbing these ten pills, he could break through to the Golden Core Third Layer.


    Soon¡ª


    The hour arrived.


    Chen Qiu, fully prepared, immediately swallowed one Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pill, closed his eyes tightly, and began to cultivate seriously.


    What he didn¡¯t notice though,


    was the Heavenly Pride Order he had casually thrown into his small world. It was now emitting faint milky white light, flickering very slowly.


    This Heavenly Pride Order was picked up by Chen Qiu during the day of the Evil Clan invasion, from a member of the clan who had passed on their legacy.


    The material was extraordinary, but neither Divine Sense nor Spiritual Energy penetrated it, so he discarded it in the warehouse of his small world.


    ¡­


    Five hours later.


    Outside the window, it was already quite bright, the sun was in the mid-sky, and the cries of countless traders were extremely lively, giving off a strong market vibe.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chen Qiu opened his eyes once again, exhaled a breath of stale air, and chuckled lightly.


    His Cultivation had broken through once again.


    ¨C


    ¡¸Cultivation¡¹: Golden Core Stage Third Layer (15.2%).


    ¨C


    After reaching the Third Layer of the Golden Core Stage, one Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pill could now only improve his progress by 3%. At this rate, breaking through to the Fourth Layer of the Golden Core would still require several more days.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a bit long.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled as he got up to straighten his robe, stretched lazily, leaped off the bed, picked up the teacup on the table ready to start a new day.


    Who says advancing in the Golden Core Stage is as slow as imprisonment, and each small realm breakthrough is as difficult as reaching the heavens?


    He felt it was okay.


    From the initial breakthrough to the current Golden Core Third Layer, it had only taken a few days with the help of the Heavenly Dao Golden Core.


    Even though his speed of advancing through Cultivation Realms was so fast, there wasn¡¯t even a hint of disorder in his aura, just needing to consolidate his Cultivation Realm during the day would completely stabilize it.


    But just then¡ª


    The Heavenly Pride Order in his small world suddenly burst into dazzling light, and just as he leaped off the bed, Chen Qiu instantly turned into a flash of light and disappeared from the spot, his teacup also straightforwardly falling to the ground, shattering into several pieces, leaving no trace of him.


    Outside the door, Fat Long and the others, sensing the noise, instantly pushed the door and entered, seeing the shattered teacup and the tea spilled all over the floor, their faces changed dramatically as they trembled.


    ¡°Where is Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The scholar stood in Chen Qiu¡¯s room, recreating the scene of Brother Qiu¡¯s disappearance, furrowing his brows and saying, ¡°At this time, Brother Qiu should have just absorbed the effects of the Cultivation Pills, then he got up and picked up the teacup, only to suddenly encounter a mishap, and the teacup fell to the ground.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t detect any fluctuations in Spiritual Energy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely he was kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°And with Brother Qiu¡¯s strength, even a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to abduct him without a trace, so the most likely scenario is¡­ Brother Qiu was suddenly forced into a Secret Realm.¡±


    Fat Long agreed with the scholar¡¯s reasoning, but still expressed some concern, ¡°Have you ever heard of a Secret Realm that can pull someone in so abruptly?¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 250 - 132: Heavenly Pride Order._4

    Chapter 250: Chapter 132: Heavenly Pride Order._4


    ¡°No.¡±


    The scholar shook his head firmly, ¡°But there are too many things I haven¡¯t seen, and I¡¯ve never seen anyone grow from a Loose Cultivator to a Golden Core Great Power within a few dozen days.¡±


    ¡°Just because you haven¡¯t seen something doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just wait in the guest room for the next few days; no matter what Secret Realm it is, I believe with Brother Qiu¡¯s strength, he can return safely.¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu was standing in the very center of Green Stone Square, his brow furrowed as he surveyed his surroundings. The square was about the size of a Chao Tian Sect peak, deserted, with moss-covered green stones on the ground giving it an ancient feel.


    ...


    Countless clouds enveloped the surroundings and the space above the square.


    Neither sight nor Divine Sense could penetrate the mist.


    Just moments ago¡ª


    He had just leapt from his bed when a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and suddenly he found himself here, and the ¡°Heavenly Pride Order¡± he had picked up from that member of the Evil Clan was also flying out of his small world, hovering beside him.


    It gently swayed up and down, emitting a faint milky white glow.


    At this point, he clearly understood that it was the ¡°Heavenly Pride Order¡± that had brought him here, but he had no clue where ¡®here¡¯ was.


    In front of him was only a panel enveloped in mist.


    ¡°Name.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from his surroundings, having found nothing noteworthy on the Green Stone Square, and looked at the panel veiled in mist in front of him. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke softly.


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    This place was likely a Secret Realm, and the only way to return seemed to be to clear this realm, though he had no idea how difficult this Secret Realm would be.


    He had successfully advanced to the third layer of the Golden Core that very morning.


    He hadn¡¯t yet made his entry choice after leveling up.


    He didn¡¯t plan to choose now.


    This way, if he encountered any tricky crisis later, he could gamble on there being an entry that could exactly solve the crisis. The reason he had managed to save his life from the hands of the Master of Poison Sect was precisely because he was selecting an entry at the time.


    After he had announced his name,


    The mist-covered panel in front of him began to change slowly.


    ¡°Heavenly Pride name: Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Affiliation name and position.¡±


    ¡°Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao response detected, registering Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, bearer of the Heavenly Pride Order, for the ¡®Heavenly Pride Path¡¯ that opens in one year.¡±


    ¡°This Secret Realm is a preliminary selection for the opening of the Heavenly Pride Path.¡±


    ¡°All Heavenly Prides with the Heavenly Pride Order will enter this Secret Realm at the same time and will not be able to contact the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Only those who clear this Secret Realm will be qualified to participate in the Heavenly Pride Path one year later, and the rankings of this Secret Realm will evaluate the competing Heavenly Prides on a comprehensive level, divided from low to high: Man, Earth, Heaven.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the panel shrouded in mist before him, roughly understanding the situation. He had picked up something called the Heavenly Pride Order from that member of the Evil Cultivation, and it had been thrown into the warehouse of his small world.


    This Heavenly Pride Order didn¡¯t seem like something Da Xia Country could possess.


    At least, he had never heard of the Heavenly Pride Order in Da Xia Country.


    Heavenly Pride Path¡­


    He was even less familiar with it.


    About thirty minutes had passed when a rumbling noise suddenly came from beneath the center of the square, and he also felt his body restrained by the power of heaven and earth, unable to move.


    Then, a crack emerged at the center of the square, and an inclined staircase extended rapidly from the ground towards the sky.


    Soon, the end of the stairs pierced through the mist and disappeared before him, still extending at a very fast pace. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea,


    The extension of the steps finally ceased.


    And again, a mist-covered panel materialized before him.


    ¡°First round, Sky-reaching Stairs.¡±


    ¡°In this round, all competing Heavenly Prides cannot use external objects or their own Spiritual Energy but must rely on physical strength and willpower to reach the top of the Sky-reaching Stairs within thirty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Those who fail will be eliminated and cast out of the Secret Realm.¡±


    Afterward,


    The power of heaven and earth that restrained him dissipated, and he was free to move again, but he was still unable to summon his internal Spiritual Energy.

 Chapter 251 - 133: Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, Taking a Single Breath of Time.

    Chapter 251: Chapter 133: Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, Taking a Single Breath of Time.


    Heavenly Pride¡¯s Initial Trial in the Secret Realm.


    The first round, unable to use one¡¯s own Spiritual Energy or any external objects?


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t get up right away but stood at the beginning of the stairs leading to the misty clouds, looking up at the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    The stairs were tall and wide.


    With each step, one had to lift their leg as high as possible. Some petite female Heavenly Prides who came here would probably have to use their hands and feet to climb up.


    Chen Qiu surveyed his surroundings without lingering for too long and stepped onto the stairs, walking forward. After crossing seventy or eighty steps, he arrived at the junction of the stairs and the surrounding mist wall of the square.


    ...


    The square was enveloped in countless clouds and mist.


    The Sky-reaching Stairs extended through the clouds and continued upwards into the sky.


    Stepping into the mist-covered Sky-reaching Stairs, about ten breaths later, he finally emerged from the clouds, and everything before him suddenly became clear.


    As if he were in the sky.


    In the vast clear sky, a Sky-reaching Stairs stretched endlessly upwards into the high skies, and even with Divine Sense, Chen Qiu could not see the end at the limit of his Divine Sense¡¯s range.


    Below, surrounding the stairs, was a sea of fire with no visible end.


    Without thinking, he knew that, without the ability to use Spiritual Energy, falling in would certainly mean death or crippling injury.


    This then is the first round, the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood silently on the spot without continuing to climb, his expression unreadable. If even the extreme reach of his Divine Sense couldn¡¯t see the end of the stairs, it meant no one could climb the entire way in thirty minutes.


    His spell ¡°Shrinking Earth into Inches¡± and entry ¡°Slippery.¡±


    Both were short-distance Teleportation methods that did not consume Spiritual Energy; he had planned to use these two skills to reach the end within the allotted time, but it seemed now that plan had to be scrapped.


    First, the end was too far away. His Divine Sense couldn¡¯t perceive it at all.


    Second, the sea of fire below clearly belonged to a type of map restriction. Randomly ending up inside the sea of fire would mean certain death or injury.


    He didn¡¯t know how to use physical strength alone to pass the first round within thirty minutes.


    Chen Qiu looked around frowning and pondering.


    He knew that the Heavenly Prides participating in this ¡°Heavenly Pride¡¯s Initial Trial¡± Secret Realm should not be solely from Da Xia Country, but also Heavenly Prides from worlds he had never stepped foot in outside Da Xia Country, like that Heavenly Pride from the Evil Clan. The strength of those outside Heavenly Prides, unbound as they were, could be stronger than those from Da Xia.


    This possibility was quite high.


    But even if your strength is immense, at least it should be within a certain range of comprehension, right?


    Without relying on external objects or one¡¯s own Spiritual Energy, he did not know what method he could use to traverse the Sky-reaching Stairs, spanning at least a hundred miles, within thirty minutes. It was an impossible task.


    If¡­


    If he were the one who set up this Secret Realm, if he put himself in the perspective of the Heavenly Dao,


    He had created a realm that was nearly impossible for anyone to complete. So excluding the possibility that he didn¡¯t want anyone to succeed at all, there was only one last reason left: there was a different way to complete the round.


    ¡°First round.¡±


    ¡°In this round, all competing Heavenly Prides cannot use external objects or their own Spiritual Energy but must rely on physical strength and willpower to reach the summit of the staircase within thirty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Those who fail will be eliminated and removed from the Secret Realm.¡±


    He recalled the first-round panel he had seen and stood at the edge of the staircase, looking down at the sea of fire below. Perhaps¡­ the real end of this Sky-reaching Stairs was inside the sea of fire below?


    To jump into the sea of fire was the way to clear the round?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After standing in thought for a moment, Chen Qiu suddenly turned around and walked into the mist behind him, then made his way back along the same stairs he came by until he returned to the Green Stone Square.


    Standing once again in the center.


    That is, the place where he was originally brought into this realm.


    Standing in the very center of the Green Stone Square, looking at the Sky-reaching Stairs in front of him, he turned and walked decisively into the mist behind him, without any hesitation.


    One breath, two breaths.


    After ten breaths had passed.


    The clouds dispersed and his vision cleared, revealing a new Green Stone Square, not the same one as his, and at the very center of the square stood a stone stele.


    ¡°Second round.¡±


    At the same time¡ª


    A panel appeared before him, wrapped in clouds and mist.


    ¡°Congratulations on successfully completing the round, please wait patiently for the second round to begin.¡±


    This place still only had him, with no sign of others. However, engraved on the stone stele was a leaderboard that displayed the names of the Heavenly Prides with the fastest completion times for the first round, and he found his own name listed as number one.


    ¨C


    ¡°First Round Fastest Completion Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Rank One¡±: Sect Master Chen Qiu of the Chao Tian Sect, time consumed forty-eight breaths.


    ¡°Rank Two¡±:¡­


    ¨C


    So far, the leaderboard only showed him, meaning that only he had passed the first round; all other competing Heavenly Prides were still struggling with it. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And at that moment,


    Dozens of screens appeared in the air, showing parts of the ongoing trials of some Heavenly Prides.


    In the screens, the features of many Heavenly Prides as they tackled the challenge were blurred, twisted by the power of heaven and earth, hiding their actual faces. It was evident that on the dozens of Sky-reaching Stairs, every Heavenly Pride was using their means to complete the challenge.


    That Sky-reaching Stairs, which Divine Sense couldn¡¯t see to the end of, was actually an illusion. Only a small part of the Sky-reaching Stairs truly existed; the rest were just illusions. The real end of the Sky-reaching Stairs was actually reachable by an average Golden Core cultivator using their physical state, easily within thirty minutes.


    And he witnessed¡ª

 Chapter 252 - 133: Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Took a Moment. _2

    Chapter 252: Chapter 133: Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Took a Moment. _2


    Many Heavenly Prides climbed for half the day, their Divine Sense still unable to detect the end of the Sky-reaching Stairs, so they clenched their teeth and jumped into the sea of fire below, then turned into a beam of white light and were eliminated from the Secret Realm.


    He could understand the thoughts of these Heavenly Prides. After all, judging by the unreachable end of the Sky-reaching Stairs, there was definitely not enough time left to climb to the end. The Secret Realm wouldn¡¯t create an impossible level, so the real end was very likely the sea of fire below.


    But¡­


    Actually, the sea of fire below was just a trap, and upon jumping into the sea of fire, there was only one outcome: elimination.


    As time passed,


    Many Heavenly Prides chose to jump into the sea of fire, and some Heavenly Prides even chose to jump into the sea of fire when they were close to reaching the true end of the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    ...


    This round truly targeted those Heavenly Prides who possessed Divine Sense and whose range of Divine Sense was broad.


    When you sense that the end is still far from you, you would naturally give up and start thinking that the sea of fire might be the real end.


    Contrarily, those Heavenly Prides either didn¡¯t use their Divine Sense at all, or pretended not to see anything with their Divine Sense, and continued climbing, seemingly engaging in an endless ascent of the Sky-reaching Stairs.


    But just before time was about to run out, they inadvertently stepped on a stair that teleported these Heavenly Prides to the second round at Green Stone Square, informing them they had passed the round.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the images of those Heavenly Prides, his mouth slowly opening in a daze, frozen in place. He had thought he had found the most correct way to pass the round, but now it seemed¡­


    His way of passing the round was completely different from what the Secret Realm had anticipated?


    In fact, it looked like he had exploited a glitch in the map.


    This first round truly tested the physical strength and perseverance of the Heavenly Prides.


    When you can¡¯t see hope, will you still take firm steps forward? This precisely symbolizes the path of cultivation, where you cannot see the end clearly, and without a greatly perseverant heart, you cannot reach the final destination.


    Those Golden Core Heavenly Prides, whose range of Divine Sense was so limited, although they felt it was difficult, still moved forward step by step.


    Just as time was about to run out, and they still couldn¡¯t see the end of the Sky-reaching Stairs within their range of Divine Sense, they ultimately fell into despair and plunged into the sea.


    But he was different.


    Standing at the starting point, his Divine Sense reached out for more than a hundred miles; he knew right away that this was not a path a person could finish walking, and without any hesitation, he turned back on the spot. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thus¡ª


    The leaderboard showed this scene.


    ¨C


    ¡°First Round: Fastest Passage Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Rank One¡±: Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, time taken: forty-eight breaths.


    ¡°Rank Two¡±: Li Shiyi, True Disciple of Tao Sword Sect, time taken: six hundred seventy breaths.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Rank Six¡±: Zhang Mo, Saint Heir of Citian Sect, time taken: seven hundred twelve breaths.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Rank Ninety-Nine¡±: Li Kui, Inner Sect Disciple of Fu Kui Sect, time taken: eight hundred thirty-six breaths.


    ¨C


    Thirty minutes is approximately equivalent to three cups of tea, or about nine hundred breaths.


    Chen Qiu did not know how many people participated in the first round, but the total number of Heavenly Prides who passed it was only 1298.


    And on the leaderboard,


    His forty-eight breaths were extremely conspicuous.


    That ¡®Rank Two¡¯ Li Shiyi took six hundred seventy breaths; he really stood out by several magnitudes, indeed somewhat conspicuous.


    But just then¡ª


    A panel wrapped in clouds and fog once again emerged before him.


    ¡°Li Shiyi, True Disciple of Tao Sword Sect, possesses a Heavenly Pride Order of the highest grade, and has one chance to initiate a revote.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Pride Li Shiyi chooses to use this opportunity and leaves a message: ¡®Fellow Daoists, let¡¯s have a rematch, there was a problem with this first round. That Sect Master Chen Qiu of Chao Tian Sect, never heard of it, surely there¡¯s something wrong with the first round of the Secret Realm, I kindly urge fellow Daoists to vote for a rematch.¡¯


    ¡°Please, fellow Heavenly Prides, vote on whether to recontest the first round, a majority vote will conclude an agreement to rematch.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the floating cloud panel in front of him with a slightly bizarre expression. There were ranks among Heavenly Pride Orders? Why did his have no features while Li Shiyi¡¯s superior Heavenly Pride Order allowed him a chance for a rematch?


    Actually, he thought that being second was quite good too.


    Is it necessary to demand a rematch just because it¡¯s not the first rank?


    However, through that message, he also gathered some information: Da Xia Country was indeed a place of confinement, and the land imprisoning Da Xia Country was called Xuantian Continent.


    He wasn¡¯t given a chance to choose.


    The votes agreeing passed the majority, suggesting that many people wanted a rematch, but only those who passed the first round could participate in this rematch. Those who were eliminated earlier in the Secret Realm had no chance to join this rematch.


    ¡­


    A flash of white light.


    Chen Qiu found himself standing again on the familiar moss-covered Green Stone Square, once again restrained by the forces of heaven and earth, and the panel for the first round emerged beside him again.


    You like rematches, huh?


    His eyes gradually narrowed, and a sudden smile appeared on his lips, planning to take a gamble and try it out.


    In the instant the force of heaven and earth dissipated!


    With almost no hesitation, he activated ¡®Shrink Earth into Inches,¡¯ his body continuously teleporting through the air above the Green Stone Square until he pierced into the clouds and vanished from his original spot, then appeared above the second round¡¯s Green Stone Square and slowly descended to the ground.


    ¨C


    ¡°First Round: Fastest Passage Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Rank One¡±: Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, time taken: one breath.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Why bother.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in front of the stele with a reflective expression, looking at the rankings appearing above and muttered: ¡°That¡¯ll kill you.¡±

 Chapter 253 - 133: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Takes a Moment. _3

    Chapter 253: Chapter 133: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Takes a Moment. _3


    This time, he could be sure that he hadn¡¯t exploited any map bug; instead, this method of passing the level indeed belonged to the hidden passage of the first round because the direction he had entered the clouds this time was completely different from last time, yet he still landed in the second round.


    This meant that.


    Whenever you were in the first round, regardless of which direction you passed through the clouds, as long as you didn¡¯t leave the clouds via the Sky-reaching Stairs, you could arrive at the second round.


    He patiently waited for quite a while.


    Soon, other people¡¯s names began to appear on the leaderboard.


    While that Tao Sword Sect True Disciple, Li Shiyi, was still ranked second, his speed had improved quite a bit. His time for the second replay had been reduced to six hundred and thirty breaths, forty breaths faster, a very decent improvement.


    ...


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    On the Green Stone Square of the second round, Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi stood in front of the stone stele with an extremely ugly expression, staring intently at the name Chen Qiu on the summit leaderboard.


    He had pushed his speed to the limit, and it had taken him all of six hundred and thirty breaths to reach the end.


    Faster than many practitioners of Body Cultivation.


    He simply couldn¡¯t understand how this unheard-of Chen Qiu, without relying on his own Spiritual Energy or external objects, could have used what means to reach the end of the Sky-reaching Stairs in a single breath!


    Damn it!!!


    How could it be just one breath!


    Before his replay, it was forty-eight breaths, so how did it change to one breath after the replay? Could it be that the damned fellow had actually blown up his own body and flew over with his Golden Core?


    If there were certain entries that could hasten the Golden Core¡¯s flight speed, or some other Spell.


    Then it would indeed be possible to do this.


    But has this damned fellow gone mad? This was only the preliminary screening for the Heaven¡¯s Pride path, not the formal commencement of the route. Was it necessary to go to such lengths? After self-destructing the body, although the entries previously obtained would still be retained after a new body was formed, a body obtained through spirit possession would definitely not be as suitable as the original one, both potential and power would drop significantly.


    ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡±


    Li Shiyi took a deep breath to calm his inner turmoil and murmured in a low voice, ¡°Just a lunatic, that¡¯s all. Passing this round by blowing up his body will not help him later on. Besides, after possessing a body, he is destined to live in obscurity.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to get angry over such a madman.¡±


    ¡­


    This preliminary screening realm of Heaven¡¯s Pride had many Green Stone Squares, with only one Heavenly Pride on each square, and they couldn¡¯t see each other. Their challenge levels didn¡¯t overlap with others.


    Heavenly Prides who arrived early at the next round could watch the competition.


    But even when watching, the faces of all Heavenly Prides were distorted by the power of heaven and earth, their specific features unrecognizable.


    This made Chen Qiu feel slightly less entertained.


    Otherwise, he actually would have liked to see the expression on the face of that Heavenly Pride who had just wasted a replay chance. It must have been wonderful.


    Just then¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®The second round.¡¯


    ¡®This round is a test of combat ability. Heavenly Prides will face a hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation level. Those who defeat more than ten puppets of the same cultivation level within thirty minutes will pass the round.¡¯


    ¡®As a Heavenly Pride, one should face ten opponents alone.¡¯


    ¡®Spending a Mid-grade Spirit Stone will instantly recover thirty percent of your Spiritual Energy.¡¯


    ¡®Spending an Eight Desolate Fruit will instantly recover all your Spiritual Energy.¡¯


    ¡®Spending an Evil Wood stick will allow one¡¯s voice to echo in the ears of all Heavenly Prides.¡¯


    ¨C


    With the emergence of this cloud-like panel in front of him, it signified the start of the preliminary screening for the Heaven¡¯s Pride path¡¯s second round.


    Immediately after, Chen Qiu saw the Green Stone Square beneath his feet begin to expand as a whole.


    The area expanded by hundreds of times before it finally came to a halt.


    Then, a hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation level crawled out from underground, surrounding him completely. This scene looked quite intimidating.


    This was a hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation level. Even if only a few dozen puppets could attack you at one time, it was still extremely terrifying. The participating Heavenly Prides had to avoid countless attacks and defeat ten puppets within thirty minutes in such a daunting atmosphere to pass the round.


    And this was just the preliminary screening of the Heaven¡¯s Pride path.


    It could be imagined that in the Heaven¡¯s Pride path a year from now, all the participating Heavenly Prides must be exceptionally formidable individuals, with even the least capable ones able to take on ten opponents of the same cultivation level by themselves. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, this round added three new elements.


    You could spend Spirit Stones or heavenly materials and earthly treasures to recover Spiritual Energy or communicate with other Heavenly Prides, which was also a test of the participant¡¯s wealth or the power of the backing forces.


    Indeed.


    Since one is a Heavenly Pride, they should fulfill the four conditions of wealth, companions, the Dharma, and location.


    Even if they were Heavenly Prides who were Loose Cultivators, they would not lack wealth under fortuitous circumstances. If they did, they would not qualify as Heavenly Prides.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the myriad cultivation level puppets surrounding him, his expression growing more peculiar, meaning that all the ones who eventually passed this screening realm would be his opponents on the Heaven¡¯s Pride path in the future.


    If that was the case¡­


    He didn¡¯t mind adding a little something extra to the Dao hearts of these future opponents.


    Without much thought.


    The moment the restrictions of heaven and earth lifted, Spiritual Energy surged out fiercely. He didn¡¯t even test whether passing through the clouds this time would lead directly to the third round, and along with the storm and dark clouds that suddenly emerged¡­


    Over two hundred thousand Thunder Dragons filled the sky above the entire square.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    The terrifying pressure, accompanied by countless arcs of electricity, exploded in the center of the Green Stone Square.


    When the smoke dissipated,


    he had already appeared at the third round¡¯s Green Stone Square. On the leaderboard stele, he was still ranked first.

 Chapter 254 - 133: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Takes a Moment. _4

    Chapter 254: Chapter 133: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Takes a Moment. _4


    ¨C


    ¡°Speed ranking for the second round.¡±


    ¡°Rank one: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, took a mere moment, killed one hundred thousand puppets.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡±


    ¨C


    Besides him, no one else had passed the round.


    ...


    Cultivation battle power evaluation?


    To him, it was completely meaningless.


    Forget about one hundred thousand cultivation-level puppets, even if there were a million such puppets, as long as these million weren¡¯t Magic Practitioner Puppets capable of casting spells at the same time targeting him, they were nothing more than ants easily crushed.


    To him, the phrase ¡°invincible at the same level¡± was somewhat an insult.


    He then looked towards the battle scenes of other Heavenly Prides on other floating Green Stone Squares, and turned to the thousands of Evil Woods in his Storage Ring, his lips beginning to curl into a smile.


    These thousands of Evil Woods were given to him by the Caotian Sect Sect Master, which he had intended to return before the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm began, but they didn¡¯t want them back.


    After entering this Secret Realm, his connection with the small world was cut off.


    But the items in the Storage Ring were still usable.


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    He pulled out several hundred Evil Woods and threw them onto the ground, sat cross-legged on the Green Stone Square holding an Evil Wood in his hand, looked at the continuing fierce battles of other Heavenly Prides in midair, and prepared to give a bit of encouragement.


    The next moment¡ª


    A voice reached every Heavenly Pride¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu used an Evil Wood: ¡®Haven¡¯t you cleared it yet? I¡¯m rushing home to eat.¡¯


    ¡°¡®How nice, I see the end of this generation of Heavenly Prides in you all.¡¯


    ¡°¡®The food is really going to get cold.¡¯


    ¡°¡®Do you want to join the Chao Tian Sect? We¡¯re broadly recruiting disciples, come and kowtow to your master.¡¯


    ¡°¡®Why isn¡¯t anyone talking, don¡¯t you like to talk?¡¯


    While Chen Qiu was enjoying encouraging this batch of Heavenly Prides, a sudden voice rang in his ear.


    ¡°Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi used an Evil Wood: ¡®The huge price your family paid to prepare these Evil Woods for you wasn¡¯t for you to use them to spout clever words, would your family approve of you wasting them like this? Just a joke, luckily getting first in the first round.¡¯


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly grinned widely, and with a wave of his hand, three hundred Evil Woods on the ground disappeared.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Over three hundred voices echoed like noise continuously in all the Heavenly Prides¡¯ ears, and then slowly a sentence was added.


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu used an Evil Wood: ¡®Do I look like a poor fellow to you? With no offspring, ought you to go home and chop wood instead?¡¯


    ¡°¡®Didn¡¯t you see I¡¯m a Sect Master, do you think I go around begging like you following elders?¡¯


    ¡°¡®Say ¡®Daddy,¡¯ want a candy?¡¯


    ¡°¡®Talk, why don¡¯t you.¡¯


    ¡°¡®Gone mute again.¡¯


    ¡°¡®Look at your sword, tsk, I have a buddy named Bai Yi, I¡¯ll have him give you some pointers someday.¡¯


    ¡°¡®And that Thousand Technique Sect guy, really, stop saying you¡¯re a Magic Practitioner, you shame them.¡¯


    ¡°¡®And you, this so-called Saint Heir Zhang Mo, tsk tsk tsk, nevermind, I won¡¯t say harsh words, just reflect on it yourself.¡¯ S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡®Are you really heavenly prides? Did I come to the wrong place, I remember my token isn¡¯t worthless.¡¯


    ¡°¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡­


    Under Chen Qiu¡¯s tireless encouragement using five to six hundred Evil Woods, cracks finally began to appear in these Heavenly Prides¡¯ Dao hearts.


    Originally in the second round,


    they had to focus entirely on dodging each forthcoming attack, then after dodging countless attacks, counter-attack the puppets, trying to kill as many as possible in a life-risking battle process.


    But amidst countless mocking voices in their ears.


    Especially Li Shiyi, who was under the close watch of Chen Qiu, now had a ferocious expression, with bloodshot eyes and rage burning in his heart that made him want to rush to Chen Qiu at all costs, to impale him with a thousand swords and thus alleviate the hatred in his heart!


    Thirty minutes later.


    Under the tireless encouragement of Chen Qiu, the number of Heavenly Prides who had passed the first round was originally 1298, but now only 438 remained.


    ¡­


    Third round at Green Stone Square.


    Li Shiyi¡¯s emotions were nearly on the verge of collapse. He knew many of the competing Heavenly Prides and was usually considered a leader among them, but now he had been publicly mocked over two hundred times.


    He felt he was on the edge of madness.


    He swore that he had never in his life wanted to kill someone so badly!


    Especially after seeing on the stele leaderboard, the glaring name of Chen Qiu and his baffling combat record.


    ¨C


    ¡°The Fastest to Clear the First Round Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°First place¡±: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, taking only a breath¡¯s time, killed one hundred thousand puppets.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Seventeenth place¡±: Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi, taking thirty minutes, killed nine hundred eighty-seven puppets.


    ¨C


    To kill one hundred thousand puppets of the same cultivation within a breath¡¯s time.


    He truly couldn¡¯t imagine any Heavenly Pride in Xuantian Continent capable of such a feat; it was utterly impossible.


    He would stake his life on the certainty that Chen Qiu must have used some special mechanism, otherwise it would not be possible.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Chen Qiu affecting his mind, he would definitely not have placed merely seventeenth, but at least among the top five. He was a Sword Cultivator, naturally proficient in combat, and this second round should have been his forte.


    But under the influence of Chen Qiu.


    He, who should have shone brilliantly, ended up only in seventeenth place.


    ¨C


    ¡°Quite exhausting,¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the names of the other Heavenly Prides on the stele leaderboard, taking a long breath, feeling a bit worried in case in the future on the Heavenly Pride path he couldn¡¯t surpass these Heavenly Prides. That would be quite unfortunate.


    There was still one year until the opening of the Heavenly Pride path.


    In this year, these Heavenly Prides needed to become stronger, which was the initial plan. As for now¡­ these Heavenly Prides needed to start figuring out how to mend their Dao hearts.


    With a Dao heart issue, let alone getting stronger.


    Even their strength would regress.


    From Li Shiyi¡¯s mouth, he had once again affirmed that Evil Wood was a highly valued commodity in the outer Xuantian Continent. After returning, he would need to see the progress with Liu Zide and try to buy up all the Evil Wood in Feizhou.


    This way¡­ once Da Xia Country¡¯s restraints were broken and it merged with Xuantian Continent.


    This stock of Evil Wood would also become a vast fortune.


    Merely a few hundred pieces of Evil Wood, in exchange for dusting the Dao hearts of these future rivals, he felt it was still a more cost-effective trade.


    Too bad Evil Wood could only be used in the second round.


    Now it could no longer be used.


    Otherwise, he wanted to use it throughout the challenge to temper the Dao hearts of these Heavenly Prides. Sometimes, the method to improve strength isn¡¯t just about getting stronger yourself, making your future rivals weaker is also a way to enhance strength.


    Under this strategy of others¡¯ loss being his gain.


    This would surely accelerate his strength enhancement.


    Meanwhile, almost all the Heavenly Prides standing in Green Stone Square for the third round were sullen, harboring smoldering anger. Nearly every one of them had been specifically mocked by Chen Qiu.


    Chen Qiu knew well that targeted mocking had the greatest impact; generic mocking could often be ignored by many, but you can¡¯t pretend not to hear it if your name is explicitly called out.


    Thus¡­


    Chen Qiu, with his own strength.


    Made all the Heavenly Prides standing in Green Stone Square endure the greatest humiliation of their lives. Now, what they wanted the most was not to clear the third round, but to go out and find that damned Chao Tian Sect at all costs!


    And to find that Sect Master, behead him!


    And throw his body to the dogs!

 Chapter 255 - 134: Seeking Ones Own Death.

    Chapter 255: Chapter 134: Seeking One¡¯s Own Death.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    ¡°The third trial.¡±


    ¡°Since ancient times, only one hundred and eight Heavenly Prides have been chosen. This trial ranks participants based on their Golden Core Grade, eliminating all those beyond the one hundred and eighth position. If the Golden Core Grade is the same, Cultivation will be used to decide who stays and who leaves.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the panel before him, shrouded in mist, with a strange expression. At least the previous two trials had some room for subjectivity, where, if one¡¯s strength was lacking, they could still use certain methods to ensure a higher ranking.


    ...


    This trial, however,


    was brutally straightforward, filtering out the top one hundred and eight based on Golden Core Grade.


    Meaning those with even slightly inferior Golden Core Grades were directly disqualified from the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path, unable to even pass the initial filtering of the Secret Realm?


    What was this Heavenly Pride¡¯s path? Why was its screening so strict?


    However, he wasn¡¯t worried.


    After all¡­ it was impossible for anyone to have a higher Golden Core Grade than him. His only concern was that if his Golden Core Grade were to be revealed, the crisis awaiting him when the Da Xia Country¡¯s prison was eventually broken might be¡­ just a tad greater.


    And soon, the stele displayed the rankings again.


    ¨C


    ¡°The third trial¡¯s Golden Core Grade ranking list.¡±


    ¡°Rank one¡±: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Rank two¡±: Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi.


    ¡°Rank three¡±: Citian Sect Saint Heir Zhang Mo.


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu¡¯s worries did not come to fruition; the list simply showed the positions without specifying the exact Golden Core Grades.


    Seeing this, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but grin.


    He had never imagined he would achieve rank one three times.


    If nothing unexpected happened, that True Disciple from the Tao Sword Sect must be on the verge of breaking. It¡¯s clear that he is strong both in terms of Golden Core Grade and personal strength, classifiable as a top-tier Heavenly Pride of this era. But such a prideful individual is likely not accustomed to setbacks.


    To have suppressed him thrice in a row.


    He should really spend the next year not on cultivation, but on adjusting his mentality and slowly mending his Dao heart.


    ¡­


    Just as Chen Qiu had expected.


    At this moment, that True Disciple from the Tao Sword Sect, Li Shiyi, stood in front of the stele at Green Stone Square, face twisted in fury as he screamed at the sky, ¡°Inside job, inside job!!!¡±


    ¡°This Chen Qiu is definitely not normal, there must be some damn inside job!!!¡±


    He was a true unparalleled Heavenly Pride of the Xuantian Continent!


    When the panel for the third trial first appeared, he was overjoyed that he was finally poised to achieve rank one, yet he was worried about his Golden Core Grade being exposed. His Golden Core Grade was the topmost secret of the Tao Sword Sect, completely unknown to outsiders!


    He was a Sword Cultivator of extraordinary talent, nurtured by the Tao Sword Sect¡¯s thousands of years of heritage.


    His Golden Core was Eighth Grade.


    He was planning to astonish everyone on the path of the Heavenly Pride, thereby advancing to Nascent Soul and pursuing the path to immortality. This was his life plan.


    He was at the Golden Core Peak, always holding back his Cultivation, just to participate in the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path, and after it ended, to advance to Nascent Soul. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That meant Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t possibly have the same Eighth Grade Golden Core as him, but a Ninth Grade Golden Core instead!


    Could this be possible?


    Throughout the entire Xuantian Continent, he had never seen a Ninth Grade Golden Core, only hearing vague mentions from elders that such a grade had existed long ago, but it had not appeared for thousands of years.


    Furthermore, the first two trials.


    Chen Qiu had completed them within a single breath¡¯s time.


    That only reinforced his belief that there was something abnormal about Chen Qiu, that there had to be some inside job. But this was the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm; could there be foul play even here?


    No matter how furiously Li Shiyi screamed at the sky, no one paid him any attention, nor was there any response.


    ¡­


    ¡°Quite interesting,¡±


    Chen Qiu said to himself with a light chuckle as he looked at the third trial¡¯s ranking list.


    He was also somewhat curious about the Golden Core Grades of the other Heavenly Prides¡ª Da Xia¡¯s highest was only Fourth-grade. Perhaps these Heavenly Prides from the Xuantian Continent would be Eighth or Ninth Grade?


    Although he knew their Golden Core Grades would be lower than his,


    he was still curious by how much.


    He hoped these people wouldn¡¯t be too disheartened. He had been inexplicably dragged into this Heavenly Pride¡¯s path by the ¡°Heavenly Pride Order,¡± so if anyone was to blame, it should be the Evil Clan¡¯s Heavenly Pride.


    Subsequently, another panel slowly emerged in front of him, enveloped by clouds and mist.


    ¡°The initial filtering of the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path in the Secret Realm has concluded.¡±


    ¡°All the Heavenly Prides will receive their Grade. The one hundred and eight Heavenly Prides that passed the initial filtering of the Secret Realm will have their Heavenly Pride Orders bound to them personally. Should anyone lose their Heavenly Pride Order and it falls into the hands of another, that person will be unable to enter the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path through it.¡±


    ¡°And should any Heavenly Pride lose their Order, they also cannot enter the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path and are considered to have forfeited their right.¡±


    ¡°One year from now, the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path will officially open, and the Grades will determine the order of entry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Grade: Heavenly Pride 100.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Ranking list of the initial filtering of the Heavenly Prides.¡±


    ¡°Rank one¡±: Chao Tian Sect Sect Master Chen Qiu, Heavenly Pride 100.


    ¡°Rank two¡±: Citian Sect Saint Heir Zhang Mo, Heavenly Pride 17.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Rank six¡±: Tao Sword Sect True Disciple Li Shiyi, Heavenly Pride 4.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Rank seventy-two¡±: Fukuizong Inner Sect Disciple Li Kui, Human Pride 87.¡±


    ¨C


    With a flash of white light, everyone was ejected from the Secret Realm. In this initial filtering of the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path, there were three trials. Based on the performance of the Heavenly Prides in these trials, they were classified into Heavenly Pride, Earth Pride, and Human Pride.


    The number following the title of the Heavenly Pride.


    Indicates the differentiation of strength among those who are also Heavenly Prides, with a full score of 100, and the weakest at 1.

 Chapter 256 - 134: Seeking Ones Own Death. _2

    Chapter 256: Chapter 134: Seeking One¡¯s Own Death. _2


    Originally, Li Shiyi ranked quite high in both the first and third rounds; if it hadn¡¯t been for Chen Qiu¡¯s influence in the second round, which disturbed his mind and led to a poor performance, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up as Heavenly Pride 4.


    As for Chen Qiu¡­


    He nearly achieved Great Perfection in both the first and second rounds, and in the third round, with a Golden Core of the twelfth grade of the Heavenly Dao Top Grade, he also achieved Great Perfection.


    He achieved Great Perfection in all three rounds.


    Even if he had scored one point less and ended up as Heavenly Pride 99, it would have been because the Heavenly Dao was deliberately targeting him, without a single flaw to pick on.


    At the same time¡ª


    ...


    In the sect of the Tao Sword Sect, in the seclusion area for disciples, Li Shiyi, his face gloomy and body emanating a dense murderous aura, swung his sword to break the restrictions of his own cave dwelling and looked toward the waiting servant, saying word by word,


    ¡°Go check on someone named Chen Qiu, and that damned Chao Tian Sect!¡±


    ¡°I want him dead!¡±


    And at almost the exact same time, within many sects and clans, several Heavenly Prides, their Dao hearts damaged, left the Secret Realm with gloomy expressions, feeling an indescribable fire burning inside them.


    The more they thought about it, the angrier they became.


    If they didn¡¯t tear Chen Qiu into ten thousand pieces, they felt they could never let this matter go!


    Kill Chen Qiu!


    This almost instantly became everyone¡¯s consensus as well as¡­ their Heart Demon. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    To seek ascension to the Nascent Soul, one important requirement is to be free of Heart Demons, and now it seemed Chen Qiu had become a Heart Demon in their hearts; without killing him, it was difficult to ascend to the Nascent Soul!


    They had suppressed their Cultivation for so long just to partake in the Path of the Heavenly Pride, not to be forever barred from the Nascent Soul!


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    Meanwhile, inside the inn in Flying Fish City, within a guest room, Fat Long and the others, seeing Chen Qiu suddenly reappearing in the room, crowded around him with worried yet happy expressions, ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯re finally back. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head indifferently, a hint of emotion still in his eyes. Although he had mocked those Heavenly Prides in the Secret Realm just now to cloud their Dao hearts, he knew that any of them, if brought to Da Xia Country, would be considered peerless Heavenly Prides.


    No need to mention others.


    Through watching the battles, he saw that Li Shiyi, possessing a Golden Core at the Peak of Great Perfection, actually managed to kill more than nine hundred Golden Core Peak Cultivation puppets, showcasing an extremely terrifying capability.


    It should be noted that altogether, Da Xia Country didn¡¯t even have that many people with a Golden Core at the Peak of Great Perfection.


    This meant that if Li Shiyi came to Da Xia Country and was given enough time, he alone could ruthlessly purge Da Xia Country and still not suffer many injuries.


    Although puppets with the same Cultivation are much weaker than humans,


    even then, these were puppets with a Golden Core at the Peak of Great Perfection, not to be underestimated.


    Of course, although he could instantly annihilate a hundred thousand similarly Cultivated puppets, he was different. In his heart, he was quite sure that Li Shiyi was truly a formidable opponent. If he did not increase his strength quickly enough, he would be utterly crushed if they met in the future.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, head lowered in thought, did not speak. He currently possessed a Golden Core at the third level, and the Path of the Heavenly Pride was one year away. The Path of the Heavenly Pride was compulsory to attend, just like this time, unless he threw away the Heavenly Pride Order.


    If in one year his Cultivation could not advance to the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection, then participating would mean getting beaten.


    He sighed deeply and shook his head.


    He didn¡¯t think about it anymore.


    We¡¯ll see when the time comes. He felt it was somewhat unlikely to advance his Cultivation to Great Perfection within a year, and he didn¡¯t even know what the rewards for the Path of the Heavenly Pride were. If his Cultivation hadn¡¯t reached the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection by then, he would just throw away the Heavenly Pride Order and not go.


    If his Cultivation did reach that level, then he would go.


    The choice was still quite flexible.


    He then inspected the panel floating above the Dantian inside his body, enveloped in clouds. After breaking through to the third level of the Golden Core, he was directly pulled into this Secret Realm, and he hadn¡¯t chosen an entry immediately just in case he encountered any challenging stages where he could gamble on a suitable entry.


    But¡­


    All three stages were quite simple.


    There was no major difficulty, as it was just a preliminary screening Secret Realm, so it didn¡¯t give him a chance to gamble.


    ¨C


    ¡¸Cultivation improved significantly, officially entering the third level of the Golden Core Stage.¡¹


    ¡¸Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¹


    1:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Self Generation One.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Yellow.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: You cannot be deduced by any Divination methods.


    2:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Self Generation Forty-Nine.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Blue.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: Each time someone tries to deduce you using Divination methods, they will always deduce erroneous and chaotic random clues.


    3:


    ¡¸Entry name¡¹: Seeking One¡¯s Own Death.


    ¡¸Entry level¡¹: Green.


    ¡¸Entry effect¡¹: When your Golden Core self-destructs, the power of the explosion will be enhanced tenfold, and cannot be interrupted.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu silently looked at the three entries that appeared randomly after his breakthrough to the third level of the Golden Core, thinking he was fortunate that the Sect Grand Elder of the Flower Offering Sect didn¡¯t have the ¡®Seeking One¡¯s Own Death¡¯ entry, otherwise if he hadn¡¯t escaped into the small world immediately, he probably would have been injured.


    Among the entries,


    the Blue grade is higher than the Yellow one.


    The first and second entries, both aiming to mask the fate to avoid divination, were exactly the type of entries he needed, especially since he learned that Old Man Cao, the Guardian of the Array Repairer legacy, might be the State Preceptor.


    He has since had a subtle fear of Divination,


    because nobody knows exactly what the other party can deduce.

 Chapter 257 - 134: Seeking Ones Own Death. _3

    Chapter 257: Chapter 134: Seeking One¡¯s Own Death. _3


    With an entry that could conceal one¡¯s fate from the divinations, it was perfect for effectively restraining Gua Cultivators, as long as their Cultivation wasn¡¯t overwhelming his by too much, they wouldn¡¯t be able to deduce his whereabouts.


    Without hesitating, he chose the second entry.


    ¡°Self-propagating forty-nine.¡±


    Let the deductions proceed slowly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After that, he turned to Fat Long and the others, ¡°Go to Fei City, find Liu Zide.¡±


    ...


    With no pressing matters that day, it was time to check on the progress of Liu Zide and the rest.


    ¡­


    On the way,


    Chen Qiu had placed many things from his small world into his Storage Ring. Although the small world was larger and more convenient for organizing, many Secret Realms would sever the connection between him and the small world.


    This meant that if something he needed was in the small world, he might not be able to retrieve it in a Secret Realm.


    This could be a life-threatening issue at critical moments.


    It was safer to keep things in the Storage Ring, even though it meant wearing several rings on his fingers, which looked somewhat conspicuous, but at least it was better than losing one¡¯s life over it at a critical moment.


    ¡­


    The journey was uneventful.


    When the sun had descended halfway down the mountain and dusk had set in, they had already arrived at Fei City. Through the Sound Transmission Ring, they quickly made contact with Liu Zide and managed to meet up.


    ¡°This many?¡±


    A flash of surprise crossed Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes as he looked at the several Storage Rings that Liu Zide handed over, which contained at least tens of thousands of units of Evil Wood at first glance.


    ¡°This is actually the lesser amount,¡±


    Liu Zide spoke seriously and with respect, ¡°There are quite a lot of Evil Woods in Fei State, they¡¯re not considered valuable, mainly used for heating by some families and sects. If we were to purchase more aggressively, we could acquire even more.¡±


    ¡°But a widespread purchase would inflate the price of Evil Wood, and it¡¯s likely that others would also enter the market to buy.¡±


    ¡°Thus, we¡¯ve been telling stories in Fei State these past few days.¡±


    ¡°The story fabricated so far is that the Young Masters of two families had a disagreement and argued. To compete in financial strength, both sides used Spirit Stones to agree on purchasing useless things, like Evil Wood,¡±


    ¡°to show off their wealth.¡±


    ¡°Like this, although the pace of purchasing is slower, at least the price of Evil Wood remains controllable. We plan to change the story after a while, and we are also slowly purchasing Eight Desolate Fruits. We¡¯ve already secured three,¡±


    ¡°One of which Fat Long had the World Pavilion purchase on commission, and it was sent to me following your instructions after it arrived, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re in a hurry, Brother Qiu, we could speed up the process, though the price might rise.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡±


    Chen Qiu said with a smile, accepting the Storage Ring. After throwing all twenty thousand units of Evil Wood into a mountain at the back of the small world, he then passed a Storage Ring containing 4,000 Spirit Stones to Liu Zide.


    ¡°Take these Spirit Stones and continue purchasing at your own pace. If you exceed the amount, cover it first, and I¡¯ll compensate you when I come next time.¡±


    ¡°Keep the price stable.¡±


    ¡°By the way, find me a group of people. I¡¯m taking them to renovate a sect. The sect is rather large, ordinary mortals won¡¯t cut it, find those who specialize in constructing sects.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Liu Zide nodded earnestly, ¡°I will contact you as soon as I have any news, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡­ S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After parting with Liu Zide, Chen Qiu found a random inn in Fei City to stay for the night and prepare for his Cultivation practice.


    This time they were smart, wearing masks so they wouldn¡¯t be surrounded like last time.


    It¡¯s about learning from one¡¯s mistakes.


    The same error shouldn¡¯t happen twice.


    Soon¡­


    As the Hour of the Rat arrived, the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was automatically credited. Chen Qiu, who sat cross-legged on the bed, swallowed a Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and circulated his mental method, beginning another night of arduous Cultivation.


    ¡­


    After dawn,


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and emitted a long breath of turbid air. His Cultivation Progress had now reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage Level Three (45.3%).


    ¨C


    In a few days, his Cultivation would improve again.


    However, as his Cultivation increased, the effects of the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill also weakened. If there were no other opportunities, he estimated it would not be easy to reach the Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak before the path of the Heavenly Pride.


    After entering the Golden Core Stage,


    the experience gained from killing demon beasts was almost none, or rather, completely gone.


    Killing so many demon beasts of the Sea Clan didn¡¯t even increase his Cultivation Progress by 0.1%, no wonder so many cultivators at the Golden Core Stage rarely ventured out and instead focused on secluded Cultivation. It¡¯s only the Qi Refinement Realm cultivators who are most keen on killing demon beasts daily.


    Now that it was daylight,


    Chen Qiu left the guest room and saw Fat Long and the others already waiting for him in the corridor, ¡°Let¡¯s go, being in Fei City, naturally we should have more mutton soup.¡±


    He then turned to the scholar next to him with slight amazement, patting him on the shoulder and smiling.


    ¡°Not bad, your Cultivation has increased faster than mine did at your stage, already at Foundation Establishment Level Five.¡±


    ¡°All credit goes to you, Brother Qiu,¡±


    The scholar replied with a good mood, smiling, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the batch of Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills you gave me, my Cultivation wouldn¡¯t have risen this fast.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, and soon, the trio appeared at a stall in Fei City.


    ¡°Fat Long.¡±


    After taking a sip of the mutton soup, Chen Qiu picked up a piece of dry bread and turned to Fat Long, ¡°The witch in the small world has already woken up, aren¡¯t you going to Cultivate?¡±


    ¡°After the meal, I¡¯ll go,¡±


    Fat Long nodded vigorously, ¡°I wanted to go yesterday, but since you came to Fei City, Brother Qiu, you went straight back to the inn to Cultivate, and I didn¡¯t find an opportunity to talk to you about it.¡±

 Chapter 258 - 134: Seeking Ones Own Death. _4

    Chapter 258: Chapter 134: Seeking One¡¯s Own Death. _4


    ¡°`


    ¡°Okay, after you finish eating, I¡¯ll take you there. It¡¯s been so long and you¡¯re only at the first level of Foundation Establishment. It makes me lose face when I¡¯m out and about,¡± he said.


    ¡­


    After the meal.


    Chen Qiu and the others arrived in the suburbs of Fei City and then entered the small world outside the suburbs.


    They came before the Witch who was bound in chains to a frame.


    ...


    ¡°Squeak, ah!!¡±


    As Chen Qiu and his companions approached, the Witch, whose limbs were tied to the frame, screamed hysterically with a fierce expression, unable to speak human language.


    There is a fundamental difference between the Devil Clan and demon beasts.


    Members of the Devil Clan, even those at the Foundation Establishment Stage, have awakened their Spiritual Wisdom and can speak human languages, while demon beasts, even after stepping into the Golden Core Stage and assuming human form, still cannot speak, and their Spiritual Wisdom is even less than that of a Devil Clan at the Foundation Establishment Stage, often acting more on instinct.


    ¡°So¡­ should I go now?¡± Fat Long asked, tilting his head toward Chen Qiu and the others tentatively.


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing with you guys here.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Shall we turn around then?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Hundreds of breaths later.


    The scholar looked at Fat Long, who had now advanced to the second level of Foundation Establishment, and sighed lightly, ¡°He was born for this line of work.¡±


    ¡­


    It must be said that a ninefold increase in cultivation speed is somewhat frightening.


    This is the power of ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation.¡±


    If you can meet the stringent conditions of possessing both Nine Ox Power and a certain other power, then an eighteenfold increase in cultivation speed becomes even more terrifying, and with dual cultivation, you would be eighteen times faster than others.


    How can one even compare?


    There¡¯s no comparison.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu and the others watched for a while, and after confirming that the Witch truly couldn¡¯t release her Divine Sense and Cultivation on this Spiritual Treasure, they left the small world with peace of mind.


    They didn¡¯t have any fondness for watching others.


    However, the Witch, after all, had a Golden Core fifth-level Cultivation, and the advantage of having high Cultivation was that it could help Fat Long¡¯s Cultivation Progress advance faster; the downside was that if she were to break free, it would be very easy for her to slap Fat Long to death.


    After ensuring that no accidents would occur, they did not linger longer, leaving the small world, then heading towards Fei City.


    After a casual stroll around, they returned to the inn for cultivation.


    Cultivation is the main melody of life.


    ¡­


    By daybreak the next day, Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation Progress had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage Third Level (75.3%).


    ¨C


    By tomorrow morning, his Cultivation would break through to the fourth level of the Golden Core Stage. He was taking firm and steady steps toward the Great Perfection Cultivation of the Golden Core Peak. Once his Cultivation reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak,


    he would be utterly invincible within Da Xia Country, and no one could pose any threat to him.


    This morning.


    Only Chen Qiu, the scholar, and the scholar¡¯s younger brother were sitting quietly at a roadside stall, enjoying their mutton soup without Fat Long in sight.


    ¡°Fat Long is really impressive,¡± the scholar said with a complex expression. ¡°From yesterday morning until this morning, almost 12 hours, he has not stopped even once.¡±


    Chen Qiu also sighed lightly.


    ¡°Fat Long is indeed a very hard-working person. We have all improved our Cultivation so quickly, but he had barely progressed after reaching the first level of Foundation Establishment. Although he doesn¡¯t say it, he must be envious in his heart.¡±


    ¡°Now that he finally has the chance to rapidly improve his Cultivation, of course he won¡¯t give it up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°As the saying goes, ¡®Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence,¡¯ and those who work hard will definitely see good returns.¡±


    Just at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly frowned and looked up, only to see dozens of cultivators transforming into streaks of light, shooting towards the Boundless Icefield from different directions. He then extended his Divine Sense in the direction these people were heading, covering a wide area.


    A Golden Core cultivator probing with his Divine Sense without any restraint was sure to attract the attention of many fellow Golden Core cultivators.


    But he didn¡¯t mind much.


    Divine Sense is meant to be used; to not use it for fear of offending others is as good as not having it at all. If you feel offended, come and say it to my face.


    In the Capital, he truly didn¡¯t dare to use it.


    There were too many powerful beings there. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But in Fei City, at the edge of the Da Xia Territory, he wasn¡¯t particularly afraid of anyone.


    Very soon¡ª


    He discovered that a large number of cultivators had gathered at the edge of the Boundless Icefield. On the surface of the Icefield, a section of the thick layer of ice had melted at some point, revealing a man-made tunnel entrance.


    The tunnel was lined with steps.


    On the walls, every ten meters, there were two oil lamps burning demon oil.


    It led straight underground, to an unknown destination.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows arched playfully, and without the slightest hesitation, he threw a handful of Silver Taels to the shopkeeper and then headed towards the Boundless Icefield with the scholar and a few others, as if some Secret Realm had just emerged.


    A Secret Realm suggests opportunities.


    Opportunities mean they belong to him.


    If he didn¡¯t hurry over, it would mean his chance would be snatched away by others.


    ¡­


    In just over a dozen breaths.


    Accompanied by a streak of azure light shooting across the sky and piercing into the edge of the Boundless Icefield, Chen Qiu and the others instantly appeared at the position of the azure streak.


    After landing, Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings.


    By now, this area had already filled up with many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and there was even one Golden Core cultivator.


    The Golden Core cultivator had a cold expression on his face, his Golden Core Cultivation on full display, pressuring the Foundation Establishment cultivators to stand fearfully aside at the entrance. However, with the arrival of Chen Qiu,


    That familiar face and his Golden Core third layer Cultivation brought an ingratiating smile to the face of the Golden Core cultivator, who quickly jogged over to Chen Qiu, his expression respectful and awe-filled as he said, ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯ve come too.¡±


    This was his first in-person encounter with Chen Qiu, but he had seen him many times in the Memory Stone.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, glanced at the surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators looking towards him, then at the man in front of him with Golden Core first layer Cultivation, and then at the entrance of the tunnel exposed by the melting ice at the edge of the Boundless Icefield, saying softly,


    ¡°You arrived early, tell me what the situation is now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.¡±


    The Golden Core cultivator didn¡¯t dare to delay and shook his head as he explained, then hesitated before adding, ¡°It looks like¡­ Ancient Ruins.¡±


    ¡°A long time ago, there was a record in unofficial histories, saying that the Boundless Icefield used to have cities and powers, but overnight, they were all frozen under a heavy layer of ice.¡±


    ¡°And now that the ice has melted, this tunnel has been exposed. The tunnel clearly has man-made marks, and the building remains from the Ancient Era might be below.¡±


    ¡°The steps in the tunnel can block Divine Sense.¡±


    The man did not continue.


    But Chen Qiu understood the implication; this portal could very well correspond to ruins from a long time ago, meaning there could be items such as ¡®Earth Fire Foundation Establishment Pills¡¯ from several Heavenly Dao eras ago.


    These are rare treasures.


    Items like ¡®Earth Fire Foundation Establishment Pills¡¯ and ¡®Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills¡¯ have different rarity levels in different Heavenly Dao eras, and as the Heavenly Dao era changes, these pills from the past end up becoming out of production, gradually turning into discontinued rare pills.


    In Ancient Ruins, one might find such items.


    That¡¯s also the reason why so many cultivators had gathered here.


    The opening of Ancient Ruins always attracts a lot of people seeking adventure.

 Chapter 259 - 135:

    Chapter 259: Chapter 135: ¡°What a piece of junk.


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you go in right away?¡±


    Fat Long, who had already come out of the small world, asked the Golden Core man.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The man awkwardly said, ¡°The ice was melting, and right after the entrance opened, someone heard the roar of the Fierce Beast inside. Also, through the fluctuation of spiritual energy, it was sensed to be around the fifth level of Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only at the first level of Golden Core cultivation, so naturally I dared not enter.¡±


    ¡­


    ...


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Standing next to Chen Qiu, the scholar, squinting at the lit oil lamp on the inner wall of the passage, whispered, ¡°That oil lamp is indeed a very old model. When it burns, black smoke drifts out, and it smells a bit like burnt roasted rabbit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®fox oil¡¯.¡±


    ¡°A very common type of demon oil. Don¡¯t even talk about burning for thousands of years; without someone regularly refilling the demon oil, it wouldn¡¯t even last three months.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like ancient ruins.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, pondered for a moment, and still decided to go down to take a look, relying on his supreme boldness. For safety, he asked the scholar to take his brother to Fei City first, so that in case of any danger, they could rely on the scholar¡¯s Bloodline Entry to quickly escape from this place.


    And several moments later,


    the scholar, who had left his brother in Fei City, returned to his side as a streak of light.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, have a look below.¡±


    Chen Qiu, leading with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stepped on the stairs leading to some unknown part of the underground, moving toward the deep part of the passage, with Fat Long Scholar cautiously following him.


    As the group entered,


    those present exchanged glances; the same thought surfaced in everyone¡¯s minds. Shortly after, almost seventy to eighty percent of the people at the scene stepped into the passage, cautiously following behind Chen Qiu, even the Golden Core man followed suit.


    With Chen Qiu, this peerless Heavenly Pride leading,


    no matter what crisis they encountered, he could handle it. Although they couldn¡¯t partake in the meat, they might still manage to sip some soup following behind.


    Missing this opportunity,


    would be deeply regretted for a long time. After all, this could be ancient ruins, which might contain many things from epochs before the current Heavenly Dao versions.


    ¡­


    As they ventured deeper,


    murals gradually started appearing on both sides of the passage walls. These murals looked a bit like children¡¯s scribbles, indecipherable, providing no information whatsoever.


    Every ten yards, two oil lamps burnt on the wall.


    Bright and dim light continuously intersected within the passage.


    The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for three grown men to walk side by side; the slope was not very steep, the steps were not high, and there was almost no dust.


    Frankly speaking, instead of an ancient ruin, it looked more like a dwelling.


    Chen Qiu stretched out his finger and touched the clay on the passage wall, which felt quite dry. He rubbed it on his fingertips, turning it into dust. Logically, the soil layer covered under the Boundless Icefield for a long period should be slightly moist, not this dry.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Ah!!¡±


    Two piercing and painful screams suddenly came from the crowd behind.


    Two men, who had deactivated their Protective Spirit Qi for an unknown reason, were now bleeding green from all seven orifices, falling to the ground in agony and violently struggling. In a moment, their entire facial features had turned to a mush mixed with green blood.


    This scene caused many to pale and hesitate to venture further.


    Exploring ancient ruins.


    There was an unwritten rule always to keep spiritual energy protection active. You never know what kind of toxic gases had formed over thousands of years in the relic below, but the manner of death of these two men showed that the toxicity of the gas was extremely strong.


    It couldn¡¯t possibly be naturally formed; undoubtedly, someone had tampered with it.


    These two men, feeling quite safe along the way and wanting to save some spiritual energy, had deactivated their Protective Spirit Bodies. But the moment it was turned off, the toxicity devoured their bodies, reducing them to mush.


    This scene indeed terrified many. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Many cultivators with lower cultivation at the Foundation Establishment level gave up and retreated. The situation was clear: if you run out of spiritual energy, you die. They couldn¡¯t sustain their spiritual energy for very long, needing to save enough for the return journey.


    Only a few cultivators with higher cultivation and greater courage continued to follow Chen Qiu deeper into the passage.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu glanced back at the two dead Foundation Establishment cultivators, then redirected his gaze. He was not worried about running out of spiritual energy. With his capacity, if even he couldn¡¯t reach the bottom,


    then no one else could.


    Even if his spiritual energy was exhausted, he could go to the small world to fully recover his spiritual energy before coming out again.


    However, as they went deeper, the end of the passage was still not in sight.


    The steps forming the passage, made of stone that blocked Divine Sense, prevented his Divine Sense from detecting the end. This stone was a treasure; he had already secretly resolved in his heart that once they had clarified what lay below,


    he would take all these steps.


    Even if he only gained these steps, it would still have been worth the journey.


    Meanwhile, as they went deeper, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators following him dwindled until there were none left. These cultivators understood that with their spiritual energy, going any deeper was virtually a certain death.


    Only that Golden Core man of initial level cultivation still carefully followed closely behind Chen Qiu.


    After continuing to delve deeper for half an incense stick¡¯s duration.


    Still without seeing the bottom.

 Chapter 260 - 135:

    Chapter 260: Chapter 135: ¡°What a piece of junk.¡± _2


    This man of Golden Core Cultivation, his Spiritual Energy within was also running low, so he cautiously approached Brother Qiu and tentatively started speaking, ¡°Brother Qiu, you have so much Spiritual Energy, could you cover me as well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m running out of Spiritual Energy myself.¡±


    ¡°Whatever gains I make later, I will give you half.¡±


    Chen Qiu, walking in front, released Spiritual Energy from his body to envelop the scholar and everyone else as well.


    Hearing the voice from behind,


    Chen Qiu stopped in his tracks, looked back at the man of Golden Core Cultivation, sized him up, and then shook his head, ¡°Your words are a bit dangerous. If you listen to me and retreat now, you might be able to save yourself.¡±


    ...


    Indeed, he had more than enough Spiritual Energy within him.


    The Spiritual Energy consumed by his Protective Spirit Qi wasn¡¯t even comparable to what his Heavenly Dao Golden Core restored; not to mention covering Fat Long and the others, even if he covered a dozen more people, it wouldn¡¯t be any pressure at all.


    But why¡­ one must have a reason for their actions.


    The man didn¡¯t understand Chen Qiu¡¯s meaning, and with a forced smile, he shook his head, ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll try again. If I run out of Spiritual Energy later, then I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    Then, as Chen Qiu turned away,


    a trace of resentment flashed through the man¡¯s eyes. With an expression of anger, he stared fixedly at Chen Qiu¡¯s back, thinking of collapsing the passage they came through if he was driven to leave due to lack of Spiritual Energy. No matter how much Spiritual Energy you have, you would still be poisoned alive here!


    Blame yourself for being too selfish.


    Just at that moment, Chen Qiu suddenly turned around again, and the man¡¯s face froze with a mix of anger and resentment, awkwardly forcing out a smile uglier than crying, ¡°Brother¡­ Qiu, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Suddenly!


    He felt his Sea of Consciousness being instantly shattered, and in the moment he lost consciousness, he saw the mild smile on Chen Qiu¡¯s face.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu accepted the Jade Box that the scholar handed over, containing a Golden Core; then casting a glance at the corpse lying on the steps, he continued walking forward.


    He had already given his warning, yet the man didn¡¯t listen.


    If the man had heeded the advice and retreated immediately, he most definitely would not have struck to kill, but since the man harbored hidden animosity and thus hated him, it was difficult to spare the man¡¯s life.


    With such people, when your Cultivation is higher than theirs, they certainly wouldn¡¯t take revenge openly.


    But if someday they found the opportunity to covertly strike at you, they definitely wouldn¡¯t miss it.


    ¡°One should take advice when it is given.¡±


    Chen Qiu let out a light sigh, shook his head, and continued to descend the steps into the depths, feeling like he had a bone to pick with stairs these past few days. Just the day before yesterday at the Heavenly Pride Route¡¯s initial screening Secret Realm, there was a staircase extending endlessly upwards, and now here again was a staircase going ever deeper down.


    And as he went deeper,


    he found his Spiritual Energy consumption increasing even more, which meant that the toxicity in the air was growing stronger, causing even more severe damage to Spiritual Energy.


    ¡­


    After descending for a full half hour,


    the path ahead suddenly opened up.


    When he emerged from the cramped passage, he found himself unexpectedly in the middle of a Green Stone Square, with a tablet inscribed with the words ¡°first round¡± standing in the center.


    The surrounding walls of the Green Stone Square were made of curved green stone.


    On the other end of the Green Stone Square, opposite their position, there was another corridor leading downward, still flanked with wall lamps and lined with steps.


    ¡°First round?¡±


    Fat Long curiously examined the tablet inscribed with ¡°first round¡± in the center of the Green Stone Square, scanning the surroundings, ¡°It seems similar to the Secret Realm. Could it be that this place is also for some kind of inheritance?¡±


    ¡°What does ¡®first round¡¯ mean? And I don¡¯t see any content for the first round either.¡±


    The scholar looked thoughtfully towards the corridor on the opposite side, ¡°Normally, you would face the first round of tests here on the Green Stone Square, and after passing, that corridor would open, leading to the second round.¡±


    ¡°It seems that this was once a place of examination, but now it lies abandoned.¡±


    ¡°I wonder which sect¡¯s ground of examination this is, to have such resources. Just the amount of stone that blocks Divine Sense is not a small sum.¡±


    ¡°This place actually is an Ancient Ruin, but these ever-burning oil lamps are a bit inconceivable.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked expressionless at the tablet standing in the dead center of the Green Stone Square, silent, feeling a striking sense of familiarity, incredibly familiar, as it was just a few days prior that he had seen it.


    This Green Stone Square was almost identical to the one in the initial screening Secret Realm of the Heavenly Pride Route.


    And the tablet inscribed with the words ¡°first round¡± was a mirror image of the one from the Heavenly Pride Route¡¯s Secret Realm.


    He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the surroundings of the Green Stone Square; an inkling of a possibility passing through his mind.


    Perhaps¡­


    In times long past, before Da Xia Country became a cage, could a sect have created this stage, a replica of the Heavenly Pride initial screening Secret Realm?


    Just then¡ª


    He found a set of skeletal remains in a corner, flesh and clothing long eroded by the vicissitudes of time, but tightly clutched in its hand bones was a Token, the ¡°Heavenly Pride Order,¡± now dull and tarnished, with characters that were extremely faint. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He picked up the ¡°Heavenly Pride Order¡± and compared it with his own from his chest.


    They were eighty percent similar.


    The details differed somewhat, and the overall shape wasn¡¯t quite the same, but the character script for ¡°Heavenly Pride Order¡± was identical.


    On the skeletal remains, no Storage Ring was found, unknown whether it had been taken away or lost somewhere.

 Chapter 261 - 135:

    Chapter 261: Chapter 135: ¡°What a piece of junk.¡± _3


    ¡°`


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent and did not speak, but upon seeing this Heavenly Pride Order, he felt that the possibility he had just mentioned might indeed be correct.


    Without saying a word, he took Fat Long and a few others into the small world.


    The toxicity here was even stronger, and his Spiritual Energy was already insufficient. After returning to the small world to replenish his Spiritual Energy, he would continue to delve deeper.


    ¡­


    ...


    The second barrier.


    The third barrier.


    He ventured deeper, passing by two Green Stone Squares and spending nearly an hour before finally reaching the last Green Stone Square, where there were no more passages leading downward.


    This meant that the Green Stone Square was at the very bottom.


    At this point, the toxicity was so strong that even his Spiritual Energy could not sustain him, and he had to replenish his Spiritual Energy from the small world every hundred breaths to continue staying here.


    At the entrance, the man had mentioned hearing roars of Fierce Beasts within the passage, with Cultivation even at the fifth level of the Golden Core Stage. However, he had not seen a single Fierce Beast all the way down until he reached the deepest part where he finally saw what was referred to as the Fierce Beast.


    A wolf cub.


    It looked like it hadn¡¯t reached adulthood, yet it emanated the Cultivation of the fifth Golden Core Stage. It was very small and was now curled up in the corner of the square, whimpering softly in fear.


    He did not take action.


    He also did not understand why this wolf cub, whose Cultivation was higher than his, was afraid of him. He could only conclude that the little wolf was afraid of people.


    Yet, it was clear this place had been sealed for many years, and he had no idea how this little wolf had managed to live for so long sealed deep underground, what it ate, or what it drank.


    On the wall of the last square, several rows of text were engraved.


    ¨C


    ¡°The sect is destined to perish today.¡±


    ¡°Heaven abandons us, not due to a crime in battle.¡±


    ¡°I am the last Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect. Today marks 8,760 years since Chao Tian Sect was imprisoned here. Chao Tian Sect has been confined here for far too long, and surely the world has nearly forgotten the name of Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Prison has its limitations by heaven and earth, making it impossible to reach Nascent Soul, nor to perform attacks of Nascent Soul strength.¡±


    ¡°After several generations of sect masters from Chao Tian Sect passed down and researched, we finally found a way to break this prison.¡±


    ¡°Therefore¡ª¡±


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect channels all its strength to lay out this false path of Heavenly Pride¡­ ¡±


    ¨C sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The text ends there.


    The last few lines were extremely messy, and when the last character of the word ¡°path¡± wasn¡¯t even completed, the writing stopped abruptly, suggesting something unexpected had happened at that moment.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression suddenly became more complex.


    What does it mean by ¡°Today marks 8,760 years since Chao Tian Sect was imprisoned here¡±?


    Could it be that this prison of Da Xia was not for imprisoning Da Xia?


    But was solely to confine your Chao Tian Sect?


    Moreover¡­


    The history of Da Xia spans only a few hundred years and emerged after the last change in the Heavenly Dao. However, the Four Forbidden Lands had existed even before the founding of Da Xia.


    After standing and pondering for a moment, he turned his head to look at the little wolf cub cowering and shaking in the corner like chaff, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°You¡¯re at the fifth level of Golden Core Cultivation, why so afraid?¡±


    ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    The wolf cub in the corner showed a hint of confusion in its eyes, as if it did not fully understand, then tilted its head and pondered for a moment before gesturing three times in the air with its paw, seemingly saying three years.


    ¡°Can you speak?¡±


    The little wolf cub shook its head.


    ¡°Can you transform into human form?¡±


    The little wolf cub shook its head again.


    ¡°What a waste.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed lightly, ¡°Other demon beasts in the Golden Core Stage can transform into human form. Why can¡¯t you?¡±


    Just then¡ª


    He noticed several Storage Rings around the little wolf cub¡¯s teeth and a glint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He crouched down and waved the little wolf cub over, ¡°Give me the Storage Rings in your mouth, I want to see what¡¯s inside.¡±


    The little wolf cub was exceedingly obedient to him and immediately walked over, spitting out the three Storage Rings onto its paw. After cleaning all the saliva off with its fur, it picked them up and handed them to Chen Qiu¡¯s palm.


    ¡°So sensible?¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled as he probed one of the Storage Rings with his Divine Sense, wanting to have a look inside. One of the rings had no restrictions, containing lots of food and water, apparently the sustenance for the little wolf cub during its days of confinement.


    The food in the Storage Ring should have originally been full.


    Now it seemed that about two-thirds was gone.


    This food was not enough to last a thousand years, at most a few years.


    In another unrestricted Storage Ring, there was a large amount of ¡°fox oil,¡± indicating that the little wolf cub had been refilling these lamps with oil for the past few years. The toxicity in the air here was almost too much for him to bear.


    But the little wolf cub seemed to be completely indifferent to it, which was quite extraordinary.


    The last Storage Ring was covered with restrictions. Although he did not understand them, he could tell at a glance that they were extremely complex. Without much thought, he threw the ring into the small world to let the Shopkeeper try to decipher it.


    A demon beast having Storage Rings in its mouth.


    This Storage Ring must have been given by its previous owner, but now¡­


    Chen Qiu crouched down seriously and looked at the little wolf cub, ¡°My name is Chen Qiu, a very powerful Magic Practitioner from Da Xia Country. Would you like to follow me? It¡¯s very promising.¡±


    The little wolf cub, which is sensible, strong, and adorable, is truly hard not to like.


    It¡¯s just a bit shy of strangers, which is a bit difficult to handle.


    The little wolf cub nodded vigorously, without any hesitation, moved closer to Chen Qiu¡¯s feet, continuously rubbing its head against them, and then stuck out its tongue, excitement faintly evident in its eyes.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 262 - 135:

    Chapter 262: Chapter 135: ¡°What a piece of junk.¡± _4


    ¡°Quite interesting.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled as he stood up, holding the little wolf cub in his arms. He had just stepped into the small world, and he was running low on Spiritual Energy, so he decided to replenish it in the small world before coming out later to see if there was anything else around.


    He had initially thought it was an Ancient Ruins.


    It turned out to be a fake Heavenly Pride Road built by the Chao Tian Sect in the past, basically empty. Along the way, he only saw a skeleton holding a Heavenly Pride Order, and nothing else.


    What he was most concerned about now was how to quickly enhance his own Cultivation, to rapidly cultivate to the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection. As for how to leave this so-called Heavenly Prison of the Chao Tian Sect.


    That was a matter for after he reached Golden Core Peak Great Perfection.


    ... S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Each stage had its tasks, and excessive zeal could be counterproductive.


    An interesting point was.


    According to the Chao Tian Sect, this place was originally intended to imprison members of the Chao Tian Sect, and he had somehow become the new Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect. It must be said, it was somewhat coincidentally strange.


    ¡­


    Inside the small world.


    Fat Long looked blankly at the wolf cub that was baring its fangs at him and then turned to Chen Qiu, his fingertips dripping with fresh blood and muttered, ¡°Brother Qiu, didn¡¯t you say it was shy with strangers and very gentle?¡±


    Brother Qiu had just brought back a wolf cub.


    Brother Qiu had said it was gentle, so he tried to pet it, but before his hand even touched its head, it bit him. Although the wound was not deep, it was still bleeding profusely at that moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head helplessly and threw over a few Healing Pills, ¡°First take these Healing Pills to stop the bleeding, and also, it didn¡¯t bite hard. Otherwise, for a demon beast of the fifth level of Golden Core, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to bite off your head.¡±


    ¡°Scholar, you show me how to sign a Beast Taming contract with this demon beast. I quite like this little wolf cub, I¡¯ll sign one with it.¡±


    ¡°It will then be considered a member of our Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    Then he held the little wolf cub in his arms again.


    He lifted its paw, pointing to the scholar and the others, ¡°These people are all my brothers, you can¡¯t bite them, and you can¡¯t bite anyone in this small world, understand?¡±


    The wolf cub nodded.


    Fat Long cautiously tried to touch the head of the little wolf cub again. Although the little wolf still looked unhappy, it ultimately did not resist and just closed its eyes.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long laughed, ¡°It really works, quite human-like, feels like its Spiritual Wisdom is almost comparable to the Devil Clan, much smarter than ordinary demon beasts.¡±


    Meanwhile, the scholar curiously asked from the side, ¡°Did you find anything outside?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll go out later and look again, see if there are any mechanisms or the like.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later, first let¡¯s think of a name for this little guy, we can¡¯t keep calling him ¡®wolf cub.''¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in the small world, sitting in the disciple dormitory, the Shopkeeper was staring at the Storage Ring in his hand, his eyes somewhat vacant as he daydreamed.


    This Storage Ring, which Chen Qiu had just brought in for him to crack.


    The seals within this Storage Ring were the most complex he had ever seen in his life, unparalleled. He had never seen such complex seals before, not even the last time Brother Qiu handed him a Storage Ring from the Evil Clan.


    But¡­


    Somehow, he felt a strangely familiar sensation about these seals, as if somehow he had encountered these kinds of seals before.


    Without thinking much further.


    The man took a deep breath, completely focused and channelled his Spiritual Energy into thin streams, beginning to try and crack the Storage Ring. He had no hobbies really, his biggest hobby was cracking seals.


    The more difficult the seal, the more it ignited his desire to overcome the challenge.

 Chapter 263 - 136: Sword Cultivator, Not Strong Enough.

    Chapter 263: Chapter 136: ¡®Sword Cultivator, Not Strong Enough.


    Chao Tian Sect, within the mountain.


    The scholar sat on a hillside, looking sideways at Chen Qiu, who was playing with a wolf cub not far away in the grass, smiling without speaking. Signing the Beast Taming Contract didn¡¯t involve any complex steps.


    It only required setting up a simple Spirit Gathering Array.


    It didn¡¯t even need Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Only a few hundred low-grade Spirit Stones were needed to establish communication with the demon beast, and for the contract to be acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao; after signing the Beast Taming Contract, the demon beast would absolutely be unable to attack its master, and its cultivation would gradually improve along with the master¡¯s.


    The downside was that each person could only contract one demon beast, and it had to be one with a lower cultivation than oneself.


    ...


    After all, you can¡¯t make a higher-cultivation demon beast acknowledge you as its master.


    Yet the wolf cub had a cultivation of Golden Core fifth layer, which was theoretically much higher than Brother Qiu¡¯s, making a contract ostensibly impossible. However, exceptions exist, such as the wolf cub inexplicably respecting Chen Qiu. Under such circumstances, even a demon beast with higher cultivation could be successfully contracted.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    At that moment¡ª


    Fat Long, who also sat on the hillside with a foxtail grass in his mouth, looked in the direction of the scholar and murmured, as if in a trance, ¡°Say, when you were once Da Xia¡¯s number one sword cultivator, didn¡¯t you do any earth-shattering deeds?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡±


    the scholar said softly. ¡°I did many things that I considered earth-shattering, but most of them went unnoticed, except for a few battles in public, which many witnessed.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Fat Long asked casually.


    ¡°That term ¡®Stockholm syndrome¡¯ you mentioned last time, that¡¯s not the name of a dog, right? It sounds like a disease.¡±


    ¡°Why bring this up all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡­


    The scholar remained silent for a moment before continuing, ¡°My parents died early, but left us some things before they passed, nothing too valuable, just a little notebook with some journal entries, with the words ¡®Stockholm syndrome¡¯ written on it.¡±


    ¡°I had almost forgotten about it until I heard it again from you.¡±


    Fat Long suddenly fell silent and expressionless, tilting his head to look into the scholar¡¯s eyes for a long time without speaking. That term was known only to transmigrators, but why would it appear in the journal of the scholar¡¯s parents?


    Could it be that another transmigrator mentioned the term in public, and the scholar¡¯s parents found it catchy and jotted it in their diary?


    ¡°That little notebook, I burned it a long time ago when I was very young. I only remember part of the story, where my mother said she was captured by mountain bandits and taken to be the Mountain Village Lady. Initially, she was unwilling, but eventually developed feelings for my father due to Stockholm syndrome. You could tell from my mother¡¯s writings in the text that she struggled with her emotions.¡±


    ¡°Later entries noted, one day, a righteous cultivator came to eradicate the mountain stronghold. My father told my mother to escape, but she said she would not run, and then there were no further entries.¡±


    ¡°From the context, the meaning of Stockholm syndrome appears to roughly be, starting off as being forcibly brought together, then gradually developing affection?¡±


    ¡­


    Fat Long¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, at a loss for words, feeling that the world was more messed-up than he had imagined. If what the scholar said was true, then the scholar¡¯s mother was also a transmigrator, who then gave birth to the scholar.


    Roughly estimating,


    the scholar could be considered a hybrid.


    He and the scholar were like half siblings.


    That would explain why the scholar¡¯s brother was speechless; after all, hybrids often have some more or less issues.


    Before Fat Long could speak,


    the scholar continued to murmur, ¡°Later, I became Da Xia¡¯s number one sword cultivator, though only briefly as Da Xia¡¯s number one sword cultivator, but still, I was Da Xia¡¯s number one sword cultivator. Over a hundred years ago, there was a truly unparalleled sword cultivator.¡±


    ¡°He originated from a small village in the Hundred Countries, a truly insignificant place. At that time, that sword cultivator, garbed in white, had a face as cold as a millennia-old snow mountain, emotionless, killed his way to Da Xia Country, and seized the top position on that year¡¯s list of Heavenly Prides.¡±


    ¡°Many admired him at that time, considering that sword cultivator to be the strongest in the history of Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°How strong was he really¡­¡±


    After pondering for a long while, the scholar continued, ¡°I never met him in person, only saw records of him in folklore; there¡¯s hardly anything recorded about him in the official history of Da Xia, but various pieces of folklore had indeed recorded many of his real deeds.¡±


    ¡°All I know is that as a sword cultivator, every one of his sword strikes contained not a hint of Sword Intent, very unremarkable, but when that sword was swung, the sun and the moon would perish, and the heavens and earth would darken.¡±


    ¡°That sword cultivator, having cultivated up to the sixth layer of Golden Core at the time, was extremely powerful in Da Xia, even the act of crushing cultivators of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection was not beyond him.¡±


    ¡°Shortly after, that sword cultivator died, reportedly due to severe injuries in his youth, and after showing up on Snow Mountain in the North Continent, no further news emerged. Countless sword cultivators lamented his passing.¡±


    ¡°And I wanted to become like that white-clothed sword cultivator, which is why I call myself a White-clothed Sword Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm.¡±


    Fat Long shrugged, ¡°Brother Qiu has said, there are too many Heavenly Prides in this world; I don¡¯t have such grand ambitions. I feel it¡¯s good just to be alive, and as long as I keep living, one day I can become strong.¡±


    sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 264 - 136:

    Chapter 264: Chapter 136: ¡°Sword Cultivator, Not Strong Enough.¡± _2


    ¡­


    ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be called Little Wolf.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, stroking the head of the wolf cub, who seemed to also like the name quite a bit, wagging its tail incessantly in an attempt to express its joy, although he remembered that wolves aren¡¯t supposed to wag their tails to show happiness.


    But since Little Wolf liked it.


    He didn¡¯t mind either.


    After establishing the Beast Taming Contract with the little wolf cub, he finally learned some basic information about this wolf.


    ...


    It was called, Lunar Night Demon Wolf.


    A very familiar name.


    He performed introspection, looking inside his Dantian, and there, on an entry, he saw this name.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Lunar Night Demon Wolf.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When you sign a Beast Taming Contract with the first ¡®Lunar Night Demon Wolf¡¯, the size of this demon beast will increase tenfold, and it will be able to absorb Moonlight Essence for cultivation.


    ¨C


    This was an entry he obtained just before his breakthrough to the Golden Core, during his ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. He hadn¡¯t used it until now, and he didn¡¯t even know where to find the Lunar Night Demon Wolf. Even after making some inquiries, he hadn¡¯t found this particular demon beast in Da Xia Country.


    Originally, this entry had been earmarked by him as a reserve for a Self-Destruction Term.


    Unexpectedly.


    He picked it up deep within an Ancient Ruin.


    After establishing a Divine Sense connection with Little Wolf, he also learned some basic information about it, such as the fact that Little Wolf was still in its juvenile stage, an utterly extraordinary existence. A juvenile demon beast, naturally growing to possess the cultivation of the fifth layer of Golden Core.


    Once it reaches adulthood, its cultivation would at least break through to Nascent Soul; of course, in Da Xia, because of the constraints, it would be at the very least Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection.


    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say.


    Any mortal who picked up this little wolf cub would instantly have the qualifications to establish their own sect, and in the future, they might even become a power figure in Da Xia.


    He had only signed a Beast Taming Contract with Little Wolf; he wasn¡¯t a true Beast Cultivator. A true Beast Cultivator could even share cultivation with their demon beast, share injuries, and in a united state, they could utilize the power of the demon beast to its greatest extent.


    ¡°It seems both you and I are very fortunate,¡± he said.


    Chen Qiu squatted down, gently stroking Little Wolf¡¯s head and chuckling.


    If Little Wolf hadn¡¯t met him, it would have starved to death after finishing its food. Little Wolf surely had a master before, who probably purposely left Little Wolf in this Ancient Ruin with plenty of food.


    His luck was also good, encountering Little Wolf meant the ¡®Lunar Night Demon Wolf¡¯ entry had a use.


    However, he didn¡¯t plan to use this entry now. He would wait until Little Wolf matured.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, come out and have a look with me.¡±


    ¡­


    After three breaths.


    Chen Qiu reemerged with Little Wolf at the very bottom of this ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯ Ancient Ruin. There was nothing on this Green Stone Square at the bottom, only in a rather hidden corner could one find a lot of wolf dung piled up.


    Little Wolf seemed to have some means, for the poisonous gas here heavily depleted his own Spiritual Energy, but Little Wolf completely ignored it.


    He carefully observed the surroundings of the Green Stone Square, walking to the walls and meticulously feeling around to see if there were any mechanisms. After all, he always felt that an Ancient Ruin couldn¡¯t just be this little.


    And just then¡ª


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly.


    Right across from him.


    ¡°The sect is set to perish today, it is now inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Heaven forsakes us; it is not a crime from war.¡±


    ¡°I am the last Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect¡­¡±


    In those few lines of text, the first two sentences were extremely familiar. If he remembered correctly, those two lines were also on the columns of Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Sect Leader Hall. Chen Qiu raised his index finger and delicately touched those two lines.


    Just when he touched the last character ¡°crime.¡±


    He suddenly felt the character was somewhat soft and subconsciously pressed down on it, the character immediately indented, revealing an irregular gap.


    In the wall of text facing him, only this character could be pressed down, and it was the only one that had a gap.


    A flash of surprise crossed Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes, followed by taking out the Chao Tian Sect Leader Token from his chest. His Sect Leader Token was a miniature version of the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair in the main hall, and also served as the Array Talisman for all of Chao Tian Sect¡¯s arrays.


    He held the miniature Sect Leader¡¯s Chair in his hand, observing it closely.


    His eyes lingered on the back of the chair, which fit perfectly into the gap left by the character ¡°crime,¡± something he had never noticed before. He had only thought that the design of this Sect Leader¡¯s Chair was unique.


    The situation was now clear.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, ready for combat and cautiously pressed the back of the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair against the gap of the character ¡°crime¡± on the wall. It fit perfectly and, once the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair was fully inserted into the gap of ¡°crime,¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    a milky-white Spiritual Energy quickly slid across the wall.


    A white vortex then suddenly emerged before him.


    He was all too familiar with this kind of vortex.


    Stepping into it meant either a small world or a Secret Realm lay on the other side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He waved his hand, motioned for Little Wolf to jump into his arms, then placed the cub on his shoulder before striding into the white vortex before him. Whether it was a dragon¡¯s lair or a tiger¡¯s den, he¡¯d only find out by taking the plunge.


    The flash of white light passed.


    He appeared in a very cramped secret chamber.


    It could barely accommodate a dozen people shoulder to shoulder, not even as large as a Chao Tian Sect disciple dormitory; there was a very narrow bed tucked in a corner of the chamber, with untidy bedding that appeared vividly lived-in.

 Chapter 265 - 136:

    Chapter 265: Chapter 136: ¡°Sword Cultivator, Not Strong Enough.¡± _3


    The air was devoid of any sign of life, clearly indicating that no one had set foot here in a long time.


    However, there was no dust.


    Completely sealed off, not even air circulated within, let alone dust.


    Little Wolf, on the other hand, seemed quite familiar with this chamber; it immediately jumped down from Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulder, leaped to the end of the bed, and with practiced ease dug itself a small pit in the bedding before contentedly lying down.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the chamber. Aside from the small bed, there was only a table covered with numerous parchments. This was rather strange; important information was typically stored in Jade Scrolls.


    ...


    They were not only more secure but could also be preserved for much longer.


    This room obviously appeared to be an extremely concealed chamber, so why were there paper documents?


    Still, he walked over to the table, browsing through the parchments. The white vortex behind him had disappeared, but there was still a recess in the wall with the character ¡®×¡ªsin¡ªetched into it. It was obvious that he could leave this chamber again simply by pressing the Sect Leader Token into this niche.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Just by glancing at the first sentence within the yellowed document in his hand, Chen Qiu felt a jolt in his heart, a flash of shock passing through his pupils.


    ¡°Once, they called us Outer Realm Demons¡­¡±


    He immediately took a deep breath and sat down in the chair, earnestly flipping through the parchment before him.


    ¡­


    After a very long time, Chen Qiu silently placed the now-yellowed document carefully into the deepest part of his Storage Ring. He had not expected that stumbling into these Ancient Ruins would uncover the truth of this world.


    The truth about Da Xia Country.


    And the truth about Chao Tian Sect.


    Long, long ago, perhaps ten thousand or tens of thousands of years back, a large number of people from Blue Star transmigrated into this Cultivation World. Through their idioms, attire, and personalities, these transmigrants quickly gathered together and established a sect¡ª


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect!¡±


    From the Supreme Elders, to the Sect members, down to the outer sect disciples and menial workers.


    Every member of this sect was a transmigrator, making it one of Xuantian Continent¡¯s most powerful sects at the time. Whenever they learned of new transmigrants arriving on Xuantian Continent, Chao Tian Sect would be the first to send people to bring them into the sect.


    Arriving mysteriously in a strange world, one naturally felt closer to one¡¯s compatriots.


    In those days, almost all of Chao Tian Sect consisted of Sword Cultivators!


    With their extraordinary unity, their strength was unparalleled!


    Perhaps it was their formidable power that made the transmigrants not shy away from revealing their transmigration, leading many to refer to the people of Chao Tian Sect as Outer Heaven Demons.


    Thus, following longstanding resentment¡­


    A war broke out between the transmigrants and native cultivators.


    A fierce and tumultuous war.


    No matter how strong ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡± was, it was just one sect. How could it stand against nearly eighty percent of the sects united in opposition? When the war broke out, fueled by their millions-strong force of Sword Cultivators, Chao Tian Sect initially caused many sects to hesitate to advance.


    But as time went on and their numbers dwindled, Chao Tian Sect began to fall back step by step.


    The numbers of their people kept diminishing.


    In the end, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, allowing a portion of sect disciples to lay down their lives in retreat, led the majority of the sect¡¯s disciples to this secluded corner of Xuantian Continent. Here, they set up the Deceiving Heaven Array and hid within it.


    This array was set to protect Chao Tian Sect from being discovered by the great powers of Xuantian Continent, effectively carving out a small part of the Continent to occupy, creating this ¡®small world¡¯. Since this ¡®small world¡¯ was recognized by Heavenly Dao, manifestations of Heavenly Dao were also present.


    Unrecognized small worlds like Chao Tian Sect¡¯s were not sanctioned by Heavenly Dao, so they were really just separate spaces, without any manifestations of Heavenly Dao or appearance of Heavenly Dao Decrees and Secret Realms.


    In other words¡ª


    The prison confining Chao Tian Sect was constructed by the sect itself, using all of its power, with the goal of hiding their presence.


    However, over the passage of time, much information was lost to the annals of history. By the time it reached the last few Sect Masters of Chao Tian Sect, these leaders were completely unaware that the prison had been designed by their own sect and assumed it was a trapping set by the outside world, attempting every possible method to break free from it.


    Too much time had passed.


    So much time had elapsed that Chao Tian Sect had dissolved into oblivion, forgotten by all. The former disciples of Chao Tian Sect had branched out, forming various towns and cities, and eventually, the concept of a nation was born.


    ¡°¡­¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu sat in the chair in silence, not speaking for a long time, until he had digested all the information.


    Which means¡­


    There wasn¡¯t a single native person in Da Xia Country.


    All were descendants of transmigrants.


    There were no locals; the loccals were all on Xuantian Continent. Da Xia Country was a territory left by their forebears after their defeat, giving them a realm to recuperate and multiply. The constraints of the Nascent Soul were also in conjunction with the establishment of the Deceiving Heaven Array.


    The Four Forbidden Lands were also set by the forebears of Chao Tian Sect.


    They were incredibly strong for external defense, nearly impossible to breach, but internally there were only four Nascent Soul Cultivation Puppets. Yes, the supposed Nascent Souls guarding the Four Forbidden Lands in the north, south, east, and west were not real people, but mere Nascent Soul Cultivation Puppets.


    The method to break out from within the array was quite simple.


    With Golden Core Peak Cultivation, slaying the four puppets would break the array.


    When Chao Tian Sect laid this formation, their thinking was pure. If one day a descendant appeared capable of slaying four Nascent Soul Puppets with Golden Core Cultivation, then, even if the Array were broken, this individual could certainly make a name for themselves in Xuantian Continent, and reestablish the glory of Chao Tian Sect!

 Chapter 266 - 136:

    Chapter 266: Chapter 136: ¡°Sword Cultivator, Not Strong Enough.¡± _4


    Millions of transmigrators from the past had almost all joined the Chao Tian Sect.


    For them, in this unfamiliar world, the Chao Tian Sect was their sole belief.


    Even though they were defeated,


    forcing them to imprison themselves here, they still believed that among their descendants, there would surely appear an evil Heavenly Pride who would shake the Xuantian Continent for tens of thousands of years, and revitalize the name of the Chao Tian Sect.


    They waited for a very long time.


    Perhaps ten thousand years, perhaps twenty thousand, perhaps even longer.


    ...


    They waited until no one remembered this matter, they waited until the Chao Tian Sect had disbanded and no one remembered, they waited until even the position of the sect master had no successors¡­ but still, they did not wait for this peerless Heavenly Pride who, with Golden Core Cultivation, could kill four Nascent Soul Puppets!


    The passage of time caused the last sect master of the Chao Tian Sect to even forget how to break free from this prison.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After being silent for a long time, Chen Qiu suddenly felt the urge to smoke, Back in his previous life, he smoked, but was not heavily addicted, and after transmigrating, he had forgotten about it, but now he suddenly wanted to smoke a cigarette.


    For some reason, he just wanted to smoke one.


    Meanwhile, in other documents, he learned that before he transmigrated, this prison was almost broken.


    Over a hundred years ago,


    a white-clothed sword cultivator starting from insignificance, in white clothes and with a sword, made his way where no one dared to speak loudly. This peerless sword cultivator named himself Jian Yi, intending to cut down everything in the world with one sword.


    And this secret chamber was the very place where that white-clothed sword cultivator had once intensely trained.


    That sword cultivator was truly invincible in the world.


    With only the sixth level of Golden Core Cultivation, he could instantly kill powerful beings with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation, traveled westward, stepped on the Ten Thousand Feet Snow Mountain, and met the Nascent Soul Puppet from the west.


    At that time, this white-clothed sword cultivator had only one thought in mind.


    To break this prison,


    To uphold the name of the Chao Tian Sect,


    with the sixth level of Golden Core Cultivation, and after clashing with that Nascent Soul Puppet for hundreds of rounds, being defeated and gravely wounded, he retreated.


    At the moment of his downfall, he left a message in the secret chamber and then left the chamber with no known whereabouts.


    ¡°Sword cultivators are not strong enough.¡±


    A man who was once considered the strongest sword cultivator in Da Xia left behind a message that sword cultivators were not strong enough before his death.


    But from these documents, he learned that when the Chao Tian Sect set up the Deceiving Heaven Array long ago due to their fanaticism for sword cultivators, a rule was specifically added to the puppets, allowing only sword cultivators to thoroughly defeat the puppets.


    This was to prevent juniors from straying and giving up on sword cultivation.


    The Chao Tian Sect was a sect purely dedicated to sword cultivation.


    All swords launched together, the dance of the phoenix, and the roar of the dragon, that is what made a sword cultivator.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, turned his head to look at Little Wolf, who was now curled up and sound asleep on the bed, and remained silent with a complex expression, seeing that Little Wolf seemed quite familiar with this secret chamber.


    He must have been here before.


    And even stayed for quite some time.


    Could Little Wolf¡¯s previous master have been that strongest sword cultivator of Da Xia?


    The timeline doesn¡¯t add up; that strongest sword cultivator of Da Xia died a hundred years ago whereas, based on the food supplies inside the Storage Ring in Little Wolf¡¯s mouth, it could be inferred that Little Wolf¡¯s last master left about three years ago.


    He now harbored many doubts within his heart.


    The nine legacies had existed for over a thousand years, so why hadn¡¯t the strongest Sword Cultivator of Da Xia seized the Sword Cultivation legacy when his power was so formidable? If he had taken the Sword Cultivation legacy and elevated his Cultivation from the sixth level of Golden Core to the peak of Great Perfection, he might have been able to defeat the Puppet.


    Moreover, why did he challenge at only the sixth level of Golden Core? Even if he was no match, why didn¡¯t he retreat immediately? Known to him, there once was a Sword Cultivator at the Great Perfection Realm of Golden Core Peak who had ventured to investigate the east, west, north, and south directions, and although he returned severely injured each time, he at least didn¡¯t lose his life.


    This meant that as long as you wanted to escape, those Nascent Soul Cultivation Puppets would not take your life.


    ¡°Sword Cultivators are not strong enough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slowly closed his eyes and gently massaged his temples, roughly grasping the State Preceptor¡¯s thoughts. In his mind, he had always suspected that Old Man Cao, the guardian of the Array Repairer legacy, was the State Preceptor.


    The methods of the State Preceptor were clear.


    Raise him to be the strongest Magic Practitioner of Da Xia and have him severely injure the four Great Nascent Soul Puppets.


    Then cultivate the scholar to become the strongest Sword Cultivator of Da Xia to deliver the final blow to the four Great Nascent Soul Puppets.


    Thus thoroughly breaking this prison.


    As for why that strongest Sword Cultivator from a hundred years ago did not take the Sword Cultivation legacy, he still couldn¡¯t think of an answer, nor who exactly were the Nascent Soul guardians of those nine legacies.


    After a long silence,


    he carefully searched the secret room. Finding no other items or information, he took Little Wolf and left the secret room to return to the small world, pondering briefly before deciding not to tell the scholar about this matter.


    The impact was too great.


    Instead, he pulled Fat Long aside in a corner and told him about it.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    Fat Long, who had listened to the entire story, unconsciously opened his mouth wide. Only after a long while did the severe shock on his face slightly recover as he picked up his jaw from the ground and muttered,


    ¡°Brother Qiu, are you saying that everyone in Da Xia Country and even in the Hundred Countries are descendants of transmigrators?¡±


    Chen Qiu paused before softly saying, ¡°You could understand it that way.¡±


    Fat Long was silent for a very long time. Finally, with a complex expression, he looked up at Chen Qiu and said, ¡°Brother Qiu, give me a moment to digest this. According to what you said, tens of thousands of years ago, a vast number of our ancestors transmigrated to the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°But according to Blue Star¡¯s history, humans were still in the Neolithic era tens of thousands of years ago. That¡¯s ancient history.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t quite figured it out either.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°But I also don¡¯t want to think about it anymore. The more I know, the more bewildered I become. Right now, the most important thing for me is to quickly enhance my Cultivation and then see if I can break out of this prison.¡±


    ¡°I also want to go out and see.¡±


    ¡°See the world that our ancestors once stepped on, see the traces they left on the Xuantian Continent, see the Holy Daughters of the Major Sects who were recorded as peerless beauties in the manuscripts, see the reputations our ancestors once carved out.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°By the way¡ª¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly chuckled, ¡°It suddenly feels all rather coincidental; my name just happens to be Chen Qiu, which consists of three drops of water and a prison, exactly like the meaning of ¡®Water Prison,¡¯ and Qiu itself also means to swim.¡±


    ¡°To swim in a Water Prison and attempt to break through the prison, the symbolism is quite good.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    He patted Fat Long on the shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s not think about these things for now; whether Old Man Cao is the State Preceptor or not, and whether some of the opportunities I had were created by Old Man Cao, it doesn¡¯t matter. Our goals are aligned with the State Preceptor¡¯s at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Once my Cultivation reaches the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection, I can burst into the palace and confront the State Preceptor face to face.¡±


    ¡°Then all the truths will be revealed.¡±


    ¡°Your most important task right now is to cultivate. You are a Great Elder of the Chao Tian Sect. Don¡¯t embarrass the Chao Tian Sect once you get out.¡±


    ¡°Spend more time on your Cultivation. That Witch with the Golden Core fifth level Cultivation should last you quite a while.¡±

 Chapter 267 - 137:

    Chapter 267: Chapter 137: ¡°Riddled with Holes.


    ¡°Our predecessors carved out the reputation of Chao Tian Sect on the Xuantian Continent tens of thousands of years ago,¡±


    ¡°And since I have inherited the position of Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect,¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I cannot diminish this reputation.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu paused, then turning his head to gaze into the distance, he whispered softly, ¡°Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, when he passed through that Heavenly Dao Secret Realm at the time, no one told me that being the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect involved so many matters.¡±


    Actually.


    Many things were already beyond his decision-making ability. At the time of the preliminary screening of the Heavenly Pride in the Secret Realm, he had not known that the name of Chao Tian Sect carried such a significant reputation, nor had he any misgivings.


    ...


    Many Heavenly Prides had remembered the name Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.


    And with the shadow that Chao Tian Sect left on the Xuantian Continent tens of thousands of years ago, although so much time had passed and many had forgotten the name, as long as one searched the historical records, one could find the familiar name of Chao Tian Sect.


    And he, as the new Sect Master,


    had managed to make countless powers on the Xuantian Continent remember the name of Chao Tian Sect again, even before setting foot on the Continent.


    ¡­


    Three hours later.


    Chen Qiu once again stood at the entrance of this Ancient Ruin, patting his hands with a bit of fatigue. The passage through the Ancient Ruin was extremely deep; dismantling all these steps was not an easy task.


    It took them several people a full three hours to dismantle all the stones that could block Divine Sense.


    These were good materials.


    Not to be wasted.


    At this point, the stones had already been piled into a small mountain behind the Chao Tian Sect, and if one did not count the scrolls, these stones were his only haul from the trip¡ªoh, and the Little Wolf.


    A Golden Core Fifth Layer enforcer was considered not bad.


    But compared to being an enforcer, he preferred to treat it as a pet, as it was still in its juvenile stage. Although its cultivation was not weak, it was still hard to regard it as a combative force that could fight on the battlefield.


    The dissonance was too strong.


    At this moment, many Cultivators had gathered at the entrance to the Ancient Ruins. After dismantling all the steps, Chen Qiu casually unleashed a few Thunder Summoning Techniques to seal the entrance. To enter again, one would need to first clear the entrance of the collapse.


    In fact, he wasn¡¯t worried about someone else going down there.


    Not to mention that there was actually nothing below; the only useful scrolls were in the chamber that could only be opened with the Sect Leader Token, and he had put those scrolls into his Storage Ring.


    The poisonous gas alone down there would prevent anyone from entering.


    But¡­


    He still habitually blocked the entrance. It¡¯s like knowing no one can see you when you¡¯re not wearing underwear because your trousers block the view, but you¡¯d still feel unnatural.


    ¡­


    It was nearing dusk at this time.


    After finishing all this, Chen Qiu returned to the inn in Fei City. After chatting together for a while, they all continued to cultivate separately.


    Fat Long went to the small world to cultivate with that Witch.


    While Chen Qiu and the Scholar were cultivating in their separate rooms.


    Soon, it was the hour of the Rat.


    Ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills credited his account again, and Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the bed, took out a Cultivation Pill and put it into his mouth in a practiced manner, activated his mental method, and calmed his spirit to absorb the medicinal properties within the Cultivation Pills.


    An entire night of diligent cultivation.


    At dawn, Chen Qiu exhaled a breath of turbid air, turned his head to the window covered in snow. It had snowed throughout the night and continued until dawn; it was the second snowfall of the winter this year.


    This heavy snow finally brought a touch of winter to this year¡¯s season.


    He practiced introspection above his Dantian to his Cultivation panel, and his own cultivation had finally reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage Fourth Layer (5.3%).


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly raised his eyebrows. At the Golden Core Third Layer, one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill only increased his Cultivation Progress by 3%. He had thought that at the Golden Core Fourth Layer, one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill would only add 2% to his Cultivation Progress.


    Unexpectedly, it was still 3%.


    This was beyond his expectations.


    It means he could break through to the Golden Core Fifth Layer quicker than anticipated.


    This ¡°Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡± would last for a full year, meaning he could claim ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills every day for a year. Alas, they must be claimed in batches daily.


    If only they could be credited all at once.


    He then introspected inside his Dantian where, after his breakthrough in cultivation, the familiar yet long-absent panel reappeared, shrouded in mist.


    ¨C


    ¡®Your Cultivation has increased significantly, formally stepping into the Golden Core Stage Fourth Layer.¡¯


    ¡®Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Acting on behalf of Heaven


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: You can design a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that can only be entered by those with a Golden Core cultivation level or below, at the cost of three hundred years of lifespan. There is a certain probability of success, but if it is too unfair, it will not succeed.


    2:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Command of the Dying Admonition


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: You can alter a person¡¯s subconscious memory at the cost of ten years of lifespan. Depending on the complexity of the memory alteration, the cost in lifespan will increase.


    3:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Clean Death


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Upon your death, everyone will forget your name, and all traces of you, including scrolls, historical records, and Jade Scrolls that record your existence, will be automatically erased.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned in thought, silent; the three randomly assigned entries were of little use to him this time.

 Chapter 268 - 137:

    Chapter 268: Chapter 137: ¡°Riddled with Holes.¡±_2


    And not one of them was related to combat power.


    All were auxiliary effects.


    He even stumbled upon a completely useless entry, ¡°Die Neatly,¡± which in his view, was a yellow entry rather than a white one, likely because its effect involved the power of rule.


    In a certain magnitude.


    This entry was actually quite powerful as it would remove your memory from the brains of all who remembered your name and automatically erase any records of you, such as in the Jade Scroll History Books.


    This was no small feat.


    ...


    Speaking solely from the effort involved, maybe the yellow entry even underestimated it; it had taken so much effort to come out, if it had been before death rather than after, he felt the effect was actually quite strong.


    The first entry, ¡°Acting on Behalf of Heaven,¡± was also ruled out.


    Spending so much lifespan to create a possibly unsuccessful Heavenly Dao Secret Realm seemed unnecessary, whereas the second entry, ¡°Dying Admonition,¡± could be reluctantly chosen.


    Though it was also not very useful.


    But it was picking the best out of the worst, barely usable; if someday there was a use for this entry, he could also use it, unlike the other two entries which were completely useless.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Just then, Chen Qiu could not help but shudder all over and urgently shouted in a high-pitched voice, ¡°Cancel, cancel!¡±


    After gaining this entry, he was suddenly inspired to see if it could modify his subconscious memory, and it indeed could, then he promptly felt a force from nature ready to deduct his lifespan, just as he thought about what memory he wanted to change, his lifespan would automatically be deducted.


    He was just conducting an experiment.


    But he had not planned to really change his own memory.


    And he also understood the conditions for using this entry; it could not modify memory remotely and required physical contact to modify another¡¯s memory by spending lifespan as a price.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on a cot, pondered silently without speaking. He was not worried about having his memory altered being a Heavenly Dao Saint, but he felt that the Cultivation World was too dangerous; if he could randomly gain this entry, so could others.


    If one were not a Heavenly Dao Saint, wouldn¡¯t others just need to pay a little lifespan to arbitrarily alter your memory?


    That was indeed frightening.


    ¡­


    In the following days.


    Chen Qiu and his companions did not leave the inn and all were patiently cultivating.


    Soon, three days had passed, until the dawn of the third day.


    The Chen Qiu who had been cultivating cross-legged on the cot all these days finally took a deep breath: ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    And his Cultivation Progress had arrived.


    ¨C S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage Fourth Layer (90.3%).


    ¨C


    Once tonight¡¯s Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation transferred, he would be able to elevate his Cultivation to the fifth level of the Golden Core.


    Not too bad.


    After continuously cultivating for several days, not able to just sit in the inn, it was also necessary to move around a bit, combining work and rest.


    ¡­


    Early morning, on the street stall.


    Chen Qiu and his companions were quite tired of the mutton soup; no matter how delicious, eating it daily was too much, so they decided to change flavors today.


    They switched to beef soup.


    ¡°This beef soup also tastes pretty good.¡±


    Fat Long picked up a chopstick-full of noodles and put them in his mouth, then picked up a piece of meat. He was quite satisfied with his eating, and under the devoted service of that Golden Core Stage five Witch, Fat Long¡¯s cultivation speed soared.


    The fluctuations of Spiritual Energy around his body were already at the third level of Foundation Establishment.


    ¡°Fat Long,¡±


    Chen Qiu, after taking a sip of soup from his bowl, then instructed, ¡°Remember to spend some time consolidating your Cultivation Realm. You¡¯re unlike me and the scholar; we have the Heavenly Dao Foundation, our realms are essentially stable.¡±


    ¡°You do not have the Heavenly Dao Foundation, take it slow.¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    Fat Long set down his bowl and chopsticks, contentedly wiped the grease from his mouth with his sleeve, and smacked his lips before speaking, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Brother Qiu, I have been consolidating my Cultivation Realm. If I went all out in cultivating, I might already be at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment now.¡±


    ¡°That fast?¡±


    Surprise flickered in the scholar¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m relying on re-cultivation and the Foundation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill you gave me, and I only barely entered the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment last night. You say if you went all out, you¡¯d reach the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment?¡±


    ¡°Kidding.¡±


    Fat Long disdainfully rolled his eyes at the Scholar: ¡°That¡¯s a Golden Core stage five Witch we¡¯re talking about. The Sect Master of Flower Offering Sect is only at the fourth level of Golden Core, would my Cultivation not increase fast? What¡¯s more, I have this ¡®Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡¯ entry that increases my cultivation speed by nine times.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t pace myself, I¡¯d already be at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment by now.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary people don¡¯t get the chance at the first foundation layer to have a Golden Core stage five Witch, but I feel it won¡¯t be long before it¡¯s unusable for me, probably only until I reach the seventh or eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, as the essence of the Witch is almost drained.¡±


    ¡°So I plan to pause for a bit soon, let her recover a bit, then continue cultivating.¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu lightly laughed and nodded, not saying much, happy for everyone as their cultivation speed was not slow.


    ¡­


    After finishing their breakfast, they returned to continue cultivating.


    However, just as Chen Qiu was about to start cultivating, he suddenly remembered something, vanished on the spot, and appeared at the entrance of a dormitory in the small world, knocking on a door.


    Then he pushed the door and entered.


    He saw a middle-aged shopkeeper lying on the cot, sitting cross-legged with a lifeless gaze, face ashen.

 Chapter 269 - 137:

    Chapter 269: Chapter 137: ¡°Riddled with Holes.¡±_3


    ¡°Shopkeeper?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly as he strode forward, taking out several Healing Pills from his embrace and placing them into the shopkeeper¡¯s mouth. After the shopkeeper¡¯s complexion improved slightly, Chen Qiu asked in confusion, ¡°Was it my Little Wolf that injured you?¡±


    There were no outsiders in the Chao Tian Sect, and currently, there was only one shopkeeper.


    He usually let Little Wolf roam free in the back mountain.


    Could it be that Little Wolf injured the shopkeeper?


    ¡°No.¡±


    ...


    The shopkeeper struggled to sit up and shook his head, his face flashing with a hint of guilt and embarrassment as he hoarsely said, ¡°My apologies for making a joke of myself, young master. No one injured me. It¡¯s just that the Storage Ring you sent last time, its seal is quite complex.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve exhausted all my energy and applied all my life¡¯s learning to its utmost, but I¡¯ve only just managed to decipher one percent of this seal.¡±


    ¡°By that estimate.¡±


    ¡°To break this Storage Ring seal, at the fastest nonstop pace without sleep or food, it would still take four hundred days.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s if everything goes well, but seals often get more difficult the deeper you go, so I estimate it would probably take three to five years of work, and in the worst case, I might not be able to open it in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Is it that difficult?¡±


    A look of incomprehension flashed through Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes; he remembered that whether it was the Golden Core Storage Ring or the Evil Clan Storage Ring, this shopkeeper always managed to break them quickly. And yet, the seal on this Storage Ring that he had picked up from Little Wolf¡¯s mouth was so complex? S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Extremely difficult.¡±


    The shopkeeper nodded his head heavily with admiration and weakness, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know where you found this Storage Ring, young master, but I can be sure of one thing, the person skilled in seals is far superior to me, and the gap might even be hundreds of times greater.¡±


    ¡°If I had the opportunity to take this person as my master, it would be the greatest fortune of my life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve disappointed you, young master.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. Since it will take at least three to five years, then let us spend that time. Whenever it¡¯s decrypted is fine, there¡¯s no rush. Take care of your health.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, young master.¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s complexion had already improved a lot, ¡°I have a premonition that once I break the seal on this Storage Ring, my proficiency in seals will greatly advance!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, alright, take it slow.¡±


    After instructing him to take care of his health, Chen Qiu did not linger any longer and immediately left the small world. He then sat cross-legged on the bedstead, ready to continue his Cultivation.


    But just then¡ª


    A hoarse and panicked voice suddenly came from the Sound Transmission Ring on his index finger, ¡°Brother Qiu, Brother Qiu, save my life!!!¡±


    It was Liu Zide¡¯s voice.


    Without hesitation, Chen Qiu contacted the scholar who was cultivating in the next room through the Sound Transmission Ring, and a few others, and immediately turned into a streak of light towards Liu Zide¡¯s direction.


    Liu Zide had been dispatched to purchase large amounts of Evil Wood.


    Who knew what danger had befallen him.


    Could it be that he had attracted someone¡¯s envy?


    In almost a few dozen breaths, Chen Qiu arrived where Liu Zide was located.


    ¡­


    In the wilderness a hundred miles outside of Fei City, the area was devoid of any people, no official roads, no villages, no passersby.


    Not even a demon beast could be seen.


    It was in such a desolate wilderness that a two-zhang-wide hole emerged on the ground, from where boundless resentful energy surged out without end, and countless Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Cultivation resentful spirits continuously poured out of the hole.


    The piercing wails of the resentful spirits echoed throughout the land.


    The resentful energy, almost tangible, made the surroundings even colder, as if it could freeze one¡¯s blood completely solid.


    Above the hole.


    Wang Family¡¯s Master Liu Zide, at this moment, was frantically setting off Self-Destruction Terms in fear and panic, each time unleashing a full-strength attack of the fifth layer of the Golden Core, manically striking the hole. Each blow killed a large number of resentful spirits.


    But the number of Self-Destruction Terms that could be unleashed was, after all, limited.


    If he did not arrive, Master Wang would not last long without further terms, and by then, countless resentful spirits would rush out from the depths below the hole, completely engulfing Liu Zide and Master Wang.


    With so many resentful spirits, the two of them had no chance of surviving.


    Seeing Chen Qiu arrive,


    Master Wang burst into excited shouts, ¡°Brother Qiu, save me!!!¡±


    ¡°Move aside.¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned slightly and waved his hand. Hundreds of Thunder Dragons roared past, and as Thunder Lord¡¯s executive power had a restraining effect on these resentful spirits, the hundreds of Thunder Dragons completely blocked the hole. All the resentful spirits that struck the Thunder Dragons turned immediately into wisps of blue smoke.


    Afterwards, he gestured for Master Wang to step back as he floated above the hole, leveraging the power of the Heavenly Dao Saint so that none of the endless torrent of resentful spirits from below could reach him. Before getting close to him, they turned into blue smoke and dissipated into the air.


    Hovering above the hole, Chen Qiu looked at Liu Zide and the others and spoke softly, ¡°What happened? Did you dig up a gateway to the underworld?¡±


    Legend had it that after death, souls would transform into spirits and head to the underworld. Those who committed many misdeeds in life would become resentful spirits, endlessly tormented day and night in the hells of the underworld. And the ghosts in the infernal regions were often extremely bloodthirsty and vicious.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Master Wang still hadn¡¯t regained his composure, standing in place with his legs trembling uncontrollably: ¡°I¡­¡±


    Liu Zide patted the somewhat stammering Master Wang on the shoulder, signaling him to step back, then stepped forward, his face slightly pale as he began, ¡°Brother Qiu, I¡¯ll explain. I¡¯ve been dealing a lot with Evil Wood recently.¡±


    ¡°Evil Wood grows in places with an aura of malevolence, and so-called places with an aura of malevolence are where a large number of people have died.¡±

 Chapter 270 - 137:

    Chapter 270: Chapter 137: ¡°Riddled with Holes.¡±_4


    ¡°But places with many deaths are plenty.¡±


    ¡°In the nineteen provinces of Da Xia, it isn¡¯t just Fei Province that has had deaths, and the Hundred Countries are in constant turmoil, with probably even more deaths. So why don¡¯t the other eighteen provinces of Da Xia have Evil Wood?¡±


    ¡°The Hundred Countries also don¡¯t have Evil Wood.¡±


    ¡°Only Fei Province in Da Xia has Evil Wood?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been perplexed by this problem for a while now, assuming it might be because Fei Province is cold, and so Evil Wood, which everyone uses for heating, grew.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ...


    ¡°Only when this cave entrance broke did I get the real answer. Why does only Fei Province have Evil Wood? Because enough people have died in Fei Province.¡±


    ¡°I have been aggressively buying up Evil Wood recently. I¡¯ve noticed that anytime I purchase too much Evil Wood from a place, the surrounding temperature would gradually drop a bit. At first, I thought it was an illusion, but then I decided to conduct an experiment.¡±


    ¡°I had people buy up all the Evil Wood in nearby areas covering dozens of miles, and then had people remove all the Evil Wood that had grown in this area, and that¡¯s when this incident occurred.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Chen Qiu slightly squinted his eyes, looking down at the endless flow of resentful spirits erupting from the cave below, roughly understanding Liu Zide¡¯s meaning.


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    Liu Zide took a deep breath and nodded heavily: ¡°I¡¯ve discovered the true purpose of Evil Wood, it¡¯s not for heating at all, but to suppress resentful spirits!¡±


    ¡°Beneath the entirety of Fei Province, it¡¯s almost as if it has been hollowed out, and beneath Fei Province lies an endless supply of resentful spirits.¡±


    ¡°And I even suspect that the reason the Boundless Icefield is so cold is that it too has been hollowed out beneath, and beneath it lies an immense Sea of Resentful Spirits!¡±


    ¡°Evil Wood is the existence that suppresses these resentful spirits.¡±


    ¡°These days we¡¯ve been acquiring a large amount of Evil Wood, causing the supply of Evil Wood that suppresses the resentful spirits to become somewhat insufficient, weakening the force suppressing the resentful spirits a bit. Along with me clearing out the Evil Wood in dozens of miles around here, this place has become the weakest spot, so those resentful spirits burst out from here, like Fei Province is a watermelon that¡¯s been pierced¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu remained silent, not speaking, just exchanging a look with Fat Long, who stood beside him with his face full of shock. If anyone else heard what Liu Zide was saying, they would definitely scoff at it.


    A Sea of Resentful Spirits hidden under Fei Province?


    The Boundless Icefield is so cold because of the numerous resentful spirits beneath it?


    Absolute nonsense!


    But they truly believe it, because they had been beneath the Endless Desert, where a sea of fire flowed like magma beneath the Endless Desert.


    Moreover, Chen Qiu had personally experienced how carrying too many resentful spirits could drop the temperature to freezing points. The strangely cold temperatures of the Boundless Icefield, with a Sea of Resentful Spirits flowing beneath it, seemed not so far-fetched after all.


    ¡°In the past, many families and sects have burned Evil Wood, so why hasn¡¯t this happened before?¡±


    The scholar asked, puzzled.


    Liu Zide also patiently explained: ¡°In the past, these families and sects burned Evil Wood within the borders of Fei Province, and the heat and malevolent qi released from the burning of Evil Wood could also suppress the resentful spirits beneath Fei Province.¡±


    ¡°No one would take Evil Wood out of Fei Province.¡±


    ¡°Because people outside of Fei Province don¡¯t need it at all.¡±


    ¡°This has led to, over the years, a delicate balance being maintained between Evil Wood and Fei Province. This year is particularly cold, which means the resentful spirits beneath Fei Province are unusually restless, slightly disrupting this balance.¡±


    ¡°But it was still controllable, and if nothing unexpected had happened, this winter in Fei Province would have just been a bit colder, without any incidents. However, with our massive acquisition of Evil Wood, and only purchasing without burning, this balance was completely shattered.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Fat Long nodded, his face contemplative as he clicked his tongue, ¡°So, you mean if you hadn¡¯t suddenly decided to do this experiment and wiped out all the Evil Wood within dozens of miles, this huge hole wouldn¡¯t have appeared, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Liu Zide shook his head, his expression grim, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t conducted this experiment, when the balance was completely disrupted, not just one hole would have appeared, but hundreds, even thousands, would have emerged throughout Fei Province simultaneously.¡±


    ¡°Riddled with holes.¡±


    ¡°Every single hole would require a Golden Core cultivator to suppress it, and Da Xia doesn¡¯t have that many Golden Cores.¡±


    ¡°By then, the entire Fei City would turn into a river of blood, thoroughly becoming a lair of ghosts, and even Da Xia would find it difficult to escape this disaster¡ªit¡¯s a major calamity!¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu understood Liu Zide¡¯s point. Although much of it was Liu Zide¡¯s speculation, based on his judgment, it wouldn¡¯t be far off, and it coincided with what he had seen.


    A resentful spirit is a life.


    He had only been standing here for a short while, and already nearly a thousand resentful spirits had rushed toward him and then dissipated into wisps of blue smoke. One could imagine just how many resentful spirits lay beneath Fei Province, and how many people had died there¡­


    Evil Wood, on the Xuantian Continent, was generally considered quite precious.


    The reason it was so commonly found here might be primarily because many had died here. The Xuantian Continent was much larger than their Da Xia; didn¡¯t it have any ancient battlegrounds like Fei Province?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down and take a look.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu turned his head to Liu Zide, ¡°Get all the Evil Wood out and see if we can block this hole.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Liu Zide hurriedly nodded. They hadn¡¯t had time to do that before; when the hole suddenly broke open, resentful spirits surged out like seawater, no amount of Evil Wood could block it. If it hadn¡¯t been for the master using the Self-Destruction Term to push these resentful spirits back, it would have resulted in a total catastrophe.


    Soon¡ª


    Thousands of pieces of Evil Wood were scattered near the hole, and the resentful spirits prepared to rush out suddenly issued a piercing collective scream, retreating once more.


    Apparently, the Evil Wood indeed had a suppressive effect on these resentful spirits.


    Even though Chen Qiu was no longer standing at the hole, the resentful spirits merely wailed and screamed below, none daring to rush out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar and softly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go down and take a look.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, along with the scholar and a few others, immediately jumped into the hole, plunging into the sea of resentful spirits. As soon as they jumped in, it was like a red-hot poker thrust into snow, instantly melting all the resentful spirits in their path.


    All the resentful spirits rushing toward him also melted, without exception.


    The hole led to a vertical, narrow passage hundreds of meters deep. The resentful spirits sprang from these passages to the surface, and after plummeting hundreds of meters, suddenly, a vast space burst open before their eyes.


    A massive space unfolded before them.


    Just like the sea of fire beneath the Endless Desert, the only difference was, there was no fire here, just countless resentful spirits.


    At a glance¡ª


    An uncountable number.


    Feeling an oppressive sensation like suffocation.

 Chapter 271 - 138:

    Chapter 271: Chapter 138: ¡°Nowadays, fighting and killing has no future. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°`


    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±


    Fat Long looked at the resentful spirit that kept charging towards Brother Qiu endlessly only to dissipate into wisps of green smoke, and he couldn¡¯t help but speak with emotion, ¡°These resentful spirits seem like they don¡¯t have any brains at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit like moths to a flame.¡±


    ¡°If they had even a bit of Spiritual Wisdom, seeing their fellows die one after another like this, wouldn¡¯t they feel fear?¡±


    ¡°I think if you, Brother Qiu, stayed here for a day and a night, you could probably clear out all the resentful spirits below Fat Zhou, and after that, Fat Zhou wouldn¡¯t be cold anymore. It would fundamentally solve the problem of the cold from the Boundless Icefield nearby.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Maybe even the Boundless Icefield would melt.¡±


    ¡°This world is really strange¡­¡±


    The scholar was full of shock as he looked around and murmured. Here there was only green light, all thanks to the faint green glow emitted by the bodies of the resentful spirits that illuminated the deep underground.


    The heat of the Endless Desert is due to the flowing sea of fire underground.


    The cold of the Boundless Icefield is due to the Sea of Resentful Spirits underground.


    So what causes the Boundless Sea?


    And what about the Boundless Snow Mountain?


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced around without saying much. The Spiritual Energy in his body surged out wildly, and a large number of dark clouds appeared above the deep pit underground, while a storm roared into being, with tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons roaring thunderously, slaughtering the resentful spirits in the deep like cutting grass.


    Although his Heavenly Dao Sacred Body could exterminate all kinds of evil spirits, including resentful spirits,


    it was only effective when they got close to him, which made this method somewhat inefficient.


    The Thunder Dragons also had a good effect on exterminating evil spirits.


    And the large number of Thunder Dragons flickering with purple-blue electric arcs also lit up the underground.


    ¡­


    The few of them had no specific target and slaughtered the resentful spirits below as they moved forward, relentlessly for a full quarter of an hour, but the number of resentful spirits did not seem to decrease at all.


    The empty area that they had cleared out behind them was once again filled by resentful spirits that surged in from all directions.


    Endless and inexhaustible.


    Fat Long was already trembling from the cold, and his teeth were chattering, ¡°Damn it, no wonder Fat Zhou is so cold. If you sleep on top of these things every day, it¡¯d be weird if it wasn¡¯t cold.¡±


    ¡°We must have killed hundreds of thousands of resentful spirits by now, right? But the number seems unchanged.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the deep underground of Fat Zhou is almost completely hollowed out. With so much space and not even a single supporting point, hasn¡¯t there been any sign of subsidence on the surface of Fat Zhou over the years?¡±


    ¡°Does that make sense?¡±


    Chen Qiu simply stopped moving forward. Moving on was pointless. The clear space he had just created would soon be filled again by the resentful spirits, just as Fat Long had said.


    He had nothing else to do these days.


    He didn¡¯t believe that the resentful spirits deep under Fat Zhou could not be completely cleared.


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    The number of resentful spirits around still seemed unchanged, and Chen Qiu felt as if his right arm was about to be punctured by his armguard, even though the wounds could heal instantly, the pain was still there.


    Meanwhile, the scholar and Fat Long had returned to the small world.


    The resentful energy here was too dense.


    Staying too long could lead to the resentful energy entering the body, which would not be good. When he was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, Old Man Cao had commented that he was brave just for carrying so few resentful spirits on his back, and now, the number of resentful spirits here was countless times more than back then.


    ¡°Continue!¡±


    Chen Qiu was getting kind of excited now. He wouldn¡¯t cultivate today. He refused to believe that he couldn¡¯t clear out all the resentful spirits beneath Fat Zhou.


    ¡­


    After several more hours, it was already the dead of night.


    The Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill had arrived, and by now, Chen Qiu¡¯s expression was somewhat vacant. He was casting the Thunder Summoning Technique almost subconsciously.


    He used to feel exhilarated every time he cast the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    The sensation of Spiritual Energy sliding inside his body.


    Especially that Spirit Control Technique, where he would let the Spiritual Energy build up inside his body until it was on the verge of bursting before releasing it, had an extremely delightful feeling of precision control.


    And then the overwhelming storm would make him feel extremely refreshed.


    But after casting it for several hours straight, he was completely numb. He even began to think that he wouldn¡¯t want to use the Thunder Summoning Technique ever again, as it had started to feel nauseating. Even the pain in his right arm began to fade.


    It had become numb.


    Yet¡­ still! Even! So!


    The number of surrounding resentful spirits seemed undiminished!!!


    It was as if the resentful spirits were so numerous, they seemed to have been sprayed out by someone; otherwise, he really couldn¡¯t imagine what Fat Zhou had gone through in the past to have such a vast number of resentful spirits underground.


    Had it been struck by divine punishment?


    ¡­


    Like this, three days and three nights passed!


    By now, Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes were filled with a haze and blankness, as he numbly stood in the air. After mindlessly unleashing tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons once more, he found that his attack had hit empty space, and then a glimmer of clarity returned to his eyes.


    Looking around, he saw no resentful spirits anywhere.


    Spreading out his Divine Sense, he found no resentful spirits either.


    ¡°Is it finally¡­ over?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s state recovered slightly, he rubbed his somewhat dry eyes and released the scholar and the others from the small world, his voice tired and faint, ¡°Scholar, go see if there is anything special.¡±


    The Earth Fire below the Endless Desert suddenly became violent because it had an Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    The Sea of Resentful Spirits below the Boundless Icefield also entered a violent state this winter; maybe it also had something similar to the Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 272 - 138:

    Chapter 272: Chapter 138: ¡°Nowadays, fighting and killing has no future.¡±_2


    Though he released his Divine Sense, he was unable to detect anything.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The scholar nodded with vigour and then, from his sleeve, a three-foot green blade instantly shot out toward the distance. Fat Long, standing beside, swept his gaze around with a shocked expression and gave Chen Qiu a thumbs up.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, impressive!¡±


    ¡°Heh heh.¡±


    Chen Qiu squeezed out a smile that was neither genuine nor entirely fake, impressive, wasn¡¯t it? He thought it was quite impressive, but boy, was it tiring¡­ it was truly exhausting!


    ...


    ¡­


    As the scholar explored along the way.


    They had even moved from deep within Fei City to the depths of the Boundless Icefield, just as Liu Zide had mentioned. Part of the area below the Boundless Icefield had been hollowed out. This place should have been teeming with resentful spirits, but at this moment, it was completely empty.


    The entire underground looked as if it were a gigantic cave naturally carved out.


    Empty.


    Not a sliver of light.


    The only source of light depended entirely on the Thunder Dragon circling around Chen Qiu, but what Liu Zide said wasn¡¯t entirely accurate. The area under the Boundless Icefield wasn¡¯t completely hollowed out, as they ventured deeper and hadn¡¯t gone far ¨C not even surpassing the locations of the nine major legacies ¨C they saw the end.


    And the Ancient Ruins they visited a few days ago were at the edge of the Boundless Icefield, which they had already passed.


    Indeed.


    In the colossal underground cave, devoid of any support, there was a curved earthen column extending directly deep into the ground, oddly protruding in the middle of the cave.


    And within that earthen column was precisely¡ª


    The passage to the Ancient Ruins of the Chao Tian Sect.


    No wonder it felt colder the deeper they went; it turned out the surroundings were enveloped with a massive number of resentful spirits.


    ¡­


    At the end of the cave, Chen Qiu also saw what he wanted to see.


    A plant resembling the Eight-petal Fire Lotus floated slowly in midair.


    Its entire form was a ghostly green, the color of resentful spirits, emitting an extremely eerie glow and a strong scent of resentful energy.


    It was different from the black Eight-petal Demon Lotus.


    The Eight-petal Demon Lotus emitted a deathly aura, extremely dense in both death and Demonic Qi, whereas this plant emitted resentful energy, somewhat akin to the difference between Evil Cultivation and Demon Cultivation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call you, the Eight-petal Resentment Lotus.¡±


    Chen Qiu gave this plant a new name, then expertly reached out his hand, and the Eight-petal Resentment Lotus was easily incorporated into his small world, once again circling above the small world.


    It formed a corresponding posture with the Eight-petal Demon Lotus.


    Now, there were two lotuses in the sky of his small world.


    One emitted a deathly aura, the other, a resentful energy.


    Causing his small world, originally focused on offensive and killing techniques from the Sword Cultivation Sect, to now resemble the typical haunting ground of Evil and Demon Cultivators, dead and gloomy.


    If one cultivated here¡ª


    Their Cultivation would definitely improve rapidly.


    To this day, he still didn¡¯t know what these two lotuses were good for; he only knew they were valuable treasures, but he had no clue about their specific uses. However, these items could not be stored in a Storage Ring or Jade Box.


    Only his personal small world could incorporate them.


    Which meant¡ª


    Apart from him, even if others in Da Xia Country saw these lotuses, they couldn¡¯t take them away, because even those Hidden Families in Da Xia with small worlds only owned fixed, immovable small worlds.


    It was unlikely anyone else had a portable small world like his.


    His movable small world was indeed opened by the Chao Tian Sect, and apart from them, few others in Da Xia Country had the capability to establish such portable small worlds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    After incorporating the Eight-petal Resentment Lotus into his small world, he scanned the surroundings one last time, seeing no resentful spirits or anything unusual, then set off to return the way they came.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    Chen Qiu and his companions once again shot out from the ground hole located a hundred miles away from Fei City, where Liu Zide and Mr. Wang of the Wang Family had been waiting.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Liu Zide hurriedly approached, excitedly saying, ¡°Is everything resolved? The day before yesterday, I saw that there were no more resentful spirits at the entrance below, and over these past few days, the temperature in Fei City has also been rapidly warming up.¡±


    ¡°Although it¡¯s still colder than other provinces due to its proximity to the Boundless Icefield, it¡¯s much better compared to before and has returned to a normal temperature. It¡¯s just that the Boundless Icefield is still as cold as ever, with no change.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, gazing into the depths of the Boundless Icefield. The cold in Fei City was partly due to the large number of resentful spirits deep underground and partly due to the cold winds from the Boundless Icefield. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now that the resentful spirits had been cleared, Fei City naturally warmed up.


    However, the cold of the Boundless Icefield had little to do with resentful spirits; that perpetually howling cold wind was caused by something unknown.


    ¡°From now on, the Evil Wood can be freely traded; the resentful spirits below Fei City have been cleared, so there¡¯s no need to worry about a reduction in the number of Evil Woods being insufficient to suppress the resentful spirits.¡±


    ¡°But since there are no resentful spirits,¡±


    ¡°Evil Wood will no longer grow.¡±


    ¡°The purchasing speed can be increased.¡±


    Evil Wood grew each year primarily to suppress the resentful spirits, a natural law akin to poisonous snakes often being surrounded by corresponding antidotal medicinal herbs.


    In places long surrounded by resentful spirits, Evil Wood would naturally grow.


    Without the resentful spirits, there was no need for the growth of Evil Wood.

 Chapter 273 - 138:

    Chapter 273: Chapter 138: ¡°Nowadays, fighting and killing has no future.¡±_3


    ¡°`


    But there was nothing to regret, he planned to increase his Cultivation to the Golden Core Peak¡¯s Great Perfection within the year and then leave this place, as he couldn¡¯t wait for the Evil Wood to regrow next year.


    The batch that grew this year, together with the accumulation from previous years, was already enough for his needs.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Liu Zide nodded solemnly with great emphasis.


    Afterward, Chen Qiu looked at the two of them, smiled lightly, and nodded. He said nothing more and, along with the scholar and the others, turned into streaks of light shooting towards Fei City.


    ...


    These two were also quite interesting.


    The Wang family patriarch wasn¡¯t talkative, and Liu Zide had always been the one communicating with him, but the patriarch didn¡¯t seem to have any thoughts of being deposed. Usually, people in power disliked this kind of situation, but the Wang family patriarch clearly didn¡¯t act like one in power.


    Some people establish clans to use the clan¡¯s power to propel themselves higher.


    Some establish clans to pass on their glory, making each generation stronger than the last.


    Others create clans simply for the joy of a united family, preferring to stay with their kin, feeling happier and more at home in their company.


    They don¡¯t even aspire to immortality.


    Similar Cultivation, similar power, similar wealth; they just live their lives in relative contentment.


    There¡¯s no saying which is better. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He could understand all of it.


    But he had his own path to walk, a path to feel secure enough to sleep without worry of being suddenly killed, to become the strongest.


    If he could attain immortality and long life, all the better.


    If not, then at least those he disdained should fail to attain it before him.


    A simple wish.


    ¡­


    When Chen Qiu returned to Fei City, it was already nearing dusk.


    Hardly pausing, after rushing back to the inn, he collapsed onto the bed to sleep, not even bothering with the thirty Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills he had accumulated over the past few days¡ªhe just wanted to sleep.


    No Golden Core Cultivator could go through three days and nights of non-stop battle like he did, fighting with all their might each time.


    He could take it.


    His veins could not.


    But to say how physically tired he was¡ªa bit, perhaps, but mainly it was mental exhaustion. Doing one thing for three days and nights would wear anyone out, let alone battle; even cursing for that long would feel surreal.


    Sleep first.


    Let the world fall apart, he¡¯d deal with it after waking up tomorrow.


    This time, even if the sky fell, he wouldn¡¯t wake.


    Let it fall if it must; it¡¯s not only he who would die.


    ¡­


    ¡°This Chao Tian Sect is becoming less and less like a place where orthodox Cultivators should stay,¡± lamented Fat Long while sitting on the grassy slopes of the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s back mountain, with a blade of dog¡¯s tail grass in his mouth, leaning back with his hands propping him up, watching the deathly aura of the Eight-petal Demon Lotus and the resentful energy of the Eight-petal Resentment Lotus in midair.


    ¡°Not only is the temperature getting lower, but it¡¯s also becoming more and more eerie. When that Eight-petal Fire Lotus was around, although the Chao Tian Sect was a bit hot, at least there was plenty of light. Very bright, you know.¡±


    ¡°Look at it now.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a single feature of an orthodox sect¡ªit looks more like a holy site for Evil Cultivation or Demon Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°I understand that Brother Qiu is really tired after battling for three days and nights, that when he returned to the inn, he didn¡¯t want to think about anything but sleep. Really, I completely understand.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Fat Long continued with a somewhat plaintive tone, ¡°At the very least, you should let us out first before doing that, staying here for the night. I feel like I¡¯m turning evil.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu was saying he¡¯d find someone to repair the sect, right? With the current atmosphere at the Chao Tian Sect, those who come to repair it will probably be scared, thinking the day of the sect¡¯s completion will be the day of their burial.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    The scholar, lying on the grass with his hands as a pillow, laughed, ¡°I actually think it¡¯s okay. Being a Sword Cultivator, staying in this environment for an extended period can also strengthen oneself.¡±


    ¡°Then you train to your heart¡¯s content,¡± said Fat Long, rolling his eyes at the scholar. Then, he suddenly remembered something, winking and grinning, ¡°Speaking of which, since we¡¯re idle anyway, want to join me for some fun?¡±


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    Seeing Fat Long¡¯s expression, the scholar immediately knew what Fat Long meant and said with some speechlessness, ¡°I¡¯m a Sword Cultivator, it¡¯s no use to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your excuse? Going to a brothel doesn¡¯t enhance your Cultivation either, but you¡¯re quite happy there, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±


    The scholar hesitated for a while before carefully choosing his words, ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable with¡­ sharing with others¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    Dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand, Fat Long got up, dusted off his pants, and walked away without looking back towards the interior of the Chao Tian Sect, ¡°I won¡¯t talk to you anymore, I¡¯m off to practice. But I suggest you try to avoid brot?els in the future.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Turning around, Fat Long looked at the puzzled scholar, his mouth opened slightly as if to speak, but after hesitating for a moment, he closed it again and continued walking towards the Chao Tian Sect, ¡°Never mind.¡±


    He actually wanted to say, be careful you don¡¯t end up sleeping with a relative.


    After all, everyone in Da Xia shares the same ancestors, and who knows how that handful of people reproduced in the beginning. But upon further thought, so many generations had passed that it probably didn¡¯t count as being relatives anymore.


    If one really delved into it, then considering the common ancestry on Blue Star, that would make everyone relatives too.


    It¡¯s better to be a demon.


    The bloodlines are absolutely pure, with no chance of being relatives.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Then, Fat Long¡¯s mouth twitched as he was suddenly struck by an extremely perverse possibility. But after thinking it over, he believed that the ancestors should be¡­ at least¡­ not that perverse.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 274 - 138:

    Chapter 274: Chapter 138: ¡°Nowadays, fighting and killing has no future.¡±_4


    ¡­


    ¡°Heart connected to heart¡­ heart connected to heart¡­¡±


    At this moment, inside a disciple dormitory of the Chao Tian Sect, the middle-aged Shopkeeper was completely unconcerned with another resentful lotus appearing in the sky outside. He was engrossed in his calculations, scrawling feverishly and excitedly on the wall with charcoal.


    He had originally thought it would take at least three to five years to break the seal on the Storage Ring.


    Now, it seemed that time could be greatly reduced.


    Because when he gave up trying to break the seal and instead put himself in the shoes of the person who laid it down, he suddenly discovered that many aspects of that person¡¯s thought process were exactly like his own.


    ...


    Just like an old friend he hadn¡¯t seen for years.


    No longer trying to break it.


    But starting to reverse engineer.


    Once he started to reverse engineer the process, his thoughts became instantly clearer, and the speed of reverse engineering was much faster than breaking the seal. His curiosity for this stranger he had never met grew stronger¡ªif one day he could meet him. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The other would surely become his best friend and soulmate.


    He believed that the other would surely feel the same sense of kindred spirits toward him.


    ¡­


    ¡°Roar.¡±


    At this moment, atop the Endless Desert,


    a young Brown Bear was lying leisurely on the warm sands, his eyes covered by two large green leaves he¡¯d found somewhere, nonchalantly crossing his legs and occasionally scratching the fleas on his body with his bear paw.


    ¡°Son, why have you suddenly become so despondent?¡±


    An elderly Brown Bear standing beside him asked with some puzzlement, ¡°Weren¡¯t you just thinking of uniting the Devil Clan recently, attacking Xuzhou in Da Xia to snatch a fertile piece of land for our clan? Now the clan is gathered and waiting only for your command to go out. Why have you become so dishearted?¡±


    ¡°Kill?¡±


    The young Brown Bear moved the green leaves from his eyes and looked at his father with surprise, ¡°Father, why do they suddenly want to fight to the death?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s naturally because they¡¯re accustomed to days where food is plentiful. But then, they found out that the Spirit Rice crop had failed some days ago and want to take back Xuzhou to fill their bellies again.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The young Brown Bear nodded seriously, ¡°They are hungry, so they want to fight, right? But as the Young Clan Leader, I¡¯m not lacking food, so why should I risk my life fighting like them?¡±


    ¡°They are the ones hungry, not me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the elderly Brown Bear finally managed to say, ¡°Let me think about it for a while¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother thinking.¡±


    The young Brown Bear waved his hand dismissively, ¡°You saw the Memory Stone, didn¡¯t you? That Chen Qiu of Da Xia is nearly mad with killing, and almost wiped out the Sea Clan with a casual blow¡ªand the Sea Clan had a Golden Core. Our Brown Bear Clan doesn¡¯t even have a Golden Core.


    ¡°Still thinking of invading Da Xia, what a joke.¡±


    ¡°Just stay put and don¡¯t provoke Chen Qiu. If he gets annoyed and comes to the Endless Desert to wipe us out as well, that would be fun, right? The Sea Clan could run to the seabed, but where could we run? Into the depths of the desert? Wouldn¡¯t a bunch of Brown Bears running in the desert be too conspicuous?


    ¡°We can¡¯t possibly dig underground, can we? Can you dig? I sure can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    The young Brown Bear, still with his legs crossed, scratched his belly with his bear paw and said with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much; I¡¯ve already sent someone I trust to contact the Star Battle Sect near the Endless Desert. I¡¯ve heard this sect prefers peace.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, our Brown Bear¡¯s first urine is considered precious to them as a medicinal ingredient.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to trade with them.¡±


    ¡°Using bear urine in exchange for food.¡±


    ¡°In this day and age, fighting and killing have no future. Are you stronger than Chen Qiu? Since we can¡¯t beat Chen Qiu, let¡¯s not dwell on thoughts of fighting and killing.¡±


    ¡°The Devil Clan and Human Race can coexist peacefully, right?


    ¡°Although there have been some conflicts and disagreements in the past, both sides can just pin all the blame on the demon beasts and treat them as a buffer¡ªthe past misdeeds are all the work of the demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°As long as that rising Heavenly Pride of the Devil Clan doesn¡¯t suddenly decide to challenge Chen Qiu, then basically, there should be no issues.¡±


    Recently, a Heavenly Pride has emerged among the Devil Clan.


    Very strong.


    He has defeated all other Heavenly Prides of the Devil Clan without giving them a chance to retaliate. Rumors are that he¡¯s extremely inflated with pride nowadays, clamoring for someone to give him a defeat.

 Chapter 275 - 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends.

    Chapter 275: Chapter 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends.


    ¡°`


    The next day.


    When the sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Chen Qiu, he groggily awakened from the bed in the inn, having slept a truly comfortable sleep. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to sleep so thoroughly without a care in the world.


    Plus, with the ten Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pills that had arrived at midnight, he now had forty of them.


    After a hasty wash, the spirited Chen Qiu, accompanied by Fat Long and others, went for a hot bowl of beef soup, and then returned to the inn to embark on another day of cultivation.


    ¡­


    ... S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Consume!


    Cultivate!


    The Sea of Resentful Spirits underneath Fei Zhou had brought him a number of benefits, the greatest of which was accumulating a total of forty Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pills, enough to raise his cultivation by another level.


    Five hours later, all ten Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pills had been consumed.


    The medicinal properties gradually unleashed.


    He finally broke through the constraints of the fourth layer of the Golden Core Stage and reached the fifth layer. After breaking through to the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage, one Golden Core Heavenly Pride Cultivation Pill could only increase his Cultivation Progress by 2%, a decrease of 1%.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (14.3%).


    ¨C


    The familiar panel, shrouded in mist, surfaced above his Dantian once again.


    ¡®Significant increase in cultivation, officially stepping into the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage.¡¯


    ¡®Please make a choice from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: All Techniques Combined.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: You can compress all the Spells you cast at the same time into a single small sphere.


    2:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Umbrella World.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When you open the umbrella, you will be immune to Divine Sense targeting, except from those whose cultivation is one Great Realm higher than yours.


    3:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Ten Thousand Golden Cores.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When you perish, your Golden Core will morph into a thousand illusionary Golden Cores that shoot off in different directions.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu gazed at the three entries in thought, silent. The three entries available to him this time upon his cultivation breakthrough were all quite desirable, and he wished for each of them.


    ¡®Ten Thousand Golden Cores¡¯ goes without saying, a pure life-saving entry.


    At the very least, when facing a powerful enemy, it greatly increases the chances of his Golden Core escaping, offering a possibility of making a comeback.


    He also had some interest in ¡®All Techniques Combined.¡¯


    An Attack Method.


    Suitable for sneak attacks or facing some overly confident enemies. A seemingly innocuous little sphere that contained the explosive power of tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, delivering precise and direct damage.


    In the past, when he attacked a certain enemy with tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, it was after all an area effect.


    The actual number of Thunder Dragons that hit the enemy was small, and most of the damage came from the chain explosions of Spiritual Energy caused by the multitude of bursting Thunder Dragons. But with this entry, he could ensure that all the damage was concentrated on the enemy¡¯s face.


    As for the last entry, ¡®Umbrella World,¡¯ it also suited him well, a defensive category entry that could prevent being targeted by Divine Sense. It was extremely effective against Sword Cultivators and Magic Practitioners that primarily relied on Divine Sense to lock on for their next attack.


    After pondering for a few breaths,


    At the last moment, he still chose the ¡®All Techniques Combined¡¯ entry.


    Currently, he felt that ¡®All Techniques Combined¡¯ was slightly more important than ¡®Umbrella World¡¯. After all, with his current Golden Core Cultivation, he was virtually invincible, and he would ensure preemptive action, with no one currently able to threaten him.


    However, All Techniques Combined could significantly enhance his one-on-one capability.


    Continue¡ª


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, briefly consolidating his cultivation before continuing without delay to consume Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Another three hours passed.


    His cultivation had now reached:


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (34.4%).


    ¨C


    As his cultivation improved, the rate at which he absorbed the medicinal effects increased, having been able to absorb the full effects in five hours before, now only three hours sufficed.


    Continuing, after another three hours had passed, he expended another ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (54.3%).


    ¨C


    With midnight now past, and ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills still unconsumed, another ten arrived in his account. Continue!


    ¡­


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    Day had broken.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the bed, let out a long breath of turbid air and inspected his cultivation progress panel floating above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage Fifth Layer (94.3%).


    ¨C


    With the next set of pills arriving at midnight, he would be able to break through to the sixth layer of the Golden Core Stage. According to this progress, breaking through to the Golden Core Peak and reaching Great Perfection Cultivation within a year seemed to be without any problem. And then it would be time to prepare for the journey towards Nascent Soul.


    He turned his head towards the sun outside the window, listening to the cries of traders from below.


    The snow had already melted.


    Moreover, due to the Sea of Resentful Spirits beneath Fei Zhou being cleared out, the temperature in Fei Zhou had become warmer, causing even the price of Evil Wood to drop a bit, as after all, it wasn¡¯t needed anymore.


    Just then¡ª


    A distant and ancient voice resonated in the ears of all in Da Xia Country.


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: The eve of the New Year celebrates new life, the new year brings distant barriers to a thousand mountains.


    There are three barriers on New Year¡¯s eve, corresponding to three Year Beasts.


    Causing injuries to a Year Beast will earn Heavenly Dao Blessings, and according to the degree of injury inflicted, the blessings from the Heavenly Dao will vary.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 276 - 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._2

    Chapter 276: Chapter 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._2


    Causing more than 50% damage, and delivering the final blow, will entitle one to a special Heavenly Dao Blessing.


    The first Year Beast will descend in ¡°Pingzhou,¡± the westernmost part of Da Xia Country, in two hours.


    ¨C


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    As soon as the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded, Chen Qiu did not delay and immediately took the scholar on a hurried journey towards the westernmost part of Da Xia Country, Pingzhou. Missing such a grand opportunity would be foolish.


    This was a Year Beast from the Heavenly Dao Decree; the rewards for slaying it would undoubtedly be substantial.


    ...


    ¡°Pingzhou¡± is located at the westernmost part of Da Xia Country.


    It borders the Hundred Countries.


    An hour later.


    Chen Qiu and his group had already arrived in Pingzhou. Not knowing exactly where in Pingzhou the Year Beast would appear, they decided to stay on the highest mountain within the Pingzhou region. This way, no matter where it appeared, they could rush there at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Foundation Establishment level seven?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards the fluctuating aura around the scholar.


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    The scholar smiled and nodded, ¡°Re-cultivating with the help of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills really speeds up the process. Fat Long has also reached the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. Everyone¡¯s progressing quickly, but Brother Qiu, your cultivation is increasing even faster.¡±


    ¡°Advancing in the Golden Core stage is much slower than in the Foundation Establishment stage. Brother Qiu, you had just broken through to the Golden Core stage a few days ago, and now you are already at the fifth level of Golden Core, probably not far from the sixth level either.¡±


    ¡°Lucky.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled, not deceiving at all; indeed, it was luck that the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard gave him 10 Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pills every day, more than he could ever use.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu did not waste the remaining hour and a half.


    Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, running his mental method to consolidate his Cultivation Realm.


    As the hour and a half was about to pass,


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled a long breath of turbid air, then the Spiritual Energy inside him surged out, and suddenly, thick dark clouds gathered above his head, and a storm roared in, just on time, but this time, no Thunder Dragons appeared.


    He looked down at his palm, which contained a Thunder Ball about the size of a Golden Core.


    It looked very unimpressive.


    Sweeping it with his Divine Sense, he could not feel any significant power contained within. It seemed quite ordinary, barely perceiving several miniature Thunder Dragons swirling inside the Thunder Ball. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was a trinket he had created using ¡°All Techniques Combined.¡±


    ¡°Looks quite low-key.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, then spread his Divine Sense all around in an instant. His cultivation had already reached the fifth level of Golden Core, and his Divine Sense range had long reached 170 miles; with the ¡°Mutual Enhancement¡± entry, it could extend up to 230 miles.


    This range of Divine Sense was already far greater than many cultivators at the Great Perfection stage of Golden Core Peak.


    By this time, many cultivators had already arrived in Pingzhou.


    Many of them were Golden Core cultivators; after all, this was a great opportunity for them as well.


    But as they felt Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense sweeping over, not a single Golden Core cultivator showed any dissatisfaction through their Divine Sense.


    Principally speaking, it was considered provocative for a Golden Core cultivator to release their Divine Sense so recklessly; they could completely initiate a fight over it and even stand on the side of reason, but the issue was that the principle wasn¡¯t in their hands.


    Having reason didn¡¯t mean they could win a fight.


    However, these Golden Core cultivators didn¡¯t leave; even if they didn¡¯t confront Chen Qiu, it wouldn¡¯t stop them from seizing their own opportunity. Could Chen Qiu kill the Year Beast in a flash?


    They could still sneak in some hits and get a reward, and getting the final blow would be even better.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu paid no mind to what others were thinking. He just fully released his Divine Sense, waiting for the appearance of the Year Beast.


    Finally¡ª


    ¡°Roar!!!¡±


    Accompanied by a roar, a beast that resembled both a tiger and a dragon suddenly roared from the cloudy sky, leaping towards the ground below, carrying and radiating an extremely terrifying aura, clearly at the first level of Golden Core!


    It appeared right within his Divine Sense range.


    The Foundation Establishment cultivators below, who had originally come to try their luck, now, without any hesitation, scattered in all directions with faces full of fear. If it had been a Foundation Establishment Year Beast, they might have tried their luck, but against a Golden Core Year Beast, they stood no chance.


    Running away was the only thing they could do!


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Almost in the instant that the Year Beast appeared, Chen Qiu, from a peak dozens of miles away, locked onto the Year Beast with his Divine Sense. The Thunder Ball in his palm turned into a purple-blue Liu Guang, crossing dozens of miles at an extremely fast speed, and appeared almost instantly above the Year Beast¡¯s head!


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Before the Year Beast even landed, a Thunder Ball shot from the horizon directly into the body of the beast, followed by hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons blasting apart inside the beast!


    The massive explosion, mixed with the thunderous rumbling noise, almost made the entire world tremble.


    The powerful surge of Spiritual Energy blew many approaching Golden Core cultivators dozens of meters away.


    When the hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons dispersed.


    There was no trace of the Year Beast to be seen, not even a speck of flesh and blood remained; it vanished without a trace, totally clean.


    ¡­


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the mountain peak, chuckled without saying much; the ¡°All Techniques Combined¡± entry was quite useful, especially since it concentrated all the damage on one point, which greatly amplified the damage inflicted on a single target.


    He even thought.


    If a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, who didn¡¯t activate Protective Spirit Qi or use any Protective Dharma Treasures, were to let this Thunder Ball shoot into their body, they would likely not escape unscathed. Of course, this was just his inner speculation, as he had never witnessed a battle method of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

 Chapter 277 - 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._3

    Chapter 277: Chapter 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._3


    Every large realm in cultivation is not simply about the difference in cultivation levels and the concentration of spiritual energy. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What differs more is the method of combat.


    For instance, at the Golden Core Stage like his, using Divine Sense to lock onto an enemy enables one to kill from several tens of miles away¡ªa method that even the strongest Foundation Establishment Cultivators could never achieve, as they are unable to extend their Divine Sense to lock onto the enemy.


    Techniques like Divine Sense attacks and locutus are unique to Golden Core Cultivators.


    As for the Nascent Soul Stage¡­


    He hadn¡¯t encountered the Nascent Soul Stage, so he couldn¡¯t even imagine what the combat techniques at that stage were like; he only knew that the Nascent Soul Stage was definitively suppressive over the Golden Core Stage.


    ...


    Above Chen Qiu¡¯s Dantian, a panel wrapped in clouds and mist also slowly emerged.


    ¨C


    ¡°You dealt 100% damage to the first round Year Beast, obtaining a high-grade ¡®Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman.''¡±


    ¡°You dealt the final blow to the first round Year Beast, obtaining a high-grade ¡®Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman.''¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Two high-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Charms?¡±


    A glint of joy flashed through Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes; these were indeed valuable treasures, perfect as he was breaking through to the fifth layer of the Golden Core, and he really wanted that ¡°Umbrella World¡± entry.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate.


    He immediately activated one of the high-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans and chose the ¡°Umbrella World,¡± an entry he had previously discarded.


    This was one of his few defensive entries.


    With this entry, once he opened his umbrella, unless his cultivation was suppressed by a great realm, no one could use Divine Sense to lock onto him, significantly increasing his safety.


    Each realm could use up to two Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, and the high-grade talismans were designated for the Golden Core Realm.


    He only used one.


    He saved the other one for later use.


    However, he no longer had time to check his rewards, as the second round¡¯s Year Beast roared and leaped down from the dark clouds toward the ground once more.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    This time it was a Fierce Beast that was half-clam, half-turtle!


    It appeared to be the type that excels in defense, as it wrapped itself in its shell the moment it landed on the ground. Chen Qiu took a deep breath, instantly leapt into the air, and began teleporting continuously, absorbing spiritual energy; he had run out of spiritual energy.


    First, he had to restore his spiritual energy.


    After a hundred breaths.


    His internal spiritual energy had recovered halfway, and without waiting for a full recovery, he was about to fire another Thunder Ball when his Divine Sense spotted that there were already several cultivators lying dead in puddles of blood near the Year Beast.


    And those remaining near the Year Beast were continuously retreating, looking at each other, none daring to make a move.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense swept over the scene nearby; his eyebrows slightly raised in confusion, and he no longer lingered on the mountain but shot toward the ¡°Year Beast¡± with the scholar and several others, turning into streaks of light.


    ¡­


    In a few breaths, they landed next to the Year Beast.


    The scene scanned by the Divine Sense and what the eyes saw were completely different. Standing in front of this half-clam, half-turtle Year Beast, one could feel what shock meant, as the beast was nearly thirty meters tall!


    It was a colossal creature lying on the ground, plus its body was extremely large and heavy, belonging to the kind that just dodging its foot alone would cause the ground to throb three times, evidently possessing the cultivation of the third layer of the Golden Core!


    The cultivators lying in the puddles of blood nearby had already stopped breathing and were indeed dead.


    This half-clam, half-turtle Year Beast did not initiate attacks; it just lay on the ground, not moving at all, as if it didn¡¯t care what you did.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s arrival immediately attracted many eyes.


    In fact, when the sky was filled with dark clouds and the storm and tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons exploded inside the first round Year Beast, everyone knew Chen Qiu had arrived, as such attack methods were unique to him alone in Da Xia.


    They just hadn¡¯t seen the person.


    Only now did they see him.


    For a time, many voices loudly said,


    ¡°Senior, whatever method you use to attack this Year Beast, it will rebound the attack back at you. Those lying in the puddles of blood are cultivators who lost their lives this way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, and even Divine Sense attacks don¡¯t work. Just now a Golden Core senior tried a Divine Sense Attack, and now he¡¯s still sitting cross-legged on the ground healing.¡±


    ¡°Senior, you have shown great kindness to me; my father¡¯s injuries only recovered because of the divine favor you brought last time.¡±


    ¡­


    Mixed voices.


    Among them were also many voices of gratitude, thanking Chen Qiu for the divine favor last time that healed many people¡¯s Divine Sense, Tao Foundation, and physical injuries. That billion merits weren¡¯t for nothing.


    Merits are hard to come by.


    Like when Chen Qiu slaughtered so many resentful spirits underground in Fei State, he didn¡¯t acquire any merits.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly nodded without speaking, simply casually throwing a few Thunder Summoning Techniques over. These few Thunder Summoning Techniques, upon hitting the turtle shell, rebounded back at even greater speed.


    The speed was so fast that it allowed no time for dodging.


    They all landed harshly on the surface of Chen Qiu¡¯s Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    Chen Qiu glanced at the umbrella¡¯s surface, not a single scratch visible, a true testament to the mid-grade Heavenly Extreme Spirit Treasure of the Golden Core¡ªtruly robust. Along with his cultivation progress, this Lifebound Spirit Treasure, which had been nurtured inside his Dantian, had also advanced from lower-grade Golden Core to mid-grade Golden Core.


    A growing Spirit Treasure, its grade could also be elevated as the owner¡¯s cultivation level rose.


    ¡­


    ¡°Is that person the quite famous Chen Qiu of Da Xia recently?¡±

 Chapter 278 - 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._4

    Chapter 278: Chapter 139: The New Year Approaches, The Year Beast Descends._4


    In the crowd.


    A few people with an exotic air about them stood together, looking in Chen Qiu¡¯s direction with curious eyes, ¡°They say seeing is believing, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be particularly outstanding. It¡¯s hard to associate him with a Fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core and that vast expanse of auspicious clouds descending from the sky.¡±


    ¡°But I remember he only just broke through to Golden Core recently, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°But the fluctuations of spiritual energy on him are clearly that of a Golden Core¡¯s fifth layer.¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    One of the men shook his head, taunting, ¡°But you could try to approach him yourself. Haven¡¯t you boasted that no man can resist your charm? Chen Qiu is Da Xia¡¯s strongest peerless Heavenly Pride. If you can cling to him, perhaps he could help you ascend to the throne of Empress in your country.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    The female cultivator standing by in a long dress didn¡¯t bother hiding her gaze on Chen Qiu¡¯s back, coquettishly twirling a strand of her hair and placing it in her mouth, ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll like someone with my exotic charm.¡±


    ¡°Go for it, I¡¯ll stand back and support you silently.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu looked at the Year Beast in front of him, which represented the second challenge. Indeed, it was a bit tricky, its shell not only extremely hard, completely protecting the Year Beast within but also capable of reflecting all damage.


    But that was only slightly tricky.


    After all, one only needed to evade its shell and attack the Year Beast inside.


    ¡°Roarrr!!!¡±


    With deafening thunder, a Small Thunderball gradually appeared in Chen Qiu¡¯s hand, containing over a hundred thousand illusive and substantial Thunder Dragons. He controlled the Small Thunderball with his Divine Sense, and immediately shot it towards the ground.


    It instantly burrowed into the ground.


    Then it shot out from beneath the half-clam, half-turtle Year Beast, with an eye-blinding purple-blue brilliance erupting and directly blasting the huge creature into the air.


    Followed by a massive explosion, a rain of blood fell toward the ground.


    Some cultivators who were still standing in place, completely shocked, got caught in the downpour unexpectedly and were drenched in the stench of blood, while Chen Qiu and others had long since left the area.


    Although it was a bit tricky, it was just like that.


    When his Divine Sense controlled the Thunder Ball to burrow from the ground and attack the inside of the Year Beast¡¯s belly, he could clearly feel that its inner parts were extremely tough, not something ordinary people could break, just without any countermeasures like the shell had.


    ¨C


    ¡°You have inflicted 100% damage to the second challenge¡¯s Year Beast and obtained one ¡®Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman.''¡±


    ¡°You have dealt the final blow to the second challenge¡¯s Year Beast and obtained a ¡®Heavenly Dao Spirit Ring.''¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the two boards that appeared above his Dantian, arching his eyebrow. The ¡°Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman¡± was a good item for escaping; once activated, one could instantly flee thousands of miles away.


    It can also ignore all spatial restraints, Formations, etc.


    He was actually curious whether this item could break through the restrictions of Da Xia, but after thinking it over, he decided against experimenting. He would save it for later when he went to the Xuantian Continent, as it was a good life-saving method.


    As for that ¡®Heavenly Dao Ring¡¯¡­


    ¡°This is a good item indeed.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes gleamed with joy as he looked at the ring in his hand, which seemed simple but contained a hint of the power of heaven and earth, part of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure that Artifact Cultivators could not create.


    The ring¡¯s effect was also strong.


    It came with a storage space far larger than that of the finest Storage Rings. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He would no longer need to wear so many Storage Rings on his fingers; this Heavenly Dao Ring was all he needed.


    Just one would suffice.


    Besides, the Heavenly Dao Ring could also increase the power of his Divine Sense Attacks to some extent. With the ¡°Heart-piercing Stab¡± attack spell, the power of his Divine Sense Attack would be even higher.


    Furthermore, his Sea of Consciousness was already larger than that of an average person, so his Divine Sense Attack was naturally more powerful as well.


    With all these enhancements, his ¡°Heart-piercing Stab¡± was bound to become a Trump card-like technique.


    The most important thing was¡­


    After obtaining this ¡°Heavenly Dao Ring,¡± a strand of information surfaced in his mind: by collecting eight different parts of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, one can assemble the complete set of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, possessing formidable power.


    All Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures are growth-type Spiritual Treasures, and naturally, this Heavenly Dao Ring of his was also a growth-type Spiritual Treasure.


    Upon gathering three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures,


    one would obtain the first set effect of the Heavenly Dao: ¡°The power of the Thunder Summoning Technique will be enhanced.¡±


    Simple and brutal.


    Chen Qiu was quite satisfied with this effect, although he wasn¡¯t clear on why it seemed he had developed a particular connection with the Thunder Summoning Technique. He already had many entries and methods to enhance the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Perhaps¡­


    It was because his current strongest spell was the Thunder Summoning Technique, so all enhancements related to spells automatically targeted the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    If he had other stronger spells, would the enhancements then target those spells?


    There was some logic to that.


    ¡­


    Taking advantage of the time before the third Year Beast arrived, Chen Qiu first flew into the sky to fully recover his Spiritual Energy, then landed on the ground and stood with Fat Long and the others, ready to face the arrival of the third Year Beast.


    It was unknown,


    whether this third Year Beast could gift him another Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    If so, he would have three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, and he could immediately benefit from the first set effect of the Heavenly Dao.


    ¡°Roar!!¡±


    Just as Chen Qiu restored his full Spiritual Energy and didn¡¯t have to wait too long, a Fierce Beast that was half wolf and half tiger descended from the sky onto the ground. It was three zhang tall; though not as large as the second Year Beast, it was still a colossal figure compared to ordinary demon beasts.


    It was certainly larger than Little Wolf, who was following at his feet.


    This little thing was quite eager for battle.


    Several times it wanted to charge forward, and if he had not stopped Little Wolf, it probably would have rushed in by itself.


    Indeed, with Little Wolf¡¯s Golden Core fifth-grade cultivation, it might indeed not fear these Year Beasts, but he had never seen Little Wolf take action and was curious to see what means this little being used to attack.


    But at this moment, he didn¡¯t ponder further!


    As soon as the third Fierce Beast appeared, Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense locked onto it, and then the Thunder Ball in his hand transformed into a purple-blue streak of light and shot towards it. He was becoming increasingly fond of using the entry ¡°All Techniques Combined¡± when battling a single target.


    Indeed, it was very handy.


    Quite good.


    As he made his move, the cultivators around him also unleashed their strongest techniques. They clearly wanted a share of the spoils, since they hadn¡¯t traveled all this distance merely to watch a spectacle, but also to claim their share.


    Chen Qiu glanced over but paid no mind; after all, his Thunder Summoning Technique was instant, and by the time the attacks of the others arrived, his Thunder Summoning Technique had already made contact with the target.


    This Year Beast was at the Golden Core sixth-grade level of cultivation.


    Their cultivation was quite fearsome.


    If not for Chen Qiu¡¯s presence, quite a few people on the scene would have already fled, especially the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who were bluffing with their strongest techniques against the Year Beast.


    If it was just one of them,


    given a hundred times the courage, they wouldn¡¯t dare to attack a Year Beast with Golden Core sixth-grade cultivation while at Foundation Establishment level. There was even no need to run; slitting their own throat might actually be a quicker end.


    At least there would be no risk of being chewed up alive, and no pain to speak of.

 Chapter 279 - 140: Spell, Snowfall.

    Chapter 279: Chapter 140: Spell, Snowfall.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Accompanied by a deafening thunderclap, Chen Qiu¡¯s Thunder Summoning Technique shot into the Year Beast ahead of others. Except for a few Divine Sense Attacks that were slightly faster than his Thunder Summoning Technique, the other cultivators¡¯ attacks hadn¡¯t even reached the Year Beast yet. And the Year Beast had already burst into a shower of blood, dead on the spot!


    A single strike, an instant kill on a Golden Core Stage Six Year Beast!


    If it weren¡¯t for the entry ¡°All Techniques Combined,¡± he could have killed the Golden Core Stage Six Year Beast as well¡ªbut not nearly as quickly.


    After all, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons engulfing the Year Beast and tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons exploding inside the Year Beast¡¯s body made a significant difference.


    ¨C


    ...


    ¡°You inflicted 93% damage on the third round Year Beast, earning one ¡®Merit Defense Order.''¡±


    ¡°You dealt the final blow to the third round Year Beast, earning one ¡®Merit Attack Order.''¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the two tokens that appeared in his ¡°Heavenly Dao Ring,¡± virtually identical in appearance, except for the different inscriptions¡ªone was a Merit Defense Order, and the other, a Merit Attack Order.


    Both were one-time use.


    The effects were straightforward.


    Upon activating the Merit Defense Order, it would block all attacks for the next hour, and the consumption of merit would be decided based on the power of the attacks. If the merit was depleted prematurely, the token would shatter early.


    Or after an hour, the Defense Merit Order would automatically shatter.


    The Merit Attack Order,


    was even more straightforward and brutal. Depending on the amount of merit you chose to consume, it would launch an extremely powerful strike. The power of the strike depended on the amount of merit you spent.


    After the strike was used, it would shatter again.


    And his merit¡­


    Chen Qiu looked increasingly odd as he gazed at the merit leaderboard, and with his staggering 9.8 billion merit, he uncontroversially stood at the top. Unless something unexpected happened, no one could dethrone him for thousands of years.


    With his nearly ten billion merit, activating a Merit Defense Order practically made him invincible for an hour; even a Nascent Soul would likely not be able to do anything to him within that time.


    And if he were to activate the Merit Attack Order with nearly ten billion merit, he felt he could probably annihilate several provinces of Da Xia with one strike, or even more¡­ perhaps the entirety of Da Xia?


    ¡°I really want to try it¡­¡±


    He sighed regretfully, knowing the token itself was one-time use, and since his merit wasn¡¯t unlimited, he definitely couldn¡¯t waste it like this. These two items would be his two ace cards, hidden away.


    One for absolute life-saving in a short time.


    One for a devastating attack.


    Pretty good.


    This Year Beast came just right.


    It gave him two top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talismans, which was like having two more entries, all at the Golden Core Stage. One should know that Golden Core Stage entries are generally blue and yellow.


    He had never seen blue and yellow Jade Scrolls being sold in Da Xia.


    Or perhaps such items are so rare that they simply cannot appear at an auction.


    The value of a low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman used during the Qi Refinement Realm and that of a top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman cannot even be compared, as the selectable entries are not on the same level.


    Add to that a life-preserving Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman and a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    And those two Merit Orders.


    Absolutely worth the journey.


    Just then¡ª


    When all the cultivators thought it was over and were preparing to disperse, a lion enveloped in dense flames leaped from the dark clouds and landed heavily on the ground, its cultivation boldly at the Golden Core Stage Seven!


    There was still a hidden Year Beast!


    This Year Beast was clearly much stronger than the previous three, with more violent fluctuations of spiritual energy, its Golden Core Stage Seven cultivation impressively intimidating everyone.


    Just as Chen Qiu, who had just replenished his spiritual energy and was also preparing to retreat, saw this scene, his eyes lit up instantly, and without the slightest hesitation, he released all his spiritual energy, locked on with his Divine Sense and shot a Thunder Ball directly, hitting the lion-like Year Beast!


    ¡°Boom!¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just like before.


    The fire lion Year Beast had barely touched the ground when it was struck by this nearly fatal blow; however, being a hidden Year Beast with the cultivation of Golden Core Stage Seven, it was still much stronger than the previous three beasts.


    Tens of thousands of Heavenly Thunders exploded inside its body, instantly perforating its skin and even blowing off half its head.


    But even then,


    it didn¡¯t die immediately but fell heavily to the ground, on the verge of death.


    Seeing this scene, the surrounding people who were about to disperse instantly had their eyes turn red. If not now, then when? This was the last hit on a hidden Year Beast; the rewards would be immense.


    But almost the next moment!


    Everyone suddenly froze in place, because all present felt Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense had firmly locked them down, the implied threat was clear.


    But¡­ there are always those who don¡¯t believe in curses!


    Or rather, there are always those who believe in the safety of numbers.


    An obviously Exotic Realm cultivator from the Hundred Countries, his face flushed with excitement, held his Flying Sword and turned into a streak of light, rushing towards the dying hidden Year Beast!


    At the same time, he deliberately changed his voice and bellowed.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists, charge together! There are so many of us, Chen Qiu can¡¯t possibly kill us all, right?¡±


    However,


    just as this Exotic Realm cultivator from the Hundred Countries had not yet reached the dying hidden Year Beast, he noticed the hidden beast suddenly let out a wail and then fell dead on the ground.

 Chapter 280 - 140: Spell, Snowfall._2

    Chapter 280: Chapter 140: Spell, Snowfall._2 S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He stood frozen in place, instinctively glancing back at his surroundings.


    He discovered that not a single person had responded to his call to action. Only he had dashed forward. In his expectation, everyone would have charged together, mingling in the chaos without a clear tell on who landed the final blow. The matter would then be easily brushed off amidst the confusion.


    But to his surprise, those Xia Country cultivators were so timid, not one followed suit.


    Moreover, even his fellow countrymen cultivators were nowhere to be found, vanished without a trace.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ...


    The Xia Country cultivators who were spectating from afar, looking toward that awkward figure standing in the middle of the clearing, couldn¡¯t help but slightly twitch at the corners of their mouths. This other-nation cultivator typically must not have watched Chen Qiu¡¯s shadow enough.


    If you had only watched a few more.


    At least¡­


    Not to say whether you would charge or not, but you certainly wouldn¡¯t have uttered the phrase ¡°the law does not punish the masses.¡±


    They were almost certain that if they dared to charge forward, as many as went would die right there.


    You¡¯re bold, you go ahead.


    As for them, they dare not charge.


    Even the cultivator from the Hundred Countries silently slipped out of the crowd and fled without looking back, darting afar like he was running for his life. They didn¡¯t understand why their comrade suddenly became so brave, though they knew he was always quite fearless.


    But, couldn¡¯t he give them a heads-up before being brave next time?


    ¡­


    The Golden Core cultivators standing within the crowd watched the sword-wielding, other-nation cultivator at the center of the plaza with expressionless faces, sighing deeply inside, and couldn¡¯t help but lament how ignorance was truly fearless.


    Their Divine Sense attack as Golden Core cultivators, isn¡¯t it faster than you charging with a sword at the Foundation Establishment stage?


    Guess why with such fast Divine Sense attacks they did not make a move?


    That wasn¡¯t a treasure falling from the sky.


    That was the Yama Rope taking lives.


    Who would dare to touch it?


    If these Golden Core cultivators dare not touch it, you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, sure charge fast. This kind of temperament is indeed well-suited for cultivation, fearless and unswerving. But it is¡­ not suitable for longevity.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, with an indifferent expression, glanced at the male cultivator stuck in the middle of the square without lingering much. He simply held up the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his gown howling in the storm as he turned to walk away.


    Fat Long also hurried to turn and leave.


    Only the scholar looked toward the male cultivator with a sighing tone, ¡°Sword cultivator, that¡¯s not how you play the game.¡±


    The forefinger trembled slightly, and a green light flashed and disappeared.


    By the time he turned around to follow Chen Qiu, the male cultivator¡¯s pupils had already begun to gradually disperse, his body limply collapsing onto the ground. After a few moments, a red line slowly appeared on his neck, and blood followed the line, eventually forming a pool.


    ¡­


    Back at the highest peak of Pingzhou, Chen Qiu looked up at the panel enveloped in clouds and mist above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°You caused 100% damage to the hidden Year Beast, obtaining the high-grade Golden Core spell ¡®Snowfall,¡¯ and an Enlightenment Stone.¡±


    ¡°You struck the final blow on the hidden Year Beast, obtaining ¡®Heavenly Light Wind Boots.''¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°A new spell?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows rose as he stared at the high-grade Golden Core spell ¡°Snowfall¡± in front of him, sensing it with his Divine Sense without speaking. This spell was produced by Heavenly Dao, so likewise, once mastered, it would be at the Great Achievement Realm.


    Even the Enlightenment Stone was ready.


    Directly at the Great Perfection Realm.


    With his current financial resources, he could technically learn many spells, but he essentially didn¡¯t bother buying spells produced by the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, mainly because some seemed unnecessary. Even at the Great Perfection Realm, those spells weren¡¯t as strong as his Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Why should he learn spells that were not as strong as the Thunder Summoning Technique?


    The biggest drawback of the Thunder Summoning Technique used to be that it was only suitable for dealing with a large number of weaker small fry; it lacked power when facing opponents with higher cultivation. But now, with the entry ¡°All Techniques Combined,¡± even that drawback was gone.


    There¡¯s no longer a need for numerous spells, specializing is sufficient.


    He always felt that he could use the Thunder Summoning Technique until the day he died.


    But¡­ he suddenly felt he might also pick up ¡°Snowfall.¡±


    It was a supportive spell.


    Not an attack spell.


    Its effect was simple, allowing snow to fall over an area roughly the size of a village, and the snowflakes landing on the enemy would freeze their Spiritual Energy.


    It would cause the enemy¡¯s internal flow of Spiritual Energy to slow down.


    This would result in a decrease in spell power, casting speed, absorption of Spiritual Energy, and movement technique speed, among others.


    Additionally, as more and more snowflakes gather on them, they could even freeze in place.


    It¡¯s a small-scale group supportive control spell.


    However¡­


    This is for ordinary people.


    Chen Qiu chuckled to himself, tucking the Magic Jade Scroll of ¡°Snowfall¡± inside his robe, prepared to make it his third official spell. This spell was indeed a regular Magic Practitioner¡¯s spell.


    It was a spell that many Golden Core cultivators would learn.


    In other words, it was his first genuine Magic Practitioner¡¯s spell.


    With ¡°Dual Casting,¡± ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting,¡± ¡°Illusion and Reality,¡± and the surging Spiritual Energy inside him, if he fully unleashed this spell, he estimated that a few hundred miles around could be engulfed in snow.


    To experience the romance of winter days.


    ¡­


    He then looked at his other gain, the Heavenly Light Wind Boots.


    Also a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    The effect was quite impressive, able to enhance his movement technique to a certain extent. It allowed his ¡°Shrink the Earth to an Inch¡± technique to cover greater distances, and his Teleportation speed to be faster.

 Chapter 281 - 140: Spell, Snowfall._3

    Chapter 281: Chapter 140: Spell, Snowfall._3


    So far, he hadn¡¯t found a satisfactory movement technique for Magic Practitioners to escape quickly.


    During the heritage transfer of Magic Practitioners above the Forbidden Sea, he saw the Magic Practitioner guardian old man with golden light under his feet and thought that movement technique was quite good. He planned to find such a spell for himself in a few days.


    Although the scholar¡¯s speed was faster.


    But after all, it wasn¡¯t his own, and there were many drawbacks to using it.


    Having acquired this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, he now owned three Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, which also activated the first Heavenly Dao suit effect¡ª


    ¡°The power of unleashing the Thunder Summoning Technique will be enhanced.¡±


    ...


    Pretty good.


    The next Heavenly Dao suit effect would be revealed upon possessing five Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures.


    That was temporarily out of the question.


    ¡­


    After taking inventory of all his gains, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t return to Fei City but found an inn in a nearby city in ¡°Pingzhou.¡±


    An hour later.


    Chen Qiu looked at the snowflakes dancing on his fingertip and chuckled. This was his third spell, ¡°Snowfall,¡± which was not very lethal but mainly served as a control effect.


    Under the influence of the Enlightenment Stone, this spell had already reached the Great Perfection Realm.


    Just that¡­


    He felt that his future battle scenes might be quite lively, with the full deployment of Thunder Summoning Technique calling upon the forces of nature, followed by dark clouds and pouring rain, and finally, adding the snowfall.


    It included mixed rain and snow, along with howling winds.


    The battle process was indeed quite lively.


    He planned to find a secluded place to test the full power of this spell, especially since ¡°Pingzhou¡± had too many mortals. Even though this spell hardly had any attack effect, it was still fully deployed by his Golden Core fifth layer cultivation.


    If a mortal touched that snowflake and didn¡¯t find shelter from the snow in time,


    At the very least, they¡¯d fall seriously ill, or in severe cases, die on the spot.


    ¡­


    Seated cross-legged in the inn, Chen Qiu turned his head to look out the window, where the sun was dead-center, just at midday.


    He planned to go downstairs to grab something to eat first.


    Then he would try it out on Boundless Snow Mountain.


    If there was any place to test the full power of the ¡°Snowfall¡± spell, it would surely be Boundless Snow Mountain, where naturally, there were hardly any creatures, and it was perennially covered in heavy snow.


    Most suitable.


    ¡­


    ¡°Shopkeeper, take the order.¡±


    Fat Long looked over the menu, and calling over the smiling shopkeeper, said, ¡°Skip the Wuwei Smoked Duck, Jinghu Vinegar Fish, and Dong¡¯an Chicken. Bring everything else, all in double portions.¡±


    ¡°Understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood, understood.¡±


    The shopkeeper smiled obsequiously, carefully slipping the few Spirit Stones Fat Long had passed him into his pocket, this was indeed a big deal.


    However¡­


    Just as Chen Qiu and a few others, including Fat Long, had arrived at the best inn in this city, just seated themselves and were about to enjoy some good food as a treat,


    once again, a voice rang in the ears of everyone in Da Xia.


    ¨C


    Imperial Decree: ¡°A world of conflicts is approaching, ¡®Snow Clan invasion¡¯ will descend in the west by Hundred Countries, at Boundless Snow Mountain.¡±


    The heavens will shatter, and the Snow Clan will emerge.


    ¨C


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    Fat Long, with a slightly speechless expression, listened to the voice around him and looked up at Chen Qiu, sighing, ¡°Brother Qiu, what do you say, do we still eat? Wasn¡¯t the Imperial Decree issued a bit too hastily today?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they just issue one this morning about the Year Beast?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even passed noon yet, and the Snow Clan is already invading.¡±


    ¡°Eat first.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t seem to care and casually said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, then go take a look, no hurry in a moment.¡±


    It just so happened that he was originally planning to test his new spell¡¯s power on Boundless Snow Mountain, so it conveniently fell on his way. Moreover, he had already anticipated the ¡®Snow Clan invasion,¡¯ as from all four corners


    only the west had not yet been invaded.


    It was quite normal for the west to be invaded.


    But his anticipation for this Snow Clan invasion was clearly not as high as for the Year Beast; whether it was a Demon Race invasion, Evil Clan invasion, or Sea Clan invasion, after resolving the crisis, there were no rewards.


    At most, the Imperial Decree would mention him, praise him, and hold him up as an example to the people.


    Then that was it.


    So his urgency for this Snow Clan invasion was not as great, unlike with the Year Beast, where he had come from far away in Fei City.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    The food was served, nearly a hundred dishes.


    Each dish looked tempting and appetizing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the few people waiting for him to start eating and smiled as he lifted a chopstick full of fish and put it into his mouth. After cultivating for so long, he had almost forgotten the worldly flavors; the table filled with dishes cost only three Spirit Stones.


    Of course, it might be even lower.


    After all, he didn¡¯t ask the price but just had Fat Long hand over three Spirit Stones. From the shopkeeper¡¯s reaction, that should have been enough, perhaps even a bit more.


    He tasted a few bites of each dish.


    The flavors were really good.


    Comparable to the lamb soup in Fei City and the cold noodles in Yun City, each had its own merits and were delicious.


    Being a Golden Core cultivator, these foods were disintegrated before they even reached his stomach and were expelled as impurities from his body. Basically, he was just tasting, and even if he did eat all the food, he wouldn¡¯t feel bloated at all.


    Golden Core cultivation, in some ways, completely transcends ordinary humans.


    Five hundred years of lifespan.


    ¡­


    After a satisfying meal, Chen Qiu stood up, called the scholar, and headed towards Boundless Snow Mountain. Along the way, he saw many Golden Core cultivators flying with Sword Control towards the western Snow Mountain, apparently preparing to participate in this Snow Clan invasion to see if there were any opportunities.


    But he did not see any Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    After all, the journey was too long.


    They would have to cross the Hundred Countries, and with the Spiritual Energy of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, there just wasn¡¯t enough to sustain such a long distance. Even if one continuously consumed Qi Replenishing Pills and forced their way flying with Sword Control, by the time they reached the destination, the Snow Clan invasion would have long been over.

 Chapter 282 - 140: Spell, Snowfall._4

    Chapter 282: Chapter 140: Spell, Snowfall._4


    All the Golden Core cultivators they had met along the way had restrained themselves; none had released their Divine Sense, clearly not eager to fight.


    And because they were all at a considerable distance from each other, their faces were not clear.


    Even though the scholar had set out later.


    He still arrived at the Boundless Snow Mountain faster than most of the Golden Core cultivators who had set out earlier; after all, the scholar¡¯s sword was truly fast, plus his Bloodline Entry made him one of the few whose speed could compete with his.


    ¡­


    It was only an hour¡¯s effort.


    ...


    Chen Qiu had already crossed Hundred Countries and reached the Boundless Snow Mountain. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, the mountain range stretching unknown thousands of miles seemed endless, like a moat separating heaven and earth!


    The peaks reached into the clouds, and even his Divine Sense could not find the top of the mountain.


    The entire mountain range from halfway up was covered with thick, heavy snow. You could feel a chill at first glance, with the air carrying a crisp frostiness.


    At this time, it was not snowing.


    The thick snow accumulated halfway up the mountain was from thousands of years of snowfall that had never melted, built up over many years.


    ¡°So this is the Boundless Snow Mountain.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood at the base of the mountain, feeling the majesty of heaven and earth. He suddenly felt very insignificant. People say that man is sure to win over nature, but to what level must one cultivate to shake this mountain range that stretches for tens of thousands of miles?


    His pride in the Thunder Summoning Technique, even if fully unleashed, could blast a huge hole in this mountain range.


    But to the mountain range, it might be like an elephant being poked by a toothpick, barely an itch.


    No edge in sight, no peak in sight.


    When he stood there, for the first time, he felt an intense sense of imprisonment, a feeling that was very mild inside Da Xia. After all, Da Xia was vast, with nineteen provinces to roam, but when you truly stood under the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    The feeling of powerlessness was shockingly profound.


    However¡­


    ¡°Where are the Snow Clan?¡±


    Chen Qiu quickly calmed his mind and scanned his surroundings with some puzzlement. He hadn¡¯t forgotten his purpose, which wasn¡¯t to marvel at the grandeur of the Boundless Snow Mountain. He was here to deal with the Snow Clan invasion.


    Wasn¡¯t it said that the Snow Clan was invading?


    Yet, so far, not a single Snow Clan member was in sight.


    At this time, there were also quite a few people standing below the Boundless Snow Mountain range. Most were Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Golden Core cultivators from Hundred Countries, with only about a dozen Golden Core cultivators from Da Xia Country because the Snow Clan crisis had first struck Hundred Countries, so naturally, they were more proactive.


    But just then¡ª


    ¡°BOOM!!¡±


    A deafening sound like thunder suddenly erupted above the Boundless Snow Mountain. Then, a layer of snow that hadn¡¯t melted for thousands of years suddenly collapsed from halfway up the mountain and slid down to the base.


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s eyes flickered with shock, his lips twitching slightly.


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    One piece, two pieces, three pieces!


    Countless layers of ancient snow from the mountain top of the Boundless Snow Mountain, stretching unknown thousands of miles, slid toward the base.


    An avalanche!


    And it was an avalanche from a snow mountain stretching thousands of miles, all at the same time!


    The snow on the Boundless Snow Mountain had not melted for who knows how many years. Such a violent and exaggerated avalanche could even engulf ten or twenty or even more countries within Hundred Countries!


    Luckily, only a few thousand miles of this mountain range tens of thousands of miles long had avalanched. Unfortunately, even this few thousand miles of avalanche was enough to cause countless deaths and injuries in Hundred Countries.


    This was a natural disaster.


    It simply couldn¡¯t be stopped by human efforts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Chen Qiu immediately prepared to turn around and leave this place, rushing towards the nearby Hundred Countries at top speed. It was certain he couldn¡¯t escape, as those ordinary people¡¯s speeds couldn¡¯t match that of the devastating avalanche.


    But finding a place to hide might still allow them to dodge this calamity and wait for rescue after the avalanche had stopped.


    He couldn¡¯t block it.


    This was a natural disaster, not something that human strength could withstand.


    If he were a Nascent Soul cultivator, he might have been able to withstand it, but he knew that as a Golden Core cultivator at the peak of Great Perfection, he definitely could not withstand this disaster; it wasn¡¯t a crisis that a Golden Core cultivator could resolve.


    He had originally thought that the invasion of the Snow Clan was similar to that of the Sea Clan ¨C a demon beast invasion. He hadn¡¯t expected it to actually be a natural disaster.


    But just as he was about to turn away,


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡­ look.¡±


    Fat Long stood rooted to the spot, his face full of shock, pointing towards the middle of the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    The avalanche rolling down from the mountain, accompanied by a flurry of snow splashing into the air, brought a chill that everyone beneath the mountain felt. Suddenly, those snow blocks transformed into human forms.


    They turned into snowmen wielding ice swords, charging toward them.


    This wasn¡¯t an avalanche.


    The snowflakes had formed into snowmen, a creature they couldn¡¯t understand; they weren¡¯t even aware that snowmen existed, usually blending in with the heavy snow and living on the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    Or was it that after the ¡°Snow Clan invasion¡± started, this heavy snow had begun to morph into snowmen?


    But Chen Qiu knew one thing.


    That was, once the avalanche that seemed like the sky falling had turned all its snow into snowmen, the originally unstoppable force of nature carried by the avalanche disappeared, turning into groups of snowmen continuously rushing down from the mountain top towards them.


    If it were an avalanche, he indeed couldn¡¯t do anything.


    But if it were snowmen¡­ then he didn¡¯t need to leave.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu faced the countless snowmen charging down from the Snow Mountain, stopped in his tracks, and spiritual energy surged within him as he fully activated ¡°Snowfall,¡± a spell he had recently learned.


    In an instant.


    A massive amount of goose feather-like snow covered hundreds of miles.


    The arrival of this snow was extremely sudden, but as soon as the cultivators felt the snow freezing their inner spiritual energy, many of them realized it wasn¡¯t real snow but the spell ¡°Snowfall.¡±


    Many recognized this spell¡ªit was, after all, a signature spell of Magic Practitioners.


    However¡­ the cultivators looked towards Chen Qiu with complex expressions. They had never seen a Magic Practitioner use this spell to cover hundreds of miles.


    While airborne, Chen Qiu kept teleporting to replenish his spiritual energy while observing how the snowy figures reacted to the falling snow.


    He was just trying it out.


    To see if ¡°Snowfall¡± would have any effect on these snowmen, and indeed it did, but the effect was weak; basically, it was negligible since snowmen were originally made of snow and naturally had high immunity to attacks from such spells made of heavy snow.


    However¡­


    The experiment was done.


    Chen Qiu glanced around at the hundreds of miles covered in goose feather snow, his expression quite satisfied as he chuckled lightly. The range of the spell was indeed vast, mainly because he had released it many times.


    A normal Cultivator couldn¡¯t achieve such an extensive range.


    The snowflakes were also quite dense, making it quite a beautiful sight.


    It just wasn¡¯t very suitable to use at this time.


    This spell could only last for three hundred breaths; after three hundred breaths, it would dissipate.


    After three hundred breaths, Chen Qiu¡¯s inner spiritual energy would also be fully restored, accompanying his spiritual energy as it surged out wildly.


    Suddenly, a massive cloud appeared high in the sky, but this cloud was only as high as halfway up the mountain, much lower than the Boundless Snow Mountain.

 Chapter 283 - 141:

    Chapter 283: Chapter 141: ¡°Do you look like you are fated to be together?


    Accompanied by a sudden surge of dark clouds over the Boundless Snow Mountain, the fluffy snow had just scattered when a downpour followed immediately after!


    One hundred thousand Thunder Dragons roared out from the black clouds, bombarding the Snowman army on the Boundless Snow Mountain below!!!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    Along with the massive explosion, countless snowmen were blasted into fragments, turning back into snowflakes that covered the surface of the Snow Mountain.


    Most of the Spiritual Energy fluctuations on those snowmen were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with only a sparse few at the Golden Core Stage, and under Chen Qiu¡¯s one hundred thousand Thunder Dragons, those at the Golden Core Stage below level five had basically no difference from those at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    At most, Divine Sense would lock onto a Golden Core Snowman and specifically rain down a few hundred more Thunder Dragons.


    ...


    Immediately following¡ª¡ª


    The entire Boundless Snow Mountain seemed to become Chen Qiu¡¯s personal stage, as he continuously teleported high in the sky, quickly recovering his Spiritual Energy with each move, never waiting for full recovery before using whatever he had.


    Countless Thunder Dragons relentlessly bombarded the middle section of the mountain.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the cultivators who had been preparing to act behind Chen Qiu now stood silently in place. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t want to help, but they felt it was unnecessary. Their spells hadn¡¯t even hit the snowmen before they were pulverized by Chen Qiu¡¯s Thunder Dragons.


    Those Thunder Dragons didn¡¯t discriminate between friend and foe; anyone who stepped into their attack range became a target.


    Spare none.


    Spare none.


    And Chen Qiu¡¯s Spiritual Energy seemed inexhaustible, endless. What Magic Practitioners lack most is Spiritual Energy. Once this limitation is removed, even if your Spells have minimal power, you can still unleash extremely potent Attack Methods.


    Especially when¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s spell power was not just small but was many times greater than that of ordinary cultivators.


    To say nothing else, they hadn¡¯t seen anyone¡¯s Thunder Summoning Technique as thick as his.


    Even the Heavenly Punishment didn¡¯t dare to strike with such ferocity. It was a bit outrageous.


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    ¡°How nice.¡±


    Fat Long, standing at the foot of the mountain, unfurled a paper umbrella with a contemplative look on his face and exclaimed, ¡°Fighting alongside Brother Qiu, it¡¯s either windy or raining, and from time to time, there¡¯s even snow.¡±


    ¡°Romantic.¡±


    He was protected by Protective Spirit Qi, so naturally, the rain wouldn¡¯t wet his clothing.


    But holding a paper umbrella in such heavy rain seemed to add more atmosphere.


    However, he quickly no longer needed the umbrella, as the next moment, a violent wind tossed his paper umbrella into the air, shredding it to pieces before sweeping the fragments away into the distance. In such a Storm, the paper umbrella stood no chance of survival.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    ¡­


    Thus, Chen Qiu had no idea how long he had been killing, only that it had gotten dark.


    It was even past midnight.


    He had received tonight¡¯s ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and finally, when he could no longer see any demon beasts, a voice rang in his ears.


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: Snow Clan invasion concludes.


    Human Clan Cultivator, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, peerless Heavenly Pride ¡®Chen Qiu,¡¯ single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Snow Clan, protecting the masses,


    His admirable heart and strength make people respect him, and light a way for all to follow.


    ¨C


    As the voice echoed, it signified that the Snow Clan invasion had come to an end.


    At this moment, countless cultivators at the foot of the mountain gazed towards Chen Qiu with complex emotions, their stares hard to decipher. With Chen Qiu there, they didn¡¯t even have the courage to act. Although they had seen many recordings of Chen Qiu¡¯s exploits,


    Only when you see it with your own eyes,


    Can you truly feel that overwhelming presence.


    After ending the Snow Clan invasion, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t hesitate and dashed toward the base of the mountain, lifting up a few people who were standing there, and then shot toward the Boundless Snow Mountain, entering the small world halfway up.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long stood on the back mountain of Chao Tian Sect with a frown, a hint of confusion in his voice, ¡°There are no rewards for dealing with the Snow Clan invasion this time? Isn¡¯t that doing work for nothing?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, unable to suppress a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth as he looked at the cloud-covered panel above his Dantian.


    Indeed, there were no rewards given for this Snow Clan invasion, and those Snow Clan members didn¡¯t count as demon beasts, so there was no increase in his Dantian capacity. But¡­ it wasn¡¯t entirely fruitless, as killing the Snow Clan added to his Cultivation Progress.


    Before the Snow Clan invasion, his Cultivation Progress was at Golden Core Stage level five (94.3%).


    But after resolving the Snow Clan crisis, his Cultivation Progress astonishingly reached¡ª¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Golden Core Stage level six (70.0%).


    ¨C


    Not only did it allow his Cultivation to smoothly break through to the sixth level of the Golden Core Stage, but it also brought him within a step¡¯s reach of the seventh level. He had just received another ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Based on this progress, in a few days, he could enter the seventh level of the Golden Core Stage.


    At that time, he would truly be a late-stage Golden Core Cultivator.


    This reward alone was already quite generous.


    But at that moment¡ª¡ª


    Another voice once again resounded in the ears of all cultivators in Da Xia and the Hundred Countries.


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: In recognition of the ¡®Four Calamities¡¯ of the Human Clan¡ª¡¯Demon Race Invasion,¡¯ ¡®Evil Clan Invasion,¡¯ ¡®Sea Clan Invasion,¡¯ ¡®Snow Clan Invasion,¡¯ Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, unparalleled Heavenly Pride ¡®Chen Qiu,¡¯ has been acknowledged as the ¡®Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God¡¯ for his efforts to turn the tides and protect the masses!


    With a person¡¯s power, he sheltered all beings under heaven.


    Such heroic deeds are rare in this world.


    He is granted ¡®A Wisp of Heavenly Pride Fortune,¡¯ and all shall take this as an example.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu, who was meditating in the small world, heard the voice and was briefly stunned, a trace of shock crossing his eyes. He had thought that the biggest gain from the Snow Clan invasion was the advancement in his Cultivation Progress.


    But to think, there was an even better surprise in store?

 Chapter 284 - 141:

    Chapter 284: Chapter 141: ¡°Do you look like you are destined to be together?¡±_2


    He first looked towards the title ¡®Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God,¡¯ which, like the ¡®Heavenly Dao Saint,¡¯ possesses special effects.


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Gifted Name¡¯: Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: You can distinctly sense the malice Human Clan Cultivators hold towards you.


    ¨C S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Well, the effect is somewhat useful, though it¡¯s not linked to combat power, it¡¯s advantageous when dealing with deceptive individuals. No matter how sweet-talked their facade, as long as they harbor malice, you can clearly sense it.


    ...


    Not bad at all.


    After all, it¡¯s free, so why not take it?


    The only pity is, despite the green entry ¡®Imperial Decree Regular¡¯ specifically stating that rewards obtained from the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree would double, this Heavenly Gifted Name reward did not double.


    He didn¡¯t mind having two.


    However, the reward of ¡®Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯ did double.


    He had already possessed two threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune following his award for achieving the tenth level Golden Core previously, yet he had always been unaware of what use the Heavenly Pride Fortune served as they perpetually manifested as two red streamers encircling his Golden Core.


    Chen Qiu instinctively looked towards the Golden Core above his Dantian, his eyes suddenly revealing a trace of surprise.


    He initially had two threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune, and now he had gained another two. Logically, there should have been four streamers encircling the Golden Core.


    But at this moment¡ª


    There were only two streamers enveloping the Golden Core.


    One was red, which he recognized as the Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    But the other was golden, and he did not know what it was.


    What does that mean?


    He faintly guessed what the situation might be, envisioning that the three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune might have merged automatically into this golden streamer, but he still didn¡¯t know what this golden streamer was.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Although somewhat speechless, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t mind; after all, he didn¡¯t know the function of Heavenly Pride Fortune either. He simply proceeded to look at the choice panel for the entry which he had just had a Cultivation breakthrough.


    He prepared to first select the entry available for his advancement to the sixth level of Golden Core Cultivation.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation greatly increases, officially stepping into the sixth level of Golden Core.¡¯


    ¡®Please make a choice among the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: All-Knowing.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Purple.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When your Divine Sense transfers into a certain celestial treasure, you can clearly know the uses of that celestial treasure.


    2:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Self-perpetuating disappearance.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: After your children are born, they will randomly appear anywhere within a billion miles, and the Initial Entry will definitely be a Yellow Entry.


    3:


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Men as thieves, women as prostitutes.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: If you are a male cultivator, you will obtain an exclusive ¡®Theft¡¯ Yellow Entry; if you are a female cultivator, you will obtain an exclusive ¡®Prostitute¡¯ Yellow Entry.


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu barely glanced at it before he unhesitatingly chose the first entry.


    Purple Entry.


    This was his first Purple Entry.


    Purple Entries are of a higher rank than Blue Entries, and this was the first time he had randomly encountered a Purple Entry. Being able to randomly get a Purple Entry at the Golden Core Cultivation stage, from a certain perspective, was indeed very lucky.


    Moreover, this entry ¡®All-Knowing¡¯ was precisely what he needed the most.


    He currently had too many celestial treasures in his possession.


    Whether it was the Eight-petal Demon Lotus, the Eight-petal Resentment Lotus, or the Heavenly Pride Fortune and the Mutated Heavenly Pride Fortune, he could confirm they were all valuable but just didn¡¯t know how to use them.


    This caused him a great deal of frustration.


    This entry could substantially solve his current problem.


    As for the remaining two entries, he hadn¡¯t even looked at them, as they were virtually useless to him, utterly unnecessary.


    Shortly thereafter, he almost immediately looked above the Dantian, at the red streamer of Heavenly Pride Fortune encircling the Golden Core.


    Soon¡ª


    A panel enveloped in clouds and mist emerged above the Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡®Treasure Name¡¯: A Thread of Heavenly Pride.


    ¡®Acquisition Source¡¯: Formed from three threads of Earth Pride Luck, awarded by the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree after obtaining astonishing accomplishments, capturing the lead in the Heavenly Pride Path, etc.


    ¡®Usage Effect¡¯:


    1: Consuming a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune allows luck to improve to a certain extent within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.


    2:¡­


    4: Essential material for forging a tenth-level Nascent Soul.


    5:¡­


    7: Three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune can be combined into a thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride.


    ¨C


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise, suddenly realizing just how fortunate he was. If he hadn¡¯t had the ¡®All-Knowing¡¯ entry, he might have gone a very long time without knowing the effects of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Are the effects really that strong?


    And it¡¯s even an essential material for forging a tenth-level Nascent Soul¡ªjust this alone, he knew this treasure was formidable.


    Moreover, consuming a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune could enhance his luck within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.


    This meant that if he used a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune during a Cultivation breakthrough, wouldn¡¯t he have a high probability of randomly acquiring an extremely suitable entry of a high level, especially if he had many items dependent on luck for selection?


    If he opened all of them within the time it takes for a cup of tea, they would all be quality items.


    And through the seventh effect,


    he roughly understood what that golden streamer was and knew what the three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune had combined into¡ªa thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride.


    ¨C


    ¡®Treasure Name¡¯: A Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride.

 Chapter 285 - 141:

    Chapter 285: Chapter 141: ¡°Do you look like you are fated to be together?¡±_3


    ¡°`


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Formed by the combination of three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Consuming a thread of Supreme Genius Fortune can greatly increase luck for the duration of a cup of tea.


    2: Essential material for forging a twelfth grade Nascent Soul.


    ¨C


    ...


    The avenues to obtain a Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride had obviously become much more difficult. There was only one channel: it had to be synthesized from three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune, and he knew how difficult it was for those fortunes to combine.


    He had forged a twelfth-grade Golden Core once and obtained a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Another time, he made a significant contribution during the Four Great Invasions¡¯ crisis and obtained another thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Moreover, this was because he had the ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡± entry, which doubled his rewards. Otherwise, he would only have two threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune by now.


    It took many almost impossible achievements for him to barely gather a thread of Supreme Genius Fortune. One could imagine that this thing, apart from himself, was probably not possessed by many others.


    And yet, a thread of ¡°Supreme Genius Fortune¡± had an extremely rare use¡ªit only had two purposes.


    One was to greatly improve one¡¯s luck, and the other was as an essential material for forging a twelfth grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, looking at the golden radiance orbiting around the Golden Core above the Dantian with a complicated expression, and muttered in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re so valuable, really¡­¡±


    ¡°Such a valuable thing, why is it golden? Red seems more pleasant to the eye.¡±


    Afterward, he wasted no time.


    Accompanied by Fat Long and others, he immediately left the small world and under the cover of night, shot towards the sky over the Boundless Snow Mountain. He didn¡¯t even bother to look at what the effects of the ¡°Eight-petal Demon Lotus¡± and ¡°Eight-petal Resentment Lotus¡± treasures were.


    After all, they were in the small world and weren¡¯t going anywhere.


    Right now, what was most important was to go treasure hunting on the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    ¡­ S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    During the invasion by the Snow Clan, as he bombarded the Thunder Dragons in the sky, he noticed that lots of medicinal herbs became exposed on the ridges that were no longer burdened by the heavy snow, thanks to the snow blocks accumulated over time transforming into snowmen.


    Medicinal herbs?


    What kind of medicinal herbs could survive for a thousand years under mountains sealed by heavy snow?


    Could these possibly be ordinary? They must be valuable treasures.


    Moreover, he saw many caverns with signs of man-made excavation, revealed as the heavy snow melted. After noticing this scene at that time, he intentionally blocked the line of sight of the cultivators below.


    Then, he planned to wait for everyone to disperse before exploring slowly by himself.


    By this time, the people outside should have mostly scattered. Now was the best time for him to seek treasures. In a mountain sealed by heavy snow for so long, with the snow melting away, who knew how many treasures would be revealed.


    ¡­


    However, just as he left the small world and appeared halfway up the mountain, he released his Divine Sense only to find that although most cultivators had left, there were still seven or eight Golden Core cultivators with the same idea as him, taking advantage of the night to go up the mountain to hunt for treasures.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, but he didn¡¯t mind too much.


    He wasn¡¯t a very selfish person.


    These heavenly treasures often belonged to those who were destined for them. Whoever could find them showed they had the destiny; they couldn¡¯t be forced. If those seven or eight Golden Core cultivators were fated to encounter any heavenly treasures,


    then it was also their chance.


    He wouldn¡¯t snatch the fortunes those few had obtained; at his core, he was someone who generally preferred peace.


    Immediately after¡ª


    His Spiritual Energy surged out of him recklessly as the spell ¡°Snowfall¡± blanketed hundreds of miles in an instant, enveloping all those Golden Core cultivators in snow. Accompanied by snowflakes landing on their Protective Spirit Qi, the Spiritual Energy inside these Golden Core cultivators slowly began to freeze, making both their absorption speed and advancement noticeably slower.


    And the longer they stayed within the ¡°Snowfall,¡± the slower they got.


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu, using his exaggerated range of Divine Sense, quickly located a Spirit Grass in a rock crevice, then he and the scholar transformed into streaks of light and shot towards it.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Cold Sky Grass.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Grows in extremely cold places, must be placed in a Jade Box within ten breaths of picking to retain its medicinal properties.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Can be used to refine a lower-quality Golden Core Pill, ¡°Cold Heart Pill.¡±


    2:¡­


    4: Can be chewed to detoxify fire poison.


    ¨C


    ¡°Nice find.¡±


    With the ¡°All-Knowing¡± entry, even though Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t recognize the heavenly material treasure growing in the rock crevice, he knew at a glance the effects of this medicinal herb.


    He couldn¡¯t help but smile. Although the vast Boundless Snow Mountain stretched for tens of thousands of miles, and only a small part, less than one thousandth, was exposed after the melting of the snow, it was already a vast area to him.


    So many great treasures were more than enough for him to feast on.


    Soon, his Divine Sense locked onto another promising find, and he and the scholar quickly set off again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Everfrost Dominion.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Ice that has frozen for ten thousand years without melting.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Melting and consuming it vastly strengthens control and power over Ice Magic spells.


    2: When used to brew tea, it¡¯s considered exceptional.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heh heh.¡±


    Chen Qiu laughed again, carefully storing the piece of Everfrost Dominion, about half his size, into the Heavenly Dao Ring. The Everfrost Dominion appeared incredibly clear and translucent without a speck of dust.


    Perfect for making tea¡ªdrinking it would likely enhance the potency of his Ice Magic, making his ¡°Snowfall¡± spell even stronger.

 Chapter 286 - 141:

    Chapter 286: Chapter 141: ¡°Do you look like you are fated to be together?¡±_4


    Very good!


    Continue!


    Another piece of Everfrost, hey, there¡¯s one here too.


    Ah, something new.


    ¨C


    Treasure Name: Frostveil Tea.


    ...


    Acquisition Source: A type of tea leaf that grows in snowy areas, the longer it grows, the better the taste.


    Usage Effect:


    1: After brewing and consumption, it can slightly enhance the Cultivation Progress of those at the Golden Core Stage or below.


    2: After brewing and consumption, it can cure fire poison and illusions. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    3: The best effects are achieved when brewed with water melted from Everfrost.


    ¨C


    ¡°Very good, even more perfect, just a perfect match.¡±


    By this time, Chen Qiu¡¯s smile was so wide he couldn¡¯t close his mouth, as with the melting of the heavy snow, a large amount of good stuff buried underneath was revealed, like this ¡®Heavenly Cold Tea¡¯ was just an ordinary tea leaf anyway.


    Although because of its challenging growing environment, it¡¯s somewhat rare, but its price isn¡¯t too high.


    Mainly, it tastes good, and it absolutely doesn¡¯t have any effect on enhancing Cultivation Progress, let alone curing fire poison and illusions after consumption.


    But Frostveil Tea is different, not only does it have various magical effects, but the flavor becomes even better.


    The snow on the Boundless Snow Mountain has been accumulating for thousands of years, even if a medicinal herb is ordinary, surviving under heavy snow for millennia definitely makes it no ordinary item, even if it was before, it isn¡¯t now.


    Just like this ¡®Heavenly Cold Tea¡¯ has now transformed!


    ¡°Remember to remind me.¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at Fat Long, ¡°After we return to Fatty Province, find the best Artifact Cultivator and make me the best teapot.¡±


    His tea leaves and spring water are of the highest quality.


    Frostveil Tea and Everfrost can be considered the highest quality tea leaves and spring water, and to brew tea with a common teapot in this situation would simply be an insult to his tea.


    Moreover, ordinary fire can no longer be used, it must be Spiritual Fire.


    It¡¯s just like buying a good horse, if you buy a good horse, why not buy a good saddle? Otherwise, what¡¯s the point of buying the horse.


    If it weren¡¯t for some wishful thinking.


    He would not even want a teapot made by an Artifact Cultivator, but rather a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure directly.


    Using a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure Teapot, brewing tea with spring water melted from the Everfrost soaked with Frostveil leaves, tsk tsk, he dares not think about how luxurious that would be.


    He could enjoy life, increase his Cultivation Progress, and the taste is simply excellent, truly getting the best of three worlds.


    In future days, sitting with no affairs on the back mountain of the Chao Tian Sect, sipping tea, reminiscing about life, dreaming of the future, cherishing present moments, wouldn¡¯t those days be beautiful?


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense was far-reaching, the scholar was fast, and with the large ¡®Snowfall¡¯ spell, those few Golden Core cultivators following behind were becoming slower and slower, and every time ¡®Snowfall¡¯ was about to end, Chen Qiu would renew it.


    ¡®Snowfall¡¯ lasts for three hundred breaths, but it doesn¡¯t take Chen Qiu three hundred breaths to fully recover his Spiritual Energy.


    This led to them following behind Chen Qiu for a long while, gaining nothing and becoming progressively slower.


    Realizing that at this rate, they felt their internal Spiritual Energy was about to freeze, and they would eventually have to retreat or possibly risk their lives.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Chen Qiu!¡±


    Finally, a Golden Core Stage Level 4 cultivator from the Hundred Countries, unable to hold back any longer, suppressed a faint anger in his voice, looked up at Chen Qiu, who was constantly storing treasures into his Storage Ring midway up the mountain, and yelled each word loudly.


    ¡°Since ancient times, the treasures of heaven and earth belong to those who are destined for them!¡±


    ¡°Your actions are overbearing, keeping all treasures to yourself, not even letting us have a sip of the soup, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gone too far?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood halfway up the mountain, his face puzzled as he turned and looked down at the Golden Core Stage Level 4 cultivator, ¡°If you think I¡¯m too much, why don¡¯t you come up and fight me?¡±


    ¡°Do you dislike fighting?¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re right, I¡¯ve always believed that the treasures of heaven and earth belong to those who are destined for them, and I fully agree with you on that.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you look like you¡¯re destined for them?¡±

 Chapter 287 - 142:

    Chapter 287: Chapter 142: ¡°Pink Entry?


    ¡°`


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re domineering!¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s words left the Golden Core cultivators, who had been ready to follow and reap the benefits, trembling with frustration.


    They couldn¡¯t beat him.


    And they didn¡¯t dare to curse him either.


    The other party was in a good mood at the moment, using the ¡°Snowfall,¡± a crowd control spell. If his mood turned sour later, tens of thousands of Thunder Summoning Techniques might come raining down, which would be a completely different problem.


    ...


    Even the ¡°Snowfall,¡± a control spell that hardly caused any damage, was hard to withstand for too long. Stay too long and not only would one¡¯s Spiritual Energy be completely frozen, but their life could also be at risk.


    So¡ª S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    These Golden Core cultivators, who could be considered tyrannical and used to getting their way wherever they went, exchanged glances, cursed silently in their hearts, and immediately turned into streaks of light, fleeing far away without looking back.


    They were all old predecessors with lifespans of several hundred years.


    To be so strongly challenged by a junior whose bones weren¡¯t even thirty years old was definitely frustrating, but there was nothing they could do. In the world of cultivation, strength was king.


    It wasn¡¯t about who lived longer.


    They could only sigh deeply in their hearts.


    The era that belonged to them had truly passed¡ªor perhaps, it had never belonged to them at all.


    ¡­


    ¡°Chen Qiu has already reached the fifth level of Golden Core Cultivation.¡±


    In the Capital, within the Caotian Sect, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect listened absentmindedly to the news from the Boundless Snow Mountain, not quite understanding why some could cultivate so quickly.


    Back in the day.


    The Spiritual Energy within Caotian Sect was considered abundant. When he first stepped into the realm of Golden Core, his ambitions were high. He built a Spirit Gathering Array with a large number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones to improve his Cultivation, and he also purchased Golden Core Cultivation Pills at a high price. Even so, it took him a year and a half of painstaking cultivation to reach the second level of Golden Core.


    But Chen Qiu¡ª


    How could he progress so rapidly?


    Almost every time he heard news about Chen Qiu, the latter¡¯s Cultivation had grown immensely, so much so that it seemed unreasonable, as if all Chen Qiu needed to do was eat and sleep and his Cultivation would naturally increase.


    He had spent a total of more than forty Mid-grade Spirit Stones at that time.


    Once he reached the second level of Golden Core, his high spirits gradually dissipated. Spending so many Mid-grade Spirit Stones did not increase his Cultivation significantly faster; it also depleted much of his own foundation. Although he still had some Mid-grade Spirit Stones left, he was no longer willing to use them to set up a Spirit Gathering Array for advancing his Cultivation.


    And so, he just settled.


    Many didn¡¯t understand why a Golden Core cultivator would just settle. When you know that you¡¯ll never reach the realm of Nascent Soul in this lifetime, and you¡¯ve seen countless stronger Heavenly Prides, and spending a large number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones still leaves you with slow Cultivation progress¡ª


    You¡¯d just settle too, thinking that¡¯s good enough for life.


    Just like that.


    He had spent a year and a half advancing from the first to the second level of Golden Core, but it took him over fifty years to move from the second to the current fourth level of Golden Core. While part of the reason was his reluctance to use Mid-grade Spirit Stones again¡ª


    The more important reason¡ª


    Was that with each higher level of the nine levels of Golden Core, the speed of Cultivation advancement would become extremely slow.


    If he remembered correctly¡ª


    Chen Qiu should be the first person in nearly a hundred years to reach the fifth level of Golden Core Cultivation before the age of thirty.


    Perhaps, this is the significance of an unparalleled Heavenly Pride, always causing other prides and even the old predecessors to often feel ashamed. The only consolation was that he had a good relationship with Chen Qiu, who had even exchanged a few smiling words with him last time.


    This honor was truly rare.


    As far as he knew¡ª


    There weren¡¯t many who were still alive after talking with Chen Qiu, let alone sharing laughter in conversation.


    If the Caotian Sect ever faced a calamity in the future, if he thickened his skin and sought out Chen Qiu, Chen Qiu probably wouldn¡¯t just stand by and watch. After all, what might be a sect-destroying catastrophe for Caotian Sect would probably be a trivial matter for Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Thinking of this¡ª


    The Sect Master of Heaven Sect couldn¡¯t help but sigh deeply with a complex expression, sending out his Divine Sense to look at Zhao Yishi not far away on the back mountain. Using his Disguise Skill to lie in the forest, pretending to be a natural hot spring, he let the female disciples of his sect swim to their heart¡¯s content in his mouth.


    Life was truly unpredictable.


    The first time he heard the name Chen Qiu was long ago, when Chen Qiu was still in Fufeng City. He learned of Chen Qiu from Zhao Yishi, being criticizing for Zhao¡¯s former cowardice in battle.


    The first time he saw Chen Qiu¡¯s image was during the demon invasion of Fufeng City. At that time, Chen Qiu was only at the Foundation Establishment level, standing on a Flying Sword and slaughtering Demon Clan cultivators with the Thunder Summoning Technique as if mowing down grass.


    The first time he met Chen Qiu in person was in Fei City of Fei State, by which time Chen Qiu had already started making a name for himself, having obtained the inheritance of a Magic Practitioner that no one had claimed for a thousand years. When they met, Chen Qiu was already at the eight level of Foundation Establishment.


    In front of him, Chen Qiu was rather humble, calling himself a junior. That was the first time he heard Chen Qiu refer to himself as a junior in front of him, and it would probably be the last. The next time they met, it might be him who would have to call himself the junior.


    At that time, even though Chen Qiu was only at the eight level of Foundation Establishment and saw him at the fourth level of Golden Core, there wasn¡¯t much fear in his eyes, he was neither servile nor overbearing, as if he was confident that he could counterattack even if he were attacked.


    When he saw Chen Qiu again, Chen Qiu had already become famous, having achieved the fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Golden Core. He had broken through to the first level of Golden Core, officially becoming one of Da Xia Country¡¯s famed Heavenly Prides!


    ¡°`

 Chapter 288 - 142:

    Chapter 288: Chapter 142: ¡°Pink Entry?¡±_2


    That was at the seating area of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm. On that day, Chen Qiu no longer addressed himself as a junior, only calling him Sect Master of Caotian. He did not, as he had said before, interact with Chen Qiu as brothers.


    Instead, he somewhat awkwardly addressed him as Daoist Chen.


    He could banter with Foundation Establishment Cultivators, laughing and calling each other brothers, because he knew that no matter what he said, they could only flatter and cooperate with him. But that time, he had already placed Chen Qiu on the same level as himself, and naturally could no longer afford to be frivolous.


    That day¡ª


    With an absolutely crushing momentum, in front of all the Major Sects of Da Xia, Chen Qiu faced dozens of Da Xia¡¯s strongest Heavenly Prides alone. A barrage of thunder completely shattered the pride in all the Heavenly Prides¡¯ hearts, and even the Heavenly Dao Decree appeared in the world to congratulate Chen Qiu on claiming the title of ¡°Peerless Heavenly Pride¡±!


    This was the first in Da Xia to be named a Peerless Heavenly Pride by the Heavenly Dao.


    ...


    In the past, many Heavenly Prides claimed or were called Peerless Heavenly Prides, but none were like Chen Qiu, who was acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao. Since that day, there were many fewer Heavenly Prides usually seen out and about, and no Heavenly Pride would claim to be a Peerless Heavenly Pride anymore.


    After watching the competition.


    He knew that the third time they met, he might have to address himself as a junior.


    The speed of Chen Qiu¡¯s growth had already surpassed his understanding, but even so, when he heard the continuous news of Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation changing almost daily, with breakthroughs each day, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.


    Sea Clan, Year Beast, Snow Clan.


    It seemed that no matter what happened, as long as Chen Qiu was there, he became the sole protagonist, and everyone else was relegated to mere spectators.


    It seemed like a long time had passed.


    But in fact, from the first time he heard the name Chen Qiu until now, when Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation had officially surpassed his, it was just a short span of less than two months.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of Caotian Sect looked towards Zhao Yishi, who was disguised as a hot spring not far beneath the woods, with a complex expression. Chen Qiu was the ideal imaginary disciple in his mind. Unfortunately¡­ but even if Chen Qiu truly was his disciple.


    He couldn¡¯t teach him anything, and even if Chen Qiu really called him Master, he would feel somewhat unworthy.


    ¡°*Sigh.*¡±


    He sighed again, standing on the mountain peak behind the Caotian Sect with one hand behind his back, gazing into the horizon, murmuring in a trance, ¡°So it turns out there really are such terrifying Heavenly Prides in this world.¡±


    ¡­


    Boundless Snow Mountain.


    Chen Qiu was standing on a protruding rock halfway up the mountain, ticking off his haul this time.


    Huge quantities of various medicinal herbs had all been packed into Jade Boxes and stuffed into a specially cleared storage room, which he named ¡°Herbal Warehouse.¡± Fortunately, he had received quite a few from the Heavenly Dao Blessing.


    He lacked everything but Jade Boxes.


    As for the ¡°Frostveil Tea,¡± he obtained as many as three hundred plants¡ªthe finest Spiritual Tea. If he were to sell them, each plant of ¡°Frostveil Tea¡± could probably be worth close to ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Of course, probably no Golden Core Cultivator in Da Xia Country would be willing to spend ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones on such a luxury, making it basically priceless.


    And the Everfrost Dominion, he excavated as many as three hundred pieces, which were superb for spring water, perfect for making tea.


    ¡°What a pity.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards the endless Boundless Snow Mountain covered by heavy snow stretching tens of thousands of miles away¡ªnot far from him. The small portion he excavated only represented an extremely minor part of the Boundless Snow Mountain, but it was these minor areas that hid so many treasures.


    One could imagine how many treasures were concealed under the other more extensive and thicker layers of snow on the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    He wanted to try blasting open the snow layer to continue excavating.


    But just as he was about to throw out a Thunder Ball, he suddenly felt a vast, enigmatic power lock onto him from the heavens and the earth; evidently, the Boundless Snow Mountain could not tolerate destruction, so he had to leave for the time being.


    Temporarily leaving did not mean he would never return in the future.


    Once he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, when he came back, he would take everything here.


    ¡°Stand up, return!¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t return to Fat Long but directly took the night to travel, flying to the farthest west of Da Xia, ¡°Pingzhou,¡± without looking for any fine teapot Spiritual Treasures. In the largest city of Pingzhou, ¡°Xiangyang City,¡± he went to a Spiritual Treasure shop.


    He spent several hundred Spirit Stones and bought a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure, the most expensive teapot-class Spiritual Treasure in the store.


    Spiritual Treasure designs were varied and numerous, with almost all kinds of styles. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But almost no teapot designs, no matter how many designs there were. There were essentially only three types of effects: attack, defense, and support.


    The style of this teapot seemed unrelated to any of those, and practically no one would buy such an item. Occasionally, some Evil Cultivators liked to do something different, using a teapot instead of a Banner of a Thousand Souls to contain resentful spirits.


    The only effect of this teapot Spiritual Treasure was that it contained two pots with a mechanism in the handle that could control which pot¡¯s tea was poured out.


    It was often used for poisoning.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t mind this. After all, it was a Spiritual Treasure, and even if it was a Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure, it was still somewhat significant, freshly crafted without ever being used.


    ¡­


    Inside the small world.


    Chen Qiu sat on the back mountain, using his sword to chop off a piece of Everfrost Dominion and stuffed it into the teapot. Accompanied by the influx of Spiritual Energy, the Everfrost Dominion quickly melted away and began to boil.


    Following that, he dropped in a plant of ¡°Frostveil Tea.¡±


    Cover the pot.


    In the time it took to brew a pot of tea, a fragrance already drifted out.


    ¡°This aroma¡­¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s eyes flashed with amazement, as he closed his eyes and sniffed carefully, ¡°How odd, it¡¯s clearly hot tea, but the scent, once inhaled, gives one the cool sensation as if standing in an ice and snow-covered land during the height of summer heat.¡±

 Chapter 289 - 142:

    Chapter 289: Chapter 142: ¡°Pink Entry?¡±_3


    And the scholar couldn¡¯t help but murmur in a trance, ¡°I seem to see myself in white garments, a sword in hand, standing alone at the highest peak of the Boundless Snow Mountain, making solitary decisions that span through the ages.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu shook his head with a smile, picked up the teapot, and poured each person, including himself, half a cup.


    He had also drunk Spiritual Tea before.


    But this was probably the most expensive Spiritual Tea he had ever tasted. Just one ¡°Frostveil Tea¡± leaf could only brew one teapot, and as the fragrance spilled out, the Frostveil Tea had completely dissolved into the spring water.


    One pot could pour out about a dozen cups, and each cup of tea was probably worth one Mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    ¡°Everyone, have a taste.¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu took the lead, raised his teacup, and took a light sip. The scalding tea was, at the moment it entered his throat, filled with fragrance; his Golden Core Cultivation was strong enough that even without fortifying his physical body, he was still stronger than ordinary people, naturally not fearing the scalding heat.


    Yet within the heat, there carried waves of chilliness.


    Even a mortal drinking it would not harm their throat; on the contrary, they would experience the unique sensation of heat and chilliness continuously interchanging in their throat and flowing into their belly.


    Slightly astringent, with a sweet aftertaste.


    With one sip, the fragrance rushed to the nose; perhaps because he knew the cost of this cup of Spiritual Tea was extremely high, he felt that its aroma was rarely seen in this world.


    ¡°Excellent tea.¡±


    A few moments later, Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, looked at the now-empty teacup in his hands, and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He previously thought that tea was just something to quench thirst, casually drinkable, but having tasted this cup of Spiritual Tea today¡ª


    He then knew the difference between teas was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth!


    The most important thing was¡ª


    After the Everfrost Dominion melted into the tea and was drunk, it would slightly enhance his control and strength over Ice Magic.


    Whereas drinking the Frostveil Tea could increase one¡¯s Cultivation.


    Of course.


    Having drunk only half a cup, he did not feel any change in his Cultivation, but he felt a pleasant warmth in his belly.


    Yet Fat Long, sitting beside him, had a glint of shock flash through his eyes, and his voice trembled as he said, ¡°Brother Qiu, this half cup of tea increased my Cultivation Progress by one percent!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise, not expecting that this half cup of Spiritual Tea was so effective. It was much stronger than the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for Foundation Establishment. Fat Long had a Foundation Establishment at the fourth level, and this half cup of Spiritual Tea had increased his Cultivation Progress by one percent.


    That effect was substantial!


    You should know¡ª


    This Frostveil Tea¡¯s primary effect was its deliciousness, meant to be used as a beverage, and enhancing Cultivation was just an auxiliary effect. Yet even its secondary effect was so powerful.


    The nearby scholar, who had been savoring the aftertaste in his mouth, heard Fat Long¡¯s exclamation and introspected. Looking at the space above his Dantian, he was also surprised and said, ¡°Brother Qiu, my Cultivation Progress increased by one thousandth of a percent.¡±


    The scholar had Cultivation at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.


    Half a cup of Spiritual Tea increased his Cultivation by one thousandth of a percent, which was about a tenth of Fat Long¡¯s effect, but even so, it was still notably good.


    After all, this was just tea.


    Moreover, it didn¡¯t require operating any mental method to absorb its medicinal properties.


    ¡°Try drinking a few more cups.¡±


    Chen Qiu was not stingy and promptly refilled half a cup for Fat Long and the others. If drinking tea could improve their Cultivation Progress, then the Everfrost Skygrass he had dug up this time would be enough to forcefully push the scholars to the Golden Core Stage.


    ¡­


    After six consecutive cups.


    Fat Long couldn¡¯t help but savor the taste and smack his lips, ¡°Good tea, this might be the best tea in Da Xia. I suspect even the Emperor of Da Xia might not have tasted such fine tea.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s mighty effective.¡±


    ¡°Five cups of tea increased my Cultivation Progress by five percent, but this sixth cup of tea was useless.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± agreed the scholar who had also finished six cups of tea.


    Chen Qiu thoughtfully nodded, ¡°There must be a limit, such as within a certain number of hours, or within a single day, only the first five cups of Spiritual Tea have the effect of enhancing Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s useful for you¡ª¡±


    ¡°These five Frostveil Tea leaves and the remaining large chunk of Everfrost Dominion are yours, Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°Scholar, you shouldn¡¯t drink it on a regular basis.¡±


    ¡°For you to gain only one thousandth of a percent in Cultivation Progress per cup is too wasteful. Wait until Fat Long has caught up with you in Cultivation before drinking it. Then you can stop thinking about it.¡±


    He still looked somewhat distressed as he glanced at the teapot, which only had enough for one more cup, and after pouring it for himself, he sipped slowly, savoring the sweetness in his mouth.


    ¡°Frostveil Tea,¡± one plant could only brew one teapot, and a pot only had about a dozen cups in total.


    He had altogether acquired more than three hundred plants.


    He had planned to save them for future enjoyment.


    Using them like this to improve Cultivation Progress was too wasteful, after all, it couldn¡¯t increase much Cultivation Progress. It was the chunk of ¡°Everfrost Dominion¡± that could brew over a dozen pots of tea.


    The ¡°Everfrost Dominion¡± was sufficient.


    But the tea was not.


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to Brother Qiu¡­¡±


    The scholar looked at Fat Long with a melancholic gaze and spoke faintly.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Fat Long chuckled as he took the Storage Ring Chen Qiu handed to him: ¡°Thanks, Brother Qiu, and don¡¯t look at me like that, Scholar. Brother Qiu is also right, after all, your Cultivation is too high. By drinking one cup you¡¯d gain so little progress in Cultivation. You might as well sleep and increase it through Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. Just forget about this little bit of mine.¡±


    ¡­


    After doing all this, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t bother with Fat Long and the others but went straight to the mountain peak behind the Chao Tian Sect.


    After the snow retreated from the Boundless Snow Mountain,


    a number of caves were revealed, all of which he had explored, but, unfortunately, they turned out to be empty, containing nothing, not even bones, clearly having been abandoned a long time ago.


    The greatest gains were those chunks of Everfrost Dominion, the Frostveil Tea, and all those various medicinal herbs that added up to many Mid-grade Spirit Stones in value.

 Chapter 290 - 142:

    Chapter 290: Chapter 142: ¡°Pink Entry?¡±_4


    Leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella atop the mountain peak, Chen Qiu fiddled with the Heavenly Dao Ring on his index finger, already clad in the Heavenly Dao Boots and draped in a black robe as he stood in place, his complexion calm as he gazed at the ¡°Eight-petal Demon Lotus¡± and the ¡°Eight-petal Resentment Lotus¡± hovering above the small world.


    Under the effect of the entry ¡°All-Knowing,¡± for the first time, he also learned about the effects of these two mystical flowers.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Eight-petal Demon Lotus.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: A spiritual object of heaven and earth, born in a place rich in Demonic Qi.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    ...


    1: Essential material for forging a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.


    2: Material for cultivating Spiritual Treasures suitable for Demon Cultivation.


    3:¡­


    6: If a Demon Cultivator consumes it and does not perish from their body exploding, they can significantly increase their Cultivation.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Eight-petal Resentment Lotus.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: A spiritual object of heaven and earth, born in a place rich in resentful energy.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Essential material for forging a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.


    2: Material for cultivating Spiritual Treasures suitable for Evil Cultivation.


    3:¡­


    6: If an Evil Cultivator consumes it and does not perish from their body exploding, they can significantly increase their Cultivation.


    ¨C


    Interestingly, he had only randomly chosen the names, never expecting they would actually be the names of these two Spiritual Objects.


    And these two heavenly treasures essentially have the same effects.


    They only correspond to different Cultivation Paths.


    One aspect that was consistently the same, though, was that both were essential materials for forging a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Twelve-grade Nascent Soul¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu murmured in a daze. To be honest, he hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead. His current Cultivation was only at the sixth layer of the Golden Core Stage, and he hadn¡¯t considered the matter of proving a Nascent Soul. He would think about it when he reached the peak of the Great Perfection Cultivation of the Golden Core Stage. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Could it be that the Eight-petal Fire Lotus that once helped him forge a twelve-grade Golden Core featured precisely the effect of being an essential material for a twelve-grade Golden Core?


    What luck he had.


    At the time, he hadn¡¯t thought about a twelve-grade Golden Core at all, feeling quite satisfied with a ten-grade Golden Core.


    It¡¯s also a mystery why Da Xia Country, a place ostensibly incapable of birthing a Nascent Soul, would produce such a heavenly treasure for forging a twelve-grade Nascent Soul. Moreover, he clearly remembered that the Eight-petal Demon Lotus had drifted out from within the body of a Heavenly Girl from the Flower Offering Sect.


    ¡°¡­Huh!¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t return to the inn but instead sat cross-legged on the mountain peak and started cultivating again.


    There was still more than an hour before dawn.


    The ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills that were due to arrive at midnight were still quietly lying inside his Heavenly Dao Ring.


    As he closed his eyes and circulated his mental method, he quickly entered a state of cultivation.


    ¡­


    Three hours later.


    Chen Qiu let out a long breath and performed introspection to check the progress of his Cultivation within his body.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage sixth layer (80.1%).


    ¨C


    Originally, at the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage, one Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could increase his Cultivation Progress by 2%. After reaching the sixth layer, it could only increase his Cultivation Progress by 1%.


    A night of hard cultivation.


    He had only increased his Cultivation Progress by 10.1%.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have much to do in the following days.


    Chen Qiu was unwilling to travel further and intended to break through to the seventh layer of the Golden Core Stage Cultivation in one go.


    ¡­


    Two days later.


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes slowly as he sat cross-legged on the mountain peak. He had been sitting here and hadn¡¯t gone anywhere else, continuously cultivating for two days and nights and after consuming another 20 Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    He finally made his breakthrough to the seventh layer of the Golden Core Stage.


    His Cultivation had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage Seventh Layer (0.2£¥).


    ¨C


    He nodded in satisfaction, feeling the tremendous Spiritual Energy within his Dantian. With the intensity of Spiritual Energy he possessed now, the Thunder Summoning Technique he could release would be far more powerful than the one he used during the Sea Clan invasion.


    Golden Core Seventh Layer.


    This level of Cultivation was now sufficiently secure, enough that even if he went to the Xuantian Continent, he believed that even if there were those he could not defeat, he would not be hunted down too miserably.


    And in the event of a truly fierce battle, he could always go all in with his 9.8 billion Merit points.


    He was a little afraid to imagine the power of the ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± activated by going all in with 9.8 billion Merit points!


    Even a Nascent Soul at its peak would likely die under his single strike.


    He then looked towards the familiar panel that emerged above the Dantian in his body, shrouded in clouds and mist.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has significantly increased, formally stepping into the Seventh Layer of the Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Merit Saint.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Pink.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Each time you kill a demon beast, you will gain one point of Merit.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Merit Protection.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: The more Merit points you have, the less damage you will suffer from Heavenly Tribulation.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Merit Land.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: The more sinful points you have, the faster your movement technique speed becomes.


    ¨C


    ¡°Pink Entry?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise as he randomly encountered another Pink Entry, which he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.


    A Pink Entry was an exceptionally special kind of entry.


    All Pink Entries, without exception, are capable of unlimited growth.


    And the three Pink Entries he¡¯d encountered so far, including the one from the scholar, made it four in total. These four Pink Entries basically enhanced some attribute for each demon beast killed.


    For instance, this Pink Entry ¡°Merit Saint¡± would add one Merit point for every demon beast killed.


    This meant that Fat Long¡¯s ¡°Hundred Percent Accuracy¡± could only be limited to its kind¡ªif demon beasts were included, exposure in the Xuantian Continent would likely make Fat Long a highly coveted target.


    Any sect that had a disciple with a Pink Entry would probably kidnap Fat Long.


    Not for any other reason,


    But to let Fat Long breed with some fast-spawning demon beasts, endlessly fathering offspring.


    One side breeds, the other side kills.


    One side kills, the other side breeds.


    A veritable demon beast-producing machine.


    Although this entry wasn¡¯t bad, he didn¡¯t plan on taking it. After all, killing a demon beast just to gain one Merit point¡ªhe had 9.8 billion Merit points already.


    He¡¯d have to kill 9.8 billion demon beasts to match that many Merit points.


    Where on earth was he going to find 9.8 billion demon beasts to kill?


    However, he quite liked the second entry ¡°Merit Protection.¡± He had some idea about Heavenly Tribulation; at higher stages of cultivation, each breakthrough of a Great Realm, even each small realm, might encounter Heavenly Tribulation.


    Only by enduring the Heavenly Tribulation could one truly surpass the barrier.


    Choosing this entry, with his 9.8 billion Merit points, he believed he could take a bath in the most violent of Heavenly Tribulations.


    As long as he didn¡¯t squander his 9.8 billion Merit points in one go.


    The third entry was even less relevant to him. The faster movement technique speed with more sinful points¡ªhe hadn¡¯t even heard of sinful points, and the Da Xia Heavenly Dao rankings did not have a list for sinful points.


    He didn¡¯t know how to increase sinful points.


    Seeing as he was neither an Evil Cultivator nor a Demon Cultivator, and wouldn¡¯t commit overtly evil acts, he certainly couldn¡¯t increase sinful points.


    If only the entry effect were changed¡­


    Changed to, the more moral points you have, the faster your movement technique speed.


    He would choose this entry without hesitation; it would be most suitable for him. He felt that since there was a Merit Land entry, there must also be a completely opposite corresponding entry.

 Chapter 291 - 143: His name is Chen Qiu, and he time-traveled not long ago.

    Chapter 291: Chapter 143: His name is Chen Qiu, and he time-traveled not long ago.


    Under the empowerment of 9.8 billion merit points, he found it hard to believe how fast his movement technique could be. The scholar¡¯s sword definitely couldn¡¯t catch up to him. He was sure he¡¯d need a lot of defensive magical treasures to handle it; otherwise, with such speed, he was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to control himself and might end up crashing to his death.


    This wasn¡¯t an impossible occurrence.


    In fact, one could say there was a high probability of it happening.


    In the end,


    As the ten breaths were about to end, he chose the ¡°Merit Protection¡± entry. Not too shabby; he was quite satisfied with it. Although this entry didn¡¯t seem of much use now, when he broke through to a higher realm later and faced the Heavenly Tribulation, it would show its true value.


    It could be considered a long-term entry.


    ...


    After selecting the entry,


    Chen Qiu, who was standing on the mountain peak behind Chao Tian Sect, finally got up, stretched his muscles and bones, and pondered whether to go out for a stroll.


    Though Chao Tian Sect was a small world of its own with nice scenery,


    it couldn¡¯t withstand those two peculiar flowers that released resentful energy and demonic qi every day, casting a gloomy atmosphere over Chao Tian Sect. Although it had no effect on the body, it always felt less sunny. It seemed better to go out and enjoy the sunlight.


    ¡°Hmm,¡±


    After pondering for a while, Chen Qiu decided to go out for breakfast and see if ¡°Xiangyang City¡± had any special morning dishes to offer, as dawn had just arrived.


    ¡­


    Xiangyang City, at a food stall.


    Chen Qiu and his companions sat at a stall specializing in lamb shaomai, a local delicacy found only in Xiangyang City throughout Da Xia Country. In other provinces, the shaomai was mostly made of glutinous rice.


    Only in Xiangyang City was there a tradition of eating lamb shaomai.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Chen Qiu took out a handkerchief to wipe off the grease at the corner of his mouth. He didn¡¯t eat much¡ªtrying just a few to savor the taste was enough. The flavor was quite distinct from Hai Province¡¯s glutinous rice seafood shaomai, with no clear winner in terms of taste; he enjoyed both.


    After his stroll, it was time to continue cultivating.


    ¡­


    In the blink of an eye, ten days had swiftly passed by.


    During these days, Chen Qiu, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed in a guest room at an inn in Xiangyang City, turned his head towards the window and saw the dawn breaking in the sky, exhaling a long breath of turbid air.


    He had been rigorously cultivating day and night over the ten days.


    Whenever a Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was credited to his account, he would absorb its medicinal essence to enhance his cultivation. When without the pills, he would refine his fine control over Divine Sense and Spiritual Energy.


    Finally,


    Until this morning, he had successfully broken through to the eighth level of Golden Core!


    ¡°The speed seems to be much faster than I anticipated,¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the cultivation progress panel within his Dantian, pondering. He had been worried whether he would be able to break through to Golden Core Peak Great Perfection before the opening of the Heavenly Pride Path in a year¡¯s time.


    He didn¡¯t want to be beaten up for having a low cultivation level when the time came.


    Unexpectedly, in less than a month, he had already reached the eighth level of Golden Core.


    With this progress, what he should be considering now was not whether he could reach Golden Core Peak Great Perfection before the opening of the Heavenly Pride Path but whether he might directly breakthrough to Nascent Soul before it began.


    That would render him unable to participate, as the Heavenly Pride Path was only open to cultivators with a Nascent Soul cultivation level or below.


    ¡°That seems a bit unfair,¡±


    He shook his head.


    Golden Core heavenly prides were still heavenly prides; wasn¡¯t he still one if he became a Nascent Soul heavenly pride?


    It¡¯s illogical.


    Not dwelling on it further, he introspected the panel shrouded in mist within himself.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has surged, officially stepping into the eighth level of Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Burning with Jealousy.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: The attacks you inflict on cultivators with a Taoist couple will receive a slight damage bonus.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Life Spirit Conversion.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When your Spiritual Energy is depleted, you can use your lifespan to cast spells in place of Spiritual Energy.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Adding Fuel to the Fire.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Your Ice Magic spells will receive an enhancement.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression was somewhat speechless. He couldn¡¯t believe that with his Golden Core eighth level cultivation, he could still randomly encounter a green entry, a common find for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Had he not looked at the almanac today? He felt his luck was a bit off.


    Before choosing an entry in the future, he¡¯d better check the almanac first.


    The first two entries were of no use, so there was no need to consider them. Just pick the last entry.


    Forget it.


    Just as he was about to continue his cultivation, he suddenly heard a commotion from within the small world; it was the shopkeeper calling for him.


    Although somewhat puzzled, he still moved his thoughts and appeared within Chao Tian Sect.


    ¡­


    Chao Tian Sect, outside the disciple dormitory.


    Chen Qiu looked at the middle-aged shopkeeper whose face was so pale it was frightening, with horrifying red blood vessels filling his eyes, and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head resignedly while passing over a few Healing Pills, ¡°Shopkeeper, there was no need for such haste, take it slowly.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it was okay if it took three to five years to open the storage ring?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of worried you might drop dead suddenly.¡±


    This man was now his precious asset; many storage ring prohibitions couldn¡¯t be broken by others but this man could manage.


    Where others failed to break the prohibitions, this man could; where others succeeded, this man was even faster.


    ¡°I¡¯ve broken through!¡±


    Although the middle-aged shopkeeper¡¯s complexion was extremely pale, his eyes revealed a terrifying excitement, ¡°I had an epiphany last night, suddenly had an epiphany, ha ha ha ha ha, Young Master, quick, take a look!¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes showed a hint of surprise. It was a task they said would take three to five years, yet after just more than a dozen days, it had been broken through?

 Chapter 292 - 143: His name is Chen Qiu, and he traveled through time not long ago._2

    Chapter 292: Chapter 143: His name is Chen Qiu, and he traveled through time not long ago._2


    This storage ring was something he picked up from Little Wolf¡¯s mouth.


    It was also his first encounter with such a complexly sealed storage ring.


    He was really curious about what was inside at that moment.


    ¡°Let me see.¡±


    He took over the storage ring, and his Divine Sense immediately delved inside, while the middle-aged shopkeeper, knowing his place, returned to the disciple dormitory again.


    The storage ring was essentially empty, containing only a brocade bag.


    ...


    Inside the brocade bag was just a piece of paper and a small fruit.


    The brocade bag had no restrictions; he pulled out a faded piece of paper with several lines of poorly handwritten characters on it.


    ¡°My name is Chen Qiu. If you are reading this, it means I am already dead.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay then.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood silently in place, feeling as if he had seen a ghost, and continued reading.


    ¡°Nine is the ultimate number.¡±


    ¡°I failed nine times, the last time, I went to a temple to ask the gods if I could succeed on my tenth attempt.¡±


    ¡°I tossed the Holy Grail nine times, and the gods denied me nine times.¡±


    ¡°I destroyed all the temples in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°If I believe in him, he is a deity.¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If I do not believe in him, he is just a clay statue.¡±


    ¡°One last time, try one last time.¡±


    ¡°I left all my foundations for the last time, ordered by the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, in the small world, the Seven-colored entry Step by Step, the only entry Dantian Expansion, twelve-grade Golden Core, the Five Great Demon Lotus, countless merits¡­ etc.¡±


    ¡°They say that nine is the ultimate number, beyond nine, there is bound to be failure.¡±


    ¡°I, do not believe.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This time is also the last, there¡¯s no time anymore, no chance to start from scratch again.¡±


    ¡°If I fail again this time, then it might¡­ really be over.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit unwilling.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu sat on the steps in front of the disciple dormitory, silently not speaking for a long time, and after a while, he looked up toward the two Demon Lotuses half-floating in the air of Chao Tian Sect, his expression calm as he gently rubbed the faded piece of paper in his hand.


    There was a lot of information recorded on this faded piece of paper, so much so that he was somewhat unable to understand it all at once.


    ¡­


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    Today was the thirty-first day since his arrival, and after laboriously chopping wood for thirty days, he had finally saved more than two thousand coins in his pocket, allowing him to rent a small house in this unfamiliar city.


    Chopping wood was really tiring.


    Fortunately, he had learned how to chop people.


    He had just traveled through time, and at this time, there was no Da Xia, and the version of Heavenly Dao had not yet updated to the Da Xia version. It was still the era of sects, clans, and cities standing together. He had randomly obtained a White entry at the start.


    He cultivated up to the third level of Foundation Establishment and, by chance, obtained the entry ¡°Start from Scratch¡± during a venture into a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    This entry allowed him to lose all memories, entries, cultivation, etc., and return to the time and place of his birth, start from scratch, and even have his lifespan and bone age reset, as well as recover all injuries and hidden injuries on his body.


    In a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Surrounded by thieves and gravely injured, he activated this entry, transforming into a beam of white light and returning to the place where he first arrived in this world, which was Fufeng City.


    ¡­


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    He had already reincarnated once; this was his second reincarnation, but he did not know that. Just like before, he picked up an axe and energetically headed to the outskirts of Fufeng City.


    He chopped wood for twenty-nine days.


    On the thirtieth day, he chopped a person.


    He had earned enough to buy a potion. This lifetime, he had randomly obtained the White entry ¡°Bull Strength,¡± a completely useless White entry, but he did not mind or despair.


    It was a tough climb upwards, and in this lifetime, it was his worst.


    It took him three whole years to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, becoming an array repairer in the marketplace, making Array Plates daily, and occasionally taking Array Plates to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm to ambush others.


    While at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, the marketplace was destroyed by a Golden Core, and as he was about to die, he looked into the eyes of that Golden Core without much hatred, just feeling a bit unwilling; if he too were a Golden Core, who could have killed him?


    Just before dying.


    He discovered that somehow, the entry ¡°Start from Scratch¡± had appeared on his Tao Foundation¡ªsomething he still didn¡¯t know, that once chosen, this entry, regardless of how many times you reincarnate, would follow you and appear nine times, giving you nine chances to reincarnate.


    A flash of white light.


    Before the Golden Core slaughtered the entire marketplace, he once again returned to Fufeng City, and by then, it had been decades since his first life, with no one caring about a Loose Cultivator who died in a Secret Realm or an array repairer of the Foundation Establishment who died in the marketplace.


    ¡­


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    This was his third life, but he still did not know it; he just felt that he had just traveled through time.


    With great enthusiasm, he chopped wood for twenty-nine days and on the thirtieth day, he chopped a person again.


    Once more, he had earned enough for a potion of awakening.


    This life, his Initial Entry was the White entry ¡°Surrounded,¡± and in this life, it took him fifty years to finally reach the Golden Core Path, only to learn that in Da Xia, it was impossible to cultivate to the Nascent Soul.


    He was unwilling.


    After reaching the second level of Golden Core, unable to advance his cultivation further, he died of old age.


    Just before death, the entry ¡°Start from Scratch¡± mysteriously appeared on his Tao Foundation again, and in a trance, turn into a beam of white light and disappear, once again returning to Fufeng City.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had recently traveled through time.


    This was his sixth life; this lifetime, he had already discovered the truth about Da Xia Country, but even though this lifetime he was a peak Great Perfection body cultivator of Golden Core, he also knew, with his power, he could not break out of this cage.

 Chapter 293 - 143: His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._3

    Chapter 293: Chapter 143: His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._3


    After he had advanced to the Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak, he found a heavenly treasure known as the ¡°Ling Fruit,¡± which restored all his memories from his past life, revealing his experiences from his previous lives and his own goals.


    In this life, he found the ruins of the Chao Tian Sect.


    However, he did not assume the position of Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, knowing that he had reached his limit in this life. He decided to leave his opportunities for the next life, and before his life ran out, the term ¡°start from scratch¡± emerged again in his Golden Core.


    He left all the opportunities he encountered in this life for his seventh incarnation.


    At that time, Xia Country had just been established. He supported the Xia family to ascend to the throne, and he allowed the one seated on the throne to possess numerous Heavenly Dao Terms with no negative effects, thus ensuring the Royal Family¡¯s foundation was solid.


    And he commanded them to safeguard Xia.


    ...


    By then, he was known as the Emperor¡¯s Tutor.


    ¡­


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had transmigrated not long ago.


    This was his eighth life.


    He reappeared in Fufeng City but was captured before he could even begin chopping wood and was sold as a slave to a small village in the Hundred Countries.


    After spending a year as a slave and a year grinding his sword skills.


    He escaped. His Initial Entry was ¡°Sword Heart Clarity.¡± in this life, he became the number one Sword Cultivator in the world. Cloaked in white, he killed until people dared not speak loudly; while at the sixth level of Golden Core cultivation, he challenged the Nascent Soul cultivation level puppet again.


    Defeated, he retreated heavily wounded.


    He knew that Sword Cultivators couldn¡¯t break the Da Xia prison, Chao Tian Sect being the absolute Sword Cultivation sect, the puppets they created were also purely Sword Cultivation puppets, too adept at combating Sword Cultivators.


    Sword Cultivators could not fight beyond their level.


    Body Cultivation was also ineffective; the murderous Sword Qi of the resentful spirit Sword Cultivation puppet made it impossible for Body Cultivators to get close.


    It had to be a Magic Practitioner, one who could avoid the Sword Qi from a distance and deal substantial damage to the puppet.


    Also needed was a sufficiently powerful Sword Cultivator to decapitate the puppet, as the Nascent Soul level puppet was equipped with a Sword Array that could only be slain by a Sword Cultivator.


    In this life.


    After standing silently at the Sword Cultivation Inheritance Fifth Level in the Boundless Ice Field for a long time, he eventually chose to give up under the puzzled gaze of the Guardian.


    He was already strong enough; the Sword Cultivation inheritance increased his strength only marginally, but even with it, the Nascent Soul puppet was insurmountable. He decided to leave this inheritance for his future-selected Sword Cultivation prodigy, so that they could get stronger using it.


    In this life¡ª


    He breezed through countless Secret Realms and learned the method to form a twelfth-grade Golden Core, lost for tens of thousands of years.


    He left these things, including the numerous merits brought by the twelfth-grade Golden Core and an exceptionally suitable term for Magic Practitioners, ¡°Dantian Expansion (Unique),¡± all for his ninth life.


    And at the sixth level of the Golden Core, he chose to give up, knowing he had taken the wrong path. Even if his Cultivation was raised to the peak of the Golden Core, he could still not break the prison, and time was short. He decided to leave enough time for his ninth life.


    Ninth life.


    Start from scratch.


    Only the strongest Magic Practitioner and a sufficiently strong Sword Cultivator could break the massive prison of Da Xia.


    ¡­


    His name was Chen Qiu, and he had transmigrated not long ago.


    This was his ninth life.


    But in this life, he did not go chop wood.


    Upon waking up, he was immediately presented with copious documents left by his previous lives, and with all this information, he understood the events of his prior eight lives. In this life, his Initial Entry was ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    By deceiving others, he could gain Cultivation Progress. He did not receive any terms suitable for a Magic Practitioner.


    In this life, he became the State Preceptor.


    A century passed.


    He had once tried to lay down a massive heavenly array across Xia, using official paths as channels, people¡¯s faith as the guide, and the nation¡¯s fate as the base to exterminate those several Nascent Soul puppets, but ended in failure.


    Time was running out; there was no time to attempt it again.


    He placed all his hopes on his tenth life.


    He found the ¡°Seven-colored Step by Step¡± Jade Scroll. If crushed at the moment of his death, the Initial Entry for the next life would definitely be Step by Step.


    He began to painstakingly lay the groundwork for his tenth and final life.


    He transformed the ¡°Chao Tian Sect ruins¡± discovered in his sixth life into the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm using the term ¡°Acting on behalf of Heaven¡± and set it near the Wen Tian market.


    Time was running out.


    He timed its opening for thirty days after his tenth life had awakened, because he knew, barring any accidents, that he had to first chop wood for 29 days; he knew this schedule was tight but there was not enough time.


    This time, he did not plan to leave extensive documents detailing the events of his previous lives as had been done in his eighth life, because he realized that it might actually disturb his mental state and lead to many mistakes.


    He believed his tenth life could break through the final barrier, seize the position of Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, and take over this small world. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He again used the term ¡°Acting on behalf of Heaven¡± to set up a ¡°Kill¡± type Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, the Small World of Beans and Peas, in Fufeng City, 30 days after his tenth life awoke. He knew that with his personality, as long as there was a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he would definitely go.


    He bet that he could survive it,


    and used it as his first pot of gold.


    To ensure that his tenth life faced no unforeseen events and could smoothly embark on the path of ascension from Fufeng City rather than being captured and sold as a slave to the Hundred Countries like in his eighth life, during his life as the ninth State Preceptor, he eradicated all the human trafficking gangs.


    And he ruthlessly suppressed the Hundred Countries, especially those close to Fufeng City.


    So that the petty criminals and the Northern Desert Demon Clan would not dare approach Da Xia Xuzhou.


    Not for any other reason,


    but to ensure his tenth life could follow the path he had laid out without any problems.

 Chapter 294 - 143: His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._4

    Chapter 294: Chapter 143: His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._4


    Almost there¡­ Almost there¡­


    Only one Sword Cultivator is lacking to deal the final blow to the Puppet, and in this life, the Ninth National Master chose Bai Yi, his fervent fan and the follower who even named himself after him.


    A very talented young Sword Cultivator. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And he also has a Bloodline Entry.


    It¡¯s just that his foundation is a bit weak; to become the strongest Sword Cultivator, one cannot do without fortuitous encounters.


    He also arranged some fortuitous encounters for this youngster named Bai Yi.


    ...


    The Sword Cultivator inheritance that the Eighth National Master did not want is as good as his.


    But¡­


    To pass the Sword Cultivator inheritance, one cannot do without experiencing great rises and falls.


    He planted a hook in the heart of the Heavenly Dao¡¯s foremost beauty Ji Renjian, causing her subconscious to believe that the man she loved was not Ji Taiping but the one who silently protected her all the way, even though Ji Renjian mistook that person for Ji Taiping.


    He influenced Bai Yi¡¯s mind, ensuring Bai Yi would escort Ji Renjian all the way; otherwise, with that kid¡¯s temperament, he would never have done such a thing.


    And at the last moment, he made Bai Yi realize that his will had been influenced, leading him to withdraw and leave.


    That would be enough.


    Then, he ordered the Capital City Zhang Family to hunt down Bai Yi, leaving him crippled and with drastically reduced Cultivation, before banishing him to the Ask-the-Sky Market, patiently awaiting the arrival of his tenth incarnation.


    Bai Yi¡¯s Bloodline Entry could serve as an excellent method of expedited travel for his tenth life and also provide the final blow when shattering the Nascent Soul Puppet later on.


    As long as Bai Yi obtains the Sword Cultivator inheritance.


    And after breaking through to the Golden Core, he acquires the opportunity with Ji Renjian, which he had arranged for Bai Yi long ago, allowing Bai Yi¡¯s power to surge. Similarly, he had already prepared for Bai Yi the whetstone in the form of Ji Taiping, to smoothly enter the Human Sword Unity realm.


    But¡­ it¡¯s still not enough.


    He prepared five Demon Lotuses for his tenth life, the same ones unearthed from the Chao Tian Sect heritage, but they are all just seedlings that must be placed in a specific environment to grow to maturity.


    Four are hidden in the Forbidden Land, one within the body of a woman¡ªthe Demon Clan Saintess, the true Demon Clan Saintess.


    Captured before the Chao Tian Sect voluntarily imprisoned itself thousands of years ago, she lay frozen deep behind the mountains of the Chao Tian Sect.


    He excavated her and altered all her memories.


    The body of the Demon Clan Saintess is the optimal soil for growing the ¡°Eight-petal Demon Lotus.¡±


    The condition is¡­


    The condition is that it needs to ferment slowly in an extremely desperate state of mind, but one cannot be desperate all the time. A sliver of minor redemption is required; otherwise, the Saintess and the Eight-petal Demon Lotus would self-destruct together. Once enough time has passed to ferment, when that thread of salvation is extinguished, along with the fall of the Witch, the Eight-petal Demon Lotus will be fully matured.


    Thus, he once again influenced the mind of this little girl, pushing her to become the Flower Offering Sect¡¯s Walking Heavenly Girl.


    It¡¯s just that he no longer had time to find someone to give that sliver of redemption to the Walking Heavenly Girl.


    He left the task to his trusted followers who remained in the palace.


    He left behind a brocade bag.


    If everything went according to plan, the Eight-petal Demon Lotus would have been ready to mature sufficiently by the end of the ¡°Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡± At that time, just destroy that thread of redemption, and the Eight-petal Demon Lotus will immediately reach full maturity!


    Still not enough¡­ Still not enough¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­How interesting.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the fruit core in his hand, savoring the taste of the ¡°Ling Fruit¡± he had just devoured. Not bad, a mix of sour and sweet. Beneath this Ling Fruit tree, he had restored all the memories of his previous lives.


    Within his once-clear pupils, a trace of world-weariness slowly emerged.


    He stood up from the small world and sat at the summit of the highest peak within Pingzhou, gazing absently at the horizon. He plucked a foxtail and put it in his mouth, slowly chewing without speaking.


    A thousand years ago, it was his first transmigration.


    Reborn through nine lives, his sole goal was to break out of this Da Xia prison to see the outside world.


    He had once, as a Loose Cultivator, knelt before a Golden Core cultivator begging for his life.


    He had also dressed in Bai Yi, holding a blue sword, killing until no one in the world dared to speak loudly.


    Even as the State Preceptor sitting in the palace, he schemed against all under heaven and laid out plans for ten lifetimes.


    All these were him, traces he left behind, still recorded in unofficial histories, sometimes even brought up by storytellers.


    After memory restoration.


    He also clearly understood that the opportunities he gained in this life were all arranged by his actions as the Ninth National Master. Now, it seemed that his plans back then had not all succeeded.


    Many plans had failed.


    For instance, the most important three opportunities were ¡°Seven-colored entry Step by Step,¡± ¡°Caotian Sect small world,¡± and ¡°Dantian Expansion (unique),¡± all of which he had obtained successfully, and many subsequent opportunities were based on these three.


    But¡­ Thunder Summoning Technique, Self-Destruction Term, Ten Layers of Spellcasting, these methods that would substantially enhance his combat power, were unexpected gains.


    There were many more surprises.


    For example, the method for achieving the Twelve-Grade Golden Core was actually left in the secret chamber of the Huang Family in Fufeng City. All he had to do was follow the plan to exterminate the Huang Family, and he could obtain it, but¡­ At that time, he simply had no time to deal with the Huang Family.


    Instead, he obtained the methods for refining Golden Cores from the First to Tenth Grades from Old Man Cao, and by sheer luck, he still managed to refine a Twelve-Grade Golden Core.


    And for example, to form a Twelve-Grade Golden Core, one needs nine Second-Grade Golden Cores.


    He had already prepared this for himself as well.


    He specially selected the weakest Artifact Cultivators in Feizhou and supported them to become Second-Grade Golden Core Great Powers. As Artifact Cultivators, even with Second-Grade Golden Cores, their combat power would be weaker compared to Sword Cultivators, Body Cultivators, and other combat-focused Cultivators.


    Ning Taiping was one of the pawns used to instigate the unrest in Feizhou; this father and son were naturally dull-witted, and by leveraging their provocation, he spurred the Artifact Cultivator conflict, thereby allowing him to quickly gather a large number of Second-Grade Golden Cores.

 Chapter 295 - 143: His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._5

    Chapter 295: Chapter 143: His Name is Chen Qiu, He Time-Traveled Not Long Ago._5


    As a result, Chen Qiu was able to attain the twelve-grade Golden Core before the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard began.


    It was actually quite obvious.


    This Artifact Cultivator chess piece was named Ning Taiping.


    The sword cultivator chess piece from the Capital was called Ji Taiping.


    Both of their names contained Taiping.


    But¡­


    ...


    Heavenly plans are no match for human ingenuity; for some unknown reason, those Artifact Cultivators with second-grade Golden Cores didn¡¯t come looking for trouble with Chen Qiu at all, which meant that he didn¡¯t get to acquire a large number of second-grade Golden Cores in Fei City as he had originally planned.


    Instead, he obtained a large number of second-grade Golden Cores in an ¡°adventure secret realm¡± that wasn¡¯t part of the plan at all, and he also obtained a heavenly treasure like the Seven-Colored Fishing Pole.


    His plan was to¡­


    Support the ¡°Capital¡¯s Qu Clan¡± by having the Qu family acquire a large number of heavenly and earthly treasures related to Magic Practitioners, and then go back to retrieve them later.


    However, the plan clearly went astray; in other words, aside from the beginning where it went as planned, everything after that went off course.


    Take, for example, the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Ancient Forbidden Land beneath the Boundless Icefield¡ªits treasures had already been taken by him in his ninth life, and during that life, he adopted a little pet, which was Little Wolf.


    Because he couldn¡¯t bear the thought of Little Wolf being buried with him¡­


    He left it behind, waiting for his tenth life to claim it.


    As for the fox oil in that Ancient Forbidden Land, it was ¡°Little Wolf¡± who regularly added it at fixed intervals. There was nothing special about it; Little Wolf was simply afraid of the dark.


    The reason why the poisonous gases in the Ancient Forbidden Land had no effect on Little Wolf is simply because they were made up of the farts that Little Wolf had let out over the past three years. They could not dissipate and continued to accumulate in the Ancient Forbidden Land, gradually forming a poisonous fog.


    In his ninth life, he frequently punished Little Wolf for its stinky farts, which is also why Little Wolf was cowering in fear in the corner the instant it saw him.


    It looked like it knew it had done something wrong and was afraid of being beaten.


    And the secret chamber behind the wall of the Ancient Ruins was also a place where he used to retreat; he had lived there for a while in his ninth life, and during that time, Little Wolf stayed with him there.


    In theory¡ª


    The Chao Tian Sect Ancient Ruins were not supposed to be opened so soon; according to the plan, it would take another three months before it opened, at which time the full truth would be revealed to him, but the issue was that he had instructed Liu Zide to massively purchase Evil Wood in Fei City.


    Due to the lack of Evil Wood to suppress them, the resentful spirits beneath Fei City became increasingly restless.


    And the Ancient Ruins of the Chao Tian Sect were directly connected to the earth¡¯s depths through numerous resentful spirits beneath Fei City. With the resentful spirits¡¯ constant battering of the tunnel walls, the opening time of the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Ancient Ruins was advanced by three months.


    At that time, his main strategic consideration was that the world was on the brink of chaos, and with every update of the Heavenly Dao, countless secret realms and opportunities would arise. With opportunities like the Step by Step and Seven-colored term and the sole expansion of Spiritual Energy prearranged, he was poised to seize the greatest fruits among those opportunities.


    Many were accidents.


    For example, ¡°Three Nascent Soul bodies¡±!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With these thoughts, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corners of his mouth; he had gained his body through Magic Practitioner heritage, the Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan through Evil Cultivation heritage, and the scholar through Sword Cultivator heritage, thus obtaining three Nascent Soul bodies.


    But in reality¡ª


    The path he had arranged for himself was not like this at all!


    The scholar¡¯s case was fine, but the third Nascent Soul body he had arranged for himself was supposed to be from ¡°Alchemy Cultivator heritage¡±!!!


    He still remembered his first time in Fei City when he encountered the second beauty of the Heavenly Dao.


    She was an extremely fat girl, carried on a palanquin and accompanied by loud gongs and drums as she paraded through the streets.


    At the time, Fat Long even joked about bringing home such a girl and cohabitating for three years, yet she remained a virgin.


    Afterwards, he didn¡¯t have much contact with this girl. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But in reality, buried within this girl was a story he had arranged at the time; with just a little probing, one would discover she had always loved an Alchemy Cultivator. This Alchemy Cultivator had low Cultivation and was particularly timid, and although he adored the plump girl, he never dared to reveal his affection.


    Similarly, the girl always loved that Alchemy Cultivator, and because she was self-conscious about her figure, she did not dare to express her feelings.


    Thus, she could only paraded through the streets every day with gongs and drums as a pretext, so she could secretly catch a glimpse of the man she loved.


    This Alchemy Cultivator was actually a genius of Alchemy Cultivation that he had discovered back then, and, with the boost of the second beauty of the Heavenly Dao, he could have easily overcome the Alchemy Cultivator heritage!


    That was the third Nascent Soul body he had prepared for himself.


    But¡­


    He never even ventured in that direction.


    Instead, through a bizarre stroke of luck, the Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan overcame the Evil Cultivation heritage, delivering the third Nascent Soul body into his hands, along with a ¡°Heavenly Pride Order,¡± something completely outside of his plans.


    ¡­


    It¡¯s a mess, all a mess!!!


    Sitting atop the mountain, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh in frustration; the plan he had so confidently constructed was half wrong, but the results turned out well.


    It was as if he had written down the wrong process for a test but ended up getting all the answers right.

 Chapter 296 - 144:

    Chapter 296: Chapter 144: ¡°You Will Never Be Da Xia¡¯s Number One Sword Cultivator.


    And it wasn¡¯t just a matter of being correct.


    His progress now had far exceeded his own expectations for the tenth life.


    ¡°However, this time it has finally succeeded,¡± he said.


    After a while.


    Sitting atop the mountain, Chen Qiu gazed into the distance at the horizon and suddenly let out a light chuckle.


    Although there had been some errors in the process, the outcome was favorable. The world conflict was going to descend in half a year. This version of the Heavenly Dao was a major update; it was not only going to affect the Da Xia Country, which was like a prison, but also the entire Xuantian Continent.


    ...


    And this version.


    Would come with endless slaughter and countless opportunities.


    The entry ¡°Abandoning power to rebuild¡± can only be used to reincarnate nine times, and he had finally succeeded on his tenth attempt. With his current strength and means, as long as he broke through to the peak of Great Perfection of Golden Core.


    And waited for the scholar to break through to the Golden Core.


    Smashing the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet would be no problem. This would allow him to carve a small hole in the Da Xia prison, and Chen Qiu would officially set foot on the Xuantian Continent. At the same time, there were still many secret treasures within the Xuantian Continent.


    Like the Boundless Snow Mountain, which he could return to and claim once his Cultivation was higher.


    The Da Xia prison would not completely break apart; it would simply have a small hole carved out that would allow him passage. Da Xia would still not officially border the Xuantian Continent. To fully border the Xuantian Continent, it would be necessary to destroy the Four Forbidden Lands, something that could not be done with mere Nascent Soul cultivation.


    This also meant.


    Da Xia could serve as a safe house for him; if he encountered danger outside, he could still hide inside.


    After a while, Chen Qiu finally slowly stood up, patting off the dust that had settled on his clothes. Now that his memories had been restored, it was time to claim many opportunities left to him in advance and then prepare to leave the Da Xia prison.


    ¡­


    Inside the Capital.


    Following behind Chen Qiu, Fat Long looked around curiously and asked in confusion, ¡°Brother Qiu, why did we suddenly come to the Capital?¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without speaking, simply striding forward with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in hand.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, we can¡¯t go any further; up ahead is the Da Xia Palace,¡± Fat Long said seriously as he looked toward the Imperial Palace Guards that had begun to surround them.


    Not far away.


    At dusk.


    The stately and solemn palace stood like a frozen historical scroll, silently recounting the dignity and majesty of royal power.


    Merely standing here and observing was enough to be overwhelmed by the imposing architecture.


    Every brick and tile bore the weight and solidity of Da Xia¡¯s centuries of history.


    Under the cornices of the palace, finely carved dragon and phoenix patterns were distinct in the twilight, demanding a hushed respect.


    Each gate of the palace was tightly closed as if guarding the royal family¡¯s secrets and dignity.


    The hundreds of cold-faced Imperial Guards clad in armor, weapons in hand, were slowly encircling them, clearly considering them undesirable visitors. If anything suspicious was discovered upon inspection, they would execute them on the spot without needing to report back.


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    The power of Chen Qiu¡¯s eighth level Golden Core Cultivation surged out, unhidden, as his profound Divine Sense instantly enveloped the entire Capital. Such arrogance within the Capital¡¯s borders was practically like having the words ¡®rebellion¡¯ engraved on his forehead.


    ¡°Audacious!¡±


    Along with several furious roars, two elders at the peak of Great Perfection Cultivation with even stronger power erupted from inside the palace, crashing heavily onto the blue bricks near Chen Qiu, glaring at him and shouting, ¡°Who is this scoundrel daring to run wild in the Capital!¡±


    ¡°Badass.¡±


    Previously clueless about what was happening, Fat Long instantly understood; he expressionlessly pulled out a Yellow Robe from within his bosom and draped it over Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulders, saying, ¡°Brother Qiu, it¡¯s getting cold. Let me add a layer for you.¡±


    ¡°I wondered why we suddenly came to the Capital, turns out Brother Qiu intends to claim the throne,¡± Fat Long said.


    ¡°You should have said so earlier.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, the scholar standing behind them twitched his mouth slightly, bracing himself as he looked towards the two powerhouses at the peak of Great Perfection Cultivation, pondering whether his full force could break through their defense.


    If he had known they were coming for a fight, he would have replenished his Spiritual Energy in advance.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu gave these two Great Perfection Cultivation elders a casual glance without a word. With Spiritual Energy continuously surging within him, dark clouds instantly blanketed the entire Capital, and the storm came to an abrupt halt.


    Tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons roared furiously within the thunderous clouds, carrying an immense pressure that echoed angrily through the clouds.


    Leaning on his cane, he let his clothes whip in the storm, and continued walking steadily along the cobblestone path towards the gate of the Da Xia Palace, completely ignoring the two elders at the peak of Great Perfection Cultivation.


    As he approached the palace gate.


    The doors of the palace naturally began to open slowly. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thereafter, he saw hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs inside, looking somewhat at a loss as they gazed upon Chen Qiu, the uninvited guest. His steps didn¡¯t falter, and he maintained a steady pace as he walked forward.


    Only after the figure of Chen Qiu had disappeared within the palace.


    Did the two Great Perfection Cultivation elders finally breathe a sigh of relief with uneasy expressions, their foreheads unknowingly covered in sweat. Just now, Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense had locked onto both of them.


    They were unable to break free.


    Some premonition told them that if they dared to take action, they would die on the spot.


    So¡ª


    Despite being the strongest in Da Xia, they could only watch helplessly as Chen Qiu entered the Forbidden Land of the Da Xia Palace so brazenly, and they didn¡¯t even have the courage to speak up and try to stop him.


    ¡°He¡¯s clearly only at the eighth level of Golden Core Cultivation; why does he give me such a strong sense of oppression?¡± one of the elders said with an indecisive expression as they looked at the fading figure of Chen Qiu.

 Chapter 297 - 144:

    Chapter 297: Chapter 144: ¡°You Will Never Be Da Xia¡¯s Number One Sword Cultivator.¡±_2 Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, another elder at this time also shook his head ruefully: ¡°A Golden Core of the eighth layer built up through sheer longevity, and a Golden Core in the same realm belonging to a Heavenly Pride, are simply not comparable.¡±


    ¡°Back when Chen Qiu was at the first layer of the Golden Core, he could already crush countless Heavenly Prides across levels.¡±


    ¡°Having not seen him for over twenty days, he has stepped into the eighth layer of Golden Core Cultivation, and it¡¯s normal for him to be able to crush us across a level. No matter why he is entering the Imperial Palace, it no longer concerns us, we have done all that we could.¡±


    ¡­


    As Chen Qiu delved deeper, a large number of armored Imperial Guards, wielding sharp blades, had him tightly encircled, inside and out. Moreover, there were eight elders, each at the Golden Core Peak, standing on the eaves of the palace, looking down with complex expressions at Chen Qiu, who held up the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella amidst the raging storm.


    Not a single person dared to make a move.


    ...


    If the world were to know that one day, eight of the most powerful beings with Great Perfection Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak had surrounded a junior at the eighth layer of the Golden Core, and yet dared not to strike, they would definitely be ridiculed by all.


    But¡­ they truly did not dare.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense was firmly locked onto them, and overhead, countless Thunder Dragons soared, carrying an incredibly terrifying aura and pressure within the dark clouds above the Capital¡ªswirling as if frolicking, ready to unleash their fury at any moment!


    That might, they were clearly aware, would mean death to anyone it struck.


    When Chen Qiu reached the center of a spacious square deep inside the palace, he stopped advancing. He just stood quietly in the middle of the square, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella amidst the storm, gazing down at the large, square red bricks beneath his feet, his expression gradually becoming absent-minded as if lost in thought.


    He was very familiar with the Da Xia Palace.


    He had lived here for many years, and he knew every inch of tile and brick intimately.


    ¡°Chen Qiu!¡±


    Just as these thoughts flooded his mind¡ª


    The Seventh Prince, wearing a splendid robe and looking upset, followed by a retinue of attendants, strode across the ranks of the Imperial Guard to the center of the square, and stood not far from Chen Qiu, glaring darkly at him as he shouted, ¡°I ask you, are you planning to rebel!!!¡±


    Just twenty-some days ago, he still considered Chen Qiu to be the greatest rival of his life¡ªin fact, he had even fantasized about them being both enemies and friends, growing together, and standing at the zenith of this world.


    But in just twenty-some days¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation had reached the eighth layer of the Golden Core. It should be known that twenty-some days ago, Chen Qiu was but at the first layer of the Golden Core, while he was at the second layer. Twenty-some days later, he was still stuck on the second layer without any progress.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Although the square was surrounded by many people, no one uttered a word, which had allowed Chen Qiu a rather peaceful trip down memory lane. But the sudden questioning of the Seventh Prince brought Chen Qiu back from his recollections.


    He turned his head to look at the grim-faced Seventh Prince, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in the storm, and suddenly started to chuckle, ¡°What if I am? What then?¡±


    As memories returned.


    He recalled many things, such as how he once held the Seventh Prince when he was a child, and when the Seventh Prince first snuck out of the palace to visit prostitutes, it was he who had taken him, and had found for the prince the fattest one, fooling him by saying that as a Sword Cultivator, one should fear nothing.


    The Seventh Prince had always been fond of sword cultivation.


    ¡°If it is¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the grim-faced Seventh Prince said, ¡°The eight grand guardians of the Xia family are here, yet they don¡¯t act. Do they think they can¡¯t defeat you?¡±


    The only thing he could sense was that the present Chen Qiu was very strong, but how much stronger, he couldn¡¯t perceive.


    But judging from the postures of the guardians, a guess could be made: they were no match for Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Them?¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled as he glanced at the Xia family¡¯s eight grand guardians standing on the roof eaves: ¡°Why don¡¯t you give the order and have them try to take action?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Seventh Prince lowered his head to glance at the sword in his hand and then lifted his gaze to Chen Qiu, saying, ¡°If you become emperor, could you spare Father Emperor¡¯s life?¡±


    ¡°I could, should I also spare the Crown Prince?¡±


    Chen Qiu asked with a smile.


    ¡°If possible, spare him too.¡±


    ¡°What about the Second Prince?¡±


    ¡°It would be good to spare him as well.¡±


    ¡°And the Third Prince?¡±


    ¡°Not killing would naturally be best.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head seriously, ¡°That¡¯s too troublesome, better to kill them all, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Seventh Prince took a deep breath, slowly removing his robe to reveal a white undergarment, leaned his sword diagonally and withdrew his Protective Spirit Qi, letting the furious storm lash against his body. With closed eyes, he muttered in the rain,


    ¡°When I was little, the State Preceptor said I could never become the strongest Sword Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°The State Preceptor told me about a Sword Cultivator born a slave in a village of the Hundred Countries, who, clad in white robes, fought until no one dared raise their voice against him and never used Protective Spirit Qi.¡±


    ¡°The State Preceptor said I was too timid.¡±


    ¡°As a Sword Cultivator, one should have the resolve to face death, the determination to shatter jade or break tiles to defeat all enemies under heaven. A Sword Cultivator who relies too heavily on their Protective Spirit Qi implies a lack of confidence, a lack of trust in their ability to defeat the enemy with a single stroke.¡±


    ¡°The Sword Cultivator that the State Preceptor spoke of was named Jian Yi.¡±


    ¡°Withdrawing one¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi is a very dangerous thing, for even those with far weaker Cultivation could easily kill you. I have never managed to do it, and the State Preceptor often mocked me for it.¡±


    ¡°But today¡ª¡±


    The Seventh Prince suddenly opened his eyes, staring straight at Chen Qiu. The sword intent that had been suppressed for so long surged along his arm onto the long sword, causing a blue luminescent liquid to slowly flow over it.


    ¡°I will let you see the sword I never got to swing in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm!¡±


    ¡°This sword is named Qi Tian!¡±

 Chapter 298 - 144:

    Chapter 298: Chapter 144: ¡°You Will Never Be the Number One Sword Cultivator in Da Xia.¡±_3


    ¡°It was in the year 783 of Da Xia, bestowed by Lord National Master!¡±


    The next moment!


    The storm seemed to pause for an instant, and the aura of death surrounding the Seventh Prince even influenced the minds of all the Imperial Guards, casting a layer of sadness among all present. Then, Sword Intent burst forth explosively towards the sky!


    Countless wooden windows within the palace shattered.


    The Seventh Prince¡¯s figure appeared almost instantly before Chen Qiu, gripping the hilt with both hands and positioning the sword at his chest. With a ferocious expression, he put all his strength into a furious thrust towards Chen Qiu¡¯s face!


    He followed the advice of the National Master, withdrawing all his Protective Spirit Qi, concentrating all his Spiritual Energy into this single strike. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    Leaving no room for retreat.


    With this thrust, he would be devoid of any combat power, at the mercy of others.


    This strike was the culmination of his years of understanding the Sword Dao; he had channeled all his Sword Intent into this single strike. He was confident that with this strike, he could kill a fourth-level Golden Core practitioner!


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu stood there from beginning to end, not moving an inch.


    As the sword was about to hit, even the Eight Great Tributors of Da Xia on the roof couldn¡¯t help but be moved; this was no minor power. Being a Magic Practitioner, even if one¡¯s Cultivation far surpassed the Seventh Prince, taking it head-on would still inflict harm.


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°Clang.¡±


    A sound like metal colliding resounded.


    Chen Qiu looked indifferent, simply using the rim of the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to easily block the Seventh Prince¡¯s desperate strike. He then looked towards the Seventh Prince, who wore a face of despair and reluctance, and couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°The National Master deceived you back then; the reason Jian Yi never used Protective Spirit Qi¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ was because Jian Yi¡¯s entry rendered him completely unable to use Protective Spirit Qi.¡±


    ¡°Who would be foolish enough to have the ability to use Protective Spirit Qi and choose not to?¡±


    ¡°Impossible, impossible!¡±


    Upon hearing Chen Qiu¡¯s words, the despair on the Seventh Prince¡¯s face suddenly turned into a few steps backward, and with his hand holding the sharp sword, he pointed at Chen Qiu and roared, ¡°You lie, it¡¯s impossible! The National Master would never deceive me!¡±


    ¡°The National Master also said that I would definitely become Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator in the future. I will not allow you to insult the National Master like this!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The smile on Chen Qiu¡¯s face slowly dissipated as he calmly looked at the somewhat crazed Seventh Prince. After a moment of silence, he softly said, ¡°You are mistaken; the National Master has deceived you many times, and you, you will never become Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°In the heart of the National Master.¡±


    ¡°You are never his number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± The Seventh Prince¡¯s voice trembled, not knowing why, but seeing something all too familiar in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes, a sudden unbelievable possibility surged in his heart, causing him to panic somewhat as he hastily pulled out a yellowed wooden token from his Storage Ring.


    Standing in the storm, letting the rain beat down on him, he held up the token, his voice even breaking into a cry as he shouted, ¡°This is personally given to me by Lord National Master, the token of Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator!¡±


    ¡°By what right do you say I am not the National Master¡¯s favored number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia!¡±


    ¡°By what right!¡±


    ¡°Lord National Master has always treated me the best; he would never deceive me!¡±


    ¡­


    Just then¨C


    The previously unseen Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and other nobles were also supporting the elderly Emperor of Da Xia, walking slowly against the storm and stood in front of the Imperial Guards on the plaza.


    In front of these nobles, a young man in a cloak walked slowly onto the plaza under the escort of Golden Core Guards, standing next to the Seventh Prince and looking towards Chen Qiu in the storm. After a long time, he finally suppressed the excitement in his voice and said hoarsely, ¡°Is it you?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s gaze shifted from the Seventh Prince to this cloaked young man, and after a moment, he softly said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Xiao Liu.¡±


    It was just one sentence.


    The enthusiasm of the cloaked young man caused his voice to break, and he withdrew all his Protective Spirit Qi, allowing the storm to pound on him. He knelt on one knee in the rain, his hand bracing on the ground, his neck veins bulging as he used all his strength to speak hoarsely.


    ¡°Your subordinate, Xiao Liu, greets Lord National Master!¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    The faces of those around changed drastically, and everyone standing there had heard of the National Master¡¯s great name but had never seen him in person.


    Wasn¡¯t it said that the National Master was in retreat?


    Has he been in retreat for over three years?


    Could that recently famous peerless prodigy throughout Da Xia actually be the National Master?


    Subsequently.


    The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and even the aging Emperor of Da Xia in front of the Imperial Guard, all withdrew their Protective Spirit Qi, knelt down in the rain, their voices filled with awe and hoarseness as they said together,


    ¡°This old servant, Xia Xundao, has seen Lord National Master!¡±


    ¡°This old servant, Xia Dexin, has seen Lord National Master!¡±


    Although these Imperial Guards did not know what was happening, since the Emperor had knelt, it was only natural for them to do the same. Their voices were uniform as they all shouted,


    ¡°Have seen Lord National Master.¡±


    The Eight Great Tributors of Da Xia standing on the rooftop, their lips twitching slightly, were initially confused about what was happening, especially since the Emperor himself suddenly referred to himself as an old servant, but after exchanging glances, they all took a deep breath.


    Similarly, they withdrew their Protective Spirit Qi and knelt down on the rooftop.


    ¡°Tributors of the Xia family, have seen Lord National Master.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know why, but kneeling down felt much more comfortable. It seemed like they were instantly on the same side as Chen Qiu; when they were on the opposing side, they only felt fear, but once they were on the same side, they suddenly felt a strong sense of security.


    Withdrawing Protective Spirit Qi means significantly reducing their defensive power. In the Cultivation World, this indicates submission.

 Chapter 299 - 144:

    Chapter 299: Chapter 144: ¡°You Will Never Be the Number One Sword Cultivator in Da Xia.¡±_4


    ¡°`


    It was equivalent to placing one¡¯s life in the hands of another.


    It represented the highest degree of recognition.


    Without equal.


    ¡­


    Standing behind Chen Qiu, Fat Long stood rooted to the spot, his mouth slowly gaping open in confusion and shock. Dammit, he had suspected the scholar was the State Preceptor, that the scholar¡¯s brother was the State Preceptor, he had even suspected that he himself might be the State Preceptor!


    ...


    But he had never fucking suspected that Brother Qiu was the State Preceptor!


    He had searched so many days for the State Preceptor, and all this time, the State Preceptor had been right beside him?!


    But now was clearly not the time to ponder this, as everyone else had already knelt down. If they didn¡¯t kneel, it would seem as though others were kneeling to them instead. Just as Fat Long was about to tug at the scholar¡¯s sleeve to signal him to quickly kneel with him,


    he discovered that the scholar and his brother had already knelt down in the rain at some unknown point, retracting their Protective Spirit Qi, respectfully bowing their heads toward Brother Qiu.


    Go to hell!


    Fat Long couldn¡¯t help cursing in his heart, and without daring to delay, hastily retracted his Protective Spirit Qi as well, letting the storm beat down upon him as he knelt in the rain.


    ¡­


    At the Da Xia Palace, in the square,


    everyone, including the Emperor of Da Xia, Xia Xundao, had retracted their Protective Spirit Qi, kneeling respectfully and in awe in the rain, bowing their heads in the direction of Chen Qiu.


    Dark clouds loomed over the city.


    In the midst of the storm,


    only two people were standing still.


    One was Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in the storm, his clothes flapping loudly, and the other was the Seventh Prince, whose emotions were on the verge of collapse, clutching a wooden Token tightly in his hand.


    ¡°Lord National Master.¡±


    Standing in the rain, the Seventh Prince¡¯s face was indiscernible for tears, his voice lacking the tone of sobs, but his eyes, bloodshot and intent, stared straight at Chen Qiu as he spoke, word by word.


    ¡°Xiao Qiu, am I really not the First Sword Cultivator of Da Xia?¡±


    ¡°Did you deceive me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu stood in place, looking at the Seventh Prince, silent and not speaking. In his heart, the Seventh Prince¡¯s talent in the Sword Dao was indeed not bad, but far from comparable to Bai Yi, naturally he could not be the First Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.


    As a child, the Seventh Prince would always pester him to learn swordsmanship,


    saying he wanted to become a peerless Sword Cultivator like Jian Yi.


    He had just humored the boy, but now it seemed that the Seventh Prince had never taken his words as a joke because, back then, he himself had relied on lies for cultivation, and lying had become second nature to him.


    After a long time, he stood in the midst of the storm and slowly shook his head.


    ¡°You will never be the First Sword Cultivator of Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you know about the Xuantian Continent, a vast land far more expansive?¡±


    ¡°Someday, you will become the First Sword Cultivator of Xuantian.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The Seventh Prince, who had been on the edge of despair, suddenly cried tears of joy like a child, wiping his blurry eyes with the lining of his white undersleeve, and with some mistrust, looked up at Chen Qiu, sobbing.


    ¡°National Master, do you really think I can become a Sword Cultivator stronger than Da Xia¡¯s First Sword Cultivator, the First Sword Cultivator of Xuantian?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have never lied to you.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡±


    All of a sudden, the Seventh Prince smiled broadly in the rain, then gripping his sword in reverse, kneeled on one knee in the rain, lowering his head and screaming hysterically, ¡°Disciple Xia Jiqiu greets the National Master!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu maintained a calm expression as he stood in the storm, his gaze sweeping over everyone kneeling in the square.


    Nearly a thousand years ago,


    Da Xia was just a small family; how could it suddenly rise and establish the Da Xia Country?


    It was naturally because he had arrived.


    In his sixth life, he was a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Body Cultivator, whose iron fists were unrivaled under the heavens. As long as the Xia family was obedient to hearing his word, he would support them to this position and granted the Xia Family Head over a dozen Heavenly Dao Terms, ensuring no costs.


    ¡°`


    After every reincarnation, he would visit the Xia family once.


    However, each time he assumed a different identity.


    Sometimes he was the State Preceptor, other times the Emperor¡¯s Tutor.


    The core circle of the Xia family always knew of his existence. Every time he came to Da Xia, he was the strongest in the world, yet sometimes he was a Body Cultivator, at times a Sword Cultivator, and sometimes even a Talisman Cultivator.


    This life, he had become a Magic Practitioner.


    In his previous life, he had spread many lies through the Xia family, many of which had taken deep root in people¡¯s hearts by now.


    For instance, the grand formation that covered the whole Da Xia, following the official paths, was to fend off the surrounding Nascent Souls. Another was that once a Third Prince had killed a rabbit on the official road and was dismembered by the Emperor of Da Xia with more than a thousand cuts. And there were others¡­


    With these outrageous deceptions, his cultivation also kept improving.


    ¡°All rise.¡±


    A long while later, Chen Qiu swept his gaze over the crowd, hoisting the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and striding towards a study within the palace, while Xiao Liu, who had been kneeling on the ground, sensibly got up and followed.


    ¡­


    Inside the Da Xia Palace.


    In a study room, the young man known as Xiao Liu had already removed his cloak and was standing uneasily to a side, carefully speaking, ¡°Lord National Master, there has been an unexpected development in the plan. The Eight-petal Fire Lotus in the Endless Desert has been stolen by some unknown thief.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s of no consequence.¡±


    Chen Qiu let out a light sigh and shook his head. His plan that day was that once the Eight-petal Fire Lotus matured, the Underground Fire Sea beneath the Endless Desert would open up a prearranged Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, with the final reward being the very same Eight-petal Fire Lotus.


    But the Secret Realm had not opened as scheduled, so Xiao Liu had gone to the Underground Fire Sea in the Endless Desert to investigate, only to discover that the Eight-petal Fire Lotus had vanished.


    Because according to his plan from his last life, his own spiritual energy capacity at this point in his current life would not be sufficient to traverse the Fire Sea and find the Eight-petal Fire Lotus. Who would have thought that this life randomized the term ¡°Slippery¡±?


    Being injured could recover spiritual energy.


    Having been hurt by a Divine Sense Attack from the Master of Poison Sect, while seeking pills from the Star Battle Sect, he fortuitously entered the Underground Fire Sea in the Endless Desert.


    This process can quite unexaggeratedly be stated to be¡ª


    Completely inconsistent with his plan.


    But¡­


    The result was precisely the same, and even better.


    He sat on the chair, looking at the eleven unopened brocade bags on the desk, shaking his head and stowing all the bags into his Storage Ring. The entries contained within these bags were all written by him.


    He certainly knew what the contents were.


    However, at least in his last life, one decision was absolutely correct, which was not telling his tenth incarnation all the information. That way, he would not make too many wrong decisions as in previous lives.


    Having too much knowledge can complicate decision-making.


    The mindset of someone who has reincarnated multiple times and started anew, compared to someone who has started from insignificance, is entirely different. That kind of fearlessness, the determination to charge forward no matter what the future holds, was something he had tried.


    In the ¡°Illusion Stone,¡± he relived thirty-six lifetimes in the illusion, reaching heights difficult for ordinary people in twenty-seven of them, only to die on the path of insignificance in nine.


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting in the chair in the study room.


    Glanced at the Illusion Stone placed at the corner of the table, and after a moment, couldn¡¯t help but laugh helplessly, ¡°That Fat City Lord probably still has no clue why I sent him to Fei City.¡±


    Plans can never keep up with changes.


    He had originally planned to prepare many second-grade Golden Cores for Artifact Cultivators in Feizhou, and the reason he sent the Fat City Lord there was that this person had a significant advantage¡ªhe did not meddle in others¡¯ affairs.


    And now¡­


    He would first collect all the remaining opportunities prepared for himself, then once his cultivation broke through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak, he would be ready to leave the Da Xia cage behind.


    Oh, right!


    He also needed to go to Fei City to matchmake the timid Alchemy Cultivator and the second most beautiful woman according to the Heavenly Dao, who harbored mutual affection but were too insecure to express their love. That would also allow him to claim another Alchemy Cultivation legacy.


    His Chao Tian Sect needed an Alchemy Cultivator for pill-making as well.


    And that would be considered a good deed, matchmaking a loving couple.


    Lovers were always meant to be united in the end.


    Additionally, the two Demon Lotuses beneath the Boundless Snow Mountain and the Boundless Sea were also maturing soon. The following days were going to be busy.


    It¡¯s quite exhausting.

 Chapter 300 - 145:

    Chapter 300: Chapter 145: ¡°May the Lord National Master, on this long journey, still be like a dragon among men slaying enemies across the world!


    Da Xia Palace, inside the study.


    Seeing Chen Qiu deep in thought, the young man who had already taken off his cloak did not speak further. Instead, he quietly and cautiously backed out of the study, leaving the space to Chen Qiu alone, without disturbing him.


    ¡­


    ¡°Xiao Liu?¡±


    Just as the young man stepped out of the study, Fat Long and the others who had been waiting outside couldn¡¯t contain themselves and crowded around, especially Fat Long who, with a face full of confusion, couldn¡¯t help but probe, ¡°How long have you been with Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°For a long time.¡±


    ...


    Xiao Liu shook his head, ¡°I know what you want to ask, but many things are not for a servant like me to answer. If Lord National Master wishes to tell you, you will naturally come to know.¡±


    Having said that,


    Xiao Liu did not linger and withdrew, quickly disappearing from sight.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked at Xiao Liu¡¯s departing figure with a complex expression and did not speak; since Xiao Liu had said so, he naturally would not persist in asking further, feeling only that¡­


    Brother Qiu seemed even more complex than he had imagined.


    If Brother Qiu was the State Preceptor.


    Did that not mean that Brother Qiu had lived for a very long time already? At least a hundred years?


    ¡°Should I go look for Ji Renjian?¡±


    At this moment, the scholar offhandedly dropped a statement.


    ¡°Why?¡± Fat Long turned his head towards the scholar, puzzled.


    After a moment of silence, the scholar softly said, ¡°When I was still the prime Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, the State Preceptor guided me all the way to escort Ji Renjian, presumably trying to match us, though I personally have no feelings for Ji Renjian.¡±


    ¡°But if Brother Qiu wants to betroth Ji Renjian to me, I can accept that.¡±


    ¡°For Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After pondering for a long time, Fat Long still shook his head, ¡°Let¡¯s ask Brother Qiu later, see how he decides. Although Ji Renjian is indeed the first beauty under the Heavenly Dao, a peerless beauty, she is, after all¡­ already married.¡±


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re into that, otherwise, I think you might feel a bit disgusted.¡±


    ¡°But no worries.¡±


    ¡°Later I¡¯ll help you refresh yourself, it¡¯s like returning from the whirl of the mortal world yet washed clean of vanity.¡±


    ¡°In ancient times there was the warm wine cutting down Hua Xiong, today there is warm pressure washing away vanity.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Halfway through, seeing the expression on the scholar, Fat Long suddenly felt a bit awkward, ¡°Although I know this joke isn¡¯t very funny, you could at least react a bit, otherwise it feels quite awkward. And you don¡¯t have to take it too seriously, based on my guess, Brother Qiu probably just wants to give you the effect of having a Heavenly Dao Beauty like Ji Renjian.¡±


    The scholar did not speak, his expression somewhat bitter.


    Brother Qiu had shown great favor to him, and he also respected Brother Qiu, whether considering his strength or his favor, he would certainly respect Brother Qiu¡¯s opinion. A Sword Cultivator, if he acts unrighteously and treacherously, his sword would no longer be effective at all.


    A Sword Cultivator cannot harbor doubts in his heart.


    But¡­


    He truly had no feelings for Ji Renjian. If Brother Qiu truly intended to force this betrothal, he really did not know what would be best.


    No wonder he suddenly felt this morning that the look in Brother Qiu¡¯s eyes seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.


    It was similar to the expression in the State Preceptor¡¯s eyes when he saw him years ago.


    But back then, the State Preceptor did not look like this. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu sat in the study of Da Xia Palace, playing with the Illusion Stone on the corner of the desk for a while before pocketing it. This room where he had sat for many years felt familiar; he knew exactly how every mark was made.


    The sudden restoration of his past life¡¯s memories.


    Gave him a feeling as if he was newly reborn.


    Only, the one thing he couldn¡¯t understand was why he had no obsession with chopping wood; why was it that every time he was reborn, the first thing he had to do was chop wood? Couldn¡¯t it be something else?


    He had chopped so much wood in Fufeng City.


    And chopped down so many people.


    Only barely managing to get to where he was today, this world was indeed tough to live in, truly difficult.


    After reflecting momentarily, Chen Qiu sighed deeply, not out of sadness, but a simple feeling that these several lifetimes had been too exhausting; he never felt tired before regaining his memories.


    But once he regained the memories,


    Knowing he had spent a thousand years trying to escape this Da Xia cage, made him feel somewhat weary; fortunately, the final outcome was positive, in the last life, he succeeded.


    Leaning on his cane, Chen Qiu slowly stood and left the study, looking towards Fat Long and the others standing at the door without speaking.


    Afterward,


    Divine Sense swiftly spread out.


    Soon, the current Emperor of Da Xia, Xia Xundao, supported by the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince, came staggering over and immediately knelt down: ¡°Your servant Xia Xundao, greets Lord National Master.¡±


    ¡°Rise.¡±


    After a moment of silent composure, Chen Qiu softly spoke, ¡°In a few days, I will be leaving Da Xia Country. You should know where I am headed, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Xia Xundao still knelt on the ground, his head bowed to the ground as he huskily said, ¡°Xuantian Continent, Lord National Master mentioned it a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and continued, ¡°There are a few things I need to instruct you on.¡±


    ¡­


    A cup of tea later, after finishing his instructions, Chen Qiu prepared to walk past Xia Xundao towards the palace exit, but at that moment the Seventh Prince suddenly spoke up, his eyes fervently fixated on him, his voice trembling with excitement.


    ¡°Master, may I come with you?¡±


    Chen Qiu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the passionately eager Seventh Prince. He had never officially taken the Seventh Prince as a disciple, merely sharing some tales of Jian Yi and teaching him a few sword moves during his spare time, and the Seventh Prince had assumed the title of disciple himself.

 Chapter 301 - 145:

    Chapter 301: Chapter 145: ¡°May the Lord National Master continue to be a dragon among men, cutting down enemies across the world in his distant travels!¡±_2


    He did not mind it, nor did he ever correct it.


    ¡°As a Sword Cultivator, the only thing one can rely on in this world is the sword in one¡¯s hand.¡±


    ¡°You want to go to the Xuantian Continent?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. As long as you defeat any Puppet with the sword in your hand, you too can leave. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±


    Having said this,


    he did not linger, striding across the Imperial Palace Square towards the outside of the palace. Fat Long and the others hurriedly followed with icy expressions, taking wide steps. Along the way, all the Imperial Guards they encountered knelt on one knee, bowing their heads to send him off.


    ...


    The Eight Great Tributors of Da Xia, originally perched on the eaves, had now landed in the square, withdrawing their Protective Spirit Qi and bowing their heads in respect.


    No one spoke.


    The entire scene was solemn, with a hint of desolation.


    Not until¡ª


    From the crowd, a member of the Imperial Guard clad in pitch-black armor suddenly risked decapitation by raising his head to look towards the departing figure of Chen Qiu, his eyes blazing with fervor as he shouted loudly,


    ¡°Lord National Master, ten years ago you laid to rest my mother.¡±


    ¡°Such a great kindness, I have no way to repay!¡±


    ¡°May the Lord National Master, on this long journey, remain like the supreme dragon, slashing all enemies of the world!¡±


    He did not know where the Lord National Master was going, but he faintly sensed that once the Lord National Master left this time, it might be a very long time before he returned.


    As soon as the words were spoken,


    the squad captain kneeling beside the member of the Imperial Guard, whose face had changed dramatically, immediately wanted to silence his subordinate, but he saw that the Lord National Master was not angry. Instead, he paused and turned to look towards them, chuckling lightly.


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    Seeing that the Lord National Master was not angry, the squad captain, whose face had dramatically changed, also struggled a bit. Seeing the Lord National Master was about to turn away, he gritted his teeth and could not help but similarly raise his head and shout,


    ¡°Lord National Master, thirty-seven years ago, you said I could become someone remarkable.¡±


    ¡°I have disappointed you, Master. To this day, I am still just a squad captain of the Imperial Guard.¡±


    ¡°May the Lord National Master, on this long journey, remain like the supreme dragon, slashing all enemies of the world!¡±


    This was their only chance.


    After this, they might never see him again.


    The Lord National Master had never allowed them to express their gratitude, saying that if everyone took the time to offer thanks, then he would have no time left to do anything else. Today¡¯s actions were already a transgression, but clearly, the Lord National Master was about to go far away to a place with an uncertain return date.


    They did not know what to do.


    They could not help the Lord National Master in any way; a mere fleeting blessing was all they could offer.


    With these two leading,


    then¡ª


    Voices one after another, from the kneeling Imperial Guards, began to loudly shout and echo,


    ¡°Lord National Master, forty-eight years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Lord National Master, nine years ago¡­¡±


    At last,


    they all converged into one phrase.


    ¡°May the Lord National Master, on this long journey, remain like the supreme dragon, slashing all enemies of the world!¡±


    The deafening and uniform shouts rose like waves within the palace, one wave higher than the next. Even though the Lord National Master¡¯s figure had disappeared into the distance, the volume of their voices only grew louder.


    To them, the Lord National Master was not just about kindness.


    It was more about awe.


    In their hearts, the Lord National Master had always been a person who acted with coldness and few words. They had never dared to express their inner gratitude. This rare opportunity had arrived, and those who had interactions with the Lord National Master were now shouting with red-rimmed eyes, releasing the emotions that had been suppressed for so long.


    No one knew the place the Lord National Master held in their hearts. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The voice even spread beyond Da Xia Palace, floating above the Capital.


    The common people did not know what was happening within the palace, nor did they understand why the usually silent palace was so noisy today. They merely had a vague feeling that the Lord National Master seemed to be leaving.


    ¡­


    Inside Da Xia Palace,


    amidst the deafening sounds, the squad captain kneeling on the ground leaned towards the Imperial Guard member who had risked offense to speak up, his eyes showing a hint of admiration: ¡°Not bad, I remember you weren¡¯t highly educated. How did you come up with that line?¡±


    ¡°May the Lord National Master, on this long journey, remain like the supreme dragon, slashing all enemies of the world!¡±


    ¡°The last few words are quite good; it¡¯s just that the four words ¡®on this long journey¡¯ seem to lack a bit of flair. I feel there could be a better way to phrase it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The member of the Imperial Guard kneeling on one knee, clad in pitch-black armor, shrank his head and whispered timidly: ¡°I thought about this sentence for many years. Initially, I planned to say it when the Lord National Master passed away and was laid to rest, since I didn¡¯t dare to say it normally. You know the Lord National Master dislikes this kind of thing the most.¡±


    ¡°The original words I thought of over the years were, ¡®May the original Lord National Master, in the next life, remain like the supreme dragon, slashing all enemies of the world!''¡±


    ¡°But this time the Lord National Master is clearly going to be gone a long time, and if I didn¡¯t say it now, I¡¯d never have the chance. So I just thought of four words on the spot, without the time to carefully consider each one. Did I not say it well?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The squad captain kneeling on the ground, listening to the wave-like roaring voices that were deafeningly unanimous around his ears, fell silent for a long while before he whispered back, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t misspeak just now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite frightening.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s gone then¡­¡±


    Xia Xundao, supported by the Seventh Prince, looked at the distant figure of Chen Qiu with a slightly dazed expression. For a moment, it seemed as though he remembered his first meeting with the Lord National Master. It happened many years ago, yet it felt like it was just recently.


    He had always known that Da Xia was a cage. The Lord National Master had told him so a long time ago.


    He wasn¡¯t clear on how long the Lord National Master had strived for change, but he had often seen the Lord National Master standing by the study¡¯s window, gazing into the sky. He had seen that expression, the restlessness and sorrow of a bird in a cage.

 Chapter 302 - 145:

    Chapter 302: Chapter 145: ¡°May the Lord National Master continue to be a dragon among men, cutting down enemies across the world in his distant travels!¡±_3


    For the State Preceptor,


    the greatest vision, or perhaps the goal worth dedicating one¡¯s life to, was singular ¡ª to break free from Da Xia¡¯s cage.


    ¡°Father Emperor.¡±


    At this moment ¡ª


    The Seventh Prince, with a hint of self-doubt in his eyes, quietly said, ¡°Lord National Master said that I will become the Xuantian First Sword Cultivator in the future, do you think I will?¡±


    Xia Xundao¡¯s eyes flashed with helplessness, but after a long time, he still rasped, ¡°You will.¡±


    ...


    ¡­


    At this time, Chen Qiu and his people had already left the Capital.


    The scholar looked at Fat Long, whose face had been shadowed with a cold and vicious expression for quite some time, and couldn¡¯t help but ask with curiosity, ¡°Fat Long, are you in a bad mood? You¡¯ve kept that look for quite a while now, doesn¡¯t it tire you?¡±


    Fat Long didn¡¯t speak but gave the scholar an icy glance before surveying the followers behind him. Then, his entire demeanor suddenly slackened as he rubbed his stiff facial muscles and shook his head with irritation.


    ¡°You know nothing. Just now, so many people were looking at Brother Qiu. If we, as his subordinates, start grinning and laughing, wouldn¡¯t that embarrass Brother Qiu?¡±


    ¡°You definitely need to put on that cold demeanor that says you¡¯ll kill without a second word.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you don¡¯t bring shame upon Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°When you are away from home, face is important, don¡¯t you understand?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, to Fei City.¡±


    Chen Qiu patted the scholar, signaling him to prepare for departure.


    By this time, it was almost dusk. When they arrived at Fei City in Fei State, night had fallen and it was the start of the ¡®zi¡¯ hour. They didn¡¯t enter the city but went directly to the wilderness outside, entering Chao Tian Sect.


    And at this moment,


    Inside Chao Tian Sect, hundreds of craftsmen were busily repairing what had become ruins. These artisans had been arranged by Xia Xundao and were the best in the entire Da Xia Country.


    In less than half a month¡¯s time, they would restore Chao Tian Sect to completion.


    Several Golden Core Peak Array Repairers with mid-stage cultivation were also gathered together, repairing the Formation. Once the Formation and the collapsed buildings were fully repaired, Chao Tian Sect would once again buzz with the liveliness of days long past.


    The small world that he had inherited from Chao Tian Sect was merely the most central area of Chao Tian Sect ten thousand years ago.


    The true Chao Tian Sect could accommodate a million Sword Cultivators.


    Its vastness was so immense that it even surpassed that of an entire state.


    Chen Qiu stood on the rear mountain, overlooking the bustling scene below in Chao Tian Sect. Leaning on his cane with one hand behind his back, he fell silent for a long time before finally speaking softly, ¡°Where should I begin? Perhaps I should start from this life as the National Master.¡±


    ¡°That was when I¡­¡±


    His voice, devoid of much emotion, drifted across the mountaintop.


    Fat Long and the scholar, with complex expressions, looked towards Chen Qiu¡¯s silhouette. They remained silent, not speaking a word. Those matters that sounded perilous to them seemed exceedingly calm when recounted by Chen Qiu.


    They simply did not manifest the urgency of a situation of nine deaths and one life.


    Perhaps it was as Brother Qiu had said.


    Everyone is going to die.


    Dead people don¡¯t have stories.


    ¡­


    As Chen Qiu left the Capital ¡ª


    Several messages had already spread from the Da Xia Palace as the starting point, sweeping across Da Xia Country and even into the Hundred Countries!


    There was one critical piece of news.


    Da Xia¡¯s first Magic Practitioner, Chen Qiu, was the Lord National Master.


    But at the same time, several even more secretive messages were being spread among the major sects and families.


    ¡°Da Xia Country is a cage on the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Before long, Chen Qiu will break the cage and head to the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Those with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation struggling to advance to Nascent Soul can follow Chen Qiu to the Xuantian Continent to seek the Nascent Soul Dao. However, they must join Chao Tian Sect and sign the Contract Life Plate with the sect.¡±


    The Contract Life Plate.


    A method used by sects to control their core disciples. With the Life Plate in the sect, it allows the sect to be aware of any threats to their disciples¡¯ lives and to control their disciples¡¯ fate at any time.


    Once upon a time, the Heavenly Girl couldn¡¯t abandon the sect and flee because her Life Plate was in the sect.


    Ordinary people didn¡¯t know or care about this news. They were more concerned about whether they could work harder tomorrow to earn a few more coins to afford some pork head meat. But to those whose lives were nearing their end, whose Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation had reached its limit, the news was nearly driving them mad.


    Seeing one¡¯s life about to end without the opportunity for another breakthrough to extend it was a pain only those who had experienced it could understand.


    The barrier of the Nascent Soul had trapped them at this realm.


    Now that there was a chance to breakthrough, their emotions were bordering on hysteria.


    And yet, Chen Qiu had offered them another path.


    ¡°Those who do not wish to join the sect can leave on their own, simply by defeating any Nascent Soul Puppet in the four forbidden lands, to open a brief gap.¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It must be said.


    They had all misunderstood Chen Qiu in the past. If they had known this secret, they certainly wouldn¡¯t have revealed it. It was the first time they realized that the Nascent Souls in the east, south, west, and north were merely Nascent Soul Puppets, not real people.


    ¡­


    ¡°Can I not go?¡±


    Inside Caotian Sect, Zhao Yishi looked at the Sect Master with puppy-dog eyes, his voice carrying a sobbing tone as he pleaded, ¡°Sect Master, what will we do if you leave? We can¡¯t be without you; there will be no one to take care of us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    Sect Master Zhao Dezhu of Caotian Sect, at that moment, was organizing his belongings with an excited and yearning look. He turned to the recently emerged Supreme Elder of Caotian Sect and said excitedly, ¡°Supreme Uncle, let¡¯s also take all the Spirit Stones of our sect. Once we join Chao Tian Sect, these can be seen as fees for paying respects to a new sect.¡±


    ¡°When the time comes, Supreme Uncle, you can decide. Although we are all joining Chao Tian Sect, those of us who have paid these respects will surely receive better treatment.¡±

 Chapter 303 - 145:

    Chapter 303: Chapter 145: ¡°May the Lord National Master continue to be a dragon among men, cutting down enemies across the world in his distant travels!¡±_4


    ¡°Good, good, truly fucking brilliant.¡±


    The Supreme Elder of the Caotian Sect was also quite excited, stroking his beard, eyes brimming with irrepressible mirth, ¡°Hahaha, still, it was you, my nephew, who thought everything through. But don¡¯t call me Uncle anymore, once we reach Chao Tian Sect, we¡¯ll both be disciples, and then we¡¯ll be peers again.¡±


    ¡°Plus, I¡¯m old now, and you¡¯re still young, my nephew. You might even break through to the Nascent Soul Stage before me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    Despite pretending to be unsatisfied, Zhao Dezhu, the Sect Master of Caotian Sect, couldn¡¯t help but flash excitement in his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m just at the fourth level of Golden Core Cultivation. Initially, Sect Master Chen didn¡¯t even want someone with my mid-level Golden Core Cultivation. I only managed to follow by playing up my looks, unlike you, Uncle, who are already at the peak of Great Perfection in Golden Core Cultivation. You might just breakthrough as soon as we reach Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, hardly, hardly.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    ¡°Also, this, my nephew, the Spirit Grass in the back mountain that hasn¡¯t ripened yet, also dig them up and put them in the Jade Box, to be planted in the small world when we arrive at Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re thorough. There are also some Spirit Beasts in the back mountain. Why not capture them as well? I hear there are no Spirit Beasts in the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s small world. More Spirit Beasts might bring some vitality.¡±


    ¡°Good, good!! It¡¯s still you, my nephew, who has the eye for talent, having established a good relationship with Sect Master Chen early on. Remember to speak well of me to him when he looks out for you later, huh.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, what are you talking about? Once an uncle, always an uncle, no matter what happens in the future, you will always be my uncle.¡±


    A Sect Master and a Supreme Elder were now completely ignoring the bewildered elders and Inner Sect Disciples around them, excitedly about to move everything from Caotian Sect to Chao Tian Sect.


    Zhao Dezhu was truly thrilled. He had spent his lifetime looking for opportunities for his disciple, Zhao Yishi. Little did he expect that the greatest opportunity would fall upon his own head. Since he had the chance to advance further, why worry about disciples? He definitely prioritized himself.


    At that moment¡ª


    Zhao Yishi was already crying, his large head bumping into the Sect Master¡¯s face, ¡°Sect Master, are you really leaving? What will I do without you?¡±


    ¡°What will you do?¡±


    Zhao Dezhu looked quizzically at Zhao Yishi, ¡°Do whatever you want. Aren¡¯t you the one who dislikes fighting? That¡¯s perfect, as you wished. Good luck, I¡¯m leaving first.¡±


    ¡°When I achieve Nascent Soul later, I¡¯ll come back and sprinkle more dirt on your grave.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go, Uncle?¡±


    ¡°Together, my nephew?¡±


    Zhao Dezhu and the Caotian Sect¡¯s Supreme Elder exchanged a look, both seeing the expectancy for the future in each other¡¯s eyes. Suddenly, they both laughed out loud. Then they transformed into two streaks of light, shooting toward the rendezvous point in Xuzhou, as mentioned by Chen Qiu.


    They left behind a chaotic Caotian Sect and countless baffled elders and Inner Sect Disciples, along with a bewildered Zhao Yishi standing tall like a mountain on the back mountain.


    The Sect Master and Supreme Elder have run off?


    What¡¯s left for the sect?


    ¡­


    Capital, inside the Qu Family Courtyard.


    An elderly man wearing wooden board sandals was in a great mood, holding half a watermelon and twisting his body continuously in the Qu Family Courtyard, too happy to contain his emotions, even starting to sing.


    ¡°My heart, like no stone, cannot be turned.¡±


    ¡°My heart, like no mat, cannot be rolled up.¡±


    ¡°Eyes empty, the depths of love, unresolvable¡ª¡±


    He was the Qu Family Supreme Elder.


    Since he had crossed over, he was already at the peak of Great Perfection in Golden Core Cultivation, yet his life was near its end, with less than a year left. After experiencing a divine boon, he gained another half a year of life.


    Once he saw the reality, he almost never stepped beyond the main or inner gates.


    He was just waiting for his opportunity.


    Hey, what do you know.


    He truly fucking found it!


    The old man¡¯s smile hadn¡¯t closed for several days. Lately, the Qu Family Master asked him to kill Chen Qiu, and he did it for the Qu Family Master. All of Chen Qiu¡¯s Storage Rings are here. Though he couldn¡¯t break the seal, he believed that Sect Master Chen definitely could.


    Three Storage Rings.


    Contribute two as payment to honor the mountain, keep one for one¡¯s own breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage resources.


    It simply cannot be too perfect.


    Then¡ª


    The elder straightened his clothes and cleared his throat loudly, ¡°The most loyal disciple of Chao Tian Sect, will now assume his position!!!¡±


    Afterward, he didn¡¯t care about the Qu Family anymore.


    Gathering years of accumulation from the Qu Family, he transformed it into a stream of light and shot towards Feizhou. Just after flying out of the Capital, he remembered something, turned back, and went straight to the brothel ¡°Chunfeng Shili Building¡± in the Capital. He lifted the entire brothel from the ground, including the girls and madam inside.


    Sect Master Chen and others often visited this brothel. Each would definitely give Spirit Stones, but this nobody would have thought of; it showed his thorough consideration.


    Under normal circumstances.


    He definitely would not have been so ostentatious in the Capital. But times had changed; who cares about that now? Didn¡¯t you see that the emissaries of Da Xia were almost all gone? Who wanted to stay in the Golden Core and wait for death?!


    If not for knowing Sect Master Chen was the State Preceptor of Da Xia and had an unusual connection with Da Xia, he would have wanted to plunder the Capital before leaving.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    In Xuzhou of Da Xia, inside the Star Battle Sect, the Sect Master of Star Battle Sect looked awkwardly at the expressionless elders and after a moment said uncertainly, ¡°Last night, upon observing the divine omens, I suddenly pondered that I, as a sect master, should also retire.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to leave the position to the younger generation.¡±


    ¡°At my age, I can¡¯t just sit in this position forever, can I?¡±


    Then the Star Battle Sect Master coughed lightly, ¡°So that¡¯s it, from today I will relinquish my position as Sect Master. After I attain the Nascent Soul in the future, I will come back to see you all.¡±


    Having said that.


    He didn¡¯t care about the resentful looks from the elders and immediately turned into a stream of light shooting towards Feizhou.


    Xuzhou is at the far north.


    Feizhou is at the far south.


    It¡¯s a long journey. If he didn¡¯t hurry, what if they didn¡¯t want him anymore? His Cultivation was only at the middle stage of Golden Core, which was not up to the standard. But he heard that within Chao Tian Sect there were no Alchemy Cultivators, and even Zhao Dezhu of Caotian Sect, because of his acquaintance with Sect Master Chen, was exceptionally admitted.


    He had personally refined Replenishing God Pills for Sect Master Chen.


    Wasn¡¯t that relationship strong enough?


    Why not try it, maybe they would accept him too.


    Although it seemed like a demotion from sect master to disciple, only he knew the huge difference if he continued to stay in Star Battle Sect. With his Cultivation and age increasing, his ultimate fate would be to become a Supreme Elder of Star Battle Sect and then watch helplessly as his life ran out.


    But going to Chao Tian Sect would be different.


    That would be a future brimming with brightness!


    Perhaps the Nascent Soul was just a starting point!


    ¡­


    At once!


    Many at the later stage of Golden Core and Great Perfection Cultivation rushed to Feizhou overnight. Even though Sect Master Chen said he would set out later, they preferred to wait for a while in Feizhou rather than be left behind by arriving late.


    For them, whose lives were about to end, no temptation was greater than attaining the Nascent Soul.


    Life Plate?


    Who cares? What is that thing?


    If they didn¡¯t go to Chao Tian Sect, they wouldn¡¯t need a Life Plate; they would die in a few years anyway.


    Putting their lives in someone else¡¯s hands was better than burying themselves in the ground.


    This logic, even a child would understand, naturally, they would understand it too.

 Chapter 304 - 146:

    Chapter 304: Chapter 146: ¡°Chao Tian Sect Disciple, Zhao Dezhu, pays respects to the Sect Master!!


    Many powerful figures with Cultivation of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection carried hope for the Xuantian Continent as they hurried toward Fei State.


    These people nearly all had one thing in common.


    They had brought all the essence they had accumulated over the years, and even emptied half of the essence of their families and sects behind them.


    They were heading to the new mountain.


    Could there be good days ahead without paying some tribute?


    There are so few chances, why should you have it and not others?


    ...


    Those who had cultivated to this level were all cunning; they did not believe that just showing their old faces would gain them any special treatment. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    At this time¡ª


    At the back mountain of Chao Tian Sect, after listening to Chen Qiu¡¯s narrative of the entire sequence of events, Fat Long and others¡¯ mouths slowly widened, their faces filled with shock as they stood frozen.


    It was only after a long while that Fat Long muttered, ¡°Brother Qiu¡­ you are too impressive.¡±


    He could think of no adjectives anymore; his mind was completely blank.


    Chen Qiu, who stood holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella atop the mountain peak, shook his head and did not elaborate much. He had omitted many things and merely narrated a bit beginning from his life as the State Preceptor, such as not telling the scholar that the Sword Cultivator whom he had always admired was also him.


    He also didn¡¯t mention that it was he who had once ordered the Capital City Zhang Family to chase Bai Yi.


    Fat Long was also left unaware by Chen Qiu that it was he who had instructed Xiao Liu to find a proper redemption for the Travelling Heavenly Girl, choosing Fat Long who was loitering on the road, and sending her a human bone hairpin and pink reeds with a note signed with Fat Long¡¯s name.


    Some things didn¡¯t need to be mentioned.


    Telling them could easily affect relationships.


    Previously, in order to break through Da Xia¡¯s confines, he often acted result-oriented. As long as the result was correct, he did not care about the process.


    Following his instructions, Fat Long and others then descended the mountain to arrange for the artisans.


    He sat alone on the mountain peak.


    Looking at the ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills that had just arrived, he began his cultivation for the night.


    Several hours later, he looked at the Cultivation panel above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡¸Cultivation¡¹: Golden Core Stage Eighth Layer (10.7%).


    ¨C


    At the eighth layer of Golden Core, one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could still increase 1% in the Golden Core. If the speed remained the same at the ninth layer, then in one month, he could cultivate to the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection.


    At that time, he could claim every opportunity left untouched from his previous life.


    The Demon Lotus beneath the Boundless Sea and Boundless Snow Mountain were almost ready too.


    Then he could leave Da Xia to head for the Xuantian Continent.


    Another few hours passed.


    After stabilizing his Cultivation Realm, he and Fat Long along with others left the small world and proceeded to Fei City. By now, dawn had broken, and Fei City was extremely lively.


    Usually¡ª


    There were no strong cultivators of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection presiding over Fei City.


    There might occasionally be one passing through.


    But today!


    The Divine Sense of dozens of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivators, heavy with pressure, covered everyone in Fei City, unreservedly searching until their senses reached Chen Qiu, after which they nearly instantly withdrew their Divine Sense.


    Suddenly, dozens of Liu Guang shot toward Chen Qiu, who had just reached the city gate!


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect Disciple, Zhao Dezhu, greets Sect Master!!¡±


    ¡°The most, most loyal Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, He Tianxia, greets the most mighty and domineering Sect Master of Da Xia!¡±


    ¡°The most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most, most loyal Disciple of Chao Tian Sect, the uncle-master of Zhao Dezhu, Zhao Pintian, has seen the Sect Master!¡±


    Loud shouts of excitement and agitation resounded, the voices arriving before the individuals themselves.


    These cultivators, who usually conserved Spiritual Energy as vitally as their lives, sparingly refraining from action, were now unstintingly burning their Spiritual Energy, hastening with the greatest speed, competing with each other as they converged toward the gate of Fei City!


    As the voices followed¡ª


    You could see a dozen or so of the fastest elders already kneeling before Chen Qiu.


    Following closely behind were some slower Golden Core Peak Great Perfection elders; further back were those with lower Cultivation but faster movement technique, and behind them were those both low in Cultivation and slow in movement technique.


    In just a matter of several moments¡ª


    Chen Qiu was faced with a densely packed crowd of people kneeling before him, numbering nearly seventy or eighty.


    Cultivators of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection, rarely seen on ordinary days, were now kneeling down here like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, each looking up at Chen Qiu with fervent expressions.


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Fat Long looked at the scene before him and suddenly scratched his head, turning to smile at the scholar: ¡°Did Chao Tian Sect suddenly gain so many disciples? If I¡¯m not mistaken, am I not the Great Elder?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The scholar slightly smiled, coughed lightly, and held one hand behind his back, trying to appear as sultry as possible: ¡°Yes, Great Elder, I should also be the Second Elder of Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    Then, the two exchanged glances, seeing the anticipation in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Previously, their elder titles were purely nominal, but starting from today, these were no longer mere titles but genuine positions of authority!


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, looking over the crowd before him, his expression calm as he softly said, ¡°Chao Tian Sect does not accept just anyone. Step forward one by one, those selected stand to the left, the rejected go to the right.¡±


    ¡°As you join the sect, clearly state your Cultivation, your specialties, and why you think you can join Chao Tian Sect, giving me a reason to accept you.¡±


    Although his voice was not loud, it clearly rang in everyone¡¯s ears.


    Soon¡ª


    Those seventy or eighty individuals lined up in a long queue.


    The elderly man at the very front, his voice trembling with worry and excitement, said: ¡°Sect Master Chen, this disciple has a Cultivation of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection and is a Sword Cultivator specializing in offense. Just let me join the sect, and I will be the most powerful blade in the Sect Master¡¯s hands!¡±

 Chapter 305 - 146:

    Chapter 305: Chapter 146: ¡°Chao Tian Sect Disciple, Zhao Dezhu, pays respects to the Sect Master!!¡±_2


    He had fought his entire life.


    He had also braved the secret realms his entire life.


    In his life, he had encountered countless opportunities and faced life or death situations, and he had long since come to terms with life and death, even knowing that his life was coming to an end didn¡¯t bother him. But when he found out that joining the Chao Tian Sect would give him the chance to leave Da Xia and pursue the Nascent Soul, he couldn¡¯t contain himself any longer, and he rushed to Fei Zhou City ahead of everyone else, brimming with excitement.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of dying, because he knew that anyone at this stage had to wait for death just as he did.


    But now, since there was a hope of not dying, how could he not be excited?


    ¡°Approved.¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu waved his hand, signaling that the old man whose admission into the sect was successful could go and wait on the left: ¡°Next.¡±


    Seeing that he had successfully joined the Chao Tian Sect, the elder could no longer hold back his emotions and, without caring about his image, with tears streaming down his face, moved to the left side, then carefully approached Fat Long and whispered, ¡°Great Elder, when will the sect distribute the disciple tokens, disciple robes, and sect rules, and when do we sign the Life Plate contract?¡±


    Although he had already received Sect Master Chen¡¯s verbal approval.


    Without these items and the Life Plate, he always felt insecure, as if it were all just an illusion that could disappear at any moment.


    Only when he had these things in hand would he feel like a weight had truly been lifted from his heart.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Being called Great Elder gave Fat Long a secret thrill; he cleared his throat and replied with a kind smile, ¡°How did you know I am the Great Elder of the Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    ¡°The Great Elder had previously introduced himself in front of everyone. Before coming to the Chao Tian Sect, I gathered information about it,¡± the elder replied.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Fat Long nodded in satisfaction and said seriously, ¡°The distribution of disciple tokens and robes can be discussed later. Once the Sect Master has signed the Life Plate contract with you, they will be distributed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the guidance, Great Elder.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing there, Fat Long looked toward Chen Qiu, who was still vetting applicants, and mulled over the situation. With so many Golden Core Peak, Great Perfection Cultivators joining the Chao Tian Sect, it was well on its way to becoming a Major Sect.


    It would seem somewhat irregular for so many disciples not to have disciple tokens and robes.


    But they hadn¡¯t even designed the disciple robes yet, let alone the tokens.


    Where could they get these items from?


    He would have to discuss with Brother Qiu later to see if they could quickly come up with something.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Chen Qiu had completed vetting four applicants, three were accepted, and one was rejected. The rejected one was a Golden Core Peak, Great Perfection Cultivator from the Hundred Countries; there was no special reason for the rejection, simply because he didn¡¯t like people with foreign charm.


    He just didn¡¯t fit his aesthetic.


    Now it was the fifth one¡¯s turn.


    It was a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man cautiously approached Chen Qiu and said with some trepidation, ¡°Sect Master Chen, although I am only at the sixth layer of Golden Core Cultivation, I have¡­ a special talent. May I join the Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head; the sixth layer of Golden Core Cultivation was too low, and they still had to be trained up to Nascent Soul. He was willing to accept disciples at Golden Core Peak Great Perfection because once these people broke through to Nascent Soul, they could be of great assistance to him in the outside world. But the sixth layer was simply too low; he didn¡¯t have the time to foster newcomers.


    Just as he was about to shake his head and refuse,


    The middle-aged man carefully handed over a storage ring: ¡°I found this on the road, Sect Master Chen, could it be something you¡¯ve lost?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense pierced into the storage ring; there were no restrictions. Inside were neatly placed 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. After a brief silence, he swept the storage ring into his sleeve with Spiritual Energy.


    ¡°Low in cultivation, but good in potential, worth cultivating.¡±


    ¡°Approved.¡±


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sect Master!¡± The middle-aged man, who had lost all hope, was overjoyed and quickly ran to the left, standing with the three others who had been accepted. He turned to look at the three in front and whispered, ¡°Nice to meet you, fellow disciples, my name is He Tianxia.¡±


    The previous three who had been selected were all old men with Golden Core Peak, Great Perfection Cultivation.


    At that moment, they were also in high spirits and laughed,


    ¡°What senior or junior brothers? We haven¡¯t officially joined the sect yet, and it¡¯s uncertain who will be whose senior. Who knows, we might have to look up to you in the future.¡±


    ¡°No, no, your Cultivation is higher than mine, so you must be my seniors.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, then we¡¯ll take your kind words, junior brother!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Sitting on the chair passed over by Fat Long, Chen Qiu was growing weary from all the vetting. He casually waved his hand and sipped on the Frostveil Tea in his teacup. But when he saw the next person coming forward, he couldn¡¯t help but smile, momentarily taken aback.


    ¡°Sect Master of the Caotian Sect, what brings you here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Sect Master Zhao Dezhu of the Caotian Sect chuckled awkwardly, saying, ¡°You see, Sect Master Chen, my name is Zhao Dezhu. I contacted you in advance, and you told me to come.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember now. Sorry, are you not interested in the Caotian Sect anymore?¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡± S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhao Dezhu spoke earnestly, ¡°If I don¡¯t abdicate, I will remain the Sect Master forever. It¡¯s only right for a Sect Master to step down and leave opportunities for the younger generation.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Chen Qiu nodded as if suddenly enlightened: ¡°Do you mean I should also step down as the Sect Master and leave opportunities for the younger ones?¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡±


    Zhao Dezhu, realizing he had said the wrong thing, hurriedly shook his head: ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, and besides¡­ besides¡­ you, Sect Master Chen, are the youngest person in the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced around; it was indeed the case. He was in fact the youngest person in the Chao Tian Sect. Everyone who had arrived was either an old man or a middle-aged man; not one was young. Mainly because the young ones couldn¡¯t cultivate to this realm.

 Chapter 306 - 146:

    Chapter 306: Chapter 146: ¡°Chao Tian Sect Disciple, Zhao Dezhu, pays respects to the Sect Master!!¡±_3


    He wasn¡¯t serious, of course.


    When Zhao Dezhu had first met him, he mocked him, and given that his Cultivation was inferior at the time, he had naturally gone along with it, but now Zhao Dezhu¡¯s Cultivation was no longer as high as his, so it was his turn to do the mocking.


    It must be said, it really is fun to tease others when your Cultivation is high.


    No wonder there are so many disrespectful powerhouses.


    Even if you tell the coldest joke, they still have to laugh.


    If they don¡¯t laugh, you hit them.


    ...


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled while sipping his tea before waving his hand and saying, ¡°You and I have had some interactions, and there¡¯s no reason for me not to allow you to join the sect. Granted.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sect Master Chen.¡±


    A glint of joy flickered in Zhao Dezhu¡¯s eyes as he hurriedly walked to the left, not knowing what tea Chen Qiu was drinking, but wondering how could it smell so fragrant? Despite being hot tea, it carried a refreshing chill like ice and snow.


    The elderly man following close behind, with a fawning smile, laughed obsequiously, ¡°Sect Master Chen, I am at the Great Perfection Golden Core Peak of Cultivation, I am Zhao Dezhu¡¯s uncle in terms of our hierarchy, and we get along quite well usually.¡±


    ¡°Granted, next.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sect Master Chen, thank you!¡±


    This Supreme Elder of the Caotian Sect was brimming with excitement, scuttling over to the queue on Chen Qiu¡¯s left. Who knew mentioning Zhao Dezhu¡¯s name would be so effective? He had never anticipated his nephew would have such influence.


    ¡­


    Finally, after about an hour, the vetting was complete.


    The first batch of disciples to join the sect numbered 57.


    Among them, 38 were powerhouses at the Great Perfection Golden Core Peak Cultivation. Nearly half of the Supreme Elders from Da Xia Country had come over, bringing with them the foundations of many forces from Da Xia.


    The remaining 19 were in the later stages of the Golden Core, nearly all at the eighth or ninth level, not far from the peak of Great Perfection Golden Core Cultivation, or they were like the Star Battle Sect Master, with a unique skill, or¡­ those who knew how to curry favor.


    Chen Qiu had temporarily arranged for this group to be accommodated in the ¡°Fei City¡± inn because the Chao Tian Sect hadn¡¯t yet finished its repairs. Now, as the Sect Master for so many disciples at the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection Cultivation, Chen Qiu also carried a certain burden.


    He didn¡¯t particularly want his disciples to see the dilapidated side of the Chao Tian Sect.


    After the Chao Tian Sect was fully repaired, he would let people in.


    After these people left, Chen Qiu returned to the small world with Fat Long and a few others. Fat Long had just brought him a very serious issue that he felt needed to be resolved as soon as possible.


    ¡­


    Chao Tian Sect, on the back hill.


    Chen Qiu and several others were sitting cross-legged on the ground, discussing an important matter.


    ¡°It¡¯s decided!¡±


    Chen Qiu seriously took out a piece of Evil Wood from his bosom and said, ¡°The disciple tokens will be carved out of this Evil Wood.¡±


    They had discussed for a long time about what material to use for the disciple tokens.


    If the material were too poor, it would be too demeaning.


    After all, this was a sect with so many future Nascent Souls, and when sect disciples walked around outside, to take out a poorly made disciple token would be synonymous with smearing the name of the Chao Tian Sect.


    But if the material was too good¡­


    Let alone whether they could afford it, they didn¡¯t have it!


    ¡°Evil Wood?¡±


    Fat Long was slightly startled upon hearing Brother Qiu¡¯s suggestion, his eyes flashing with delight: ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, we have plenty of Evil Wood, but this wood on the Xuantian Continent, it¡¯s no ordinary thing.¡±


    ¡°Though I don¡¯t know the exact worth, it is certainly not cheap.¡±


    ¡°Using it as the material for disciple tokens couldn¡¯t be better!¡±


    ¡°But Brother Qiu¡­ what shape should the disciple token be carved into?¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Another question made Chen Qiu fall into thought again before he said, ¡°Just make the disciple token in the normal shape of a token. The upper end of the token should be square with two right angles, and the lower end of the token should have an edge.¡±


    ¡°Then, on the front, engrave the words ¡®Chao Tian Sect,¡¯ and on the back, ¡®Servant Disciple,¡¯ letting them start from the bottom.¡±


    ¡°Once they break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, they can become Outer Sect Disciples, and then climb up step by step.¡±


    ¡°Later on, Fat Long, you sort out a system of Contribution Value for the sect, setting high standards for rewards that would not be easy to achieve in the short term.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one to handle this, you should be familiar with it, right?¡±


    ¡°Familiar!¡±


    Fat Long nodded vigorously: ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯ve forgotten what I used to do. I¡¯ll get those rules and the disciple regulations sorted out. How about we bring Liu Zide over too? He¡¯s well-versed in this, and with his talents, he¡¯ll definitely be useful in the Chao Tian Sect in the future.¡±


    ¡°Fine, bring him over. I¡¯ll go find him soon and also check how the purchase of the Evil Wood is coming along.¡±


    ¡°No problem. What about the sect rules?¡±


    ¡°Sect rules¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu pondered before speaking, ¡°Just stick to the same old rules as other sects; no betrayal and such, nothing special needed there, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°Then about the disciple attire, let¡¯s go with grey as the predominant color for the Servant Disciples¡¯ sect garb, and for Outer Sect disciples, black as the main color. As for the Inner Sect, we¡¯ll think about that later; Inner Sect Disciples will probably not appear for a long while.¡±


    ¡°And when designing the attire, aim for simplicity and an imposing style. Just draft a simple design and get it made inside Da Xia Country.¡±


    ¡°As for the material, just use ordinary fabric.¡±

 Chapter 307 - 146:

    Chapter 307: Chapter 146: ¡°Chao Tian Sect Disciple, Zhao Dezhu, pays respects to the Sect Master!!¡±_4


    ¡°Once we get out, see if we can find some materials for our sect clothing that still have defensive capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Fat Long nodded seriously. In his previous life, he had owned a company and was quite familiar with management regulations. Although his company did not develop very well, it had kept from going bankrupt for many years, which is no small feat.


    Not to joke,


    running a small company that stays afloat for many years already surpasses ninety percent of companies¡ªmost small businesses have to shut down within three years. Surviving in such a competitive environment is also a display of ability.


    ¡°From now on, you will be responsible for managing the sect,¡± Chen Qiu looked toward Fat Long, assigning him future responsibilities within the sect: ¡°mainly managing resources and sect contributions, among other things.¡±


    ...


    ¡°As for the scholar¡ª¡±


    He turned his head towards the scholar and his younger brother, who had been waiting: ¡°You two will be responsible for the Punishment Hall, mainly for monitoring if any sect disciples violate the rules, and then executing those rules.¡±


    ¡°Besides that, you are also in charge of external forces.¡±


    ¡°Your brother is the second-in-command of the Punishment Hall, assisting you.¡±


    ¡°Your Cultivation must also improve quickly. As Elders of the Chao Tian Sect, having merely Foundation Establishment Cultivation will hardly convince the masses.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Qiu,¡± Fat Long seriously patted his chest, ¡°I¡¯ll go find that witch soon and cultivate fiercely. I¡¯m already at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡±


    the scholar said earnestly, ¡°Last time, Brother Qiu, you went into seclusion for ten days. Now, my Cultivation has reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, just a step away from the ninth level. I expect in less than half a month, I¡¯ll be able to step into the Golden Core Realm again.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded with satisfaction, paused, and said with a smile to the group, ¡°The path ahead may be hard to travel, and I have no idea what will happen; for us, it¡¯s a whole new challenge.¡±


    ¡°In the coming days, everyone needs to put in the effort together.¡±


    Fat Long and the scholar looked at each other, understanding each other¡¯s thoughts, and said loudly with a laugh.


    ¡°May the Lord National Master, on this long journey, continue to be the dragon among men, cutting down enemies the world over!¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled and shook his head: ¡°You guys.¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, inside Fei City Inn,


    dozens of people sat in the large hall on the first floor, eating, drinking, and chatting with smiles all around.


    ¡°It¡¯s been many years since we last met, right? The last time I saw you was over a decade ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know I only have a few years left to live. How could I have the heart to wander around?¡±


    Listening to the chatter in the hall,


    the shopkeeper, while serving dishes, couldn¡¯t help but tremble; he had never served cultivators of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation, and today he was serving dozens of them. Even though these people had retracted all their Cultivation aura,


    they appeared no different from ordinary people.


    But¡­


    merely one casual glance at him was enough to make his heart sink like falling into a cold dungeon, his back turned cold, and his head break out in cold sweat. If such powerful cultivators were to kill him, no one would stand up for him, truly a death in vain.


    After serving the dishes, he hastily retreated to the side, leaving space for the guests to converse, and he remained visible in case they required assistance.


    During the clinking of cups, the atmosphere was somewhat lively.


    These experts with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation, who hadn¡¯t eaten ordinary food for quite some time, were now eating with great relish as if they were enjoying a fine meal.


    ¡°Looking back, we had some grievances, and I admit I was wrong in that affair. Here, I make amends with this drink. Back then I was young and someone provoked me; I just couldn¡¯t step down, but honestly, I bore no malice towards you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been so many years, why bring up the past now? From now on, we are all disciples of the Chao Tian Sect. Honestly, after we go to the Xuantian Continent, who else can we trust if not each other? We might face crises, and we¡¯ll need to tackle them shoulder to shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Even a grand crisis is better than waiting for death in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but who knows if I can ever return.¡±


    At that comment,


    the previously lively atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Only after a long time did an old man¡¯s sigh break the silence, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you, I am well aware that I might not return alive from this trip.¡±


    ¡°My greatest dream is to reach the Nascent Soul in the Xuantian Continent, then return to see my family and boast about my Nascent Soul cultivation.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Given the dangers of the Xuantian Continent, how many times can we old bones, who haven¡¯t yet achieved Nascent Soul, fight before our life runs out? Once, maybe twice? Even if we survive twice, we¡¯d die there the third time.¡±


    ¡°But even if I die out there, I wouldn¡¯t want to wait for death in Da Xia. I just hope that when the time comes, a brother will help collect my body so that my remains can return to their roots. Having lived my whole life in Da Xia, if any brothers return later, I hope they can bring my remains back to my family.¡±


    The others were quite moved; the path of cultivation is incredibly difficult.


    Everyone sees their glory,


    but not the countless corpses buried alongside the road they walked to reach this position.


    ¡°Hey,¡±


    At this point, the Qu Family Supreme Elder couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Why are you worried about this? You still don¡¯t understand the charm of being a true Heavenly Pride. Joining the Chao Tian Sect is the biggest opportunity of your lives.¡±


    ¡°With a bit of ability and insight, securing a Nascent Soul is definitely not a problem.¡±


    He felt he might be the most relaxed transmigrator of all.


    After transmigrating, he did nothing.


    He passed his days eating, drinking, and waiting for death once his lifespan ran out; besides that, he couldn¡¯t do anything, though it seemed fate still favored him. Chen Qiu emerged brilliantly, giving him hope again to achieve Nascent Soul and extend his life.


    Hearing his words, everyone exchanged glances and laughed again.


    ¡°Indeed, with the Sect Master¡¯s strength, he would wreak havoc in the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop stealing my words?¡± the Qu Family Supreme Elder said discontentedly, ¡°¡®Wreak havoc¡¯ is my phrase.¡±


    ¡°Who can deny that? In less than two months, he went from a mere mortal to the eighth level of Golden Core, and he¡¯s absolute in Golden Core, wielding a top-grade fifth-grade Heavenly Dao Golden Core. Once the Sect Master achieves Nascent Soul, he will be invincible in Nascent Soul. Even in the Xuantian Continent, with all of us Nascent Souls together, who would dare to offend the Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    ¡°Good, good, truly fucking excellent!¡±


    The Supreme Elder of the Caotian Sect, now quite excited, stood up with his cup and looked around at everyone, ¡°This fellow Daoist is absolutely right, let¡¯s all raise a glass to celebrate our successful joining of the Chao Tian Sect. Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself, I used to be the Supreme Elder of the Caotian Sect, and my grandnephew is the Sect Master of the Caotian Sect. He and Sect Master Chen have a deep connection.¡±


    ¡°You must have heard about it.¡±


    ¡°During the time in the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, my grandnephew sat with Sect Master Chen.¡±


    S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 308 - 147:

    Chapter 308: Chapter 147: ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s Exclusive Pet, Obstructors Will Die!


    Chao Tian Sect, on the back mountain.


    Chen Qiu had already arranged a series of matters, including the disciple tokens, and with a small world as the foundation, and this batch of Nascent Souls as disciples of the Chao Tian Sect, he did not believe anyone could easily manipulate him.


    Not to mention other things.


    He was confident that even on the Heavenly Continent, Nascent Souls were not common.


    The reason was simple; how many Golden Core Peak Great Perfections were there when the Evil Clan invaded? That was a whole race, a genuine race. If a race had just those few Golden Core Peak Great Perfections, how many Nascent Souls could there be?


    Da Xia might not have any Nascent Souls, but there were quite a few in Da Xia stuck at the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation. If this group went out, at least half could achieve Nascent Soul, right?


    ...


    Twenty or thirty Nascent Souls, that was enough to scare people.


    After settling these matters, he then left the secret realm with Fat Long and others. It was almost time; the Heavenly Dao Beauty who paraded daily in Fei City should be appearing soon.


    He was going to facilitate a marriage and incidentally collect the Alchemy Cultivator inheritance as well.


    ¡­


    Inside Fei City.


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long, along with a few others, wore cloaks and walked down the road, a mesh veil covering their faces. They now had a somewhat notorious reputation in Da Xia. If they didn¡¯t wear their cloaks, the road in front of them would be instantly blocked by the incoming crowd.


    But just then¡ª


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly raised his eyebrows and looked towards an old fortune-teller sitting in an alley, next to whom stood a flag embroidered with two lines of text.


    ¡°Fate I dare not predict fully, for fear of heaven and earth, ghosts and gods.¡±


    ¡°Words I cannot speak clearly, lest it throws the world into chaos.¡±


    He immediately walked into the alley and squatted beside the elder, saying with a light chuckle, ¡°Old Man Cao, long time no see.¡±


    His ties with Old Man Cao were not shallow. Before he recovered his memories, he even suspected Old Man Cao was the mastermind State Preceptor; of course, after regaining his memory, he knew he had wronged Old Man Cao.


    ¡°You lad¡­¡±


    Sitting on the ground, Old Man Cao looked at Chen Qiu somewhat resentfully, ¡°You have deceived everyone under heaven. Back in the day, when you were the State Preceptor, your authority was overwhelming. As long as you stayed in that position, the whole world was yours; if you said ¡®one,¡¯ no one dared say ¡®two.''¡±


    ¡°You could really let go of that overwhelming authority?¡±


    ¡°Live again, start from scratch.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that in this life, you could die halfway through, or struggle for a lifetime and still not achieve as much as in your previous life?¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, sitting cross-legged in front of Old Man Cao, and after filling half a cup of tea for both himself and Old Man Cao, said smilingly, ¡°Can Da Xia Country¡¯s authority even be called authority?¡±


    ¡°If a lion, imprisoned in a forest, scoured the entire forest and found no rival, would it claim to be unrivaled under heaven?¡±


    ¡°Most people would.¡± Old Man Cao, smelling the fragrance in the air, looked down at the ground complexly at the cup of tea: ¡°This tea is excellent. Once you go out, keep it well guarded, lest it catches someone¡¯s eye. Do you really want to go out that badly?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Qiu nodded seriously. Not only was he aware of Da Xia being a cage but many in Da Xia knew this secret, yet he was the only one willing to break this cage, even if it took a thousand years.


    He really wanted to go out and see that world for which he had spent a thousand years striving.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Old Man Cao was silent for a long time before he finally spoke softly: ¡°In the future, could you find an Array Repairer talent to take over my legacy? I want to go home too, it¡¯s been many years since I¡¯ve been home.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Chen Qiu promised. ¡°Once I find an Array Repairer talent, I will return to Da Xia immediately and take them to the Array Repairer inheritance to find you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Old Man Cao raised his cup and drained the tea in one gulp, then sighed deeply with a complex expression shaking his head: ¡°This is really good tea, very nice, there¡¯s a lot I can¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Just one thing¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an interesting proverb in the Heavenly Continent, never turn your back on the living.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having said this,


    and not waiting for Chen Qiu to respond, Old Man Cao¡¯s flag flickered slightly, and he disappeared from his spot.


    It was a brief farewell.


    Chen Qiu did not linger in the alley. By this time, the sounds of gongs and drums came from the streets; the Heavenly Dao Beauty, as usual, had come to parade, day after day, regardless of wind or snow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡­


    Fei City, on the main street.


    A girl, extremely plump, was sitting in a palanquin carried by eight strong men, a smile on her face as she waved to the pedestrians on the road, a trail of a musical troupe following with gongs and drums.


    Although she was smiling, there was a trace of loneliness in the depths of her eyes.


    Just then¡ª


    A young man wielding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and dressed in a black robe approached her palanquin, blocking her path


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    The girl in the palanquin showed a flicker of surprise in her eyes, then quickly exclaimed excitedly, ¡°Chen Qiu, Chen Qiu, you are Chen Qiu, the strongest Talent of Magic Practitioner of Da Xia!¡±


    In her excitement, her layers of fat trembled violently, which intensified to such an extent that the robust men carrying the palanquin instantly turned pale.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at the girl in the palanquin. She was indeed an extremely obese girl, her size exaggerated to the point that she looked to weigh at least 800 pounds.


    The entire person sitting in the palanquin appeared more like a mound of fat seated there.


    This girl was the Heavenly Dao Beauty.


    He wondered if there were Heavenly Dao Beauties on the Heavenly Continent, and what would become of Da Xia Country¡¯s Heavenly Dao Beauty if she went to the Heavenly Continent?


    He did not delay, as time was short. It was best to seize the moment.

 Chapter 309 - 147: Chen Qius Exclusive Pet, Blockers Will Die!_2

    Chapter 309: Chapter 147: ¡®Chen Qiu¡¯s Exclusive Pet, Blockers Will Die!¡¯_2


    He immediately walked up to the sedan chair, taking the girl, the chair, and the eight strong men, and tucked them all into the small world. Then, he headed to the other end of the city and did the same with the Alchemy Cultivator who would stand by the window day after day, waiting for his beloved to pass by with drums and gongs.


    ¡­


    In Chao Tian Sect, upon the rear mountain.


    Chen Qiu looked at the girl on the sedan chair, and at the Alchemy Cultivator with fear evident on his face, yet still bravely standing in front of the girl with a sword, who at that moment screamed at him, ¡°Shameless debaucher, Miss Qing is the second Heavenly Dao Beauty, protected by the Heavenly Dao. Should you harbor any improper thoughts towards her, you will be struck by Heavenly Punishment!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corner of Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. This was the first time he had been called a shameless debaucher, but he then shook his head and didn¡¯t take offense at the Alchemy Cultivator¡¯s accusations, saying aloud,


    ...


    ¡°You two are dragging this out, I¡¯ll officiate your wedding.¡±


    ¡°You, this Miss Qing in your mouth drums and makes such a big scene daily while patrolling the city just to glance at you. The fact that she drums is to draw you out of the house, and thus she can see you. But because she considers herself too fat, she doesn¡¯t think she is worthy of you and keeps her love hidden deep within her heart.¡±


    ¡°And you, Miss Qing.¡±


    ¡°This Alchemy Cultivator has also been secretly admiring you, but since his cultivation is weak and you have many powerful pursuers as the second Heavenly Dao Beauty, he believes he is not worthy of you. Hence, he can only secretly watch you from a distance during your street parades.¡±


    ¡°The two of you have been secretly cherishing each other but have always kept your feelings hidden deep within your hearts.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now is the time to express your feelings for each other, stop dragging this out.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The sword-holding Alchemy Cultivator, hearing Chen Qiu¡¯s words, trembled all over, his cheeks flushing to his ears, his deepest secret thus revealed, not even daring to look back.


    Until the plump girl sitting in the sedan chair also said in a low, embarrassed voice, ¡°Brother Yuan, won¡¯t you even turn back to look at Xiao Qing for a moment?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The body of the Alchemy Cultivator trembled as he gathered the courage to turn around and face the plump girl sitting in the sedan. Seeing the blush on her face he had never seen before, he stammered, ¡°You do not mind that I am just a weak Loose Cultivator Alchemy Cultivator?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    The girl shook her head, ¡°What I want is a Taoist couple to be with me for life, not a powerful Alchemy Cultivator. Don¡¯t you mind that I am fat?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, not at all!¡±


    The Alchemy Cultivator wept with joy, wiping the tears from his eyes, ¡°I like plus-sized! I liked you before you were a Heavenly Dao Beauty. You¡¯ve always been kind and lovely, in my heart, you are the most beautiful woman in the world!¡±


    ¡°Brother Yuan!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Qing!¡±


    The two gazed at each other in excitement. Seeing this, the Alchemy Cultivator immediately ran up to the sedan, climbed up the girl¡¯s plump body to the flesh on her chest, tiptoed, looked into Xiao Qing¡¯s excited, crimson eyes, peeled back the flesh by her mouth with his hands, and, with a face sincere and trembling from excitement, kissed her slowly.


    A kiss, a lifetime commitment.


    ¡­


    Standing by, Fat Long couldn¡¯t help but remark, ¡°How beautiful, I don¡¯t know why, but every time I see such a heartfelt reunion where lovers become spouses, I feel this world is beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because there are too many partings of life and death in this world, making one yearn to see something beautiful.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°It also proves that indeed, not everyone¡¯s preferences are the same.¡±


    Chen Qiu made no comments but patted Fat Long on the shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. Let these two stay in Chao Tian Sect. The disciple dormitory can¡¯t accommodate them, so build a bigger one next to it.¡±


    ¡°You take care of their wedding, and in a few days, bring in the Star Battle Sect Master first. Let¡¯s improve this Alchemy Cultivator¡¯s skills a bit before he leaves; he still needs to pass on his cultivation legacy.¡±


    ¡°If he succeeds, he may come with the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°If he does not pass, he should stay in Da Xia.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Fat Long nodded vigorously, ¡°Brother Qiu, go on, I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    ¡­


    After leaving the small world, Chen Qiu.


    Contacted Liu Zide via the Sound Transmission Ring, determined his exact location using Divine Sense, and instantly turned into a stream of light¡­ shooting forth slowly. Not long after, he found Liu Zide outside a village.


    ¡°How is it going?¡±


    Chen Qiu landed, and as Liu Zide jogged over, asked, ¡°How did the acquisition go?¡±


    ¡°Almost ninety percent of the Evil Wood in Fat Province is here.¡±


    Liu Zide carefully took out four Storage Rings from his chest, ¡°Three of these Storage Rings are filled with Evil Wood, about one hundred and sixty thousand sticks. We almost cleared out entire Fat Province, and you, Brother Qiu, dealt with all the resentful spirits underneath, making it very hard for Evil Wood to grow here again.¡±


    ¡°The remaining ones are scattered across various sects and families who don¡¯t lack Spirit Stones and don¡¯t bother selling them to make a small profit. Although the climate in Fat Province is warming and these aren¡¯t much use, they don¡¯t really care about them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, accepting the Storage Rings. Along with the batch that Liu Zide previously bought for him, he now had over one hundred and eighty thousand sticks of Evil Wood, his greatest asset for traveling to the Xuantian Continent.


    Although these items were of little value in Da Xia Country, it was a different story on the Xuantian Continent.


    ¡°Moreover,¡± Liu Zide continued, ¡°another Storage Ring is filled with Eight Desolate Fruit, which aren¡¯t very useful but are quite rare, making them difficult to acquire; it took a long time to collect just thirty of them.¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 310 - 147: Chen Qius Exclusive Pet, Those Who Stand in the Way, Die!_3

    Chapter 310: Chapter 147: ¡®Chen Qiu¡¯s Exclusive Pet, Those Who Stand in the Way, Die!¡¯_3


    ¡°Including the ones I gave to you last time, Brother Qiu, that makes thirty-three.¡±


    ¡°And also¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, you were going to leave Da Xia Country, right? I have a bestiary here, which contains some worthless treasures from all nineteen provinces of the entire Da Xia Country. I¡¯ve collected them and recorded them in this bestiary. When you go out, if you see anything valuable outside, you can come back to fetch it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thoughtful.¡±


    Chen Qiu took the Jade Scroll containing the bestiary, looked up at Liu Zide with a smile, and said, ¡°Figured it out?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ...


    Liu Zide nodded somewhat sheepishly; he wasn¡¯t a fool. Brother Qiu¡¯s wide-scale purchasing of Evil Wood must be because its value wasn¡¯t as it seemed. Although he had previously had his suspicions, he didn¡¯t know what specifically made it valuable.


    Lately, he had also heard rumors about Brother Qiu preparing to leave Da Xia and head to Xuantian Continent, which made his guess nearly spot-on.


    ¡°Would you like to come with me?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Liu Zide paused, somewhat incredulously, ¡°Can I go too, Brother Qiu? My cultivation is only at Foundation Establishment stage.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, patted Liu Zide¡¯s shoulder with a smile, and said, ¡°You¡¯re pretty efficient at handling affairs. I¡¯m at ease leaving some tasks to you. It¡¯s up to you if you want to come along. If you¡¯re worried about your family head, you can bring him along with us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    The moment the words were uttered, the Wang Family head standing beside them scratched his head somewhat embarrassingly: ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t like living a complicated life. Liu Steward is a clever man; he¡¯ll be able to reach his full potential following you, Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°I want to go back to Yun City and continue living with my family.¡±


    ¡°Just plain and contentedly, I think that¡¯s a good way to live.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± After taking a deep breath, Liu Zide really wanted to see the outside world. If he didn¡¯t know that Da Xia was a cage, it would be one thing, but now that he knew, it was another matter entirely.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to rely on Sect Master Chen to look after him in the future.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled as he took Liu Zide into the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s small world, waved goodbye to the Wang Family head, and left. This farewell might be a lifetime¡¯s parting; on this path, there were always those who would disembark halfway through the journey.


    Everyone has their own choices.


    He respected everyone¡¯s choices.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, within Da Xia¡¯s Xuzhou.


    Outside Fufeng City, hundreds of brown bears formed a long, dragon-like procession on all fours, passing through Fufeng City, and headed straight south across Xuzhou towards the southern regions of Da Xia!


    Although Xuzhou was near the Endless Desert ¡ª teeming with demon beasts and members of the Devil Clan ¡ª


    it had been a long time since so many Demons boldly set foot in Xuzhou. For a moment, countless travelers preparing to enter Fufeng City curiously eyed this group of Demons.


    Yet no one made a move to kill them.


    Even the City Lord of Fufeng City simply stood on the city walls, watching these Demons disappear into the distance, without the slightest intention to act. His cultivation was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and the highest cultivation within this group of Devil Clan members was also at that peak, but he dared not act.


    And it wasn¡¯t for no reason.


    It was because each of these Bear Demons had a flag fluttering in the wind tied around their necks, bearing an embroidered line of text¡ª


    ¡°Exclusive pet of Chen Qiu. Obstruct and die!¡±


    In Da Xia nowadays, there was no one who hadn¡¯t heard of Chen Qiu.


    While he had not heard about Chen Qiu having so many pets, he thought it was best not to take chances; maybe these Bear Demons truly were Chen Qiu¡¯s pets. Anyone who got in their way would face Chen Qiu¡¯s wrath. He did not know anyone in Da Xia who could stand against Chen Qiu now.


    It crossed his mind that the flag could be fake.


    But¡­ if it was fake, Chen Qiu himself would take action to eliminate the bluff, and he had no intention to gamble his life on whether the flag was genuine.


    ¡­


    ¡°Son.¡±


    At the front of the procession, an elderly brown bear looked towards the south with a complex expression: ¡°Is this the revitalization plan you came up with? Are we really going to become Chen Qiu¡¯s pets?¡±


    ¡°How about we find ourselves a more flattering name?¡± The young brown bear beside him panted, ¡°Something like Spirit Beast, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°As your Young Clan Leader, I must have accrued some bad karma. I just can¡¯t see a future in you all.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep trading bear urine for food forever, right? These past few days, I can hardly pee anymore; I¡¯m already squeezing it out!¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°The best plan is for us to seek refuge with Chao Tian Sect. As long as we join Chao Tian Sect, even if we don¡¯t talk about cultivation resources, at least we¡¯ll be assured food, right? Plus, we brown bears have a special skill that other Devil Clans lack: we look cute. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to be pets in Chao Tian Sect, to be a pleasant sight for the eyes?¡±


    As a transmigrator,


    his journey from initially wanting to revitalize the Brown Bear Clan, to eventually giving up, and now seeking refuge with Chao Tian Sect, has been full of countless twists and turns. He had now resigned himself to his fate.


    All that talk about revitalization was just empty words.


    The moment he learned that the Star Battle Sect Master had stepped down and sought refuge with Chao Tian Sect, that idea sprang to life in his mind.


    ¡°Son, the problem is, with our speed, it¡¯ll take at least two months to reach Fei Zhou. Will Chen Qiu still be in Fei Zhou by then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to hurry!¡±


    Just then¡ª


    A Flying Boat stopped above their heads, and a giant of immense size stood on it. He jumped down and crouched to look over them and boomed, ¡°Are you Chen Qiu¡¯s pets? Are you heading to Fei Zhou?¡±

 Chapter 311 - 147:

    Chapter 311: Chapter 147: ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s Exclusive Pet, Obstructors Will Die!¡±_4


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Old Clan Chief of the Brown Bear Clan silently stepped back and poked his son in the lower back, and at this moment, the Young Clan Leader of the Brown Bear Clan also stepped forward, steeling his nerves as he spoke, ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The giant nodded and continued, ¡°I am Zhao Yishi from Caotian Sect, and I¡¯m also preparing to go to Fei City to join Chao Tian Sect. Since you¡¯re also going to Chao Tian Sect, how about we go together?¡±


    ¡°Together?¡±


    The young brown bear looked at the Flying Boat in the sky, his eyes flickered with excitement and he nodded, ¡°That would be excellent, thank you for the trouble, friend.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Devil Clan also calls us ¡®friend¡¯ huh? I thought you¡¯d say something like ¡®devil buddy¡¯ or the like.¡± Zhao Yishi waved his hand, bringing the Flying Boat down to the ground, signaling the brown bears to board the Flying Boat and join him to Fei City.


    After the Sect Master had left,


    Several elders started quarreling, arguing about who would become the Sect Master.


    He took advantage of the chaos to steal the Sect Master¡¯s left-behind Flying Boat, and readied himself to head to Fei City with it. But he was lazy, not foolish; he certainly couldn¡¯t go empty-handed¡ªwhat reason would Chen Qiu have to let him join Chao Tian Sect then?


    So first he made a trip to Fufeng City, buying some local specialties from there.


    Chen Qiu had started in Fufeng City, so seeing its local specialties would surely stir his emotions, and then he¡¯d reminisce about the days when they fought side by side in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Considering the old times, even if his Cultivation wasn¡¯t enough, he should be willing to accept him.


    Moreover, with this group of brown bears, it was even more secure.


    If it was true, that would be a merit.


    If it was false, that would be an even greater merit, and he could kill them and eat their flesh.


    This way, he should be able to join Chao Tian Sect, right? Zhao Yishi stood on the Flying Boat, his expression vacant as he gazed toward the south, his thoughts drifting far away. After the Sect Master¡¯s departure, he always felt an emptiness inside, suddenly without anyone to supervise him, an inexplicable loneliness.


    Nobody stood on his shoulders anymore, scolding him in frustration.


    He still had to stay with the Sect Master.


    He just didn¡¯t expect the Sect Master to be so ruthless, to leave without any hesitation. Is the outside world really that fascinating? He felt that Da Xia was quite fine; if not for the Sect Master, even if he knew that Da Xia was just a cage within the Xuantian Continent, he wouldn¡¯t have thought of going out to have a look.


    He thought the cage was quite comfortable.


    It was just a pity for the female disciples, with this departure, he didn¡¯t know when they would meet again, or if they ever would.


    Life¡­


    Parting and death always seem to be the main themes, and he suddenly felt as if he had grasped the meaning of departure.


    ¡­


    ¡°All done, Brother Qiu, take a look.¡±


    At this time, within Fei City.


    Chen Qiu faced the wrinkled old man in front of him, who handed over a bunch of disciple tokens and three elder tokens, and smiled as he nodded, ¡°Not bad, the craftsmanship is pretty good.¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Glad you like it, Brother Qiu.¡±


    The old man¡¯s voice trembled with a sobbing tone, ¡°How should I put it, next time you need me, Brother Qiu, just have your servant notify me, no need to come in by breaking through the wall. That way, you wouldn¡¯t waste your Spiritual Energy.¡±


    His name was Li Jia, which might be somewhat unfamiliar in Fei City if spoken outright.


    It might be better to put it another way: he was the second-ranked Artifact Cultivator in Fei City, and he was nearly becoming Chen Qiu¡¯s designated Artifact Cultivator. Not just anyone could enjoy such an honor, for a Foundation Establishment Artifact Cultivator to become designated by Chen Qiu was truly not easy.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Chen Qiu patted Li Jia¡¯s shoulder, left behind a Storage Bag containing more than a hundred Spirit Stones, said no more, and transformed into a streak of light shooting toward the horizon.


    They might not have the chance to meet again, but he didn¡¯t voice it.


    Almost all affairs were taken care of.


    He reappeared on the back mountain peak of Chao Tian Sect, sat cross-legged on an oval stone, took a glance at the two Demon Lotus flowers floating above Chao Tian Sect and the numerous craftsmen zealously renovating below. He took a deep breath, then slowly closed his eyes and started the mental method.


    Night was approaching, the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was about to be accounted for.


    He was prepared to go into seclusion and endure ten days of hard Cultivation, to make a breakthrough to the ninth level of Golden Core.


    This oval stone was one he had picked up from under a cliff in Xuzhou, where the scholar had once secluded himself.


    It was quite useful, so he kept using it.


    He was a person who appreciated the past.

 Chapter 312 - 148: Oh, theres also a group of brown bears.

    Chapter 312: Chapter 148: Oh, there¡¯s also a group of brown bears.


    For the following ten days, Chen Qiu went nowhere, contently practicing in a seated position atop a mountain peak behind the Chao Tian Sect in his small world. He spent nine days enhancing his Cultivation Progress, and one day consolidating his Cultivation realm.


    On the tenth day,


    at dawn,


    Chen Qiu, who was seated cross-legged on the mountain peak, exhaled a turbid breath as he gazed into the sky at the two Demon Lotuses nearby. His closed-door training had ended. The higher his realm, the slower his progress¡ªit had taken him a full 11 days to advance from the eighth to the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage.


    His Cultivation had risen from the former eighth layer of the Golden Core Stage (10.7%).


    Now it had reached¡ª


    ...


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage ninth layer (1.1%).


    ¨C


    ¡°Finally broke through to the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression was distant as he gazed towards the horizon without speaking. All he needed was another dozen days or so of closed-door training to elevate his Cultivation to the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection, and then he could set out. Of course, he would first need to conclude his strategies with the scholar and Ji Renjian.


    The reason his speed of Cultivation at the Golden Core Stage was so astonishing was mainly thanks to the daily Heavenly Dao Blessings provided by the ¡°Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡± and the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. He wondered if there were similar Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills available after reaching the Nascent Soul¡­


    Yet soon, he shook his head.


    He hadn¡¯t achieved the Nascent Soul yet, and thinking about such things was premature. Besides, even if Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills did exist, they were sure to be hard to come by, not so easily obtained.


    He then turned his attention inward to the panel enveloped by clouds above his Dantian.


    He still had one more opportunity to use a ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman¡± during his Golden Core Stage, an opportunity that would be completely forfeited upon reaching the Nascent Soul. That meant if the three choices of entries he was presented with did not contain anything he particularly wanted,


    he would choose the Pink Entry ¡°Merit Saint¡± that he had previously discarded.


    Kill a demon beast, receive one point of merit.


    Although he felt this entry wouldn¡¯t have much impact on him, given his 9.8 billion points of merit, it was better than nothing. If he didn¡¯t randomly get an entry he wanted this time, then selecting ¡°Merit Saint¡± wouldn¡¯t be too bad.


    ¨C


    ¡°The Cultivation has greatly improved, officially stepping into the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: The Sword Flies Like Time Passing Swiftly.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The faster your Flying Sword is, the greater the damage it can deal.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Supreme Movement Technique.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The more Spiritual Energy your Dantian contains, the faster you become.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Undying Loyalty.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: If you and your Taoist couple truly love each other, then both of you will have your spell power and movement speed doubled. However, if one dies, the other will die simultaneously. Should one of you fall in love with someone else, then all three of you will self-destruct together.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A glint of excitement appeared in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes¡ªit was exactly what he had been looking for. His most significant shortcoming had always been just one thing: his movement technique, his speed!


    Even now, at the ninth layer of the Golden Core Stage, he mostly relied on the scholar for transportation.


    But now¡ª


    With the ¡°Supreme Movement Technique¡± entry, this meant that his own speed would receive a significant boost, whether it was for escaping or traveling long distances.


    Moreover, the Spiritual Energy he could contain would continue to increase without limit as he killed more demon beasts, which meant his speed could also keep increasing without limit. It was a virtuous cycle like a perpetual motion machine.


    As for the first entry, ¡°The Sword Flies Like Time Passing Swiftly¡±, it was quite suitable for the scholar; it would be quite good if he could choose that entry for the scholar. However, the third entry, ¡°Undying Loyalty¡±,


    was utterly useless to him. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had no need for a Taoist couple.


    The reasons most people sought a Taoist couple were few: either the couple could help each other in some way, like a Heavenly Dao Beauty, or there were no genuinely heartfelt companions, and one needed a partner to enter Secret Realms together, or they had been together from humble beginnings and had grown alongside one another.


    One rarely heard of a Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivator out looking for a Taoist couple.


    Wouldn¡¯t that be like planting a ticking time bomb for oneself?


    You can¡¯t always be walking around with Protective Spirit Qi, and your Taoist couple is the person by your pillow every day. What if one day, after a quarrel, while you¡¯re asleep or in closed-door training, your Taoist couple stands behind you with a Thunder Summoning Technique, eyes flashing with malice, ready to strike you down?


    Such a death would be truly unjust.


    Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators have seen too much deceit to find a Taoist couple that they can trust completely like ordinary people. Such cultivators would either have passed on their lineage when they were young, had a prearranged marriage, or simply imprisoned a group of female cultivators inferior to them in Cultivation¡ªyet not so low that they couldn¡¯t handle their Spiritual Energy¡ªlacking love, just to procreate.


    Female cultivators were the same.


    The most important thing is¡­


    The benefits are mediocre, and the costs are not small.


    Without any hesitation, Chen Qiu shook his head and chose the ¡°Supreme Movement Technique¡± entry, discarding the other two entries. Only after that did he use a mid-grade Golden Core Heavenly Dao retrospection charm to select the Pink Entry ¡°Merit Saint.¡±


    He now possessed two Pink Entries.


    One was ¡°Dantian Expansion (Unique)¡±, and the other was ¡°Merit Saint.¡±

 Chapter 313 - 148: Oh, theres also a group of brown bears. _2

    Chapter 313: Chapter 148: Oh, there¡¯s also a group of brown bears. _2


    ¡°`


    However, simply discussing the effect, the Merit Saint doesn¡¯t come close to the Dantian Expansion entry; even if both are pink entries, there is a world of difference between them.


    ¡­


    After selecting his entry, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t end his retreat but immediately entered another one. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He planned to cultivate until he reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak before ending his retreat.


    This time¡ª


    ...


    Thirteen days had passed.


    When those thirteen days had passed, and daylight came.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on top of a mountain behind the Chao Tian Sect, once again letting out a long breath of turbid air, looking at the Cultivation panel above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Stage Nine Layers (100.00%).


    ¨C


    It wasn¡¯t easy, his Cultivation had finally reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak. He had a feeling that as long as he used Spiritual Energy to shatter the Golden Core above his Dantian, allowing the Nascent Soul to emerge from its shell, he would have successfully certified the Dao of Nascent Soul.


    But an invisible force of heaven and earth firmly protected that Golden Core within it.


    He didn¡¯t see the slightest hope of shattering that Golden Core.


    In Da Xia.


    It was impossible for anyone to certify the Dao of Nascent Soul, with no exceptions, unless you could shatter the force of heaven and earth, but if you could shatter the force of heaven and earth, why consider certifying the Dao of Nascent Soul? You¡¯d have no problem kicking Mahayana Realm around or tearing apart Transcendance Tribulation Stage with your bare hands.


    This retreat lasted a total of twenty-three days.


    It was the longest retreat he had ever been in.


    ¡­


    Standing on the mountain top, Chen Qiu looked down at the bustling Chao Tian Sect. He even felt as if he were in a different world compared to the past when the Chao Tian Sect was full of collapsed buildings and ruins, with hardly a few roof-tops intact, surrounded by dust everywhere.


    But now¡­


    Most of the buildings had been repaired. Even the Sword Pavilion, shaped like a long sword with its blade thrusting into the ground and hundreds of feet high, had been fixed. The Sword Pavilion was now the tallest construction within the Chao Tian Sect.


    Piercing through the clouds.


    Other structures such as the Sect Hall had also been restored. From high above, it all looked quite majestic and grand.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, Spiritual Energy surged under his feet, and he vanished from the spot.


    In the blink of an eye¡ª


    His body appeared beside Fat Long who was discussing matters with the craftsmen. He hadn¡¯t used any movement techniques, it was simply the speed of a Golden Core cultivator, and he had discovered after studying that the ¡°Supreme Body Technique¡± entry was different from what he had imagined.


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of increasing the speed of his movement technique.


    Rather, it was about enhancing the speed inherent to a Golden Core cultivator, and the degree of amplification was not weak.


    Although at present, some movement techniques he hadn¡¯t fully activated were faster, the advantage was that it didn¡¯t consume much Spiritual Energy and was suitable for long-distance travel and pursuit battles. In contrast, some movement techniques that could rapidly increase speed in a short time tended to consume vast amounts of Spiritual Energy.


    There were pros and cons.


    But for him, he felt the benefits were a bit greater.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t ponder any further but instead looked at Fat Long, who was talking with the craftsmen, and smiled.


    ¡°The building repairs are basically finished.¡±


    Seeing Chen Qiu suddenly appear beside him, Fat Long quickly reported the progress, ¡°But those Arrays, the Array Repairers we¡¯ve brought in say they can¡¯t fix them at all, claiming these Arrays are at least Nascent Soul Arrays, completely beyond their ability.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve just repaired some Formations used in daily life.¡±


    ¡°Like the ¡®Clean Dust Array¡¯ that envelops the entire sect, it ensures that there¡¯s no dust inside and keeps it clean at all times. There¡¯s also the ¡®Clear Water Array¡¯ for the disciple dormitory and the Alchemy Hall, used for daily cleaning and drinking and the like. And then there¡¯s the ¡®Earth Fire Array¡¯ under the Alchemy Hall and Artifact Refining Hall, used for Alchemy and artifact refining, and so on¡­ ¡±


    ¡°All these Formations have been repaired, but¡­¡±


    With some hesitation, Fat Long spoke in a halting manner, ¡°The ¡®Clean Dust Array¡¯ and the ¡®Clear Water Array¡¯ are daily Formations that operate every day. Besides these two, we also have other regular Formations like the ¡®Clear Wind Array¡¯ and so on. Since our Sect is located in a small world and there are no external enemies attacking for now, we don¡¯t need to activate the Sect¡¯s warning Array daily.¡±


    ¡°But just these everyday Formations use around 100 low-grade Spirit Stones each day.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very low¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, with one hand behind his back, remained silent without speaking.


    These days, he didn¡¯t lack Spirit Stones in his pocket. Although his last breakthrough to Golden Core had used up all his Spirit Stones, he later seized the first place on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard and got a sizable number of Spirit Stones, plus subsequent opportunities. Some disciples with good initiative also offered him some gifts.


    He now had¡ª


    Three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones.


    It could have been more, but he had bought nearly two hundred thousand pieces of Evil Wood. The head of the Wang Family had nearly put all his family wealth into it, and naturally, Chen Qiu wouldn¡¯t let the man work for him for nothing.


    He had given a considerable reward, and along with daily expenses, only this much was left.


    With daily consumption at about 100 low-grade Spirit Stones, his thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones would only last for 300 days, meaning the Sect¡¯s daily Array operations would cost about thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones a year.


    That was no small amount.


    After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked, ¡°Generally speaking, how does a Sect make a profit? It¡¯s not possible they spend so much money training disciples just to operate at a loss, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Fat Long awkwardly replied, ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure, my plan with the Sky-bursting Gang hadn¡¯t even been implemented before it was nipped in the bud. But based on my few months¡¯ observation at the Flower Offering Sect, there are a few points.¡±


    ¡°Through marketplaces, or owning a large number of shops in cities, and so on.¡±

 Chapter 314 - 148: Oh, theres also a group of brown bears.

    Chapter 314: Chapter 148: Oh, there¡¯s also a group of brown bears.


    ¡°Eliminate this one; it won¡¯t work,¡± Chen Qiu shook his head, he didn¡¯t believe that by going to the Xuantian Continent, he could seize a market from the already stable power environment. Even if he succeeded, he couldn¡¯t sustain it. His current plan was to keep a low profile after going out and gradually work his way up.


    ¡°Absorbing other families or sects, this method is also commonly used by some sects.¡±


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°Sending disciples into the Secret Realm, then taking all their harvest for sect development, does have certain flaws¡­¡±


    ¡°What flaws?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s prone to mass defection from the sect.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°Our sect has a good reputation and its own special techniques, so some wealthy families¡¯ descendants are willing to spend a large amount of Spirit Stones for a chance to join the sect. This serves as one of the sect¡¯s annual revenue-generating sources from recruiting disciples.¡±


    ¡°Anything else? Is that all? None of these quite fit the Chao Tian Sect.¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fat Long pondered for a moment before hesitantly saying, ¡°Well, there is one¡ªexterminating Evil Demons and seizing their resources. The sect usually sends someone ahead to scout the location, then the disciples form small teams to strike. Half of the loot goes to the disciples, and half to the sect.¡±


    ¡°How do you determine if someone is an Evil Demon?¡±


    ¡°Judge by mouth.¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled contentedly: ¡°This sounds more in line with the future developmental direction of the Chao Tian Sect. Let¡¯s proceed in this direction. Once out, I¡¯ll consider a breakthrough to Nascent Soul.¡±


    Then, noticing the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy around Fat Long, he spoke with mild surprise: ¡°Your Cultivation speed is not slow at all. You¡¯ve reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Fat Long said somewhat helplessly: ¡°With a Golden Core fifth-level Witch and an entry with nine times the dual Cultivation speed, if I hadn¡¯t reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment in just over twenty days, I would have truly embarrassed Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°The scholar broke through to Golden Core three days ago.¡±


    ¡­


    After twenty to thirty days, the construction and daily Formations of the Chao Tian Sect were nearly all completely repaired, much quicker than initially expected. This was due to the relentless hard work of the craftsmen day and night, and also because many Formations were abandoned and not repaired.


    With some initial regrets, Chen Qiu, upon hearing about the exorbitant consumption of Spirit Stones by those daily Formations, lost all interest in repairing the main sect Formation. It would probably drain his family¡¯s resources just running it for a day.


    Since the Chao Tian Sect was not yet making an appearance in public, there was no use for the grand sect Formation.


    This was quite satisfactory.


    The craftsmen and Array Repairers were sent away on a Flying Boat headed for the Capital, ready to go home.


    Meanwhile, the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation experts who had been staying at the Fat City Inn these past few days were already growing impatient. For Chen Qiu, less than a month had passed in seclusion.


    For them, it meant several large portions of their remaining life spans had decreased.


    They were truly struggling to survive!


    At this moment, this group had been brought back to Chao Tian Sect and was standing in the sect¡¯s largest plaza, located at the Mountain Gate.


    These old men, absolute powerhouses in their own right within their respective forces, now stood shoulder to shoulder in three rows like new disciples just starting their path, their faces exceedingly stern as they waited for Chen Qiu¡¯s speech from the platform.


    Yet there was still a trace of astonishment beneath those stern faces.


    Hadn¡¯t it been just over twenty days?


    How had their Sect Master suddenly reached the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation? Although they knew the Sect Master had cultivated rapidly since his rise, wasn¡¯t this a bit too fast?


    They had spent a lifetime to achieve the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation.


    Had the Sect Master covered the distance of their lifetimes in just over two months?


    Wasn¡¯t that a bit exaggerated?


    But they felt a bit more reassured now, one of the biggest reasons they joined the Chao Tian Sect was the chance to leave Da Xia and extend their life spans by breaking through to Nascent Soul, but they were also quite excited about the unfamiliar Xuantian Continent.


    If they had a powerful Sect Master to cover for them, that would be nothing short of perfect.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood on the high platform in the Chao Tian Sect plaza, his hand casually placed behind his back as he looked down at these old men. Though they appeared frail due to age, they mostly possessed the powerful Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation, hosting formidable power within them.


    A total of 57 people, 38 of whom had reached Golden Core Peak Great Perfection, the rest also possessing their own unique strengths late in Golden Core and in the middle stages of Golden Core.


    This was the first batch of disciples for his Chao Tian Sect.


    Oh, and also a group of brown bears.


    He turned his head toward the stands of two hundred-plus brown bears, standing in line and boldly displaying loyalty ¡ª literally; the word ¡°loyalty¡± was written in black charcoal on their faces.


    This group of brown bears was a pleasant surprise.


    Upon travelling to Fei City, he had seen Zhao Yishi and over two hundred expectant Bear Demons waiting outside the city. After learning their intentions, he did not refuse this dishonest wealth and took all the brown bears into the Chao Tian Sect.


    They usually resided in the back mountain.


    Along with some new sect disciples, like¡­ Zhao Dezhu, who brought a large number of Spirit Beasts, all corralled in the back mountain. This made the back mountain seem less desolate and more lively; quite good.


    Mainly, he had felt indifferent about whether to accept these two hundred brown bears when a young brown bear stepped forward and convinced him with a single sentence.


    ¡°A future Immortal King¡¯s small world definitely needs some adorable pets.¡±

 Chapter 315 - 148: Oh, theres also a group of brown bears.

    Chapter 315: Chapter 148: Oh, there¡¯s also a group of brown bears.


    Hmm.


    He found it to be quite reasonable, so he accepted it.


    As for Zhao Yishi, he confiscated his belongings and left him in the small world, instructing him to come and find them once he was able to break through the Puppet on his own. The entry for Zhao Yishi was actually rather good.


    But cultivating him¡­ was too expensive.


    He was recruiting disciples, not to cultivate them, but to strengthen his own combat power for the purpose of embarking on external ventures accompanied by dozens of Nascent Soul adherents, eradicating sects and seizing properties. With the resources for cultivating Zhao Yishi, wouldn¡¯t it be better to cultivate himself?


    The most important thing was, what use was a disciple who shied from battle? As a mascot?


    ...


    ¡­


    The thought passed in an instant.


    Chen Qiu, with one hand behind his back, stood on the high platform and looked down at this group that formed the foundation of his power, speaking softly, ¡°From today onwards, you are members of my Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Below Nascent Soul, you are Servant Disciples.¡±


    ¡°Once you break through to Nascent Soul, you will be Outer Sect Disciples.¡±


    ¡°Above Nascent Soul, you will be Inner Sect Disciples.¡±


    ¡°Having joined Chao Tian Sect, you must abide by the rules of the sect.¡±


    As his voice faded,


    Fat Long, who was standing by the side, had deliberately changed into the ¡®brown-red robe¡¯ tailor-made for him, symbolizing his status as an elder, and stepped forward with a stern face to stand behind Chen Qiu and announced loudly.


    ¡°The following are the rules of the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°First, all disciples of the Chao Tian Sect must possess upright conduct and noble morals, and must not engage in behaviors that violate ethics and morality.¡±


    ¡°Second, all disciples of the Chao Tian Sect must respect their teachers and value the way, display filial piety and brotherly respect, and must not harm fellow disciples or be disobedient and unfilial.¡±


    ¡°Third, disciples must adhere to the sect¡¯s rules and regulations and obey the arrangements of the Sect Leader and elders.¡±


    ¡°Fourth,¡­¡±


    ¡°The seventeenth and final rule is that you must not hunt the demon beasts bred within the inner enclosure of the rear mountain at will.¡±


    A total of seventeen rules were recited, but the main principles were just a few: strive to improve one¡¯s Cultivation, do not defy the will of the Sect Master and elders, do not flee from the sect, and be a person of high morality, not wantonly slaughtering mortals, and so on.


    They were no different from the rules of the righteous sects.


    After all, Chao Tian Sect wasn¡¯t some evil or unorthodox sect.


    It just had an additional rule, that no one was to hunt the demon beasts bred in the rear mountain enclosure at will. This was a requirement from Chen Qiu; he wanted his rear mountain to gradually evolve into a place with its own ecosystem filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, and if hunting were to occur indiscriminately, the few demon beasts they had would be eaten up within days.


    After the rules were introduced,


    Chen Qiu then waved his hand again, ¡°Distribute the sect tokens and sect attire.¡±


    Fat Long stepped forward again, descending from the platform to distribute the disciple tokens and attire to each person. Soon, everyone was dressed in the sect¡¯s uniform, a plain gray robe that at first glance appeared quite unremarkable.


    Only the left chest was embroidered with a ¡®Chao¡¯ character using white thread.¡±


    This signified that these individuals were all members of the Chao Tian Sect.


    After the clothes were distributed, Fat Long then introduced, ¡°The disciple tokens are embedded with Sound Transmission Rings, which can be used for free communication among disciples, as well as for timely reporting to the sect when carrying out missions.¡±


    ¡°And you¡­¡±


    Fat Long glanced at the brown bears not far away and motioned, ¡°Come forward and receive your disciple token and sect attire.¡±


    ¡°We get them too?¡±


    The brown bear Young Clan Leader at the forefront paused, then broke into a grin, scurried forward with excitement, reaching out with bear paws to respectfully accept the disciple token and the sect attire, and then bowed in gratitude.


    They had thought they were mere sect pets.


    But now, they had transformed into sect disciples in an instant.


    This motherfucker¡¯s status is definitely different, huh! Disciples are provided meals!


    The two hundred plus brown bears following behind him also hurriedly stepped forward to receive their disciple tokens and sect uniforms, quickly changing into them, which made them look quite comical and lovable.


    ¡­


    After a cup of tea¡¯s time.


    All the Outer Sect Disciples had settled into their own disciple dormitories, temporarily residing there to peacefully cultivate, of course, except for that batch of brown bears, which was assigned to the back mountain, whose main task was to help Chen Qiu take care of the herd of Spirit Beasts in the mountains.


    As for the Sect Master of the Star Battle Sect, the most formidable Alchemy Cultivator among them, he had been assigned to the ¡°Alchemy Hall,¡± and was given a junior disciple, the same one who married the second beauty of the Heavenly Dao.


    This little guy indeed had talent. After being trained and having the difficulties of the Alchemy Cultivation heritage explained to him by the Star Battle Sect Master, he successfully grasped the Alchemy Cultivation heritage, and sensibly handed over the ¡°Nascent Soul Body¡± he gained through the heritage.


    These two little guys also stayed behind in the Chao Tian Sect, learning how to perform alchemy behind the Star Battle Sect Master.


    Basically, the configuration of a sect was almost complete.


    It¡¯s just that it had a somewhat distorted development.


    The high-end combat power was almost maxed out, for example, Chen Qiu and those future dozens of Nascent Souls, but the low-end combat power was practically nonexistent, and other essential departments for a sect, such as Array Repairers, talisman cultivators, and Artifact Cultivators, were also not present.


    But¡­


    It was already sufficient!


    ¡­


    After getting everything in the Chao Tian Sect settled, Chen Qiu then led the scholar and others out of the small world towards ¡°Jing Province.¡± Things were almost completely handled. The scholar was now a Golden Core, although it was only the first level.


    But after all, he was once the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having just regained his Cultivation, his whole demeanor seemed different from before, and just by standing there, he made people feel as though a sharp sword was standing in his place.


    The timing was almost perfect.


    Just a little bit more was needed.


    ¡­


    Inside Fei City Lord Mansion, the plump middle-aged man, his face streaming with tears and filled with sadness and anger, looked in the direction Chen Qiu was leaving and gnashed his teeth, saying, ¡°Lord National Master, you¡¯re really not going to take care of me at all!¡±


    He was the City Lord of Fei City.


    Thirty years ago, he was commanded by the National Master to guard Fei City.


    He had always held the National Master in great awe and upon finding out that Chen Qiu was the National Master, his initial reaction was disbelief, to the extent that he even personally returned to the palace to confirm that the National Master had not gone into seclusion three years ago but had just reincarnated to Cultivate anew.


    Latter on, when he received the news that Chen Qiu¡¯s Chao Tian Sect was extensively recruiting disciples to leave Da Xia Country to seek the opportunity to realize Nascent Soul on the Xuantian Continent, his first feeling was one of tremendous excitement¡ªdidn¡¯t this mean he could once again serve the National Master with the loyalty of a dog or horse?


    Of course, he also had his own little schemes.


    Considering all the things he had done for the National Master in the past, Chen Qiu would certainly not forget about him. Maybe he would even come to personally invite him to join the Chao Tian Sect. If he did join, he would be of high standing among the disciples.


    But¡­


    After forcibly waiting for over twenty days and realizing Chen Qiu had no intention of visiting the City Lord Mansion and had even left Fei City, he couldn¡¯t sit still any longer. If Chen Qiu truly left without taking him along, he would feel like dying.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    At this moment¡ª


    An elder standing behind him spoke softly, ¡°Lord City Lord, you once said that everyone has a reason for what they do. People only defecate when they want to, and no one would drop their trousers in the middle of the street to defecate without a reason.¡±


    ¡°The Lord National Master must have his reasons for doing this.¡±


    ¡°Reason my ass!¡±


    The City Lord of Fei City, already quite upset and angry, couldn¡¯t contain his fury upon hearing his housekeeper speaking in such an irritating manner. He slapped the housekeeper away. Only then did he cool down a bit and resolved to seek out the National Master himself, or he might truly be left behind.

 Chapter 316 - 149:

    Chapter 316: Chapter 149: ¡°Your Sword Intent is very chaotic.


    ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!¡±


    At that moment, on ¡°Qingfeng¡± of Jing Province.


    Ji Taiping was in a state of emotional frenzy, continuously smashing one teacup after another. These teacups, his treasured favorites which he would often gently wipe with the softest hankies, had once been hard for him to part with.


    But today.


    He couldn¡¯t care less about them, all he wanted was to smash those damn teacups to pieces!


    ¡°Damn it!!!¡±


    ...


    Ji Taiping picked up the last teacup and threw it against the wall, shattering it, then turned toward Ji Renjian, who was curled up in the corner with eyes full of fear, and viciously yelled, ¡°I¡¯m asking you, have you ever truly loved me?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t understand what had happened to the world.


    He had merely gone to suppress wars among the Hundred Countries for just over a month, but upon his return, why had everything changed, everything.


    Chen Qiu, who he could have easily killed before, had now grown into a Golden Core Eight-layer invincible Heavenly Pride who crushed all other strong warriors beneath him.


    Even the scholar, who had become useless, was now the Second Elder of Chao Tian Sect.


    He no longer had the desire to kill the scholar every day, living in constant fear, in case the scholar came with Chen Qiu seeking revenge. He was not afraid of the scholar, but Chen Qiu was someone he could not compete against.


    Ji Renjian, trembling in the corner with eyes full of fear, used a sheer veil to cover her exposed intimacies before her quivering lips couldn¡¯t utter a word. Ji Taiping¡¯s gaze seemed extremely strange to her, as if he had completely become a different person.


    He could not be reconciled with the man who had once silently protected her in her heart.


    Just then¡ª


    An extremely terrifying pressure suddenly enveloped the entire ¡°Qingfeng¡±.


    ¡°Who!¡±


    Ji Taiping, already like a frightened bird, jumped up instantly as Spiritual Energy of the fourth layer Golden Core burst forth from his body. He rushed to Ji Renjian¡¯s side in no time and placed his Qingfeng sword across Ji Renjian¡¯s pale shoulders, his trembling hand causing a trickle of blood to seep out.


    Carrying Ji Renjian, he bolted from the secret chamber and stood at the top of Qingfeng, looking fiercely into the empty sky as he bellowed, ¡°Who dares to intrude upon my Qingfeng, do you not know this is the cultivation ground of Ji Taiping, Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator!¡±


    ¡°Show yourself!!¡±


    Immediately following.


    Chen Qiu and the scholar¡¯s figures slowly approached from the distance, stepping through the air.


    The moment Ji Taiping saw Chen Qiu, his face contorted with rage as he roared, ¡°Enemy invasion, I implore the ancestor to come out and fight!¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The scholar slowly landed on the ground from the air. Dressed in the maroon robe that signified the status of an elder of Chao Tian Sect, he gently shook his head and softly spoke as he took out Qingfeng from his sleeve and held it in his hand, his expression calm as he looked at the fierce Ji Taiping.


    ¡°With such a disturbed state of mind, it¡¯s really unclear how you managed to cultivate to the Human Sword Unity realm.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing high in the sky, Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he silently stepped aside, leaving the space for a fight between the scholar and Ji Taiping.


    The scholar was only at the Golden Core first layer.


    And Ji Taiping was at the Golden Core fifth layer.


    Fighting across four minor realms was an extremely difficult task, but with their mindsets being so different, and one¡¯s disadvantages balancing the other¡¯s advantages, as long as the scholar could break through in this fight, he would be able to defeat Ji Taiping with relative ease.


    And at that moment¡ª


    A roar also came from the depths of Qingfeng. A high-level elder with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation burst forth, but before he got far, he was intercepted by over thirty elders at the same level of cultivation.


    ¡°Elder Ji of the Ji Family, what¡¯s the hurry? Let¡¯s have a chat over there, leaving the youngsters to talk amongst themselves.¡±


    ¡°Sect Master Zhao? You wish to block my path?¡±


    The Supreme Elder of the Ji Family looked gloomily at the group of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivators. He recognized most of them; they were Supreme Elders from various sects and clans, many of whom had had conflicts with him, and he had not expected them to arrive together.


    ¡°Sect Master Zhao?¡±


    Zhao Dezhu shook his head with an indifferent expression: ¡°I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Zhao Dezhu, a menial disciple of Chao Tian Sect, currently ordered by the sect master to block your way.¡±


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    The Supreme Elder of the Ji Family shook his head with an ugly expression: ¡°I have never heard of this sect. Don¡¯t joke with me. What kind of sect would have you, a Sect Master with Golden Core mid-stage Cultivation, serving as a menial disciple?¡±


    After his words fell.


    Zhao Dezhu and the other Caotian Sect Disciples exchanged glances and saw the amusement in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It seems Elder Ji has been secluded for too long, and you weren¡¯t very sociable to begin with. Such a significant change has happened in Da Xia Country, yet no one bothered to send you a message?¡±


    ¡°We have also had the good fortune of becoming menial disciples of Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Elder Ji, the times have changed. Your only task in this era is to wait for death in peace. It¡¯s also time to settle our past grudges. Do you remember the last time you came after me with the Qu Family Supreme Elder? You thought you had me cornered because you had more people. Shall we see who has more people now?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    The Supreme Elder of the Qu Family awkwardly waved his hands and said, ¡°Do you believe it was an act of madness at the time? That matter really has nothing to do with me.¡±


    ¡­ sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I knew this day would come.¡±


    As Ji Taiping pressed his sharp sword against Ji Renjian¡¯s pale neck, he looked up at the thirty-plus Golden Core Peak Great Perfection experts in the sky and at the silent Chen Qiu, his eyes bloodshot and red, his face fierce as he stared at the scholar and spoke word by word.


    ¡°I know, I know I¡¯m doomed today!¡±

 Chapter 317 - 149:

    Chapter 317: Chapter 149: ¡°Your Sword Intent is very chaotic.¡±_2


    ¡°With your Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation coming to find me, if I don¡¯t die today, it would be unreasonable!¡±


    ¡°But, Bai Yi!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been lifetime archenemies, and even if I die, I hope we can determine a winner before I go. Let no one else intervene, or I¡¯ll kill Ji Renjian first. I know you came for her!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scholar held the Qingfeng sword at an angle, standing on the mountain peak platform, looking towards the ferocious Ji Taiping and suddenly laughed.


    ¡°Archenemy?¡±


    ...


    ¡°You¡¯ve been beneath me all your life. You were even too scared to compete in the second year¡¯s Heavenly Pride Leaderboard because of me, never winning against me once. What makes you think you¡¯re my archenemy?¡±


    ¡°Or better yet, what makes you think that I would consider you as a rival?¡±


    ¡°And¡­ I didn¡¯t come for Ji Renjian. You threaten me with her, but I don¡¯t understand¡ªshe¡¯s your woman, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I am merely following the Sect Master¡¯s orders to take your life.¡±


    The mountain beneath their feet was called ¡®Qingfeng,¡¯ originally not this name. However, after being occupied by Ji Taiping, it was renamed to ¡®Qingfeng,¡¯ homophonic to Qingfeng the sword, symbolizing the world¡¯s top Sword Cultivator.


    ¡°Stop pretending!¡±


    At this moment, an almost delirious Ji Taiping hysterically began to howl: ¡°Back then, for the sake of Ji Renjian, you were willing to give up the title of ¡®National Guardian Sword Master¡¯ and return to Qing Province to escort her, truly a touching display of devotion!¡±


    ¡°Everyone says Bai Yi has never loved anyone in his life!¡±


    ¡°But what they don¡¯t know is that Ji Renjian you deeply love is being ravaged by me every day!¡±


    ¡°How about it, can you still maintain that indifferent facade? Is it like a knife cutting through your heart? Painful? Good, it should hurt!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking.


    The completely maddened Ji Taiping even tore off the thin gauze from Ji Renjian¡¯s body, revealing her jade-like torso. The unabashed exposure of her body, his eyes bloodshot and fixated on the scholar as he let out a grim laugh.


    ¡°How about it? Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Your hand must be shaking too hard to hold your sword steady, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you want her? I¡¯ve changed my mind. All of you leave now, or I¡¯ll kill her, ensuring you¡¯ll never have her for as long as you live!¡±


    The fully entrapped in madness Ji Taiping.


    Failed to see the despair engulfing Ji Renjian¡¯s eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks as she covered her exposed body and turned her head towards the scholar in the red robe with a trembling voice, holding his sword.


    ¡°That day¡­ was it you who escorted me?¡±


    The scholar¡¯s expression was silent and he said nothing, just standing still. Ever since learning that Brother Qiu was the State Preceptor, he hadn¡¯t thought about that matter again, afraid that he might stumble upon some revelation.


    Many things are better left undiscussed.


    And at that moment¡ª


    A shrill eunuch¡¯s voice suddenly came from the bottom of the mountain: ¡°By the decree of the Emperor, from this day forward, Ji Taiping is to be relieved of his position as the National Guardian Sword Master, effective immediately!¡±


    ¡°No, no!!¡±


    Feeling the Da Xia Qi Fortune slipping away behind him, Ji Taiping roared in a frenzy to no avail. As the Da Xia Qi Fortune faded, the stability of his realm began to crumble yet again.


    At this point, Ji Renjian had already closed her eyes, tears tracing her face and falling onto her shoulders.


    One must admit, Ji Renjian was indeed a stunning beauty of the mortal world, both her face and her figure were top-notch among women. However, the consecutive disasters that had befallen her today had left her unable to cope.


    The one who had escorted her was not Ji Taiping, but Bai Yi, and the man she had truly loved in her heart was he who silently protected her.


    And before so many people, she was left bare.


    The intense humiliation ignited a strong desire for death in Ji Renjian¡¯s heart. Pale-faced, she bit her lip and forcefully slid her neck to the side against a blade. Her snow-white neck sprayed a large amount of fresh blood into the air at the moment it crossed the sword¡¯s edge.


    Apart from taking her own life, she couldn¡¯t imagine another way to maintain what little dignity she had left.


    But just before taking her last breath, Ji Renjian forcibly opened her eyes to look towards Bai Yi standing there in a red robe and in a trembling voice said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me¡­ kill her¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡­


    The scholar looked towards Ji Renjian, who lay in a pool of blood, his expression calm, silent¡ªhe had never been concerned about Ji Renjian, nor did he understand why she would apologize at her dying moment.


    A ripple of emotion stirred within him at that instant.


    It was not about romance.


    It was just that he felt it was a bit unworthy for Ji Renjian. She was the most beautiful woman under the Heavenly Dao, yet her end was so tragic. And Ji Taiping, to use his own woman as a bargaining chip, even resorting to stripping her to threaten others, was truly beyond his comprehension.


    ¡°Xiao Ji! Xiao Ji!¡±


    Ji Taiping, who had just come to his senses, with a panicked and helpless expression, tried to stop the bleeding from the horrific wound on Ji Renjian¡¯s neck, continuously pouring Healing Pills into her mouth, to no avail.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to kill you. I just wanted to scare them off with you; I just wanted to survive!¡±


    ¡°Why would you seek death!¡±


    The scholar shook his head. As Ji Renjian died, he felt a surge of power from heaven and earth bestow upon him, granting him new insights into Sword Dao. He knew what it was.


    It was the effect of Ji Renjian¡¯s Heavenly Dao Beauty, which transferred onto him upon her death. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sword Intent surged within him.


    With Qingfeng in hand, he slowly walked towards Ji Taiping, ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine how such a beast like you was raised in this world. How dare you claim to be Da Xia¡¯s top Sword Cultivator?¡±

 Chapter 318 - 149:

    Chapter 318: Chapter 149: ¡°Your Sword Intent is very chaotic.¡±_3


    ¡°Shut up!!¡±


    A violent and irritable Spiritual Energy accompanied by Sword Intent burst forth from Ji Taiping¡¯s body in an instant, hammering toward the scholar. Ji Taiping, who had regained his stance, gripped his long sword and glared at the blown scholar, snarling, ¡°Just because I¡¯m stronger than you!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    The scholar, blown twenty-some feet away, struggled to rise from the ground. Looking at the wound on his abdomen and the Sword Intent devouring it, he stood up, holding his sword and smiling lightly at Ji Taiping.


    ¡°Your Sword Intent is very chaotic.¡±


    Golden Core fifth level against Golden Core first level was a bit too oppressive.


    ...


    But under the augmentation of the Sword Bone and the Heavenly Dao Beauty, the scholar limbered up. His demeanor changed completely, his eyes filled with a rising wild battle intent. He had not enjoyed such a thrilling fight in a long time.


    Before he had finished speaking,


    he charged directly at Ji Taiping, choosing the purest form of Sword Intent attack among Sword Cultivators, without using any sword techniques.


    Blown away again.


    This time, nineteen feet.


    ¡­


    Once, twice, three times, four times.


    Five times, six times, seven times, eight times.


    After countless assaults, the scholar, blown away by Ji Taiping yet again, this time only three feet away, appeared on the brink of death. He struggled to his feet and stood wavering, almost unable to maintain his balance.


    ¡°Are we really not going to intervene?¡±


    Hovering mid-air, Zhao Dezhu asked anxiously, ¡°At this rate, the Second Elder is going to be beaten to death by Ji Taiping.¡±


    ¡°No,¡±


    Zhao Dezhu¡¯s uncle, with shock flickering through his cloudy eyes, muttered, ¡°The Second Elder truly lives up to his reputation as once the top Sword Cultivator of Da Xia. He¡¯s even understanding Ji Taiping¡¯s Sword Intent left in his wounds. Have you noticed the scholar¡¯s Sword Intent getting progressively stronger?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s even approaching Ji Taiping¡¯s level of Sword Intent, about to enter the Human Sword Unity realm!¡±


    ¡°This is an extremely horrifying talent¡­¡±


    ¡°The pain caused by the Sword Intent devouring his wound is unbearable for ordinary people. In such a state, let alone understanding the opponent¡¯s Sword Intent, even continuing to fight becomes incredibly difficult.¡±


    ¡°You might not understand this way of explanation¡­You can generally think of it as someone using a dagger soaked in deadly poison to slowly cut into you, and you, amidst severe pain, grasp that slight sensation of thrill and meticulously understand it.¡±


    ¡°An ordinary Sword Cultivator prodigy could never achieve this!¡±


    ¡°To reach this level, one must have an extreme craving for the sword, a belief of being bound to the sword alone for life, to subtly capture that strand of Sword Intent from intense pain!¡±


    Hearing his uncle¡¯s high praise for Bai Yi, Zhao Dezhu blinked, then turned his gaze back to the battlefield below.


    He didn¡¯t understand this point, only seeing Bai Yi¡¯s rapid progress. From initially being blown dozens of feet away to now only three, this Golden Core fifth level, represented by Ji Taiping¡ªa non-ordinary Golden Core fifth level and a prodigy from Da Xia¡ªalready proved Bai Yi¡¯s strength well enough.


    Although because of the stripping of Da Xia¡¯s Qi Fortune and the huge fluctuation in his state of mind, his strength had dropped a bit but was still much stronger than an ordinary Golden Core fifth level.


    Meanwhile¡ª


    The Da Xia Heaven Sect disciples with Peak Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivation standing in the sky watched Bai Yi, who was climbing back up and charging once again, their expressions complex. This was their first time witnessing the Second Elder¡¯s strength.


    Although certainly not as strong as them,


    if allowed to grow, he would definitely become another Sword Cultivator prodigy who could fight beyond his level.


    The Second Elder¡¯s desire for the sword was too pure.


    Pure to the point where his eyes saw nothing but the sword, no room for anything else.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hovering mid-air, Chen Qiu looked emotionlessly down at everything below. He had chosen Bai Yi long ago, not for anything else, but because Bai Yi truly was the most talented Sword Cultivator he had encountered.


    That kind of talent could not be compensated by any entry.


    It was that extreme craving for the sword.


    He cared about nothing else, only the sword in his hand.


    He once had a life as Jian Yi, the strongest Sword Cultivator in the world, yet he still chose to reincarnate and re-cultivate, because he knew he could never break a Nascent Soul Puppet with Sword Cultivator¡¯s means.


    Unless he had Bai Yi¡¯s talent, that kind of disregard for everything else, focusing only on the craving and obsession with the sword.


    But he couldn¡¯t.


    His obsession was never the sword but to break the Da Xia Prison. In his eyes, the sword was merely a tool, anything that could break the Da Xia Prison was acceptable.


    p>Whether sword, hammer, blade, or even bow and arrow, anything would do.


    This meant he might walk the path of a Sword Cultivator to 97, 98, or even 99, but lacking that bit of obsession, he could never reach the ultimate 100. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thus he left behind the saying, ¡°Sword Cultivators are not strong enough.¡±


    Not that Sword Cultivators weren¡¯t strong enough,


    but that his cultivation as a Sword Cultivator wasn¡¯t strong enough.


    The path of the Sword Cultivator wasn¡¯t his path; being a Magic Practitioner was a more suitable choice, Sword Cultivation¡­wasn¡¯t suitable for him.


    ¡­


    By now, the fight below had intensified even more, until Ji Taiping, his face twisted in ferocity, used all his strength but still could not blow the scholar away.


    The scholar, wavering on his feet, positioned his sword at Ji Taiping¡¯s neck, chuckled softly, and as the sword blade swept by, blood splattered, and a head soared into the sky.


    The entire square suddenly fell into silence.


    Only the heavy thud of the head hitting the ground and the scholar¡¯s voice, faint as a mosquito¡¯s whisper, murmured: ¡°Ant.¡±

 Chapter 319 - 149:

    Chapter 319: Chapter 149: ¡°Your Sword Intent is very chaotic.¡±_4


    The next moment¡ª


    The gravely injured scholar could no longer stand and collapsed heavily into the pool of blood, the three-foot Qingfeng sword still clutched tightly in his hand. The Sword Intent that had been surging wildly through his body instantly vanished, and he appeared just like a fragile scholar, powerless to even truss a chicken.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    A Golden Core shot out from Ji Taiping¡¯s corpse but was swiftly intercepted by a Chao Tian Sect disciple, who then respectfully presented it to Chen Qiu.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took the Golden Core and, looking down at the scholar lying in the pool of blood, chuckled lightly, ¡°Sometimes, I do envy such talent.¡±


    ...


    With a wave of his sleeve, S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    the scholar was taken into his small world and sent directly to the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Alchemy Hall within it. The Star Battle Sect Master, having prepared healing pills, immediately fed one to the scholar as soon as they came out of the furnace!


    Meanwhile, the Alchemy Cultivator prodigy and his wife were on hand, assisting in the background.


    ¡°Congratulations, Sect Master. The Second Elder has stepped into the realm of Human Sword Unity. Once his injuries are healed, his strength shall surge significantly!¡±


    At that moment¡ª


    The group of Chao Tian Sect disciples floating in the sky came forward with complex expressions to offer their congratulations. Having seen many a Heavenly Pride, it was easy for them to feel inferior. Among them were Sword Cultivators who had struggled their entire lives without ever reaching this realm.


    The sudden disappearance of Sword Intent from his person indicated an extremely high level of mastery in the Sword Dao: Human Sword Unity, the ability to wield Sword Intent at will.


    That kind of personality, where one lives and breathes the sword, is not something one can achieve through later cultivation. Forced cultivation like Ji Taiping¡¯s results in unstable realms, unlike the Second Elder, who was a natural-born Sword Cultivator.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for his grave injuries many years prior, he would surely have reached even greater heights by now.


    To be honest,


    there was a trace of grievance among them regarding the fact that the Great Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder¡¯s cultivations were lower than theirs, even though they knew they had joined the Chao Tian Sect mainly because of Chen Qiu.


    But it was not reasonable for a group with lower cultivation to sit above them.


    Today, the Second Elder had completely overturned this notion in their heads.


    All were plainly aware that as long as the Second Elder could grow smoothly, there would come a day when they wouldn¡¯t even dare to raise their voices in his presence. Their potential was visible, but the extent of the Second Elder¡¯s potential was invisible.


    They had thought that the Sect Master was just taking care of old affections by letting a few sit in the positions of elders, but now it seemed not to be the case.


    If the Second Elder had such exceptional qualities,


    then surely the Great Elder must have even more remarkable abilities, and the Third Elder, always silent and never heard to speak, must have something extraordinary about him, perhaps practicing some form of Silent Zen or the like,


    retaining silence as a way of cultivation.


    If that were the case¡­


    Then the Chao Tian Sect would have one peerless Heavenly Pride and three top-tier Heavenly Prides, along with a group of old demons as the core disciples.


    The crowd exchanged glances and saw the same realization in each other¡¯s eyes, that this cobbled-together sect seemed¡­ to have limitless prospects!


    Suddenly, they even felt a sense of solidarity and belonging to the sect.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, looking at the group of old foxes, chuckled lightly without speaking. In terms of sheer longevity, no one present had lived longer than him, and he naturally knew what they were thinking.


    People gravitate towards strength.


    In this respect, men even surpass women; women will willingly give everything for the man they recognize, whereas men will lay down their lives for the man they wholeheartedly acknowledge.


    For men, to die in battle for someone they recognize is an honor of the highest degree.


    To increase the sense of solidarity and belonging of the sect, the simplest method is¡ª


    to show these people the future of the sect!


    And that their Sect Master is strong enough!


    Let them know that by following the Sect Master and the sect, there may be bumps along the way, but one day they will reach an end they have never reached before.


    He then turned his head towards the Ji Family Supreme Elder, whose face was ashen, and said softly,


    ¡°Kill him, and by the way, raid the Ji Family¡¯s residence.¡±


    ¡°As you command!¡±


    Accompanied by dozens of voices accepting the order, several dozen Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivators encircled their prey with grim smiles. It was a battle with a foregone conclusion, a mere blink of an eye before the fight was over. Although it was thirty-something against one, even if you were a Sect Master¡­


    Well, if you were a Sect Master, they would be the ones to die.


    The existence of a Sect Master is not something ordinary people can compare with; even if they swarmed him, they definitely would not defeat a Sect Master.


    There was just no helping that.


    ¡­


    Once the matter was concluded, before leaving, Chen Qiu still took the liberty to cover the naked Ji Renjian, lying in a pool of blood, with a garment and dug an unmarked grave atop Qingfeng Mountain, burying Ji Renjian within.


    Afterwards, he stood in silent reflection in front of Ji Renjian¡¯s grave for a moment before turning away with a calm expression and transforming into a streak of light shooting towards Fei State.


    Once the scholar had fully recovered from his injuries, they could set off.


    No matter what had happened in the past,


    At least¡­ he had succeeded.


    With the aid of Sword Bone, Heavenly Dao Beauty, Sword Cultivator legacy, and the unstable realm of Ji Taiping, Bai Yi successfully stepped into the realm of Human Sword Unity. Without him, Bai Yi might never have reached this realm in his lifetime.


    Having talent only satisfied the requirement to step into this realm.


    But to truly enter,


    Aside from talent, one also needed opportunity.


    ¡­


    At this moment, inside the City Lord Mansion.


    Chen Qiu was sitting in the City Lord Chair, looking at the man kneeling on the ground in front of him, weeping bitterly.


    ¡°Lord National Master!¡±


    The Fat City Lord cried with a trembling voice, ¡°I am a Body Cultivator at the seventh level of Golden Core; Lord National Master, please take Xiao Fei with you. My iron fists will definitely help you smash through any obstacles!¡±


    ¡°Without you, how could I live?¡±


    The man before him was called Xiao Fei.


    He had forgotten his original name; he remembered this man¡¯s original name was quite a mouthful, and finding it troublesome, he had renamed him Xiao Fei.


    Chen Qiu, with an undisturbed expression, did not speak; after a moment, he chuckled lightly, ¡°You¡¯ve been exiled from the Capital for thirty years without a word of complaint? Have you never thought that I was the one who kicked you out of the Capital¡¯s core circles of power?¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡±


    The kneeling Xiao Fei raised three fingers solemnly and swore, ¡°I swear to Heaven, I¡¯ve never had such thoughts. In my life, I¡¯ve even doubted whether I have a wandering illegitimate child, but I¡¯ve never doubted the Lord National Master.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡±


    Chen Qiu said no more, stood up from the City Lord Chair, took the man kneeling before him into his small world, and then said softly, ¡°Go find Fat Long to collect your disciple token and sect attire.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon, another ten days passed.


    In these ten days, Chen Qiu had claimed a hundred more Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, but they were not needed for the time being. He planned to give them to Fat Long to set a reasonable Contribution Value for the sect.


    Let the disciples exchange them by contributing to the sect.


    For some disciples who had not yet reached the Great Perfection Cultivation of Golden Core Peak, the pill was still a big temptation.


    The rest he planned to save for the scholar for now, to quicken the scholar¡¯s cultivation progress, so he could become a significant fighting force for Chao Tian Sect. After going out, he would assess the market situation.


    If this pill was not too scarce in the outside world and the price was right, he would take some out to exchange for Spirit Stones.

 Chapter 320 - 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!

    Chapter 320: Chapter 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!


    Otherwise, just forget it.


    He understood the principle that ¡°possession of the jade is a crime¡±.


    During these ten days, under the care of the Star Battle Sect Master, the scholar¡¯s injuries had healed quickly. He was able to bounce around vigorously without any remaining hidden injuries to his Golden Core.


    ¡°Not bad,¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scholar and smiled, ¡°Your current level in the Sword Dao is even higher than Ji Taiping¡¯s. If you were to go outside, I guess there aren¡¯t many Heavenly Prides who could compete with you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Brother Qiu,¡±


    ...


    the scholar said somewhat embarrassedly as he scratched the back of his head, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Brother Qiu using his presence to suppress Ji Taiping¡¯s Golden Core and prevent his Divine Sense from leaving his body, I would have had no chance to clash Sword Intents with him. I couldn¡¯t have withstood his fifth level Golden Core Divine Sense Attack.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡±


    Chen Qiu said with a smile as he patted the scholar on the shoulder, ¡°Since everything¡¯s ready, let¡¯s set off.¡±


    He was eager to set off right away.


    These ten days felt like years to him. Everything was ready; he was just waiting for the scholar to recover so they could depart.


    In the meantime, he hadn¡¯t been idle, harvesting two mature Demon Lotuses from under the Boundless Snow Mountain and the Boundless Sea and placing them above the Chao Tian Sect. One flower emitted a chilling air, and the other exuded a damp, oceanic air.


    Coupled with the previous two Spiritual Flowers,


    the atmosphere in the Chao Tian Sect had become even stranger.


    There was Demonic Qi, resentful energy, cold and ocean air.


    Just looking at it was enough to tell it wasn¡¯t a place for humans to live.


    However¡­ it wasn¡¯t actually very cold, instead, there was even a sense of warmth.


    He had been to the Endless Desert, extracted a bit from the Underground Fire Sea, and placed it in the ¡°Earth Fire Array¡±, allowing it to flow beneath the Chao Tian Sect, thus providing power support for the Alchemy Hall and Artifact Refining Hall.


    By the way, while passing through the Endless Desert, he heard a Devil Clan genius shouting for abuse, saying he only wished someone would grant him a defeat.


    Well, he had nothing better to do.


    As he passed by, he casually slapped the Devil Clan genius into the desert. He loved to help others; since someone requested a defeat, he naturally wouldn¡¯t turn down such a small request.


    ¡­


    Two hours later.


    Chen Qiu once again came alone to the Boundless Snow Mountain. The icy, bone-chilling cold surged towards him. He stood high in the air, silent for a long time before he lifted his head to look at the mountaintop shrouded in clouds and fog.


    He had been here many times before.


    But he had never defeated the Nascent Soul Puppet guarding the mountaintop.


    This time, armed with the accumulation of nine lifetimes, he came to challenge again!


    All the way up.


    The surrounding air grew colder. After passing through the clouds, he could see the mountain peak covered with heavy snow. The extreme cold even slowed down the flow of Spiritual Energy in his body, but as the Heavenly Dao Golden Core rotated, a wave of heat surged through, quickly vanishing the chill.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he had been ascending.


    The surrounding air was getting colder. The majesty of this land and sky had already made it impossible for any cultivator with Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation to tread here. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spirits were even frozen, relying solely on the Spiritual Energy stored within one¡¯s body to continue ascending.


    Finally¡ª


    He landed on a platform hundreds of yards from the mountaintop. This was basically his limit. Going further, every yard he climbed, the pressure doubled.


    Even the strongest Golden Core could not break this limit.


    Standing on this platform, a Nascent Soul Puppet quietly stood holding a long sword on its back. Sensing the disturbance, its pupils flashed red and glanced at him, then without saying a word, its right hand waved.


    A strong and majestic rush of Spiritual Energy smashed towards him!


    ¡°Bang!!!¡±


    Chen Qiu, holding his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to block the attack, was still uncontrollably knocked dozens of yards away, feeling the soreness in his body and the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.


    Chen Qiu laughed, wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, and then looked at the Nascent Soul Puppet which didn¡¯t attack again, ¡°Long time no see, your strength has decreased a lot.¡±


    This Nascent Soul Puppet was the one guarding this Forbidden Land!


    Anyone approaching would be struck down casually. It wouldn¡¯t kill but only severely wound and repel. This majestic level of Spiritual Energy was not possible for the Golden Core Stage, even though his Spiritual Energy far exceeded what a Golden Core Peak Great Perfection should have.


    Compared with this Nascent Soul Puppet, he was nowhere close.


    Aside from not attacking with Divine Sense, this Nascent Soul Puppet essentially had about sixty to seventy percent of a Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s combat strength, and it also ignored pain, fearless of life and death.


    He had lost several times.


    But this time¡­ it would be different.


    The next moment¡ª


    Dense dark clouds suddenly spread over hundreds of miles, covering the entire sky; a storm howled in, and within a ball with faintly visible tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, slowly materialized in Chen Qiu¡¯s palm.


    The Divine Sense Attack firmly locked on to the puppet.


    This blue Small Thunderball disappeared from Chen Qiu¡¯s palm in an instant and shot towards the heart of the Nascent Soul Puppet.


    Just as it was about to hit,


    The Puppet¡¯s fingers trembled slightly, and the long sword that had been carried on its back, entirely brown-red, suddenly shot out, blocking in front of the chest, splitting the Small Thunderball in half.


    The split Thunderball burst into a deafening explosion.


    Countless Thunder Dragons shot out, engulfing the Nascent Soul Puppet in a splash of snow mist. When the snow mist had cleared, the puppet was almost unscathed, and there was no visible damage on the platform.


    At this time, S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu had already replenished his Spiritual Energy fully and released the ¡°Snowfall¡± to envelop the puppet. Then, seeing the Puppet turn around and look at him with its sword, without any hesitation, he immediately blinked into the small world to continue replenishing his Spiritual Energy.

 Chapter 321 - 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_2

    Chapter 321: Chapter 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_2


    ¡°`


    Just as he swiftly entered the small world, a Sword Qi carrying an extremely thick and terrifying Sword Intent shot towards his location!


    This single strike was enough to instantly kill four or five Sword Cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak Cultivation!


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu knew clearly that this Puppet was a Sword Cultivation Puppet, and it would only enter its true combat state when it drew the long sword from its back; even if he were to take one hit with his strength, it would be more than he could bear.


    The strongest aspect of this Sword Cultivation Puppet was that it knew many kinds of swordsmanship, no matter what swordsmanship you used, it could always display a technique that countered yours.


    ...


    Several hundred breaths later.


    The moment Chen Qiu with full Spiritual Energy reappeared, without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he launched another Small Thunderball, and the twelfth grade Golden Core in his Dantian also shot straight towards the Puppet¡¯s heart area.


    This time¡ª


    The Thunderball was again blown away, but the twelfth grade Golden Core punched a small hole in the Puppet¡¯s body.


    And countless Thunder Dragons also turned the surface of the Puppet pitch black this time.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Puppet standing on the platform looked down at the small hole in its chest, then, with a single hand holding a sword, pinched out a Sword technique, and immediately the sky was filled with many Illusion and Reality Light Swords, shooting towards him. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu, without any hesitation, retreated back into the small world again.


    Recover full Spiritual Energy in the small world before going back out.


    ¡­


    Just like this¡ª


    Chen Qiu and the Nascent Soul Puppet were fully engaged in an intense battle. He didn¡¯t linger in the fight, his tactic was one: drain all Spiritual Energy upon encounter, after draining, return to the small world to recover Spiritual Energy, and repeat incessantly.


    An entire hour.


    By now, the Puppet was riddled with scars, half of its leg was blasted off, and it half-knelt on the platform.


    And Chen Qiu, panting heavily within the small world, wasn¡¯t in good shape either. The Puppet had predicted his emergence from the small world; as soon as he appeared, a huge sword hundreds of feet long carrying thick Sword Intent made of Spiritual Energy smashed down towards him.


    Even though he dodged immediately.


    But the dense and violent Sword Intent, like a torrential pear blossom rain, cut through his Protective Spirit Qi in the air, leaving countless small wounds on his body. The injuries were not serious, but looked terrifying, his entire body was bloody with not a single intact piece of flesh to be seen.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled, and after restoring full Spiritual Energy, he flashed out of the small world to continue the fierce battle.


    Divine Sense Attacks were useless; the Puppet simply had no Sea of Consciousness.


    It could only be a clash of power.


    However, he had the small world. As long as he kept up the endurance battle, he was sure to win. It was just that the defense of the Nascent Soul Puppet was excessively strong. Despite his ¡®Thunder Summoning Technique¡¯ powered up by so many entries, and released with all his might under the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection Cultivation, it comprised tens of thousands of Thunder Bolts.


    But he barely managed to breach its defenses.


    If his Cultivation was a bit weaker, or the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique was a bit lesser, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to breach its defenses at all.


    Not more, not less, just barely enough.


    ¡­


    Another half an hour passed, and the bloody Chen Qiu, with his forehead covered in dense sweat, stood on the platform, panting slightly, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to keep himself from collapsing, looking down at the Puppet lying on the platform before him, which no longer emitted any fluctuations of Spiritual Energy, a small smile forming on his lips.


    ¡°That was exhausting.¡±


    Then, without any delay, he immediately released the scholar. As soon as the scholar appeared here, his body immediately began to exude frost, freezing him in place as his gaze gradually became vacant.


    Seeing this, Chen Qiu casually blasted out a wave of Spiritual Energy, dispersing the frost on the surface of the scholar¡¯s body before weakly gesturing, ¡°Do you see that red pearl inside the Puppet¡¯s chest?


    ¡°Pierce it with your Sword Intent.¡±


    The Chao Tian Sect is filled with Sword Cultivator fanatics, and the Puppets they¡¯ve created are Sword Cultivation Puppets. The seals protecting the Puppet¡¯s core mechanism can only be breached by powerful Sword Intent.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    The scholar took a deep breath, knowing now was not the time for chatting, and immediately held his breath with a piercing look in his eyes. The Sword Intent poured into the long sword in his hand, turning into a green light liquid slowly flowing on the surface of the blade.


    He stabbed with all his might!


    ¡°Sizzle!¡±


    As the Sword Intent pierced in, the seal protecting the Puppet¡¯s core mechanism began to slowly fade, though at an excruciatingly slow pace.


    Chen Qiu slightly frowned and stood aside without making a sound, patiently waiting. This was not something he could intervene in. Thirty minutes later, as the scholar¡¯s body started to tremble, his face turned pale as if he was about to faint,


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    Following a crisp sound, the seal immediately shattered, and the core mechanism of the Puppet was instantly crushed by the stab of the sword!


    At the same time¡ª


    ¡°BOOM!¡±


    A deafening sound echoed through heaven and earth. Chen Qiu looked up at the sky; there were still several hundred feet to the peak, and with every foot he ascended, the pressure increased exponentially. But now, this pressure suddenly disappeared with that booming sound.


    But it only lasted for a moment before the pressure began to rebuild slowly, returning to its previous intensity in no more than ten breaths of time.


    Meanwhile, the core mechanism of the Puppet on the platform was also repairing itself slowly, even its broken body gradually self-healing.


    Clearly!


    This breach would only last for ten breaths; after ten breaths, the breach would be closed again.


    Without delay, Chen Qiu took the scholar back into the small world, his eyes filled with firmness and excitement. Spiritual Energy burst forth, and he shot towards the summit with the fastest speed he had ever mustered in his life!


    ¡°`

 Chapter 322 - 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_3

    Chapter 322: Chapter 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_3


    For this day!


    He had waited a thousand years!


    A thousand years¡­ finally, he had waited it out.


    Old man! Chen Qiu! At last, he fucking got out of prison!


    ¡­


    With the quickest speed in his life, Chen Qiu soared toward the peak of Snow Mountain, a place he had never set foot on before. Standing here, one could see the most beautiful scenery in the world, but at this moment, he had no mood to appreciate it.


    ...


    Upon reaching the summit of Snow Mountain!


    He saw a white vortex portal, a sight he had seen many times before, but this time, it gave Chen Qiu an extraordinary feeling.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes slightly reddened as he sped up again. When the natural forces at the summit of the mountain returned to normal, he dove into the white vortex portal and disappeared on the spot!


    The next moment!


    The natural forces in the sky above Boundless Snow Mountain returned to normal, and the Nascent Soul Puppet on the platform had also completed its self-repair, standing once again on the platform, day after day, waiting for the next challenger.


    Perhaps¡­ he may never see a second challenger.


    Or perhaps, he might soon welcome a second one.


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, a small town nestled at the foot of a mountain range and shrouded in heavy snow.


    Inside a tavern at this time.


    There were quite a few burly men wearing animal skins, drinking heartily from the house brew and loudly discussing with each other.


    ¡°There¡¯s been another avalanche. I heard several hunters died.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop talking about it. Don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into it lately, this ¡®Boundless Snow Mountain¡¯ has avalanches every now and then. If you ask me, it¡¯s best not to go up the mountain these days, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°If we didn¡¯t need to, who would want to go up there? It¡¯s just that ¡®Snow Rabbits¡¯ can only be found during this period. Catching just one could get you twenty lower-grade Spirit Stones, enough to last a long time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, speaking of which, didn¡¯t the ¡®Changbai Mountain Team¡¯ pick up a man yesterday who was knocked unconscious by the avalanche? Has that man been rescued?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t think it looks good. They say he was wearing very thin clothes; if he was exposed to the mountain with that little, his blood must¡¯ve been frozen solid by now. And he doesn¡¯t have Cultivation; he¡¯s actually a mortal. Nowadays, a mortal daring to go up Boundless Snow Mountain sure has guts.¡±


    ¡°Poor thing. Must be a man from a poor family, can¡¯t even afford a Potion to awaken an Initial Entry, deciding to take a gamble on the Boundless Snow Mountain.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In a stone house in the small town.


    Lying on a bed, Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, his gaze somewhat dazed as he looked at the ceiling made of stones, feeling an immense soreness all over, with only about one-tenth of the Spiritual Energy left in his Dantian.


    Such little Spiritual Energy.


    This meant that if he were to be attacked, he wouldn¡¯t have much strength to fight back.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he had been unconscious.


    He only knew that after rushing out of that white vortex portal, a powerful and utterly irresistible force of nature slammed into him. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to resist and fainted on the spot.


    When he woke up again, he was already here.


    He looked at the mere tenth of the remaining Spiritual Energy in his Dantian, and his mind shifted from its initial haziness to clarity. Before breaking out from the white vortex, he had exhausted his Spiritual Energy.


    His Heavenly Dao Golden Core could likely recover about a tenth of Spiritual Energy daily.


    So, it must have been about a day since then.


    Had he been unconscious for a day?


    Where was this?


    Chen Qiu endured the stabbing pain throughout his body, propped himself up, and sat on the bed. He planned to go back to his small world to fully restore his Spiritual Energy first¡ªhe felt insecure with it not full¡ªthen have the Star Battle Sect Master prepare some corresponding Healing Pills to take care of his injuries first.


    It was fortunate.


    He could feel that his Golden Core and Divine Sense were intact, suffering only some minor external injuries.


    It would heal quickly.


    Just then¡ª


    The stone door was pushed open, and a man with a full beard dressed in animal skins strode in. Seeing Chen Qiu sit up on the bed, the man set aside the water bladder he was carrying and grinned.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got some luck, kid. A mere mortal buried by an avalanche for who knows how long.¡±


    ¡°When I found you, your body was already stiff, your face all white. I thought there was little hope.¡±


    ¡°But damn, you pulled through.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a big life, you¡¯re sure to be lucky in the future. I got you some hot water to warm up your body. I thought about getting you some chicken soup, but my wife scolded me for not being thrifty.¡±


    The bearded man muttered somewhat sheepishly, ¡°So I thought about it and let it go. Kind-hearted as I am, I often do things on a whim. Chicken soup is a rare thing here; have some hot water to warm up first.¡±


    ¡°Mortal?¡±


    Chen Qiu was slightly taken aback and looked at the twelfth-grade Golden Core hovering above his Dantian. How had he become a mortal?


    He then instantly understood after scanning the man with his Divine Sense.


    This man¡¯s Cultivation was too low, merely at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. With Chen Qiu¡¯s Spiritual Energy not radiating outward, the man could not sense his Cultivation, thus mistaking him for a mortal by default.


    He couldn¡¯t even sense the fluctuations of his Divine Sense.


    Chen Qiu initially wanted to stand up and leave, saying he didn¡¯t need help, but on second thought, he stopped. He could use this opportunity to glean some general information about the Xuantian Continent from this man.


    This information was what he lacked the most at the moment.


    He glanced around the room.


    It was clear this man was rather poor. Although Chen Qiu didn¡¯t actually need anyone¡¯s help¡ªafter all, he was just knocked out and would have been able to easily emerge even from dozens of feet of deep snow once he regained consciousness¡ªhe paused to gather information from the man first.


    S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 323 - 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_4

    Chapter 323: Chapter 150: I! Chen Qiu! Finally out of fucking jail!_4


    But after all, it was kindness. When he left, he left some Spirit Stones as a way to repay the life-saving grace.


    ¡­


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Chen Qiu, feeling somewhat sore, took the porcelain bowl from the man, sipped some hot water to accept the kindness, and then spoke hoarsely, ¡°That¡­ I¡¯ve lost my memory.¡±


    Asking random questions out of the blue would seem too abrupt.


    Better to just say he¡¯s lost his memory.


    ...


    He only wanted to know some basic information, such as the highest Cultivation on the Xuantian Continent, its territories, regions, and other common knowledge.


    Just when he was about to ask where this place was, he saw the bearded man sitting seriously beside him, ¡°Have you really forgotten that your name is Xiao Long?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, expressionless and silent for a long while, finally nodded, ¡°Hmm, was my original name Xiao Long?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    The bearded man squeezed out a pained and sad expression, ¡°You were an orphan with no parents, who came to seek refuge with me, wanting to join our Changbai Mountain Team and become a strong hunter like me.¡±


    ¡°But you are just a mortal; you haven¡¯t even drunk a Potion to awaken your Initial Entry.¡±


    ¡°So I rejected you.¡±


    ¡°Frustrated, you headed to Boundless Snow Mountain, aiming to catch a Snow Rabbit to prove yourself, and then by chance, there was an avalanche. When I found you, you had already been buried by the snow slide, and I rescued you from it.¡±


    ¡°Now you have proved your courage, and I allow you to join the Changbai Mountain Team and become a strong hunter like me.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the contract, wouldn¡¯t you stamp your handprint first?¡±


    ¡°From now on, you follow me. We¡¯ll go hunt Snow Rabbits together in the Boundless Snow Mountain, ensuring you live the good life. When you grow up, I¡¯ll even find you a plump wife.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, deciding to change his question. The robe he had been wearing was gone, and it was only worth 2 Spirit Stones. This man was ready to strip even that from him!


    Then he sighed deeply.


    Snapped his fingers lightly.


    In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished from the spot.


    Soon after, a slightly plump middle-aged woman, holding a jar of chicken soup, walked into the room. Looking towards the empty bed and the still-steaming porcelain bowl, she murmured in confusion, ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    ¡°With such serious injuries, how can he still jump around?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t drink it soon, this chicken soup will get cold, doesn¡¯t it waste it?¡±


    ¡­


    Snow Mountain.


    Chen Qiu, sitting on a pile of snow and exuding the aura of Golden Core Cultivation, spoke weakly yet clearly, ¡°Next, I¡¯ll ask a question, and you answer one, understand?¡±


    He had intended to pretend to have amnesia to ask questions.


    Now it seemed that feigning amnesia would only yield a mess of useless information; important details would definitely be unattainable.


    But he didn¡¯t take this man to his small world, after all, the secrecy of that small world couldn¡¯t be leaked. And this man had shown kindness in rescuing him, regardless of the dishonesty, he was not so heartless as to kill his own lifesaver.


    So, the simplest method was to take the man to Snow Mountain for a slow interrogation.


    He had only revealed a layer of Golden Core Cultivation, and at just this sight, the middle-aged bearded man was already kneeling in the snow, burying his head in it, shaking like chaff, his voice trembling with crying, ¡°Immortal, spare my life, Immortal, spare my life!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a hunter from this ¡®Fatal Town,¡¯ living off the land with many brothers under me. We didn¡¯t mean to offend an Immortal. This is the town nearest to Boundless Snow Mountain, and most people living here are hunters.¡±


    ¡°My name is¡­¡±


    Before he could even ask, the man spilled everything he knew all at once.


    Hmm. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Still, this way was more efficient. Playing amnesiac was something only fools would do.

 Chapter 324 - 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!

    Chapter 324: Chapter 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!


    After asking some basic questions, Chen Qiu finally sat on the snow heap in silence, lost in thought without speaking.


    In the Xuantian Continent, there is no such concept as a country.


    There are only sects and families, etc.


    There are many cities, markets, and villages where humans gather. Cities and markets are often built by sects or families, and they must contribute a certain amount of taxes to their affiliated sect annually, in return for the sect¡¯s protection.


    In cases where some of the older external disciples of a sect can no longer advance their cultivation, they might manage their sect¡¯s enterprises in the markets or cities or even start their own family. Though not a direct subordinate relationship with their original sect, the connection is quite similar.


    Behind him, the small town was known as ¡°Endlife Town.¡±


    ...


    It wasn¡¯t built by a sect but naturally formed due to the gathering of numerous hunters.


    The town was located before a vast rock wall that provided excellent shelter from the raging blizzards and cold winds at the base of the mountain, making it a comparatively safe region. Initially, only one hunter had built a stone hut here, but eventually, more hunters built stone huts and some older hunters began trading items like food, leather armors, and talismans.


    The snow mountain behind him was called the Boundless Snow Mountain, stretching for tens of thousands of miles with its peak shrouded in blizzards nearly half the time.


    The area they occupied was under the jurisdiction of Yuan Sect, and besides them, there were four other cities that were also properties of Yuan Sect, which were major sources of spirit stones for the sect.


    The Sect Master of Yuan Sect was the highest in cultivation in this area, and was also the highest-ranked person in this region, although he was reclusive and hardly ever seen.


    His cultivation had reached the peak of Nascent Soul.


    It was said that he hadn¡¯t been seen for over a hundred years.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu maintained his silence. He had already gathered a general understanding. The Xuantian Continent was vast, and to such an extent that this hunter didn¡¯t care about other regions, only focusing on what happened in their area. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The snow mountain behind him was also called the ¡°Boundless Snow Mountain,¡± seemingly another side of the Boundless Snow Mountain. The hunter had clearly told him, although he had never been to the other side, he had heard it was also inhabited by a group of hunters. This indicated that Da Xia Country was not on the other side of the Boundless Snow Mountain; it might be sealed at the summit of the mountain.


    To return to Da Xia, one would need to journey to the summit of the Boundless Snow Mountain.


    The hunter had given him a collection of assorted and curious records, containing various intriguing incidents, though it was hard to distinguish true from false, and the news was outdated¡ªthe earliest events dated back twenty years.


    Still, he could get a rough understanding of this world from it.


    For example, a member of the Jiang Family¡¯s branch used an entry ¡°Undying Loyalty,¡± collaborating with his wife to crazily expand their family¡¯s territory. This member of the branch had only mid-stage Golden Core cultivation.


    But the effect of the entry ¡°Undying Loyalty¡± was such that if one member of the loving Taoist couple fell in love with someone else, all three individuals, including the new love interest, would self-destruct together.


    Because of this, no one dared to confront this formidable couple, for fear of being liked by them and having no means to resist and self-destructing. Wherever this couple went, people stayed well away.


    However, once love arose, it was uncontrollable.


    In the end, the member¡¯s wife fell in love with the latest rising star of the Jiang Family¡¯s main branch, and the conclusion was that all three self-destructed together, causing even the explosion of the Golden Core to kill many lower-cultivation disciples of the Jiang Family.


    Since then, the Jiang Family began to gradually decline, and this incident was widely spread, much to the joy and delight of many.


    The entry ¡°Undying Loyalty¡± could even make one fall in love with another through a Memory Stone from afar, but a prerequisite was knowing the other¡¯s appearance and bodytype, having at least some understanding of the person. Mere knowledge of the name wouldn¡¯t suffice.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing. This strange tale was most likely true, as he had randomly acquired this entry during his last selection. Now he finally understood why, on the Road to Heavenly Pride, names could be revealed yet faces remained hidden.


    This was probably to avoid just this situation.


    And due to this, the power hitters of Xuantian Continent hardly ever showed their faces publicly. If they had to show themselves, they would distort the forces of heaven and earth in front of them to cover their faces, and they would leave no survivors when they attacked.


    To avoid dying under some inexplicable rule.


    Although ¡°Undying Loyalty¡± was difficult to chance upon, it was well-known in Xuantian Continent as not merely the only entry with rule-based killing capacity, but the only one with unlimited cultivation rule-based killing ability.


    If used correctly, even a beginner in Qi Refinement could slay an Immortal Emperor.


    Of course, this was theoretical, as practically it was nearly impossible to achieve since the Immortal Emperor had too many countermeasures.


    But it was precisely because of its uncontrollable and variable nature, this entry was fraught with risks and often led to self-harm.


    Beyond that, there were other bizarre anecdotes, such as¡ª


    ¡°Evil Sect had a thousand-year legacy and slaughtered over dozens of sects, with at least millions dying at their hands, making it an undeniable Evil Sect. However, thirty years ago, the sect suddenly transformed into a righteous sect overnight.¡±

 Chapter 325 - 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_2

    Chapter 325: Chapter 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_2


    ¡¸There¡¯s a sect called the ¡°Invincible Sect,¡± and within it, there¡¯s a very unique inheritance object. Once a disciple comes in contact with it, they will gain a fixed entry named ¡°Heaven and Earth Explode Together.¡± The effect is quite simple; when the holder dies, their Golden Core will automatically self-destruct, and the power of the explosion is increased tenfold. In the Secret Realm, disciples of the Invincible Sect are often seen as bringers of death.¡¹


    And so on and so forth.


    The level of chaos in Xuantian Continent can be said to far surpass that of Da Xia Country. In Da Xia Country, at least there is Da Xia to maintain order, with Da Xia¡¯s laws bearing down on every sect and family clan, preventing too chaotic a situation from arising.


    However, in Xuantian Continent.


    There were no laws whatsoever.


    Poisoning, assassination, and ambushes.


    ...


    The ¡°Seven-Li Scent-Chasing Gu¡± that could poison someone by knowing their appearance.


    The ¡°Gua Cultivation¡± factions that could deduce anything by knowing a name.


    On this utterly chaotic continent, if the treasure in your hands does not match your Cultivation level, what awaits you isn¡¯t recruitment but endless pursuit and assassination until the treasure¡¯s power matches someone¡¯s Cultivation level.


    Laws?


    There were no laws!


    The only possible law might be the Heavenly Dao. Slaughtering too many people would lead to divine condemnation, making it difficult to survive the Heavenly Tribulation, and it would also provoke pursuit from the relevant sects in the area. Other than that, there were none, no laws whatsoever.


    Cultivation was the true path.


    Strength was everything.


    ¡°Phew!¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu exhaled deeply and no longer lingered. Instead, he left fifty low-grade Spirit Stones for the hunter before him and turned to shoot toward the distance, planning to find a place to enter the small world.


    Fifty low-grade Spirit Stones were the limit he was willing to leave. With those fifty low-grade Spirit Stones, he cleared his debt of gratitude.


    To leave any more, such as a mid-grade Spirit Stone,


    might not be considered returning a favor. Should the news leak out, numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators might come to seize the mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    ¡­


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The middle-aged hunter who had been kneeling in the snow without hearing a voice for a long time cautiously lifted his head, only to find that the young man had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only fifty low-grade Spirit Stones.


    A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes, followed by an excited and elated expression as he quickly pocketed the fifty Spirit Stones into his Storage Ring. After looking around cautiously and confirming that no one had seen him, he rushed toward the town.


    Today, he truly had encountered an Immortal.


    ¡­


    Inside the small world.


    Chen Qiu, who had now fully recovered his Spiritual Energy, was sitting on the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair in the Sect Hall. He accepted a few Healing Pills from Fat Long and, after swallowing them, looked down at the group of Chao Tian Sect disciples below and said softly,


    ¡°Surely you all can feel that the shackles sealing your Golden Cores have disappeared, right?¡±


    ¡°At present, we still do not know the method for Nascent Soul Establishment.¡±


    ¡°Try to restrain yourselves as much as possible to avoid any problems arising from rash advancement to Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The disciples of Chao Tian Sect standing in the Sect Hall, with flushed and excited faces, responded loudly. At this moment, they could all clearly feel that the chains on their Golden Cores had vanished, giving them a vague sense that they were on the threshold of breaking into Nascent Soul at any moment if they so wished.


    But without knowing the method of Nascent Soul Establishment, such a rash action was bound to cost them their lives.


    After waiting so many years, they truly didn¡¯t mind waiting a few more days.


    ¡­


    Half a cup of tea later.


    Chen Qiu, the Fat Long Scholar, and three others were walking in a world of ice and snow, with no other travelers or traces of demon beasts around. This was a deserted area.


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu was deep in thought with a frown on his face, not speaking.


    How to obtain the method of Nascent Soul Establishment? The quickest means was naturally to get it from a sect disciple. A Golden Core Peak Cultivator who was a Sect Disciple would definitely know the method.


    But if the attack was not swift enough, it often meant facing endless pursuit.


    From the miscellaneous records he had read before,


    he knew that Nascent Soul Peak was not the strongest on Xuantian Continent. Above it were beings in the Divinity Transformation Stage, who could display the power of heaven and earth with a mere wave of their hand.


    His goal was a city thousands of miles away in a region under the jurisdiction of Yuan Sect, ¡°Great Yuan City.¡±


    Once he had made up his mind, he no longer delayed. Instead, he and the scholar transformed into a streak of light that sped towards ¡°Great Yuan City.¡± Along the way, he sensed many cultivators also on the move, but they all restrained themselves, with no contact occurring between them.


    On Xuantian Continent, any unsolicited contact with a stranger often didn¡¯t bring any goodwill.


    Soon¡ª


    The group landed several miles away from ¡°Great Yuan City¡± and gazed in the distance. There was no blizzard here.


    And because spring was approaching, the temperature was quite comfortable.


    At the city gates, many people were queued up to enter, and occasionally disciples dressed in Yuan Sect¡¯s sect attire emerged from the gates and transformed into beams of light that shot out, heading to unknown destinations.


    After paying an entry fee of one Spirit Stone,


    they entered the city smoothly, without causing any stir.


    They found an inn.


    After settling in comfortably, Chen Qiu sat alone in the inn, sending Fat Long and the scholar out to gather information. Fat Long had a knack for information gathering, something in which he surpassed Chen Qiu. Having the Sound Transmission Ring also ensured that, should any mishap occur, he could rush to the scene immediately.


    ¡­


    Great Yuan City, Dragon Gate Inn.


    Chen Qiu sat alone by the window, staring out with a distracted look. He held his teacup mid-air for a long time without taking a sip. He had spent thousands of years just to leave the prison of Da Xia and take a look at Xuantian Continent.


    Yet now that he had arrived at Xuantian Continent, it felt as if there was not much difference from Da Xia Country.


    The architectural style was similar, clothing styles were largely the same, and moreover¡­ the concentration of Spiritual Energy here was even weaker than in Da Xia!

 Chapter 326 - 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_3

    Chapter 326: Chapter 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_3


    Or one could say it¡¯s about as rich in spiritual energy as Xuzhou, but it¡¯s definitely weaker than the Southern State of Da Xia.


    However, there are no restrictions here; as long as you have the strength and enough opportunities, you can continuously improve your cultivation. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just at this moment¡ª


    The Fat Long Scholar and another person pushed the door open and entered. Fat Long strode forward, handing a jade scroll to Chen Qiu, then with a troubled look on his face and in a hoarse voice, he said, ¡°Brother Qiu, things are a bit grim, we seem to have accidentally trespassed into the Demon Sect¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more troubling is that it¡¯s about to get dark¡­¡±


    ¡°Demon Sect?¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu slightly raised his eyebrows; the name ¡°Yuan Sect¡± didn¡¯t sound like it belonged to a Demon Sect, but after probing into the jade scroll, he realized that this ¡°Yuan Sect¡± really was a Demon Sect.


    The most common phrase among the sect¡¯s disciples was, ¡°This item is fated to be mine.¡±


    Looting, killing, and plundering were all things they excelled at.


    Indeed, they are not practitioners of demon cultivation.


    But what they practice is indeed the way of the demon cultivators.


    The Xuantian Continent is divided into the Upper Nine States, Middle State, and Lower Nine States, with the Middle State having the richest spiritual energy and home to the most powerful sects and factions of the Xuantian Continent. The Upper and Lower Nine States have weaker spiritual energies.


    And his current location was in one of the Lower Nine States, specifically ¡°Quzhou.¡±


    Then, Chen Qiu¡¯s expression gradually turned sinister as he soon understood what Fat Long meant by it getting dark; on the Xuantian Continent, there are many special random Heavenly Dao events, as well as fixed Heavenly Dao events.


    One such fixed Heavenly Dao event is called ¡°Before the Dawn.¡±


    Before he came to the Xuantian Continent, a Heavenly Dao Decree had already been issued for this fixed event, which occurs once a month, rotating through the nineteen states.


    And no matter which state it lands on, it never covers the entire state but centers around a city, covering a hundred li radius.


    This time, it landed on ¡°Quzhou, Great Yuan City¡±!


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Long Night Approaches ¡°Quzhou, Great Yuan City,¡± once night falls, within six hours, all cultivators outside the city will be unable to use their Protective Spirit Qi, Divine Sense, Nascent Soul protection, Defensive Spiritual Treasures, and other defensive and detection methods.


    Moreover, random heavenly materials and earthly treasures of different grades will appear outside the city, guided by the light of the heavens.


    ¨C


    It sounds a bit complicated.


    But it can roughly be understood as, a night of killing.


    After nightfall, everyone will be unable to use defensive and detection methods, competing for heavenly materials and earthly treasures outside the city under the extreme darkness of night. Moreover, during this time, even if you kill a disciple from a Major Sect, their Life Plate won¡¯t be able to trace back to you.


    It amounts to completely shattering the already scarce order.


    Of course, if you think it¡¯s too dangerous outside, you can hide in the city, which is safe.


    And with everyone unable to use protective methods, the gap in cultivation between individuals greatly decreases. Even if you have Nascent Soul cultivation, without using any defensive measures, being besieged by several Cultivators at the Golden Core Peak could lead to your death here.


    Those who proactively leave the city before nightfall are all desperados. The danger outside the city will increase rapidly with the onset of darkness.


    After pondering for a moment, he continued to look at the information inside the jade scroll.


    Inside the jade scroll, there were also various conditions and heavenly materials and earthly treasures needed by Nascent Souls from First Grade to Tenth Grade. From what Fat Long said, the method of forming a Nascent Soul was not a secret; it was easy to purchase related information, but it was only up to Tenth Grade, with no information on grades beyond that.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense probed into the jade scroll, and he quickly obtained the relevant information.


    ¨C


    ¡°First Grade Nascent Soul¡±: A natural breakthrough in cultivation leads to a First Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Second Grade Nascent Soul¡±: Using a Nascent Soul body as material for forming the soul leads to a Second Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Third Grade Nascent Soul¡±: Using three Nascent Soul bodies and one piece of Evil Wood as material for forming the soul, and having all cultivated methods at the Great Perfection Realm, leads to a Third Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Fourth Grade Nascent Soul¡±: Using a Divinity Transformation Body as material for forming the soul leads to a Fourth Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Fifth Grade Nascent Soul¡±: Using a Divinity Transformation Body, a thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny, and ensuring the Tao Foundation has no hidden injuries, leads to a Fifth Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tenth Grade Nascent Soul¡±: Requires a Heavenly Dao Foundation, one Seven-colored term, and a Tenth Grade Golden Core as prerequisites. Furthermore, using ten terms of any grade, three Divinity Transformation Bodies, a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, nine Second Grade Nascent Soul bodies, one Eight Desolate Fruit, and one piece of Evil Wood as material for forming the soul leads to a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¨C


    There was not even any information on Twelfth Grade Nascent Souls.


    But at that time, he didn¡¯t have information on Twelfth Grade Golden Cores either. After fulfilling the conditions for a Tenth Grade Golden Core, he managed to forge a Twelfth Grade Golden Core through that ¡°Eight-petal Fire Lotus.¡±


    By the same token.


    Once he fulfills the conditions for a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul, with those four extraordinary flowers inside his small world, he will likely be able to forge a Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul.


    However¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu¡¯s lips twitched slightly as he looked up at Fat Long: ¡°Three Divinity Transformation Bodies are needed?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Fat Long felt it was absurd too and scratched his head softly, saying, ¡°How about just a Third Grade Nascent Soul or a Second Grade Nascent Soul? The conditions for a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul are too preposterous.¡±


    Three Divinity Transformation Bodies!


    Those are Divinity Transformation Stage powerhouses, a whole level higher than Nascent Soul stage cultivators!


    Actually, obtaining a Divinity Transformation Body is quite simple, just kill a Divinity Transformation Stage powerhouse, and you¡¯ll have it. The method is not difficult, but the problem is, how the hell can someone with just a Golden Core Peak cultivation kill a Divinity Transformation being!


    That¡¯s damn well jumping over two Great Realms!


    Aren¡¯t these conditions a bit too harsh?

 Chapter 327 - 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_4

    Chapter 327: Chapter 151: Heavenly Dao Decree: The Long Night is Coming!_4


    A moment later, Chen Qiu picked up the cloak on the table that could shield one¡¯s Divine Sense and draped it over his head, his expression showing a hint of resignation as he walked out of the inn, ¡°I¡¯ll go for a stroll.¡±


    He had started to consider giving up on the aspiration for a tenth-grade or even a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul.


    There was no other way.


    The conditions were too harsh. The requirement for a Divinity Transformation Body had effectively blocked his path. From the current perspective, a third-grade Nascent Soul seemed to be his limit, and he had no intention of waiting for the path of the Heavenly Prides.


    Having Golden Core Cultivation on the Xuantian Continent felt too insecure.


    It was better to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage as soon as possible.


    ...


    Take, for example, tonight¡¯s ¡°Long Night is Coming¡± Heavenly Dao event that he had no plans to attend. It was too dangerous. Having just arrived on the Xuantian Continent, it was better to keep a low profile and grow before anything else.


    He had the entry ¡°All-Knowing,¡± which might enable him to find some missed opportunities at the street stalls.


    ¡­


    In Great Yuan City, there were many Loose Cultivators, Yuan Sect disciples, and cultivators from other sects.


    At this moment, a large crowd was gathering in Great Yuan City. These were people from nearby areas looking to find refuge in the city. After dark, with ¡°Long Night is Coming,¡± it could get quite dangerous outside the city.


    And along the way,


    nearly all the cultivators were either wearing cloaks that shielded Divine Sense or masks that did the same. Even the Yuan Sect disciples were donning masks.


    Chen Qiu, in his cloak, did not look out of place. At this time, he was squatting in front of a street stall, examining every Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure for sale.


    This street was akin to a small market.


    Both sides were filled with vendors displaying their wares, including numerous weapon fragments and various medicinal herbs that seemed imbued with spirituality. As for the specifics of these items, that all depended on the vendor¡¯s pitch.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, you¡¯ve found yourself a treasure.¡±


    At this point, the bald vendor at the stall Chen Qiu was in front of was eyeing the sword tip fragment that Chen Qiu was handling. After glancing around cautiously, he whispered,


    ¡°Do you know of the grand battle that swept through Quzhou thousands of years ago?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¡°My grandfather¡¯s grandfather¡¯s grandfather¡¯s grandfather¡¯s grandfather witnessed that battle firsthand. It was so fierce that it darkened the skies and earth, and this sword tip fragment is a piece of a shattered weapon from that time. It contains supreme Sword Intent. If you can comprehend it, you could become the number one Sword Immortal in Quzhou!¡±


    ¡°How about ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones for it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, his gaze casually sweeping over every item on the stall. Whenever his sight focused on an item, a panel enveloped in mist would appear above his Dantian, detailing the item¡¯s information.


    But this weapon fragment in his hand was appraised as¡­ trash.


    Everything on the stall was also trash; not a single genuine item was present. Just as he was about to stand up and leave,


    he suddenly overheard a conversation nearby.


    ¡°Are you going out of the city tonight?¡±


    ¡°What, are you thinking of participating in tonight¡¯s ¡®Long Night is Coming¡¯? You¡¯d better think it through; a few years ago, during Quzhou¡¯s ¡®Long Night is Coming,¡¯ it¡¯s said that hundreds of Golden Core disciples died in just one night.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still hesitant, but it¡¯s said that tonight¡¯s ¡®Long Night is Coming¡¯ will feature a ¡®Divinity Transformation Body.¡¯ My movement technique is very fast. What if I manage to grab it? I could directly cultivate a fourth-grade Nascent Soul. Once I break through to the Nascent Soul Stage later on, wouldn¡¯t I be invincible among my peers?¡±


    Hearing the voices close by,


    Chen Qiu¡¯s body tensed slightly, and his hand trembling faintly as he clutched the sword tip fragment, he turned to look at the two Loose Cultivators who were gradually walking away. Tonight¡¯s ¡®Long Night is Coming¡¯ was actually going to feature a ¡®Divinity Transformation Body¡¯?


    Then¡­ his aspiration for a tenth-grade Nascent Soul might still be worth considering.


    The first step is always the hardest. Once he obtained the first one, the rest would come naturally.


    The vendor noticed his reaction and his eyes lit up, thinking that Chen Qiu had made a judgment error. He hurriedly tried to drive the point home, ¡°Fellow Daoist, I¡¯m telling you, this sword tip fragment is a piece from a Divinity Transformation high-grade Spiritual Treasure. If my family hadn¡¯t fallen on hard times, I wouldn¡¯t sell it. Ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones is truly a fair price for you.¡±


    About to get up, Chen Qiu glanced at the vendor and said indifferently, ¡°How about eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones? If you¡¯re selling, I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The vendor¡¯s breathing suddenly became uncontrollably rapid, but he still forcefully suppressed his excitement and pretended to be in a difficult position, ¡°Fellow Daoist, I really can¡¯t lower the price any further. You know what this thing is worth. If¡­¡±


    However, before the vendor could finish speaking,


    Chen Qiu stood up immediately with Fat Long and left the stall, heading toward another one.


    The befuddled vendor hastily got up, watching the retreating backs of Chen Qiu and company as he shouted urgently, ¡°I¡¯ll sell, I¡¯ll sell, just as you said, eight mid-grade Spirit Stones.¡±


    But Chen Qiu and his companions did not show any sign of stopping.


    ¡°Seven!¡±


    ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡°One, just one, that should be fine, right?¡±


    However, no matter how desperately the vendor shouted, Chen Qiu and the others kept walking away, getting further and further, until finally realizing they would not return, the vendor stood there, slapping himself repeatedly on the face, beating his chest, and crying out in regret.


    Why had he tried to act tough?


    If he hadn¡¯t pretended back then, perhaps the deal for eight mid-grade Spirit Stones would have been struck.


    ¡­


    At this moment, Chen Qiu was in quite a good mood, maybe because he had teased the vendor, or perhaps because he had learned that a Divinity Transformation Body would appear this very night. Anyway, he felt much better than when he first arrived.


    When he first descended upon the Xuantian Continent, there was always a sense of oppression in his heart, and he felt somewhat constrained in his actions.


    But now he felt much more carefree.


    And just then¡ª


    He suddenly noticed that there was truly a treasure on a stall to the side.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Demon Extermination Bracelet.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: An upper-grade Earth Level Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, a gift from the Heavenly Dao.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: It has been heavily contaminated with resentful energy, cannot be used, requires ten pieces of Evil Wood to remove the resentful energy, and needs to be nourished in the Dantian for ten days before it can see the light of day again.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression gradually turned strange. Had he really seen a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure at a stall?


    The stall was littered with fragments of various weapons, some damaged Jade Scrolls, and a bunch of miscellaneous weeds posing as medicinal herbs. There were faint strands of Spiritual Energy hovering around these fragments and weeds, a common trick used by vendors.


    By breaking a Spirit Stone, they let Spiritual Energy vaguely hover over these ordinary items, thus impersonating Spiritual Objects.


    As for whether they could be sold, it all depended on one¡¯s own eloquence.


    And from the corner of this stall, there lay a rather rusted copper bracelet that looked extremely unremarkable, covered in dirt as if it had just been unearthed.


    He stopped in his tracks, squatting in front of the stall, and after a moment, he raised his head to look at the vendor and casually said, ¡°I¡¯ll take this bracelet, how much is it?¡±


    ¡°A hundred low-grade Spirit Stones!¡±


    The stall vendor was a female cultivator who might have been doing this for the first time, as she was somewhat inexperienced. Her voice was thick with insecurity, even trembling, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate this bracelet. Do you know of the battle thousands of years ago that turned the whole of Quzhou upside down?¡±


    ¡°My great-great-great-grandfather was an eyewitness to that great battle, and this bracelet is from¡­¡±


    Before the female cultivator could finish speaking.


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh softly, waving his hand to signal Fat Long to pay before picking up the bracelet, standing up, and leaving. He tossed back a few casual remarks.


    ¡°That bald vendor up front, is he your relative?¡±


    ¡°You two use the same tactics.¡±


    ¡°When you lie, you have to look into the person¡¯s eyes and speak with enough confidence.¡±


    ¡°Only if you can deceive yourself can you deceive others; if you¡¯re not confident, how can you make others believe you?¡±

 Chapter 328 - 152: As a Fish, You Should Like Eating Cats! (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

    Chapter 328: Chapter 152: As a Fish, You Should Like Eating Cats! (Requesting Monthly Tickets)


    Soon after, the female cultivator was seen blushing to her ears as she looked towards the direction where Chen Qiu had left, continuously rising to bow her head and thank him, ¡°Thank you, fellow Daoist!¡±


    Today was her first time setting up a stall.


    She was a Loose Cultivator.


    Usually, she would go outside the city to do some odd jobs to make a living, but tonight, with the long night approaching in Quzhou, she dared not leave the city and could only set up some items here, hoping to earn some Spirit Stones.


    This was her first time deceiving someone, and she was indeed a bit nervous.


    After seeing Chen Qiu leave, the female cultivator then turned to the little wild cat hiding behind her, muttering softly, ¡°Little cat, suddenly making a big sum of money, but I don¡¯t know why, I feel uneasy about this money, a bit guilty, what should I do?¡±


    ...


    ¡°And aren¡¯t you a wild cat? Why are you so afraid of strangers?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What she didn¡¯t see was that the little wild cat in her arms gave her a very human-like roll of the eyes.


    ¡­


    Her name was July Cat.


    Yes, the little wild cat held by the female cultivator was her. As for why she suddenly ran from Da Xia Country to Xuantian Continent, well, that¡¯s a long story.


    She had nine lives.


    Every time she died, she could randomly reincarnate into a body, sometimes near-death cultivators, sometimes Spirit Beasts who hadn¡¯t awakened their Spiritual Wisdom, but most of the time, she crossed into the body of a demon beast.


    Last time she reincarnated as an ¡°Earth-swallowing Rat,¡± and just as she was happily digging out a palace of her own in Fat State, right when she was about to complete it, Chen Qiu struck her into bits with a thunderous attack.


    Then she was reborn as a little wild cat in the Capital.


    And she found out, Chen Qiu was coming to the Capital to participate in the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.


    Hehe, this time she learned to be smart!


    She hid!


    Is hiding feasible?


    She ran and ran, getting to a place surrounded by clear mountains and waters, basically uninhabited and very quiet. She was very satisfied with this hiding spot she found, not knowing that it was the back mountain of the Caotian Sect.


    Just when she had barely managed to drag some scraps together to make a nest for herself.


    Hey, guess what?


    An old man with a Golden Core Peak, Great Perfection Cultivation appeared from nowhere, straight towards her, collecting her and other Spirit Beasts in the jungle, and took them into a small world, which was the back mountain of the Chao Tian Sect.


    Thus, she saw that familiar man again, yes, it was Chen Qiu.


    She never thought she and this man were so fated, as if no matter where she went, fate always made them meet again.


    Alright then.


    Since it has come to this, let it be.


    She was easy to talk to, anywhere would do, and Chen Qiu was unlikely to strike at his own backyard, so she could live a bit longer here, but¡­ before she could get comfortable for long.


    She was swallowed by a lion.


    She didn¡¯t know why a lion would eat a cat, but she didn¡¯t escape and died.


    This time, she was reborn inside the body of a little wild cat in Great Yuan City. Hey, guess what? Just like that, she easily left Da Xia Country and came to Xuantian Continent.


    To be honest, she didn¡¯t want to come at all.


    She didn¡¯t have many lives left, and continuing this way, she might just end her miserable life completely.


    Luckily, a kind female cultivator adopted her, and just when she was happily going out with her new owner who provided her food, she once again encountered a very familiar and unforgettable person.


    Chen Qiu!


    Really, she never felt she was so fated with anyone!


    Even though she hid behind the female cultivator at first, but¡­


    While in the arms of the female cultivator, she stretched her cat body, scratched her head with her paw, then while licking her paw, looked towards the departing figure of Chen Qiu, feeling an intense premonition for some reason.


    She might die again.


    In her past life, she must have owed Chen Qiu nine lives, and in this life, she would use nine lives to repay that kindness!


    Just then¡ª


    The excited voice of the female cultivator rang in her ears: ¡°Made big money today, I¡¯ll treat you to fish!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    July Cat, in deep thought, tilted her head, satisfied, licked the female cultivator¡¯s cheek, and while stretching herself more upright, softly meowed, ¡°Mew~¡±


    Why worry so much, happy to have fish to eat!


    As a fish, it should enjoy eating cat!


    Too bad¡­


    She really liked digging underground palaces, she wanted to dig another one.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Chen Qiu had already returned to the inn, cleaned the bracelet in his hand, used ten pieces of Evil Wood to remove the resentful energy on it, immediately making the ordinary-looking bracelet appear much brighter with a faint sense of ancient simplicity.


    With a thought.


    The bracelet had appeared inside his Dantian, washed continuously by Spiritual Liquid, the runes that had originally faded on the bracelet¡¯s surface gradually began to emerge. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Now I have four Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, feeling that when one¡¯s mood improves, luck also improves, even picking up Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures seemed possible, picking up one more could even activate the next set effect of the Heavenly Dao gear.


    He then didn¡¯t delay any further.


    Immediately, he gathered Fat Long and a few others into the small world, ordering them to cultivate peacefully within the small world.


    He then strolled alone towards the city gate.


    Not many were leaving the city, but it wasn¡¯t few either.


    With the long night upcoming, those heading out at this time were mostly prepared to stake their lives, turning into streaks of light shooting dozens of miles away. After his Divine Sense swept around ensuring there were no other cultivators nearby, he instantly entered the small world, ready to patiently wait for the long night to arrive.

 Chapter 329 - 152: As a Fish, One Should Enjoy Eating Cats! (Requesting Monthly Tickets)_2

    Chapter 329: Chapter 152: As a Fish, One Should Enjoy Eating Cats! (Requesting Monthly Tickets)_2


    After night had fallen.


    All cultivators outside the city could not use protective methods or sensing skills; in complete darkness, they were utterly blind and furthermore, everyone had become fragile.


    They would shatter at the slightest touch.


    Whoever had the initiative would gain absolute victory.


    His advantage lay in possessing a small world he could carry with him, in which he could hide at any moment to avoid attacks.


    In the small world, Chen Qiu quietly observed the situation outside.


    ...


    Until two hours later, when the sky darkened, from outside ¡°Great Yuan City,¡± no cultivator could be seen, but only Chen Qiu knew that within just a dozen miles around him, there were more than a dozen cultivators hidden.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood within the small world with a complex expression, watching the scenario outside.


    The cultivators of the Xuantian Continent seemed to be slightly more cunning than those from Da Xia Country.


    A top-quality Foundation Establishment Array Plate, cheap, right? Cheap!


    Can it injure a Golden Core? No?


    But can it injure a Golden Core without any protective means, unable to activate Protective Treasures? Then it¡¯s extremely effective!


    Thus¡ª


    Just within these ten miles, under his watchful eye, more than thirty array plates were hidden by seven cultivators, and it was clear, these seven cultivators did not know about each other¡¯s placed array plates.


    Besides, he saw these cultivators using all sorts of tricks.


    Like Poison Grass disguised as natural Spiritual Treasures, which would explode into a cloud of poison upon touch.


    The cultivators used various invisibility techniques, all hiding in the shadows, but those who hid first definitely had an advantage. Those who came later, their entire hiding process, was observed by many.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, let¡¯s just forget it,¡±


    Fat Long, who also watched the entire process, said with a dreadful look, ¡°These people are crazy, just in this area alone there are more than thirty array plates, I can¡¯t imagine how many are hidden around Great Yuan City, it¡¯s like a minefield, one step and boom!¡±


    This night of doom was located at ¡°Quzhou, Great Yuan City.¡±


    Not only were there numerous Loose Cultivators, but also disciples from ¡°Yuan Sect,¡± and disciples from other sects nearby Quzhou as well, a true mix of dragons and snakes. Those daring to participate in the ¡°Night of Doom¡± were all skilled, at least with Concealing Techniques practiced to the Great Perfection Realm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡±


    Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes and said nothing, if there was a chance, he certainly did not want to miss out on the Divinity Transformation Body. Apart from this time, he figured it would be hard to have another chance to obtain a Divinity Transformation Body in the future. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If there was any chance to try, he did not want to just watch helplessly as the opportunity slipped away.


    Based on his observation.


    Currently, most of those hiding outside the city were Golden Core Cultivators, no Nascent Soul expert had appeared. For those Nascent Souls, the opportunity of this ¡°Night of Doom¡± did not help much, but stepping outside the city without Protective Spirit Qi and detection means could easily lead to being ambushed, hence capsizing in the ditch.


    This was probably why.


    So far, he hadn¡¯t seen a single Nascent Soul.


    Just then¡ª


    As the ¡°Night of Doom¡± was about to begin, countless Golden Core Divine Senses suddenly seemed to form a consensus, swarming out all at once, constantly colliding in mid-air.


    Initially, they didn¡¯t use Golden Core Divine Senses to avoid their positions being discovered, but just before the imminent arrival of the night, using it briefly could help locate nearby traps and hidden people.


    Immediately following!


    It grew dark!


    And from Chen Qiu¡¯s view, those people below began to quickly change positions, scurrying to places they considered safe to hide, while at the same time, the entire world plunged into utter darkness, where one could not see their hands before them.


    All Protective Spirit Qi and detection methods were unusable at this moment.


    Nothing was visible.


    He could faintly hear the increasingly uncontrollable and rapid breathing of nearby individuals, brought on by tension.


    ¡­


    Outside Great Yuan City, in a patch of grass three feet tall, a ¡°Yuan Sect¡± disciple, his eyes flickering with a trace of fear, buried his body tightly in the ground, using a Concealing Technique to blend himself with the grass.


    Originally, he had come with a mindset prepared for death, as without opportunities, his talent wouldn¡¯t allow him to stand out in his lifetime.


    He didn¡¯t want to end up like those unremarkable brothers managing sect properties; he wanted to become an Inner Sect Disciple, to stand out!


    But¡­


    After darkness fell, his psychological defenses were instantly shattered.


    The sudden complete darkness engulfed the whole world; unable to project Divine Sense or see, he felt as if he had turned into a blind mortal in an instant.


    There wasn¡¯t the slightest sound around, as if deathly silent.


    He could only hear his own heart beating rapidly from tremendous nervousness.


    It was in this instant that he suddenly regretted his decision to leave the city; after all, obscurity wasn¡¯t so bad, he wanted to return to the city, but at this point the city gates were already closed, he could only silently comfort himself in his heart, to stay hidden here and not go anywhere.


    After dawn, he would immediately return to the city and thereafter, peacefully be an unremarkable brother.


    However¡ª


    What he didn¡¯t notice was that due to fear, his breathing was becoming more and more rapid.


    The sharp breathing sounds in the quiet night were extremely harsh; almost in the next moment, three spells blasted towards his position instantly, and the man, completely unprepared, was immediately blasted into pieces.


    He became the first casualty!


    Accompanied by the light from these three spells, the grass patch was instantly illuminated, followed by even more spells smashing towards the position from which the first three had been launched.

 Chapter 330 - 152: As a Fish, You Should Like to Eat Cats! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_3

    Chapter 330: Chapter 152: As a Fish, You Should Like to Eat Cats! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_3


    Almost instantaneously! S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The previously silent outskirts of the city suddenly plunged into chaos. Not a single person was in sight, only the constant bombardment of spells in the sky, and the sounds of countless Array Plates being triggered and exploding, echoing throughout the area outside Great Yuan City.


    Occasional screams indicated that some didn¡¯t die immediately but still had the strength to cry out.


    This was an exceptionally perilous battle!


    Everyone was unguarded; in the pitch darkness, any slight noise could invite a barrage of spells.


    But the chaos quickly subsided after barely ten breaths.


    ...


    Once again, no spells could be seen, no trace of light remained.


    After unleashing a spell, almost everyone instinctively changed position, then sought safety elsewhere, knowing that the natural treasures had yet to appear in this world, and fighting at this time was pointless.


    But they had no choice¡­ because not attacking didn¡¯t mean others wouldn¡¯t attack them.


    Exiting the city tonight.


    Almost meant strapping your head to your waistband; the chances of death were far greater than those of returning alive, and essentially no Heavenly Prides ventured out tonight. Those who did were typically desperadoes who knew their Cultivation Path was nearing its end, and without an opportunity, it would be difficult to advance further.


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Inside the small world, Chen Qiu watched the chaos outside with a calm expression. So far, he had not seen a single Cultivator, only witnessing the faint light emitted by spells as they zipped by in the pitch-dark.


    He did not venture out.


    The outside was too perilous, even if you hid in utter silence and remained well-concealed, a stray spell could send you soaring to the heavens. Without the Divine Sense to lock on, no one could be certain of hitting their target, so generally, they would just aim roughly by instinct and fire away.


    Just then¡ª


    A faint pillar of light suddenly appeared on the ground, piercing straight through the clouds.


    Beneath the pillar of light lay a hairpin.


    It was a Spiritual Treasure.


    Almost the moment the pillar appeared, two Golden Core cultivators activated their movement techniques with all their might, shooting towards the hairpin, but they were met with a myriad of spells bombarding the light pillar at the same time.


    The two Golden Core cultivators, who had just positioned themselves, were not even able to hold the Spiritual Treasure in their hands before they were shattered into pieces by the relentless assault, eyes filled with despair.


    If they could have used Protective Spirit Qi, those two Golden Core cultivators would have at most been heavily injured and withdrawn, but at that moment, they were directly obliterated on the spot!


    Immediately after, as if everything paused in stillness.


    The Spiritual Treasure just lay there calmly on the barren ground, the faint pillar of light signaling to everyone that there was a treasure present, yet no one dared to claim it. In the ¡°night of prolonged darkness,¡± securing the treasure was not the most important aspect.


    How to survive after obtaining the treasure mattered most.


    After a deadlock lasting nearly a hundred breaths, a shadow, too fast for the naked eye to catch, swept past the light pillar, snatching the Spiritual Treasure, and vanished from the spot in a blink.


    The movement technique was incredibly fast!


    Even the spells that followed couldn¡¯t catch up to him, turning into streaks of light shooting towards the horizon. Clearly satisfied, he did not plan to linger any longer and prepared to leave the area.


    Soon after, a second faint pillar of light slowly appeared, this time with a chessboard beneath it, also a Spiritual Treasure.


    Someone struck a lucky sign, and gradually others began to feel tempted.


    It¡¯s well known!


    During the ¡°night of prolonged darkness,¡± the pillars of light that appear later on contain even more valuable items. This light pillar emerged three miles away, which for a Golden Core cultivator was barely the span of a breath, not a great distance. The issue was how to survive after taking possession.


    ¡­


    Inside the small world, having observed enough, Chen Qiu decided to make the first move to test the waters and see the situation.


    This was his first encounter with the cultivators of the Xuantian Continent, and he felt somewhat uncertain.


    Then¡ª


    Suddenly, within the small world, dark clouds filled the skies and a Storm raged; frightening Spiritual Energy burst forth from Chen Qiu, and in his palm, he slowly condensed a tiny Thunder Ball, with tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons faintly visible within it.


    He opened a crack in the small world and hurled the Small Thunderball out, then quickly sealed the small world again.


    The next moment!


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    The deafening explosion resonated throughout the heavens and earth; tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, carrying terrifying pressure, illuminated everything. The ground abruptly revealed a terrifyingly deep pit.


    Before the dust settled,


    Chen Qiu shot out from the small world, heading straight for the pillar of light, grasped the chessboard tightly in his hand, then instantly dove back into the small world.


    But¡­


    There didn¡¯t seem to be any spells hitting him; he had been worried that if he entered the small world even a moment too late, he¡¯d be struck by a spell.


    The entire world seemed to fall silent.


    But due to the pitch darkness and the inability to spread his Consciousness, he couldn¡¯t judge what was happening and continued to hide in the small world. Not long after, roughly a thousand breaths later, another faint pillar of light appeared ten miles away.


    Chen Qiu once again shot out from the small world, and as he was about to reach the light pillar, he dived back into the small world, then stealthily threw out another seemingly harmless Small Thunderball.


    Cautious above all else, Magic Practitioners were inherently fragile, especially when unable to use Protective Spirit Qi or Protective Treasures.


    Being hit by a spell meant either death or severe injury.


    Alongside the fearful howl of tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons, the destructive force covered the surrounding area. Numerous Array Plates were destroyed, and the Cultivators lurking nearby, ready to act at any moment, met their grandmothers under the strike¡¯s impact.

 Chapter 331 - 152: As a Fish, One Should Like to Eat Cats! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_4

    Chapter 331: Chapter 152: As a Fish, One Should Like to Eat Cats! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_4


    This time¡ª


    Chen Qiu once again tentatively grasped the Spiritual Treasure under the pillar of light and returned to his small world, yet still no one made a move. Could it be that it was all over?


    After all, he was a Golden Core cultivator from the Xuantian Continent; it was impossible they couldn¡¯t even withstand one of his Thunder Summoning Techniques, right?


    What followed next,


    was as if every cultivator had hidden away, with no spells in sight save for the sky-full of Thunder Summoning Techniques. Whenever a beam of light shone, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons would explode around it, and soon after, a Spiritual Treasure would be snatched away by some mysterious person.


    ¡­


    ...


    Meanwhile, atop the walls of Great Yuan City,


    many cultivators stood with complex expressions, watching this unfold. Whenever ¡°the long night approaches,¡± many desperate souls would venture beyond the city to battle for fortune, but even more people preferred to watch from the safety of the city walls.


    Of course,


    with heaven and earth shrouded in darkness and their Divine Sense unable to penetrate, they couldn¡¯t see anything.


    However, they just liked standing in this safe place, feeling the crisis coming from the darkness, a sense of satisfaction when they heard screams in the dark, imagining which of today¡¯s venturing cultivators had perished, while secretly feeling relieved that they hadn¡¯t gone themselves.


    But¡­ this time, it seemed different from the past.


    During previous ¡°long nights,¡± although spells clashed everywhere, none resembled tonight, with tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons carrying a terrifying pressure, roaming clearly visible through the dark.


    Whenever a column of light descended, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons would follow, and then the light would vanish.


    And those Thunder Dragons¡­


    Many cultivators¡¯ mouths twitched involuntarily; they could tell it was the Thunder Summoning Technique, but it felt just¡­ a bit more powerful than the usual technique. The might of it was such that even with their Protective Spirit Qi active, they couldn¡¯t withstand it.


    Let alone those below who couldn¡¯t use Protective Spirit Qi; by now, they were probably one with the soil. There wouldn¡¯t even be bodies to collect by morning; the wild grass outside the city might grow even more lush next year.


    ¡­


    ¡°Lucky I didn¡¯t go¡­¡±


    On the city wall, a bald man looked toward the inky darkness, full of countless Thunder Dragons carrying a horrifying pressure. He was a third-layer Golden Core Cultivator, and as a Loose Cultivator, his life was not particularly prosperous, needing Spirit Stones for many things.


    On a normal day, he would set up a stall in Yuan City to see if he could swindle a few easy targets.


    Today he almost cheated someone out of eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones, but due to his hesitation, the stones slipped away, leaving him filled with regret. He had planned to venture outside the city tonight to take a chance and see if he could snatch some opportunity.


    But just as he was about to leave, the Little Wild Cat his sister had picked up yesterday clung desperately to his pant leg, refusing to let him go out.


    This wild cat was usually very well-behaved.


    This omen left him feeling uneasy, so he decided against going and fortunately so, for tonight¡¯s ¡°long night¡± brought a killing god. He had never seen a Magic Practitioner who could unleash tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons at once; had he gone, he would be lying buried there now.


    The bald man gratefully looked at the Little Wild Cat in his sister¡¯s arms, ¡°You¡¯re getting an extra fish tonight!¡±


    ¡°Meow~¡±


    July Cat shifted in the arms of the female cultivator, finding a comfortable spot before lazily meowing, feeling somewhat helpless inside.


    Who the hell was doing it to save you!


    If it hadn¡¯t been for his sister insisting on following him, who would care about him? It would have been fine if just his sister went, but she had to bring the cat along, which was simply courting death!


    If they wanted to die, she certainly did not!


    Others might not know of Chen Qiu¡¯s strength, but she was well aware. Tonight, of all nights, sending any more Golden Cores was a death sentence. Even if a Nascent Soul ventured out, the odds of surviving were slim. With their modest cultivation levels, they would just be delivering themselves to Chen Qiu.


    ¡­


    When the twelfth pillar of light dissipated, no more appeared.


    Only after six hours, as dawn broke,


    with the sun halfway up the sky,


    and as the city gates opened, a flood of cultivators stepped out, casting complicated glances toward the eleven massive pits outside the gate, impeccably clean, without a single body in sight.


    The flesh and the soil had long since merged into one.


    ¡­


    At this moment, within the small world, Chen Qiu was counting his gains, sitting alone on the back mountain peak of Chao Tian Sect, smiling with satisfaction.


    The greatest gain, of course, was the green pill in his hand.


    This was also the treasure that appeared during the twelfth light column.


    ¡°Divinity Transformation Body¡±!


    It was also the most valuable item among them. With this Divinity Transformation Body, he could at least ensure he¡¯d have a Fifth-Grade Nascent Soul, not to mention some other miscellaneous items.


    They were mostly Spiritual Treasures and Spirit Grass.


    He glanced at the items he couldn¡¯t use himself, planning to hand them all over to Fat Long to be placed in the sect¡¯s Treasure Vault, allowing Chao Tian Sect disciples to exchange them for Contribution Value.


    Only one Spiritual Treasure was of interest.


    ¨C


    Treasure Name: Contending with Heaven.


    Acquisition Source: Bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.


    Usage Effect:


    1: Contend with Heaven in a game, if it ends in a draw or victory by one piece, obtain one random Spiritual Treasure. The more pieces you win by, the higher the Grade of the Spiritual Treasure. Only one chance is given.


    ¨C


    It was a chessboard.


    It was the Spiritual Treasure from the second light column; he had no use for it at the moment. His chess skills were only decent; winning a piece over Heaven was not something he believed his chess skills could achieve.


    He¡¯d see if he could find a Chess Saint with better chess skills in the future to play the game for him.


    After all, there was only one opportunity, and it couldn¡¯t be wasted.


    ¡­


    Next, Chen Qiu arrived at the Chao Tian Sect square by the Mountain Gate, distributed Nascent Soul techniques from First Grade to Tenth Grade collected by Fat Long, and placed a Nascent Soul body on the table, looking calmly at his disciples who faced him with eager expressions.


    ¡°Naturally breaking through, one can form a First Grade Nascent Soul,¡± he said.


    ¡°Using a Nascent Soul body as material for Nascent Soul formation, one can form a Second Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Since you have followed me and joined Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I also hope that your potential is higher. This Nascent Soul body here can help you form a Second Grade Nascent Soul. The one among you with the shortest lifespan, step forward, and I will help you form a Second Grade Nascent Soul first.¡±


    The members of Chao Tian Sect looked at each other, then an elderly man stood up shakily, speaking in a low and respectful voice, ¡°Sect Master, I have only one month left to live; I have the shortest lifespan.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, ¡°To break through to Nascent Soul, you need a hundred and eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones to lay out a Spirit Gathering Array, do you have them?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    The elder nodded, his voice trembling with too much excitement, ¡°I brought out everything from home, it¡¯s enough, enough!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was silent for a long moment before tossing over the Nascent Soul pill in his hand, ¡°Calm your mind for three days, then start your breakthrough.¡±


    This Nascent Soul body was a First Grade Nascent Soul, which he had no use for.


    These people had all signed Life Plates with the Chao Tian Sect. The strengthening of these people¡¯s power was also his own power increase; it was necessary to have a Nascent Soul to have some confidence in moving through this world.


    ¡­ sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 332 - 153:

    Chapter 332: Chapter 153: ¡°Youngest Sister, I have decided, I want to join the Yuan Sect.


    And at this time¡ª


    In Xuantian Continent, Quzhou of the lower nine provinces, within the Tao Sword Sect.


    The True Disciple of Tao Sword Sect, Li Shiyi, was currently sitting in his own cave dwelling, rubbing the Jade Scroll in his hand, muttering to himself in a trance.


    ¡°Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu.¡±


    That day.


    In the initial screening realm of the Heavenly Pride Path, he had suffered the greatest humiliation of his life, unparalleled!


    ...


    After coming out, he mobilized all his power to search for a sect called ¡°Chao Tian Sect,¡± but he had almost checked all the newly risen sects, and none was named Chao Tian Sect.


    Although the actions of that Chen Qiu, whenever he thought of them, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a nameless fire rising in his heart.


    But one thing had to be admitted, Chen Qiu¡¯s strength was indeed formidable, such a disciple could not have been cultivated by an obscure sect, it must be one of the recently risen sects.


    Just when he was about to give up,


    he suddenly found a piece of information in ancient texts, tens of thousands of years ago, a sect composed of Outer Heaven Demons was called ¡°Chao Tian Sect.¡± This sect consisted entirely of sword-cultivating madmen, and was extremely united and exceedingly troublesome, considered one of the top sects in the entire Xuantian Continent!


    After dominating tyrannically for a long time, dramatic battles began one after another.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    Countless sects mobilized in full force to encircle this sect, eventually slaughtering all disciples of Chao Tian Sect, with only the Sect Master and some core disciples escaping, never to be seen again.


    This event had happened many years ago.


    The information in the ancient texts was fragmented, with many gaps, and it was also difficult to discern the truth, such as it was unclear why it was called Outer Heaven Demon, and this sect was the only one found related to Chao Tian Sect.


    Could it be, that Chen Qiu was the current Sect Master of this sect?


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the cave dwelling, Li Shiyi firmly shook his head, no sect could be passed down for tens of thousands of years, historically, not one, not even those top sects in the central provinces.


    This was an almost impossible thing.


    And at this moment¡ª


    A familiar voice suddenly came from the Sound Transmission Ring in his hand.


    ¡°Old Li, have you seen the Quzhou Daily?¡±


    ¡°Last night wasn¡¯t a long night descended on ¡®Great Yuan City¡¯ of Quzhou? That¡¯s the area controlled by Yuan Sect, the sect that claims every object is destined for them, a lot of desperadoes went there last night, it¡¯s said that one-third of Yuan Sect¡¯s disciples went.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Li Shiyi, unconcerned, shook his head and looked at his friend in the image emanating from the Sound Transmission Ring, nonchalantly saying, ¡°Are you trying to say another lucky person got the treasure?¡±


    ¡°This kind of news happens every few years when a long night descends on Quzhou, I¡¯ve grown callouses on my ears from hearing it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if they can survive first.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of lucky ones, but not many lucky ones live long.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a place where desperadoes go, any Heavenly Pride with their own path wouldn¡¯t even glance at it, you¡¯re a Heavenly Pride after all, why bother with these matters?¡±


    In the image, the powdered-faced man laughed and shook his head: ¡°This time is different from the past, this long night¡¯s survival rate was very low, most people died.¡±


    ¡°The Memory Stone showed, in the utter blackness, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons were flickering, every emergence of a Thunder Dragon meant that people around the light pillars would be blasted into dust.¡±


    ¡°There were twelve light pillars this time, except for the first one, eleven pillars were snatched by that mysterious person.¡±


    ¡°According to those who were lucky to survive, they felt as if they were undergoing a tribulation.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Li Shiyi slightly furrowed his brows: ¡°Did Nascent Souls enter the fray?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, it was a Golden Core Peak with Great Perfection Cultivation.¡±


    Li Shiyi shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m not aware of any Talent of Magic Practitioner at Golden Core Peak in Quzhou.¡±


    If it were not for Chen Qiu¡¯s interference on the Heavenly Pride Path¡¯s initial realm trial, he would certainly have been among the top three, he knew all the top Heavenly Prides of each sect in Quzhou, but he had never heard of a Talent of Magic Practitioner proficient in Thunder Magic in Quzhou.


    He had already become one of the top Heavenly Prides of the upper and lower nine provinces in recent years!


    As for those Heavenly Prides of the central provinces¡­


    Those monstrous Heavenly Prides are an exception, he still had to attend the initial realm of the Heavenly Pride Path, those people didn¡¯t even need to attend the initial trial, they directly obtained the qualifications to enter the Heavenly Pride Path in more than ten months.


    ¡°Heh heh.¡±


    The powdered-faced man in the image laughed: ¡°So I¡¯m saying, why not look for him, in a few days isn¡¯t there a gathering of Heavenly Prides from various sects in Quzhou? At that time, Heavenly Prides from other provinces will come to challenge.¡±


    ¡°I think this Talent of Magic Practitioner is very strong, if we can find him, he could also bolster our side, right?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Li Shiyi sneered: ¡°Am I not enough?¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough!¡±


    The powdered-faced man quickly nodded: ¡°But the rule is best three out of five matches, I¡¯ve heard that the Heavenly Prides coming from other provinces to challenge are all not weak, including Citian Sect¡¯s Saint Heir, Zhang Mo, you know his strength.¡±


    Hearing the name Citian Sect¡¯s Saint Heir, Zhang Mo, Li Shiyi hesitated for a moment and then nodded: ¡°You make sense, but can you find this Talent of Magic Practitioner?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, let¡¯s try to find him first.¡±


    The powdered-faced man smiled: ¡°Guess what a Golden Core Peak Heavenly Pride desires the most right now? Naturally, a Divinity Transformation Body, I plan to go to Great Yuan City and use the Divinity Transformation Body as bait to lure him out.¡±

 Chapter 333 - 153:

    Chapter 333: Chapter 153: ¡°Youngest Sister, I have decided, I want to join the Yuan Sect.¡±_2


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Li Shiyi shook his head, ¡°You think people are fools? To think that an unfounded Divinity Transformation Body could lure someone out, without any basis¡­ Wait, you don¡¯t plan to use the Divinity Transformation Body in your Su Family¡¯s ¡®Inheritance Secret Realm¡¯ as bait, do you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The man in the image grinned, ¡°This Talent of Magic Practitioner is most likely a Loose Cultivator, since none of the sects in Quzhou have recently risen to prominence with a Magic Practitioner skilled in Thunder Magic. Anyway, that Divinity Transformation Body of mine is real, whether he can take it away is his own capability. The Inheritance Secret Realm left by my Su Family has been unbeaten for over a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°Our ancestor was the same, just like a madman, leaving such an inheritance for his descendants, making the challenges so hard that no one can pass them.¡±


    Li Shiyi frowned and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of what to do if that Magic Practitioner Talent actually passes it?¡±


    ¡°If he passes, then he passes it,¡±


    ...


    The man shrugged nonchalantly, ¡°I¡¯ve discussed it with my father, and he said if he could get through it, why not just give it to him? Using something that the Su Family hasn¡¯t been able to get out for thousands of years, in exchange for the goodwill of a rising Magic Practitioner Talent, could pay off someday if he grows and even a little bit of payback would be a profit.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, to get you to watch your temper! It stinks to hell, and I¡¯m worried that the Magic Practitioner Talent I¡¯ve taken so much trouble to invite will end up fighting with you!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Li Shiyi snorted coldly, ¡°As long as he has true strength, I naturally won¡¯t disrespect him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s agree on that!¡±


    After cutting off the communication, Li Shiyi shook his head and stopped thinking about Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect. Anyway, he would definitely meet him again on the road of Heavenly Pride in more than ten months, and that would be his chance for revenge.


    He then took a deep breath and plunged into intensive cultivation once more.


    ¡­


    ¡°Quzhou Daily?¡±


    In Great Yuan City, Chen Qiu looked at the newspaper in his hand with a strange expression. Honestly, he had imagined he would experience many things after coming to the Xuantian Continent, but he had never thought he would see something like the Quzhou Daily.


    It gave a strong sense of dissonance.


    At this moment, both the headline and the sub-headline of the Quzhou Daily were about him.


    ¡°Shock! Last night in Great Yuan City of Quzhou, a mysterious figure took away twelve beams of light!¡±


    ¡°This mysterious person is a Magic Practitioner Talent, suspected to be a Loose Cultivator. Every year there are such fleeting Loose Cultivators, who knows how far this one will go?!¡±


    In the newspaper.


    From the perspective of watching the battle from the city walls, and from some Cultivators who survived the previous night, several thousand words were written, ending with the last two sentences.


    ¡°Heavenly Pride appears, chaos arises.¡±


    ¡°As the world grows troubled, Heavenly Prides like brief flowers frequently appear. Let us look forward to who among them will last till the end!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Long after, Chen Qiu took the newspaper and walked towards a nearby breakfast stall to eat something and experience the local atmosphere of Great Yuan City. Since he hadn¡¯t revealed his identity or name the previous night, the reports didn¡¯t affect him.


    Only one thing¡­


    Gave him a headache.


    The Xuantian Continent also had various leaderboards, one of which was the Merit Leaderboard!


    And his name, astonishingly, appeared at the front of the leaderboard!


    ¨C


    ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Leaderboard¡±


    ¡°Rank one¡±: Su Ningxi, merit value 10.2 billion.


    ¡°Rank two¡±: Ah Piao, merit value 9.9 billion.


    ¡°Rank three¡±: Chen Qiu, merit value 9.8 billion.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Rank ten¡±: Tai Long, merit value 8.7 billion.¡±


    ¨C


    Yes! S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When he came from Da Xia Country to Xuantian Continent, the leaderboard had also merged, and his sudden emergence on the leaderboard with 9.8 billion merit value had already been noted by many.


    ¡°Quzhou Daily¡± had also reported on this, but it was overlooked under his other major headlines and appeared somewhat inconspicuous.


    On other leaderboards.


    His name wasn¡¯t present.


    After all, there were too many powerful figures on Xuantian Continent, and only the ¡°Merit Leaderboard¡± had his name.


    Honestly.


    He didn¡¯t think 9.8 billion merit value was much, wasn¡¯t it just worth forming a twelve-grade Golden Core? There are so many people on Xuantian Continent, yet the highest has only 10.2 billion merit value, aren¡¯t you guys usually not doing good deeds?


    And on the ¡°Xuantian Continent Heavenly Pride Leaderboard,¡± he couldn¡¯t find his name anymore.


    But the daily ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he could still receive them without any mistake.


    That was the overall leaderboard!


    There were sub-leaderboards too!


    Like¡­


    ¨C


    ¡°Quzhou Merit Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Rank one¡±: Chen Qiu, merit value 9.8 billion.


    ¡°Rank two¡±: Zhang Yisheng, merit value 19.2 million.


    ¡°Rank three¡±:¡­


    ¨C


    It was glaringly obvious.


    Chen Qiu, after drinking some spicy soup, looked toward the ¡°Quzhou Merit Leaderboard¡± and the ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Leaderboard¡± and silently confirmed his suspicion.


    It was apparent.


    Quzhou was a place with not very high moral standards.


    He liked such places, because he had a moral compulsion.


    To put it specifically.


    If the people around him had very high moral standards, he would feel a bit uncomfortable.


    But if the people around him had very low moral standards, then he would start getting excited, after all, eliminating demons and evildoers is the lifelong duty of a righteous Cultivator!


    ¡°Quzhou Merit Leaderboard¡± with 100 names.


    Then¡­


    Those not listed are judged as evil demons, doing no good deeds at all, deserving to be purified.


    Just then¡ª


    A group of people suddenly began posting wanted notices in the streets and alleys.

 Chapter 334 - 153:

    Chapter 334: Chapter 153: ¡°Youngest Sister, I have decided, I want to join the Yuan Sect.¡±_3


    ¡°Bounty last night: 10 mid-grade Spirit Stones for providing concrete information about the mysterious figure!¡±


    ¡°Executioners, reward: 100 mid-grade Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°For those who capture him alive, reward: 200 mid-grade Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°¡ªYuan Sect.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu expressionlessly sipped his spicy soup once more, then glanced at the bounty poster again, lowered his eyelids, and remained silent. The Yuan Sect, a gathering place of Evil Demons, ought to be dealt with sooner rather than later.


    ...


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree, once out of the city, life and death is up to fate?¡±


    ¡°If you dare to leave the city, you dare to die.¡±


    ¡°Die too much and you can¡¯t keep playing, isn¡¯t that making a mockery of it?¡±


    ¡°He is also risking his own head, why should he be the one hunted down!¡±


    Evil demon mentality!


    Well, the spicy soup in Great Yuan City is still delicious; the city¡¯s annual tax revenue must also be considerably high.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Inside Great Yuan City.


    July Cat silently looked at the wanted poster on the wall. She had a premonition that she might soon no longer hear the name ¡°Yuan Sect.¡± Based on her understanding of Chen Qiu in Da Xia Country, those power that dared to provoke Chen Qiu generally met their demise.


    Just then¡ª


    The bald vendor standing behind her suddenly broke his long silence and said, ¡°Little sister, I¡¯ve decided, I want to join Yuan Sect.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The female cultivator was momentarily stunned and asked in confusion, ¡°Brother Chang, aren¡¯t you the one who hates being restrained the most?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Before she could finish,


    July Cat turned expressionless and darted into a nearby alley without looking back. Do whatever you like, do whatever you want; she wouldn¡¯t stay even if she were offered more fish this time.


    She needed to change her master.


    She had figured it out.


    These two wouldn¡¯t rest easy until they were dead; going to Yuan Sect at this time is no different from seeking death outright.


    If she continued with these two, she would inevitably be dragged to death sooner or later!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Li Shiyi, who was deep in cultivation, was once again interrupted. He looked displeasedly at the effeminate man in the image from his Sound Transmission Ring and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you explain everything all at once?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in deep cultivation, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°You think everyone is like you, living a life of debauchery every day?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡±


    The effeminate man in the image earnestly said, ¡°This time it¡¯s important. Didn¡¯t you say that Chen Qiu insulted you in the first round of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm? I¡¯ve found news about Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®you¡¯? As if you weren¡¯t there too? Weren¡¯t you insulted?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I was eliminated in the first round. He didn¡¯t get the chance to insult me. I only learned about it from you afterward.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Shiyi, paying no heed to his childhood friend any longer, took a deep breath, his expression turned icy and his eyes gleamed fiercely as he coldly said, ¡°Tell me his whereabouts, I want to find him myself and show him what true strength is!¡±


    ¡°Which state is he in? If he¡¯s not in Quzhou, forget it. The Heavenly Pride event is about to start, and I don¡¯t have time to run around.¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°He¡¯s in Quzhou. Why don¡¯t you look at the Quzhou Merit Leaderboard? Can¡¯t you just read the Quzhou Daily for once? It¡¯s really quite useful, don¡¯t just keep cultivating all the time, and¡­¡±


    Annoyed by the incessant chatter, Li Shiyi cut off the Sound Transmission Ring and looked at the ¡°Quzhou Merit Leaderboard¡±, where he saw Chen Qiu¡¯s name at the top.


    Just¡­ those 9.8 billion merit points were somewhat dazzling?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Shiyi stood expressionless and in silence. On the Quzhou Merit Leaderboard¡¯s second place, Zhang Yisheng, a high monk from Quzhou with a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivation.


    A benefactor all his life, never having hurt anyone.


    He had lived for over 800 years.


    Such a person deserved to be second on the merit leaderboard, he acknowledged!


    But!!


    That Chen Qiu, why the hell does he possess 9.8 billion merit points? Why?!!!


    From Chen Qiu¡¯s performance during the initial selection of the Heavenly Pride Secret Realm, he couldn¡¯t believe that Chen Qiu was someone capable of doing good deeds and accumulating merit. Besides, this person was not on the leaderboard before, so how suddenly could he appear? How monumental a deed must one do to obtain 9.8 billion merit points?


    Did he save the world?


    ¡°It must be someone with the same name!¡±


    After a long while, Li Shiyi took a deep breath, sat cross-legged in his own cave dwelling, and forced himself to calm his mind down to continue his cultivation. Judging by Chen Qiu¡¯s performance in the Secret Realm, it was impossible for him to have gained so many merit points; surely, this Chen Qiu was not the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.


    Definitely not.


    Though he didn¡¯t know where this character had come from, it didn¡¯t matter. For him at the moment, what mattered most was to prepare for the Heavenly Pride event by continuing his cultivation.


    Then everyone would be at the Golden Core Peak cultivation.


    With cultivation levels equal, the competition would be on who knew more spells, whose Sword Intent was stronger, who had more methods!


    Nothing else mattered, the focus was now on the Heavenly Pride path!


    ¡­


    After breakfast, Chen Qiu was leisurely wandering around Great Yuan City with Fat Long and ²Ê_chain_joined looking for another rare treasure.


    Suddenly, they saw a group of people.


    Posting a notice.


    ¡°Su Family of Quzhou has prepared a banquet in ¡®Su City.¡¯ We invite all Heavenly Prides of Quzhou to the Su Family¡¯s ¡®Inheritance Secret Realm.¡¯ Those who pass through can gain the friendship of the Su Family, a Divinity Transformation Body, and participate in the gathering of Heavenly Prides in Quzhou three days later.¡±


    ¡°The Secret Realm allows only those with a cultivation up to the Golden Core Peak to enter.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go?¡±


    Fat Long frowned and said, knowing what Brother Qiu currently needed most was the Divinity Transformation Body, yet he felt uncertain whether it was a setup. Could the Su Family really be so generous as to offer their own Inheritance Secret Realm for outsiders to use?


    An Inheritance Secret Realm is a legacy left by the family¡¯s ancestors.


    At the brink of death, they place their life¡¯s accumulation within the Secret Realm. Often, there would be a set difficulty, and when descendants of Heavenly Pride manage to pass through, they could retrieve it.

 Chapter 335 - 153:

    Chapter 335: Chapter 153: ¡°Youngest Sister, I have decided, I want to join the Yuan Sect.¡±_4


    Chen Qiu did not express an opinion but simply stood in place with one hand behind his back, gazing at the announcement with a calm and silent composure.


    Every matter has its crises.


    And within every crisis lies opportunity.


    As long as the opportunity outweighs the risk, one can give it a try, and if one fails¡­ failure means death.


    With a small world within him, as well as things like a ¡°Self-Destruction Term,¡± ¡°Merit Defense Order,¡± and ¡°Merit Attack Order,¡± even if it was a feast set as a trap, with all his trump cards laid out, he could forcefully digest the situation!


    A Divinity Transformation Body was worth taking a risk for.


    ...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu, leaning on his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, turned and walked to the side. The temptation was indeed great, and he was certainly going to take it, when at this moment¡ª


    ¡°This fellow Daoist looks quite extraordinary,¡±


    a young man toying with a paper fan approached Chen Qiu, cupped his fist in the other hand, and greeted with a smile, ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect, having been rated as ¡®Heavenly Pride 78¡¯ in the initial screening of the Secret Realm. I am preparing to go to Su City to attend the Heavenly Pride gathering in Quzhou three days from now.¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Seeing the fellow Daoist standing here for so long, and with such an imposing air, may I inquire which sect¡¯s Heavenly Pride you are?¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head to glance at the man, paused for a moment, and then suddenly laughed, ¡°I have long heard that the True Disciples of Yuan Sect carry an extraordinary air. Seeing it today, it is indeed exceptional.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡°I am but a Loose Cultivator, planning to try my luck in Su City.¡±


    ¡°A Loose Cultivator, huh?¡±


    The young man sized up Chen Qiu from head to toe, and, thinking of something, also started to smile, ¡°How about we go together to the city?¡±


    Seeing the smile on the young man¡¯s face, the smile on Chen Qiu¡¯s face became even warmer, ¡°That would be an honor for me.¡±


    ¡­


    Outside Great Yuan City.


    The young man casually waved his paper fan and a beautifully crafted Flying Boat appeared mid-air in front of them, over thirty feet long and seemingly superior to those of the Da Xia Country.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The young man¡¯s eyes carried a hint of pride, ¡°A Golden Core Spirit Treasure Level Flying Boat, crafted by Zhang Qianbei, the top Artifact Cultivator in Quzhou. It is divided into three floors: top, middle, and bottom. The top floor leads directly to the deck, suitable for sightseeing, while the middle and bottom floors can be used for rest and cultivation.¡±


    ¡°As for speed, it can reach the full flight speed of a Golden Core Peak cultivator who is proficient in movement techniques.¡±


    ¡°If powered by Mid-grade Spirit Stones without regard for consumption, even an early-stage Nascent Soul who is proficient in movement techniques could not catch up.¡±


    ¡°From the north of Quzhou to the south of Quzhou, it takes only three days and nights.¡±


    ¡°The Flying Boat is also equipped with a Formation, capable of withstanding a full strike from an early-stage Nascent Soul and the full force of nearly a hundred strikes from a Golden Core Peak cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Just this Flying Boat alone costs seven hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, isn¡¯t it a fine item?¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded sincerely, with a hint of admiration, ¡°Indeed, it is a fine item. As a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect, it is no surprise you have such an object. To not embarrass you with laughter, the sum of Spirit Stones on my whole body wouldn¡¯t even be enough to buy your Flying Boat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s somewhat embarrassing, actually.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The young man¡¯s smile lingered at the corner of his mouth, ¡°My brother should not belittle himself. After all, not many people in Quzhou have nearly a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones in their pocket. This is nothing to be ashamed of.¡±


    At that moment¡ª


    A woman dressed in magnificent robes, followed by a bald young monk, walked over. She looked Chen Qiu and the others up and down and then casually asked the true disciple of Yuan Sect, ¡°Are you leaving now?¡±


    Then she turned her attention back to Chen Qiu and the others.


    ¡°Who are these people, introduce us?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu silently checked his cloak, relieved that it could shield against Divine Sense and conceal his face after making sure. Ever since he had seen how powerful the ¡°Devoted unto Death¡± entry effect was in the Miscellaneous Records of Oddities, he had grown a bit wary of women.


    Especially since he also had the ¡°Capable of Toppling a Nation and a City¡± entry, which naturally attracted positive feelings from the opposite sex. He might as well find an opportunity to blow up this entry.


    The risk was too high.

 Chapter 336 - 154:

    Chapter 336: Chapter 154: ¡°A good swordsman is destined to die by the sword.


    ¡°These few ah,¡±


    the True Disciple of Yuan Sect glanced over at Chen Qiu and his companions and chuckled, ¡°are Loose Cultivators and Heavenly Prides I met on the road. They¡¯re preparing to join me on a trip to the Su Family to attend the Heavenly Pride gathering in Quzhou that¡¯s happening in a few days, and to see the inheritance of the Su Family.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡±


    the woman nodded and stopped talking. She went on board the Flying Boat and stood on the deck, while the bald, monk-robed attendant behind her looked at Chen Qiu and his group. He brought his hands together, bowed slightly, and said ¡°Amitabha¡± before following the woman onto the deck.


    ¡°Forgot to ask your name,¡± the True Disciple of Yuan Sect turned around, smiling at Chen Qiu, ¡°I¡¯m Qi Mei. How should I address you, fellow Daoist?¡±


    ¡°Ren Zhi.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Ren Zhi?¡± Qi Mei, the True Disciple of Yuan Sect, cocked his head, staring at Chen Qiu as if pondering, then nodded, ¡°Good name.¡±


    He had never heard of this person before and did not know where he had sprung from. Based on his apparently young age, anyone who could cultivate to the Golden Core Peak with Great Perfection Cultivation at this age was considered outstanding among his peers, if not a Heavenly Pride.


    If he could recruit him into Yuan Sect, it would be quite good,


    He liked Loose Cultivators, after all; they were easier to handle.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ren, why not board the ship first?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡­


    On the Flying Boat, on deck.


    Chen Qiu stood with a calm demeanor, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, looking out at the horizon and the rapidly passing scenery with a light sigh. The speed of the Flying Boat was even a bit faster than his maximum flying speed.


    And this wasn¡¯t even at full power. If the Flying Boat were pushed to its limits, not caring for the wear and tear and fueled by a large number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones, its speed could even match that of a Nascent Soul beginner with a proficiency in movement techniques.


    700 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Just 700 Mid-grade Spirit Stones were enough to buy something used for rushing on the road on regular days and saving one¡¯s life in critical moments.


    Excluding low-grade Spirit Stones, he currently had only 300 Mid-grade Spirit Stones in total. Compared with these Heavenly Prides, he felt truly poor.


    But¡­


    Being poor had its advantages, too.


    At that moment¡ª


    Qi Mei had already walked up beside him, resting his arm on the edge of the Flying Boat, looking down at the land shrouded by mist and clouds and spoke profoundly, ¡°In Quzhou, every region has its ruler.¡±


    ¡°The unclaimed regions are often Forbidden Lands and such.¡±


    ¡°Below us, this entire area belongs to ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯; these are territories that Yuan Sect has acquired over hundreds of years.¡±


    ¡°In Quzhou, if a Heavenly Pride wants to truly grow, they often need the full support of their sect or family behind them. Not to mention, this Flying Boat under my feet, worth 700 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, ideal for traveling and escaping¡ªhow many years of Spirit Stones would you, as a Loose Cultivator, need to save to own such a boat?¡±


    ¡°Even if you spend decades saving up, what then?¡±


    ¡°Are you only going to buy a Flying Boat on your path of cultivation? Cultivation requires Spirit Stones, Magic Treasures require Spirit Stones, Spells require Spirit Stones, breakthroughs require Spirit Stones, talismans require Spirit Stones, life-saving measures require Spirit Stones, even eating and drinking require Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°As a Loose Cultivator, where do you find so many Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°Meeting you today is fate, and coincidentally ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯ is currently recruiting Disciples. Haven¡¯t you considered joining Yuan Sect? You¡¯re so young and yet you¡¯ve already cultivated to the Golden Core Peak with Great Perfection. Once you join the sect, the Sect will definitely support you.¡±


    ¡°If you make great contributions¡­ you might even help you form a Fourth-grade Nascent Soul!¡±


    Qi Mei¡¯s eyes twinkled with temptation, turning to look at Chen Qiu as his voice stretched out, ¡°A Fourth-grade Nascent Soul requires a Divinity Transformation Body as material for the Nascent Soul formation. As a Loose Cultivator, if you do not have a family sect inheritance, you will never come across a Divinity Transformation Body in your lifetime.¡±


    ¡°How about it?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression remained calm as if he had not heard, and after a moment he spoke softly, ¡°How long will it take to reach the Su Family?¡±


    Seeing that Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t responsive, Qi Mei¡¯s expression gradually darkened, and he said coldly, ¡°A good half-day¡¯s time; we¡¯ll arrive by nightfall.¡±


    ¡°We are quite fated, and I would hate for things to become too stiff between us, but I hope that since you are a Loose Cultivator, you would show the proper respect when you face a True Disciple of a sect. I can address you as a brother, but that doesn¡¯t mean you really think you can stand shoulder to shoulder with me.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say anything more and gazed towards the distance, seemingly lost in thought.


    Understood.


    He had initially thought that a Divinity Transformation Body was a rare commodity, but now it seemed that many long-established sects and families should have a Divinity Transformation Body as part of their inheritance, to aid their most outstanding descendants in forming a high-quality Nascent Soul.


    With this in mind, the difficulty of forming a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul was much less than he had estimated.


    Seeing that Chen Qiu was silent, Qi Mei suddenly laughed and patted Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m just teasing, didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, feel free to enjoy the breeze here for a while. I¡¯ll go play with your junior sister¡ªjust now, that girl. She¡¯s the young miss of the Liu Family from Great Yuan City. Many years ago, an ancestor of the Liu Family was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Great Yuan Sect. Later, when they had no hope of further cultivation, they left the sect and spread out in Great Yuan City, and they have developed very well over the years. Many of the shops in Great Yuan City belong to them.¡±


    ¡°The girl¡¯s name is Liu Mei, and as the young miss of this generation of the Liu Family, her Cultivation has already reached the seventh level of Golden Core, which is quite good indeed.¡±


    ¡°You might consider getting to know her.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it could bring an unexpected surprise.¡±


    Qi Mei winked at Chen Qiu and chuckled as he finished speaking, then stretched out his hand again to pat Chen Qiu on the shoulder, ¡°Oh, by the way, brother, look over there¡­¡±


    His words were only half-finished.


    Qi Mei¡¯s palm had already conjured a Palm Sword at some point and he thrust it violently towards Chen Qiu¡¯s neck. Immediately after, his Divine Sense surged forth into an invisible sharp point, viciously stabbing into Chen Qiu¡¯s Sea of Consciousness.


    S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 337 - 154:

    Chapter 337: Chapter 154: ¡°The Expert of the Blade Will Surely Perish by the Sword.¡±_2


    It¡¯s not over yet!


    A dazzling Golden Core shot out from Qi Mei¡¯s body, hurtling directly toward Chen Qiu¡¯s back!


    The two stood shoulder to shoulder, and Qi Mei suddenly launched an attack without warning, leaving no time to react!


    Three consecutive killing moves unleashed with full force!


    Without activating the Protective Spirit Qi, Chen Qiu, at such a close distance, was almost certainly doomed facing the trio of lethal strikes from Qi Mei, who was of equal Cultivation and spared no effort in a fierce assault against an utterly unguarded opponent.


    Three killing moves.


    ...


    This clearly showed no intention of leaving anyone alive.


    However¡­


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella appeared to have opened at an unknown time, its surface blocking the Palm Sword in his hand, and his Golden Core intercepted the one aimed at his back.


    The two Golden Cores collided violently.


    Yet, Chen Qiu¡¯s Golden Core seemed unscathed, while Qi Mei¡¯s was covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­Refusing to join your sect means death, huh? Is this how domineering you are?¡±


    On the deck, Chen Qiu held the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella calmly, turning his head to look at the stunned Qi Mei, and chuckled lightly.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Qi Mei¡¯s pupils were full of disbelief, sensing his own Golden Core, now nearly broken, retract inside him. How could this be! He was the Heavenly Pride fully backed by Yuan Sect, and when he made his breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage, he had forged a Seventh Grade Golden Core!


    A Seventh Grade Golden Core!


    In the entire Quzhou, only Li Shiyi from the Tao Sword Sect had an Eighth Grade Golden Core. Aside from him, no one had a higher Grade than his own; his was almost the highest in Quzhou.


    But¡­why did his Golden Core almost shatter just from a mere collision with Chen Qiu¡¯s Golden Core?


    He was now fiercely using his Spiritual Energy to prevent his Golden Core from breaking apart; he needed to take Pills quickly to heal. A broken core meant death. In other words, he was on the brink of utter demise!


    Although he was not versed in Divine Sense Attack Techniques, he was at the Great Perfection Cultivation of the Golden Core Peak Stage. How could his Divine Sense Attack, released with the full force of his Cultivation and in a sudden, unsuspected assault, enter Chen Qiu¡¯s mind like a stone sinking into the sea, eliciting no response?


    And what Grade was that Spiritual Treasure that looked like an umbrella?


    That could effortlessly block his ¡°Palm Sword¡±?


    And remained unscathed?


    His ¡°Palm Sword¡± Spell was no ordinary technique; it was a supreme Golden Core Spell. Although the power of the Spell wasn¡¯t the strongest among top-tier Golden Core Spells, it had one advantage others lacked: it didn¡¯t leak any Spiritual Energy fluctuations when activated.


    It was perfect for ambushing.


    How did Chen Qiu react to such a covert technique?


    Three consecutive ambushing killing moves, all effortlessly blocked. Although both were at the Golden Core Peak with Great Perfection Cultivation, the gap between them was obvious at a glance.


    This one is not to be trifled with.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    But now was not the time to ponder this. A hint of fear flashed in Qi Mei¡¯s eyes. He fully stimulated his Protective Spirit Qi, activated several defensive Spiritual Treasures with all his might, and three Golden Lights spun around his body as he slowly backed away, his voice hoarse as he faced Chen Qiu,


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Ren, please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t aim to kill. I just wanted to test your strength, a misunderstanding. I am a True Disciple of Yuan Sect, they¡¯ve invested a lot in me. If I die, you won¡¯t escape death either.¡±


    ¡°Yuan Sect Master is a powerful being with Nascent Soul Peak Cultivation. I hope you consider this carefully¡­¡±


    While speaking, Qi Mei also quickly crushed his disciple token to send a distress signal to his sect. They were within Yuan Sect¡¯s territory and hadn¡¯t flown too far away. The sect¡¯s Nascent Soul could arrive within dozens of breaths, and then his life would be saved.


    His eyes, hiding a dark glint, were fixed on Chen Qiu as he began to fantasize about taking revenge once the sect elders arrived.


    This young man is so out of the ordinary, his background must be extraordinary. If I don¡¯t kill him, my life is certainly over!


    That¡¯s the major difference between a Loose Cultivator and a True Disciple.


    He has people backing him.


    Who can a Loose Cultivator call upon?


    All he needed now was to delay as much as possible.


    ¡­


    ¡°Quite interesting,¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look at Qi Mei, smiling lightly, ¡°Well, why not try some of my techniques?¡±


    As he prepared to make a move,


    the Miss of the Liu Family, from below deck, somehow had come up and stood in front of Qi Mei, her arms wide open, calmly facing Chen Qiu: ¡°You can¡¯t kill him, if you kill him here, I won¡¯t escape death either.¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°He is a True Disciple of Yuan Sect. The sect has spent a lot of effort on him; if he dies, years of their investment will go to waste.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t survive either.¡±


    ¡°I advise you to run as fast as you can now. Within ten breaths, Yuan Sect¡¯s Nascent Soul elders will surely arrive, and by then, you¡¯ll have no escape.¡±


    ¡°If you want to kill Qi Mei, step over my body first, kill me along with him.¡±


    Immediately thereafter,


    the bald little monk in monastic robes stepped in front of the Miss of the Liu Family, with palms pressed together and slightly bowing, his face utterly calm as he whispered,


    ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    ¡°This benefactor is overly murderous, and that is a great taboo in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Cultivation is for immortality, not for slaughter.¡±


    ¡°I possess a hundred thousand merits, blessed by heaven. Whoever kills me will bear the retribution brought by my hundred thousand merits.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ you cannot kill me.¡±


    ¡°If you wish to kill the Miss, you¡¯ll have to kill me first.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Fat Long, squatting in a corner of the deck, watched, he somehow had procured a watermelon and began nibbling on it, looking towards the others with an odd expression. This was the first time he¡¯d witnessed someone inviting death.

 Chapter 338 - 154:

    Chapter 338: Chapter 154: ¡°The Master of the Sword is Doomed to Die by the Blade.¡±_3


    He was of course aware of Brother Qiu¡¯s plan.


    After all, before boarding the Flying Boat, Brother Qiu had specifically left the scholar behind in Great Yuan City.


    But according to Brother Qiu¡¯s plan, they should have traveled further before making a move. Now the schedule had been moved up¡ªQi Mei was really so impatient for what?


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu opened his Divine Sense fully, tilting his head he sensed a Nascent Soul with a terrifying level of cultivation, shooting towards him from a hundred miles away. It was only after that he grasped the Twelfth Grade Golden Core that had been floating outside his body in his hand.


    Then he tossed it to the ground.


    ...


    He also collapsed the opened Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, gripping the handle with the tip pointed at the Twelfth Grade Golden Core on the ground. After aiming for a moment, he looked toward the three people in a line, Qi Mei¡¯s group, before slowly swinging the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella up into the air.


    And just at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Ant, stop!!!¡±


    A roar carrying the power of heaven and earth shot from tens of miles away, and following closely behind was the Nascent Soul Elder from Yuan Sect with an extremely terrifying level of cultivation!


    ¡°Elder, save me!¡±


    At the sound, Qi Mei immediately burst out in an excited roar, like one who has survived a great calamity. Then he hysterically said to Chen Qiu, ¡°Boy, you¡¯re dead meat!¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    The miss of the Liu Family also showed a trace of a smile in her eyes. This was considered a merit, after all, she had been risking her life to protect Qi Mei. She wondered what reward Yuan Sect would bestow upon the Liu Family.


    ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    The little monk at the forefront repeated the phrase, then muttered softly, ¡°A wielder of the sword must die by the sword, benefactor, your life ends here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu completely ignored the Nascent Soul that was shooting towards him from tens of miles away and just took a deep breath. Gripping the handle, he swung the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella almost full circle in midair, striking the Twelfth Grade Golden Core heavily upon the ground. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In an instant!


    That Twelfth Grade Golden Core shot towards the little monk at a speed too fast for the naked eye to catch!


    It was but the blink of an eye, and countless trails of blood mist exploded in the air along with fragments of flesh. The Twelfth Grade Golden Core, unscathed and not a speck of blood on it, circled through the air and returned to Chen Qiu¡¯s side, orbiting around him like a satellite.


    And the three from Qi Mei¡¯s group!


    The Protective Spirit Qi, Lifebound Treasures, and the like on their bodies were instantly shattered by the Twelfth Grade Golden Core, not even having a chance to release their Golden Cores, they turned into blood mist on the spot along with their Golden Cores.


    ¡°Three birds with one stone.¡±


    Chen Qiu, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, laughed as he looked at the blood mist filling the sky.


    And Fat Long, squatting on the ground and eating melon seeds, also looked up at Chen Qiu, gave him a thumbs up, and called out loudly.


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    Just at that moment¡ª


    An incredibly terrifying aura was already within a few miles of them, and they saw a roughly three-foot-tall infant enveloped by Spiritual Energy shooting towards them with an expression of Buddha¡¯s wrath.


    This was Divine Travel, a unique method to Nascent Soul Cultivators!


    Faster than their physical bodies and possessing seventy percent of their original strength, this technique was extremely effective when crushing cultivators of lesser cultivation, though incapable of using Spiritual Energy and other abilities.


    And at that time.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense detected the owner of this astral Nascent Soul entering his range of perception. Clearly, the Nascent Soul Elder from Yuan Sect, worried about not arriving in time, had sent his Nascent Soul ahead to suppress Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Damn it! Ant, die!!¡±


    Realizing he was one step too late, the astral Nascent Soul immediately released an extremely terrifying cultivation aura, charging straight at Chen Qiu!


    This was a strike from a Nascent Soul!


    Without any spells, without any Spiritual Energy, a pure suppression of realms!


    Just like how Chen Qiu had shattered Qi Mei¡¯s group of three with a mere Twelfth Grade Golden Core, it was pure suppression of the Golden Core.


    ¡°A second-grade Nascent Soul, huh¡­¡±


    Noticing the two Cloud Patterns on that Nascent Soul¡¯s head, Chen Qiu suddenly wanted to test whether his Twelfth Grade Golden Core or a second-grade Nascent Soul was more powerful. Without hiding in his small world, he once again swung the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella heavily against the Twelfth Grade Golden Core orbiting his body.


    The next moment!


    The Twelfth Grade Golden Core, carrying an astounding deterrent force, shot towards that Nascent Soul pressing towards him with a frightful oppression!


    This was his newly invented method of attack.


    Channeling the purest Spiritual Energy to the tip of the Heavenly Mechanism Stone on the umbrella, and then swinging the umbrella with full strength onto the Twelfth Grade Golden Core, it could give the Golden Core a phenomenal acceleration, much faster than controlling the Golden Core with his Divine Sense.


    Most importantly, his Golden Core was sturdy enough to withstand such violent treatment.


    Another person¡¯s Golden Core would¡¯ve shattered under such a blow, the Golden Core broken, the person dead.


    This was no joke¡ªno one in their right mind would play with their Golden Core like that.


    But¡­ Chen Qiu would.


    ¡­


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    The Twelfth Grade Golden Core that shot out pierced through the Nascent Soul in front of it in the blink of an eye. Although his Divine Sense felt it was a bit more difficult than before, it wasn¡¯t much harder to detect with the naked eye.


    This Nascent Soul, which had just emitted a terrifying level of cultivation, was pierced through the heart by his Twelfth Grade Golden Core in an instant.


    ¡°What¡­ what happened.¡±


    Feeling its life force rapidly draining, this astral Nascent Soul looked down incredulously at its pierced chest. Soon after, the three-foot-tall infant rapidly shrank and solidified into a ¡°Nascent Soul Pill¡± that fell onto the deck.


    There were two Cloud Patterns on the pill.


    Signifying it was from a second-grade Nascent Soul.


    And at that time¡ª


    The Nascent Soul finally arrived belatedly, an old man with a full beard and a sullen expression watching the Nascent Soul Pill formed from his own Nascent Soul on the deck. Divine Travel was a unique method to Nascent Soul Cultivators.

 Chapter 339 - 154:

    Chapter 339: Chapter 154: ¡°The Expert of the Blade Will Surely Perish by the Sword.¡±_4


    Logically speaking, he was a Nascent Soul at the first level of Cultivation, wasn¡¯t it easy for a Nascent Soul to crush a Golden Core at the peak of Great Perfection?


    Moreover¡­


    How could his Nascent Soul be shattered by a Golden Core?


    A Nascent Soul completely dominates a Golden Core, unless the Golden Core¡¯s grade is high enough, otherwise, it¡¯s simply impossible to shatter his Nascent Soul across a Great Realm.


    But¡­ that¡¯s it!


    His true body had already arrived, and unlike the Nascent Soul, which couldn¡¯t utilize Spiritual Energy, no matter how talented the Golden Core was, it was still an existence crushed by the Nascent Soul. As long as he could stuff this Nascent Soul pill back into his body, although he would lose some power, it would at least not decline too much!


    ...


    If a Nascent Soul cultivator experiences some accidents while their Nascent Soul is in Divine Travel, and the Nascent Soul can¡¯t return¡­


    Then¡­


    They¡¯re basically ruined.


    The person won¡¯t die, and a Nascent Soul cultivator can live without their Nascent Soul, but their Cultivation can no longer advance, and their strength will also significantly diminish.


    Just like now¡ª


    Without his Nascent Soul, although he was at the level of a Nascent Soul, his strength had significantly decreased compared to normal, but it was enough to crush a Golden Core!


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Die!¡±


    In a fleeting moment of thought, the Nascent Soul elder of Yuan Sect, who stood in midair, emitted anger-fueled Spiritual Energy continuously. Like actual liquids, Spiritual Liquid instantly enveloped the entire sky, and then each drop turned into icy spikes.


    In the blink of an eye.


    Tens of thousands of ice spikes formed in the space.


    And they shot towards Chen Qiu on the deck of the Flying Boat below!


    Each of these ice spikes could severely injure or even kill an ordinary Late-Stage Golden Core. The overwhelming power of a Nascent Soul over a Golden Core was extremely exaggerated; this was not something that talent could compensate for. Since ancient times, hearing of an Early-Stage Golden Core killing a Late-Stage Golden Core now and then was possible.


    But a Late-Stage Golden Core killing an Early-Stage Nascent Soul was something that was almost never heard of.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu, who had just picked up the Nascent Soul pill and was ready to leave, suddenly looked up and felt the tens of thousands of ice spikes coming at him from above, and frowned.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion.


    Why did he feel¡­ that these ice spikes were somewhat weak?


    The threat they posed wasn¡¯t even as good as that Sword Cultivation Puppet from Da Xia?


    It gave him the feeling¡­ that he could actually kill this Nascent Soul.


    Chen Qiu, originally ready to leave, just recalled Fat Long into his small world and then decided to try it out. Alone on the deck, he withstood the attack using the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    Tens of thousands of ice spikes exploded on the deck, and the originally exquisite Flying Boat instantly became riddled with holes and severely damaged, the splattered ice debris formed a thick fog in the air.


    And then¡ª


    From the center of the dense fog, rich and majestic Spiritual Energy burst out from Chen Qiu¡¯s body, dispersing the fog, and revealed Chen Qiu standing unscathed in his original spot.


    In the sky.


    Clouds had gathered, and a storm brewed.


    Chen Qiu, standing on the deck with his umbrella tilted backward, looked up at the Nascent Soul in the sky carrying a terrifying presence and suddenly chuckled, ¡°Senior, you seem a lot weaker than I thought.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Even feel less imposing than a puppet.¡±


    The next moment!


    A Thunder Ball, faintly visible with hundreds of thousands of miniature Thunder Dragons wrapped within, unexpectedly appeared in mid-air and shot towards the Nascent Soul that stood suspended!


    The Yuan Sect Elder, who reacted instantaneously, activated his Protective Treasure in a blink of an eye.


    Golden Light enshrouded him.


    When the Thunder Ball struck the Golden Light.


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    The deafening explosion echoed between heaven and earth; amidst the Storm, countless Thunder Dragons exploded violently in mid-air, instantly illuminating the whole world with a brilliance that sent numerous purple-blue electric arcs flickering through the sky.


    Immediately following that!


    A body, blackened by the electricity, fell straight down from the sky and crashed heavily onto the deck.


    ¡­


    The Yuan Sect Elder, half-dead from the blast, looked extremely wretched at this moment, his flesh and clothes completely charred, emitting wafts of white smoke and the smell of cooked meat; even his eyeballs were roasted, dangling to one side.


    Half of his nose was missing too.


    His mouth was utterly split open, revealing all his teeth on the outside, as fresh blood slowly trickled down from the wound.


    The Nascent Soul Elder of Yuan Sect, on the verge of death, whispered in a hoarse and trembling voice like the faint buzz of a mosquito, ¡°Self¡­ self-destruct¡­ Nascent Soul¡­¡±


    ¡°Self¡­ self-destruct¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to self-destruct.¡±


    Chen Qiu, toying with a Grade Two Nascent Soul Pill in his hand and holding up the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella amid the raging storm, squatted next to the Nascent Soul Elder of Yuan Sect and said softly, ¡°You¡¯re confused, old man. Have you forgotten that your Nascent Soul is long gone?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the elder token? I¡¯ll help you crush it so that you can send a distress signal to the sect; they might come to take revenge for you or something.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It would be a bother if you died later, and I couldn¡¯t open your Storage Ring.¡±


    Perhaps reminded by Chen Qiu, the seemingly doomed Yuan Sect Elder mustered a final breath from somewhere and took an elder token from his Storage Ring, trying to crush it.


    However, his injuries were too severe.


    The elder token, which could usually be crushed with a bit of effort, now remained intact under his grip, in his utterly depleted state of Spiritual Energy.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed, took the elder token, and immediately crushed it before looking down at the Nascent Soul on the deck, ¡°There, that¡¯s done. You know, I¡¯m really wondering why you¡¯re this weak; honestly, I¡¯m not trying to mock you.¡±


    ¡°This was a good Flying Boat that you¡¯ve now turned into a mess of holes; the repair costs are enormous, it¡¯s such a headache.¡±


    It truly puzzled him.


    Why was this Yuan Sect Elder so weak? Although he was only at the first layer of Nascent Soul, which is the weakest amongst them, he was still a Nascent Soul. How come he couldn¡¯t even compare to that Sword Cultivation Puppet from Da Xia?


    The attack strength of that Puppet from Da Xia was so formidable that he had to hide in the small world to evade it; even if he took the blows with his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, he would still be blasted dozens of feet away.


    And his whole body would be in severe pain, as if hit by a heavy truck, likely sustaining some internal injuries.


    But the attack from this Yuan Sect Elder? He simply took it with his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, let alone internal injuries, there was barely any pain in his body. He had an entry that was supposed to Teleport him if he was injured.


    And since he hadn¡¯t moved an inch on the deck just now, it meant¡­ he hadn¡¯t been hurt at all.


    He was truly weak.


    Not even on the same level as that Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet, whether in terms of attack strength or defense.


    He had spent over an hour grinding away at that Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet before completely demolishing it, yet with just one Thunder Summoning Technique, this elder from Yuan Sect was already half-dead.


    Even though the factor of having his Nascent Soul seized had greatly reduced his power.


    He still felt that the strength of that Sword Cultivation Puppet was evidently not that of an ordinary Nascent Soul; damn it¡­ he felt like he had been deceived, he had always assumed that all Nascent Souls had at least the strength of that Sword Cultivation Puppet.


    Looking at it now.


    That Sword Cultivation Puppet must have had the strength of a Mid-Nascent Soul stage.

 Chapter 340 - 155:

    Chapter 340: Chapter 155: ¡°With a Laugh, All Killing Moves Unleashed!


    Following that, Chen Qiu got up, stood on the deck, stretched lazily, and moved his limbs, looking up at the raging storm overhead. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then took the masterless flying boat and collected it entirely into his small world.


    He hadn¡¯t bonded with it yet, so he couldn¡¯t control the size of the flying boat at will.


    Alone, he stood in the high sky, patiently waiting.


    Soon¡ª


    It was only a matter of dozens of breaths!


    ...


    He felt five Nascent Souls shooting toward him!


    Among them, one Nascent Soul was terrifyingly strong, at the peak of Nascent Soul cultivation, showing that the Yuan Sect elders had already received the message for help, and the Yuan Sect Master couldn¡¯t sit still any longer and had personally left seclusion to come to the rescue.


    He hadn¡¯t shown his face in a hundred years, but today he appeared.


    A terrifyingly powerful individual at the peak of Great Perfection in Nascent Soul!


    The remaining four, two were at the middle stage of Nascent Soul, and the other two were at the early stage of Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Hmm, very strong,¡± he remarked.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    Feeling several Divine Senses locking onto him tightly, the terrifying Cultivation made it extremely difficult for him to even lift his hand, and the spiritual energy around him became exceedingly thin in an instant.


    This was absolute Cultivation suppression.


    The peak of Nascent Soul Cultivation¡¯s absolute suppression of a Golden Core cultivator meant that as long as the Divine Sense locked on to you, even if no move had been made yet, just the pressure of the aura could render you almost immobile.


    Chen Qiu lightly raised his eyebrows and smiled, pulling out the scholar disciple from the small world.


    Then, grabbing the corner of the scholar disciple¡¯s clothes, he disappeared on the spot.


    Almost at the moment he disappeared,


    Five Nascent Souls carrying an extremely terrifying might arrived, floating in mid-air, their faces dark and ugly as they spread out their Divine Senses in search of Chen Qiu¡¯s figure.


    ¡­


    ¡°Escaped?¡± said a Nascent Soul elder of Yuan Sect, his face ugly as he sensed the blood-stained odor around him. Yuan Sect¡¯s True Disciple Qi Mei and the Fifth Elder had both died!


    This was a huge blow for Yuan Sect!


    Qi Mei was the most outstanding Heavenly Pride disciple of Yuan Sect in recent years. If it weren¡¯t for suppressing his Cultivation for the Heavenly Pride path, he would have attained Nascent Soul long ago, but now he died so silently, without any noise.


    And a Nascent Soul had died as well!


    Yuan Sect had a total of six Nascent Souls, but with one Nascent Soul dead, the blow to Yuan Sect was not small.


    Most importantly¡ª


    The murderer, as if to provoke them, did not hide after the killing but just waited there and then disappeared on the spot under the lock of several Divine Senses.


    Directly disappeared within their Divine Sense detection range.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the face of the Yuan Sect Master turned dark as he spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°Dead is dead, what¡¯s done is done, we can only accept it. The air is filled with a large amount of Thunder Magic aroma, and if nothing unexpected, the murderer is probably the mysterious person from last night when the long night was approaching.¡±


    ¡°Last night, he killed many disciples of Yuan Sect during the long night, which was already a death feud.¡±


    ¡°Today he killed Qi Mei and the Fifth Elder, stacking grudge upon grudge.¡±


    ¡°However, we misjudged; this mysterious person isn¡¯t at the peak of Golden Core Cultivation but at the early stage of Nascent Soul Cultivation. Although the air today and the remnants from last night all have the aura of Golden Core Peak, but¡­ that is likely just a disguise.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to the sect.¡±


    ¡°Increase the reward to five times,¡± he ordered.


    Having said that,


    Though the Yuan Sect Master was so furious that his veins were bulging, and he wished to capture the mysterious person alive and devour him, there was nothing he could do, because he couldn¡¯t find the person, and the only option left was to increase the reward!


    After that, he didn¡¯t bother collecting the corpses, flicking his sleeves, his face dark and his spiritual energy turning violent with his emotions as he headed back toward the Mountain Gate of Yuan Sect.


    Collect what corpses?


    Everything was mist and flesh chunks, no need to bother.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    At Yuan Sect¡¯s Mountain Gate, all was quiet!


    Chen Qiu was alone, hiding in the jungle not far from the Mountain Gate entrance of Yuan Sect, making himself as inconspicuous as possible, blending into the foliage, invisible to detection unless swept by Nascent Soul Divine Sense.


    The Mountain Guarding Disciples at the gate hadn¡¯t noticed him.


    He drew back all his Divine Sense and spiritual energy into his body, lying there quietly like an ancient stone, in peaceful contemplation.


    He was betting!


    Gambling that the Nascent Souls that left would not be vigilant upon return, their emotions stirred up, and without using Divine Sense to scan their surroundings, presenting him a chance to launch a surprise attack!


    His current Cultivation was at the Great Perfection peak of Golden Core. A full-force strike with the ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± was as powerful as a full-force strike from the peak of Nascent Soul!


    There were no shackles here!


    The ¡°Self-Destruction Term¡± allowed for a genuine full-force strike across a Great Realm through the self-destruction of an entry!


    If¡­


    If the Nascent Souls used Divine Sense to check their surroundings as they returned to the sect, he would just have to pull the scholar disciple from the small world again and flee. If he succeeded, he would make a fortune, so it was worth a gamble!


    Before leaving the Yuan Sect, he sent the scholar alone towards the Mountain Gate while he led the others away. If a battle happened, Yuan Sect was sure to send reinforcements.


    Just needed to lure out Yuan Sect¡¯s high-end combat force.


    Then, through the scholar¡¯s Bloodline Entry, instantly reach the Mountain Gate of Yuan Sect, and hide, ready to launch a surprise attack.


    People tend to relax momentarily when returning to their own sect.


    After all, Yuan Sect is the ruler of this region, and being their home, they naturally wouldn¡¯t be too vigilant while returning.


    Here they come!


    Chen Qiu¡¯s heart suddenly trembled as he felt several extremely frightening Nascent Soul cultivations rapidly approaching the gate. Yuan Sect had a Sect Protection Array, and the Mountain Gate was the only entrance.


    Immediately, he cleared all thoughts, blending himself completely with the adjacent jungle.

 Chapter 341 - 155:

    Chapter 341: Chapter 155: ¡°Between Laughs, All Killing Moves Revealed!¡±_2


    Gradually, he had grown accustomed to the battle methods of the Xuantian Continent.


    Take Qi Mei for example, unleashing killing moves amidst casual conversation.


    For enemies that could be sneakily eliminated, he would never engage in direct combat.


    If he had to face the enemy head-on, he would first retreat to a far distance and hide, then continue to devise a plan to eliminate them covertly.


    For those he really couldn¡¯t get rid of sneakily, he would call in more people to help carry out the sneak attack.


    In just a few breaths¡¯ time¡ª


    ...


    He felt several extremely terrifying cultivations landing near him. He didn¡¯t look up; with cultivations like theirs, he could sense their gaze on his spirit.


    He could only bury his head in the ground.


    For concealment, he had retracted all the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures back into his small world, and even drew back his Protective Spirit Qi, so now his condition was the same as on the day of ¡°Long Night Is Coming.¡±


    Without any means of self-defense.


    Just one casual strike from those Nascent Souls, and he would be dead on the spot.


    It was a gamble.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    He was betting his life on a chance of sudden wealth! S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He wagered that if those Nascent Souls truly discovered him, he could activate the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± before their attacks could land on him!


    His heart had stopped beating, his breath held.


    His entire body, like a corpse, blended into the jungle without a trace of motion.


    At this moment¡ª


    The voices of those Nascent Souls talking were getting clearer and closer to his ears!


    They were almost right beside him now.


    This was the moment!


    Without any hesitation, Chen Qiu erupted suddenly, bursting five entries at the highest speed!


    ¡°Capable of toppling a nation and a city,¡± ¡°Every plant and tree,¡± ¡°Resurrection,¡± ¡°Artifact Refining God,¡± ¡°Resentful Spirit Summoning.¡±


    In virtually an instant¡ª


    A spread of dark clouds for thousands of miles immediately enveloped the entire sky above Yuan Sect, and five Heavenly Punishment Thunders, each dozens of feet wide and carrying a terrifying pressure equal to a full strike from a Nascent Soul pinnacle cultivator, fiercely crashed down amidst the deafening thunder towards the few Nascent Souls below!


    After that strike was launched, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t even glance at those Nascent Souls. He flashed into his small world in an instant.


    ¡°Enemy attack!¡±


    It was only now that these Yuan Sect Nascent Souls reacted, but it was too late to dive into the Mountain Protection Array before them. They had no choice but to rigidly activate all of their Protective Spirit Qi and Protective Dharma Treasures to withstand this blow!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    The massive and violent explosion reverberated through the heavens and earth!


    Even the Mountain Protection Array that was merely affected by the shockwave was beginning to falter.


    ¡­


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Inside the small world, atop a mountain behind Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu leaned on his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, watching the scene with a smile. Looking down at the goosebumps on his arm, he couldn¡¯t help but admit that this feeling of roaming on the edge of life and death, after escaping mortality once, was somewhat addictive.


    The dopamine rush from a brush with death was incomparable to anything else.


    Without any means of self-defense, hiding right under the feet of those Nascent Souls, he would have died on the spot if any of them had scanned the area with their Divine Sense while returning to the sect.


    But now¡ª


    The outcome was good.


    Five continuous strikes with the full force of Nascent Soul pinnacle cultivation, launched by surprise, resulted in the four Yuan Sect Elders dying on the spot, while only the Yuan Sect Master survived without immediate death, his Protective Spiritual Treasures having all shattered and fallen to the ground.


    The whole person was covered with extremely terrifying wounds.


    Staggering, holding a long knife, he looked up at the raging dark clouds and roared, ¡°Come on, come at me!!!¡±


    ¡°Keep it coming!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu observed the entries on his panel, pondering which one to throw out next. Clearly, one more hit was needed. Even in a severely injured state, the Yuan Sect Master was still a Nascent Soul pinnacle powerhouse, someone Chen Qiu could not compare with.


    Completely useless, he had already detonated all he could.


    What was left all had some use.


    Seeing the Yuan Sect Master exhausting his Spiritual Energy and staggering towards the Mountain Gate, preparing to flee back to the Mountain Protection Array, Chen Qiu did not hesitate. He immediately opened a tiny gap in the small world, establishing contact with the outside world, and then detonated the ¡°Death Admonition Command¡± entry!


    The effect of this entry was to consume life span to alter memories, which for him now was not of much use anymore!


    Right after¡ª


    A Heavenly Punishment, equivalent to a full-power strike from a Nascent Soul pinnacle cultivator¡¯s Thunder Summoning Technique, again smashed down on the staggering Yuan Sect Master!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    This time¡­


    The Yuan Sect Master did not stand up again but turned into a charred corpse and finally fell down.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu patiently waited in the small world for ten breaths, confirming the Yuan Sect Master¡¯s death, before leaving the small world. He appeared in the jungle, looking at the several Nascent Soul corpses before him, then smiling towards the Yuan Sect Mountain Gate not far away.


    Gamble a gamble.


    A bicycle can turn into a motorcycle.


    As for those Mountain Guarding Disciples, they had already turned to ash from the impact of the Heavenly Thunder; that was the full power of a Nascent Soul pinnacle strike, these Golden Core Disciples would die on the spot just from the aftermath, leaving no corpses behind.


    At the same time¡ª


    The Fat Long Scholar, along with 57 disciples in uniform Chao Tian Sect attire, all appeared at the Mountain Gate of Yuan Sect.


    Fat Long dissected the Nascent Souls¡¯ corpses, retrieving five Nascent Soul pills.


    Two second-grade Nascent Soul pills.


    One fourth-grade Nascent Soul pill.


    Two first-grade Nascent Soul pills.


    Chen Qiu took these Nascent Soul pills, the two second-grade ones serving as material for his own Nascent Soul formation. Out of the ten-grade Nascent Soul material needed, which included ¡°nine Nascent Souls¡¯ bodies,¡± with the one he had obtained outside Great Yuan City, he now had three.

 Chapter 342 - 155:

    Chapter 342: Chapter 155: ¡°Between Laughs, All Killing Moves Revealed!¡±_3


    Six more and he would have enough.


    The remaining two First Grade Nascent Soul pills were for the Chao Tian Sect disciples to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, plus a Fourth Grade Nascent Soul pill, which belonged to the Yuan Sect Master. Although of a higher grade, it was of no use, for in the conditions for forming a Nascent Soul from First Grade to Tenth Grade, there was no need for a Fourth Grade Nascent Soul pill.


    It could only be considered equivalent to a First Grade Nascent Soul pill.


    He could still only form a Second Grade Nascent Soul.


    Of course, now was not the time to think about this. Chen Qiu had just placed all the Nascent Soul pills into the jade box before standing behind a group of Chao Tian Sect disciples, looking toward the faltering sect¡¯s protective array in front of him.


    Leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, he started laughing lightly.


    ...


    ¡°Yuan Sect is an Evil Sect, and everyone is entitled to annihilate it!¡±


    ¡°Today, the Chao Tian Sect shall act on behalf of Heaven to exterminate all the evil demons!¡±


    No sooner had his voice faded.


    Than the disciples behind Chen Qiu, all at the peak of Great Perfection in Golden Core Cultivation, had already shown excited and impatient expressions as they launched their strongest moves towards the crumbling Mountain Protection Array of Yuan Sect!


    Meanwhile, all the disciples of ¡°Yuan Sect¡± spontaneously gathered together under the leadership of the Outer Sect elders, their faces a mixture of fear and anger, gathering at the mountain gate and shouting, ¡°Disciples of Yuan Sect, raise the swords in your hands, avenge our Sect Master!!!¡±


    ¡­


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    This ¡°Mountain Protection Array¡± had already been teetering under the impact of the Heavenly Thunder. Now, under the full attack of more than thirty disciples at the peak of Great Perfection in Golden Core, it took merely a few dozen breaths for Yuan Sect¡¯s Mountain Protection Array to completely shatter.


    At the moment the array shattered.


    A loud shouting voice suddenly erupted!


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect menial disciple, Zhao Dezhu, by the command of the Sect Leader, has come to slay the evil demons!!!¡±


    Immediately afterward, that menial disciple Zhao Dezhu, with the cultivation of the fourth layer of Golden Core, charged first, attacking that group of disciples!


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The other disciples, all at the peak of Great Perfection in Golden Core Cultivation, glanced at each other and naturally would not allow Zhao Dezhu to steal all the limelight, all rushing forward with angry shouts!


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu waited patiently for a good while, and upon confirming that Yuan Sect had no Nascent Soul powerhouses present, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. The remaining entries were all his precious treasures, and he would feel pain if any were destroyed.


    Only then did he look towards the one-sided battle inside Yuan Sect, laughing lightly as he watched.


    The disciples of Chao Tian Sect, mostly at the peak of Golden Core Cultivation, were completely overpowering any resisting Yuan Sect disciples who were only at the Foundation Establishment or even at the Qi Refinement stage.


    Although they were fewer in number, their high-end combat power made them all equivalent to Inner Sect Disciples in Yuan Sect.


    Especially the scholar.


    He was joyously slaughtering. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Where Azure Edge passed, blood splattered everywhere; the scholar, having attained the first layer of Golden Core, killed his counterparts from Yuan Sect as easily as slaughtering chickens.


    Chao Tian Sect needed to emerge in this world.


    Having inherited the position of Sect Leader of Chao Tian Sect, he needed to make Chao Tian Sect¡¯s name resound through this realm again, and being overly cautious or fearful was not in his character.


    He had spent a full thousand years before arriving in the Xuantian Continent, and it certainly wasn¡¯t to play it safe.


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    Surrounded and escorted by a number of Chao Tian Sect disciples, Chen Qiu walked directly to the Sect Hall of ¡°Yuan Sect,¡± following a blood-stained path littered with corpses, still leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    And sat on the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair.


    He perused the Jade Scrolls left on the table by the Yuan Sect Master before leaving. These scrolls were unguarded, and his Divine Sense could dive into them to obtain a lot of information.


    For instance¡­ that little monk.


    Was an artificially created Merit entity.


    If your merits exceed 100,000, basically no one dares to kill you; if anyone does, they must endure the backlash of Heavenly Dao, and the backlash of 100,000 merits is not something everyone can handle.


    The more merit a person killed has, the greater the backlash of Heavenly Dao they must endure.


    But he¡­ after killing the little monk, he did not suffer any backlash, perhaps a bit of his merit was deducted, but as seen on the merits leaderboard, it still showed 9.8 billion.


    The rest of the numbers were not detailed, and he was unsure if anything had been deducted.


    But even if it had been, it wouldn¡¯t matter much, just 100,000 merits were trivial.


    However, from the Jade Scroll, he learned that indeed many sects deliberately create one or two Merit entities to act as Guardians, as many Secret Realms with higher requirements could not be entered together. These Merit entities differed by standing together with their protectee in the face of powerful enemies.


    At that time, many would hesitate to act.


    After all, no one wanted to bear the backlash from merits; 100,000 merits were manageable, and anyone with even a bit of merit and at least a Golden Core level of cultivation would at the most suffer severe injuries.


    But if it were ten million merits, killing a Nascent Soul would mean death to the Nascent Soul as well.


    And his 9.8 billion merits¡­ whoever killed him would die!


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully. This was quite beneficial; perhaps in the future, if he encountered an unbeatable enemy, he could also reveal his identity and merits to deter the opponent, potentially saving the ¡®Merit Defense Order.¡¯


    But¡­ it seemed quite flawed as well.


    Killing someone did not necessarily need to be done in person, for instance by ordering subordinates to do it, or by imprisoning someone without letting them die, just brutally confining them for hundreds of years until they died of natural causes.


    Of course¡ª


    These were not important at the moment, not something he needed to worry about now.


    He looked toward the pile of Storage Rings that formed a small mountain in front of him, turning his head to the Shopkeeper beside him and spoke with a smile, ¡°The next part might be quite taxing for you.¡±

 Chapter 343 - 155:

    Chapter 343: Chapter 155: ¡°Between Laughs, All Killing Moves Revealed!¡±_4


    ¡°`


    ¡°Hm¡­


    The shopkeeper looked helplessly at the pile of storage rings that resembled a small mountain, let out a light sigh. His entire lifetime of talent was dedicated to breaking enchantments, and what¡¯s more precious was his deep love for tackling these forbidden spells.


    Most people¡¯s talents and their passions don¡¯t typically align.


    But no matter how passionate, one can¡¯t keep up with this kind of work. So many storage rings would take at least seven days and nights of continuous work to break open all.


    After consuming a ¡®Ling Fruit¡¯ given by Brother Qiu, all his memories were restored. He had started working under the State Preceptor from a young age, serving as the State Preceptor¡¯s personal Forbidden Master. However, his memories were sealed over a decade ago, and he was placed in Kai Mountain City, where the scholar had found him many times, leaving an impression in his mind that there was an incredibly skilled man who specialized in breaking enchantments in Kai Mountain City.


    ...


    ¡°And these as well.¡±


    Chen Qiu handed over seven storage rings he had picked from the corpses of several Nascent Souls: ¡°Prioritize these storage rings for breaking. There are definitely good things inside, but the most important task for you now is to break the enchantments on those treasure vaults first.¡±


    A sect can¡¯t possibly place all its resources on the Sect Master; it must also retain a large amount of resources within the sect, to ensure that the sect can operate normally while the Sect Master is in seclusion.


    For instance, Spirit Stones, Spiritual Treasures, herbs, etc.


    Next to the Sect Hall, there¡¯s a Treasure Pavilion, but it is protected by an enchantment. Without certain methods, it¡¯s very difficult to break, and a forceful entry would only result in the Treasure Pavilion and its contents exploding and turning to ash.


    ¡°Received.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡­


    The remaining disciples of the Chao Tian Sect were assigned by him to go around scavenging, such as the disciple dormitory, the back mountain¡¯s secluded caves, and such places, surely hiding some fragments of wealth. Although small, even mosquito meat is still meat.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to annihilate an Evil Demon Sect, and such opportunities did not come often.


    Of course, not a single piece of mosquito meat could be spared.


    And¡­


    Sitting on the Yuan Sect Leader¡¯s Chair, Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense entered a jade slip, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He had obtained the crafting requirements for Nascent Souls ranging from First Grade to Tenth Grade in Great Yuan City.


    The crafting requirement for Tenth Grade Nascent Soul is¡ª


    ¡®Tenth Grade Nascent Soul¡¯: Requires Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, a Seven-colored term, Tenth Grade Golden Core as three prerequisites, and use ten entry terms of any level, three Divinity Transformation Bodies, A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, nine Second Grade Nascent Soul Bodies, one Eight Desolate Fruit, one piece of Evil Wood as Nascent Soul materials to craft a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul.


    And in this jade slip in his hand.


    There were methods to craft the Eleventh and Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul!


    ¨C


    ¡®Eleventh Grade Nascent Soul¡¯: Requires Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, a Seven-colored term, Eleventh Grade Golden Core as three prerequisites, and use ten entry terms of any level, three Divinity Transformation Bodies, two Threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune, nine Second Grade Nascent Soul Bodies, one Eight Desolate Fruit, one piece of Evil Wood, either one Eight-petal Sea Lotus or one Eight-petal Demon Lotus as Nascent Soul materials to craft an Eleventh Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¨C


    ¡®Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul¡¯: Requires Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, a Seven-colored term, Twelfth Grade Golden Core as three prerequisites, and use ten entry terms of any level, three Divinity Transformation Bodies, A Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune, nine Second Grade Nascent Soul Bodies, one Eight Desolate Fruit, one piece of Evil Wood, one Eight-petal Sea Lotus, one Eight-petal Demon Lotus, one Eight-petal Resentment Lotus, one Eight-petal Snow Lotus as Fusion materials to craft a Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he remained silent, not speaking. The difficulty of crafting an Eleventh or Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul could almost be described as skyrocketing. Apart from everything else, to craft a Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul, you must have a Twelfth Grade Golden Core.


    Across the whole Xuantian Continent, he estimated that there might be fewer than five people who possessed a Twelfth Grade Golden Core!


    And this requirement was just one of the prerequisites. There¡¯s also the requirement for the Heavenly Dao Foundation and a Seven-colored term.


    Especially that Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune!


    A Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride Fortune is needed, which can be merged from three Threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune, and acquiring Heavenly Pride Fortune is extremely difficult. The first time he acquired Heavenly Pride Fortune was when he obtained his Twelfth Grade Golden Core.


    Plus the rest of these nearly insurmountable tasks.


    But¡­ it seems he meets virtually all of the requirements.


    Heavenly Dao Foundation, Seven-colored term, Twelfth Grade Golden Core ¨C he fits all these three prerequisites.


    ¡°`


    He had acquired the four Demon Lotuses in the Forbidden Land of Da Xia Country, and he was certainly not lacking in Eight Desolate Fruit and Evil Wood; his small world was piled up with a large amount, nearly two hundred thousand stalks of Evil Wood that could be used for a long time even just for burning.


    As for ten arbitrary entries, this wasn¡¯t difficult; collecting some entry jade slips would do.


    He already possessed a thread of Supreme Genius Fortune, which was currently revolving around the Golden Core above his Dantian. Plus, he had an extra thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, though he didn¡¯t know what to use it for yet.


    In other words, what seemed like an insurmountable task to others, he had almost everything in check.


    Just missing¡­ Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Two Divinity Transformation Bodies and six Second Grade Nascent Souls; he had everything else.


    ¡°Pretty good,¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled with satisfaction. The power of the twelve-grade Golden Core was already so formidable, invincible among peers, even capable of challenging early-stage Second Grade Nascent Souls. Once he proved his Nascent Soul with a twelve-grade Golden Core!


    When stepping into Nascent Soul stage!


    That would be the day of Nascent Soul invincibility!


    The invincibility of others at the same level was limited to the same minor realm!


    His invincibility was within the entire Great Realm!


    If Qi Mei tempted him with a Divinity Transformation Body, presumably the Yuan Sect must also have one. Once the restrictions were all broken, that would make two Divinity Transformation Bodies, advancing him another step.


    It could truly be said¡ª


    ¡°When fortune arrives, the earth itself lends its strength; when fortune departs, even heroes lose their freedom.¡±


    As he browsed through the information in the jade slips left by the Yuan Sect Master, he also gained a lot of knowledge about the Xuantian Continent and understood much about the local customs and practices of Quzhou.


    These things seemed useless at a glance.


    But to him now, they were quite important.


    Just then¡ª


    Rushing into the Sect Hall drenched in sweat and panting heavily, leaning on his knees and looking up at Chen Qiu with eyes full of excitement and urgency, he said, ¡°Brother Qiu, the restrictions on the Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault have been broken through, you should go and take a look!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly, and he immediately walked out of the Sect Hall with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, lightly patted Fat Long on the shoulder as he passed by, ¡°Be steady in your actions; don¡¯t be so flustered, it makes us look like we¡¯ve never seen the world before.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go have a look.¡±


    He crossed the Yuan Sect and followed the path towards the Treasure Vault located next to the Sect Hall.


    At this time, the Yuan Sect was quite lively.


    Only a few Chao Tian Sect disciples stood outside the Treasure Vault, while most had dispersed to scour the entire Yuan Sect in a carpet-search style.


    The activity was booming, full of vigor and vitality.


    He even let out the two hundred brown bears to raid the wild Spirit Grass, Spirit Trees, and Spirit Beasts, among other valuable items, in the ¡°Yuan Sect¡± mountains. Everything valuable, even every plant and tree, had to be taken.


    Nothing should be wasted.


    ¡°What heaven bestows, one must not refuse; to not take when times are right invites misfortune.¡±


    Then¡ª


    Chen Qiu, walking with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stood still, and his breathing became rapid when he saw the mountain-like piles of a great number of Spirit Stones and countless Spiritual Treasures, Spirit Grass, and other items in the Treasure Vault.


    But soon, his breathing steadied once again.


    After a long silence and the veins on the back of his hand gripping the umbrella relaxed, he spoke calmly in a low voice.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±

 Chapter 344 - 156: All things in the world are connected to me by fate.

    Chapter 344: Chapter 156: All things in the world are connected to me by fate.


    Along with the restrictions being broken,


    the doors of the Treasure Vault in front opened wide, and rich Spiritual Energy gushed out. The countless Spirit Stones were too many to count under the sweep of Divine Sense, and piles of Spiritual Treasures and medicinal herbs were amassed there¡ªthis was the heritage of a sect with hundreds and even thousands of years of legacy, guarded by six Nascent Soul cultivators!


    Although this was only a part of it!


    The rest was still in the Storage Rings where the restrictions had not yet been broken, but even just this part was enough to make eyes turn red with yearning.


    Following Chen Qiu¡¯s order,


    several surrounding disciples of Chao Tian Sect rushed forward to move everything out of the Treasure Vault and place it on the flat ground outside the vault. Only then did Zhao Dezhu come over with quick steps, his breathing rapid and his eyes red with bloodshot as he said with a trembling voice,


    ...


    ¡°Sect Master, the inventory is complete.¡±


    ¡°Lower-grade Spirit Stones, over 400,000 but less than 410,000.¡±


    ¡°Mid-grade Spirit Stones are a total of¡­ 8,992.¡±


    ¡°Top-grade Spirit Stones, 3!¡±


    ¡°All kinds of Spirit Grass, Spiritual Treasures, Magic Jade Scrolls are countless, among them, just Heavenly Dao Secret Realm produced Magic Jade Scrolls total 178, which are difficult to value as prices are not standardized.¡±


    ¡°Entry Jade Slips, 14 pieces.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Various Golden Core Talismans over 1,000, two Nascent Soul lower-grade attack talismans, one Nascent Soul lower-grade defense talisman, and four Nascent Soul lower-grade escape talismans.¡±


    ¡°Also, over 300 types of Golden Core Array Plates.¡±


    ¡°4 bodies of First Grade Nascent Souls, 1 body of a Second Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Besides, there are some special Spiritual Treasures, such as ¡®Inheritance Spiritual Treasure¡¯ from Yuan Sect, and others, totaling 3 pieces.¡±


    ¡°Sect Master¡­ it seems we have struck it rich!¡±


    Such immense wealth made the surrounding disciples of Chao Tian Sect breathe rapidly too, each one having been of the Supreme Elder level before joining Chao Tian Sect, but when had they ever seen such wealth?


    Just those nearly ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones could bloody buy several provinces in Da Xia!


    To gather nearly ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones in Da Xia Country, one would have to raid countless sects.


    Do you not see, how many cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, unable to gather the 49 Mid-grade Spirit Stones required for breaking through to Golden Core, end up stuck there their entire lives, yet here there were nearly ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    There were even five bodies of Nascent Souls!


    ¡°Sect Master, we really have struck it rich!!¡±


    At this moment, quite a few disciples of Chao Tian Sect had gathered, each one gasping for air with excited and eager faces incapable of looking away from the massive wealth, waiting for Chao Tian Sect to completely digest this batch of resources.


    The overall strength of Chao Tian Sect would be doubled again!


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    After a good while, Chen Qiu finally exhaled deeply, his expression calm as he waved his sleeve, absorbing all these riches into a small world, before looking indifferently towards the disciples of Chao Tian Sect: ¡°The pursuit of immortality should be without sorrow or joy.¡±


    ¡°You go first and scavenge the other riches of Yuan Sect, I¡¯ll check the back mountain.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The surrounding disciples of Chao Tian Sect exchanged glances, then scattered in all directions, continuing their looting, but from that one look, they understood the meaning in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Worthy of being the Sect Master.


    In the face of wealth that could buy half of Da Xia Country, remaining so unexcited, such a mindset is beyond ordinary people.


    ¡­


    Without letting Fat Long and the others accompany him,


    Chen Qiu alone went to the back mountain area. After scanning the surroundings and seeing no one, he laid down a soundproofing array and a visual shield Formation, creating a completely solitary space for himself.


    Then he took out the 8,992 Mid-grade Spirit Stones collected just now from the small world, together with his original 300 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and spread them on the ground.


    The whole person lay on the nearly ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones,


    looking towards the bright and sunny sky overhead, his expression dazed as he casually picked up a few Mid-grade Spirit Stones and tossed them into the air, the corners of his mouth unable to suppress a smile, as there was no one here, and he could no longer restrain the excitement in his heart!


    This was nearly ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones!


    Yes, this was right!


    He had spent thousands of years, struggling through the Da Xia cage, coming to Xuantian Continent, just for this!


    Merely this one haul, oh no, just this one act of slaying demons, had earned wealth equivalent to half of Da Xia, something he could never have achieved in Da Xia!


    And this was only a part!


    Besides this, there were also the resources inside the Storage Ring, the resources scattered across the sect, and the territories governed by ¡°Yuan Sect,¡± which included four large cities and a market town, all contributing significant tax revenue annually!


    However, he had neither the time nor the personnel to manage these territories; he planned to sell the tax revenue from these five places to a powerful force at a high price.


    The rich Spiritual Energy emitted by the Mid-grade Spirit Stones was extremely comforting.


    Chen Qiu lying alone on the back mountain of ¡°Yuan Sect¡± felt incredibly comfortable, even contemplating taking a nap there. This was the first time he had owned such massive wealth. According to the calculation that one Mid-grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to six hundred Lower-grade Spirit Stones,


    the Mid-grade Spirit Stones under him were equivalent to 5.4 million Lower-grade Spirit Stones.


    In no lifetime had he ever acquired such immense riches.


    Moreover, there were also 14 entry jade slips in the ¡°Yuan Sect¡± Treasure Vault. He had used up 6 entry slips for self-destruction, and now he had replenished them all, with 8 additional entries.


    Right now, he did not want to check the information on those entries. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He just wanted to lie here quietly, peacefully enjoying the plentiful fruits of his first venture on the Xuantian Continent.


    When the time comes, if there were any entries in those jade slips that he could use, he would keep them.

 Chapter 345 - 156: All things in the world are connected to me by fate._2

    Chapter 345: Chapter 156: All things in the world are connected to me by fate._2


    What¡¯s not needed is used as a contingency for self-destruction, or to serve as materials for forming a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.


    All is good.


    He looked above his Dantian at his own panel.


    ¨C


    ¡°Name¡±: Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Peak Great Perfection (100.00%).


    ...


    ¡°Entry¡±: Step by Step, Flaw in the Heavens, Spiritual Energy Intimidating, Dantian Expansion (Unique), Self-Destruction Term, Focused Power (Thunder Summoning Technique), Recovery Wind, Preparedness, Slippery, At My Command, Lunar Night Demon Wolf, Real and Illusion, Complementary, Dual Casting, Imperial Decree Regular, Ten Layers of Spellcasting, Storm, Forty-Nine Proliferations, All Techniques Combined, Umbrella World, All-Knowing, Merit Saint, Merit Protection, Adding Ice to Snow, Supreme Body Technique.


    ¡°Cultivation Technique¡±: Earth Tunneling Technique, Misdirection, Thunder Summoning Technique, Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique, Snowfall.


    ¡°Spirit Beast¡±: Lunar Night Demon Wolf.


    ¡°Power¡±: Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master.


    ¨C


    His current Cultivation progress was already at the maximum limit of the Golden Core, and it would not change before forming a twelve-grade Nascent Soul; he would not allow himself to form a Nascent Soul of a lower grade if he had the chance.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    The remaining entries were basically his treasured ones.


    These entries made up his current combat strength.


    If one must say which entries could be discarded in an emergency, then perhaps only ¡°Flaw in the Heavens¡± remained, an entry that was just a white one, yet he had always kept it.


    Sometimes this entry could be very useful.


    Besides this entry, all other entries were not to be discarded, for his combat strength would be affected if even one was missing.


    Originally, there was an ¡°Country¡± option on the panel, which disappeared after coming to the Xuantian Continent.


    Later, as Chen Qiu¡¯s mood gradually settled, he looked at the batch of mid-grade Spirit Stones again, collected all the Spirit Stones into the small world, and stood up to head to the Yuan Sect Sect Leader¡¯s Great Hall, ready to continue searching.


    Once he had moved everything from Yuan Sect, he could leave.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hurry, hurry, hurry!¡±


    At this moment, the young Brown Bear Clan member behind ¡°Yuan Sect¡± was waving his hand and ordering his clan members: ¡°This soil is all top-notch fertile land, and Da Xia does not have such stuff, move it all, dig three feet deep!¡±


    ¡°And these Spirit Trees, look how tender they are, you can¡¯t imagine how comfortable it is to climb such trees, and the leaves look refreshing and fragrant, move them all.¡±


    ¡°And you guys, go block off those Spirit Beasts, don¡¯t let them run away; I saw quite a few Spirit Chickens just now, perfect for raising as broiler chickens to add to the brothers¡¯ meals.¡±


    ¡°Hey, be careful, don¡¯t shake down the Spirit Fruits from the trees, don¡¯t damage the roots, and later plant this tree next to my cave, it¡¯s exclusively mine, none of you are allowed to touch it.¡±


    Chen Qiu had temporarily granted them access to the small world, so now they could freely move everything into the small world. The small world¡¯s mountain was large enough to accommodate so much stuff.


    However, the mountain behind the Chao Tian Sect had been deserted for too long, and only a small part had greenery; other places were barren. Although quite a few Spirit Beasts were transplanted before leaving Da Xia, it still seemed a bit lacking in vitality.


    But with the full support of ¡°Yuan Sect,¡± things were different.


    Once all these things were moved into the mountain behind Chao Tian Sect, it would be utterly transformed, and the Spirit Trees would constantly emit Spiritual Energy, making the air in the mountain behind Chao Tian Sect not only several layers better but also richer in Spiritual Energy.


    ¡°What a life,¡± he said.


    This young brown bear, looking at his busy clan members, casually patted a fruit tree beside him, caught a falling fruit, and started chewing it greedily, the sweet juice stimulating his taste buds, making him squint his eyes in enjoyment.


    ¡°How about that, Lao Deng, was my plan right or not?¡±


    ¡°If we were still in the Endless Desert, would we be enjoying this kind of treat? No scorching heat and the ability to dig our own caves and build our little home inside, rather than sleeping in dug pits like before in the desert, where many times I felt like a beggar bear, just short of wrapping myself in mud.¡±


    ¡°But look at us now.¡±


    ¡°This life, tsk.¡±


    The young brown bear took another big bite of the Spirit Fruit in his hand and relished it contentedly: ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, this is the flavor, it¡¯s a pity, it¡¯s just missing some good-looking witches, if we had that as well, it¡¯d be absolutely perfect.¡±


    ¡°I have no regrets in my life anymore.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    The elderly brown bear sitting beside him was holding a pile of Spirit Fruits, his smile so broad it nearly reached his ears, he raised his somewhat worn paw and patted his soft belly.


    ¡°Son, you truly are the most outstanding Clan Leader in the Brown Bear Clan in hundreds of years. When we left the Endless Desert that day, other Devil Clans laughed at you, but now it seems they must be regretting it deeply.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, even if they come, the Sect Master wouldn¡¯t want them. We, the Brown Bear Clan, are born adorable, a talent not every Devil Clan possesses.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The young brown bear leaned against the tree, gazing through the dappling leaves at the clear sky above and murmured, ¡°Life is good like this, if only it could go on forever.¡±


    To one side.


    Countless Brown Bears were excitedly moving everything they laid their eyes on back to the small world. To say they dug three feet might be inaccurate¡ª at least four or five would be more correct. The place was left barren, and even a fallen leaf buried in the soil was not spared, taken as fertilizer.

 Chapter 346 - 156: All Things in the World, Are Related to Me. _3

    Chapter 346: Chapter 156: All Things in the World, Are Related to Me. _3


    Everything is useful; everything is a treasure.


    ¡­


    ¡°I say, nephew.¡±


    Inside the Yuan Sect disciple dormitory, Zhao Dezhu¡¯s uncle looked at a dozen Mid-grade Spirit Stones he found under the bed of an outer sect disciple. Glancing outside and seeing no one around, he lowered his voice and whispered to Zhao Dezhu.


    ¡°Should we keep a little? Whether for breaking through to Nascent Soul or for subsequent cultivation, wouldn¡¯t we need them?¡±


    ¡°After all, there¡¯re no outsiders here, no one will know.¡±


    ...


    Zhao Dezhu shook his head and sighed helplessly, ¡°Uncle, I suggest we forget about it, mainly because, let¡¯s be honest, how much can these dozen Mid-grade Spirit Stones really increase your cultivation?¡±


    ¡°The risk is too great, and the reward too small. If the Sect Master finds out, he will definitely be displeased with you. Can you imagine getting any opportunities in the future?¡±


    ¡°If the Sect Master doesn¡¯t notice, that¡¯s even more troublesome. If you get addicted to sneaking around and become bolder when you realize you haven¡¯t been caught, until one day you are discovered by the Sect Master, then you¡¯re really in for big trouble, risking your life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Zhao Dezhu¡¯s uncle nodded sheepishly, ¡°Of course I understand this. I just mentioned it casually. I was testing your sense of belonging to Chao Tian Sect. How could I possibly take them?¡±


    At that moment¡ª S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    A sigh suddenly came from outside the door.


    The Qu Family Supreme Elder, unexpectedly standing there, said with regret, ¡°I lost the perfect opportunity to report my fellow sect brothers, so there¡¯s no need to look anymore. Those dozen Mid-grade Spirit Stones are what I found and placed under the bed of an Inner Sect Elder.¡±


    ¡°It was to set a trap, hoping for someone to report it.¡±


    ¡°Did you not think why an outer sect disciple¡¯s bed would have Mid-grade Spirit Stones underneath it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Dezhu¡¯s uncle glared at the Qu Family Elder, his face dark and ugly, ¡°Qu Gui! I remember you weren¡¯t this scheming in the past!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Qu Gui leaned on the door frame and shrugged, ¡°Can¡¯t help it, Zhao Buzhu, the Sect Master got a few Nascent Soul Pills, and everyone¡¯s lifespan is about the same. So, who gets the Nascent Soul first will depend on who has merits, right?¡±


    ¡°And there are no merits to be made.¡±


    ¡°We can only ponder whether we can report on fellow sect brothers.¡±


    ¡°I want to reach Nascent Soul quickly; I¡¯ve been waiting for many years and can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±


    Zhao Dezhu and his uncle Zhao Buzhu exchanged glances, understanding the message in each other¡¯s eyes. After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Buzhu looked at Qu Gui and tentatively said, ¡°How about¡­ we fish together?¡±


    Qu Gui¡¯s eyes lit up and he smiled, ¡°Feasible.¡±


    After that, Zhao Buzhu stuffed the dozen Mid-grade Spirit Stones back under the bed and together with Qu Gui, they hid aside, sneakily waiting for the next person to take the bait.


    And so¡­


    The group gradually grew until there were more than twenty people fishing. After exchanging glances, they dispersed emotionlessly, no longer fishing, and decided to just safely plunder from Yuan Sect.


    They all were centuries-old cunning foxes.


    How could they possibly be tempted by a dozen Mid-grade Spirit Stones to commit the act of embezzling resources? Who knew whether the Sect Master had special means of surveillance? Playing smart now would mean giving up on advancing to Nascent Soul.


    Not a single one took the bait.


    Seeing no chance at gaining merits.


    The crowd dispersed, unwilling to waste their time.


    ¡­


    ¡°Gentle, be gentle!¡±


    Atop Yuan Sect¡¯s mountain, the Star Battle Sect Master was directing several Chao Tian Sect disciples. They were completely separating the Alchemy Hall from its base, preparing to move it back to their own small world to place next to Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Alchemy Hall.


    It could serve as a place for his disciples to practice; very useful indeed.


    The Yuan Sect¡¯s Alchemy Hall was also a treasure, enveloped by a Formation, exceptionally sturdy, impervious to collapse from any explosion within, and without affecting the outside. It was most suitable for the disciples to practice with.


    Of course, it couldn¡¯t compare to the Alchemy Hall of Chao Tian Sect.


    Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Alchemy Hall, except for the Sect Master being reluctant to activate the Formation, and many items being too antiquated to use, with the Alchemy Furnaces practically abandoned and unusable, was still superior to the Alchemy Hall of Yuan Sect.


    ¡­


    ¡°Over here!¡±


    Fat Long, too, was directing some Chao Tian Sect disciples, preparing to uproot the grand hot spring from the back mountain of Yuan Sect. This hot spring was a real gem.


    It spanned a full thirty feet in width.


    The hot spring was naturally formed by a large stone called ¡®Warm Jade,¡¯ out of which Yuan Sect had hollowed a cavity in the middle to create the spring.


    This type of stone, when touched, felt warm and smooth.


    On Xuantian Continent, it was often used to make stone beds. Such a large piece of natural Warm Jade was quite valuable, and, additionally, with a ¡®Desire Fire Pearl¡¯ embedded at the bottom of the spring, it always kept the water clean and warm.


    Once back, they planned to place this hot spring at the back mountain of Chao Tian Sect. They would find a way to create a river and waterfall at the back mountain. Placing the hot spring under the waterfall would be extremely comfortable.


    ¡°Oh, right!¡±


    Fat Long looked over at the majestic welcoming pine next to him, ¡°Take this welcoming pine too. It¡¯s not often you see one this large; all good stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yuan Sect really is full of treasures everywhere.¡±


    These items were all very valuable, but if one were to sell them, there wouldn¡¯t be many buyers. These items could also be considered as the foundation of a power, and the foundation of a power didn¡¯t just reflect in Spirit Stones and combat power, but in various aspects.

 Chapter 347 - 156: All Things in the World Are Related to Me._4

    Chapter 347: Chapter 156: All Things in the World Are Related to Me._4


    Of course, among these, combat power is the most important one. If your combat power is lacking, it means that you are only temporarily holding onto these foundations for someone else; they don¡¯t truly belong to you.


    For example¡­ Yuan Sect.


    All things under the heavens are predestined to be mine.


    ¡­


    A good six or seven hours had passed.


    The sky had already turned dark.


    ...


    Chen Qiu and the others, still not fully satisfied, finally left the ¡°Yuan Sect.¡± By then, the Yuan Sect no longer had the appearance of a world hidden away amongst Spiritual Energy; viewed from the high sky, the entire sect was dilapidated and in ruins.


    Not a single corpse was to be seen.


    Even the buildings within the sect and the bluestones paved on the ground had been removed.


    Not to mention the back mountain, which had been lush and green; it was now bare, and all one could see was the brownish-yellow earth, with not a single plant in sight.


    Everything that was seen had been taken away.


    It was only several hours after Chen Qiu and the others had left that some people cautiously approached. The commotion at the ¡°Yuan Sect¡± during the day had drawn quite a bit of attention, and only under the cover of darkness did they dare to carefully sneak over to see what had happened.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    Soon, they confirmed one thing!


    The ¡°Yuan Sect,¡± a dominant power for many years, had been eradicated!


    Shock and fear appeared in the eyes of these first ones to arrive. This was a major event, as it had been a long time since a sect of the Yuan Sect¡¯s scale had been destroyed.


    The Yuan Sect had a Nascent Soul peak-level expert in residence!


    For a moment!


    These people panicked and scattered in all directions, planning to relay the news to their respective forces. Some bolder ones, seizing the opportunity before the news spread widely, rushed to the Yuan Sect in the night to see if they could find any valuable treasures left behind.


    After all, the Yuan Sect¡¯s heritage had been strong for many years.


    But, very soon¡­


    These people returned from the mountain, their faces expressionless and without success. They were not new to sect destruction, but it was the first time they had seen one so thoroughly wiped out; nothing was left behind.


    They even saw a Healing Pill, meant for those in the Qi Refinement Realm, crushed underfoot.


    Deliberately crushed.


    Obviously.


    The group that destroyed the sect had seen the pill on the ground, deemed it worthless, and decided not to pick it up. But they didn¡¯t want to waste it either, so they crushed the pill. That was sheer beastly behavior, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood on the deck of the Flying Boat, although riddled with holes and battered, it was still serviceable. He looked down at the map in his hands, ¡°Let¡¯s see, a power that borders the territory of the ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯ is the ¡®Taoist Sect.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s visit this Taoist Sect tonight and sell them the territory and influence of the Yuan Sect. They are neighboring and will manage it better.¡±


    ¡°This power is not weak either, with the strongest being at the Nascent Soul peak level.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    Fat Long, standing beside him, hesitated for a long while before speaking, ¡°Brother Qiu, what if they decide not to pay and just seize it? After all, the Yuan Sect¡¯s territory is right there; whoever occupies it now owns it, and we don¡¯t have anything like a deed of ownership.¡±


    ¡°How do we prove that the territory is ours?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for proof.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, glanced up at the myriad of stars in the sky, and said nonchalantly, ¡°We annihilated the Yuan Sect, so naturally, the territory is ours. If the Taoist Sect isn¡¯t planning to pay and is preparing to take it by force,


    such behavior would be no different from that of an Evil Demon.¡±


    ¡°When dealing with friends, we have fine wine.¡±


    ¡°When dealing with Evil Demons, we also have another way of engagement.¡±


    After pausing for a moment, he then put away the map he obtained from the Yuan Sect into his robe, leaned his arms on the edge of the Flying Boat, and gazed into the night sky with a slight chuckle.


    ¡°Spring is nearly here, huh.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for all things to come back to life.¡±

 Chapter 348 - 157:

    Chapter 348: Chapter 157: ¡°Brother Qiu, are you going alone?


    The Flying Boat was battered and riddled with holes after the attack from the Nascent Soul elder, but it could still fly despite being much slower than before.


    It was simple to control.


    Move as one wishes.


    Nonetheless, Chen Qiu chose to travel on this Flying Boat. After all, he was not in a hurry and did not mind the slower pace. This was his first Flying Boat, originally worth a whole 700 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    If it weren¡¯t for encountering Qi Mei, a True Disciple of Yuan Sect, he would probably not be willing to spend 700 Mid-grade Spirit Stones to purchase a Flying Boat within three to five months.


    He managed to find six Nascent Soul bodies of First Grade and one of Fourth Grade from the Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault and the elder sect members, in addition to the First Grade Nascent Soul body he acquired upon leaving Da Xia Country from the Alchemy Cultivator inheritance.


    ...


    In total, he could cultivate eight Nascent Souls for Chao Tian Sect.


    He had already sent these items out.


    With one or two days of dedicated practice, these people could successfully break through to Nascent Soul, which would be a significant fighting force for Chao Tian Sect. Eight Nascent Souls, although all at the first layer, were nevertheless Nascent Souls, an overwhelming power for Golden Cores.


    Of course¡­ this did not include him.


    As for the resources of Chao Tian Sect, he kept those from the Treasure Vault, but he did not reclaim the resources in the corners of the sect or the disciple dormitory, adhering to the principle that whoever finds it, keeps it.


    As for his Second Grade Nascent Soul pills, he had already obtained four, just five more and he would have enough.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡­


    He made his slow journey through the night.


    As dawn was about to break, Chen Qiu stopped the Flying Boat not far from the Taoist Sect¡¯s Mountain Gate, preparing to personally find the Taoist Sect Master for a chat. He didn¡¯t bring many people, only the scholar.


    In case of any danger, he could use the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± to fend off any harm, then escape quickly using the scholar¡¯s Bloodline Entry, and return another day to slay the Evil Demon.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, are you going alone?¡±


    Fat Long looked at Chen Qiu with some concern, ¡°How about taking some Chao Tian Sect disciples with you? After all, they¡¯re all at the Golden Core Perfection, which could be quite deterring.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°Without reaching Nascent Soul, bringing them is pointless. I¡¯ll just go in and try for myself. They¡¯re likely not to buy it seeing my low cultivation, and they¡¯ll probably attack, so it¡¯s easier to escape with fewer people.¡±


    After stowing Fat Long and the others along with the Flying Boat into his small world,


    He walked towards the Taoist Sect¡¯s Mountain Gate with the scholar along the mountain path.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    Just as they reached the Mountain Gate, they were intercepted by two disciples wearing Taoist Sect uniforms, who blocked their way with cold expressions: ¡°This is the Taoist Sect¡¯s territory, please state your business, and I will report it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in place compliantly and smiled warmly, ¡°I just wiped out Yuan Sect, and since I can¡¯t stay here for long, I want to sell Yuan Sect¡¯s territory of four cities and one market town to the Taoist Sect. Go report to your Sect Master if there¡¯s any interest in buying.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Taoist Sect¡¯s Mountain Guarding Disciples stood frozen in place, looking at Chen Qiu incredulously. Yuan Sect was their neighboring sect; when had it been wiped out, and why didn¡¯t he know about it?


    The man before them, although cloaked, exuded an extraordinary aura and didn¡¯t seem to be lying.


    But he didn¡¯t dwell on whether it was true or not.


    It was the elders and the Sect Master¡¯s job to verify the truth; his duty was to report.


    The Mountain Guarding Disciple walked aside with a serious expression, communicated softly into the Sound Transmission Ring, and after a moment, returned to Chen Qiu with a slightly more respectful demeanor: ¡°Please, this way, our Sect Master invites you both up the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡­


    Under the guidance of the Mountain Guarding Disciple, Chen Qiu leisurely followed the mountain path toward the peak. It seemed like Taoist Sect was a Sword Cultivator sect, as wisps of Sword Intent permeated the air above the sect.


    Under the resonance of the Sword Intent, he could even hear the Qingfeng in the scholar¡¯s sleeve trembling.


    Along the way, he saw many valuable things; Taoist Sect seemed to be as rich, if not richer than Yuan Sect.


    Very good.


    Chen Qiu lightly chuckled as he walked behind the Mountain Guarding Disciple, resting on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    They quickly arrived at a side room.


    After the Mountain Guarding Disciple opened the door and retreated, Chen Qiu and the scholar entered the room and saw a square-faced middle-aged man sitting there. Before Chen Qiu could speak, the man stood up and said solemnly,


    ¡°Sit, I am the current Taoist Sect Master.¡± S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly again and then sat down across from the man. He met the man¡¯s gaze with a warm smile: ¡°I¡¯ve long admired the Sect Master¡¯s reputation. Seeing you today, you indeed have an extraordinary demeanor. So let¡¯s cut to the chase, as I¡¯m sure your disciples have relayed my purpose here. What¡¯s your offer?¡±


    The Taoist Sect Master watched Chen Qiu in silence for a long while, then slowly sat down and poured a cup of tea for both Chen Qiu and himself: ¡°I recognize your strength, sir, but you may not be quite familiar with the power structure in Quzhou.¡±


    The scholar had been standing by Chen Qiu¡¯s side since entering the room, a cold figure who didn¡¯t sit down, resembling an attendant.


    Then, with a deep breath, the Taoist Sect Master composed his subtly shaken comportment before looking at Chen Qiu earnestly.


    ¡°In Quzhou,¡±


    ¡°The territory a power holds does not depend on how much land they can conquer or purchase.¡±


    ¡°In other words, those three cities and one market town of Yuan Sect generate a yearly tax revenue of more than six thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Even if I pay you twenty years¡¯ worth of taxes upfront, which is 120,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, the Taoist Sect would definitely profit since it would be all profit after twenty years.¡±

 Chapter 349 - 157:

    Chapter 349: Chapter 157: ¡°Brother Qiu, are you going alone?¡±_2


    ¡°`


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unrealistic.¡±


    ¡°How much territory a power can occupy primarily depends on how much land their sect can defend.¡±


    ¡°To put it more plainly, I wouldn¡¯t dare to accept the Yuan Sect¡¯s territory even if you were to give it to me.¡±


    ¡°If I were to send people to take over that territory now, the surrounding powers would form an alliance against the Taoist Sect the very next day.¡±


    ...


    ¡°In Quzhou, if a power occupies more land than its strength allows, it would invite a crusade against themselves.¡±


    To be honest, he had to drink three cups of tea to calm down after hearing about the mysterious man¡¯s background from the Taoist Sect disciples.


    It was truly shocking.


    He had received news that the Yuan Sect had been annihilated the night before, but the specifics of who had destroyed it were unclear, only that there had been reports of an extremely fierce battle at the Yuan Sect during the day.


    And just as dawn was breaking, the mysterious person had found him.


    He couldn¡¯t determine whether this man in front of him, who merely had Golden Core Perfect Cultivation, was the same mysterious person from the day before, or just a spokesman for that man. After all, someone with Golden Core Perfect Cultivation couldn¡¯t possibly have destroyed the Yuan Sect, which boasted six Nascent Souls.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    The most important point was!


    While he had been waiting for this mysterious man in a side chamber, he had observed the young man¡¯s gaze constantly evaluating his sect!


    Although he couldn¡¯t see his eyes, he was quite familiar with this posture.


    It was the same way he looked over the oirans at the brothel when choosing which one to spend the night with. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having heard that the Yuan Sect had been stripped clean, this mysterious young man clearly seemed to treat the Taoist Sect as if it were already his possession, ready to act at any moment, which made him uneasy.


    The sect had a long lineage and knew that maintaining a sect could take hundreds or even thousands of years, but to destroy a sect, sometimes just one opportunity was enough.


    Like the Yuan Sect.


    But what he said was also true; he certainly couldn¡¯t, and wouldn¡¯t dare to, take over the Yuan Sect¡¯s territory. However, at the same time, he needed to weigh his words carefully to avoid provoking the mysterious person behind this young man.


    A Golden Core individual who could face a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator like him without any sign of deference, even just having that kind of composure was beyond what even the ordinary Heavenly Pride with Golden Core could achieve.


    Even the Heavenly Pride, when faced with a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator, would subconsciously show reverence.


    This had nothing to do with status.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu propped his chin with one hand, pondering for a moment before nodding, ¡°What you said makes sense, Sect Master. Then how about you give me some advice? It wasn¡¯t easy for me to destroy the Yuan Sect, and it¡¯s not like I can just let their territory be snatched up by other powers for cheap.¡±


    ¡°If I just walk away, I¡¯d feel like I¡¯ve been shortchanged.¡±


    ¡°Or, to say, sell it to a strong power that¡¯s not from the nearby regions?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The Taoist Sect Master shook his head seriously and said, ¡°Even those top sects with Divinity Transformation powerhouses wouldn¡¯t cross regions to seize territory, that would be breaking the rules.¡±


    ¡°Generally speaking, in a situation like this,¡±


    ¡°for instance, the Yuan Sect has been destroyed, and the surrounding powers all want to annex the territory, there will be a war, and after the war, they would negotiate and divide the Yuan Sect¡¯s territory based on the outcome¡ªthat¡¯s inevitable.¡±


    ¡°In fact, before you arrived, the Taoist Sect was already prepared for war at any time.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    The Taoist Sect Master hesitated before speaking, ¡°It¡¯s not that there¡¯s no solution, for example, the Taoist Sect could announce to the world that the mysterious person who destroyed the Yuan Sect has chosen to sell this piece of territory to the Taoist Sect. That way, when the war breaks out, other sects would also be wary of acting rashly, given your strength, Sect Master, is enough to restrain the other powers, and the Taoist Sect can also carve out more territory for itself.¡±


    ¡°And the Taoist Sect would offer proper compensation to you.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    Chen Qiu laughed as he stood up, downing the tea the Taoist Sect Master had passed him in one gulp, then leaned forward with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s your offer, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Taoist Sect Master looked at Chen Qiu¡¯s now empty teacup, a flash of shock passing through the depths of his pupils once more. On the Heavenly Continent, to drink a cup of tea so unguardedly was either confidence or arrogance.


    But for someone who had just destroyed the Yuan Sect, he was more inclined to believe it was the former.


    After a long while.


    He raised three fingers, ¡°Three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Since you¡¯ve been to the Yuan Sect, you should be aware that the Reserve Spirit Stones of the Yuan Sect wouldn¡¯t exceed this amount by much. It takes a significant amount of Spirit Stones to maintain the operations of a sect.¡±


    ¡°This is the lowest price that the Taoist Sect can offer.¡±


    ¡°Of course, if everything goes smoothly in the upcoming war and the Taoist Sect can take over even one more city, it will make up the cost in a few years, but¡­ before that happens, the Taoist Sect truly can¡¯t afford to use too many Spirit Stones, I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood up, speaking amiably, ¡°I like dealing with honorable sects like yours. May your sect prosper in what lies ahead.¡±


    Then he took the Storage Ring that the Taoist Sect Master had passed to him, bowed, and turned to leave the side chamber.


    The transaction went very smoothly.


    Until he left the Taoist Sect¡¯s Mountain Gate, there was no one to stop him.


    ¡­


    At the Taoist Sect, the eight elders who had been standing in the secret room next to the side chamber, after Chen Qiu¡¯s departure, looked at the Sect Master sitting in the chair with complex expressions, ¡°Sect Master, are we really just giving this kid three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones so easily?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think his reputation is worth three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°`

 Chapter 350 - 157:

    Chapter 350: Chapter 157: ¡°Brother Qiu, are you going alone?¡±_3


    ¡°`


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°`


    The Sect Master of the Taoist Sect let out a long sigh, his entire demeanor exuding weariness as he leaned back in his chair, gently massaging his temples, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s worth it, perhaps not. If we can leverage the reputation of this mysterious individual to deter other forces and gain one or two more cities, then naturally, it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ the three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones we spent weren¡¯t primarily for that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly for the protection of the Taoist Sect¡¯s heritage.¡±


    ...


    ¡°You all didn¡¯t see the look in that young man¡¯s eyes when he ascended the mountain, as if he intended to completely empty the Taoist Sect. If there was the slightest disrespect shown just now, I reckon the Taoist Sect would already be suffering countless casualties,¡±


    ¡°Just him?¡± One of the Elders asked with furrowed brows and a stern voice, ¡°A Golden Core Peak and a first-layer Golden Core, capable of annihilating the Taoist Sect?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Sect Master spoke flatly without expression, ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, the Yuan Sect Elders should have said the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Alright, gather the disciples and prepare for battle. All negotiations must be founded on the threat of death,¡±


    ¡°And spread the word.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu was already standing on the deck of the ¡®battle-damaged Flying Boat¡¯, heading towards ¡®Su City¡¯. With the sun just starting to rise, the Flying Boat was severely damaged and moving much slower than usual; he should be able to reach Su City by early morning tomorrow.


    The Su Family had openly invited the talents of Quzhou to their Su City to participate in the ¡®Inheritance Secret Realm¡¯, with the one who clears it gaining a Divinity Transformation Body. This temptation¡­ was something he couldn¡¯t resist.


    Right now, his mood was quite good.


    Another 3000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones had been added to his account, now totaling 12000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. He felt his purse had significantly bulged.


    If it weren¡¯t for the destruction of the Yuan Sect, he would not have earned these 3000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    ¡°Over ten thousand Spirit Stones.¡±


    Chen Qiu propped his chin with one hand, already contemplating how to spend it. Was there a place where he could directly buy second-tier Nascent Soul pills and Divinity Transformation Bodies? With so many Spirit Stones, he should be able to buy a Divinity Transformation Body, right?


    That is if a Divinity Transformation Body were for sale.


    A day and a night passed swiftly by.


    When the sun rose again, Chen Qiu¡¯s Flying Boat had entered the Su Family¡¯s territory and was slowly descending at the gates of ¡®Su City¡¯. Just as he landed, he saw a young man in a splendid robe approaching briskly with a group of men and women following behind him.


    Before landing,


    a cheerful voice as warm as the sunlight could be heard, ¡°Hahaha, Mr. Qi long time no see! Your Flying Boat is still as imposing as ever, though it seems to have encountered some trouble on the way, come, come, everyone is waiting¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The voice suddenly cut off.


    The young man in the splendid robe stood dumbfounded, taking a moment to register the sight of several men he didn¡¯t recognize descending from the Flying Boat: ¡°And who might you gentlemen be? Where is Qi Mei, the True Disciple of the Yuan Sect?¡±


    ¡°My name is Ren Zhi.¡±


    Chen Qiu replied with a warm smile, ¡°Qi Mei has been killed by me, and the Yuan Sect has been eradicated along the way. Are you some of Qi Mei¡¯s friends?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of the young man¡¯s mouth twitched slightly before he drew a deep breath, ¡°Qi Mei was a Quzhou talent with a seventh-tier Golden Core, not a weakling by any means. Judging by your appearance, you also possess Golden Core Perfection, and your strength must be extraordinary to have defeated Qi Mei.¡±


    ¡°We are not Qi Mei¡¯s friends, just casual acquaintances,¡± explained the young man. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself, I am the Young Master of the Su Family and the organizer of the event ¡®Inheritance Secret Realm¡¯ inviting the talents of Quzhou to Su City.¡±


    ¡°As long as they¡¯re from Quzhou, I welcome them all with open arms.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± said Chen Qiu as he cheerfully clasped his hands and bowed, ¡°I¡¯ve long admired the renowned Mr. Su, and upon meeting you today, you truly embody an exceptional aura.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had come specifically for this person. Regardless of whether it was a setup or not, as long as there really was a Divinity Transformation Body in the Inheritance Secret Realm, his trip wouldn¡¯t be in vain.


    Just then¡ª


    A woman who had a cultivation of Golden Core first layer and who stood behind the young man was staring intently at Chen Qiu, her expression filled with resentment. Though she didn¡¯t speak, the resentful energy was keenly sensed by Chen Qiu.


    ¡°And who is this?¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head towards the woman in the crowd and inquired with slight surprise.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The Young Master of the Su Family answered with a somewhat awkward and tentative whisper, ¡°This lady has long admired Qi Mei, the True Disciple of the Yuan Sect, and is one of his pursuers. Since you killed Qi Mei, she probably has some opinions about you¡­ her brother is¡­ ¡±


    Before he could finish,


    a flash of green light shot forth from the sleeve of the scholar following closely behind Chen Qiu, and the woman¡¯s head suddenly flew up into the air, eerily floating. The nascent Golden Core that had just burst forth didn¡¯t have a chance to react before it completely disintegrated into dust in midair.


    Dead beyond doubt.


    At that moment,


    the Young Master of the Su Family stood frozen in place, finally stammering out the rest of his sentence: ¡°¡­ is a True Disciple of the ¡®Seven People Sect¡¯.¡±


    Such a swift sword!


    Though merely a Golden Core first layer Sword Cultivator, his sword moved so fast that it beheaded the woman before even the Divine Sense of the Young Master had time to react.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    As if nothing had happened, Chen Qiu patted Mr. Su on the shoulder with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s talk business. When does the Inheritance Secret Realm open?¡±


    ¡°¡­Phew,¡± the Young Master of the Su Family exhaled deeply, having a vague suspicion about who the man named Ren Zhi in front of him was. Ren Zhi was definitely an alias, likely taken just after killing Qi Mei.


    If nothing unexpected, the man called Ren Zhi was quite possibly the mysterious Talent of Magic Practitioner who had appeared in ¡®Great Yuan City¡¯ the other night, and Qi Mei likely had sought him first to align with, but evidently, something went wrong in their negotiations.

 Chapter 351 - 157:

    Chapter 351: Chapter 157: ¡°Brother Qiu, are you going alone?¡±_4


    Instead, it brought a deadly disaster upon the ¡°Yuan Sect¡±.


    Even the strongest Golden Core Heavenly Pride couldn¡¯t possibly annihilate a Yuan Sect guarded by a Nascent Soul pinnacle master.


    If nothing unexpected happens¡­


    This Talent of Magic Practitioner is very likely not a Loose Cultivator, but rather has a power backing him. If that¡¯s the case, the opportunity to recruit this Talent originally planned might have to be put on hold for now.


    But it¡¯s essential not to offend him.


    Thoughts raced through his mind and vanished in an instant as he once again squeezed out a smile and cheerfully said, ¡°Good, since Brother Ren is so confident, I won¡¯t say any more. The Inheritance Secret Realm will open tomorrow.¡±


    ...


    ¡°These past few days, many Heavenly Prides have come to Quzhou. Tonight there¡¯s a discussion gathering, Brother Ren can stay at the inn we¡¯ve specifically cleared for you. In the evening, you can join the discussion. Everyone as a Heavenly Pride of Quzhou certainly has a lot in common.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡­


    In Su City, inside the inn.


    Chen Qiu strolled around with Fat Long and the others for a while before returning to the inn prepared by the Su Family for them, the best inn in Su City, occupied only by their esteemed guests, without any other customers.


    At the moment, the group was setting up a soundproofing array to discuss matters.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Brother Qiu, we¡¯ve found out,¡± Fat Long said, his eyes brimming with excited trembling voice. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine how much that piece of Evil Wood is worth! A whole ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones each!¡±


    ¡°How¡­ how much?¡±


    Even Chen Qiu was somewhat incredulously shocked on the spot.


    Ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones each?


    He had nearly 200,000 of those things!


    That meant he had to wipe out an Evil Demon Sect just to finally save up nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones!


    So, the 200,000 pieces of Evil Wood he brought from Da Xia were worth 2 million Mid-grade Spirit Stones?! And bloody Mid-grade ones at that?!


    ¡°Absolutely certain!!!¡±


    Fat Long nodded vigorously and took a deep breath to suppress the excitement in his heart, continuing, ¡°But in the Xuantian Continent, the Evil Wood is pretty much considered useless, Brother Qiu, you could never imagine what the most significant use of Evil Wood is on the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Basically, there are three uses.¡±


    ¡°One, in the Heavenly Pride secret realm, it can be used as consumption material to exchange for some limited-time enhancement effects.¡±


    ¡°Two, it¡¯s used as material when forging high-grade Golden Cores or even high-quality Nascent Souls.¡±


    ¡°Three, to mend the heavens!¡±


    ¡°Mend the heavens?¡± Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of confusion.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Fat Long continued with a serious face, ¡°Evil Wood isn¡¯t much use on the Xuantian Continent, so most people won¡¯t purchase it. Although it¡¯s not common, there¡¯s still some. But, a hundred years ago, the sky suddenly collapsed¡­¡±


    ¡°To be precise, a hole suddenly broke open in the sky, causing the spiritual energy of the Xuantian Continent to leak out frantically, and that hole couldn¡¯t be mended.¡±


    ¡°If this hole continues to exist, the Xuantian Continent will soon not have a trace of spiritual energy, and then everyone¡¯s cultivation can only rely on Spirit Stones, but Spirit Stones are finite after all, and without nature¡¯s spiritual energy, no more Spirit Stones will form.¡±


    ¡°Gradually, gradually¡­¡±


    ¡°The Xuantian Continent will become a true land of failing cultivation; once all the high-level cultivators are dead, there will be no more Golden Cores, let alone Foundation Establishment, and everyone will be mere mortals,¡± he said.


    ¡°This is a natural catastrophe, almost a destructive disaster for the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Right when everyone was at a loss, a Holy Daughter from a sect in the central region began to collect a large amount of Evil Wood.¡±


    ¡°It took her a year to almost completely gather all the Evil Wood on the Xuantian Continent, using it to plug the hole in the sky.¡±


    ¡°As a result, the Holy Daughter from that central sect earned immense merits, amounting to over a hundred billion.¡±


    ¡°However, that sect¡¯s Holy Daughter did not live to return.¡±


    ¡°Since then¡ª¡±


    ¡°The disaster was averted, and now in many places across the nineteen provinces of the Xuantian Continent, statues of the Holy Daughter from that sect have been erected to commemorate her and her sect¡¯s contributions to the Xuantian Continent.¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That sect is now one of the top sects in the central region, it¡¯s said that the hundred billion merits turned to nurture the sect after the Holy Daughter¡¯s death, allowing it to flourish for a century.¡±


    ¡°Because that hole had appeared over the lower nine provinces, the average density of spiritual energy in the lower nine provinces was weaker compared to the upper nine provinces and central region. Over the years, it has gradually recovered quite a bit but is still not as good as the other provinces, which has also led to the decline in overall strength in the lower nine provinces. Many powerful individuals are reluctant to stay in the lower nine provinces and instead head for the central region.¡±


    ¡°Evil Wood also has some minor effects, but those are niche and not needed by most people, and Evil Wood is not suitable for crafting.¡±


    ¡°Lately, many are eagerly purchasing Evil Wood, mainly to enhance the foundation for their sect¡¯s Heavenly Prides on the ¡®Path of Heavenly Pride¡¯.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Brother Qiu, those nearly 200,000 pieces of Evil Wood you have will probably only be sold in part; the market can¡¯t absorb so much, given that there are so few participants in the Path of Heavenly Pride.¡±


    ¡°The Eight Desolate Fruit is similarly a heaven-mending treasure.¡±


    ¡°At that time, the Holy Daughter of that sect also collected quite a number of Eight Desolate Fruits. These fruits are colorless and tasteless, belonging to the nature¡¯s spiritual fruits. Besides this use, they are some of the spiritual treasures¡¯ most favored food ingredients. The Eight Desolate Fruit is very expensive, with the price of a single fruit around one thousand mid-grade spirit stones.¡±


    ¡°Its main use is to attract spiritual treasures.¡±


    ¡°To facilitate their capture.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu sat silently in his chair, his index finger lightly tapping on the desk without speaking. A hundred billion merits, just hearing it is a terrifying figure; currently, on the Xuantian Continent¡¯s merit ranking, he is in third place.


    But even the first place has just barely over ten billion merit points.


    A hundred billion merit points, that¡¯s equivalent to ten of him.


    He had never met this Holy Daughter from the central sect but he felt some admiration for what she did. He asked himself, if the sky of Quzhou were to fall, he could use all of his Evil Wood to mend it, but he probably wouldn¡¯t sacrifice his life for it.


    He¡¯d be dead.


    What point would there be in fixing the sky then?


    Precisely because he couldn¡¯t do it, he felt considerable respect for this Holy Daughter he had never met. A person who truly used their own life to resolve the calamity of the masses, that hundred billion merit points were well-deserved.


    It was just a pity.


    Had she not died, with a hundred billion merit points¡­ she would have been able to do whatever she wanted in the Xuantian Continent.


    Chen Qiu shook his head and didn¡¯t dwell on it any further. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed to rest and conserve energy for tomorrow¡¯s Su Family¡¯s Inheritance Secret Realm, wondering what the Inheritance Secret Realm would involve.


    The aspect in which they would be assessed.


    He was quite confident in his skills, but the issue was that the Inheritance Secret Realm sometimes tested more than just one¡¯s strength.

 Chapter 352 - 158: Give my regards to the elders in your family.

    Chapter 352: Chapter 158: ¡®Give my regards to the elders in your family.


    Soon, the sky darkened.


    And there came a knocking outside Chen Qiu¡¯s inn.


    ¡°Mr. Ren, the Philosophical Debate has started, Mr. Su asked me to invite Mr. Ren downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu responded and immediately, along with Fat Long Scholar and another person, opened the room door and followed the servant downstairs to the inn¡¯s first floor where the Philosophical Debate was about to begin.


    By then, the area around the inn had already been cleared.


    ...


    And a great magical formation had been set up outside the inn to ensure that whatever happened inside remained unknown to the outside world.


    As he entered the inn¡¯s hall under the guidance of the servant.


    The inn¡¯s hall was already filled with many Heavenly Pride, who were gathered in groups of threes and twos.


    Upon seeing Chen Qiu descending the stairs, the Su Family Young Master¡¯s eyes brightened, and he quickly approached, whispering to Chen Qiu, ¡°Well, Mr. Ren, there¡¯s some bad news, your identity might have been exposed, and now everyone knows your real name is Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Mainly because a few days ago, the Quzhou Merit Leaderboard suddenly listed someone with 9.8 billion merit points, named Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°And Mr. Ren, you happened to make a name for yourself in Quzhou around the same time. Before this, there was no sign of you in Quzhou, and¡­ it¡¯s said that at that time near Great Yuan City, you killed a monk with 100,000 merit points without any backlash.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Many families have already started inquiring about you, and by now, most have confirmed you are Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Chen Qiu or not, it¡¯s all the same.¡±


    He had never planned to hide his identity; initially, he adopted the alias Ren just to tease Qi Mei.


    The beauty of Qi, facetiously implying the beauty among people.


    Unfortunately, Qi Mei wasn¡¯t very quick on the uptake, failing to realize it even as he died, which Chen Qiu found a bit boring, or perhaps it was indeed too oblique a connection?


    Afterwards, Chen Qiu scanned the Heavenly Prides in the hall; each of them looked at him with complicated expressions.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The Su Family Young Master breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Then we¡¯ll just call you Mr. Chen. Tonight¡¯s Philosophical Debate is mainly for the Heavenly Pride of Quzhou to get to know each other, discuss the myriad problems on the Cultivation Path, each of us being among the top young talents of Quzhou. By discussing together, we can also gain a clearer understanding of our true selves, and there¡¯s a small surprise.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, led by the Su Family Young Master, settled into a spot.


    At that moment, there were about thirty to forty Heavenly Prides in the hall.


    It must be said, that was a considerable number of Heavenly Prides; besides, with each Heavenly Pride, there were followers and Guardians, many of whom had a Nascent Soul Guardian behind them, making them look quite formidable.


    And at that moment¡ª


    On the second floor of the inn, the current Su Family Patriarch looked on indifferently at Chen Qiu sitting on the first floor, sipped his tea lightly before casually asking, ¡°Is this the Talent of Magic Practitioner you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Su Family Young Master earnestly replied, ¡°His name is Chen Qiu. In the initial screening of the Heavenly Prides in the Secret Realm, he scored a perfect 100, and he cleared the first two rounds in just one breath. In the third round, the Golden Core grading, he even surpassed Li Shiyi, which means he is at least a Ninth-Grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°If we really have to grant the Divinity Transformation Body in the Inheritance Secret Realm to one of the Heavenly Prides as a favor, he would be the best choice.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch glanced sideways at his son, casually remarking, ¡°That generous, huh? You know you don¡¯t even have a Divinity Transformation Body yet, and the Divinity Transformation Body in the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm was originally intended for you to form a Fourth-Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The Su Family Young Master sighed helplessly, ¡°Can¡¯t help it; I have tried the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm many times and simply can¡¯t clear it. I don¡¯t know why our ancestor made the inheritance challenges so difficult.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, Father, you are a mighty Divinity Transformation Practitioner yourself. You could use your Divinity Transformation Body, or maybe you should just die early so your son could form a Fourth-Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°If not, you could kill a rival family¡¯s Divinity Transformation Practitioner; that would work too.¡±


    ¡°Talk sense, please.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch looked at his son with a deadpan expression, not angry at his son¡¯s imprudent words since they had a good relationship, ¡°You think Divinity Transformation powerhouses are easy to kill?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try killing one yourself?¡±


    ¡°A Third-Grade Nascent Soul might not be ideal, but it¡¯d suffice. Honestly, you never had much talent in cultivation anyway. Let¡¯s just settle for that. The ancestor primarily set the level difficult because he hoped a peerless talent among the descendants would eventually emerge.¡±


    ¡°A Third-Grade Nascent Soul isn¡¯t too bad. I myself didn¡¯t clear the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm but still managed to break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage with a Third-Grade Nascent Soul. Back then, many of my fellow Heavenly Prides, boasting Fourth and Fifth-Grade Nascent Souls, are still stagnating at the Nascent Soul stage decades later; only I have broken through to the Divinity Transformation Stage.¡±


    ¡°Often, initial advantages don¡¯t mean much, Cultivation is a long-term matter; as long as one lives long enough, opportunities will come.¡±


    ¡­


    The Philosophical Debate started swiftly, a simple exchange meeting.


    It was a battle of words, not of martial force. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Many Heavenly Prides discussed fervently, while Chen Qiu just sat quietly in a corner, silent; philosophy was not his forte.


    The so-called battle of words.


    Involved each person adhering to an opinion and then trying to persuade the opposite side.


    In his view, trying to convince someone who disagrees with you is foolish; this isn¡¯t something that a Philosophical Debate could resolve but something that a Martial Contest should.

 Chapter 353 - 158: Send my regards to the elders in your family._2

    Chapter 353: Chapter 158: ¡®Send my regards to the elders in your family.¡¯_2


    But he still sat quietly in the corner¡ªafter all, the Su Family was to inaugurate the Inheritance Secret Realm tomorrow, and it was necessary to show them some respect; leaving midway would certainly be inappropriate.


    Just then¡ª


    A woman with a veiled face walked over with a cup of wine and sat opposite Chen Qiu, leaning back slightly and looking at him with a drunken gaze, she smiled and said, ¡°Chao Tian Sect Master, it¡¯s impressive how young you are to be a Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°Very composed.¡±


    ¡°However, young people should have a bit of sharpness; being too mature isn¡¯t always good. Everyone is discussing how you would handle it if someone with a higher Cultivation than yours suddenly insulted you in person.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu shook his head expressionlessly, ¡°I completely don¡¯t understand why you all would discuss this issue.¡±


    In his eyes,


    The top Heavenly Prides of Quzhou seemed like newborn children. He had thought the so-called discussion meeting would cover some profound topics, but he had no desire whatsoever to interject in the discussions they were having.


    However¡­


    He looked up at the woman sitting in front of him, sizing her up for a while before leaning back in his chair, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.


    Now he had.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    ¡°This might seem a shallow question, but it actually contains a lot of depth.¡±


    Even with her face veiled and her entire visage unclear, one could discern that she was exceedingly stunning. Her white dress, paired with the lazy drunkenness in her eyes, made her resemble a ripe peach just begging to be devoured.


    Her figure was exquisitely curved, reclining in her chair like a little cat nestled within, hugging her legs to her chest with bare feet resting on the edge of the chair.


    At that moment, holding her wine glass in the dimly-lit inn¡¯s lobby, she tilted her head and said, ¡°You see, if you were to just walk away, you¡¯d definitely feel upset, right? That means your Dao heart would be slightly damaged, since an unsmooth Dao heart¡­¡±


    ¡°But if you were to fight back, yet you couldn¡¯t defeat them¡ª¡±


    ¡°What should be done then?¡±


    Chen Qiu leaned back in his chair and chuckled lightly, ¡°I would defeat them.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The woman sitting opposite him suddenly laughed, lifting a bare foot and slowly sliding it up Chen Qiu¡¯s calf, ¡°So, like you, a man so strong and confident, could you resist the allure of a beautiful woman?¡±


    ¡°Men of the world all find it hard to resist the beauty¡¯s trap.¡±


    She sized up the man in the cloak in front of her, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. Indeed, even the most exceptional of Heavenly Prides couldn¡¯t resist the allure of beauty.


    This was the puppet she was satisfied with.


    As long as she could completely control this man, having such a Heavenly Pride with a Ninth Grade or even a Tenth Grade Golden Core as her utterly submissive puppet, she would be able to traverse further on the Cultivation Path.


    She knew clearly that for such exceptional Heavenly Prides, a beautiful woman couldn¡¯t completely captivate them; rather, a seemingly soft woman could arouse their protective instincts.


    This white dress was her carefully selected attire, which man who had fought through a life of sword and shadow didn¡¯t want to lie down in a white dress and recount his past exploits with his beloved?


    That is human nature.


    If she could also bear his child, then this Heavenly Pride would be comprehensively under her control for life.


    Her plan was overt, her beauty so striking she scorned concealment; as long as she offered herself up, no man could refuse her. This was her supreme confidence in her appearance and figure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled and shook his head, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try?¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡­¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes gradually revealed a seductive charm, in stark contrast with her white dress. Just as things were about to escalate, Chen Qiu abruptly stood up and swept the woman into his arms.


    ¡°Giggles¡­¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her bell-like laughter immediately rang out; she buried her head into Chen Qiu¡¯s chest, feeling the heartbeat coming from his chest, already imagining in her drunken stupor the days ahead when she would use Chen Qiu to dominate the four corners of Quzhou.


    Chen Qiu paid no attention to the strange looks cast by others.


    He strode towards the inn¡¯s second floor.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    The Fat Long Scholar standing nearby coughed lightly before exchanging a glance, both seeing the humor in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Last time Brother Qiu claimed he wasn¡¯t interested in worldly affairs.


    As the Su Family Young Master, who was moderating the discussion, saw this scene, he too froze briefly. Though he knew that Heavenly Prides could easily develop feelings of affection, wasn¡¯t this a bit too fast?


    He couldn¡¯t help but grin.


    For some reason,


    He felt that Chen Qiu suddenly seemed more approachable than before, much warmer than his initially icy demeanor. Despite Chen Qiu¡¯s continually gentle smile, he hadn¡¯t felt any warmth but rather a chill.


    He then turned to the other Heavenly Prides and waved his hands resignedly, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue discussing.¡±


    The Heavenly Pride that Chen Qiu had carried away


    was a True Disciple of the Qian Nu Sect, named Mei Ya, belonging to a sect primarily consisting of female cultivators. Due to practicing an exclusive mental method, all disciples had commendable looks, and as the True Disciple of Qian Nu Sect who was already stunningly beautiful, the cultivation of the exclusive mental method made her beauty even more capable of toppling a nation and a city.


    Ordinarily, she had many suitors.


    For instance¡­


    The Su Family Young Master suddenly looked weakly towards a corner where a young Heavenly Pride was¡ªsure enough, the man was now brooding, his clenched hands on the wine glass, and the bulging veins on the back of his hands showing that he wasn¡¯t feeling so well.

 Chapter 354 - 158:

    Chapter 354: Chapter 158: ¡°Give my regards to the elders in your family.¡± _3


    This man was one of Mei Ya¡¯s suitors, and the most aggressive in his approach.


    Yet, he had never even held her hand.


    Seeing the goddess he had pursued for years throw herself into the arms of a man she had just met, anyone would struggle to control their emotions. If he hadn¡¯t known that the Su Family had a Divinity Transformation, he might have caused a scene right then, perhaps even losing his temper completely.


    ¡°Tsk, this is really tricky.¡±


    Su Family Young Master shook his head helplessly. Mei Ya¡¯s move of throwing herself into Chen Qiu¡¯s arms had indeed set up quite a few enemies for him unintentionally.


    He knew Mei Ya always sought the strongest Heavenly Pride as a companion. It seemed she had chosen Chen Qiu tonight. One had to admit, this woman was truly decisive. Just from their first meeting, after judging his potential, she didn¡¯t play any coy games but went all in.


    ...


    With Mei Ya¡¯s way of manipulating people¡¯s hearts.


    If Chen Qiu had spent even slightly less time in the mundane world and was a bit less mature, he might have no choice but to forever walk behind Mei Ya, bending his head in servitude.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, upstairs in a private room of the inn.


    Mei Ya, her eyes full of drunkenness, collapsed bonelessly onto Chen Qiu, her fingers seemingly idly stroking across his chest as she murmured in a dazed voice, ¡°Could you be gentle, please?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ still a virgin, and I¡¯m afraid of pain.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, placing his hand on Mei Ya¡¯s abdomen for a while, then suddenly, Spiritual Energy surged out!


    ¡°Zap!¡±


    Accompanied by the sound of flesh being torn open, a large amount of blood uncontrollably gushed out. Without activating her Protective Spirit Qi, Mei Ya collapsed to the ground under this strike.


    After quickly stopping the bleeding, she lay on the floor with a flicker of terror in her eyes, the Golden Core in her abdomen gone, now appearing in Chen Qiu¡¯s palm.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Suddenly feeling immense fear, Mei Ya, shaking like a sieve, looked up at Chen Qiu with a trembling voice, ¡°What¡­ what are you doing?¡±


    The Golden Core was her lifeline.


    With the core shattered, she would perish.


    And now, her Golden Core was in Chen Qiu¡¯s hand, which meant that with just a little force, he could crush her Golden Core, and she, a disciple of Qian Nu Sect, would die a stifled death right there!


    She hadn¡¯t anticipated that Chen Qiu would make a move, nor did she understand why he did!


    You must have a reason, right?


    Just because she initiated the seduction, you want to kill her?


    You could have just refused her!!!


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood inside the room, gazing intently at the entry etched onto Mei Ya¡¯s Golden Core, ¡°Let¡¯s see what entries you have, to avoid any unexpected disasters.¡±


    He still didn¡¯t know how many kinds of entries there were.


    If there was something like, ¡®Whoever mates with me will die,¡¯ then his death would be terribly unjust. Naturally, he had to take out her Golden Core to examine the entries thoroughly for safety¡¯s sake.


    After scrutinizing it carefully,


    and confirming there was nothing that could pose a danger to him, he stored the Golden Core in the small world. Then, looking at Mei Ya, whose strength had significantly weakened without her Golden Core, he proceeded to seal all her Spiritual Energy,


    before using Qi transformed into water to cleanse the blood off her body.


    People do not activate Protective Spirit Qi during intimate moments, meaning their defense is at its lowest. Usually, he wouldn¡¯t bother, but today he felt rather impassioned. Since Mei Ya had presented herself to him and used her beauty as a trap, he simply flowed with the tide.


    He just needed to be extra cautious to avoid any mishaps.


    ¡°Okay.¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After everything was done, Chen Qiu finally looked at Mei Ya lying on the bed and gently smiled, ¡°Now you¡¯re safe. I¡¯ll return the Golden Core to you in the morning.¡±


    ¡­


    The next day.


    After freshening up, Chen Qiu met with Fat Long and others, guided by the Su Family Young Master, they prepared to head to the Inheritance Secret Realm.


    Meanwhile, in the guest room.


    Mei Ya, her eyes void of spirit, lay on the bed, her white dress already torn to shreds on the floor. The bedsheets were soaking with blood from her abdomen. After a long while, she gazed at the Golden Core which had been returned above her Dantian.


    The strategy of seduction taught by her master had been technically successful.


    Yet, why did the process feel so different from what her master had described?


    Was this supposed to be the normal procedure?


    The man had even dug out her womb right in front of her after the act, cleaned it thoroughly, and then buried it back!


    You are being cautious to such an extent!!


    Damn it!!


    She had never imagined she¡¯d experience something like this in her life!


    After a long time,


    she took out a fresh set of clothes from the Storage Ring that Chen Qiu had left on the bedside, and staggered out the door. She wasn¡¯t interested in heading to the Inheritance Secret Realm anymore. What she wanted now was to return to her sect.


    She wanted to go back to her pink cave dwelling, and from there, she never wanted to leave her sect again.


    ¡­


    Outside the guest room, from the hallway,


    a man with a look of sorrow was watching Mei Ya stagger away. He was the one among the suitors whose pursuit had been the most fierce, but he hadn¡¯t expected that Mei Ya would throw herself at Chen Qiu the previous day.


    Enough.


    A moment later, the man took a few deep breaths to calm himself.


    After three years of pursuit, he was also feeling tired.


    In these three years, he had done countless things for Mei Ya, but she had never accepted him. It was time to put an end to this story. He took another deep breath, preparing to enter the room to collect the bedsheets stained with Mei Ya¡¯s virgin blood, keeping them as a memento to commemorate this love that had ended before it could even begin.

 Chapter 355 - 158:

    Chapter 355: Chapter 158: ¡°Give my regards to the elders in your family.¡±_4


    ¡°`


    But just as he stepped into the guest room¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    His entire body stiffened on the spot, his face filled with disbelief as he muttered at the bedsheet almost dyed red with blood: ¡°This much blood?¡±


    ¡­


    At the Su Family¡¯s back mountain.


    ... S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Su Family Young Master was looking at Chen Qiu at his side, smiling slyly as he said, ¡°How did you find last night, Mr. Chen? Mei Ya is quite a famous beauty among the Heavenly Prides of Quzhou, pursued by many. I didn¡¯t expect that she would throw herself into your arms last night.¡±


    ¡°A lot of people must be green with envy over you.¡±


    ¡°It was alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu replied calmly with a smile, leaning on his cane: ¡°You flatter me, Mr. Su. I am usually not involved in worldly matters. Last night Mei Ya must have used some sort of enthralling spell on me; I couldn¡¯t resist.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    The Su Family Young Master said with a strange look on his face, as he was not aware of Mei Ya having any sort of enthralling spells¡ªQian Nu Sect wasn¡¯t some heretical cult.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    Then he said seriously, ¡°Please, Mr. Chen, wait here patiently. Opening the Su Family¡¯s Inheritance Secret Realm requires the bloodline, and it will be activated after thirty minutes. I will go to greet the other Heavenly Prides.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, go ahead.¡±


    ¡­


    After the Su Family Young Master left, Fat Long expressed his concerns, ¡°Brother Qiu, are you alright? Throwing oneself at someone is either out of lust or deceit; if Mei Ya were to get pregnant with your child and use it to blackmail you, it would be difficult to handle.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and said casually: ¡°No worries; unless something unexpected happens, she definitely won¡¯t be pregnant.¡±


    After a brief exchange, they


    suddenly felt an enormously mighty pressure enveloping the heart of each person present. Chen Qiu¡¯s pupils contracted sharply as he looked towards a middle-aged man walking slowly towards them. He could sense a cultivation from this man that was even stronger than that of a Nascent Soul!


    A Divinity Transformation Stage powerhouse!


    Such a strong person, with his current cultivation, even if he gave it his all, he might still find it difficult to escape with his life from the other¡¯s hands.


    Of course¡ª


    the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± and ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± might be able to help.


    But¡­ he had never tried them before. Although 9.8 billion merit points sounded like an exaggerated number, he hadn¡¯t tested it, and he had no idea how effective it would be.


    This was the strongest person in terms of cultivation he had encountered so far; he couldn¡¯t detect any fluctuations of Spiritual Energy from the man, but his every move seemed to subtly align with the Heavenly Dao, blending with the world around him, with every act displaying the natural way of the Heavenly Dao.


    The pressure he felt from him was far greater than that of the Yuan Sect Master.


    Very quickly!


    This man came in front of all the Heavenly Prides gathered here, his face calm as he swept over each person¡¯s face and then spoke softly: ¡°Thank you, all you Heavenly Prides, for giving face to my unworthy son and attending the Su Family¡¯s Inheritance Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite embarrassing to say.¡±


    ¡°The Su Family¡¯s Inheritance Secret Realm was left by our ancestors, but it has been untouched for over a thousand years. Rather than letting the secret realm gather dust, better it brings out the brilliance in one of you fine Heavenly Prides.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, everyone.¡±


    ¡°No matter who takes the Su Family¡¯s Inheritance Secret Realm, any and all items taken from within the realm can be kept; the Su Family will not obstruct.¡±


    ¡°Also¡­¡±


    ¡°Please pass on my regards to your families¡¯ elders.¡±


    As his voice fell,


    the middle-aged man turned and just casually waved his hand. A surge of immense Spiritual Energy burst forth, slamming into the void, and immediately after, a white vortex slowly appeared in mid-air.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°This is the entrance to the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm, which will close after ten breaths.¡±


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please.¡±


    ¡­


    The young prodigies gathered below exchanged looks. They had initially thought they would have to give up some Spirit Stones as a fee to enter the Secret Realm; they didn¡¯t expect it to be free. They couldn¡¯t help but admire the generosity of the Su Family.


    However, now was not the time for gratitude. With the entrance to the Secret Realm only open for a limited time, it was wise to enter quickly. Thanks could wait until they emerged from the Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked towards the middle-aged man standing on the high platform. He couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face clearly. The power of heaven and earth in front of the middle-aged man was distorted, making it impossible to probe with sight or Divine Sense.


    A practitioner of the Divinity Transformation Stage¡­


    He wondered when he himself would reach such a cultivation level. He was merely at the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection, two Great Realms away from the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    However, he had gained some insights from yesterday¡¯s Taoism conference.


    That was that many people did not possess a Divinity Transformation Body, meaning that not every sect or family had one in their heritage. Qi Mei deceiving him about joining the Yuan Sect for a chance at obtaining a Divinity Transformation Body was likely just a ruse.


    Because of this fact, the Su Family¡¯s ¡°Inheritance Secret Realm¡± had attracted so many heavenly prides. They were all aiming for the Divinity Transformation Body within the Secret Realm, with a very clear and singular goal.


    And at this moment¡ª


    The middle-aged man, who was the Su Family Patriarch, also looked towards him, saying calmly, ¡°Please go ahead.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, not wanting to delay any further. After taking Fat Long and the others into his small world, he turned into a streak of light and shot towards the white vortex.


    ¡­


    The vortex closed quickly.


    Then, a vast screen enveloped in clouds and mist appeared again, showing the situation of all the heavenly prides after they entered the Inheritance Secret Realm. From outside, one could clearly see their performance within the Secret Realm.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    The Su Family Young Master said in a somewhat soft voice, ¡°You are much more generous than I thought. I didn¡¯t think you would agree to my plan. After all, if someone clears the Inheritance Secret Realm, that means a Divinity Transformation Body will be taken away.¡±


    ¡°Mutual exchange is the only way to establish value.¡±


    The middle-aged man stood in place and spoke softly, ¡°That heavenly pride Chen Qiu you so highly praise, as of now, apart from his higher Grade Golden Core, which may be Ninth or Tenth Grade, and his 9.8 billion Merit points, I don¡¯t see anything special about him.¡±


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    The Su Family Young Master spoke helplessly, ¡°Are you getting carried away? Do you have a Ninth Grade Golden Core? Do you possess 9.8 billion Merit points? He¡¯s ranked third on the Heavenly Continent Merit Stele. Not to mention anything else, but if Chen Qiu insulted you to your face, would you dare to make a move to kill him?¡±


    ¡­


    After a moment of silence, the corners of the middle-aged man¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he admitted, ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    The backlash from 9.8 billion Merit points was something he conceded he couldn¡¯t withstand, let alone know of anyone who could.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I underestimate him. I just feel that he¡¯s still a little short of that position. He needs to show something more to be recognized by that place.¡±


    ¡°Let it be.¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head and did not continue, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s see how he performs in the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm first.¡±


    And at this moment¡ª


    Not far away, a subordinate of the Su Family came running over quietly and reported, ¡°Family Head, according to the intelligence we¡¯ve gathered, on the day of Yuan Sect¡¯s demise, no Nascent Souls or Divinity Transformations stepped foot on Yuan Sect territory.¡±


    ¡°Today, several powers surrounding the Yuan Sect are fighting over the Yuan Sect¡¯s domain, and many have already died.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch nodded slightly and then waved his hand to indicate that the subordinate could leave.

 Chapter 356 - 159: A New Attack Method.

    Chapter 356: Chapter 159: A New Attack Method.


    Chen Qiu stepped into the white vortex and in an instant, he felt a piercing white light flash before his eyes and then found himself in a vast grassland.


    There was no one around.


    Only he was there.


    Suspended above the grassland was the spiritual body of an elder who was looking at him rather amiably. Three breaths later, the elder finally spoke.


    ¡°The Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm consists of five levels.¡±


    ¡°Once you¡¯ve completed all the levels, you may take my entire inheritance.¡±


    ...


    ¡°The first round, question of the heart.¡±


    ¡°Is longevity in one¡¯s heart more important, or is combat power more important?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly and surveyed his surroundings. This was his first time entering an inheritance secret realm prepared by a predecessor. The secret realms he had entered before were all either the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm or adventure secret realms, all governed by the laws of Heavenly Dao.


    In an inheritance secret realm, however, the rules were set by the person who had left the inheritance.


    After a moment of silence, he softly said,


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Combat power is most important.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The spiritual body of the elder in the sky chuckled and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you desire immortality?¡±


    ¡°My obsession with immortality isn¡¯t that strong; whether I have it or not is fine. What matters more to me is whether my enemies can have immortality, and with enough combat power to end their path to immortality. That matters a great deal to me.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    The spiritual body of the elder floating midair laughed, then waved his hand and said, ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve passed the first round, proceed to the next level.¡±


    And then on the grassland, two puppets of the same cultivation suddenly appeared.


    Defeat them with ease and proceed to the third level.


    At the third level, three puppets of the same cultivation appeared on the grassland, easily defeated them, and entered the fourth round.


    The fourth round involved five puppets of the same cultivation.


    The difficulty went up a notch, but it was just that. After defeating them once again, he entered the fifth level, and by this time, there was only one puppet left in the room.


    ¡­


    ¡°Here it comes!¡±


    The Su Family Young Master outside the secret realm stared intently at the puppet in front of Chen Qiu within the screen and muttered to himself, ¡°The greatest test has arrived, and I wonder how Chen Qiu will deal with it.¡±


    The Su Family¡¯s inheritance secret realm was said to have five levels.


    In truth, there was only one final level that mattered.


    The first round asks about your heart, and regardless of which answer you choose, as long as you are resolute in the path you wish to take, you can pass. As for the second, third, and fourth levels, defeating several puppets of the same level of cultivation is a normal level, and since they are regarded as Heavenly Prides, defeating four or five puppets of the same level of cultivation should be quite simple.


    At the same cultivation realm, puppets are far weaker than cultivators.


    But the final level, the fifth level, is the true test!


    This level!


    You must completely defeat this puppet to pass the test, but here¡¯s the catch¡­ whether it is swords, spears, or spells, any form of attack that falls on the puppet only heals its injuries and can¡¯t cause harm!


    Furthermore, the stronger the attack, the more resilient the puppet becomes.


    This is the most perplexing part!


    His spells could not damage the puppet but only made it sturdier. Being the Su Family Young Master, he naturally entered this inheritance secret realm many times, but never once did he pass this fifth level.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch, with one hand tucked behind his back, also let out a long sigh filled with helplessness, ¡°The Su Family Ancestor wouldn¡¯t have left us an impossible fifth level. There must be some trick to it; it¡¯s just that we, the later generations, are too dull and haven¡¯t found it yet.¡±


    If they could find a way to pass this fifth level, they would not have let the inheritance secret realm out at all.


    It was precisely because they lacked the ability that they reluctantly made it as a favor to others by giving away the secret realm, even if those Heavenly Prides had not cleared the secret realm, they still owed them a favor.


    And if someone were to pass, it would be owing them a great favor.


    They also tried many methods. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Since their spells only healed the puppet¡¯s injuries and made it more resilient, could they perhaps do the opposite, such as healing the puppet to cause damage?


    However¡­ it still didn¡¯t work.


    It was utterly useless, whether it was with bare hands or with any other method, as soon as they injured the puppet, it would become stronger and they had no choice but to give up.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Chen Qiu, who was in the vast grassland of the inheritance secret realm, did not hesitate when he saw the puppet appear. He let his spiritual energy surge crazily, with massive dark clouds forming above the grassland as a storm roared in and a thunderball smashed towards the puppet.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Innumerable Thunder Dragons exploded across the grassland with deafening thunder!


    After the dust settled,


    The puppet stood still, not only unharmed but even coated in a layer of black, evidently more formidable than before!


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brow furrowed slightly, puzzled that a mere Golden Core Perfect Cultivation puppet could withstand his full-strength strike without a scratch. His full-strength attack was something that even those early-stage Nascent Soul Yuan Sect Elders could not endure.


    But he didn¡¯t dwell on it.


    He teleported in the air for hundreds of breaths, and once his spiritual energy recovered, accompanied by countless more deafening sounds, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons smashed down at the puppet!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    However¡­


    The puppet was still completely unharmed. He could feel that the puppet had resisted his attacks, but it had not been injured. Moreover, with the increasing intensity of his spell attacks, the puppet had become even more durable.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Chen Qiu got a bit temperamental, immediately opened up the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to go full force. He refused to believe it!


    A hundred breaths later, once his spiritual energy was fully restored, he continued!

 Chapter 357 - 159: A New Attack Method._2

    Chapter 357: Chapter 159: A New Attack Method._2


    Still completely unscathed!


    After fully recovering Spiritual Energy, continue!


    ¡­


    ¡°The 37th time, the 38th time¡­¡±


    Outside the Secret Realm, a look of shock flashed in the eyes of the Su Family Patriarch as he watched Chen Qiu, indeed a Talent of Magic Practitioner. The power of the Heavenly Thunder Dragons raining down from the sky had already far surpassed the damage a Golden Core Heavenly Pride could inflict.


    It had even surpassed the damage a Nascent Soul first layer Cultivator could inflict!


    ...


    But that wasn¡¯t the key point!


    In the central region, there were also many Heavenly Prides who could, at the Golden Core Perfection stage, use their own unique attack methods to cause damage far surpassing that of a Nascent Soul first layer Cultivator, which wasn¡¯t a very rare occurrence.


    But the problem was¡­


    This damn Thunder Summoning Technique Chen Qiu was using wasn¡¯t a unique move, so why did he keep using it?!


    Using a major technique like a minor skill?


    After a long while, the Su Family Patriarch let out a long sigh and murmured softly, ¡°Son, you were right. With the strength that Chen Qiu has shown in the Inheritance Secret Realm, he truly is Quzhou¡¯s strongest Heavenly Pride, it¡¯s just¡­ his personality seems a bit stubborn.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    ¡°This Fifth Level is obviously not one that can be cleared through brute force. It belongs to the intelligence combat type, requiring a certain knack to clear. The more times Chen Qiu makes a move, the more fortified the Puppet¡¯s body becomes.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°The 99th time, the 100th time¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu silently kept count for himself, wanting to see just how many of his attacks this Puppet could withstand. Everything had a limit, just like people eating food to replenish their strength, but eat too much, and you can also eat yourself to death.


    The same was true for this Puppet.


    This Puppet could absorb the Spiritual Energy from his Thunder Dragons, using it to become more fortified, but¡­ there was definitely a limit.


    His plan was quite simple.


    It was to burst this Puppet, since there was no time constraint anyway, he wanted to see who would fall first ¡ª him or the Puppet.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    After the 101st full-powered Thunder Summoning Technique was unleashed! S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The world fell silent.


    The Puppet could no longer endure the onslaught and shattered into pieces scattered on the ground.


    In mid-air, the Spiritual Body of the old man once again slowly emerged, gazing quietly at the shattered Puppet for a long while before turning his head to look at Chen Qiu with an expressionless face, ¡°Who taught you to clear levels this way? Can¡¯t you tell that this level is an intelligence combat level?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows lightly, originally thinking that this old man¡¯s spiritual body lacked self-consciousness, but now it seemed that he still possessed some measure of it and could react differently to different situations in the Secret Realm.


    It might be a residual consciousness left by the Su Family Ancestor years ago, tasked with overseeing this Secret Realm.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    The old man¡¯s spiritual body shook its head, a trace of sorrow flashing in its eyes, ¡°It seems that not a single one of the younger generations has a brain. Haven¡¯t you all realized that this Puppet in the Fifth Level is made up of the remnants of Puppets you shattered in the second, third, and fourth rounds?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically speaking, the Fifth Level is absolutely impossible to clear.¡±


    ¡°All you needed to do in the second, third, and fourth levels was to not kill those Puppets, patiently wait for the countdown timer of the previous levels to run out, and you would have safely cleared the levels, resulting in this Puppet not appearing at the Fifth Level.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that have meant a successful clearance?¡±


    ¡°Is it really that difficult?¡±


    While feeling irritated, the old man¡¯s spiritual body waved his hand and floated a few items into Chen Qiu¡¯s hands, ¡°Go on, go on.¡±


    Then his own body gradually dissipated. At the same time, a thunderous collapse-like sound rang throughout the vast grasslands; this was the sign that the Secret Realm was about to collapse, indicating that the legacy had been taken by someone.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    Countless Heavenly Prides were ejected from the white vortex.


    As soon as Chen Qiu landed, he saw the Su Family Young Master approaching to congratulate him on obtaining the legacy. Chen Qiu looked around before asking in confusion, ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The Su Family Young Master¡¯s face was awkward, as he didn¡¯t quite know how to respond upon learning that the actual way to clear this Secret Realm was so simple¡ªstanding still could clear it. His father¡¯s Dao heart had suffered a slight blow.


    He couldn¡¯t accept his own ignorance.


    And in his shame, he had fled the scene.


    Chen Qiu did not continue to inquire but took out a stone from his bosom and handed it to the Su Family Young Master, ¡°I¡¯ve taken the Divinity Transformation Body. Thanks to the Su Family, it was indeed very helpful to me; consider it a favor owed to you.¡±


    ¡°Should you ever need some extermination of sects in the future, feel free to seek me out.¡±


    ¡°As for this stone, it¡¯s a Spell inheritance left by your ancestor. It¡¯s of no use to me, so I¡¯m returning it to the Su Family.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a Spell inheritance too?¡±


    The Su Family Young Master¡¯s eyes lit up, and then he quickly took the stone with a respectful expression, thanking Chen Qiu profusely.


    ¡­


    With this, matters came to an end.


    After passing through the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm and acquiring the Divinity Transformation Body, Chen Qiu did not stay long, but instead traveled several hundred miles away from Su City, choosing a desolate, uninhabited wasteland to enter a small world.


    Inside the small world, he was organizing the gains he had made these past days.


    First, he was only one Divinity Transformation Body away from having three. He had obtained one during the ¡°Long Night is Coming¡± event and one more in the ¡°Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm.¡± If the batch of Storage Rings was cracked and he could find another Divinity Transformation Body, then three would be enough.


    As for the nine second-grade Nascent Soul Bodies, he was only five short now.


    The Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure he had acquired in Great Yuan City needed to be cleansed of its resentful energy with ten pieces of Evil Wood, as well as to be nurtured in the Dantian for ten days. In a few more days, it should be restored to its original state.

 Chapter 358 - 159: New Attack Method._3

    Chapter 358: Chapter 159: New Attack Method._3


    Furthermore, all the Storage Rings required some time to fully unlock their restrictions.


    He needed some time to digest the gains he had obtained recently.


    For instance¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: The sword flies like time passing swiftly.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Yellow.


    ...


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The faster your Flying Sword, the greater the damage it can inflict.


    ¨C


    He had randomly encountered this entry before, and although it was of no use to him, it was perfect for the scholar. He had even felt a slight regret at the time, wishing he could have turned this entry into a Jade Scroll for the scholar.


    With the scholar¡¯s speed of Flying Sword, coupled with this entry, it would indeed be like giving wings to a tiger.


    However¡­


    He had just glanced over the 14 entry jade slips he brought out from the Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault, and the highest grade among them was a Yellow one; there was only one, and it happened to be this ¡°The sword flies like time passing swiftly¡±!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    This entry was simply the most suitable for the scholar, bar none.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, you called me.¡±


    The scholar, who had flown to the peak of the back mountain of the Chao Tian Sect and stood puzzled behind Chen Qiu, asked, ¡°Is there anything you need?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and tossed the entry ¡°The sword flies like time passing swiftly¡± to him, ¡°I¡¯m giving you an entry jade slip. Take it with you to read, don¡¯t stand here and read it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Though a bit confused, the scholar obediently stuffed the entry into his Storage Ring and then flew towards the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s sect grounds below the peak. Within a few breaths, an excited roar from the scholar rose above the Chao Tian Sect.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head with a light chuckle without speaking and continued to look at the other entry jade slips. The remaining entries weren¡¯t very useful; they were all quite common. If there had been any good entries, the Yuan Sect Master would have already crushed and embedded them onto his Golden Core; they were all ordinary entries.


    They were of no use to him.


    But¡­ just right, he needed these seemingly useless entries.


    Thirteen more entry jade slips.


    Crushing all of them at once, soon enough, all thirteen entries were embedded onto his own Golden Core. During his last attack on the Yuan Sect, he had used up all the entries he could detonate, and now he had replenished his foundation once again.


    He reserved ten entries as materials for building a twelve-grade Nascent Soul, and the remaining three could serve as his trump cards.


    Pretty good.


    ¡°And then¡­ hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu started carefully selecting from the heap of Magic Jade Scrolls that originated from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, intending to learn a few more spells. Of course, as for Attack Magic, he felt that the Thunder Summoning Technique was sufficient for now.


    When it came to movement techniques, the entry ¡°Supreme Body Technique¡± was enough.


    Now, he was mainly looking for suitable Supportive Magic, like ¡°Snowfall¡±, which might not have strong offensive power but could freeze the Spiritual Energy within an enemy¡¯s body. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Soon¡ª


    He picked out the suitable magics.


    We have ¡°Invisibility Technique¡± and ¡°Golden Light Body Protection Technique¡±.


    Hmm, Invisibility Technique is good for stealth and surprise attacks. Foundation Establishment spells are not too high-level; they can be used among cultivators of the same level, like when he attacked the Yuan Sect Master, where the difference in Cultivation was too great, and even high-level Invisibility Techniques could be detected by Divine Sense.


    At that point, one had to gamble.


    Gamble that the opponent would not use Divine Sense to detect but rather rely on the naked eye.


    As for the ¡°Golden Light Body Protection Technique¡±, it indeed is high-level, an excellent spell suitable for Magic Practitioners, with a defense strength that depends on how much Spiritual Energy is consumed. His main defensive means were currently the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and Protective Spirit Qi.


    He did not yet possess a Protective Body Technique.


    It served to fill a small gap in his defenses.


    He mastered these two magics to the Great Achievement Realm straight away, and without an Enlightenment Stone, there was no way to advance directly to the Great Perfection Realm. The Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault had everything, but not an Enlightenment Stone.


    Besides that, there were three special treasures.


    They were all found in the Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault as well.


    The first one was an inheritance object of the Yuan Sect.


    A tiny spoon.


    It was a special Spiritual Treasure that could elevate any one of your Golden Core-level spells or lower to the Great Perfection Realm as long as you touched it. Each touch would consume the spoon¡¯s nature¡¯s spiritual energy, with a little over 300 uses left.


    This nature¡¯s spiritual energy cannot be replenished by any means.


    Once it runs out, it is gone for good.


    After trying it, he soon elevated the spell ¡°Golden Light Body Protection Technique¡±, a top-tier Golden Core spell, to the Great Perfection Realm. With a bit of practice, he would be able to unleash the full power of this magic.


    It could be left in the Chao Tian Sect, so that the disciples could touch it one by one to enhance the overall strength.


    Most larger forces have such an inheriting object.


    Some allow you to raise the realm of a particular spell upon touch, others grant you a fixed entry, all of them different, but no matter which one, each is an inheritance of the foundation of a force.


    It means that as long as you join the sect and become an official Disciple, you always have one more advantage over a Loose Cultivator.


    Loose Cultivators don¡¯t have such advantages.


    Unless¡­ you steal them.


    The second special Spiritual Treasure is¡­ a stone.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked thoughtfully at the panel engulfed in mist before him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Heavenly Illusion Stone.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: A nature¡¯s Spiritual Object, bestowed by heaven.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Only applicable to a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, it can make the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure transform into a second form, randomly adding one corresponding Spiritual Treasure effect fitting the new form.


    2: If ingested, it will randomly turn one into a demon beast, lasting for one year.

 Chapter 359 - 159: New Attack Method._4

    Chapter 359: Chapter 159: New Attack Method._4


    ¨C


    There were two simple effects.


    The second effect could be ignored, as it was basically useless.


    The first effect was that it allowed your Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure to take on an additional form and also gain another Spiritual Treasure effect.


    After pondering for a moment,


    he looked towards the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella beside him.


    ...


    Currently, his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella only had three effects.


    1: Enhanced Spell potency and reduced Spiritual Energy consumption.


    2: Integrated attack and defense.


    3: Wide-range Divine Sense automatic targeting.


    It was also his most commonly used weapon. Additionally, he had several entries that could link with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, such as ¡°Umbrella World,¡± which made him undetectable by Divine Sense when the umbrella was spread unless the Cultivator was of a Great Realm higher than his.


    After thinking it over for a while, he placed the Heavenly Illusion Stone together with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella. With Spiritual Energy gushing out, the Heavenly Illusion Stone quickly began to merge and seep into the umbrella.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    A hundred breaths later¡ª


    The Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella before him did not change in the slightest.


    However, with a mere thought from Chen Qiu, the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella instantly transformed into a longbow-shaped Spiritual Treasure!


    This was the second form of his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella after using the Heavenly Illusion Stone!


    Longbow!


    After transforming into a longbow, it was deep blue in color, and one could clearly see purple-blue lightning arcs continuously coursing along the surface of the longbow. There was no bowstring, or rather, the bowstring was invisible but could be felt upon grasping the bow.


    This bowstring¡­ damn, it was made of the forces of heaven and earth!


    This was the newly added fourth effect.


    ¨C


    4: Bowstring composed of the forces of heaven and earth; arrows released would shoot towards the enemy at extremely high speed, and if the enemy was already targeted by Divine Sense, the speed would increase even more.


    ¨C


    A simple effect.


    But Chen Qiu¡¯s expression gradually became odd. As a Magic Practitioner, he didn¡¯t possess any arrows, nor was he an Arrow Cultivator¡ªit wasn¡¯t that there were no Arrow Cultivators, but they were simply too niche, even more so than Gua Cultivation.


    However¡­ he had another good thing.


    With a thought,


    his Twelve-Rank Golden Core appeared outside his body. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As he raised the bow in his left hand, a bowstring shimmered into existence. He pinched the Twelve-Rank Golden Core in his palm and placed it on the bowstring, aiming at the desolate expanse of the small world in the distance, and slowly began to draw the bow.


    When he felt it reach its limit,


    he released his right hand abruptly.


    A surge of the force of heaven and earth blasted out from the longbow in his hand, spreading in all directions, and he saw the Twelve-Rank Golden Core shooting towards the distance at a speed even his Divine Sense struggled to capture!


    A piercing sonic boom resounded throughout the sky above the Chao Tian Sect,


    leaving behind a trail of yellow flame.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With an odd expression, Chen Qiu watched as the Twelve-Rank Golden Core flew back to him. It seemed he had gained another Attack Method; with the strength of his Twelve-Rank Golden Core, it could be said to be invincible!


    Moreover, combined with a longbow powered by the forces of heaven and earth,


    and given an acceleration that even his Divine Sense could hardly catch!


    Its single-target attack power was almost at full capacity.


    Even if facing an early stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, he had the confidence to kill with a single arrow!


    This level of single-target attack power was much stronger than the Thunder Summoning Technique. In terms of grandeur, the Twelve-Rank Golden Core was far less than the Thunder Summoning Technique; after all, when the latter was fully activated, it brought storms and overcast skies, the mere summoning of the forces of heaven and earth was a magnificent sight.


    But in terms of single-target attack power, the Twelve-Rank Golden Core was now his strongest method.


    And¡­


    It seemed that he could shoot more than just Golden Cores.


    With Spiritual Energy surging, dark clouds suddenly covered the sky above the Chao Tian Sect, and a storm roared to life. A Small Thunderball harboring hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons appeared slowly in Chen Qiu¡¯s palm.


    And under Chen Qiu¡¯s mental command,


    this Small Thunderball gradually took on the shape of a translucent arrow.


    One could clearly see the hundreds of thousands of miniature Thunder Dragons roaming inside the arrow, which was a purple-blue color overall, with purple-blue electrical arcs circling around it, making it appear much slimmer than a regular arrow.


    It matched well with the longbow-shaped Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    Chen Qiu lifted the bow with his left hand again, took a deep breath, and felt a burgeoning urge to test its power. He placed the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± arrow on the bowstring and aimed at the Chao Tian Sect at the foot of the mountains.


    This one arrow,


    would likely be the end of the Chao Tian Sect.

 Chapter 360 - 160:

    Chapter 360: Chapter 160: ¡°This is definitely releasing the tiger back to the mountain!


    Chen Qiu¡¯s thought moved, and his entire being left the small world, arriving at a desolate wilderness hundreds of miles away from ¡°Su City.¡±


    Naturally, he would not conduct the experiment in the small world.


    In the past, when his combat power wasn¡¯t as strong, he often tested new moves in the small world, but now he refrained; he was worried that one arrow might destroy the small world.


    Standing in midair was Chen Qiu.


    Releasing his Divine Sense, he scanned the surroundings. Seeing no one around, he took a deep breath, pulled the bowstring to its limit, and the arrow, flickering with thunder light, trembled slightly on the longbow.


    Immediately following¡ª


    ...


    His right hand, gripping the bowstring, suddenly let go.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, the long arrow instantly turned into a streak of light, smashing toward the distant ground.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Before the sound even rose, numerous Thunder Dragons could be seen exploding on the ground. Moments later, a deafening noise finally followed, and after the dust settled, a gigantic pit with a radius of several miles appeared on the ground!


    The affected area was extremely small.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    This was partly because the world of the Xuantian Continent was more robust, but the main reason was that all the damage had been condensed onto this single arrow, concentrating the explosive power at one point, turning an area attack into a powerful single-target attack.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu standing in midair smiled lightly and nodded his head. Not bad, but just now an idea suddenly popped into his mind.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: All Techniques Combined.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: You can compress all the spells you cast at the same time into a small orb.


    ¨C


    This was a blue entry he possessed.


    The effect was simple, but very useful.


    Especially when paired with his Spirit Energy capacity, which far exceeded that of his fellow cultivators at the same level, it was even more useful.


    If the Thunder Summoning Technique was possible, then perhaps Snowfall could be as well¡­


    With a thought,


    An enormous amount of Spiritual Energy surged out, and suddenly, the temperature of the entire heaven and earth dropped a notch, yet not a single snowflake could be seen. Then, in Chen Qiu¡¯s palm, a small white snowball slowly floated.


    One could vaguely see that it contained a multitude of white snowflakes.


    Simply getting close to this white snowball, one could feel an extreme chill.


    The effect of the ¡°Snowfall¡± spell was a large-area auxiliary spell that could freeze the Spiritual Energy within an enemy¡¯s body, albeit slowly; initially, it only slowed the flow of the enemy¡¯s Spiritual Energy, taking a long time to completely freeze it.


    Immediately after¡ª


    The white snowball slowly turned into a white arrow, with cold air and faintly visible snowflakes floating around it, forming a stark contrast to the previous blue arrow.


    If the blue arrow represented fury, then this white arrow represented silent solitude.


    Just then!!


    ¡°To kill my sister is to court death!¡±


    From the distance, an extremely terrifying and vast Cultivation shot towards him, and Divine Sense had firmly locked onto him, making escape impossible; it was indeed the power of a Nascent Soul-stage powerhouse!


    At that very moment, two extremely terrifying spells also bombarded towards him!


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly, his Divine Sense spreading out and locking onto the Nascent Soul-stage Cultivator who was shooting towards him¡ªa man with first-layer Nascent Soul Cultivation. He didn¡¯t recognize him, nor did he know whose sister the other party was referring to.


    If he remembered correctly,


    He rarely killed women, and from a certain perspective, he was quite chivalrous.


    But he had been worried about a lack of targets for testing his new technique, and now someone had delivered themselves to his doorstep, which was nice.


    Without any hesitation, he notched the white snowflake arrow on the bow, locked the target with Divine Sense, pulled the bowstring to its limit, released, and at the moment the bowstring shot forward, he activated the Golden Light Body Protection Technique and transformed the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella into its first form.


    The umbrella¡¯s surface spread open, staunchly withstanding the two spells that the Nascent Soul-stage Cultivator hurled at him!


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    The spell infused with immense Spiritual Energy released by the Nascent Soul powerhouse enveloped Chen Qiu in an instant; after a few breaths, the smoke cleared, and Chen Qiu stood midair, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, he glanced at his body and the intact Golden Light Protection, then pursed his lips.


    Unscathed. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Wasn¡¯t it said that Nascent Soul is overwhelmingly superior to Golden Core?


    He¡­ felt no pressure, at least not from a Nascent Soul-stage beginner. When he had been attacked by a Nascent Soul-stage enemy in the beginning, he would flee into the small world to dodge the attack, but ever since he took a hit from a Yuan Sect Elder head on,


    He discovered that early-stage Nascent Soul was just like that.


    Nothing compared to the Sword Cultivation Puppets of Da Xia.


    Then he looked up at the horizon, where the Nascent Soul Cultivator who had rushed towards him was now frozen in a block of ice and heavily smashed onto the ground. Scanning with Divine Sense, he could feel that the man wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    But his Spiritual Energy, Dantian, Nascent Soul, and Divine Sense were all frozen.


    Before the block of ice melted, he was nothing but a lump of ice.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­Well,¡±


    Chen Qiu, having replenished his Spiritual Energy midair, landed near the Nascent Soul Cultivator frozen into ice and spoke with a pensive tone, ¡°This time Snowfall seems much stronger, able to control an individual firmly and can overpower someone at the first layer of Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know how long it can hold.¡±


    Immediately after,


    With a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy inside him, dark clouds gathered, and the Storm roared in.


    A Purple-blue arrow, flashing with arcs of thunder, slowly floated beside Chen Qiu. At this point the lump of ice had shown no signs of melting, so Chen Qiu simply refilled his Spiritual Energy again, then condensed another white arrow, surrounded by swirling snowflakes.

 Chapter 361 - 160: This is definitely releasing the tiger back to the mountain! _2

    Chapter 361: Chapter 160: ¡®This is definitely releasing the tiger back to the mountain!¡¯ _2


    He nocked both arrows onto the bowstring, aiming slowly at the ice lump.


    He would send them on their way as soon as the lump showed any sign of starting to melt!


    But it¡¯s been over eight hundred breaths, and the lump hasn¡¯t showed the slightest hint of melting. The person frozen inside could only move his eyes; his gaze now full of anger and fear, staring straight at him!


    His consciousness was still normal.


    Chen Qiu, who was waiting somewhat bored, suddenly had a brilliant idea flash through his mind. He looked at the two arrows on his bowstring with a strange expression, wondering¡­ if he could combine the two arrows into one, would their power be greater?


    He was a person with strong execution skills.


    ...


    Almost immediately after the thought crossed his mind, he couldn¡¯t wait to try it out.


    With a single thought,


    the two arrows began to slowly melt. At first, they really showed signs of merging into one. But just as they were about to successfully merge, Chen Qiu suddenly felt an extremely violent and uncontrollable burst of spiritual energy erupting from the arrows.


    Almost in an instant!


    Chen Qiu grabbed the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and fled back to his small world, leaving the two arrows outside.


    ¡­


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    Standing inside the small world with a complex expression, Chen Qiu looked at the external scene where snowflakes and the Thunder Dragon exploded together. His plan was half-successful; the combination did increase their power.


    But¡­


    It was somewhat uncontrollable. He couldn¡¯t shape it back into an arrow and shoot it out. It exploded just as it was about to solidify.


    He could feel that it wasn¡¯t a matter of proficiency, but as if an unseen force was preventing the two spells from merging, like oil and water that cannot blend.


    As for the Nascent Soul cultivator frozen outside in the ice lump,


    he had already died on the spot.


    However, his body was relatively intact. Chen Qiu then discovered an additional effect of forming ¡°Snowfall¡± into an arrow; although it would freeze you within an ice lump, the ice also offered a significant defensive effect.


    From the shattered ice lump, he found the cultivator¡¯s abdomen and picked out a Nascent Soul pill.


    Hmm.


    A second-grade Nascent Soul pill.


    Chen Qiu began to smile; as they say, when fortune comes, even the heavens help. He just came out to test a move, and a second-grade Nascent Soul pill was delivered to his doorstep. This luck was really not bad. With this second-grade Nascent Soul pill,


    he only needed four more.


    He then turned and slipped back into the small world. In the end, he still hadn¡¯t tested how long an arrow made from ¡°Snowflakes¡± could freeze a Nascent Soul cultivator; it hadn¡¯t reached its limit before he accidentally killed the Nascent Soul due to a mishap.


    All he knew for sure was that it lasted well over a hundred breaths.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    Ten days flew by.


    During these ten days, Chen Qiu stayed in the small world cultivating without going anywhere else. He incidentally also trained his Invisibility Technique to Great Perfection Realm within these ten days. He suddenly realized that his talent for magic cultivation was quite good; even without an Enlightenment Stone, it wasn¡¯t hard to bring a spell to Great Perfection.


    Of course, it might also be because the ¡°Invisibility Technique¡± was just a Foundation Establishment level spell.


    During this period,


    Chao Tian Sect was also digesting the heritage bestowed by the heavens. No matter how many resources they had, it would take time to assimilate them and convert heritage into real strength.


    Otherwise, it was all just an illusion.


    With the daily consumption of Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, the scholar had officially entered the third layer of the Golden Core Cultivation Realm. The progress of his cultivation improvement could not be considered slow.


    And Fat Long was also on the verge of reaching Foundation Establishment peak, ready to form his Golden Core soon, with another chance for a three-choices entry after his breakthrough.


    Over these days,


    all of the first-grade Nascent Soul pills had been completely consumed by Chao Tian Sect. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now, eight elders of the Nascent Soul first layer stood side by side in front of Chen Qiu, unable to suppress their excitement.


    All of these people were unquestionably of second-grade Nascent Soul; there wasn¡¯t a single first-grade among them.


    What¡¯s more important¡ª


    These were individuals who had been stuck at the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection realm for a long time, with their lifespans nearly exhausted. Since they couldn¡¯t improve their cultivation, they could only learn various spells and techniques. As their lifespans dwindled, they didn¡¯t even dare to make a move.


    But!


    Once these people broke through to Nascent Soul, the spells and techniques they had learned would become deep-rooted heritage.


    These eight Nascent Souls with solid background became the first batch of outer disciples of the Chao Tian Sect.


    Although their background couldn¡¯t compare to those Heavenly Prides, they were still significantly stronger than the common early stage Nascent Souls.


    ¡­


    ¡°Greetings, Sect Master!¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Chen Qiu sat on the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair in the Sect Master hall, looking down at the eight Nascent Souls, a hint of a smile appearing on his lips.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    One of the newly advanced Nascent Soul outer disciples hesitantly whispered, ¡°Sect Master, it is said that Chao Tian Sect has a gigantic Spirit Gathering Array. Once activated, the spiritual energy within the sect will be extremely dense. Perhaps we could test it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth, which previously held a smile, suddenly fell into a silent, expressionless face.


    Chao Tian Sect did possess a large Spirit Gathering Array that could cover the entire sect, including the back mountain. Once activated, the spiritual energy within the sect would indeed become richer, and the pace of cultivation would naturally speed up under such conditions.


    But!


    This Spirit Gathering Array required a whopping 300 mid-grade Spirit Stones to run for just one day!


    Chao Tian Sect might have been able to afford it in the past, but he certainly could not right now. He had barely managed to save up over ten thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones; did anyone realize how difficult that was for him?

 Chapter 362 - 160:

    Chapter 362: Chapter 160: ¡°This is definitely letting the tiger return to the mountain!¡±_3


    But the disciple¡¯s suggestion was not without reason; activating the Spirit Gathering Array would indeed accelerate the progress of Cultivation significantly.


    It was only after a moment that he softly said,


    ¡°Only eight of you have broken through to the Nascent Soul, while the rest are still stuck at the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection. It¡¯s too wasteful to activate the Spirit Gathering Array now. Let¡¯s wait until most have broken through to the Nascent Soul before activating it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, that¡¯s it, you may all disperse now.¡±


    The several outer sect disciples standing in the great hall exchanged glances before bowing respectfully and saying solemnly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    After the several people had left,


    ...


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtfully fiddling with the bronze mirror in his hand¡ªa real treasure.


    On that day, within the Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault, a total of three treasures were found.


    The first was a heritage item, a spoon.


    The second was a Heavenly Illusion Stone.


    The third was this bronze mirror. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Its effect was extremely simple; it displayed the specific information of any Heavenly Dao Secret Realms appearing within Quzhou on the mirror, allowing him to stay indoors without external disturbances and still be aware of any advantageous Heavenly Dao Secret Realms opening nearby.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    For the past few days, there had either been no suitable Heavenly Dao Secret Realms or any that were suitable for him.


    But today¡­


    Chen Qiu looked at the name of the Secret Realm on the mirror, ¡°Heaven Extension 49¡±, a realm that only those at the peak of Golden Core Great Perfection could enter. Rubbing the surface of the mirror thoughtfully, he contemplated whether he should visit it.


    After a long while,


    he raised the bronze mirror into mid-air, looking at his rather young reflection in the mirror, and couldn¡¯t help softly saying,


    ¡°Being young, truly wonderful.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my good nephew.¡±


    Within the Chao Tian Sect, Zhao Buzhu excitedly wrapped his arms around Zhao Dezhu¡¯s shoulders and grinned, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve got your back from now on. We should thank you for connecting with the Sect Master early on.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, I might never have gotten the chance to come to Xuantian Continent with the Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°The most important thing is, back in Da Xia, you didn¡¯t manage to antagonize the Sect Master; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be here today.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even though I am now a Nascent Soul and you are still a Golden Core, we are not on the same level anymore, but I will still call you my nephew, hahaha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Dezhu sighed helplessly; he was naturally happy that his uncle could break through to Nascent Soul with the help of the Sect Master, even reaching a second-grade Nascent Soul. However, he still missed Zhao Yishi¡­


    At that time, Chen Qiu had explicitly said no to Foundation Establishment, so he naturally couldn¡¯t blatantly bring Zhao Yishi along.


    It could easily lead to Chen Qiu¡¯s discontent with him.


    He could only stealthily leave the Flying Boat in the sect¡¯s storage and let only Zhao Yishi see where he had hidden it, hoping that Zhao Yishi would come on his own. Fortunately, Zhao Yishi didn¡¯t cause any trouble and managed to pilot the Flying Boat to Fan Zhou all by himself.


    But the problem was¡­ Brother Qiu did not accept it.


    There really wasn¡¯t anything he could do about that.


    If he were in Chen Qiu¡¯s shoes, he would not accept it either; going to Xuantian Continent was clearly a place requiring one to risk their life. A disciple in the later stages of Foundation Establishment required a lot of resources to cultivate, and even if cultivated, they couldn¡¯t form combat power in a short time, especially since he preferred to avoid battles, which was even more useless.


    But he always felt Zhao Yishi was different from others.


    Anyway.


    Zhao Dezhu shook his head, not wanting to dwell on these thoughts, but silently encouraged himself. He also needed to quickly advance his Cultivation to the Golden Core Peak of Great Perfection and then break through to the Nascent Soul.


    Glancing at his uncle next to him, still in an excited state, pondering how to control his Nascent Soul for Divine Travel, he could only shake his head and sigh again.


    His uncle was really unreliable.


    ¡­


    It was early morning.


    In Quzhou, at the foot of the Boundless Snow Mountain, Chen Qiu and Fat Long, along with several others, reappeared in ¡°Deadly Town¡±, the place where he had arrived in Xuantian Continent.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Standing at the entrance of Deadly Town, Chen Qiu looked down at the map in his hand, then raised his head to gaze at the boundless snow mountains next to him. These mountains stretched tens of thousands of miles across, literally spanning ¡°Quzhou¡± and ¡°Jing State¡± across two states.


    Quzhou is the Ninth State within the Lower Nine States.


    Jing State is the Eighth State within the Lower Nine States.


    The northern part of Quzhou is adjacent to the southern part of the Eighth State.


    The First State among the Lower Nine States is close to the Center State.


    The map of the entire Xuantian Continent is structured like a flat layered cake.


    To the south of Quzhou lies the Boundless Snow Mountain, where some of the ridges are lower and people can circumvent the Boundless Snow Mountain to reach the deepest parts of the south of Quzhou. Some hunters sometimes await the slightly warmer summer to go hunting there.


    And the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm he was heading to, ¡°Heaven Extension 49¡±, has its entrance located on the westernmost edge of the south of Quzhou, almost leaving Quzhou.


    He had to pass through ¡°Deadly Town¡±.


    In Xuantian Continent, aside from the Upper Nine States, Lower Nine States, and Center State, there are many other scattered continental plates and islands. However, these territories are often inhabited not by the Human Race but by the Devil Clan, Evil Clan, Demon Race, and other races.


    In Xuantian, the Human Race is the most powerful race.


    The place he was going to was near the ¡°Evil Clan¡±.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu pondered, maybe he could even encounter some old acquaintances. After all, the Evil Clan had sent quite a number of people to invade Da Xia last time. If he encountered the Evil Clansmen, he might as well inquire how they had invaded Da Xia that day.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Immortal, save me, save me!¡±


    Suddenly, a middle-aged man covered in blood staggered towards him, his eyes brimming with hope and his voice trembling with a crying tone, ¡°Immortal, I beg you, save my wife and children, save my entire family!¡±

 Chapter 363 - 160:

    Chapter 363: Chapter 160: ¡°This is definitely releasing the tiger back to the mountain!¡±_4


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu tilted his head towards the middle-aged man running toward him, his brows slightly furrowed. He remembered this man, the one who had dug him out of the snow and had left fifty low-grade Spirit Stones as a token of his gratitude before leaving.


    He didn¡¯t think too much about it at the moment.


    His Divine Sense encompassed the entirety of Desperate Town, immediately sensing a chaotic area. With just a wave of his hand, Spiritual Energy enveloped the bearded middle-aged man, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared inside a stone house.


    This room was the very one he had lain in before.


    At this moment, a slightly overweight middle-aged woman was almost beaten to death, curled up in the corner trembling like a sieve. Inside the house, seven or eight young, sturdy men, also covered in wounds, lay in another corner, barely breathing more than they were exhaling.


    ...


    ¡°Speak! Where are the rest of your Spirit Stones?!¡±


    Outside the stone house, standing were some ten menacing strong men wielding sharp blades. One bald, burly man, currently holding a long sword at the doorway, sneered word by word, ¡°I know you have more Spirit Stones. I¡¯m only after wealth, not your lives.¡±


    ¡°Tell me where the Spirit Stones came from. It¡¯s a simple matter, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°After all, you ¡®Changbai Mountain Team¡¯ are said to be the strongest hunters around here, you shouldn¡¯t mind this small amount of Spirit Stones. As long as you survive, you can quickly earn them back, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Your captain has already been beaten half to death and thrown outside the town. With this weather, if you don¡¯t save him, he won¡¯t last an hour. Choose between the Spirit Stones and your captain¡¯s life!¡±


    Just then¡ª


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    Chen Qiu, tired of the nonsense, let his aura of Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation envelop them. Instantly, all the previously menacing strong men outside were overwhelmed, pressed to the ground in fear, unable to move their bodies at all.


    For a Golden Core Peak to kill a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was truly no different than stepping on an ant.


    ¡°Imm¡­ Immortal.¡±


    Apparently, the leading bald burly man was slightly stronger than the rest. He looked up at Chen Qiu coming towards him with terror-filled eyes, his voice trembling word by word, ¡°Randomly slaughtering mortals¡­ incurs divine retribution¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu glanced at the burly man, uninterested in responding. He pulled out several Healing Pills from his robe and flicked them into the mouths of the injured inside the house, then turned his head to the man who had once dug him out from Snow Mountain and frowned, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The bearded man, his eyes red and bloodshot, hoarsely said, ¡°That day, Immortal, you left me fifty low-grade Spirit Stones and left. I took the Spirit Stones home. My wife has always disagreed with my acts of kindness, saying good deeds never pay off.¡±


    ¡°But seeing me with the fifty Spirit Stones, she got excited too, finally accepted it, thinking that there are indeed rewards for good deeds.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°We then took out twenty Spirit Stones as funding, specifically to treat hunters wounded on Snow Mountain for free. This group was saved by us from Snow Mountain, and upon knowing that we were treating them for free, and that we were just ordinary hunters, they assumed we had a large stash of Spirit Stones. No matter how we explained, they wouldn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked disapprovingly at the seven or eight strong men from ¡®Changbai Mountain Team¡¯ inside the stone house, ¡°Aren¡¯t there also seven or eight of you? These people haven¡¯t fully recovered from their injuries yet, and their Cultivation is roughly the same. It¡¯s not like seven or eight of you fighting more than a dozen people is completely hopeless, right?¡±


    ¡°Why were you beaten like this?¡±


    The bald man shook his head bitterly, ¡°Hunters kill demon beasts, not people. At first, we didn¡¯t want to kill anyone. Everyone¡¯s struggle is hard, we just wanted to talk it out, but¡­ they suddenly attacked when we weren¡¯t paying attention, and we lost.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, then turned around and dropped another two hundred Spirit Stones for the man, whispering, ¡°Unless something unexpected happens, I will not pass by Desperate Town again within my lifetime. Don¡¯t expect an Immortal to fall from the sky again.¡±


    ¡°With these two hundred Spirit Stones, our karmic ties are now settled.¡±


    ¡°You deal with these people yourself.¡±


    After saying this, Chen Qiu turned and left with Fat Long and others. Being too soft-hearted on Xuantian Continent means not surviving; if you don¡¯t die today, you probably will tomorrow. All he could do was this much.


    A Buddha heart and lightning methods, one cannot exist without the other.


    Only then did he have the qualification to do good deeds.


    ¡­


    After Chen Qiu and his companions had left, those ferocious and strong men were now severely injured by Chen Qiu¡¯s might, lying on the ground continuously moaning in pain. Meanwhile, several members of the Changbai Mountain Team angrily grabbed their long knives and were about to kill everyone outside.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    At that moment, the bearded man suddenly spoke up with a complex expression, ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly. After all, no one on our side has died. They tried to kill us because they harbored evil thoughts. If we kill them too, how are we any different from them?¡±


    ¡°Let them go.¡±


    ¡°Get lost, and never come back to Desperate Town again!¡±


    The Changbai Mountain Team members, ready to strike, were stunned into disbelief, ¡°Boss, letting them go like this, they¡¯ll surely come back once they¡¯ve recovered!¡±


    ¡°This is surely releasing a tiger back into the forest!¡±


    ¡°Let it be.¡±


    The bearded man shook his head, his pupils revealing a trace of struggle as he rasped, ¡°We all have it tough, they resorted to robbing us because they had no other choice, and they also have families to feed.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­thank you¡­¡±


    The bald strong man on the ground, severely injured and struggling to stand up with the help of his brothers, looked towards the bearded man and trembled, ¡°You are a good person¡­ there will be good karma¡­ We won¡¯t come again.¡±


    But deep in his eyes, a hint of resentment flashed.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that the Immortal would always be there to protect him.


    Only then did this group staggeringly walk towards the outskirts of the town.


    However¡ª


    Not long after they departed, an overwhelming surge of Spiritual Energy enveloped them all, and as the Spiritual Energy tightened, these men all turned into a mist of blood floating mid-air.


    The one who made the move was naturally Chen Qiu.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu stood expressionlessly on the Snow Mountain looking towards Desperate Town, silent and saying nothing.


    The bearded man had dug him out from the Snow Mountain and used the Spirit Stones he had left behind to aid other injured hunters. Up to this point, there were no issues; the world had both good and bad people.


    Some people like to do good deeds.


    They like the feeling of helping others, liking the sensation that others improve because of them¡ªthat¡¯s quite normal.


    But¡ª


    This bearded man, who had these criminals that had beaten, kicked, and verbally abused his own wife and brothers and had nearly killed him, could still spare their lives.


    That was not normal.


    This was no longer the thinking of a normal person, even someone very compassionate wouldn¡¯t simply let these people go.


    It¡¯s not something that can be summed up simply by the term ¡°kind-hearted.¡±

 Chapter 364 - 161:

    Chapter 364: Chapter 161: ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.


    ¡°`


    People who let go of the killers of their fathers are even more terrifying than those who practice Evil Cultivation or Demon Cultivation.


    Although practitioners of Evil Cultivation and Demon Cultivation are ruthless, they do have a reason for their actions, and you know that they do it to elevate their own Cultivation.


    But it¡¯s terrifying for those who let go of their fathers¡¯ killers, as you can¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on inside their hearts.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu gave the bearded man only a fleeting glance before flicking his forefinger, sending a Gu Worm remotely into the body of that middle-aged man in Jue Ming Town, a little toy he had collected over the years.


    ...


    It could track the host and determine whether they are alive or dead.


    Foundation Establishment Cultivators could not detect it at all.


    He felt that this middle-aged man was a bit too abnormal. If someone suddenly starts a massacre without reason, it means they are possessed by an ¡°Evil Demon,¡± but if a person inexplicably devotes themselves to goodness, that also means they are possessed by an ¡°Evil Demon.¡±


    Everyone has a reason for doing good deeds.


    Whether it¡¯s out of compassion for others, for self-improvement, atonement for sins, or for merit collection, among other reasons.


    But this kind of reasonless goodness,


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    in a certain sense,


    is no different from evil.


    ¡­


    ¡°There really are saints in this world.¡±


    Fat Long said with a sigh, clicking his tongue, ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s quite scary to be a subordinate to such a person. No one knows when they might be killed by their own boss. Those little brothers are quite pitiable.¡±


    ¡°Saint?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and whispered, ¡°I fear not. This person is peculiar, not simply good, but more like their goodness has been influenced. ¡±


    ¡°But the karma is settled.¡±


    ¡°It ends here. Whatever path he takes from now on, it has nothing to do with me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm is about to open.¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As his voice fell,


    the group transformed into a streak of light and shot across the Boundless Snow Mountain toward the westernmost part of Quzhou Snow Mountain. They were rushing for time, so they chose to travel on the scholar¡¯s Flying Sword instead of a Flying Boat because under these circumstances, the speed of the Flying Sword surpasses that of the Flying Boat.


    The Flying Boat simply can¡¯t compare with the scholar¡¯s.


    The best artifact for travel, bar none.


    ¡­


    They traveled for an entire day.


    When night fell, they finally arrived at the westernmost border of Quzhou. There was only an hour left until the opening of the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, which would open at midnight.


    This was a wasteland.


    But at this time, it was crowded with a large number of people and seemed quite lively, with tens of thousands present.


    Among the crowd, he saw many familiar faces.


    Such as the Su Family Young Master, and the Su Family Patriarch who was at the Divinity Transformation Stage, and some of the Heavenly Pride he had met at the Su Family. However, their faces were quite dark now, and they didn¡¯t look too good. One could also glimpse the anger flashing in their pupils.


    Chen Qiu and Fat Long made their way forward through the crowd to the very front, where they saw tens of thousands of the Evil Clan standing opposite.


    They were the same as those invading the Da Xia Country.


    Standing on the Boundless Icefield, Chen Qiu furrowed his brows as he gazed into the distance at the approximately one hundred thousand members of the Evil Clan, choosing not to speak. The frown was mainly due to the fact that these creatures of the Evil Clan had human-like, yet non-human forms.


    They had human hands and feet¡­ and nine pairs of eyes.


    The upper bodies were naked, with neatly embedded eight pairs of eyes on the belly.


    The head had no skin at all; the scalp looked as if it had been forcefully torn off.


    Without a skull, the brain was exposed to the air, its surface covered in a thin film that secured the brain, preventing it from spilling out during their jumping and bouncing.


    In this army of one hundred thousand of the Evil Clan, there were shockingly three individuals at the Divinity Transformation Stage, who stood expressionless high in the sky, with their terrifying Cultivation unreservedly revealed.


    And among the rest of the Evil Clan, Golden Cores were everywhere, with the occasional Nascent Soul among them.


    Their lineup was formidable indeed.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brow knitted slightly, a hint of retreat rising in his heart. He knew he had no chance against Divinity Transformation stage opponents and even had to use his trump card for a sneak attack on late-stage Nascent Souls, with no guarantee of success. Early-stage Nascent Souls, however, were no challenge to him.


    It seemed he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    The yet-to-be-opened entrance was right behind the Evil Clan; clearly, they did not intend to let the Quzhou Cultivators into the Secret Realm.


    No matter.


    Just a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Although it meant a wasted trip, opportunities were plentiful; no need to lose his life over it.


    On their side, he had just glanced over and saw only one Divinity Transformation stage individual from the Su Family; across, there were three. The high-end combat power was not on the same level.


    Just then¡ª


    He sensed a Divine Sense touching him and instinctively tensed his body and glanced toward the source, seeing the Su Family Patriarch gesturing towards him, signaling him to come over from the front of the crowd.


    After a moment of silence, Chen Qiu, with Fat Long and his group, walked towards the Su Family Patriarch.


    ¡­


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come. I always thought you weren¡¯t a Quzhou Cultivator and wouldn¡¯t care too much about Quzhou. I didn¡¯t expect your sense of honor for Quzhou to be so strong¡­¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch looked at Chen Qiu with a flash of appreciation in his eyes, but then he sighed lightly, ¡°Responsible.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, momentarily not understanding the meaning, and he shook his head with neither servility nor overbearingness, ¡°Su Family Master, I don¡¯t understand what you mean. I simply heard about the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and came to see if I could find some fortune.¡±


    He had considerable respect for the Su Family Patriarch.


    Whether it was due to the Cultivation or because he had acquired a Divinity Transformation Body from the Su Family, he felt considerable respect for the Su Family Master.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 365 - 161:

    Chapter 365: Chapter 161: ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.¡±_2


    It seemed, however, that the situation had undergone some changes.


    The Su Family Patriarch glanced at Chen Qiu, noting his genuinely sincere expression that didn¡¯t seem deceitful, paused for a moment, and then softly explained, ¡°West of Quzhou borders ¡®Evil State,¡¯ which is not one of the nineteen states of the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small place.¡±


    ¡°It borders the sea, and one-third of its territory comprises such islands. The Evil State possesses over three thousand islands distributed along the western coastal borders of Evil State, while the eastern part of Evil State borders the western part of Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°The bordering areas often experience friction; over the years, the Evil Clan and Quzhou Cultivators have long engaged in killings, forming deep-seated enmities. The pattern had always been maintained thus¡ªEvil State¡¯s overall strength is inferior to that of Quzhou, so they dare not do anything to Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°But just a few months ago, a Nascent Soul peak from the Evil Clan suddenly advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage!¡±


    ...


    ¡°The situation changed abruptly.¡±


    ¡°Quzhou has only three Divinity Transformation Experts, while the Evil Clan now has four. Their high-end combat power has overwhelmed Quzhou. Hence, in the past few months, the Evil State has continuously provoked Quzhou, attempting to start a major conflict between the two states.¡±


    ¡°In order to take over Quzhou¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°Like now, the Evil Clan has forcefully occupied a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm that appeared within Quzhou¡¯s territory and are arrogantly demanding Quzhou to send a Golden Core Heavenly Pride to battle them. If we win, they will allow Quzhou Cultivators to also enter this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°Quzhou¡¯s Golden Core Heavenly Pride was defeated; the Evil Clan brought forth a Heavenly Pride, very strong.¡±


    ¡°I thought you came here to join the battle.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the Su Family Young Master said helplessly and bitterly from the side, ¡°I was defeated the fastest, that Heavenly Pride from the Evil Clan was quite formidable, I couldn¡¯t match him, not even Li Shiyi¡­¡±


    Just then, he suddenly remembered that Li Shiyi and Chen Qiu seemed to have some old grudges and instantly stopped talking.


    Li Shiyi.


    He is acknowledged as the strongest Heavenly Pride in Quzhou, unmatched in both talent and effort among all the Heavenly Prides!


    If it weren¡¯t for some accidents.


    In the initial screening realm of the Heavenly Pride path, he could even have captured the second or even first place.


    But¡­ even Li Shiyi was defeated.


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    At that moment¡ª


    Li Shiyi, who had been standing to the side with a sword in his arms and blood at the corner of his mouth circulating his mental method, suddenly opened his eyes, but he did not look towards Chen Qiu, instead, he coldly spoke word by word to a distant member of the Evil Clan.


    ¡°Do you remember me, Li Shiyi, True Disciple of the Tao Sword Sect!¡±


    ¡°You once called me an ant during the initial screening of the Heavenly Pride path and said that you saw the end of this generation¡¯s Heavenly Prides in me.¡±


    ¡°Although I hate to admit it, but after watching the Memory Stone given to me last time by Su Ya, which showed you clearing the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm, your combat power indeed was very strong, far surpassing me.¡±


    ¡°We do have some old scores between us.¡±


    ¡°But if today you defeat that Evil Clan¡¯s Heavenly Pride, I will consider our past grievances settled, though I know this might not concern you since before you arrived, I had been number one for a long time, and I understand a number one never cares who number two is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are from the Central State, but¡­ I still hope, since you are here in Quzhou, could you perhaps fight for Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°Consider it my request.¡±


    ¡°Not a bit.¡± Chen Qiu glanced at Li Shiyi and shook his head, ¡°The Evil Clan has three Divinity Transformation strong ones, we only have the Su Family Patriarch alone; even if I win, those three Evildoers would definitely take action, we can¡¯t hold them off.¡±


    He remembered Li Shiyi.


    Just not to meet again like this.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch, with a look of complexity, nodded and then continued softly, ¡°Actually, the situation is more dangerous than you all imagine. Currently, in Quzhou, I¡¯m the only one in Divinity Transformation. Our other two Divinity Transformation practitioners were gravely injured a few months ago when entering a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and are still recovering with almost no fighting capacity.¡±


    ¡°This news is top secret, and Evil State is unaware.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°But just over ten days ago, cultivators from Evil State killed a True Disciple of ¡®Qi Sect¡¯ at the frictional zone, a power in Quzhou guarded by one of the few Divinity Transformation Experts.¡±


    ¡°Evil State was already prepared to be retaliated against, but these days, ¡®Qi Sect¡¯ has shown no response.¡±


    ¡°Thus, Evil State speculated whether something happened to the old ancestor of Qi Sect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why they took this opportunity with the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm to provoke us.¡±


    ¡°If we show weakness now, then a part of the core strong ones from Evil State will not hold back any longer but will directly advance, their true target being not this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, but Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now that I¡¯m here, they dare not act rashly, only continuing to arrogantly challenge Quzhou to send out a Heavenly Pride for battle.¡±


    ¡°I alone cannot match their three, but if truly pressed, I can exchange one for one; they also dare not come forward and fight me to death.¡±


    ¡°The remaining Divinity Transformation from the Evil Clan is likely hiding among the crowd, waiting for us to show a slight weakness; then the Evil Clan will no longer hold back but will charge straight in.¡±


    ¡°If we can win this round, it could boost Quzhou¡¯s morale and suppress the Evil Clan¡¯s spirit.¡±


    ¡°If you are confident in winning, don¡¯t worry about what comes after; I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch took a deep breath, then turned his head to look seriously at Chen Qiu, ¡°And if possible, try to win as cleanly and decisively as possible, pressing down the Evil Clan¡¯s momentum completely; the Evil Clan¡¯s Heavenly Pride has already won seven consecutive fights, and their morale is currently high.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t suppress this momentum, the Evil Clan might directly take advantage of this morale to assemble their entire army to advance.¡±

 Chapter 366 - 161:

    Chapter 366: Chapter 161: ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.¡±_3


    ¡°When the time comes¡­¡±


    ¡°Quzhou will be in danger!¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu stood expressionlessly, silently not speaking. As a Golden Core Talent, he naturally had the confidence to win, but the presence of those three Evil Clan Divinity Transformation experts made him somewhat reluctant to get involved.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ...


    A Talent of the Evil Clan stood brazenly between both groups, his face full of arrogant mockery, ¡°I heard that a Talent of Magic Practitioner recently emerged from Quzhou with a merit value of 9.8 billion? Where is he hiding? Come out and show yourself!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know you can¡¯t beat my brother, but you can still try to compete with me. I¡¯m merely the ninth strongest Talent of the Evil Clan; you should be able to handle it, right?¡±


    ¡°Or are you saying you didn¡¯t dare to come at all?¡±


    The words fell.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    Over a hundred thousand members of the Evil Clan also burst out laughing in unison. Their Talent had defeated seven Talents from Quzhou and their morale was extremely high, each one of them rubbing their hands together, eager to charge into Quzhou.


    The three Divinity Transformation experts of the Evil Clan standing at the forefront were also exchanging glances.


    After such provocation, and the other side still enduring, perhaps the other two Divinity Transformation Experts from Quzhou had really died or were severely injured and recuperating?


    They had already spent a significant sum to lure some Quzhou Cultivators over, to find out the precise situation of those two Divinity Transformation experts from Quzhou.


    Once it is confirmed that Quzhou currently had only the Su Family Master as a Divinity Transformation expert,


    There would be no hesitation, and they would immediately press the attack!


    ¡­


    ¡°Make your move.¡±


    The Su Family Young Master looked at Chen Qiu with a complex expression, ¡°All of Quzhou¡¯s Talents have tried and none could match that Talent from Quzhou. You are the only one who has a chance. If you can defeat that Talent of the Evil Clan, you¡¯ll indirectly save the lives of hundreds of millions of Quzhou people.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡± Even Li Shiyi, who was standing nearby embracing his sword, turned his head towards Chen Qiu with reddened eyes and bloodshot, speaking word by word, ¡°That Talent of the Evil Clan was originally my rival in the initial selection of the Secret Realm, but it was said his Heavenly Pride Order got lost and he didn¡¯t enter the initial selection, thus missing the path of the Heavenly Pride.¡±


    ¡°Whatever our past grievances may have been, today I¡¯m asking you for a favor, to wipe out the evil aura of that Talent of the Evil Clan!¡±


    Fat Long just shrugged and said nothing; he probably knew what Brother Qiu was considering. It definitely wasn¡¯t that Brother Qiu was scared of not being able to defeat that Talent of the Evil Clan, but rather that he felt this place was obviously dangerous. After all, with those three Evil Clan Divinity Transformations standing there, getting involved would be troublesome.


    Meanwhile,


    The other Talents continued to brazenly mock, while the Quzhou Cultivators, in stark contrast, stood silently in their spot with gloomy expressions, the atmospheres of the two sides completely different. It was unclear who started it,


    but the Talent from the Evil Clan began to specifically target Chen Qiu, provoking him furiously.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s that Chen Qiu, is he hiding somewhere? Can you please tell him to hurry over and meet his demise!¡±


    ¡°I get it, you¡¯re deliberately keeping Chen Qiu out of the fight, then later you can say that it wasn¡¯t that Quzhou lacked a Talent who could not match the Talent of the Evil Clan, but simply that Chen Qiu disdained to take the field, right?¡±


    ¡°What a joke!¡±


    ¡­


    Standing on the spot, Chen Qiu, seeing the earnest gaze from the Su Family Patriarch, shook his head and spoke no further, just opened his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and walked out from the group of Quzhou Cultivators, heading towards the Evil Cultivator standing between the two factions. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had taken the Divinity Transformation Body of the Su Family Master, so it would be somewhat indefensible to turn a blind eye now.


    Although he was reluctant to be involved in this chaos, now that he had made his move, no one could equal him.


    It was nightfall at that time.


    Just as those from the Evil Clan wondered why he would open an umbrella when it wasn¡¯t raining, Chen Qiu took his first step and spiritual energy surged wildly from within him. Instantly, the entire sky was cloaked in dark clouds, and a storm abruptly howled to a stop!


    The rain pounded furiously on everyone.


    A bead containing tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons slowly revolved around him, appearing harmless yet carrying an immensely explosive force within each bead.


    In the midst of the storm,


    Chen Qiu¡¯s Dantian released his Golden Core which appeared outside his body and shot towards the provoking Talent of the Evil Clan standing in the middle of the two groups. It easily pierced through his Dantian, causing the Talent¡¯s Golden Core to shatter instantly.


    With just this casual strike,


    the provoking Talent of the Evil Clan instantly perished.


    This ninth Talent of the Evil Clan, his pupils revealing disbelief, stumbled, standing in place. He painfully lowered his head to look at the terrifying penetrating wound on his abdomen, lifted his head to look at Chen Qiu with trembling lips, and before he could say anything,


    his eyes began rapidly to scatter, and his body uncontrollably fell backwards, heavily crashing into the rain.


    The blood flow dissipated quickly in the storm.


    For a Golden Core cultivator, when the core is shattered, death follows.


    But if the Golden Core shatters too quickly, the person still retains a flicker of consciousness, though it is only fleeting.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The body of the ninth Talent of the Evil Clan heavily hit the wet ground, splashing up a burst of water.


    ¡­


    At this moment,


    Chen Qiu stood with steady steps, stopping in his tracks and raising the rim of his umbrella, his expression showing no disturbance from having instantly killed the ninth Talent of the Evil Clan, letting his black robe rustle in the storm.


    He calmly looked towards the distant group of Evil Clan cultivators, his voice clear amidst the raging storm, resounding in everyone¡¯s ears,


    ¡°Let me introduce myself, Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°I heard you were looking for me.¡±


    ¡°I am here.¡±


    At this moment, everyone was somewhat slow to react, including Quzhou Cultivators and the Evil Clan. Most eyes were stunned as they beheld the scene before them, with many internally acknowledging that the ninth Talent of the Evil Clan was certainly no match for Chen Qiu.

 Chapter 367 - 161:

    Chapter 367: Chapter 161: ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.¡±_4


    But¡­ sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That was too easy of a death!


    Just then!


    ¡°Die!!¡±


    Suddenly, an Evil Clan Heavenly Pride wielding dual axes roared and shot toward Chen Qiu with such speed that the naked eye couldn¡¯t capture it. In the blink of an eye, the axes heavily smashed onto Chen Qiu¡¯s umbrella.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ...


    The strike emitted a deafening crash.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu remained completely motionless, not even a ripple stirring the edges of his garments. He glanced at the Evil Clan Heavenly Pride who slammed the dual axes onto his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and sighed softly.


    A streak of golden light flashed again.


    The formerly furious pupils of that Evil Clan Heavenly Pride began to rapidly dissipate, and unbeknownst to him, his Golden Core had shattered. Chen Qiu gently pushed the Heavenly Pride, whose body then heavily fell into a pool of blood.


    Dead beyond doubt.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    Still, it was a killing blow.


    The power of the twelfth grade Golden Core was terrifying indeed!


    In this world, no one¡¯s Golden Core could withstand his full-powered blow.


    Even among those with twelfth grade Golden Cores, those whose Cultivation was not as profound as his could not withstand it. His was a twelfth grade Golden Core and also of Golden Core Perfect Cultivation, making his Golden Core the strongest among all without exception.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Chen Qiu, leaning on his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stood amidst the storm and coolly looked at the nearby Evil Clan, his voice again plainly resounding by everyone¡¯s ear, ¡°Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be a formidable Heavenly Pride among the Evil Clan? Hiding now?¡±


    ¡°Stop sending more. If you really can¡¯t manage, just come at me all at once.¡±


    ¡°Waste of time.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu, kill the hell out of them!!!¡±


    ¡°Stomp those damned Evil Clan Heavenly Pride heads hard into the ground!¡±


    At this moment, the morale of the Quzhou Cultivators surged again after Chen Qiu instantly killed two Evil Clan Heavenly Prides, each face expressing that rush of excitement and fierceness!


    The most excited of all was the Su Family Young Master. At that moment, veins popping on his neck, he clenched his fists and roared, ¡°Show those damned Evil Clan Heavenly Prides what true Heavenly Pride is!¡±


    ¡°A bunch of jumping clowns!¡±


    Fat Long, also cheering for Brother Qiu, glanced slightly bewildered at the Su Family Young Master beside him. He remembered Brother Qiu didn¡¯t have much interaction with this Su Family Young Master. How could he be even more excited than himself?


    That exaggerated?


    Li Shiyi, at this moment, silently looked at Chen Qiu¡¯s back, clenching his jaw, his eyes full of helplessness and admiration.


    It was undeniable that, despite both reaching Golden Core Perfection, Chen Qiu¡¯s strength was far superior!


    No wonder Chen Qiu could declare that he saw the end path of the contemporary Heavenly Prides in them. Compared to Chen Qiu, they really weren¡¯t much of Heavenly Prides.


    Even the Su Family Patriarch, a Divinity Transformation powerhouse, couldn¡¯t help but allow a trace of satisfaction to flash through his eyes as he watched Chen Qiu¡¯s silhouette.


    He saw in Chen Qiu a demeanor he had never possessed in his youth.


    During his time as a Golden Core, he was never the strongest among the Heavenly Prides; he was just moderately above mediocrity, with a rather mundane personality and everything about him was average. He had been average from the day he was born, yet despite this mediocrity, he ascended to Divinity Transformation.


    Meanwhile, most of those Golden Core Heavenly Prides from his youth had yet to reach Divinity Transformation.


    In his youth, he never dared to be as brazen as Chen Qiu because he knew there were definitely stronger people in this world. He feared the humiliation that came with being publicly shamed, precisely because he feared losing face.


    Thus, he had never been like Chen Qiu¡ª


    Standing alone before a hundred thousand Evil Clans, brazenly challenging three revered Divinity Transformation powerhouses.


    So audacious!


    He had never been audacious!


    But he liked audacious people.

 Chapter 368 - 162:

    Chapter 368: Chapter 162: ¡°Life is Cheap; Can¡¯t Kneel Down.


    Standing at the forefront of the Quzhou Cultivators, the Su Family Patriarch gazed into the storm, watching the silhouette of Chen Qiu holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his expression becoming trance-like as his thoughts started to drift.


    In his entire life, he had never been so unrestrained.


    Every person has their moment in the spotlight, but his life never had one.


    He cultivated step by step, broke through level by level, and like this, he reached Divinity Transformation without any fanfare.


    During Foundation Establishment, he thought he would go wild after his Cultivation reached the Golden Core stage.


    During the Golden Core stage, he thought he would go wild after his Cultivation reached the Nascent Soul stage.


    ...


    During the Nascent Soul stage, he thought, well, let¡¯s wait until the Cultivation reaches Divinity Transformation to go wild.


    It was not easy to finally reach Divinity Transformation.


    He was old, and without the spirit of his youth, he couldn¡¯t be wild anymore.


    He didn¡¯t even know who to be wild towards; being wild towards the younger generation would be bullying them and would lead to ridicule from others, and he couldn¡¯t bring himself to act wildly towards other cultivators of the Divinity Transformation level. So, from his youth, he thought: when I reach a higher Cultivation in the future, I must have a wild spree.


    Yet, until he reached Divinity Transformation, his life had always been quiet.


    He looked at Chen Qiu amidst the stormy winds, the flapping of his black robe, and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of boldness surge into his heart, making him almost uncontrollably shout with a trembling voice!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Chen Qiu, kill the bastards!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got your back, who dares to touch you!¡±


    This was the first time in his life he had said something so arrogant, his voice trembled uncontrollably. He subconsciously swept his Divine Sense over everyone, seeing no one with an odd expression. On the contrary, it seemed like they were infected by his fervor, shouting even more excitedly.


    He felt as if a string in his soul was trembling violently.


    Even the three Divinity Transformation strong members of the Evil Clan just stood under the rain with grim expressions, with nobody offering any retort.


    It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized.


    He had the right to be wild all along!


    The man broke into uncontrollable laughter, then took a deep breath, and his voice thundered in everyone¡¯s ears without a trace of trembling¡ªfilled with utter confidence and wildness!


    ¡°Chen Qiu, do it for me, kill the bastards!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m covering you!¡±


    ¡°Who in Quzhou can stand against me, Su Tianshan!¡±


    Afterward, he felt that the long-standing frustration in his heart suddenly dissipated on the spot; he had wanted to say these words for a long time, since the time he was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and as he continued his Cultivation to Divinity Transformation, he became more and more composed.


    The more composed he became, the more suppressed he felt.


    When he was still a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and he and the family¡¯s cultivators were down in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, mocked by a member of the main family branch, he just endured it.


    For the harmony of the family, he chose to compromise and was praised by the elders of his family for understanding the bigger picture.


    Later on, as his Cultivation level increased, he still endured in secret. The wildness he had thought of for a lifetime¡­ at this moment, it all unleashed!


    He wanted to be like Chen Qiu!


    Not caring about a deluge after death, as long as he was alive, no one could make him unhappy!


    ¡°To hell with them!!¡±


    The Su Family Young Master standing beside Su Tianshan was somewhat confused and turned to look at his father; he had never seen this side of his father before. Since he was born, his father had always been known for his composure.


    He heard that in his youth, even when his father had already won, he would not utter harsh words but instead help the opponent up and say it was a lucky victory.


    When¡­


    Had he ever had such a side. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    ¡°Looking for death!!¡±


    The Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan were also persuadable; after Chen Qiu uttered that challenge to come at him together, they really didn¡¯t hesitate, as dozens of them, with ferocious expressions, armed with swords, rushed towards Chen Qiu!


    They were not yet close.


    But numerous Daoist Skills had already engulfed Chen Qiu!


    Chen Qiu stood there calmly, without even the intent to move. These Heavenly Prides of the Evil Clan were too weak compared to the Nascent Soul; he had killed Nascent Souls after all, not to mention these so-called Golden Core Prides.


    However, there was a Spell amongst them whose strength was already at the level of a Nascent Soul.


    Perhaps that was the so-called strongest Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan.


    But that was all.


    Even with the strength of a Nascent Soul, it was just so-so.


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    In the deafening thunder, countless Thunder Dragons carrying extreme terror engulfed all those Prides, with blue-purple electric arcs continuously flickering in the storm.


    Just with a single strike!


    When the dust settled amidst the storm, the ground had become a deep pit, countless chunks of flesh scattered around, and the dozens of Heavenly Prides who had charged at Chen Qiu were killed instantly by that one strike.


    Only¡­ one Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan was still alive.


    This one was the strongest Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan.


    At this moment, even this strongest Heavenly Pride was barely alive, his body covered in harrowing wounds, his brains flung out, half of his head blown off, his eyes nowhere to be seen, only his lips quivering in terror as he said.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t¡­ kill¡­ me¡­¡±


    And Chen Qiu.


    Was simply holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella with one hand, letting the storm hit him, and calmly raised his foot to step on the remaining half of the head of this strongest Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan, ready to crush it underfoot.


    But just at this moment¡ª


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Suddenly three extremely terrifying Spiritual Energy palms struck down from the sky, it turned out to be those three Evil Clan Divinity Transformation strong members making their move, ready to obliterate him on the spot!


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    At the same time, Su Tianshan, standing among the Quzhou Cultivators, shouted furiously, unleashing an enormous surge of Spiritual Energy that collided with the attacks of the three Evil Clan Divinity Transformation members!


    But¡­


    After all, it was one against three.


    And with that leftover Spiritual Energy blasting directly at Chen Qiu¡¯s body, he had no time to react before the attack struck.

 Chapter 369 - 162:

    Chapter 369: Chapter 162: ¡°Life is Cheap, Can¡¯t Kneel Down.¡± _2


    The power of the Divinity Transformation Expert¡¯s spiritual energy contained within, directly smashed Chen Qiu into the bottom of a deep pit, out of sight; even a mere trace of a Divinity Transformation Expert¡¯s attack was not something a Golden Core Heavenly Pride could withstand. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    Fear flashed in Fat Long¡¯s eyes, and he immediately prepared to rush over, only to see the scholar had already dashed over faster, and in just a moment, he reappeared beside him with Chen Qiu, who was already at death¡¯s door.


    He had never seen Chen Qiu so severely wounded before.


    His left arm was missing, leaving only a bloody wound where the arm should have been, clearly annihilated in that terrifying strike.


    ...


    His entire body was covered with extremely horrific wounds, with intestines loosely spilling out from his abdomen.


    His eyes tightly shut, he had fallen into a coma and was already in a dying state.


    If not treated immediately, he likely wouldn¡¯t last much longer.


    Although most of the attack had been blocked by Su Tianshan, it was still a Divinity Transformation Expert surpassing two Great Realms, and just some residual waves had completely shattered Chen Qiu¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi; the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella was also missing half and was damaged.


    ¡°Scholar, leave quickly.¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s voice even mixed with a sob, as he anxiously said to the scholar, ¡°Hurry, find a place to heal Brother Qiu, otherwise Brother Qiu will die.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    He could feel that Brother Qiu¡¯s pulse was already very weak.


    He had never seen Brother Qiu suffer such heavy injuries.


    At the time, Brother Qiu had not wanted to get involved, but the Su Family Patriarch insisted on having Brother Qiu intervene; obliged by having accepted a Divinity Transformation Body from the Su Family, he complied.


    And at that moment¡ª


    The Su Family Patriarch returned, his face looking awful, and landed beside Fat Long and the others, quickly pulling out a pill from his chest, shaking his head, ¡°He can¡¯t be moved, Chen Qiu is too severely injured now, if you leave, you won¡¯t be able to save him, he will definitely die.¡±


    ¡°This pill is a life-saving pill passed down by our Su Family, no matter the injury, as long as this pill is swallowed, it can save a life, its properties are very mild, even those with lower cultivation can take it.¡±


    When the pill was stuffed into Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth, the wounds on Chen Qiu¡¯s body visibly began to slowly heal, although the severed arm showed no signs of regrowing, his complexion, although still deathly pale, was clearly pulled back from the brink of death.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    A trace of shame flashed across the Su Family Patriarch¡¯s face, ¡°I did my best, but I really couldn¡¯t block those three simultaneous attacks, I didn¡¯t expect the Evil Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformation Experts to strike at the juniors.¡±


    ¡°Had I known, I wouldn¡¯t have let Chen Qiu take part. Take Chen Qiu back to the Su Family, we will definitely find a way to help Chen Qiu regrow an arm.¡±


    Li Shiyi and others standing nearby also looked panicked and at a loss; they had thought this was just a competition among Golden Core Heavenly Prides and never expected a Divinity Transformation Expert to intervene, nor had they expected Chen Qiu to be so gravely injured.


    This Heavenly Pride Battle.


    Chen Qiu indeed won, but¡­ the victory was devastating, losing an arm, basically meaning that his path as a Heavenly Pride was effectively ended, and his combat power was certain to drastically decrease from now on.


    Just then¡ª


    A mocking voice came from the side of the Evil Clan.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t die, too bad.¡±


    One of the Divinity Transformation Experts from the Evil Clan regretfully shook his head: ¡°Such a big fate, he didn¡¯t die. The top Heavenly Pride of Quzhou, seems quite weak.¡±


    In reality, they were also feeling fortunate.


    A moment ago, they had only thought about eliminating this Quzhou Heavenly Pride, whose strength was indeed too formidable and must be nipped in the bud; otherwise, he would become a major threat in the future.


    In the process, they saved their strongest Heavenly Pride, who was bound to break through to Divinity Transformation with their talents, and dying here would be too much of a pity.


    Just like that.


    They had completely forgotten in the moment that Chen Qiu had 9.8 billion merits, and had they really killed Chen Qiu, they also would not have survived, realizing only at the moment of attack and even risking backlash to withdraw some of their spiritual energy.


    Otherwise, with just the three of them striking simultaneously.


    How could Su Tianshan alone, a Divinity Transformation, have stopped them?


    But now, it turned out to be the best result.


    Although Chen Qiu was grievously injured and on the brink of death, his life was still hanging by a thread, but his Golden Core was definitely also left with hidden injuries, and with an arm gone, even if he broke through to Nascent Soul, he would not have the dominating power of today, a generation¡¯s Heavenly Pride had thus fallen.


    Already angry Quzhou Cultivators, upon hearing that an Evil Clan Divinity Transformation Expert had attacked a junior and even ambushed, issuing such provocative remarks, couldn¡¯t help but angrily retort: ¡°It was supposed to be a Heavenly Pride Battle, you as a Divinity Transformation Expert attacked a junior, you¡¯re unworthy of being a Divinity Transformation!¡±


    The Su Family Young Master was even more furious and kept cursing angrily.


    He felt the worst inside.


    It was he who had begged Chen Qiu to partake in the battle, resulting in such injuries to Chen Qiu; even though he had survived, his path as a Heavenly Pride was now ruined. If he hadn¡¯t pleaded with Chen Qiu to participate, perhaps Chen Qiu wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this situation.


    For a moment!


    Numerous Quzhou Cultivators filled with righteous indignation were staring at the Evil Clan Cultivators from afar, cursing angrily, and some even began to fight uncontrollably, but were still restrained by those around them.


    Even though they were very angry, they were clear about one thing, with three Divinity Transformation Experts on the other side, if they really went all out in battle, they all had to die right there.


    ¡­


    ¡°Heh¡­ heh¡­¡±


    At that moment, the strongest Heavenly Pride of the Evil Clan, though he was quite severely injured, had still been saved and, supported by his tribesmen, looked towards the group of Quzhou Cultivators tauntingly, ¡°Can you only attack with these weak words? Where are your swords, do you not dare to come and kill?¡±

 Chapter 370 - 162:

    Chapter 370: Chapter 162: ¡°Life is Cheap; Can¡¯t Kneel Down.¡±_3


    ¡°And that Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡°I hope next time I see you, your arm has grown back, and that ¡®thing¡¯ of yours isn¡¯t broken, lest you can¡¯t even have children.¡±


    The Evil Clan burst into laughter at these words. Although they had lost the Heavenly Pride Battle, it was clear that they held the advantage in terms of high-end strength.


    ¡­


    At that moment¡ª


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu, who had previously had his eyes tightly shut, slowly opened them, pushed away the support of Fat Long and others, and sat there weakly, looking at the injuries on his body. The injuries were indeed severe; he had never experienced such intense pain before.


    He had awakened from unconsciousness due to the pain.


    After he lost consciousness and shut his eyes, the ¡°Heaven¡¯s Deficiency¡± entry activated, intensifying the pain. With the pill barely keeping him breathing, he gradually came to.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯re awake.¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing Chen Qiu awake, Fat Long, with teary eyes, was the first to crowd around him: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Brother Qiu, let¡¯s go home. Once your injuries are healed, we¡¯ll slaughter the entire Evil Clan.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chen¡­ I¡­¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    The Su Family Young Master also came over, speaking in a low, guilt-filled voice: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I never expected things to turn out this way. I didn¡¯t expect those Divinity Transformation experts would actually strike against the younger generation.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and motioned with his hand for them to be quiet, as his head was dizzy, and listening to their chatter was very noisy.


    He checked his injuries.


    His left arm was gone.


    The wound in his abdomen was severe, with quite a bit of intestines spilling out.


    Chen Qiu furrowed his brows, picked up the intestines that had spilled out of his abdomen, stuffed them back into his stomach, then took out a ¡®Heavenly Fire Skill¡¯ Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll from his storage ring, and crushed it to mastery on the spot.


    With one hand, he grabbed the nearly bisected wound on his abdomen, activated the Heavenly Fire Skill, and flames surged out with a sizzling sound, releasing the scent of burning flesh, stopping the bleeding and searing the wound shut.


    He then used the Heavenly Fire Skill on each of his wounds and used Spiritual Energy to seal off the bleeding spots.


    Only then did he look down at the damaged Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in his arms. After a moment of silence, he pushed away Fat Long and the others who tried to help him up, and stood up unsteadily on his own using the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    The bones in his legs had pierced through, causing him severe pain and making it difficult for him to stand.


    Yet he stood still and slowly straightened up, gazing at the distant Evil Clan cultivators who continued to mock him. He laughed lightly, then, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, he stumbled forward.


    Although Li Shiyi and others didn¡¯t know what Chen Qiu was planning, they were frightened by his method of treating his wounds and instinctively stepped aside, giving Chen Qiu ample space.


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    The moment Fat Long realized what Brother Qiu was about to do, terror flashed in his eyes. He rushed forward, holding Chen Qiu and trembling with a tearful voice.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, let¡¯s go home first, shall we? Your current physical condition is very bad, and if this continues, you¡¯re going to die.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home first, shall we?¡±


    ¡°We can come back for revenge later. A gentleman¡¯s revenge is not too late, even after ten years. Let¡¯s go home now, okay?¡±


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    Chen Qiu brushed off Fat Long calmly and looked towards him as Fat Long¡¯s voice had turned hoarse due to a severe neck injury: ¡°Do I have a habit of waiting ten years for revenge?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long, with terror on his face, clung to Chen Qiu¡¯s legs and wouldn¡¯t let him take another step, shouting hysterically: ¡°Brother Qiu, if you go now, you really will die. We¡¯ve already endured so much, why can¡¯t we endure for just one more year?¡±


    ¡°When all the brothers have grown stronger, it won¡¯t be too late to strike back then!¡±


    ¡°Wait?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked down at Fat Long and said calmly, ¡°Remember, from beginning to end, it¡¯s you who need me, not I who need you.¡±


    ¡°How many years have I known you? Before I met you, I was invincible between heaven and earth.¡±


    ¡°If you block my path again, I¡¯ll kill you too.¡±


    ¡°My mood is very bad right now, understand?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Fat Long, about to say something else, suddenly felt a tightness in his chest; he had never heard Brother Qiu speak to him so harshly before. It seemed¡­ indeed all along, it had been he who needed Brother Qiu.


    Without him, Brother Qiu would still be Brother Qiu.


    Without Brother Qiu, he would be nothing.


    Just then¡­ with tears in his eyes, Fat Long turned to the scholar who unknowingly had followed Chen Qiu and trembled: ¡°Scholar, what are you doing? Are you really going to let Brother Qiu go to his death?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scholar, with a silent expression on his face, followed behind Chen Qiu, indifferently said: ¡°Brother Qiu and I will die together.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu has suffered such immense humiliation; this kind of disgrace cannot be swallowed.¡±


    ¡°It must be cleansed with blood.¡±


    ¡°If Brother Qiu is to die today, I will die with him; my life was saved by Brother Qiu back in the streets of Qiantian Town. Brother Qiu is invincible in my heart. If Brother Qiu retires today, he won¡¯t be the same Brother Qiu in my heart.¡±


    ¡°Even if Brother Qiu retreats today, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Your spine can bend, but my sword can only be straight.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Fat Long incredulously looked towards the scholar¡¯s younger brother who stood on the right side of the scholar: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to persuade? Are you too going to watch Brother Qiu march to his death?¡±


    The scholar¡¯s younger brother, who had been silent for a long time, tilted his head to gaze at Fat Long crouched on the ground, shook his head and spoke softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to die.¡±


    ¡°Damn it all!¡±


    Fat Long leapt up from the ground, his eyes red with anger as he pulled out a long knife from his bosom: ¡°Who the hell is afraid of dying? Am I? As if I¡¯m scared of death. I just don¡¯t want Brother Qiu to throw his life away for nothing.¡±

 Chapter 371 - 162:

    Chapter 371: Chapter 162: ¡°Life is Cheap, Can¡¯t Kneel Down.¡± _4


    ¡°`


    ¡°Since you¡¯re all going!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu looks down on me, and so do you. Today, I¡¯ll show you who amongst us fears death the least!¡±


    Then, with red-rimmed eyes, he followed behind Chen Qiu, knowing this journey was a certain path to death. He used to be very afraid of dying, and he was still afraid now, but he refused to let scholar Brother Qiu and the others think he was someone who clung to life out of fear.


    He really wasn¡¯t just afraid of dying earlier.


    ...


    He just didn¡¯t want Brother Qiu to die here like this.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s pace was slow.


    Many Quzhou Cultivators looked on with complex expressions at Chen Qiu¡¯s retreating figure. That staggering silhouette seemed as though it could be blown away by a storm, and they couldn¡¯t understand why Chen Qiu, so grievously injured, would seek death by heading toward the Evil Clan.


    Why not wait until his injuries healed and then seek revenge?


    Even though they were also angry and felt injustice on behalf of Chen Qiu, they knew that they were at a disadvantage at the moment. Once a battle started, everyone present would die there.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    With a complex expression, Su Family Patriarch Su Tianshan blocked Chen Qiu¡¯s path and shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t let you go. I know this might be the greatest dishonor you¡¯ve ever faced in your life, but life is long. We¡¯ll encounter many unsatisfactory things.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s only after setbacks that a person can grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°If you go now, you are seeking death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also faced many setbacks on my journey, and some insults even greater than this, but haven¡¯t I still become a Divinity Transformation powerhouse?¡±


    ¡°Just bear with it for now, calm seas will come.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, Chen Qiu, whose lips were white from severe pain, smiled after a moment of silence at Su Tianshan obstructing his path: ¡°Su Family Master, it seems like you treat Divinity Transformation as the finish line.¡±


    ¡°It is precisely because you have always endured that you are only at the Divinity Transformation stage now. Can you advance any further?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t move forward.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯ve lost your fighting spirit.¡±


    ¡°As for me¡­¡±


    ¡°In my life, I¡¯ve been through a lot, but there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve never experienced. I¡¯ve never knelt.¡±


    ¡°Whenever I¡¯ve had even the slightest means to kill an opponent, no matter the cost, I never let them live.¡±


    ¡°As for longevity, I¡¯ve never cared about it.¡±


    ¡°What I care about is whether I can live freely and whether my enemies can enjoy that same freedom.¡±


    ¡°Preventing them from living forever is what matters most to me.¡± S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If I must die.¡±


    ¡°Then, dead is dead.¡±


    Chen Qiu pushed past the Su Family Master, said nothing more, and the little remaining Spiritual Energy within him surged out. The air filled with clouds once again, and a storm roared in, although the momentum was much less than before.


    The cold rain beat down on Chen Qiu.


    He didn¡¯t activate his Protective Spirit Qi.


    Just like that, in tattered clothes and leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, he staggered towards the direction of the Evil Cultivation Cultivators in the storm, and the refreshing coolness of the cold rain on his wounds made Chen Qiu feel much more comfortable, significantly lessening the pain.


    ¡­


    Seeing Chen Qiu approaching them on the brink of death, the entire Evil Clan burst into riotous laughter, mocking each other.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The strongest of the Evil Clan¡¯s Heavenly Pride, currently being supported by his clansmen, also scornfully taunted with a sneer: ¡°You don¡¯t actually think I¡¯ll fight you again, do you? Idiot! Or do you believe you can kill me among so many people?!¡±


    ¡°Or do you find it too shameful to live, preferring death instead?¡±


    Even the three Divinity Transformation powerhouses standing before the hundred thousand Evil Clan members were puzzled, failing to understand why Chen Qiu, already so severely injured, still approached them. Could it be¡­


    ¡°`


    Soon, the three exchanged glances, all perceiving the mockery in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Chen Qiu must have thought no one dared to kill him because of his 9.8 billion merit points, but he clearly forgot that with his current injuries, anyone could kill him, there was no need for the three of them to act.


    The three of them were not foolish enough to be willing to suffer the backlash of 9.8 billion merit points.


    Why not let someone else bear it?


    This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate a potential future problem once and for all!


    As the orders were given, soon a few members of the Evil Clan with cold expressions stepped forward, ready to endure the backlash of 9.8 billion merit points to kill Chen Qiu.


    ¡­


    After several hundred breaths,


    Chen Qiu walked to the edge of the pit, looking towards the distant horde of Evil Cultivators. His heavy injuries made his pace too slow, but¡­ it was enough.


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    Fat Long, unable to hold back, with reddened eyes and a hoarse voice, said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go first? I can go alone!¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and chuckled, his expression dreamy as he took out a Token from his bosom and gently fondled it, whispering to the distant Evil Cultivators, ¡°It took me a thousand years to reach Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to be anyone¡¯s underling.¡±


    ¡°Whoever dares to mess with me, I must kill him, no matter the¡­ cost.¡±


    He lowered his head to look at the ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± in his hand, silent for a long time before a light laugh escaped him.


    ¡°Life is cheap, I can¡¯t kneel down.¡±


    Then, leaving just a hundred million merit points, the remaining over 9.7 billion merit points were fully infused into the ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± without the slightest reservation. The originally simple Merit Order, upon the infusion of massive merit points, instantly turned extremely scarlet, emitting a blinding light.


    As this ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± was tossed into the air by Chen Qiu,


    The next moment¡ª


    The blinding scarlet light blossomed across heaven and earth, and all of Quzhou and Jing State saw the dazzling scene, the blinding scarlet light bloomed on the far western side of Quzhou!


    The night was thoroughly dispersed!


    Like the noonday sun!


    Then, thick clouds instantly enveloped the hundred thousand Evil Cultivators, along with the entire Evil State, in an extremely terrifying celestial force that pinned everyone except Chen Qiu to the ground!


    All the people and Cultivators within Quzhou, along with those in Evil State, were firmly pressed to the ground by this terrifying force and could not move!


    Even the Su Family Patriarch, who was in the Divinity Transformation Stage, and the three Divinity Transforming members of the Evil Clan were no exception.


    Even many people and Cultivators near Jing State, close to Quzhou, were also pinned to the ground at this moment by this terrifying force, unable to move, utterly unaware of what was happening, only feeling a continuous shuddering deep within their souls.


    Immediately afterward!


    In the fearful gaze of everyone,


    Multitudes of Heavenly Punishment Thunder rained down upon the Evil Clan near Chen Qiu and across the entire Evil Continent, where all one could see was Heavenly Punishment, with purple-blue Thunder forming the only refrain!


    And each strike of Heavenly Punishment was far more powerful than the full force of a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator!


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±


    Like the sky was collapsing, the sound echoed in the ears of all the Quzhou Cultivators and citizens; even those standing on the southernmost tip of Quzhou could clearly see that in the northwest part of Quzhou, there was a sky full of Heavenly Punishment Thunder carrying an extremely terrifying celestial force, enacting Heavenly Retribution!


    Whether standing in a valley or atop a high mountain, all could clearly see.


    The sky full of Thunder Punishment was being hurled down from the Nine Heavens.


    This was a scene never before seen on the Quzhou Continent; even the battle thousands of years ago that nearly shattered the Quzhou Continent didn¡¯t possess such terrifying pressure!


    The entire Quzhou ground was trembling violently.


    Whether they were sleeping or in deep cultivation, after the force of heaven and earth slightly weakened, they walked out of their homes, their bodies rigid in shock, eyes filled with indelible fear looking towards the northwest of Quzhou, where the terrifying Heavenly Punishment descended from the Nine Heavens!


    Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.


    It was a shudder from deep within their souls, as countless people looked with fear in their eyes, all simultaneously wondering the same thing.


    What happened¡­ what¡¯s going on?


    Has the sky¡­ fallen again?

 Chapter 372 - 163:

    Chapter 372: Chapter 163: ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±!


    At the northwestern border of Quzhou, adjacent to the Evil State.


    It felt as if the apocalypse had descended, with countless bolts of Heavenly Punishment carrying terrifying might enveloping the entire Evil State. The dreadful power of heaven and earth exuded from them pressed everyone in Quzhou, except for Chen Qiu, firmly to the ground.


    They couldn¡¯t move the slightest bit.


    With fear in his eyes, Su Family Patriarch Su Tianshan was pinned to the ground by the force of heaven and earth, unable to move at all. Since his Cultivation had broken through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, he had never felt so close to the brink of death!


    It was a feeling that death could come at any moment.


    If even one bolt of Heavenly Punishment struck him, he would either die or be severely injured, and above the skies of the Evil State¡­ there were millions of them!


    ...


    The blinding brightness almost forced him to shut his eyes, and the world seemed to have fallen silent, with only the deafening sound of thunder faintly audible amidst the storm. Through the tempest, he could barely make out a figure.


    In a black robe, a shadowy figure stood quietly, watching everything unfold before him.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu leaned on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella with one hand, standing still as his robes whipped about him in the violent storm. His expression was serene as he watched the scene before him, indifferent to the destruction of Cultivators, hundreds of thousands from the Evil Clan, and the Evil Continent itself, all disappearing amidst the widespread Thunder Punishment.


    The Thunder Punishment did not last long.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the intensity gradually diminished.


    But for everyone in Quzhou, it felt as distant as a century.


    The means of Divinity Transformation were too swift.


    He didn¡¯t manage to retrieve the Merit Defense Order from his Storage Ring in time, but since he didn¡¯t die, he had time to get the Merit Attack Order out. This strike had cost him 9.7 billion merit points, and he had only left 100 million merit points.


    He hadn¡¯t experimented with it, after all, there was only one Merit Attack Order, and he was unsure of the power the merit points could unleash.


    The cost was high.


    But¡ª


    No fortune could buy his contentment.


    With his cultivation speed, even if he endured this time and bitterly cultivated for seven or eight years, he might be able to break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage and then seek revenge, thus saving 9.7 billion merit points.


    That might seem like the most cost-effective choice.


    But over those seven or eight years, he would remember the humiliation he faced today, which would cause him distress.


    Especially since he was capable of retaliation but chose to forego it to save 9.7 billion merit points, such an act could destabilize his spiritual foundation¡ªsuch was his nature.


    Once a person begins to doubt himself, his spirit vanishes.


    When the spirit is gone, the person is ruined.


    However, rationality still made him retain 100 million merit points. Looking back, 9.7 billion merit points seemed excessive; probably around 4 billion merit points would have sufficed, as the power generated was much greater than he had anticipated.


    Gradually, the sky cleared of Thunder Punishment.


    But now, the sky displayed tens of thousands of traces left by the thunderbolts, stretching from the Nine Heavens down to the sea surface. Normally, thunder leaves no trace, as lightning cannot leave any marks in the air.


    But this time, the thunderbolts consisted of the force of heaven and earth¡ªThunder Punishment lightning.


    It was the kind used for crossing tribulations, only slightly more potent.


    At a glance!


    The entire realm, from the Nine Heavens down to the sea, was covered in tens of thousands of blackened traces of lightning, which looked far from beautiful, resembling a spider web dusted with coal powder.


    It was as if the sky had been torn open.


    And by this time, the Evil State was no longer visible.


    ¡­


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    Chen Qiu, expression calm, stood with his cane at the initial spot, gazing towards the distant waves under the night sky, feeling the sea breeze on his face, with the sound of the waves crashing against the shore echoing in his ears.


    The Evil State had become a footnote in history.


    The entire Evil State was completely obliterated into dust by the widespread Thunder Punishment and merged into the ocean.


    Not to mention the ashes of those Divinity Transformation mighty beings, even the ashes of the Evil State were gone.


    The world of Xuantian Continent is much more robust than Da Xia Country, whether in terms of the hardness of the ground or the stability of the surrounding Spiritual Energy. A strike fueled by 9.7 billion merit points had completely erased the Evil State from the face of the Xuantian Continent.


    If that strike had been used on the Da Xia Country,


    undoubtedly,


    Da Xia might have cultivated many Evil Woods.


    It¡¯s just a pity¡­ he lacked one Divinity Transformation Body and four second-grade Nascent Souls.


    He had hoped that since he used his greatest trump card, he might manage to gather the remaining resources. It seems he had been overly optimistic; that Divinity Transformation Body was not very resistant.


    Just then¡ª


    A voice resounded throughout the entire Xuantian Continent, across all nineteen continents, and even among the scattered smaller continents and islands, by all the citizens and Cultivators¡¯ ears.


    The voice was ancient and ethereal, as if coming from beyond the heavens.


    ¨C


    ¡¸Heavenly Dao Decree¡¹: By the sensing of the Heavenly Dao, at the northwestern part of Quzhou in the Xuantian Continent, Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, peerless Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu, with thunderous methods, by himself slaughtered the entire Evil Clan!


    He earned the title ¡®Heavenly Dao Evil Man¡¯ by sacrificing a clan¡¯s fate!


    Such methods provoke fear in the world!


    Newly added to the ¡®Xuantian Continent Heavenly Dao Evil List¡¯ on the Heavenly Dao Rankings.


    He is granted ¡®A Strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯; such ruthless methods should not be taken as a model by the common people.


    ¨C


    Before the words faded, another voice arose.


    ¨C


    ¡¸Heavenly Dao Decree¡¹: By the sensing of the Heavenly Dao, at the northwestern part of Quzhou in the Xuantian Continent, Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, peerless Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu, with thunderous methods, by himself slaughtered the entire Evil Clan!

 Chapter 373 - 163:

    Chapter 373: Chapter 163: ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±!_2


    With Golden Core Peak Great Perfection Cultivation, a single person annihilated a clan, and instantly killed four Divinity Transformation experts across two Great Realms.


    Such a feat, from ancient times until now, is unparalleled!


    The premature exit of the Evil Clan triggered the next update of the ¡°Worldly Strife¡± version to come one month early.


    Award him ¡°A thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny,¡± and ¡°A thread of Luck of the Race.¡±


    ¨C


    The voices resounded in the ears of every Cultivator on the Xuantian Continent, leaving everyone a bit bewildered as they looked toward Quzhou, seeing nothing but imagining the heart-stopping scene described in the Heavenly Dao Decree.


    ...


    Chen Qiu.


    A somewhat unfamiliar name¡ªwas he a new Heavenly Pride emerging from the lower nine states?


    With Golden Core Perfection Cultivation, to slaughter a clan, including four Divinity Transformation experts.


    They truly couldn¡¯t imagine how this was achieved.


    Let alone slaughtering a clan.


    Even the top Heavenly Prides from Zhongzhou would never manage to kill a Divinity Transformation expert, not even having the chance to make a move.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co


    The gap between Golden Core and Divinity Transformation¡­


    It¡¯s like a newborn child, powerless to restrain a chicken, trying to challenge a Divinity Transformation expert alone.


    Yes.


    In the eyes of Divinity Transformation, Golden Core and a powerless child are no different.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing amidst the storm, Chen Qiu calmly gazed at the newly emerged ranking list, often truly unintentional acts; he exhausted all his accumulated merit points with only one thought.


    To vent out the frustration in his heart.


    Not expecting any reward.


    But now, the unintentional shade of the willow grove rewarded him handsomely.


    First was the newly released Heavenly Dao ranking list, ¡°Xuantian Continent Heavenly Dao Evil List,¡± in which he, Chen Qiu, inadequately ranked first for the time being.


    ¨C


    ¡°Xuantian Continent Heavenly Dao Sin Ranking¡±


    ¡°First Place¡±: Chen Qiu, sin value 2.9 billion.


    ¡°Second Place¡±: Zhang Kui, sin value 300 million.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Fifth Place¡±: Wu Lihai, sin value 91.02 million.


    ¨C


    2.9 billion sin value, truly an overestimation, a full 2.6 billion more than the second place. He didn¡¯t believe he deserved so much sin value.


    He himself did not consider being a good man, but barely a decent one.


    He never expected that throughout the years on the Xuantian Continent, the highest sin value was only 300 million.


    He assumed that the slaughtering of a clan contributed to the bonus sin value; otherwise, in terms of purely killing people, he really didn¡¯t kill many, and those Evil and Demon Cultivators certainly killed more than he did.


    Topping the ¡°Heavenly Dao Sin Ranking¡± was of no benefit to him.


    The higher the sin value, the lower the chance of passing the Heavenly Tribulation.


    With 2.9 billion in sin value, there¡¯s no need to worry about Heavenly Tribulation for now. Fortunately, he¡¯s not yet facing the tribulation, so he didn¡¯t ponder further; future matters would be dealt with in the future.


    In addition!


    He was awarded a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, Heavenly Dao Destiny, and Luck of the Race each.


    Under the effect of the green entry ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree,¡± these three awards all doubled.


    Chen Qiu looked at his vanished left arm and then up at the vast sea that had become. Shaking his head, he was about to leave when he saw a beam of light shooting towards him.


    It quickly entered his body.


    Followed by the Heavenly Dao Decree only he could hear, ringing in his ears.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Heavenly Dao senses, in the northwest of Quzhou on the Xuantian Continent, Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu wielded thunderous methods to single-handedly exterminate the Evil Clan!


    For completing one of the Xuantian Continent milestone tasks, an effigy has already been erected in the ¡°Heavenly Palace.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And bestows him one Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu stood still, gazing at the Heavenly Dao Decree that appeared above the Dantian. He knew of the Heavenly Dao Roulette, having previously obtained one; breaking the Heavenly Dao Roulette would present five random options, letting him choose two.


    It¡¯s a not-too-bad reward.


    Because of ¡°Imperial Decree Regular,¡± he also received two awards.


    But that ¡°Heavenly Palace,¡± he was unclear about what it was. He faintly felt a connection above the Nine Heavens with his Divine Sense, and with a mere thought, he could visit anytime.


    But now was not the right time.


    He needed to find a place to rest and heal his injuries.


    Meanwhile, Fat Long and the scholar were slowly getting up from the ground. Fat Long, with red-rimmed eyes hoarsely said, ¡°Brother Qiu, when did you have this trick? It¡¯s kind of frightening; I really thought, Brother Qiu, you came here to die.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Long with a light chuckle, ¡°If I can¡¯t beat them, I would still run. Let¡¯s go, find a place to heal.¡±


    He then stopped the scholar who was about to head deeper into Quzhou and directed them towards the seaside.


    ¡°Enter the small world above Evil State.¡±


    The scholar didn¡¯t ask why and immediately turned the Flying Sword towards Evil State. At this moment, the entire Evil State had been overrun by a vast ocean, after all, such a large Continent being engulfed caused the sea to be very turbulent now, with a massive amount of water roaring towards the edge of Quzhou.


    Soon, they too disappeared from sight.


    ¡­


    Moments after they vanished, Su Tianshan also slowly got up and looked at the place where Chen Qiu had disappeared, his eyes full of fear and shock. He completely didn¡¯t understand how Chen Qiu had employed that method.


    Entry?


    Impossible, even the ¡®Self-Destruction Term,¡¯ known as the strongest cross-tier entry, couldn¡¯t produce such power!


    Chen Qiu was only at the peak of Golden Core Cultivation; even if he had the Self-Destruction Term, it would only unleash a full-strength blow of a Nascent Soul peak Cultivator while those hundreds of Heavenly Punishments, each was stronger than a full-strength blow from a Divinity Transformation Stage!

 Chapter 374 - 163:

    Chapter 374: Chapter 163: ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±!_3


    ¡°`


    He couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    And he didn¡¯t try to think further.


    He just somewhat blankly dragged his son by his side, turning into a beam of light as they shot towards the Su Family in Quzhou.


    Before Chen Qiu made his move, he said something to him that left a deep impression.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve treated the Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivation as the end point.¡±


    ...


    Had any ordinary Golden Core Pride said this, he would have scoffed at them.


    Out of ten so-called Golden Core Prides, fewer than three would break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm. Cultivation at that level already counted as the strongest in Quzhou.


    But coming from Chen Qiu, especially after having just witnessed that scene, his Dao heart wavered slightly.


    Right.


    It seemed like after breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, he never thought about climbing any higher. He never believed he could cultivate to a higher realm. His self-awareness had always been clear, he always thought this was called steadiness, but in Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth, Chen Qiu called it a lack of aspiration.


    Only those who believe in miracles will find miracles possibly happening to them.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?????????????????.co


    Miracles don¡¯t often occur.


    But when they do, they happen to those who believe in them.


    For a moment¡ª


    The other cultivators at this time felt a dryness in their throats, wanting to say something but unable to utter a single word, their eyes fixed on the hundreds of thousands of traces left by the Heavenly Punishment in the sky above the sea that had become the Evil State.


    After a flash of fear in their eyes, they trembled and turned to leave.


    No one cared about the impending opening of the ¡°Heavenly Dao Secret Realm Tianyan 49¡± anymore. They just wanted to quickly return to a safe place and catch their breaths.


    Many of them held a shattered Memory Stone in their hands. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When the sky full of Heavenly Punishment descended, many had wished to record the event with a Memory Stone. However¡­the power of the heavens and earth simply couldn¡¯t be captured by a Memory Stone, which shattered where it was activated.


    ¡­


    If Xuantian Continent, like Da Xia, had a Fame Ranking, then at this moment, Chen Qiu would have already been among the top ten.


    Almost instantly!


    Practically all cultivators and commoners on the Xuantian Continent knew the name Chen Qiu, who, single-handedly, had slaughtered the entire Evil Clan, and he was merely at Golden Core Perfection.


    They didn¡¯t know how Chen Qiu had done it.


    But that didn¡¯t stop Chen Qiu from having become a miracle, a miracle from the lower nine provinces!


    Though he had not yet reached the central province, his fame had already spread there.


    At that moment, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t care about any of this.


    He was just sitting in the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair in the Sect Hall of Chao Tian Sect, leaning back on the chair, fainting from his severe injuries, where fresh blood was dripping steadily from the left side of his shoulder.


    ¡°Xing Dou.¡±


    The scholar looked at the man not far off who was busy and transmitted in a soft voice via Divine Sense, ¡°Brother Qiu has fainted, is this normal?¡±


    This man used to be the Star Battle Sect Master and after joining Chao Tian Sect, he became the head of the Alchemy Hall of Chao Tian Sect. He was responsible for making various pills. Chao Tian Sect was not short of anything, except it had a surfeit of medicinal herbs.


    These medicinal herbs were all collected along the way and accumulated in the warehouses, with all grades available.


    After joining Chao Tian Sect, his codename became Xing Dou.


    As soon as Brother Qiu returned to Chao Tian Sect, Xing Dou hurriedly made him swallow all the prepared Healing Pills and sprinkled powdered medicine made from grinded pills on the wounds.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal.¡±


    To avoid disturbing Brother Qiu¡¯s sleep, they all moved stealthily, trying not to make a sound, and even communicated using Divine Sense Transmission. Xing Dou similarly looked at the scholar and transmitted back.


    ¡°I deliberately added a sleep aid to the pills.¡±


    ¡°I know Brother Qiu is strong, and regular sleep aids would definitely be negated by him, so I added a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s injuries are quite serious. He must not be active now and needs to be sleeping, allowing his body to heal on its own. Moreover, the Life-saving Pill given by the Su Family Master is of high grade.¡±


    ¡°With that Life-saving Pill¡¯s assistance, Brother Qiu just needs to wake up from this sleep, and he¡¯ll be as lively as a dragon, leave it to me, rest assured.¡±


    ¡°Last time Brother Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense was damaged, it was also I who refined the pill for him.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The scholar nodded and exchanged a glance with Fat Long, then tiptoed out of the Sect Master¡¯s hall.


    ¡­


    On the back hill.


    The scholar and Fat Long did not use their Flying Swords to hurry along; they just walked slowly around the mountain along the mountain path by foot.


    ¡°How is it, is there a big problem with Brother Qiu?¡±


    Fat Long was the first to speak up. He had not entered Golden Core and couldn¡¯t transmit sounds with Divine Sense, hence couldn¡¯t hear what the others were saying. He could only see their eyebrows and eyes exchanging looks.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    The scholar shook his head, ¡°Xing Dou has checked; they¡¯re just external injuries, which are easy to heal. It¡¯s just that the left arm is broken and not easy to regenerate. It needs some rare heavenly and earthly treasures to regrow it.¡±


    ¡°Or rather, if you just want to grow an extra arm, you don¡¯t actually need extremely rare heavenly and earthly treasures to achieve that.¡±


    ¡°But if you want this arm to be like before, with meridians where Spiritual Energy can flow freely and not affect your combat ability, then some rare treasures are needed, and currently, the Chao Tian Sect doesn¡¯t have these things.¡±


    ¡°As for whether the Golden Core and Divine Sense have been damaged¡­¡±


    ¡°Xing Dou said he can¡¯t get in. Although Brother Qiu has fainted, his body¡¯s self-protection mechanism is still active. His Divine Sense can¡¯t penetrate into Brother Qiu¡¯s Sea of Consciousness. There¡¯s a big formation in there.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Fat Long let out a long sigh of relief, ¡°Hopefully, there¡¯s nothing seriously wrong.¡±


    ¡°By the way¡ª¡±


    ¡°`

 Chapter 375 - 163:

    Chapter 375: Chapter 163: ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±!_4


    The scholar suddenly remembered something, his expression slightly complex as he quietly said to Fat Long, ¡°Today Brother Qiu was in a bad mood, and he said some harsh words to you. Those were not his true feelings, you know, people speak recklessly when they are angry.¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long shook his head, smiling nonchalantly, ¡°I naturally know that. Brother Qiu even went out of his way to find a Witch of Golden Core Fifth-grade cultivation to help me with my cultivation. He¡¯s been very good to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Moments later, Fat Long¡¯s expression was still somewhat bitter as he shook his head, ¡°But there was also truth in what Brother Qiu said.¡±


    ¡°If only my strength could increase as quickly as yours.¡±


    ...


    ¡­


    Deep in the back mountain.


    That young brown bear, his face full of shock, leaned against the Spirit Tree they had transplanted from Yuan Sect into the back mountain, occasionally picking some Spirit Fruit to send to the disciples of Chao Tian Sect. Over time, they had become familiar with each other.


    Moments later.


    The young brown bear finally breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that his Brown Bear Clan was not considered a clan.


    ¡­


    Days passed quietly, and time continued to slip away.


    One day¡ª


    Fat Long, unable to contain himself anymore, grabbed Xing Dou by the collar and approached the Sect Hall, looking at Brother Qiu who was sitting in the Sect Leader¡¯s Chair with an ugly, hoarse voice, ¡°You said you added a bit more sedative to the pill.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me how much was that ¡®bit¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu has already been sleeping for ten days now, are you joking?¡±


    If it were any other time, sleeping a little longer would just mean sleeping a bit longer. It¡¯s quite normal for Golden Core cultivators to retreat for months on end. Ten days was completely normal.


    But!


    This was not a normal time!


    ¡°The major update of ¡®All-out Conflict¡¯ was brought forward, and it¡¯s arriving in 20 days. Although I don¡¯t know what will happen in this version, the name alone suggests it¡¯s extremely dangerous. If we miss it on the first day it arrives, we will definitely fall behind.¡±


    This was truly a terrible time to be asleep.


    ¡°Great Elder¡­¡±


    Xing Dou shrank his neck, and brazenly whispered, ¡°I just added ten times the amount, not too much. You see, the Sect Master¡¯s injuries have almost completely healed, and not even a scar remains.¡±


    ¡°He should be waking up soon.¡±


    ¡°Ten times?¡±


    Fat Long was taken aback. He pressed his plump head against Xing Dou¡¯s forehead, just about to whisper a curse under his breath, when suddenly he saw a figure walking by. He instinctively turned his head and saw that Brother Qiu had already gotten up, already leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella as he walked out of the Sect Hall.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, you¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I finally managed to get some sleep after all that noise. I¡¯m going to be alone for a bit, don¡¯t come looking for me.¡±


    ¡­


    Chao Tian Sect, on the mountain peak in the back mountain.


    Chen Qiu was once again sitting alone on that elliptical rock, a spot where he had always cultivated. This rock had been with him for a long time, from the time of Foundation Establishment and had followed him until now, as he was nearing Nascent Soul.


    This rock was still with him.


    The rock had nothing special about it, it was purely that he was used to sitting on it, also because he was a person who cherished the past.


    He looked down at the damaged Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in his arms, subconsciously trying to pick it up with his left arm, but he suddenly realized his left arm was gone.


    Though his left arm was gone¡­


    He still sometimes wanted to use it. He hadn¡¯t adjusted to this yet, and he didn¡¯t know if breaking through to Nascent Soul and the Heavenly blessings that followed could heal his external injury and restore his arm to its original state.


    Although he had slept for ten days, he hadn¡¯t been completely dead to the world; he could wake up anytime he wanted.


    It¡¯s just¡­


    He didn¡¯t really want to wake up. The sleep had been quite comfortable. If it weren¡¯t for the imminent arrival of the ¡®All-out Conflict,¡¯ he would¡¯ve preferred to keep sleeping, even for three to five months¡ªto hell with everything else, even if the heavens fell down.


    His injuries had fully healed, and both his Golden Core and Divine Sense were intact, except for his left arm.


    He shook his head.


    He then began to inventory this time¡¯s gains.


    First was the 2.9 billion sin values, which so far, he hadn¡¯t found any use for. It could be said that this leaderboard only had negative effects, no positive effects at all, and negatively influenced his reputation¡ªthe most basic effect.


    More profound effects were.


    After accumulating more sin values, passing the Heavenly Tribulation would become very difficult, the more sin values, the greater the power of your Heavenly Tribulation.


    Beyond that, that was it.


    There was no daily Heavenly Dao Blessing, just a mere list. However¡­ he had not experimented yet. Since the sin values had already been quantified, he wondered whether killing someone with sin values would increase his own merit value.


    Hard to say.


    Chen Qiu once again looked towards the space above his Dantian, only to see that his golden Golden Core now had four pitch-black characters engraved on it.


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Man.¡±


    On the other side, were four crimson characters.


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Saint.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Gifted Name¡±: Heavenly Dao Saint.


    ¡°Name Effect¡±: Ignore all illusions such as altered memories or dreams that are cast by those with a merit value lower than yours, and protective merit that annihilates all kinds of demons and ghosts.


    ¨C


    ¡°Pretty good, I might be the first one called both a saint and an evil man by the Heavenly Dao.¡± Chen Qiu mused calmly as he accepted it all.


    As for why slaughtering the Evil Clan increased his sin values, it was also easy to understand. The Heavenly Dao was not just for the Human Race, but for the entire Xuantian Continent. The reason why slaughtering the Evil Clan in Da Xia Country was rewarded was purely because, at that time, the Evil Clan were the invaders.


    This time, the Evil Clan weren¡¯t the invaders, it was he who had taken the offensive.


    Or rather, in the eyes of the Evil Clan, it was Chen Qiu who was the invader.


    And when his Divine Sense delved into the ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Man¡± engraved upon his Golden Core, a panel wrapped in clouds and mist appeared again above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Gifted Name¡±: Heavenly Dao Evil Man.


    ¡°Name Effect¡±: Ignore all Buddhistic and Taoist persuasions.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu squinted at this description, it was a bit vague. He roughly understood the meaning, but it wasn¡¯t specific. After getting a rough idea, he then looked at the several threads of Qi Fortune circulating around his Golden Core.


    He originally had a Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride and a Thread of Heavenly Pride.


    And now!


    Add the two Threads of Heavenly Pride that rewarded him, and these three Threads of Heavenly Pride had automatically merged into one, becoming a Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride again!


    The condition for forming a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul: just a Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride!


    Now he had two!


    That was one extra.


    ¡°I have to be more careful from now on¡­¡± Chen Qiu murmured quietly to himself, God knows whether three Threads of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride would automatically merge into one. In case he gained another Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride and it merged again, he really wouldn¡¯t have anywhere to cry.


    Without the Unrivaled Heavenly Pride, forming a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul was simply impossible.


    Having too high a grade isn¡¯t useful.


    Just like with the Fourth-grade Nascent Soul, he only needed a Second-grade, a high grade was completely useless.


    After that, he looked again at the broken Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in his hands, which had also rewarded him with two Threads of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    This object was a good thing.


    It could enhance spells and could be incorporated into the forging of Spiritual Treasures to make them stronger.


    Additionally, it had another use, which was to repair Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures.

 Chapter 376 - 164: Closing the Mountain for a Hundred Years, Officially Withdrawing from the World.

    Chapter 376: Chapter 164: Closing the Mountain for a Hundred Years, Officially Withdrawing from the World.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, and with a thought, a thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny instantly entered the already damaged Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    Quickly¡ª


    A seven-colored Liu Guang flashed across the surface of the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    Subsequently, the entire Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella began to slowly repair itself, and after a few hundred breaths, it had fully restored its original state, with no difference in either efficacy or grade.


    The Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella was his Lifebound Spirit Treasure.


    ...


    If the Lifebound Spirit Treasure was damaged, he too would suffer damage.


    But now, everything was as good as new.


    As for the remaining thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny, he decided not to use it for now. He could actually use it for the spells ¡°Snowfall¡± or ¡°Golden Light Body Protection Technique,¡± turning these spells into stronger Heavenly Dao Spells.


    But¡­


    It felt somewhat unnecessary, as Snowfall was merely a supportive spell, and making it stronger wouldn¡¯t bring much improvement.


    As for the Golden Light Body Protection Technique, it was completely adequate. What the Golden Light Protection couldn¡¯t shield against, even if it turned into a stronger Heavenly Dao Spell, it still wouldn¡¯t be able to protect.


    Afterwards¡­


    He turned his gaze to the remaining two threads of racial luck.


    Heavenly Dao Destiny was not visible, he couldn¡¯t see it, but he could feel it, while these two threads of racial luck had transformed into black Liu Guang, revolving around his Golden Core.


    The Golden Core within his Dantian now was truly chaotic, completely different from a normal person¡¯s.


    Not to mention the many characters engraved on the Golden Core, just the sight of the four streams of Liu Guang revolving around the Golden Core, it looked quite bizarre, resembling planets orbiting the sun.


    There was a strange beauty in the chaos.


    When his Divine Sense landed on these two threads of racial luck, a panel wrapped in clouds and mist once again emerged above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: A thread of racial luck.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Establish one race, destroy one race.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Essential material for establishing a race.


    2:¡­


    6:¡­


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly furrowed his brows as he looked at the panel before him, the effects of a thread of racial luck couldn¡¯t be said to be weak¡ªafter all, such a difficult method of acquisition would naturally yield strong effects.


    However¡­


    That effect, he found somewhat useless.


    The biggest effect was that it was an essential material for establishing a race, similar to things like ¡°Race Creation Order.¡±


    This effect he found somewhat useless.


    As for the other effects, he didn¡¯t need those either, and after pondering for a while, there seemed to be no immediate use for this thing, so he just temporarily left the two threads of racial luck alone, as they wouldn¡¯t fly away anyway.


    He would see if he could use them in the future.


    After having done all this, he then sat cross-legged on the elliptical stone, pulled out two mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes from his bosom, timed it internally, waited a few breaths, and after finding a seemingly auspicious time, he crushed the mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette in his hand.


    This was a reward given to him by his personal Imperial Decree.


    The next moment!


    A panel enveloped in clouds and mist appeared before him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make a selection within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±


    1: A First Grade Divinity Transformation Body.


    2: Twenty Nascent Souls¡¯ bodies of First Grade.


    3: A random blue entry.


    4: One hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    5: An opportunity to issue an Imperial Decree.


    ¨C


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A trace of astonishment flashed in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes; he was just wondering where the next Divinity Transformation Body would come from, as his Heavenly Punishment had directly blasted Evil State into smithereens, where not even a piece of intact soil could be seen.


    And now a Divinity Transformation Body was offered in the Heavenly Dao Roulette?


    It perfectly matched his needs?


    Just short of four Second Grade Nascent Souls, twelve Nascent Souls could be in place!?


    Without any hesitation.


    He immediately chose the first and second options.


    The first option would allow him to form a twelve-grade Nascent Soul sooner, the second option would give the Chao Tian Sect twenty more Nascent Soul disciples.


    The third option was completely useless, merely making up the numbers.


    He didn¡¯t lack a blue entry.


    The fourth option was also of no use; he could collect ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills every day, and over the ten days he had been dormant, he had already accrued a hundred more Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. This item might be somewhat rare for others, but for him, it held no great allure.


    If it were a hundred Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he might be somewhat enticed.


    As for the fifth option, it could be quite useful at certain moments, allowing the issuance of a personal decree, but its appeal was not as great as the first two.


    ¡­


    Afterwards, Chen Qiu sat on the elliptical stone, took a deep breath, and murmured softly, ¡°I bet you definitely won¡¯t directly give me four Second Grade Nascent Souls, right?¡±


    After a pause that belied his true thoughts,


    he immediately crushed the second Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    Suddenly¡ª


    ¨C S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Please make a selection within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±


    1: One hundred Second Grade Golden Cores.


    2: Heavenly and earthly phenome¡­

 Chapter 377 - 164: Closing the Mountain for a Century, Officially Retreating from the World._2

    Chapter 377: Chapter 164: Closing the Mountain for a Century, Officially Retreating from the World._2


    Although the golden entry was second only to the Seven-colored entry, it was, after all, a one-day limited edition and was not of much use.


    What really caught his affection, apart from the five second-tier Nascent Souls, was the set of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures¡¯ tea sets.


    Not only could it complete the Heavenly Dao set and reactivate another set effect for him, it also provided a perfect resting place for his ¡°Everfrost Dominion¡± and ¡°Frostveil Tea.¡±


    Perfect!


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, reviewed the treasures stored in his Heavenly Dao Ring to ensure there were sufficient materials for forming his Nascent Soul, and then took a deep breath and looked towards the four Demon Lotuses floating above the small world.


    ...


    He then instructed Fat Long Scholar and the others through a telepathic message to move all the Mid-grade Spirit Stones and Lower-grade Spirit Stones from the storeroom to set up a Spirit Gathering Array!


    Last time, just one Demon Lotus had exhausted all his Spirit Stones and nearly drained him dry.


    This time there were four.


    Plus, it was from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, normally one would need one hundred and eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones to set up a Spirit Gathering Array, but he considered himself not too normal, so he prepared extra Spirit Stones, just in case¡ªthey could be taken back if not used.


    At this point, he was not in that impoverished state he had been in during his Golden Core breakthrough.


    He now had over four hundred thousand Lower-grade Spirit Stones and over ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones¡ªdefinitely enough for his breakthrough!


    While Fat Long and the others were setting up the Spirit Gathering Array¡ª


    Chen Qiu rose from the small world and hovered alone above the sea, looked up towards the Nine Heavens, and with a thought, his body suddenly disappeared from the spot.


    ¡­ S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Where is this¡­?¡±


    With his empty left sleeve draped by his side, and one hand on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, Chen Qiu suddenly appeared in the hall, which was uniquely colored in black and white and looked quite peculiar.


    Generally speaking, halls are predominantly golden for majesty and grandeur.


    Yet, this hall uniquely chose a black and white color scheme, giving it a dreamlike feel, completely devoid of any pillars.


    This was the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±!


    In that personal Imperial Decree, aside from the rewards of the Heavenly Dao Roulette, there was also this phrase¡ª


    ¨C


    Due to the completion of one of the milestone tasks of Xuantian Continent, a statue has been erected in the ¡®Heavenly Palace¡¯.


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu, with a thought, then appeared in this Heavenly Palace, where the hall was not very large and dimly lit, he saw no pillars.


    However¡ª


    He soon noticed himself standing at the very entrance of the hall, a red carpet spread out in front of him.


    On both sides of the carpet, there were twelve round pedestals.


    Currently, on the pedestal closest to the entrance, stood a statue tens of meters tall. Standing in front of it, one could feel incredibly small and vaguely sense the imposing force of heaven and earth, sending chills deep into one¡¯s soul.


    However, the appearance of the statue did not look very good.


    Its clothes were severely damaged, covered in wounds, leaning on a battle-damaged Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, its left arm had been severed entirely, and the whole person staggered upon the round pedestal.


    From the determined face and cold eyes¡ª


    one could clearly sense the resolute determination and the intense killing intention of the statue.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked up at the massive statue beside him, murmured, ¡°Isn¡¯t this me?¡±


    This must be the statue mentioned in the Imperial Decree that only he could see earlier.


    However¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly as he stood there looking up at the enormous statue, wishing someone could have told him to strike a better pose before snapping the picture, or at least change into clean clothes.


    And then make his eyes more piercing.


    Although he didn¡¯t know how many people could see this place, since the statue was displayed here, it would certainly be seen by others, and he definitely didn¡¯t want others to see him in such a disheveled state.


    However¡ª


    He suddenly contemplated the statue up and down again.


    It actually didn¡¯t look so bad.


    It had a feel of arising from a life or death situation, and the carving was almost identical to him in person, with many details carved out including the robe soaked in blood and the robe buzzing in the storm.


    Then he lowered his head to look at the small inscriptions on the round pedestal below the statue.


    ¨C


    ¡®One of the twelve milestone tasks¡¯


    ¡®Single-handedly decimate a clan.¡¯


    ¡®Completed by: Sect Master Chen Qiu of Chao Tian Sect!¡¯


    ¨C


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu squatted down eying these few lines for a while before nodding his head, although he couldn¡¯t see any use for this statue, having it standing here still felt quite imposing.


    If¡ª


    He turned his head towards the other eleven empty round pedestals.


    If the remaining eleven pedestals could also bear his statues, ideally each time facing different formidable enemies, on different battlefields, wielding different weapons, and wearing different clothes.


    Twelve statues of him, erected in this hidden map named ¡®Heavenly Palace.¡¯


    It actually looked rather remarkable.


    He also wondered what the remaining eleven milestone tasks were.


    Currently, the entire Heavenly Palace had only his statue, meaning that over the years, he was the only one who had been enshrined in the Heavenly Palace. Although wiping out a clan single-handedly was tough, he felt it wasn¡¯t too difficult for some top cultivators.


    So he leaned more towards the idea that this Heavenly Palace might have appeared in the last Heavenly Dao version update, and since then, no one had completed the milestone tasks?

 Chapter 378 - 164: Closing the Mountain for a Century, Officially Retreating from the World._3

    Chapter 378: Chapter 164: Closing the Mountain for a Century, Officially Retreating from the World._3


    ¡­


    Curiosity flashed in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes as he walked toward the depths of the Heavenly Palace and looked at the next circular base.


    ¨C


    ¡°One of the twelve milestone tasks¡±


    ¡°To simultaneously possess a twelve-grade Golden Core and a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    Completer: None.


    ...


    ¨C


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Chen Qiu laughed. It seemed he could own another statue of himself. He had prepared all the materials to form a twelve-grade Nascent Soul, and all he needed was to return and he would become a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.


    This time, he had learned his lesson.


    He knew that when completing the milestone tasks, the Heavenly Dao would freeze his image, essentially taking a snapshot. Then, based on the captured image, a statue would be constructed for him within the Heavenly Palace. He needed to think carefully about what clothes to wear later.


    He then looked at the other circular bases.


    The remaining milestone tasks were all very difficult.


    Suddenly, he felt¡­


    It was likely that these milestone tasks had not just appeared in the previous version of the Heavenly Dao, but had been around for a long time, simply uncompleted by anyone. Not to mention the difficulty of simultaneously having a twelve-grade Golden Core and a twelve-grade Nascent Soul, which was no ordinary feat.


    After memorizing all the milestone tasks secretly,


    he continued his search within the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±, seeing nothing else of particular note and unable to leave. Although the gate of the Heavenly Palace seemed not tightly secured, the force of heaven and earth covered upon it let him know that not even those in the Divinity Transformation Realm could leave.


    This place was like a hidden map.


    So far, he seemed to be the only one here, as only by completing certain milestone tasks could one arrive; he had not seen any other statues here.


    Looking out through the gap in the door, he felt as if there was nothing outside, somewhat like a void, so he did not stay any longer.


    With a thought, he turned and returned to where he had started.


    ¡­


    Hovering above the sea once more, Chen Qiu looked up into the high sky, faintly sensing the ¡°Heaven Palace¡± placed above the Nine Heavens. He could enter the Heavenly Palace whenever he willed it.


    But he could only enter once a day.


    Moreover, within the Heavenly Palace, he could not establish contact with his small world.


    He then chuckled and entered his small world, looking at Fat Long and others setting up a Spirit Gathering Array. He found a quiet place in the backyard and began to slowly operate his mental method to calm his spirit, preparing for the Nascent Soul breakthrough.


    During the Nascent Soul breakthrough, he must ensure that his mind was extremely calm, without a single ripple.


    Even a moment¡¯s distraction


    could lead to a failure in the breakthrough, making composure before the breakthrough extremely crucial.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    With a complex expression, the Su Family Patriarch, Su Tianshan, looked at the Quzhou Merit Rankings. Chen Qiu¡¯s name was no longer there. Over time, he had also learned approximately how Chen Qiu had managed to destroy the entire Evil State with that one strike.


    Previously, Chen Qiu had a total of 98 billion merit points, but now, on the ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Rankings,¡± he only had one billion merit points left.


    Gone were 97 billion merit points.


    This meant that Chen Qiu had exhausted all the merit points he had accumulated over the years to launch that Heavenly Punishment-like cleansing strike, and he could no longer use such a method a second time.


    He did not know where those 98 billion merit points had come from.


    Perhaps it was some form of opportunity.


    But he could be certain


    that the opportunity to gain 98 billion merit points was extremely rare across the entire Xuantian Continent, an opportunity one might not encounter twice in a lifetime.


    Moreover, not only were the merit points gone, but he had also accumulated a substantial amount of sin points, meaning he surely would not survive the Heavenly Tribulation.


    But to break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, he needed to survive the Heavenly Tribulation!


    And after the Divinity Transformation Realm, every advance through a small realm would require surviving another Heavenly Tribulation.


    That is to say,


    Chen Qiu¡¯s cultivation was almost certainly doomed to remain at the Nascent Soul peak; attempting to break through to Divinity Transformation would be a deadly undertaking!


    ¡°Alas.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch sighed deeply, silently regretting without speaking. Chen Qiu¡¯s name had disappeared from the Quzhou Merit Rankings, meaning Chen Qiu was no longer in Quzhou. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As to where he had gone, he was also unclear.


    Ever since the last time Chen Qiu single-handedly destroyed Evil State, there had been no news from him. He was likely healing his injuries; he also did not know whether the Golden Core had been damaged. If the Golden Core was damaged, even maintaining Nascent Soul peak cultivation would be wishful thinking.


    It had been ten days since any news from Chen Qiu had come.


    And in these ten days!


    The name Chen Qiu had nearly become famous throughout the entire Xuantian Continent, with countless powers sending people to swarm into Quzhou. What had usually been a quiet Quzhou turned into a hot spot overnight.


    Countless individuals came to personally investigate the news about Chen Qiu.


    They wanted to see this sudden Heavenly Pride of Quzhou.


    Many who started in Quzhou and later moved to Central State to develop their Divinity had contacted him to inquire about the situation; however, he did not know how to respond, as it was clear that Chen Qiu was not a native Heavenly Pride of Quzhou.


    It was as if he had suddenly appeared.


    Now, it was being said throughout the Xuantian Continent that Chen Qiu was a Heavenly Pride who had emerged from the Lower Nine Heavens, but only he knew the truth.


    After a long moment of distraction, he shook his head and sent orders for the Su Family disciples to intensify their cultivation, and to purchase a large amount of Pills, talismans, Array Plates, and other strategic materials extensively. The new version of Heavenly Dao, ¡°World of Conflict,¡± would arrive in twenty days.


    No one knew what the contents of this version of Heavenly Dao would be, so it was best to prepare in advance.

 Chapter 379 - 164: Closing the Mountain for a Century, Officially Retreating from the World._4

    Chapter 379: Chapter 164: Closing the Mountain for a Century, Officially Retreating from the World._4 sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all, just by hearing the name,


    one already knows that something is not quite right.


    ¡­


    Throughout the entire Xuantian Continent, almost everyone is discussing two pieces of news.


    One is about the Heavenly Dao version of the great turmoil.


    The other is about Chen Qiu from Quzhou of the Lower Nine Provinces, Heavenly Pride.


    ...


    Before achieving Nascent Soul, strength far surpasses his peers, all are Heavenly Prides.


    Once Nascent Soul is achieved,


    there¡¯s no longer the title of Heavenly Pride, as Nascent Soul already means one can hold a high position, officially entering the Cultivation World.


    And just as the new Heavenly Dao version ¡°Great Unrest¡± was about to arrive!


    Many forces sent people to the most famous Gua Cultivation sect in Zhongzhou in an attempt to probe some insider information, but the reply they received was that this Gua Cultivation sect had no response to the outside world, simply announcing that it would close its mountain for a hundred years, officially beginning its strategic retreat.


    Although no inside information came forth,


    just this piece of news alone was already enough.


    It implies that this Zhongzhou Gua Cultivation sect must have calculated something. Generally speaking, if a sect wants its teachings to last a long time, they would occasionally close their mountain and retreat from the world, and the timing of such a retreat often coincides with great upheaval!


    Immediately afterward¡ª


    News arrived one after another, casting a shadow over the hearts of countless forces in the world.


    Zhongzhou¡¯s ¡°Xuantian Sect¡± announced to close its mountain for a hundred years and formally retreat from the world.


    Zhongzhou¡¯s ¡°Qi Family¡± announced to close its mountain for a hundred years and formally retreat from the world.


    Zhongzhou¡¯s ¡°Luohua Valley¡± announced to close its mountain for a hundred years and formally retreat from the world.


    Upper Nine Provinces, Jizhou¡¯s ¡°Xuan Palace,¡± announced to close its mountain for a hundred years and formally retreat from the world.


    Lower Nine Provinces, Yizhou¡­


    ¡­


    One by one, top forces chose to close their mountains for a hundred years and formally retreat from the world, led by that strongest Gua Cultivation sect in Zhongzhou. Even Zhongzhou¡¯s ¡°Xuantian Sect¡± had already decided to close its mountain for a hundred years and formally retreat from the world.


    ¡°Xuantian Sect¡± might sound somewhat unfamiliar.


    A hundred years ago, the Holy Daughter who mended the sky and obtained a hundred billion merits came from this sect.


    Even this sect has chosen to withdraw from the world.


    This made other forces even more fearful of the impending Heavenly Dao version, these top forces must have received some message to choose to retreat from the world en masse, they couldn¡¯t possibly retreat without any reason!


    Not every Heavenly Dao version prompts these top forces to retreat.


    Only when these top forces feel that they might suffer heavy losses or even risk extinction in this Heavenly Dao version do they choose to retreat.


    Panic gradually spread across the nineteen provinces.


    But¡­


    Not every force has the privilege to retreat from the world; one must have a small world that can autonomously generate Spiritual Energy to be eligible to retreat. And such small worlds are not something every force possesses.


    Moreover, retreating for a hundred years requires enough stockpiled Pills, Spirit Stones, various Cultivation Resources, and so on.


    It¡¯s quite a test of a force¡¯s foundation.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With a somber face, the Su Family Patriarch stood silently in place without speaking; he had just received news that the other two forces in Quzhou with Divinity Transformation experts had also retreated from the world.


    One was the ¡°Tao Sword Sect¡± where Li Shiyi belonged.


    The other was the ¡°Qi Sect,¡± where a True Disciple died at the hands of the Evil Clan a few days ago.


    Neither of these forces possessed a small world. As he understood, they had paid a heavy price to go to Zhongzhou, seeking the protection of a top force there, renting a place in that top force¡¯s small world to retreat.


    This also meant that,


    now he was the only Divinity Transformation expert left in Quzhou.


    In fact, he could understand why these two forces chose to retreat; after all, the world was about to plunge into great turmoil, and the Divinity Transformation experts from these two forces had returned severely injured from a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm a few months ago, with their injuries still unrecovered to this day.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    He let out a long breath, a flicker of indecision in his eyes; he too was thinking of fleeing.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what message those top forces had received, with everyone else fleeing, staying alone in Quzhou made him feel quite insecure.

 Chapter 380 - 165: The Twelve Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul Appears!

    Chapter 380: Chapter 165: The Twelve Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul Appears!


    It seems too late now, as those top forces in Zhongzhou have already begun to purchase cultivation resources on a grand scale in preparation for sealing their mountains, and some shelter spots have been sold as well.


    Su Tianshan¡¯s complexion turned ugly as he remained silent without speaking.


    The entire Xuantian Continent has completely descended into chaos!


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    Chen Qiu, who had calmed his mind, sat cross-legged on an oval stone, his expression serene as he circulated the mental method. Surrounding him was a Spirit Gathering Array composed of more than ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    ...


    This time, the Spirit Stones should definitely suffice.


    With the experience of one breakthrough, this time it felt even more familiar.


    As the mental method circulated, the Spiritual Liquid inside his body started to roll like boiling water. At first, only a small bubble appeared, followed by countless dense bubbles spilling out until all the Spiritual Liquid was boiling, continuously washing over the Golden Core suspended above the Dantian.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows slightly furrowed, the process was painful like a blade scraping bone, but still within the range of tolerance.


    After washing for a full hundred breaths.


    The Heavenly Pride Fortune and Luck of the Race, which had been swirling around the Golden Core, were the first to break away. After a few more breaths, entry names such as the Heavenly Dao Evil Man and Heavenly Dao Saint and other Heavenly Gifted Names also began to detach.


    Soon.


    All the inscriptions on the surface of the Golden Core had gradually detached.


    And then!


    Under the scalding Spiritual Liquid, the Golden Core began to gradually dissolve, a process more painful than before, and without any room for error. If one were to stop at this juncture, they¡¯d fall into being a half-step Nascent Soul.


    To break through to Nascent Soul again would be twice as difficult.


    Another hundred breaths later!


    The surface of the Golden Core began to gradually dissolve. A baby that bore a resemblance to Chen Qiu curled up, eyes tightly shut, silent, slowly floating above the Dantian.


    Under the washing of the Spiritual Liquid, the baby¡¯s skin became even more lustrous.


    Now is the moment!


    Chen Qiu abruptly opened his eyes, tossing the Heavenly Dao Ring into the air, followed immediately by three Divinity Transformation Bodies and nine Second Grade Nascent Souls appearing in mid-air, turning into dust and merging inside Chen Qiu.


    Next¡ª


    The Eight Desolate Fruit and Evil Wood, two items that had been prepared in advance, were also thrown out.


    Of the fourteen entry jade slips obtained from Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault last time, one jade slip was given to the scholar, and the remaining thirteen entry jade slips had already been crushed by him.


    With a thought.


    The ten useless entries floating above the Dantian slowly fell into the Spiritual Liquid and quickly melted away.


    Heavenly Dao Foundation, Seven-colored term, and the Twelve Grade Golden Core, all three prerequisite conditions were fully satisfied!


    And the Spiritual Liquid in his body, instead of transforming in its boiling state, became even thicker, like a fluid, both in terms of the concentration of Spiritual Energy and power, far surpasses the Spiritual Liquid of the Golden Core stage.


    With Spiritual Energy from the surrounding Spirit Gathering Array rushing into his body!


    The baby above his Dantian also began to gradually revolve, and Cloud Patterns slowly started to appear on its forehead.


    One Cloud Pattern, two Cloud Patterns.


    Nine Cloud Patterns, ten Cloud Patterns.


    Quickly!


    The Cloud Patterns emerged in the blink of an eye, signifying the successful formation of a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul. As the eleventh Cloud Pattern started to form faintly, the next most crucial step was¡­


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes and looked towards the sky above Chao Tian Sect, taking a deep breath as he wildly circulated his mental method.


    A strong suction force burst forth from within the Dantian.


    Under this suction force.


    The four Demon Lotuses above Chao Tian Sect also began to be forcibly dragged by the immense suction emerging from the depths of Chen Qiu¡¯s Dantian.


    ¡°Eight-petal Demon Lotus,¡± ¡°Eight-petal Resentment Lotus,¡± ¡°Eight-petal Sea Lotus,¡± ¡°Eight-petal Snow Lotus.¡±


    Fat Long, who already had experience, did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately crushing ten Eight Desolate Fruits. As expected, in the moment the fruits were crushed, the four lotuses, which had been resisting, rushed towards Chen Qiu like a feral cat smelling fish.


    And as they approached Chen Qiu¡¯s body, they were instantly absorbed within!


    Without any hesitation!


    In the instant the four Demon Lotuses entered his body, with a thought, a Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride Fortune suspended above also entered the baby¡¯s body!


    The next moment¡ª


    Eleven Cloud Patterns slowly appeared on the baby¡¯s forehead, and solidified.


    Right after, the twelfth Cloud Pattern also emerged. As the twelfth Cloud Pattern solidified in an instant! S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The baby, which had been rapidly rotating and absorbing Spiritual Energy, also slowly came to a stop!


    Twelve Grade Nascent Soul!


    Was formed!


    The entry names, Heavenly Gifted Names, and so on, that had been suspended above the Dantian, were once again inscribed on the surface of the Nascent Soul.


    ¡­


    With the previous experience, this time he proceeded smoothly and all went well, without any mishap. With thorough preparation, a Twelve Grade Nascent Soul was formed!


    At this moment, his cultivation had finally entered the first layer of Nascent Soul!


    From now on, no one would call him a Heavenly Pride anymore.


    Not because he wasn¡¯t strong enough, but because with Nascent Soul, there is no longer any talk of Heavenly Pride. Having fully qualified to establish a sect, those with lower cultivation than his must call him senior when they see him.


    Chen Qiu, whose eyes were slowly opening, looked toward the Twelve Grade Nascent Soul floating and slowly rotating above his Dantian, a hint of joy in his eyes, and he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a smiling grin.


    Although the conditions for forming a Twelve Grade Nascent Soul were extremely harsh.


    He still managed to do it.


    There¡¯s a world of difference between entering the first layer of Nascent Soul with a Twelve Grade Nascent Soul and with a First Grade Nascent Soul!


    They are simply not on the same level!


    Afterward, he stood up and looked around at the Spirit Gathering Array, just as he expected, there were enough Spirit Stones, even with such a consumption by the Twelve Grade Nascent Soul, it only used slightly more than six thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

 Chapter 381 - 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_2

    Chapter 381: Chapter 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_2


    He still had over six thousand mid-grade spirit stones.


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    The excited Fat Long, who had been hovering around him, rushed over at the first opportunity, asking, ¡°How did it go? Is it a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly with a smile in his eyes. He weighed the Nascent Soul in his palm for a moment before the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella transformed into a longbow. The string of the bow, formed by the energy of heaven and earth, slowly emerged. He then placed the legs of his Nascent Soul on the bowstring.


    He used spiritual energy to hold the longbow steady in the air and grasped the legs of the Nascent Soul with his right hand.


    ...


    Allowing the arms of the Nascent Soul to extend straight and come together.


    Then he pulled the bowstring taut with a mighty tug, barely sensing the immense power contained within the strike!


    A twelfth-grade Golden Core was already unstoppable!


    The only thing that could shatter a twelfth-grade Golden Core with one hundred percent certainty was a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul!


    With this strike!


    He faintly felt that his Nascent Soul could pierce through all protective spells and protective treasures of cultivators at the early and mid-Nascent Soul stages!


    To know its full power, an experiment was necessary, for only through experimentation can true knowledge be gained.


    After playing with his Nascent Soul in his hands for a while, he put it back inside and stepped out of the small world to stand above the sea surface, ready to experiment with the might of his spells after his breakthrough to Nascent Soul level.


    Just as he stepped out of the small world!


    A voice, ancient and elusive, resonated in the ears of all the cultivators across the Xuantian Continent once again.


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Heavenly Dao resonates. Within the original borders of Evil State in the Xuantian Continent, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, The Heavenly Dao Saint, The Heavenly Dao Evil Man, The Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, the peerless Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu, who has formed ¡°Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul¡± and ascended the Nascent Soul Great Path with an invincible presence!


    This grand feat is unprecedented and likely to remain unmatched, both dazzling the past and radiating into the present.


    Gifted with ¡°a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡± and ¡°a strand of Heavenly Dao Destiny,¡± let the common beings not take this as a standard; just watch quietly.


    ¨C


    The moment this message echoed in the ears of all the cultivators of the Xuantian Continent!


    Everyone once again reflexively looked towards Quzhou.


    Chen Qiu again?


    The same Chen Qiu who recently annihilated the Evil Clan single-handedly with a tenth-grade Nascent Soul? What a joke!


    It has been tens of thousands of years since the Xuantian Continent last saw the emergence of a tenth-grade Nascent Soul!


    But there was no time for them to ponder any further!


    Suddenly, above the skies of Quzhou, a burst of seven-colored auspicious clouds emerged. And then, from Quzhou as the center, these clouds spread in all directions, enveloping the entire lower nine continents!


    Immediately following¡ª


    They saw, a statue bearing the likeness of Chen Qiu mysteriously appear atop the seven-colored auspicious clouds, as if coming to life, sitting on a throne emotionlessly with an imposing stature.


    Countless heavenly soldiers and generals knelt before the throne.


    A myriad of divine dragons and qilin divine beasts prostrated on the ground, signifying their submission.


    Accompanied by the sounds of celestial music enshrouding the air.


    One could see the statue of Chen Qiu gently wave its hand.


    Afterward, countless seven-colored snowflakes began to float gently down from the sky, covering the entire lower nine continents and some surrounding scattered islands and landmasses, and healing hidden injuries of those touched, including damaged consciousness, Golden Core, Tao Foundation, Nascent Souls, and the like.


    Even patients who had been missing limbs due to past battles or bedridden due to severe injuries were astoundingly healed, with limbs regenerating.


    Cultivators on the verge of death from deviated cultivation suddenly calmed down upon contact with the seven-colored snowflakes and made breakthroughs on the spot.


    Ordinary people with only a breath left, leapt out of bed as lively as ever.


    Heal the sick, extend life for the healthy!


    This is a sign of fortune from heaven and earth!


    The seven-colored blossoms, ethereal in their existence, fluttered through rooftops and formations to land on the people and cultivators, melting quickly upon touching the ground.


    This extraordinary event continued for the span of thirty minutes before it gradually dissipated.


    ¡­


    As this celestial phenomenon slowly faded, everyone within the lower nine continents was frozen in shock, whether it be the countless heavenly soldiers and generals or the imposing statue of Chen Qiu, all were previously above in the seven-colored auspicious clouds.


    From their vantage point on the ground, it was impossible to see anything by looking up.


    But at the moment the celestial phenomenon occurred!


    They had a perspective from above the seven-colored auspicious clouds, as if they had entered into the bodies of those heavenly soldiers and generals, experiencing the event firsthand.


    The shock of that immersive experience left them unable to calm down for a long time.


    ¡­


    At that moment, Chen Qiu was standing above the sea, looking at the gradually fading celestial phenomenon and his own left arm that had regrown. He moved it around; it felt no different from before, prompting a satisfied smile to appear on his face.


    All the members of the Chao Tian Sect, including the group of brown bears, had all been released by him.


    Experiencing this celestial phenomenon.


    Extending the lives of his disciples who were nearing death¡¯s door.


    The Xuantian Continent is vast, much larger than Da Xia Country. Just Quzhou, a single state, is bigger than Da Xia.


    One state is equivalent to nineteen states of Da Xia.


    The celestial phenomenon that occurred during his Golden Core breakthrough in Da Xia was restricted by a cage, unable to spread far, but this time there was nothing to hold it back. It enveloped all nine continents of the Xuantian Continent!


    All the people and cultivators of the nine continents were encompassed in his auspicious blessings, healing the injured and extending the lifespan of the healthy.


    Such merit was no small sum!


    He looked at the ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Ranking.¡± Initially, he had fallen off the list, but now he was back at the top and had established a tier of overwhelming domination!


    ¨C S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Ranking¡±

 Chapter 382 - 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_3

    Chapter 382: Chapter 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_3


    ¡°Number One¡±: Chen Qiu, with 87.9 billion virtue points.


    ¡°Number Two¡±: Su Ningxi, with 10.2 billion virtue points.


    ¡°Number Three¡±: Ah Piao, with 9.9 billion virtue points.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Number Ten¡±: Tai Long, with 8.7 billion virtue points.


    ¨C


    ...


    A whopping 87.9 billion virtue points!


    That¡¯s an incredibly exaggerated number!


    It¡¯s so exaggerated that even if you add up the virtue points of the second-place-holder and the first-place-holder, they¡¯d still fall short of his total, and yet, he also tops the ¡°Xuantian Continent Evil Ranking List¡± with 2.9 billion sin points.


    He has many sin points, but even more virtue points!


    Sin points and virtue points cannot offset each other.


    This time, even if the Heavenly King himself were to come, he couldn¡¯t call him evil.


    He, Chen Qiu, is indeed the greatest philanthropist under the heavens!


    87.9 billion virtue points, almost catching up to the one who mended the heavens¡¯ hundred billion virtue points.


    It¡¯s just that the Holy Daughter of the ¡°Xuantian Sect,¡± who attained a hundred billion virtue points for mending the heavens, died before she could do anything else, whereas he is still alive. If that Holy Daughter had remained alive, he would have had nothing to do with claiming the number one spot.


    ¡°What a pity.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head with a trace of regret. He was beginning to miss the ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± he had used up. If he hadn¡¯t used that Merit Attack Order, he couldn¡¯t dare to imagine that just smashing down with 9.7 billion virtue points could obliterate the entire Evil State.


    Although the territory of the Evil State was far smaller than Quzhou.


    But with 87.9 billion virtue points slammed down, at least half of the nine states below would have to vanish, right?


    He didn¡¯t know if he would have another chance to obtain a ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± in the future. He got this Merit Attack Order while fighting the Year Beast in Xia Country.


    With 87.9 billion virtue points, once his ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± is activated, it will equal to being invincible for one hour; but still, it doesn¡¯t feel as exhilarating as the Merit Attack Order, after all, defense isn¡¯t as satisfying as offense.


    And at that moment¡ª


    A ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree,¡± audible only to him, rang out once again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao senses, within the former Evil Clan¡¯s domain on the Xuantian Continent, the Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu has achieved an unprecedented feat, proving himself by forming both a twelve-grade Golden Core and a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.


    For completing one of the milestone missions in the Xuantian Continent, a statue has been erected in his honor in the ¡°Heavenly Palace.¡±


    Last but not least, he is rewarded with a Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The moment the decree rang out, Chen Qiu stood suspended above the sea with his hands behind his back and his posture erect, gazing into the distance with one hand on his chest holding the Jade Feather Fan he had bought at the Ask the Heavens Market, his face carrying a hint of compassion for all beings, his eyes filled with reluctance and benevolence.


    This went on for quite a few breaths.


    Only after he was sure the Heavenly Dao had finished taking snapshots did he allow the corners of his mouth to rise slightly; then he turned and vanished from where he stood, heading into the Heavenly Palace to check out his new statue.


    You can only enter the Heavenly Palace once a day.


    But, if you complete two milestone missions within one day, you get two entries.


    Although the statue isn¡¯t particularly useful.


    It looks incredibly impressive, and there seems to be this collecting desire lurking within him, making him want to gather all twelve statues. That way, when he eventually ascends to the throne of the Immortal Emperor, these twelve statues will mark the traces of his rise from obscurity.


    They would represent the twelve highlights of his life.


    ¡­


    After Chen Qiu departed.


    The disciples of the Chao Tian Sect reluctantly watched the departed phenomenon. To tell the truth, they had utilized some lifespan-extending methods before, but they had never considered using successive natural phenomena for extending their lives.


    Once in Da Xia.


    Soon after, it happened here again; it really felt so comfortable to bask in it.


    Last time they gained half a year of life; this time they extended it by a full year.


    It might not sound like much, but if you added up everyone in the nine states who extended their lifespan, it would amount to an astronomical figure.


    ¡°Really nice.¡±


    Qu Gui stood on the sea surface with a dazed expression, smiling as he looked toward the distant sun. Although his start was not too wonderful, thanks to his diligent efforts, he had found himself in a pretty good position.


    As for what efforts he made.


    Really, it was just one.


    He decided to follow Chen Qiu.


    This one decision was all he had made in this lifetime, but it was this decision that took him from an almost certain death to skyrocketing all the way to the Nascent Soul realm.


    ¡°Who can say otherwise?¡±


    Zhao Buzhu wrapped an arm around Zhao Dezhu¡¯s shoulders, also full of emotion, ¡°I am truly grateful for my nephew. I never thought I¡¯d see the day when I would achieve the Nascent Soul. Every time I think about it, it still feels somewhat surreal.¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    The scholar laughed as he stood mid-air, looking down at a group of brown bears playing in the sea below. He turned to Fat Long beside him and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell Brother Qiu that you¡¯ve broken through to Golden Core and picked that entry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him in a few days,¡± replied Fat Long, shaking his head. ¡°Brother Qiu is busy these days; he probably won¡¯t bother with this. I¡¯ll wait until he¡¯s not so busy.¡±


    ¡°And besides¡ª¡±


    His expression turned a bit strange, ¡°Scholar, are you sure those brown bears are playing in the water? They¡¯ve grown up in the desert; do they even understand swimming?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After observing for a while without any expression, the scholar suddenly shot towards the sea surface, ¡°Oh no, they really don¡¯t know how to swim; they¡¯re drowning.¡±


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    ¡°Drowning, and you didn¡¯t know to call for help?¡±


    Luckily the scholar acted promptly, and not a single brown bear drowned. Fat Long looked at the young brown bear in front of him, the Young Clan Leader of the bears, and said disapprovingly, ¡°You dared to go into the sea without knowing how to swim?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t call out; each shout filled my stomach with more water,¡± replied the young brown bear, who had coughed out water for a while before rolling onto his rotund belly, speaking in a small, aggrieved voice, ¡°We didn¡¯t plan on going into the sea, but we were just out from the small world and found ourselves in the sea. You can fly, but we can¡¯t; we fell right into the water.¡±

 Chapter 383 - 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_4

    Chapter 383: Chapter 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_4


    ¡°` S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Foundation Establishment can¡¯t fly?¡±


    ¡°Human Clan Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage can fly, but we are Demon Cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    Fat Long gave a displeased glance, just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly saw the scholar standing silently in place and couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, what are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ...


    After a long silence, the scholar finally spoke hoarsely, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s an illusion, but after I got into the water just now, I thought I saw a dragon.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ that dragon didn¡¯t have any Spiritual Energy fluctuations. I hadn¡¯t even had the chance to extend my Divine Sense before it suddenly disappeared.¡±


    ¡°A dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it looked just like the dragon that Brother Qiu first saw traversing the seven-colored auspicious clouds during his initial extraordinary event. Wait here for Brother Qiu, I¡¯ll go take a look in the sea.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just be careful.¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any major issues.¡± The scholar shook his head, ¡°I forgot that my brother and I have the Bloodline Entry. If anything unexpected happens, I can immediately teleport to his side within ten thousand miles. There won¡¯t be any big problems. When Brother Qiu comes back, tell him about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡­


    Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul!


    At this moment, the Su Family Patriarch, who was already preparing for war, revealed a hint of shock in his eyes, recalling the recent Heavenly Dao Decree. Ordinary people might think the Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul was merely a tenth-grade Nascent Soul.


    But as a Divinity Transformation powerhouse, he naturally knew that above the tenth-grade Nascent Soul, there were two legends that no one had ever reached!


    They are¡ª


    the eleventh-grade Nascent Soul and the twelfth-grade Nascent Soul!


    Given that it was referred to as a Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, it was undoubtedly a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul. But¡­ could this really be possible?


    Tenth-grade Nascent Souls were already legendary existences, let alone a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul which was the legend among legends!


    Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul!


    Ten days ago, since Chen Qiu obliterated the Evil Clan with a single strike, there hadn¡¯t been any activity from him. Now, after ten days, when he reappeared, it stirred up such a huge commotion again.


    He had only been a fourth-grade Nascent Soul when he made his breakthrough.


    Not the worst, but not too strong either, just as he previously mentioned. He had always traveled an utterly ordinary path, without being particularly talented or weak, and mysteriously reached the Divinity Transformation Stage, then became a family head.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    After a long time.


    Su Tianshan let out a deep sigh, his face showing a complex expression as he looked at the exaggerated 879 billion merit points behind Chen Qiu¡¯s name on the ¡°Xuantian Continent¡¯s Merit Leaderboard.¡± The last time, Chen Qiu used only 97 billion merit points to wipe out the entire Evil Clan, causing their whole Continent plate to sink, becoming part of the sea.


    Now, it was 879 billion merit points.


    In other words.


    If Chen Qiu wished, he could at any moment take several major states in Lower Quzhou down with him.


    The deterrence this brought was far greater than the fear a Divinity Transformation powerhouse like him could inspire.


    Chaotic times are approaching.


    All the top powers have isolated themselves, and for the coming period, the strongest will be those at the Divinity Transformation like him. Anyone stronger has already secluded themselves. He can now barely call himself the number one powerhouse of the Xuantian Continent, and doing so wouldn¡¯t be considered wrong.


    After all, those stronger than him have all departed.


    The thought of this made him somewhat irritated.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what was coming, a major battle was certain, probably a decisive battle against the Alien Clans. The pinnacle combatants of the Heavenly Continent had run off, leaving behind only the elderly and the weak.


    If those top middle-state powers hadn¡¯t fled, the Human Race, being the strongest race, would have nothing to fear.


    Whether it¡¯s the Devil Clan or the Demon Race, why should they be feared?


    But then again.


    If it was only about starting a decisive battle with the Devil Clan and the Demon Race, those top middle-state powers shouldn¡¯t have been frightened into hiding. What information did they know in advance, to be so afraid?


    ¡­


    Over the skies of Jing State, inside a giant Flying Boat.


    Li Shiyi, true disciple of the Tao Sword Sect, stood on the deck, gazing into the distance towards Quzhou in a daze. He had already left Quzhou with his sect, ready to isolate and avoid the world in the central states.


    This departure could last a hundred years, or even longer.


    There was no specific time.


    It depended on when the chaotic times would end, and they would emerge from seclusion then.


    According to his master, things were going to get very chaotic.


    He also didn¡¯t know if after his return, Chen Qiu would still be alive. He once had a little feud with Chen Qiu, but it had been resolved the last time. At least in his heart, he no longer held any grudges against Chen Qiu, and his respect for him had even increased.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s strength was worthy of his respect.


    Especially that Heavenly Dao Decree resonating through the heavens, bearing witness to Chen Qiu¡¯s path as a Heavenly Pride!


    After a long time, the dreamy Li Shiyi murmured softly to himself, ¡°Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, that¡¯s a tenth-grade Nascent Soul, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°A tenth-grade Nascent Soul requires Heavenly Dao Foundation, a Seven-colored term, and a First-Grade Golden Core as its three prerequisites.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°First-Grade Golden Core is correct, I suspected he might be a First-Grade Golden Core in the last Secret Realm screening. But¡­ a Seven-colored term¡­ could a Golden Core Stage Cultivator possibly possess a Seven-colored term?¡±


    And at this moment¡ª


    An elderly man with white hair and dressed in white clothes, barefoot, came to stand beside him. With long black hair casually draped over his shoulders, his arms rested on the rail of the boat, also looking towards the direction of Quzhou, and after a long silence, he finally said softly.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°A tenth-grade Nascent Soul is not the endpoint. Above the tenth-grade Nascent Soul, there is an existence that no one has ever reached called a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°He who is called the Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul by the Heavenly Dao must naturally be that Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°The prerequisite for a Tenth-Grade Nascent Soul is a First-Grade Golden Core. The prerequisite for a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul must be a Twelfth-Grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°`

 Chapter 384 - 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_5

    Chapter 384: Chapter 165: The Twelve-Grade Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, Appears!_5


    ¡°¡±¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s more terrifying than you think.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Li Shiyi shook his head in confusion, ¡°The requirements and materials for a tenth-grade Nascent Soul are so complicated and as difficult as ascending to heaven, not to mention the twelfth grade. Why would a loose cultivator be able to gather so many materials?¡±


    ¡°Him?¡±


    The elder remained silent for a long time before he suddenly let out a light chuckle, ¡°He is not just any loose cultivator, his identity has never been hidden from you. He is none other than the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu.¡±


    ...


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you never took it seriously.¡±


    ¡°You thought a Golden Core Sect Master was nothing significant, just a self-proclaimed title.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think the top-tier forces in the central region went into hiding the moment the Heavenly Dao Decree resounded ten days ago?¡±


    Li Shiyi paused for a while before he hesitantly said, ¡°Is it because the new Heavenly Dao version ¡®Chaos Under Heaven¡¯ is about to descend? Historical records show that those major powers often retreat and close their gates during chaotic times, to avoid discontinuation of their sect lineages amidst the turmoil.¡±


    ¡°Half right.¡±


    After a heavy sigh, the elder¡¯s eyes flickered with a distant look as he murmured towards the direction of Quzhou.


    ¡°In times of chaos, the lineage of a sect is the easiest to break, but chaos also means countless opportunities.¡±


    ¡°The reason most top-tier forces in the central region announced their retreat from the world in this upcoming chaotic era is not because of the so-called ¡®Chaos Under Heaven¡¯, but because ten days ago, one man¡¯s name resonated through the nineteen provinces of Xuantian Continent!¡±


    ¡°That man is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡°Many of the top-tier forces in the central region started searching for information related to Chen Qiu. Normally speaking, to possess a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul would certainly require a twelfth-grade Golden Core. The creation of such a Golden Core would surely manifest celestial phenomena, just like this. But in the recent centuries, there hasn¡¯t been any major celestial sign.¡±


    ¡°Nor has there been any Imperial Decree announcing the achievement of a twelfth-grade Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, Chen Qiu suddenly appeared in Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°What does all this suggest?¡±


    ¡°It means that Chen Qiu came to this world out of the blue; before that, or at least before his Golden Core stage, he was not of this world, not of the world of Xuantian Continent. So, which world was he from?¡±


    The elder¡¯s expression was laden with profound meaning as he tilted his head toward Li Shiyi.


    ¡°The Gua Cultivation sect of the central region was the first to announce their retreat from the world.¡±


    ¡°Simply because they are the sect with the oldest heritage, nearly ten thousand years. Over those millennia, their sect split several times, and the legacy has been intermittently lost across the river of time, but one phrase has accompanied the surviving legacy and been passed down through the rocky path.¡±


    ¡°That phrase is¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡®Should Chao Tian Sect re-emerge one day, a hundred-year retreat will ensure the unbroken transmission of the lineage.''¡±


    ¡°The top-tier forces of the central region, ah, they didn¡¯t retreat from the world because of the ¡®Chaos Under Heaven¡¯ version of the Heavenly Dao; it was solely because of this Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ within their own intermittently surviving legacies, they found the same phrase.¡±


    ¡°¡®A hundred-year retreat ensures the unbroken transmission of the sect lineage.''¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Shiyi¡¯s mouth slowly fell open in disbelief as he stood there, stunned. Turning his head again towards the direction of Quzhou, he seemed to witness once more the Heavenly Thunder carrying the force of heaven and earth smiting Evil State; to see Chen Qiu, gravely wounded yet still standing straight in the Storm, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella; to hear, as he met Chen Qiu for the first time, Chen Qiu saying from him he saw the end road of this era¡¯s Heavenly Pride.


    He had looked up the records about the Chao Tian Sect.


    But he had not expected,


    That Chen Qiu¡¯s Chao Tian Sect, was actually the very same from tens of thousands of years ago.


    ¡°But¡­those top-tier forces of the central region, they all have powerful figures stronger than Divinity Transformation Stage holding fort, would they really be so afraid of Chen Qiu?¡±


    The elder tilted his head once more, glancing at Li Shiyi with a light chuckle, ¡°How do you think you measure up to your peers in Quzhou?¡±


    ¡°First in Quzhou!¡±


    Li Shiyi said seriously, without exaggeration; before Chen Qiu had appeared, he was indeed the number one Heavenly Pride of Quzhou.


    ¡°Then how do you think you compare to that Chen Qiu?¡±


    This time Li Shiyi was silent for a long time before he hoarsely said, ¡°Like a frog in the well glimpsing the moon in the sky.¡±


    The elder didn¡¯t laugh this time, his expression tinged with sadness as he murmured, ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re only Golden Core; if you stood at the Divinity Transformation Stage like me, you would understand what it means to be an insignificant mayfly gazing at the vast sky.¡±


    ¡°For us, Divinity Transformation is already the end of our life¡¯s journey.¡±


    ¡°But for that Chen Qiu, Divinity Transformation may just be a starting point.¡±


    ¡°The gap between you and him is even greater than the gap between me and a mortal.¡±


    ¡°Those top-tier forces of the central region have extensive branches, and if any disciple¡¯s relative provokes Chen Qiu, following the trail could lead to the end of millennia-long legacies right there and then.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s current Cultivation is at the Nascent Soul stage. Indeed, the top-tier forces of the central region don¡¯t fear that.¡±


    ¡°But this man is an ¡®Agitator¡¯. As long as you don¡¯t avoid the world, it¡¯s very easy to be entangled in karma with him, and if it¡¯s bad karma, then once the other party grows in a few years, all the years of foundation built by these so-called top-tier forces of the central region will have to be surrendered.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Shiyi fell into silence, speechless for a long time. His demeanor appeared calm, but inside, a tempest had begun to churn. He had only thought of Chen Qiu as an incomparable Heavenly Pride.


    Although much stronger than him, he still saw Chen Qiu as a peer among the Heavenly Prides.


    Only he had not anticipated,


    That his master, a powerful entity at the Divinity Transformation Stage, one of the strongest in Quzhou, would hold Chen Qiu in such high esteem.


    And those unattainable top-tier forces of the central region, they would actually retreat for a hundred years because of Chen Qiu.


    ¡®Agitator¡¯, what was that?


    Suddenly, he recalled the phrase his master had just mentioned.


    ¡°Should Chao Tian Sect re-emerge one day, a hundred-year retreat will ensure the unbroken transmission of the lineage.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What if¡­


    You neither close the gates nor avoid the world?


    What then?

 Chapter 385 - 166:

    Chapter 385: Chapter 166: ¡°They are from the Chao Tian Sect?!


    After a long while!


    Li Shiyi, who was standing on the deck of the ¡°Tao Sword Sect¡± Flying Boat, let out a long sigh, ¡°Now there are two pieces of news.¡±


    Good news, ¡°The heavenly prides from the Central Region have all gone into hiding, and Chen Qiu has also broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, meaning Chen Qiu can no longer travel the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path, significantly reducing his competition pressure.¡±


    Bad news, ¡°He himself has gone into hiding.¡±


    There¡¯s only half a year left for the Heavenly Pride¡¯s path, and he had deliberately suppressed his Cultivation at the Golden Core Peak Great Perfection for so long precisely to achieve a good ranking on the path of the Heavenly Prides. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As a result¡­


    ...


    As a result, he is now in hiding, which means that all his efforts during this period have been in vain.


    ¡­


    Above the Nine Hevens, within the Heavenly Palace.


    Chen Qiu was standing alone inside the ¡°Heavenly Palace,¡± with a red carpet of indeterminate material acting as the central axis, dividing the magnificent palace in half.


    Twelve round plinths were neatly arranged on both sides of the carpet.


    At this moment, more than ten zhang tall statues had already been erected on two of the plinths.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï


    And the extra one!


    It was indeed a depiction of him standing on the sea in a blue robe just now.


    Standing alone on the sea surface, his body as straight as a pine tree, holding a jade paper fan in his hand, his whole demeanor filled with merciful compassion for the people of the world, and a reluctance to witness slaughter.


    The entire statue was permeated with a sense of benevolence and concern for the world.


    It sharply contrasted with the statue opposite it that was filled with a murderous aura.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, looked up at this towering statue with a rather satisfied smile on his face, ¡°The snap taken by the Heavenly Dao this time isn¡¯t bad, and it even seems to have been¡­ beautified a bit.¡±


    The air around the statue seemed particularly penetrating.


    Beneath the round plinth of this statue, there were also several lines of small characters.


    ¨C


    ¡°One of the twelve milestone tasks¡±


    ¡°Possessing at the same time a twelve-grade Golden Core and a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Completion by: Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¨C


    For now, he couldn¡¯t see any special effects from this statue; aside from its commemorative value, it seemed to have no practical effect. However, this Heavenly Palace was quite interesting. If faced with a crisis, one could instantly come to the Heavenly Palace, which was akin to having an extra lifesaving method.


    It¡¯s a little faster than returning to the small world.


    To go back to the small world, one¡¯s Divine Sense and the Sect Leader Token in the Storage Ring needed to establish a connection. Although the speed of Divine Sense was very fast, it still required this additional process to enter the small world.


    Coming to the Heavenly Palace, on the other hand, required no contact between Divine Sense and anything else. By skipping that step, a mere thought could bring one directly to the Heavenly Palace.


    Chen Qiu, sitting in place, gave his two statues a satisfied look, then smiled again.


    Just as he was preparing to leave.


    He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    He frowned slightly, smoothly turning around with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in his hand, staring intently at the main gate of the Heavenly Palace. The footsteps were coming from outside the gate; were there others here?


    His Divine Sense couldn¡¯t penetrate the gate of the Heavenly Palace.


    Nor could it detect what was inside the Heavenly Palace, let alone the identity of the newcomer. He had peeked through the door crack last time but had seen nothing but void. Nothing else was of use.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, his body gradually tensing. He didn¡¯t immediately leave the Heavenly Palace because he wanted to see who the person coming through the gate was.


    Just then¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    The long-unmaintained doors of the Heavenly Palace were slowly pushed open. As the grating noise was heard, clouds of dust also fell from the door frame.


    All he managed to see was a silhouette stepping in amid blinding light, the person¡¯s face or even gender impossible to discern, and their clothes invisible.


    Subsequently!


    A strong force of heaven and earth surged towards him, forcibly ejecting him from the Heavenly Palace.


    But just before leaving, he caught a glimpse of the silhouette, seemingly frozen at the doorway, then turning around and fleeing outside, as if more terrified than he was.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing again high above the sea surface, looked down at the towering waves below, his hand supporting his chin as he remained silent for a long time without speaking.


    There were people outside the Heavenly Palace?


    This implied many things.


    He had originally thought that the Heavenly Palace was an independent hidden map, with nothingness outside much like a secret realm; there was nothing outside the secret realm.


    It was somewhat akin to bubbles in boiling water, each bubble an independent entity, unconnected to any other bubble.


    And what separated bubble from bubble was the void.


    Yet someone had pushed open the door from outside the Heavenly Palace, suggesting that the Heavenly Palace was not an isolated map but one of the palaces within a larger map. However¡­ those twelve milestone tasks of the Heavenly Palace had remained uncompleted by anyone on the Xuantian Continent for so many years.


    In other words.


    The ¡°Heavenly Palace¡± map was considered high-status on the Xuantian Continent, and yet it¡¯s just one palace within a larger map.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and put aside these thoughts. Instead, he looked at the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure Tea Set in his arms. This was a Spiritual Treasure made up of several parts.


    There was a tea tray, a teapot, six cups, and a Justice Cup.


    There were even the Six Gentlemen of the Tea Ceremony!


    A tea scoop, tea needle, tea clip, tea scraper, tea strainer, and tea tube.


    Each had its purpose, ranging from holding tea leaves and unclogging the spout to picking up cups and clearing residues inside the teapot.


    Beyond that!


    There was even a tea pet. A tea pet is basically useless and served only as a decorative item for aesthetic appeal.

 Chapter 386 - 166:

    Chapter 386: Chapter 166: ¡°They are from the Chao Tian Sect?!¡±_2


    So many things have come together to form this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure tea set.


    Each item is a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure in itself, but not when taken separately; it¡¯s only when the set is taken as a whole that it qualifies as a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    In fact, all these items are pretty much useless.


    For example, the tea clip used to pick up leaves, and the tea needle to clear the spout of a teapot, isn¡¯t spiritual energy more efficient than these? Do we even need to use our hands? With just a thought, the teapot would naturally be cleaned by the spiritual energy flowing through it.


    But obviously¡­


    The point of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure tea set is to make you use your hands instead of spiritual energy.


    ...


    Each small object is surging with the power of heaven and earth, which is perceived as extraordinary at even a glance.


    And there¡¯s only one effect afforded by this set of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures.


    ¡°The tea brewed with this tea set will contain the force of heaven and earth.¡±


    However, the force of heaven and earth thus infused has no practical use, it doesn¡¯t increase Cultivation, doesn¡¯t enlighten you to the Dao, nor does it enhance your cultivation techniques or even your lifespan; the only effect is to make you exclaim ¡®wow¡¯ after sipping the tea for containing the force of heaven and earth.


    Other effects¡­ there are none.


    ¡°¡­¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly at the set of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures in his hand, well aware that among Spiritual Treasures, there¡¯s an extremely rare category known as ensemble treasures, which often put an Artifact Cultivator¡¯s fundamental skills to the test.


    And this Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure in his hands had more than a dozen small components, the craftsmanship of which was extremely intricate.


    But¡ª


    Despite that intricacy and the high status as a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, it had no notable effects.


    This was akin to using the finest materials from Xuantian Continent, expending a massive amount of effort, to make oneself a¡­ tea set for drinking tea.


    Pretty good.


    Only such things were worthy to go with his ¡°Frostveil Tea¡± and ¡°Frostveil Tea.¡±


    Though it had no effects, it was still his fifth Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, granting him the benefits of a second ensemble effect.


    His first ensemble effect was,


    ¡°The might of the Thunder Summoning Technique when released will gain enhancement.¡±


    Particularly tailored for the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Chen Qiu settled his mind and looked towards the second ensemble effect floating above his Dantian.


    ¡°The might of the Thunder Summoning Technique when released will gain further enhancement.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This time, Chen Qiu fell into a longer silence, uncertain why both ensemble effects of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure were so fixated on the Thunder Summoning Technique, insisting on boosting the might of this technique. Although it was also a good thing, he wished there could be some variety.


    Collect eight Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, and you would gain one more, also the last, ensemble effect.


    He could almost guess what this last effect would be.


    Without surprises, it should be another boost to the might of your Thunder Summoning Technique.


    He looked at the relatively plain bracelet on his left wrist; this bracelet was what he had picked up from a street vendor while in Great Yuan City. After nurturing it within his Dantian for ten days, it had finally cleansed away the dust, revealing its true appearance, and displaying its effect as a Spiritual Treasure.


    A Golden Core, top-grade, Earth Level Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures are growth treasures, accompanying the owner¡¯s rise in Cultivation and growing alongside.


    ¡°Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella¡± is his Lifebound Treasure.


    And now the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella is a Golden Core, pinnacle-grade, Heavenly Level top-class Spiritual Treasure; when he first obtained it, it was merely a Golden Core, lower-grade, Heavenly Level top-class Spiritual Treasure. Alongside his growth in Cultivation, its level too had reached Golden Core pinnacle-grade.


    But it had not reached the Nascent Soul yet; to get there, some materials were needed to prepare the Spiritual Treasure for the breakthrough.


    ¡°Required materials: 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, 20 pieces of Evil Wood, one Eight Desolate Fruit.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow; he gathered he had all the required materials, and as soon as he returned to his small world, he could also promote the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to the Nascent Soul lower-grade. The Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella was his Lifebound Spiritual Treasure and had already formed a set with his other Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures.


    If the Lifebound Spiritual Treasure¡¯s grade is upgraded, the grades of the other owned Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures will be upgraded as well.


    This aspect presented no difficulties.


    ¡­


    After roughly sorting through the loot once more, he finally took a deep breath.


    Especially that restored left arm gave him a feeling of returning from a long journey still a youth. He had yet to choose an entry for the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage, but he was in no rush at the moment.


    After all, this was the first time he was pulling entries at the Nascent Soul cultivation level.


    He decided to wait until all matters were dealt with, then return to the Chao Tian Sect to find a place of absolute safety for his entry selection.


    Then Chen Qiu turned his head to look at Fat Long, ¡°Fat Long, later on, I¡¯ll have a few Nascent Soul cultivation level Chao Tian Sect disciples follow you while you go out to gather information.¡±


    ¡°The main task is to find out which sects in Quzhou contain Evil Cultivators and Demon Cultivators who are frequently up to no good.¡±


    ¡°Those sects that don¡¯t have any Divinity Transformation Stage ones.¡±


    ¡°Then we will visit each one in turn, acting for the people to eliminate evil, to carry out justice on Heaven¡¯s behalf, slaying demons and vanquishing devils.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Fat Long nodded gravely.


    Just then¡ª


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes glinted with a hint of humor as he looked at Fat Long, ¡°Oh? Broke through to the Golden Core? Cultivation shot up?¡±


    ¡°Just lucky.¡±


    Seeing Brother Qiu take the initiative to ask about himself, Fat Long puffed out his chest with a bit of pride, preparing to recount the third entry he had randomly obtained when suddenly he was interrupted by a voice.


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    Suddenly, the scholar shot up from the depths of the ocean, slightly panting as he said, ¡°I encountered a dragon in the sea, a real dragon. I almost caught up with it, but it flicked its tail and sent me flying.¡±


    ¡°But it was clearly holding back, it just knocked me away without any harm.¡±


    ¡°Which means, there could truly be Dragons!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard legends of dragons in Da Xia, but never seen one. Now that I think about it, that legend must have been transmitted from the Heavenly Continent to Da Xia Country. The dragon described in that legend appears just as this one did, supremely powerful, and¡­ supposedly delicious in taste.¡±

 Chapter 387 - 166:

    Chapter 387: Chapter 166: ¡°They are from the Chao Tian Sect?!¡±_3


    ¡°Dragon Clan?¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed into the distance. After a moment, he chuckled lightly, ¡°No harm, if they just repelled you, it seems they had good intentions. We can try to make contact in the future.¡±


    He could probably guess why the Dragon Clan had come here.


    Since the Evil State was coastal and had countless islands, all those islands and the continent had suddenly sunk to the bottom of the sea overnight. If there were Dragon Clan in the depths of the sea, they would definitely come to take a look and see what had happened.


    Then he turned to the scholar, ¡°Pick a few disciples and Fat Long to go out and gather some intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After arranging all of this,


    ...


    Chen Qiu flashed into the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s small world, bringing back the brown bears, leaving all the Nascent Soul disciples with the scholar. Chao Tian Sect now had eight Nascent Soul disciples.


    All of them were at the Second Grade Nascent Soul.


    The rest weren¡¯t ready to make a breakthrough yet; they were waiting for the Sect Master to bestow upon them a Nascent Soul body so that they could form a Second Grade Nascent Soul.


    With a Second Grade Nascent Soul, both their strength and potential would be much stronger.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t compete with a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul, but¡­ having one was enough, they weren¡¯t picky!


    They weren¡¯t greedy, either.


    The remaining disciples were all brought back to Chao Tian Sect. Last time, he had drawn twenty Nascent Soul bodies from the Heavenly Dao Roulette, which would allow another twenty disciples to break through to the Nascent Soul. This way, Chao Tian Sect would have a total of twenty-eight Nascent Souls.


    Not counting himself.


    Once Fat Long returned with the information, he would go with these twenty-eight Nascent Souls to eradicate evil for the people. He wanted to see which Evil Sect in Quzhou could stop him!


    Sect foundation?


    The heritage accumulated over so many years was there for the destined one to claim.


    He, Chen Qiu, was that destined one!


    ¡­


    At that time, he had gathered a total of 57 disciples in Da Xia Country, 38 of whom were at the Great Perfection Cultivation of the Golden Core Peak. These people only needed a Nascent Soul body to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. The rest were at the middle and later stages of Golden Core.


    These people would find it difficult to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage in a short amount of time.


    After all, Chao Tian Sect¡¯s ¡°Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills¡± were not yet abundant enough for casual consumption. He could only take ten a day, and half of those were earmarked for the scholar.


    However, these people each had their own strengths, and Cultivation was not the most important thing; they could shine in other areas.


    To put it bluntly, Chao Tian Sect now had too much combat power and, as a result, many matters were neglected. For instance, Chao Tian Sect didn¡¯t even have a single maid, which was often inconvenient. He had never considered this before, but a few days ago, when he was badly injured,


    the old man Xing Dou removed his clothes to clean his wounds,


    he had firmly resolved to find a batch of maids once he recovered. It wasn¡¯t that he had an issue with Xing Dou, but he did have an issue with an old man undressing him and wiping his body.


    If it were a maid, he could accept it.


    Moreover, Fat Long had also attained Golden Core, and a Fifth-grade Demon Witch wasn¡¯t enough for him.


    He needed to consider getting Fat Long a Witch with higher Cultivation.


    However, for a higher Cultivation Witch, Chao Tian Sect¡¯s ¡°Forbidden Spirit Device¡± might not be adequate, and he¡¯d have to find a higher grade one that could restrain a Nascent Soul.


    So busy¡­


    Seated cross-legged on a mountain peak behind Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu sighed with resignation. How did he end up with so much to do in a single day? Couldn¡¯t he just have three months with nothing to do,


    allowing him to sleep peacefully within Chao Tian Sect for three full months?


    Without the four Demon Lotuses, Chao Tian Sect had become much more refreshing to the eye, and, moreover, the Sect had been fully restored in Da Xia and planted with many green plants within. Now, the Sect looked quite impressive.


    It had to be said, those brown bears had always lived in the desert, but they had quite refined tastes in horticulture. They had transplanted many plants into the Sect, making it now appear lush and quite nice.


    It¡¯s just that there were too few people.


    With only fifty or sixty people in the vast Chao Tian Sect, it was quite unimpressive; there was too little vitality. They needed to bring in more people, to boost the atmosphere.


    He remembered when he was in Su City, the Su Family Young Master mentioned something about a sect that was all female cultivators. He could potentially capture them all to serve as maids.


    He had forgotten the name.


    First, he would inquire whether it was Joyful Union Sect. If it was, he would pass; he still had some scruples about cleanliness and did not wish to have maids serving him who were unclean, though he didn¡¯t have use for them.


    It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t need them, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t have them.


    Oh, the woman whose Golden Core he had taken that time seemed to be from that sect, he just forgot what it was called. Did that woman even tell him her name?


    Chen Qiu shook his head.


    Putting all the messy thoughts from his mind behind him, he took a deep breath and, with a serious expression, looked at the two Heavenly Dao Roulettes in his hand and murmured, ¡°I bet you won¡¯t just give me 100 Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills directly, will you?¡±


    What did he need the most right now?


    Naturally, Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills!


    Why had his Cultivation advanced so quickly? He relied on Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, but they were extremely hard to come by. The higher the Grade of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, the harder it was to obtain, especially for Nascent Soul.


    He had said something similar last time, and as a result, he was given five Second Grade Nascent Souls.


    He wondered if it would happen again this time.


    As the Heavenly Dao Roulette was crushed, a panel enshrouded in mist appeared before him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make a choice within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±

 Chapter 388 - 166:

    Chapter 388: Chapter 166: ¡°They are from the Chao Tian Sect?!_4


    1: Twenty First Grade Nascent Soul bodies


    2: A hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    3: One First Grade Divinity Transformation Body.


    4: One random side effect-free Grey entry, with a choice of three.


    5: 4000 Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    ¨C


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu felt slightly disappointed as he smacked his lips, it seemed like good fortune wouldn¡¯t always favor him, as he wasn¡¯t given any Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. After pondering for a moment,


    he chose the first and fourth options.


    The first option would allow the remaining Golden Core Peak Great Perfection disciples of the Chao Tian Sect to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.


    This time, they were truly filled with Nascent Souls!


    Since the Divinity Transformation Body was already useless, there was also no need to prepare it for the scholars and others. By the time they were breaking through to Nascent Soul, he should already be capable of slaying Divinity as easily as slaughtering dogs, and by then, the Divinity Transformation Body would still be effortless.


    The side effect-free Grey entry, however, was something that made him envious.


    He remembered that Grey entries, though extremely powerful and often rule-based, usually came with significant side effects.


    For instance¡ª


    ¡®entry name¡¯: Yama¡¯s personal decree.


    ¡®entry level¡¯: Grey.


    ¡®entry effect¡¯: You will definitely die in one year, but you will absolutely not die within that year.


    This utterly worthless Grey entry!


    It forcibly shortened one¡¯s lifespan to one year.


    However, if this Grey entry had no side effects, then the effect would be a different matter entirely, absolute immortality for a year, with no side effects at all, which was truly terrifying.


    During the Qi Refinement Realm, he used to frequently randomly receive Grey entries, but since reaching the Golden Core Stage, he scarcely received them anymore.


    ¡­


    After making these two choices, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t immediately activate the triple-choice Grey entry but held the last Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette in his hands and took a deep breath before saying solemnly,


    ¡°I bet you will definitely give me Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, right?¡±


    This time, he wasn¡¯t going to pretend anymore.


    He directly demanded!


    Without hesitation, he immediately shattered the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette in his hands.


    Soon!


    A panel, shrouded in mist, appeared once again in mid-air.


    ¨C


    ¡®Please make a selection within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡¯


    1: Twenty Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    2: A random low-grade Nascent Soul Spiritual Treasure. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    3: A random low-grade Nascent Soul spell.


    4: Random teleportation to a location within the Xuantian Continent.


    5: Twenty Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hey?¡±


    Chen Qiu was first slightly stunned, then couldn¡¯t help but smirk, he was already quite satisfied with the first option, and he didn¡¯t expect that the fifth option would also be Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    The same option, appearing twice?


    A total of forty Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Now he was completely satisfied!


    Such great stuff, but he didn¡¯t know where to get more after using these forty, nor did he know if other sects had any, as he did not see any in the Yuan Sect¡¯s Treasure Vault, not even Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Speaking of which, those Yuan Sect Storage Rings should have been cracked by now; it¡¯s been over ten days. After this, he¡¯ll go check them out.


    With a thought,


    the Nascent Soul, floating above his Dantian and spinning by itself, suddenly appeared before him.


    He looked at the entry embedded in the abdomen of the Nascent Soul and couldn¡¯t help but laugh again.


    ¡®entry name¡¯: Imperial Decree Regular.


    ¡®entry level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®entry effect¡¯: Every reward obtained from the Heavenly Dao Decree will be doubled.


    The effects this entry brought him far surpassed some Yellow and Blue entries.


    Although it was just a Green entry,


    its effect was indeed not bad.


    The Heavenly Dao Decree would not provide rewards except when they were of supreme quality, such as the Heavenly Pride Fortune and that Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette. Doubling such rewards, he didn¡¯t even know how many Spirit Stones their multiplied value could be exchanged for.


    Although he had not had many Spirit Stones along the way,


    if he converted everything he had consumed into Spirit Stones, the combined essence of all of Da Xia and Quzhou probably couldn¡¯t match it, not to mention, if that Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride could be sold, he would confidently have no problem buying half of Quzhou.


    This entry would be absolute rubbish for most people.


    Absolutely useless.


    At least so far, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone other than himself receiving rewards from the Heavenly Dao Decree.


    But if he could frequently appear on the Heavenly Dao Decree, then this entry would be able to exert its full effect.


    ¡®Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette¡¯ is only received after completing a milestone mission, and obtaining it is incredibly difficult. Without the Imperial Decree Regular, his essence would be much less now.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a bit of a pity.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked regretfully at the shattered pieces of the Heavenly Dao Roulette on the ground. There were only twelve milestone missions in the entire Xuantian Continent, none of which had been completed over the many years due to their high difficulty.


    Such a high difficulty mission,


    yet it rewarded only one Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    It¡¯s not that the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette was inadequate,


    but rather, he felt that given the difficulty of the milestone missions, it should have been matched with a better reward.


    ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    He pondered thoughtfully without speaking further, unless the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette was not the real reward, perhaps just a teaser, and the real reward might actually be those two statues, only he hadn¡¯t yet realized their use.


    Tomorrow he would return to the Heavenly Palace to see if the person who had entered the Heavenly Palace earlier had left any clues behind.

 Chapter 389 - 166:

    Chapter 389: Chapter 166: ¡°They are from the Chao Tian Sect?!¡±_5


    After that, he took a deep breath again, pushing all the distracting thoughts to the back of his mind, ready to begin the selection of the three random entries he would receive after his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.


    So¡­


    Let the gambling begin!


    ¡­ S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Great Yuan City.¡±


    At this time, the sun was halfway up the sky, and the streets were bustling, with the cries of vendors selling their goods every now and then.


    ...


    But the liveliest places were definitely the tea houses.


    Almost every tea house in Great Yuan City was filled to capacity, and even outside the tea houses, people crowded around in layers, waiting for the moment when that storyteller inside slapped the block of wood, pulling a ¡®but¡­¡¯ at the end of his sentence.


    The crowd would always react with disbelief and astonishment, a resounding uproar.


    This was true for every tea house!


    Storytellers usually fed on ¡®Heavenly Destiny¡¯, and there weren¡¯t many who came specifically to listen to their tales. Often, they could only resort to retelling old stories, such as the epic battle that nearly shattered Quzhou thousands of years ago, which was still being recounted to this day.


    Without any new, fresh events, they had to stick to the old ones, and the stories that had been passed down were enduring; although people had heard them several times, they didn¡¯t mind listening again.


    However, as soon as a legendary figure emerged, that person would become a permanent fixture in the storyteller¡¯s repertoire!


    Until the tale was worn thin by repeated telling.


    And right now, all the storytellers in every tea house in Great Yuan City were talking about only one person, the ¡°Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect!¡±


    ¡°Hey, speaking of that Sect Master Chen Qiu of Chao Tian Sect, let me tell you, it¡¯s said¡­ this person is the reincarnation of the ¡®Xuantian Sect¡¯s¡¯ Holy Daughter from a hundred years ago!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because he attained a hundred billion merits in his past life that he could become this generation¡¯s unparalleled Heavenly Pride. You must have seen the sky smothered with Heavenly Punishment in Evil State a few days ago, right? If you go look now, you can still see traces where the Heavenly Punishment struck the earth.¡±


    ¡°According to some with high cultivation, this is because the Heavenly Punishment was so powerful that it left marks between heaven and earth, traces that will take at least a few hundred years to gradually fade away.¡±


    ¡°That day¡ª¡±


    ¡°When Sect Master Chen Qiu of Chao Tian Sect defeated all of Evil Clan¡¯s Heavenly Prides by himself in a crushing manner, three Divinity Transformation experts of the Evil Clan shamelessly launched a surprise attack on Chen Qiu, heavily injuring him on the spot!¡±


    ¡°If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have retreated, for they say that a gentleman¡¯s revenge is not too late, even after ten years. A Golden Core genius facing a Divinity Transformation expert¡¯s assassination would be lucky to survive at all, so naturally, they would have no expectations.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is Chen Qiu an ordinary person?!¡±


    ¡°At that time, Chen Qiu was staggering from his severe wounds, standing alone in the storm before over a hundred thousand of the Evil Clan. He looked towards the three Divinity Transformation experts and uttered just four words.¡±


    ¡°Can you guess which four words?¡±


    After stirring up the emotions of everyone present, the storyteller on the stage smacked the block of wood, lifted the hem of his robe, took a fierce step forward, his eyes bulging with anger, his neck veins popping as he roared.


    ¡°Ants, that¡¯s all you are!¡±


    ¡°In the next moment¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Fat Long stood outside the tea house with his arms crossed, looking at the storyteller inside, and couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°The storytellers on the Heavenly Continent are indeed better than those in Da Xia; look at this one, with scene reconstruction and emotional acting. This is quite a bit more professional than the Da Xia storytellers.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°At least seventy percent of the stories told by Da Xia¡¯s storytellers are true.¡±


    ¡°The storytellers on the Heavenly Continent, seventy percent of what comes out of their mouths is made up. Once they know the general story, the rest of the details are all left to their own wild concoctions.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve even made up the reincarnation of a Holy Daughter.¡±


    Meanwhile, the eight Chao Tian Sect Nascent Soul Disciples standing behind Fat Long exchanged glances and saw the excitement in each other¡¯s eyes. This was their first time setting foot on the Heavenly Continent; they had always stayed in the small world before.


    Right now, everything seemed fresh to them.


    Bustling.


    But even so, the concentration of Spiritual Energy in the air here paled in comparison to the Southern State of Da Xia.


    The eight of them wore black robes symbolizing the outer Disciples of Chao Tian Sect, with masks covering their Divine Sense. Fat Long and the scholar wore brownish-red robes, denoting the status of a Great Elder of Chao Tian Sect.


    One thing was common among them.


    A White ¡®Chao¡¯ character was embroidered on the left chest of each person.


    And at this moment.


    The surrounding crowd began to notice this group, who were clearly different from the others. When their gaze fell on the ¡®Chao¡¯ character on their chests, they were momentarily surprised, but soon they seemed to remember something.


    ¡°Chao¡­ Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    ¡°They are from Chao Tian Sect?!¡±


    ¡­


    Standing at the forefront, Fat Long, noticed that they had caught people¡¯s attention, cleared his throat and said in a hoarse voice, devoid of expression, ¡°Within ten breaths¡¯ time, the actual controller of Great Yuan City better come out and see me!¡±


    In the past, gathering intelligence required substantial effort due to insufficient strength, but now, obtaining information was straightforward and brutal¡ªfirst find someone who was qualified to talk to Chao Tian Sect.


    Strategize?


    When you possess both supreme Wisdom and absolute strength, no matter what problem you face, your supreme Wisdom will tell you to go straight for the jugular!


    As soon as Fat Long¡¯s words ended.


    The eight Nascent Soul Disciples standing behind him stood in place with cold expressions, their Nascent Soul cultivation flooding over the entire Great Yuan City in an instant.


    ¡°Nascent¡­ Nascent Soul, it¡¯s a Nascent Soul expert!¡±


    ¡°The Nascent Soul Elders of Chao Tian Sect have come!¡±


    Under the terrifying presence of Nascent Soul cultivation, the surrounding crowd, who had been listening to the storyteller and others, quickly dispersed in panic. It was quite rare to see any Nascent Soul Cultivators showing their faces in Great Yuan City, but today, they saw eight all at once!


    Chao Tian Sect had been gaining a lot of fame recently, but that was because the Sect Master was Chen Qiu.


    Wasn¡¯t it said that Chao Tian Sect relied solely on its Sect Master?


    A sect with eight Nascent Soul Elders, who would dare say such a sect only relied on its Sect Master?!!

 Chapter 390 - 167: Guaranteed Cultivation!

    Chapter 390: Chapter 167: ¡®Guaranteed Cultivation¡¯!


    Like a ferocious tiger entering a flock of sheep, the previously lively scene suddenly scattered as everyone fled like startled birds and scampering mice.


    Inside the teahouse, the storyteller who was just now raging with fierce eyes and articulate speech, now felt his legs go weak and collapse to the ground upon seeing the head of Chao Tian Sect arriving, crawling toward the deeper parts of the teahouse with eyes full of fear.


    A story, how could it not be embellished?


    But the problem was, Chen Qiu had risen to power almost overnight, and there was no existing framework for his rise; yet, with so many customers eagerly waiting, the storyteller had no choice but to embellish a bit more, not too much¡­ around six or seven layers perhaps¡­


    He himself felt somewhat guilty, but as he saw other storytellers exaggerating even more, he grew more and more confident in his tales.


    But now, the real deal had suddenly come knocking.


    ...


    The tension inside him snapped instantly; if he didn¡¯t run now, he might have to bid farewell to his life later on.


    ¡­


    Fat Long didn¡¯t have to wait too long.


    Almost just seven or eight breaths later, Fat Long turned his head towards the west side of Great Yuan City to see a Nascent Soul late-stage powerhouse with fully activated movement technique, hurtling towards him at high speed, arriving in front of him in the blink of an eye.


    It was a middle-aged man.


    The man¡¯s eyes briefly showed a hint of panic, and with a voice trembling unconsciously, he looked towards the eight Nascent Soul men and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ve met several elders of the Chao Tian Sect. I am the Sect Master of the Taoist Sect, and the de facto ruler of this Great Yuan City.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what orders the elders may have for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some acquaintances with your Sect Master; he knows me.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel panicked.


    He was not in Great Yuan City initially, strolling outside, when he received the message from the Sound Transmission Ring. Without any hesitation, he activated his full speed and rushed to Great Yuan City as fast as he could.


    What about Chao Tian Sect?


    No need for him to elaborate. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the past few days, not to mention the entire Xuantian Continent, people from other states, like those from the upper nine states, had only heard about it but hadn¡¯t witnessed the Thunder Punishment filling the skies, nor had they personally experienced the despair of being crushed by the might of Heaven and Earth on the ground, and those astonishing heavenly phenomena. Their understandings of the Chao Tian Sect were merely based on hearsay.


    They knew of a Heavenly Pride, very powerful, but how powerful exactly, they had no concept of it.


    Not so for the people of Quzhou. They had felt it personally, very personally.


    Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, with his own power, had crossed two Great Realms. While still at Golden Core Perfection, he annihilated an Evil Clan with four Divinity Transformation powerhouses and even utterly shattered the Evil State, throwing it into the sea.


    In Quzhou.


    You could be ignorant of the ¡°Xuantian Sect¡± in the central state, or have never heard the story of patching the heaven, but you couldn¡¯t possibly be unaware of ¡°Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    Last time, Chen Qiu also came to him, shortly after Chen Qiu had just destroyed Yuan Sect¡ªyet, not many knew of this. He came to prepare to sell the territory of Great Yuan City to him, for which he gave Chen Qiu three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Even then, he felt this person should not be underestimated.


    Little did he expect, in such a short time, the next he heard Chen Qiu¡¯s name it was from a Heavenly Dao Decree. The name ¡°Sect Master Chen Qiu of the Chao Tian Sect¡± pricked his mind like a thorn.


    Many times he awoke from his dreams, feeling fortunate that he didn¡¯t harbor any ill intentions back then; otherwise, he supposed he would be reporting in with Yuan Sect by now.


    But¡­


    The Sect Master of the Taoist Sect, examining the eight elders of the Chao Tian Sect with great caution, all of Nascent Soul first-layer cultivation, naturally felt no fear.


    As a Nascent Soul late-stage practitioner,


    Facing eight Nascent Soul first-layer cultivators was trivially easy, but what he feared was that head of Chao Tian Sect!


    All of this was just the tip of the iceberg!


    Besides¡­ who said Chao Tian Sect was a sect that relied only on its Sect Master? With eight Nascent Soul elders backing the sect, it might be weak in central state, but in Quzhou, under Chen Qiu¡¯s command, they were unmistakably a Major Sect!


    You should know Yuan Sect didn¡¯t even have eight Nascent Soul elders.


    ¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else,¡± said Zhao Buzhu emotionlessly, as he flicked the Chao Tian Sect disciple token in the air that represented an outer sect disciple. ¡°We are merely the outer sect disciples of Chao Tian Sect, truly unworthy of being called elders.¡±


    ¡°These two,¡± he continued.


    ¡°are the Great Elder and the Second Elder of our Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    The Taoist Sect Master¡¯s eyes flashed with astonishment, not only shocked that the few Nascent Soul cultivation men turned out to be outer sect disciples but also because this outer sect disciple¡¯s token was made of Evil Wood?


    What kind of joke was that?


    Evil Wood was a rare and valuable material, used a century ago for patching the sky and can be used on the Heavenly Pride¡¯s Path to enhance strength; a piece of Evil Wood had a price tag of at least ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    That was the regular price.


    If you need to buy in bulk or in a hurry, there was no upper limit on the price; paying seventy to eighty Mid-grade Spirit Stones for a piece was entirely possible.


    Seventy to eighty Mid-grade Spirit Stones, what did that imply? It was enough to set up a small Spirit Gathering Array for him to cultivate for several days.


    This sort of thing, and you¡¯re using it for Chao Tian Sect disciple tokens?


    And for outer sect disciples¡¯ tokens?


    ¡­


    But now was not the time to ponder such matters, as the Taoist Sect Master hurriedly turned his head towards Fat Long and the others, his face lifting into a rather congenial smile, his eyes showing a trace of genuine remorse and guilt, and he bowed his head slightly in a humble tone.


    ¡°My apologies, elders. The eyes are old and blurry.¡±


    ¡°May I ask if there¡¯s anything the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s elders require of me?¡±


    A Nascent Soul late-stage showing such a posture in front of two Golden Core practitioners was indeed extremely rare.

 Chapter 391 - 167: Guaranteed Cultivation!_2

    Chapter 391: Chapter 167: ¡®Guaranteed Cultivation¡¯!_2


    Even those Protectors with Nascent Soul peak Cultivation that follow the Heavenly Prides of Zhongzhou do not humble themselves before their own masters, being Protectors is their duty, but as Nascent Soul peak experts, they still have their own pride and dignity. They wouldn¡¯t kowtow to someone of far inferior Cultivation.


    If such a scene were to spread, it would likely be met with ridicule.


    But in Quzhou, absolutely no one would ridicule.


    Although he didn¡¯t understand why a Nascent Soul Cultivator was an outer sect Disciple, while one with Golden Core Cultivation had become an Elder, he still ensured enough humility towards the Chao Tian Sect Elder.


    Chaotic times were imminent.


    He didn¡¯t want the Taoist Sect¡¯s thousands of years of heritage to disappear as mysteriously as it did in Evil State.


    ...


    ¡­


    ¡°It seems that the esteemed Sect Master does not recognize me.¡±


    The scholar turned his head towards the Taoist Sect Master and said with a smile, ¡°That day, the Sect Master went with me to your Taoist Sect, the esteemed Sect Master really has a bad memory indeed.¡±


    ¡°Remember, of course I remember,¡±


    The Taoist Sect Master¡¯s forehead beaded with a trace of cold sweat. He remembered nothing; on that day, he thought the person following Chen Qiu was a subordinate of some sort, never giving him a proper glance, not realizing that this person was actually the Second Elder of the Chao Tian Sect.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to find an opportunity to personally thank Sect Master Chen, it is precisely because of Sect Master Chen that the Taoist Sect was able to capture Great Yuan City¡¯s territory so effortlessly.¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough with the chit-chat.¡±


    Fat Long waved his hand and took out a parchment from his bosom and handed it over: ¡°I¡¯m here today on the sect¡¯s orders. List down all the Evil Cultivation and Demon Cultivation sects within the boundaries of Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°Including their specific locations and so on.¡±


    ¡°Those sects that are always up to no good, burning, killing, looting, and slaughtering the common folk.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    A look of surprise flashed in the Taoist Sect Master¡¯s eyes, and a shocking possibility surged in his heart. His breathing gradually quickened, and then his expression turned serious: ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll record all of them!¡±


    ¡­


    Several hundred breaths later.


    The Taoist Sect Master carefully handed over the parchment filled with sect names: ¡°Please take a look, Elder.¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look.¡±


    Fat Long took the parchment and looked it over carefully a few times before looking up expressionlessly at the Taoist Sect Master: ¡°I just realized your sect¡¯s location is quite dangerous, eh? The forces adjacent to your sect, all are Evil Sects.¡±


    ¡°To have preserved your heritage surrounded by a pack of wolves for so long, your sect¡¯s strength is not to be underestimated.¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    A trace of panic and embarrassment flashed in the Taoist Sect Master¡¯s eyes, and then he said quietly, ¡°Elder, I¡¯ve written down their crimes at the bottom. These are definitely all real, you can find out with an investigation.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Fat Long waved his hand, not really minding the little tricks of the Taoist Sect Master. After keeping the parchment, he waved goodbye, ¡°That¡¯ll be all, you may leave.¡±


    After bidding farewell to the Taoist Sect Master. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long didn¡¯t report back to the Chao Tian Sect immediately. Brother Qiu had just broken through to Nascent Soul and probably had a lot to do, and these few Chao Tian Sect Disciples don¡¯t often get to come out.


    Having come to the Xuantian Continent for such a long time and always staying in the small world, this was their first time officially setting foot on the Xuantian Continent. Everyone was very excited and thrilled.


    They harbored great enthusiasm for this unknown Continent.


    Therefore, Fat Long took it upon himself as the Grand Elder of the Chao Tian Sect to proudly bring these Disciples to experience the local customs and culture of the Xuantian Continent.


    ¡­


    Inside the ¡°Great Yuan City¡¯s¡± largest brothel, in the most luxurious private room.


    Fat Long sat in the room, and with a sweep of his hand had the madam bring in all the Oirans, looking every bit the part of someone who doesn¡¯t care about money.


    How does that saying go?


    If you are a Young Master of a small clan, you plan on cultivating diligently to become a formidable power and take your clan to great heights.


    Then that clan¡­ might soon go bankrupt because of you.


    But if you are born with little ambition, indulging in nightly revelry, then in all likelihood, you won¡¯t be able to spend all your family¡¯s Spirit Stones in a lifetime¡­


    It¡¯s no exaggeration.


    An evening with an Oiran, the cost in Spirit Stones.


    A night of cultivation, the cost in Spirit Stones.


    You can¡¯t always call for an Oiran, but cultivation, that¡¯s not a matter of one night or two, but ten or twenty years, not to mention Magic Treasures, Spells, talismans, and all sorts of miscellaneous things, causing Spirit Stones to pour out like water, the amount is countless.


    Fat Long, along with the Disciples, surrounded by a bevy of girls, occasionally emitted tinkling laughter, enjoying themselves immensely.


    But in the room next door¡­


    Someone was not happy.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the next room, a young man sat calmly, picking up a grape from the table and putting it in his mouth without speaking, as he listened to the merry voices coming from Fat Long¡¯s room.


    He had come all the way from Zhongzhou.


    He had heard that a Heavenly Pride named ¡°Sect Master Chen Qiu¡± emerged in Quzhou.


    Chen Qiu first made his mark in ¡°Great Yuan City¡± and, in the event known as ¡°Nightly Revelry,¡± defeated all competitors in the darkness with his own strength.


    He came for Chen Qiu.


    It was unexpected that upon arriving in Great Yuan City, he encountered people from the Chao Tian Sect, a stroke of luck indeed.


    ¡°Brother Wen!¡±


    A man sitting beside him, his complexion deathly pale, spoke with a hint of resentment, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Chao Tian Sect too domineering? One person booking all the Oirans in the brothel, what, just to show off his wealth while making us look poor?¡±


    ¡°Brother Wen, just give the order, and I¡¯ll go and have a word with them.¡±


    ¡°Besides, Chen Qiu might not know his subordinates are such bullies. If Chen Qiu learns of this, he might even punish them himself.¡±

 Chapter 392 - 167: Guaranteed Cultivation!_3

    Chapter 392: Chapter 167: ¡®Guaranteed Cultivation¡¯!_3


    The private room was also surrounded by three or four men and women, who were all feeling righteous indignation at this moment.


    They all came from different powers within Zhongzhou.


    In the corner of the room sat three old men at the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage, and three others at the late Nascent Soul stage. These elders were the Guardians of these Heavenly Prides, who were currently sitting in place, practicing their mental methods with their eyes on their noses and noses on their hearts.


    As Guardians,


    they had to follow their Young Masters at all times and act as if they had heard nothing, unless they were spoken to directly.


    This group of people had heard about the thing with Chao Tian Sect in Quzhou and had rushed over, intending to make contact with Chen Qiu.


    ...


    Logically speaking,


    as Heavenly Prides of Zhongzhou, they would not normally take much of an interest in the Heavenly Prides of the lower nine states.


    The Heavenly Prides from the lower nine states needed to pass through an initial screening in the Secret Realm to become eligible to partake in the Heavenly Pride Road, while these Zhongzhou Heavenly Prides didn¡¯t need to undergo any such Lowly Secret Realm screening but could participate directly on the Heavenly Pride Road.


    That was the difference.


    But Chen Qiu was indeed out of the ordinary; to have earned several Heavenly Dao Decrees, especially ones that covered the entire Xuantian Continent, was a distinction that nobody had achieved in a long time.


    Such a Heavenly Pride was indeed worth their personal visit to Quzhou for a profound exchange.


    The powers behind them naturally supported this.


    After all, the foundation of a power also included various interpersonal exchanges, and interaction between the Heavenly Prides of different powers could enhance the relationship between the two forces.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush,¡±


    said the young man sitting in the main seat, clearly the leader of this small team. His face remained calm as he shook his head, ¡°Some trivial matters are not worth creating any conflict over.¡±


    ¡°We are here to befriend Chen Qiu, not to offend him.¡±


    ¡°If they enjoy playing with the Oiran, let them have their fun. I¡¯m not interested in women from the lower nine states anyway, just drinking some wine is fine.¡±


    ¡°Chaotic times are approaching, and it¡¯s best not to offend anyone if it can be helped at times like these.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    The young man paused, picked up a cup of wine from the table, leaned back, and looked towards his companions with a smile, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.


    ¡°Even if he has tens of billions of merit, so what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe he can use that trick from the Evil State again!¡±


    ¡°Even if he could use that technique once more, I am merely a Zhongzhou Heavenly Pride with a mere first-layer Nascent Soul Cultivation. If he really wants to kill me and waste such a terrifying strategy for it, then so be it.¡±


    ¡°But as long as that technique cannot be used again.¡±


    ¡°That will be interesting, as it so happens, I have the Thunder Tribulation Sacred Body, naturally immune to Thunder Magic, and Chen Qiu, since his debut, has only used Thunder Magic. This means Chen Qiu only knows the Thunder Summoning Technique, or rather his other Spells are weak, far inferior to the Thunder Summoning Technique.¡±


    ¡°And I am just the one to counter him!¡±


    ¡°Chaotic times are approaching, and those top powers in Zhongzhou, fearing the upcoming Heavenly Dao version ¡®Great Conflict of the World¡¯, have chosen to seal their mountains and retreat, which gives us middle-tier powers the chance to rise.¡±


    ¡°The entire Xuantian Continent is brimming with opportunities.¡±


    ¡°While those top forces in Zhongzhou choose to hide from the world, these opportunities will all be ours. If we stick together, our families could become top powers in Zhongzhou after a hundred years!¡±


    As his voice fell,


    the Heavenly Prides in the room exchanged glances, each seeing the fervor in the others¡¯ eyes.


    All top powers in Zhongzhou had sealed their mountains and retreated from the world.


    These middle-tier powers had begun to contact each other frequently after finding out this news, preparing to join forces to seize all the opportunities on the Xuantian Continent within a hundred years, and emerge as top powers.


    Chen Qiu was their first target.


    After all, Chen Qiu was the strongest peerless Heavenly Pride from the lower nine states; if they could draw Chen Qiu into their group, then the alliance of their several powers would welcome a plethora of opportunities during this blank period.


    Keep in mind¡­


    Many of the opportunities on the Xuantian Continent were tightly controlled by those top Zhongzhou powers, they only got to sip the broth and never got a bite of the meat in the past.


    ¡­


    After spending some time in the adjacent room, Fat Long and his Chao Tian Sect disciples were ready to return to their sect.


    Before leaving,


    the Chao Tian Sect disciples bought a lot of ¡®Great Yuan City¡¯ specialties to show off, planning to take them back as boasting rights since they were the first batch of disciples standing on the Xuantian Continent.


    The ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯ visit didn¡¯t count. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although they were on the Xuantian Continent then, they hadn¡¯t felt the local customs firsthand as they had today, which felt completely different from Da Xia. Yet, today they had an opportunity.


    They had a chance to leave Da Xia for the Xuantian Continent.


    ¡°It¡¯s really nice,¡±


    sighed Zhao Buzhu with a face full of emotion, ¡°I kind of miss Da Xia. If I can go back to Da Xia in the future, these things will be gifts for them. I wonder if there is still a chance to see them again. Do you miss it, Qu Gui?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡±


    Qu Gui shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty amazing too,¡± suddenly recalling something, Zhao Buzhu said with a sentimental look, ¡°The biggest reason we all could join the Chao Tian Sect was because we didn¡¯t have any disputes with them.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly,¡±


    ¡°Your Qu family¡¯s Young Master, Qu Qi, the one who married five Heavenly Dao Beauties, is said to have died at the hands of the Sect Master, right?¡± Given such a big enmity, it¡¯s surprising that the Sect Master would accept you and even let you become the first batch of external disciples.¡±

 Chapter 393 - 167:

    Chapter 393: Chapter 167: ¡°Guaranteed Cultivation¡±! _4


    ¡°`


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Qu Gui glanced at Zhao Buzhu, ¡°I twisted off the Qu Family Master¡¯s head and took all the foundation that the Qu family had built over the years. I brought it all to the Chao Tian Sect as my proof of allegiance, so naturally, the Sect Master trusts me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Buzhu¡¯s lips twitched slightly, and he said no more.


    ¡­


    Inside the Chao Tian Sect.


    ...


    Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on an oval stone atop the rear mountain peak, looked at the panel that emerged surrounded by clouds and mist.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please choose one of the three random grey entries below within a hundred breaths.¡±


    ¡°The chosen grey entry can be cleared with no negative effects.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: The Qi Refinement God.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You will be unable to achieve Foundation Establishment permanently (none), but your lifespan will be extended by 500 years.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Rapid Progress.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The Cultivation Progress you gain through any method in the next month will be tenfold, but you will only live to be 100 years old, and you cannot extend your life by any means (none).


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Guaranteed Cultivation.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Grey.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You cannot increase your Cultivation by any means, but when the lifespan of each Great Realm is about to end, you will automatically break through to the next Great Realm, with the initial phase of Golden Core as the maximum limit (none). This entry cannot be cleared, nor can you consume lifespan to activate any spells and Spiritual Treasures that require lifespan as the cost.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth opened slightly, a flicker of shock in his eyes, as he stood rooted to the spot.


    This was his first time experiencing the power of a grey entry!


    A grey entry without negative effects, that was downright divine-level, second to none, even more formidable than a Seven-colored term!


    The first entry isn¡¯t worth mentioning.


    It¡¯s not that strong.


    Although it no longer had the negative effect of failing to achieve Foundation Establishment, its positive effect was also quite ordinary, with only an extension of 500 years of lifespan.


    It¡¯s the second entry that¡¯s the most lethal!


    In the next month, any Cultivation Progress he made would be tenfold. Previously, there was a fatal weakness; he could only live until 100.


    Now even that fatal weakness was gone.


    It was a pure increase with no disadvantages.


    But, both of these, although exaggerated, were not the most extreme!


    The third entry was the most outrageous¡ª ¡°Guaranteed Cultivation¡±!


    Unable to increase Cultivation by any means, but, when the lifespan of each Great Realm was about to expire, one would directly break through to the next Great Realm, with Golden Core as the limit.


    He had previously received this entry at random.


    Or rather, except for the second entry, he had randomly received both the first and the third entries before, but had abandoned them due to their excessively powerful negative effects. Although he had not received the second entry, he had received a similar one before.


    But now, the third entry, ¡°Guaranteed Cultivation.¡±


    The restriction of the maximum limit of Golden Core had been eliminated!


    What did that mean?!


    It meant that if he chose this entry, he wouldn¡¯t need to do anything from now on!


    Worldly strife? None of his concern!


    Xuantian Continent? None of his concern!


    He just needed to stay in the small world, eat and drink daily, and after thousands or tens of thousands of years, he would naturally become an Immortal Emperor!


    Was there a stronger entry than this?


    For many people, this entry¡¯s level of power even exceeded that of the ¡°Seven-colored term Step by Step.¡± If this entry were a Jade Scroll, tossing it on the Xuantian Continent would lead to countless top powers fighting to the death for it.


    An entry that guaranteed at least an Immortal Emperor status, who wouldn¡¯t want that?


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slowly closed his eyes, breathing deeply several times. He hadn¡¯t expected that a three-choice grey entry would present him with a royal flush.


    In other words.


    This wasn¡¯t just a choice between three entries; this was an opportunity to become an Immortal Emperor!


    The second entry, the third entry, which to choose.


    He had been thinking just today about when he could rest; now, the opportunity had arrived. Picking this entry, he could rest for thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years.


    If the end of the Immortal Path was to be an Immortal Emperor, then he could rest all the way to Immortal Emperor status.


    But¡­


    If he became an Immortal Emperor through this entry, even if he became an Immortal Emperor, he would surely be the weakest among them!


    He would have only Realm Cultivation.


    Nothing else.


    All the opportunities he had gained early on, all the foundation he had fought for, would be meaningless, irrelevant to an Immortal Emperor.


    In other words.


    This entry negated all of his achievements, allowing him to easily become an Immortal Emperor without effort.


    But¡ª


    After a long while.


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, gave up on the entry that represented a certain Immortal Emperor status, and focused on the second entry, with a month of tenfold increased Cultivation Progress.


    He did want to become an Immortal Emperor.


    What he envisioned, though, was that even if he became an Immortal Emperor, he would be the strongest one, free to do what he wanted, to fight whoever he wanted.


    Not to become the weakest Immortal Emperor.


    The weakest Immortal Emperor held no allure for him, the status of merely being at the tail end of greatness was non-existent in his eyes, he had not spent a thousand years coming to the Xuantian Continent just to end up in such a position.


    If it were possible to consume lifespan, the entry would indeed be powerful¡ªforget being a Magic Practitioner, he might as well switch to Evil Cultivation, crazily consuming his own lifespan, and then, just before his lifespan was about to run out, he would automatically break through the next Great Realm, becoming an Immortal Emperor within a year. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 394 - 167:

    Chapter 394: Chapter 167: ¡°Guaranteed Cultivation¡±! _5


    But the restriction was that life could not be consumed.


    Then one would have to slowly wait for tens of thousands of years, which would be meaningless. A Divinity Transformation lifespan is a full 3000 years; just enduring through the lifespan of Divinity Transformation would be enough to exhaust anyone.


    After confirming his choice of the second entry, ¡°Rapid Progress¡±.


    Chen Qiu looked toward the gradually dissipating mist panel before him, shook his head with a hint of regret, but his eyes showed no remorse.


    The second entry was the one that suited him best.


    Besides him,


    ...


    Anyone else given the choice would pick the third entry, as not everyone can cultivate to the status of an Immortal Emperor, but he had absolute confidence in himself. He felt that even without the aid of the third entry, he could reach the position of Immortal Emperor solely through his own strength and opportunities.


    Moreover¡ª


    The time required would be even shorter!


    To wait thousands or even tens of thousands of years to become an Immortal Emperor?


    Too long, he couldn¡¯t wait that long.


    This was not his path.


    ¡­


    After choosing this entry, Chen Qiu was already somewhat impatient to try out the effects of the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, but he still first looked toward the panel that emerged above his Dantian after breaking through to the Nascent Soul layer, shrouded in clouds and mist.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly increased, officially stepping into the Nascent Soul first layer.¡±


    ¡°Please make your choice from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Rapid Growth.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The Spirit Beasts you have contracted will rapidly grow to adulthood.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Damage Return.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Ten percent of the damage that lands on you will be returned to the spellcaster.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Endless


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Your Nascent Soul can give birth to small Nascent Souls, which can self-destruct with thirty percent of your original Nascent Soul¡¯s explosive power, one can be born every month.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at these three options with some emotion, indeed they were not as strong as the three Grey entries he saw earlier, he really wanted to draw a Grey entry again.


    Unfortunately, the opportunity for a Grey entry without side effects, three choices, only appeared with a Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette, and apart from completing milestone tasks, he still didn¡¯t know of any other way to obtain a Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    The remaining milestone tasks were very difficult to complete.


    He likely wouldn¡¯t be able to complete any in the short term.


    However, there were two milestone tasks that he felt were somewhat feasible.


    One was,


    ¡°To be nominated by the Heavenly Dao Decree 20 times¡±.


    The other was,


    ¡°To have accumulated a total of three hundred billion merit or sin values.¡±


    The Heavenly Dao Decree had nominated him 13 times so far, which was displayed on the circular pedestal within the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±; the number he had recorded was likely higher, but the nominations here had to specifically mention his name.


    For example, the first time he appeared in the Heavenly Dao Decree, his name was not mentioned; it only said that a hundred miles outside of Fufeng City, there was a tenacious Cultivator who had gone through Foundation Establishment 999 times.


    The two Heavenly Dao Decrees that only he could hear also counted.


    Seven more times,


    And another milestone task would be completed; for the other one about accumulating three hundred billion merit, he had nearly one hundred billion in total merit so far.


    He still lacked two-thirds, which was also somewhat feasible.


    The others were too far off.


    ¡­


    Thoughts swiftly fluttered through his mind.


    As the ten breaths were about to end, he ultimately chose the first entry, ¡°Rapid Growth¡±, planning to use it to hasten Little Wolf¡¯s progression to adulthood.


    Just being in its juvenile phase and already having Mid-grade Golden Core cultivation, he wondered what the cultivation level would be once it reached adulthood.


    He also had a special entry for Little Wolf that he had not used yet.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Lunar Night Demon Wolf.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Green.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you sign a Beast Taming Contract with the first ¡®Lunar Night Demon Wolf¡¯, its size will increase tenfold and it will be able to absorb Moonlight Essence for cultivation.


    ¨C


    He thought about using it when Little Wolf reached adulthood, as it was still small enough to be considered a pet, and growth would make it less cute.


    But now, with this entry in hand, he would use both entries together for Little Wolf when the time came.


    This would also allow Little Wolf to absorb Moonlight Essence for cultivation, quickening its cultivation speed significantly.


    As for the second entry,


    ¡°Damage Return¡±.


    It felt suitable for Body Cultivation, not so much for him, a Magic Practitioner.


    The damage he could bear, even if ten percent of it returned, wouldn¡¯t make much difference; if he couldn¡¯t bear the damage¡­ if he couldn¡¯t even bear it himself, how would it matter if it returned or not!


    However, this entry also gave him a scare.


    The variety of entries in the Cultivation World was vast, many of which he had never seen, implying that if you couldn¡¯t completely overwhelm your opponent, you could easily capsize in the gutter.


    Fortunately, none of those from the Evil Clan had this entry among so many people at that time.


    Otherwise, returning ten percent of the damage to him¡­


    It would be frightening.


    That Thunder Punishment could instantly reduce him to ashes.


    No, that¡¯s wrong; the Thunder Punishment, although activated by him, should actually consider the Heavenly Dao as the true spellcaster, so the damage would return to the Heavenly Dao.


    This, however, reminded him to always activate the ¡°Golden Light Body Protection Technique¡± before taking action to kill, to prevent himself from getting injured.


    The third entry, ¡°Endless¡±, was even less meaningful to him; he didn¡¯t need a Nascent Soul to self-destruct, he had many kinds of attack methods, and he didn¡¯t lack this one.


    Often using the Thunder Summoning Technique did not mean he only knew how to summon thunder.


    Simply because the Thunder Summoning Technique was the easiest to use and the most handy.


    After all, it¡¯s an instant cast spell, who wouldn¡¯t love it?


    And just as he was reflecting¡ª Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His Divine Sense also detected that Fat Long and others were already waiting for him outside the small world, having returned from gathering intelligence.

 Chapter 395 - 168:

    Chapter 395: Chapter 168: ¡°I¡¯ll feed you a taste of Evil Wood tomorrow.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, but without overthinking, he prepared to bring Fat Long and the others in.


    Meanwhile, the panel above his Dantian was also gradually cracking.


    After choosing the first entry, he suddenly realized he might have been misled. The third entry, ¡°Endless,¡± meant that the Nascent Soul could generate a small Nascent Soul every month, and this small Nascent Soul could self-destruct.


    The self-destruction was indeed of no use to him.


    But¡­


    Who the hell wants to self-destruct!


    ...


    He was a Twelve Grade Nascent Soul, one of the most badass Nascent Souls on the entire Xuantian Continent. Even if the small Nascent Soul wasn¡¯t as powerful as the original Nascent Soul, it was definitely stronger than some Seventh or Eighth Grade Nascent Souls.


    By then, he could just save up the Nascent Souls he generated.


    Save them up for a year or so.


    With a casual wave of his hand, a dozen Twelve Grade Nascent Souls would appear; that would also be pretty fierce. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It¡¯s a pity.


    With only ten breaths¡¯ time to think, the entry effect had misled him into believing it was only for the Nascent Souls to self-destruct. This might be true for the average person, but he was not the average person.


    Now that he had already made his choice, he certainly couldn¡¯t choose again.


    But it didn¡¯t matter.


    He¡¯d see if he could get a ¡°Supreme Heavenly Dao Retrospection Order¡± when he reached the second level of the Nascent Soul stage. Then he could reselect this abandoned ¡°Endless¡± entry.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu shook his head and didn¡¯t dwell on it further.


    With a thought, he brought Fat Long and the others into his small world.


    Only then did he look at the piece of parchment Fat Long had passed over.


    ¡°One, two, three¡­¡±


    After counting, Chen Qiu fell silent for a long time before finally raising his head expressionlessly to look at Fat Long, ¡°How many powers are there in Quzhou in total?¡±


    ¡°Not counting those particularly small ones, there are probably over four hundred,¡± Fat Long replied.


    ¡°Out of the four hundred plus sects and families in Quzhou, there are three hundred and eighty-seven Evil Sects?¡±


    ¡°Fat Long, I think you might be a little off track,¡± Chen Qiu said.


    ¡°What I mean is, we¡¯re going to slay demons and eliminate harm for the people, to eradicate the Evil Sects completely, not targeting the heritage of these sects.¡±


    ¡°If we go by the information recorded on this parchment, Quzhou would turn into a river of blood. If these people join forces against us, we will still have some trouble dealing with them.¡±


    ¡°Most importantly¡­ it¡¯s unethical.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t use his trump card, although these sects and families lacked Divinity Transformation Stage strongmen, if they united, they would still not be an opponent the Chao Tian Sect could beat.


    Although his current self-destructive strike possessed the full-force power of a Divinity Transformation Stage strongman.


    But now¡­ he had only three self-destructive entries at most, four or five.


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    Fat Long, somewhat embarrassed, touched his nose: ¡°I let that Taoist Sect Master report it himself, that guy¡­ he basically put down every sect except his own.¡±


    ¡°Although many sects listed here are not from Evil cultivation sects, they have committed some bad deeds.¡±


    After taking another careful look at the parchment, Chen Qiu ultimately selected seven Evil Sects.


    ¡°These seven Evil Sects have committed the most atrocities, four from the Evil cultivation sects and three from the Demon Cultivation Sects.¡±


    ¡°Clean up these sects.¡±


    ¡°Although the others are guilty, their crimes do not deserve death. After this is over, sell them some ¡®Redemption Orders¡¯. Let them cleanse their sins with the Redemption Orders, and then there will be no problem.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Fat Long nodded seriously, then couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Brother Qiu, what if they refuse to buy the Redemption Orders?¡±


    ¡°Refuse?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression gradually turned cold, ¡°If they don¡¯t buy the Redemption Orders, that means they¡¯re still mired in sin and do not repent. They¡¯ll be treated the same as the Evil Sects.¡±


    ¡°Distribute these Nascent Soul bodies.¡±


    ¡°Everyone go into seclusion for three days.¡±


    ¡°After three days, we march!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡­


    After settling all matters, Chen Qiu once again sat alone on a mountaintop in the back mountains of Chao Tian Sect. He spent more time sitting here than in the Sect Hall.


    Even though he was the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect,


    He seldom visited the Sect Hall on regular days.


    In three days,


    The disciples of Chao Tian Sect who had reached Golden Core Perfection should have mostly broken through to the first level of the Nascent Soul Stage. By then, Chao Tian Sect would have thirty-eight Nascent Soul Disciples!


    Thirty-eight Nascent Souls!


    Good lord¡­ that would scare the pants off those Evil Demon Sects.


    Perfect for some plundering.


    By the way, to test his current strength, he would pick an Evil Sect. He hadn¡¯t sparred since his Nascent Soul breakthrough, and he wanted to see if he could beat mid-stage or even late-stage Nascent Soul without using his trump card.


    Let¡¯s give it a try.


    As for early Nascent Soul Stage¡­


    He could already kill Early Nascent Soul when he hadn¡¯t even entered Golden Core Perfection. Now that he had reached the Nascent Soul Stage, Early Nascent Soul was no different from mortals in his eyes.


    Touch and they die, one hit and they shatter.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath and, treasuring the moment, took out a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for Nascent Soul Stage and swallowed it. He only had forty in total, and each one eaten was one less remaining.


    Then he closed his eyes and started circulating his mental method.


    An hour later¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation Progress¡¯: Nascent Soul Stage Level 1 (10.0%).


    ¨C


    Looking at the Cultivation Progress panel, Chen Qiu smiled in satisfaction. Very good¡ª a single Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for Nascent Soul Stage, with ten times the cultivation speed, could increase his Cultivation Progress by 10%.


    And it took just an hour to absorb all of its medicinal power.


    At this rate,


    he could definitely reach the second layer of the Nascent Soul Stage within three days, or even the third or fourth layer.


    He could distinctly feel that the difficulty of increasing his cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage was significantly higher than during the Golden Core Stage.


    In that hour,


    in addition to absorbing the medicinal power of the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, he was also absorbing nature¡¯s spiritual energy, but he hadn¡¯t even added 0.1% to his Cultivation Progress¡ªeven with a tenfold cultivation effect.

 Chapter 396 - 168:

    Chapter 396: Chapter 168: ¡°I¡¯ll feed you a taste of Evil Wood tomorrow.¡±_2


    That is to say, if it weren¡¯t for the entry that had increased his Cultivation Progress tenfold, even if he had completely absorbed these forty Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he would only have been able to increase his Cultivation Progress to a mere 40%, not even reaching the second layer of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    ¡°This is going to be difficult¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed lightly; the progress in the Nascent Soul Stage was much slower than he had anticipated, which meant he had to secure more Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills within this month, during the limited time of the ¡°Rapid Progress¡± entry.


    He needed to rapidly elevate his Cultivation Realm.


    Otherwise, once this month was over.


    Without the enhancement of tenfold cultivation speed, even if he had more Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his cultivation speed would be much slower.


    ...


    If he ran out of Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Then it would really come down to grinding over time, just like a regular Nascent Soul cultivator, routinely sealing off for years; and even after years of seclusion, his Cultivation might not even break through a small realm.


    This is actually the normal state of affairs in the Cultivation World.


    This is how everyone got here.


    It¡¯s just that Chen Qiu¡¯s journey had been abnormal; suddenly returning to normal, he definitely wouldn¡¯t adapt, so securing enough ¡®Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Pills¡¯ within this month to rapidly elevate his Cultivation Realm with the tenfold cultivation speed was a critically important task now.


    And it must be obtained soon; if he gets them too late, even by ten or twenty days, acquiring a large number of Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills won¡¯t give him enough time to absorb their essence.


    Absorbing Cultivation Pills takes time.


    One Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill requires an hour.


    Having decided his next path.


    Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t stingy; he directly set up a Spirit Gathering Array using 108 mid-grade Spirit Stones, cultivating at the center of the array, where both the Spirit Gathering Array and the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills greatly accelerated his Cultivation Progress.


    Of course¡­


    It was a bit of a waste of Spirit Stones.


    He planned to seriously seclude himself for the next three days, and had also handed over a treasured copper mirror he picked up from Yuan Sect to Fat Long.


    This copper mirror could reveal information about the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm soon to open in Quzhou.


    If there was a good Secret Realm with rich rewards, they were to inform him immediately.


    So, next, time for seclusion!


    ¡­


    Not daring to waste a moment.


    Time was limited.


    Racing against time, and after a full 24 hours, he had absorbed all twelve Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills during this time.


    And his Cultivation had now reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Nascent Soul Stage second layer (23.0%).


    ¨C


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    After completely absorbing the medicinal properties of the twelve Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills, Chen Qiu exhaled a breath of turbid air, slowly opening his eyes to look toward the Cultivation panel above his Dantian.


    Fortunately.


    Even having reached the second layer of the Nascent Soul Stage, one Nascent Soul Cultivation Pill could still increase the Cultivation Progress by 1%, which with the tenfold cultivation speed, amounted to 10%.


    Meanwhile, the milky white light emitted from the mid-grade Spirit Stones nearby had grown much weaker.


    At most, he could cultivate for another 24 hours before these mid-grade Spirit Stones would shatter.


    Having cultivated in the spirit array for 24 hours, which equated to a whole day, if not for the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his Cultivation Progress would have only increased by 3%.


    This was the effect after the tenfold boost.


    If it were a regular Nascent Soul layer one cultivator, then cultivating in the Spirit Gathering Array for 24 hours would increase his Cultivation Progress merely by 0.3%.


    If they stayed in the Spirit Gathering Array every day, it would take at least 330 days.


    This is under the condition of completely secluding oneself without eating or drinking if the seclusion site is rich in Spiritual Energy, the time might be shortened to around 250 days.


    If one came from a wealthy household using a Spirit Gathering Array arranged with top-grade Spirit Stones, potentially the time could be shortened to around 180 days.


    Then by purchasing some Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills refined by Alchemy Cultivators, or even several Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills, the time could drastically reduce to about 100 days.


    But that¡¯s already close to the limit!


    Under the condition of maximizing all Cultivation Resources, a Nascent Soul level one cultivator breaking through to Nascent Soul level two would still need at least 100 days, which is over three months; this cultivation speed is already considered fast.


    But¡­


    How many can maximize their Cultivation Resources?


    Most people don¡¯t even have the chance to cultivate in a mid-grade Spirit Stone arranged Spirit Gathering Array, not to mention what comes after, even the first step is so challenging, let alone what follows.


    And for Chen Qiu, breaking through from Nascent Soul level one to level two in just 24 hours was unprecedented.


    It was the result of multiple factors combined.


    Whether it was ¡®Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills¡¯ or the grey entry ¡®Rapid Progress¡¯, lacking even one wouldn¡¯t have achieved this step.


    Moreover, from this perspective. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The value of Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills became even higher.


    A normal early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in a mid-grade Spirit Gathering Array would increase his Cultivation Progress by 0.3% from one day of bitter cultivation.


    Conversely, just from taking Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for one day of bitter cultivation, it could increase Cultivation Progress by 12%.


    The two effects can be stacked, which means if a normal Nascent Soul can maximize the use of Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, theoretically, they could break through from Nascent Soul level one to level two in just about eight days.


    Of course¡­ that¡¯s theoretically, given that Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills are not so easy to obtain.


    ¡­


    After exhaling a breath of turbid air, Chen Qiu looked towards the panel enshrouded by clouds above his Dantian.

 Chapter 397 - 168:

    Chapter 397: Chapter 168: ¡°I¡¯ll feed you a taste of the Evil Wood tomorrow.¡±_3


    After absorbing all twenty-eight Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills, he was ready to go out in search of fortune, first checking if the Evil Sects¡¯ Treasure Vaults had any goodies.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation surged, officially stepping into the second level of Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Please make a choice among the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Feed and Pull.


    ...


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: You can feed natural treasures to your Nascent Soul as if they were food. After your Nascent Soul ingests it, it will randomly excrete a treasure. The strength of the treasure depends on the grade of the food, and you can feed it once a day.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Nascent Soul Awakening.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Your Nascent Soul can awaken its own consciousness, maintaining cultivation at all times, with the speed of cultivation equivalent to the speed of cultivating spiritual energy through mental methods, but the awakened consciousness cannot control good and evil, and may strive to seize control of the body.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Congenital Disability.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Your Nascent Soul will become a human cripple, and the Nascent Soul itself can trigger all entries related to human cripples and disabilities.


    ¨C sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked slightly bemused at the first entry. He felt as if he had indeed missed the entry ¡°Endless¡± at the first level of Nascent Soul.


    The effect of that entry is that the Nascent Soul can give birth to a small Nascent Soul each month.


    And the effect of the first entry is.


    As long as you feed natural treasures to the Nascent Soul, it can excrete a treasure, the grade of which depends on the food grade.


    Natural treasures?


    He simply had too many!


    So many Evil Woods and Eight Desolate Fruits lay quietly in the storage of the Chao Tian Sect, hundreds of thousands of Evil Woods, too many to use. If the small Nascent Souls born can also have the effect of the first entry, that would be truly invincible.


    He glanced at the other two entries and without any hesitation, chose the first one.


    The remaining two entries were useless.


    ¡°Nascent Soul Awakening,¡± simply put, is about exchanging a pseudo-Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul for the awakening of its own consciousness. The main effect of this entry is to enable constant cultivation, and one effect of the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul is that it can autonomously rotate to absorb spiritual energy.


    However, the speed at which the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul autonomously absorbs spiritual energy is far less than the speed of cultivating spiritual energy by turning mental methods.


    This entry has a faster cultivation speed.


    But the risk is also high, as the Nascent Soul and self begin to fight for control of the body.


    That¡¯s disgusting.


    He does not need his Nascent Soul to have its own consciousness. Just quietly doing what a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul should do is enough, no need to think about the extra stuff.


    As for the third entry, it was useless to him, but it could interact with some entries, like ¡°Heaven¡¯s Deficit,¡± which requires a specific organ to be missing or disabled to exhibit its effect. These entry effects can now also be applied to the Nascent Soul.


    Allowing the Nascent Soul that left the body to have stronger combat abilities.


    But¡­


    Unless someone is born crippled, he doubted anyone would continuously collect entries that interact with disabilities.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on a peak behind the Chao Tian Sect, looking at the Nascent Soul in his hand, which was engraved with entry names. Tentatively, he brought an Eight Desolate Fruit to its mouth and waited patiently for a long while, but the Nascent Soul did not open its mouth.


    After a long emotionless silence,


    he pried open the Nascent Soul¡¯s mouth and forcibly stuffed the Eight Desolate Fruit into it!


    Just a few breath¡¯s time,


    he could feel a tumult inside the Nascent Soul. Soon, a token was excreted from behind the Nascent Soul.


    Seeing this token, Chen Qiu was slightly startled.


    Turns out it was a ¡°Top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talisman¡±!!


    Damn it¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with shock, somewhat unexpected that an Eight Desolate Fruit had exchanged for a ¡°Top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talisman,¡± this deal was a huge profit!


    He looked at his Heavenly Dao Storage Ring. When he had left Da Xia, he had precisely taken 33 Eight Desolate Fruits and after using so many, only 20 remained.


    Evil Wood was far inferior compared to Eight Desolate Fruits.


    He wondered what treasure Evil Wood could exchange for.


    ¡­


    Without any hesitation,


    he immediately crushed the top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talisman and chose the entry ¡°Endless¡± that he had randomly obtained at the first level of Nascent Soul, the one that could produce a small Nascent Soul each month.


    After doing all this,


    Chen Qiu looked satisfied and with anticipation patted the little head of the Nascent Soul in his hand: ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll feed you a piece of Evil Wood to try.¡±


    Actually, under normal circumstances,


    this entry wouldn¡¯t be considered useful.


    After all, you have to feed natural treasures to the Nascent Soul for it to randomly excrete an object depending on the grade of the natural treasure, and the cost of natural treasures isn¡¯t low. When compared to the Spiritual Treasure that it excretes, it¡¯s hard to say whether it¡¯s a profit or a loss.


    But Chen Qiu was different.


    He just happened to have a large quantity of Evil Wood, a cheaply purchased natural treasure. If he remembered correctly, the total cost of these Evil Woods didn¡¯t even amount to ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones, a mere fraction.


    But now, even the lowest value of a single piece of Evil Wood was worth 10 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    The profit had already multiplied countless times.


    ¡­


    After doing all this, Chen Qiu felt satisfied, got up, stretched lazily, and prepared to take a brief rest, and then¡­


    His Divine Sense burst forth.


    Enveloping the entire Chao Tian Sect before finally finding Little Wolf in a corner of the rear mountain, who was practicing hunting. With a thought, he appeared beside Little Wolf within a few breaths.

 Chapter 398 - 168:

    Chapter 398: Chapter 168: ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll feed you a taste of the Evil Wood.¡±_4


    As Little Wolf saw Chen Qiu appear in that instant, it paused briefly, then quickly trotted excitedly to Chen Qiu¡¯s side and rubbed its head against Chen Qiu¡¯s boots, showing submission and excitement.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled, scooped Little Wolf into his arms, and then activated the entry ¡°Rapid Growth,¡± which he had acquired at the first level of the Nascent Soul Stage. He immediately saw Little Wolf¡¯s body visibly grow larger.


    Its Cultivation was also rapidly climbing.


    It stopped when it reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Now lying on the ground, its height was about two zhang, roughly six meters, a size that classified it among the large demon beasts.


    ¡°Nascent Soul?¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu looked at Little Wolf with a flash of surprise in his eyes. Little Wolf was a ¡°Lunar Night Demon Wolf,¡± a special type of wolf demon beast that he had never heard of before.


    Typically, a demon beast¡¯s Cultivation before adulthood depends entirely on its innate racial talents.


    In other words, some demon beasts reach the Foundation Establishment Cultivation as soon as they mature, and only then do they begin to cultivate, gradually breaking through Cultivation Realms. Their Cultivation Realm before adulthood naturally increases with age.


    This is a natural talent inherent to demon beasts and the Devil Clan.


    Enviously unattainable.


    But a demon beast that reaches the Nascent Soul Stage upon maturity was something he hadn¡¯t really heard about; this meant that Little Wolf belonged to those demon beasts with extremely high bloodline status.


    After maturing, Little Wolf seemed somewhat unaccustomed to its massive body, lying prone on the ground and continuously licking Chen Qiu¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi with its enormous tongue.


    Pure white. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Different from ordinary wolves, Little Wolf had much longer fur than a typical wolf, looking fluffy and completely white, which felt good to touch, but its mentality hadn¡¯t matured yet, maintaining a curious gaze that was still exploring the world. This couldn¡¯t be rapidly developed; it had to be nurtured gradually.


    Chen Qiu once again crushed the entry for ¡°Lunar Night Demon Wolf,¡± which he had set aside for a long time.


    Immediately after¡ª


    He saw Little Wolf¡¯s body visibly swell rapidly, growing until it was twenty zhang high while lying with its limbs on the ground. Though not as tall as Zhao Yishi, its presence seemed many times greater.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the scene before him, hesitantly patted Little Wolf¡¯s head to signal it to lie quietly here, then flew onto Little Wolf¡¯s body and lay down. The snowy white wolf fur was very soft to the touch.


    He rested his head on his hands and murmured as he looked up.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯ve made myself a soft bed?¡±


    It must be said!


    Although he hadn¡¯t tested Little Wolf¡¯s combat ability, the softness of its fur was truly nice, very comfortable, and it was also obedient. He planned to check out Little Wolf¡¯s speed when visiting the Evil Sect in three days.


    If the speed is good, use it as a mount. This comfort is much better than a Flying Boat.


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s spirit qi surged out satisfyingly, consolidating into a giant palm in the air, then he controlled this spirit qi palm to gently stroke Little Wolf¡¯s head, glancing at the surrounding Spirit Trees that had been knocked down and scattered everywhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cultivate, find a spacious place to make a den for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Try not to disturb these Spirit Trees, it took me a lot of effort to transplant them here.¡±


    ¡°Never mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Disturb them if you must, I should be able to transplant more in a few days if everything goes as planned.¡±


    ¡­


    After settling Little Wolf down,


    Chen Qiu returned to the back mountains of the Chao Tian Sect alone once more, looking up at the Cultivation Progress panel above his Dantian. He took out a Nascent Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and slowly closed his eyes to begin his mental cultivation method.


    In a few more days.


    After consuming all these Nascent Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he planned to end his seclusion.


    By then, the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect should have reached the Nascent Soul Stage.


    It would be the perfect season to eliminate the Evil Demons.


    ¡­


    Another day passed.


    After cultivating bitterly for 24 hours, Chen Qiu once again opened his eyes and exhaled a deep breath; the Cultivation Progress above his Dantian had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Nascent Soul Stage Third Layer (46.0%).


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly to himself, nodding. It was quite satisfactory; under the effect of the ¡°Rapid Progress¡± entry, his cultivation speed was barely passable.


    After two days of arduous cultivation,


    he used up 24 Nascent Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and was left with only 16.


    They seemed rather ephemeral.


    He wondered whether he could break through to the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul within this month; otherwise, the speed of Cultivation Progress would slow down significantly once this month was over, as a new version of the Heavenly Dao would arrive in eighteen days.


    The new Heavenly Dao version should bring quite a few good items.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    He exhaled deeply again, then looked at the Nascent Soul in his hand. Another day had passed, and the ¡°Feed and Drag¡± entry could be used again. This time, he took out a piece of Evil Wood and stuffed it into the Nascent Soul¡¯s mouth.


    The grade of Evil Wood was slightly inferior to the Eight Desolate Fruit.


    But it had the advantage of being plentiful.


    He initially had 20 Eight Desolate Fruits; after using one yesterday, only 19 remained. Not many were left, so he needed to save them, just in case he needed them for breaking through to Divinity Transformation, though they cost 1,000 mid-grade Spirit Stones each¡ªa pricey sum, yet affordable for him.


    But in the Xuantian Continent, many times, things that have a price don¡¯t necessarily mean they are available.


    As the piece of Evil Wood was stuffed into the Nascent Soul¡¯s mouth, he felt turmoil inside the Nascent Soul as the forces of heaven and earth seeped out and soon saw a pill excreted from behind the Nascent Soul.

 Chapter 399 - 168:

    Chapter 399: Chapter 168: ¡°I¡¯ll feed you a piece of Evil Wood to taste tomorrow.¡±_5


    ¡°`


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s expression was a complex mix of emotions as he fell silent, what he held was a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.


    How should he put it?


    He was now trying to convince himself that the Nascent Soul was not a true life form but merely a product of the force of nature and one¡¯s own Spiritual Energy, without consciousness or impurity, and this Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill did not emit any foul odor.


    But¡­


    ...


    The source still made one frown.


    Chen Qiu looked down at the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill in his hand with mixed feelings. He really hadn¡¯t expected that a piece of Evil Wood used as food could be exchanged for a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, which was indeed a treasure, a bona fide good thing.


    Adding this Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill,


    He now had 17 Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    It was just that he really felt quite awkward about putting it into his mouth.


    However, he quickly found a good solution, taking out the pristine 16 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from his bosom, spilling them on the ground, then closing his eyes and tossing in the newly produced Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill as well.


    Now things were easier!


    As long as he didn¡¯t know which one was the newly produced Nascent Soul, he would have no psychological barrier.


    ¡­


    After a while,


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes, looking at the 17 Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills before him in silence without speaking, he had miscalculated; originally it was just one dirty pill, now all 17 felt tainted.


    Before, he just had to steel himself to swallow one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, but now he had to steel himself to swallow all 17.


    ¡°Cultivation is in itself an act against the natural order; such trivialities are not worth fussing over.¡±


    Nevertheless¡ª


    Chen Qiu quickly convinced himself and erected an extremely strong psychological defense wall within his mind. He was just about to check what the three choices were for his post breakthrough term when he suddenly heard an extremely familiar, aged voice beside his ear.


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Heavenly Dao has sensed, on the Xuantian Continent in the Central Continent, a True Disciple of the Heavenly Dragon Temple, ¡®Kong Ming¡¯, has formed a ¡®Heavenly Dao Tenth Grade Nascent Soul¡¯ and attained the Great Dao of Nascent Soul!


    Such a magnificent feat deserves universal celebration.


    Bestowing upon him ¡®A thread of earth pride luck¡¯, for all to follow as an example.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly raised an eyebrow, instantly retreating from the small world and reappearing above the sea surface. He glanced around but did not see any celestial phenomena.


    Logically speaking, a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul mentioned in the Heavenly Dao Decree should indeed be accompanied by a celestial phenomenon.


    He glanced at the ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Ranking¡±.


    Indeed, he found Kong Ming¡¯s name among the top hundred, with 3.4 billion merit points, ranked 47th.


    There should have been a celestial phenomenon.


    Only, the coverage area was not extensive; he was at the northernmost tip of the lower nine provinces and could not see the Central Continent¡¯s celestial phenomena.


    Even so, the merit points awarded were still less than those the Tenth Grade Golden Core had given him. Although he did not know the original merit points, even by the highest estimate, it was only 3.4 billion.


    ¡°Tenth Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed, and after a long while, he suddenly laughed lightly; indeed, troubled times were approaching, with Heavenly Prides emerging one after another.


    The conditions for a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul were quite strict.


    The three essential prerequisites are:


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment¡¯, ¡®Tenth Grade Golden Core¡¯, ¡®Seven-colored term¡¯!


    Putting everything else aside, a Tenth Grade Golden Core would surely be mentioned in a Heavenly Dao Decree, but according to the records in the history of the Xuantian Continent, it has been a long time since a Tenth Grade Golden Core has appeared. This means that ¡®Kong Ming¡¯s previous Golden Core was certainly not of Tenth Grade.


    Even reaching Eighth or Ninth Grade would be difficult because if it were an Eighth Grade Golden Core, there would be a local Heavenly Dao Decree, like the one for Li Shiyi in Quzhou.


    But upon his arrival on the Xuantian Continent, he specifically looked through recent histories. All kinds of Heavenly Dao Decrees should undoubtedly be recorded, yet he had never seen the name ¡®Kong Ming¡¯.


    This means¡ª


    This person had broken the shackles that the Golden Core Grade could not be improved.


    He used something like a ¡®Merit Golden Core¡¯, or some method or miraculous substance unknown to him that elevated the Golden Core to Tenth Grade after the fact, and only after fulfilling the Seven-colored term and the Heavenly Dao Foundation term.


    Did he manage to forge a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul.


    Thus gaining instant fame under heaven.


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s face showed contemplation as he shook his head; it seemed he had to speed up his progress and not be too complacent, or else it would be easy to be overtaken by others.


    Without any hesitation,


    He dived back into the small world to continue his cultivation.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In Central Continent, atop a high peak above the clouds,


    An old, barefoot monk with a face full of wrinkles, his eyes containing a hidden smile, clothed in a Kasaya, looked with satisfaction at the novice monk before him, saying, ¡°Kong Ming, you have formed a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°You are the rare unparalleled Heavenly Pride of the Xuantian Continent in a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°The troubled times are about to come.¡±


    ¡°You may now descend the mountain to seek your own opportunities and spread Buddhism throughout the entire Continent, to save all living beings from their misery.¡±


    The novice monk standing at the peak¡¯s railing, also dressed in a Kasaya, hands pressed together holding a string of Buddha Beads, did not turn to face the old monk and after a long silence spoke softly. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Thank you for the One-day Seven-Colored Word Jade Scroll bestowed by Master, that allowed me to form a Tenth Grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡ª¡±


    ¡°The other top sects of Central Continent, they all fear the prophecy handed down and have chosen to close off their sects from the world. Do we of the Buddhist Sect not avoid it?¡±


    ¡°Avoid?¡±


    The old monk¡¯s pupils, clouded with age, shook his head meaningfully.


    ¡°Do you know why Chao Tian Sect vanished for tens of thousands of years? If they could be slain once, they can be slain twice.¡±


    ¡°Who should avoid the world, who should close their sect,


    ¡°Is not yet a settled matter.¡±


    ¡°Go boldly down the mountain, my disciple. Take with you the Shariputra that has been passed down for a thousand years; no one under heaven can kill you.¡±


    ¡°`

 Chapter 400 - 169: Time Will Come.

    Chapter 400: Chapter 169: Time Will Come.


    Chao Tian Sect, on a mountain peak at the back hill.


    Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on an oval-shaped stone, let out a deep breath of turbid air and looked at the Cultivation panel floating above his Dantian¡ª


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Nascent Soul Stage third level (46.0%).


    He had already reached the third level of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    After arduously cultivating for twenty-four hours, which is to say two days, his Cultivation had finally advanced from the first level to the third level of the Nascent Soul Stage, a little faster than he had anticipated.


    Before the conclusion of his seclusion, he should be able to reach the fourth level of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    ...


    There were still 17 Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills left.


    Once he had consumed all of them, he would prepare to emerge from seclusion.


    He looked toward the panel wrapped in clouds and mist floating above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡®Significant increase in Cultivation, officially entering the third level of the Nascent Soul Stage.¡¯ S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Please choose one of the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡¯


    1:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Nascent Soul Defense.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Purple.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Each time you encounter an Entry Rule attack, your Nascent Soul will sacrifice itself to block it for you once.


    2:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Alcohol Sword Immortal.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: The effect of Spiritual Wine on your Cultivation Progress will be significantly increased.


    3:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Daily Good Deed.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Accomplishing one good deed every day will reward you with one Mid-grade Spirit Stone.


    ¨C


    ¡°Nascent Soul Defense?¡±


    Chen Qiu stroked his chin thoughtfully with one hand. This was the first Purple Entry he encountered since stepping into the Nascent Soul Stage. Unquestionably, it must be a good thing.


    The biggest difference between a Nascent Soul and a Golden Core was¡ª


    For a Golden Core cultivator, the shattering of the Core means death. In another perspective, the Golden Core is akin to the Life Gate, and once broken, not even gods could save you; death could not be any more certain.


    But for a Nascent Soul¡ª


    As long as he was still alive without a Nascent Soul, although he would never be able to progress in Cultivation again and his Cultivation would also regress significantly, if he quickly extricated himself from the mire of the Cultivation World, he could still find a place to spend his twilight years and live out a modest life.


    If he did not retire bravely against the tide, he would naturally meet his demise both physically and spiritually.


    However, in the face of Entry Rule attacks, a Nascent Soul cultivator still faced simultaneous death of both person and Nascent Soul. But with this entry, the Nascent Soul could sacrifice itself to block an Entry Rule attack once.


    Entry Rule attacks are a rare attribute.


    For the time being¡ª


    He knew of only one Entry Rule attack, namely the ¡°Unwavering to Death¡± entry, which causes both parties in a loving couple who are bound together to self-destruct if one of them falls in love with another person¡ªthree people in total, no matter who.


    It ignores Cultivation levels.


    Generally, such entries tend to have a Cultivation restriction, for instance, if the third person in love has a Cultivation level that is a full Great Realm higher, it won¡¯t be effective. But this entry is one of the rare ones without a Cultivation limit.


    Thus it becomes one of the very few that can kill enemies beyond one¡¯s Cultivation level.


    But with this entry, it would be considerably safer, as his Nascent Soul could block that one attack for him. And with ¡°Endless¡±, he does not have just one Nascent Soul; he could produce a smaller Nascent Soul every month, which could then be used to block such an attack.


    ¡®Endless,¡¯ ¡®Nurture and Pull,¡¯ ¡®Nascent Soul Defense.¡¯


    These three entries could already form a small entry set.


    Quite complementary.


    His Nascent Soul could produce a treasure daily by devouring heavenly materials, and then each month another smaller Nascent Soul would be born, which wasn¡¯t only capable of producing treasures but also served to defend against Entry Rule attacks.


    Utterly perfect.


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction and without any hesitation immediately chose the first entry, ¡°Nascent Soul Defense.¡±


    Now, his safety was greatly improved.


    As for the remaining two entries, they were utterly unsuitable for him. The entry ¡°Alcohol Sword Immortal¡± was clearly applicable to Sword Immortals, and was probably part of a larger entry set.


    For example¡­ when in a drunken state, Sword Intent could be greatly enhanced.


    The entry ¡®Daily Good Deed¡¯ was suitable for those just starting out, not for him.


    Similar to the ¡®Step onto the Immortal Path¡¯ entry, these kinds of Spirit Stone economy entries have a significant effect in the early stage. At his current level of Cultivation, a single Spirit Stone a day was not even sufficient for his daily consumption.


    Even if he did a good deed daily for a whole year, it would only amount to 365 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    If he casually visited a sect, he would gain more than that amount in Spirit Stones.


    However, the value of a single Mid-grade Spirit Stone is indeed not insignificant, equivalent to the value of 600 Low-grade Spirit Stones. If someone at the Foundation Establishment or Golden Core managed to randomly receive this Blue Entry, it certainly would be a perfect entry for them.


    Not only could they earn Spirit Stones, but they would also accumulate merit.


    Truly killing two birds with one stone.


    ¡­


    After choosing an entry, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t delay further. Looking at the 17 Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Pills in his arms, he took a deep breath and once again went into seclusion.


    This time¡ª


    He secluded himself for a full twelve hours.


    He consumed all of the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Pills he possessed, not leaving a single one.


    When he opened his eyes again, the Cultivation Progress had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Nascent Soul Stage fourth level (69.0%).


    ¨C


    Mid-phase of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the mountain peak of Chao Tian Sect, had a hint of regret in his eyes. He hadn¡¯t even had a chance to test his combat prowess at the early Nascent Soul Stage, and he had already skipped right through it.


    He had been curious whether he could defeat a cultivator in the late Nascent Soul Stage with his early stage power.


    There were five Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills remaining.


    But he decided that was it.

 Chapter 401 - 169: Time Will Come._2

    Chapter 401: Chapter 169: Time Will Come._2


    ¡°`


    I won¡¯t rush it anymore. After reaching the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul Stage, which is the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, a single Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill can still increase 1% of Cultivation Progress. Under the effect of tenfold efficiency, that¡¯s 10%, but I need to slow down a bit now.


    Ascending four realms in three days, even my Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul is somewhat overwhelmed at this point. Advancing too quickly can lead to instability in one¡¯s realm.


    First, I¡¯ll spend a few hours stabilizing my realm, then I¡¯ll consume all five of the remaining Nascent Soul cultivation pills in one go and surge to the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul stage!


    However, before that¡ª


    I¡¯ll choose an entry.


    ...


    Chen Qiu looked at the panel enveloped in clouds above his Dantian that popped up again after his breakthrough to the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul stage. It goes without saying, the feeling of cultivating at ten times the speed coupled with the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was simply too exhilarating.


    The only slight regret is.


    The Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills will soon be finished. Only five are left.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly increased, officially entering the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Cascade of Long Hair.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Your hair will grow rapidly at all times, and as your Cultivation Realm improves, so will the toughness and hardness of your hair.


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Merit Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When your merit points exceed one billion, and only if your cultivation is at the Nascent Soul stage, there¡¯s a chance that this entry will appear. This entry can transform your Nascent Soul into a Merit Nascent Soul, its power equivalent to a Fourth-grade Nascent Soul, and through further consumption of merit points, it can be elevated up to a maximal Ninth-grade Nascent Soul.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Time will come.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Each time you are faced with three choices of entries, you may spend 100,000 merit points for an additional chance to randomly select an entry. Each chance to reselect only applies to a single entry and each three-choice opportunity can only be used once.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    A gleam flickered in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes. The first entry was a White entry, and it was indeed surprising to encounter a White entry at the Nascent Soul stage. Such entry levels are commonly found during the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages and are quite rare to come across at the Nascent Soul stage.


    At first glance, the effect seems to be of little use.


    But clearly, it¡¯s a precursor for some powerful entry or an entry from a certain set.


    That involves a bit of a gamble.


    If you selected this entry when your cultivation was low, and later on, you couldn¡¯t draw related entries that match with it, this entry wouldn¡¯t just fail to enhance your combat abilities but become a burden instead.


    At least for now, he hadn¡¯t seen any entry that could be linked with this Cascade of Long Hair entry.


    He didn¡¯t need the Merit Nascent Soul.


    Like the Merit Golden Core, he wasn¡¯t interested.


    With a Twelfth-grade Nascent Soul in hand, who would care for a Merit Nascent Soul that could only reach a maximum of Ninth-grade?


    However, the third entry ¡°Time will come¡± was quite appealing to him. This entry meant that every time he had to make a three-way choice, he got an additional chance for random selection, increasing the probability of getting an entry that was more suitable for him.


    Without hesitation.


    He made his choice of the third entry before the ten breaths were up.


    ¡­


    ¡°Continue!¡±


    Chen Qiu spent three to four hours solidifying his Cultivation Realm, ensuring that his rapid increase in cultivation wouldn¡¯t lead to instability. With the effect of the Twelfth-grade Nascent Soul from the Heavenly Dao, stabilizing his Cultivation Realm was still quite straightforward and effortless.


    Before starting to cultivate, he fed his Nascent Soul a stalk of Evil Wood.


    This time, instead of pulling out a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, what came out was a ¡°High-grade Enlightenment Stone.¡±


    Its effect was to instantly elevate all spells and cultivation realms up to the Nascent Soul and below directly to the realm of Great Perfection.


    Hmm, a nice item.


    Not bad.


    Although the spells he currently possesses are mostly at Great Perfection, and there¡¯s no immediate need for the Enlightenment Stone, keeping it for when he learns a new spell isn¡¯t a bad idea either.


    After completing all this.


    Chen Qiu returned to sitting cross-legged on the elliptical stone, slowly closed his eyes, placed a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill into his mouth, swallowed it, and began circulating his mental method. Meanwhile, the surrounding Mid-grade Spirit Stones flickered and were clearly about to be exhausted.


    ¡­


    Five hours later.


    The Mid-grade Spirit Stones around Chen Qiu had lost their luster, shattered into pieces, and fell to the ground. Days of continuous cultivation had rendered this small Spirit Gathering Array unsustainable, depleting all its Spiritual Energy and completely breaking apart.


    Such a small Spirit Gathering Array was so costly in terms of Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    One can hardly imagine the astronomical number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones that would be required daily if the massive Spirit Gathering Array of Chao Tian Sect were to be activated. Did Chao Tian Sect have that much wealth back then? Where did they get so many Mid-grade Spirit Stones from?


    They didn¡¯t leave behind any means of making a fortune either, so he could see if there was anything he might learn from.


    The only wealth-generating method he could think of was¡ª sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Slaying demons and eliminating evils.


    But that felt somewhat unrefined, and he thought that Chao Tian Sect must have had more efficient methods for amassing wealth in the past; otherwise, how could they afford such a gold-thirsty giant like the Sect¡¯s massive Spirit Gathering Array.


    After opening his eyes, Chen Qiu looked at his Cultivation Progress.


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Nascent Soul Stage fifth layer (19.6%).


    Mid-Nascent Soul Stage now.


    Just three days were all it took to advance from the first layer of the Nascent Soul stage to the fifth layer. His progression in cultivation was a terrifying presence in the entire Cultivation World, unless he was a prodigy nurtured by a major sect with all their resources.

 Chapter 402 - 169: Time Will Come._3

    Chapter 402: Chapter 169: Time Will Come._3


    An elder from a normal sect in Quzhou, if he wanted to elevate from the first level of the Nascent Soul to the fifth level under flawless conditions, it would consume at least decades of time.


    Yet, he had used only three days!


    Of course¡­


    The cost was those forty Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, which were now all gone, not a single one remained.


    Moreover, it seemed like one could get addicted to consuming these things.


    Had it not been for the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he might have progressed through his cultivation in the usual manner, but having experienced the rapid advancement in cultivation realm this pill provided, now, without them, he felt terribly uncomfortable.


    ...


    ¡°Forget it!¡±


    Chen Qiu took a long breath, preparing to get up to check on the progress of cracking the storage rings from the Yuan Sect, as there were only fifteen days left until the arrival of the ¡°World Conflict¡± Heavenly Dao version.


    Only twenty-seven days were left until the tenfold increase in cultivation progress was to commence.


    The path of vanquishing demons and eliminating monsters was imminent.


    It was said that in Quzhou, only three forces were in the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    They were ¡°Su Family,¡± ¡°Qi Sect,¡± and ¡°Tao Sword Sect.¡±


    The former had some rapport with him, while the latter two sects feared the Heavenly Dao version and had fled from the world, meaning currently in Quzhou, apart from the Su Family Patriarch who was in Divinity Transformation, the strongest were merely at the peak of Nascent Soul.


    And the peak of Nascent Soul¡­ he was not afraid of that!


    At this point in time, he could already stride across Quzhou.


    Since he could walk boldly, it would be somewhat unreasonable not to do anything significant.


    ¡­


    ¡°How¡¯s the progress?¡±


    Chen Qiu stood at the entrance of the disciple dormitory, looking towards the shopkeeper sitting amidst a pile of storage rings, opening his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Mostly resolved,¡±


    The shopkeeper, looking slightly pale with not a hint of color, nodded and said, ¡°The storage rings from the Yuan Sect, including this Nascent Soul peak expert¡¯s ring, have all been cracked. There are just a few disciple storage rings left.¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards the Shopkeeper¡¯s complexion, his brow subtly furrowing as he took out the thirty Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from the past three days and handed them over: ¡°When you have free time, push your cultivation a bit more. The higher your cultivation, the more skilled and smooth your breaking will be.¡±


    ¡°Remember to balance work and rest.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Sect Master.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    After saying goodbye, Chen Qiu once again took a large batch of now unrestricted storage rings up to the rear mountain peak.


    As expected.


    The Yuan Sect Master had left quite a private stash for himself, with a total of 1000 mid-grade Spirit Stones hidden in the storage rings, which was actually much less than he expected. So, did this Sect Master really place most of the mid-grade Spirit Stones into the sect¡¯s Treasure Vault for the sake of the sect¡¯s heritage?


    The Spirit Stones that belonged to the Sect Masters weren¡¯t many either; several elders also had around 1000 or more Spirit Stones.


    If every sect was like Yuan Sect, then the richest places would indeed be the sect¡¯s Treasure Vaults; the storage rings held far fewer resources.


    The rest were some spiritual treasures, medicinal herbs, and spells, among other assorted messes.


    There was nothing valuable to be seen, not even an entry jade slip.


    He might as well throw them all directly into the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s warehouse.


    He had already had the Chao Tian Sect disciples at the Golden Core stage build a few more warehouses overnight; the warehouse was getting a bit crowded, with far too many miscellaneous items and no categorization yet, making it look disorderly. He needed to consider finding someone to manage the warehouse.


    After thinking for a moment, Zhao Dezhu seemed like a good choice.


    But¡ª


    Now¡­ it was time to head out!


    ¡­


    Quzhou.


    The sky had just darkened, with twilight still lingering in the distance, the crescent moon starkly visible against the deep blue sky.


    The scene was breathtakingly beautiful.


    So beautiful it took one¡¯s breath away.


    But some people didn¡¯t have the time to appreciate this beautiful scene.


    ¡°This is too much!!!¡±


    To the north of Quzhou, atop a mountain shrouded in evil energy, the ¡®Evil Ghost Sect¡¯ was situated here, and at this moment, the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect, his eyes flickering with panic and anger, retreated while watching Chen Qiu who was gradually approaching along the mountain path.


    ¡°We have no quarrel, why must you slaughter so fiercely!¡±


    ¡°By being so relentlessly aggressive, do you really want us to end up in mutual destruction!¡±


    In his eyes.


    The young man in the blue robe, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, was slowly advancing towards him, and he was followed by none less than 38 Nascent Souls, his own rank being in the mid-phase of Nascent Soul, which was quite formidable!


    38 Nascent Souls?


    Where did he gather so many Nascent Souls from?


    He naturally recognized Chen Qiu, especially since these people were dressed in uniform sect robes, each with the character ¡°Chao¡± engraved on their chests; even if he were a fool, he would know these people were from Chao Tian Sect.


    He was truly unsure if he could defeat Chen Qiu. Although his own cultivation at the peak of Nascent Soul far surpassed Chen Qiu, Chen Qiu was clearly an exception, capable of slaying early Nascent Souls during his Golden Core Perfection, and even with his trump cards, could slaughter across an entire state!


    Now already in the mid-phase of Nascent Soul, his strength was unfathomable, like the deep sea!


    Thus¡ª


    Even though Chen Qiu had started by breaking his Mountain Protection Array and killing many of his disciples, he had constantly retreated, not engaging in combat, hoping to dissuade Chen Qiu with empathy and reason.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu, in his blue robe embroidered with the character ¡°Chao¡± on the left chest, stood on the peak of the ¡®Evil Ghost Sect¡¯ mountain, casually accepting the list of wrongdoings of the ¡®Evil Ghost Sect¡¯ handed over by Fat Long, his expression calm as he softly spoke.


    ¡°Evil Ghost Sect, with an inheritance of over four hundred years, the current Sect Master is at Nascent Soul peak, failed in an abrupt attempt to break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage.¡±


    ¡°Injured by the Heavenly Tribulation, his realm slightly dropped, and to this day, his injuries have not fully healed.¡±


    ¡°The mental method inherited by the sect is ¡®Evil Heart Technique¡¯, which can convert all one¡¯s Spiritual Energy into Evil Energy. The nature¡¯s spiritual energy is of no use to you in advancing cultivation progress; instead, absorbing Evil Energy and resentful energy can rapidly enhance your cultivation progress.¡±

 Chapter 403 - 169: Time Will Come._4

    Chapter 403: Chapter 169: Time Will Come._4


    ¡°When paired with entries that can interact with evil energy and resentful energy, both cultivation speed and strength are far superior to that of fellow cultivators.¡±


    ¡°To generate a massive amount of evil energy and resentful energy, you slaughtered countless mortals, and it wasn¡¯t just a slaughter; you tortured every single one of them.¡±


    ¡°Gouging eyes, human pigs, slow slicing, cutting off fingers, flaying.¡±


    ¡°Beyond the physical pain, you chose to defile wives in front of their husbands, kill children before the elderly, and force people to kill their own family members.¡±


    ¡°By various means, you generate a vast amount of resentful energy, thereby significantly improving the cultivation progress of the disciples of the Evil Ghost Sect.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu raised his head to look at the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect and calmly asked, ¡°Do you feel wronged?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    The Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect did not retort but just stood atop the mountain with a grim expression, staring fixedly at Chen Qiu as waves of evil energy surged from him, suppressing the fury and indignation inside him: ¡°But what has that got to do with you?¡±


    ¡°The Evil Ghost Sect only kills mortals within its own territory and has never gone to other places.¡±


    ¡°Your benevolence is so vast, could you possibly protect all the mortals in the world?¡±


    ¡°Or do you think that after obtaining billions of virtue points and topping the Xuantian Continent¡¯s virtue rankings, you really believe you are a Heavenly Dao Saint, obliged to take on the responsibility of sheltering all the mortals in the world? Don¡¯t forget,¡±


    ¡°you not only topped the virtue rankings of the Xuantian Continent, but on the Xuantian Continent¡¯s sin rankings, you are also the leader.¡±


    ¡°If you want to use executing the will of Heaven as an excuse to exterminate us, the ¡®Evil Ghost Sect,¡¯ I do not accept this reason. My sin value is not even one percent of yours, aren¡¯t you the one that should be exterminated?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°No, you are wrong.¡±


    Overwhelming Spiritual Energy gradually emerged from Chen Qiu¡¯s body. Unbeknownst to the Evil Ghost Sect, thick clouds had formed above their Sect Master¡¯s head, and a storm followed, howling its arrival.


    The whistling of the wind made the already tense atmosphere even tenser, and a chilling presence filled the air.


    Chen Qiu looked at the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect, now full of rage, and shook his head as he whispered.


    ¡°You want to argue with me again.¡±


    ¡°I told you long ago, my way is that if you can¡¯t defeat me, you must die.¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    Countless Thunder Dragons appeared from nowhere and enveloped the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect on the mountaintop!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    In the deafening explosion, the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect, enveloped in rich evil energy, seemed somewhat disordered in breath, but still fairly well, burst out of the explosion.


    Holding two orbs of evil fire that turned into Liu Guang, he shot towards the distance and hurled the evil fire towards Chen Qiu with a sinister laugh.


    ¡°Are you really that confident?¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Evil Domain!!!¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    The thick evil energy instantly enveloped the entire Evil Ghost Sect, instantly reducing visibility, and from within the evil energy, the sounds of ghosts crying and wolves howling could occasionally be heard.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. In this environment, he could clearly feel that he was unable to absorb the nature¡¯s spiritual energy from the outside world. The entire Evil Ghost Sect seemed to be instantly pulled into a small world.


    His Divine Sense couldn¡¯t probe outwards, and the figure of the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect also instantly disappeared from the spot.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He frowned slightly and, after effortlessly blocking the two streams of evil fire with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, he looked around.


    Domain?


    Isn¡¯t this a method only available to the Divinity Transformation Stage? The Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect is merely at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, and that too after a failed breakthrough, yet he now possesses such a technique. However, upon closer inspection, this domain seems rather rough.


    It barely manages to create a domain filled with evil energy, pushing out the nature¡¯s spiritual energy, making it impossible for cultivators other than the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect to recover their Spiritual Energy, and then hides in the shadows as the Divine Sense cannot scout out. This Domain is far inferior to those of the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    Once a Divine Domain is fully deployed, the effects are much more intense than this.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu shook his head, as he had just used a mere tenth of his Spiritual Energy. His cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Nascent Soul, having advanced too fast, and now he wasn¡¯t even sure about the extent of his power.


    But with just one-tenth of his Spiritual Energy powering the Thunder Summoning Technique, the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect seemed to be struggling, his breath somewhat chaotic.


    It seems that his strength might be even stronger than he imagined.


    And at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Chen Qiu!¡±


    Within the evil energy-filled domain, came the voice of the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect who seemed quite smug: ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve been avoiding you all this time because I¡¯m afraid of you?¡±


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to use this imperfect domain technique prematurely; it could easily backlash against the Nascent Soul!¡±


    ¡°But since you have angered me, let me show you what I¡¯m capable of!¡±


    ¡°This Domain is a Divinity Transformation technique. Although I didn¡¯t succeed in my forced breakthrough to the Divinity Transformation Stage last time, I was lucky enough to grasp a trace of the Domain!¡±


    ¡°With your cultivation lower than mine, you will never be able to break through my Domain.¡±


    ¡°You can only be trapped here forever.¡±


    ¡°There is no real enmity between us, so why don¡¯t we just let this go? How about that?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t trouble you, and you had better not come looking for me. There are so many Evil Sects in Quzhou¡ªdo you think you can visit them all, Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡­


    Although the Sect Master of the Evil Ghost Sect¡¯s voice was full of smugness, his hidden figure was actually deathly pale, his whole arm trembling.


    Domain is a unique technique for those at the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    Forcing it with his Nascent Soul pinnacle cultivation, especially since he had suffered a fall to his realm, the backlash was considerable.


    The corners of his mouth even oozed traces of blood.


    He could support it for at most a hundred breaths.


    This Domain of his, if he were to fully activate it after breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, would send endless resentful spirits and demons in a Night Parade of Hundred Demons continuously storming towards Chen Qiu!


    But now¡­


    Owing to the Domain¡¯s immaturity, it only had two effects.


    One was to expel all of nature¡¯s spiritual energy, leaving only Evil Energy, and the other was to allow himself to hide in the shadows.


    He took a deep breath.


    Forcing his voice to sound calmer and not reveal his weakness, he realized something when Chen Qiu¡¯s Thunder Dragon enveloped him.


    He couldn¡¯t win against Chen Qiu in a direct fight.


    Compete in Nascent Soul?


    How could his Nascent Soul compete with a Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul, what a joke!


    And just what was up with Chen Qiu anyway? Wasn¡¯t he only certified as a Nascent Soul with a Heavenly Dao Top Grade Nascent Soul three days ago? How could it be that in just three days, he¡¯d directly reached the fifth layer of Nascent Soul, damn it?


    One small realm advancement per day?


    And that¡¯s not all?


    The fastest way to increase one¡¯s cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage is with a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pill, but even if you popped those pills like candy beans¡­


    You couldn¡¯t possibly enhance your cultivation to the fifth layer of Nascent Soul in just three days!


    He had already firmly decided in his heart.


    If he could scare Chen Qiu away later, he would leave the Evil Ghost Sect for good, no, he would leave Quzhou altogether. Things had been strangely off in Quzhou lately, too peculiar.


    This was clearly no longer a place for humans.


    When Evil State had been annihilated, he had already considered retreating, because never in his life had he heard of an entire state being shattered and merging into the ocean.


    It was utterly preposterous!


    But he hesitated because, after all, his hundred-year foundation was in the Evil Ghost Sect. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet just a few days¡¯ hesitation¡­


    And now he couldn¡¯t leave. If he could escape this time, he definitely would. To hell with the Evil Ghost Sect, whoever loves it can have it. The most important thing is to survive; all else is illusory.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, Chen Qiu listened to the voice of the Evil Ghost Sect Master coming from within the Evil Energy; his Divine Sense could not penetrate, nor could he determine the exact location of the Evil Ghost Sect Master.


    But¡­


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    He wasn¡¯t the kind of magic practitioner who needed to lock onto someone with Divine Sense before he could kill them.


    The next moment¡ª


    A massive and overwhelming amount of Spiritual Energy surged wildly, a storm howled forth, enveloping the entire Heavenly Evil Domain like a miniature version of the Thunder Punishment.


    Tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons roared furiously within the Domain, carrying a terrifying might.


    This scene!


    It was as if it were reenacting the event once witnessed in the sky above Evil State!


    Divine Punishment descended with lightning fury!

 Chapter 404 - 170:

    Chapter 404: Chapter 170: ¡°Thank you Chao Tian Sect for Helping Our Sect to Eliminate Sins.


    The last time he unleashed the full power of the Thunder Summoning Technique was when he had Golden Core Perfection Cultivation.


    After breaking through to Nascent Soul, he had been in seclusion and tough cultivation.


    From the first layer of Nascent Soul all the way to the fifth, he had not stopped nor had the opportunity to make a move, and his Cultivation had drastically increased, both in terms of the concentration of Spiritual Energy and the quantity stored.


    Not to mention the massive leap in Cultivation progress from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, bridging a Great Realm.


    Adding on the effects of his second set of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure.


    ¡°The power of the Thunder Summoning Technique will be enhanced once again.¡±


    ...


    With various entries and up to twelfth-grade Nascent Soul measures to back him up. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The might of his Thunder Summoning Technique had reached an exaggerated level; of course, it still wasn¡¯t comparable to that sky full of Thunder Punishment over Evil State from days past. But at the current rate of growth, one day, he would certainly reach that level.


    ¡­


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    The deafening sound of explosions echoed amidst the thunderous rumble of Heavenly Thunder, with countless Thunder Dragons engulfing the entire Evil Ghost Sect Mountain. Their so-called Evil Energy Domain had already been shattered early on.


    After all, it was merely a Divinity Transformation method forcibly used by a Nascent Soul pinnacle cultivator.


    It wasn¡¯t that strong.


    The entire Evil Ghost Sect Mountain was leveled by the sky-filled Thunder Dragons, eradicating the Evil Sect that had once been a scourge to the area. The Evil Ghost Sect Master, a cultivator at the pinnacle of Nascent Soul, now reduced to shreds of flesh drifting in midair.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, who used Spiritual Energy to shield the disciples of Chao Tian Sect behind him, stood on the leveled site of the former Evil Ghost Sect, looking at the scene before him, silent and expressionless.


    He would no longer need to use the Thunder Summoning Technique in the future.


    Is the Thunder Summoning Technique strong?


    Strong!


    With the fifth level of Nascent Soul Cultivation, a fully activated Thunder Summoning Technique could instantly kill a peak Nascent Soul!


    And even render them completely incapable of fighting back, even if it were a peak Nascent Soul that had only slightly fallen in realm. However, it was precisely because this Spell was too strong that, as a result, not a trace was left of the entire Evil Ghost Sect.


    Not to mention any sect Treasure Vault.


    Even the entire mountain had been leveled to the ground.


    Not a single Storage Ring, Nascent Soul body, or First Grade Golden Core was left behind. Even the scholar who wanted to save a few Golden Cores with his longsword to see if he could carry them out was powerless to do so. In that sky-filled Heavenly Tribulation, his longsword would have inevitably led to the shattering of his Lifebound Spirit Treasure.


    This resulted in¡­


    His gains from this trip being zero.


    After a moment of silence, Chen Qiu spoke calmly in a soft voice, ¡°An Evil Sect like this, their Treasure Vault is surely filled with tainted items. They don¡¯t cultivate with nature¡¯s Spiritual Energy, so they definitely don¡¯t have many Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no loss not to have them.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been much anyway.¡±


    Chen Qiu, rising to float in the air, first spent hundreds of breaths replenishing his Spiritual Energy, then with a thought, let his Nascent Soul float beside him.


    Having the Nascent Soul leave the body is an important Attack Method that distinguishes Nascent Soul cultivators from Golden Core.


    The detached Nascent Soul often has a faster speed, whether for scouting or attacking, both are quite effective. But the prerequisite is not to provoke beings much stronger than oneself, lest the Nascent Soul not return.


    The Nascent Soul can¡¯t use nature¡¯s Spiritual Energy or cast Spells, but it can kill enemies with the pressure of its realm, and its power is still quite formidable.


    It is quite useful when the opponent¡¯s Cultivation is not as high as one¡¯s own.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, glanced at the map, and headed towards the next sect. He was quite busy and had no time to dally.


    ¡­


    ¡°Heavenly Demon Sect.¡±


    Miles away.


    Chen Qiu floated in midair, concealing his form, silently looking down at the Demon Sect not far away. He now had to consider a problem¡ªwhat method could he use to crush this sect and not destroy it completely?


    If his Cultivation were very high, like at Divinity Transformation.


    It would be extremely simple.


    Just releasing his Cultivation, he could suppress them with his realm.


    But that¡¯s precisely where the problem lies; his Cultivation was not enough to suppress the sect directly, and he had to make a move to do so. But once he did, the sect would be ruined.


    After pondering for a moment.


    He came up with a plan¡ªto brutally suppress all seven Evil Demon sects, giving up all the gains from these sects as a way to build his reputation, using this reputation to sell Redemption Orders to other sects.


    This way, he could save enough time. Although using Nascent Soul projection to gradually grind them down could work, it would take too much time. For him now, time was the most important.


    All else was secondary.


    No sooner said than done.


    With a thought.


    Sudden dark clouds covered the ¡°Heavenly Demon Sect¡± not far away, followed by a howling Storm.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    In the ear-splitting thunder, sky-filled Thunder Dragons engulfed the entire Heavenly Demon Sect.


    A few breaths later.


    The world fell silent again.


    ¡­


    It was barely dawn, and already Quzhou was somewhat panic-stricken.


    ¡°Have you heard?¡±


    In a teahouse in ¡°Great Yuan City,¡± a cultivator with a hint of fear in his voice whispered, ¡°Did you hear about Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect? Last night, he led the disciples of Chao Tian Sect and annihilated seven sects in a row!¡±


    ¡°There were Evil Sects and Demon Sects!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said that Chao Tian Sect collectively brands those sects as Evil Demon Sects.¡±


    No sooner had the words fallen than another cultivator beside him took up the conversation, leaning in slightly and whispering, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it too, and it¡¯s said that there are over thirty Nascent Soul disciples in Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°How could there be over thirty Nascent Soul disciples?¡± Another cultivator to the right shook his head, ¡°Having over thirty Nascent Souls, I believe that. That¡¯s also what the news I got said, but over thirty Nascent Soul disciples seems a bit too exaggerated.¡±

 Chapter 405 - 170:

    Chapter 405: Chapter 170: ¡°Thank you Chao Tian Sect for Helping Our Sect to Eliminate Sins.¡±_2


    ¡°How can this cultivation possibly be that of a disciple¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, then are you saying these thirty-plus Nascent Souls are all elders? Which sect could have so many elders?¡±


    ¡°But cultivating a Nascent Soul requires a huge expenditure of Spirit Stones, and Chao Tian Sect doesn¡¯t have much territory; can they afford to sustain so many Nascent Souls?¡±


    ¡°I heard that those Evil Sects were directly crushed and destroyed, and under such circumstances, those sect treasuries would have been shattered long ago.¡±


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡­


    ...


    ¡°Why run away?¡±


    In Quzhou, the Sect Master of De Dao Sect, unhurriedly sitting in his chair, looked towards the several elders below with anxious expressions, ¡°I think you¡¯ve all gone senile, that Chen Qiu wiped out was the Evil Sect.¡±


    ¡°We are a righteous sect; what is there to fear?¡±


    ¡°Could he possibly come and annihilate our Taoist Sect?¡±


    ¡°Destroying those Evil Sects, many people clapped and cheered, grateful to Chao Tian Sect for solving some of their troubles. But if it were to annihilate us, the righteous sects, then Chao Tian Sect would become the enemy of the whole world.¡±


    ¡°Even if Chen Qiu had exceptional talent, he couldn¡¯t withstand everyone in the world, could he?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    At that moment¡ª


    A disciple suddenly rushed in, panicking, his voice filled with fear as he urgently said, ¡°Sect Master, it¡¯s bad, terribly bad, that Chen Qiu¡­ forcibly entered the Mountain Gate and is almost at the summit!¡±


    The words had barely left his mouth.


    The surrounding elders looked at each other, their faces a bit chaotic, not knowing how to deal with the situation. The Sect Master had just guaranteed that Chen Qiu would definitely not come, and now Chen Qiu had already arrived; what should they do now?!


    Chen Qiu¡¯s strength was outrageously exaggerated!


    Three days¡¯ time.


    It was one thing for him to break through from the first layer of Nascent Soul to the fifth layer in three days, although hard to accept, but still somehow understandable because¡­ because¡­ what the hell!


    On the whole Xuantian Continent, who the hell progresses from the first layer of Nascent Soul to the fifth layer in just three days?! S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Simply put, they couldn¡¯t comprehend that!


    But what was even more incomprehensible was¡­ why could Chen Qiu with the fifth layer of Nascent Soul cultivation massacre those at the peak of Nascent Soul?


    Yes, massacre.


    Last night, in the seven obliterated Evil Sects, there were four sects whose strongest were at the peak of Nascent Soul, and the remaining three had late Nascent Soul stages in command. According to their investigations, the entire sect was leveled to the ground, and traces of residual lightning arcs lingered in the air.


    Mortals, if they came close to the lightning arcs, might even die on the spot.


    The power of spells is roughly divided into several realms.


    The first realm is capable of invoking the forces of nature when fully activated; reaching this step means this spell has become your ultimate trump card.


    And the second realm is being able to leave traces in the air; the higher the cultivation, the stronger the spell, the longer the traces will last, just like the sky-wide Thunder Punishment over Evil State, which still lingers like spider webs.


    And this second realm, generally, is something only someone in the Divinity Transformation Stage could achieve!


    Chen Qiu, merely at the fifth layer of Nascent Soul cultivation, has already faintly touched this realm. Though the traces left weren¡¯t as strong, he was already nearly at this threshold, in other words.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s current combat strength had reached that of half-step Divinity Transformation.


    Inferior to Divinity Transformation, yet slaughtering peak Nascent Soul like slaughtering dogs, if Divinity Transformation does not appear, Chen Qiu would be the undefeated Nascent Soul.


    Most importantly¡ª


    Those numerous Thunder Dragons in the sky were not even Chen Qiu¡¯s trump card, but just another¡­ ordinary spell. If it were a trump card or even a slightly restrictive spell, how could it possibly be used continuously seven times in one night?!


    And now, such an existence at half-step Divinity Transformation has arrived at the ¡°De Dao Sect,¡± they obviously were walking into the eighth disaster.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s surrender.¡±


    The Great Elder of De Dao Sect quickly suggested, ¡°We can¡¯t defeat him; activating the Mountain Protection Array is useless and might even provoke him. Since we are a righteous sect, as long as our attitude is sincere enough, he probably won¡¯t kill us easily.¡±


    ¡°I second that!¡±


    ¡°I second that!¡±


    The other elders quickly raised their hands to indicate their agreement, and the Sect Master of De Dao Sect also nodded solemnly, ¡°Good idea, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    What else can be done if they can¡¯t overcome the situation.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sect Master Chen.¡±


    The Sect Master of De Dao Sect, with a stern expression, looked up at Chen Qiu walking up the mountain road under the dark clouds and storm, his clothes rustling in the storm wind. He was holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and then glanced up at the clouds above filled with the fearsome might of Thunder Dragons, his lips twitching slightly before he sincerely looked at Chen Qiu and bowed.


    ¡°Sect Master Chen, I¡¯ve heard about last night¡¯s annihilation of seven Evil Sects.¡±


    ¡°Those seven Evil Sects have been plaguing Quzhou for a long time, the entire Quzhou owes gratitude to Sect Master Chen¡¯s righteous deeds.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°De Dao Sect has always been a righteous sect; may I know why Sect Master Chen has come to the De Dao Sect?¡±


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t be bothered to say much, just waved his hand, while the scholar quickly pulled out a scroll, about three feet long from his bosom, found the name ¡°De Dao Sect¡± on it, and then loudly proclaimed.


    ¡°Three months ago, an Inner Sect Disciple of De Dao Sect killed a disciple from another sect in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.¡±


    ¡°Half a year ago, an elder of De Dao Sect, while hunting demons, accidentally killed seven passing mortals.¡±


    ¡°One and a half years¡­¡±


    Fat Long stood on the spot and listed each of ¡°De Dao Sect¡¯s¡± crimes.


    Leaving the Sect Master of De Dao Sect with his mouth slowly widening in astonishment, momentarily at a loss for words¡ª


    Is there a problem? Is this even a crime?

 Chapter 406 - 170:

    Chapter 406: Chapter 170: ¡°Thank you Chao Tian Sect for Helping Our Sect to Eliminate Sins.¡±_3


    Isn¡¯t it normal to vie for opportunities and kill others in a Secret Realm? Isn¡¯t the Secret Realm just a place for battles? Otherwise, what¡¯s the purpose of going to a Secret Realm, to play house?


    Killing mortals by mistake while hunting down demons is also quite normal, isn¡¯t it? With spells having such a wide range, who can guarantee that they haven¡¯t killed mortals by accident upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage?


    Moreover, by eradicating those demons, they saved many mortals from death. Isn¡¯t that a case of the good outweighing the bad?


    If even these things are counted,


    Then in this world, what reputable sects are there? They¡¯ve all fucking turned into Evil Sects!


    Cultivation itself is a path carved out through killing. Who cultivated all the way to their current level just by meditating every day? If you don¡¯t vie and fight for Cultivation resources, will they just fall from the sky and land in front of you?


    ...


    ¡­


    Fat Long finished stating everything in one breath and didn¡¯t bother with any nonsense.


    ¡°The crimes committed by the ¡®De Dao Sect¡¯ are as listed; purchasing ten Redemption Orders can absolve of these sins, with one Redemption Order priced at a hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    As his voice faded, the De Dao Sect suddenly let out a sigh of relief. So, they came for extortion, huh? That¡¯s easy to handle, just a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, not much, it¡¯s quite worth it to get rid of this plague god with a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    ¡°Thank you, Chao Tian Sect, for helping our sect rid itself of sins.¡±


    ¡°Proceed.¡±


    ¡­


    After setting an example for the Chao Tian Sect disciples, Chen Qiu took a casual stroll by himself in Great Yuan City, having sent all the Chao Tian Sect disciples out to expedite the process. Doing it one by one was too slow.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about those sect forces running away.


    After all, the news spread quickly, and the amount of Spirit Stones he demanded was low. Just to save such a small amount of Spirit Stones, would they abandon their sect¡¯s millennium heritage? That would be utterly against the natural order.


    As for those sect forces, would they dare to make a move on the Chao Tian Sect disciples?


    He doubted they had the guts.


    Even if a sect did have the guts to strike, well, if someone died, nothing could be done about it.


    Disciples are there to be used.


    If you¡¯re worried about disciples dying and don¡¯t assign them tasks, then what¡¯s the point of expending so much to support these disciples? Are they being raised as pets? This is the first collective task for the Chao Tian Sect disciples!


    He had already announced it.


    Whoever sells the most Redemption Orders will become an outer sect elder of the Chao Tian Sect!


    They will enjoy a greater allocation of Cultivation resources and gain the right to command the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s outer disciples.


    As soon as this order was passed, the Chao Tian Sect disciples were as excited as if their blood was on fire, charging toward the various sects in Quzhou. With their own Nascent Soul Stage speeds, they were already quick, and even without the scholar, their traveling speed was sufficient.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu casually strolled alone in ¡®Great Yuan City¡¯, having nothing particular to do. He was a bit weary after several days of intense cultivation.


    Taking advantage of his current leisure time, he decided to relax, take a stroll, and rest for a moment.


    Sometimes he blended in with the crowd to watch street performances.


    Other times he visited the teahouse to listen to storytellers talk about him.


    And sometimes he sat at a street stall to taste the specialities of Yuan City.


    He felt like the tightly strung nerves of the past few days were finally relaxing at this moment. He had yet to choose one of the three choices for his breakthrough to the fifth level of Nascent Soul, but he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to decide, taking a break for now.


    You can¡¯t always be tense.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu was resting,


    But the whole of Quzhou was thrown into chaos!


    The thirty-some disciples of the Chao Tian Sect swept through all the forces within the bounds of the Chao Tian Sect territory like locusts, sparing only the Su Family!


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect outer disciple, Zhao Buzhu.¡±


    Zhao Buzhu stood alone at the ¡®Sun Fu Sect¡¯ mountain gate and solemnly said to the approaching Sun Fu Sect Master, ¡°Let¡¯s not bother with pleasantries. Your Sun Fu Sect needs to purchase three Redemption Orders for your sins.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The Sun Fu Sect Master carefully took out three Redemption Orders from his bosom: ¡°Are these the three? We¡¯ve already bought them, sold to us by the Chao Tian Sect outer disciple Qu Gui.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Zhao Buzhu frowned and pondered for a moment before turning to leave. Following the Sect Master¡¯s command, if a sect had already bought them, there was no need to sell to them again. But how could that Qu Gui be so quick?


    He had been beaten to two sects already by that crafty Qu Gui.


    No way¡­


    This cunning old fellow wasn¡¯t thinking of competing with him for the position of outer sect elder of the Chao Tian Sect, was he?


    ¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve treated you all fairly, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    An outer disciple of the Chao Tian Sect gathered several Chao Tian Sect outer disciples and earnestly said, ¡°Only the disciple who sells the most Redemption Orders can become an outer elder of the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not first, there¡¯s no difference between being second and last.¡±


    ¡°Once you attribute the Redemption Orders you¡¯ve sold to me, helping me become the outer elder, you have to think carefully. Aren¡¯t we the best of friends? If I become the outer elder, could I possibly forget about you when good opportunities arise?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make sense?¡±


    The seven or eight Chao Tian Sect outer disciples looked at each other before nodding in unison: ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡­


    For a time¡ª


    The Chao Tian Sect disciples, each showing their unique abilities, swarmed over the sects throughout the Quzhou Continent like locusts, a task that would take at least a couple of days to complete, given the considerable size of Quzhou.


    But one thing was certain.


    When this batch of Chao Tian Sect disciples all returned, each would undoubtedly carry a hefty amount of Spirit Stones.


    These Spirit Stones would form the foundation of the Chao Tian Sect.


    ¡­


    Quzhou, Great Yuan City.


    Chen Qiu was enjoying the specialities at a street stall in Great Yuan City when he saw a group of finely dressed young men and women, followed by three or four old men at the peak of Nascent Soul, heading straight towards him.


    Soon¡ª


    The leading young man from the group approached Chen Qiu with a smile as radiant as the morning sun, raised his hands in the air towards Chen Qiu, and gestured downwards several times.


    sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 407 - 170:

    Chapter 407: Chapter 170: ¡°Thank you to Chao Tian Sect for helping our sect eliminate the sinners.¡± _4


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, we come with good intentions and mean you no harm,¡±


    ¡°If we did have ill intentions, we wouldn¡¯t have brought just these few people. Calling a few at the Divinity Transformation level would have been possible.¡±


    ¡°Let me introduce myself.¡±


    ¡°I am Qiao Jian from the Qiao Family in the Central Region and also the future Family Head of the Qiao Family. The several people behind me are also from the Central Region. Any power behind them is stronger than the strongest force in Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°We had already held you in high regard.¡±


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t expect that you could break through from the first to the fifth level of Nascent Soul in just over three days, and we didn¡¯t anticipate that as soon as you stepped into Nascent Soul, your combat strength could crush the peak of Nascent Soul.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Honestly, you have indeed exceeded all of our expectations.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu sat at the stall, not moving a muscle as he looked up at the group, then he picked up the porcelain bowl to take another sip of meat soup before wiping his mouth with a handkerchief and said carelessly, ¡°Do I look nervous to you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± Qiao Jian said with a smile as he sat in front of Chen Qiu, ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯m a little nervous. After all, it¡¯s my first time speaking with such a Heavenly Pride like you.¡±


    The woman following behind Qiao Jian looked at his back when she heard this and couldn¡¯t help showing a hint of admiration again.


    Such a person with emotional intelligence.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0


    Indeed worthy of the title Heavenly Pride.


    A clever remark effortlessly resolved the ill intentions in Chen Qiu¡¯s tone, letting the rhythm of the conversation return to his own control. Heaven¡¯s Prides from the Central Region just have an extra bit of charisma compared to those from other places.


    Afterward, Qiao Jian stood up specially, revealing the woman standing behind him and respectfully introduced her, saying, ¡°Allow me to introduce, this lady is the only sister of the Young Master of the ¡®Three Springs Building¡¯ from the Central Region.¡±


    ¡°The power of Three Springs Building in the Central Region is second only to the top forces, always neutral, and never involved in strife.¡±


    ¡°Compared to other forces that have been passed down for a long time, Three Springs Building has risen from an obscure power in the Central Region to a position just below the top forces in only seven hundred years, which speaks volumes about the speed of Three Springs Building¡¯s rise.¡±


    ¡°And the current Young Master of Three Springs Building is also the youngest ever in its history.¡±


    ¡°The Young Master is ambitious. With troubled times approaching, most top forces have chosen to close their doors and retreat from the world out of fear, but as the saying goes, not advancing is retreating. Three Springs Building has decided to abandon their neutrality and gather talented individuals from all over the world to stake their claim in the imminent chaos.¡±


    ¡°This lady here is the only sister of the Young Master, Xia Ruyu.¡±


    ¡°She represents the Three Springs Building.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, looked at the people gently, and smiled, ¡°So¡­ what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Our purpose is to invite you, Chen Qiu, to join us in sharing a piece of the pie in these chaotic times,¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and said offhandedly, ¡°I also plan to close my doors and avoid the world; I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    The serious-faced Xia Ruyu, standing behind Qiao Jian, gazed earnestly at Chen Qiu and said, ¡°We can discuss this matter later; I can give you enough time to consider, but before that, could you tell us how you managed to break through from the first to the fifth level of Nascent Soul in just three days?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really important to us.¡±


    ¡°With each small realm breakthrough in Nascent Soul, even the Heaven¡¯s Pride of the Central Region needs at least half a year at the fastest.¡±


    ¡°I know this may be presumptuous.¡±


    ¡°But we are willing to offer a token of sincerity in exchange. As long as you tell us the method, we are ready to provide a substantial reward. The specific compensation will depend on the value of the information you provide. As long as it is valuable, we will certainly not be stingy.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°No ¡®and,''¡± Chen Qiu sighed irritably. He just wanted a vacation; why are there always such nuisances finding him? He stood up immediately and walked out of the stall.


    But just then¡ª


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The Divinity Transformation Cultivation burst forth violently within Great Yuan City. Chen Qiu suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned to look at the elderly man standing behind the girl, and after a long silence, burst into laughter.


    ¡°A Divinity Transformation Protector, I indeed overlooked that.¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°So it seems, if I do not reveal how I cultivated, you are prepared to resort to force?¡±


    Xia Ruyu shook her head sincerely and gazed at Chen Qiu, ¡°We have no ill intentions; we only hope to invite you to join us, and we are willing to pay a certain price for the secret of your rapid cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu exhaled, preparing to fight for his life. He still had three entries he could self-destruct; action had to be quick, taking them down wasn¡¯t a big problem, but Yuan City would have to go down with him.


    But before he could act.


    An even more powerful wave of Divinity Transformation Cultivation came surging, pressing down on the previous overwhelming power.


    ¡°Everyone.¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch appeared expressionless from the horizon, arriving in front of the several people in the blink of an eye: ¡°Distinguished guests from the Central Region, you came to Quzhou without even saying hello to me?¡±


    ¡°This Sect Master Chen happens to be my benefactor,¡±


    ¡°Do you have designs on him?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xia Ruyu¡¯s expression turned somewhat ugly as she looked at the Su Family Patriarch. They were both at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation, but clearly, the Su Family Patriarch had the upper hand, his gaze intently fixed on the Patriarch.


    ¡°Mr. Su, are you sure you want to interfere with the ¡®Three Springs Building¡¯s¡¯ affairs?¡±


    ¡°Su Family only has one at Divinity Transformation, but Three Springs Building isn¡¯t limited to just one Divinity Transformation behind me,¡±


    ¡°You should also be clear about the consequences of offending Three Springs Building,¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®offend¡¯?¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch casually swept his gaze over the group: ¡°I merely wish to have a chat with Sect Master Chen. If you wish to speak with Sect Master Chen, please come back another day.¡±

 Chapter 408 - 170:

    Chapter 408: Chapter 170: ¡°Thank you to Chao Tian Sect for helping our sect eliminate the sinners.¡± _5


    Xia Ruyu¡¯s eyes, having fixated on the Su Family Patriarch for several breaths, finally flashed with a hint of cold intent from the depths, ¡°I¡¯ll remember this, just you wait and see.¡±


    She then waved her hand and started walking away with a group of young men, young women, and Protectors towards the distance.


    ¡­


    After these people left, Su Tianshan¡¯s earlier aggressive aura suddenly deflated in an instant. Scratching the back of his head with some irritation, he said uneasily, ¡°What should we do now? That¡¯s the Three Springs Building, a top-tier power. It¡¯s no joking matter to be remembered by them for vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, how did you even provoke them?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t let this go; they¡¯ll come after you again.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head casually, ¡°They came to provoke me, asking for the secret to rapid cultivation. I didn¡¯t give it to them, and then they were ready to make a move.¡±


    ¡°Rapid cultivation?¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch paused slightly and examined Chen Qiu closely before a hint of disbelief flashed through his eyes, ¡°You¡¯ve reached the Nascent Soul Fifth Layer?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible!!!¡±


    ¡°How long has it been since you broke through to Nascent Soul? Less than four days, and you¡¯ve reached the Nascent Soul Fifth Layer?¡±


    ¡°You must have reincarnated and cultivated again, right? But even reincarnation wouldn¡¯t be this quick, or are you a body snatcher?¡±


    No wonder Xia Ruyu wanted to seize it; anyone would crave such power.


    After a long while, his expression complex, he shook his head, ¡°You¡¯re probably in danger now; it¡¯s best to leave Quzhou quickly. The Three Springs Building surely won¡¯t let you off; they will come for you again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just passing through here; I¡¯ve been in seclusion these days and have finally broken through to the Divinity Transformation Second Layer. Moreover, the Su Family is planning to seal the mountain and retire from the world.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and looked at the direction Xia Ruyu and the others had left with a mild smile, ¡°What if we take those people out, what do you say? Su Family Master, we can¡¯t just sit around waiting for them to seek revenge, can we?¡±


    ¡°Take them out?¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch hesitated for a moment and then shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive, Chen Qiu, I won¡¯t join you in that. Helping you out just now was already the limit for the Su Family, and that¡¯s also out of consideration for our plan to retire from the world.¡±


    ¡°But if we take these people out, we will face the endless retaliation of the Three Springs Building.¡±


    ¡°If we let these people go, does that mean they won¡¯t seek retaliation?¡±


    ¡°They might, but at least then we can talk it out or not face such violent retaliation.¡±


    *Sigh.*


    Chen Qiu sighed softly without responding further. He simply crossed past the Su Family Master following Xia Ruyu¡¯s departure path and left his silhouette for the Su Family Patriarch, waving his hand, ¡°Thank you for helping me out just now, Su Family Master.¡±


    The Su Family Master looked at Chen Qiu¡¯s receding figure with an unsightly expression; he hadn¡¯t expected Chen Qiu to be unable to swallow this grievance. After all, how many times in his life had he experienced such arrogance and bullying? Wasn¡¯t that what every Heavenly Pride of the Central State did?


    If that¡¯s the case, Chen Qiu wouldn¡¯t be able to bear any of them.


    Can one always be on a path of killing?


    But¡­


    After hesitation, he shot off in the opposite direction from Chen Qiu; he did have a fairly good relationship with Chen Qiu, but he had the Su Family behind him; he couldn¡¯t drag the entire Su Family into facing retaliation from the Three Springs Building with Chen Qiu.


    As long as he didn¡¯t make a move.


    Then Chen Qiu wouldn¡¯t either. A Nascent Soul Fifth Layer, no matter how strong, couldn¡¯t defeat someone at Divinity Transformation, he was sure of it, unless¡­ Chen Qiu used that one move from the Evil State again.


    ¡­


    But just when the Su Family Patriarch had barely left for a hundred breaths, he felt a terrifying surge of Spiritual Energy explode around Great Yuan City. His body stiffened in mid-flight, and he abruptly turned towards Great Yuan City, eyes flashing with disbelief before he turned back and shot towards Great Yuan City!


    He accelerated to his full movement technique!


    In just a few breaths, he arrived near Great Yuan City. And there, a hundred miles from Great Yuan City in the wilderness, on the flat ground, suddenly appeared two terrifyingly large pits, with lightning arcs still flickering at the bottom.


    Within one of the pits lay an old man¡¯s battered body.


    Chen Qiu quietly cut open the abdomen of the deceased old man at the bottom of the pit and extracted a ¡°Divinity Transformation Pill¡± from the Dantian.


    ¡°What have you done?!!¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch¡¯s voice, filled with disbelief, couldn¡¯t help but rise, ¡°Did you really kill them??¡±


    ¡°That was the only sister of the Young Master of the Three Springs Building; by doing this, you¡¯ve completely offended the Three Springs Building beyond redemption; do you realize that? Do you truly think you can face the retaliation from the Three Springs Building?¡±


    He truly hadn¡¯t expected Chen Qiu to dare make a move!


    And even less expect that Chen Qiu could actually win!


    That was the Divinity Transformation Stage, how could Chen Qiu, merely at Nascent Soul cultivation, have possibly defeated it? S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And it seemed he hadn¡¯t used that move from the Evil State, but another one.

 Chapter 409 - 171: Dragon Clan... Has it really perished like this?

    Chapter 409: Chapter 171: Dragon Clan¡­ Has it really perished like this?


    Chen Qiu did not respond immediately.


    He only took the Divinity Transformation Body and three other Nascent Soul bodies from the elder on the ground and stored them in his Storage Ring before casually dusting off his hands and speaking nonchalantly.


    ¡°I actually quite dislike being disturbed.¡±


    ¡°Finally taking half a day off for myself, someone had to come and disrupt my mood. Given that they were bound to come again, letting them go was incomprehensible.¡±


    ¡°They say it¡¯s a chaotic world, how can it be chaotic if it¡¯s not a bit messy?¡±


    Having said that,


    ...


    Chen Qiu was too lazy to talk more with the Su Family Head. He transformed into Liu Guang and shot away toward the distance. He once had some connections with the Su Family Head, but now it seemed that connection was pretty much over. He didn¡¯t quite like the man¡¯s personality.


    A very twisted personality.


    They were incompatible.


    ¡­


    The Su Family Master watched the direction in which Chen Qiu disappeared, his expression fluctuating silently. He hadn¡¯t expected that Chen Qiu, without resorting to those methods, would still possess the strength to annihilate someone at the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    After a long while,


    He took a deep look at the huge crater below, then transformed into a streak of light shooting towards the direction of the Su Family.


    He must withdraw from the world now.


    Otherwise, let alone a chaotic world, even the pressure from the Three Springs Building would be too much for him to handle.


    ¡­


    Having left the Great Yuan City, Chen Qiu returned to the northwest of Quzhou, sitting by the seaside. Looking towards the distant sea, he let the sea breeze blow against him, momentarily becoming distracted. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had broken through to the fifth level of the Nascent Soul just yesterday.


    But he hadn¡¯t chosen an entry yet.


    He let Little Wolf out from the small world, allowing it to run around the beach joyfully, then looked toward the panel hovering above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has soared, formally entering the fifth level of Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the following three random entries in ten breaths time.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Heart Burning


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you are in a state of anger, your Fire Magic will become stronger.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Seven Sevenths


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Each of your Great Realms will have only seven small realms, and your Spiritual Energy will always be filled to seventy percent, your spell power will always perform at seventy percent, your cultivation speed will decrease to seventy percent of its original, your lifespan will reduce to seventy percent, and the effectiveness of Pills taken will also be only seventy percent.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Ignorant and Unskilled.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You are unable to use any spells, but your physical strength will receive a significant increase.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood silently without expression, not speaking.


    It¡¯s good, the three random entries are completely useless. His mood was already somewhat dull due to those people¡¯s influence, and now it was even worse. None of these entries were useful to him.


    If he had to choose,


    it would be ¡°Heart Burning¡±. Maybe learning some Fire Magic in the future could come in handy, but the other two were utterly useless to him, especially the third, strictly a Body Cultivation entry.


    For him to switch from Magic Practitioner to Body Cultivation now would really mean his brain had gone wrong.


    Fortunately, when he reached the fourth level of Nascent Soul, he had obtained an entry called ¡°Time Will Come¡±, which allowed him to re-randomize an entry for the price of 100,000 points of merit. For him, 100,000 points of merit were nothing.


    He immediately chose to re-randomize the third entry.


    Soon.


    A new entry appeared before him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: True Eye.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You can see the entries owned by others without any physical contact, but each activation requires 100,000 points of merit, and you cannot see through those whose Cultivation is a Great Realm higher than yours.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly raised his eyebrows, his previously displeased mood suddenly vanished, feeling as if his entire mood had improved; this entry was much stronger compared to the others!


    Being able to see others¡¯ entries meant he could immediately understand his enemies¡¯ trump cards, strategies, etc.


    Each activation costing 100,000 points of merit was nothing to him. He had just re-randomized an entry and his ranking on the points of merit leaderboard hadn¡¯t changed at all.


    The base was too huge.


    Losing 100,000 points of merit was negligible,


    What did using 100,000 points of merit mean? It meant he could use it a thousand times with one billion points of merit, and he possessed 879 billion, meaning he could use it more than eight hundred thousand times.


    It¡¯s inexhaustible, truly inexhaustible.


    Almost without any hesitation, Chen Qiu chose this entry right away, then took Little Wolf back into the small world and transformed into Liu Guang, flying towards the largest nearby city.


    ¡­


    ¡°Qi City¡±.


    Previously the territory of Qi Sect.


    At that moment, Chen Qiu was sitting at a roadside stall, eating cold noodles while occasionally watching the passersby with a satisfied smile on his face. He realized that he was easily satisfied; his mood, which had been worsened by those people, had quickly returned to satisfaction.


    What is a person¡¯s greatest desire?


    He wasn¡¯t sure.


    But he thought it might include a peeping desire.


    Especially the kind of sneaking and peeking from a hidden spot, ensuring that the other party absolutely cannot find out, was simply too pleasing to the mood. Of course, peeping at someone taking a bath was out of the question.


    That¡¯s meaningless.


    But peeking at entries was different; on a normal day, unless you dig out someone¡¯s Golden Core or Nascent Soul, how could you know what entries they possess, unless they have no defenses, allowing your Divine Sense to enter the Dantian to check.¡±

 Chapter 410 - 171: Dragon Clan... Has it really perished like this?_2

    Chapter 410: Chapter 171: Dragon Clan¡­ Has it really perished like this?_2


    So besides master and disciple, father and son, relationships of such intimacy,


    most people¡¯s entries are absolutely unknown to the outside world.


    They are extremely covert.


    But now¡ª


    this hidden cage was about to be completely torn apart in front of Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu almost choked on his cold noodles. He looked towards a woman dressed in a sect¡¯s attire not far away, her face cold. A trace of shock flashed through his eyes, and even his hand holding the chopsticks froze!


    This woman was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, with three entries.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Yin Yang Moon Deficit.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Your gender will switch daily between male and female.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Men as Thieves, Women as Prostitutes.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: If you are a male cultivator, you will gain a Yellow Entry exclusive to ¡®Theft,¡¯ if you are a female cultivator, you will gain a Yellow Entry exclusive to ¡®Prostitute.¡¯


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Heavenly Dao Prostitute.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: After going to a designated place and completing the mission, you will receive corresponding rewards.


    ¨C


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Chen Qiu was somewhat stunned in place, for a moment not understanding what the ¡®Heavenly Dao Prostitute¡¯ entry meant. He had randomly received the ¡®Men as Thieves, Women as Prostitutes¡¯ entry before, but at that time, he thought it was too silly and didn¡¯t understand its meaning, so he didn¡¯t choose it.


    Now it seems this entry is not just an ordinary one?


    At least the ¡®Heavenly Dao Prostitute¡¯ with the words Heavenly Dao added to it is out of the ordinary.


    Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, Heavenly Dao Skill, Heavenly Dao Golden Core, Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul ¡ª none with the prefix ¡®Heavenly Dao¡¯ are weak.


    Generally, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator has only two entries unless they encounter some special opportunity.


    This cultivator¡¯s third entry came from the second one, so technically, it still counts as two entries.


    At this moment, this cold-faced woman, looking pure and aloof, was walking alone towards the outskirts of the city, occasionally looking back as if she feared someone following her.


    With his interest piqued, Chen Qiu hastily threw some coins to the shopkeeper, then stealthily followed her to see what this female cultivator was up to.


    ¡­


    It took him over half an hour.


    Chen Qiu followed this female cultivator to the outskirts of ¡®Qi City.¡¯ She looked around furtively before running to a desolate corner and gently tapping the ground.


    The ground began to slowly wriggle.


    Soon after, the ground split open slightly, and a smooth, arm-thick stalactite emerged. The woman then looked around carefully to make sure no one was watching before sitting on it with a slight frown.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Thirty minutes later,


    hidden high in the sky, Chen Qiu emotionlessly watched all this unfold. When it was over, a Mid-grade Spirit Stone slowly surfaced from the crack in the ground, almost as if it represented a payment for sexual services.


    The woman soon picked up the Mid-grade Spirit Stone without surprise, adeptly walking back towards Qi City with shaky steps.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Much later, Chen Qiu took a deep breath, looking towards the progressively reddening dusk somewhat at a loss for words. So, the meaning of Heavenly Dao Prostitute is literally a prostitute serving the Heavenly Dao?


    One Mid-grade Spirit Stone per time?


    If this price were to be known, many would go crazy over it.


    The price is not low at all; in fact, it¡¯s quite extravagant. When he was at the Foundation Establishment stage, he had barely had any contact with Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Yet, this female cultivator, merely at the second level of Foundation Establishment, could earn a Mid-grade Spirit Stone every two days.


    In a year, that would be over a hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, directly earning the Spirit Stones needed even for a breakthrough Golden Core Spirit Gathering Array.


    In a certain way,


    this female cultivator was indeed one of the Heavenly Pride.


    After all, the entries ¡®Yin Yang Moon Deficit¡¯ and ¡®Men as Thieves, Women as Prostitutes¡¯ really matched, forming almost a half-entry set, enabling her to gain the ¡®Theft¡¯ entry one day and the ¡®Prostitute¡¯ entry the next day.


    Hence, possessing such a fortune early in Foundation Establishment made progressing to Golden Core unlikely to be a problem in the future. However, the prerequisite is that she needs to keep those Mid-grade Spirit Stones safely hidden. If her entries were discovered, she would end up thoroughly reduced to a ruthless Spirit Stone breeding machine.


    He, however, had no intention of intervening.


    He wasn¡¯t short of those few Spirit Stones.


    But others might not feel the same way.


    Chen Qiu watched the female cultivator¡¯s retreating figure, sending a strand of his Divine Sense to attach to her. He planned to find this cultivator again the next day ¡ª oh, by then, she¡¯d be a male cultivator. He wanted to see what the ¡®Theft¡¯ effect was.


    Speaking of which, it was unclear what her original gender was.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu returned to Qi Sect and found another booth, continuing to contentedly observe the passersby in the streets. Each observation cost him 100,000 merits, and these people probably didn¡¯t know that someone would one day be willing to pay 100,000 merits for them.


    After all, 99.9% of people in this city will never earn 100,000 merits in their lifetimes.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu thoughtfully looked at an old fortune-teller sitting by the wall not far away.


    He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.


    With two entries.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Nonsense. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When someone is deceived by your lies, you will gain a certain increase in Cultivation. The bigger the lie you weave and the higher the Cultivation of the person deceived, the more Cultivation you can gain, and you cannot gain Cultivation Progress through any other means.

 Chapter 411 - 171: Dragon Clan... Has it really perished like this?_3

    Chapter 411: Chapter 171: Dragon Clan¡­ Has it really perished like this?_3


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Loquacious.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Speak without drying out, more saliva secreted under the tongue.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ...


    He curled his lip and didn¡¯t speak, using this entry that was sheer nonsense like fortune-telling was too wasteful. This junior seemed to lack talent, they would have to work hard indeed.


    And the second entry could be said to be a storyteller¡¯s divine-level entry.


    How wonderful.


    Then he turned his gaze towards a stall vendor nearby who was shouting with effort, his voice quite powerful.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Powerful Voice.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Your voice is louder than the average person.


    ¨C


    This entry wasn¡¯t bad either, likely a prerequisite entry for a certain entry group, usable in sonic magic and such.


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully and then turned his gaze towards a middle-aged man in a black robe who had just entered the city. After seeing his stats, he was somewhat surprised.


    This is interesting!


    Four entries.


    Golden Core Cultivation, all four entries were combat entries, similar to those of a battle maniac, counting as one of the few combat strength entries he had seen after sitting here for so long. Most of the entries were just ordinary white ones.


    In fact, white entries were not useless.


    Many white entries that seemed pointless were actually prerequisites for subsequent entries, but the problem was that the early stages of white entries would be extremely difficult, struggling to smoothly transition to the Foundation Establishment Stage, let alone the Golden Core Stage.


    And so¡ª


    Chen Qiu had been sitting here until dark, only when the road gradually emptied did he stand up, somewhat reluctantly, and leave.


    What can I say.


    This underhanded peeking desire really could lift one¡¯s spirits.


    Of course, as a cost, he spent nearly ten million moral values, but he felt it was worth it, as no amount of money could buy happiness.


    Everyone¡¯s entries were bizarre and diverse.


    This was enough to demonstrate the vast number of entry types. Many people¡¯s behaviors would seem inexplicable by common sense, but when you see their entries, you could understand why they behaved in such ways.


    Just then¡ª


    A voice, ancient and ethereal, suddenly resounded!


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The curtain falls on Evil State, and chaos is upon us.


    New ¡°Heavenly Dao¡± rankings: ¡°Golden Core Combat Power Rankings,¡± ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Rankings,¡± ¡°Divinity Transformation Combat Power Rankings.¡±


    To be decided through three days of competition for the leading position and the top one hundred ranks.


    Cultivators on the list will receive special rewards and will have special roles during the ¡°Heavenly Strife¡± version.


    All who meet the cultivation criteria will automatically enter the Secret Realm after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Just as Chen Qiu was preparing to leave ¡°Qi City,¡± he heard the sound of the Heavenly Dao Decree ringing in his ears, his brows raised but he did not speak. This Imperial Decree was to his advantage.


    Although he had never encountered so-called Heavenly Prides of the Central Continent, he felt that there was likely no one within the Nascent Soul Stage who could beat him.


    As for the Central Continent Heavenly Prides such as Xia Ruyu and Qiao Jian, he would feign agreement to get close to them and then instantly self-destruct two entries, along with Divinity Transformation, to blast them to death¡ªhe didn¡¯t see much strength in that.


    However¡­


    All who met the cultivation requirements would enter the Secret Realm¡ªjust how big was this Secret Realm?


    Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation were alright since there weren¡¯t too many.


    But Golden Core¡­ How many people would that be?


    Lucky there weren¡¯t any Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment Combat Power rankings, otherwise, it might¡¯ve stuffed the entire Xuantian Continent¡¯s population into this Secret Realm.


    However, he suddenly thought of a problem. He knew the coming Heavenly Dao version was called ¡°Heavenly Strife,¡± but what was the current Heavenly Dao version he was in? He was suddenly curious about this, but it seemed as if nowhere was it recorded.


    Generally speaking, ¡°Heavenly Strife¡± indicates a clearly challenging existence. Just by the name ¡°Heavenly Strife,¡± one could guess that the next version wouldn¡¯t be too peaceful; the world had to be thrown into chaos, undoubtedly. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And then¡ª


    A panel enveloped in clouds and mist began to float above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Secret Realm Name¡±: Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking Secret Realm


    ¡°Secret Realm Limitation¡±: Only open to Nascent Soul Cultivators.


    ¡°Secret Realm Type¡±: ¡®Capture¡¯.


    ¡°Secret Realm Introduction¡±: Ten Nascent Soul Cultivators enter a secret realm, where a flag stands in a somewhat narrow space. Cultivators must contend for the flag.


    After a thousand breaths, the cultivator who holds the flag for the longest time will emerge victorious and compete in the next round against winners from other Nascent Soul Secret Realms.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, this Secret Realm was the detailed information of the first Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking Secret Realm about to commence.


    The difficulty was plain to see.


    Only the cultivator holding the flag the longest would be declared the winner, which meant that whoever grabbed the flag would undoubtedly face the collective assault of the nine other cultivators. To survive, they¡¯d have to throw the flag out again, and the next person to catch the flag would continue likewise.


    Quite simple rules.


    If everyone in the Secret Realm were of similar strength, it would indeed be a very competitive realm; though, it seemed to favor cultivators of Body Cultivation or those proficient in defense.


    Such cultivators could simply hold the flag close and rely on their defense to withstand for quite some time.


    Or those exceedingly fast.


    Or others and so on.


    It¡¯s a realm with not a few variables.


    The Chao Tian Sect members had all dispersed to sell Redemption Orders, leaving him without a single person by his side. Scholar Fat Long and the others had all been dispatched by him, so today it was just him alone.


    Before the start of the ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Rankings.¡±


    He suddenly thought of something, his mind moved, and he appeared above the Nine Heavens inside the Heavenly Palace.

 Chapter 412 - 171: Dragon Clan... Has it really perished like this?_4

    Chapter 412: Chapter 171: Dragon Clan¡­ Has it really perished like this?_4


    ¡­


    Above the Nine Heavens, Heaven Palace.


    Chen Qiu first looked up at the two statues, then turned to glance at the other ten empty circular pedestals before striding toward one.


    ¡ª


    ¡°One of the twelve milestone tasks¡±


    ¡°Seize the top rank of the Heavenly Dao Leaderboard five times.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Completer: None.¡±


    ¡ª


    He had seized the top rank of the leaderboard four times.


    Once on Da Xia¡¯s ¡°Heavenly Dao Heavenly Pride Leaderboard,¡± once on Da Xia¡¯s ¡°Merit Point Leaderboard,¡± as well as on the ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Point Leaderboard¡± and the ¡°Xuantian Continent Sin Value Leaderboard.¡±


    There was also a ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil-Slaying Leaderboard,¡± a time-limited list created by the Heavenly Dao during the invasion of the Evil Clan in Da Xia, but clearly, that didn¡¯t count.


    So, that meant he currently had four, just one short.


    If he could take the top rank on this ¡°Nascent Soul Battle Power Leaderboard,¡± he would have seized the top rank of the Heavenly Dao Leaderboard five times, successfully completing the milestone task. At that time, he would gain another statue of himself and two more mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes.


    He suddenly felt that


    the main reason why no one in the Xuantian Continent had completed a milestone task over the years might be because these people simply didn¡¯t know what the milestone tasks were. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If anyone knew what the milestone tasks were, they should be able to complete a few.


    Like this milestone task.


    It mentioned seizing the top five times, which means topping the same leaderboard five times would also count.


    Take the ¡°Xuantian Continent Sin Value Leaderboard¡± as an example: reach the top rank first, then artificially create someone who could surpass oneself, fall to the second rank, then eliminate that person, create another to surpass oneself, fall to second again, and then¡­


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Chen Qiu curled his lip, feeling that this seemed a bit more difficult.


    Then, Chen Qiu approached the crack of the Heavenly Palace Gate, looked out, and could see nothing but the void enveloped in bright light before turning and leaving the ¡°Heavenly Palace.¡±


    The Heavenly Dao Roulette was a fine item.


    All his Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for Nascent Soul came from here.


    Just 40 Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills had allowed his cultivation to break through directly from the first layer of Nascent Soul to the fifth. Without those pills, he wouldn¡¯t even have reached the second layer of Nascent Soul, let alone the fifth, but it was a pity that he didn¡¯t know where to get more Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    And a second-layer Nascent Soul battle power definitely couldn¡¯t match that of the fifth layer, which might mean not being able to take the top rank on this ¡°Nascent Soul Battle Power Leaderboard.¡±


    As for now¡­


    He was relatively confident in himself and believed he had at least a 40% chance of taking the top rank, as long as some monstrous Heavenly Pride didn¡¯t appear. After all, fighting the Nascent Soul peak in Quzhou didn¡¯t seem to put much pressure on him.


    His Thunder Summoning Technique was now fully powered in terms of damage.


    Nascent Soul peak cultivators had to face the Heavenly Tribulation to break through to Divinity Transformation, so consider this like bringing forward a taste of the Heavenly Tribulation for these Nascent Soul fellows.


    ¡­


    ¡°Nascent Soul Battle Power Leaderboard?¡±


    Kong Ming, clothed in Kasaya, stood in a bamboo forest not far out of the Central Continent, looking up at the bright moon overhead, with palms together and a string of Buddha Beads made of 108 beads twined between his fingers, standing with neither sorrow nor joy, patiently waiting.


    And above his Dantian¡­


    A Shariputra with rich Buddhist nature was floating gently in mid-air, its emanating Buddhistic aura continuously cleansing both his body and his Nascent Soul.


    The ten Cloud Patterns on the Nascent Soul¡¯s forehead clearly indicated that this Nascent Soul was indeed a tenth-grade!


    He had only just broken through to the first layer of Nascent Soul.


    By common sense, his battle power shouldn¡¯t match those at the Nascent Soul peak, but¡­ he couldn¡¯t be judged by common sense.


    With his tenth-grade Nascent Soul and the backing of an ancestor¡¯s Shariputra, draped in a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure Kasaya worn by Buddhist Sect children for generations, and with the string of 108 beads in his hand being an Earth Level lower-grade Lifebound Treasure made for him by his master.


    Each bead could explode to unleash a full-power strike equivalent to a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.


    And they were inherently powerful treasures.


    Being esteemed treasures of the Buddhist Sect, they caused even more damage to sin-ridden demons and devils, and he had learned Buddhist Secret Skills, which, through the deep Buddhist heritage and the empowerment by the current head of the Sect, heightened these skills to break through the Great Perfection Realm into an even higher plane.


    He was unclear about his current battle power.


    All he knew was that when passing through a gathering place of demons by day, a simple ¡°Om¡± from his Six-character Dharma Seal had killed a Nascent Soul later-stage demon.


    The Six-character Dharma Seal consisted of six moves.


    They are, in ascending order of strength: Om, Ma, Ni, Padme, Hum.


    The ¡°Om¡± seal is the starting move and the weakest among them. With the augmentation of the ancestral Shariputra, each of his seals was bestowed with rich Buddhistic nature and had immense power.


    Just as his master had told him when he descended from the mountain.


    No one under the heavens could kill him.


    Although only at the first layer of Nascent Soul, he believed killing a Nascent Soul peak-level demon should be relatively easy for him. He may be alone, but he carried the many deep-rooted inheritances of the Buddhist Sect for thousands of years.


    This is the heritage of a top force from Central Continent.


    In a situation where many top forces have secluded themselves,


    perhaps truly no one under the heavens could match him.


    Unless¡­


    Kong Ming looked towards the direction of Quzhou with an indifferent expression on his face, unless that Chen Qiu, who formed a twelve-grade Nascent Soul, came into the picture.


    He had formed his tenth-grade Nascent Soul through the Buddhist Sect¡¯s inherited One Day Seven-Colored Jade Scroll, but he wondered where Chen Qiu¡¯s One Day Seven-Colored Word Jade Scroll came from. It was a pity; that Seven-colored Word was indeed potent but could only last for one day, fleeting like the moon reflected in the water.

 Chapter 413 - 171: Dragon Clan... Has it really perished like this?_5

    Chapter 413: Chapter 171: Dragon Clan¡­ Has it really perished like this?_5


    If we are talking about the strongest opponent this time,


    it would probably be Chen Qiu.


    With a tenth-grade Nascent Soul, he understands the terror of a tenth-grade Nascent Soul, and even more so, the terror of a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul.


    If his tenth-grade Nascent Soul is already so terrifying, one could only imagine what kind of power Chen Qiu¡¯s twelfth-grade Nascent Soul possesses.


    ¡­


    However, the ranking list this time does not only include participants from the Human Race of the Xuantian Continent; all who meet the cultivation requirements will participate.


    ...


    This naturally includes the Devil Clan, the Sea Clan, and some other races that have long been hidden from the world.


    As long as you are within the bounds of the Xuantian Continent, you are compelled to participate.


    Unless you are like the top forces in Quzhou, who directly seal themselves in their small worlds, thus avoiding compulsory participation¡ªthat is an effect of seclusion.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    In the dense jungle at the southernmost tip of Upper Quzhou, an Ent, who had not moved for many years, slowly opened its eyes, staring blankly at the Heavenly Dao Decree in front of it.


    It had just slept for thirty-seven years¡ªwhy was it woken up again?


    In the days of its deep sleep, it heard the incessant chatter of the Heavenly Dao Decree by its ear, annoyingly incessant, talking about twelfth-grade Nascent Souls. It couldn¡¯t care less if there was anyone with a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul; it just wanted to completely block out this Imperial Decree.


    All it wanted was deep sleep; apart from sleeping, it wanted to do nothing else.


    And now¡­


    Today, hearing this new Heavenly Dao Decree, it seemed somewhat unusual. After seeing the Secret Realm panel that popped up in front of it, it was even more convinced there were tens of thousands of things amiss¡ªdamn it¡ª


    It wasn¡¯t supposed to participate, was it?!


    It was just an Ent that knew only how to sleep; what use was it competing for a rank in the Nascent Soul strength list!


    Though it had a Nascent Soul cultivation, only those in its race who achieved Divinity Transformation could transform. Moving with its roots was deathly slow; it couldn¡¯t beat anyone at all. Ents were inherently a peace-loving race with no means of attack.


    ¡°So annoying.¡±


    The Ent, which hadn¡¯t spoken for a long time, sighed deeply, its long inactive brain beginning to think again. It wondered if it was possible to surrender in advance in this ¡°Nascent Soul Strength Rank List¡±.


    ¡­


    West of Quzhou.


    In the deep sea, within a considerably large island surrounded by the ocean,


    a middle-aged man, with one hand behind his back, looked at the Black Dragon in front of him with a complex expression, ¡°Only those in Dragon Clan who achieve Divinity Transformation can transform. By participating in the Nascent Soul strength rank list, you will quickly expose the existence of the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan has not shown itself on the Xuantian Continent for many years.¡±


    ¡°You last sneaked into Quzhou and almost exposed us.¡±


    ¡°But since you must go this time, try to appear weak to the enemy, do not aim for any ranking. Thousands of years ago, that battle injured the very foundation of our race, and we have yet to recover from it even now. No matter what, we must stay out of this chaos and not get involved again.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan is unlike other races.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± said the huge Black Dragon, its body entwined and coiled around another female dragon, responding seriously.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The middle-aged man sighed deeply, gazing at the female dragon below the Black Dragon.


    He had even forgotten what relation this female dragon had with the Black Dragon.


    The breeding rate of the Dragon Clan is extremely low.


    Thousands of years ago, that battle resulted in the near-total extinction of the male dragons; only three or four male dragons survived. Once a dragon is injured, recovery is extraordinarily difficult, coupled with the inherently low fertility rate of the Dragon Clan.


    By the time it reached his generation, he was the only male dragon left, with all others on the island being female dragons.


    For the sake of bloodline inheritance, he hadn¡¯t done much else in thousands of years, except for breeding.


    But even so, over thousands of years, only three dragon cubs were born.


    Two of them were female dragons.


    Only this Black Dragon was a male dragon.


    He was getting old and would soon be too old to breed. As a dragon at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, he too had to participate in this strength ranking list, but he had already decided to go in and surrender straight away.


    This Black Dragon was born a hundred years ago.


    Given the lifespan of dragons, it had just passed the young dragon stage.


    Normally, those just past the young dragon stage wouldn¡¯t go into battle, but¡­ there was no choice. Now, apart from the two of them, all others were female dragons, ninety-eight old female dragons on the island.


    After the defeat in that battle thousands of years ago, when the Dragon Clan Patriarch returned to the island with a few remaining clansmen, he half-sealed the female dragons on the island. In this state, the female dragons have no consciousness but can reproduce, and their lifespan can be extended to thirty thousand years.


    But now¡­


    Those thirty thousand years are nearly up.


    So, even though the Black Dragon is still young, it has to rush into battle; otherwise, once this batch of old female dragons dies, the Dragon Clan would truly be extinct.


    ¡°Father, what¡¯s her name?¡±


    The Black Dragon suddenly gasped and asked,


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face showed a complex expression as he pulled out an ancient, thick tome from his chest, flipping through dozens of pages before finding the corresponding ¡°Dragon Seal¡± on the body of the female dragon beneath the Black Dragon, and said in a low voice,


    ¡°She is of the Cloud Hiding Dragon Bloodline, known for her extreme speed and skill in hiding.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Xiao Fei.¡±


    ¡°If we go by seniority, she is over a dozen generations older than you.¡±


    ¡°Be gentle, her life is not long, don¡¯t kill her.¡±


    Then a trace of sorrow flashed in the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes as he gazed out to sea, knowing in his heart that after this batch of old female dragons died, the Dragon Clan would be truly extinct. The Dragon Clan was lustful by nature.


    That was their nature.


    But now, the sight of a female dragon made him want to vomit.


    This showed what he had been doing every day for years; he had really tried hard to continue the Dragon Clan¡¯s Bloodline Inheritance, but the Dragon Clan¡¯s breeding rate was painfully low.


    In the past, when there were many dragons, although the breeding rate was low, they could at least connect.


    The war thousands of years ago nearly exterminated the Dragon Clan.


    He had even transformed into human form, sneakily traveled to the Xuantian Continent, and looked for many folk remedies, all to no avail; the difficulty of dragon breeding was ingrained in their very bones, said to originate from the dawn of the ancients.


    That was the very beginning of Xuantian Continent.


    At that time, the Dragon Clan was the dominator of Xuantian Continent, while the Human Race was squeezed into a small corner.


    But it is said that because of the Dragon Clan¡¯s lustful nature, Heavenly Dao disapproved, leading to a shift in Heavenly Dao¡¯s version that was detrimental to the dragons, causing the Dragon Clan to gradually fall from their position of dominance and become a semi-reclusive race from an Ancient Great Clan.


    The ancient tomes spoke of the Dragon Clan¡¯s glorious past.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The middle-aged man, with his hands clasped behind his back, looked at the sea with sad eyes and sighed deeply, realizing that if he died, it would be a pity for the treasures he had collected over the years.


    Apart from their lust, the Dragon Clan also loved collecting. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That too was their nature.


    The only advantage of being the sole Male Dragon was that all the good things belonged to him; without any other Male Dragon to compete with him, he had collected many useful and useless things.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    The Black Dragon, somewhat breathlessly, raised his head to look at his father, his eyes somewhat teary as he pleaded, ¡°Can we stop here today?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head seriously and said, ¡°There are ninety-eight female dragons on the island; they must be visited daily. I only have a little over a thousand years left to live, and these female dragons have less than a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°Within these hundred years, enough Dragon Cubs must be born.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, the Dragon Clan will perish!¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    The Black Dragon unsatisfiedly shook his head, his dragon whiskers clinking on the ground, making a series of sounds, ¡°Can I have the two youngest female dragons on the island?¡±


    ¡°No, those two are mine.¡±


    ¡°If you talk back one more time, we¡¯ll settle this the Dragon Clan way, fighting for the female dragon. Do you think you can beat me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    The Black Dragon, looking quite weary, dived into the sea, washing himself off before reluctantly flying towards another female dragon, who was thirty thousand years his senior. He felt there was a misunderstanding about their clan in the ancient tome.


    Who said the Dragon Clan was lustful?


    He didn¡¯t enjoy it at all.


    Not only did he not enjoy it, but he even found the sight disgusting and nauseating!


    ¡­


    The middle-aged man looked at the Black Dragon¡¯s retreating figure and sighed once more, turning to watch the two young female dragons playing on the shore.


    Aside from the ninety-eight sealed old female dragons on the island, there were also two female dragons, over three thousand years old and born around the same time as him, and three female dragons, over a thousand years old, plus the two younger ones, over a hundred years old.


    But these were all his.


    As the Clan Leader, he certainly deserved better.


    Then he casually took out a handful of jelly beans from the Storage Ring, chewing them while looking sadly over the sea surface.


    Is the Dragon Clan really going to perish like this?


    Unwilling!


    And this handful of jelly beans was actually a mixture of Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, items of substantial value on the Xuantian Continent, but treated as mere jelly beans on the Dragon Clan island.

 Chapter 414 - 172:

    Chapter 414: Chapter 172: ¡°Seeing All the Flowers of Chang An in One Day!


    ¡°Forget it,¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head and withdrew his gaze from the distant sea horizon, turning his head to instruct the Black Dragon, ¡°In this Nascent Soul combat power Secret Realm, you must pay attention to your safety. Rankings and such are not important. With the state of chaos, the Dragon Clan is not participating in the war, so those things are of no use.¡±


    ¡°Your survival is what matters most!¡±


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about to start, you should stop and restore your strength first.¡±


    He then sighed softly once again.


    ...


    The Dragon Clan has everything except for the ability to use entry jade slips. This was the punishment for the Dragon Clan¡¯s defeat in the great war at the beginning of the Xuantian Continent, the great Heavenly Dao version battle, or so it is said.


    After all, too much time has passed, and many things in the Dragon Clan Ancient Books are fragmented.


    The Dragon Clan is a race fond of indulgence, collecting treasures, and deep slumbers.


    Most of the time, the Dragon Clan spend a large part of their lives sleeping. They naturally reach the early stage of Divinity Transformation upon maturing, which essentially makes them rulers in their own domain upon adulthood.


    Only after reaching adulthood do they continue to cultivate.


    And after reaching adulthood, they can break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, while maturing naturally requires 500 years.


    The lifespan of the Dragon Clan, with normal lineage, is about three to four thousand years or so.


    And he might already be the most diligent Clan Leader in the history of the Dragon Clan. In his fervor for the proliferation of his race, his total time asleep doesn¡¯t even amount to three years; he is too anxious to sleep at all.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In every corner of the Xuantian Continent, all Cultivators had begun to prepare for the upcoming grand Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Some aim to be the leader of the pack.


    Some are content with making into the top hundred.


    Others plan to concede as soon as they enter, just to avoid dying there.


    Everyone has different thoughts, but one thing is certain: the leader selected from this Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will truly be invincible among their peers!


    ¡°What a pity,¡±


    In the southernmost part of Quzhou, the scholar lamented as he looked at the panel for the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm in front of him, ¡°If I had just a few more months, I might not be confident about being the leader of the Golden Core power ranking, but the top hundred, I wholly believe that could¡¯ve been within my grasp.¡±


    ¡°My current Cultivation is only at the fifth level of the Golden Core. Even with my skills, I can¡¯t defeat those at the peak of the Golden Core, the Heavenly Pride. There are just too many small realms to overcome. If it were a regular Golden Core peak cultivator, perhaps I could still try, but against a Golden Core peak Heavenly Pride, there¡¯s truly nothing I can do.¡±


    ¡°Fat Long, the same goes for you. Your entry¡­ isn¡¯t quite suited for combat.¡±


    ¡°Once you¡¯re in there, be as careful as possible, don¡¯t die inside.¡±


    He was too far away from Brother Qiu; he could no longer be reached through the Sound Transmission Ring.


    His Cultivation had recently advanced from the third level to the fifth level of the Golden Core. This rate of increase in Cultivation was enough to scare off all those self-proclaimed Golden Core Heavenly Prides in Quzhou. There was no helping it; Brother Qiu had been feeding him Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills like jelly beans.


    Brother Qiu¡¯s main source for these Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills was the ¡°Heavenly Pride Leaderboard¡± in Da Xia Country. The rule of the ranking at that time was that only those under a certain age and above Foundation Establishment could be listed.


    So even though Brother Qiu has already stepped into the Nascent Soul, he still receives ten Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from the leaderboard every day.


    And this has been of great help to him.


    Brother Qiu no longer needs them; he has given about half to him, and the rest to other Golden Core disciples of the Chao Tian Sect.


    ¡°Hmm,¡±


    Fat Long nodded solemnly, looking unhappy, and stood in silence.


    He had struggled to break through to the Golden Core Stage, hoping for a life-changing three-choice entry when his Golden Core emerged, but¡­ the entry he got after breaking through to the Golden Core was extremely contrary to expectation, showing no sign of altering his fate.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Ignore Barrier.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Can ignore barriers and conceive with females of other species even if they are not of the same race.


    ¨C


    This was his three-choice entry when he broke through to the Golden Core, which is utterly useless and can be said to have completely ruined him!


    He had already been hindered by the entry ¡®Hundred Percent Accuracy¡¯; he couldn¡¯t seek out female Human Race cultivators for Dual Cultivation because it would lead to pregnancy with just one try, so he could only go after witches. He braved interactions with these witches not because of any deviance but for the sake of Cultivation, he had no other choice.


    He didn¡¯t want to become the weakest member of the Chao Tian Sect.


    But now¡­


    This entry has even cut off his path to witches; he can¡¯t interact with them either, which means his ¡®Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡¯ entry is essentially wasted. The path of Dual Cultivation need not be considered anymore; it¡¯s completely hopeless.


    He didn¡¯t want to choose this entry either.


    But the problem is¡ª


    The other two entries were both Grey entries, the kind that means certain death within a year!


    Exactly the same as the choices during Foundation Establishment!


    He was truly screwed! S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a long while, Fat Long sighed deeply once again, sorrowfully accepting the reality, and began considering resigning as the Great Elder and seeking advice from Brother Qiu after returning. He felt he could no longer bear the disgrace; from now on, it would be better to live peacefully in the back mountain of the Chao Tian Sect as a mascot.


    To live alongside brown bears, enjoying the mountains and waters every day also seems quite lively.


    There¡¯s nothing bad about that.


    ¡­


    ¡°Here are five Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for you.¡±


    In the Central Da Xia, within the Myriad Beast Sect.


    An old man with a face full of wrinkles shakily extended his bony right hand, taking out a Storage Bag from his chest and stuffing it into the arms of a young girl in front of him, saying hoarsely with a trembling body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let others know, the Cultivation World is very dangerous, especially on the eve of a chaotic era, it becomes even more perilous.¡±

 Chapter 415 - 172:

    Chapter 415: Chapter 172: ¡°Seeing All the Flowers of Chang An in One Day!_2


    ¡°This is your first time descending the mountain, you must remember,¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills are gifts from the heavens, not only are their effects better than those made by Alchemy Cultivators, they also contain no impurities and have no side effects, they don¡¯t destabilize the foundation, and are extremely valuable.¡±


    ¡°Before you descend the mountain, you also need to make your way through the ¡®Nascent Soul Combat Power Rankings¡¯ secret realm. I don¡¯t ask for any results, just that you come out alive.¡±


    This young girl, clad in a white dress,


    stood beneath Moonlight Mountain, emanating an unblemished purity, her bare feet on the rugged rocks, her long hair fluttering in the night breeze, stirring the hearts of surrounding disciples.


    The silver thread tied around her wrist added a masterstroke to her appearance.


    ...


    Without wearing a veil,


    her face was boldly exposed, with a hint of mature charm, her body curvy, radiating a woman¡¯s allure at every moment, her slightly closed legs hinted that she was still a virgin.


    Generally speaking, only women who have lost their virginity possess such mature charm.


    Yet, retaining her virginity while exuding the allure of a mature woman, such a woman is truly exceptional, known in legends as a Natural Charm Seed.


    With every move, without using any Illusion Techniques, she made the breathing of nearby disciples grow slightly rapid.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The girl, barefoot on the craggy rocks, clasped her hands behind her back, tiptoed, and looked longingly down the mountain, her eyes filled with anticipation as she said, ¡°I will definitely be very careful, and with these two big fellows by my side, no one can defeat me.¡±


    She turned her head to look at the two quiet demon beasts squatting beside her,


    Two giant wolves.


    An extremely rare and scarce breed of Wolf Demon, known as the ¡®Lunar Night Demon Wolf,¡¯ part of the wolf demon family, which becomes stronger under moonlight and can use moonlight to conceal itself for assassinations, capable of both frontal combat and stealth attacks.


    Thirty thousand years ago,


    Lunar Night Demon Wolves were not so rare, but over time, for unknown reasons, they became close to extinct. The two Lunar Night Demon Wolves she possessed were personally sought out by a sect elder from the furthest southern reaches of the nine provinces, from a place called ¡®Extinct Forest,¡¯ taking several years to procure.


    As her Lifebound Spirit Beasts.


    A female and a male, perfectly in sync when fighting, immensely fierce in strength.


    Although she was only at the first level of Nascent Soul Cultivation, these two Lunar Night Demon Wolves were already at the sixth level of Nascent Soul Cultivation and could combine their spells to fight against seventh-level Nascent Souls!


    Being at the first level of Nascent Soul and able to fight against seventh-level Nascent Souls, such a feat was a top accomplishment wherever one went, undoubtedly making her a Heavenly Pride among Heavenly Prides. However, it was a pity that the timing wasn¡¯t right¡ªif the Nascent Soul Combat Power Rankings had descended seven or eight years later, she might have reached the sixth or seventh level of Nascent Soul by then, capable of fighting even peak Nascent Souls!


    She might even have been the leader!


    Because these two Lunar Night Demon Wolves were a female and a male, both of a near-extinct rare breed, the sect had always taken great care of these two demon beasts, hoping that they would breed more little wolf demons, thereby binding them as Lifebound Spirit Beasts for other disciples, substantially strengthening the foundation and power of the ¡®Myriad Beast Sect.¡¯


    Everything about these two Lunar Night Demon Wolves was excellent.


    The only drawback was¡­ their lineage wasn¡¯t very pure.


    They were of pure Lunar Night Demon Wolf lineage, but not of the best lineage among them. It was said that the best lineage among the Lunar Night Wolves was known as the ¡®Wolf King¡¯ lineage, which not only cultivated faster and was stronger,


    but also had a natural authority over other Lunar Night Wolves.


    No Lunar Night Wolf could muster the courage to fight against one with ¡®Wolf King¡¯ lineage, even if the opponent was just a Foundation Establishment Lunar Night Demon Wolf; the others would have to prostrate themselves in submission.


    Such was the deepest imprint in the bones of a Lunar Night Demon Wolf!


    ¡°The path of cultivation is not without confidence, but also not overly so; you must grasp this balance yourself.¡±


    The old man, with a face full of wrinkles, trembled as he looked towards the girl holding a seemingly underage fox in her arms, his voice complex as he spoke, ¡°And this spirit beast in your arms, the Myriad Beast Sect has studied it for a long time and still doesn¡¯t know what kind of spirit beast it is, nor its origin.¡±


    ¡°In the end, the sect classified this little fox as a mongrel, belonging to the useless spirit beasts, but you paying more attention to this little fox, I think it¡¯s not ordinary.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The woman lifted the little fox in her hands, fiddled with its tail, and with her head tilted in confusion said, ¡°I can¡¯t see any special talents; all I see is that this little fox is especially afraid of death, very timid indeed.¡±


    ¡°Being afraid of death is just right.¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a fit of coughing, the old man, his face as white as a ghost with streaks of black air trembling as he walked on the mountain, looked up at the moon. He knew his days were numbered, that without achieving immortality, without seeking eternal life, everyone must face this phase.


    Heaven¡¯s decree, as such.


    The old man looked dazed, suddenly feeling some regret, wishing he had gambled it all a hundred years ago; maybe if he had succeeded that time, he might not have been stuck in this bottleneck.


    Throughout life, one is always on the path of making choices.


    No matter the choice made,


    one will always subconsciously glorify the path not taken in the future. What if a different choice had been made back then, might life be better now?

 Chapter 416 - 172:

    Chapter 416: Chapter 172: ¡°Seeing All the Flowers of Chang An in One Day!_3


    Alas¡­


    There are no re-dos in life.


    Like the broken moon above, his life too had been radiant, and he had once made a name for himself as the ¡°Beast Emperor¡± among the Heavenly Prides in Zhongzhou, where his ruthless methods caused countless people¡¯s faces to pale at the mention of his name. But as he aged, these things could only live on in memories.


    After a long while, the old man sighed lightly, his gaze starting to scatter as he murmured.


    ¡°Thirty thousand years ago, there was a race named the Barbarian Tribe.¡±


    ¡°It was a branch of the Human Race, yet it was not part of the Barbarian Tribe. It is said that they were a race that had separated from the Human Race in the ancient times. The people of this race shared one characteristic: they were extremely afraid of death in their younger years, to the utmost degree.¡± S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ...


    ¡°As soon as members of the Barbarian Tribe reached adulthood, their Cultivation would be able to reach the Golden Core Peak.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, all members of the Barbarian Tribe were naturally born with a Pink Entry ¡®Heaven-reaching Giant¡¯. Where this came from was unclear; it was only known that all members of the Barbarian Tribe possessed it. It is said that the Barbarian Tribe has a racial heritage site where a multitude of ancient Barbarian Tribe members specializing in Body Cultivation is left.¡±


    ¡°This can be said.¡±


    ¡°Even a Barbarian born with a weakness of intellect, if allowed to grow, would be a master that could suppress others in their territory. Such is their talent, and such is their racial talent.¡±


    ¡°But in that great battle thousands of years ago, the Barbarian Tribe gradually declined and has not been seen for thousands of years, precisely because as soon as a Barbarian grows up, they can become a master capable of suppressing their own realm.¡±


    ¡°All members of the Barbarian Tribe are extremely fearful of death and very avoidant of combat during their youth. This is not cowardice; instead, it is a deeply ingrained genetic influence on their thinking, protecting them so that, as long as they survive and reach adulthood, they can soar to great heights.¡±


    ¡°This includes the Dragon Clan and even some Spirit Beasts with extremely strong bloodlines. These strong-bloodline Spirit Beasts are extremely fearful of death during their youth, to an unimaginable degree; they do not have to do anything in their youth, just grow up, and they are invincible in their own right.¡±


    ¡°And this little fox in your arms is such a one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why the master suspects that this little fox¡¯s lineage could be extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    With a glint shining in her eyes, the woman held the little fox in front of her and gently blinked, saying, ¡°Little fox, to think you have such a strong lineage. Then why does the sect say this Spirit Beast is useless?¡±


    ¡°Because the sect didn¡¯t find any information related to this Spirit Beast.¡± The old man shook his head, ¡°But I think the sect might have walked into a dead end. That Quzhou¡¯s unrivaled Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu, when he reached the twelfth grade Golden Core, no Heavenly Dao Decree sounded, which is enough proof that besides the Xuantian Continent, there¡¯s another continent or world.¡±


    ¡°This fox is very likely to have mistakenly entered and fled from another world.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    Upon hearing the name Chen Qiu, the woman¡¯s pale cheeks flushed slightly, and she softly said, ¡°Master, do you think Chen Qiu possesses a third of the talent you had in your youth?¡±


    Recently, the name Chen Qiu from Quzhou has been making waves in Zhongzhou.


    The first-ever twelfth grade Nascent Soul to exist, who wouldn¡¯t want to witness that?


    And being a woman who naturally loves heroes, with outstanding strength, superb talent, and a decisively straightforward style of conduct, he perfectly matches her ideal of a beloved, even though Zhongzhou is not short of Heavenly Prides.


    Even those top-tier Heavenly Prides, fully supported by major forces, only lack the twelfth grade Nascent Soul, and are not much weaker than Chen Qiu.


    But¡­


    Well, it always felt like those Heavenly Prides were too considerate, overly cautious, and constrained by their sects, lacking a sense of¡­ freedom.


    Yes, a sense of freedom.


    What most attracted her to Chen Qiu was that intense sense of freedom!


    It¡¯s a quality that a sect¡¯s Heavenly Pride just can¡¯t possess; most resources of a sect¡¯s Heavenly Pride come from the sect¡¯s heritage. They don¡¯t have the confidence to act without any concerns, and Loose Cultivators aren¡¯t free either, bending their backs to habit, and even less able to be free.


    Only Chen Qiu.


    Like a gentle night breeze, going wherever he pleases, and if anyone blocks his path, that gentle night breeze doesn¡¯t mind transforming into a storm, roaring and destroying all enemies!


    When a Divinity Transformation strong figure from the Evil Clan ambushed and severely injured him, even the unrivaled Heavenly Prides of Zhongzhou would surely first flee from that place, then return to their sect to ask for help from their seniors, for what else could you do with a Golden Core Peak Cultivation facing a Divinity Transformation foe?¡±


    But Chen Qiu¡ª


    With a severely wounded body, he alone faced a group of three Divinity Transformation figures from the Evil Clan, summoning a sky full of Thunder Punishment with his own power, turning the entire Evil Clan, including those three Divinity Transformation figures, to ash!


    She didn¡¯t know what price Chen Qiu had paid.


    But she knew, he must have paid a great price, apart from the obvious 98 billion merit points, there must have been other prices, for merit points cannot be directly converted into attacks.


    And Chen Qiu could have completely avoided these costs, by simply fleeing at that time and addressing it later, he could have kept his resources.


    But Chen Qiu did not.


    That reckless, cost-disregarding, almost mad sense of freedom, like a poison, deeply attracted her, a True Disciple from the Myriad Beast Sect who had barely ever left the sect.


    ¡°¡­sigh.¡±


    The old man, his face full of wrinkles and leaning on a cane, saw the yearning and dazed expression on his Direct Disciple¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but sigh deeply. He always felt that his disciple might not return from her journey down the mountain this time.


    He had once been among the very top of Zhongzhou¡¯s Heavenly Prides.


    He naturally knew, the allure a top Heavenly Pride held for a worldly woman.

 Chapter 417 - 172:

    Chapter 417: Chapter 172: ¡°Seeing All the Flowers of Chang An in One Day!_4


    Especially for someone like Chen Qiu, whose actions are nearly madly trampling the rules without considering the consequences. For a woman who has never stepped foot outside her door, that is simply a fatal poison. Women are naturally drawn to the strong, particularly to a powerful figure like Chen Qiu.


    If Chen Qiu had lost that day, he would have been seen as ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, impetuous with youthful arrogance, and lacking the patience to conceal his capabilities¡ªunlikely to achieve greatness.


    But¡­


    Chen Qiu won that day, and won decisively at that. Thereafter, Evil State no longer existed in this world.


    That gave rise to a different narrative, that is, the ultimate sense of crazy freedom.


    ¡°Master, you haven¡¯t answered me. You were once the strongest Heavenly Pride in the Central Plains. Do you think Chen Qiu has one-third of your talent when you were young?¡±


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of the old man¡¯s mouth suddenly twitched, but after a moment, he still said with an indifferent expression, ¡°More than one-third, at least seventy percent.¡±


    The composure expected of the older generation must be maintained.


    One must not lose face in front of their direct disciples, and he also didn¡¯t expect that in this disciple¡¯s heart, he held such a high status.


    He considered himself to have been quite a famous Heavenly Pride in the Central Plains when he was young, but compared to Chen Qiu, well, that was another story. He didn¡¯t possess a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul¡ªin fact, not even a ninth-grade one.


    The higher the grade of the Nascent Soul, the harder the Heavenly Tribulation becomes.


    Sometimes having a high-grade Nascent Soul isn¡¯t such a good thing either. The Heavenly Tribulation for advancing to the Divinity Transformation Stage is difficult. He consoled himself with this reasoning in his heart.


    ¡­


    Quzhou, to the south.


    ¡°By the way.¡±


    The scholar turned his head to look at Fat Long, suddenly curious, and asked, ¡°Why are you always so afraid of dying? It seems like your fear has reached the extreme.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long shook his head, not speaking, and said somewhat dejectedly,


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking about it. I¡¯m not in a good mood right now.¡±


    ¡°After this, you¡¯ll be the Great Elder. Once this is over, I¡¯ll go and ask Brother Qiu to step down from being the Great Elder. I won¡¯t be able to fight shoulder to shoulder with you guys anymore. I¡¯ll just retire in Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ actually, you¡¯ve never fought alongside us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked expressionlessly at the scholar and said, ¡°I¡¯ve taken action a few times, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Forgotten? It was at the market in Ask Heaven Workshop when the workshop owner wanted to kill us. Brother Qiu used the Self-Destruction Term to severely injure the owner, then I grabbed a knife and plunged it into his side. And in Fatty State, on the cliff above your Foundation Establishment cave, when a Golden Core came looking for trouble with Brother Qiu, I also charged at him with a knife when Brother Qiu caused a severe injury. Also, the first time we went into the Secret Realm with Brother Qiu, the demon beasts Brother Qiu killed were all severely wounded by me!¡±


    Fat Long said resentfully, ¡°I¡¯ve taken action many times, alright? It¡¯s just that you guys seem to completely forget my involvement!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The scholar replied somewhat sheepishly, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know why, but my most vivid memory of you is that you like to go to brothels.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been there that many times, okay?¡±


    ¡°But it made a lasting impression.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Fat Long sighed deeply, his expression becoming a bit downcast as he shook his head, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not talk about the past. I just hope that once your cultivation rises, you¡¯ll still come to the back mountain to chat with me. I¡¯ll cook some meat for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this. Brother Qiu may not agree to you resigning as the Great Elder, although¡­ you¡¯re not really useful right now.¡±


    ¡°Even if Brother Qiu disagrees, I still want to resign. My current entry has already determined that I have no future in the path of Dual Cultivation. I have no face to continue in this position of Great Elder. I may be afraid of death, Fat Long, but I occasionally need some dignity.¡±


    The scholar patted Fat Long¡¯s shoulder, sighing sympathetically before he offered consolation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will get better, Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°By the way, why did you choose such a name for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you? When I was born, there was an extraordinary phenomenon in the sky. A five-clawed Fat Dragon circled the heavens nine times before entering my body, proving that one day I would soar above the masses. Hence the name, Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m being serious here, stop joking around.¡±


    ¡°Then first tell me why your brother used to say a few words occasionally, but now he doesn¡¯t speak at all. Is he cultivating the Mute Skill?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that¡­¡±


    In the Nine States, within the Jing State, Xuanwu Sect.


    A young disciple wearing a white robe looked at his senior brother with confusion and said, ¡°Senior brother, you¡¯ve finally broken through to the first level of Nascent Soul, but now you¡¯re going to spend your own Cultivation to lower your realm to the Golden Core Peak?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    This Xuanwu Sect senior brother took a deep breath and said with a solemn face, ¡°With my Cultivation, participating in the ¡®Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking¡¯ would definitely be a death sentence, as I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against anyone.¡±


    ¡°But if I were to go to the ¡®Golden Core Combat Power Ranking¡¯ and get a top-100 rank, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem, and I might even make it into the top ten.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the content of the Heavenly Dao Decree? It says that this competition is not only about rewards; those who are chosen will also have special effects in the upcoming ¡®Great Strife¡¯ version of Heavenly Dao.¡±


    ¡°Chaotic times are upon us, and even if I have to re-cultivate back to the first level of Nascent Soul, it wouldn¡¯t waste too much resources and time.¡±


    ¡°He who hesitates is lost.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a Second Grade Nascent Soul, and although breaking through to the first level of Nascent Soul at this age makes me a strong Heavenly Pride in Jing State, there¡¯s Chen Qiu from Quzhou right next to us in Jing State. With such a figure emerging, how can I have a chance in the future if I don¡¯t take a gamble?¡±


    ¡°If I lose the bet, at most I¡¯ll have wasted some resources and time.¡±


    ¡°But if I win¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then I could possibly reach the Divinity Transformation Stage and become a strong presence that dominates a region!¡±


    After a long silence, the young disciple raised a thumbs up and said, ¡°Senior brother, what spirit!¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In Da Xia Country, a young man was busy writing at his desk. After a moment, he let out a satisfied sigh and looked at the few lines on the rice paper on the table.


    ¡®Once filth that couldn¡¯t be bragged about, now I have boundless thoughts of indulgence.¡¯


    ¡®With the spring breeze at my back and quick horse hooves, I¡¯ve seen all the blossoms of Chang An in one day.¡¯


    ¡°To see all the blossoms of Chang An in one day¡­¡±


    The young man murmured with a trance-like expression, repeating the lines softly. Then he couldn¡¯t help but smile satisfactorily, already fantasizing about the events to follow.


    This was his third day since he had transmigrated to this world.


    He had already mapped out his future path.


    The poetry appreciation meeting was next, and all he needed to do was to copy this poem from his past life. Surely it would dazzle everyone. Then he would be taken under the wing of some noble, and wouldn¡¯t his career take off like a rocket?


    Aside from that.


    He hadn¡¯t seen what the poetry and cultural scene was like in this world, but he knew it was an Immortal World. In a world where great power was concentrated in individuals, the cultural development must not be great. This poem was one of many classics from his previous life!


    Once presented, it was bound to impress everyone!


    And it wasn¡¯t just this poem.


    There were countless verses in his mind; these verses were his strongest foundation, his most powerful bargaining chip in this world.


    Only on his way here had he overheard idle talk.


    They said that Da Xia once had a State Preceptor who excelled in both letters and arms and left behind many unforgettable poems. But he thought, even if the poems written by the Lord National Master were good, they certainly couldn¡¯t compare to the essence of the countless poets condensed over thousands of years in his previous life.


    Nothing to be afraid of.

 Chapter 418 - 173:

    Chapter 418: Chapter 173: ¡°One must use their own life to uphold the teacher¡¯s prestige.


    ¡°Proud as the spring breeze with swift horse¡¯s hooves, in a single day admiring all the flowers in Chang An¡­¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sitting in front of the desk, the young man looked at the lines of poetry on the Xuan paper and couldn¡¯t help but read it again with satisfaction. What excellent poetry it was, that youthful exuberance of success hitting him squarely in the face!


    Only then did he rise to his feet.


    After the ink had dried, he carefully rolled up the Xuan paper and prepared to head to tonight¡¯s poetry appreciation convention aboard the ¡°Flower Boat¡± on the outskirts of the Capital; the event would be attended by many literati and even high-ranking officials.


    It was said that several City Lords would be there.


    Among them, the City Lord of Flying Fish City from Hai Province was one, a mighty figure with Golden Core Cultivation who also happened to adore poetry. It was rumored that he had collected many poetic treasures left by the Lord National Master himself.


    ...


    His main purpose for coming this time was to show off.


    Poetry and literature had always been prevalent in Da Xia.


    Many outstanding poems had been passed down years ago, and gradually, Da Xia Country¡¯s poetry had continued to thrive, with the City Lord of Flying Fish City being one of the collectors with a passion for poetry.


    Tonight, just one or two hours before the event on the Capital¡¯s outskirts on the ¡°Flower Boat¡± would begin.


    Scores of top Oirans and young men and women from noble families were all hastening toward the Flower Boat, ready to participate in this annual convention.


    ¡­


    Outside on the riverbank near the Flower Boat.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord, suddenly looking towards the Fat City Lord approaching the Flower Boat, broke into a grin: ¡°Isn¡¯t that our dear Fat City Lord? Long time no see. I heard you clung to the National Master shamelessly, insisting on going with him to the Xuantian Continent. How come you¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°Let me think¡­ If I¡¯m not mistaken, it seems like you were tossed aside just before you left.¡±


    The Fat City Lord¡¯s expression turned slightly sour as he shook his head: ¡°Right before we left, I suddenly wanted to go home for something, so I applied to the National Master for permission, which he granted. It¡¯s just that he forgot about me when we were leaving.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, how could you see me now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a sixth-layer Body Cultivator. Sticking by the National Master¡¯s side, who knows how much strength I could¡¯ve added for him.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I would¡¯ve broken through to the Nascent Soul by now.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh.¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord was quite pleased, grinning at this. The National Master hadn¡¯t looked for him, his cultivation wasn¡¯t at the Golden Core Peak either, and he had been too embarrassed to seek out the National Master on his own. But now that he learned his good brother had also been left behind, his mind felt much more balanced.


    His own disappointment was saddening, but the disappointment of a close friend was actually invigorating.


    ¡°Alright alright.¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord, as if coddling a child, wrapped his arm around the shoulder of the Fat City Lord and teasingly pulled out a piece of calligraphy from his bosom, carefully spreading the Xuan paper in the air.


    On it were written four bold characters.


    ¡°Strongest City Lord¡±!


    ¡°Look, look, there¡¯s still a breath of the National Master on it. This is the Lord National Master¡¯s endorsement of me. Do you have one?¡±


    ¡°And this¡ª¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord pulled out another piece of calligraphy and once more spread the Xuan paper in the air.


    It was a poem.


    ¡°Formerly scorned for lack of acclaim, now wandering thoughts bound by no frame.¡±


    ¡°Proud as the spring breeze with swift horse¡¯s hooves, in a single day admiring all the flowers in Chang An.¡±


    ¡°This, outlined by the National Master decades ago on this very Flower Boat, was during a poetry appreciation convention, shortly after the beginning of spring. The National Master took seven steps there, the first three steps in contemplation, and with the last four steps, he uttered a poem for each.¡±


    ¡°After four steps, he completed this poem.¡±


    ¡°At that time, everyone thought the Lord National Master was an epoch-making genius, spontaneously creating verses. ¡®Proud as the spring breeze with swift horse¡¯s hooves, in a single day admiring all the flowers in Chang An,¡¯ it perfectly expresses the triumphant spirit of youth and starkly contrasts with the preceding two lines of despair. What great writing! The National Master¡¯s works, though spontaneous, are all unmatched gems!¡±


    ¡°It was later realised that the Lord National Master had long been well-read in the poetry and literature of Da Xia, and only after having read through all the passed-down poems of Da Xia, did he produce this earth-shaking masterpiece in a burst of inspiration!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a pity¡­¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord shook his head regretfully: ¡°Almost all of the poetry passed down from Da Xia lacks an author¡¯s name; we don¡¯t even know who the contemporary geniuses who penned these were. People in the past for some reason didn¡¯t seem to pay attention to signing their work, and even when they created such timeless works of poetry, they often couldn¡¯t be bothered to sign their names, truly carefree, with no one to record their deeds in future generations.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    The Fat City Lord looked enviously at the two pieces of calligraphy in the hands of the Flying Fish City Lord and lamented: ¡°It¡¯s been three or four decades, but for some reason, it feels like it was only yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Back then, I was just a deputy city lord.¡±


    ¡°I had just entered Golden Core not long ago; that was the first time I saw the National Master demonstrate his poetic talent. But thereafter, the National Master rarely composed poems in seven steps. The National Master really has talent in this regard, it¡¯s just that his ambition lies elsewhere. The aspiration of the National Master¡­ is too vast.¡±


    ¡°But the National Master made it.¡± The Fat City Lord raised his eyebrows and smiled: ¡°Didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡±


    The Fat City Lord said with a tinge of melancholy: ¡°For so many years in Da Xia Country, we¡¯ve only had one National Master, unmatched from ancient times to the present.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just unknown whether the Lord National Master will come back, whether there will be another chance to meet him in the future.¡±


    ¡°He will.¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord spoke with certainty.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between achieving fame and success without returning home and dying in a foreign land?¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord looked earnestly towards the brightly lit Flower Boat, which had already begun to fill with people, and said: ¡°For the past hundred years, for the planning of the National Master, countless people have done only one thing.¡±

 Chapter 419 - 173:

    Chapter 419: Chapter 173: ¡°One must use their own life to uphold the teacher¡¯s prestige.¡±_2


    ¡°Many even gave their lives.¡±


    ¡°We were willing to serve the State Preceptor without expecting anything in return, but after he achieved fame and success, if he doesn¡¯t come back to look at us even once, how can we old brothers know what steps we¡¯d ultimately taken over the years?¡±


    ¡°Just like you, due to a single command from the State Preceptor, you stayed in that cold place near the Boundless Icefield in Fat City for thirty years. How bitter it was, only you know in your heart.¡±


    ¡°And the State Preceptor never let us old brothers down.¡±


    ¡°So, I believe the State Preceptor would surely come back, and when he steps into Da Xia again¡ª¡±


    ¡°All living creatures in the Xuantian Continent will be sincerely singing his praises.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord patted the Fat City Lord¡¯s shoulder with emotion and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s see if any heavenly pride can bring forth some good poetry tonight. Although I don¡¯t expect it to be on par with the State Preceptor, even one-tenth of that would be quite remarkable.¡±


    ¡­


    In Da Xia Country, within the Caotian Sect.


    After Zhao Dezhu left, the Great Elder took the position of the Sect Master. Although the loss of a Golden Core Peak Supreme Elder significantly weakened the sect¡¯s strength, thankfully other forces were more or less in the same situation, and everyone was back at the same starting line.


    However, a few forces were quite cunning, allowing their Golden Core Peak Supreme Elders not to go with the Chao Tian Sect to the Xuantian Continent, staying in Da Xia Country prepared to be a big fish in a small pond. As soon as the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s group had left, these groups rushed out, ready to take over the territories of other sects and completely occupy Da Xia Country!


    But¡­


    Four Golden Core Peak cultivators suddenly appeared in Da Xia Country, bloodily suppressing these people.


    Not all cultivators went with Chen Qiu to the Xuantian Continent.


    Da Xia Country also had more than just those eight cultivators.


    Even without these cultivators, with the array plates and talismans amassed over the years, Da Xia Country was stable enough to maintain its position.


    Meanwhile¡ª


    At the Caotian Sect, in the back mountain.


    Zhao Yishi was sitting glumly in the forest, merely sitting there, his head was taller than eight out of ten tree tops. After the Sect Master left, the Caotian Sect completely abandoned him.


    Cultivation resources were entirely cut off.


    There wasn¡¯t even a proper meal provided anymore; he could only hunt fierce beasts in the forest himself.


    He wasn¡¯t in the mood for pretensions anymore.


    With a full stomach, one can think of desires, but without even a full meal, where would the mood come from.


    Sitting here all day, he didn¡¯t know what else to do, only feeling that life was somewhat mundane. He missed the Sect Master.


    ¡­


    In Da Xia Country, inside the Imperial Palace.


    The Seventh Prince, with a cold expression, held his sword and stood in Green Stone Square, looking towards a Fifth Layer Golden Core sparring partner and spoke indifferently, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t hold back, otherwise¡­ you really would die.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, be careful.¡±


    After taking a deep breath, the sparring partner burst forth with Spiritual Energy that clung to his outer body and with a fierce yell, he swung his right fist towards the Seventh Prince.


    He was a Body Cultivator.


    If this full-force punch were to truly hit the Seventh Prince, it could directly shatter the Seventh Prince¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi and send him flying!


    However¡ª


    Just as he reached the Seventh Prince and his fist was about to hit the prince¡¯s face, he saw the Prince¡¯s overwhelming Spiritual Energy and rich Sword Intent surge into the sword in his hand and lightly stab towards his abdomen.


    ¡°Puchi.¡±


    Massive blood sprayed out from his abdomen.


    And his full-force punch, due to the severe injury, lost most of its power as it hit the Seventh Prince¡¯s shoulder; the Prince surprisingly did not activate the Protective Spirit Qi and took the punch solidly!


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The Seventh Prince was instantly blasted several meters away, heavily crashing on the Green Stone Square, and scraping a mottled trail of blood.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Feeling the rich Sword Intent wreaking havoc in his Dantian, causing his Life Force to rapidly deplete, the Fifth Layer Golden Core sparring partner covered his abdomen with both hands, yet unable to stop the blood from streaming between his fingers, looked up incredulously at the blasted Seventh Prince and tremblingly said.


    ¡°Your Highness, you actually didn¡¯t activate Protective Spirit Qi and directed all Spiritual Energy and Sword Intent into that strike. If I hadn¡¯t lost a lot of power due to the hit, this punch would have killed you!¡±


    ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the blasted Seventh Prince staggered up from the ground, he took out a Healing Pill and looked at the rapidly dying sparring partner indifferently.


    ¡°My master once taught me.¡±


    ¡°Sword Cultivators, don¡¯t rely on Protective Spirit Qi.¡±


    ¡°Only those Sword Cultivators who lack the confidence to kill the enemy with one move would use Protective Spirit Qi.¡±


    ¡°One move decides life or death, it¡¯s either you die or I die.¡±


    ¡°This, is what it means to be a Sword Cultivator!¡±


    After speaking, he waved his hand with a cold face, ¡°Someone, take him away for treatment.¡±


    Soon, a group of Imperial Guards clad in black armor rushed up and pulled the severely injured sparring partner away; the whole process was smooth and precise, something they had experienced many times over the days.


    The Seventh Prince stood with his sword, looking up at the distant stars in the sky, after a long, silent reverie, he finally looked down at the droplets of blood trickling from the sword tip and muttered softly.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°You once told me that when I can defeat the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet by myself, I can go out to find you.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me, Master. In at most ten years, I will come out soon.¡±


    ¡°I will let everyone in the world know that I am a Sword Cultivator personally trained by you, second to none!¡±


    ¡°With my life, I will uphold my master¡¯s might.¡±

 Chapter 420 - 173:

    Chapter 420: Chapter 173: ¡°One must use their own life to uphold the teacher¡¯s prestige.¡±_3


    ¡­


    Quzhou, to the north.


    A mere moment, measured by the time it took to drink a cup of tea, had passed when Chen Qiu found himself enveloped in darkness. When he next opened his eyes, he was already standing in a secret realm.


    At the same time,


    All cultivators throughout the Xuantian Continent who possessed Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or Divinity Transformation Cultivation had similarly vanished in an instant, their vision swallowed by darkness before disappearing from their original locations.


    This secret realm was extremely claustrophobic.


    ...


    Chen Qiu surveyed his surroundings, estimating it was roughly the size of the Green Stone Square within the Da Xia Palace, a vast distance for mortals perhaps, but for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was so short that not even the full strength of their movement technique could be activated.


    Should anyone fully trigger their movement technique,


    And if their divine sense was not mastered or familiar, or if they weren¡¯t proficient in their movement technique either,


    The outcome would be the same.


    They would crash into the barriers of the secret realm.


    At that moment, a small flag was planted in the center of the square. Other than himself, nine other cultivators stood at various corners of the realm. The rules were simple: within a thousand breaths, whoever held the flag the longest would pass the trial.


    It was that straightforward.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, currently unable to move, probed the realm¡¯s barriers with his divine sense and found himself enclosed within a milky-white dome-shaped barrier of spiritual energy, very sturdy indeed.


    It wasn¡¯t something he could destroy.


    Which meant that, unlike the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard in Da Xia, one couldn¡¯t simply break the other platforms¡¯ barriers and annihilate the opponents in one fell swoop.


    As everyone remained immobile, one person seemed unaffected by the constraints and dashed forward, ecstatically clutching the flag tightly in his hand. It was clear he held the entry ¡°Take the initiative.¡±


    However, the joy on this person¡¯s face quickly faded, and his complexion changed slightly. Biting his lip, but still holding the flag in his hand, he moved cautiously to a corner and warily eyed the others still bound by the constraints.


    Chen Qiu simply glanced at the man and then diverted his attention. It was obvious that although the man had the ¡°Take the initiative¡± entry and could pick up the flag first, the trial had not officially started yet. The clock had not started to tick, rendering his possession of the flag useless for the moment. At best, once the realm began, he could seize the initiative.


    Of course, that would also make him the first target of everyone¡¯s collaborative attacks.


    There were advantages and disadvantages.


    Come to think of it, the ¡°Take the initiative¡± entry seemed common; he felt he had seen many people with it.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slowly closed his eyes and began patiently waiting for the constraints to dissolve. Perhaps he was just lucky, as the others inside this chamber were all at the early stages of Nascent Soul, posing no threat to him.


    Ten breaths later,


    He suddenly felt the constraints lift.


    Immediately thereafter, immense spiritual energy surged forth, with dark clouds swiftly enveloping the sky above the small secret realm, and a ferocious storm began to howl. His fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivation aura was released without reservation.


    In that instant¡ª


    The other eight who had been ready to strike suddenly froze in place, their expressions turning sour as they looked towards Chen Qiu.


    This person was at the fifth level of Nascent Soul cultivation. As they were all merely at the early stages of Nascent Soul, they stood no chance against him, especially when his display of power far surpassed that of an ordinary fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator. They could sense his strength, but its extent was beyond their ability to gauge.


    It felt as if he could even eliminate a sixth-level Nascent Soul!


    And he looked so young, a Nascent Soul prodigy capable of fighting beyond his level!


    ¡°Chen Qiu, that¡¯s Chen Qiu from Quzhou!¡±


    Perhaps it was because Chen Qiu¡¯s method of attack was so memorable; someone among the eight quickly recognized him and, with a slightly panicked expression, couldn¡¯t help but exclaim aloud. Upon hearing this, the remaining seven collectively held their breath.


    Then, without any hesitation,


    They slowly raised their hands and retreated to the corners of the Green Stone Square, signifying their withdrawal from the competition.


    If it were just an ordinary fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator, a combined rush by all of them might have stood a chance, as even a fierce tiger can be overwhelmed by a unity of forces. At the level of Nascent Soul, it¡¯s rare for one fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator to be able to overpower a group of first-level Nascent Souls in battle.


    Within the small realms of Nascent Soul, the disparity in combat power is not that vast.


    After all, anyone capable of cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage is no weakling. Some trump cards are definitely there, and if truly pressed into action, without necessarily overcoming levels, they certainly wouldn¡¯t be completely non-threatening.


    Of course, all these premises were based on the assumption that the opponent was merely an ordinary fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator.


    But the person they faced now was far from ordinary. He was an unparalleled Pride of Quzhou, who slew his way across the Evil State alone and formed a twelfth-grade top-tier Nascent Soul of the Heavenly Dao at the fifth level!


    A name has its shadow like a tree! Anyone who could be listed on the Heavenly Dao Decree was far from useless, and this one had appeared on it multiple times.


    They ceded. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A mere ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Leaderboard¡± secret realm wasn¡¯t worth losing their lives over. It wasn¡¯t necessary.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu paid no mind to the eight early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators who had already retreated to the corners. He simply walked over with his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his expression calm, toward the early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who had first seized the flag and was now cornered, trembling as he looked at Chen Qiu.


    Gazing down at the still quivering cultivator, Chen Qiu paused for a while, noting the man¡¯s unwillingness to surrender the flag, then reached out and said softly,


    ¡°Give it to me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t!¡±


    The cultivator curled up in the corner, completely lacking the composure of a Nascent Soul cultivator, stared at Chen Qiu with trembling voice, filled with fear in the first refusal and a forceful, angry roar in the second, as if trying to embolden himself.

 Chapter 421 - 173:

    Chapter 421: Chapter 173: ¡°One must use their own life to uphold the teacher¡¯s prestige.¡±_4


    ¡°Unless, unless you¡­¡±


    His voice had not yet faded.


    When a Small Thunderball began to rapidly expand in his eyes, shooting swiftly towards his sockets. In the last moment before his consciousness dissipated, it seemed like he saw countless Thunder Dragons exploding within his eyes. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    In the deafening thunder, the sound of thousands of Thunder Dragons¡¯ explosions violently rang out within the Secret Realm, and the cultivator who had just spoken was now reduced to pieces scattered across the sky.


    Chen Qiu casually flicked a thread of Spiritual Energy, rolling up the Nascent Soul body and the flag that had fallen to the ground.


    ...


    He had controlled his strength well.


    He did not let loose all his power within this small Secret Realm but used only a little Spiritual Energy.


    And in the moment he grasped the flag,


    he saw a panel enveloped in clouds and mist slowly emerging above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Holding this flag, the Spiritual Energy in the Dantian will automatically and rapidly replenish without limit.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows lifted slightly as he smiled, so that was it. It ensured that whoever seized the flag would at least have enough confidence to face the siege of the other nine, rather than being overwhelmed to death.


    Perhaps that¡¯s why the Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator had been so confident just now.


    Just a pity.


    Looking at it this way,


    with everyone¡¯s Cultivation being the same, this Secret Realm did indeed have a lot of competitiveness. However, as far as he was concerned, there was no competitiveness. After all, these were just early-stage Nascent Souls.


    Not too hardy.


    In the entire Xuantian Continent, early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators probably made up a large proportion of all Nascent Soul cultivators. He estimated it might already reach thirty or even forty percent!


    After all, given the difficulty in cultivating at the Nascent Soul stage, it would not surprise him if someone were stuck at the early stages for seven or eight years.


    Not everyone had a sect providing copious resources, allowing them to cultivate without worries.


    What to do without resources?


    One would have to go out and earn them, right?


    Visit the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm? Vie for adventures? Embark on explorations?


    Each of these carries a risk to life; death need not be mentioned, but even if one were to return alive and severely injured, cultivating would be out of the question. First, heal. It might take two to three months or even longer for the injuries to heal. If the previous attempt was futile, there¡¯s no choice but to continue the quest for Cultivation Resources.


    If one were fortunate enough to snatch some Cultivation Resources, then cultivate for a year or half, and once those resources are depleted, repeat the previous phase.


    For an average cultivator, life is truly arduous.


    ¡­


    Afterwards, Chen Qiu, holding the flag, began to cultivate, sitting cross-legged on the ground and operating his mental method.


    Since he had nothing else to do,


    and had to wait for the end of the Secret Realm, instead of idling, it was better to cultivate. After all, this tenfold increase in Cultivation Progress wasn¡¯t always available.


    The remaining eight Nascent Soul early-stage cultivators exchanged glances and decided to exit the Secret Realm early.


    An Nascent Soul power ranking list, after all, they were unlikely to make it on the list, considering their weak Cultivation. They were just there to go through the motions, no need to lose their lives over it.


    Soon¡ª


    A breath¡¯s moment passed in an instant.


    Immediately after!


    The Spiritual Energy Shield that had formed a dome above the entire Secret Realm began to dissipate slowly. Only then did Chen Qiu realize that he was actually situated within a tile of a gigantic chessboard.


    And outside each tile was a dome-shaped Spiritual Energy Shield.


    As these shields faded away, Chen Qiu then saw cultivators standing in other tiles, looking out to see roughly over a hundred others, these Nascent Soul cultivators likewise being victors from the first round of the Secret Realm.


    Then a panel emerged before him.


    ¡°Second Round: Hundred-Person Melee¡±


    ¡°The last standing cultivator will advance to the final stage ¡®Absolute Victory Arena¡¯.¡±


    ¡°This round has no time limit.¡±


    With his eyes slightly narrowed, Chen Qiu looked at the information about the round ahead; there were about a hundred Nascent Souls, and no early stages could be seen¡ªthe weakest were at least fifth-layer Nascent Souls.


    At the same level of Cultivation as him.


    A melee of this scale would become immensely chaotic.


    A moment of carelessness could cost a life.


    He was confident no one within the Nascent Soul stage could rival him, but facing a hundred Nascent Souls was still a bit overwhelming. He couldn¡¯t just overpower everyone in this round; first, he had to hide and wait for the others to dwindle, then make his move.


    And at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Sect Master!¡±


    A rather surprised voice came from behind him.


    Chen Qiu turned around to see it was none other than Qu Gui, the former Supreme Elder of the Qu family. He asked with some astonishment, ¡°Qu Gui? You passed the first round with just Nascent Soul first-layer Cultivation?¡±


    That was indeed surprising.


    Logically speaking, the first round should have already eliminated all first-layer Nascent Souls, and since one could leave the Secret Realm at any time, it was surprising that Qu Gui hadn¡¯t exited early, given his low level of Cultivation.


    ¡°I played a little trick¡­¡±


    Qu Gui said somewhat sheepishly, ¡°I have the ¡®Take the initiative¡¯ entry, and my specialty Spells are Illusion Techniques and Invisibility, among other unconventional methods.¡±


    ¡°At the start, I left an Illusion of myself in place, then I went invisible, grabbed the flag, and left another Illusion of the flag on the spot while hiding at a distance.¡±


    ¡°They, upon freeing themselves, kept fighting over the Illusion of the flag, while the real flag was with me the whole time. Afterwards, I just got lucky and passed.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. After spending 100,000 merits, he inspected Qu Gui¡¯s Nascent Soul entries, then meaningfully patted Qu Gui on the shoulder, smiling, ¡°That¡¯s no small trick of yours.¡±

 Chapter 422 - 173:

    Chapter 422: Chapter 173: ¡°One must use their own life to uphold the teacher¡¯s prestige.¡±_5


    ¡°Is everything going smoothly with the Redemption Order?¡±


    ¡°All is well!¡±


    ¡°Keep it up, I think you have a great chance of becoming the first outer sect elder of the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    At these words, Qu Gui¡¯s face lit up with excitement, and he nodded vigorously, ¡°Thank you, Sect Master, for your recognition. Currently, no one can outpace me in selling the Redemption Orders!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s quite an accomplishment that, with your Nascent Soul stage one Cultivation, you¡¯ve reached the second challenge. You should withdraw from this challenge now.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ...


    Qu Gui nodded immediately. Just then, the shackles of the Secret Realm were also lifted, and he turned into a flash of white light, disappearing from the spot, exiting the Secret Realm. Yet, the excitement in his eyes was unmistakable. He had been recognized by the Sect Master, and the Sect Master had even remembered his name. Wouldn¡¯t he be like a fish in water within the sect from now on?


    With the Sect Master supporting him for the position of outer sect elder, who could stop him?


    ¡­


    After Qu Gui turned into a white light and left the Secret Realm, Chen Qiu shook his head and sighed lightly, ¡°The world is so vast, there¡¯s nothing it lacks.¡±


    Without the ¡°True Eye¡±¡ªa Purple Entry that allows one to see through others¡¯ entries¡ªhe really wouldn¡¯t have known that this world contained so many bizarre and strange entries.


    Qu Gui¡¯s entries.


    Not one of them was related to combat power, which means Qu Gui¡¯s strength must be the weakest among those at the Nascent Soul stage one.


    Being at the same Nascent Soul stage one, what differentiates their combat power?


    Isn¡¯t it the spells they practice, entry enhancements, all their Spiritual Treasures, and battle experience?


    If a person at the early stage of Nascent Soul possesses entries that have nothing to do with combat power, maybe he could cultivate quickly or be skilled in other areas, but one thing could be certain¡ªhe would definitely be weak in combat!


    That¡¯s the kind of person Qu Gui was.


    All his entries pointed toward two directions.


    ¡°Illusion Techniques,¡± ¡°Stealth.¡±


    Truly a good seed for stirring up trouble. Chen Qiu mentally took a deeper impression of Qu Gui, thinking that there might come a time when such a troublemaker could be useful.


    Pretty good.


    This kind of talent was what the Chao Tian Sect needed.


    The Chao Tian Sect didn¡¯t much need combat power.


    The combat power he possessed was enough.


    People like Xing Dou, Qu Gui, and the Shopkeeper who could break formations, individuals skilled in specific areas, were truly needed by the Chao Tian Sect. After all, he cultivated a hundred skills, and each might be necessary at some point.


    He couldn¡¯t possibly learn Alchemy, break formations, study Formation methods and Artifact Refining all by himself.


    But these secondary professions would definitely be useful in the future.


    So the best solution was to gather talent in these areas to work for him. He only needed to enhance his combat power, make himself strong enough, others would serve him, and he would protect them in return, allowing them to develop safely in their own fields.


    This was the kind of sect he envisioned in his heart.


    Gather the strength of many to nourish a cultivator.


    Inheritance?


    If he died, he wouldn¡¯t care about passing things on or not, let others do whatever they wanted.


    Some main combat power cultivators also learned some secondary professions, mainly to let these professions earn them Cultivation Resources.


    But he felt that this was somewhat putting the cart before the horse, completely upside down.


    Main combat power is all about plundering, right?


    Otherwise, what?


    All those resources thrown into enhancing combat power, for what?


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    The entire chessboard continuously flashed with white light, with a good seventy to eighty people making the same choice as Qu Gui, all of them exiting the Secret Realm.


    After all, only the top one hundred on the ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking¡± had rewards.


    Most people had a clear sense of their own strength. Struggling in a mismatched fight, let alone against those monstrous Heavenly Prides, was pointless if they couldn¡¯t make it into the top one hundred. Why waste the time?


    If they lost their lives, it would be a true waste. Even if they didn¡¯t lose their lives, getting injured would be a huge loss.


    Most importantly¡­


    They were the high-end or top-end combat power of their respective sects. Their presence in the Secret Realm meant their sects were vulnerable. If enemy sects left the Secret Realm early and headed to their sects¡­


    The Foundation Establishment disciples left behind in their sects would be completely vulnerable and would inevitably be massacred. That would be even more costly.


    In the end, only about twenty people remained on the chessboard.


    A lot fewer.


    Chen Qiu, who had first hidden his form and lurked in a corner, held his breath quietly, preparing to wait for the battlefield to become chaotic and pick up the spoils. Just that¡­ he waited a long moment, and the entire huge chessboard plaza remained quiet.


    There wasn¡¯t a hint of battle.


    Everyone harbored the same thoughts as him, hiding in the shadows, ready to deliver a fatal blow at the crucial moment.


    No one wanted to be the first to make a move.


    This resulted in everyone just waiting out the situation.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence with an expressionless face, Chen Qiu finally looked at the last line of small text on the second challenge panel.


    ¡°This challenge has no time limit.¡±


    Did that mean if no one made the first move, they would just keep waiting like this until their lifespans ran out? Or until someone couldn¡¯t stand it anymore?


    Forget it.


    He shook his head, unwilling to wait any longer, and estimated the remaining twenty Nascent Souls¡¯ cultivation.


    There were only two at the peak of Nascent Soul, the rest were late and mid-stage Nascent Souls.


    With full firepower plus the twelfth grade Nascent Soul and the Divine Sense Attack Heart-piercing Stab¡­


    He decided to see if he could take them all in one go. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next moment¡ª


    The entire chessboard plaza was immediately shrouded with dark clouds, a storm swept across the chessboard instantly, with thunder echoing through the clouds while numerous Thunder Dragons surged within the clouds.

 Chapter 423 - 174:

    Chapter 423: Chapter 174: ¡°Chen Qiu from Quzhou greets everyone here.


    The Thunder Dragons, faintly visible within the dark clouds engulfing the entire chessboard, each emitted an extremely terrifying aura; the horror of their presence caused many hidden Nascent Soul cultivators to hold their breath.


    It was almost the instant those Thunder Dragons appeared!


    Four or five streaks of white light flashed by again, meaning that another four or five people had withdrawn from the Secret Realm.


    Chen Qiu was also slightly surprised. It was just a Starting Move, and he had not yet made a move; how come four or five people were already scared off? After all, everyone was at least a Nascent Soul; couldn¡¯t they at least make a move without hesitation?


    He shook his head and thought no more of it.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    ...


    The next moment!


    The sky filled with Thunder Dragons enveloped the entire massive chessboard, and intense explosions kept erupting.


    Chen Qiu took the opportunity to activate the ¡°Golden Light Body Protection Technique.¡± Under the effect of Dual Casting and Ten Layers of Spellcasting, more than ten layers of Golden Light stacked together, looking still like a single layer, only much denser. He then shot up into the sky, quickly Teleporting to replenish his Spiritual Energy.


    What was most outrageous about Dual Casting and Ten Layers of Spellcasting was the fact that,


    the additional Spells released involved no consumption at all.


    ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡± was also the first Purple Entry he had obtained. To be precise, it was the first Entry suitable for him. The very first Purple Entry he obtained was ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation,¡± which was useless to him; he had given it to Fat Long.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    At the same time!


    His Divine Sense spread out rapidly, covering the entire chessboard. Except for those two Nascent Soul peak cultivators he couldn¡¯t find, the breaths of other cultivators leaked out in the chaos were quickly locked onto by his Divine Sense.


    After breaking through to the Nascent Soul, the range of his Divine Sense had increased significantly, ten times that of the Golden Core.


    It was a change from quantity to quality.


    His recent deployment of the Thunder Summoning Technique had only consumed one-tenth of his Spiritual Energy; it shouldn¡¯t have been very powerful, at least, that¡¯s what he believed. His use of Thunder Summoning Technique was not to kill enemies but merely to create chaos and flush out those who were hiding!


    After his Divine Sense had locked onto all the cultivators except for those two at the peak of the Nascent Soul,


    he took a deep breath.


    Opening the umbrella, he stood suspended in the storm; the even more majestic Spiritual Energy within his Dantian burst forth like a floodgate opened, and the already deafening thunder became even more intense.


    Next to him, seventeen Small Thunderballs began to slowly appear.


    He loaded the tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons into these seventeen Small Thunderballs.


    The next moment, he shot them toward the seventeen cultivators locked by his Divine Sense! sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Umbrella World.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When you open the umbrella, you cannot be locked by Divine Sense, except by those whose Cultivation is one Great Realm higher than yours.


    ¨C


    In this previous Entry he had acquired, even though he now stood high in the sky, the two still-hidden Nascent Soul peak cultivators could not lock him with Divine Sense. Additionally, one of the effects of the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, was that whether it was the consumption of Spiritual Energy or the power of his techniques, both would receive a substantial enhancement.


    Combined with the ¡®Storm¡¯ Entry that increased the power of Thunder Summoning Technique in special environments, along with other various methods,


    even though he divided his full-powered Thunder Summoning Technique into seventeen Small Thunderballs,


    the power contained within each Small Thunderball was enough to rival a full-powered strike from a late Nascent Soul cultivator, or even vaguely reach peak Nascent Soul.


    You should know!


    Chen Qiu was still only at Nascent Soul fifth level; his ability to unleash such tactics at Nascent Soul fifth level was quite exaggerated!


    However¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood expressionless in the sky, looking down at the chessboard enveloped by the storm, one of the rare occasions when his Thunder Summoning Technique did not hit its mark despite having locked onto his enemies with Divine Sense.


    Not a single hit landed.


    Those seventeen Nascent Soul cultivators, just as they were about to be hit by the Thunderballs, all simultaneously turned into white light and exited the Secret Realm.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh, a bit dissatisfied. This feeling of swinging a punch and hitting nothing made him quite uncomfortable.


    If you are going to withdraw, why not do it earlier, instead of waiting for him to make a move?


    Besides, you are all high-level combatants in your respective sects, not to mention winners of the first round; shouldn¡¯t you have some more face in your regions?


    Can¡¯t you at least make a move?


    It had been some time since he broke through to Nascent Soul fifth level, but so far, he had not truly experienced a proper battle¡ªby that he meant a battle of exchanging blows.


    He wanted at least to see what other Nascent Soul cultivators were capable of.


    See if there was anything impressive.


    So he could learn and upon returning, particularly address the gaps.


    After all, he felt that his go-to attacking Spell was only Thunder Summoning Technique, which was a bit too simplistic; he wanted to learn another Spell but didn¡¯t know which ones were strong; he thought to witness it from other Nascent Soul cultivators, but found they were so easily defeated.


    Chen Qiu shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. During the previous wave of Thunder Summoning Technique that caused chaos, he had already Teleported multiple times in the air to fully replenish his Spiritual Energy; along with the majestic Spiritual Energy bursting forth from his body, countless Thunder Dragons began to appear above his head once more.


    And turned his head to glance towards a square on the chessboard below, chuckling lightly.


    ¡°You two are quite good at hiding.¡±


    Even Nascent Soul peak cultivators might be able to conceal their breath and hide their form during his first wave of Thunder Summoning Technique, but it would be difficult to maintain secrecy during his nearly full-powered second wave of Thunder Summoning Technique.

 Chapter 424 - 174:

    Chapter 424: Chapter 174: ¡°Chen Qiu from Quzhou greets everyone here.¡±_2


    By now, his Divine Sense had firmly locked onto the two peak Nascent Souls.


    These two peak Nascent Souls stood together, looking like they were acquainted.


    Right after that, as the words fell, S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At the spot Chen Qiu¡¯s gaze was fixed on, what was previously an empty piece of land now slowly revealed an old man and a middle-aged man materializing out of thin air, exchanging a look before the old man quickly retreated backward, continuously forming Taoist Techniques with his hands.


    After retreating a good thirty feet, he violently sat down cross-legged on the ground, closing his eyes tightly while his lips moved rapidly.


    Behold¡ª


    ...


    Several hundred golden Array Talismans, under the old man¡¯s manipulation, slowly drifted out from within his body and hovered in midair. The hundreds of golden Array Talismans did not attack Chen Qiu but instead quickly dispersed in all directions, with each one attracting the others and trembling slightly as they positioned themselves, resonating with the other runes.


    This old man was unmistakably an Array Repairer!


    A peak Nascent Soul Array Repairer!


    Such Cultivation of an Array Repairer meant he wouldn¡¯t just slowly layout formations on the spot or use an Array Plate; drawing from Spiritual Energy as the source, he controlled the Nascent Soul in his Dantian to continuously inscribe one Array Talisman after another. When all golden Array Talismans had been inscribed and fully formed into a grand array, that¡¯s when they would display their might!


    And when the formation was complete, it would be the day of the enemy¡¯s demise!


    An Array Repairer could manage to fight beyond their level, or rather, even the most rubbish of Array Repairers could do so, of course, under one condition: the enemy must wait for you to set up the array.


    Setting up an array is often an exceedingly long process, at best taking several hours, at worst several months, or even setting for three to five decades was within reason.


    Inscribing Array Talismans with Spiritual Energy as the source and Nascent Soul Cultivation in the Dantian was a technique


    reserved for those with Nascent Soul Cultivation and also exceptionally talented Array Repairers. To execute such precise methods within the Dantian and then amalgamate these Array Talismans into a grand array, each step was incredibly challenging.


    It was precisely because Array Repairers had numerous drawbacks¡ªbeing virtually powerless before the formation was set¡ªthat most Array Repairers usually had someone by their side, either a follower or a partner, and that person was responsible for one thing!


    Stalling the enemy before the array was complete!


    Clearly, these two Nascent Soul Cultivators were such a pair, and it was evident they were not willing to leave the Secret Realm just like that. They wanted to test out whether this Chen Qiu from Quzhou¡¯s reputation really shone as brightly and sounded as impressive as the rumors claimed!


    ¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡±


    Chen Qiu rested on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his clothes flapping loudly in the storm as he hovered in the sky, his Divine Sense locked onto the peak Nascent Soul Cultivator rushing toward him. He chuckled without saying a word.


    He could feel the terrifying intent to kill emanating from each Array Talisman.


    Once the array was complete, fearedly it could slay three peak Nascent Souls without a problem!


    Very good.


    This was exactly what he wanted; he couldn¡¯t be the only one putting on a show, after all. They also had to bring out their best tricks.


    Just then¡ª


    A thick killing intent suddenly pierced into his mind, causing a brief moment of shock. As he quickly regained clarity, a flash of cold light had already pierced toward his Dantian, the Nascent Soul he had locked on to with his Divine Sense was already charging at him!


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    The next moment!


    There, in midair and looking utterly docile, a twelve-grade Nascent Soul abruptly appeared in front of Chen Qiu¡¯s abdomen, blocking the sword strike, completely unscathed on its surface.


    The sword could no longer advance even a fraction.


    ¡°Good technique, first time seeing it,¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled as he looked at the peak Nascent Soul before him. His Sea of Consciousness housed a Divine Sense Array; logically speaking, even if the array were breached, he wouldn¡¯t lose focus for that split second unprepared. In such combat, losing focus for that split second could have dire consequences!


    But the technique used by the peak Nascent Soul just now was not a Divine Sense Attack.


    Instead, he gathered the killing intent accumulated over many years into a needle, piercing it directly into Chen Qiu¡¯s mind, influencing his spirit at the level of consciousness, unrelated to Divine Sense, thus the Divine Sense Array naturally did not trigger.


    This was more of an unorthodox technique.


    Generally speaking, few people practiced such techniques as they were rare, difficult to master, and not suitable for everyone.


    ¡°Then you should also see my technique.¡±


    The next moment!


    A Small Thunderball infused with hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons suddenly appeared beside Chen Qiu. Soon after, amidst the thundering roars, the middle-aged man wielding the short sword instantly turned pitch-black, and his body heavily crashed to the ground, laying there, gasping, on the brink of death.


    Then without caring about the Array Repairer¡¯s reaction,


    he instantly turned into white light and left the Secret Realm without a moment¡¯s delay. The instant the man left the Secret Realm, hundreds of Thunder Dragons bombarded the very spot where the middle-aged man had been laying.


    ¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t finish him in a flash.¡±


    Chen Qiu pursed his lips, then holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, he slowly walked towards the old man who still sat cross-legged on the ground, rapidly moving his lips to form Taoist Techniques. He glanced at the continuously emerging golden Array Talismans above the old man¡¯s head.


    Then he crouched down, lifted his Nascent Soul to pat the old man¡¯s head, and said softly with a sigh,


    ¡°Elder sir, wake up, it¡¯s time to go.¡±


    ¡°Stop chanting.¡±


    ¡°Your formation will not complete.¡±


    He could clearly sense that the grand array formed by countless golden Array Talismans was merely one-fifth complete. It would need at least a hundred breaths to finish the formation, which was too much of a drawback for the Array Repairer.


    A hundred breaths were enough for the enemy to shatter your body into countless pieces numerous times.


    Array Repairers were not suited for life-and-death battles¡ªthey showed their strength in positional warfare.

 Chapter 425 - 174:

    Chapter 425: Chapter 174: ¡°Chen Qiu from Quzhou, greetings to everyone.¡± -3


    ¡°`


    The elder who sat cross-legged on the spot, gripping the Taoist Technique in madness, jerked his body slightly when his head was tapped, coming to his senses. He slowly opened his eyes to see Chen Qiu squatting before him with a kind expression. Scanning the surroundings, only the two of them remained.


    What had happened became clear to him in an instant.


    No more golden Array Talismans floated out from within his body, and with trembling lips and a frail voice, he whispered, ¡°Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for sparing my life.¡±


    After that, he dared not delay any longer and immediately transformed into a white light that vanished from the spot, clearly having left the Secret Realm.


    Chen Qiu watched the elder leave without making a move, simply revealing a rather gentle smile.


    ...


    ¡°Taixu Temple.¡±


    He had seen the name of the elder¡¯s sect embroidered on his garments.


    Good, this Taixu Temple is worth a visit.


    Although this Nascent Soul peak Array Repairer didn¡¯t seem to handle attacks well, it was normal for Array Repairers to be unsuited for this kind of situation.


    Another day he would pay a visit to Taixu Temple, to see if he could recruit a talented Array Repairer. He thought this old man was not bad; their Chao Tian Sect also needed a top-notch Array Repairer.


    He had promised to bring back a Heavenly Pride Array Repairer to Da Xia, to the Extremely Cold Land and the Boundless Icefield, to claim Old Man Cao¡¯s legacy in the nine great heritages, and then to release Old Man Cao. Although he didn¡¯t quite understand what Old Man Cao meant by ¡®release.''¡±


    Those who are adept at formations are often skilled at chess.


    This is a consensus in the Cultivation World.


    Just right.


    When he had just arrived at Xuan Tian, he acquired a chessboard during the major event of ¡°The Long Night is Coming.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Duel with Heaven.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Granted by the Heavenly Dao.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Engage in a game of chess with Heaven; if you tie or win by one piece, you receive a random Spiritual Treasure. The more pieces you win by, the higher the Grade of the Spiritual Treasure. You only get one chance.


    ¨C S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had not used it until now, but it seemed perfect to take this chessboard to ¡°Taixu Temple¡± to see if someone could break it.


    In Da Xia Country, not all of the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Formations had been fully repaired, and many of the Nascent Soul Formation Array Repairers from Da Xia Country were powerless to do so.


    This Nascent Soul peak Array Repairer seemed very promising.


    It was also an opportunity to repair the remaining Formations of the Chao Tian Sect.


    Killing several birds with one stone, with so many gains, it was now essential to visit this Taixu Temple.


    Chen Qiu, standing in place, scanned the surroundings once more. At this moment, he was the only person left in the entire chessboard square. Now, he just needed the people on the other chessboards to finish, and they could move to the last challenge, which is the Absolute Victory Arena.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After cultivating cross-legged on the chessboard for a full three days, Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, his face expressionless and silent.


    He had already been waiting here for three days!


    And had yet to advance to the third challenge.


    This meant that there was still at least one chessboard where the second challenge had not ended, a complete waste of time. He¡¯d better not catch whoever was delaying him.


    He sighed deeply.


    After calming himself down, he continued to wait patiently. Slowly does it; he didn¡¯t believe they could actually wait until the ¡°Worldly Turmoil¡± update arrived.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, on another chessboard,


    a red-eyed Nascent Soul at the brink of collapse roared hysterically, ¡°Come out, come out, you bastard! What does it mean to keep hiding like this!?¡±


    For three full days, no one knew how he had spent them.


    Two days ago, their chessboard was almost finished, with only him and another Nascent Soul cultivator remaining. He was stronger and should have had a stable victory.


    But after that Nascent Soul cultivator gave him a smile, he concealed his presence and hid.


    That hiding lasted nearly three days!


    No matter how he bombarded every section of the chessboard, he could not make the other Nascent Soul reveal the slightest trace of his presence, not even a hint. His Divine Sense was completely unable to detect this person.


    The man¡¯s concealment technique was extremely sophisticated, the best he had ever seen in his life!


    Alright, if he was inferior in spells, they would compete in wit.


    In the meantime, he tried every trick in the book, like pretending to deplete his Spiritual Energy completely and then sitting cross-legged as if gasping for air, pretending to recover his energy. If the other person took the bait, he could use his Magic Treasure to capture him!


    But the man did not.


    He just watched as he fully recovered his Spiritual Energy without the slightest intention of attacking from the shadows.


    Okay, credit to your composure.


    He then switched tactics, such as pretending to talk to himself indifferently, saying that since he was in no rush, why not just keep waiting? If you¡¯re not in a hurry then why should I be? It¡¯s been a long time since I had a retreat, so might as well treat it as one.


    After talking to himself for a day like this, he felt he was on the verge of breakdown.


    No matter what he tried, he couldn¡¯t locate the person.


    He felt his actions must appear like a clown to the other person, and the idea of using the time to cultivate was nonsense. With a hungry wolf hiding nearby, ready to strike at any moment, who could concentrate on cultivation?


    After a long while,


    the man took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes, murmuring, ¡°Alright, I yield. I remember you now. Once we¡¯re out of here, I swear, I will utilize all the connections and resources I¡¯ve accumulated in my life for one thing: to hunt you down.¡±


    ¡°The rest of my life, I¡¯ll play this long game with you.¡±


    ¡°One of us will certainly die in this rivalry.¡±


    This matter had greatly impacted his Dao heart. This man must die; it was already hard for him to settle his mind for the breakthrough to Divinity Transformation, as he would have to face the Heavenly Tribulation.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 426 - 174:

    Chapter 426: Chapter 174: ¡°Chen Qiu from Quzhou, saying hello to everyone.¡± _4


    Among them was the Heart Demon Tribulation.


    This man will not die, and he will never get past his Heart Demon Tribulation.


    The next moment!


    The man turned into a wisp of white light and vanished on the spot, leaving the Secret Realm. He had evidently chosen to give up.


    After this Nascent Soul Peak left, a young man slowly emerged next to where the Nascent Soul Peak had stood. One could see the young man chuckling softly, a trace of disdain flashing across his eyes.


    Just as the Nascent Soul Peak who had already left the Secret Realm let out a hysterical roar just before his departure, this young man had all along been concealed right behind him, so close that their bodies were almost touching.


    ...


    Under such circumstances.


    The Nascent Soul Peak had not detected anything at all.


    This meant that if the young man didn¡¯t enjoy playing cat and mouse, the Nascent Soul Peak would most likely not have survived such a level of assassination.


    Top-tier stealth followed by what must be top-tier assassination skills.


    Except for Qu Gui.


    And at the moment this Nascent Soul Peak chose to leave the Secret Realm, the other victors who had been waiting in various chessboard Secret Realms for a long time finally entered the third trial as they wished.


    ¡­


    The third trial.


    Was a vast Green Stone Square, with 100 arenas arranged across it, each numbered sequentially from one to one hundred.


    When all the victors from the chessboard Secret Realms appeared on the Green Stone Square, almost everyone immediately looked around with sullen and unsightly expressions.


    It was clear everyone wanted to know who the person was that had wasted three days of their time!


    The ¡°Heavenly Strife¡± version was coming, and every day was extremely important. Increasing one¡¯s strength a bit more meant surviving better in the imminent chaos and reaping more opportunities.


    But no one had expected.


    That the second trial would have wasted three whole days of everyone¡¯s time.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, who had also reached the third trial, scanned his surroundings and swiftly took in the third trial¡¯s Secret Realm. He didn¡¯t mind the three wasted days since, without the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, even if he had ten times the Cultivation progress, it would not have been of much use.


    The effect could be said to be almost negligible.


    But after all, staying in the Secret Realm for three days was somewhat boring, making him somewhat annoyed with the person who had delayed his time, and incidentally, he had fed Nascent Soul three Evil Wood sticks within those three days.


    Before entering the small world, he had placed everything that could be of use into the Heavenly Dao Ring to avoid being unable to retrieve things in the Secret Realm due to the inability to establish a connection with the small world.


    These three times hadn¡¯t given him anything good.


    Each time it was a box of Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, three times the same, a box with ten pills.


    Not a single Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.


    The probability was a bit low.


    Since he obtained this entry, he had used it about six or seven times, and only got one Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and an Enlightenment Stone, which were relatively good, while the rest were quite average.


    The Evil Wood¡¯s grade was still low, and the items obtained weren¡¯t very good.


    He didn¡¯t have many Eight Desolate Fruits left and was reluctant to feed them to the Nascent Soul.


    Next time he would see if he could find some natural treasure with a high grade that was of no use to him to feed to his Nascent Soul.


    ¡­


    Within three breaths.


    Chen Qiu had more or less finished surveying the situation in front of him. There were about 130 Nascent Soul Cultivators in total, most of them at the Nascent Soul Peak level of Cultivation.


    The second trial was selecting one out of a hundred, so with 130 Nascent Soul Cultivators, there had been thirteen thousand Nascent Souls entering the second trial. The third trial was selecting one out of ten, meaning a total of one hundred and thirty thousand Nascent Souls had entered the Nascent Soul combat power rankings Secret Realm.


    ¡°¡­¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu shook his head.


    The number of Nascent Soul Cultivators was more than he had imagined. If not counting those from the Sea Clan and Devil Clan, the Xuantian Continent had nineteen states divided into the Upper Nine, Midstate, and Lower Nine.


    These nineteen states were the largest land areas and the main gathering places for the Human Race.


    If there were one hundred and thirty thousand Nascent Soul Cultivators distributed across nineteen states, it would mean roughly seven thousand Nascent Soul Cultivators per state.


    But this seemed a bit unlikely.


    He had a rough idea of the number of Nascent Soul Cultivators in Quzhou, which had about four hundred sects. These four hundred were the larger sects, each with six or seven Nascent Souls in the larger ones and two or three in the smaller ones.


    Even if we calculate seven Nascent Souls per these four hundred sects, that makes two thousand eight hundred Nascent Souls in total, plus some Loose Cultivators, at most there would be four thousand, far from seven thousand.


    But considering Quzhou was one of the weaker states of the Lower Nine and not comparable to Midstate, plus taking into account the number of Nascent Souls in other races, the count could make sense. The question was whether it was the Nascent Soul Cultivators from Midstate raising the average or other races¡¯ Nascent Soul Cultivators.


    He looked around.


    He didn¡¯t see many Demon Cultivators. During the second trial, he had seen a Demon Cultivator, but that Demon Cultivator left the trial the instant its shackles were removed. It seemed that, compared to competing for rankings, Demon Cultivators feared injury more, as it is rumored that it is quite hard for them to recover from injuries.


    They did not wish to be injured with chaos on the horizon.


    However¡ª


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes suddenly narrowed slightly as he looked towards an arena. Above it, amidst the rolling black clouds, a Five-Clawed Black Dragon coiled, its claws bared ferociously, exuding an aura of might as it soared through the mists with its head held high, seemingly exhilarated.


    Its eyes were bright and brimming with a human-like excitement. As it coiled and prepared to pounce from the cloud, its head pulled back, back arched, tail slightly raised as if ready to strike at any moment upon those standing on the square below.

 Chapter 427 - 174:

    Chapter 427: Chapter 174: ¡°Chen Qiu from Quzhou, greetings to everyone.¡± _5


    The dragon head and tail never appeared at the same time.


    Its body rolled continuously within the dark clouds.


    One could not discern specifically how long it was; the general sense was that it should be at least twenty zhang or longer, and this Black Dragon could clearly change its size at will. He could distinctly feel that this excited Black Dragon was constantly altering its size.


    Sometimes it grew larger, other times smaller.


    There were no fluctuations of spiritual energy on its body, yet the pressure it exerted was not the least bit weaker, a Five-Clawed Black Dragon at the peak of Nascent Soul cultivation.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    ... sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the Black Dragon and suddenly chuckled softly. This must be the same Five-Clawed Black Dragon that the scholar had encountered at the bottom of the sea. Its strength should be considerable, having breezed through two challenges while its scale armor remained glossy and unscathed.


    He needed to activate the Thunder Summoning Technique with enough power to call upon the forces of heaven and earth.


    The Black Dragon, merely rolling in the sky, was able to invoke the forces of heaven and earth, causing dark clouds to billow and creating an atmosphere full of desolation and killing intent.


    At this moment, many cultivators also noticed the Black Dragon. Although they did not take any concrete actions, the greed and murderous intent seeping through their eyes were almost tangible!


    The Dragon Clan!


    It had been many years since the Dragon Clan showed themselves!


    The Dragon Clan is indeed filled with treasures from head to toe: scale armor that could be used to forge top-notch defensive spiritual treasures, indestructible dragon claws to create attack treasures, dragon sinews for crafting binding treasures and special artifacts, and dragon blood and viscera for alchemy purposes.


    Dragon meat that could be cooked to enhance physical strength, dragon throats for superior magical system treasures, even dragon saliva was a kind of luxurious ambergris.


    As for the remaining dragon whiskers, Dragon Root, Dragon Eggs, and so forth, they are all valuable goods.


    From head to toe, everything is a treasure.


    And they are all unique treasures.


    Furthermore, members of the Dragon Clan have a habit of collecting treasures, typically storing about sixty to seventy percent of their accrued treasures in their Storage Ring, which they then conceal inside their dragon maw. Therefore, there¡¯s a saying in the Cultivation World.


    To kill a dragon is akin to wiping out a top-tier power.


    Naturally, this saying does contain a bit of exaggeration. A single dragon¡¯s hoard cannot truly match the foundation of a top-tier power, but it¡¯s enough to prove how wealthy the Dragon Clan can be.


    Many Nascent Soul cultivators looked up with eyes reddened by desire, wishing that even if they could only knock down a few scales from the arena to take home, the trip would not be in vain.


    No fighting is allowed outside the arena.


    The Black Dragon, previously excited amidst the dark clouds, suddenly sensed so many malicious gazes and seemed to panic, retracting back into the dark clouds. For a long time, it did not reappear, only its tail moving constantly outside the clouds.


    ¡­


    At this time, the third challenge¡¯s restraints had also been lifted, and all the Nascent Soul cultivators glanced at each other with no extra movements.


    Chen Qiu stood in place with a calm expression, looking at the panel that had emerged above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Third Challenge: Absolute Victory Arena.¡±


    ¡°The field includes one hundred arenas, each with its own number. These numbers correspond to rankings in the Nascent Soul combat power list. After three hours, whoever has defended a number¡¯s arena for the longest time will claim that number on the Nascent Soul combat power rankings.¡±


    ¡°Fighting is not allowed outside the arenas, only one person is allowed to challenge at a time, and one cannot leave the Secret Realm while on an arena.¡±


    ¡°If a challenger fails to defeat the defender within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they automatically concede defeat and are ejected from the arena.¡±


    ¡°Cultivators who make the list receive special rewards and have a unique role during the ¡®Worldly Strife¡¯ version.¡±


    ¨C


    These are the details for the final challenge¡¯s Nascent Soul combat power ranking Secret Realm.


    A system of challenges.


    The final rankings are closely tied to strength, but not solely based on power, which can lead to unexpected dark horses.


    The rules are simple.


    The earlier you ascend, the sooner you begin accumulating defense time for that arena, but it also means you must face challengers first. For instance, if you are the first to stand on arena number one, as long as you have the longest standing time compared to others after three hours, you will be at the top of the Nascent Soul combat power list.


    However, if you are severely injured, even if you originally had the potential to compete for the top three,


    with your injuries, you may not even make it into the top one hundred.


    After all¡­


    There¡¯s such a thing as a relay battle on the arenas.


    There is no rest time. As one person is knocked down, the next challenger immediately follows. You could be worn down to exhaustion. When everyone¡¯s attention is focused on the front-numbered arenas, choosing a rear-numbered arena can be a good strategy.


    Some who originally had no chance of making it into the top hundred might slip in through the back door, so to speak.


    ¡­


    In an instant.


    A hundred breaths later, these hundred-plus Nascent Soul cultivators had already dispersed, and the majority of the arenas were occupied by defenders. After all, with only 130 participants, eliminating 30 wasn¡¯t too difficult.


    However,


    the one exception¡­ was arena number ¡°one,¡± which no one had stepped onto.


    ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    A young monk garbed in a kasaya brought his palms together and chanted the Buddha¡¯s name before standing at the base of the number one arena, neither sad nor happy as he spoke.


    ¡°Monk Kong Ming greets everyone here. Esteemed cultivators, please do not hold back.¡±


    ¡°I invite you to step onto the stage for a challenge.¡±


    As the words fell, a Nascent Soul cultivator standing not far away calmly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ascend the stage for a trial first?¡±


    The young monk did not respond, simply closing his eyes.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, who remained standing in place, looked up and saw the Black Dragon poking its head out of the dark clouds and chuckled lightly. He then slowly walked up to the number one arena, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella. As he slightly lowered his eyelashes, he spent some merit points to check the entries of the people below.

 Chapter 428 - 174:

    Chapter 428: Chapter 174: ¡°Chen Qiu from Quzhou, greetings to everyone.¡±_6


    Among them was this young monk; he remembered the name Kong Ming¡ªa Nascent Soul of the tenth rank that had been listed on the Heavenly Dao Decree. If there was anyone among them who posed the greatest threat to him, it was likely this young monk.


    As for the others, they were not worth fearing.


    Group fight?


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was only at the fifth layer of Nascent Soul cultivation, which was a bit weak and not yet at the peak of Nascent Soul, he would have suggested they all attack him at once.


    In a one-on-one situation, he wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone.


    Although a group fight wouldn¡¯t give him much time to replenish his spiritual energy, he had other means at his disposal.


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young monk, who had been standing beneath the arena with his eyes tightly closed, flashed a trace of surprise in his eyes when he saw Chen Qiu ascend the stage without any hesitation. He then brought his palms together, lowered his head, and chanted Amitabha but did not step forward to challenge. Instead, he patiently waited.


    A momentary lead was meaningless.


    Victory lay in standing to the end.


    It was then that he seemingly casually glanced at a Nascent Soul cultivator beside him. The cultivator slightly narrowed his eyes and gave an imperceptible nod, indicating understanding.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu stood on the stage, his hands resting on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his eyes slightly downcast, remaining motionless as if lost in thought. In reality, he had already scrutinized the entries of the several individuals around him; knowing oneself and the enemy was the key to winning every battle.


    The cost of ten thousand meritorious deeds to check an entry once was something he could easily afford.


    The young monk¡¯s entry took up a full seventeen lines, far surpassing the average Nascent Soul cultivator.


    And it particularly restrained him.


    Several entries were extremely effective against those with heavy sins, and his sins were likely the greatest on the Xuantian Continent. If the young monk could exert one hundred percent of his strength against others, he could exert at least two hundred percent against him.


    It was troublesome.


    So troublesome that¡­ if he didn¡¯t have the Heavenly Gifted Name of ¡°Heavenly Dao Evil Man,¡± it would indeed be a bit difficult to handle.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Gifted Name¡±: Heavenly Dao Evil Man.


    ¡°Name Effect¡±: Ignores all persuasive methods from the Buddhist Sect, Daoist Sects, and alike.


    ¨C


    Unfortunately for them, he had it.


    This meant that he completely nullified the young monk¡¯s restraining measures against him.


    Just then¡ª


    A Nascent Soul Peak cultivator suddenly leaped onto the arena, gazing at Chen Qiu with sincere eyes and said slowly and deliberately, ¡°Quzhou¡¯s Chen Qiu, I¡¯ve long admired your reputation. Your feat of spanning two Great Realms to annihilate the entire Evil Clan has spread across the entire Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°I am also one of your admirers.¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s battle, I seek neither life nor death, only to exchange blows with you for the honor of boasting in the future.¡±


    After offering a series of compliments, the Nascent Soul Peak cultivator didn¡¯t wait for Chen Qiu to respond before spiritual energy suddenly surged out fiercely, and a covert Divine Sense Attack darted towards Chen Qiu¡¯s sea of consciousness, an insidious gleam and ferocity flitting through the depths of his eyes.


    He attacked without pausing and retreated rapidly; countless green droplets floated in the air and in the blink of an eye, shot towards Chen Qiu like sharp needles!


    His only aim was to deplete some of Chen Qiu¡¯s spiritual energy, then jump off the stage to complete his mission; if he could injure Chen Qiu, that would be even better. He was sure he couldn¡¯t defeat Chen Qiu; he still had that much self-awareness.


    There was no need to defeat Chen Qiu.


    He just needed to pave the way for the person behind him. Everyone had their own duty, and his was to pave the way.


    The overwhelming green needles enveloped Chen Qiu in an instant, each needle carrying deadly poison!


    However, this was just the starting move!


    Just as he retreated to the edge of the arena, readying his spiritual energy to initiate his killing move, he suddenly realized that Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, was unexpectedly standing beside him, and the arena had been enveloped by a storm without his notice.


    He didn¡¯t even have time to react.


    Before he knew it, Chen Qiu flicked a Thunder Ball into his mouth.


    ¡­ S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°`


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    Countless Thunder Dragons suddenly exploded on the arena platform, setting off an ear-deafening noise all over the square. Each Thunder Dragon carried an extremely terrifying momentum, hurling about chaotically within the confines of the arena.


    Yet, they did not cause even a slight bit of damage to the surface of the arena, and even the protective barrier that had manifested merely rippled gently. Once the tumult of the battle ceased, the barrier once again faded from sight.


    This peak Nascent Soul cultivator did not die from this attack; he had only sustained severe injuries and lay gasping on the ground, struggling to rise. Supporting himself with his hands on the ground, he kept retreating towards the edge of the arena, trembling as he pleaded.


    ¡°Your Excellency¡­ Your Excellency!¡±


    ¡°Spare my life, didn¡¯t we agree this fight wasn¡¯t to the death? ¡±


    ¡°I no longer pose any threat to you, there¡¯s no need to kill me¡­ is there?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nonchalantly nodded, then walked to the edge of the platform, grabbing the gasping peak Nascent Soul cultivator and dragging him back to the center of the arena. He then took out a small stool from the Heavenly Dao Ring.


    He placed the stool beside the Nascent Soul cultivator, and sat down on it.


    Using his foot to pin down the cultivator¡¯s chest, preventing any movement.


    Only then did he think to himself, and his Twelve Cycles Nascent Soul appeared in his hand. Looking down at the cultivator lying on the ground, his face twisting with pleas for mercy and fear, Chen Qiu suddenly started to laugh lightly.


    ¡°I topped the ¡®Heavenly Dao Evil List¡¯ of the Xuantian Continent with 2.9 billion sin points, why would you think I¡¯m easy to talk to?¡±


    ¡°Because I seem kind?¡±


    ¡°Does a kind appearance mean I should be bullied?¡±


    The next moment!


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The Twelve Cycles Nascent Soul was raised high by Chen Qiu, and he ruthlessly smashed it down onto the head of the peak Nascent Soul cultivator. With this single blow!


    The cultivator, already at death¡¯s door, now had his head reduced to a pulp, with whatever breath he had left being thoroughly extinguished, while an unconscious, feeble sound emerged from his throat.


    ¡°Bang.¡±


    Chen Qiu raised his Twelve Cycles Nascent Soul and targeted the peak Nascent Soul cultivator, fiercely smashing down once more!


    Once, twice!


    Nine times, ten times!


    After exactly twelve strikes, the peak Nascent Soul cultivator no longer had any breath in him, his head shattered like a beheaded Xingtian, brain matter mixing with blood and fragments of skull covering the ground.


    At first, with every strike from Chen Qiu, the peak Nascent Soul cultivator¡¯s body would still twitch.


    After the third time, there was no movement at all.


    Meanwhile, almost every cultivator around was stunned by the scene before them, their throats instinctively constricting as they stared at the No. 1 arena.


    ¡­


    After the twelfth strike was complete.


    Chen Qiu finally let out a sigh of relief, holding the blood-stained Twelve Cycles Nascent Soul in his hand, and slowly stood up in the middle of the platform. He casually glanced at the crowd, revealing a rather gentle smile.


    ¡°Excuse me for the display.¡±


    ¡°Quzhou¡¯s Chen Qiu, sending my regards to everyone here.¡±


    At this moment, the Twelve Cycles Nascent Soul in his hand was covered in sticky blood. The blood dripped down the Nascent Soul¡¯s delicate little legs, pitter-pattering onto the ground. This sound, usually inaudible, now echoed significantly in the hearts of every Nascent Soul cultivator present.


    The cultivators surrounding the No. 1 arena instinctively took a step back, their breaths halting.


    It had been many years.


    They had never seen a battle method like this before. After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, such crude and bloody fight strategies had become a rarity. Usually, battles were fought with spells, various methods, entries, and Spiritual Treasures constantly emerging.


    How could it be¡­ how could it be¡­


    How could someone use their own Nascent Soul to smash an enemy to death, alive.


    To smash them not just to death, but to ensure that the head was pulverized, splattering blood in all directions.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 429 - 175: Isnt This Pure Nonsense?!

    Chapter 429: Chapter 175: Isn¡¯t This Pure Nonsense?!


    Normally, the Cultivation World would definitely not have this kind of fighting style. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not to mention,


    it¡¯s a Nascent Soul we¡¯re talking about, equivalent to another self! After all the hardships of breaking through to the Nascent Soul, do you think it¡¯s meant to be toyed with like this? Yes, indeed everyone knows you possess a Grade 12 Nascent Soul, a Nascent Soul of the Heavenly Dao Top Grade, quite tough.


    But no matter how tough, you can¡¯t just use it like this.


    Isn¡¯t this purely messing around?!


    ¡­


    ...


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood on the stage and looked down at the crowd. Seeing no one speaking, his Nascent Soul removed all the bloodstains with the flow of Spiritual Energy, then he stood up and kept teleporting in mid-air to restore his Spiritual Energy.


    In fact, for a Nascent Soul cultivator, arena battles are not favorable.


    Even though the area of the arena is quite large, it is still quite limiting for a Nascent Soul. Cultivators in the Nascent Soul Stage have various forms of combat, and being confined in a small Secret Realm can indeed seem a bit restrictive.


    Perhaps his ruthless tactics earlier had taken effect.


    For a while, no one else ascended to the arena.


    After all, there were precisely 100 arenas, and they had only about 130 people. As long as one was not among the weakest group, they were certain to make the top 100 and get the corresponding reward; there was simply no need to bother with Chen Qiu.


    They weren¡¯t aiming for the first place anyway.


    No matter who ranked first, it wasn¡¯t going to be them.


    The crazies from Central Zhou weren¡¯t even rushing, so why should he rush?


    For a time¡ª


    Many people looked towards arena number one, where the young monk Kong Ming, draped in a kasaya, stood. He was also an absolute Heavenly Pride who entered the Nascent Soul Stage with a Grade 10 Nascent Soul and was the only one in the early stage of Nascent Soul among the present audience.


    The one with the lowest Cultivation, but no one dared to underestimate him.


    For such an absolute monstrous Heavenly Pride, fighting above his level was quite normal. Just like Chen Qiu, who only had the fifth level of Nascent Soul Cultivation, yet no one dared to confront him now.


    The man who had just been smashed to death on stage had been at the pinnacle of Nascent Soul Cultivation, a dreadful example set before everyone.


    It¡¯s just a pity for Kong Ming.


    If it weren¡¯t for Chen Qiu, Kong Ming, who stepped into Nascent Soul Stage with a Grade 10 Nascent Soul would have definitely made a significant mark in the history of the Xuantian Continent. But now¡­


    For a moment, the glances thrown at the young monk Kong Ming were filled with three parts pity and seven parts schadenfreude.


    Your Grade 10 Nascent Soul can fight above your level, but the other has a Grade 12 Nascent Soul, higher in both Nascent Soul grade and Cultivation. One at Nascent Soul level one, and the other at level five, is the difference that big?


    They were crushed, of course, a bit helpless.


    But seeing a Heavenly Pride, who should have dominated an era, being crushed just the same, suddenly made them feel a lot more balanced internally.


    ¡­


    Just like that, the situation at the arena froze for a while, while the other arenas were buzzing with heated fights, back and forth, with only arena number one as if being ignored by everyone.


    And so, an hour passed by in a flash.


    The third phase only lasted for three hours, and whoever held the arena the longest would be the leader of the ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking.¡± This meant that in an hour, even if Chen Qiu voluntarily stepped down from the arena, the leader position would still be his, unchallenged.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    The young monk standing below, clothed in a kasaya, brought his palms together and spoke humbly, before his body transformed into a beam of Buddha Light and suddenly stood opposite Chen Qiu on arena number one, ¡°Benefactor, please make your move.¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing in place, looked at Kong Ming, who had just the first level of Nascent Soul Cultivation. It had always been him who had fought above his level to challenge others, and this was the first time he encountered someone fighting above their level to challenge him.


    Grade 10 Nascent Soul, Kong Ming.


    Very well.


    Dealing with such an enemy, he needed to try some methods first.


    Almost instantly, Chen Qiu detonated an entry, and immediately, the entire air seemed to stiffen, and a terrifying pressure erupted from within the air, a deafening thunderbolt struck down from the clouds towards the arena!


    A full strike from a fifth-level Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivation!


    As this attack appeared, it immediately attracted the attention of people from other arenas, the terrifying power and pressure slightly trembling the hearts of the onlookers. In their eyes, Kong Ming was already as good as dead.


    An early Nascent Soul, how could he withstand a full strike from a fifth-level Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivation!


    Kong Ming¡¯s face changed drastically in an instant. His palms pressed together as his body, like a pine tree, rapidly moved his mouth, muttering Buddhist Scriptures. It was impossible to avoid, all he could do now was to block this strike!


    Accompanied by an eruption of Spiritual Energy.


    A layer of gold light, engraved with Buddha¡¯s text, suddenly appeared on the surface of Kong Ming¡¯s body, and the kasaya he wore fluttered noiselessly, emitting a blinding light.


    Blinding golden light emerged from Kong Ming, as if Buddha himself had descended.


    However¡ª


    Not enough.


    This method couldn¡¯t block a full strike from a fifth-level Divinity Transformation Stage. Immediately, the Buddha Beads in Kong Ming¡¯s hands that had a hundred and eight beads suddenly disintegrated, each bead engraved with Buddha¡¯s text also flashing brightly, spiraling around his body.


    And then, he had no other moves to make as the full strike from the fifth-level Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivation was already upon his head.


    ¡­


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    The deafening explosion enveloped the entire arena. The arena, previously unbreakable, now had become pockmarked, although each pit was only about the size of a fist, it had nonetheless been damaged.


    It¡¯s worth noting that before this, Chen Qiu¡¯s full strike with the Thunder Summoning Technique hadn¡¯t caused any damage to the arena.

 Chapter 430 - 175: Isnt this purely messing around?!_2

    Chapter 430: Chapter 175: Isn¡¯t this purely messing around?!_2


    In fact, logically speaking,


    this attack should not be considered a full-power strike from a fifth-layer Divinity Transformation Cultivator. After all, Divinity Transformation Cultivators have many techniques at their disposal, such as the most famous ¡°Domain¡±. Once a Divinity Transformation Domain is invoked, there wouldn¡¯t be so much laughing and joking around.


    The Self-Destruction Term is a full-power strike that crosses a Great Realm. It utilizes the higher concentration and potency of Spiritual Energy from a higher realm and fully stimulates a spell to crush the enemy.


    To say it is a full-power strike is not incorrect.


    After all, if a fifth-layer Divinity Transformation Cultivator, without resorting to special methods such as Domain, relies solely on their vast and dense Spiritual Energy and current potency, that indeed would be their strongest strike.


    However, in actual combat, it is not considered so.


    ...


    But even so!


    A full-power strike from a fifth-layer Divinity Transformation Cultivator is not something a Nascent Soul early-stage Cultivator could withstand. At this moment, Kong Ming was covered in scars and bloodstains, and the golden Buddha Light emanating from the Kasaya he wore had already dimmed, now looking no different from an ordinary Kasaya.


    Furthermore, around him were seventy to eighty dimmed and shattered Buddha Beads.


    Heavy, rasping breaths trembled out of Kong Ming¡¯s throat.


    Staggering as he stood his ground, Kong Ming raised his head to look at Chen Qiu opposite him, his eyes full of rage. He was naturally familiar with the tactic of Self-Destruction Term, but he had never imagined Chen Qiu would possess such an entry.


    If it had been anywhere else,


    dodging this strike would have been the end of it. The Self-Destruction Term requires sacrificing an entry as its price. How many entries do you have to sacrifice for such self-destruction?


    But here!


    This is precisely the arena, and he has nowhere to dodge!


    There is a rule in the fighting arena.


    ¡°If the challenger does not defeat the defender within the time of one cup of tea, they automatically concede and are ejected from the arena.¡±


    There is also a corresponding rule.


    Within one cup of tea from the start of the challenge, the arena¡¯s barrier will be activated, and within this time, one may not leave the arena. The space of the arena is so limited, having no way to dodge, he could only brace for the hit!


    That was a full-power strike from a fifth-layer Divinity Transformation Cultivator!


    Kong Ming lowered his head to look at the shattered beads on the ground, his eyes filled with distress. The rosary of one hundred and eight beads was a treasured relic of the Buddhist Sect, an invaluable asset for exorcising demons and evil. Even without unleashing its full power, casually tossing out a single bead and allowing it to self-destruct would result in a full-force attack akin to that of a peak Nascent Soul Cultivator.


    But now!


    To block the full-force attack of a fifth-layer Divinity Transformation Cultivator, seventy to eighty of his one hundred and eight beads had shattered, and even his treasured Kasaya from the Buddhist Sect had dimmed significantly.


    However, no matter.


    Kong Ming slowly took a deep breath, and the Shariputra hovering above his Dantian began to spin rapidly. A great amount of Buddha Light swirled out, quickly healing the wounds on his body, and under the shine of the Buddha Light,


    the treasured Kasaya and rosaries of the Buddhist Sect also gradually regained their former luster.


    Even the shattered Buddha Beads that had fallen to the ground were slowly gathering together, as if they were about to fuse back into one.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the Self-Destruction Term.¡±


    A Nascent Soul peak-stage Cultivator watching from below the arena said, ¡°It¡¯s a fairly rare entry; by paying the cost of sacrificing any given entry, one can unleash a strike comparable to the full force of crossing a Great Realm!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a divine-level entry for fighting above one¡¯s level.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not without drawbacks. First of all, attacks from the Self-Destruction Term cannot be locked on by Divine Sense, which means, unless you are very close to your opponent, or if your opponent is too fast, this strike is very likely to miss. Secondly, this entry indeed consumes a lot of other entries.¡±


    ¡°Every so often, you hear news of a Heavenly Pride using the Self-Destruction Term in some Heavenly Dao Secret Realm to defeat enemies above their level.¡±


    This Nascent Soul peak-stage Cultivator looked enviously at Chen Qiu standing in the arena: ¡°Why can¡¯t I be this lucky, to randomly acquire a Self-Destruction Term, given there are no entry jade slips for it, one can only rely on chance.¡±


    ¡°Even Chen Qiu is only at the fifth-layer Nascent Soul stage now. Without any special opportunities, from Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, to Nascent Soul, in total there are only three entry three-choices opportunities, among which Qi Refinement is a fixed random single entry without the three-choices opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Even with Qi Refinement, that¡¯s only four opportunities in total. How did he randomly obtain the Self-Destruction Term, a divine-level entry for early-stage fighting above one¡¯s level, is his luck really that good?¡±


    ¡°Who can say it isn¡¯t,¡± agreed a man with fluttering white hair standing nearby, similarly heaving a sigh: ¡°I still remember my hands shaking when I faced the three choices during my Nascent Soul breakthrough. Luck is something ephemeral, but it truly exists.¡±


    ¡°`


    The Self-Destruction Term was quite well-known on the Xuantian Continent.


    A rather rare term for early-stage cultivators to challenge those of higher levels.


    Why is it said to be for the early stage? In the later stages of combat, methods are not only about Spiritual Energy. Various Domains, imposing pressure, and so on, are elements that the Self-Destruction Term cannot simulate.


    Though quite rare,


    its appearance always caused quite a stir, sparking a frenzy to acquire all kinds of entry jade slips, regardless of whether the entries were useful or not. As long as it was an entry jade slip, it was collected.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at Kong Ming, who was preparing to counterattack, and raised an eyebrow slightly. It was no surprise that the owner of a tenth-grade Nascent Soul had such survival tactics, though they seemed somewhat ineffective against him.


    But that was to be expected, after all, he was a Heavenly Pride.


    Even if this attack had hit him, it wouldn¡¯t have killed him.


    However¡­


    His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the golden Buddha Light spreading out from Kong Ming¡¯s belly, which was actually capable of repairing magic treasures and wounds, and at a rather fast pace. If this Buddha Light were unlimited, wouldn¡¯t it be the equivalent of carrying a spring with oneself?


    As long as one didn¡¯t die on the spot, they could recover from injuries quickly, even easily repairing damaged magic treasures.


    Nice thing.


    He kind of wanted it.


    It looked like it was in the Dantian.


    The term he had previously detonated was the last useless one he had collected from the Yuan Sect, and now he no longer had any discarded entries. After glancing at his panel, he crushed another term.


    ¡°Deficient of the Heavens.¡±


    This term that had accompanied him for quite a while was now used in his self-destruction. This term didn¡¯t actually have much use and didn¡¯t help much with combat power.


    But he did feel a bit reluctant to use it, as it had been with him for a long time. He was known for being somewhat nostalgic. The only effect it probably had was that, when closing his eyes during a night of passion, one could experience double the pleasure.


    Considered a special auxiliary term.


    In certain scenarios, it became an irreplaceable term, achieving effects that no other term could replicate.


    But looking at his panel, every other term was more useful than the next, and they were mostly in groups. He couldn¡¯t afford to discard any of them, so the only one he could part with was this one.


    First, he dropped two big moves to test the waters and gauge the opponent¡¯s level, then he would take his time and play.


    Just so he wouldn¡¯t capsize in the gutter.


    After all, someone with only the first layer of Nascent Soul cultivation daring to challenge him must have some confident methods. He was aware of the effects of Kong Ming¡¯s entries and had prepared how to counter them, but he was unclear about the Buddhist Secret Techniques.


    He didn¡¯t expect to kill him with one hit; he would first whittle down his state.


    But it must be said¡­


    Kong Ming really was tough. His Self-Destruction Term had killed two at the Divinity Transformation Stage in Great Yuan City, but he couldn¡¯t kill someone at the early stage of Nascent Soul. How many treasures do you carry on your body, and that Kasaya is really tough.


    Immediately afterward¡ª Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just as Kong Ming had staggered to his feet, full of rage and ready to strike back, the familiar pressure of Divinity Transformation once again enveloped the entire arena. Kong Ming, who paused for a moment, looked up at the thunder cleaving towards him, carrying the pressure of Divinity Transformation.


    His expression changed slightly.


    Without any hesitation, the Buddha¡¯s texts on his Kasaya burst forth with golden light once more, and a breeze started out of nowhere.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ps: There will be two more updates later, probably by tomorrow morning. I type a bit slowly; it takes me all night to finish.


    My schedule has been a bit off these days, typing at night.


    But there¡¯s also a plus; I feel like my brain¡¯s sharper at night, even though it makes the update time later than before, more like the underworld.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 431 - 176:

    Chapter 431: Chapter 176: ¡°Who Dares Insult Emperor Black Dragon?!


    The shattered beads that had fallen to the ground had not yet fully merged, the remaining dozens of beads bursting with Buddha Light in an attempt to block the strike.


    Kong Ming, his complexion slightly pale, had just prepared to raise his head for a glimpse when the full-force strike of the Thunder Summoning Technique from a fifth-level Divinity Transformation slammed into him.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the Nascent Soul combat power leaderboard, the appearance of Divinity Transformation combat power was somewhat unfair.


    After all, no matter how formidable the Heavenly Pride, they all had to bow their heads before the might of Divinity Transformation combat power.


    Even though this full-force strike from the fifth-level Divinity Transformation Cultivation was merely leveraging the realm to deliver a full-force blow without any entry bonus, nor anything like a Divine Domain.


    ...


    But even so!


    This was still Divinity!


    An insurmountable chasm for those at the Nascent Soul stage!


    In the presence of Divinity, even if you were a one hundred and eighth-grade Nascent Soul, you would still have to respectfully bow your head. That¡¯s just how it is¡­ Well, if there really was a one hundred and eighth-grade Nascent Soul, pressing down on a Divinity Transformation with a hammer should be no problem at all.


    When quantity reaches a certain degree, quality can become somewhat irrelevant.


    It¡¯s like how a Golden Core Peak could slaughter dozens of those at the Foundation Establishment stage as easily as slaughtering dogs; even if there were a hundred cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, it might require some effort but would still be easy. But what if there were a hundred thousand, a million, or even a hundred million at the Foundation Establishment stage?


    ¡­


    When the full-force strike of the Thunder Summoning Technique from the fifth-level Divinity Transformation Cultivation struck Kong Ming, the entire arena shook.


    The barrier surrounding the arena also buzzed ceaselessly under this onslaught, clearly on the verge of collapse, even though the arena here was much sturdier than that of the Secret Realm of the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard in Da Xia Country.


    But after all, it was a Nascent Soul Secret Realm.


    The Divinity Transformation combat power was somewhat excessive.


    As the sky full of lightning arcs dissipated, Kong Ming lay on the ground, his body charred, his kasaya that had been forcefully activated now completely dull, and those few remaining beads also utterly shattered.


    Protective Spirit Qi was blasted away.


    The whole person looked quite a mess, already on the brink of death.


    Years of arduous cultivation resulted in a First Grade Nascent Soul!


    Descending the mountain to seek the path of enlightenment was solely to bring glory to the Buddhist Sect!


    Yet¡ª


    Having just ascended the stage, before he could do anything, he was bombarded by two fifth-level Divinity Transformation spells until he was nearly delirious. As a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, withstanding two full-force strikes from fifth-level Divinity Transformation Cultivation without dying was already commendable enough in itself.


    It could even become a boastful asset.


    It just felt somewhat regretful that the advantages of a First Grade Nascent Soul had not been utilized at all.


    The advantages of a First Grade Nascent Soul roughly fall into a few categories.


    The first, the Nascent Soul of Heavenly Dao, constantly cultivates itself, which is useless on the stage.


    The second, heightened Divine Sense, and he hadn¡¯t even managed to make a move.


    The third, denser and more powerful Spiritual Energy, and he hadn¡¯t even managed to make a move.


    The fourth, extremely tough, which would be a strong asset in out-of-body combat, but he hadn¡¯t had the chance to act, and even if he did, he still wouldn¡¯t beat Chen Qiu¡¯s twelfth-grade Nascent Soul.


    To put it bluntly.


    The strength of a First Grade Nascent Soul mainly lies in these four points, but none of these points had been utilized by Kong Ming; having a First Grade Nascent Soul was no different from having an Eighth Grade one.


    Just when everyone in the arena thought Kong Ming was about to completely perish,


    they saw the Shariputra at Kong Ming¡¯s abdomen once again emit a ray of Buddha Light, enveloping him like ocean waves before his wounds began to rapidly heal.


    Immediately after, with no hesitation, Kong Ming, enduring the pain of his injuries, quickly sat up cross-legged on the spot.


    Eyes tightly shut.


    Palms pressed together, his lips quickly moving.


    ¡°With a righteous heart, demons struggle to invade; with a wavering heart, demons take advantage.¡±


    ¡°With barriers in the heart, demons take residence; with anger, demons cause disturbance.¡±


    As the first word sounded, a ¡®Heart¡¯ character, emitting Golden Light of the Buddhist Sect, slowly appeared in the sky. With every word Kong Ming uttered, a character radiated in golden light suspended in mid-air.


    After rapidly finishing the two sentences,


    ten characters had appeared in the air, forming two lines, their emitted Buddha Light capable of suppressing all evil spirits, instilling fear in all who saw them, especially among the Nascent Soul Cultivators present, several of whom were practitioners of Evil Cultivation and Demon Cultivation. Seeing this scene, their faces instantly turned pale.


    ¡­


    ¡°Buddhist Secret Skill, Demon Driving Spell!¡±


    Below the arena.


    An Evil Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Peak instinctively stepped back a few paces, and said with a tremble in his voice, ¡°It¡¯s one of the Buddhist Sect¡¯s secret techniques, only known by the contemporary Buddhist Disciples, a secret technique that can only be learned after a series of extremely harsh conditions have been met and a transformation has taken place within the Buddhist Sect¡¯s Secret Realm!¡±


    ¡°It is a Buddhist Secret Technique that has a strong correlation with merit!¡±


    ¡°The higher the merit, the greater the power of the technique!¡±


    ¡°Kong Ming has a whopping 3.4 billion merit points on the ¡®Heavenly Continent Merit Leaderboard¡¯. The power of the Demon Driving Spell cast with such terrifying merit points will be extremely astonishing. It¡¯s said that the conditions to master this Buddhist Secret Technique are extremely harsh, and even the shortest time someone took to master it was ten years.¡±


    ¡°And Kong Ming is only thirty-seven this year and has already mastered this secret technique. Truly fearsome indeed!¡±


    Others might only have some understanding and not much of an impression of this Buddhist Secret Technique, but these practitioners of Evil Cultivation have a deep memory of it, as this Buddhist Secret Technique is specifically designed to eliminate those like them, as well as all those with evil intentions.


    To put it concretely,


    those ten characters themselves hold no power but serve to enlighten. Upon doing so, the enemy becomes repentant, shedding tears of remorse, dropping all defenses, and kneeling before them to admit wrongs.

 Chapter 432 - 176:

    Chapter 432: Chapter 176: ¡°Who Dares to Insult Emperor Black Dragon?!¡±_2


    ¡°The greater the merit value of the spellcaster, the better the conversion effect.¡±


    ¡°And the higher the enemy¡¯s sin value, the better the conversion effect.¡±


    ¡°The Nascent Soul pinnacle Evil Cultivator glanced at the sin and merit value leaderboards, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Chen Qiu might be in trouble this time.¡±


    ¡°That baldy has a whopping 3.4 billion merit value.¡±


    ¡°While Chen Qiu has 2.9 billion sin value.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It can be said to be the extreme of one growing as the other diminishes.¡±


    ...


    ¡°At this moment, the audience below, upon hearing the explanation of the Evil Cultivator, also roughly understood the terror of this secret technique and looked at the platform with complicated expressions. Sometimes, facing these unparalleled Heavenly Prides really makes them feel inferior.¡±


    ¡°They considered their Cultivation to be high enough; who wasn¡¯t a Heavenly Pride when young?¡±


    ¡°Without being Heavenly Prides, could they have reached the Nascent Soul pinnacle?¡±


    ¡°But the thing about Heavenly Prides is, not afraid of anything else, they just fear comparison. Once compared, there¡¯s no way out.¡±


    ¡°As expected¡ª¡±


    ¡°When those ten characters of Golden Light Buddha Sect floated in the sky above Kong Ming, Chen Qiu, who had been standing still, slowly walked toward Kong Ming, his pace considerably slow, clearly having lost his rationality. If he was still rational, he should be fully engaging his movement technique to interrupt Kong Ming¡¯s spellcasting at this moment!¡±


    ¡°Alas¡­¡±


    ¡°In a moment.¡±


    ¡°A trace of pity flashed in the eyes of many; although Chen Qiu¡¯s rise had nothing to do with their direct interests, his fall had nothing to do with them either. But after all, Chen Qiu¡¯s reputation had been very prominent recently, and they also wanted to see how far Chen Qiu could ultimately go.¡±


    ¡°Now it seems, this is as far as it goes.¡±


    ¡°Kong Ming is only a first-layer Nascent Soul in Cultivation, not very strong in that regard, but one can¡¯t ignore that he carries the thousand-year heritage of the Buddhist Sect. The Buddhist Sect is a top-tier force in Central State; it seems like two people are fighting on the stage.¡±


    ¡°But in reality, standing behind Kong Ming is the whole Buddhist Sect, the years of heritage the Buddhist Sect has accumulated.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, on the other hand, has no one behind him.¡±


    ¡°There is the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°But what heritage can a sect that doesn¡¯t have its own territory, just recently risen, speak of?¡±


    ¡°But just then¡ª¡±


    ¡°On the stage, Chen Qiu, already slowly walking to Kong Ming¡¯s front with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in hand, withdrew the umbrella and indifferently pulled out a small stool to sit in front of Kong Ming. Unbeknownst to them, he had also taken out his twelve-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°This scene, why the hell does it look so familiar?¡±


    ¡°Hadn¡¯t they seen it somewhere before?!¡±


    ¡°For a moment, the Nascent Soul Cultivators below the stage and on the other platforms were somewhat incredulously stunned in place. No¡­ It couldn¡¯t be?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°On the stage.¡±


    ¡°Chanting sutras?¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu sat in front of Kong Ming, his left hand caressing Kong Ming¡¯s bald head, his right hand raising his twelve-grade Nascent Soul high, revealing a gentle and amiable smile.¡±


    ¡°The tone was as if asking whether you had eaten today.¡±


    ¡°Just a normal greeting.¡±


    ¡°And then!¡±


    ¡°Kong Ming¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide, staring directly at Chen Qiu, a shock flashing in the depths of his gaze, yet he still sat cross-legged in place with his palms together, unmovable, but his lips moved faster and faster, chanting sutras at greater speed.¡±


    ¡°The ten Buddha characters in the sky emitted increasingly strong Golden Light.¡±


    ¡°In his view, he, with 3.4 billion merit value, propelled this Buddhist Secret Skill, while Chen Qiu had 2.9 billion sin value¡ªit was impossible to have no effect at all. Chen Qiu must be desperately resisting, and all he needed to do was exert more effort.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, why would Chen Qiu have to come in front of him with Nascent Soul in hand ready to smash him?¡±


    ¡°If truly unaffected, why not just stand still and bombard him with spells?¡±


    ¡°Surely, Chen Qiu¡¯s Spiritual Energy had been restricted by his Golden Light Buddha Sect, a sign that the Demon Driving Spell had already begun to have a conversion success. As long as he continued to drive the Demon Driving Spell, he could gradually restrain Chen Qiu¡¯s body and Divine Sense, eventually fully converting Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu looked satisfied sitting in front of Kong Ming, reluctantly caressing the bald head and lightly tapping it with his knuckles, ¡®It¡¯s a good head, brittle.¡¯ ¡±


    ¡°Then he stood up with Nascent Soul in hand.¡±


    ¡°Holding his twelve-grade Nascent Soul aloft, he aimed at Kong Ming¡¯s head and smashed down hard!¡±


    ¡°Bang!!!¡±


    ¡°Just with that one hit.¡±


    ¡°Kong Ming was knocked to the ground, his head starting to bleed profusely, clearly seriously injured. Yet Kong Ming¡¯s body didn¡¯t shake at all; he maintained the cross-legged sitting posture, palms together and rapidly chanting the Demon Driving Spell.¡±


    ¡°The ten glowing characters above continued to emit Golden Light.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, holding the twelve-grade Nascent Soul, looked up at the ten large characters above, then looked down at the four large characters ¡®Heavenly Dao Evil Man¡¯ carved on his own Nascent Soul, shaking his head and chuckling lightly.¡±


    ¡°-¡±


    ¡°¡®Heavenly Gifted Name¡¯: Heavenly Dao Evil Man.¡±


    ¡°¡®Effect of the Name¡¯: Immune to all forms of conversion by the Buddhist Sect, Daoist Sects, and the like.¡±


    ¡°-¡±


    ¡°Is this the Buddhist Secret Skill?¡±


    ¡°Very strong!¡±


    ¡°Just seems to be of not much use to him!¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu took a deep breath, looked at Kong Ming lying on the ground, and furiously smashed his head again!¡±


    ¡°Once, twice!¡±


    ¡°Four times, five times!¡±


    ¡°By the fifth smash, Kong Ming¡¯s head was already a bloody mush, seemingly losing consciousness. Just as Chen Qiu prepared to deliver the final blow, suddenly he saw Kong Ming shakily take out a token from the Storage Ring, holding it in his hand, his eyes filled with fierceness looking at him.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, holding the Nascent Soul overhead, suddenly paused.¡±


    ¡°This token¡­¡±


    ¡°Why the hell does it look so familiar?¡±


    ¡°Then, almost instantly, Chen Qiu maximized his speed, with a Storm howling into existence, a Small Thunderball emerging in his palm, furiously slamming into Kong Ming¡¯s abdomen!¡±

 Chapter 433 - 176:

    Chapter 433: Chapter 176: ¡°Who Dares to Insult Emperor Black Dragon?!¡±_3


    This strike was meant for Kong Ming¡¯s life!


    He faintly saw the words ¡°Merit Defense¡­¡± on the token!


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Just as he launched the attack, Kong Ming¡¯s face twisted grotesquely as he crushed the token in his hand!


    It was almost instantaneous.


    Chen Qiu felt a powerful force pushing him away, and then he saw an extremely terrifying wound on Kong Ming¡¯s abdomen from his recent strike, now profusely bleeding, with his body enveloped in a seven-colored light.


    ...


    ¡°Merit Defense Order?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards Kong Ming, who was frantically swallowing Healing Pills, and raised his eyebrows slightly. Indeed, anything that wasn¡¯t unique meant that if he had it, others could too, especially such top forces with thousands of years of heritage.


    The Merit Defense activated with 3.4 billion merit points was probably not something he could break through.


    But at this moment, Kong Ming was also on the brink of death, completely devoid of the strength to fight.


    Struggling to crawl to the edge of the stage, he only awaited the moment the barrier of the stage disappeared to jump off the stage and then leave the Secret Realm, thus saving his life. There was certainly no chance for a counterattack.


    His entire body, cloaked in Spiritual Treasures, was blasted to smithereens by two unreasonably powerful strikes from someone at the fifth level of Divinity Transformation!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0


    But for Buddhist Secret Treasures, even if shattered, it was no matter!


    As long as under the Buddha Light, the shattered Secret Treasure could quickly regenerate, restoring its form against the current assault, and the Shariputra in Kong Ming¡¯s Dantian could release Buddha Light at any moment, giving Kong Ming a chance to recover the Buddhist Secret Treasure.


    Only¡­


    Chen Qiu gave him no such time.


    And¡ª


    ¡°Chen Qiu!¡±


    As Kong Ming, on the verge of death, struggled to the edge of the stage, covering his bleeding abdomen, he looked weakly at Chen Qiu and said, word by word, ¡°Give back the Grade Ten Nascent Soul and Shariputra in your hand, and let¡¯s call off our grudge!¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Sect spent over a thousand years of heritage to let me achieve the Grade Ten Nascent Soul. If you take it away, you will forge a deadly feud with the Buddhist Sect, never to rest!¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Sect will use all its connections and resources built up over many years to pursue you at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Return it to me now, and all is forgiven.¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Sect is a top force in Central State, you can¡¯t bear the consequences.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Below the stage, a cloaked young Nascent Soul slightly tilted his head, seemingly pondering upon hearing Kong Ming; his words sounded strangely familiar.


    It felt oddly familiar.


    Was everyone speaking from a script?


    Why were your lines exactly the same?


    Can¡¯t you change the script?


    ¡­


    ¡°Nice stuff.¡±


    At that moment on the stage, Chen Qiu was cheerfully looking at two small objects in his hand, his spoils of war. Before Kong Ming activated the Merit Defense Order, he had shattered Kong Ming¡¯s abdomen and dug them out from his Dantian.


    This was his second time digging into a living person¡¯s Dantian.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been so practiced at it.


    The last time, at ¡°Su Family,¡± where he had dug out Mei Ya¡¯s Golden Core, had given him plenty of experience, which came in handy this time. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t have been so adept. Surprisingly, he suddenly remembered that woman¡¯s name again.


    The two little objects in his hand.


    One was a Grade Ten Nascent Soul, and the other, a Shariputra.


    While shattering Kong Ming¡¯s abdomen, he had casually scooped these two items out. Originally, he merely wanted to try if he could extract a Nascent Soul, but it turned out to be a buy-one-get-one-free deal, offering a high cost-performance ratio.


    ¨C


    ¡®Treasure Name¡¯: Grade Ten Nascent Soul.


    ¡®Acquisition Source¡¯: ¡­


    ¡®Usage Effect¡¯:


    1: Can be used as a material in creating a Divine Domain.


    2: Can serve in certain special scenes as a sacrificial item to obtain extraordinary benefits.


    3:¡­etc.


    ¨C


    Purely good stuff.


    The Grade Ten Nascent Soul, to put it bluntly, might be the only one in the entire Xuantian Continent. From some perspectives, this thing is considered to have a unique attribute indeed.


    And it can also be used as a material in creating a Divine Domain.


    He didn¡¯t understand much about Divinity Transformation, nor about what a Divine Domain is.


    But he could guess a bit.


    There must be differences in strength among Divine Domains, and the distinction in strength probably depends on your Cultivation and what kind of genius treasures you use to cultivate your Domain, which means the Domain Grade.


    It can also serve as a sacrificial item.


    Undoubtedly a good thing, and even a little bald-headed.


    He had experimented, his Nascent Soul could swallow any heavenly treasure daily, and pull out a corresponding Grade random item for him, thanks to the ¡°eat and excrete¡± effect this entry had given him.


    His Nascent Soul only consumes heavenly treasures.


    It does not consume stuff like Magic Jade Scrolls, Nascent Souls, Golden Cores, Spiritual Treasures, etc.


    It eats only items like Eight Desolate Fruit, Evil Wood, and such heavenly treasures.


    Then he looked at the other treasure, the Shariputra panel; just now, it must have been this item continuously providing Buddha Light, allowing Kong Ming¡¯s injuries and Magic Treasure to keep recovering constantly.


    It¡¯s like a personal fountain.


    This item indeed made him quite envious, and he wondered whether he could place it in his own Dantian.


    He also really wanted it.


    ¨C


    ¡®Treasure Name¡¯: Thousand-year-old Shariputra.


    ¡®Acquisition Source¡¯: Attained from an old monk upon his demise in meditation.


    ¡®Usage Effect¡¯:


    1: When placed within the Dantian and activated, it can emit rich and majestic Buddha Light, healing injuries, repairing Secret Treasures, and significantly enhancing the power of Buddhist Secret Skills and Cultivation progress, bursting immediately if not wholly devoted to Buddhism upon entering the body.


    2: Essential material for creating the Divine Domain ¡®Buddha Kingdom in Palm.¡¯ S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 434 - 176:

    Chapter 434: Chapter 176: ¡°Who Dares to Insult Emperor Black Dragon?!¡±_4


    3:¡­etc.


    ¨C


    ¡°Nice haul.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled with satisfaction, unabashedly pocketing the two items into his Heavenly Dao Ring right in front of Kong Ming, with no intention of returning them.


    This thousand-year-old Shariputra can be considered a treasure of the Buddhist Sect!


    For Buddhist Disciples, it¡¯s like carrying around a personal spring, akin to an Artifact Cultivator with a quick-repairing secret treasure, a weakened version of a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for constant consumption, and an enhancement to all combat capabilities.


    ...


    The difference in combat power between Buddhist Disciples with and without this Shariputra is like night and day.


    Whether it¡¯s combat power.


    Or the speed of cultivation, they¡¯re entirely different.


    That¡¯s good.


    Unfortunately, he¡¯s not a disciple of the Buddhist Sect, nor can he focus wholeheartedly on Buddhism; this item is useless to him as he can¡¯t place it inside his Dantian, but perhaps it could have other uses¡­


    Selling it off will do; after all, it¡¯ll end up being sold to members of the Buddhist Sect anyway.


    The Buddhist Sect is already after him sparing no expense, how could he possibly fund the enemy.


    Sparing no expense¡­ hmm¡­ perhaps there could be peak Divinity Transformation experts, or even stronger ones?


    He just needed to make his escape after leaving here; that wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    However, even though he cannot use the item for himself, he could use it to feed his Nascent Soul, which he had experimented with using his Divine Sense; it seemed consumable. Although the Nascent Soul did not open its mouth, at least it didn¡¯t resist.


    Previously, when he used his Nascent Soul¡¯s body to feed his Nascent Soul, he could feel a force from the heaven and earth trying to stop him.


    He had thought that the only things the Nascent Soul could consume were naturally occurring treasures such as the Eight Desolate Fruit and Evil Wood.


    It hadn¡¯t occurred to him that even man-made items like Shariputra could be consumed.


    ¡­


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about this. He would take a look after returning. What¡¯s most important now is that although Kong Ming activated the Merit Defense Order worth 3.4 billion merit points, it was definitely unbreakable by him.


    But unlike the Merit Attack Order, once the Merit Defense Order is activated, if no attacks are received, there is no merit point consumption after one hour.


    Within that hour, it will deduct merit points according to the strength of the attacks received.


    Therefore, he could try to see if he could deplete more of Kong Ming¡¯s merit points.


    Right after that¡ª


    Dark clouds gathered, and a storm brewed.


    Chen Qiu floated in mid-air above the arena, the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella transformed into a Spirit Bow in his hand, and at the same time, a slender purple-blue arrow, covered in arcs of lightning, slowly emerged on the bow.


    No need for Divine Sense locking.


    Aim, pull the bowstring to its limit, and let it shoot forth!


    Simultaneously, the Nascent Soul also shot out towards Kong Ming, with the Divine Sense Attack ¡°Heart-piercing Stab¡± accompanying it.


    Several kinds of attacks launched all at once!


    These are pretty much his basic go-to attack methods at the moment.


    ¡­


    After nearly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the barrier around the arena slowly dissipated, signifying that it was possible to leave the arena, and Kong Ming was the first to fall down strugglingly from the arena.


    Before even hitting the ground, he transformed into white light and vanished from the spot, clearly having left the Secret Realm.


    But before leaving,


    That one look he gave Chen Qiu, filled with anger and fierceness, meant this matter wasn¡¯t over; this arena fight was just a beginning, not an end.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head as he looked at Kong Ming dissipating into white light, sighing with some helplessness.


    On the merit rankings of the Xuantian Continent, Kong Ming¡¯s merit points were 3.4 billion; Chen Qiu did not know whether that was followed by ten million or ninety million since the rankings rounded the numbers and did not show the details.


    But whether it¡¯s ten million or ninety million.


    He bombarded Kong Ming with attacks for nearly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, genuinely going all out with firepower¡ªsupplementing Spiritual Energy as it ran out, and letting the Nascent Soul take over during the replenishing process.


    In the face of all this, right up until Kong Ming left, his merit points were still 3.4 billion.


    At least without considering the trailing numbers, there was zero change in the main figure.


    Bad news: He hardly consumed any of Kong Ming¡¯s merit points; those merit points were too durable.


    Good news: He had even more merit points, a whole 87.9 billion, and if Kong Ming¡¯s 3.4 billion were that durable, then when he activated the Merit Defense Order, he might well be impenetrable within an hour, even if several peak Divinity Transformation experts besieged him.


    Yes, 87.9 billion merit points.


    Without the slightest change.


    Even though over the past few days, he continuously used merit points to view others¡¯ entries, there was virtually no consumption in terms of merit points; at least there was no change in the main figure.


    If Kong Ming had taken the offensive with Buddhist Secret Skills as soon as he stepped onto the arena, maybe he wouldn¡¯t have lost so quickly.


    Or perhaps he could have been more straightforward.


    If he had activated the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± as soon as he stepped onto the stage, then indeed Chen Qiu would have been temperless, but neither could Kong Ming kill him. Chen Qiu could simply jump off the arena after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and then come up again after one hour when Kong Ming¡¯s Merit Defense Order ran out. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all, just occupying the arena for over an hour and a half is enough.


    I¡¯ll grant you an hour.


    In this way, no matter how you review it, Kong Ming¡¯s chances of victory were not great, since he was just a Nascent Soul-level cultivator who got baffled by two Self-Destruction Terms right at the start.


    There was no follow-up.


    ¡­


    On the arena, Chen Qiu looked at his panel.


    ¨C


    ¡°Name¡±: Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Nascent Soul Fifth Layer (20.9%).


    ¡°Entries¡±: Step by Step Higher, Spiritual Energy Intimidating, Dantian Expansion (unique), Self-Destruction Term, Focused Power (Thunder Summoning Technique), Recovery Wind, Strategy upon Strategy, Slippery, To My Use, Lunar Night Demon Wolf, Real and Illusion, Supporting Each Other, Dual Casting, Imperial Decree Regular, Ten Layers of Spellcasting, Storm, Naturally Forged Forty-Nine, All Techniques Combined, Umbrella World, All-Knowing, Merit Saint, Merit Protection, Adding Frost to Snow, Supreme Body Technique, Rapid Progress, Endless, One Feed One Pull, Nascent Soul Defense, Time Will Come, True Eye.

 Chapter 435 - 176:

    Chapter 435: Chapter 176: ¡°Who Dares to Insult Emperor Black Dragon?!¡±_5


    ¡°Cultivation Technique¡±: Earth Tunneling Technique, Blinding Technique, Thunder Summoning Technique, Nine Poison Nether Soul Technique, Snowfall, Heavenly Fire Skill, Invisibility Technique, Golden Light Body Protection Technique.


    ¡°Spirit Beast¡±: Lunar Night Demon Wolf.


    ¡°Faction¡±: Chao Tian Sect, Sect Master.


    ¨C


    The remaining entries were basically quite useful, with none capable of self-destruction. Missing any of them would weaken his strength.


    The next period was simply a waiting game.


    ...


    No one dared to challenge him in the arena anymore.


    An hour and a half had already passed, and Chen Qiu had occupied the stage for over an hour and a half. At this point, even if he were to step down from the stage, he was destined to be the champion as no one could surpass him.


    But he didn¡¯t feel like getting off either.


    He simply crossed his legs and sat in a clean corner of the stage to cultivate. Since he was idle anyway, he might as well practice for a while. Although it wouldn¡¯t increase his Cultivation Progress by much, a little was still something.


    ¨C


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged cultivating on the stage, heard the thunderous sounds of battle from the other arenas. Opening his eyes and glancing over, he saw that the Black Dragon had somehow climbed onto the stage.


    But things didn¡¯t seem too good for it at the moment.


    It was already seriously injured. Although it was hard to tell the age of the Black Dragon, it must be rather young since as long as it quietly stayed off the stage, no one could harm it.


    But at that moment, it kept vomiting Dragon Blood on the stage, and its Scale Armor had already fallen off in two or three places.


    And on the stage¡­


    Its opponent, a Nascent Soul at his peak, was quite excitedly battling with the Black Dragon. He was a Sword Cultivator, but now, he went into battle bare-handed, with Storage Rings adorning each of his fingers.


    With each punch he threw¡­


    The Dragon Blood was sucked into the Storage Rings. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    The Black Dragon suddenly roared furiously, its tail lashing out heavily and striking the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator, immediately shattering his Protective Spirit Qi and heavily injuring him, knocking him back to the edge of the stage!


    It didn¡¯t pursue to deliver a killing blow.


    Instead, it lifted its head with a thrilling roar, clearly excited about defeating another opponent.


    Meanwhile, the barrier around this stage had not yet dissipated.


    The myriad of Nascent Souls below were all excitedly praising it as well.


    ¡°As expected of Emperor Black Dragon, he has already defeated four Nascent Soul peaks in a row. Emperor Black Dragon must be the strongest Heavenly Pride among the Dragon Clan, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I think even the Ten-Tier Nascent Soul Kong Ming would be no match against Emperor Black Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Even that Chen Qiu¡­ even if Chen Qiu wanted to defeat Emperor Black Dragon, he¡¯d need at least a hundred breaths!¡± A late-stage Nascent Soul slightly shrank back in fear, almost getting carried away. If Chen Qiu heard this, it could cost him his life.


    Although the Black Dragon on the stage didn¡¯t speak, its eyes couldn¡¯t help but reveal a hint of smugness, ignoring the fact that it was bleeding from the gaps in its Scale Armor as it somersaulted mid-air on the stage, apparently unable to restrain its inner excitement.


    Nevertheless, the Black Dragon still had a trace of rationality, knowing it was close to its limit. It flew to the edge of the stage, ready to leave and recover from its injuries as soon as the arena barrier was lifted.


    But just at that moment!


    A Nascent Soul from below suddenly shook his head in disdain: ¡°Although Emperor Black Dragon is indeed strong, that¡¯s about it. There is no way the Black Dragon could defeat a fifth Nascent Soul peak. Compared to Kong Ming, it¡¯s far inferior.¡±


    Soon someone joined in,


    ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t believe Emperor Black Dragon can defeat a fifth one.¡±


    As soon as these words were uttered, someone with an angry expression retorted, ¡°You¡¯re talking crap. I bet you Emperor Black Dragon can definitely defeat a fifth Nascent Soul. Do you believe it or not?¡±


    ¡°Who dares insult Emperor Black Dragon?!¡±


    ¡°Emperor Black Dragon, defeat another Nascent Soul peak and show him, let him see your true strength.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, defeating five Nascent Soul peaks in a row is nothing but a breeze for Emperor Black Dragon!¡±


    Having already planned to leave the arena once the barrier was gone, the Black Dragon hesitated upon hearing these words, clearly considering whether its injuries could sustain another battle.


    For a Young Dragon that had never dealt with the Human Race¡­


    The Black Dragon was essentially rather naive.


    And so, it fell into the trap set up by these Nascent Soul Cultivators, planning to wear down the Black Dragon with successive battles, since they realized the Black Dragon didn¡¯t care about rankings. It was only excited by the feeling of defeating its opponents, and moreover, the Black Dragon would not deliver lethal blows, making it a risk-free endeavor.


    At that moment¡­


    The barrier of ¡°Arena Thirty-Seven¡± slowly dispersed, and the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator who had been heavily injured by the Black Dragon immediately rolled off the stage. Then, the Nascent Souls gathered around the stage lit up with anticipation, ready to charge onto the stage all at once!


    Whoever rushed onto the stage first could get the Dragon Blood. With some luck, they might even get Scale Armor.


    With even more luck, if they killed the Black Dragon, they would strike it rich overnight¡ªthe rewards would certainly be much higher than any Nascent Soul combat ranking rewards. How many years had it been since the Xuantian Continent had seen a member of the Dragon Clan!


    Every part of it was a treasure.


    However¡­


    There was one person who was faster than they were.


    Chen Qiu, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stepped onto the stage at a leisurely pace and, looking at the still hesitating Black Dragon on the stage, lightly chuckled, ¡°How about we have a fight?¡±

 Chapter 436 - 177: Xuantian Continent Milestone Mission +1.

    Chapter 436: Chapter 177: Xuantian Continent Milestone Mission +1.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The moment Chen Qiu stepped onto the stage, the Black Dragon stiffened mid-air, then, without any hesitation, he crazily shot down from the stage platform. He wasn¡¯t foolish¡ªhe had watched the entire battle between Chen Qiu and Kong Ming.


    At his peak, he couldn¡¯t defeat Chen Qiu.


    Especially since he was still in a severely injured state.


    However¡­


    It was already too late; by then, the barrier around the stage had risen, and within thirty minutes, no one could leave the stage.


    ...


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡±


    Crouching in the corner with a much smaller body, the Black Dragon looked at Chen Qiu, who was approaching step by step, with eyes full of fear and regret, his voice trembling, ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me, I surrender!¡±


    His father had long advised him not to aim for a high rank, to simply withdraw as soon as he entered the Secret Realm.


    But he had never been to the Xuantian Continent before, and finally having the chance to play around in the Secret Realm today, he was reluctant to go back after getting a bit carried away.


    Back on Dragon Island, he still had to look after those old and fat female dragons.


    That was simply torture.


    On the island, the only ones he could talk to were a few people, including his father. Among them, he was the weakest in both generation and strength, but it was different here. So many people talked to him and even flattered him, making him feel reluctant to return.


    However¡­


    Upon seeing Chen Qiu ascend the stage and step closer to him, all he could think about was regret. He could already see his death approaching, being skinned and deboned was his inevitable fate.


    ¡°No¡­ no!!!¡±


    ¡­


    Half an hour later.


    Chen Qiu squatted on the ground, gently caressing the Black Dragon in front of him, who had shrunk to just a few inches, and said gently, ¡°The Dragon Clan surely owes me a huge favor. If I hadn¡¯t come up to protect you, you might really be dead now.¡±


    He glanced briefly at the Nascent Soul Cultivators below the stage who were too angry to speak, then quickly withdrew his gaze.


    ¡°This is truly a life-saving favor.¡±


    He emphasized the words ¡°life-saving¡± and ¡°favor¡± a bit more.


    These Nascent Soul Cultivators¡¯ flattery was so crude that it was not even disguised, but they still managed to trick the Black Dragon into it. Clearly, this Black Dragon must be quite young and had not interacted much with the Human Race before, which is why he was fooled so easily.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At that moment, the Black Dragon crouched in the corner, having understood the stakes after Chen Qiu explained them, nodded with his eyes full of fear of death narrowly escaped, realizing that Chen Qiu really came to save him, not to kill him.


    This indeed was a favor that saved his life.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for Chen Qiu, with his current severe injuries, he might indeed have died at the hands of the fifth Nascent Soul to appear.


    Saving a life¡­ such a favor.


    The Black Dragon hesitated for a moment before saying hesitantly, ¡°In the ancient books of the Dragon Clan, it is recorded that if a major favor cannot be repaid on the spot, give the benefactor a reverse scale. In the future, the benefactor can use the reverse scale to go to the Dragon Clan and ask for any one condition, as long as the clan can satisfy it.¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    The Black Dragon gritted his teeth, and a white reverse scale that looked different from the other scales fell from the back of his neck, flying towards Chen Qiu without a trace of blood: ¡°Benefactor, this is for you.¡±


    ¡°This is too much.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded satisfactorily, smiling as he took the reverse scale into his arms: ¡°But where will I find the Dragon Clan?¡±


    As he spoke, the ears of the Nascent Soul Cultivators below the stage instinctively perked up, afraid to miss any crucial information.


    This time, the Black Dragon did not confuse matters but with a serious expression shook his head, ¡°I cannot say; the Dragon Clan has secluded itself from the world. But don¡¯t worry, I have hidden many treasures on the island. When I return, I will bring all my treasures to find you and exchange them for this reverse scale.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Soon!


    The barrier of the stage dispersed, and the Black Dragon quickly flew out of the stage and transformed into a white light, leaving the Secret Realm without a moment¡¯s pause.


    Only then did Chen Qiu stand up, scanning his surroundings without saying a word, and headed straight for his designated stage.


    This time, it was indeed a rich harvest.


    A tenth-rank Nascent Soul, Thousand-Year-Old Relics, and a favor from the Dragon Clan.


    When he saw people planning to jointly kill the Black Dragon, he decided to save the Dragon Clan. Firstly, because he had heard that the Dragon Clan was wealthy, he thought of seeing if he could sell a favor for some treasures.


    The second reason was¡ª


    It had been a long time since the Dragon Clan had appeared in troubled times. Now that chaos was approaching and they had suddenly emerged, it was evident that the clan would also participate in the upcoming turmoil.


    He owed a favor to the Dragon Clan.


    Not to mention whether the Dragon Clan would become allies with him, but at least, when the great battles commenced, the clan would not be his enemy.


    Although killing the dragon would have brought greater benefits.


    But there were too many people around; if he had killed the Black Dragon on the stage, he would definitely have made the Dragon Clan his mortal enemy. He had too many enemies already; he could not make enemies with the whole world. It was better to make some allies to make his own life a bit easier.


    Moreover, this Black Dragon had clearly overpowered the scholar underwater but merely pushed the scholar away with his tail when chased, not choosing to kill. On the stage, he only defeated his opponents, not killed them.


    A good dragon.


    A good dragon like him, dying just because he carried valuable pearls and gems, would be too much of a pity.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    Three hours slowly passed, and this competition finally came to an end!


    While sitting cross-legged on the stage cultivating, Chen Qiu suddenly transformed into a white light and left the Secret Realm. Just as he appeared in Qi City and was about to react, he heard an ethereal and ancient voice by his side.

 Chapter 437 - 177: Xuantian Continent Milestone Quest +1._2

    Chapter 437: Chapter 177: Xuantian Continent Milestone Quest +1._2


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Evil State falls, chaotic times are upon us.


    The ¡°Golden Core Combat Power Ranking,¡± ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking,¡± and ¡°Divinity Transformation Combat Power Ranking¡± the three great Secret Realms have officially concluded.


    Golden Core Combat Power Champion, Xuanwu Sect Inner Sect Disciple of Zhongzhou, Zhang Shaoping.


    Nascent Soul Combat Power Champion, Sect Leader Chen Qiu of the Chao Tian Sect in Quzhou.


    Divinity Transformation Combat Power Champion, Buddhist Sect Master Pu Hui of Zhongzhou.


    ...


    Each of the three champions has obtained a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Those ranked second and third in the three major rankings each obtained a thread of Earth Pride Luck.


    From fourth to tenth place, each obtained a thread of Luck of Human Pride.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At this moment, within Qi City, dawn was breaking. Standing in an alleyway, Chen Qiu looked towards the newly added three Heavenly Dao rankings; on the ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking,¡± at the very top, his name, Chen Qiu, was written in bold.


    At the same time¡ª


    He saw two threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune circling his own Nascent Soul, and, in addition, two threads of Supreme Genius Fortune were also rotating.


    Under the effect of the green entry ¡°Imperial Decree Regular,¡± the rewards were doubled once again.


    He already had two threads of ¡°Supreme Genius Fortune,¡± and when he last certified his Nascent Soul to the twelfth grade, he was bestowed with a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, which after doubling, merged with his existing thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune in a threefold unity.


    Thus, he had two threads of ¡°Supreme Genius Fortune.¡±


    Therefore¡­ he now had two threads of Supreme Genius Fortune and two threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Heavenly Pride Fortune is quite the treasure.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Can be synthesized from three threads of Earth Pride Luck, awarded by the Heavenly Dao Decree after achieving astonishing accomplishments, claiming the title of the leader of the Heavenly Pride Path, etc.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: After utilizing a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, it can enhance one¡¯s luck to a certain extent within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.


    2:¡­


    4: Essential material for forging a ten-grade Nascent Soul.


    5: Can be used as a material when crafting a Divine Domain during Divinity Transformation.


    6¡­


    7: Three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune can be synthesized into a thread of Supreme Genius Fortune.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu pondered thoughtfully, conceiving that Heavenly Pride Fortune could be used as a material when crafting a Divine Domain during Divinity Transformation.


    Domain.


    A unique approach exclusive to Divinity Transformation.


    Within the Domain, I am invincible.


    Just like the Evil Energy Domain cast by the Sect Leader of the Evil Ghost Sect, except his was a half-finished product, way too shoddy.


    And¡­ he suddenly became curious.


    Three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune will automatically synthesize into one thread of Supreme Genius Fortune.


    Then, what would three threads of ¡°Supreme Genius Fortune¡± synthesize into?


    He then glanced at the information on the panel of the Thousand-Year-Old Relics.


    ¡°Essential material when crafting the Divinity Domain ¡®Buddha Kingdom within the Palm,¡¯ during Divinity Transformation.¡±


    Foundation Establishment grades are divided into, Heavenly Dao Foundation and others.


    Golden Core grades are divided into, first to twelfth grade.


    Nascent Soul grades are similarly divided into, first to twelfth grade.


    According to this information, it could be inferred that Divinity Domains are apparently not categorized by grade? They have names, for instance, the Divine Domain ¡°Buddha Kingdom within the Palm,¡± which is clearly tailored for Buddhist Disciples, which means there must also be Divine Domains tailored for Magic Practitioners, like¡­ ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡±?


    He shook his head, not thinking further.


    He was only at the fifth level of Nascent Soul, and he originally thought he would be rewarded with some Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in this ¡°Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking,¡± but instead, he received two threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡ªnot that it was bad, but they were of little use to him at the moment.


    Moreover, he still had three threads of Heavenly Dao Destiny yet to be used.


    He was awarded two threads of Heavenly Dao Destiny after obliterating Evil State, one of which was used to repair the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella. Later, when he achieved the twelfth-grade Nascent Soul, he was awarded another two threads of Heavenly Dao Destiny. He intended to use one thread of Heavenly Dao Spirit Energy to upgrade two spells into Heavenly Dao Skills.


    One of them was tentatively the ¡°Golden Light Body Protection Technique,¡± which could enhance survival capability.


    The other one.


    He was still hesitating.


    He was considering whether to upgrade ¡°Snowfall¡± or to find a more powerful offensive spell, with a leaning towards choosing an ice magic spell, given he possessed a yellow entry that increased the power of ice magic, ¡°Add Frost to Snow.¡±


    When choosing a new spell, it¡¯s crucial to see how it synergizes with his own entries, otherwise, a single spell on its own is utterly useless to him.


    The remaining thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny is reserved for future use.


    Besides, he had two threads of Luck of the Race yet to be used.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu roughly cataloged his gains of these days.


    ¡°Supreme Genius Fortune¡± *2.


    ¡°Heavenly Pride Fortune¡± *2.


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Destiny¡± *3.


    ¡°Luck of the Race¡± *2.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Just as he was preparing to rise, a deep and ethereal voice from beyond the heavens once again reached his ears. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao senses that Chen Qiu, a Human Clan Cultivator in the northwest of Quzhou on the Xuantian Continent, has risen to the pinnacle and become the leader of the Heavenly Dao rankings five times over with an earth-shattering presence!


    For completing one of the milestone tasks of the Xuantian Continent, a statue has been erected in his honor in the ¡°Heavenly Palace.¡±


    And he is granted one Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    ¡°This is even better, all good news.¡±


    The smile in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes was about to overflow; that Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette was a good thing. After doubling with the green Imperial Decree entry, he got not one, but two, both of which contained a lot of great items to draw from.


    In total, he obtained 41 Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    One was obtained through the Nascent Soul itself.


    The other forty were won from the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    But he didn¡¯t forget an important matter.


    The Heavenly Dao was about to snap a picture.


    Currently in the alley, and without prior contemplation, it was not his moment to shine, and he couldn¡¯t think of any particular pose to strike. All he could manage was to stand at the entrance of the alley, as erect as possible, hands resting on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, and manage his facial expression.

 Chapter 438 - 177: Xuantian Continent Milestone Quest +1._3

    Chapter 438: Chapter 177: Xuantian Continent Milestone Quest +1._3


    It wasn¡¯t about caring for his image.


    But these three statues were, after all, an important part of his Cultivation Path, and many might see them in the future. Looking too disheveled might negatively impact his image somewhat.


    After completing all this,


    he finally turned his gaze towards the Nine Heavens above and, with a thought, vanished from the spot.


    He wanted to visit the Heavenly Palace to see his new statue and then, after taking a bath and burning incense in the small world, he would activate the two ¡°Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes.¡±


    May Buddha bless him to get something good.


    ...


    Forget it.


    Having almost killed a Buddha¡¯s disciple, he figured the chances of Buddha blessing him were probably low.


    ¡­


    However, at this moment, the Xuantian Continent was already in complete chaos.


    For instance¡ª


    Dragon Island in the deep sea west of Quzhou!


    ¡°What?!!¡±


    On Dragon Island, the middle-aged man, who was the Dragon Clan Patriarch, was looking with disbelief at the missing Reverse Scale behind the Black Dragon, ¡°You gave your Reverse Scale to someone else?¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Dragon Clan¡¯s reverse scales only fall off in two scenarios:


    One is after death, and the other is if they are willingly shed.


    The reverse scale is the most robust scale armor on a dragon¡¯s body. Unless fallen in battle, it cannot be shed, and since the scales surrounding the reverse scale were undamaged, there was only one possibility: the Black Dragon willingly shed his reverse scale and gifted it to someone else.


    ¡°Why did you return so late, didn¡¯t I instruct you to leave the Secret Realm immediately after entering?¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan should avoid the world, we don¡¯t need this ranking!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The Black Dragon, somewhat fearful, shrank his head and whispered quietly, ¡°A benefactor saved my life. According to the Dragon Clan Ancient Books, when a Dragon Clan member encounters a debt of gratitude that cannot be immediately repaid, they must leave their reverse scale and later return with a treasure to redeem their reverse scale or wait for that person to come to the Dragon Clan with the scale to request any condition.¡±


    ¡°I just did as it said, and this is what happened¡­¡±


    ¡­


    After a long time,


    The middle-aged man, having listened to the entire story from the Black Dragon, remained expressionless and silent.


    The Black Dragon, inexperienced in the world, had been trapped, and if Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t intervened, there was a very high chance he would have died in the arena.


    This indeed was a debt of gratitude.


    And this debt was much larger than Chen Qiu imagined¡ªit wasn¡¯t just the Black Dragon he saved but the entire legacy and lifeblood of the Dragon Clan!


    The Black Dragon was the only male Young Dragon in the Dragon Clan; if he had died, the Dragon Clan would essentially be facing extinction.


    According to the Dragon Clan Ancient Books, giving the reverse scale was indeed not a mistake.


    But that was during the prime of the Dragon Clan, when any matter was simpler; now was different from then. If the Dragon Clan lost its reverse scale, its combat power would greatly reduce, and it would be extremely difficult to survive the Heavenly Tribulation.


    The Dragon Clan mainly relies on the reverse scale to survive the Heavenly Tribulation.


    Thus, a reverse scale that had endured the Heavenly Tribulation was also the best material for crafting Thunder Magic Treasures.


    After a while,


    The middle-aged man finally sighed deeply, his expression trance-like as he turned his head to look towards the direction of Quzhou, faintly feeling that the Black Dragon¡¯s reverse scale was there. Quzhou, being the weakest state of the lower nine states, now bordered the sea.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t bordering the sea before, but after the Evil State disappeared, it started to.


    It was still far from the central state.


    If the speed was fast enough and concealed enough, there should be no problem.


    He really didn¡¯t dare to step onto the Xuantian Continent.


    Don¡¯t look at how most of the top forces in the Central State had secluded themselves from the world, but he strongly suspected, as soon as they received news of his arrival on the Xuantian Continent, those secluded top forces would spare no expense to break out from the small world and hunt him down.


    Even his Peak of Divinity Transformation cultivation couldn¡¯t withstand it.


    Moreover, among those top forces in Central State, some were even stronger than those in the Divinity Transformation stage.


    It¡¯s a bit dangerous¡­


    But after hesitating for a long time, he still secretly made a decision.


    He must help the Black Dragon retrieve his reverse scale.


    The Black Dragon is now the only hope for the Dragon Clan and the future Dragon Clan Patriarch. As the Dragon Clan Patriarch, not having a reverse scale would be laughable; okay, fine, maybe not immediately laughable once people find out, but still unacceptable!


    After pondering for a moment, he fumbled around in his chest for a while and took out a handful of pills. With Nascent Soul cultivation, he probably would need a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, right?


    He was a bit hesitant¡­


    After all, that Chen Qiu had just broken through to Nascent Soul recently and was already at the fifth level of Nascent Soul. It didn¡¯t look like he was lacking Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, which obviously wouldn¡¯t sway Chen Qiu!


    ¡°No, no.¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head and chewed up the seven or eight Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his hand like candy,


    Black Dragon shook his head and hesitantly said, ¡°Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills are surely not something your benefactor lacks, given his cultivation speed far exceeds that of ordinary people. Or¡­ you weren¡¯t planning to just take it back by force, were you?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not.¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head, a trace of dissatisfaction flashing in his pupils, ¡°Although the Dragon Clan has fallen, the dignity of the Dragon Clan is inviolable; the Dragon Clan never breaks promises.¡±


    ¡°Thousands of years ago, the Dragon Clan Patriarch knew that going there meant death, yet he still led his people into battle, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because of a promise?¡±


    ¡°Even if the Dragon Clan were to perish today, we must preserve the face of the Dragon Clan, just like the ninety-eight old mother dragons on the island whose consciousnesses were sealed to extend their lives and pass on the Dragon Clan¡¯s bloodline.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve given that reverse scale away, according to the rules of the Dragon Clan, it must be retrieved, and it must make the benefactor willingly agree.¡±


    ¡°The question is¡ª¡±


    ¡°What exactly does the benefactor like?¡±


    A human and a dragon exchanged glances, both seeing the perplexity in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dragon Island, the jagged rocks on the shore, where the continually crashing waves hit the rocks, creating a lot of mist in the air while the sun slowly rose.


    The middle-aged man sat on the rock, his eyebrows knitted tightly, looking towards the Heavenly Dao Rankings in deep thought.


    Chen Qiu, a peerless heavenly pride, had sunk Evil State to the bottom of the sea with his own power, having killed four Divinity Transformation stage cultivators, even at the peak of his Golden Core cultivation.


    He is now at the fifth level of Nascent Soul cultivation.


    Wait¡ª


    He suddenly came up with an idea.


    Is Chen Qiu close to reaching Divinity Transformation? He would require something for the Domain, right?


    Materials for building a Divinity Domain are definitely something Chen Qiu would need!


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The middle-aged man suddenly stood up, grinned, and turned to look at the Black Dragon still busy on Dragon Island, ¡°I¡¯m going to Quzhou for a bit. Since you haven¡¯t transformed yet, don¡¯t wander off, understand?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 439 - 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret?

    Chapter 439: Chapter 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret?


    ¡°`


    Quzhou, Qi City.


    Not long after the sound of the Heavenly Dao Decree, Fat Long and the scholar found Chen Qiu. The Secret Realm for the Nascent Soul strength rankings finished late, while the other two had already ended much earlier. Only the Nascent Soul strength ranking list was delayed a bit longer.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, we¡¯re back.¡±


    At a roadside stall in Qi City, Fat Long and the scholar went straight to Chen Qiu. Especially Fat Long, with a complex expression, stood still somewhat uncertain about how to start the conversation but still managed to say through gritted teeth and a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you about. I want to resign from my position as the Sect Grand Elder of Chao Tian Sect. From now on, I¡¯ll just stay in the mountain behind the Chao Tian Sect; after all, those brown bears also need someone to feed them. From now on, I¡¯ll be responsible for these things, and also, your Lunar Night Demon Wolf needs someone to take care of it regularly. The sect needs such a person, and I think I¡¯m quite suitable for the job.¡±


    ...


    ¡°You?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked up at the two in front of him and then waved them off: ¡°Sit down and then talk. Have some food, it¡¯s early in the morning.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, did you get bullied outside?¡±


    ¡°You want to quit just after coming back?¡±


    ¡°No one bullied me¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± Fat Long spoke in a somewhat weak voice: ¡°I just feel that with my strength, including my contributions to the sect, it¡¯s difficult to convince the public. Although the scholar¡¯s Cultivation is also quite low now, with the aid of the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and his comprehension of Sword Intent, he¡¯ll soon soar up.¡±


    ¡°As for me¡­ I¡¯m completely useless in the future.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do Dual Cultivation anymore, either.¡±


    After speaking, Fat Long didn¡¯t waste more words. Instead, he displayed his third entry to Chen Qiu: ¡°This is the entry I got from choosing among three after my Golden Core breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the ¡®Ignore Barrier¡¯ entry displayed in front of him. After a while, he picked up a piece of dirt-caked cake and put it into his mouth: ¡°No problem, you can still do Dual Cultivation. This won¡¯t affect your ninefold cultivation progress.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯d be certain to get pregnant every time, whether with a Demon Cultivator or a Human Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with getting pregnant?¡±


    ¡°I have to raise children! I can¡¯t possibly have a bunch of kids trailing behind me, can I?¡±


    ¡°Kill them all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long fell silent.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu interrupted Fat Long¡¯s reverie, saying with a light laugh: ¡°Since you¡¯ve been given the position of Sect Grand Elder, you can¡¯t just resign unless you¡¯re dead. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll think of a solution for you. There must be a way. First, you and the scholar go and wait for a while in the mountain behind the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Have the scholar keep you company and talk for a while to avoid feeling too repressed.¡±


    After that, he got up, took Fat Long and the scholar into his small world, and started walking towards the outskirts of Qi City.


    He had a very important task to do right now.


    That was to activate the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    Find a feng shui treasure land.


    He had already returned from the Heavenly Palace, and a third statue of him had once again been erected inside. It must be said that the filters and beautification the Heavenly Dao had applied to him were a bit too heavy.


    The reality was¡ª


    He stood at the entrance to an alley, resting his hands on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, gazing at the rising sun on the horizon. It was a very ordinary scene.


    But the portrayal inside the Heavenly Palace was¡ª


    He stood in a black robe with an indifferent face, in front of a black hole that seemed to swallow one¡¯s soul, while the sunlight falling on him gave his face a soft glow.


    Face towards the sun, back facing the darkness.


    It looked pretty impressive.


    Some residual celestial power was still lingering on this statue, from which one could vaguely sense the intended atmosphere. There were only a few strokes in the carving, but it gave an extraordinary feeling.


    After admiring his three statues in the Heavenly Palace for a while, he took another look at the other milestone tasks to see if there was any that he could quickly complete. Then as usual, he peered through the crack of the Heavenly Palace Gate to take a look outside.


    After finding nothing of note, he left the Heavenly Palace.


    Several of the remaining milestones had rather difficult tasks.


    For example, one of the milestone tasks was to have accumulated three hundred billion points of merit or sin. This was a joke; he thought no one on the entire Xuantian Continent could possibly complete this task!


    What did three hundred billion points of merit even mean?


    When he attested to the Nascent Soul at the twelfth grade, he received less than ninety billion points of merit. To gather three hundred billion, he would have to attest to twelve-grade Nascent Soul four times. Four times!


    In so many years on the entire Xuantian Continent, there hadn¡¯t been a single twelve-grade Nascent Soul, and now they wanted him to do it four times.


    Even if mending the heavens could yield hundreds of billions of points of merit, he would need to do it three times.


    But the heavens are not something from the mortal world, where you could keep breaking it three times for you to mend.


    And three hundred billion points of sin? That was even more preposterous. He slaughtered an entire Evil State and only received 2.9 billion points of sin. To achieve three hundred billion points of sin¡­ who knows, even if he slaughtered the entire Xuantian Continent, would it be enough?


    He probably still wouldn¡¯t come close. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu looked at his own 2.9 billion points of sin on the Heavenly Dao rankings, let out a long sigh, and felt somewhat helpless.


    He obtained an entry called ¡®Merit Land¡¯ when he stepped into the seventh level of the Golden Core.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Merit Land


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Yellow.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: The more sin points you have, the faster your movement technique speed becomes.


    ¨C


    The effect was simple: the more sin points, the happier the movement technique speed. It¡¯s safe to say that if it had been matched with his 2.9 billion points of sin, the speed would have been outrageous; his speed might have maxed out to the limit!


    Within the same Great Realm, no one would be faster than him in movement technique speed!


    Even a Divinity Transformation, if they simply competed in movement technique without using other means, might not be as good as him.


    But¡­


    He didn¡¯t choose this entry at that time!


    He had never heard of sin points at the time, nor did he know where to get this entry from. There was a better entry available for him to choose, ¡®Merit Protection¡¯: the entry effect was simple, the higher the merit points, the higher the success rate of overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 440 - 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret? _2

    Chapter 440: Chapter 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret? _2


    At that time, he had nearly ten billion merit points. Although he wouldn¡¯t be undergoing Heavenly Tribulation anytime soon, he still chose that entry.


    Now, thinking about the ¡°Merit Land,¡± his heart still ached faintly. He hoped that he could randomly select this entry again in the future or find out if there was an entry jade slip produced for it, but judging by its effects, he guessed that there probably wouldn¡¯t be one.


    However, there was a milestone task he was close to completing.


    ¡°Being nominated in the Heavenly Dao Decree 20 times.¡±


    He had already been nominated 15 times.


    He only needed 5 more.


    ...


    The nomination didn¡¯t require any remarkable achievements nor a spot at the top of Heavenly Dao¡¯s leaderboard. It was enough for his name to appear on the Heavenly Dao Decree, no matter what the content was.


    Chen Qiu was deep in thought as he transformed into a Liu Guang and shot towards the outskirts of Qi City Suburb.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Within the Buddhist Sect in the central region.


    An old man clad in a Kasaya looked at Kong Ming, who had returned severely injured, and after a long silence, he softly said, ¡°Go back and heal your injuries first; I will handle the rest.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ father¡­¡±


    Although Kong Ming was heavily injured at that time, he didn¡¯t care about it at all. With a face pale as death and a glimmer of hope in his eyes, he looked up at the old man and said with a trembling voice, ¡°The Nascent Soul of the tenth grade¡­ has been taken.¡±


    ¡°The thousand-year-old relics¡­ are also gone.¡±


    The Nascent Soul of the tenth grade.


    This was the culmination of the years of resources accumulated by the Buddhist Sect for him.


    He hadn¡¯t even properly enjoyed the effects of the tenth-grade Nascent Soul, and no sooner had he started to delight in it than it was taken away, along with the Buddhist Sect¡¯s treasure, the thousand-year-old relics.


    He had just descended the mountain, and now he was returning to it.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to return so soon, primarily because Chen Qiu¡¯s greeting was two full-strength strikes from someone at the Divinity Transformation Stage, leaving no room for retaliation, and he also ignored his Demon Driving Spell. The effect of the Self-Destruction Term on the arena was much greater than he had imagined.


    Damn it!


    Why would there even be an arena in a Nascent Soul Secret Realm!


    If he weren¡¯t confined to a too-restrictive arena, he wouldn¡¯t have lost at all; even if he had, it wouldn¡¯t have resulted in his Nascent Soul and relics being taken away. In an open small world, he could have used countless techniques.


    The full-strength strike of a fifth-layer Divinity Transformation cultivation wouldn¡¯t have hit him so easily!


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Kasaya-clad old man nodded, brought his palms together, turned his head toward the direction of Quzhou, and softly said, ¡°I see. I¡¯ll arrange this matter. You go to the rear mountain to heal first.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    In the central region, Three Springs Building.


    At that moment, several small family heads from the central region were gathering in the welcoming hall of the Three Springs Building, expressing their bitterness.


    ¡°Young Master, my son was following your sister to win over Chen Qiu, but he ended up being killed by Chen Qiu along with your sister. You must avenge this for us!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master, our families have always fully supported you. You said you wanted to use the time when other top forces were hiding from the world to make Three Springs Building grow into the next top power in the central region during the chaotic times, and we followed you without a second word.¡±


    ¡°Now our people have died. We can¡¯t swallow this grievance!¡±


    ¡°No matter what, Chen Qiu is still only a Nascent Soul of the fifth level. He relies on his Self-Destruction Term to luck out a sneak attack and kill a Divinity Transformation, but as long as we send out a mid-level Divinity Transformation expert, Chen Qiu is bound to be defeated!¡±


    ¡°And¡­ and along the way, Chen Qiu must have gathered quite a few valuable items. If they can fall into our hands, they could really enhance our foundation.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed.¡±


    Although these small family heads sounded full of sorrow and pain, their expressions did not show much grief. After all, as heads of families, they had many things to worry about and did not often retreat frequently.


    For those who spent a lot of time in seclusion, it was normal to forget they even had a child upon leaving seclusion.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Young Master of Three Springs Building, sitting in the main seat, had his eyelids slightly drooping as he leaned back in his chair. His face appeared young yet sharply contoured. At this moment, his knuckles rhythmically tapped on the table.


    After a long while,


    the tapping stopped.


    The Young Master of Three Springs Building, his eyes reddening slightly, looked up and scanned the crowd, ¡°Chen Qiu killed my only sister. My hatred for Chen Qiu is greater than all of yours combined.¡±


    ¡°He must be killed!¡±


    ¡°Each of you summon your family¡¯s Divinity Transformation ancestors from their seclusion. I will have the ¡®Vice Young Master¡¯ from my family, who is at the late-stage of Divinity Transformation, lead the team personally to execute Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The remaining families were slightly taken aback, seeing hesitation in each other¡¯s eyes. They clearly were reluctant to have their family¡¯s Divinity Transformation ancestors take action, for fear that Chen Qiu might unleash a few more Self-Destruction Terms, injuring or even killing their ancestors.


    With chaos on the horizon, not having a Divinity Transformation ancestor to stabilize the family¡¯s fortunes meant no sense of security.


    They did not want their family¡¯s Divinity Transformation ancestors to be injured before chaos ensued.


    But at that moment, the words had already been pushed to this point.


    Seeing the reddened eyes of their Young Master, they knew he was nearly unable to suppress his emotions and

 Chapter 441 - 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret?_3

    Chapter 441: Chapter 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret?_3


    This should be foolproof now.


    Let the deputy leader take the team and escort the Divinity Transformation experts from these few families around an area far from Quzhou. That way, they won¡¯t directly clash with that Chen Qiu for the time being.


    Chen Qiu.


    He was somewhat uncertain about this person; even with a team led by someone in the late-stage of Divinity Transformation, along with a few at the early stage¡ªa force comparable to luxury¡ªhe had no confidence in being able to eliminate Chen Qiu.


    Even deep down, he was more inclined to believe they would fail.


    Such Heavenly Prides are always hard to kill, and he understood that. Therefore, he must find an absolutely foolproof method to kill him. What does ¡°foolproof¡± mean?


    ...


    It¡¯s naturally an outright suppression of realms!


    So you can¡¯t be suppressed by someone in the Divinity Transformation Stage, right?


    Easy!


    What about stronger ones above the Divinity Transformation Stage? Can they suppress you?


    Their ¡°Three Springs Building¡± had an ancestor in the peak of Divinity Transformation who had been preparing for a breakthrough for years, waiting for that perfect opportunity. Now, the most important task for the Three Springs Building was to maintain quietness, so that once their ancestor successfully breaks through, everything else will be easy to handle.


    At that time, this Chen Qiu could be squashed with the flick of a finger.


    But he was also worried that the Divinity Transformation experts from these smaller families might find Chen Qiu on their own. If Chen Qiu then managed to trace things back to them and stalk them to the Three Springs Building and cause a battle there, it might affect the ancestor¡¯s critical breakthrough, which would be counterproductive.


    So he had no choice but to ask the deputy leader to take the Divinity Transformation experts from these families for a walk far outside Quzhou.


    Not to kill the enemy.


    Just to temporarily stall the Divinity Transformation experts from these small families. As long as the conflict between the two sides was not escalated for the time being, and the Three Springs Building did not take initiative to hunt down the enemy, he did not believe that Chen Qiu would have the audacity to attack the Three Springs Building first.


    Although his sister¡¯s death made him very sad,


    the dead cannot be brought back to life; one should focus their energies on things that can be changed, not on those that cannot.


    ¡­


    Quzhou, outside Qi City, atop a high mountain.


    At this moment, two people were enjoying tea while facing the sunrise atop the mountain peak. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu sat calmly cross-legged at a tea table made of Evil Wood, manipulating Spiritual Energy to heat the tea with a strand of Rootless Fire brought from beneath the Endless Desert in Da Xia Country.


    On the side, on the tea tray, sat a few remaining tea leaves.


    He used melted Everfrost Dominion for the water, and after cleaning two teacups with it, he took out a tea clip to place a teacup before the middle-aged man sitting across from him. Then, with a sweep of his sleeve and holding the Justice Cup, he filled the man¡¯s empty cup halfway before smiling gently, like a warm spring breeze.


    ¡°Try it, the tea leaves from my old home; they make quite a decent ration, with a flavor that¡¯s not bad at all.¡±


    The middle-aged man in front of him called himself Ao Tian!


    He claimed to be the Patriarch of the Dragon Clan.


    He had originally come to this mountain, feeling that it was a place bathed in the first streaks of purple dawn, certainly a place of great geomantic omen. But he had just settled in and had not even started to activate the Heavenly Dao Roulette when this man appeared.


    The overwhelming presence of his peak Divinity Transformation Cultivation could leave anyone breathless. If this man had been any slower in revealing his identity, he would have already retreated back to his small world.


    Since it was the Dragon Clan, and the Dragon Clan owed him a favor, he probably wouldn¡¯t strike hastily.


    But even so!


    He subtly took the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± out of the Heavenly Dao Ring and slipped it into his clothing at his abdomen, ensuring that if danger arose, he could activate the Merit Defense Order as quickly as possible.


    This was a sliver faster than establishing contact with the Divine Sense first, retrieving the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± from the Storage Ring, and then activating it.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The man sitting across from Chen Qiu had a complicated expression, eyes slightly red as he looked at the set of tea utensils.


    Tea tray, teapot, teacups, Justice Cup.


    Tea scoop, tea needle, tea clip, tea scraper, tea strainer, tea tube.


    Such completeness. And the most outrageous part was that the entire set was made of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, a full set of tea utensils of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures which even he did not possess, making him feel somewhat envious. His dragon¡¯s nature of hoarding treasures was once again revealed at this moment.


    He then picked up the teacup and gently sniffed at it.


    The fragrance was pure.


    Although the tea was boiled, one could distinctly feel a chill, an intriguing sensation of both ice and fire.


    Using the melted water from Everfrost Dominion to brew tea¡ªeven though he didn¡¯t recognize what tea it was, it was definitely made from leaves of a superior age.


    Thereafter, Ao Tian drained the half cup in his hands in one gulp.


    Upon entering the mouth, it was slightly astringent but quickly turned sweet, with a strong chill.


    Even in boiled tea, there was a coldness that entered the stomach, leaving one instantly refreshed.


    Moreover¡­


    This tea even contained a trace of the power of heaven and earth!


    Very faint, yet he keenly noticed it. This set of Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures among tea utensils indeed belonged to the top tier!


    ¡°Huuh¡­¡±


    Middle-aged man Ao Tian, feeling the power of heaven and earth in his mouth, couldn¡¯t help but show a hint of amazement in his eyes. not one item in front of him was ordinary, and these items were basically of no use.


    Neither for combat prowess nor for Cultivation.


    But precisely because of this, they showed a person¡¯s wealth!


    This Chen Qiu was out of the ordinary!


    Indeed.


    As the saying goes, wealth is the companion of cultivation; on the path of cultivation, wealth always comes first. Given Chen Qiu¡¯s recent fame, he surely wouldn¡¯t lack riches. From ancient times to the present, no peerless Heavenly Pride has ever lacked such a thing; or perhaps, lacking such a thing, one couldn¡¯t become a peerless Heavenly Pride.


    With that, the middle-aged man Ao Tian slowly set down the teacup in his hands.

 Chapter 442 - 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret?

    Chapter 442: Chapter 178: Could There Be Some Unspeakable Secret?¡±_4


    His expression complex as he looked at the young man before him.


    Although he had long heard of Chen Qiu¡¯s name, today was the first time he had seen him.


    He was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, while Chen Qiu was merely at the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul. Yet, in facing him, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t even activate his Protective Spirit Qi, appearing completely natural throughout, devoid of any feeling of confronting a superior.


    That essentially left only one possibility!


    It meant that Chen Qiu was confident that even if he suddenly erupted, he would still survive.


    Human Race¡­


    ...


    The Human Race really was an excessively abnormal species, reproducing quickly and occasionally producing a Heavenly Pride.


    Most races could not compare to the Human Race, which experienced internal wars every so often and still maintained a robust population, as if death was impossible for them.


    Oh, right, there was also the Devil Clan.


    The Devil Clan was even more miraculous, constantly fragmented, constantly engaging in civil wars, yet they still managed to pass on their legacy well; the Dragon Clan, cautious for fear of extinction, was ironically nearing it.


    He exhaled deeply.


    Ao Tian stopped pondering further and looked at Chen Qiu with slight solemnity, slowly saying,


    ¡°You saved the Black Dragon.¡±


    ¡°This is a great kindness. According to the rules of the Dragon Clan, the Black Dragon has left you a reverse scale. In the future, you can hold this scale and ask the Dragon Clan for any request, or the Dragon Clan might send someone to bring a treasure of sufficient value to exchange for this scale.¡±


    ¡°I am here today for this matter.¡±


    Although he had lived for thousands of years, he had spent nearly all of his time on Dragon Island and hadn¡¯t interacted with humans in a long while, finding it somewhat awkward now.


    He had almost forgotten what the Human Race¡¯s social etiquette was.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It was just a case of lending a hand when I saw injustice. The Black Dragon is a good kid, dying in the Secret Realm would have been a pity.¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble at all.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly and nodded his head, saying nothing more, before he took out the reverse scale from his bosom and pushed it across the table. He used a tea clip to pick up the tea cup in front of Ao Tian, washing it while pondering.


    After cleaning the tea cup, he pushed it back in front of Ao Tian.


    Then he filled it with tea from the Justice Cup, his voice calm and soft, ¡°Exchanging it with a treasure of sufficient value naturally poses no problem, like the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for the Nascent Soul, this kind of thing¡­¡±


    Before he could finish,


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Benefactor, do you need Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for the Nascent Soul? That¡¯s easy, would 1000 be enough?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, his hand steady and his heart calm, finished pouring the tea before sitting back down in his seat, his demeanor serene, and continued,


    ¡°For instance, Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for the Nascent Soul¡­ naturally would not suffice.¡±


    Then he looked up at Ao Tian and casually said, ¡°Do you lack Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for the Nascent Soul?¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± Ao Tian shook his head.


    ¡°Then do you think I do?¡±


    Ao Tian pondered for a moment, then seriously shook his head again, ¡°Benefactor, being able to advance from the first to the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul in just a few days, you naturally do not lack them, and merely having Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for the Nascent Soul wouldn¡¯t be enough to advance so quickly, thus you surely have other stronger methods.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled as he filled his own cup with tea, ¡°Who lacks Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for the Nascent Soul if they are a decent person?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not rush with the matter of the reverse scale. Whether there is a repayment or not doesn¡¯t matter; I didn¡¯t help that day with the expectation of a reward. Mainly, the Black Dragon looked genuinely adorable, worth assisting.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ao Tian said with a slightly indignant shake of his head, ¡°That child is not obedient at all, nearly driving me to death. I told him to leave the Secret Realm immediately upon arrival, but he just wouldn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Had it not been for you, Benefactor.¡±


    ¡°I dare not imagine what might have happened.¡±


    ¡°Normally, kids are always mischievous when they¡¯re little.¡± Chen Qiu laughed as he finished the tea in his cup, then put away the Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure Tea Set and took out two jars of Spiritual Wine: ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯ve had quite a few troubles recently, and I¡¯ve been wanting to find someone to drink with, but it¡¯s hard to find a confidant.¡±


    ¡°You know, drinking alone or being forced to drink with someone you don¡¯t see eye to eye with, that¡¯s really hard to swallow.¡±


    ¡°But when you¡¯re with a confidant, even a thousand cups are too few.¡±


    ¡°Today, you and I were fated to meet despite the distance, why not drink together?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Ao Tian hesitated for a moment but still used his Divine Sense to check the wine for poison before saying, ¡°Since my benefactor is in the mood, I shall keep you company!¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    By this time, Ao Tian was drunk, his eyes rimmed red as he draped his arm around Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulders, his body reeking of alcohol, and his speech stuttering and even somewhat excited: ¡°Really, brother.¡±


    ¡°All these years, only you have understood me.¡±


    ¡°No one understands me; no one knows how painful these thousands of years have been for me.¡±


    ¡°Those people only know that the Dragon Clan has a long lifespan and strong combat abilities, but they can¡¯t understand what it feels like to watch helplessly as the Dragon Clan walks toward extinction.¡±


    ¡°These years, this matter has been pressing on my chest.¡±


    ¡°But there hasn¡¯t been anyone to talk to, brother, do you know what it feels like to not have anyone to speak the truth to for thousands of years? Inside the Dragon Clan, there are only younger generations, no one understands me, everyone on the Xuantian Continent wants to kill me, and I dare not go to the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°So many years have passed.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I¡ª¡±


    Ao Tian, with his eyes red, vigorously patted his chest: ¡°Brother, it¡¯s suffocating here, it hurts!¡±


    ¡°It hurts!¡±


    ¡°For thousands of years, only you, brother, have understood me!¡±


    Chen Qiu, breaking his usual composure and equally drunk, hugged Ao Tian in return, his voice slurring as he shook his head and said, ¡°Bro, I understand you, others don¡¯t understand you, but I do.¡±


    ¡°All these years, you¡¯ve been wronged, brother. From now on, don¡¯t worry, with your brother here, come to me if you feel wronged.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me as just being at the fifth level of Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Wait till the day I reach the Peak of Divinity Transformation, then you, brother, can come to the Xuantian Continent whenever you want. If anyone dares to stop you, I¡¯ll kill their whole family!¡±


    ¡°Good! That¡¯s the spirit!¡±


    Ao Tian, excited, slapped Chen Qiu on the shoulder heavily, grabbed the wine jar in his hand intending to pour it into his mouth, but found the jar was empty. He casually tossed the empty jar aside, and then took out two jars of Spiritual Wine from his Storage Ring.


    Before even opening it, the fragrance was already assaulting his senses.


    The rich Spiritual Energy was almost tangible. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The finest Spiritual Wine.


    ¡°Brother, your tea is indeed nice, but your wine really isn¡¯t up to par. Come, drink some of my wine and taste how it compares.¡±


    ¡°Have a taste!¡±


    Chen Qiu boldly smashed open a wine jar, then hugged it and started pouring it into his mouth. As soon as this first gulp of wine went down his throat, Chen Qiu¡¯s drunkenness slightly sobered up. The rich Spiritual Energy in the Spiritual Wine.


    Actually increased his Cultivation Progress by 1%.


    Damn, this was just one sip of wine.


    He glugged down a few more sips, then set down the wine jar, and continued to hug Ao Tian, asking tipsily, ¡°Brother, tell me about the specifics with your Dragon Clan. Doesn¡¯t the Dragon Clan have a lifespan of at least a few thousand years?¡±


    ¡°How could it have come to the brink of extinction?¡±


    ¡°Is there some unspeakable secret?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything brother can do to help.¡±

 Chapter 443 - 179:

    Chapter 443: Chapter 179: ¡°Fat Long is also a Dragon!


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Ao Tian withdrew his arm from around Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulders, resting it naturally on his legs, and gazed up at the sun above, helplessly sighing, ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t understand, the people of the Xuantian Continent don¡¯t understand either.¡±


    ¡°Thousands of years ago, the Dragon Clan experienced a great war.¡±


    ¡°That war was extremely brutal, and the Dragon Clan was nearly wiped out.¡±


    ¡°Only the female dragons who had remained on the island and not participated in the war survived, and only a few male dragons came back, all gravely injured, and they died one after another, but at least they left offspring before dying. Since then, for thousands and thousands of years, the Dragon Clan has almost always been transmitted only from one generation to the next, because the birth rate of the Dragon Clan is too low; pregnancy is extremely difficult for the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°And even up to my generation!¡±


    ...


    ¡°I have done my best, only giving birth to three, but among them two are female dragons, only one is a male dragon. My life span is only a little more than a thousand years, and once I die, there will only be one male dragon, the Black Dragon, left.¡±


    ¡°If anything happens to him, or if no male dragons are born in these hundred years, then the Dragon Clan will gradually become extinct naturally.¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Ten thousand years ago.¡±


    ¡°There were ninety-eight female dragons on Dragon Island, who, to perpetuate the Dragon Clan legacy, willingly sealed themselves to extend their lifespans. Even so, the lifespans of these female dragons also came to an end over tens of thousands of years, these female dragons now only have a hundred years left to live.¡±


    ¡°In a hundred years¡­¡±


    Ao Tian, looking absentminded, raised his head towards the shifting clouds in the sky, ¡°Then it will be the day when the Dragon Clan is completely extinct. How sad, how lamentable!¡±


    ¡°How strong the Dragon Clan used to be in the old days, yet now we can only curl up on Dragon Island and slowly await death, without even a desperate strategy, absolutely no enemy, that kind of powerless feeling of being slowly killed by a blunt knife, who can understand.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting beside him, suddenly became expressionless and fell silent.


    He thought the Dragon Clan had encountered some catastrophe.


    The problem turned out to be the inability to birth dragon cubs, breaking the lineage.


    This¡­ this matter¡­ he seemed to actually have a way.


    Fat Long had the entries ¡°Hundred Percent Accuracy¡± + ¡°Ignore Barrier,¡± enabling him to mate with any creature and cause the other party to become pregnant. Wasn¡¯t the Dragon Clan¡¯s problem the inability to produce children? This was Fat Long¡¯s specialty¡ªhe was good at having kids!


    After a brief pause, he released Fat Long and gestured for Fat Long to display his entries.


    ¡°Brother, how about my brother here?¡±


    The released Fat Long, though somewhat baffled, obediently displayed his own entries.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Hundred Percent Accuracy.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Any same-species female you mate with will definitely become pregnant.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Ignore Barrier.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Able to ignore barriers, can also cause a pregnancy after mating with a different species female.


    ¨C


    One white, one blue.


    Two panels surrounded by clouds slowly floated in mid-air.


    ¡°This¡­ this¡­¡±


    The originally tipsy Ao Tian suddenly sobered up a bit, turning his head in disbelief towards the two panels above Fat Long¡¯s head, ¡°Hundred Percent Accuracy and Ignore Barrier, you actually have both of these entries?!¡±


    He had encountered these two entries before.


    For instance, during a close-to-breaking generation thousands of years ago, the then Dragon Clan Patriarch had found a Demon Cultivator who possessed the blue entry ¡°Ignore Barrier,¡± hoping this Demon Cultivator would save the Dragon Clan.


    But¡ª


    The Dragon Clan¡¯s low birth rate couldn¡¯t be solved by just changing the person.


    That member of the Devil Clan had the ¡°Ignore Barrier¡± entry, but only possessed the possibility of pregnancy, which didn¡¯t mean pregnancy was guaranteed. After trying for a hundred years, there still was no pregnancy.


    That¡¯s when they completely gave up.


    But if you add ¡°Hundred Percent Accuracy¡± to that entry, it changes everything!


    Every time, pregnancy would occur?


    All the female dragons on the island could become pregnant? And all the children born from these female dragons could also become pregnant? With such a few rounds, why wouldn¡¯t the Dragon Clan flourish hugely?


    ¡°Brother¡­ ¡±


    Ao Tian momentarily became so excited that his voice trembled as he turned to look at Chen Qiu, ¡°Divine-level entries, divine-level entries, you actually have such an outstanding Heavenly Pride under you. No, no, Heavenly Pride doesn¡¯t suffice for such talent; this is a Heavenly Pride not seen in ten thousand years!!¡±


    ¡°Brother, would you be willing¡­ to give him to me?¡±


    ¡°Give?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°Brother, he¡¯s not some subordinate of mine; he is my close friend and cherished family, the Sect Grand Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, not some slave or maid to be transferred at will.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°After all, Brother, given the great disaster your Dragon Clan faces, if needed, I can bring him along to visit Dragon Island.¡±


    ¡°Good, good!!¡±


    Ao Tian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his emotions, then brushed aside any further thought of drinking and, his eyes rimmed with red, looked at Chen Qiu, ¡°Then rather than picking a date, why not leave today?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Chen Qiu passed a Jade Scroll to Fat Long, which recorded what had just happened, to prevent Fat Long from being confused and unaware of what had happened, then brought Fat Long back into the small world, and together with Ao Tian, soared through the sky towards the sea west of Quzhou.


    His speed was less than Ao Tian¡¯s.


    But Ao Tian, clearly unable to wait, upon soaring over the sea, his clothes suddenly exploded, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a hundred-zhang-long Red Dragon, his whole body emanating an extremely terrifying pressure.


    Turning his head towards him, he said slightly hurriedly, ¡°Brother, come onto my back; it¡¯s faster this way.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After Chen Qiu agreed, he sat on Ao Tian¡¯s back, looking at the sea passing rapidly on both sides, the scenery around gradually blurring. This speed was genuinely not slow, feeling like lightning racing through the sky.

 Chapter 444 - 179:

    Chapter 444: Chapter 179: ¡°Fat Long is Also a Dragon!¡±_2


    He flew even faster than himself, and the experience was much better.


    Although the scholar flew quickly, there wasn¡¯t much of a flying experience to speak of; essentially, it wasn¡¯t them flying but the flying swords, shifting distances instantaneously under the effect of the Bloodline Entry.


    ¡­


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes had already turned red as he carried Chen Qiu at top speed towards Dragon Island. He had never felt this excited before in all his years; if nothing went wrong, the Dragon Clan¡¯s problem might be completely resolved this time!


    Although Chen Qiu, his subordinate, was of the Human Race.


    This meant that mating with the Dragon Clan would dilute the Dragon bloodline; the children born would not be of pure Dragon Clan bloodline.


    ...


    But¡ª S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Who the hell cares at this point!


    At a time like this, who cares if the children are of pure Dragon Clan bloodline; it¡¯s good enough to have children at all!


    As long as they can have children, never mind the Human Race; any race would do!


    ¡­


    Within the back mountain of Chao Tian Sect.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï


    Fat Long sat in the forest with a dazed expression, his mouth slowly opening, seeming completely lost as he leaned against a pine tree. At that moment, the scholar emerged from the bushes and asked curiously.


    ¡°What happened to you, looking all soul-lost and dispirited?¡±


    Fat Long¡¯s throat moved slightly, and after a long while, he said with a vague voice, ¡°Have you ever heard of a ¡®Tribulation Responder¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I once saw such a term in the ancient texts of Da Xia Country. It is said that when a catastrophe too difficult to end emerges in the world, a ¡®Tribulation Responder¡¯ would appear.¡±


    ¡°This Tribulation Responder is ordinarily unremarkable in other aspects, even to the point of being considered lacking achievement.¡±


    ¡°But it is in dealing with the extremely difficult crisis that they can make unparalleled contributions, of course, at some small sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°That is the Tribulation Responder!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The scholar stroked his chin with one hand, turning his head and pondering for a moment before nodding, ¡°I¡¯m hearing this for the first time, but it does seem quite interesting. It sounds like there¡¯s something to it. Why bring this up all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Fat Long murmured in a dazed tone, ¡°Because¡­ I¡¯ve realized that I¡¯m damn well that ¡®Tribulation Responder,¡¯ born to solve the Dragon Clan¡¯s crisis.¡±


    ¡°You know about the Dragon Clan, right? Brother Qiu saved a Black Dragon in the Nascent Soul Realm¡¯s secret danger zone. While a Dragon Clan elder was thanking Brother Qiu and sharing drinks with him, he revealed that the Dragon Clan was facing a catastrophe due to poor reproductive capabilities and was on the brink of extinction.¡±


    ¡°However¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look at my entry: Hundred Percent Accuracy + Reproductive Barrier. What¡¯s the point of having these two entries for a normal cultivator? What use are they?¡±


    ¡°In other words, aren¡¯t they just worthless? Never mind the issue of Dual Cultivation, you¡¯re starting with fewer entries than others ¨C how is that playable?¡±


    ¡°But my entries just happen to be the solution to the Dragon Clan¡¯s crisis. Wouldn¡¯t you say that makes me the Dragon Clan¡¯s Tribulation Responder?¡±


    The scholar nodded thoughtfully, about to say something when suddenly, it clicked, and he grabbed Fat Long¡¯s shoulders, his breath becoming rapid and his voice trembling, ¡°Wait, did you just say you can solve a major disaster for the Dragon Clan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is the Dragon Clan very wealthy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then haven¡¯t we damn well struck it rich?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Fat Long suddenly laughed and stood up, walking over to a nearby pine tree. He stood tall and proud, looking upward through the dappled light filtering through the leaves and murmured with anticipation in his voice.


    ¡°A long time ago, I said that those who are steadfast in believing they will reach the peak never feel shame over kneeling the day before.¡±


    ¡°The humiliations you¡¯ve been through, once you achieve fame and success, all become badges of honor etched onto your body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been an unknown in the Chao Tian Sect for so long.¡±


    ¡°Finally, finally¡ª¡±


    ¡°Finally, the opportunity to prove my worth has come!!¡±


    ¡°There are no useless entries, only useless cultivators!¡±


    ¡°Even with such entries, in Fat Long¡¯s hands, I will make them shine brightly!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, this is me, Fat Long, someone who has faced countless hardships but never bowed to them, firmly believing that I will stand tall one day, a Nameless individual!!¡±


    Unable to contain his emotions any longer, Fat Long laughed uproariously, his laughter spreading through the forest and across the entire Chao Tian Sect.


    No one understood the feeling in his heart at that moment.


    Almost instantly, the gloom in his heart was swept away!


    He had always been despondent for being a waste, for being unable to help Brother Qiu, for not deserving to sit in the position of Sect Grand Elder, but now that was no longer necessary; the Sect Grand Elder of Chao Tian Sect had to be him!


    Apart from him, who could bring such resources to the Chao Tian Sect!


    With the Dragon Clan being so wealthy, the slightest generosity from them would suffice for their use!


    This, is the power of Fat Long!


    Never taking action on trivial matters; when he acts, it¡¯s always big!


    ¡­


    The scholar looked at Fat Long, laughing wildly ahead, and after a brief pause, he too couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and laugh.


    Fat Long had finally waited for his chance to come.


    And it wasn¡¯t just Fat Long¡¯s chance, but an opportunity for the entire Chao Tian Sect. If this trip went smoothly, then in the future, all disciples of the Chao Tian Sect would have to respectfully call him Sect Grand Elder Fat Long, acknowledging that what you eat and drink was earned for you by the great Sect Grand Elder himself.


    Then he turned to his younger brother beside him, filled with emotion.


    ¡°Little brother, you are the Third Elder; it looks like it¡¯s your turn to prove yourself next.¡±

 Chapter 445 - 179:

    Chapter 445: Chapter 179: ¡°Fat Long is Also a Dragon!¡±_3


    Quietly following behind the scholar, the younger brother¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, and the stubble on his face also trembled.


    ¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡±


    After Ao Tian, the Heavenly General, pushed his speed to the extreme, it took him just under an hour to arrive at Dragon Island.


    Ao Tian transformed back into his human form and stood on the ground, his eyes red with excitement as he looked toward the Black Dragon still busily working nearby, ¡°Come here, call me ¡®uncle.''¡±


    Dragon Island is quite a distance away from Quzhou.


    ...


    And along the way, there are countless natural barriers. If one were not familiar with this journey, even those at the Peak of Divinity Transformation would be unable to reach this place.


    It¡¯s called an island.


    But it is not small.


    It¡¯s about three to four times the size of Qi City. Not much when placed on land, but quite substantial for the middle of the sea.


    Dragon Island is without any neighboring islands. It sits quietly alone here, its beaches home to many Spirit Trees. At first glance, deep into the island, more Spirit Trees are planted; it seems quite a habitable place.


    ¡°Uncle¡­ Uncle.¡±


    Though slightly reluctant, the Black Dragon obediently shrank in size, flew to Chen Qiu¡¯s side, and said obediently. Just moments ago, were they not all peers competing together on the Nascent Soul Combat Power Rankings? How had you suddenly become a senior?


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu kept one hand behind his back, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and smiled, ¡°The child is quite obedient.¡±


    At this moment, Ao Tian, already somewhat impatient, glanced sideways at Chen Qiu and tentatively spoke.


    ¡°Shall we start now, go take a look at the situation?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡­


    Dragon Island has a square near the beach where ninety-eight mother dragons were placed quietly.


    These mother dragons had been sleeping like this for tens of thousands of years.


    Without consciousness, like those in a vegetative state, yet capable of breeding, these mother dragons¡¯ self-sacrifice for the Dragon Clan deserves to be commemorated by monuments and extensively chronicled in the Dragon Clan Ancient Books if the lineage were to continue.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Ao Tian looked at the ninety-eight mother dragons in the square with complex emotions, ¡°These ninety-eight mother dragons are all my ancestors. They have given too much to the Dragon Clan, but now their lifespans are almost exhausted. The weakest among them are at Nascent Soul Peak Cultivation, and the rest all have Divinity Transformation Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°All Divinity Transformation?¡±


    Chen Qiu was slightly startled; he hadn¡¯t expected to see so many with Divinity Transformation one day.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    At this point, Ao Tian spoke somewhat proudly, ¡°Tens of thousands of years ago, the Dragon Clan was a significant race in the world. Once a Dragon Clan member reached adulthood, they were in the Divinity Transformation Stage; with a bit of cultivation, they¡¯d reach the middle to late stages of Divinity Transformation, and with a bit more seriousness, the Peak of Divinity Transformation. After the next breakthrough, the world would be theirs to roam.¡±


    ¡°So naturally, most of these mother dragons have reached Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°The remaining few with Nascent Soul Peak Cultivation were those who sealed themselves before reaching adulthood.¡±


    ¡°However, as time passed, they too aged, and their Cultivation did not make any further progress.¡±


    ¡°Brother, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡± Ao Tian hurriedly urged in a softer tone, ¡°Let¡¯s try first, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head and didn¡¯t propose any demands. Seeing that Ao Tian, as the Dragon Clan Patriarch, clearly possessing Peak Divinity Transformation Cultivation, had never abused his power, such a character didn¡¯t require asking much. As long as he owed a favor, he himself would be uneasy.


    He then waved his hand and summoned Fat Long.


    ¡­


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    In front of a sleeping mother dragon, Ao Tian looked expectantly and anxiously at Fat Long, ¡°Do you have confidence?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Fat Long took a deep breath, looked at the mother dragon in front of him that was about one zhang long, hypnotized himself for a moment with his eyes closed, and then stepped forward, ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    ¡­


    After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.


    Fat Long, somewhat panicked, pulled up his pants and moved aside, pointing to the belly of the mother dragon in front of him that was gradually bulging, his voice trembling with anxiety, ¡°Brother Qiu, what¡¯s happening here? How is it possible for her to be pregnant this fast!¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    A thunderous, excited laugh erupted, filling everyone¡¯s ears!


    Ao Tian, ecstatic, rushed to the mother dragon¡¯s side, completely ignoring his image as he laid on the ground, his cheek against the dragon¡¯s abdomen, feeling the slight bulge and trembling with excitement, ¡°She¡¯s pregnant, really pregnant!¡±


    ¡°The moment a Dragon Clan is pregnant, the abdomen immediately bulges!¡±


    ¡°Three months later, the offspring will naturally be born!¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan has finally averted extinction!¡±


    After a long while, Ao Tian took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and his Divine Thought probed into the mother dragon¡¯s abdomen to see how much of the Dragon Clan Bloodline remained. Although a successful pregnancy was achieved with the help of an entry¡¯s power, the Dragon Clan Bloodline was still largely diluted.


    Such Dragon Clan offspring, whether in terms of potential, descendants, or even lifespan, cannot compare to those of a pure-blooded Dragon Clan.


    But there was no other way. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Being able to pass on the lineage was already good. Only with a continuing lineage could the purity of the Bloodline be considered.


    However¡ª


    Just as his Divine Thought probed into the mother dragon¡¯s abdomen, his whole face suddenly turned white, and he fell to the ground with disbelief trembling through his voice, ¡°How¡­ how is this possible, a tenth-grade Bloodline!¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan has not seen a tenth-grade Bloodline for a very long time!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, and he couldn¡¯t help but ask with confusion, ¡°Is a tenth-grade Bloodline good or weak? Comparing it to twelve-grade Nascent Souls, should that be good?¡±


    ¡°More than good¡­ so much more than good¡­¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s entire face was pale, his eyes filled with disbelief as he turned his head to look at Chen Qiu, his lips trembling uncontrollably, his voice shaking, ¡°The more concentrated the Dragon Clan¡¯s Bloodline, the stronger the potential and power.¡±

 Chapter 446 - 179:

    Chapter 446: Chapter 179: ¡°Fat Long is Also a Dragon!¡±_4


    ¡°First Grade bloodlines mean that the bloodline has been diluted to the minimum, resulting in the weakest potential and strength.¡±


    ¡°The highest is the Twelfth Grade bloodline, which represents the most concentrated bloodlines, top-tier among the Dragon Clan!¡±


    ¡°And as Ten Grade is only inferior to the Twelfth and Eleventh Grades, it is naturally extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but how could this mother dragon, with a mere Sixth Grade bloodline, possibly give birth to an offspring with a Ten Grade bloodline?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±


    ...


    Ao Tian suddenly came to his senses, rushed to Fat Long¡¯s side, channeled Spiritual Energy to his fingertips, and carefully inserted them into Fat Long¡¯s skin to extract nine drops of Fat Long¡¯s blood. Then he took out nine stones from his bosom and sprinkled the blood on the stones respectively.


    There was no change.


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief, but also with a hint of faint expectation, his voice trembling with the urgency of his emotions.


    ¡°A Sixth Grade mother dragon cannot give birth to a Ten Grade bloodline offspring unless¡­ unless, brother, you also have the Dragon Clan¡¯s blood in you, and it¡¯s an extremely authentic and concentrated bloodline!¡±


    ¡°There are nine types of Dragon Clan bloodlines.¡±


    ¡°They are the Cloud Hiding Dragon, Earth Burying Dragon, Thunder Piercing Dragon, and so on, and these nine bloodlines are further classified from First to Twelfth Grade based on their concentration!¡±


    ¡°For example, the Black Dragon is a Seventh Grade bloodline of the Cloud Hiding Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Specializing in stealth and assassination.¡±


    ¡°After ten breaths, you can¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking¡ª


    One of the nine stones in Ao Tian¡¯s hand suddenly burst into a golden brilliance, forming a golden beam that pierced straight to the heavens!!!


    A rich Dragon Clan¡¯s majestic pressure emanated from this stone.


    Slowly radiating outwards.


    ¡°Twelfth Grade Bloodline!!¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ao Tian looked up at the golden beam reaching into the clouds, his voice trembling with such excitement that it sounded shrill and piercing, ¡°And it¡¯s the strongest of the nine Dragon Clan bloodlines, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline!¡±


    ¡°Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline!¡±


    ¡°Unprecedented in the history of the Dragon Clan, even the first-generation Dragon Emperor was only an Eleventh Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline!¡±


    ¡°How is this possible?!!¡±


    ¡°How could this be? Aren¡¯t you Human Race? Why would you carry a Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, and after a moment he turned his head to look at Fat Long, who was also stunned and speechless, and said quietly, ¡°When we first met, you told me that you were called Fat Long because there was a phenomenon in the sky at your birth, a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon circling the sky nine times before entering your body, hence you named yourself after it.¡±


    ¡°You said you made that story up, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°And now it turns out to be true?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know either.¡±


    At this moment, Fat Long was also incredulous as he looked down at his own hands, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not. I¡¯m an orphan, my parents died early, and I grew up listening to what the neighbors said. Could it really be true?¡±


    He himself was somewhat flustered!


    Could it be that he already had a Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline in his previous life?


    No wonder he always liked to frequent the brothel.


    It was the nature of the Dragon Clan at play.


    But then he looked at Ao Tian, who was still ecstatic, and Chen Qiu, who was standing beside him, both in a daze, and wanted to interrupt, but realized that no one seemed to be paying attention to him.


    He actually wanted to say.


    That mating with the mother dragon had made his Cultivation increase too rapidly, and that was without using the Dual Cultivation Heart Method. If he were to use the Dual Cultivation Heart Method, he was a bit afraid to even contemplate the speed at which his Cultivation would soar.


    He wanted to ask if he could use the Dual Cultivation Heart Method.


    After all, an ordinary Golden Core first layer Cultivator didn¡¯t have the chance to engage in Dual Cultivation with a member of the Divinity Transformation Dragon Clan; his Cultivation would skyrocket like a rocket, and moreover, as a Divinity Transformation Dragon Clan member was much stronger than him, they should be able to handle it.


    ¡­


    Thirty minutes passed.


    Only then did the Dragon Clan Patriarch Ao Tian sit down with Fat Long and Chen Qiu, his eyes slightly red as he looked at Chen Qiu, ¡°Brother, I¡¯m a bit incoherent now, I don¡¯t even know what to say.¡±


    ¡°You saved the Black Dragon, which was already a great favor to the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°But now¡­ now this favor has grown even larger, and I don¡¯t know how to repay it.¡±


    ¡°With your brother¡¯s Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline, all the offspring born from the mothers on Dragon Island are of exceptionally high Bloodlines, destined to be future Heavenly Prides; this gift is too great for the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°It just feels a bit sad.¡±


    ¡°I myself am only a Seventh Grade bloodline. If my mother was impregnated by your brother instead of my father, how good it would have been, I might have been a Ten Grade bloodline too. If only I could be reborn, I¡¯d really want to go back into my mother¡¯s womb once more.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t repay this great favor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beyond returning.¡±


    ¡°Brother, from now on the Dragon Clan is your most sincere friend. I¡¯m not just saying this, I¡¯ll sign a Dragon Clan Blood Contract with you. From now on, the Dragon Clan and Chao Tian Sect will be eternal allies!¡±


    ¡°As long as you, brother, need something, the Dragon Clan will do its utmost to fulfill it for you.¡±


    ¡°Just give the word, brother, and tens of thousands of Tenth Grade bloodline clan members from the Dragon Clan will rush over to help you slaughter all your enemies!¡±


    ¡°Slow down¡­ just slow down.¡±


    Chen Qiu gently patted Ao Tian¡¯s shoulder, ¡°You haven¡¯t given birth to tens of thousands of Tenth Grade bloodline Dragon Clan members yet; all this is a matter for the future. First, you need to calm down, don¡¯t get too excited, just take a moment.¡±


    ¡°My brother is called Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°You can leave all the mothers on your island to my brother, there won¡¯t be a problem. This is just the beginning. In the future, there will be many opportunities for cooperation. Whether it was the first time seeing the Black Dragon or meeting you, brother, I felt like we hit it off right away.¡±

 Chapter 447 - 179:

    Chapter 447: Chapter 179: ¡°Fat Long is Also a Dragon!¡±_5


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes reddened as he nodded vigorously, no one understood his current feelings, for so many years, a heavy stone in his heart had finally been lifted, and the Dragon Clan had suddenly changed from a path of extinction to a path of rise!


    During the peak of the Dragon Clan, there weren¡¯t as many clanspeople with high-grade bloodlines!


    Then he turned his head towards Fat Long, ¡°Brother, is your name Fat Long?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Good name, good name indeed¡­¡±


    ...


    ¡°By the way.¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly thought of something, slapped his forehead, and looked towards Ao Tian, ¡°My brother practices Dual Cultivation, and after mating with a female¡­¡±


    ¡°No problem at all!¡±


    Before Chen Qiu could finish, Ao Tian nodded vigorously and said, ¡°I know, cultivate freely, all these dragon mothers are of Divinity Transformation Cultivation, they are resilient, no problem at all.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­¡±


    Ao Tian looked at Fat Long with some concern, ¡°Mating in the Dragon Clan is somewhat different from the Human Race. With a bloodline like Fat Long¡¯s, a Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, once he mates with someone from the Dragon Clan and sires offspring, it will consume a lot of energy.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if Brother Fat Long can still hold on now?¡±


    ¡°No issue.¡±


    Fat Long waved his hand, then popped a cloudy entry panel into the air, ¡°Lots of bull, just replace one.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Nine Ox Power.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: White.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: Owning nine oxen.


    ¨C


    ¡°Good, good, good!!¡±


    Unable to restrain himself, Ao Tian exclaimed three times in succession, his eyes streaming with tears as he grasped Fat Long¡¯s hands and trembled, ¡°How can there be such an entry, it¡¯s just perfect for the Dragon Clan, Brother Fat Long, I now seriously suspect that you were born to save the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°How the Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline came about, let¡¯s not mention that for the time being.¡±


    ¡°But even if indeed someone else has the Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline, it doesn¡¯t mean anything without the entries ¡®Hundred Percent Accuracy¡¯ and ¡®Ignore Barrier.¡¯ The higher the bloodline grade, the more difficult it is to reproduce.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say this, but the Dragon Clan will surely reach the pinnacle of the Xuantian Continent in the future. Soon the Dragon Clan will sign a Blood Covenant with you. No matter how high the Dragon Clan climbs in the future, everyone in Chao Tian Sect will always be the most honored guests of the Dragon Clan!¡±


    ¡°Never doubt the promise of the Dragon Clan!¡±


    ¡°For thirty thousand years, for a promise that didn¡¯t even have a Blood Covenant, all members of the Dragon Clan mobilized and all perished in the Xuantian Continent. The Dragon Clan is a race that keeps its promises, even at the cost of its downfall.¡±


    ¡°Brother Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°Please, I entrust the next steps to you!¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ao Tian suddenly stood up, adhering to the human race¡¯s rituals, facing Brother Fat Long and bowed deeply.


    Seeing this, Fat Long quickly stepped forward and helped Ao Tian up, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal, I¡¯m acting on behalf of the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, after all, I am the Sect Grand Elder of Chao Tian Sect, just leave everything to me, it¡¯s all minor matters.¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    Ao Tian and Chen Qiu were sitting on the highest peak of Dragon Island, looking down at the busy Fat Long, Ao Tian murmured dreamily as he watched the scene below, ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t understand the enormous opportunity you¡¯ve brought to the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan can have a litter every three months.¡±


    ¡°After a month of rest, they can continue.¡±


    ¡°These dragon mothers still have a hundred years of life, these many years can produce enough dragon cubs, and they are all dragon cubs with high-grade bloodlines. After a hundred years, when the first batch of dragon cubs grow sensible, and wait five hundred years after the first batch of dragon cubs become adult.¡±


    ¡°All of Divinity Transformation Cultivation, and also all high-grade bloodlines.¡±


    ¡°Just five hundred years, after five hundred years the Dragon Clan will be the number one clan in the world, and will continue to grow stronger!¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I never imagined that there would be such a day for the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I won¡¯t talk much about our friendship, tell me what kind of Divine Domain you are planning to build, and, Brother, I¡¯ll take out the heavenly treasures treasured for ten thousand years by the Dragon Clan to build you the highest grade Divine Domain!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve shown brother such heart and soul.¡±


    ¡°Brother will certainly not let you down.¡±


    ¡°Even if the materials in the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault aren¡¯t enough, I, brother, will risk my life to snatch them back from the Xuantian Continent for you.¡±


    ¡°If I really exert my power, ordinary three Peak Divinity Transformation beings can¡¯t stop me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu did not speak, just quietly sat at the top of the peak, watching the busy Fat Long below.


    This was Fat Long¡¯s opportunity.


    It was also an opportunity for his Chao Tian Sect.


    And it was an opportunity that the Dragon Clan had been waiting for tens of thousands of years.


    He had never believed in the concept of ¡®Tribulation Responder¡¯ before, but now he did believe. Perhaps there really were such people in this world?


    After a long while, he gently smiled and softly said.


    ¡°No rush, let¡¯s not talk about returns for now.¡±


    ¡°Brother felt an instant connection with you, not because he was seeking any return in helping you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy the breeze first, this place has wonderful scenery, Quzhou is indeed a rare sight.¡±

 Chapter 448 - 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 448: Chapter 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest.


    ¡°`


    ¡°Alright,¡±


    Although Ao Tian wanted to continue talking, seeing that Chen Qiu had no desire to keep the conversation going, he could only contain his impatience and join Chen Qiu in admiring the scenery before them.


    Honestly speaking, the scenery was indeed nice.


    The sea surface was calm and peaceful, with seagulls flying by from time to time, bringing with their wings the slightly fishy sea breeze, and the two of them were sitting on the mountaintop of the island, overlooking the island below, feeling a beauty quite distinct from that of Quzhou.


    But¡ª


    ...


    Ao Tian grew increasingly impatient as he looked around, feeling an itch in his heart. Chen Qiu¡¯s kindness to the Dragon Clan was too great, and without doing something in return, he would feel uncomfortable, as if a hand was kneading his heart.


    The scenery was indeed pleasant, but he had seen it for so many years; there was no way it could evoke any feelings in him.


    Put simply.


    Even if it were the world¡¯s most beautiful person, after thousands of years, it would be pretty much the same.


    Scratching his head, Ao Tian casually pulled out a handful of Nascent Soul cultivation pills and offered them to Chen Qiu: ¡°Hey, little brother, want some?¡±


    ¡°This stuff may not taste much, but the Spiritual Energy contained within it is quite pleasant for the body.¡± S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, expressionless, silently stared at the three or four Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills in Ao Tian¡¯s hand, his mouth twitching slightly, before finally picking up one with an indifferent face and putting it in his pocket.


    ¡°My cultivation is only at the fifth layer of Nascent Soul, so I can¡¯t just eat these like candy, but I still appreciate the gesture, brother.¡±


    He only had Nascent Soul cultivation.


    Taking such pills needed to be accompanied by a mental method; otherwise, swallowing them directly would not heavily injure him thanks to the contained Spiritual Energy, but it definitely wouldn¡¯t be comfortable either, and vomiting blood was almost certain.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Ao Tian understood and, after tossing the remaining two Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills into his mouth and chewing them, he pondered momentarily and then his eyes lit up: ¡°Little brother, how many disciples are there in your Chao Tian Sect, and what is their level of cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Just under a hundred, and most are at the first layer of Nascent Soul cultivation, with some at the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes gleamed as he hastily drew a Storage Ring from his pocket and handed it over: ¡°Here are a thousand Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills and some Heavenly Dao Golden Core Pills. Take good care of them, little brother, and don¡¯t rush to refuse.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t lack Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills, for your speed of cultivation is several times faster than those who consistently consume Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.¡±


    ¡°But think about it, brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a sect to sustain. With so many Nascent Soul disciples, they might not need them but you certainly do. Even if you have enough Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills to manage them, sect inheritances can last for hundreds or even thousands of years. The disciples that come after will definitely need more Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small token, you must accept it, brother.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯d feel terrible.¡±


    ¡°This is not just a personal debt I owe you, but one that the entire Dragon Clan owes you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu let out a sigh, waved his hand, took the Storage Ring, and pocketed it, his smile forced and somewhat helpless: ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll gratefully accept your kindness, brother. Your enthusiasm really makes me a bit embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep giving me things in the future, or I¡¯ll feel really awkward.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not used to taking advantage of others without giving something in return.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    Ao Tian said with a feigned anger: ¡°How can this be considered taking advantage of? Don¡¯t say such things; it¡¯s just some candy beans, what¡¯s the big deal? These things are useless to the Dragon Clan, as adulthood for us means reaching the Divinity Transformation and we don¡¯t need these.¡±


    ¡°These were plundered from the Xuantian Continent thousands of years ago and have never been used, just accumulating on Dragon Island.¡±


    ¡°Stacked up in boxes.¡±


    ¡°There are so many boxes I haven¡¯t even counted them all. I only carry a little with me to eat like candy beans from time to time. After we finish viewing the scenery, I¡¯ll take you to the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault, and you can take away all these Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills.¡±


    ¡°It should be enough for your Chao Tian Sect to use for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Then on behalf of the disciples of Chao Tian Sect, I thank you for your kindness, brother.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s face showed little emotion, and he thanked him with a calm smile.


    But his heart was already churning with towering waves!!


    Damn it!


    He knew the Dragon Clan was rich, but weren¡¯t they a little too rich? Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, you store them in boxes? Stacked up together? Do you have any idea how hard he worked, begging and pleading, to extract 40 Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from two medium-grade fortune-telling plates of the Heavenly Dao!!


    And with just these 40 Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he had managed to break through from the first layer of Nascent Soul to the fifth layer, setting a new speed record for cultivation in the Xuantian Continent.


    He was actually quite satisfied already.


    But why the hell could you just casually throw out a thousand Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills?!


    With so many Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he had enough to cultivate all the way to Divinity Transformation, and there would be plenty to spare. Under the progression of ten times the speed of cultivation, his advancement was extremely rapid.


    Originally, he was worried whether he could reach the seventh layer of Nascent Soul within the one-month time limit of ten times the speed of cultivation.


    Now it seems.


    He could even use them up to Divinity Transformation.


    When this one-month period ends, he might have already completed more than half of the first layer of Divinity Transformation, although reaching the second layer of Divinity Transformation would definitely be impossible.


    After all, he had no Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and didn¡¯t know where to get them.


    As for the remaining Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, they were already enough for several disciples to cultivate from the first layer of Nascent Soul to the ninth layer at the fastest speed. These disciples didn¡¯t have his tenfold cultivation progression, so their speed would certainly be much slower.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 449 - 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 449: Chapter 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest.¡± _2


    But as long as Ao Tian really gives him all the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault, then within at most two years, the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect will all become Divinity Transformations!


    At that time!


    The entire Xuantian Continent, wherever the Chao Tian Sect goes, all will have to kneel down!


    And the reason for this current situation is simply because he saved the Black Dragon in the Nascent Soul power rankings Secret Realm.


    That¡¯s not right! Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If we trace back further, it should be said that the reason for the current situation is simply because, that day in Fufeng City, he chose to rest for a day and went to the city gate to watch the actors enter the city, where he encountered Fat Long who was loudly recruiting for the Sky-bursting Gang.


    ...


    Fat Long snatched a piece of pig¡¯s head meat from him.


    And gave him a huge opportunity.


    This piece of pig¡¯s head meat is very likely the most valuable piece of pork in the history of the Xuantian Continent.


    Perhaps when Fat Long was eating that piece of pig¡¯s head meat, he also didn¡¯t realize that every bite of pork was half of the Xuantian Continent.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s really great.¡±


    At last, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t suppress the smile on his face, and could only look down at the bustling Fat Long below, his mouth uncontrollably curling up crazily, ¡°Seeing the hope of the Dragon Clan¡¯s revival, for some reason, I feel genuinely happy from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite strange when you put it that way.¡±


    When I first saw the Black Dragon, I thought he was very cute, and you also took to him as though it were a fated meeting,¡± Ao Tian said sentimentally, embracing Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulders, ¡°This is actually all predestined, after all, Brother Fat Long possesses the Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline. You¡¯ve been with Fat Long all the time, and after staying for so long, it¡¯s natural that you would feel close to the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°It also seems to be thanks to Black Dragon who didn¡¯t listen to me this time and ran to the final challenge.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, there would¡¯ve been no chance to meet you, brother.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the Human Race and the Dragon Clan aren¡¯t the same species. When chaotic times come, we may even be on opposing sides. The Dragon Clan might miss out on this great opportunity. Many things in this world are just like that.¡±


    ¡°The more you strive for something, the less likely you are to get it. Planting a willow tree carelessly can end up with the willow shading you.¡±


    ¡°Oh right,¡± Chen Qiu suddenly thought of something, ¡°Brother, can you give me a few of those stones you used to test Fat Long¡¯s bloodline? I want to take them back to test the bloodline of the Chao Tian Sect disciples.¡±


    Why Fat Long has the Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline,


    He¡¯s not clear.


    Perhaps it¡¯s because in their past lives, they were all descendants of dragons¡­?


    Coming from the same origin, he planned to try it himself later.


    To see if he also has this Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline.


    ¡°This ¡®Dragon Vein Stone¡¯ you mean? No problem, it¡¯s not worth much, brother, take it and just play with it as you wish.¡± Without any hesitation, Ao Tian took out nine stones from his bosom and handed them over, then suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Brother, how much do you know about the Divinity Transformation Domain?¡±


    ¡°I basically don¡¯t understand it.¡±


    This time Chen Qiu was quite honest. When to tell a little lie and when to tell the truth, he still had a clear understanding.


    ¡°Okay, then big brother will explain it to you.¡±


    Ao Tian rolled up his sleeves and pondered for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°The Human Race and the Dragon Clan differ slightly in their cultivation methods, but there¡¯s not too much difference. Both the Dragon Clan and Human Race can create their own domain after breaking through to Divinity Transformation, and the domain is the most important ability of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°The reason why you, brother, were able to kill four Divinity Transformations of the Evil State with Golden Core Cultivation and caused a huge stir on the Xuantian Continent,¡±


    ¡°The main reason is that, in the thousands of years in the Xuantian Continent, the suppression of those below Divinity Transformation Cultivation by those who¡¯ve reached Divinity Transformation was insurmountable. Even the most heavenly Nascent Soul would have a hard time defeating even the weakest Divinity Transformation with a domain.¡±


    ¡°Within the domain, I am invincible.¡±


    ¡°That is Divinity Transformation Stage.¡±


    ¡°Of course, some cultivators either for lack of corresponding heavenly and earthly treasures, insufficient foundation, poor connections, or not enough life span left to create a Divinity Transformation Domain for various reasons, didn¡¯t create a Divinity Transformation Domain.¡±


    ¡°And a Divinity Transformation without a domain is often referred to as a ¡®half-step Divinity Transformation.¡¯


    ¡°Although a half-step Divinity Transformation still has strong suppressive power against those of lower cultivation, it relies on more abundant Spiritual Energy and its own Cultivation Realm. If they encounter powerful heavenly prides, it¡¯s not insurmountable.¡±


    ¡°For instance¡ª¡±


    Ao Tian snapped his fingers, and instantly, the whole world seemed to darken, followed by a bright light exploding and instantly illuminating everything as if the sun had fallen from the sky.


    Hundreds of Phoenixes dragging red tail lights, calling and circling overhead Ao Tian.


    ¡°This is my Divinity Transformation Domain, Ninth Grade ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest,¡¯ which is also a domain exclusive to the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°Because I possess the Red Dragon Bloodline, this Divinity Transformation Domain is more suitable for me. In my domain, my physical attributes, including the power of Dragon Breath, are greatly enhanced, and these hundreds of Spiritual Body Phoenixes have healing effects.¡±


    ¡°As long as I¡¯m injured, a Spiritual Body Phoenix can enter my body and rapidly heal my wounds.¡±


    ¡°And there are hundreds of Spiritual Body Phoenixes in my domain.¡±


    ¡°The Red Dragon Bloodline¡¯s strength is in its powerful Dragon Breath and robust physical attributes. To use your Human Race terminology, it¡¯s a bloodline that¡¯s both adept at Body Cultivation and Magic Practitioner. Among the Dragon Clan¡¯s nine major bloodlines, it¡¯s one with strong direct combat abilities.¡±


    ¡°Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest.¡¯


    ¡°As long as I¡¯m not killed instantly, I can always maintain my peak condition!¡±


    ¡°Of course, with the Dragon Clan¡¯s long inheritance, there are many Divinity Transformation Domains suitable for other Dragon Clan bloodlines. For instance, the ¡®Cloud Hiding Dragon Bloodline,¡¯ and the Black Dragon is of this bloodline, specializing in stealth and assassination.¡±

 Chapter 450 - 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 450: Chapter 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenixes Returning to the Nest¡±._3


    ¡°There will be no fluctuation of spiritual energy during an attack, making it extremely difficult to detect,¡±


    ¡°The arena is the least suitable place for Cloud Hiding Dragon.¡±


    ¡°The most suitable Divine Domain for Cloud Hiding Dragon is the ¡®Absolute Darkness¡¯, somewhat similar to the major event in Quzhou last time, ¡®The Long Night Approaches¡¯. In this domain, it is absolutely pitch black, without a trace of light, and Divine Sense cannot probe out.¡±


    ¡°In such an environment, Cloud Hiding Dragon can fully exhibit its assassination traits.¡±


    ¡°However, Black Dragon might have some issues in his head; he dislikes assassinations, saying that he can¡¯t enjoy the cheers of the people that way. Let¡¯s not talk about him now, it¡¯s infuriating.¡±


    ¡°Besides that¡ª¡±


    ...


    ¡°There are many other types of bloodlines.¡±


    Ao Tian continued with his detailed introduction, ¡°For instance, there¡¯s the ¡®Hundredfold Gravity¡¯ Divine Domain suitable for Body Cultivation, ¡®Night Parade of Hundred Demons¡¯ Divine Domain for Evil Cultivation, ¡®Miniature Buddhist Kingdom¡¯ Divine Domain for Buddhist Disciples, and ¡®Instant Formation¡¯ Divine Domain for Array Repairers.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the ¡®Swordmaster¡¯s Call¡¯ Divine Domain suitable for Sword Cultivators, and so on.¡±


    ¡°These Divine Domains are quite specific, targeting a type of cultivator, but there are also those that are more generic.¡±


    ¡°For example, ¡®Mutual Injury¡¯, within this domain, no one can heal their injuries by any means. It¡¯s not specifically targeted at any type of cultivator, it¡¯s non-specific.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, there are many Divine Domains.¡±


    ¡°There is no distinction between strong and weak among the types of Divine Domains, it¡¯s more about whether it suits you and matches your cultivation methods and combat tactics,¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, ¡°So what about the grades of Divine Domains from First Grade to Twelfth Grade?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, there is no strong or weak among the types of Divine Domains, there¡¯s no basis for saying that ¡®Swordmaster¡¯s Call¡¯ is definitely stronger than ¡®Night Parade of Hundred Demons¡¯.¡±


    ¡°But a Fourth-grade ¡®Swordmaster¡¯s Call¡¯ Divine Domain is certainly stronger than a Third-grade ¡®Night Parade of Hundred Demons¡¯ Divine Domain.¡±


    ¡°The difference in grade determines the strength.¡±


    ¡°They are classified from First Grade to Twelfth Grade, but grades above Ninth often require some very stringent conditions. For example, for a Tenth-grade Divine Domain, you would also need a Tenth-grade Golden Core and a Tenth-grade Nascent Soul, which is why usually a Ninth-grade Divine Domain is the strongest.¡±


    ¡°Grades above Tenth are theoretically achievable but haven¡¯t been seen in reality.¡±


    ¡°For instance, my ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest¡¯ Divine Domain is Ninth-grade.¡±


    Speaking of his own Divine Domain, Ao Tian said with some pride, ¡°After all, the Dragon Clan has a profound heritage despite interrupted succession over the years. My Ninth-grade ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest¡¯ is also one of the strongest Divine Domains on the Xuantian Continent and is the biggest reason why I can fight three opponents at once.¡±


    ¡°The higher the grade of the Divine Domain, the larger the area it covers, and it can suppress Domains of lower grades.¡±


    ¡°Generally speaking, with a three-grade difference, there is an absolute suppression effect.¡±


    ¡°To be specific, let¡¯s say I have a Ninth-grade Divine Domain, and a Divinity Transformation Peak Cultivation Human Clan Cultivator with a Sixth-grade Divine Domain tries to confront me. If we both activate our Divine Domains at the same time upon meeting,¡±


    ¡°His Divine Domain would be instantly suppressed by mine with an absolute effect, pushed back.¡±


    ¡°A Divinity without its Divine Domain is just so-so.¡±


    ¡°Within my domain, I am invincible.¡±


    ¡°Without it, naturally, one cannot remain unbeaten.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, the grade of a Divine Domain is extremely important for a Divinity. It can even be said to be of the utmost importance. However, Divine Domains differ from Golden Cores; the grade of a Golden Core is basically set in stone from the moment of its creation.¡±


    ¡°The grade of Divine Domains can always increase. Some people may have a very low-grade domain when they first become a Divinity, but later if they find some opportunity, the grade of their Divine Domain may gradually increase.¡±


    ¡°A three-grade difference is an absolute suppression effect.¡±


    ¡°Within three grades, it¡¯s a partial suppression effect.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It means that you can¡¯t just shatter the opponent¡¯s Domain, but you can decrease the area and weaken the effect of their Domain.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly why,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll often hear about Divinities returning from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm severely injured. There¡¯s no choice but to look for opportunities in the Secret Realm to improve the grade of their Divine Domain. Otherwise, when facing someone with a three-grade higher Domain, there¡¯s hardly any chance of fighting back.¡±


    ¡°Unless your cultivation absolutely overwhelms the opponent.¡±


    ¡°Like a Divinity Transformation Peak cultivator battling a First-level Divinity. Even if their domain gets suppressed, they can still rely on their sheer strength and spiritual energy protection to burst into the opponent¡¯s Domain and kill them on their home ground.¡±


    ¡°But as long as the cultivation levels are similar, or the cultivation doesn¡¯t overwhelmingly dominate, then the grade of the Divine Domain essentially determines your combat power.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I understand,¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully. Although he is the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, he could actually be considered a Loose Cultivator and knew very little about Divine Domains. It now appeared he had been quite lucky.


    Outside Great Yuan City, when ambushing the Guardian Elder of Three Springs Building, his opponent hadn¡¯t had time to react.


    Otherwise, once the Domain was activated,


    It wouldn¡¯t have been so simple for him to assassinate that Divinity.


    But he hadn¡¯t expected that the grade of the Divine Domain would also have requirements for the Nascent Soul and Golden Core¡ªit¡¯s not just about heavenly treasures. For the Tenth-grade Divine Domain that requires a ¡°Tenth-grade Golden Core¡± and ¡°Tenth-grade Nascent Soul,¡± wouldn¡¯t a Twelfth-grade Divine Domain require a ¡°Twelfth-grade Golden Core¡± and ¡°Twelfth-grade Nascent Soul¡±?


    He wasn¡¯t sure about the conditions needed for other heavenly treasures.

 Chapter 451 - 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 451: Chapter 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest.¡± ¨C 4


    ¡°`


    But he completely meets both these conditions!


    He has satisfied even the most difficult conditions, so it feels like a huge loss if he doesn¡¯t acquire at least a Twelve Grade Divinity Transformation Domain.


    ¡°What are some suitable Divinity Transformation Domains for a Magic Practitioner?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are.¡±


    Ao Tian nodded, ¡°For example, the ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ Domain. Within the Domain, all of your spells will be cast tenfold without any consumption, though it cannot be stacked with other similar entries, such as ¡®Dual Casting¡¯ and the like.¡±


    ...


    ¡°It only allows spells that truly consume Spiritual Energy to be cast tenfold without any consumption.¡±


    ¡°The additional spell from ¡®Dual Casting¡¯ that doesn¡¯t consume any Spiritual Energy cannot be cast tenfold within the Domain.¡±


    ¡°This Domain is one most used by Magic Practitioners, mainly because the threshold is relatively low.¡±


    ¡°After fully comprehending the totem of the ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ Domain, you need only 100 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to establish a First Grade ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ Domain, as for the conditions needed for Second Grade and above, I have not explored them.¡±


    Then Ao Tian frowned slightly, ¡°But if I remember correctly, the totem of the ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ Domain has always been tightly controlled by a top force in Zhongzhou called ¡®Luohua Valley,¡¯ and this force has recently secluded themselves from the world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to think of a way for you, see if I can call upon a few friends from the Devil Clan to visit Luohua Valley together, to see if they can be persuaded to temporarily lift the seal on their small world, with the Dragon Clan covering the expenses.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked puzzled, ¡°Can¡¯t Divinity Transformation Domains be created by oneself? Why are totems needed?¡±


    ¡°They cannot.¡±


    Ao Tian shook his head, ¡°Divinity Transformation Domains must have the corresponding domain totem, after which one must meditate under the totem. Once the comprehension is complete, a seedling of that Divinity Transformation Domain will appear in the Dantian, and only then can you construct your own Divinity Transformation Domain based on that seedling.¡±


    ¡°Most of the Divinity Transformation totems in Xuantian are controlled by those top forces.¡±


    ¡°Having at least three Divinity Transformation totems is a standard for becoming a top force. Possessing a Divinity Transformation totem means you hold many lives of Divinity Transformation. If others want to construct a Domain suitable for themselves, they must seek out your force.¡±


    ¡°This is also why those top forces in Zhongzhou have complex relationships with many other forces and firmly hold their ground in Zhongzhou.¡±


    ¡°However, in recent days, these top forces have all become reclusive, inadvertently releasing opportunities. Some Heavenly Dao Secret Realms also contain Divinity Transformation Domain totems, but previously, these Secret Realms, once they appeared, would be firmly controlled by the top forces. Now that they have become reclusive, they have let out some opportunities.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, brother.¡±


    ¡°I still have two good friends in the Devil Clan. When you are at the peak of Nascent Soul and ready to face the Heavenly Tribulation, I will call on them to join us in visiting ¡®Luohua Valley¡¯ to see if they can be accommodating, but¡­ it may not be successful, since the Xuantian Continent has that bit of murderous intent towards me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°Just for a ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ Divinity Transformation Domain, it¡¯s not worth for brother to risk his life, and this Domain doesn¡¯t really suit me either. When I reach the Nascent Soul peak, I¡¯ll see if there are any other Divinity Transformation Domains that fit me better.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ao Tian took out a Jade Scroll from his chest and handed it over, ¡°This contains the basic materials for Divinity Transformation Domains from First to Twelfth grade. No matter which Divinity Transformation Domain, these basic materials are certainly necessary, and mandatory.¡±


    ¡°However, depending on the Domain, some special materials are also required.¡±


    ¡°For example, ¡®Paradise in the Palm¡¯ requires Thousand-year-old Relics, ¡®Night Parade of Hundred Demons¡¯ requires a million resentful spirits, ¡®Swordmaster¡¯s Call¡¯ requires achieving the Human Sword Unity realm, and so on.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu explored the contents of the Jade Scroll with his Divine Sense. After sensing the information within, he fell silent, closed his eyes, and slipped into deep thought.


    Unlike the Golden Core and Nascent Soul, Divinity Transformation has no Grade differentiation.


    Even after advancing to the Divinity Transformation Stage, the Nascent Soul still resides within the Dantian, a fact that doesn¡¯t change, and the difference in Divinity Transformation Combat Power is primarily determined by the Divinity Transformation Domain.


    And Divinity Transformation Domains are then categorized from First to Twelfth Grade.


    ¨C


    ¡®First Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯: One hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.


    ¡®Second Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯: Five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, one hundred strands of Evil Wood.


    ¡®Third Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯: One thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, one Heavenly Mountain Snow Pear.


    ¡®Fourth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯: Three thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, a thread of Luck of Human Pride.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Seventh Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯: Ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, two threads of Earth Pride Luck, a thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Tenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯: Requires having a Tenth Grade Golden Core, Tenth Grade Nascent Soul, and a Heavenly Gifted Name as prerequisites, in addition to the consumption of fifty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, a thread of Earth Pride Luck, a thread of Luck of Human Pride, one Purple Gold Spirit Stone, a Pearl Dragon Peach Fruit, a handful of Wilderness Soil, and a stalk of Jade Orchid.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯: Requires a Twelfth Grade Golden Core, Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul, and a Heavenly Gifted Name as prerequisites, in addition to the consumption of one hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, a thread of Unrivaled Genius Fortune, a thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny, a thread of Luck of the Race, one Purple Gold Spirit Stone, a Pearl Dragon Peach Fruit, a handful of Wilderness Soil, a stalk of Jade Orchid, a strand of Phoenix Feather Wood, a Jiao Long Liuli Stone, Autu¡­


    ¡­ Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu silently absorbed the information from the Jade Scroll. He had always walked the path with a Twelve Grade Golden Core and a Twelve Grade Nascent Soul, always taking the highest possible road.


    It was these things that allowed his Nascent Soul at Level Five to easily defeat those at the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 452 - 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 452: Chapter 180: Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest.¡± ¨C 5


    If possible, he still hoped to continue with the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain.


    With the Twelfth Grade Golden Core, Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul, and the Heavenly Gifted Name, he was completely satisfied with these three preliminary Heavenly Pride conditions. As for the ¡°A Thread of Unrivaled Genius Fortune,¡± he had not heard of it, but it must be something assembled from three threads of Supreme Genius Fortune, and he was just missing ¡°A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡± to complete the combination.


    A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune shouldn¡¯t be hard. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He felt that he had already obtained quite a few.


    The remaining Thread of Heavenly Dao Destiny and A Thread of Racial Luck he also possessed. As for the one hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, once the other disciples of Chao Tian Sect had collected all the Spirit Stones after slaying devils and vanquishing demons, it shouldn¡¯t be too far off. However, those heavenly materials and earthly treasures¡­ he had barely heard of any of them.


    ¡°Brother, do you know where to find Purple Gold Spirit Stone?¡±


    ...


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a forging material for low-grade Spiritual Treasures, shimmering with Golden Light, a fine treasure indeed. I have it in my Treasure Vault.¡±


    ¡°What about the Pearl Dragon Peach Fruit, brother have you heard of it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a local specialty of Jiao State in Upper Jiu State, used in Alchemy, and also tastes exquisite when eaten fresh. I have it in my Treasure Vault.¡±


    ¡°Wilderness Soil?¡±


    ¡°I have that in my Treasure Vault.¡±


    ¡°Jade Orchid?¡±


    ¡°The Treasure Vault has it.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix Feather Wood?¡±


    ¡°The vault has it.¡±


    ¡°Jiao Long Liuli Stone?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Autu¡­¡±


    This time Chen Qiu had just initiated a conversation when he was interrupted by Ao Tian, who spoke with a complex expression, ¡°The things you mentioned are all essential crafting materials for the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, and are available in the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault.¡±


    ¡°Although no member of the Dragon Clan has ever possessed the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, these heavenly materials and earthly treasures were all collected at the peak time of our clan, precisely in preparation for a future prodigy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for being too excited, I forgot you already had Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul; naturally, you also have the Twelfth Grade Golden Core, and the Heavenly Gifted Name ¡®Heavenly Dao Evil Man¡¯ too.¡±


    ¡°The three most challenging preliminary conditions are all satisfied.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ do you have ¡®A Thread of Unrivaled Genius Fortune,¡¯ brother? This needs to be assembled from three threads of Supreme Genius Fortune, and each thread of Supreme Genius Fortune is made from three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune!¡±


    ¡°A Thread of Unrivaled Genius Fortune, roughly equivalent to¡­ it¡¯s like a lot of threads of Luck of Human Pride.¡±


    Chen Qiu did not respond immediately but silently contemplated for a while before smiling lightly at Ao Tian, ¡°Not yet, but I already have two threads of Supreme Genius Fortune and two threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune, I just need one more thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­!¡±


    Ao Tian suddenly gasped, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, and after a long while, he clenched his teeth and forcefully said, ¡°Brother, leave the rest to me; you don¡¯t need to worry anymore!¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the remaining Spirit Stones or the materials, I¡¯ll take care of it all by myself!¡±


    ¡°I never imagined that in my lifetime, I would see the emergence of the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured!¡±


    ¡°In a few days, I¡¯ll take some friends from the Devil Clan and visit Luohua Valley. If they refuse to agree, I, as your brother, will snatch back the totem for Luohua Valley, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let your brother meet all these stringent conditions for the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain and end up having to choose a Domain that¡¯s not suited for him because there¡¯s no appropriate Divinity Domain totem.¡±


    ¡°The grade of the Divinity Domain can be upgraded later, but once a Divinity Domain has been established, changing it halfway comes with a great cost.¡±


    ¡°Brother will ponder this matter carefully these next few days.¡±


    At this moment, Ao Tian¡¯s voice trembled slightly, although he tried to appear calm, the shock in his eyes was almost spilling out uncontrollably.


    What did the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain imply?


    All Divinity Transformation Domains of Ninth Grade and below, in front of Chen Qiu¡¯s Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, were utterly suppressed, the domains were pulverized into dust as soon as they were activated.


    His Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest¡¯ and Chen Qiu¡¯s Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, if activated at the same time, even if Chen Qiu was just at the first layer of Cultivation, his domain would still be absolutely suppressed.


    The suppression between domains was solely about grade, not related to cultivation.


    Even if one is only at the first layer of Divinity Transformation, as long as the grade is three levels higher, it could still shatter the domain of someone at the Peak of Divinity Transformation.


    It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say.


    If he could establish a Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, once Chen Qiu stepped into Divinity Transformation, that would be the time when he was invincible in Divinity Transformation.


    Of course, even if the cultivation realm is higher and the domain is destroyed, relying on the higher realm to overpower might be a different story since the difference is almost a Great Realm, but to beat someone at the Early Stage, Middle Stage, or Late-stage of Divinity Transformation would truly be a breeze.


    Like taking candy from a baby.


    A Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡­ quite daunting indeed.


    Initially, just relying on Chen Qiu¡¯s great favor towards the Dragon Clan, there was a plan to sign a Blood Covenant making the Dragon Clan and Chao Tian Sect eternal allies. Logically, Chen Qiu should benefit from this, as after a thousand years the Dragon Clan would surely be the strongest clan in the world. But now it seems like it might be the Dragon Clan who is benefiting¡­


    He needed to hurry and sign this Blood Covenant before his brother realized,


    Otherwise, he might be too late.


    With thousands of thoughts flashing in his mind, Ao Tian coughed lightly and suddenly stood up, looking towards Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Brother, we have seen enough of the scenery.¡±


    ¡°How about you come with me to the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault?¡±


    ¡°But before that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s first sign the Blood Covenant with Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan as eternal, loyal allies. With such a great favor from you towards the Dragon Clan, it is only right that we reciprocate!¡±


    Ao Tian, wavering slightly, spoke in a very serious and solemn tone.


    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s also for your own good.¡±

 Chapter 453 - 181:

    Chapter 453: Chapter 181: ¡°Make Chao Tian Sect Great Again!


    ¡°Then I shall not refuse.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood up and followed Ao Tian into the sky, heading to the Treasure Vault mentioned by Ao Tian. After settling the matters here, he would first find a place to consume those Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Advancing one¡¯s Cultivation during the Nascent Soul Stage was quite difficult.


    He originally thought he would be stuck at the Nascent Soul Stage for a long time.


    But now it seemed that his progress might be faster than during the Golden Core Stage. He remembered not advancing this swiftly when he was at the Golden Core Stage; indeed, the world is full of uncertainties, and one¡¯s calculations are no match for the whims of fate.


    Once this was over, it was time for secluded cultivation.


    ...


    Besides advancing his Cultivation, he still had two mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes to open.


    Prior to this, he had chosen an auspicious site full of hope to open a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill. Now, he was filled with hope that he would not get another Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill; he lacked everything else but these pills.


    The Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his embrace were more than enough.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, on the other side¡ª


    On Dragon Island, in the plaza.


    Heavy panting became the dominant melody of the plaza. Fat Long was seen lying on top of a female dragon, heaving and working hard, while three little dragons surrounded them.


    The Black Dragon and two other little female dragons.


    It had been a long time since outsiders had come to Dragon Island.


    Today, however, it was quite lively.


    The few dragons on the island had all come to join in the excitement. In addition to them, there were two mature women exuding charm who stood watching the scene on the plaza, with three young girls filled with tears standing behind them.


    In the Dragon Clan.


    Once one could transform into human form, they had reached the Divinity Transformation Cultivation.


    These two charming mature women, and these three young and pretty girls, along with the two little female dragons standing next to the Black Dragon, and the Dragon Clan Patriarch Ao Tian, accounted for all the members of the Dragon Clan on the island.


    Or rather, all the active members of the Dragon Clan on the island. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The once great Dragon Clan was now down to just these nine active dragons.


    Perhaps it was because women tend to be emotional by nature, dragons, too, it seems.


    Right now, these women were all watching Fat Long with teary eyes, fully aware that the resurgence of the Dragon Clan was upon them, and the path to their extinction was coming to an end. In a few thousand years at most, the Dragon Clan would return to its former glory as the number one clan on the Xuantian Continent!


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    The Black Dragon, who had been circling Fat Long, looked at the tirelessly moving Fat Long and couldn¡¯t help but ask in confusion, ¡°Why do you have so much energy? Aren¡¯t you getting tired?¡±


    ¡°Not tired.¡±


    Fat Long, panting heavily, wiped the sweat from his forehead, ¡°A man should not speak of tiredness. Besides, it¡¯s not easy to make such a significant contribution to Chao Tian Sect; how could I, Fat Long, possibly stop?¡±


    ¡°You are called Black Dragon, and I, Fat Long.¡±


    ¡°Our names do match quite well.¡±


    ¡°By the way¡ª¡±


    Fat Long glanced at the women watching from a distance and hesitantly said, ¡°Do they really have to stand there and watch? It feels a bit awkward; they all have reached Divinity Transformation, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The Black Dragon, flying in mid-air, stared intently at the area beneath Fat Long¡¯s belly with a hint of surprise in his eyes, and said subconsciously, ¡°Those two little female dragons are my sisters, all sired by my father. They are over a hundred years old, just slightly older than I am.¡±


    ¡°Those two young female dragons seem to be just over a thousand years old. I¡¯m not sure how to address them; maybe my cousins? They were born a thousand years ago to another male dragon who has since died.¡±


    ¡°The two older women behind them and my father share the same mother. According to your Human Race¡¯s terms, how should I address them, um¡­ aunts?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since outsiders set foot on Dragon Island.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t do much besides sleep, so naturally they are curious when a fresh human arrives, especially one here to invigorate the Dragon Clan; of course, they want to come and see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really impressive.¡±


    The Black Dragon looked down at the swelling belly of the female dragon below, somewhat stunned, ¡°Another female dragon is pregnant. I¡¯ve tried so hard for so long, yet none of the female dragons became pregnant. In just a short time, you¡¯ve already impregnated three! ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s decent.¡±


    Fat Long took a deep breath, feeling his legs soften a bit as he sat down on the ground, pulling out a jar of cool water from his Storage Ring and began to gulp it down. Copulating with dragonkind was indeed more exhausting than with humans.


    But the good news was there.


    He was now at the second level of Golden Core, and his Cultivation Progress was fast approaching the third level.


    Damn!


    This was literally a rocket-like speed of cultivation. He estimated that within three days, he could break through to Nascent Soul. This pace was many times faster than scholar¡¯s, who, even if he pounded Golden Core Cultivation Pills to dust, couldn¡¯t match his speed of cultivation.


    Most of these female dragons were at the mid to late stages or even the peak of the Divinity Transformation Cultivation.


    He had initially been at the first level of Golden Core.


    This was a leap over two completely Great Realms and almost 30 small realms, not to mention the ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡± entry, which made his Cultivation speed increase tremendously.


    A swift rise to the top!


    In one¡¯s life, it¡¯s not necessary to encounter many opportunities, as sometimes, just one substantial opportunity can lead to a meteoric rise.


    He, Fat Long, was now embracing such a grand opportunity!


    ¡­


    ¡°Wait a minute¡ª¡±


    Fat Long suddenly realized something, looked towards Black Dragon with a somewhat bewildered expression, ¡°You said those two little female dragons are your sisters, both sired by your father?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°And the two older women behind them are your father¡¯s sisters?¡±

 Chapter 454 - 181:

    Chapter 454: Chapter 181: ¡°Make Chao Tian Sect Great Again!¡±_2


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you initially say that they were all your father¡¯s exclusive female dragons and you couldn¡¯t touch them?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what about it?¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you mean, ¡®what about it¡¯!¡±


    Fat Long looked at Black Dragon in disbelief, his face full of shock as he said, ¡°Your Dragon Clan is just too messy, what is even going on? If the Human Race did this, people would be gossiping about them behind their backs, and even if they did engage in such activities, they¡¯d keep it secret. Why do you all act so righteous about it?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ...


    Black Dragon shook his head, his whiskers fluttering in mid-air, ¡°According to your human customs, this seems to be not allowed, or at least it¡¯s not endorsed openly. That¡¯s because humans are numerous, fighting and killing every day, yet they still manage to maintain a stable population.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, there are all sorts of rules.¡±


    ¡°Because even without promiscuity, your race can maintain a normal state of inheritance.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not the same with the Dragon Clan, even at the peak of our race, we never had any concept of family ethics. In the Dragon Clan, there is no such identity, just male and female dragons.¡±


    ¡°Any male dragon, can mate with any female dragon.¡±


    ¡°Without considering anything else.¡±


    ¡°Even at our peak, our numbers were greater than now, but still extremely scarce compared to other races. If we behaved like humans, avoiding intimate relations with females we are related by blood to, our race would have extinguished itself long ago.¡±


    ¡°In our clan, the strongest male dragon can have the most beautiful female dragon.¡±


    ¡°All of them belong to my father, who is the strongest in our clan, and I have never touched any of them.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    Black Dragon looked enviously towards a few women behind him, ¡°The woman on the left is called Mei Ye, also a Cloud Hiding Dragon, her bloodline is of the Eighth Grade, even one grade higher than my father¡¯s. For our clan, the higher the bloodline grade, the greater the potential and strength.¡±


    ¡°The higher the bloodline of both parents, the higher the likelihood that the offspring will have a high-grade bloodline.¡±


    ¡°My father is also very fond of her.¡±


    ¡°How great it would be if you were my father, then my bloodline grade would definitely be great too. If only you were with my mother then, in that case¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Fat Long silently interrupted Black Dragon. He roughly understood the logic of the Dragon Clan, it seemed that ¡®reproduction¡¯ was their first policy, and everything else must step aside in front of breeding and heritage.


    He had rested enough.


    Taking a deep breath, he rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the fourth female dragon again.


    ¡­


    ¡°Really working hard there.¡±


    Nearby, the scholar and his brother stood to the side, looking at the hardworking Fat Long, who had asked them to maintain order here.


    While Brother Qiu was chatting with Ao Tian, Ao Tian suggested Brother Qiu let all disciples of Chao Tian Sect out to interact with each other, get familiar with each other, to recognize each other in future, making both powers more harmonious.


    So Brother Qiu released all those brown bears from within Chao Tian Sect, as the rest of the disciples were still in Quzhou busy selling ¡®Redemption Orders¡¯.


    Although these bears usually lived behind the mountains, they were still disciples of Chao Tian Sect, possessing disciple tokens.


    However, Fat Long really didn¡¯t want these bears to witness this scene, so he ordered him to guard this area, not allowing any bears to come near.


    After all, even if the sky fell.


    Those were female dragons, not exactly the most elegant sight. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unless they were Divinity Transformation female dragons.


    Fat Long glanced at a few women nearby who were still watching, gritted his teeth, and slowly closed his eyes like quenching thirst by looking at plums, all for Chao Tian Sect!


    Let Chao Tian Sect be great again!


    As the Great Elder, he should indeed be at the forefront!


    ¡°That works too¡­¡±


    The scholar sighed lightly, understanding indeed since it was a bit embarrassing, but spoke of the inherent gifts of the Dragon Clan with envy.


    Just being an adult means becoming a Divinity Transformation.


    In the meantime, they don¡¯t have to do anything, don¡¯t need to cultivate, just eat and drink daily, then occasionally sleep for a few decades, wake up naturally, take a stroll, and 500 years later, they naturally become Divinity Transformations.


    Out of a million mortals, it¡¯s rare for one to achieve Divinity Transformation.


    Who knows how many Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators will never hope to break through to Divinity Transformation in their lifetimes, but for the Dragon Clan, it seems to be a rather simple phase, almost guaranteed as long as they don¡¯t die young.


    Truly enviable.


    If only humans could naturally achieve Divinity Transformation upon reaching adulthood too.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    On the other side of the island, in an underground cave that looked quite crude, the walls were filled with Storage Rings, each ring had a small inscription next to it indicating what was inside.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s face was almost unable to suppress a smile as he introduced, ¡°This place holds some common things, some heavenly treasures can¡¯t be stored in Storage Rings and must be preserved separately, but everything that can be put in Storage Rings is here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the foundation of the Dragon Clan, and also my treasure vault.¡±


    ¡°After all, it¡¯s soon just going to be me left in the Dragon Clan, what belongs to the Dragon Clan belongs to me.¡±


    At this time, he was quite happy inside.


    Recently, there were just too many good things happening.


    Not only was there hope for the rise of the Dragon Clan, but most crucially, the Blood Covenant had been signed completely, tying Chen Qiu tightly to him. The Blood Covenant didn¡¯t really have any effective constraints, it was more like a formal promise.


    A promise that Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan would become the sincerest of allies for ten thousand years, helping each other and never infringing on each other.

 Chapter 455 - 181:

    Chapter 455: Chapter 181: ¡°Make Chao Tian Sect Great Again!¡±_3


    The Dragon Clan always took promises seriously, especially the kind that were sealed with a Blood Covenant.


    The rise of the Dragon Clan had already excited him enough, but he hadn¡¯t expected to be tied to the same boat as Chen Qiu, a prodigy with a Twelfth Grade Golden Core and a Nascent Soul¡ªand most likely, a Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain as well.


    The Dragon Clan really hit the jackpot this time.


    If Chen Qiu had no sense of gratitude toward them, if it had always been the Dragon Clan who was indebted to Chen Qiu, then they weren¡¯t sure whether Chen Qiu would repay them in the future or, worse, turn gratitude into revenge.


    But now, it was Chen Qiu who was indebted to them, which meant that no matter how much he contributed now, Chen Qiu would certainly help the Dragon Clan in times of need in the future.


    The people you help won¡¯t necessarily help you.


    ...


    But those who have helped you are likely to help you again.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite poignant when you think about it,¡± Ao Tian suddenly remarked with a hint of nostalgia, ¡°It¡¯s been many years since we¡¯ve seen the Phoenix Clan. Unlike our Dragon Clan, they, too, face difficulties in procreating. Thousands of years ago, they were also allies to our clan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been nearly ten thousand years since we¡¯ve heard anything from the Phoenix Clan. I fear their lineage might have been broken.¡±


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s not talk about this.¡±


    Ao Tian stuffed a Storage Ring into Chen Qiu¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°This Storage Ring contains Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills that have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, all looted from the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°I kept a little as a snack, but the rest, around sixty thousand pills, are all yours.¡±


    ¡°Initially, there were more, but each Dragon Clan Patriarch liked to snack on these, so the quantity has dwindled.¡±


    ¡°Over sixty thousand Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills should just about suffice for your Chao Tian Sect¡¯s use.¡±


    ¡°Then I must thank big brother first,¡± Chen Qiu said without any hesitation, pocketing the Storage Ring and letting a smile spread uncontrollably across his face. When he turned and saw Ao Tian¡¯s likewise irrepressible grin, he finally could not hold back his laughter.


    The two men made eye contact.


    And both broke into wide smiles.


    ¡°To the Dragon Clan¡¯s renewed greatness!¡±


    ¡°To the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s renewed greatness!¡±


    ¡°To our collective greatness!¡±


    ¡­


    It¡¯s rare in this world to find a situation that¡¯s a complete win-win. In many seemingly win-win situations, there¡¯s still one side that gets the short end of the stick; even if both win, there¡¯s a difference between winning more and winning less.


    And for this reason,


    ninety percent of such cooperative endeavors end on a less than happy note. In contrast, the kind of agreements that start off as a loss for both parties, like mutual blackmail, often last much longer.


    The win-win scenario like the one between the Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan is exceedingly rare, and it¡¯s not just a win-win.


    It¡¯s a win for all involved.


    The Dragon Clan won big, the threat of extinction was averted, and the one planting the seed was a Golden Dragon with a Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline, capable of producing a large number of Dragon Cubs with high bloodline grades, born Heavenly Prides, tightly linked to Chen Qiu, the peerless Heavenly Pride.


    Fat Long also won big, making a significant contribution to the Chao Tian Sect, proving the worth of his role as the Great Elder, and engaging in Dual Cultivation with numerous Divinity Transformation mother dragons, rapidly and ecstatically improving his Cultivation Progress¡ªit was overwhelmingly delightful.


    The Chao Tian Sect won big too, with mountains of Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills raining down, allowing the Sect¡¯s Nascent Soul Disciples to know the feel of popping Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills like candy beans¡ªone year would be enough to advance all to Divinity Transformation.


    Chen Qiu also won big¡ªwhether the strength of the Dragon Clan or the Chao Tian Sect was bolstered, it was akin to the increase of his own formidable power. Ao Tian directly gathered all the materials necessary for his Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain.


    This cooperation-


    was a resounding multi-win. Everyone emerged as the biggest winner in an opportunity that¡¯s once in a blue moon.


    ¡°Come, esteemed brother,¡± Ao Tian, leading the way, continued, ¡°Let me give you the materials needed for the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain first. Some rare treasures can¡¯t be stored in a Storage Ring, but since you have a small world, that¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu had already entered a completely unreserved state, a bit of courtesy was enough earlier to show his demeanor, pulling back as a way to advance. At this point, more courtesy-


    would be tantamount to refusing heaven¡¯s gift and incurring its wrath.


    He knew some treasures couldn¡¯t be stored in a Storage Ring, like those Demon Lotus flowers in Da Xia Country, which could only be stored in the small world.


    ¡°Over here, we have Spirit Stones,¡± Ao Tian said gravely as he pulled out a Storage Ring from the wall and handed it to Chen Qiu, ¡°Firstly, I must apologize, brother. Spirit Stones are an important strategic resource for the Dragon Clan, especially with many clan members soon to be born. I really can¡¯t afford to give you too many of these, brother.¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°These one hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, please accept them and don¡¯t find them too few.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not few at all, not at all,¡± Chen Qiu chuckled as he pocketed the Storage Ring. Exterminating a Yuan Sect only netted a total of ten thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and here it was like he had picked up ten Yuan Sects for nothing.


    He was more than content.


    Together with the Redemption Orders that the Chao Tian Sect Disciples had sold and his previous stock, there would be plenty left even after constructing the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain.


    Everything was progressing in a favorable direction.


    All he needed now was a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune, something he¡¯d have to think about.


    Although he had acquired several strands of Heavenly Pride Fortune, these were all passive gains. If he had to actively acquire one, he wasn¡¯t quite sure where to begin.


    He also needed to find a suitable totem for his Divinity Transformation Domain.


    ¡®Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡¯ clearly didn¡¯t fit him.


    ¡­


    ps: There will be two more updates tomorrow at midday.


    Good news, I slept for three hours last night and inadvertently adjusted my biological clock. That means I can have a good night¡¯s sleep naturally this evening.


    I¡¯m really looking forward to waking up naturally tonight; I can¡¯t imagine how blissful that¡¯s going to be.


    ps2: From now on, the update schedule is set like this: one in the evening, two at midday. There won¡¯t be any changes to the updating times for a while unless my biological clock becomes erratic again¡­ S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 456 - 182: Then you must really enjoy teasing people.

    Chapter 456: Chapter 182: Then you must really enjoy teasing people.


    ¡°¡­Huh.¡±


    Dragon Island, the highest peak.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged at the top of the peak, channeled his mental method and then exhaled a long breath of turbid air. With Ao Tian¡¯s supply, he had just reached the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul.


    But the basic materials for a domain of the twelfth-grade Divinity Transformation were already prepared.


    Whether it was Spirit Stones or those heaven and earth treasures.


    He had never even heard of some of those heaven and earth treasures, especially those for forging Divinity Transformation Spiritual Treasures, which sounded very valuable. If he had to collect them one by one, not to mention whether he had enough Spirit Stones, it would waste a lot of time.


    ...


    This time it really helped him a lot.


    He just needed one more thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune to smoothly synthesize an Unrivaled Genius Fortune, and then acquire a suitable totem for the Divinity Transformation Domain, and it would all be complete.


    Ao Tian had already left Dragon Island.


    At this moment, only Fat Long and a few others were on the island. Ao Tian said he was going to Xuantian Continent to see other races like the Devil Clan and the Demon Race, to see if there was a suitable totem for Magic Practitioners¡¯ Divinity Transformation Domain.


    He was told to cultivate in seclusion here with peace of mind.


    He also gave Ao Tian a thread of the life signatures from all the Chao Tian Sect disciples¡¯ Life Plates. This way, Ao Tian could use Divine Sense to bring all the disciples still in Quzhou back to the island.


    If all goes well.


    Before ¡°The World¡¯s Struggle¡± version arrives, Chen Qiu will remain on Dragon Island to cultivate, trying to break through to the Nascent Soul¡¯s peak as fast as possible, then advancing to the Divinity Transformation Stage if possible.


    And to forge his very own twelfth-grade Divinity Transformation Domain.


    The day he enters Divinity Transformation is the day he becomes invincible in Divinity Transformation!


    Just like his Nascent Soul was certified with a twelfth-grade entry, the day he entered Nascent Soul, was the time he was invincible among Nascent Souls. Your Cultivation Realm just sets the lower limit of your combat power.


    A Cultivator at the peak of Nascent Soul, even if he is weak and not proficient in combat, the overwhelming Spiritual Energy granted by his Cultivation Realm will not make him significantly weaker.


    This is the lower limit of combat power provided by your Cultivation Realm.


    And the upper limit of combat power depends on many factors, such as Spiritual Treasures, Spells, entries, and among these, things like the Nascent Soul grade are naturally crucial.


    Something like Spells, it¡¯s difficult to create a wide gap in combat power.


    After all, with your Cultivation Realm being what it is, you can¡¯t possibly cultivate too powerful a Spell; if you are at Great Perfection, so is everyone else, there is no difference, all of them are Heavenly Prides, whose household doesn¡¯t have an Enlightenment Stone?


    But¡ª Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Something like the Nascent Soul grade, once there¡¯s a gap, the upper limit of combat power can be increased without restriction.


    This is also why Chen Qiu, having just entered the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul, was able to suppress those at the peak of the Nascent Soul in a fight, and the grade of the Divinity Transformation Domain has an even more outrageous effect on increasing the upper limit of combat power.


    A twelfth-grade Divinity Transformation Domain basically signifies invincibility in Divinity Transformation.


    ¡­


    After taking a deep breath, Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the mountain of Dragon Island, feeling the moist sea breeze coming towards him, as he brought a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill to his mouth.


    Around him, a Spirit Gathering Array was laid out with Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    He began today¡¯s cultivation.


    There were just over ten days left until ¡°The World¡¯s Struggle¡± version arrived, and his ten-fold cultivation speed had twenty-some days remaining. He couldn¡¯t waste these days; he needed to use them as much as possible.


    Soon.


    Twenty-four hours passed in the blink of an eye.


    When one is cultivating, it¡¯s very difficult to notice the passage of time in the outside world.


    And now his Cultivation Progress had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Nascent Soul Sixth Layer (42.1%).


    ¨C


    He had smoothly broken through to the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul, and he was already halfway through the sixth-layer Cultivation Progress. This was the effect of taking the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill along with a ten-fold cultivation speed.


    It was just that outrageous.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu opened his eyes, looked at his Cultivation Progress, smiled in satisfaction, and nodded. This rapid improvement of cultivation felt very comfortable.


    It made him feel increasingly secure.


    However, he didn¡¯t look at the three choices from his Cultivation Breakthrough right away.


    Instead, with a thought,


    his Nascent Soul appeared before him. Under the entry, ¡°one feed, one pull,¡± he could get a random treasure every time he fed his Nascent Soul a heaven and earth treasure. The grade of the treasure depended on the grade of the heaven and earth treasure.


    He took out a relic from his hand.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Thousand-year-old Relic.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Left by a sage monk upon his sitting in meditation.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Place it inside the Dantian and activate it to emit a rich and overwhelming Buddha Light, heal wounds, repair Secret Treasures, and significantly enhance the power of Buddhist Secret Skills and cultivation progress. It explodes upon entering the body of anyone not wholly devoted to Buddhism.


    2: Essential material when forging the Divinity Transformation Domain ¡®Buddhistic Realm Within the Palm¡¯.


    3:¡­ etc.


    ¨C


    This is a great item.


    For Buddhist Disciples, it¡¯s an unparalleled treasure, and it¡¯s also an essential material for forging a Divinity Transformation Domain.


    He had no idea what treasure his Nascent Soul would produce after ingesting it.


    Chen Qiu tentatively placed the relic into the mouth of the Nascent Soul, and then saw the Nascent Soul¡¯s belly begin to churn, soon pulling out¡­ a token?


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Divinity Transformation Domain Token.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Heavenly Gift.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: You can possess an additional Divinity Transformation Domain, but you cannot activate multiple Domains at the same time.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the small token in front of him with a slightly puzzled expression,


    It seems¡­ like a good thing!


    A Divinity Transformation Domain Token allows one to have an additional Divinity Transformation Domain. For instance, if one already has the ¡®Night Parade of Hundred Demons¡¯ Domain, they could also have another Domain like ¡®Buddhistic Realm Within the Palm¡¯.

 Chapter 457 - 182: Then you really enjoy confronting people. _2

    Chapter 457: Chapter 182: Then you really enjoy confronting people. _2


    It was a radiant Buddha Light, as well as a Night Parade of Hundred Demons.


    With the juxtaposition of righteousness and evil, the sight was simply too beautiful.


    This must be a good thing.


    In different situations, it¡¯s possible to utilize various Divinity Transformation Domains.


    When facing different enemies, one can deploy a respective Domain that has a restraining effect.


    Even Ao Tian, the Dragon Clan Patriarch, has only one ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest¡± Divinity Transformation Domain, so this item ought to be valuable.


    ...


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Chen Qiu stashed the Token into his bosom, contentedly. Now that he possessed two Divinity Transformation Domains, this item must be quite rare, but only in his hands could its full potential be realized.


    For instance¡ª


    If it were in Ao Tian¡¯s possession, it would at most amount to having two Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domains.


    But in his, they would be two twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domains.


    The power they¡¯d produce is naturally incomparable.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that Shariputra from Kong Ming would actually yield such a treasure; afterwards, he turned his gaze toward the panel enveloped in mist floating above his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly increased, formally stepping into the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Wandering Earth


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: For every ten thousand li trodden on foot, you shall receive 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. While walking on foot, you must not activate any Spells, Spiritual Treasures, etc.


    2: Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Deadly Battle.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: You may select any person within a hundred li and pull them into a temporarily opened small world, where you must fight until one party dies, and only then can the other leave.


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Snow forebodes a good harvest.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: All your Ice Magic will bestow a healing effect upon you, with the specific healing effect depending on your Cultivation Realm.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu thought quietly, what to say, the first entry could be eliminated first.


    Absolutely useless.


    To gain 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones by walking ten thousand li.


    Putting aside physical strength and Cultivation Realm for a moment, this would roughly take more than half a year to finish walking, earning 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones in half a year, to be honest, this entry is quite strong.


    For some Loose Cultivators.


    This entry is quite suitable.


    There¡¯s no combat risk involved, just walking on foot, but for him, this entry doesn¡¯t hold much significance.


    As for the second and third entries.


    Either choice would do.


    Choosing the second ¡°Deadly Battle¡± could work, enabling him to single out any person in a crowd for a duel, or when encountering an unavoidable crisis, force the weakest one into a small world for a duel, and then not kill the opponent, just hide in the small world.


    Hide for three to five days, and when things calm down, come out again.


    The third ¡°Snow forebodes a good harvest¡± could also work.


    His Ice Magic ¡°Snowfall,¡± though not frequently used, could restore some of his injuries when deployed, as he currently lacks means to heal injuries.


    After pondering for a moment.


    Within ten breaths, he still chose the second entry ¡°Deadly Battle.¡±


    The two entries were about the same level in his mind.


    But the applications for Deadly Battle were more diverse, and Snow forebodes a good harvest was somewhat limiting.


    Having chosen the entry.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t pause and took another Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, activated his mental method, closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged on the peak to enter a state of cultivation.


    His Nascent Soul could produce a small Nascent Soul every month.


    But well¡­


    This month felt somewhat long, and as of now, he hadn¡¯t produced a small Nascent Soul. Currently, it seemed unlikely that one would emerge in the Nascent Soul Stage; it would have to be during the Divinity Transformation Stage that he¡¯d slowly produce them.


    ¡­


    ¡°Or shall we take a break?¡±


    The Black Dragon circling around Fat Long glanced at the pale Fat Long, its voice slightly trembling, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no rush for these few days, a little delay would be fine.¡±


    A full 24 hours had passed.


    He had even taken a little nap.


    Fat Long hadn¡¯t stopped at all, having been busy for a full 24 hours, moving from admiration to sheer terror now.


    He glanced at the empty Pill Bottle nearby.


    It once contained a special kind of Pill, with only one effect: to enhance physical strength¡­


    By now, there were already twenty-seven dragonesses pregnant on the plaza.


    And Fat Long was currently striving with the twenty-eighth dragoness in cultivation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break, bro!¡±


    ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m begging you, okay?¡±


    The Black Dragon frantically circled around Fat Long, cautiously tugging at Fat Long¡¯s collar with its Dragon Claw; it truly feared Fat Long would exhaust himself to death right there. If Fat Long died of exhaustion here, his father would surely flay him upon return!


    Fat Long presently represented the hope of the Dragon Clan!


    ¡°Hu¡­¡±


    Fat Long took a deep breath, looking at the dragoness he had been cultivating with for over an hour, wiped the sweat from his forehead, then pulled out and sat on a stone bench behind him, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s rest for a while.¡±


    Indeed, he needed a break.


    After an hour with no results, all he felt was numbness.


    Aside from numbness, there was no other sensation.


    Although he looked quite pale, with dark circles under his eyes, blue lips that were dried and cracked, and his overall appearance being shockingly poor, as if he was close to death, there was an uncontrollably excited glint in his eyes.


    Yes, it had indeed been hard.


    But the rewards were extremely rich!


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Golden Core Ninth Layer (72.9%).

 Chapter 458 - 182: Then you really like to correct people._3

    Chapter 458: Chapter 182: Then you really like to correct people._3


    ¨C


    Just within 24 hours, his Cultivation had soared from the second layer of Golden Core to the ninth layer. He had intended to rush towards the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Peak but now it seemed he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer.


    He was just one breath short.


    Originally, if Black Dragon hadn¡¯t stopped him, he felt he could have clenched his teeth and continued, but Black Dragon¡¯s interruption caused the tightly wound breath within him to collapse.


    Once that breath was gone, he instantly felt he couldn¡¯t carry on.


    Under the blessing of numerous Divinity Transformation mother dragons and ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡±, his Cultivation skyrocketed like a rocket. This speed of cultivation was even faster than what Brother Qiu had experienced in his day, not to mention Brother Qiu had never cultivated this quickly even at the Golden Core stage.


    ...


    Forget Brother Qiu.


    Probably no one on the Xuantian Continent had ever advanced so rapidly.


    To go from the initial stage of the Golden Core to the Golden Core Peak in a single day.


    To achieve this, two incredibly harsh conditions needed to be met.


    First was the Purple ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡± entry that could enhance Dual Cultivation speed by nine times. Although stringent, he was positive there must be a second person on the Xuantian Continent with it; it couldn¡¯t possibly be Fat Long¡¯s exclusive entry.


    Having completed this step, one could move on to the next.


    Find dozens of females whether they be Divinity Transformation mother dragons, women, or female demons who are willing to Dual Cultivate with you voluntarily. This condition virtually halted everyone in their tracks, only possible within the Dragon Clan.


    Despite their decline, the Dragon Clan still possessed their dignity.


    They certainly wouldn¡¯t allow just anyone to engage in Dual Cultivation with a female dragon of their clan.


    ¡°Almost at Nascent Soul, huh¡­¡±


    Despite being in extremely poor physical condition, Fat Long¡¯s spirits were quite high. Turning his head to look towards Brother Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged at the highest peak of the island, cultivating, he too was on the brink of Nascent Soul. Once his progression reached Great Perfection, he would seek Brother Qiu for the Nascent Soul body, and then prepare for Nascent Soul cultivation.


    Finally¡­


    He had caught up with the main force. All the disciples were at Nascent Soul, and being stuck at Golden Core as an elder felt very embarrassing.


    Unlike the scholar, who was still at Golden Core.


    Still short¡­ just a bit short, heh¡­


    In a daze, Fat Long only felt the world spinning before he fell backwards and collapsed heavily onto the ground.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious.¡±


    The scholar, who had been strolling by the seaside and was called back by Black Dragon, sighed and shook his head after checking Fat Long¡¯s condition: ¡°He¡¯s just tired and a bit drained. Let him sleep here for a while, and he should be fine.¡±


    ¡°He should be mostly recovered when he wakes up.¡±


    The scholar then looked down at Fat Long with a complicated expression. To be honest, he was truly envious. If he could break through to Golden Core Peak within a day, he¡¯d be willing to engage with the mother dragons too.


    But the Dragon Clan wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    Even if they did, it wouldn¡¯t help him.


    He was a Sword Cultivator, not a Dual Cultivator.


    ¡­


    In Da Xia Country, just outside the Capital¡¯s execution ground.


    A young man, kneeling on the execution platform and about to be beheaded, shouted in terror: ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong!¡±


    ¡°I admit that the poem ¡®Proudly I tread on the soft green grass, riding swiftly, one whole day I see all the flowers in Chang An¡¯ wasn¡¯t written by me!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect someone would copy it before me, no, I didn¡¯t expect copying it would get discovered by you.¡±


    ¡°Though I sinned, the crime surely doesn¡¯t deserve beheading, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The Flying Fish City Lord, sitting on the high platform, after seeing the young servant¡¯s admission of guilt, contemplated for a moment before waving his hand.


    ¡°Enough, your life will be spared. Take him away, administer ten heavy strikes, and lock him in the dungeon for a month to reflect.¡±


    ¡°Copying the State Preceptor¡¯s poems and flaunting them shamelessly on the ¡®Flower Boat¡¯ is truly seeking death.¡±


    ¡°But considering your acknowledgment and fairly good attitude, your life is spared.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my lord, thank you, my lord!¡± S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The young man, with eyes brimming with tears of relief, knelt on the ground weeping bitterly. He didn¡¯t understand what had happened. The poetry from his previous life, why it existed in this life.


    But he knew he had, at least, come away with his life.


    This world seemed so chaotic.


    He said it was odd ¨C while he was passionately reciting poetry with full emotion on the Flower Boat, the strange looks from others made him think it was his splendid poetry that astonished everyone.


    He had already imagined the subsequent plot in his mind.


    Some fool would suddenly come forward, disputing him, claiming it was impossible for such fantastic poetry to be his creation, challenging him on the spot to create another one. Then he would instantly produce another sensational verse from his previous life, stunning everyone!


    This would leave the fool in disbelief while also capturing the hearts of many young ladies and earning an admiring glance from a certain distinguished figure, who would say something like, ¡°This young man is truly talented¡­¡±


    What a perfect storyline!


    How it had turned into the present situation¡­


    After he finished reciting the poem, the place went dead silent, and then he was immediately arrested with no regard for trial, and was almost executed on the spot.


    Why?! Why?!


    The young man knelt on the execution platform, his eyes red with grievance. In the novels of his former life, the protagonists who transmigrated did just that ¨C using poetry to connect with influential figures, then with their support, they rose swiftly to greatness. And here he was, almost going straight down to the underworld.


    Why did the poetry from his former life appear in this world?


    Could there be other transmigrators?


    ¡­


    ¡°Where has he gone?¡±


    In Great Yuan City, a woman in white clothes sat bored in a tea house, a small fox resting on her shoulder.


    She was a True Disciple of Myraid Beast Sect, deeply admiring Chen Qiu. She had traveled to Quzhou especially hoping to witness Chen Qiu¡¯s elegance first-hand, while also secretly fantasizing¡­ perhaps something romantic could happen.

 Chapter 459 - 182: Then you must really like him. _4

    Chapter 459: Chapter 182: Then you must really like him. _4


    But she had already been there for two or three days, unable to find any trace of Chen Qiu.


    Since the end of the ¡°Nascent Soul Power Ranking,¡± Chen Qiu seemed to have disappeared altogether, with no news coming out. Only disciples of the Chao Tian Sect were seen out and about, going door to door to the sects, selling Redemption Orders.


    It didn¡¯t matter if they didn¡¯t buy.


    But in front of the Sect Master, they would silently pull out a small notebook and note down the name of that sect.


    Even if the Sect Master was tough, he knew what would happen if he let that Chao Tian Sect disciple leave, so he could only chase after him with an extremely ashen face and buy enough Redemption Orders, just hoping to have his name crossed off the notebook.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s recent reputation could not be said to be small.


    ...


    Originally, Quzhou, a lower-ranked state on the Continent with not much fame, had also grown in reputation under Chen Qiu¡¯s influence, especially since that incident a few days ago when Chen Qiu led a team to annihilate seven Evil Sect factions overnight.


    This naturally made these sects dare not offend these Chao Tian Sect disciples.


    What kind of Redemption Orders are these? They were more like life-saving orders.


    But¡­


    There was still no sign of Chen Qiu¡¯s activities.


    ¡°So boring¡­¡±


    This woman in white felt somewhat listless as she lay on the tea table, looking down at the storyteller, who had been talking about Chen Qiu¡¯s deeds for the past three days. At first, she listened with interest until she realized that the content the storyteller was talking about each day varied greatly from the previous day.


    She then knew that this storyteller was actually making up stories on the spot.


    She instantly felt much less desire to continue listening.


    The woman took the fox off her shoulder, placed it on the table, and toyed with its nose, saying absent-mindedly, ¡°Master said you might have a very noble bloodline, that you were especially afraid of death when you were young, which often means having a high-class bloodline.¡±


    ¡°But what kind of noble bloodline could you, a little fox, have.¡±


    ¡°Master said that there are no traces of your kind of demon beast in this world, so which world did you come from?¡±


    The little fox did not respond, just playing with the melon seeds on the table.


    After a long while.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The woman in white sighed helplessly, unsure when Chen Qiu would appear. Could it be that he had gone into seclusion? Why did he have to seclude himself earlier or later, but just now?


    Actually, there was one way to see Chen Qiu quickly.


    Simply kill a Chao Tian Sect disciple, and she would probably see Chen Qiu immediately.


    But that was not what she wanted.


    She wanted to see if she could have some interaction with Chen Qiu, not get into a fight with him. Chen Qiu had won the title of the ¡°Nascent Soul Power Ranking¡± with his fifth-layer Nascent Soul cultivation; who could beat him?


    Her own cultivation was just at the first layer of Nascent Soul, although she had two ¡°Lunar Night Demon Wolves¡± as her Lifebound Spirit Beasts, capable of fighting against the seventh layer of Nascent Soul!


    But she was still eliminated in the second round of the Nascent Soul Power Ranking Secret Realm and did not even go to the third round, though she had hoped to witness Chen Qiu¡¯s elegance in the third round.


    Just then¡ª


    Suddenly, a chaotic noise came from outside.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    A hint of confusion flashed in the eyes of the woman in white. She stepped out of the teahouse to find everyone looking up. Following their gazes, she instantly stiffened, shock flashing through her eyes.


    The sky¡­ the sky had collapsed!


    The sky of Quzhou had collapsed again!


    A hundred years ago, the sky of Quzhou had collapsed once before, when a huge hole suddenly appeared overhead, like a black hole, causing the spiritual energy of Quzhou and even the lower realms to leak out frantically through this hole.


    At the time, it was estimated.


    At most, in a hundred years, all the spiritual energy of the Xuantian Continent would leak out through this hole, at which point the entire Xuantian Continent would enter an era of decline, with no nature¡¯s spiritual energy in the air.


    It could not be used for cultivation.


    At first, it was still possible to cultivate using Spirit Stones.


    However, Spirit Stones themselves could only form in places where nature¡¯s spiritual energy was abundant. Without nature¡¯s spiritual energy, there would be no new formation of Spirit Stones, and heavenly treasures would cease to grow. The entire Xuantian Continent in just a few thousand years, would be in a situation where even reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment would be a luxury.


    But last time, when the sky fell, the Holy Daughter of the Xuantian Sect patched it up.


    Even so, after the sky had fallen that last time, the spiritual energy in Quzhou and even the lower nine provinces had become much thinner.


    It was unexpected.


    It had only been just over a century, and the sky had fallen again!


    A huge and boundless black hole slowly appeared in the sky above Quzhou, and that black hole seemed like the enormous mouth of a Fierce Beast, crazily devouring the spiritual energy of the Xuantian Continent.


    In an instant!


    The entire ¡°Great Yuan City¡± was filled with panic, and people didn¡¯t know how to resolve the situation, only feeling flustered.


    People usually say that when the sky falls, there¡¯s a tall one to hold it up.


    But when the sky really does fall.


    That thought no longer seems applicable, as even the shortest would only die a little later.


    The panic in the eyes of the woman in white quickly faded away, her heart beating wildly, even with faint anticipation in her pupils, Chen Qiu was in Quzhou, surely Chen Qiu, seeing this scene, would appear, right?


    To be able to see Chen Qiu with her own eyes!


    Although she also knew that Chen Qiu might be helpless in this situation, for some reason, perhaps because Chen Qiu had created too many miracles lately, she secretly hoped that Chen Qiu would appear indifferent and easily solve the problem.


    She didn¡¯t know why.


    She particularly liked men with cold faces, feeling that such men were very charming.


    On the contrary, those who were always laughing and joking were her least favorite.


    If this man was the one she liked and he was very powerful, especially if he was cold to her, she would feel her body thrilling with excitement. But as soon as this man showed a hint of adoration towards her, she would suddenly feel that he lost his charm.


    ¡­


    ¡°Despicable life!¡±


    The woman in white¡¯s nine-tailed fox, while looking up at the massive dark hole above Quzhou¡¯s head, silently labeled the woman in white in its mind.


    Was July Cat¡¯s situation easy?


    Originally thought it was only following a love-crazed master, but it turned out to be a despicable master.


    Seriously, sister, what kind of life is this despicable?


    Yes.


    She had died again in her previous life, reincarnated once more in this fox¡¯s body, but this fox seemed somewhat extraordinary, not to speak of other things, this fox actually had an ability to hear other people¡¯s thoughts.


    It was not an entry ability.


    But rather a racial gift.


    She had reincarnated in quite a few Fierce Beasts, like some kind of black crow, but this was the first Fierce Beast to have this kind of racial gift, which indeed was very handy, especially perfectly matching her fondness for gossip.


    Everything was fine.


    This life¡¯s master too was fine, sweet and lovely to cuddle.


    Just that there was a bit of a problem with her head.


    According to her previous life¡¯s term, it was a kind of masochism that liked being dominated by a stronger power.


    It was only through listening to thoughts that she found out this True Disciple from Myriad Beast Sect actually had such a fetish, and she really wanted to snidely comment, then you really like to suffer.


    About others she wasn¡¯t sure.


    Chen Qiu absolutely met this requirement. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just to take her as an example.


    She had already died directly or indirectly innumerable times in Chen Qiu¡¯s hands, had originally reincarnated in the central continent, only to be brought back to Quzhou again, and it seemed her life wouldn¡¯t last much longer.


    Pretty good.

 Chapter 460 - 183:

    Chapter 460: Chapter 183: ¡°Playing like this, will we be punished by the Heavenly Dao?


    ¡°`


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    July Cat, lying in the arms of Bai Yi, sighed softly. Whatever will be, will be. Since she was powerless to change anything, she could only accept it.


    If she was to die, then so be it.


    What else could she do?


    She had already done enough. This little fox was nearly dead within Myriad Beast Sect when she was reborn into its body. When she saw her new master going to seek out Chen Qiu,


    ...


    she was hardly surprised at all.


    Normal. Too normal.


    It was as if there was an incredibly strong fate between her and Chen Qiu. No matter where she was, no matter which demon beast she was reborn into, she always found herself by Chen Qiu¡¯s side, and this often happened beyond her control.


    Since she could not change it, she could only accept it.


    ¡­


    At this moment¡ª


    In the Extinct Forest at the southernmost part of the Upper Nine Provinces.


    ¡°Instant Formation!¡±


    A dispassionate, unemotional voice echoed across the sky above the Extinct Forest. An old man with silver hair stood there, his robe lifting without any wind. He pushed his hands out to the sides, and as a majestic flow of Spiritual Energy came forth,


    the ¡°Instant Formation¡± Divine Domain activated!


    In an instant, countless mists enveloped a vast expanse of forest, centered on himself, and in the next moment, golden lights shot through the mist haphazardly, all in the blink of an eye!


    As the mist swiftly dissipated, leaving behind a large Array created from Golden Light. Within it, countless rays of golden light turned into golden swords, viciously cutting through every living thing in the Array.


    Including the trees.


    Each ray of golden light contained a might far surpassing the pinnacle of a Nascent Soul.


    In the blink of an eye, a low-grade Divinity Transformation Array had been formed!


    This is the power of an Array Repairer.


    Before reaching the Divinity Transformation Stage, Array Repairers almost possess no combat ability, arguably the weakest. Low-cultivation Array Repairers could only carve Array Plates to make a living in the marketplaces, while those with higher Cultivation could earn a substantial profit by setting up Mountain Protection Arrays for sects or families.


    If they entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, their only combat method would be the Array Plates they had stored in normal times. As long as those Array Plates weren¡¯t used up, they could still deal some damage. Once the Array Plates were exhausted, they would be no different than lambs waiting for the slaughter.


    Unless the enemy were willing to wait for them to set up their arrays before attacking, in which case Array Repairers might even be able to fight across cultivation levels.


    Array Repairers have obvious advantages, being invincible among their peers once their Array is set and even capable of fighting above their level. However, the disadvantage is also clear: if they didn¡¯t ambush in advance, it was basically impossible to set the Array during combat.


    But¡ª


    Once an Array Repairer breaks through to Divinity Transformation and creates the ¡°Instant Formation¡± Divine Domain,


    the situation would change drastically!


    The ¡°Instant Formation¡± Divine Domain has a very simple effect, just like its name implies, allowing the Array Repairer to instantly set up a large Array. With this Divine Domain, a Divinity Transformation Array Repairer¡¯s combat power can be said to skyrocket.


    Suddenly, a hundred breaths later,


    as the silver-haired old man suspended above Extinct Forest retracted his Divine Domain, the forest once under its embrace had been leveled, the air filled with floating sawdust and a faint scent of blood.


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    A lazy, languid voice emanated from the depths of Extinct Forest. A young man with bare shoulders and a handsome face, sporting two wolf ears on his head, was squinting with a murderous gaze at the old man, smilingly saying,


    ¡°This Extinct Forest belongs to our Devil Clan after all. Don¡¯t take us too lightly, huh? We don¡¯t mind too much when the younger Human Race members come here to cause trouble and kill some demon beasts, but what¡¯s going on today? What¡¯s a mighty Human Race Divinity Transformation expert doing causing such a big commotion in Extinct Forest? Won¡¯t this make our Devil Clan lose face if word gets out?¡±


    ¡°On a normal day, it¡¯s one thing for your Human Race youngsters to come in and stir things up, but today, what¡¯s all this about? What¡¯s your purpose in drawing such attention with your great powers here in Extinct Forest?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The silver-haired elder¡¯s expression remained indifferent as he stood high up in the air, gazing at the young man on the treetop, flicking a Token towards the man, ¡°A world of strife looms, and the top powers of the Central Continent have begun to withdraw. The Human Race seeks to form an alliance with the Devil Clan to confront the upcoming chaos. We invite the Divinity Transformation experts of the Devil Clan to gather here in three days to discuss the division of the world.¡±


    Having said this,


    the elder didn¡¯t linger for another moment and transformed into a wisp of white smoke disappearing on the spot.


    After the elder had gone,


    a middle-aged man simultaneously appeared on the treetop, looking disgruntled in the direction the elder had left, ¡°That old man is really cautious, not daring to venture any deeper. What do you think, what does the Human Race really mean by suddenly wanting to join forces with the Devil Clan?¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°On Xuantian Continent, the biggest races are only our Devil Clan and the Human Race.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve never gotten along with the Human Race.¡±


    ¡°The remaining Demon Race, Dragon Clan, and Sea Clan are minor races. The Evil Clan was wiped out by one Golden Core kid by himself; it¡¯s absolutely laughable. There must be a scheme behind this, perhaps they¡¯re planning to wipe out the Divinity Transformation experts of our Devil Clan in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°After all, this upcoming chaos will be a decisive battle between our races. If both our races join forces, there¡¯d be no point in the chaos at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young man standing in the treetop remained calm, silently holding the Token in his hand without speaking.


    What is chaos?


    Why would it lead to a decisive battle between the Human and Devil Clans even though there have been many conflicts between them in the past?


    Xuantian Continent had experienced many periods of chaos, and they all had one thing in common: killing members of the enemy race came with rewards. Soon, the entire Xuantian Continent would officially enter a bloody era.

 Chapter 461 - 183:

    Chapter 461: Chapter 183: ¡°Will playing like this incur punishment from the Heavenly Dao?¡±_2


    Such was the era of chaos.


    The Human Race and the Devil Clan had always been hostile toward each other in the past chaotic times, so why would the Human Race invite the Devil Clan to join forces with them as chaos approached?


    Could it be that they wanted to take advantage of this turmoil to completely eradicate the other lesser races?


    When they had exhausted the power of the Devil Clan, would they then strike them from behind? This indeed was something the Human Race could do.


    ¡­


    ¡°The sky has collapsed?¡±


    ...


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, looking toward Ao Tian beside him whose eyebrows were slightly furrowed in deep thought.


    Ao Tian had already returned to Dragon Island, and other disciples from the Chao Tian Sect had also been brought back.


    A century ago, the sky in Quzhou had collapsed once, and at that time, the Holy Daughter of the Xuantian Sect had used a large amount of Evil Wood to patch up the sky, yet it had been less than a hundred years, and the sky had collapsed again.


    He had just cultivated for a few hours.


    He had not yet broken through to the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul when he received such dreadful news. This matter concerned every living creature on the Xuantian Continent, and if they ignored this hole, it would not be long before all of the nature¡¯s spiritual energy from the Xuantian Continent would leak out.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s complexion looked somewhat grim as he nodded heavily, ¡°Brother, this matter is no small affair. The sky collapsed a hundred years ago and it was patched up; only a century has passed and the sky has collapsed again. What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that the previous sky collapse was not an accident but a destined event.¡±


    ¡°Although it was patched up, it was barely so.¡±


    After pondering for a while, Chen Qiu shook his head and said softly, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Brother. I have plenty of Evil Wood, and I can try to patch up the sky again. Maybe I could block it again.¡±


    He understood what Ao Tian meant, that even if the sky was patched up this time, it might collapse again in a hundred years.


    He did not know why this was happening.


    But he knew one thing, that if he succeeded in repairing the sky this time, it would bring him a considerable amount of merit values, and perhaps he would even be granted a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune. It was worth a try, although he wasn¡¯t sure if nearly 200,000 pieces of Evil Wood would be enough.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ao Tian looked at Chen Qiu seriously, then suddenly smiled, ¡°But, Brother, you don¡¯t need to worry; it would take at least several decades for the nature¡¯s spiritual energy of the Xuantian Continent to completely leak out, which is still a long way off.¡±


    ¡°I have found some news for you.¡±


    ¡°Guess what it is.¡±


    ¡°About the Divine Domain?¡± Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°You guessed right!¡±


    Ao Tian said with a bit of excitement, ¡°I have an old friend who is an Array Repairer as well as a Gua Cultivator, though more skilled in Gua Cultivation. He has been imprisoned somewhere and could not get out, but before his imprisonment, he left me a few sticks of incense, saying that if I lit these incenses, no matter where he was, I could establish contact with him.¡±


    ¡°I searched all over the Xuantian Continent for a long time but couldn¡¯t find any news about a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm suitable for Magic Practitioners to transform to the Divine Domain opening up.¡±


    ¡°Out of necessity, I had to light the incense to seek help from my old friend. He is a very powerful Gua Cultivator, also from the Human Race. Although many people from the Human Race want to kill me, there are also many good ones. Over the years, I have used up quite a few sticks of incense chatting with him. This is the last stick, and I originally thought I would use it before I die, to chat with him one last time.¡±


    ¡°Though the place where he¡¯s confined is a prison, it¡¯s akin to immortality, as death there is almost impossible.¡±


    ¡°I asked him where there was a Divine Domain totem suitable for a Magic Practitioner.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how he responded?¡±


    ¡°You definitely can¡¯t guess. Try to guess!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu looked at Ao Tian¡¯s expectant gaze, and after a silence, he said softly, ¡°Did he say, do you know Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Ao Tian stood frozen, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes as he instinctively stepped back and eyed Chen Qiu up and down, ¡°Brother, how did you guess that?¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed helplessly, ¡°Your Gua Cultivator friend is Old Man Cao, right? I also have some connections with him; I didn¡¯t expect you to know him as well.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s him.¡±


    Ao Tian nodded heavily, then his face turned strange as he said, ¡°I asked Old Man Cao why he knew you and how just by mentioning a suitable totem for the Divine Domain, he guessed it was you. He shook his head and didn¡¯t say much.¡±


    ¡°Only after a hundred breaths passed, he told me, the day chaos descends is the day the totem appears.¡±


    ¡°¡­The day chaos descends is the day the totem appears.¡±


    Chen Qiu frowned and muttered this line to himself before asking quizzically, ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I asked then,¡± Old Man Cao paused for three breaths before saying, when the version of the world¡¯s conflict descends, there will be a Merit Value Store appearing with lots of heavenly materials and treasures, needing merit and sin values to purchase.¡±


    ¡°This includes various Divine Domain totems.¡±


    ¡°Suited for Magic Practitioners, Sword Cultivators, and more.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Chen Qiu nodded, ¡°That would have made things much clearer from the start.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, Brother. That¡¯s how I replied to him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    After chatting with Ao Tian for a while, Chen Qiu entered a meditation state once again, as the version of the world¡¯s conflict was coming soon. Before that happened, advancing his Cultivation to the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul was of utmost importance.>


    Fortunately, even now at the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul, after absorbing a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, he could still improve his Cultivation Progress by 1%, just like at the first layer.


    Following the ten-fold increase, that equated to 10% Cultivation Progress, which was different from during the Golden Core Stage, where later, the Cultivation Pills contributed less to Cultivation Progress, but this also meant that his Cultivation Progress was not slow.

 Chapter 462 - 183:

    Chapter 462: Chapter 183: ¡°Will playing like this incur punishment from the Heavenly Dao?¡±_3


    As for the hole in Quzhou, he had no intention of dealing with it for the time being.


    He would let out a few days¡¯ steam first.


    No harm done.


    Until he had broken through to the peak of the Nascent Soul, he didn¡¯t want to run around blindly, just in case something unexpected happened on the road and that would delay him for a day or two. When he previously didn¡¯t have the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, a delay was just a delay, and it was not a big deal.


    Now that he had more Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills than he could use, running around would just be a waste of time.


    After sending Ao Tian away,


    ...


    he turned around to look at the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect behind him. The scholar had collected everyone¡¯s Spirit Stones before reporting in a low voice, ¡°Brother Qiu, we have collected a total of ninety thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and Qu Gui contributed eighteen thousand of them, the most among all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head and put all the collected Mid-grade Spirit Stones into the Storage Ring, then threw another Storage Ring to Qu Gui, ¡°According to the rules set earlier, from today on, Qu Gui is an outer elder of the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°This Storage Ring contains ten thousand Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.¡±


    ¡°You are responsible for distributing them.¡±


    ¡°As an outer elder, you should mediate the occasional disputes among the outer disciples and supervise their cultivation. Turbulent times are coming; your cultivations are still too weak. Now that I have given you all the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, you don¡¯t need to go anywhere for the time being, just focus on your cultivation.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡±


    Qu Gui¡¯s face was flushed with excitement as he nodded heavily, and then carefully tucked the Storage Ring into his sleeve. He took the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect and walked down the mountain; for the foreseeable future, they would be cultivating here.


    The spiritual energy on Dragon Island was also quite abundant.


    It was a good place for cultivation.


    When he was the only one left on the mountain top.


    Chen Qiu took out the two Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes from his bosom and crushed them casually. Originally, the most valuable thing in the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette was the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, and now that he had more than enough of them, there wasn¡¯t much else in the roulette that could interest him.


    But after all, it couldn¡¯t be wasted.


    So he crushed them casually before he started his cultivation.


    However, if he could randomly get another grey entry with no side effects, that would be great. Grey entries themselves had significant drawbacks, but without side effects, they were quite powerful.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make a choice within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±


    1: Twenty First-Grade Nascent Soul Bodies


    2: One hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    3: One First-Grade Divinity Transformation Body.


    4: One Transformation Token.


    5: Four thousand Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    ¨C


    With hardly any hesitation, Chen Qiu chose the ¡°Transformation Token¡± and the Divinity Transformation Body. After all, he had no use for the other items. As soon as his Divine Sense entered the token, information about it shot into his mind.


    As long as he dripped the bloodline of any race onto this Transformation Token.


    He could transform into the likeness of that race¡¯s creatures.


    From physique, demeanor, and aura, everything would match perfectly, even the Dantian would be concealed, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, a functional Spiritual Treasure that he might be able to use someday in the future, so he kept it. The Chao Tian Sect currently had several Nascent Soul Bodies, enough for the remaining Golden Cores to establish their Nascent Souls. If not enough, he could just stroll out later to get more, but he could keep this Divinity Transformation Body for potential future use.


    He then crushed another Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make a choice within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±


    1: Hundred-breath Seven-colored entry limited edition.


    2: One hundred pieces of Evil Wood.


    3: Twenty Nascent Soul Bodies.


    4: One hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    5: One opportunity to issue an Imperial Decree of the Xuantian Continent.


    ¨C


    After pondering for a moment, Chen Qiu chose the hundred-breath Seven-colored entry limited edition and the opportunity to issue an Xuantian Imperial Decree.


    The main reason was that the remaining options were of no use, so he could only choose these two.


    Last time, he managed to get a ¡°One-day Golden entry limited edition¡± from a ¡°Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.¡± He hadn¡¯t expected to obtain a limited edition Seven-colored entry today.


    But it only lasted for a hundred breaths¡­


    What could he achieve in a hundred breaths, even if this Seven-colored entry could directly slay an Immortal Emperor, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find an Immortal Emperor in that brief time, would he?


    Choosing this option essentially meant wasting a chance to choose.


    Although issuing the Xuantian Imperial Decree was even less useful, at least this opportunity was permanent, and he could use it whenever he wanted. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the remaining options were completely useless, he would never have chosen something like a hundred-breath Seven-colored entry.


    However, it would be nice to see what Seven-colored entries there were, other than ¡°Step by Step.¡±


    Just to broaden his horizons.


    Whether it was useful or not.


    And then¡ª


    After he made his choice, a panel shrouded in mist slowly emerged in the air before him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Daily Check-in.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Seven-colored.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Allows one check-in per day, and successful check-in grants a random reward. The reward depends on the location during check-in; the more special the location, the greater the reward. Each location can only be used for check-in once.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mouth involuntarily fell open slightly, his eyes showing a tinge of shock.


    Damn¡­


    Was this Seven-colored entry a bit too overpowered? He had thought his Seven-colored ¡°Step by Step¡± was already quite over the top, but this entry seemed even more outrageous than his.


    And¡­ more suited for beginners? S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although this entry only lasted for a hundred breaths, he could definitely try it once within that time. He was currently on Dragon Island, which should be considered a rather special location in the Xuantian Continent, shouldn¡¯t it?

 Chapter 463 - 183:

    Chapter 463: Chapter 183: ¡°Will playing like this incur punishment from the Heavenly Dao?¡±_4


    Ordinary people couldn¡¯t possibly come to Dragon Island!


    There was no time to think further.


    Lest this Seven-colored term dissipated directly after a hundred breaths.


    He immediately shouted in a low voice,


    ¡°Check-in.¡±


    Very quickly!


    ...


    A panel enveloped in mist and clouds floated before him again.


    ¨C


    ¡®Check-in successful for today.¡¯


    ¡®Check-in location: Xuantian Continent, Dragon Island.¡¯


    ¡®The sign-in reward is¡ª¡¯One-day Random Seven-colored Term Jade Scroll¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood silently in place, expressionlessly looking down at the Seven-colored Jade Scroll in his hand, momentarily at a loss for words.


    At this moment, his feelings were somewhat complex, akin to having only a hundred Spirit Stones to his name, using them to buy a lottery ticket, and then winning a prize of one hundred Spirit Stones.


    A cat meowed softly.


    There was no difference.


    The only difference might be that it changed from a hundred breaths to one day, and this Hundred-breaths term was time-limited as soon as it was selected, while this one day term Jade Scroll only began counting down after it was crushed.


    It went from an uncontrollable state to a controllable state.


    Naturally, since it was a random Seven-colored term, the content of this Seven-colored Jade Scroll wouldn¡¯t be seen before it was crushed.


    After a long while,


    he tucked the Seven-Colored Jade Scroll into his chest, planning to use it later.


    Yet the urgency in his eyes grew more intense. Given the presence of this Seven-colored term, perhaps some Heavenly Pride in the central region also possessed this Seven-colored term, checking in daily and reaping a large number of heavenly resources.


    With a mass accumulation of heavenly resources, strength would certainly become quite exaggerated.


    It all depended on whether it was obtained early on or later.


    This ¡®daily check-in¡¯ Seven-colored term may have good effects in the later stages, but its impact would be even greater if acquired in the early stages. After all, whether at the Golden Core grade or Nascent Soul grade, a massive amount of resources was needed for accumulation.


    If this term was acquired only after reaching Divinity Transformation, it would mean that opportunities for a twelve-grade Golden Core and twelve-grade Nascent Soul would be gone, and naturally, a twelve-grade Divine Domain would also be out of reach. What was missed earlier couldn¡¯t be compensated for later.


    First, cultivate.


    ¡­


    After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop, suddenly let out a sigh. He discovered that his mental state still required cultivation; as he circulated his mental method, his mind was entirely occupied with what this Seven-colored Jade Scroll could be.


    He couldn¡¯t settle down to cultivate without crushing the Jade Scroll.


    Forget it.


    Unwilling to wait any longer, he immediately took out the Seven-colored Term Jade Scroll and crushed it.


    Very quickly¡ª


    A panel enveloped in mist and clouds appeared before him.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: daily check-in.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Seven-colored.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: May check-in once daily, successful check-ins yield random rewards, with the content of the reward dependent on the location at the time of check-in. The more special the check-in location, the greater the reward. Each location can only be checked in once.¡¯


    ¨C


    ¡°Heh!¡±


    Chen Qiu was almost amused to anger, looking at the one-day version of the Seven-colored term ¡®daily check-in¡¯ before him and was somewhat at a loss. Are the only Seven-colored terms ¡®Step by Step¡¯ and ¡®daily check-in¡¯?


    Are there no other Seven-colored entries besides these two?


    But then his gaze settled on the line ¡®Each location can only be checked in once,¡¯ and his smile slowly froze.


    It couldn¡¯t already count as having checked in on Dragon Island once.


    They wouldn¡¯t count that, would they?


    ¡°Check-in!¡±


    Thank goodness¡­


    ¡°`


    He sighed with relief and looked at the panel enveloped in mist in front of him again. Not bad, Dragon Island still counted. If it hadn¡¯t counted, he would have laughed out of frustration.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Successful daily check-in.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Check-in location: Xuantian Continent, Dragon Island.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Check-in reward: ¡®Purple Entry Jade Scroll¡¯.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Chen Qiu took a long breath. As long as it didn¡¯t pop out with a ¡®One Day Seven-Colored Word Jade Scroll¡¯ again, he would be fine. He really feared another loop¡ªif that were the case, he would start to suspect if the Heavenly Dao had glitched.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Purple Entry.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Not bad, let¡¯s see the effects first.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: A Lot of Grandchildren.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Your direct bloodline, which is your first-generation biological children, will reach adulthood in a year.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Chen Qiu looked at the entry expressionlessly and remained silent for quite a while before extending his Divine Sense, covering the entire Dragon Island and connecting with Fat Long and Ao Tian.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Soon, Ao Tian was the first to hurry over.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, little brother?¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Ao Tian had a smile on his face and grinned at Chen Qiu, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you needed a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure? I¡¯m looking for one in the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault. I remember there should be one there, but I can¡¯t find it.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Since the calamity of the Dragon Clan was resolved, the smile on his face just wouldn¡¯t fade.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    He even specifically shared his joy with Old Man Cao.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    All of this was thanks to Chen Qiu.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    This led to him being extremely attentive to Chen Qiu. His only regret was that it would take a few thousand years for the Dragon Clan to truly become prosperous, and his lifespan wasn¡¯t enough to let him see those days of the Dragon Clan¡¯s glory.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    He had resolved the existential crisis of the Dragon Clan, but he couldn¡¯t witness the day the Dragon Clan reached its peak of strength.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    To say he wasn¡¯t regretful would be a lie.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    But there was nothing he could do.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Although there were now more Dragon Pups, these little cubs still needed a lot of time to grow up.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Chen Qiu fell silent for a while before he finally spoke, ¡°How long do you estimate before the Dragon Clan truly becomes strong?¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Let me think.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Ao Tian calculated, counting on his fingers, ¡°It will take 500 years for the first batch of Dragon Cubs to grow up. By then, these cubs will all have undergone Divinity Transformation. To reach the Peak of Divinity Transformation will probably require several hundred years of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Then, with so many Dragon Cubs, it¡¯s likely one of them could break through to the ¡®Void Refining Stage¡¯.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°That¡¯s when the Dragon Clan will really start entering its golden age.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°On the Heavenly Continent, only forces with a Void Refining Stage expert are considered truly supreme.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°` sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°By that time, the Dragon Clan will once again reclaim its throne as the number one great clan under heaven.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°It¡¯s just a pity¡­¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    He shook his head with a bit of regret and remorse, ¡°It¡¯s just a pity that I won¡¯t be able to see that moment, but don¡¯t worry little brother, I will definitely write my great achievements in the Dragon Clan Ancient Books. I certainly won¡¯t hustle for nothing.¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°If¡­¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Chen Qiu was silent for a long moment before his expression turned complicated, ¡°If you had a chance to see that moment of the Dragon Clan¡¯s prosperity, would you want to see it?¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Ao Tian mused, ¡°Could it be, little brother, that you have found some miraculous way to extend life?¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say much, just handed the ¡®A Lot of Grandchildren¡¯ entry jade slip to Ao Tian.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    He saw with his own eyes that Ao Tian¡¯s legs seemed to suddenly give way, his body staggering as if he were about to kneel before him.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    After a long while, Ao Tian looked up at Chen Qiu with bloodshot eyes and said in a hoarse, trembling voice.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Little brother¡­¡±


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    ¡°Playing around like this, could we be punished by the Heavenly Dao?¡±


    ¡°`

 Chapter 464 - 184:

    Chapter 464: Chapter 184: ¡°Me, Fat Long, am I really getting better?


    ¡°`


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Chen Qiu said, his expression complex and silent. The Dragon Clan is a race with very strong innate talents; as long as they don¡¯t die prematurely, they basically start at Divinity Transformation.


    Looking across the entire Xuantian Continent.


    Which race could start at Divinity Transformation?


    But at the same time, the defect is also very obvious; they have an extremely low reproduction rate, but now this problem has been solved.


    The Dragon Clan now reproduces once every three months.


    ...


    With Fat Long, these mother dragons on Dragon Island can give birth once every three months, a breeding rate that is more absurd than that of sows.


    The problem is, add to that the ¡®A lot of Grandchildren¡¯ entry.


    What used to take 500 years to reach adulthood now takes just one year.


    Then, once they reach adulthood, they can give birth again. If this goes on for a few hundred years, the whole continent will be overrun by the Dragon Clan, that is¡­ if Fat Long can still hold up.


    Even a diamond drill might not be able to handle such manufacturing.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    After the excitement, Ao Tian suddenly remembered something and looked at Chen Qiu with some bewilderment, ¡°The Dragon Clan doesn¡¯t have enough resources to cultivate so many Dragon Cubs.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Pups of the Dragon Clan originally took 500 years to reach adulthood, and now it¡¯s just one year to adulthood. Though the growth period is shortened, the resources consumed by the Dragon Clan to breakthrough to Divinity Transformation at maturity are not insignificant.¡±


    ¡°And the Divine Domain exclusive to the Dragon Clan is also very resource-intensive.¡±


    ¡°One batch every three months, one batch every three months¡­ There are more and more Dragon Pups.¡±


    ¡°Hundreds of Dragon Pups reaching adulthood almost at the same time, where the hell is the Dragon Clan supposed to find so many resources for these Dragon Cubs! And with more and more coming later, how can they possibly afford to raise them!¡±


    For so many years.


    It was the first time he had worried about the resources of the Dragon Clan, or rather, he had never expected that one day he would worry about the insufficiency of resources for the Dragon Clan.


    What? The Dragon Clan is short on resources?


    No one on the Xuantian Continent would believe such a claim. Why is everyone so intent on killing Ao Tian? Isn¡¯t it because, in everyone¡¯s eyes, Ao Tian is like a moving Treasure Vault?


    In the past, there was an excess of resources but no Dragon Cubs.


    Now there are more Dragon Cubs than they can handle, but no resources.


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at Ao Tian, ¡°We can go loot.¡±


    ¡°Just me at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, I can¡¯t loot by myself.¡±


    ¡°After the first batch of Dragon Cubs is done, we¡¯ll have nearly a hundred at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation. My disciples of Chao Tian Sect, after consuming all the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, will also reach Divinity Transformation. Then, we can easily loot any power we want.¡±


    Ao Tian said gloomily, ¡°The materials for the Divine Domain cost quite a bit, you know. Have you prepared all the materials for the Divine Domains of so many disciples?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just make all First Grade Divine Domains, can we? What¡¯s the difference between having that and not, they¡¯d break at a single touch.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m also short on resources; I need to go looting too.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The man and the dragon looked at each other, both seeing the annoyance in the other¡¯s eyes.


    There¡¯s a saying that teenagers can eat their parents out of house and home.


    With so many mouths to feed, both Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan were having trouble sustaining them.


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, ignoring Ao Tian who had already fallen into thought next to him. It seemed that he must speed up the progress again. With so many people to sustain, resources were truly insufficient.


    But once this batch was raised,


    The entire Xuantian Continent would bear his, Chen Qiu¡¯s, name.


    And he could fully achieve self-sustainability through warfare.


    He looked at the ¡®daily check-in¡¯ Seven-colored entry on his Nascent Soul. This Seven-colored entry lasted for a day, which was longer than the hundred-breath version.


    That is, 24 hours.


    And it was just past noon now, meaning he could check in again after midnight tonight, after which this entry would shatter.


    It was like a trial coupon.


    Where to check in tonight¡­


    The more unique the location, the better the reward. Which place was most special on the Xuantian Continent?


    He lifted his head thoughtfully and looked upward.


    The ¡®Heavenly Palace¡¯ above the Nine Heavens should count as a pretty special place on the Xuantian Continent, and it was quite possible that it was the most special, given that, although Dragon Island is also unique, there are still members of the Dragon Clan who can step onto it.


    The Heavenly Palace, on the other hand, is a place no one else has set foot in except him.


    There should be a decent check-in reward.


    Moreover, if he thought about it this way, this ¡®daily check-in¡¯ Seven-colored entry wasn¡¯t really suitable for the early stages. After all, for a Foundation Establishment Alchemy Cultivator,


    Whether it¡¯s Dragon Island or the Heavenly Palace,


    Neither is a place a regular Golden Core can meddle with, or even a Heaven Sect¡¯s Nascent Soul, for that matter. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This entry is more like icing on the cake.


    If you¡¯re already strong, this entry can make you stronger, but if you¡¯re weak, it can still slowly make you stronger. It¡¯s just that this process might take a bit longer.


    And the biggest drawback is,


    Once you¡¯ve visited all these special places and checked in once at each, you can only check in at ordinary places afterward. Surely, ordinary places won¡¯t directly offer something like a ¡®Purple Entry Jade Scroll,¡¯ but he had no interest in trying what the rewards for checking in at ordinary places were.


    He only had two chances to check in, so he couldn¡¯t waste them.


    If¡­


    If this check-in gave him another ¡®One-day version of daily check-in¡¯ type of Seven-colored entry, then he could check in twice more, and the second time they could give him another one-day version of daily check-in.


    It would be like a perpetual motion machine version of daily check-in.


    Although it¡¯s just a one-day version, in a way, it could be considered permanent.


    He then shook his head to dismiss this thought. It was a bit too idealistic. He wasn¡¯t the favored son of Heavenly Dao; how could it be that whatever he wished for would come true?


    ¡°`

 Chapter 465 - 184:

    Chapter 465: Chapter 184: ¡°I, Fat Long, am I really getting better?¡±_2


    If he really were the son of Heavenly Dao, better give him a permanent version of the daily check-in Seven-colored term.


    And at this moment¡ª


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Not far away, Fat Long flew over, gasping for breath: ¡°You were looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Fat Long¡¯s pale face, he sighed helplessly and said, ¡°Stop for a moment, there¡¯s no rush after a while, you¡¯re almost killing yourself.¡±


    ...


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry for this little moment.¡±


    Meanwhile, Ao Tian, who had been deep in thought beside them, noticed Fat Long¡¯s condition and immediately hurried over with a flustered trot, taking a pill from his bosom and handing it over with a worried face.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, little brother, to take it easy with your young friend here.¡±


    ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t have anything happen to you.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If something happens to you, the Dragon Clan is done for.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll look around to see if there is any big supplement during the next period I¡¯m out.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Brother Qiu.¡± Fat Long swallowed the pill Ao Tian handed over, and his complexion immediately showed a touch of rosiness, then he grinned excitedly and said.


    ¡°I have a measure of it, I¡¯ve just successfully broken through to the Golden Core Peak!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to rest a bit and also prepare for Nascent Soul formation, to continue after forming the Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, then handed over a Storage Ring: ¡°Inside this, you¡¯ll find the materials and Spirit Stones you¡¯ll need for your Nascent Soul formation, and¡­ look at this entry.¡±


    ¡°A lot of Grandchildren¡­?¡±


    Fat Long stared at the entry jade slip in his hand for a long while, then raised his head to look at Chen Qiu and Ao Tian in a daze and said, ¡°The Dragon Clan has a gestation period of three months, and they mature in a year, does that mean that after a year and three months, all these Dragon Pups will have grown up?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Ao Tian nodded with a complex expression, feeling that happiness was coming so abruptly now that it felt exaggerated, as if he was dreaming, so fleeting and ethereal.


    ¡°They won¡¯t call me dad, will they?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I can order these Dragon Pups not to call you father, but they are your direct Bloodline after all, so they¡¯ll naturally be close to you and might cling to you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked somewhat dazed and stood there, lost in thought. He hadn¡¯t found true love yet, and a bunch of kids had already popped up. Originally, it would have taken five hundred years for Dragon Pups to mature, so he hadn¡¯t really cared about these Dragon Pups. After all, by the time these Dragon Pups grew up, it was two different matters whether he would still be alive or not.


    But now they would mature in a year.


    This meant that he would soon see these Dragon Pups grow up into adults.


    At this moment¡ª


    Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long with a rather complex expression and said, ¡°If I remember correctly, I seem to have given you an entry jade slip before, called ¡®Parents Unharmed by Foes¡¯, right?¡±


    He remembered that he had once given Fat Long an entry jade slip that seemed utterly useless at the time, and no one thought that entry had any use, even forgetting about it later, but now this entry seemed incredibly valuable.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    Pulled back from his daze, Fat Long, still a bit slow to react, nodded subconsciously: ¡°Yeah, it seems to have been from a Golden Core cultivator¡¯s Storage Ring, it hasn¡¯t been of much use, I¡¯d forgotten about it, why¡­ wait a second¡­¡±


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Parents Unharmed by Foes.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Green.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Any attack you suffer will be evenly distributed to your children, any attack your parents suffer will be transferred to you.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A long time later, Fat Long, who suddenly came to his senses, slowly picked up his jaw that had fallen to the ground and pressed it back into place, his voice trembling with incredulity: ¡°Brother Qiu, am I getting better?¡±


    ¡°Am I, Fat Long, really getting better?¡±


    If you say¡ª


    At the beginning, he thought his biggest chance was having so many Divinity Transformation Cultivation mother dragons for Dual Cultivation, allowing his Cultivation to increase rapidly.


    In one day, he went from the second level of Golden Core to the ninth level.


    This was already a huge boon.


    But now.


    An even bigger opportunity had hit him on the head.


    With the ¡®Parents Unharmed by Foes¡¯ entry, all the damage he took would be distributed among nearly a hundred Divinity Transformation Cultivation Dragon Pups.


    Damn it!


    What¡¯s the difference between that and being invincible?


    As long as the damage wasn¡¯t particularly outrageous, after being distributed, it would be almost negligible to those Dragon Pups.


    And this was just the first batch.


    In three months, after this batch of mother dragons has finished giving birth, they can go for another round, over and over again.


    And all of this!


    Requires a tremendous amount of resources!


    Chen Qiu and Ao Tian looked at each other again, both seeing the resolve in each other¡¯s eyes, they must fight at all costs, waiting for the chaos to descend and turmoil to ravage the lands!


    Both of them had to give it their all!


    Otherwise, so many mouths simply couldn¡¯t be fed.


    The current Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan could be said to be firmly bound together, not only because of the Blood Covenant but also because their interests were intertwined.


    The stronger the Dragon Pups become, the stronger Fat Long becomes, and the stronger Fat Long becomes, the stronger Chao Tian Sect becomes. The stronger Chao Tian Sect gets, the more resources they can seize. The more resources they seize, the stronger Chen Qiu and Chao Tian Sect disciples become. The stronger they become, the more resources they can take, and then the Dragon Pups become stronger, the Dragon Pups¡­


    A positive cycle where both sides are tightly intertwined.


    Whichever side grows stronger, it will directly feed back to the other.


    Likewise, whichever side weakens, it will also directly reflect on the other.

 Chapter 466 - 184:

    Chapter 466: Chapter 184: ¡°I, Fat Long, am I really getting better?¡±_3


    For instance¡­


    Fat Long was blasted to death, his Dragon Pups would have to be buried with him since the damage was first allocated to these Dragon Pups.


    If Fat Long couldn¡¯t withstand it, then these Dragon Pups had definitely already died once before. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Soon, the three of them dispersed with heavy hearts.


    Especially Ao Tian who used to eat Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills like jelly beans, never in his life had he expected to face a moment of resource shortage.


    Is that reasonable?


    ...


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu continued to meditate, planning to sign in at ¡°Heavenly Palace¡± once again after midnight to see if there were any good items.


    After breaking through to the peak of Nascent Soul, he also planned to check if he had enough Evil Wood to mend the heavens.


    If it were enough to mend the heavens.


    It would definitely grant him a hundred billion merit points, just like the Xuantian Sect Saintess, and maybe even grant him a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Then, with Unrivaled Genius Fortune assembled, he could forge a Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, just as his experiences upgrading to Twelfth Grade Golden Core and Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul had taught him.


    A Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain would definitely manifest phenomena of heaven and earth and bring in a great amount of merit points.


    Adding all these together.


    That would complete another ¡°Xuantian Continent Milestone Task¡±.


    ¡°Accumulate three hundred billion merit points or three hundred billion sin points.¡±


    If the progress goes smoothly without any unexpected events, everything would be just perfect.


    ¡­


    The entire Dragon Island was faintly enveloped in an atmosphere of anxiety.


    Truth be told.


    This kind of atmosphere had not appeared on Dragon Island for a long time ¨C it had always been a paradisiacal place, where, besides not being able to have children, where there was anxiety.


    Originally, Ao Tian had firmly decided that this time in the chaotic world, the Dragon Clan absolutely would not go to war!


    ¡°Fight how you like. We, the Dragon Clan, simply will not participate in the war!¡±


    But now it seems, they cannot afford not to participate. Without looting some resources, these Dragon Pups simply can¡¯t be supported.


    He and Chen Qiu had already discussed it.


    Once the ¡°World of Conflict¡± version descends, Chen Qiu will first use merit points to exchange for a Divinity Transformation Totem to create his Divinity Transformation Domain, then wait for Chen Qiu to break through Divinity Transformation.


    By then, the Xuantian Continent would definitely already be embroiled in war.


    The Human Race and Devil Clan would already be fighting until heaven and earth grew dim.


    Then the two of them would sneakily take advantage of the chaos to loot.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The scholar sat in a daze on the beach, gazing out at the sea¡¯s horizon. Everyone has their moments of glory and their low periods.


    He felt he was now in a trough.


    A few days ago, he had consoled Fat Long, telling him it¡¯s okay not to feel inferior, that even if you¡¯re a failure, Brother Qiu would still take care of you.


    Then what?


    It turned out it¡¯s literally a case of ¡®long time no see, but look at each other with new eyes¡¯ after Fat Long had just run over to boast about ¡°A lot of Grandchildren¡± and ¡°Parents Unharmed¡± entries moments ago, which completely blew his mind.


    Originally he could console himself, no big deal, it was just a quick advancement in levels, all fake, lacking any real combat skills, a paper tiger.


    By the time he reached the ninth layer of Golden Core, Fat Long definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him.


    But now, not only has the level gone up but the attack methods and defense tactics are maxed out too.


    It¡¯s just short of engraving ¡°invincible¡± on his forehead.


    ¡°Exactly where did things suddenly start to go right¡­¡±


    The scholar held a stick in his hand, continually drawing on the beach sand, which was filled with various entry names and significant changes of those days.


    Nine Ox Power + Hundred Percent Accuracy + Ignore Barrier.


    Just these three entries?


    Invincible.


    The highest grade among these three entries is just a Blue grade.


    Oh, it has to count Fat Long¡¯s Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline, and the entries ¡°A lot of Grandchildren¡± and ¡°Parents Unharmed¡± as well.


    It also involves Brother Qiu and the Dragon Clan connections.


    And¡­


    Suddenly realizing, without any of these many conditions missing, Fat Long wouldn¡¯t have suddenly improved. The price Fat Long paid was being a Golden Core beginner without much combat capability before encountering the Dragon Clan.


    If it weren¡¯t for the Dragon Clan.


    Fat Long wouldn¡¯t have had such a glorious moment in his life.


    But then again, without Fat Long, the Dragon Clan wouldn¡¯t have had such a glorious moment in its life either.


    It¡¯s kind of a negative multiplied by a negative equals a positive situation.


    The scholar looked up dazedly and murmured as he gazed out at the sea, ¡°When will it be my turn to encounter my great chance?¡±


    He could now empathize with how Fat Long felt.


    Initially, Fat Long was the weakest elder, yet he showcased his Sword Cultivator talent and traveling methods, still feeling useful.


    But now¡­


    Even though his Sword Cultivation talent is strong, his cultivation is only mid-stage Golden Core at most, and he¡¯s been using traveling methods less and less, feeling increasingly useless.


    This urgency made him very uncomfortable.


    No way!


    The scholar dropped the stick, pulled out a Heavenly Dao Golden Core Cultivation Pill from his bosom, and stuffed it into his mouth. He had to seize every opportunity to diligently train.


    By the time those Dragon Cubs and Chao Tian Sect disciples all become Divine Beings.


    What use would he be, a Golden Core Sword Cultivator?


    ¡­


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    On a coconut tree at the beach, a young brown bear leaned against the tree, looking at the scholar meditating on the beach and clicked his tongue, saying,


    ¡°See that? That¡¯s the outcome of trying to prove oneself.¡±


    ¡°The position of Second Elder represents power and honor, but it also brings pressure.¡±


    ¡°Like us, we were clear about our own role from the start, we¡¯re just pets, and it¡¯s okay if our cultivation is a bit low, right?¡±

 Chapter 467 - 184:

    Chapter 467: Chapter 184: ¡°I, Fat Long, am I really getting better?¡±_4


    ¡°You see, I¡¯m still at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but I¡¯m not in a hurry at all.¡±


    An old brown bear sitting beside nodded and said with a deep voice, ¡°Son, I admit you make a lot of sense, but our lifespans are short at the Foundation Establishment stage. At this rate, we¡¯re probably going to die soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The young brown bear looked up seriously at his father, ¡°Just wait a few more days. When the Sect Master remembers us, he will surely help me improve my cultivation. After all, you can¡¯t just watch a pet die, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already set the stage.¡±


    ¡°These days, with the bargaining chip of having chatted with ¡®Zhao Yishi¡¯ for a while, I¡¯ve connected with Zhao Dezhu. As long as he casually mentions us in front of the Sect Master later, the Sect Master will remember us again, and just like that, our whole clan could smoothly reach the Golden Core stage.¡±


    ...


    ¡°And live many more years.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    July Cat curled up emotionlessly in the arms of the woman in white, closing her eyes and feigning sleep. She was beginning to think more and more that her new owner really wasn¡¯t quite right in the head.


    Really fond of daydreaming, huh.


    She actually enjoyed watching the drama unfold, especially the deepest thoughts in the hearts of people, which they usually wouldn¡¯t show. That type of drama was very interesting to watch.


    But this woman named Xiao Yue,


    a True Disciple of the Myriad Beast Sect.


    After Quzhou¡¯s heavens had almost fallen, this woman was waiting for Chen Qiu to descend like a savior and resolve the crisis, yet despite waiting until nightfall, there was no sign of Chen Qiu.


    In the meantime,


    this woman fantasized a lot of scenarios about her first meeting with Chen Qiu in her mind.


    The most outrageous was a hero-saving-the-beauty scenario.


    She actually imagined that in Great Yuan City, a dozen men were about to violate her, and she couldn¡¯t resist. Just when she was about to be attacked,


    Chen Qiu descended from the sky and with one strike, killed all the men with his sword, and drawing back his green blade, he turned to look at her and said coldly, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Heh.


    July Cat couldn¡¯t help but snicker in her heart a few times. She really wanted to say, sis, your crush doesn¡¯t use a sword; he¡¯s a Magic Practitioner.


    Once he makes a move, it¡¯s hundred miles covered by Heavenly Thunder.


    Chances are, you¡¯d be struck dead too.


    And even more likely, you¡¯re not even the target of the attack, but accidentally struck dead as collateral.


    This isn¡¯t far-fetched at all.


    She had already been killed as collateral by Chen Qiu several times.


    Last time she found a new owner in Great Yuan City, all was well, but that brother and sister seemed to have a problem in their heads, hellbent on joining the Yuan Sect, which had troubled Chen Qiu. She knew trouble was brewing. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So she fled Great Yuan City and hid in a Flying Boat that was about to set sail.


    Later, she dozed off in a daze.


    When she woke up again, she didn¡¯t know where she was, only feeling that there were no normal people around, only monsters with many eyes on their bellies.


    Then she heard the news that the Yuan Sect had been annihilated by Chen Qiu.


    Before she could revel in her wise decision for long, she witnessed the most shocking sight of her life.


    Millions of Heavenly Punishments struck her.


    At that moment, she was even laughed at by anger.


    She didn¡¯t really know what to say, she was just a stray cat at the time, did she really deserve to be struck by such an attack?


    At the time, she didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    She merely died quickly, and then was reborn in the body of this little fox before hearing from the Myriad Beast Sect¡¯s disciples about Chen Qiu destroying the entirety of Evil State.


    For some reason,


    when she heard this news, her first reaction was actually, that makes sense, she thought to herself how she could¡¯ve been struck dead by a million Heavenly Punishments for no reason; if it was Chen Qiu, then it made perfect sense.


    And then she was handed over to this ¡°cheap life¡± woman, where before she had time to stay in Central State for long, she was brought to Quzhou again.


    Life is so tiring.


    July Cat sighed softly, trying to find a comfortable position in the woman in white¡¯s arms. To be fair, she felt that this woman didn¡¯t really seem like someone with love on the brain.


    Love on the brain is someone who would give everything for love.


    But this woman had never met Chen Qiu, didn¡¯t even have a clear understanding of what kind of person Chen Qiu was, knew basically nothing about him, only knew of Chen Qiu through the Heavenly Dao Decree.


    And then every day she heard her Sect Disciples discussing Chen Qiu with disbelief and admiration, and she became increasingly curious about him.


    This woman just likes the feeling of being treated indifferently by a strong person.


    Were she able to speak, she¡¯d really like to give some advice.


    Chen Qiu is different from other men.


    If he doesn¡¯t want to deal with you, his reaction won¡¯t be to coldly tell you to keep your distance, he will just give you a glance, maybe not even a second one, and then thunder dragons will come smashing down.


    That man has a unique and highly efficient way of dealing with people he doesn¡¯t want to see.


    ¡­


    ¡°A chaotic world?¡±


    In Central State, at the back mountain of the top force ¡°Bishan Palace.¡±


    An old man who was sitting cross-legged on a jade stone said indifferently, ¡°The negotiation with the Devil Clan in three days must be successful no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Even if we have to concede some benefits to the Devil Clan, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Chaotic times often bring many Heavenly Dao Secret Realms and other opportunities.¡±


    ¡°While other top forces are scared of a prophecy from ten thousand years ago and choose to seal themselves off from the world, we ¡®Bishan Palace¡¯ are fearless.¡±


    ¡°Every chaotic era is basically a time when the Human Race and Devil Clan fight.¡±


    ¡°This time, if the Human Race and Devil Clan can come to a consensus, in the event that neither side takes action, how can there be chaos? How would the world be in strife?¡±

 Chapter 468 - 184:

    Chapter 468: Chapter 184: ¡°I, Fat Long, am I really getting better?¡±_5 S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I refuse to believe that a mere Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect with Nascent Soul stage five can really turn the world upside down!¡±


    ¡°Relying on a hundred billion merits to think no one would dare to kill him, can we not just imprison him directly, or after severely injuring him, find a demon beast to kill him? Killing is the simplest thing in this continent.¡±


    The elder turned his head toward a subordinate with an indifferent expression and continued, ¡°Contact the other top powers that aren¡¯t in hiding, and those with cultivators in the Divinity Transformation Stage. In three days, let¡¯s meet with the Devil Clan in the Extinct Forest to negotiate.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one goal.¡±


    ¡°To suppress this chaotic world.¡±


    ¡°Then, while doing so, gather strength, so by the time other top powers emerge, we¡¯ll have surpassed them in foundation and become the strongest amongst them, and perhaps¡­ even devour them.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The subordinate standing next to the elder said gravely, ¡°This subordinate will handle it immediately.¡±


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, Demon State.


    Not one of the nineteen states, but a smaller state, and naturally, it was inhabited by the Demon Race.


    Now, inside a palace in the core city of Demon State.


    A young Demon Race individual was impatiently flipping through the Jade Scrolls left in front of him, and the names on these scrolls were all very strange.


    ¡°The Disgrace of the History of the Human Race.¡±


    ¡°The Disgrace of the History of the Devil Clan.¡±


    ¡°How to Sow Discord Without Leaving Traces.¡±


    ¡°How to¡­¡±


    After a long while, the young member of the Demon Race finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and turned his head towards the elder.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Does the Demon Race always have to play this role of instigator whenever chaotic times arrive?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The elder stood nearby with utmost respect, bowing his head and whispered, ¡°Young master, the Demon Race has always played this role.¡±


    ¡°Only by sowing discord and having the Human Race and the Devil Clan fight each other can we, the Demon Race, profit from it, as we are inferior to neither the Human Race nor the Devil Clan.¡±


    ¡°If the Human Race and the Devil Clan don¡¯t end up fighting, they would come to fight us instead.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just go into hiding as well?¡± the young Demon Race individual asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Every chaotic era, the skies of the Xuantian Continent fill with Demonic Qi caused by the death of many living creatures, which greatly aids in the advancement of our race¡¯s collective strength, and chaotic times often bring many opportunities that are not present in normal days.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The young Demon Race member only felt his teeth ache: ¡°How about we just go into hiding this chaotic era? The chaotic times have not yet arrived, and the Evil Clan has already been exterminated. Don¡¯t you think that this chaotic period seems a bit dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It is somewhat dangerous, but¡­ fortune favors the bold, young master.¡±


    ¡°So, what if we get exterminated as well?¡±


    ¡°The Demon Race has been passed down for so many years, it won¡¯t be exterminated.¡±


    ¡°But the Evil Clan also had a long history, yet they were easily exterminated.¡±


    ¡°Fortune favors the bold, young master.¡±


    ¡°I know, but what if the Demon Race ends up the same way the Evil Clan did?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t, the Demon Race has a long heritage.¡±


    ¡°But damn it, the Evil Clan was already wiped out!¡±


    ¡°Yes, young master, that¡¯s why they say fortune favors the bold.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young member of the Demon Race fell silent for a moment before turning his head towards the elder, his emotions surging as he roared.


    ¡°Do you fucking understand human speech?¡±


    ¡°Is your brain filled with fucking paste?¡±


    ¡­


    North of Quzhou, deep in the ocean, on Dragon Island.


    At this moment, night had fallen, and the sky was scattered with stars, the vast ocean appeared tranquil and dark, with only the sound of waves hitting the rocks.


    At a glance.


    No continents could be seen, a feeling of abandonment pervaded.


    If one were thrown in the middle of the deep ocean, where no land could be seen underfoot or around, it would truly be a beauty of utter despair.


    The ocean is the place most likely to produce beauty, as well as despair.


    Meanwhile, on Dragon Island, the lights were bright, and disciples of the Chao Tian Sect were scattered in every corner, diligently cultivating, all preparing for the upcoming chaotic times.


    Especially Ao Tian, who was in the Dragon Clan¡¯s Treasure Vault, sorting resources and calculating how long these resources would suffice for the batch of dragon cubs, while also worrying about his breakthrough tasks.


    Breaking through from Peak of Divinity Transformation to the Void Refining Stage was no easy task, especially for members of the Dragon Clan facing this tribulation.


    The Heavenly Tribulation for breaking through from Peak of Divinity Transformation to Void Refining Stage was formidable.


    Stronger than all the Heavenly Tribulations encountered during the Divinity Transformation Stage combined; without complete preparation, there was a high chance of being struck dead.


    Black Dragon was also in his cave, feeling bewildered as he had thought he would soon have a bunch of brothers and sisters, and they would all live happily on Dragon Island for hundreds of years.


    But today he was suddenly told that these brothers and sisters would reach adulthood within one year.


    By then, everyone would be grown up, yet he still had more than three hundred years to reach adulthood?


    This gave him a feeling¡­ of being abandoned.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu, who was sitting on the highest mountain on Dragon Island, exhaled a long breath. After half a day¡¯s cultivation, his Cultivation Progress had also reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Nascent Soul stage seven (2.1%).


    ¨C


    He no longer used the Spirit Gathering Array; the little progress in cultivation it provided was not compared to a single Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, better save the Spirit Stones for later use.


    His cultivation had finally broken through again.


    He was officially a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator now.


    However, he didn¡¯t choose an entry for this breakthrough right away but instead looked at the Seven-colored term ¡°daily check-in¡± on his Nascent Soul.


    Signing in on ¡°Dragon Island¡± would yield a Purple Entry Jade Scroll, and he wanted to see what signing in at the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡± would yield; it was undoubtedly more special than Dragon Island.


    With a thought.


    He vanished on the spot and appeared inside the Heavenly Palace located above the Nine Heavens.


    Three familiar statues stood before him.

 Chapter 469 - 185:

    Chapter 469: Chapter 185: ¡°First Grade Xuantian Continent, Central Heavenly Palace.


    Three towering statues, each dozens of feet high, stood on a circular base.


    There was a statue of him, covered with scars from the ceaseless Heavenly Thunder Punishment, a statue of him with a benevolent face roaring over the sea, and a statue embracing the light with his back to the darkness ¨C each statue here marked a highlight of his journey thus far.


    Or in other words¡ª


    They were the deeply imprinted memories from his Cultivation Path.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath as he gazed at the Seven-colored term ¡®daily check-in¡¯ embedded on his Nascent Soul, murmuring, ¡°Let it be something good.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Check-in.¡±


    The next moment!


    ¨C


    ¡°Today¡¯s check-in successful.¡±


    ¡°Check-in location is at¡­ the Vast Continent, within the core Heavenly Palace of the First Grade Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°The check-in reward is¡ª¡¯Divinity Transformation Domain Upgrade Token¡¯.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense probed into the token and he grasped its instructions for use, his mouth unconsciously fell open, a flash of incredulous shock crossing his eyes.


    Is there really such a thing?


    The effect of this token was simple, as the name implies, it could raise the grade of your Divinity Transformation Domain without any cost. If you were already at the Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain. then with this token, you could ascend to the Tenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain!


    But the problem was¡­


    His goal had always been the Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, and he already met many of the criteria needed; everything was in place, just waiting for the right opportunity. If he added this Divinity Transformation Domain Upgrade Token to a Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡ª


    Then would that become¡ª


    A Thirteenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain?!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the token in his hand, his eyes filled with shock. Was there even such a thing as a Thirteenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain? This kind of thing should be nonexistent, right, belonging to the category of exceeding the norm?


    In the realm of Divinity Transformation, dominating by three grades results in absolute suppression.


    Within three grades, it¡¯s a partial suppression.


    If he possessed a Thirteenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, that meant even a Tenth Grade Domain would be absolutely suppressed before him. A Tenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain that had just emerged would be directly crushed into oblivion upon meeting him. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Its strength was indisputable!


    ¡°Good stuff.¡±


    It took a while for Chen Qiu to recover from the shock. He solemnly stored the token in his Heavenly Dao Ring, unable to stifle a laugh. It really was an amazing item; he had a premonition that a Thirteenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain would become one of his strongest tools.


    Moreover, he possessed another ¡®Divinity Transformation Domain Token,¡¯ which would allow him to have an additional domain, essentially a secondary Divinity Transformation Domain.


    The secondary Divinity Transformation Domain did not require building another set of materials; it shared the materials with the main domain. However, one would need to prepare a special material, such as ¡®Thousand-year-old Relics¡¯ or ¡®a million resentful spirits,¡¯ different unique materials required by different domains.


    Most importantly¡ª


    The secondary Divinity Transformation Domain and the main Divinity Transformation Domain would be of the same grade.


    Which meant, on the day he achieved Divinity Transformation, he would have two Thirteenth Grade Divinity Transformation Domains.


    ¡­


    ¡°This really is a fine thing.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, then proceeded to the gate of the Heavenly Palace behind him, as usual, to peer through the crack to see if there were any discoveries.


    When he checked in just now, it showed his location as:


    ¡°Vast Continent, within the core Heavenly Palace of the First Grade Xuantian Continent.¡±


    This meant that his current location was no longer the Xuantian Continent, but the Vast Continent, a name he had never heard before, and that he was inside the core Heavenly Palace of the First Grade Xuantian Continent.


    This Xuantian Continent here actually had grades.


    And it was First Grade.


    And this Vast Continent was evidently of a higher grade than the Xuantian Continent ¨C was it perhaps a Second Grade Continent?


    Could those people he saw entering the Heavenly Palace last time have been from the Vast Continent?


    For a moment, his mind was flooded with countless questions.


    But soon, he cast all these doubts aside, confident that once he became the strongest in the Xuantian Continent, he would easily solve them. For now, his goal was to make himself the strongest.


    And this ¡®Heavenly Palace¡¯ must be the most special place in the entire Xuantian Continent.


    Or to put it another way¡ª


    It was already the most special place accessible to people from the Xuantian Continent, since the ¡®Heavenly Palace¡¯ was no longer within the bounds of the Xuantian Continent.


    The core Heavenly Palace.


    The word ¡®core¡¯ made it seem as if this palace was indeed the heart of the Xuantian Continent.


    As usual¡ª


    There was nothing unusual outside the door crevice. After observing for a while and seeing no movement, Chen Qiu left the Heavenly Palace and returned to Dragon Island.


    ¡­


    West of Quzhou, deep in the great sea, atop Dragon Island.


    Chen Qiu was currently sitting cross-legged at the peak of the highest mountain on Dragon Island, continuously toying with the ¡®Divinity Transformation Domain Upgrade Token¡¯ in his hands, already faintly anticipating the swift arrival of the ¡®Strife of the Heavens¡¯ update.


    According to Old Man Cao, once the ¡®Strife of the Heavens¡¯ update descended, there would be Merit Value Stores and Sin Value Stores that would emerge, from which one could purchase all sorts of Divinity Transformation Domain totems. He didn¡¯t know the prices yet.


    His Merit Value currently amounted to a whopping 87.9 billion. Even though he had recently spent a vast amount of Merit Value to view others¡¯ entries, it had no real impact on his own total. Whatever appeared in the Merit Value Store, he was confident he could afford it.


    If he couldn¡¯t afford it, then no one on the entire Xuantian Continent could.


    With 87.9 billion Merit Value in his possession, he could certainly choose any Divinity Transformation Domain totem he wished. The only consideration was which two Divinity Transformation Domain totems were most suitable for him. He had a preference for a domain that could synergize with his Thunder Summoning Technique, such as one that could enhance its power.

 Chapter 470 - 185:

    Chapter 470: Chapter 185: ¡°First Grade Xuantian Continent, Central Heavenly Palace.¡±_2


    That being said,


    the fact that Old Man Cao, located at the Inheritance Land within Da Xia Country, could even calculate the content after the conflicts of the world, and have such methods, must be a leak of the Heavenly Dao, right? There can be no such harm without corresponding danger.


    Unless¡­


    Leaking the Heavenly Dao costs lifespan, and that Inheritance Land is a place where one nearly doesn¡¯t die, did they exploit a loophole?


    The chosen land of Gua Cultivation.


    Just sitting in the Inheritance Land constantly performing divination, not caring whether it deducts lifespan or not, as long as you don¡¯t leave this Inheritance Land, you won¡¯t die.


    ...


    Back then, in the ¡°Nascent Soul Battle Strength Ranking Secret Realm,¡± I encountered a pinnacle Nascent Soul Array Repairer; his strength was quite impressive, a member of Taixu Temple, I should visit this sect after some time, and see if I can bring back a Heavenly Pride Array Repairer with me to release Old Man Cao.


    This was a promise he had once made.


    But he still didn¡¯t know how to return to Da Xia Country; he only knew that the entrance to Da Xia Country was sealed on the top of the Boundless Snow Mountain range north of Quzhou, but he didn¡¯t have any specific clues on how to get back.


    He shook his head, no longer pondering these things, and instead looked at the three choices entry panel hovering above his Dantian, ready to select an entry and continue with cultivation.


    Reaching the pinnacle of Nascent Soul as soon as possible is what truly matters.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, officially stepping into the seventh layer of Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Please make a selection from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Human Infant Integration.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Your Nascent Soul can cast spells, stimulate Spiritual Treasures, open Divinity Transformation Domains, and perform the same attack actions as the physical body, but the attack actions will share the cost of Spiritual Energy and other expenses with the physical body.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Magic Practitioner Buster.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Any spell will cause you less damage, but any other method of attack apart from spells will cause you more damage.


    3: S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Four-Fours.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: On your 4th, 44th, 444th, 4444th, 44444th time witnessing dusk, you will respectively obtain a random Spiritual Treasure of Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divinity Transformation, and Void Refinement Grade.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brows lifted slightly as he glanced over the second and third entries, quickly deciding on the first entry as the most suitable for him, and indeed, it was extremely suitable for him!


    When the Nascent Soul comes out to attack, it¡¯s not able to use spells.


    But by choosing this entry, it means his Nascent Soul can travel hundreds of miles away, then above the enemy¡¯s head, fully stimulate the Thunder Summoning Technique, while he himself only needs to sit in place, and with a single thought, kill the enemy from a hundred miles away.


    It served to strengthen his long-range attack method.


    But for him,


    The most important thing about this entry is that the Nascent Soul can open a Divinity Transformation Domain, and his two Divinity Transformation Domains were originally not able to be opened at the same time, but with this entry, his physical body and Nascent Soul can each open a Divinity Transformation Domain.


    Two different Divinity Transformation Domains overlap directly!


    He¡¯s not sure if the Nascent Soul that his own Nascent Soul created will be able to use this entry¡¯s effect, but if it can, then if he¡¯s fortunate enough to obtain another ¡°Divine Domain Token¡± in the future and possess a third Divine Domain,


    The third Divine Domain could be opened by his own Nascent Soul.


    At that time¡ª


    It would be three Divine Domains smashing down at the same time, and if nothing unexpected happens, they should all be three Thirteenth Grade Divine Domains smashing down, he didn¡¯t know who could withstand it.


    As for the second entry,


    Magic Practitioner Buster.


    It was completely useless to him, it might suit some Body Cultivation who could withstand the bombardment of spells and rush in front of a Magic Practitioner to tear them to shreds.


    The third entry, Four-Fours.


    This is actually a pretty good entry. By the 44444th time witnessing dusk, which is roughly just over a hundred years, you are guaranteed to obtain a Void Refinement Grade Spiritual Treasure. A little over a hundred years is enough time, which means that in a hundred years, you¡¯ll be guaranteed to get a Void Refinement Grade Spiritual Treasure. This period of time, even for someone at the Golden Core Stage lifespan, is more than enough; in terms of Yellow Entries, it¡¯s already considered extremely cost-effective.


    The only problem is,


    A Void Refinement Grade Spiritual Treasure can only be stimulated by someone in the Void Refining Stage. The person who gets the Void Refinement Grade Spiritual Treasure is definitely not enough to stimulate it, and if nothing unexpected happens, they will not be able to cultivate to this realm in their lifetime.


    It could only be traded away.


    But when the difference in strength is too great, trading with someone in the Void Refining Stage always feels like it¡¯s hard to come back alive.


    Even though this entry has a good cost-effective ratio, it¡¯s of no use to him; a hundred years later, he might have already cultivated to the Void Refinement Realm himself, so why would he need this entry?


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, then looked at the Nascent Soul in his hand and fed it a ¡°Heavenly Spirit Fruit.¡± Ao Tian, upon knowing that he needed some high-grade and rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures for any purpose, had given him a Storage Ring with ¡°Heavenly Spirit Fruits.¡±


    It¡¯s said that during ancient times, it was the favorite Spirit Fruit of the Phoenix Clan, but with the decline of the Phoenix Clan, Heavenly Spirit Fruits gradually became extinct.


    In the entire Xuantian Continent, only the Phoenix Clan cultivated Heavenly Spirit Fruits.


    This is considered a racial skill.


    Before long¡ª


    With the Nascent Soul¡¯s stomach continuously writhing, another Token was drawn out again.

 Chapter 471 - 185:

    Chapter 471: Chapter 185: ¡°First Grade Xuantian Continent, Central Heavenly Palace.¡± _3


    Heavenly Dao Retrospection Order of the Finest Grade.


    ¡°An old friend indeed.¡±


    Chen Qiu tossed the token in his hand¡ªa token that allowed him to reselect an entry he had previously abandoned during the Nascent Soul Stage. Just yesterday, he had asked Ao Tian if the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault had this item, to which Ao Tian firmly said they did not.


    The Dragon Clan couldn¡¯t use entry jade slips, so they never collected such things, including the retrospection orders.


    However, one thing was clear¡ªthe Heavenly Dao Retrospection Order of the Finest Grade was the limit. Once one broke through to the Divinity Transformation, there were no longer any Heavenly Dao Retrospection Orders applicable for that stage.


    The timing of receiving this token was just perfect.


    ...


    When he next advanced, he could choose an additional good entry if there was one available, or he could select a Self-Destruction Term even if there were no useful entries.


    After completing all this,


    Chen Qiu then sat cross-legged on the ground, took out a Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill from his bosom, threw it into his mouth, closed his eyes, and began cultivating using his mental method.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    24 hours passed in the blink of an eye.


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes, looked up at the stars in the night sky, and exhaled a cloud of stale air, his Cultivation had now reached¡ª


    ¨C


    Cultivation: Nascent Soul Eighth Layer (22.2%).


    ¨C


    Finally, he had broken through to the eighth layer of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    Earlier today, Ao Tian came to him looking worried, saying that he was going to search the Xuantian Continent for several Spiritual Treasures that could withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, as his sin value was too high, at 2.9 billion, making him the leader in the sin value rankings of the Xuantian Continent.


    The higher the sin value, the greater the power of the Heavenly Tribulation.


    To break through from the Nascent Soul to the Divinity Transformation, one must endure the Heavenly Tribulation, and Ao Tian was worried he wouldn¡¯t survive it.


    The Dragon Clan always relied on their ¡°Reverse Scales¡± to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation and did not need any Spiritual Treasures to firmly withstand it.


    However, he ultimately declined the offer.


    Although his sin value was high,


    his merit value was even higher. Back when he was in the Da Xia Country long ago, he had obtained an entry named ¡°Merit Protection¡±. The effect of this entry was simple: the higher the merit value, the lower the damage caused by the Heavenly Tribulation.


    With an addition of 879 billion merit value, he truly didn¡¯t believe the Heavenly Tribulation drawn by 2.9 billion sin value could strike him to death.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu then turned his gaze toward the panel enveloped by clouds hovering above his Dantian.


    ¡°Cultivation significantly increased, officially stepping into the eighth layer of the Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Please make a choice among the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Spirit Stone Protection.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Any damage you receive will not actually harm you, consuming your carried Spirit Stones according to the damage¡¯s power. If the Spirit Stones are exhausted, any damage you take will cause double harm.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Robbing the Rich to Help the Poor.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: You deal more damage to living creatures that carry more Spirit Stones than you carry, and less to those who carry fewer, with an upper limit of 200% and a lower limit of 1%.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Reciprocating Good with Evil.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The stronger the benevolence shown towards you by someone, the higher the increase in damage you can inflict on them.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­What is this stuff?¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly furrowed his brows as he looked at these three entries, none of which he wanted. Not only were they of no help to him, but all three also had negative effects.


    The first entry was out of question; he¡¯d rather take some damage than consume his Spirit Stones.


    Was it easy for him to save up some Spirit Stones?


    It¡¯s just some damage. Just heal slowly, and once it¡¯s healed, it can be healed again. But if the Spirit Stones are gone, how tiring would it be to rob them again?


    The second entry went without saying. Most people probably had fewer Spirit Stones than him, which would be like putting handcuffs on himself, only the third entry was a bit more suitable for him. Although it was useless, at least it had no side effects.


    It belonged to the Demon Cultivation Terms.


    Ordinarily, it¡¯s tough to harm someone who harbors goodwill toward you.


    Unless the interests between you are indeed very significant, and those who can bring themselves to do such a deed are also sufficiently cold-blooded.


    This entry, though useless to him, at least had no side effects. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It could be used for self-destruction later.


    If a choice wasn¡¯t made within ten breaths, one of the three entries would be chosen randomly, with no option to abandon the selection. In a situation where all three entries are useless, try to choose the one with the smallest side effect.


    Useless but at least do not hinder.


    Without overthinking it, he continued his cultivation, pulling out another Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill and placing it into his mouth, striving in one go to break through to the Nascent Soul Peak.


    ¡­


    Another 24 hours passed.


    Chen Qiu sighed a long sigh of stale air again, sitting cross-legged on a mountain peak. Looking around, he could see many Chao Tian Sect disciples earnestly cultivating in various corners of Dragon Island, yet when his Divine Sense shot out, he could not detect Ao Tian¡¯s presence.


    He wondered where Ao Tian had gone.


    At this moment, his Cultivation progress had reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Nascent Soul Ninth Layer (42.3%).


    ¨C


    Finally, he reached the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    He looked towards the panel floating above the Dantian, enveloped in clouds.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation significantly increased, officially stepping into the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Please make a choice among the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Four Seas as Home.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Every night at midnight, you will be teleported to a random location within your current continent. If at midnight you are in a special place like the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm or a small world, upon exiting the special place, the random teleportation will activate immediately, and each time you are teleported randomly at midnight, you will receive three Mid-grade Spirit Stones.¡±

 Chapter 472 - 185:

    Chapter 472: Chapter 185: ¡°First Grade Xuantian Continent, Central Heavenly Palace.¡±_4


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Lone Warrior.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: If within a hundred mile radius, there is only one living creature besides you, the damage you inflict on that creature will be greatly amplified.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Burial.


    ...


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you die, a miraculous vision will envelop the entire continent as a tribute to your burial.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Chen Qiu first chose the second entry ¡°Lone Warrior,¡± then he used a superior Heavenly Dao Retrospection Order to select the third entry ¡°Burial.¡±


    The second entry wasn¡¯t bad,


    it could form a synergy with the entry ¡°Deadly Battle.¡±


    The effect of the Deadly Battle entry was to pull an enemy into a confined space for a one-on-one duel, perfectly triggering the ¡°Lone Warrior¡± entry, which was quite useful for fighting above one¡¯s level in a duel.


    As for the third entry, Burial,


    it was not very useful, but since he¡¯d waste the Heavenly Dao Retrospection Order if he didn¡¯t use it, and it couldn¡¯t be used after reaching Divinity Transformation, it didn¡¯t have any side effects and could be used as a last resort for self-destruction.


    If he really died,


    it would at least be a grand funeral, which wasn¡¯t so bad.


    But it felt like it would be better to rename this entry to ¡°Death¡¯s Unity,¡± where upon his death, the entire Xuantian Continent would explode, effecting a better outcome. Instead of letting enemies enjoy his funeral, it would be better to give them their own funeral.


    ¡­


    Another six hours passed.


    By now, dawn had broken, and the sun was hanging above the sea.


    And Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation Progress finally reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Nascent Soul Ninth Layer (100.00%).


    ¨C


    This meant that his Cultivation had finally reached the peak of Nascent Soul Great Perfection. He could now start preparing to break through to Divinity Transformation. There were about eight or nine days left before the ¡°Heavenly Conflict¡± version descended. After the Heavenly Conflict version arrived,


    creating two Divine Domains would be utterly perfect.


    Creating a Divine Domain and breaking through to Divinity Transformation were not things that had to be done simultaneously. One could choose to create their Divine Domain during the breakthrough, or breakthrough first and then create their Divine Domain afterwards.


    Either way was possible.


    It wasn¡¯t like during the Golden Core or Nascent Soul where the Grade was fixed at the moment of breakthrough. Unless one used some mysterious method like Kong Ming to enhance their Golden Core Grade, the Grade couldn¡¯t be improved once set.


    However, this also meant that any Grade improved through other means later wouldn¡¯t be eligible for recording in the Heavenly Dao Decree, nor would there be corresponding rewards.


    But the Grade of a Divine Domain could be gradually improved; all you needed to do was gather the materials.


    You could absolutely start with a second or third Grade Divine Domain, or even First Grade, right after breaking through to the first layer of Divinity Transformation, and then slowly upgrade your Domain Grade by collecting materials. That was entirely feasible.


    In fact,


    most Divinity Transformation cultivators did it this way.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged again, and circulated his mental method. In just a few days, he had raised his Cultivation from the fifth layer of Nascent Soul to the peak of Nascent Soul Great Perfection. The speed of his Cultivation had increased too quickly, so he needed a few days to consolidate his Cultivation Realm.


    Then he would be ready to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation.


    ¡­


    Three days later. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the sunrise above the sea not far away. He got up, stretched his limbs with a long lazy stretch, and then walked energetically toward the beach, ready to eat something before starting his Heavenly Tribulation.


    There were six days left until the ¡°Heavenly Conflict version¡± descended.


    And there were sixteen days left until the end of his ¡°ten times Cultivation speed.¡±


    Just as he reached the beach, he saw Ao Tian walking towards him with a trace of worry in his eyes.


    ¡°Brother, can you not undergo the Heavenly Tribulation on Dragon Island?¡±


    ¡°With the 2.9 billion sin value triggering the tribulation, I¡¯m afraid Dragon Island will end up like Evil State.¡±


    ¡°How about we change locations?¡±


    ¡°Or we could just postpone the tribulation for a few days. When the Heavenly Conflict descends, we could charge out and raid with the tribulation in tow.¡±

 Chapter 473 - 186:

    Chapter 473: Chapter 186: ¡°The Demon Race Will Wage the First Battle!


    ¡°`


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Chen Qiu expressed some hesitation, ¡°With 2.9 billion sin values, it doesn¡¯t feel strong enough to freely roam the Xuantian Continent, does it?¡±


    ¡°We can try!¡±


    Ao Tian spoke seriously, ¡°After you told me about the ¡®Merit Protection¡¯ entry effect last time, I knew for sure that the Heavenly Tribulation would be no problem for you.¡±


    ¡°With nearly 90 billion merit value shielding you, if this tribulation could kill you, then there wouldn¡¯t be many people on the Xuantian Continent who could survive it.¡±


    ...


    ¡°As for whether 2.9 billion sin values are enough to move unhindered on the Xuantian Continent¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not clear about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it.¡±


    Ao Tian shook his head, ¡°On the sin value leaderboard of the Xuantian Continent, your 2.9 billion sin values are far ahead. The second place has only 300 million sin values, and the fifth place has only 91.02 million.¡±


    ¡°The combined sin values of those ranked second to ninety-nine don¡¯t add up to yours.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen how they undergo their Heavenly Tribulation either, but I think that with your cliff-like sin values, the power of the tribulation definitely won¡¯t be small.¡±


    ¡°During the tribulation, the Tribulation Cloud won¡¯t move, and of course, you¡¯ll be restricted within the range of the Tribulation Cloud and unable to leave.¡±


    ¡°You can totally stay as a trump card. After all, the ¡®Conflict over the World¡¯ version hasn¡¯t descended yet, you can¡¯t obtain the Divine Domain totem anyway, and breaking through to the first layer of Divinity Transformation now would be meaningless.¡±


    ¡°Without the Divine Domain, the first layer of Divinity Transformation, although stronger than the peak of Nascent Soul, isn¡¯t much stronger.¡±


    After pondering for a while, Chen Qiu nodded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll listen to brother.¡±


    ¡­


    After Ao Tian left, Chen Qiu looked at the ¡®Burial¡¯ entry engraved on his Nascent Soul, an entry that had no side effects but was also useless in life. The reason he chose this and the ¡®Ingratitude¡¯ entries was simply because they had no side effects.


    Perhaps it was because he had been in closed-door cultivation for the past few days.


    He had forgotten that he had an entry called ¡®Time will come¡¯, whose entry effect was to consume 100,000 merit values, allowing him to receive a chance to redraw among three choices for a certain entry.


    He should have used this entry at the time, consumed 100,000 merit values, and tried to redraw once. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But he had forgotten.


    It didn¡¯t matter, though.


    He quickly adjusted his mindset. Maybe the redrawn entry would have been poor as well, and since it¡¯s all in the past, there was no use dwelling on it. Looking forward, he would remember this lesson for next time.


    Being in continuous closed-door cultivation these past days was tiring. There were still six days left before the ¡®Conflict over the World¡¯ version would arrive, so he took a day off.


    Chen Qiu, who was strolling on the beach of Dragon Island, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, emptied his mind and walked leisurely towards the sunrise without thinking about anything.


    One cannot always cultivate.


    Cultivation is for living more comfortably.


    If one is cultivating all the time and no longer has the time for walks, then the purpose of cultivation is lost.


    At least, that¡¯s the case for him.


    ¡­


    ¡°Father!¡±


    In the core city of ¡°Demon State,¡± within a palace, a young member of the Demon Race was holding a pile of Jade Scrolls with discontent and looking at a middle-aged man sitting on a chair before slamming the scrolls hard onto the ground and angrily saying.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough, why must the Demon Race always play the role of instigators every time chaos arises?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we change our approach?¡±


    ¡°Our people are ignorant of the reasons behind this, but Father, as the Demon Clan Patriarch, don¡¯t you understand either?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man sitting in the chair pondered deeply and then spoke with a frown, ¡°Son, you have a point. The Demon Race indeed should not always take up the role of instigator in every time of chaos.¡±


    ¡°Over the years, the Demon Race should change.¡±


    ¡°Father is still wise¡­¡±


    The young Demon breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at the old man who had been standing by his side. This housekeeper was assigned by his father and had been with him since he was a child.


    ¡°Then, Father, let us begin our isolation immediately. I¡¯ve already thought of a way, we can simply¡­¡±


    Before the young Demon could finish speaking.


    The middle-aged man sitting in the chair leaned back, his face faintly excited as he smacked the armrest heavily, ¡°Over these years, the foundation of the Demon Race has grown strong enough, this time in chaos, the Demon Race will not take up the role of instigators!¡±


    ¡°The Demon Race will fight its first battle!¡±


    ¡°The Demon Race will lead an army to join the main battlefield!¡±


    ¡°Someone, I am going to give a speech. Full military conscription, the Demon Race will carve out a realm in this time of chaos!¡±


    ¡°Betting on the Demon Race¡¯s heritage, to seek a ten-thousand-year enterprise!¡±


    ¡°The Clan Leader is brilliant,¡± said the old man standing behind the young Demon with a fervent face, placing his right arm on his chest and bowing deeply while speaking loudly.


    And the other high-ranking members of the Demon Race in the hall also responded with fervent expressions, ¡°We are willing to wager our lives for the Demon Race to achieve a ten-thousand-year enterprise!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the young Demon quietly said, ¡°Actually, I think playing the role of instigator isn¡¯t so bad, let¡¯s all calm down, don¡¯t get excited.¡±


    ¡°Our ancestors have always stirred up trouble during times of chaos, they must have had their reasons.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this further.¡±


    ¡°¡®Conflict over the World¡¯ version will take six more days to descend, there¡¯s no rush, let¡¯s take it slowly.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, how about that?¡±


    ¡­


    With a Peak of Divinity Transformation elder from the top force ¡°Bishan Palace¡± in Central Continent at the forefront, followed by nearly a hundred Divinities, they were currently standing in the Extinct Forest facing off against a group of Divinities from the Devil Clan.


    ¡°After several days of negotiation, we have basically reached a consensus,¡± said the leader.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 474 - 186:

    Chapter 474: Chapter 186: ¡°The Demon Race Will Start the First Battle!¡±_2


    The elder from Bishan Palace, at the peak of Divinity Transformation, looked indifferently towards the group of Devil Clan Divinity Transformations standing above the Extinct Forest, ¡°After the descent of global conflict, neither the Human Race nor the Devil Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformations will engage in battle.¡±


    ¡°As for the Golden Core juniors below, let them have their fun. As long as our two races¡¯ Divinity Transformations do not intervene, this chaotic era will not arise.¡±


    ¡°Each side shall develop steadily.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any questions?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ...


    At the edge of the Extinct Forest, atop the treetops, stood nearly a hundred Devil Clan Divinity Transformations, yet none of them spoke, all directing their gaze toward a young-looking Devil Clan Divinity Transformation at the forefront.


    Clearly, this young man was their leader.


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    The young man looked towards the elder from Bishan Palace and smiled, ¡°Then, we shall agree on this. I hope your Human Race can keep this promise for a longer time.¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The elder from Bishan Palace, with profound meaning, glanced at the group of Devil Clan Divinity Transformations and then turned and left without lingering.


    The rest of the Human Race Divinity Transformations followed him.


    The Devil Clan had been in a state of division for tens of thousands of years, but now it seemed unified, with their own king, making the situation a bit more unfavorable.


    The Devil Clan had more Divinity Transformations than the Human Race.


    Inside the Extinct Forest, surely many Divinity Transformations were still hidden. Overall, the Devil Clan had always been stronger than the Human Race. However, internal strife during chaotic wars had always prevented them from consolidating their power, allowing the Human Race to expand their territory, pushing the Devil Clan into the Extinct Forest.


    But now it seems,


    If the Devil Clan remains unified for a long enough period, it would be dangerous for the Human Race.


    Soon¡ª


    The group flew back to Central State. As they parted, the elder from Bishan Palace, with a raspy voice, looked at each individual present.


    ¡°There is something I need to remind you of.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s Cultivation will soon break through the peak of Nascent Soul, preparing to establish his own Divine Domain. Almost all of the Divine Domain totems are under the control of Central State. Whoever among you encounters Chen Qiu, do not alert him. Contact me immediately.¡±


    ¡°I am also quite eager to meet this so-called Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Sect Master.¡±


    A disciple from a small family at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation said quietly, ¡°Just now, my family received news that a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will open in Central State in three days. This Secret Realm contains a Divine Domain totem suitable for Magic Practitioners, Chen Qiu might come.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± The elder from Bishan Palace nodded with a satisfied expression and smiled, ¡°Spread the word, I will personally oversee the area, waiting for this Sect Master to walk into the trap.¡±


    ¡°This Sect Master has been known for battling above his level ever since he emerged from Quzhou. I really want to see if he can overcome me in such a fight.¡±


    ¡­


    In a small family in Central State,


    A young boy looked puzzledly at his father, ¡°Father, why do they harbor such great malice towards Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°I can understand why the Buddhist Sect harbors great malice towards Chen Qiu, after all, the Buddhist Sect¡¯s True Disciple, Kong Ming, had his tenth-grade Nascent Soul taken by Chen Qiu. He even took the thousand-year-old relics used to forge the ¡®Palm Buddha Kingdom¡¯ domain.¡±


    ¡°The little sister of the Young Master of Three Springs Building died at the hands of Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°I can understand these two powers harboring malice towards Chen Qiu, but from what I understand, ¡®Bishan Palace¡¯ has neither enmity nor any interaction with Chen Qiu. Chen Qiu might not even have heard of Bishan Palace¡¯s existence. Why then is Bishan Palace¡¯s malice towards Chen Qiu so profound?¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man somewhat anxiously glanced around, making sure no Divine Thought had approached before he let out a breath and whispered, ¡°I tell you, although I am at the Middle Stage of Divinity Transformation, I am completely insignificant in front of these people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, don¡¯t go spreading this outside.¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve gathered through secretive channels, these top forces in Central State have a prophecy passed down from tens of thousands of years ago, or rather a warning.¡±


    ¡°It states that when Chao Tian Sect resurfaces, the best course would be to retreat from the world to avoid a catastrophe.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The young boy¡¯s eyes flashed with shock, ¡°Father, are you saying that so many top forces are retreating not because of the impending chaotic times, but because of Chao Tian Sect? But Chen Qiu is only at the fifth level of Nascent Soul, how could he possibly threaten these top forces with peak Divinity Transformation and even Void Refining Stage?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head, equally puzzled, ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact reasons either; I got this piece of information from an Elder of Xuantian Sect before he went into seclusion. He instructed me to never reveal it.¡±


    ¡°And that ¡®Bishan Palace¡¯ must also be aware of this message, so they subconsciously treat Chen Qiu as a potential enemy. Furthermore¡­ tens of thousands of years ago, Bishan Palace had deep conflicts with the then Chao Tian Sect, though now only fragments of dubious authenticity remain of those old times. Just remember one thing.¡±


    ¡°Stay home during this period, and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    The young boy hesitated, ¡°Should we report if we spot Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Report my ass.¡± The middle-aged man said irritably, ¡°Whether the prophecy is true or not, Xuantian Sect has gone into seclusion already, why should we touch this sharp edge? Besides, we have been staying at home, how could we possibly spot Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡­


    In the six days that followed,


    The entire Xuantian Continent was rife with undercurrents, in the last six days before the descent of the worldly conflicts, everyone was silently preparing.

 Chapter 475 - 186:

    Chapter 475: Chapter 186: ¡°The Demon Race Will Start the First Battle!¡±_3


    Human Race, Devil Clan, Demon Race, Dragon Clan.


    Even some smaller races, such as the Dwarf Clan, were also making their preparations.


    Every creature has its own path; mice have their burrows.


    Not everyone was thinking of seizing a great opportunity in this turmoil; for many, mere survival was the primary goal. Particularly for those with low Cultivation, many with families have already sought refuge in the nearest cities.


    Generally speaking,


    Battles tend to avoid cities because the evil value brought about by destroying a city often means that one would be struck dead by a Heavenly Tribulation.


    ...


    The higher the evil value, the more damaging the Heavenly Tribulation; this isn¡¯t a joke.


    Apart from needing to endure a Heavenly Tribulation when breaking through from the peak of Nascent Soul to Divinity Transformation, every small realm after attaining Divinity Transformation Cultivation also requires overcoming a Heavenly Tribulation.


    Based on factors such as the strength of the Nascent Soul¡¯s grade and the evil value,


    they are divided into¡ª


    The First of the Nine Thunder Tribulations, Two Nine Thunder Tribulations¡­ up to the Nine Nine Thunder Tribulations.


    The First of the Nine Thunder Tribulations is the weakest, with only nine strikes. Each subsequent strike of the Tribulation is more powerful than the last, culminating in the Nine Nine Thunder Tribulations, consisting of eighty-one strikes.


    The Nine Nine Thunder Tribulations can obliterate all unyielding Cultivators of Divinity Transformation into dust.


    This is also why


    hiding in a city during chaotic times is considered relatively safe. Of course, it¡¯s only relatively safe. It¡¯s undoubtedly better than being out in the wild, but if something like the situation in Evil State occurs, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. Take Quzhou for example; at this moment, all Cultivators are converging towards the nearby cities. Quzhou has completely entered an era without Divinity, as all three Divinity individuals there have gone into hiding and fled.


    If a Divinity Transformation Cultivator were to invade Quzhou now, there would be no one to stop them.


    An unprecedented vacuum of power.


    Moreover, the black hole in the sky over Quzhou continues to leak Spiritual Energy, which only adds to many Cultivators¡¯ sense of panic.


    There are indeed many who have tried to use Evil Wood to repair the hole, just like the Xuantian Sect Saintess did a hundred years ago. However, even after throwing in hundreds of Evil Wood pieces, there has been no sign of the hole shrinking.


    If this hole goes unaddressed, all of the Spiritual Energy of the Xuantian Continent will leak away. Naturally, Quzhou would be the first to suffer.


    After all, the hole is directly overhead.


    ¡°Chen Qiu still hasn¡¯t come?¡±


    Inside ¡°Great Yuan City,¡± the True Disciple from the Myraid Beast Sect, this Bai Yi woman, was sitting on the rooftop of a teahouse, staring absentmindedly at the black hole in the sky above her.


    She had attempted to approach it, but the closer she got, the more intense the fear she felt in her heart became.


    She retreated without getting too close and had tried throwing in seven or eight pieces of Evil Wood, to no avail; it was as if it made no difference at all.


    And it wasn¡¯t just Chen Qiu who hadn¡¯t come.


    Not a single sect from the central continent took action to deal with this matter. Everyone was preparing for the impending ¡°Worldwide Strife¡± version, but no one cared about this black hole.


    It seemed as though everyone had accepted that the Xuantian Continent would perish within a hundred years¡ªthe priority was to make the most of it before the inevitable destruction.


    She had reached out to her sect, the Myraid Beast Sect.


    The response from her master was,


    ¡°No way to deal with it, just wait.¡±


    The meaning was clear.


    Just wait for someone like the Xuantian Sect Saintess from a hundred years ago to address the matter, or wait for the Xuantian Continent¡¯s Spiritual Energy to be completely depleted, entering the end-times.


    This answer¡­ felt somewhat absurd to her. It was a matter even more critical than the Worldwide Strife, but why was everyone acting so indifferent?


    She even started to feel a sense of falseness about this world deep in her heart.


    ¡­ sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Xiao Yue is still too young.¡±


    In the central continent, inside the Myraid Beast Sect, a gaunt old man shook his head, looking towards Quzhou. Although he couldn¡¯t see the hole above Quzhou, he could faintly sense the Spiritual Energy of nature escaping in that direction.


    The matter was actually quite simple to resolve.


    With enough Evil Wood, it could be easily fixed.


    But that¡¯s the catch.


    To completely fill the hole, one would need more than just tens of thousands of Evil Wood pieces.


    It requires a massive amount of Evil Wood.


    Who would take the lead? Whoever takes the lead would have to put in more effort. Going to other forces to ask for Evil Wood is no simple task.


    The stuff is valuable.


    It can be used to enhance the power of one¡¯s Golden Core Heavenly Pride during the path to Heaven half a year later, and it can serve many other purposes, such as building a Divine Domain, purifying dust-encrusted Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, and so on.


    Who would want to part with it for free, especially when it¡¯s impossible to collect all the Evil Wood from the forces on the continent? Gathering enough Evil Wood from perhaps a third of the forces might suffice.


    But the problem is this:


    Who wants to make personal sacrifices and then have those who didn¡¯t contribute enjoy the same benefits?


    The person who takes the initiative to do this would be taking on a thankless task. Imagine how many would talk behind their back, how many they would offend.


    Furthermore, it¡¯s not just the Human Race on the Xuantian Continent; shouldn¡¯t the Demon Race and the Devil Clan also contribute?


    If the leading party has to pay for the purchasing, then which force would want to be that sucker?


    And so¡ª


    An absurd situation took shape.


    The sky above Quzhou was collapsing. If left untreated, the Spiritual Energy of the entire Xuantian Continent would continuously leak until it was depleted, plunging the world into the last of days.


    Yet such a critical issue was being willfully ignored by all forces.


    It was as if no one had even received news of it.

 Chapter 476 - 186:

    Chapter 476: Chapter 186: ¡°The Demon Race is about to fight the first battle!¡±_4


    ¡°`


    When the sky falls, there will be tall ones to hold it up, but clearly, no one wants to be that tall one.


    The general consensus is to wait and see, to observe how other forces will react. There¡¯s no rush, not until the very end when if left unaddressed, everything will collapse, only then will this matter begin to move forward officially.


    At the moment,


    It seems that it will still take about five or six years before this issue can start progressing.


    Back then, when the Saintess of the Xuantian Sect mended the heavens, she didn¡¯t go as soon as it collapsed either; she also waited a year or two before starting the repairs.


    ...


    There¡¯s no need to hurry.


    ¡­


    Time quickly passed, and three days went by.


    There were three days left until the arrival of the ¡°Conflict Under Heaven¡± version.


    In these three days, Chen Qiu, who stayed on Dragon Island, did basically nothing; he just wandered around the island every day. His cultivation had become so high that he flew everywhere he went.


    He rarely used his legs to walk anymore.


    It was only when measuring the island with his feet did he realize that if he were just a mortal, it would probably take a very long time to walk from one end of the island to the other, overcoming mountains and valleys, facing many fierce beasts.


    In these three days, most of his time was spent wandering.


    Occasionally, he would check on the cultivation progress of the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect, and Fat Long had successfully made a breakthrough to Nascent Soul, using a Divinity Transformation Body as material, forming a fourth-grade Nascent Soul.


    Much higher than the grade of the Nascent Souls of the other Chao Tian Sect disciples, whose Nascent Souls were all second-grade, and fourth-grade was also his limit.


    To get a higher-grade Nascent Soul required the Fortune of the Heavenly Dao, which was not something one could have just by wishing for it; it wasn¡¯t that easy to obtain.


    After breaking through to Nascent Soul, Fat Long¡¯s cultivation progress began to surge. His physical condition improved as his cultivation increased, and his face no longer looked as deathly pale.


    The cultivation progress of the other Chao Tian Sect disciples also rose swiftly. After all, they were popping Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills without restriction for twelve hours straight.


    One could increase their cultivation progress by 12% in just a day.


    In one or two more days, all of them could step into the second layer of the Nascent Soul stage. This speed was already quite fast, but it was still much slower compared to Fat Long.


    Occasionally, he would sit alone on the beach, cooking something to enjoy the waves, and at the same time, consolidate his cultivation realm.


    While undercurrents were stirring in the outside world,


    he had, in contrast, begun to live a calm and tranquil life.


    Just then¡ª


    A golden light suddenly flashed by his side, and Ao Tian appeared next to Chen Qiu standing on the beach, passing him a Storage Ring: ¡°I¡¯ve scoured the Dragon Clan¡¯s Treasure Vault and this is all the Evil Wood I could find, just under three thousand pieces. Check and see if it¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°It should be enough.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled as he accepted the Storage Ring: ¡°I¡¯ll use my Evil Wood first. If mine is enough, then I won¡¯t need yours, and I will return it to you then.¡±


    ¡°Little brother, why treat me with such formality?¡±


    Ao Tian pretended to be annoyed: ¡°The Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan have signed a Blood Covenant. Your affairs are our affairs, but¡­ little brother, you truly are the kindest person I have met.¡±


    ¡°No one on the entire Xuantian Continent is dealing with this issue. You, for the sake of all people, are using your own foundation to fill this gap.¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head toward the sea, speaking with a gentle smile: ¡°Someone must take care of it. We can¡¯t just watch with wide eyes as the era of decline arrives. Since no one else wants to take the lead, then let me do it.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s no trouble.¡±


    ¡°When the time comes, I¡¯ll go find them in the Central State to settle up the compensation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable,¡± Ao Tian nodded in approval: ¡°The Human Race has an old saying, ¡®No war without justice.¡¯ To initiate a war, there must be a just cause.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help them block this gap first. Naturally, they should help us bear some of the losses. The affairs of the entire Xuantian Continent can¡¯t just depend on you alone to use your foundation to fill the gap.¡±


    ¡°This justification is perfectly valid, much better than going out to rob.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly without replying, merely shaking his head. He actually didn¡¯t care whether it was a war without justice or not; it didn¡¯t matter to him whether the excuse existed.


    ¡°`


    ¡°`


    He lacked resources, so he had to resort to plundering.


    It was a simple truth.


    His arduous cultivation was for the purpose of acquiring resources in this more straightforward and brutal fashion, but most importantly¡ª


    he really wanted that one hundred billion merit from repairing the sky. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Whether for completing milestone tasks or for the Merit Value Store that was set to arrive with the impending strife version of the world, both were very useful.


    One of the twelve milestone tasks on the Xuantian Continent was to accumulate three hundred billion merit or sin values ¨C it was a cumulative system. Meaning, as long as he accumulated enough merit values, even if he spent them all, the task would be considered complete as long as the total reached three hundred billion.


    ¡­


    Two hours later.


    Chen Qiu had already appeared in Great Yuan City, not bringing anyone with him, only him and Ao Tian. Fat Long Scholar and the others were still enduring their tough cultivation on Dragon Island.


    For safety¡¯s sake.


    Ao Tian was wearing a cloak, doing his best to conceal his presence as he sat across from him, quietly sipping tea. It seemed like Ao Tian must have been hunted by the Human Race quite a few times.


    And must have suffered significant losses.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be so cautious and careful, careful to the extent that even though there were no Divine Transformation individuals in Quzhou at the moment, he still did his best to remain hidden.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sitting at a roadside stall, Chen Qiu looked up at the hole above his head, where a large amount of nature¡¯s spiritual energy was slowly leaking out.


    ¡°The sky is really not durable, collapsing once a hundred years ago, and now again.¡±


    ¡°Is there a specific method?¡±


    Chen Qiu raised his head to look at Ao Tian sitting opposite him, ¡°Or do you just fly up and throw the Evil Wood into it?¡±


    Ao Tian nodded hesitantly, ¡°A hundred years ago, when the Xuantian Sect Saintess was repairing the sky, that¡¯s how she did it. She approached the hole and threw in enough Evil Wood.¡±


    ¡°I was watching from a distance at that time; that¡¯s exactly how the Xuantian Sect Saintess operated.¡±


    ¡°However, something unknown happened in the end. When the hole was completely fixed and about to close up, even when the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded, at the very last moment, that Saintess inexplicably entered the hole herself and never came out again.¡±


    ¡°People later said that the Xuantian Sect Saintess discovered at the last moment that there wasn¡¯t enough Evil Wood and sacrificed herself to repair the sky. The story sounds quite moving, but it doesn¡¯t make sense. The sky was already fixed at that time; it was her who entered at the last moment.¡±


    ¡°It still feels a bit dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Little brother, you should be as careful as possible.¡±


    ¡°If it really doesn¡¯t work out, retreat first. There will always be someone to solve this.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    After Chen Qiu finished the tea in his hand, he took off his cloak and laid it on the table. Spiritual energy surged from beneath his feet as he stepped towards the hole above Quzhou.


    To take a look at what the situation with the hole was.


    The hundred billion merit was still quite tempting to him. With the Merit Defense Order in his possession, he was fairly confident he could face most crises.


    Hundreds of breaths later, Chen Qiu had already approached the hole in the sky above Quzhou.


    At a glance.


    The inside was incredibly dark, a void-like darkness without a sliver of light, and Divine Sense sent into it disappeared without a trace, unable to feel the slightest sign of life.


    He could only feel a large amount of nature¡¯s spiritual energy brushing past his body¡¯s surface, being devoured by the hole in front of him.


    When looking up at this hole in the sky directly above Quzhou from below, there wasn¡¯t much of a reaction; just a sense of helplessness, but no strong emotions.


    But standing in front of this void of a black hole, one could feel an overpowering and dense sense of oppression.


    It was like being left in the depths of an ocean, surrounded by darkness without a sign of land in sight, engendering a sense of despair.


    Staring into the depths of the black hole for too long even brought about an impulsive desire to dive in and see for oneself.


    ¡°`

 Chapter 477 - 187:

    Chapter 477: Chapter 187: ¡°World of Turmoil¡± version officially arrives.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the profound black hole in front of him; as he approached, he had suspected that this black hole might have a suction force.


    A hundred years ago, that Holy Daughter was sucked in at the last moment by a powerful force.


    As he approached, he was ready to flee at a moment¡¯s notice.


    But as he truly neared the black hole, he felt no suction at all, only vast amounts of nature¡¯s spiritual energy passing by him from behind, being devoured into the black hole.


    Without wasting any more time, he immediately took out a piece of Evil Wood from his bosom and threw it in tentatively; strangely, although the black hole had no suction force, when the Evil Wood was thrown in, a strong force specifically targeting the Evil Wood emanated from the depths, sucking it in directly.


    ...


    After the Evil Wood was tossed in, there was no response, as if it had sunk into the ocean.


    After conducting the simple experiment, Chen Qiu directly threw half of the Evil Wood stored in his Heavenly Dao Ring into the black hole, roughly a hundred thousand pieces in total.


    This originally dark and profound black hole, like it had suddenly been sated, shrank by half at its mouth, but it was obviously not enough.


    He took out more Evil Wood, throwing ten thousand pieces at a time towards the black hole, and just like that, the nearly two hundred thousand pieces of Evil Wood he had stored in Da Xia Country were all tossed into the black hole.


    Just as he was about to use the few thousand pieces of Evil Wood given to him by Ao Tian, the mouth of the deep hole in front of him started to shrink rapidly.


    At the same time¡ª


    All over the Xuantian Continent, a ethereal and ancient voice echoed in everyone¡¯s ears.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed, within Quzhou territory of the Xuantian Continent, Human Clan Cultivator, Chao Tian Sect Sect Master, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, unparalleled Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu, harbors a compassionate and benevolent heart, single-handedly accomplishing the magnificent feat of repairing the sky!


    This act of kindness benefits all living beings!


    Bestow upon him one hundred billion merit points, and ¡°a wisp of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡±, may all living beings take this as an example.


    ¨C


    As this voice sounded, everyone looked bewilderedly towards Quzhou, especially those top forces in the Central Region, each more bewildered than the last.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Originally, everyone pretended to be unaware of this matter, planning to wait until it could no longer be dragged out, then let a leading figure solve it, but how was it resolved so quickly now?


    The last time the sky fell in Quzhou, it took one or two years to fix, and this time they were prepared to let it fall for four or five years before addressing it, since the leakage of Spiritual Energy would first affect the Nine Provinces, and they in the Central Region would not be affected in the short term, not to mention the Upper Nine Provinces.


    But unexpectedly¡ª


    In just a few days, before the world had even descended into chaos, the sky was mended?


    And it was Chen Qiu who mended it.


    Is Chen Qiu never done with his deeds, being both the Heavenly Dao Evil Man and the Heavenly Dao Saint, annihilating a clan and repairing the sky? You¡¯ve played both the villain and the hero.


    Might as well let the entire Xuantian Continent watch you alone.


    The biggest problem is¡ª


    There has been no news of Xuantian Continent buying Evil Wood, so where did Chen Qiu get so much of it?


    To mend the sky,


    At least a hundred thousand pieces of Evil Wood would be required, right?


    ¡­


    ¡°Is it that simple?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the black hole in front of him, which had started to shrink and heal quickly; his eyes slightly narrowed, and without the slightest hesitation, he turned and shot away into the distance.


    The sky had already been mended.


    He had also obtained the merit points, and a hundred years ago, the Xuantian Sect Saintess had problems at this stage, getting sucked into the black hole. He certainly couldn¡¯t repeat the same mistake.


    Just then¡ª


    A voice rang in his ear.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed, Chen Qiu has accumulated one hundred billion merit points, and does not need to break through to the Void Refining Stage to leave the First Grade Xuantian Continent and head to the Vast Continent. Upon arrival at the Vast Continent, the one hundred billion merit points will materialize into a divine statue to protect your safety. Please pass through the sky window to the Vast Continent within three breaths.


    ¨C


    This Imperial Decree was audible only to him.


    Chen Qiu stopped in midair, turned and looked towards the black hole that was about to be completely closed, estimating that in about three breaths, the hole would close completely.


    This black hole should be what the Heavenly Dao Decree referred to as the sky window.


    And that originally dark and profound black hole suddenly changed its appearance.


    It was filled with white light.


    He could even see silhouettes behind the white light looking towards him, the scene resembling¡­ like when he was in the Heavenly Palace, those who entered through the doors, standing in the light.


    So it turned out that after the Xuantian Sect Saintess mended the sky that day, it wasn¡¯t her physically repairing the sky or being sucked into the black hole, but rather she chose to actively leave the Xuantian Continent for an unknown world.


    Perhaps in the eyes of that Saintess of the Xuantian Sect,


    It was very clear that she might never reach the Void Refining Stage in her lifetime, and had she not known of the existence of the Vast Continent, it would have been another matter, but knowing it, and with such an opportunity, she naturally wanted to go and see.


    But¡ª Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Standing in the void, Chen Qiu turned towards the silhouettes in the white light within the black hole, showing a rather amiable smile and waved his hand in greeting.


    He was ready to politely decline, to greet these cultivators whom he might meet in the future with a friendly nod.


    After all, he would definitely cultivate to the Void Refining Stage in the future and then head to the Vast Continent.


    Suddenly, a cold voice came from the black hole.


    ¡°Ant, give up this opportunity. If you wish to come to the Vast Continent again, wait for your next life.¡±


    Immediately afterward.

 Chapter 478 - 187:

    Chapter 478: Chapter 187: ¡°World of Chaos¡± version officially arrives.


    The black hole slowly closed.


    And the smile on Chen Qiu¡¯s face blossomed even more genially than before. After a moment, he tilted his head, looking towards the spot where the black hole had fully healed and disappeared, murmuring, ¡°¡­you¡¯ve made me a little bit excited about heading to the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°I hope the next time I see you, I¡¯ll still be hearing the word ¡®ant¡¯ coming from your mouth.¡±


    He could vaguely guess the relationship between the Xuantian Continent and the Vast Continent. It wasn¡¯t the kind of prison-like relationship that Da Xia Country had with the Xuantian Continent, but it wasn¡¯t like the relation of ascension either, it was more like¡­ a subsidiary relationship?


    Having a hundred billion merit points, and reaching the Void Refining Stage was enough to go to the Vast Continent; there were a few at the Void Refining Stage in Xuantian Continent, so why didn¡¯t these people go to the Vast Continent?


    The largest possibility should be, they¡¯d rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big one.


    ...


    He was different.


    He wanted to be the leader of chickens and also the leader of phoenixes.


    And he could vaguely feel that the cultivations of those figures in the white light were only at the peak of Nascent Soul Stage, yet they spoke so assertively, no doubt because of the superiority their status conferred upon them.


    But there was no hurry.


    Chen Qiu smiled as he looked at the orange Qi Fortune swirling around the Nascent Soul, after obtaining that thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, three threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune automatically combined into a Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune, and then three Threads of Supreme Genius Fortune combined into a Thread of Unrivaled Genius Fortune.


    A Thread of Unrivaled Genius Fortune had successfully been obtained.


    And also, under the effects of the green entry ¡°Imperial Decree Regular,¡± he acquired another thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    He had only completed three of the milestone tasks in Xuantian Continent; even if he were to go to the Vast Continent, he would certainly need to complete all twelve of Xuantian Continent¡¯s milestone tasks first.


    He had a premonition.


    If all twelve milestone tasks were completed, there would surely be great rewards. Before heading to the next map, he definitely had to collect all the rewards that this map had to offer.


    By the way, he also had to go to Da Xia Country again, to dig out all the treasures under that Snow Mountain.


    Even if he went to the Vast Continent, he would go in his prime, not as a subordinate.


    Afterward, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t linger in the air; instead, he quickly returned to the side of Great Yuan City, landing next to Ao Tian, he spoke, ¡°It¡¯s done, the Unrivaled Genius Fortune has been obtained.¡±


    ¡°The prerequisites and all required materials for the Twelve Grade Divinity Transformation Domain are met, now we just wait for the arrival of the ¡®Heavenly Conflict¡¯ version, then select a suitable Divine Domain totem.¡±


    ¡°That went well?¡±


    Surprise flashed in Ao Tian¡¯s eyes, ¡°I thought there would be complications during the celestial patching process; I was ready to come to your aid at any moment and help you escape Quzhou. I didn¡¯t expect you to return so effortlessly.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    After briefly explaining about the Vast Continent, Chen Qiu casually said, ¡°The Holy Daughter of Xuantian Sect volunteered to go to the Vast Continent a hundred years ago; she wasn¡¯t sucked in.¡±


    ¡°You refused?¡±


    ¡°Brother, if I hadn¡¯t refused, would I still be standing in front of you?¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Ao Tian nodded, about to say something when a clear and sweet voice interrupted their conversation.


    ¡°Fellow Daoists.¡±


    A woman in white, clutching the corner of her robe with a hint of excitement flickering in her eyes, trying to make her voice sound less excited, asked, ¡°Could you give me directions, please? I want to go to¡­ uh, the nearest Pill Medicine Shop. Which way should I go?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu casually glanced at the woman in white who had approached, pointed to the right, and said, ¡°Follow this road straight, and you¡¯ll see it.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The woman in white pouted slightly, feeling a bit uneasy as she said, ¡°Well¡­ I get lost easily, could you fellows lead the way for me?¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed lightly, Spiritual Energy suddenly surged and slammed into the woman in white, and powerful fluctuations of cultivation exploded throughout Great Yuan City.


    ¡°Who dares in¡­¡±


    Not far away, a Nascent Soul late stage cultivator shooting quickly toward Great Yuan Sect sensed Chen Qiu¡¯s presence and immediately retreated at an even faster speed in the direction they came from. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Afterward, without the desire to stay, Chen Qiu shook his head and disappeared with Ao Tian from the spot, leaving Great Yuan City, ¡°Straight on, even if you¡¯re directionally challenged, it¡¯s not directionally challenged; it¡¯s foolishness.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother,¡±


    On the way back to Huilong Island, Ao Tian turned to Chen Qiu and teased, ¡°That girl was clearly coming for you. I think she¡¯s quite a beauty, and she obviously is interested in you. Don¡¯t you have any thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been a bit tired lately, not in the mood to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Ao Tian paused slightly, then after a moment of contemplation, nodded affirmatively, ¡°I can understand. They say the Dragon Clan is naturally lustful, but after so many years of the same routine, even I¡¯ve grown tired of it. Someone like you, a grand genius, surely you¡¯re not short of women, certainly it can get tiresome.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded without further explanation, as he indeed had no interest lately.


    ¡­


    ¡°So rough¡­¡±


    Xiao Yue, who had been blasted high into the sky, stabilized her form mid-air, blood trickling from her mouth continuously, her breath quickened as she watched Chen Qiu depart.


    Although she was quite injured.


    It was the first time she had taken the initiative to speak to someone and been treated so rudely; she felt an unprecedented sensation.


    Back in the Myriad Beast Sect, everyone doted on her.


    No one had ever treated her so harshly; this was her first encounter with Chen Qiu, and he was indeed as powerful as the legends said. In just a few days, his cultivation had already reached the peak of Nascent Soul Stage.


    The speed of his cultivation progress was nothing short of miraculous; moreover, he alone had accomplished the feat of celestial patching. Not only was his strength as formidable as the legends described, but his personality was equally direct.

 Chapter 479 - 187:

    Chapter 479: Chapter 187: ¡°World of Strife¡± version officially arrives. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As cold and distant as everfrost dominion.


    After that, she took out a healing pill from her bosom, fed it into her mouth, and then sent out her divine sense to locate a small fox that was frantically running away from Great Yuan City.


    Her figure shifted.


    Instantly transforming into a streak of light chasing after the small fox, she scooped it up in her hand and then mused, ¡°Just now, when I was preparing to find Chen Qiu, you, who usually refuse to move, suddenly began struggling wildly to escape outside the city.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you really are as Master said?¡±


    ¡°Possessing some ancient bloodline, a natural ability to sense danger?¡±


    ...


    ¡°But you needn¡¯t worry, I have already established a preliminary good relationship with Chen Qiu. With this meeting as a foundation, our second encounter is bound to be even more harmonious.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The fox held forcibly in Xiao Yue¡¯s arms remained expressionless and silent, internally feeling as speechless as if it had seen the day turn to dogs¡ªit¡¯s owner was now a Nascent Soul, and escape was impossible.


    Damn it.


    ¡­


    Back on Dragon Island, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t do much, just peacefully cultivated to consolidate his realm, occasionally strolling around, since his cultivation was now stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0


    It was of no use anymore.


    Unable to break through to Divinity Transformation, cultivating had no other effect besides solidifying his realm.


    Just like that.


    Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the countdown to the arrival of the ¡°World of Strife¡± update finally hit zero.


    And Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the highest peak of Dragon Island, heard a Heavenly Dao Decree that echoed throughout Xuantian Continent at midnight on this day.


    ¨C


    The ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao responds, the season of revival for all things, the ¡°World of Strife¡± update officially descends, divided into three parts, the following is the content of the first part.


    1: New ¡°Heavenly Dao Rankings¡± ¨C ¡°Xuantian Continent Wealth Leaderboard¡± and ¡°Xuantian Continent Spirit Beast Leaderboard¡±.


    2: New ¡°Merit Value Store¡±, ¡°Sin Value Store¡±, and ¡°Charm Value Store¡±.


    3: New, limited one-year Heavenly Dao Secret Realm ¡°Land of Becoming Immortal¡±.


    4: A large number of Heavenly Dao Secret Realms emerge in the world.


    ¨C


    The plain Heavenly Dao Decree resonated, and four big characters suddenly appeared in the sky above Xuantian Continent¡ª


    ¡°World of Strife¡±.


    The simple characters, clearly visible to everyone on Xuantian Continent including Chen Qiu on Dragon Island, stayed just for ten breaths before gradually fading into the air again.


    But at the instant the Heavenly Dao Decree resonated,


    the atmosphere across the entire Xuantian Continent gradually became eerie.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting on the peak of Dragon Island, took a deep breath and then looked toward the ¡°Merit Value Store¡±, not bothering to check the leaderboards or anything like that yet. What he cared about the most was whether there were any Divine Domains suitable for him in the Merit Value Store.


    The Divine Domain is one of the most important attack methods of Divinity Transformation, its importance needless to say.


    A dazzling array of treasure information entered his vision.


    ¡°Superior Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman¡±, an old friend indeed; it could let you choose a discarded entry from the previous Nascent Soul Stage three choices once, reasonably priced.


    100,000 merit points each.


    Buying some more might allow every disciple of Chao Tian Sect to choose an extra entry, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the sect¡¯s disciples.


    Fat Long had already broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, and Chen Qiu had forgotten to ask which entries Fat Long had chosen during his breakthrough; but since Fat Long hadn¡¯t brought it up himself, it surely wasn¡¯t anything important.


    Besides that, there were many other items¡ª


    For instance¡­


    ¡°Eight Desolate Fruit¡±: 100,000 merit points each, limited to 500 pieces.


    ¡°Evil Wood¡±: 10,000 merit points for ten pieces, limited to 100,000 pieces.


    ¡°Divine Transformation Low-Rank Spell ¡®Eight Direction Fire Tribulation¡¯ Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll¡±: 1 million merit points.


    ¡°Divine Transformation Low-Rank Spell¡­¡±


    ¡°Divine Transformation Superior Spiritual Treasure¡­¡±


    And so on, a series of various goods, some with limits and some without, some he was familiar with and some not. He quickly glossed over these goods, eventually resting his gaze on the rows of Divine Domain totems.


    A wide variety of Divine Domain totems, a few hundred in total, suitable for magic practitioners, talisman cultivators, array repairers, and so on.


    Each one uniformly priced at a hundred million merit points, indeed at a price many times not low.


    Chen Qiu glanced at the Xuantian Continent Merit Value Leaderboard.


    ¨C


    ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Leaderboard¡±


    ¡°First place¡±: Chen Qiu, 1.879 trillion merit points.


    ¡°Second place¡±: Su Ningxi, 102 billion merit points.


    ¡°Third place¡±: Ah Piao, 99 billion merit points.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tenth place¡±: Tai Long, 87 billion merit points.


    ¨C


    He now possessed an astonishing 1.879 trillion merit points, the highest on Xuantian Continent, without rival; even if you combined the merit points of the second place and the hundredth place, it wouldn¡¯t amount to a fraction of his.


    The dazzling array of Divine Domains, indeed enough to bewilder the eyes.


    There were Divine Domain totems that had appeared on Xuantian Continent before.


    And those that had never appeared on Xuantian Continent before.


    Such as¡ª


    ¡°Divine Sense Divination¡±, a Divine Domain totem suitable for Gua Cultivation. Many divination methods for diviners require sacrificing their own lifespan.


    If one has this Divine Domain, it will prioritize consuming the lifespan of creatures bound within the domain.


    It lacks offensive power, serving as an auxiliary method, allowing diviners to live a few more years when they need to exert their strength.


    Or take for instance¡ª


    ¡°Rune Continent¡±, quite suitable for talisman cultivators. When this domain is activated, the power of talismans is greatly amplified. Although the effect is rather straightforward, it is practical for talisman cultivators and can effectively augment their combat strength.


    And moreover¡ª


    ¡°Magic Explosion¡±, quite suited for magic practitioners. Once this Divine Domain is opened, you have to stay in place immobilized, and the consumption of spiritual energy will rapidly escalate. Yet, while your defenses are greatly fortified, the power of your spells also receives a tremendous enhancement.

 Chapter 480 03-25 - 187:

    Chapter 480: Chapter 187: ¡°World of Chaos¡± version officially arrives._4


    It feels a bit like¡­


    If I can¡¯t blast you to death within three breaths, I¡¯ll die for you to see.


    A rather extreme Divinity Transformation Domain.


    And all these Divinity Transformation Domains can be taken home for just one hundred million merit values, but at the top of these domains are some even higher-priced Divinity Transformation Domains.


    ¨C


    ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy,¡± once the Divinity Transformation Domain is activated, you will gain unlimited spiritual energy, but the spells you cast cannot harm anyone outside the domain range, making this Divinity Transformation Domain a rare one.


    Price: 200 billion merit values.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at the ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± Divinity Transformation Domain in front of him and, after a few moments, could not help but laugh.


    He felt that Ao Tian was not right at the time.


    Ao Tian told him that there were a variety of Divinity Transformation Domains, and no single type could dare say it was stronger than the others. It mostly depended on whether it suited the individual, and the strength of a Divinity Transformation Domain was only determined by its grade.


    Looking at it now¡­


    That statement seemed somewhat inaccurate. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At least he felt that this ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± Domain was much stronger than that ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡± Domain, and it was also a rare Divinity Transformation Domain.


    Meaning it was rarer than other Divinity Transformation Domains.


    Without a doubt, this domain was the most suitable for him.


    His enemies would have the fortune to experience pure and ultimate bombardment by a Magic Practitioner without any frills.


    He did not purchase it immediately; with a price of 200 billion merit values, he was the only one on the Xuantian Continent who could afford it, and buying it sooner or later didn¡¯t make much difference.


    Better to leave it in the store for a good while to appreciate.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    The moment the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded, Ao Tian, who had already arrived, was now sitting beside him, looking at the product information on the Merit Value Store leaderboard with a faintly excited and increasingly heavy breath.


    ¡°You are the only one on the entire Xuantian Continent with so many merit values; these rare Divinity Transformation Domains surely won¡¯t be contested by anyone.¡±


    ¡°I feel ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy,¡¯ ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move,¡¯ and this ¡®Merit Saint¡¯ domain all suit you well. I do not know which to choose, brother, you decide.¡±


    He did not give his own advice; he did not want his suggestions to interfere with Chen Qiu¡¯s choice.


    ¡­


    Activating a Divinity Transformation Domain required the consumption of spiritual energy, and Chen Qiu always had much more spiritual energy than other Cultivators of the same level, meaning he could maintain his Divinity Transformation Domain for a longer time.


    And valued at 200 billion merit values, the effects of the ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± Divinity Transformation Domain were also simple and crude.


    It belonged to the Thunder Attribute Domain.


    Its effect was just one: a significant enhancement of the power of Thunder Magic.


    There was another almost similar Divinity Transformation Domain valued at one hundred million merit values, called ¡°Thunder Attribute Saint Body,¡± priced at only 100 million merit values, with the effect of enhancing the power of Thunder Magic.


    As for that ¡°Merit Saint¡± Divinity Transformation Domain, it interacted with merit values.


    In its own domain.


    Merit values would materialize into a Golden Man Dharma to attack enemies within the domain, and the power of the Golden Man Dharma depended on the amount of merit values.


    It could also deliver a fatal strike by consuming merit values.


    Chen Qiu did not respond but continued to look toward the Merit Value Store, where several other Divinity Transformation Domains also suited him well, such as ¡°Surging Waves,¡± ¡°Snow Torture and Wind Frenzy,¡± ¡°Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.¡±


    He felt these Divinity Transformation Domains suited him well.


    When Ao Tian asked him which one he would choose, honestly, he wanted them all.


    Of course, with the ¡°Divinity Transformation Domain Command,¡± he could possess an additional Divinity Transformation Domain, which meant he could pick not just one, but two.

 Chapter 481 03-25 - 188:

    Chapter 481: Chapter 188: ¡°You ants.


    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu gazed thoughtfully at the ¡®Merit Value Store¡¯ before him and remained silent, although several Divinity Transformation Domains were quite suitable for him.


    But the most suitable for him


    were undoubtedly the ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯ and ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move¡¯ Divinity Transformation Domains.


    Just then¡ª


    a voice that only he could hear suddenly rang beside his ear.


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: Sensing by the Heavenly Dao, Chen Qiu¡¯s restoration of the heavens earns him one hundred billion merit values, which, under the Imperial Decree Regular, ought to be doubled. Now issuing an additional one hundred billion merit values.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu was slightly startled by the voice of the Heavenly Dao Decree beside his ear. Was such a maneuver even possible?


    After his restoration efforts, he saw a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune had doubled, but the one hundred billion merit values had not doubled; he thought merit values did not double.


    He had accepted that.


    Unexpectedly, the merit values also doubled, just not issued at that time. Now with the issuance complete, he looked at his total of two thousand eight hundred seventy-nine billion merit values on the leaderboard, his expression gradually turning peculiar.


    During his time in Da Xia Country, he had accumulated ninety-eight billion merit values, of which ninety-seven billion were used to activate ¡®Merit Attack Order¡¯ that annihilated the Evil Clan.


    That is to say, up to now, he had accumulated a total of two thousand nine hundred seventy-six billion merit values.


    Only one step away¡ª


    ¡®Having accumulated over three hundred billion merit values, or three hundred billion sin values.¡¯


    This milestone task was just a step away.


    Just twenty-four billion merit values were needed to complete this milestone.


    Moreover, what was more important, this supplemental issuance from the Heavenly Dao even mentioned his name.


    In the twelve milestone tasks of the Xuantian Continent, another task was ¡®to be named in the Heavenly Dao Decrees twenty times.¡¯


    This type of Heavenly Dao Decree, which only he could hear, also counted.


    Including after his restoration, the Heavenly Dao Decree that informed him of his eligibility to proceed to the Vast Continent also counted towards the nominations; any Heavenly Dao Decree mentioning his name would count.


    One time for the restoration, once for the Vast Continent, and once again for the issuance.


    This restoration act alone brought him three nominations, making it eighteen times he had been nominated so far. Two more nominations would complete another milestone task.


    Not only did this act of restoration bring him a vast amount of merit values and two strands of Heavenly Pride Fortune, but it also brought numerous incalculable advantages.


    ¡°How wonderful.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled satisfactorily. The ancients were right; good deeds indeed bring good rewards. For now, he had not yet decided from which channel to obtain the remaining twenty-four billion merit values.


    Nor was it clear whether the twelfth rank Divinity Transformation Domains would feature any natural phenomena. If so, then these twenty-four billion merit values could be quickly acquired, and might even exceed the required amount significantly.


    And add another nomination.


    A step closer to completing the nomination milestone task.


    Watching as more and more statues of himself were added in the ¡®Heavenly Palace¡¯, these seemingly impossible milestone tasks, one by one completed by him, gave him a deep sense of fulfillment.


    ¡­


    ¡°How about it?¡±


    Ao Tian, who had decided not to speak, seeing Chen Qiu unresponsive for a long time, couldn¡¯t help but tentatively say, ¡°Are you still undecided? Would you like a suggestion from your brother?¡±


    ¡°Although ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯ is a powerful Divinity Transformation Domain among Magic Practitioners, your spiritual energy is already significantly more impressive than that of your fellow cultivators. While it will enhance your capabilities, the degree of enhancement won¡¯t be as significant as it might be for other ordinary cultivators.¡±


    ¡°I feel ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move¡¯ might suit you a bit more, especially since your main expertise in spells is in Thunder Magic; this domain would increase the power of your Thunder Spells significantly.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment¡ª¡±


    Ao Tian suddenly noticed the change in merit values for Chen Qiu on the ¡®Xuantian Continent Merit Values Leaderboard¡¯, and murmuring somewhat blankly, said, ¡°Brother, how did you suddenly gain one hundred billion merit values?¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You¡¯ve just been sitting here doing nothing, so why did such a large amount of merit values suddenly appear?¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯d recommend even more that you choose ¡®Merit Saint¡¯ as your Divinity Transformation Domain. Given the merit values you¡¯ve amassed, the power of the Golden Man Dharma formed will surely be strong!¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll take both the ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯ and ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move¡¯ Divinity Transformation Domains; both are quite suitable for me.¡±


    ¡°Both? Each person is only allowed one Divinity Transformation Domain!¡±


    ¡°I can have two.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ao Tian was silent for a moment before he took a deep breath, turned his head to look seriously at Chen Qiu, and said, ¡°Brother, how about we extend Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan¡¯s Blood Covenant for another decade or so?¡±


    ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯ and ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move.¡¯


    Either of these Divinity Transformation Domains, in terms of effects, towers over the others since each of these domains costs two hundred billion merit values while the remaining domains each cost only a billion.


    Just from the price, they¡¯re doubly overwhelming.


    Of course.


    The price of the ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯ Domain, although two hundred times more, certainly does not enhance effects by two hundred times.


    The difference in perfection between thirty percent and eighty percent may not be much in terms of price.


    But above eighty percent, each additional ten percent increase in quality can cause the price to multiply exponentially, hence generally speaking, items between seventy and eighty percent quality often offer the highest cost-effectiveness.


    And Chen Qiu has already met the conditions for the twelfth rank domains, meaning, having two twelfth rank domains, it can be foreseen that as long as Chen Qiu does not perish, he is almost destined to become the strongest in the Xuantian Continent!


    The Dragon Clan has truly found a benefactor!

 Chapter 482 03-25 - 188:

    Chapter 482: Chapter 188: ¡°You ants.¡±_2


    This is a great benefactor!


    This thigh must be firmly embraced!


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t hesitate much, and immediately spent 40 billion merit points to purchase the two Divinity Transformation Domains; soon, two small totems appeared in the Heavenly Dao Ring.


    A one-time totem.


    After contemplating, it dissipates.


    A one-time totem allows only one person to contemplate it.


    Now, his remaining merit points are still a whopping 247.9 billion, and there are still many items in the Merit Value Store available for him to choose from, and he can start a grand spree next!


    ¨C


    ¡®Evil Wood¡¯: 10,000 merit points for ten pieces, limit purchase 100,000 pieces.


    ¨C


    The limit of 100,000 pieces here means each person can buy up to 100,000 pieces.


    He had just used up all his Evil Wood.


    As for the thousands of pieces of Evil Wood Ao Tian gave him, he had planned to return them, but Ao Tian refused, saying the Dragon Clan didn¡¯t need such a thing, so he didn¡¯t push further.


    Although this would incur a favor owed.


    But relationships deepen through such exchanges of favors; not accepting any kindness at all is in some respects seen as the greatest malice, at least from the other person¡¯s perspective, and some might even hold a grudge because of this.


    Limit purchase 100,000 pieces.


    He bought them all, leaving nothing.


    Total spending: 100 million merit points. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    ¡®Eight Desolate Fruit¡¯: 100,000 merit points each, limit purchase 500 pieces.


    ¨C


    He was also lacking, the Eight Desolate Fruits he brought out from Da Xia Country were running low, and he even hesitated to feed them to his own Nascent Soul.


    All purchased for just 50 million merit points.


    Not much.


    It has to be said, the purchasing power of merit points is really strong.


    But thinking about the difficulty of acquiring merit points makes it understandable.


    Continue!


    Shop!


    ¨C


    ¡®Merit Attack Order¡¯: 100 billion merit points, limit sale 1 piece.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Chen Qiu scrolled through the Merit Value Store, his expression gradually became strange; it seemed he had discovered something incredible in the store.


    An old acquaintance.


    And the price was only 100 billion merit points, not even as much as one Divinity Transformation Domain.


    Needless to say, definitely a must-buy!


    Of course, with nearly 100 billion merit points, he could obliterate Evil State; now, with his several hundred billion, if he spent all his merit points in one go, the attack¡­


    Perhaps ten out of the nineteen states in the Xuantian Continent would no longer exist?


    This was akin to having the capital to drag the entire world to its doom.


    If someone really messed with him, and the Merit Defense Order couldn¡¯t block it, just before dying, he could activate this Merit Attack Order, and all his enemies would have to accompany him to the netherworld!


    Great item!


    He liked it.


    ¡­


    And there were more than just these great items in the Merit Value Store; there were also those one billion merit points priced Divinity Transformation Domains, which he planned to buy one for each disciple of Chao Tian Sect.


    Although they don¡¯t need it now, they will eventually.


    All together, less than 100 billion merit points.


    Just a drop in the ocean.


    And the items in the Merit Value Store varied wildly, approximately less than a hundred items in total, but each one had bizarre and quirky effects.


    Natural treasures were very few in number.


    Most were divine gifts, usually found in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm or within Heavenly Dao Decrees.


    For example¡­


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯: 100 million merit points per strand, limit one strand.


    ¡®Earth Pride Luck¡¯: 1 billion merit points per strand, limit one strand.


    ¡®Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯: 100 billion merit points per strand, limit one strand.


    ¨C


    Even Heavenly Pride Fortune was for sale, but only one strand could be bought; otherwise buying three strands together could be combined into a higher grade.


    And such things as Heavenly Pride Fortune could not be transferred or stripped away.


    They end upon the person¡¯s death.


    All not expensive, he bought one of each, including this ¡®Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯. The difficulty of acquiring Heavenly Pride Fortune was not low, but with the opportunity to buy for 100 billion merit points, he wouldn¡¯t miss out.


    That¡¯s another 111 billion merit points spent.


    Leaving 2266 billion.


    More than enough.


    Next up was selecting spells; he had always wanted to learn more spells, another method. The Merit Value Store had various Divinity Transformation low-grade spell Jade Scrolls.


    Like¡­


    ¡®Divinity Transformation low-grade spell ¡®Fire Tribulation¡¯ Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll¡¯: one million merit points.


    ¡®Divinity Transformation low-grade spell ¡®Black Sea Destruction¡¯ Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll¡¯: one million merit points.


    The prices are not too expensive.


    He bought 100.


    All kinds of spells, so that later he could also give them to the disciples of Chao Tian Sect, not only enhancing their Cultivation but also strengthening their combat power.


    Also, Divinity Transformation low-grade spells corresponding Enlightenment Stones.


    Same price, one million each.


    Limit of 100 pieces.


    Buy!


    Bought them all, all 100 of them!


    Just a hundred million merit points, no shortage at all.


    But even with such spending, he still had over 2000 billion merit points left, basically inexhaustible. But he then saw another ¡®Merit Defense Order¡¯.


    Also for 100 billion merit points.


    He bought it too.


    Now he had two ¡®Merit Defense Orders¡¯, and his margin for error was a bit higher.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Um¡­ Little brother.¡±


    Ao Tian suddenly spoke up with a bit of embarrassment at the side, ¡°Older brother has a favor to ask. There¡¯s something I want to buy from the Merit Value Store too, but I don¡¯t have any merit points, could you¡­¡±


    Before Ao Tian could finish his sentence,


    Chen Qiu waved his hand dismissively: ¡°Just tell me what you want.¡±


    ¡°These two!¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s face faintly excited as he pointed at an image of a medicine bottle enveloped in mist and another image of a Cultivation Technique in the store.

 Chapter 483 03-25 - 188:

    Chapter 483: Chapter 188: ¡°You ants.¡±_3 S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    ¡°Divinity Transformation Premium Dragon Clan Secret Skill ¡®Dragon Soaring Four Seas''¡±: 1 billion merit points, limited to 1 purchase, exclusive to the Dragon Clan, and only those with an Eight Grade Bloodline or higher can cultivate it.


    ¡°Dragon Clan Bloodline Token¡±: 10 billion merit points, limited to 2 purchases, exclusive to the Dragon Clan, with a maximum limit of Twelfth Grade Bloodline.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly raised his eyebrows; he hadn¡¯t really noticed that there were Dragon Clan exclusive items in the Merit Value Store before. The power of a premium Divinity Transformation Dragon Clan Secret Skill should be impressive.


    As for that ¡°Dragon Clan Bloodline Token¡±.


    It can upgrade the Bloodline of the Dragon Clan by one Grade.


    For instance, if originally it was an Seven Grade Bloodline, after using this token, it could turn into an Eight Grade Bloodline, which not only greatly enhances one¡¯s own limit but also raises the Bloodline Grade of one¡¯s descendants.


    It can be said to strengthen the foundation of the Dragon Clan.


    Therefore, the price is also very steep.


    A whopping 10 billion merit points, and there aren¡¯t many in the Xuantian Continent who can afford it, but he just happens to be able to afford it.


    However, the maximum limit is a Twelfth Grade Bloodline; for instance, Fat Long has a Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline. If Fat Long used this token, there would be no change in his Bloodline Grade, still a Twelfth Grade, and it will not become a Thirteenth Grade.


    A Twelfth Grade Bloodline, that¡¯s the upper limit of the Dragon Clan Bloodline.


    It can¡¯t rise any further.


    It¡¯s already at the ceiling level.


    And these two items are worth a total of 110 billion merit points.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say much else; he bought both ¡°Dragon Clan Bloodline Tokens¡± and the ¡°Dragon Clan Secret Skill¡±, and handed them over to Ao Tian.


    ¡°The extra one, consider it a gift for my nephew Black Dragon when we meet.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Ao Tian took over the two Dragon Clan Bloodline Tokens with a slightly uneasy voice, trembling slightly as he said, ¡°This isn¡¯t right, sir, these items are too precious. Black Dragon isn¡¯t worthy of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s 200 billion merit points added up, brother, you¡¯ve spent too much.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s skip the formalities between us, from now on, your enemies are the life-and-death foes of the Dragon Clan!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, looked at Ao Tian with a smile, and said, ¡°Then brother should go cultivate quickly. In a few days, we¡¯ll head to the Xuantian Continent, and then you can truly witness the power of this Dragon Clan Secret Skill.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement as he nodded vigorously. He then transformed into a streak of light and shot towards the deeper part of the island, clearly eager to try out his newly acquired Dragon Clan Secret Skill.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu watched Ao Tian¡¯s departing figure, chuckling and shaking his head. How should he put it, although Ao Tian had lived for several hundred years, there weren¡¯t many living people on the island to have a conversation with, and he hadn¡¯t been to the Xuantian Continent much.


    His mentality was quite simplistic.


    Better than Black Dragon, but not by much.


    Dealing with such a person, one advantage is that it¡¯s not exhausting.


    And he holds gratitude.


    Pretty good.


    After a session of spending, his merit points finally dipped below the 2000 billion mark, landing at just over 1900, mainly because the amount granted by the heavens was just too much.


    Otherwise, with his own 879 billion merit points, he would already be running low on funds.


    He¡¯d need to start pinching every penny.


    He then turned his head to gaze at the horizon calmly and silently; next, he would need to head to the Xuantian Continent. When the upheaval begins, it¡¯s time to loot from home to home.


    The good news is,


    Many top forces in Central State have sequestered themselves in closed-door cultivation, making it easier for him to loot.


    The bad news is,


    Too many top forces in Central State have closed off, leading to fewer gains from his looting.


    There are pros and cons.


    Which family should he experiment with first with the power of his 29 billion sin value triggered Heavenly Tribulation? Chen Qiu pondered. Just this Heavenly Tribulation probably seems trivial to those top Central State forces, so he might as well start with an insolent one.


    He remembered there was one called Three Springs Building.


    Back then, the sister of Young Master of Three Springs Building even had her Guardian try to kill him, which is considered a stronger force in Central State but still not a top force.


    It¡¯s a good start to test with this family.


    ¡­


    In the three days that followed,


    there was no activity on Dragon Island; neither Chen Qiu nor Ao Tian and others took any action, even though ¡°World in Conflict¡± version had already arrived for three days.


    But Chen Qiu had no intention of going out at all.


    Just like usual, he remained on Dragon Island.


    ¡°Black Dragon,¡±


    the Fat Long, who had successfully completed all tasks and managed to impregnate all ninety-eight old mother dragons on the island, was currently quite leisurely lying on the beach.


    Looking at Black Dragon lying beside him, he smiled and said, ¡°What are you brooding about?¡±


    These days,


    it was only Black Dragon who accompanied him, and their relationship had grown much stronger, becoming quite close, especially since Black Dragon admired his physical condition immensely, occasionally emitting shocked and envious sounds beside him.


    Providing him with full emotional value.


    It made him increasingly enjoy staying with Black Dragon, unlike the scholar who would never praise him like this, only mocking him, which wasn¡¯t interesting at all.


    Black Dragon was truly his confidant.


    And his Cultivation had also reached the peak of Nascent Soul, yes, just one step away from Divinity Transformation!


    This is him, Fat Long!


    This is the outcome brought to him by the ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡± entry and the ninety-eight Divinity Transformation mother dragons.


    After the mother dragons became pregnant, they could still Dual Cultivate with him, Fat Long, without affecting anything.


    However, he did not choose to break through to Divinity Transformation, since Brother Qiu was still at the peak of Nascent Soul and hadn¡¯t broken through. If he rushed through and broke through himself, wouldn¡¯t that be just asking for displeasure?


    Was he trying to prove he was more formidable than Brother Qiu?


    He had already picked out his Divine Domain from the Merit Value Store, just waiting for Brother Qiu to break through, then he would excitedly find Brother Qiu.

 Chapter 484 - 188:

    Chapter 484: Chapter 188: ¡°You ants.¡±_4


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing much.¡±


    On the side, the Black Dragon spoke somewhat glumly, ¡°Brother Qiu gave my father two ¡®Dragon Clan Bloodline Tokens,¡¯ which can elevate the grade of Dragon Clan bloodline. My father used one himself and kept the other.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t plan to give it to me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Fat Long slightly startled, ¡°If not to you, then to whom? Ao Tian has only you as a Dragon Cub.¡±


    ¡°Father said he wants to give it to my sister.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because my sister has an Eighth Grade bloodline; with this token, she can be elevated to Ninth Grade, but I only have a Seventh Grade, and even with it, I can only reach Eighth Grade. The cost-effectiveness is too low for me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ that does make sense.¡±


    A touch of sadness flickered in the Black Dragon¡¯s eyes, ¡°You think so too, huh? Even though my sister doesn¡¯t need to fight, and it¡¯s always me who goes out to battle. Even if she possesses a higher-grade bloodline, what¡¯s the use?¡±


    ¡°My sister dropped out at the first opportunity in the Divinity Transformation Battle Power Ranking Secret Realm, and I was the one who fought until the end. If it weren¡¯t for me, Father would never have had the chance to meet Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s credit or hard work, am I not the greatest?¡±


    ¡°Hmm..¡±


    Fat Long nodded firmly and after a long pause, ¡°You do have a point. I¡¯ll handle this matter for you, I¡¯ll ask about what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The Black Dragon looked up at Fat Long, slightly surprised, ¡°You can persuade my father?¡±


    Fat Long stood up with a serious expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    ¡­


    Deep in Dragon Island, outside Ao Tian¡¯s cave.


    Fat Long hesitantly stood at the entrance of the cave, lacking confidence; this was a private matter, so he definitely couldn¡¯t go to Brother Qiu.


    But he himself felt a bit uncertain approaching Ao Tian alone.


    Yet¡­


    The Black Dragon had already acknowledged him as the big brother, even the first person to admire him, giving him a sense of having achieved self-worth. If his little brother was in trouble, how could he, as the big brother, not step forward?


    It would be letting his little brother down.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Hey, Brother Fat Long.¡±


    Ao Tian, coming out of the cave, paused for a moment upon seeing Fat Long, then walked over excitedly, ¡°What are you doing here? I was just about to go discuss the matters of heading to the Xuantian Continent with your big brother.¡±


    ¡°Right¡ª¡±


    ¡°I forgot to tell you, I have a daughter with an Eighth Grade bloodline, the highest within our Dragon Clan. Even I am only Seventh Grade.¡±


    ¡°Your big brother gave me a ¡®Dragon Clan Bloodline Token¡¯ that can elevate the grade of a Dragon Clan bloodline. I plan to elevate my daughter¡¯s bloodline grade to Ninth Grade.¡±


    ¡°This way, you two will definitely be able to produce dragon pups with a higher bloodline grade!¡±


    ¡°After all, you and that old mother dragon with a Sixth Grade bloodline managed to produce a Tenth Grade dragon pup; this time, you might even get an Eleventh Grade one!¡±


    ¡°An Eleventh Grade bloodline is already at the level of the original Dragon Emperor!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a great boon for our Dragon Clan!¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    Fat Long cleared his throat with a single fist, interrupting the excited Ao Tian, ¡°Actually, I think giving this Dragon Clan Bloodline Token to the Black Dragon would have a greater effect, for three reasons, the first being¡­¡±


    Before he could finish.


    A token was presented before him.


    He looked up at Ao Tian, bewildered, only to see Ao Tian looking seriously at him.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re making sense. Indeed, placing this token in Black Dragon¡¯s hands would have a greater impact.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Ao Tian looked at Fat Long¡¯s departing silhouette and spoke with a face full of emotion and relief, ¡°Black Dragon has really grown up.¡±


    It had only been a few days.


    Yet Black Dragon had already developed such a deep relationship with the second-in-command of Chao Tian Sect, Fat Long, who had personally sought him out, indicating that their friendship was not trivial.


    This was the scenario he had most hoped to see.


    The higher echelons of the Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan not only got along harmoniously, but their subordinates did as well, allowing both sides to collaborate and prosper continuously.


    So since Fat Long had come to him, regardless of the reason, he was definitely obliged to step aside.


    He could not afford to let Fat Long lose face.


    In this way, Black Dragon would feel grateful towards Fat Long, and their subordinates¡¯ relationship would become even closer; although in his heart, the token was indeed more valuable for his daughter with Eighth Grade Bloodline.


    But he was clear about one thing.


    That was, maintaining a good relationship with Chao Tian Sect was much more important than any Ninth Grade Bloodline.


    The true flourishing of the Dragon Clan hinged on the Chao Tian Sect, not just any Grade of Bloodline; they were merely icing on the cake and could not determine the final outcome.


    ¡­


    At this moment¡ª


    Within the back mountain of the territory controlled by the Three Springs Building.


    The Young Master, along with a group of Three Springs Building members, respectfully faced a slowly dissipating Formation around a cave and said reverently.


    ¡°Welcome, elder ancestor, on exiting the retreat!¡±


    Very quickly!


    An old man in hemp clothing walked out of the cave with an extremely terrifying aura.


    The Young Master of the Three Springs Building immediately went up to greet him, his eyes filled with expectancy, ¡°Welcome, elder ancestor, on your success, have you¡­ broken through to Void Refining?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The old man looked at the Young Master with a cold expression, his terrifying aura still barely under control and burgeoning, ¡°Breaking through to Void Refining is not so simple.¡±


    ¡°Half-step Void Refining.¡±


    ¡°Recently, has the Three Springs Building had any issues with our enemies? I¡¯m in a very bad mood right now, and feel like killing someone.¡±


    Upon hearing this, disappointment flashed in the Young Master¡¯s eyes.


    Half-step Void Refining was essentially a failed breakthrough, meaning that his chances of ever reaching Void Refining were almost completely severed.


    Although being at half-step Void Refining was certainly stronger than being at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, in the eyes of those at Void Refining, there was no difference between half-step Void Refining and the Peak of Divinity Transformation.


    Although the elder ancestor had not broken through to Void Refining, and the Three Springs Building couldn¡¯t immediately become one of the top powers of the central region¡ªwhich slightly disappointed him¡ªhe did not show it and simply said respectfully.


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s someone called Chen Qiu from Quzhou, a Heavenly Pride, who killed San Qing.¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°San Qing?¡±


    The old man¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold intent as he stared directly at the Young Master, ¡°If I remember correctly, wasn¡¯t she your sister? I had never heard of this Chen Qiu from Quzhou before I entered my retreat.¡±


    ¡°Is there a portrait of this person?¡±


    ¡°What is his Cultivation level?¡±


    ¡°Since I have exited my retreat, he won¡¯t live long.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, this man was at Nascent Soul fifth layer, but a few days ago when he appeared in Quzhou, he had already reached the peak of Nascent Soul. His cultivation progressed remarkably fast.¡±


    The Young Master respectfully nodded, then waved to have someone bring out Chen Qiu¡¯s Memory Stone, knowing that his elder ancestor possessed an entry.


    The effect was this.


    As long as the opponent¡¯s Cultivation was lower than his, and he knew the person¡¯s appearance, no matter where the opponent was on the Xuantian Continent, as long as they weren¡¯t inside the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm or a small world, he could, after setting up a Formation, forcibly transport that person to his side, which he could use once a month.


    This entry had always been the biggest secret of the Three Springs Building.


    The elder ancestor, in his younger days, had stealthily killed many Heavenly Prides from other factions with this move.


    ¡°Peak of Nascent Soul?¡±


    The old man¡¯s eyes revealed arrogance, and he sneered: ¡°Merely ants.¡±


    As a half-step Void Refiner, he indeed had this confidence, and he also understood that this failed breakthrough meant he was destined never to reach Void Refining in his lifetime.


    The festering rage inside him simply couldn¡¯t be suppressed.


    He urgently needed to kill someone to vent the fury in his heart.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on .co

 Chapter 485 - 189:

    Chapter 485: Chapter 189: ¡°Ao Tian, come quickly!


    ¡°Hold on¡­¡±


    The elder from ¡°Three Springs Building¡± narrowed his eyes slightly, a chill flashing in his gaze, ¡°I¡¯ve had quite a difficult time coming out of seclusion, so I must invite some old friends to meet.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that Chen Qiu has recently become quite famous in Xuantian Continent, a Heavenly Pride, boasting the power to annihilate Nascent Soul peak with just a fifth-layer Nascent Soul, claimed the top spot in the Nascent Soul combat power rankings, and even eradicated an entire Evil Clan by himself at the peak of Golden Core?¡±


    ¡°His martial achievements are indeed not weak.¡±


    ¡°How about we organize a ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯ and call all my old friends over for a gathering?¡±


    A flicker of understanding passed through the Young Master¡¯s eyes, and he nodded immediately, ¡°What the elder suggests is very apt, I shall give the orders right away.¡±


    The elder¡¯s intention was quite obvious. Having come out of seclusion after such a struggle, though failing to break through to the Void Refining Stage, but still being half a step into Void Refining, one must let everyone witness one¡¯s prowess.


    Otherwise, what would have been the point of the seclusion?


    Moreover, to boast the reputation of Three Springs Building.


    Although Chen Qiu¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t formidable, his renowned reputation was undeniable. If he could be killed in front of everyone, it would indeed lift the name of ¡°Three Springs Building¡± using Chen Qiu¡¯s reputation.


    It must be said, the older generation always thinks things through thoroughly.


    A matter that originally brought tenfold benefits could be tweaked slightly to yield thirteenfold profits.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The elder nodded in satisfaction, ¡°Choosing you as the Young Master was the right decision; that mind of yours is nimble. You take care of this matter. Let¡¯s set the banquet for tonight; I¡¯ll go and set up the array.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡­


    In Quzhou, within a small family clan, the ¡°Cao Family¡±.


    At this moment, an elder and a youth were deep in thought, both frowning, neither speaking.


    Cao is a rather obscure surname, but just as an event that has a one in ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine nine likelihood of not happening can still have that slim chance of occurring, this surname does indeed exist.


    And, what¡¯s more, it has developed quite well.


    The strongest in the ¡°Cao Family¡± is the Cao Family Patriarch, who has already reached the Middle Stage of Divinity Transformation.


    Although in Quzhou, they are an obscure small family, somewhat inconspicuous among the various powers, and the Cao Family only had him at the Divinity Transformation stage,


    If placed in lower or upper regions of Quzhou, a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator could suppress a territory, just like the strongest in Quzhou only reached the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation, not even a Middle Stage.


    If the ¡°Cao Family¡± were willing to move to Quzhou, they could easily become the most powerful force in the region.


    At this moment, the atmosphere in the study of the ¡°Cao Family¡± courtyard was quite oppressive.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    After a long while, it was the young man who, frowning, first broke the silence, ¡°Didn¡¯t you always tell me that even if we found traces of Chen Qiu, not to report it, and to stay hidden within the family these days, not going anywhere?¡±


    ¡°But now¡­¡±


    ¡°Three Springs Building has invited us to the ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯ tonight, intending to behead Chen Qiu as an appetizer before midnight.¡±


    ¡°With such certainty, it seems that Three Springs Building has already captured Chen Qiu, and before midnight, they will surely be able to behead him effortlessly.¡±


    ¡°Father, didn¡¯t you say that Chen Qiu is unfathomable, like a ghost? Now it looks like he might already be ensnared.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡±


    After taking a deep breath, the middle-aged man looked up solemnly at his son and asked, ¡°Let me ask you, if you were a twelfth grade Golden Core and a twelfth grade Nascent Soul, what would be your deepest obsession when you break through to Divinity Transformation?¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­¡± the young man pondered with a frown, then ventured thoughtfully, ¡°a twelfth-grade Divine Domain?¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch slammed the table forcefully and declared, ¡°A twelfth-grade Divine Domain, indeed! A heavenly prodigy, who has walked the path with a perfect grade Golden Core and Nascent Soul, when he breaks through to Divinity Transformation, the first thing he¡¯d consider would definitely be the twelfth-grade Divine Domain!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s human cognitive inertia.¡±


    ¡°But Chen Qiu hails from a Loose Cultivator background, and undoubtedly lacks resources. What should he do in such a situation?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, he¡¯d start by plundering. Perhaps at this moment, the elder from Three Springs Building has already been seized by Chen Qiu, releasing information to lure us there, then capturing us all in one fell swoop!¡±


    ¡°Even though the elder from Three Springs Building has emerged from seclusion and broken through to half-step Void Refinement, crushing Chen Qiu who¡¯s a Great Realm below in cultivation, and is almost stepping into the Xuantian Invincible Realm.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch murmured somewhat abstractedly, ¡°That¡¯s a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul, a being that hasn¡¯t been seen in tens of thousands of years on Xuantian Continent. Do you really believe that such a person can easily die like this?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t understand how someone at the peak of Nascent Soul could coerce someone half-step into Void Refinement.¡±


    ¡°But similarly, I don¡¯t understand how a Loose Cultivator could forge a twelfth-grade Golden Core and form a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul. Anything happening to such a person is normal beyond our imagination!¡±


    ¡°So according to my speculation, this ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯ is a trap set by Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡°His goal is to wipe us out in one fell swoop, and have you noticed that ¡®Three Springs Building¡¯ has not invited the top forces of Quzhou this time? They¡¯ve only invited us smaller clans, with whom they hardly ever interact. Why suddenly invite us without reason?¡±


    ¡°It shows that Chen Qiu¡¯s current strength is only enough to engulf smaller clans like us and isn¡¯t yet ready to provoke the top forces of Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°Additionally¡­¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch looked at the items in the Merit Value Store with a meaningful expression, ¡°See those rare-level Divine Domains? Each is worth 200 billion merit values.¡±


    ¡°Everyone on Xuantian Continent can¡¯t afford them, but there¡¯s one person who can, and that¡¯s Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Such a level of character, do you believe he¡¯ll just perish tonight?¡±


    ¡°Those who go to the banquet are more likely to die.¡±


    After pondering with his head bowed for a long time, the young man raised his head to seriously look at his father and gave a thumbs up, ¡°Father, you truly are an old Jianghu, your way of thinking is different. Does this mean we reject their invitation?¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on .co

 Chapter 486 - 189:

    Chapter 486: Chapter 189: ¡°Ao Tian, Come Quickly!¡±_2


    ¡°That won¡¯t do either,¡±


    the Cao Family Patriarch shook his head, ¡°This is just my speculation, but maybe the Three Springs Building really did capture Chen Qiu alive and plans to publicly execute him tonight. If we refuse now, the Three Springs Building will inevitably settle the score with our Cao Family later on.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s agree for now, and then take our time on the way; there¡¯s no need to hurry. If the Three Springs Building truly executes Chen Qiu in public, we¡¯ll just say we were delayed on the road. If any accidents happen, it won¡¯t involve us.¡±


    ¡°No matter how the situation develops,¡±


    ¡°it will always be harmless to our Cao Family.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant!¡±


    At this, the young man was thoroughly convinced and said with emotion, ¡°Father, you have truly lived up to your reputation, leading the Cao Family all the way from being a small clan in the Upper Nine Provinces to Central Province.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Receiving such praise from his son, the Cao Family Patriarch couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit smug.


    ¡­


    On the highest peak of Dragon Island,


    Ao Tian looked seriously at Chen Qiu, ¡°Little brother, it seems something has gone wrong with our plan. Weren¡¯t we supposed to wait until the chaos began on the Xuantian Continent and then quietly take advantage of the confusion to loot?¡±


    ¡°But now, the Human Race, Devil Clan, and Demon Race are all very stable.¡±


    ¡°These three powerful races of the Xuantian Continent show no signs of chaos, and there¡¯s no indication they are going to start fighting at all.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu pondered with his hand supporting his chin for a long time before quietly saying, ¡°Let¡¯s wait one more day and see. If there¡¯s still no action after tonight, we¡¯ll take the initiative to strike.¡±


    ¡°Start with some of the weaker forces.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ao Tian nodded emphatically, seeming a bit eager, ¡°These Dragon Pups are going to be born soon, I need to quickly prepare the resources for their Divinity Transformation breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡ª¡±


    Ao Tian suddenly remembered something and hesitantly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me last time about encountering the Vast Continent after the sky mending ended? I found the name somewhat familiar when I heard it.¡±


    ¡°I flipped through the Dragon Clan Ancient Books these past few days, and there really is such a name.¡±


    ¡°But only the Dragon Clan can understand the Dragon Clan Ancient Books, no outsiders can. I¡¯ve extracted some related information, take a look and see if it¡¯s of any use.¡±


    ¡­


    After Ao Tian left,


    Chen Qiu was flipping through the pieces of information Ao Tian had copied down. Nothing too important was mentioned, just that the first Dragon Emperor of the Dragon Clan came from the Vast Continent.


    That was tens of thousands of years ago.


    And it seems he was some kind of prisoner of the Dragon Clan.


    After a few glances, he did not dwell on it, instead pondering how to complete the remaining milestone tasks. Among the twelve milestone tasks, there was one that he considered the most difficult.


    ¡°Unify the Xuantian.¡±


    As to what counts as unifying the Xuantian, it refers to having all forces, big or small, whether they are sects, families, or cities,


    mark ¡°Under the jurisdiction of the Chao Tian Sect¡± in many prominent places.


    Including the Demon Race, Devil Clan, and all other races.


    As long as 95% or more is covered, it counts as unifying the Xuantian; this milestone task he deemed the toughest among them.


    You have to realize, the forces of the Xuantian Continent are as numerous as hairs on an ox; even if he truly had the power to suppress the entire continent, sending out all the Chao Tian Sect disciples to each force to handle this matter would still be quite difficult.


    Alternatively, he could issue an order for all forces to act accordingly, and the forces below could report on each other, rewarding whoever reports any force that has not complied, and then exterminating that non-compliant force.


    But¡­


    Perhaps there¡¯s a better way.


    When dealing with the numerator is difficult, solve the denominator.


    If he eradicated all the forces of the Xuantian Continent, leaving behind just a few, and then made those few submit to the Chao Tian Sect, wouldn¡¯t that easily achieve ¡°Unify the Xuantian?¡±


    He shook his head without dwelling on it much longer; all other milestone tasks were proceeding step by step, but completing them all would likely take another two or three years.


    By then, several generations of Dragon Pups would have already been born in the Dragon Clan.


    And he would have produced many Nascent Soul offspring as well. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then turned his attention toward the ¡°Merit Value Store.¡±


    The items in the ¡°Sin Value Shop¡± could be said to be entirely different from those in the ¡°Merit Value Store.¡±


    It also includes domains for Divinity Transformation.


    For example¡ª


    ¡°One thought controls all.¡±


    A rare Grade domain for Divinity Transformation, this domain has only one effect: all living creatures that die within the domain will be converted into life force for the user to absorb.


    Even including Spirit Trees and Spirit Grasses.


    This domain intrigued him greatly.


    It¡¯s just that the price is a bit outrageous, 200 billion sin values; he would never be able to afford it in his lifetime. He only earned 29 billion sin values from wiping out Evil State, and that included a bonus for exterminating a clan. Otherwise, just killing so many people wouldn¡¯t come close to 29 billion sin values.


    Obtaining sin values is much more difficult than merit values.


    200 billion sin values are equivalent to him having to slaughter seven or eight Evil States to accumulate that many sin values.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He temporarily gave up on this domain, suddenly feeling that perhaps this domain wasn¡¯t worth 200 billion sin values after all; it was just a domain for recovering health by killing minor creatures.


    It was just so.


    Far inferior to his own ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± and ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move.¡±


    After tonight, if there¡¯s still no commotion from the Human or Devil Clans, he plans to take the initiative to strike. Speaking of which, doesn¡¯t the Demon Race typically instigate trouble around this time? Why is there no reaction from them this time?


    Are they asleep?


    ¡­


    On the Xuantian Continent, Demon Province.


    ¡°How about it?¡±


    In a palace within the core city of Demon Province, the middle-aged man sitting in the highest chair looked at his only son below and spoke with a hint of pride.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on .co

 Chapter 487 - 189:

    Chapter 487: Chapter 189: ¡°Ao Tian, Come Quickly!¡±_3


    ¡°It¡¯s been three days, and neither the Human Race nor the Devil Clan have come to attack us,¡±


    ¡°It seems that our strategy has been effective. Several days ago, we announced that regardless of whether the Human Race or the Devil Clan attacked us, we would unconditionally join the other side.¡±


    ¡°The strength of the Human Race and the Devil Clan is not much different, and at this time, we, the Demon Race, can safely play a decisive role.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the young Demon Race stood below, his face expressionless, silently.


    ¡°So now we have to dispatch troops to the Dwarf Clan and exterminate all these damned dwarfs. Son, do you have any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the young Demon Race continued to silently stare, expressionless, standing below.


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    The middle-aged man looked around at his beloved generals, nodded his head in satisfaction, and then suddenly stood up and exclaimed, ¡°Then let this chaotic era be officially started by our Demon Race!¡±


    ¡°Summon all clansmen with Golden Core Cultivation and above to participate in the war!¡±


    ¡°Completely annihilate the Dwarf Clan and plunder the Dwarf Clan¡¯s Qi Fortune to enhance the strength of our Demon Race!¡±


    ¡°Everything for the Demon Race!!¡±


    ¡°Hoorah!!¡±


    In the great hall, a crowd of burly men with demon horns fervently placed their right hands on their left chests and shouted, ¡°Hoorah!!!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The young Demon Race once more nodded silently, then crossed through the fervent crowd and returned to his study, sitting inside and staring blankly out of the window.


    He was born into a distinguished family.


    Being the sole son of the Demon Clan Patriarch, and with the Demon Race being a major clan on the Xuantian Continent, it could be said he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, and he smoothly reached Divinity Transformation in his cultivation.


    Moreover, in the Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain sought after by external cultivators, he almost effortlessly achieved it.


    The Eight Grade Divine Domain ¡°Heavenly Demon Extinction¡± made him almost unbeatable among his peers.


    Logically speaking, his life was destined to be brilliant. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But¡­


    A small mishap occurred.


    The historic Demon Race had always been cautious and prudent, but ever since his father took the position of Clan Leader, everything had changed.


    His clan leader was a mad warmonger.


    In his father¡¯s eyes, the Demon Race should instill fear in others, only then could they be called the Demon Race.


    Cowering at home and not daring to go anywhere¡ªthat¡¯s called the Rabbit Clan, not the Demon Race.


    What is called fear?


    It¡¯s preferring to die but still managing to take a bite out of you.


    Although he did not agree with this idea, it must be said that his father¡¯s fervent ideology had a strong influence and quickly infected a group of old Demon Race members after taking office.


    Especially since the Demon Race had been rather suppressed over the years, under such circumstances, his father¡¯s thoughts perfectly matched what the Demon Race needed.


    However¡­


    He looked down at the Small Jade Ball on the desk.


    Deep within his Cultivation resided his greatest secret, which he had not told anyone about¡ªthe Small Jade Ball.


    The young Demon Race glanced around his study, and after assuring himself that the soundproofing array was intact, he then whispered to the Small Jade Ball.


    ¡°Senior, is Chao Tian Sect really that terrifying?¡±


    Inside this very Small Jade Ball resided a Residual Soul of the Demon Race that had drifted around the Xuantian Continent for tens of thousands of years. The reason he had grown so quickly was that this Residual Soul had often provided him with much guidance.


    To outsiders, he achieved his current accomplishments effortlessly.


    But only he knew.


    Much of the credit was due to the guidance of this Residual Soul of a Demon Race predecessor.


    As soon as the voice fell¡ª


    A Residual Soul suddenly floated out from the Small Jade Ball on the desk, and a phantom image of the Demon Race hovered above the desk, looking towards the young Demon Race in the study with a complex expression, and spoke.


    ¡°After tens of thousands of years, the Demon Race has really changed a lot; they¡¯re even daring to initiate the first battle.¡±


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Time has passed for too long, and even if ancient texts still gather information sporadically, the people of today are still completely incapable of comprehending the terror of the Chao Tian Sect back in the day.¡±


    ¡°Hundreds of thousands of Sword Cultivators, wherever they passed, nothing grew back like locusts!¡±


    ¡°Several hundred Divinity Transformation Sword Cultivators, when their Domains were simultaneously activated, it was like the apocalypse had come; they were truly the foremost power of the Xuantian Continent, unbeatable by anyone!¡±


    ¡°Ultimately, only after the combined forces of the Human Race, Devil Clan, and Evil Clan did they manage to eradicate the Chao Tian Sect, but I never imagined that after tens of thousands of years, Chao Tian Sect would resurge, and the current Sect Master is even more talented than the Sect Master back then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just not clear if there was some anomaly in the legacy, changing from Sword Cultivators to Magic Practitioners.¡±


    ¡°That battle was earth-shattering!¡±


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect teamed up with the Dragon Clan to confront the Human Race, Devil Clan, and Evil Clan of Xuantian Continent!¡±


    ¡°The final outcome was a Pyrrhic victory for the Human Race and Devil Clan, with the Evil Clan suffering the most severe damage. Chao Tian Sect was completely destroyed, and the Dragon Clan nearly went extinct. Because of that battle, even though the Evil Clan¡¯s legacy exists to this day, the Human Race didn¡¯t send experts to eradicate the Evil Clan; any slight friction among the lower ranks doesn¡¯t matter to those above.¡±


    ¡°What was the Demon Race doing during that battle?¡± the young Demon Race asked, frowning.


    ¡°Good question.¡±


    The phantom of the Demon Race predecessor inside the study silently said, ¡°The Demon Race naturally hid. What else could they do? The grudge with the Dwarf Clan was also formed at that time.¡±


    ¡°Everyone was hiding underground, naturally conflicts arose.¡±


    ¡°But during that battle I went to watch. I swear, I just wanted to watch, then¡­ I died. Fortunately, I had some foundation and didn¡¯t completely perish, assigning a Residual Soul to this Small Jade Ball. Just help me find materials for reassembling a body in the future, and I could be revived.¡±


    ¡°Because I personally witnessed that battle, I might be the person who currently understands the terror of Chao Tian Sect the most on Xuantian Continent.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on .co

 Chapter 488 - 189:

    Chapter 488: Chapter 189: ¡°Ao Tian, come quickly!¡±_4


    ¡°Although the Demon Race has not avoided the world, they have at least only waged war against the Dwarf Clan and not provoked the Chao Tian Sect, so everything is still within control,¡±


    ¡°As long as the Chao Tian Sect is not provoked, anything is acceptable.¡±


    After being silent for a long time, a young member of the Demon Race asked, ¡°Since the Chao Tian Sect is so strong, can¡¯t the Demon Race seek refuge with them?¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡±


    The senior member of the Demon Race, now a mere shadow, let out a cold laugh, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Although the Chao Tian Sect is powerful, its ally from the past, the Dragon Clan, is now no different from being annihilated.¡±


    ¡°Being an enemy of the Chao Tian Sect is certainly terrifying, but being an ally of the Chao Tian Sect isn¡¯t much better.¡±


    ¡°Staying out of it is the safest option.¡±


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, the central state.


    It was already night.


    ¡°Three Springs Building¡± was brightly lit at this time, with many guests arriving continuously, and a great array had been set up in the mountains behind the building, ready to forcibly draw Chen Qiu at any moment.


    ¡°Congratulations, congratulations.¡±


    The Patriarch of the Wen Family in the central state, looking at the Young Master at the entrance of the Three Springs Building with a smile and admiration, said with clenched fists, ¡°The Young Master is truly a genius of the young generation. Chen Qiu has been arrogant on the Xuantian Continent for some time now, and no one has been able to deal with him. I didn¡¯t expect that Three Springs Building would directly hold a ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯ tonight.¡±


    ¡°Killing Sha Qiu is not the main purpose,¡±


    The Young Master of the Three Springs Building looked at the old man before him, with Nascent Soul cultivation, his tone neither servile nor overbearing, he calmly said, ¡°An ant with Nascent Soul cultivation is nothing but a casual extermination. The main purpose tonight is for the ancestor to come out of seclusion and catch up with old friends.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, well said, well said.¡±


    Guests, one after another, carrying congratulatory gifts, stepped into the gates of the Three Springs Building.


    What a lively scene.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, dozens of miles away.


    The Patriarch of the Su Family from Quzhou looked towards the direction of the Three Springs Building with a complex expression, genuinely surprised that Chen Qiu had really been captured alive like this.


    Before the onset of the chaotic times, he had taken his whole family to the central state to escape.


    After all, Quzhou having only himself at Divinity Transformation was too dangerous. In the central state, with so many strong people, even if war broke out, there would be a sense of security.


    He, a Divinity Transformation at the early stage, could rule in Quzhou, but in the central state, he seemed rather insignificant.


    ¡°Such a pity.¡±


    After a long while, he still sighed heavily. He was powerless in this situation; despite his desire to save Chen Qiu, there was no way to do so. The ancestor of the Three Springs Building was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, and although he had tried to intervene, there was simply nothing he could do.


    ¡°Is there really no way?¡±


    The Su Family Young Master, unable to bear it, said, ¡°Should we go ask the ancestor of the Three Springs Building for mercy? Father, didn¡¯t you send gifts to the Three Springs Building a few days ago? They accepted them.¡±


    ¡°No chance,¡±


    The Su Family Patriarch sighed and shook his head helplessly, ¡°Chen Qiu was always too hot-blooded. He wouldn¡¯t listen to me; I told him not to kill those people.¡±


    ¡°That was the Three Springs Building Young Master¡¯s younger sister.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu is too stubborn, unable to swallow the slightest grievance. I knew back then that his temperament would sooner or later bring disaster upon himself. Look, hasn¡¯t the calamity arrived now?¡±


    ¡°Luckily, I acted decisively, making an immediate apology to the Three Springs Building and clarifying that this matter had nothing to do with our Su Family from Quzhou, otherwise, perhaps tomorrow night there would be a ¡®Kill Su Banquet¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu will never understand that enduring humiliation for a time is not weakness; only by bending can you stand up straight again. Unfortunately, he¡¯ll never get the chance to comprehend this in his lifetime.¡± S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hopefully, he will understand in his next life.¡±


    ¡°Still, there was a past friendship, so let¡¯s send him off on his last journey from here. After the hour of the rat, we¡¯ll pay respects from afar with a few sticks of incense¡ªthat should do justice to the camaraderie we had when we fought side by side in Evil State.¡±


    ¡­


    The central state, Myriad Beast Sect.


    ¡°Master, you are the best, you are a Peak of Divinity Transformation powerhouse, although Myriad Beast Sect isn¡¯t a top force, it is not weaker than Three Springs Building, so you must have a way, right?¡±


    Dressed in white, Xiao Yue was pitifully grabbing the hem of the old man¡¯s robe, pleading.


    ¡°Please, Master.¡±


    ¡°It was not easy for your disciple to find someone she admires, you wouldn¡¯t want to see your disciple¡¯s beloved die with such longing, would you?¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The old man looked at his disciple in front of him, who was continuously pleading, and after a long while he sighed deeply, ¡°The ancestor of Three Springs Building has just broken through to the Half-Step Void Refining stage, strong indeed, and the ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯ is already well-known.¡±


    ¡°To block them now is like asking them to swallow back their own spit, how could Three Springs Building possibly agree? Not only will it be impossible to save Chen Qiu, but Myriad Beast Sect will also make a powerful enemy for nothing.¡±


    Just as the elder was about to say something, he saw his disciple¡¯s pitiful look and eventually softened, sighing deeply, ¡°Fine, tonight your master will take you to Three Springs Building to try, but I can¡¯t guarantee success.¡±


    Xiao Yue immediately beamed with joy, ¡°I knew Master was the best.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The nine-tailed fox, curled up in a corner, rolled its eyes and kept silent. Chen Qiu, are you going to save him using us? The moment the Merit Value Store opened, she had checked it out.


    Most people browse from top to bottom, with the cheapest items in merit value at the top; she went straight to the bottom.


    There were two tokens in the Merit Value Store, limited to one of each kind, one was a ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± and the other was a ¡°Merit Defense Order.¡±


    Though they were bought in an instant, disappearing from the Merit Value Store.


    However, she noticed quickly, obviously, there¡¯s only one person in the entire Xuantian Continent who has enough merit points to buy these two tokens all at once.


    Thus¡ª


    While others are still weighing whether to kill Qiu or save Qiu,


    She was already waiting for death.


    Nearly a hundred billion merit points could destroy the entire Evil State.


    Nearly two hundred billion merit points, it would be effortless to destroy the entire Central State with no pressure at all.


    Whether she stayed at Myriad Beast Sect or went to Three Springs Building, there was only death waiting, so in her opinion, the conversation between these two was pointless, going or not made no difference.


    It¡¯s better to wait for death in one spot rather than taking an extra trip, at least it would be more relaxing.


    Such a life is really interesting, every day is spent on the road to death or awaiting death.


    ¡­


    On a mountain peak on Dragon Island, night had already fallen, and it was just the beginning of ¡®zishi¡¯ hour, with stars sprinkling the night sky.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the mountaintop, looked at the Divine Domain Totems of ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± and ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± in his hands, longing yet unable to indulge, as he had not yet broken through to Divinity Transformation and couldn¡¯t comprehend them.


    He planned to go to Xuantian Continent tomorrow, to find a suitable place next to Three Springs Building and then start his Heavenly Tribulation, as Ao Tian had said, after all, it was a tribulation induced by 2.9 billion sin points along with a Grade Twelve Nascent Soul, and it shouldn¡¯t be wasted.


    But at that moment¡ª


    He suddenly felt a very strong force of attraction enveloping him, becoming rapidly stronger.


    A spatial rift then appeared before him, and he could even see a middle-aged man standing on the other side, looking at him with a smirk.


    Forced summoning?


    Chen Qiu was slightly startled, and then his expression gradually became strange, for he saw the man wearing a long robe embroidered with the words ¡°Three Springs Building.¡±


    Uh¡­


    Your Three Springs Building, are you sure you want to forcefully summon him over?


    He almost immediately, while the suction force was not yet strong enough to pull him in, covered the entire Dragon Island with his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Stop cultivating!¡±


    ¡°Grab your weapons, prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°Ao Tian, come quickly!¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on .co

 Chapter 489 - 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain

    Chapter 489: Chapter 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡±!


    ¡°They¡¯re here, they¡¯re here!!¡±


    Ao Tian almost instantaneously, with an excited expression, rushed over with the Black Dragon and also brought along everyone from the Chao Tian Sect.


    By then, the suction force had grown stronger.


    Chen Qiu had no time to communicate further, quickly gathering everyone into his small world.


    The few Divinity Transformation mother dragons on Dragon Island did not follow, despite having Divinity Transformation Cultivation, as per the Dragon Clan¡¯s customs, mother dragons do not participate in battles.


    This was a tradition of the Dragon Clan, because breeding was extremely difficult for them; hence, mother dragons were often well-protected, just like tens of thousands of years ago, even when faced with such crisis, they were able to barely pass down their lineage. Had the mother dragons participated in battles back then,


    the Dragon Clan would have been completely declared extinct.


    The moment these people were taken into the small world!


    That massive pull instantly forced Chen Qiu into the spatial rift in front of him.


    ¡­


    The moment Chen Qiu landed, he did not even bother to check his whereabouts, as the embroidery of ¡°Three Springs Building¡± on that middle-aged man¡¯s robe already told him where he was.


    He immediately released Ao Tian from the small world.


    Without any hesitation,


    he sat cross-legged in mid-air, thousands of mid-grade Spirit Stones scattered around him in the air, and he immediately began his breakthrough. Barely had he started circulating his mental method when muffled sounds of Heavenly Thunder faintly echoed through the skies.


    Upon being released, Ao Tian almost instantly transformed into a Red Dragon several dozen meters long.


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Accompanied by the roar of a dragon!


    ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest!¡±


    Almost instantly, the Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest¡± enveloped the entire Three Springs Building, and the Peak of Divinity Transformation Cultivation was unabashedly unleashed.


    Hundreds of phoenixes cried as they circled over Ao Tian¡¯s head.


    Then, with his gigantic dragon eyes, he merely blinked and looked towards the somewhat dazed crowd, laughing.


    ¡°Oh, a halfway Void Refining, two at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, and eight or nine at the Late-stage Divinity Transformation. My younger brother is only at the Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivation. Did you really need to make such a big show to kill my brother?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Patriarch of the Three Springs Building, now trembling with excitement, couldn¡¯t help but loudly exclaim several times, ¡°Good, good, good, heaven helps me as well!¡±


    His original intention was merely to kill Chen Qiu, giving himself a boost after coming out of seclusion!


    Unexpectedly, he also caught a member of the Dragon Clan. Even a fool in Xuantian Continent knew that the Dragon Clan represented endless treasures. If he could kill this member of the Dragon Clan here, he might have the foundation to break through to Void Refining!


    This was a great opportunity!


    He immediately disregarded Chen Qiu, who was breaking through temporarily!


    With a furious shout, he called for his comrades to assist him and instantly activated the Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting.¡± As a Magic Practitioner, ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡± was quite suitable for him!


    Although its grade was lower than the dragon¡¯s Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain.


    It would not be suppressed too much.


    After all, the difference was still within three grades.


    As the two domains collided fiercely, his Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡± was obviously at a disadvantage, overlapping with the dragon¡¯s Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest.¡±


    And at that moment¡ª


    The other two Peak Divinity Transformation and several Late-stage Divinity Transformation experts exchanged glances, seeing the greed and excitement in each other¡¯s eyes. Originally, they had come today just to socialize with the Three Springs Building, but the appearance of a Dragon Clan member presented an additional opportunity!


    Immediately!


    Several Divinity Transformation Domains activated at once!


    Instantly, countless spells filled with wild energy enveloped Ao Tian!


    Even Chen Qiu, who was undergoing a breakthrough at the side, was ignored. At this point, who would care about Chen Qiu? With such a grand opportunity in front, they would definitely kill the dragon first!


    ¡­


    ¡°How do we save him.¡±


    Tens of miles away.


    The Sect Master of the Myriad Beast Sect, sitting on a giant eagle, barely twitched his lips as he felt the activity at the Three Springs Building through his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Your master is only at the Peak of Divinity Transformation. There¡¯s one half-step Void Refining, two Peaks of Divinity Transformation, and a bunch of Late-stage Divinity Transformations there.¡±


    ¡°In such a scenario, how could Chen Qiu not die?¡±


    ¡°Your master really is powerless this time.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Xiao Yue, slightly unwilling, looked at the fox in her arms, ¡°Master, why don¡¯t we give it a try? This fox you gave me, I¡¯ve discovered she has the ability to sense danger. Every time I¡¯m about to encounter danger, she always flees at the first sign.¡±


    ¡°And this time she didn¡¯t flee, which means she doesn¡¯t see any danger this time.¡±


    ¡°There will definitely be a miracle.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The fox rolled its eyes again. Could she stop adding scenes for her? She didn¡¯t have any ability to foresee danger; she just knew that this time, fleeing or not, it would be the same result¡ªthey were all going to die.


    Too lazy to bother. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If that trillion worth of Merit Attack Order drops down, who in Middle-Earth could survive? They¡¯re all f***ing going to die here!


    ¡­


    ¡°This is a bit too much¡­¡±


    In the back mountain of the Three Springs Building.


    Ao Tian, facing the several Divinity Transformation Domains enveloping him, felt somewhat resigned as he used his dragon tail to block all the spells aimed at Chen Qiu. Unable to help himself, he contacted Chen Qiu through his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Younger brother, hurry up, your brother might not be able to hold on much longer.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    The next moment.


    Before Chen Qiu could respond, Ao Tian instantly shot towards Chen Qiu, the entire length of his dragon body wrapped around Chen Qiu, not attacking anymore, using his body as a shield to protect Chen Qiu.


    Perhaps because he had just used his dragon tail to block the spells aimed at Chen Qiu, these people learned their lesson, not aiming at him anymore, only targeting Chen Qiu.


    The dragon tail couldn¡¯t protect anymore.


    He had to use his dragon body to protect.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on .co

 Chapter 490 - 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain

    Chapter 490: Chapter 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡±!_2


    For a moment¡ª


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    Countless spells mercilessly struck Ao Tian¡¯s body, splattering dragon blood everywhere. However, as phoenixes from his ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest¡± domain entered his body, his injuries were instantly healed.


    Enveloping himself like a coiled dragon around a pillar, Ao Tian protected Chen Qiu inside and began to endure the beating with peace of mind.


    And buried his head into his own dragon¡¯s body.


    Like this, dozens of breaths passed, and the spells from outside gradually lessened.


    Ao Tian once again stuck his dragon¡¯s head out and taunted the crowd, ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    But he quickly realized¡ª


    These people seemed to be frozen in place, and they were all looking up to the sky where, unbeknownst to them, tribulation clouds had accumulated above the Three Springs Building, engulfing it entirely. The area covered by the clouds wasn¡¯t large; it was just enough to encapsulate the building.


    It wasn¡¯t large.


    But the problem was¡­


    The might of these tribulation clouds seemed unprecedentedly exaggerated, with a force so daunting that it almost stopped everyone¡¯s breath. And everyone within the range of the clouds was deemed a Guardian for Chen Qiu!


    They were already targeted by the tribulation clouds!


    This meant, no matter where they ran to at this moment, they would be struck by the thunder tribulation, and go through the ordeal along with Chen Qiu. And the aura contained within the tribulation clouds was still increasing, turning from grey to black¡­


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°BOOM!!!¡±


    Countless thunderbolts carrying terrifying might enshrouded the entire Three Springs Building, striking indiscriminately, one for each person, no one was left shortchanged.


    The thunder tribulation completely ignored the Mountain Protection Array of the Three Springs Building, touching every single person precisely!


    Just with this one strike!


    All disciples beneath the Divinity Transformation Cultivation were struck dead on the spot!


    One must know, there are at least nine strikes in a thunder tribulation. This was just the tribulation for Nascent Soul breaking through to Divinity Transformation, and the first thunder strike alone had killed all those below the Divinity Transformation Cultivation. What Nascent Soul peak Cultivators could endure it?


    ¡°Damn it!!!¡±


    At this moment, those who had just been besieging Ao Tian all sobered up from that thunder strike, their faces changing drastically. No longer attacking Ao Tian, they each sat down cross-legged, bringing out their Spiritual Treasures, preparing to undergo the thunder tribulation along with Chen Qiu.


    It was already too late to run.


    The divine sense of the tribulation clouds had already locked onto all of them, with everyone present considered Chen Qiu¡¯s Guardians.


    Of course, the power of the thunder tribulation wasn¡¯t diminished¡ªrather, what had been originally directed at only Chen Qiu was now fair game for everyone. Quite fair.


    Beneath the tribulation clouds, everyone is equal.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Ao Tian, with his divine sense, sensed the terrifying force within the tribulation clouds above, and couldn¡¯t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. The might of those tribulation clouds was indeed fearsome.


    Just one thunder strike had left him a bit numb, even though under the Ninth Grade Divinity Transformation Domain of ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest,¡± his physical strength had increased dramatically, and he was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation.


    In such a condition, if a thunder tribulation for just breaking through to Divinity Transformation from Nascent Soul could make him feel numb, it was enough to prove the terror of this thunder tribulation.


    Without any hesitation, Ao Tian instantly shrank his several-zhang-long dragon body down to an inch, and burrowed into Chen Qiu¡¯s clothes.


    The tribulation clouds had locked him in too.


    He admitted he couldn¡¯t withstand it and could only hide in Chen Qiu¡¯s embrace, letting Chen Qiu take one more strike for him, which probably isn¡¯t too much of a problem for Chen Qiu.


    And this first thunder tribulation was just a catalyst!


    Just then¡ª


    Dozens of thunder tribulations almost formed a straight line in the sky above the territory of the Three Springs Building, striking down evenly on everyone¡¯s head!


    The pitch-black night instantly turned as bright as day, the blinding white light accompanied by the deafening thunder making the Three Springs Building the most significant focal point of the night. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Countless Divinity Transformation Cultivators from the Central Province flocked nearby, not daring to probe with their divine sense, lest they be targeted by the tribulation clouds, and could only watch with their naked eyes the horrifying tribulation clouds above the Three Springs Building, their eyes filled with disbelief, unclear about what had happened.


    ¡­


    ¡°Damn, damn!¡±


    At this moment, the ancestor of the Three Springs Building, looking at the Young Master who had been blasted to smithereens not far away, his face dark as he looked towards Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged in midair with his eyes closed, seemingly undisturbed.


    These dozens of thunder tribulations were increasing in power with each strike.


    He was already a half-step into Void Refining Cultivation, but he already felt he was barely able to hold on, and those late-stage Divinity Transformation old friends beside him were already on the brink of death.


    The power of this thunder tribulation was greater than they had imagined!


    It was only now that he realized he had forgotten something.


    The higher the grade of the Nascent Soul, the more powerful the thunder tribulation, and the more sins one had, the more powerful the thunder tribulation.


    And Chen Qiu had a twelve-grade Nascent Soul with 2.9 billion in sin value. The power of the thunder tribulation it induced was definitely beyond what ordinary people could withstand, but he had forgotten this.


    And had rashly forced Chen Qiu to the Three Springs Building.


    Unfortunately, it was already too late to realize this; the tribulation clouds had arrived and locked onto him. At this moment, it was impossible to run away, and nothing left but to harden his scalp and accompany Chen Qiu through the thunder tribulation.


    The only thing he couldn¡¯t understand was¡ª


    How was Chen Qiu able to withstand the strength of the thunder tribulation that even late-stage Divinity Transformation couldn¡¯t bear?


    ¡­


    There are levels of strength in thunder tribulations.


    From the weakest to the strongest, they are classified as the First of the Nine Thunder Tribulations, Two Nine Thunder Tribulations, and so on up to the Nine Nine Thunder Tribulations.


    And now¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch watched with a vacant look towards the direction of the Three Springs Building, and the countless thunder tribulations that almost formed several lines, murmuring, ¡°Son¡­ can you still count which number thunder tribulation this is?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be the three hundredth.¡±


    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 491 - 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain

    Chapter 491: Chapter 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡±!_3


    The young man beside him whispered quietly.


    ¡°Three hundred strikes¡­¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch looked complexly towards the Heavenly Thunder rolling silently above Three Springs Building, remembering that it resembled the Heavenly Tribulation he had experienced when he broke through to the Divinity Transformation stage.


    It was the Thirty-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.


    A total of twenty-seven strikes of Heavenly Tribulation had shattered two of his Protective Spiritual Treasures.


    Three hundred strikes of Heavenly Tribulation¡ªhe did not know how he would have survived it, especially since the power of this tribulation was much stronger than the one he had experienced before.


    It could even be said to be much stronger!


    Strong to a terrifying extent!


    Even the Ninety-Nine Heavenly Tribulation had only eighty-one strikes. With three hundred strikes, each more powerful than the last, how could Chen Qiu survive this Heavenly Tribulation?


    ¡­


    ¡°Is this Chen Qiu¡¯s contingency plan?¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Miles away, the Myraid Beast Sect Leader looked towards the tribulation clouds above Three Springs Building with shock in his eyes. He had heard much about Chen Qiu, but this was his first time witnessing it!


    Without exaggeration!


    Even he, with his peak Divinity Transformation Cultivation, facing such a Heavenly Tribulation could confidently say that he could not withstand it.


    Could Chen Qiu survive it?


    Meanwhile, the woman in white clothes, Xiao Yue, looked fascinated towards Three Springs Building, ¡°So this is the foundation of Chen Qiu¡¯s confidence. I knew such a persona would not just die easily in Three Springs Building.¡±


    Then she looked down at the small fox in her arms.


    ¡°Little Fox, you¡¯re amazing, your ability to foresee danger is incredible!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    My name is July Cat, don¡¯t give me some strange nickname!


    July Cat did not bother to speak but simply found a comfortable position in Xiao Yue¡¯s arms, and it seemed they would not die this time. Chen Qiu did not use the Merit Attack Order, allowing them to live longer.


    That¡¯s good.


    ¡­


    At this moment, dozens of miles from Three Springs Building in Central Continent, many Divinity Transformation Cultivators had arrived, looking towards the tribulation clouds above Three Springs Building with shock on their faces.


    The tribulation clouds caused no harm to the buildings and back mountains of Three Springs Building.


    Heavenly Tribulation clouds only cause damage to the living beings undergoing the tribulation.


    They completely ignore formations.


    And do not cause damage to buildings, unlike the Heavenly Punishment that day above Quzhou, which had razed the entirety of Evil State to dust.


    Many did not know what had happened and were merely sensing abnormalities and had come to check, but as they intermingled their Divine Senses and exchanged information,


    they quickly understood the causes and consequences of the events.


    Chen Qiu was undergoing Heavenly Tribulation and breaking into Divinity Transformation in the core area of Three Springs Building, and this tribulation cloud was Chen Qiu¡¯s Heavenly Tribulation, involving everyone in Three Springs Building in his tribulation as well.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the back mountain of Three Springs Building, Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged in the air, slowly opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.


    There was no longer a living person in sight.


    Or rather, not even corpses could be seen, all had been obliterated by the Heavenly Tribulation.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled in satisfaction as he looked around at the storage rings floating in the air; the Heavenly Tribulation was considerate not to strike the storage rings, leaving plenty for him to claim.


    And it had not damaged Three Springs Building either; once the tribulation was over, he could harvest slowly.


    The legacy of Three Springs Building for so many years should belong to him now.


    As for the Heavenly Tribulation, although it was enormously powerful, it could not cause him any harm. Under the protection of nearly 200 billion merits, he couldn¡¯t even feel a tingling sensation.


    It was just a bit boring.


    Sitting here with nothing to do.


    He did not know how much time had passed.


    Finally, no more strikes of Heavenly Tribulation came, and the tribulation clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, leaving Chen Qiu feeling much lighter.


    The Spiritual Energy inside his Dantian became even more majestic and dense.


    The Nascent Soul above the Dantian was covered in ¡°thunder patterns¡±, merging with the entry names etched on its surface, making his Nascent Soul resemble one covered in tattoos.


    A rather unique and special aesthetic.


    And his Cultivation panel also underwent a change, ¡°Cultivation¡±: Divinity Transformation First Layer (0%).


    He had finally reached the first layer of Divinity Transformation. Soon, before the tribulation clouds had even dispersed, a Heavenly Dao Decree echoed throughout Xuantian Continent!


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: By the sensing of Heavenly Dao, within Central Continent of Xuantian Continent, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, peerless Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu, successfully traversed the ¡®Annihilation Thunder Tribulation¡¯!


    As the first Heavenly Pride in the history of Xuantian Continent to cross the ¡®Annihilation Thunder Tribulation¡¯!


    Awarding him a strand of Heavenly Thunder Power, may all living beings take this as a model.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly startled, after introspecting his Dantian saw two strands of Blue-tinged Purple Heavenly Thunder orbiting his Nascent Soul.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: A Strand of Heavenly Thunder Power


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Awarded by a Heavenly Dao Decree after achieving a special remarkable achievement etc.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Consuming a strand of Heavenly Thunder Power can significantly enhance the power of a Thunder Magic spell, imbuing it with the power of Heavenly Thunder.


    ¨C


    The effect was simple and brutal.


    But he liked it.


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but smile as he looked at these two strands of Heavenly Thunder Power; currently, he only had the Thunder Summoning Technique for Thunder Magic, and now he had an extra one.


    It couldn¡¯t be.


    With this arrangement, he might really have to use the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡±, a common Foundation Establishment stage spell, all the way to the peak of Divinity Transformation and even into the Void Refining stage.


    This might just be called having not more, but the most effective attack method.


    Being skilled in ten is not as good as excelling in three, excelling in three is not as good as mastering one.


    A single ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± conquers all under heaven.


    He just named it again, he only needs to name it once more in order to complete another milestone task.


    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 492 - 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain

    Chapter 492: Chapter 190: Twelfth Grade Divinity Transformation Divine Domain ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡±!_4


    Afterward, his Divine Sense spread out unabashedly from the Three Springs Building as the center, reaching out for dozens of miles. Numerous Cultivators at the Divinity Transformation Stage were in the vicinity, but they all chose to remain silent at this moment, making no move.


    ¡­


    ¡°There are indeed quite a few people,¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows lifted slightly. He then empowered the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± with a strand of Heavenly Thunder Power before releasing Ao Tian and the Chao Tian Sect members and others.


    It was time for the harvest.


    ¡°Is it over¡­?¡±


    Ao Tian reverted back to human form and stood in place, looking around at the empty ground and muttered with a sense of survival after a disaster, ¡°Now I finally understand why the term ¡®Surviving a calamity¡¯ exists.¡±


    ¡°This is truly a f*cking survival after a disaster,¡±


    The Heavenly Tribulation was even more terrifying than he had imagined; it was a pity that Void Refining wasn¡¯t present. Otherwise, he would have liked to see if Void Refining could have withstood it.


    2.9 billion Sin Values, plus the Twelve Grade Nascent Soul.


    The Heavenly Tribulation aimed to strike Chen Qiu dead from the beginning, but relying on nearly 200 billion Virtue Points, he managed to come out completely unharmed.


    This adequately proved one point:


    With many sins, one will surely be struck by lightning, but as long as your Virtue Points are sufficient, you can offset your sins with your merits.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at Ao Tian and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s time to reap the fruits of victory; you guys keep busy. I¡¯ll first comprehend the ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯ Domain Totem of Divinity Transformation and later test the Domain effects on those Divinity Transformations nearby.¡±


    The next moment!


    The ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± Domain Totem of Divinity Transformation crumbled in Chen Qiu¡¯s hands, and then countless white light spots drifted into his mind.


    Meanwhile, Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged in the air, gradually closed his eyes.


    He began to enter a state of comprehension.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the Central Province, the various Divinity Transformation Cultivators outside the Three Springs Building were constantly colliding with their Divine Senses in the air, outwardly silent, but the commotion was already buzzing beneath the surface.


    ¡°Just like that, Three Springs Building is gone? No matter what, it was an old and established force with many years of heritage; shouldn¡¯t it continue somehow?¡±


    ¡°Do you even need to ask? With that Heavenly Thunder, do you think Three Springs Building¡¯s half-step Void Refining could have survived?¡±


    ¡°How does heritage matter? Isn¡¯t the Evil Clan, with an even longer heritage, gone as well?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Chen Qiu too ruthless? Don¡¯t you all feel a sense of crisis?¡±


    ¡°No, as long as I don¡¯t provoke him, I don¡¯t believe he will come after me for no reason. Didn¡¯t the annihilation of Three Springs Building happen only because they provoked Chen Qiu by hosting the ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In a moment!


    The Divine Senses of countless Divinity Transformation Cultivators collided in the air. After confirming that the Three Springs Building was completely destroyed, everyone was startled, and that¡¯s when¡ª¡ª


    The person in charge of Bishan Palace, one of Central Province¡¯s top forces, had appeared here unknowingly.


    Peak Divinity Transformation Cultivation.


    This was the very person who represented the Human Race in peace negotiations with the Devil Clan.


    Upon appearing, this person immediately said with a calm and deep voice, ¡°You must have been frightened by Chen Qiu. With a Twelve Grade Nascent Soul and 2.9 billion Sin Values, it is quite normal for him to invoke such a Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡±


    ¡°That was Heavenly Tribulation, not Chen Qiu¡¯s own tactic.¡±


    ¡°Although it is unknown how Chen Qiu survived this Tribulation, he must be weak at this moment. We, gathered here, should join forces and eliminate this predicted calamity once and for all!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As the voice faded.


    The Divinity Transformation Cultivators surrounding the Three Springs Building suddenly fell silent; after a long while, one of the Cultivators, without saying another word, flew away into the distance.


    Leaving only one sentence behind:


    ¡°The plan is good, but I¡¯ve gone into seclusion, contact me after a hundred years if needed.¡±


    With the first person taking the lead,


    quickly the second, the third, the third Divinity Transformation Cultivators also shot off into the distance.


    ¡°I, too, am in seclusion.¡±


    ¡°Add me to that.¡±


    ¡°And me too.¡±


    In almost the blink of an eye!


    The numerous Divinity Transformation Cultivators, who had gathered around the Three Springs Building, scattered in all directions, and in just a few breaths, vanished from their original locations!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Elder of Bishan Palace watched the dispersing Cultivators with a sullen expression, feeling somewhat anxious inside. With the half-step Void Refining from Three Springs Building dead, he too lacked confidence.


    Perhaps¡­ it was time to ask the ancestors to make a move?


    However, he soon gritted his teeth slightly. Chen Qiu had just endured the Heavenly Tribulation, and must be in his weakest state; if they missed this opportunity, it would not be easy to find another!


    Besides, that was the Heavenly Tribulation, not Chen Qiu¡¯s own tactic.


    What was there to fear?


    Being at the peak of Divinity Transformation, wouldn¡¯t it be easy to overpower someone who had just broken through to Divinity Transformation?


    Looking back at the three Divinity Transformation Elders behind him, after pondering for a moment, he resolved to eliminate the disaster that was Chen Qiu from existence once and for all!


    Then, he promptly led several Divinity Transformation elders of the Bishan Palace, streaking towards the Three Springs Building!


    ¡­


    A hundred miles away.


    An elder dressed in Taoist robes let out a light sigh, rubbing his temples with some helplessness, ¡°Really thought the Three Springs Building had some capability.¡±


    He was the Sect Grand Elder of the Xuantian Sect.


    Originally, the Xuantian Sect had withdrawn from the world, but hearing the firm declarations of the Three Springs Building that they would execute Chen Qiu tonight, he actually believed they had the power to do so.


    If Chen Qiu were to die, the Xuantian Sect wouldn¡¯t need to hide any longer.


    Now it seemed they must continue to stay out of sight.


    It must be said, at times it¡¯s the wisdom of the old ancestors that prevails ¨C this prophecy left behind, believe it or not, is indeed quite useful.


    As long as they hide well within the small world.


    He didn¡¯t believe it.


    Could Chen Qiu really burrow into their small world?


    After a shake of his head, he prepared to return to the Xuantian Sect. As for those from the Bishan Palace who had attained Divinity Transformation, he didn¡¯t think highly of them; they were likely to return empty-handed.


    A person like Chen Qiu belonged to those favored by heavenly destiny.


    Killing such a person was extremely difficult.


    Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have directly hidden away. Wouldn¡¯t it have been much simpler to just have the Void Refining ancestor take action and snuff out Chen Qiu¡¯s life?


    They said to hide for a hundred years, but now it appears they will only need to hide for just three to five years; once Chen Qiu causes enough havoc on the Xuantian Continent and leaves, they could come out again.


    Hiding for just three to five years.


    Not a big problem.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    A voice, ancient and ethereal, suddenly resounded by his ear!


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Heavenly Dao senses that within the Central Continent of the Xuantian Continent, Chen Qiu, Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, peerless Heavenly Pride, has forged the ¡®Twelve Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯, attaining supreme Divinity Transformation!


    This feat, unparalleled and unmatched in all of history, is a marvel for all ages.


    He is bestowed with ¡®a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯ and ¡®a Divinity Transformation Domain Medal¡¯. Common folk need not take this as a standard, simply observe in peace.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Sect Grand Elder of the Xuantian Sect, who was just about to rise and leave, twitched his mouth again and, without any pause, turned and streaked towards the direction of the Xuantian Sect¡¯s hidden small world.


    Twelve Grade Divinity Transformation Domain¡­


    A bit frightening, to say the least.


    ¡­


    At the same time¡ª Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Inside the Three Springs Building.


    The peak Divinity Transformation elder of the Bishan Palace, with a fierce expression, was leading a group of Divinity Transformation elders rushing towards the sky above Three Springs Building. Looking at Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged in the air, they instantly activated the Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡®Frostbound Horizon¡¯.


    A dense chill instantly enveloped the entire Three Springs Building, and countless snowflakes fluttered from the sky to the ground. Just as they prepared to strike and execute Chen Qiu on the spot!


    They heard the Heavenly Dao Decree ringing by their ears.


    Pausing momentarily, a hint of confusion flashed in their eyes.


    Ten¡­ Twelve Grade?


    Divinity Transformation Domain?


    The next moment¡ª


    It seemed to him that the Divinity Transformation Domain he had just activated instantly turned to dust.


    ¡°Are you here to visit?¡±


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged in the air and had activated the Twelve Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯, opened his eyes and looked warmly at the group frozen in mid-air, greeting them with a smile.


    In front of a Twelve Grade Domain, any Eight Grade Domain would simply be obliterated as soon as it was activated.


    The grade of a Domain is not determined by Cultivation.


    A three-grade difference means absolute suppression, regardless of Cultivation; the Domain itself would be negated.


    In front of a Twelve Grade Domain, any Domain below Grade Ten would have to be annihilated, and he had not even used the ¡®Divinity Transformation Domain Grade Enhancing Token¡¯.


    After enhancement, even Grade Ten Domains would be absolutely suppressed to annihilation.


    Peak Divinity Transformation was indeed terrifying, not something his single layer of Divinity Transformation could contend with, but a peak Divinity Transformation without a Domain was manageable.


    Moreover¡­


    He had more than one Domain, more than just himself.


    Ao Tian, who appeared next to Chen Qiu at an unknown time, now looked at the peak Divinity Transformation elder of Bishan Palace, whose Domain was being absolutely suppressed, and couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°Remember me, old friend?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you activate your Domain?¡±


    Following that¡ª


    A Nascent Soul that bore some resemblance to Chen Qiu slowly floated beside him, and in the horrified eyes of the Bishan Palace peak Divinity Transformation elder, activated a second Domain.


    Twelve Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move¡¯!


    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 497 - 192:

    Chapter 497: Chapter 192: ¡°Only those who fear death deserve to live.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Dozens of miles away from the Three Springs Building, a yearning look intensified in Xiao Yue¡¯s eyes as she muttered dreamily, ¡°Haven¡¯t you always told me to find a proud child of heaven? How about Chen Qiu, does he meet your standards, Master?¡±


    At that time, the battle had ceased.


    The vast and brutal spiritual energy had finally come to a stop.


    The Myriad Beast Sect¡¯s Peak of Divinity Transformation elder remained expressionless, silent for a long time before he softly said, ¡°Starting from today, you¡¯ll immediately return to the sect with me, and you are not allowed to go anywhere else.¡±


    Although he dared not extend his divine sense over,


    the commotion from the battle did not require divine sense to perceive; one could sense it with the eyes. In just a few months, Chen Qiu had stepped into the early stages of Divinity Transformation from the Golden Core Peak and had attained such combat power only shortly after entering the early stage. His future was almost certainly destined to reach the pinnacle of Xuantian Continent.


    Grind down if need be.


    He had a premonition that with Chen Qiu¡¯s character and strength, if his own disciple did not recognize the good from bad and continued to pester, the Myriad Beast Sect might face the danger of extinction.


    To put it nicely, a personage like Chen Qiu would not condescend to indulge in romantic affairs.


    To put it harshly, he knew all too well his own disciple, who was clearly not a match for Chen Qiu.


    If a person were to ask for trouble, it would be like a Golden Core loose cultivator carrying a treasure in their possession¡ªdeath wouldn¡¯t be far off.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Xiao Yue frowned discontentedly, ¡°I¡¯m going to find Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a pause, the elder of Myriad Beast Sect at the Peak of Divinity Transformation finally decided to be blunt, ¡°Such a personage will not put his heart into you.¡±


    Then, without waiting to see his disciple¡¯s reaction, he immediately released a powerful spiritual energy that enveloped his disciple and shot toward the direction of the Myriad Beast Sect!


    As for the nine-tailed fox in Xiao Yue¡¯s arms, it was slightly surprised as it looked at the Myriad Beast Sect¡¯s elder at the Peak of Divinity Transformation.


    This old man knows how to read the room?


    She had wanted to say this a long time ago¡ªa female cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, how could she have the audacity to approach him?


    Unexpectedly, this old man was quite sensible.


    Looks like he might live a bit longer this time?


    She had a capability to see through people¡¯s inner voices, so she understood the old man¡¯s thoughts even more clearly. She was curious about what Chen Qiu was thinking. Still, she dared not get too close to him.


    Compared to hearing inner voices,


    she found the idea of staying alive much more meaningful.


    ¡­


    Dozens of miles away, the Sect Grand Elder of the Xuantian Sect calmly looked toward the slowly calming Three Springs Building and sighed softly after a long time.


    When the elder at the Peak of Divinity Transformation from Bishan Palace went with several Divinity Transformation elders to trouble Chen Qiu,


    he had determined that they would likely return without success.


    Now it seemed that the other possibility had come to pass.


    Return with no one.


    A Divine Domain of the twelfth grade meant that even a Divine Domain of the ninth grade would be completely suppressed in front of Chen Qiu. To the best of his knowledge, the ninth grade Divine Domain was already the most powerful existence on Xuantian Continent.


    There was only one person on the entire Xuantian Continent who possessed a tenth grade Divine Domain.


    That is to say, only one person¡¯s Domain would not be absolutely suppressed in front of Chen Qiu¡ªeveryone else¡¯s Divine Domain, upon meeting Chen Qiu, would fail to manifest.


    This was a matter of grade suppression.


    Absolute suppression.


    No matter how high your cultivation, you would still be suppressed.


    He could not imagine why someone would be able to craft a twelfth grade Divine Domain. He also knew the fundamental materials required to create a Domain of such caliber, the conditions of which seemed impossible for humans to achieve, or rather, impossible for the Xuantian Continent to manifest.


    A Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Just this item alone was practically something that should not exist on the Xuantian Continent.


    A Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride Fortune required three Threads of Supreme Genius Fortune, and a Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune in turn required three Threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune. In other words, to possess a Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride Fortune, one would need¡ª


    Nine Threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    Twenty-seven Threads of Earth Pride Luck. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Eighty-one Threads of Luck of Human Pride.


    These materials simply could not be gathered on the Xuantian Continent, or rather, to gather so many materials, even if a person could reap the greatest benefits from every fortuitous event, they would need to stretch the timeline sufficiently long.


    Therefore, he had no idea how Chen Qiu achieved this.


    But¡ª


    Since he is the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, then everything is normal.


    Perhaps it was the heritage left behind by the Chao Tian Sect. Thousands of years ago, the sect swept across the entire Xuantian Continent and plundered countless opportunities; perhaps they indeed had such a foundation.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Much later, this Great Elder of the Xuantian Sect sighed again. Maybe¡­it was time to lay low for a few more years.


    ¡­


    ¡°Was Father¡¯s guess correct?¡±


    Also dozens of miles away, the Cao Family Patriarch¡¯s eyes flickered with self-satisfaction and relief as he watched the calming ripples of spiritual energy at the Three Springs Building, ¡°Father has long said, that Chen Qiu, being a peerless talent, wouldn¡¯t fall so easily!¡±


    ¡°The ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯ must have been a trap set up by Chen Qiu, intending to catch all the guests at the banquet in one fell swoop!¡±


    ¡°You wait and see!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that Chen Qiu will even follow the guests¡¯ list on the gift ledger, paying a visit to each of their houses. Many powers have lost their strongest people here this time; they might be done for.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The young man hesitated, then said with uncertainty, ¡°Father, have you forgotten? You said that if this event turned out to be real, not going would offend the Three Springs Building. So, although we did not attend, our tribute indeed arrived first. Our Cao Family¡¯s name is already on that gift ledger.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After remaining expressionless and silent for a long while, the Cao Family Patriarch finally waved it off, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The battle just now was so fierce that the entire Three Springs Building was turned to ashes, not to mention a mere gift ledger.¡±

 Chapter 498 - 192:

    Chapter 498: Chapter 192: ¡°Only those who fear death deserve to live.¡± _2


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Everything is going according to plan.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡ª¡±


    ¡°To be on the safe side, quickly return home now, swiftly gather the entire family, young and old, and hold a grand feast under the guise of ¡®Celebrating Chen Qiu¡¯s Breakthrough into Divinity Transformation.¡¯ If Chen Qiu truly follows the ledger of gifts and arrives.¡±


    ¡°I refuse to believe that, with us in this servile appearance, he would have the heart to kill us?¡±


    ¡°But for the sake of caution, I will handle this matter at home; you stay outside and lay low for the moment.¡±


    ¡°I am not afraid to die,¡± the young man said softly, looking at his father.


    The Cao Family Patriarch gently stroked the back of the young man¡¯s neck: ¡°As your father, my journey from being a Loose Cultivator to reaching the Middle Stage of Divinity Transformation was made possible by the word ¡®humility¡¯ which is easy to say but hard to achieve.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary people, in their weakest moments, do anything to survive¡ªeven drink cow urine, let alone kneel and beg for mercy.¡±


    ¡°But once they advance in their Cultivation, like reaching Nascent Soul or Divinity Transformation, they bear burdens.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly, they¡¯d rather die than kneel.¡±


    ¡°Despite acknowledging their fears so many times on their journey, once they achieve success and fame, flattered by many, they suddenly feel their pride matters more than their life. Based on my experience, those who claim they are not afraid of death usually don¡¯t live long.¡±


    ¡°Only those who fear death deserve to live; they have enough reverence for death.¡±


    ¡°For instance¡ª¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch suddenly pulled out a waterskin from his robe, took several big gulps, and then, with a light laugh, handed the stinking waterskin to his son: ¡°Currently, as a Middle Stage Divinity Transformer and head of the family, I am a figure who could suppress anyone in any province across the upper and lower Nine Heavens.¡±


    ¡°Yet I can still drink cow urine without changing my expression.¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡±


    ¡°This is the difference between you and me; even if Chen Qiu really comes, I can make myself humble enough, but you can¡¯t, you don¡¯t want to see yourself or your father bending low.¡±


    ¡°You might act impulsively due to some bizarre ¡®cannot bear to see father humiliated¡¯ notion and rush to your death, thereby dooming the entire family.¡±


    ¡°Can you drink this cow urine?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young man looked at the stinking waterskin handed by his father and after a long silence, he chuckled, ¡°Father, I bet the waterskin doesn¡¯t contain cow urine and you¡¯re just using it to make a point.¡±


    After saying this,


    he grabbed the waterskin and gulped down its contents; after three swallows, he quietly put down the waterskin and spat the liquid out, his expression impassive: ¡°It¡¯s really cow urine.¡±


    ¡°This is the difference between us.¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch laughed as he took back the stinking waterskin and drank another three mouthfuls without changing his expression, then looked toward the Three Springs Building and said sentimentally: ¡°One day, I will die, and the Cao Family will ultimately be yours to lead.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much I can teach you.¡±


    ¡°This is the first point.¡±


    ¡°No matter how high your Cultivation, you should never harbor the bizarre ideas of preferring to shatter your body than to break your pride; only by living can you do more things.¡±


    ¡°Even if it means drinking urine?¡± the young man said, his stomach churning as he frowned.


    ¡°Yes, even drinking urine.¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Cao Family Patriarch paused and then could not help laughing, showing off the mechanism of the waterskin.


    ¡°And the second point I¡¯m teaching you is,¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, you don¡¯t actually have to drink urine; it¡¯s enough just to make others think you are. It¡¯s not the act of drinking urine that matters, but the attitude that¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Think it over.¡±


    ¡°Despite being just a Loose Cultivator once, I¡¯ve climbed to where I am now, and there are many highlights you could learn from me. For now, I¡¯ll take you to a close friend of ours. I will wait at home for three days; if Chen Qiu doesn¡¯t show up, I will bring you back.¡±


    ¡°If I die,¡±


    ¡°you might as well change your name and surname.¡±


    ¡°After all, the surname Cao isn¡¯t that great-sounding.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The young man said quietly, ¡°I will have my revenge, I will find a way to join the Chao Tian Sect and strike Chen Qiu fatally at a critical moment.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch, with a poignant look, patted his son¡¯s head: ¡°Your misplaced confidence is quite adorable at times, but with your talents, how could you possibly join the Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°If you truly want revenge,¡±


    ¡°then find a straw doll, write Chen Qiu¡¯s name on a piece of cloth, and wrap it around the doll. Stab it a thousand times a day, and perhaps after a few thousand years, you might manage to curse Chen Qiu to death.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± the young man was somewhat puzzled, ¡°if you are so pessimistic, father, why even go back? Couldn¡¯t we abandon the Cao Family and wander the world?¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch paused for a long while before he shook his head helplessly and said softly,


    ¡°The hardest thing in this world is to align knowledge and action.¡±


    ¡°I naturally know how to avoid potential dangers and how to survive, but¡­ the Cao Family is ultimately built by me. There¡¯re my family, my friends, my roots.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t bear to leave.¡±


    ¡°When I was young, I could submit to the enemy just to survive.¡±


    ¡°But now that I am older, if there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯d still want to try and save them; at the very least, I can meet death with them. Sometimes, it¡¯s really difficult to align knowledge and action.¡±


    ¡­


    In the Heavenly Palace above the Nine Heavens of the Xuantian Continent,


    Chen Qiu was currently leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, standing at the center of the Heavenly Palace, looking at the newly erected two statues.

 Chapter 499 - 192:

    Chapter 499: Chapter 192: ¡°Only those who fear death deserve to live.¡± _3


    One statue depicted him when he opened his Twelfth Rank Divine Domain, ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move,¡± surrounded by countless illusory and real thunder arcs that blossomed and faded like flowers, lifelike and vivid.


    It was particularly striking.


    Another statue showed him sitting cross-legged in a storm, overlooking the Three Springs Building, his expression indifferent and his eyes radiating a cold, merciless aura.


    This was the only statue where he was not standing but sitting cross-legged.


    Among the other four statues, it appeared particularly unique.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu circled these two statues before turning his gaze to the remaining seven empty circular bases. There were twelve milestone tasks on the Xuantian Continent, of which he had completed five, leaving seven more.


    And when these seven milestone tasks were finished, it would be the day he would leave the Xuantian Continent.


    After making the round.


    He once again walked to the gates of the Heavenly Palace and tried to push them open, but the gates remained tightly sealed and were not something he could open with his current strength. It was as if the world itself had firmly locked the doors of the Heavenly Palace.


    Looking through the crack in the door.


    Outside the door crack was still a formless void, nothing could be seen.


    First Grade Xuantian Continent, Central Heavenly Palace.


    After taking a meaningful look at this crack, Chen Qiu once again transformed into white light and vanished on the spot, reappearing at the ruins of the Three Springs Building. He did not know the specifics of that vast continent.


    But one thing he knew.


    Either accumulating a hundred billion merit points or reaching the Void Refining Stage in cultivation would allow him to travel to that vast continent.


    However, there were individuals at the Void Refining Stage on the Xuantian Continent, and the fact that these Void Refining cultivators had not gone to the vast continent indicated one thing: it was highly probable that traveling to the vast continent was not a good thing at all.


    Especially, the words said by the shadow across from the black hole when he refused to go to the vast continent.


    ¡°Ant.¡±


    He, as a person, did not actually hold grudges, but he would repay every single one, just as ordinary people would eat every day. He didn¡¯t think it was something worth mentioning; it was a normal and necessary thing to do.


    ¡­


    Three Springs Building, at the ruins.


    Chen Qiu looked at the four mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes inside the Heavenly Dao Ring, planning to open them after returning to Dragon Island, then turning his gaze to the Chao Tian Sect members who had already gathered, he said with a light smile, ¡°All wrapped up.¡±


    ¡°Not a blade of grass grows!¡±


    Chao Tian Sect¡¯s outer elder Qu Gui, with a respectful expression, stepped forward and reported.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, ¡°You¡¯ve reached the second layer of the Nascent Soul in cultivation. Keep pushing forward, striving to breakthrough to Divinity Transformation. I have your Divine Domains all prepared for you.¡±


    ¡°Take advantage while it¡¯s still dark¡ªvisit the homes of the guests listed in the gift ledger. If you delay, things may change.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way,¡± Ao Tian raised his hand, ¡°I¡¯m familiar with Central State; I made many detours after being pursued there in the past.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Their current strength was not yet sufficient to sweep through Central State recklessly. At least if someone at the Void Refining Stage took action, they would not be able to resist. However, the Void Refining cultivators spent most of their time in seclusion, and they were very slow to receive external information.


    If the Void Refiners did not act and they were not surrounded by a horde of cultivators at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, then basically no one on Central State could stop them.


    Especially the combination of Ao Tian and Chen Qiu.


    Chen Qiu absolutely suppressed all Divine Domains of Ninth Grade and below. Then, after suppressing the opponent¡¯s Divine Domain, it would be Ao Tian¡¯s turn to act. He would take the lead, while Chen Qiu provided output from behind.


    A perfect partnership.


    What they needed most right now was time to develop.


    Once the batch of Dragon Cubs from the Dragon Clan came of age and Chen Qiu¡¯s Nascent Soul produced more offspring, enabling him to activate four Divine Domains at the same time, and the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect also needed time to break through to Divinity Transformation, what they needed most was time.


    So, they would first seize a batch of resources and, after digesting that batch, come out to seize another batch.


    Keep repeating the process.


    They would thus establish a positive cycle.


    A large amount of resources and a great deal of time were what they needed.


    And the first batch of targets was naturally those guests who had come to participate in the ¡°Sha Qiu Banquet.¡±


    ¡­


    The first family, completely looted.


    The second family, completely looted.


    The third family, completely looted.


    Soon Chen Qiu¡¯s group, under the cover of night, quickly made their way to each family on the list. As they were all nearby, it did not waste their time. Those who did not resist were spared their lives, while those filled with resentment and vengeance were, of course, sent to meet their ancestors without further discussion.


    Until they reached, the Cao Family.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long stood at the entrance to the Cao Family with a slightly odd look on his face. It was deep into the night, and all households were sleeping, except for the Cao Family, which was brightly lit and where the aroma of food drifted through the air. Listening closely, one could also hear the laughter of many children and the sounds of a folk band playing music.


    And tied to the chests of the two stone lions outside the Cao Family¡¯s door were large, festive red flowers.


    Above them hung two banners.


    ¡°Congratulations to Sect Master Chen Qiu of the Chao Tian Sect on surviving the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation and successfully breaking through to Divinity Transformation!¡±


    ¡°The whole family celebrates!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Fat Long glanced around in confusion.


    Just then, a middle-aged man with a joyous face stepped out from the door, looking at them, ¡°I am the Cao Family Patriarch, are you gentlemen also here to share the joy? You seem a bit unfamiliar, not from this town, right? If you don¡¯t mind me¡­ ah, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, dozens of brave men.¡±


    ¡°I have long admired the Sect Master Chen Qiu of the Chao Tian Sect!¡±


    ¡°Originally, when I heard that the Three Springs Building held a ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯ during the day, my heart was filled with anger and discontent. How could Sect Master Chen, such a significant figure, be killed by the Three Springs Building? But I also lamented that I could do nothing to help Sect Master Chen.¡±

 Chapter 500 - 192:

    Chapter 500: Chapter 192: ¡°Only those who fear death deserve to live.¡± _4


    ¡°But due to the lewd power of Three Springs Building, they could only reluctantly offer the tribute money, while inwardly cursing the building countless times.¡±


    ¡°However, tonight Sect Master Chen proved his Divinity Transformation Stage with a twelfth-grade Domain, which finally set my constantly anxious heart at ease.¡±


    After taking a long breath, the middle-aged man enthusiastically invited everyone: ¡°But now everything is over, come, come, gentlemen, please enter, there¡¯s plenty of wine and food!¡±


    Fat Long silently put the large knife he was holding back into his Storage Ring and turned his head to look at Chen Qiu.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After being silent for a while, Chen Qiu suddenly laughed softly, ¡°No need for drinks. I¡¯m just passing through, so I won¡¯t hold you up.¡±


    He then turned and walked away into the distance.


    The disciples of Chao Tian Sect hastily followed closely behind him.


    Only after confirming that Chen Qiu and his people had gone far away did the Cao Family Patriarch let his body collapse to the ground, patting his chest with a sense of surviving calamity. His voice trembled uncontrollably as he said, ¡°Alright, everyone disperse.¡±


    It had passed. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    These people had robes embroidered with the ¡®Chao¡¯ character. How could he not recognize them? And how could Chen Qiu believe he would really not recognize them? It was all just feigned ignorance, seeking to save one¡¯s life.


    But unexpectedly,


    He actually managed to save his life.


    His original expectation was that the family¡¯s wealth might be lost, but as long as the people lived, that was enough. Unexpectedly, not only did the people live, but their wealth was unharmed.


    Zhongzhou was too dangerous.


    He had already begun to consider retreating to the upper nine provinces.


    But the upper nine provinces bordered the Devil Clan, which could be just as dangerous if the Human Race and the Devil Clan went to war. The lower nine provinces were close to the Demon Race and Quzhou, which was also dangerous. It appeared that Chen Qiu would likely come frequently to Zhongzhou, making it even more perilous.


    Why did it feel like the Xuantian Continent had become so dangerous?


    ¡­


    The Divinity Transformation members of these families had all died at the ¡®Sha Qiu Banquet¡¯, making it very easy to pick up their wealth; they practically encountered no resistance, gathering upwards of a hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Merely seven or eight small families.


    The co-opted Spirit Stones were comparable to the many forces of Quzhou. It has to be said that the central powers are indeed rich.


    And Spirit Stones are an essential material for constructing Divine Domains.


    One person constructing a Divine Domain may not use much in terms of materials, but with both Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan combined, there were many people.


    Very soon¡ª


    Before the dawn, the group returned to Dragon Island.


    However, when it came to dividing the spoils, Ao Tian had a very determined attitude and looked at Chen Qiu seriously, ¡°Little brother, there¡¯s no need to say much. In this action, Black Dragon and I basically didn¡¯t play any part.¡±


    ¡°The people were killed by you, little brother, and the homes were emptied by Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Black Dragon and I were mostly just watching the play; splitting the spoils fifty-fifty is truly unfair to you, little brother. So, listen to me, let¡¯s do it this way: one to nine, I take one, you take nine.¡±


    ¡°And not just this time, from now on, whenever the Dragon Clan and Chao Tian Sect take action together, the division will be based on the contribution ratio.¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at Ao Tian and didn¡¯t refuse anymore, instead replying softly, ¡°Alright, if your Dragon Pups lack resources, just speak to me directly.¡±


    The two quickly reached a consensus on how to divide the spoils.


    And Chen Qiu prepared to uniformly construct third-grade Divine Domains for the Chao Tian Sect disciples, which was already close to Chao Tian Sect¡¯s limit.


    ¨C


    ¡®Third-grade Divine Domain¡¯: One thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, one Heavenly Mountain Snow Pear.


    ¡®Fourth-grade Divine Domain¡¯: Three thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, a strand of Luck of Human Pride.¡±


    ¨C


    Starting from a Fourth-grade Divinity Transformation Domain, one needs a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune, and he doesn¡¯t have the capability to provide so many Chao Tian Sect disciples with a strand of Heavenly Pride Fortune each. A Third-grade Divinity Transformation Domain is currently the limit.


    After all, the grade of the Divinity Transformation Domain can be slowly improved later on.


    He¡¯ll wait and see if there are other opportunities in the future.


    To construct a Third-grade Divinity Transformation Domain, ¡®one thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones¡¯ are required. Based on fifty people, that amounts to 50,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Just for the basic condition to create the Divinity Transformation Domain, so many Spirit Stones are needed, and that¡¯s not to mention other expenses; these stones are far from sufficient.


    The most significant consumption among them is¡­


    The great array of the Chao Tian Sect.


    Indeed, in order to help this batch of Chao Tian Sect disciples quickly break through to Divinity Transformation, thus achieving All Members Divinity Transformation and successfully completing a Milestone Task, he stopped by the ¡°Taixu Temple¡± on his way back from the central region.


    This power is an Array Repair Sect, and the Nascent Soul peak Array Repairer from this power had made a deep impression on him in the Nascent Soul battle power ranking Secret Realm.


    The old ancestor of the sect is an Early Stage of Divinity Transformation.


    He managed to get the sect¡¯s old ancestor to come over and help their Chao Tian Sect repair those large arrays. Once the arrays were restored, they planned to activate the sect¡¯s large-scale Spirit Gathering Array. This thing is a gold-consuming beast, and there¡¯s no count to how many Mid-grade Spirit Stones it consumes daily.


    However, with the sect¡¯s large-scale Spirit Gathering Array and an unlimited supply of Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he believed that these Chao Tian Sect disciples could break through to Divinity Transformation in the shortest time!


    In this way, they could also complete a Milestone Task by the way.


    ¨C


    ¡®One of the Twelve Milestone Tasks¡¯


    ¡®All Members Divinity Transformation.¡¯


    ¡®Completer: None!¡¯


    ¨C


    This Milestone Task requires a power, family or sect to have a total of more than 50 Divinity Transformations, and everyone from the Sect Master to the menial disciples in the sect must meet the requirement of Divinity Transformation.


    Then the Sect Master of this sect will be able to complete this Milestone Task.


    A rather demanding Milestone Task.


    And on the Xuantian Continent, no force has ever had more than 50 Divinity Transformations at one time.


    Except for the Chao Tian Sect thousands of years ago. Back then, the Chao Tian Sect was full of Sword Cultivators, and it was said to have nearly a hundred or just over a hundred Divinity Transformation Sword Cultivators, which was the closest to completing this Milestone Task.


    It¡¯s just that the Chao Tian Sect from thousands of years ago had many menial disciples who did not meet the requirement of All Members Divinity Transformation.


    Therefore, he planned to wait until the Chao Tian Sect had 50 Divinity Transformations, then kick out everyone else, complete this Milestone Task, and then re-invite them back into the sect after. This way, the Milestone Task would never be known to the outside world.


    Otherwise, he felt that this task wouldn¡¯t be so hard to complete and could be shortcutted.


    Afterwards, Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on a mountain peak of Dragon Island, circulating his mental method to calmly soothe his mind. This trip brought many resources, including a large number of Spirit Stones and various kinds of rare treasures from heaven and earth.


    He didn¡¯t rush to activate the Heavenly Dao Mid-grade Roulette, but instead took out an Eight Desolate Fruit and fed it to his Nascent Soul.


    ¡®Feed and Pull¡¯, under this entry, he soon spat out another Enlightenment Stone.


    However, it was an Enlightenment Stone suitable for Nascent Soul Spells, which was of no use to him.


    Then he looked toward the four Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes in his hand. Just as he was about to activate one of them, he suddenly noticed a white glow emanating from the roulettes that he hadn¡¯t seen before.


    Chen Qiu was slightly stunned, and then he seemed to understand something.


    He tentatively stacked three Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes together.


    The next moment!


    The three Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes began to slowly merge.

 Chapter 501 - 193:

    Chapter 501: Chapter 193: ¡°You see, it was an easy win.


    He saw the three mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes slowly fusing together in a burst of white light.


    They then transformed into a single Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    An upper-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¡°Three in one?¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly raised his eyebrows, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had never owned four mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes at once before, and this was the first time he knew that three mid-grade ones could combine into an upper-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    However,


    unlike the Heavenly Pride Fortune, this Heavenly Dao Roulette didn¡¯t fuse automatically, but required his active control.


    He weighed the upper-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette in his hand, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.


    If the mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette could give him Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills, then wasn¡¯t it reasonable for the upper-grade one to grant him Divinity Transformation Cultivation Pills?


    Or perhaps even produce another ¡°One-Day Seven-Colored Word Jade Scroll,¡± which would be exceptionally beautiful.


    Still, he planned to hedge his bets first.


    He immediately crushed the remaining mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette in his hand.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make your choice within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±


    1: A transformation token.


    2: One hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    3: One hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    4: A transformation token.


    5: Four thousand Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu calmly picked the two transformation tokens; the rest were useless to him, so he could only choose these two, which simply allowed the user to assume the appearance of another person.


    Regardless of the race.


    It perfectly mimicked everything down to the aura.


    He had already acquired one last time but hadn¡¯t used it; this time, he had gained two more, making a total of three.


    All of a sudden, he thought of something, took out the one he had obtained earlier from the Heavenly Dao Ring, and placed the three transformation tokens together.


    A few breaths later.


    Well.


    Chen Qiu sighed lightly and pocketed the three transformation tokens; there was no change. Come to think of it, why would he expect three transformation tokens to combine into something else?


    Although the rewards from the mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette this time were rather mediocre, he accepted them gladly, maintaining an optimistic attitude. After all, this mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette was meant to be a sacrificial offering; usually, the poorer the rewards from the sacrificial offering, the better the actual object he intended to open would be.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath and, after pausing for several breaths, crushed the upper-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette in his hand.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make your choice within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±


    1: A thread of the Heavenly Pride Fortune Jade Scroll.


    2: A thread of the Heavenly Dao Fortune Jade Scroll.


    3: A thread of the Luck of the Race Jade Scroll.


    4: A thread of the Heavenly Thunder¡¯s Might Jade Scroll.


    5: A purple random entry jade slip.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the five options and couldn¡¯t help smiling satisfied, it wasn¡¯t in vain that he used a mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette as a hedge. If he had kept this mid-grade Roulette, then the next time he acquired two mid-grade Roulettes, he could combine them into one again.


    But this was, after all, his first time obtaining an upper-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    Hedging to test his luck.


    He still believed in such mysticism.


    Looking at the five options before him, he didn¡¯t immediately make a decision but fell into contemplation. He had a hundred breaths¡¯ time to choose, which was quite ample.


    The fifth option was immediately discarded.


    The difficulty of acquiring a purple entry, it was obvious, couldn¡¯t compare to that of options one through four.


    Unlike his Heavenly Pride Fortune, which he couldn¡¯t share with others,


    the Heavenly Pride Fortune and Heavenly Dao Fortune mentioned here were in the form of jade scrolls, meaning not only could he use them, but so could others.


    Chen Qiu looked towards the Nascent Soul above his Dantian. The Imperial Decree awarded him a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune for constructing a twelve-grade Divine Domain, and the green entry ¡°Imperial Decree Regular,¡± doubled it to two threads, and with the one thread he had left over, he bought another one from the Merit Value Store.


    So¡ª


    He now had one thread each of the Luck of Human Pride, Earth Pride Luck, Heavenly Pride Fortune, and Supreme Genius Fortune. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Quite a harmonious collection.


    And he still had two threads of the Heavenly Dao Fortune unspent.


    He initially had two threads of the Luck of the Race; one was used to create the twelve-grade Divine Domain, and the other was also currently of no particular use.


    He also still had one thread of the Heavenly Thunder¡¯s Might, which had no immediate application; it could enhance the power of Thunder Magic, and currently, he only possessed the Thunder Summoning Technique, which he had already used.


    Out of the remaining four jade scrolls.


    After pondering for a moment, he chose numbers one and three: a thread of the Heavenly Pride Fortune Jade Scroll and a thread of the Luck of the Race Jade Scroll.


    The reason for choosing the Heavenly Pride Fortune Jade Scroll was that although he wasn¡¯t currently in need of this thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, one of the thresholds for an eight-grade Divine Domain was the need for a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    With this jade scroll,


    it meant that he could help one of the Chao Tian Sect disciples construct an eight-grade Divine Domain.


    A mandatory condition for an eight-grade Divine Domain was the Heavenly Pride Fortune.


    From first-grade to twelve-grade domains, each grade requires different materials.


    For example, if you have a first-grade domain, and later you gather all the materials required for an eight-grade domain, you don¡¯t need to worry about what the fundamental materials for grades two to seven are; you can directly upgrade to an eight-grade domain.


    The eight-grade Divine Domain requires, apart from a thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune, some Spirit Stones and Heaven and Earth treasures, none of which he lacked.


    But as for who will be granted this eight-grade Divine Domain, he had not yet decided.


    Currently, he was leaning towards Fat Long, as, for now, Fat Long¡¯s potential was exponentially increasing, and if there was a Beast Taming-related entry, then this eight-grade Divine Domain could unleash its maximum power.

 Chapter 502 - 193:

    Chapter 502: Chapter 193: ¡°You see, it was an easy win.¡± _2


    As for that thread of racial luck, racial luck was actually completely useless to him.


    But obtaining it was extremely difficult.


    Only by annihilating a race could one obtain a thread of racial luck, and he had only doubled it to two under the ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡± entry, considering the difficulty of obtaining it, he felt that compared to the other tasks he temporarily did not need, the racial luck still had a higher cost-performance ratio.


    ¡­


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked quite satisfied as he placed the two Jade Scrolls into his bosom, planning to go chat with Fat Long tonight, to see what Divine Domain Fat Long wanted, while also picking a new Divine Domain for himself.


    He browsed through the Merit Value Store.


    After successfully creating a twelfth-grade Divine Domain, the Heavenly Dao Decree rewarded him with two ¡°Divine Domain Tokens¡±, which would allow him to have two more Divine Domains, and, later on, produce two more Nascent Souls.


    That meant opening four Divine Domains at the same time!


    Domain stacking!


    And he also had a ¡°Divine Domain Grade Elevation Token,¡± although he had never used it, planning to wait until he returned to Dragon Island, to embrace this moment.


    Now was the right time.


    He took out the token from his bosom and gently crushed it.


    Immediately, he felt a surge of the Heavenly Dao¡¯s power enveloping him.


    Following that, an ancient, ethereal voice that only he could hear rang in his ears.


    ¨C S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: Heavenly Dao response, in the northwest of Quzhou on the Xuantian Continent, Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu, by defying the heavens, breaks through the limits of the universe!


    For completing one of the milestone tasks of the Xuantian Continent, a statue is established in the ¡®Heavenly Palace¡¯.


    And bestows upon him a Mid-Grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Chen Qiu blinked slightly, listening to the Heavenly Dao Decree that only he could hear, and for a moment was slow to react¡ªanother milestone task completed?


    He had seen this milestone task in the Heavenly Palace before.


    But he had not understood the meaning.


    The milestone task merely mentioned breaking through the limits of the universe, without any other useful information, only talking about breaking through the limits of the universe, he had thought it meant breaking the sky or something, but now it seemed it was referring to surpassing Grade.


    Like a thirteenth-grade Golden Core, thirteenth-grade Nascent Soul, thirteenth-grade Divine Domain.


    That is breaking through the limits of the universe.


    That¡¯s good.


    Another milestone task completed, now six in total.


    And he was given two Mid-Grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes, this was entirely a pleasant surprise, he really had not thought he would accidentally complete this milestone task, a pity, he had just used a Mid-Grade Heavenly Dao Roulette to bluff, otherwise, he could now have a Superior Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    But he shook his head, not thinking too much of it.


    The Heavenly Dao Decree itself was quite interesting.


    What does it mean¡­ to defy the heavens and break through the limits of the universe?


    You yourself are the Heavenly Dao.


    Afterward, Chen Qiu took a deep breath, only then preparing for the introspection into his Dantian, to embrace the first ¡°three choices¡± entry during his breakthrough in the Divine Domain.


    The only thing he regretted was.


    The ¡°Divine Domain Grade Elevation Token¡± could be used only once per person, otherwise he had hoped if he ever got a chance to obtain more Divine Domain Grade Elevation Tokens, maybe he could directly elevate his Divine Domain to ninety-ninth grade!


    Ninety-ninth grade Divine Domain!


    Unstoppable by all under the heavens!


    But¡­ it was meaningless.


    The grade of the Divine Domain did not affect its power, merely influencing whether it could suppress other Divine Domains, his thirteenth-grade Divine Domain could already crush almost all other Divine Domains, even a tenth-grade Domain would be instantly crushed.


    So, from this perspective, there is not much difference between a ninety-ninth-grade Divine Domain and a thirteenth-grade Domain.


    ¡­


    At this time, in Quzhou, dawn had broken.


    To describe Quzhou as panic-stricken was indeed not quite appropriate, but¡­ indeed, many people received lots of information this morning and fell into silence.


    In fact.


    Last night at midnight, Chen Qiu¡¯s creation of the twelfth-grade Divine Domain had already awakened many still in seclusion.


    But the information received this morning was even more shocking.


    The peak elder of the Divinity Transformation of Bishan Palace had perished at Three Springs Palace, slain by Chen Qiu, this elder was the leader of the Human Race this time, and just like that, perished on the spot, dying outright.


    Especially those Divinity Transformation Cultivators who had gone last night to spectate, were now all showing signs of relief; luckily, they had left early, otherwise, if they had truly charged alongside the Bishan Palace peak elder, they would probably all have died there.


    Of those who stayed last night in the Three Springs Building, not one survived.


    Meanwhile, in the Buddhist Sect, two old men were playing a game by the mountain stream.


    ¡°I thought you were planning to remain in seclusion indefinitely.¡±


    An old man dressed in a Kasaya and with a skinny appearance picked up a black chess piece and slowly placed it on the board, softly saying, ¡°Why did you suddenly decide to come out of seclusion?¡±

 Chapter 503 - 193:

    Chapter 503: Chapter 193: ¡°You see, it was an easy win.¡± _3


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    The emaciated elder clad in a kasaya suddenly looked at the Bishan Palace Ancestor and laughed, ¡°The Ancestor from the Three Springs Building also just made a breakthrough to Half-Step Void Refining, and yet he perished along with the Three Springs Building. Are you so confident that the two of us can take down Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to belittle ourselves,¡± the Bishan Palace Ancestor said indifferently, ¡°The reason the Half-Step Void Refining from the Three Springs Building fell was firstly, because his cultivation was shallow just after breaking through to Half-Step Void Refining, and secondly, because he didn¡¯t die in a head-on battle, but was struck down by the Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    ¡°With 2.9 billion sin value and a twelve-petaled Nascent Soul as a lure, the resulting Heavenly Tribulation is normally hard to withstand.¡±


    ¡°The Half-Step Void Refining from Three Springs Building was essentially trapped to death.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m different.¡±


    ¡°As one of the top forces in Xuantian Continent, Bishan Palace, and me being its Ancestor, the only one on the Xuantian Continent with a ten-tier Domain, Chen Qiu¡¯s twelve-tier Divine Domain may suppress everyone else, but it can hardly suppress my Domain.¡±


    ¡°Your Buddhist Sect is also a top force in Xuantian Continent,¡± he continued.


    ¡°The two of us joining forces with all our foundations fully unleashed, even if Chen Qiu and the Dragon Clan have already formed an alliance, they will certainly not be our match.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, this is actually a good opportunity for us.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan has also appeared in this world.¡±


    ¡°As long as we can seize all the foundational assets from Chen Qiu and the Dragon Clan, we might find the chance to break through to Void Refining within.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor, dressed in a kasaya, did not speak. Instead, he placed a white game piece on the chessboard and, after a long while, lifted his head to look at the Bishan Palace Ancestor with a hoarse voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s not secure enough, let¡¯s add a bit more to the stake.¡±


    ¡°The man is indeed difficult to kill. If we are to strike, we¡¯ll use a thunderous method to eliminate him.¡±


    ¡°Good deeds shouldn¡¯t be given out all at once, they should be given bit by bit.¡±


    ¡°Evil, on the other hand, should be unleashed in its entirety. Strike once and thoroughly cut off all his avenues of retreat.¡±


    Afterward, the elder picked up another black chess piece and placed it on the board: ¡°Do you know why I like to play chess against myself?¡±


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor frowned and looked at the black chess piece on the board. He hadn¡¯t made a move; since sitting down, the Buddhist Ancestor had been playing against himself. He did not know why the opponent suddenly brought this up. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Because by doing so, I¡¯m always winning,¡± he said.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The emaciated elder in the kasaya stretched lazily while sitting in place before speaking casually, ¡°Ever since Kong Ming had a minor conflict with Chen Qiu last time, I took it upon myself to carefully investigate Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Starting from Quzhou, inch by inch.¡±


    ¡°And guess what I discovered.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu actually shares a past karma with me, unbeknownst to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. He knew what the Buddhist Sect¡¯s karma was¡ªa special method used by Buddhist disciples to harvest merit values, letting their karma continually perform good deeds to accumulate merit. The merit value accumulated would be transferred to the disciple.


    Of course, that was just a euphemism.


    In reality, it was no different from Evil Demon techniques.


    Each of these Buddhist disciples¡¯ karma was actually a living person who had been forcefully altered by Buddhist secret techniques to selflessly perform good deeds and accumulate merit, which was then plundered using Buddhist secret techniques.


    Different levels of cultivation allowed control over different numbers of karma.


    Typically, a Buddhist disciple at Divinity Transformation Cultivation could control thousands of karma, and a Half-Step Void Refining Buddhist Ancestor probably more.


    Possibly close to ten thousand.


    The best targets for this Buddhist secret skill were people with low cultivation, such as Foundation Establishment cultivators; those with higher cultivation were likely to come to their senses and couldn¡¯t be controlled for long.


    But none of these people ended well in the end.


    The cost of doing good deeds often meant causing great harm to those around them, including themselves.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    The kasaya-clad Buddhist Ancestor picked up a black piece and placed it on the chessboard: ¡°It¡¯s quite an interesting karma. Chen Qiu was first found north of Quzhou in Boundless Snow Mountain, unconscious in the snow.¡±


    ¡°My karma carried him from the Snow Mountain to ¡®Certain Death Town,¡¯ saving Chen Qiu¡¯s life. At that time, Chen Qiu appeared to be severely injured, and after revealing his early Golden Core cultivation, he asked my karma some very basic questions.¡±


    ¡°Such as the layout of the Xuantian Continent, and so forth.¡±


    ¡°So, at that time, Chen Qiu must have been entering the Xuantian Continent for the first time, completely unaware of everything about it.¡±


    ¡°Afterward, Chen Qiu left behind some Spirit Stones and then departed. Later, when he passed by Certain Death Town again, my karma was being bullied by a group of thugs, and it was Chen Qiu who appeared and rescued my karma.¡±


    ¡°It is clear that Chen Qiu is grateful to his savior.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± the Bishan Palace Ancestor¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the black chess piece the Buddhist Ancestor had played, ¡°You mean to use this karma of yours to scheme, to lure Chen Qiu into a trap?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s part of it.¡±


    With a fleeting smile in his murky eyes, the Buddhist Ancestor picked up another black chess piece and placed it on the board, speaking meaningfully, ¡°We just need to find a way to let Chen Qiu know that his once life-saving benefactor is now in danger. I believe that when Chen Qiu goes to help a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he will not be very cautious.¡±


    ¡°After all, he has already reached Divinity Transformation Cultivation.¡±

 Chapter 504 - 193:

    Chapter 504: Chapter 193: ¡°You see, it was an easy win.¡± _4


    ¡°When a person loses their caution, that is the moment they are caught!¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, there is another point.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu first appeared in the Xuantian Continent at the Boundless Snow Mountain, which means that for tens of thousands of years, the remnants of Chao Tian Sect must have been hiding in a ¡®small world¡¯ near ¡®Town of Doom¡¯ on the Snow Mountain.¡±


    ¡°I have already sent someone to investigate.¡±


    ¡°As long as we can find these remnants of Chao Tian Sect from tens of thousands of years ago and threaten Chen Qiu with their lives, even if he doesn¡¯t surrender, he will surely be hesitant to act. With both strategies working simultaneously, how can Chen Qiu withstand them?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The elder from Bishan Palace finally spoke hoarsely after a long silence, ¡°The two of us, half-step Void Refining, going against a member of the Dragon Clan in the early and peak stages of Divinity Transformation, do we need to exert such great effort? I think we can just kill him directly.¡±


    ¡°Currently, Zhongzhou is overestimating Chen Qiu¡¯s combat power.¡±


    ¡°The fall of the half-step Void Refining from Three Springs Building last night was solely because of the Heavenly Tribulation. Chen Qiu¡¯s actual combat power should be around the peak of Divinity Transformation. One on one, he still can¡¯t match the peak of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore¡ª¡±


    ¡°You have already played three black pieces in a row, isn¡¯t that a bit too much?¡±


    Down by the mountain stream, beside the spring water.


    The Buddhist monk in kasaya suddenly laughed aloud, once again picked up a black piece and placed it on the chessboard, immediately capturing a whole section of white pieces: ¡°This is why I like playing against myself.¡±


    ¡°Not only can I always win, but I can also play by my own rules.¡±


    ¡°Since Chen Qiu rose to fame, everyone who died by his hand was caught off-guard, even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Evil needs to be given in one go, fed enough at once.¡±


    ¡°Not in intervals, that¡¯s called nurturing, not evil.¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯ve made our move, we should use all available resources to crush Chen Qiu completely on the Xuantian Continent. Wait a few months until the remnants of Chao Tian Sect hiding in that small world by the Boundless Snow Mountain are discovered, then lure Chen Qiu into the trap. Under his hesitant circumstances, strike him down with the force of thunder, then find someone to finish him off easily. Kong Ming is a good choice.¡±


    ¡°A waste that couldn¡¯t even protect his tenth-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°An eyesore alive.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The elder from Bishan Palace felt a chill at this moment, grateful that he and the Buddhist Sect were not in opposition. Even though he was currently aligned with the Buddhist Sect, hearing their plan still filled him with a sense of dread.


    If the plan succeeded!


    Even if he were in Chen Qiu¡¯s position, he would probably fall for it, unsure of how to break such a setup.


    Chen Qiu would never guess that the benefactor from his past was actually a mere extension of his enemy.


    Although he favored using brute force over brainstorming,


    following the Buddhist Ancestor¡¯s method seemed slightly more likely to succeed.


    Only¡­


    He suddenly furrowed his brows and hesitated, ¡°Are you sure that Chen Qiu, upon learning that his old benefactor is in danger, will come to the rescue? Logically speaking, if your external self saved him once and he saved your external self once, that would mean the karmic cycle is complete, and all debts of gratitude should be settled, right?¡± Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°He will.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor pulled out another black piece, placing the pieces seriously in the gaps on the chessboard: ¡°I have accessed the entire memory of my external self, including all interactions with Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Although Chen Qiu is known for his ruthlessness,¡±


    ¡°he is extremely sentimental.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, from the information I gathered in Quzhou, this conclusion is very easy to draw.¡±


    After he filled all the gaps in the chessboard with black pieces,


    the Buddhist Ancestor let out a long sigh of relief, pleased as he removed the besieged white pieces from the chessboard and said with a smile,


    ¡°You see, it was quite easy to win.¡±


    ¡°As it is with this game,¡±


    ¡°so it shall be with killing Chen Qiu.¡±

 Chapter 505 - 194:

    Chapter 505: Chapter 194: ¡°Do You Always Play Chess Like This?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The elder of Bishan Palace, with an expressionless face, gazed at the chessboard before him. After a long silence, he finally looked up and softly said to the Buddhist Ancestor who was in front of him.


    ¡°Do you always play chess this way?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor seemed quite proud of himself. After collecting all the chess pieces into the bag, he smiled and said, ¡°This Xuantian Continent is just like this chessboard.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve joined the game, I¡¯ve never lost.¡±


    ¡°If I am to make a move, I will exert all my strength to ensure they are unable to turn the tables in this lifetime!¡±


    ¡°Then I shall wait for the good news.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    After taking a deep breath, the elder of Bishan Palace nodded heavily and then stood up to take his leave.


    Although he did not agree with the Buddhist Ancestor¡¯s way of playing chess, nor did he approve of the Buddhist sect¡¯s principles, he had to admit that this old fellow truly had some ability.


    Joining forces with the Buddhist Ancestor,


    they could certainly erase Chen Qiu completely from the Xuantian Continent.


    Committing evil acts is just committing evil acts, such as those from the Evil Sect, who slaughter mortals yet openly admit they¡¯re no good people, unlike the Buddhist sect, which uses the guise of leading people to goodness to meddle with people¡¯s minds.


    Such methods are more like the tricks of evil demons than those used by the Evil Sect.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In another part of the Lower Nine Provinces, ¡°Jiazhou.¡±


    Jiazhou is different from other regions; although the spiritual energy here is not as dense as in the central region, it has a few Cave Heaven Blessed Lands with even denser spiritual energy.


    Thus, many powers would fight over these blessed lands every year.


    Add to that the relatively fierce local customs of Jiazhou, many cultivators here have higher sin values than those in other regions.


    ¡°Finally, this day has come for this old man!¡±


    In Jiazhou, atop a Cave Heaven Blessed Land, an old man with a face covered in scars, dressed in a white robe, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. He looked toward the outside of the cave dwelling, his eyes brimming with delight.


    Just from his appearance alone, one could tell that this person was extremely ruthless.


    He was called Zhang Kui.


    In the Xuantian Continent, he was also a well-known figure.


    On the ¡°Heavenly Dao sin values leaderboard,¡± he ranked second with 3 billion sin values.


    If not for Chen Qiu¡¯s emergence.


    He should be in the number one spot.


    In the late-stage of Divinity Transformation, before Chen Qiu appeared, 3 billion sin values were already a terrifying number, and it was enough to prove he had blood on his hands.


    He had been stuck in the seventh level of the Divinity Transformation realm for many years.


    Without making a breakthrough.


    And he forcefully suppressed his own cultivation, trying as much as possible not to break through. Not because he couldn¡¯t, but because he knew well.


    After achieving Divinity Transformation, one must endure a Heavenly Tribulation with each breakthrough in cultivation.


    Each more potent than the last.


    Moreover, the tribulation caused by his 3 billion sin values was something he could not withstand. It was almost a certain death situation, which is why he had been seeking a Spiritual Treasure that could reduce the power of the tribulation for all these years. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But even so, he still had little confidence!


    Until¡­


    The version ¡°Great Conflict Under Heaven¡± arrived, introducing the ¡°sin value shop,¡± where he could entirely expend his sin values.


    In doing so, he could not only enhance his foundation significantly, but also reset his sin values to zero, allowing him not to suppress his cultivation anymore and not worry about being turned to ashes by a tribulation induced by 3 billion sin values!


    It was truly killing two birds with one stone!


    Moreover, he could continue to plunder sin values without worrying about the tribulation. Instead, those plundered values could further strengthen his foundation in the sin value shop.


    It could be said that the opening of this sin value shop was simply perfect for someone like him.


    Zhang Kui was quite satisfied as he looked for items of interest in the sin value shop. As an Array Repairer, he naturally sought items suitable for his specialization.


    Indeed.


    Even though he had 3 billion sin values, he was neither an Evil Cultivator nor a Demon Cultivator.


    Who says Array Repairers can¡¯t kill?


    Moreover, the efficiency with which an Array Repairer can kill is obviously much higher than that of any Evil or Demon Cultivator. Once the array is established, the number of deaths is just a number to him, and all living creatures within the grand array would perish.


    Just then¡ª


    A disciple entered from outside the cave dwelling, his eyes filled with fear, he softly said.


    ¡°Old¡­ Ancestor, the legacy you left behind, ¡®Taixu Temple,¡¯ the Sect Master has been kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°Kidnapped?¡±


    A fierce light flashed in Zhang Kui¡¯s eyes. He immediately rose from the meditation cushion, grabbed the dust whisk from the ground next to him, and headed towards the outside of the cave dwelling, saying, ¡°Damn it, I really have lived too long to encounter such novelties.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a Sect Master being kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s so bold?¡±


    ¡°They are simply seeking death!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t they know that ¡®Taixu Temple¡¯ is the legacy left by Zhang Kui, the second most evil person on the Xuantian Continent? Don¡¯t they know that my 3 billion sin values were acquired by killing countless living creatures? Don¡¯t they know how heartless and ruthless I am?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    The kneeling disciple outside the cave dwelling buried his head in the ground, his voice trembling as he said, ¡°That person claims to be Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, with an Early Stage of Divinity Transformation cultivation. He was accompanied by a member of the Dragon Clan who¡¯s at the Peak of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°The Sect Master of Taixu Temple, who is also at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation, had just initiated his ¡®Instant Formation¡¯ domain when he was suppressed into oblivion.¡±


    ¡°Now, with Taixu Temple left without a leader, it has descended into chaos. We implore the Ancestor to lend us your aid!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Having just risen from his meditation cushion and ready to step out of the cave dwelling, Zhang Kui momentarily stiffened when he heard the name Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect. He then emotionlessly retreated a few steps and once again sat on the cushion, casually saying.

 Chapter 506 - 194:

    Chapter 506: Chapter 194: ¡°Do You Always Play Chess Like This?¡±_2


    ¡°This name does sound rather familiar,¡± he said.


    ¡°My ties with Taixu Temple were severed years ago, seeing as I am no longer the Supreme Elder of Taixu Temple, let¡¯s discuss this matter some other time,¡± he added.


    ¡°Besides, it was merely a kidnapping,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Since they didn¡¯t kill on the spot, there will always be another day to meet,¡± he noted.


    ¡°You may leave now,¡± he concluded.


    Three breaths later.


    Zhang Kui still couldn¡¯t help but look towards the retreating disciple and frowned, ¡°At the time Chen Qiu went to Taixu Temple to kidnap someone, no one mentioned my name, right?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t someone idiotically say, ¡®Behind Taixu Temple is Zhang Kui looking after things, who dares to make a move?''¡± he asked.


    ¡°No¡­ no such thing,¡±


    the disciple standing outside the cave said timidly, lowering his head, ¡°There was no time to say it.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    Zhang Kui let out a long sigh of relief and then waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can go now.¡±


    As he watched the back of the departing disciple, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, feeling as if he had narrowly escaped a disaster.


    He was the second most evil person under heaven!


    And was in the late-stage of Divinity Transformation!


    Logically speaking, he could virtually do as he pleased throughout the Xuantian Continent, as long as he didn¡¯t provoke someone at the peak of Divinity Transformation, who could trouble him, even if he did provoke one.


    The combat power of an Array Repairer was not very strong at the peak of Divinity Transformation, innate fighters suitable for fighting across levels might still fight!


    Those with strong combat power, even if he couldn¡¯t beat them, couldn¡¯t keep him if he decided to flee.


    One could say he could go anywhere under the heavens.


    There was no one in the entire Xuantian Continent that he feared.


    But¡­


    Chen Qiu was just the most evil person under heaven, and with the power of the early-stage of Divinity Transformation, he managed to create a twelve-grade Divine Domain and killed a peak Divinity Transformation elder of Bishan Palace on the site of the Three Springs Building!


    The newly advanced Half-Step Void Refining ancestor of Three Springs Building, along with two other peak Divinity Transformation cultivators and several guests, were now resentful spirits on the road to the underworld.


    These were bloody lessons.


    Though it was an event of just last night, by dawn, it had already spread across the entire Xuantian Continent.


    Perhaps those with lower Cultivation levels might not yet know this news, but someone of his level was quite well-informed about such matters.


    During his Golden Core stage, he annihilated the entire Evil Clan single-handedly, topping the Xuantian Continent¡¯s sin ranking with 2.9 billion evil points.


    In his Nascent Soul stage, he certified a twelve-grade Nascent Soul, triggered a Heavenly phenomenon, and while obtaining nearly a hundred billion merits, he took the top spot on the Nascent Soul combat power rankings with the fifth layer of Nascent Soul cultivation.


    As soon as he entered Divinity Transformation, he created a twelve-grade Divine Domain and eradicated a Half-Step Void Refining and many peak Divinity Transformation cultivators.


    Along the way.


    The scent of blood on his hands was many times denser than his own.


    When it comes to strength, he was inferior.


    When it comes to ruthlessness, he was also inferior.


    When it comes to power, he was damn well inferior!


    In all aspects where he was inferior, if Chen Qiu truly came for him, there would only be one way out ¨C death. What he was most relieved about now was that Taixu Temple had not given him away.


    If there had been an idiot back then who said ¡°I am covered by Zhang Kui.¡±


    He highly suspected that the one likely to report back would not be his own disciple, but rather Chen Qiu himself.


    ¡°It seems the Xuantian Continent has become quite dangerous¡­¡±


    Zhang Kui looked somewhat uneasily outside the cave, his inner anxiety fermenting quickly. Chen Qiu must have kidnapped an Array Repairer for a reason, possibly needing the Array Repairer¡¯s skills for some setup.


    The Array Repairer was only at the early stage of Divinity Transformation, far below his level, he was at the late stage of Divinity Transformation. If Chen Qiu found out the Array Repairer couldn¡¯t meet his needs, a minor inquiry might lead him straight to Zhang Kui. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If Chen Qiu came looking for him then, things could turn dire.


    No way!


    Having braved the Cultivation World for so many years by making decisive moves, Zhang Kui, without a moment¡¯s hesitation, packed up everything in the cave and, without a care for his disciples, transformed into a streak of light and shot off into the distance.


    He was preparing to go into hiding.


    ¡­


    Deep in the ocean of Xuantian Continent, on Dragon Island,


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the summit of a mountain, stared at the panel enveloped by clouds and mist above his Dantian.


    In his hand was a Memory Stone sold to him by a lad in Kai Mountain City, to see if it could lend him a bit of good fortune this time.


    After all, this was his first time choosing an entry after breaking through Divinity Transformation, and he felt somewhat nervous inside.


    It was crucial to start off on the right foot.


    If the first entry he got was junk, then the likelihood was that the subsequent ones wouldn¡¯t be much better.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation greatly increased, formally stepping into the first layer of Divinity Transformation,¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you successfully overcome the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation, there is a certain chance to gain this entry, which will enhance the power of your Thunder Magic. The higher the sin value of your opponent, the greater the damage your Thunder Magic can inflict.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Intellectual Disability.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Your wisdom root will significantly decrease, and your intelligence will be equivalent to a three-year-old of the Human Race. However, any form of attack that hits you will only cause 30% of the damage.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Invincible Among Equals.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Damage inflicted on you by cultivators of the same Great Realm will be greatly reduced, but cultivators of a lower realm will cause more damage to you. The lower their realm compared to yours, the higher the damage they can inflict.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­Hmm,¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the three entries before him and fell into thought, currently, the first entry seemed the most suitable for him and was also the rarest, available only to those who survived the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.

 Chapter 507 - 194:

    Chapter 507: Chapter 194: ¡°Do You Always Play Chess Like This?¡±_3


    It could once again greatly enhance the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique!


    This Foundation Establishment common spell would allow him to dominate all the way to Divinity Transformation.


    As for the second entry, he didn¡¯t consider it at all.


    No one wanted their intelligence to decrease.


    However, it was suitable for some who were naturally foolish; for example, some people were born with the intelligence of a one-year-old creature of the Human Race, but after choosing this entry, they could have the intelligence of a three-year-old creature.


    That was still an enhancement.


    Besides, a three-year-old creature of the Human Race wasn¡¯t considered stupid, as they could already speak; it¡¯s just that their way of thinking might be a bit erratic.


    To exchange this for a significant increase in defense wasn¡¯t a bad deal.


    The third entry also didn¡¯t suit him, and he wasn¡¯t clear on how much damage it could cause. It couldn¡¯t be that an Invincible Immortal Emperor, who could defeat everyone in the world, would be walking along and get hit by a stone thrown by a mortal and end up dying from it.


    So far, the first entry seemed to be the most suitable for him.


    However¡ª


    He had a ¡°Time will come¡± entry, which allowed him to randomize once more. Since a hundred thousand merits weren¡¯t much, he decided to see if he could get a better entry.


    This time he remembered.


    Quickly.


    The third entry on the panel began to slowly change, and soon a brand-new entry was formed.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Eyes in All Directions.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Pink.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: For every ten Alien Clan members you kill, an eye will grow on the surface of your body.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stared at this entry with an expressionless face, in silence. He didn¡¯t expect to randomize another Pink Entry, but it was completely useless to him. He could guess what sort of entries it might link with.


    For example, ¡°Self-destructive Eyes¡± or something like that.


    It probably counted as a rather strong Pink Entry. If one didn¡¯t care too much about their appearance, and managed to get corresponding linked entries, it indeed wouldn¡¯t be weak.


    Only¡­


    If a person¡¯s body was covered with thousands of eyes, he couldn¡¯t quite imagine what that would look like. Without using any Illusion Techniques, just the body itself would be enough to affect someone¡¯s mind.


    It would take half an hour just to wipe away sleep from the eyes each day.


    And if eyes grew all over, on the soles of the feet, the tongue, the palm¡­


    Since Pink Entries were generally without limits, he was curious if the body could actually grow that many eyes after killing millions of the Alien Clan members? There wouldn¡¯t be any space left.


    It was a pity he never met anyone with that entry; otherwise, he could have witnessed it.


    The most eyes he had seen on any race belonged to the Evil Clan, with eight eyes on the abdomen, looking like a sow. If he remembered correctly, those abdominal eyes of the Evil Clan could be used for attacking, which made this entry quite suitable for them.


    Then he shook his head.


    He didn¡¯t think much further.


    He immediately chose the first entry ¡°Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.¡± He had faintly discovered some patterns, such as the entry ¡°Annihilation Thunder Tribulation,¡± which only had a certain chance of being randomized after surviving the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.


    That meant it was important to try to break through limits whenever possible, as not only was there a high chance of reward at that time, but there would also be many hidden rewards later on.


    These hidden rewards often became the foundation that propelled one to break through limits again.


    It formed a positive feedback loop.


    That was how he had gradually risen.


    From a mere woodcutter, he had cultivated all the way to Divinity Transformation!


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    After choosing his entry, he glanced at the Nascent Soul above his Dantian, which was shining with Golden Light, then shifted his gaze to the small world.


    The Early Stage of Divinity Transformation Array Repairer whom he had captured from Taixu Temple was obediently repairing the great array without the slightest arrogance that one at the level of Divinity Transformation should have.


    A very dependable person.


    The Da Xia Shopkeeper was also in the Chao Tian Sect disciple dormitory, cultivating with dark circles under his eyes, and there were a lot of Storage Rings waiting for the Da Xia Shopkeeper to crack. However, his cultivation couldn¡¯t keep up and needed to be rapidly improved first.


    In Da Xia Country Hai Province, the Golden Core Witch he had captured was now busy in the back mountain, building a small hut for herself, chopping wood, and cooking. Outside the hut, there were buckets filled with freshly picked flowers.


    The Golden Core Witch was someone he had captured for Fat Long to enhance his cultivation. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And now, Fat Long no longer needed the Golden Core Witch. When he asked Fat Long how to deal with the Golden Core Witch, Fat Long said he felt a bit reluctant to kill since they had been together for so many times and had developed some feelings. Might as well release her on the back mountain.


    So she was released.


    After being set free, the Golden Core Witch lived a life of isolation in the back mountain, as quiet as an Oiran who had turned over a new leaf, showing none of the ferocity that she had when they first met.


    The other disciples of Chao Tian Sect were all diligently cultivating.


    His Spirit Beast, the Little Wolf cub, was also sound asleep in an open space on the back mountain.


    Everyone was busy, and the Chao Tian Sect looked to be thriving.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction before looking at his Cultivation panel, deep in thought. Right now, what troubled him the most was how to advance his cultivation progress.


    There was no Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for Divinity Transformation.


    Although absorbing nature¡¯s spiritual energy or using a Spirit Gathering Array could improve one¡¯s cultivation, and that would be the way 80% of people did it, to him, it felt somewhat slow.


    The Dragon Clan also didn¡¯t have a Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill for Divinity Transformation.


    He only had these seventeen on hand.


    He lowered his gaze to the seventeen Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his palm and felt a headache coming on. These were still the ones he had picked up from those families last night.

 Chapter 508 - 194:

    Chapter 508: Chapter 194: ¡°Do You Always Play Chess Like This?¡±_4


    Forget it.


    He shook his head and stopped thinking too much. He would deal with it after these seventeen Heavenly Dao Divinity Transformation Cultivation Pills were used up. Right now, he still had a tenfold increase in his training speed and shouldn¡¯t waste too much time.


    He immediately tossed a Divinity Transformation Cultivation Pill into his mouth and sat cross-legged on the ground, starting his painful meditation.


    ¡­


    Vast Continent.


    Inside a certain palace, a young man was sitting at a dining table, staring seriously at the food on the table and closing his eyes to pray softly.


    The vast palace housed a long, black and red table in the middle, stretching several yards.


    In front of the young man.


    There was a small circular hole on the table.


    At that moment, a member of the Evil Clan, his face reflecting fear and despair, was fixed under the table, with a third of his head protruding through the small hole on the table.


    He was continuously wailing and begging for mercy.


    The shrill sound was glaringly prominent in the cavernous hall.


    The Evil Clan was different from the Human Race, somewhat human yet not.


    Naturally, his abdomen had eight eyes, and his head was devoid of any skin, as if his scalp had been torn off alive, exposing the white brain matter directly to the air.


    Just like tofu brain.


    Only a thin, transparent membrane covered the top of the head, preventing the brain material from spilling out.


    Sitting in front of the long table, the young man, rather pleased, nodded in response to the wails from below the table, ¡°This one¡¯s very fresh, full of vigor.¡±


    Both sides of the long table were lined with attendants, who were bowing their heads and not daring to look directly at their master, standing carefully in their places.


    The young man picked up a knife and fork beside him.


    He held the knife in his left hand and the fork in his right.


    A moment later, he opened his eyes and nodded towards an old man at his side, his mouth curving into a smile, ¡°This one¡¯s very fresh, keep bringing them to me with this quality.¡±


    However, his body was firmly restrained, unable to move at all.


    Sitting at the long table, the young man, not yet satisfied, put down the knife and fork in his hands, picked up a napkin from the table beside him, and wiped the grease from his mouth as he turned his head towards the housekeeper.


    ¡°I will come out of seclusion in a month.¡±


    ¡°On the day I come out, bring me another one of this freshness.¡±


    ¡°Young Master.¡± Standing beside him, the old man with a face full of wrinkles bowed and said with reverence, ¡°It might be difficult to get them this fresh in the future; we only have some in stock now, and once these stocks are depleted, there won¡¯t be any more.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Just as he was about to get up and leave, the young man stopped in his tracks, turned to look at the old man, and suddenly burst into laughter, ¡°Is Nang Gongtian unable to afford even a member of the Evil Clan?¡±


    The old man shook his head, ¡°The Evil Clan only exists on the Xuantian Continent, but¡­ it¡¯s been a long time since any have been transported from there recently.¡± S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°They must have been annihilated.¡±


    ¡°Annihilated.¡±


    The young man paused for a long while before softly saying, ¡°Who annihilated them?¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    The old man reported quietly, ¡°In the central Heavenly Palace of the First Grade Xuantian Continent, six milestone tasks have been completed, and six Heavenly Dao Divine Statues have been erected.¡±


    ¡°One of these divine statues represents annihilating a clan.¡±


    ¡°So, according to my estimate, it should be this person named Chen Qiu who annihilated the Evil Clan.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the young man finally said indifferently, ¡°Understood, gather as much of the Evil Clan¡¯s merchandise from the market as possible, although it won¡¯t be as fresh, it¡¯s still better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see the central Heavenly Palace in the First Grade Xuantian Continent now.¡±


    Vast Continent is a Second Grade Continent.


    Their Nangong Family had spent thousands of years moving from the First Grade Dawn Continent to the Vast Continent and establishing a foundation there; hence, he was very aware.


    He knew how difficult it was to complete a milestone task.


    Anyone who completes one is considered a Child of Heavenly Pride!


    And to complete six¡­


    He had never seen such a person before. A continent¡¯s milestone tasks totaled twelve, and this man had completed half of them.


    Such a person should have been able to come to the Vast Continent long ago. Why has he stayed on a First Grade Continent without leaving?


    ¡­


    ¡°Ula, Ula!!!¡±


    Perhaps too many things had happened in Zhongzhou recently; shockingly, no one had noticed that the Demon Race had officially started the war!


    What should have dominated the headlines went completely unnoticed!


    Even, not many people knew about it.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the Earth Cave.


    The young demon stood expressionless, watching his father who stood on a rock nearby, holding his long sword up high and roaring excitedly, and the demons below who were rushing forward and the retreating Dwarf Clan.


    He suddenly realized that the script seemed somewhat off.


    The ancient demon from tens of thousands of years ago inside the Small Jade Ball, had told him that the Demon Race was not a warlike race and that their long survival was entirely due to sowing discord and clinging to life in cracks.


    But¡­


    It seemed now that the Demon Race was quite good at warfare!


    General against general, soldier against soldier.


    They were almost pushing forward unresisted, and the fearlessly combative Demon Race seemed to have nothing to do with the word ¡®not warlike,¡¯ though one might also say they were completely disconnected from it.


    With this momentum.


    If nothing unexpected happens,


    within three months, they might even wipe out the Dwarf Clan, their long-standing enemies.


    ¡­


    Just like that.


    The entire Xuantian Continent began to enter a bizarre period of silence.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the cliff, let out a long breath, slowly opened his eyes, and looked at the seven remaining Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his hand, sighing softly.


    Ten hours had passed.


    Digesting a Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill took an hour of effort.


    And a Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill could only enhance 5% of cultivation progress.


    That was after a tenfold increase in cultivation speed; without it, it would be 0.5%, and taking ten pills would only account for 5%.


    It¡¯s not like they were ineffective.


    A cultivator who consistently took Heavenly Dao God Divinity Transformation Cultivation Pills would definitely see much faster cultivation progress compared to other cultivators. It just didn¡¯t meet his expectations.


    A full ten hours past, and having ingested ten Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, his cultivation progress had only reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Divinity Transformation First Layer (50%).


    ¨C


    At this rate, even after consuming the remaining seven Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, he wouldn¡¯t be able to break through to the Divinity Transformation Second Layer.


    That was with a tenfold enhancement in cultivation speed.


    Without it, even with an unlimited supply of Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, a day¡¯s cultivation progress could at most increase by 12%.


    To reach the Peak of Divinity Transformation, it would take an absurdly long time.


    Just then¡ª


    A misty and ancient voice resounded across the sky of Xuantian Continent.

 Chapter 509 - 195:

    Chapter 509: Chapter 195: ¡°Does the Dwarf Clan Have That Many Sins?


    The sky had just started to brighten.


    A ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡± woke up many cultivators who were still in seclusion and bitter cultivation.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed, the season of resurgence for all things, the ¡°World of Chaos¡± version officially descends. The version is divided into three parts, the following is the content of the second part.


    1: Killing one Alien Clan member of the same Great Realm Cultivation will increase one¡¯s Cultivation Progress by 10%.


    2: Killing one Alien Clan member whose Cultivation is one Great Realm lower than your own will deduct 10% from your Cultivation Progress.


    This will last for three days, and the increase or decrease in Cultivation Progress will not stack with any other enhancement methods.


    ¨C


    This ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡± echoed across the entire Xuantian Continent like a thunderclap!


    At once!


    Cultivators of the Human Race, Devil Clan, and other various minor races all stood in silence with complex expressions, the release of this ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡± practically signalled the formal arrival of chaotic times!


    A final verdict!


    The agreement between the Human Race and the Devil Clan not to wage war on each other now seemed like a joke.


    Killing an Alien Clan member of the same realm would increase Cultivation Progress by 10%.


    Just killing ten Alien Clan members would allow one to break through a small realm.


    A Human Race member at the Nascent Soul Eighth Layer could enter the Nascent Soul Ninth Layer instantly by killing ten Devil Clan members at the Nascent Soul First Layer.


    Isn¡¯t this speed faster than any Spirit Gathering Array?


    Even Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills can¡¯t match this pace, can they?


    For cultivators with lower Cultivation, this is the ultimate good news.


    Especially for those at the Foundation Establishment Stage, where there are plenty of Alien Clan members to kill, helping their Cultivation soar rapidly while ensuring they aren¡¯t easily killed by powerful enemies due to the rule that by killing an Alien Clan member of a lower Cultivation Realm, 10% of Cultivation Progress would be deducted.


    For those with high Cultivation, it¡¯s even more favorable.


    It¡¯s so difficult for those in the Divinity Transformation Stage to break through a small realm.


    Under normal circumstances, they would barely make a breakthrough after a decade of bitter cultivation, and they also had to pass the Heavenly Tribulation, but now it was different, as killing ten Alien Clan members at Divinity Transformation could lead directly to advancing through a small realm.


    It could be said.


    The second part of the ¡°World of Chaos¡± version completely announced the arrival of troubled times!


    ¡­


    On Dragon Island.


    Chen Qiu, who sat cross-legged on a mountain peak, threw the remaining seven Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for Divinity Transformation into his Heavenly Dao Ring, after listening to the ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡± that reached his ears. Then, he swiftly enveloped the entire Dragon Island with his Divine Sense, and bellowed.


    ¡°Stop your damn cultivation!¡±


    ¡°Grab your weapons, it¡¯s time to fight!¡±


    ¡°Ao Tian, come quickly!!!¡±


    Who the hell needs Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills? Ten hours ago, he was still worried about what he would do once he ran out of them.


    Now he could only say, sorry, don¡¯t know you.


    He finally understood what ¡°World of Chaos¡± version meant. Wasn¡¯t this more like it? Otherwise, to have a name like World of Chaos while the entire Xuantian Continent looks harmonious, what¡¯s that about?


    An era of chaos, how could it be chaos if not many died?


    Forget about cultivation!


    Just need to kill five more Divinity Transformation beings to break through to the Divinity Transformation Second Layer!


    The only regret is, why can only killing Alien Clan Divinity Transformation beings increase Cultivation Progress, when there are many on the Human Race side who have a grudge against him?


    ¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s coming, he¡¯s coming!!¡±


    Ao Tian was the first to rush over, landing beside Chen Qiu, eyes filled with excitement as he hugged Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulder, his mouth almost unable to close, ¡°Brother, you truly are blessed by the heavens!¡±


    ¡°I thought it would take you at least a hundred years to cultivate to the peak of Divinity Transformation, but now it seems that this progress can be greatly accelerated. Maybe, brother, you only need just over fifty years to cultivate to the peak of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°Hurry, let¡¯s set off quickly so those Alien Clan Divinity Transformations don¡¯t get snatched up by others first.¡±


    ¡°The closest Alien Clan to us is the Demon Race.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had my eye on them for a long time.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re always scheming and never engage in direct battles, such despicable behavior!¡±


    ¡°The Demon Race is the third-largest clan on the Xuantian Continent after the Human Race and Devil Clan. If we avoid the Void Refining of the Demon Race and sneak into their rear lines for an ambush, there shouldn¡¯t be too many problems.¡±


    By then, the members of the Chao Tian Sect had already flown over.


    Without any hesitation, Chen Qiu took the disciples, including the Chao Tian Sect, into his small world, and then rushed off into the distance with Ao Tian!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, Quzhou.


    Inside the Earth Cave.


    The advancing Demon Race army suddenly stopped because of this ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±, and the retreating Dwarf Clan army also halted, resulting in a temporary ceasefire between them.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the Demon Clan Patriarch turned to his son, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like I¡¯ve sensed a thread of murderous intent. Do you feel it?¡±


    Quzhou is quite close to the Heavenly Continent.


    And there is Chen Qiu in the Heavenly Continent ¨C he could swear Chen Qiu must already be on his way to Quzhou by now.


    Such a figure would not miss this golden opportunity to rapidly increase his Cultivation Progress.


    When killing an Alien Clan, naturally one would pick the softest target.


    To them, the Demon Race seems to be that soft target when compared with the Devil Clan.


    ¡°Father, your intuition is pretty accurate,¡± the young Demon beside him said as he looked to his now calm father, ¡°I suggest we quickly ask the Void Refining elders to come out of seclusion.¡±


    ¡°Although Chen Qiu is at the Divinity Transformation Stage, he wouldn¡¯t dare to act too recklessly in front of our Void Refining elders.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible¡­¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch thoughtfully looked at the Dwarf Clan retreating deeper into the Earth Cave, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ this doesn¡¯t seem to bring any benefit to the Demon Clan, and we would completely miss out on the opportunity of this chaotic era.¡±

 Chapter 510 - 195:

    Chapter 510: Chapter 195: ¡°Does the Dwarf Clan Have So Many Sins?¡±_2


    ¡°As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s goal is merely the Divinity Transformation of the Alien Clan, we could fully cooperate with Chen Qiu to swallow the Dwarf Clan whole, and then we might even be able to annex other minor clans as well.¡±


    ¡°And the remaining Alien Clan members with Golden Core Foundation Establishment, dying at the hands of our Demon Race with Golden Core Foundation Establishments, would significantly bolster the overall strength of our Demon Race, perhaps propelling us to become a great clan in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corner of the young Demon¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, ¡°Father, I must remind you, Chen Qiu could easily kill the Demon Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformation first, and then kill the Divinity Transformation of the Dwarves, without needing to cooperate with us.¡±


    ¡°Void Refining does not show itself.¡±


    ¡°Divinity Transformation can¡¯t stop Chen Qiu and the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re well aware of the events from the eve of Zhongzhou, Father.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch shook his head firmly, ¡°Still necessary, the Dwarf Clan lives deep in the Earth Caves, having fought the Dwarf Clan for countless years, we can easily locate them, but Chen Qiu does not understand the Dwarf Clan and would not be able to find them.¡±


    ¡°Fortune favors the bold!¡±


    ¡°Worth the gamble!¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    When Chen Qiu and Ao Tian secretly sneaked into the core city of the ¡®Demon Province,¡¯ they only saw banners hung everywhere within the city.


    ¡°Welcome Sect Master Chen Qiu to the Demon Province!¡±


    ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    Ao Tian, who was prepared to wreak havoc, looked at the banners hanging all over the city and suddenly didn¡¯t know whether to proceed with the slaughter.


    Was this the scene they were rushing to see?


    This was like rushing into a brothel in a fervor, selecting an Oiran, only to find out she¡¯s the matron you knew from when you first entered the Cultivation World.


    Turn around and leave, pants already dropped.


    If he forced his way, it would feel somewhat strange in his heart.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu said nothing, but looked with a complex expression toward the two members of the Dwarf Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformation who were tied up on the nearby square, where a middle-aged man stood shouting at the top of his lungs non-stop.


    ¡°Sect Master Chen, I know you¡¯ve come, the Demon Race is very sincere towards you, let¡¯s join forces to deal with other Alien Clans.¡±


    ¡°These two Divinity Transformation members of the Dwarf Clan are just a welcome gift; there¡¯s more to come.¡±


    The man had been shouting this in cycles for thirty minutes.


    Because he had been standing there listening for thirty minutes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡±


    Tucking the Merit Defense Order into his chest, Chen Qiu led the way to the center of the square; the original plan was to infiltrate the Demon Race without alerting any Void Refining level beings, and begin the assassination.¡±


    But since it seemed the Demon Race had other ideas,


    a conversation might not be a bad idea after all.


    With the Merit Defense Order in hand, even if a Void Refining level being attacked him, he was confident he could survive, his hundreds of billions of merit points were no joke.


    ¡­ S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No longer hiding, Chen Qiu walked directly toward the center of the square, and before he could speak, he saw the middle-aged Demon rushing towards him with eager eyes.


    ¡°Your Excellency must be Sect Master Chen, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, ¡°Call over the people in your Demon Race who can make decisions.¡±


    ¡°I, I, I.¡±


    The middle-aged Demon hadn¡¯t activated his Protective Spirit Qi, such close proximity without it meant if Chen Qiu suddenly turned violent, he could be gravely injured or even killed.


    After hearing this, he repeatedly patted his own chest, ¡°I¡¯m the one who makes decisions, I am the Demon Clan Patriarch, I call the shots in the Demon Race, when I die, it will be my son who does!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu had not been looking directly at the man until then, and now he turned his gaze to him, realizing this person was actually at the Peak of Divinity Transformation Cultivation.


    He remained expressionless and silent for a long while before speaking in a somber tone, ¡°As the Demon Clan Patriarch, have you actually been standing here shouting repeatedly for half an hour yourself?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have sent someone? Quite the man of the people, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°This demonstrates sincerity.¡± The Demon Clan Patriarch said seriously, ¡°Sect Master Chen, let¡¯s cut to the chase, I know you¡¯ve always been a man who despises evil.¡±


    ¡°Look¡ª¡±


    He handed over an ancient book, ¡°This records that our Demon Race has hardly killed any members of the Human Race in tens of thousands of years; we¡¯ve only ever caused divisiveness, but never actually made a move.¡±


    ¡°We could be considered a good clan.¡±


    ¡°But the Dwarf Clan is different; they often attack your Human Race, look.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch pulled out an ancient book three zhang thick from his chest and placed it heavily on the ground, ¡°Inside here are the recent crimes of the Dwarf Clan, the Dwarves deserve to die!¡±


    ¡°If we join forces, we can lead you there; the Dwarf Clan is hidden underground in the Earth Caves and is difficult to find; you¡¯ll kill the Divinity Transformation, and the Golden Core Foundation Establishment members you don¡¯t want, leave them to the Demon Race to kill.¡±


    ¡°This way, we both get what we want.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked up at the ancient book ten meters high and remained silent for a long time before saying softly, ¡°The Dwarf Clan has committed so many crimes?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Then indeed they deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth.¡±


    The two men exchanged glances and quickly understood each other¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Then Sect Master Chen, this way please?¡±


    ¡°After you.¡±


    ¡­


    In the palace of the Demon Province,


    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch still hadn¡¯t activated any Protective Spirit Qi and spread a map out on the table, ¡°The Dwarf Clan lives in the Earth Caves.¡±


    ¡°These caves are natural formations, made of extremely unique and incredibly durable materials that also block Divine Sense, but they can¡¯t be used for forging materials.¡±


    ¡°And these Dwarves are hiding underneath.¡±


    ¡°They are cunning, venomous, and stinky!¡±


    ¡°They would occasionally come up to ambush our Demon Race as well as the Human Race, then plunder Cultivation Resources and escape back to the caves; the caves are complex and interconnected, and with Divine Sense blocked, it¡¯s impossible to catch up to them.¡±

 Chapter 511 - 195:

    Chapter 511: Chapter 195: ¡°Does the Dwarf Clan Have So Many Sins?¡±_3


    ¡°The Dwarf Clan has had its traditions for so many years, and their history books are just three feet thick!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sitting aside, Ao Tian asked in surprise, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because if it¡¯s over three feet, they can¡¯t reach it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ao Tian fell into silence momentarily, unsure how to respond to the Demon Clan Patriarch¡¯s cold joke. He always found the Demon Clan Patriarch a bit eccentric.


    Not quite like a normal person.


    Oh, not quite like a normal demon.


    After furiously cursing the Dwarf Clan for quite a while, the Demon Clan Patriarch finally took a breath and continued, ¡°The Demon Race¡¯s army has now forced the Dwarf Clan deep into the Earth Cave, preventing them from coming out, though we have temporarily ceased hostilities.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had constant friction with the Dwarf Clan over the years, but this is the first time it has escalated into all-out war. During this war, we¡¯ve realized a very serious problem.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°These dwarves, for some reason, seem utterly fearless of death!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s completely understandable for demons not to fear death, especially since they have a great leader like me inspiring them. They die for their faith, for the future of our race¡ªthey die honorably!¡±


    ¡°But why¡­ these dwarves also show no fear of death?¡±


    ¡°These filthy dwarves have no faith to speak of, just worms hiding in gutters. What gives them the right to be so fearless of death?¡±


    No sooner had he spoken,


    The two Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation beings tied up nearby glared fiercely at the Demon Clan Patriarch and spat furiously, ¡°You filthy demons are the real worms, always causing strife and useless!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    With an annoyed look, the Demon Clan Patriarch rolled his eyes at the two Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation beings, ¡°The Demon Race started the war, and we have beaten your clan badly.¡±


    These two Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation beings were the same two who had been tied up in the square and had been dragged from the square into the palace.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu did not speak, but leaned back in his chair, observing these two Dwarf Clan beings. After spending 200,000 merit points, these two did not have any entry related to resurrection.


    In other words, they truly were fearless of death.


    It wasn¡¯t because they could be resurrected or anything like that¡ªno, they truly did not fear death.


    However¡­


    The fearlessness in their eyes was somewhat different. He had seen those who calmly faced death, but often there was a sense of sadness in their eyes.


    But the fearlessness in the eyes of these two Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation beings was filled with viciousness and a strong desire for revenge, as if even if they died this time, they could come back and exact vengeance.


    ¡°Chen Qiu, right?¡±


    Just then¡ª


    One of the Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation beings, looking venomous and fearless, sneered at Chen Qiu, ¡°The grand plan of the Dwarf Clan is about to succeed, soon to rule the entire Xuantian Continent. Since you¡¯re here, you won¡¯t escape either!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll use you for a sacrifice!¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡­¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch spoke with some dissatisfaction, ¡°What are you talking about? We demons have been overwhelmingly defeating you. If it weren¡¯t for this Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree, your Dwarf Clan would have been exterminated within three months.¡±


    ¡°Joke!¡±


    The same Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation being who had shouted earlier looked scornfully, ¡°It¡¯s all part of the grand plan of the Dwarf Clan. How could you despicable creatures understand!¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you, if it weren¡¯t for¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, the other Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation being anxiously rushed to say, ¡°Shut up, don¡¯t reveal the secrets of the Dwarf Clan.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°See,¡± the Demon Clan Patriarch turned his head toward Chen Qiu, spreading his hands in resignation, ¡°I¡¯ve been saying, the Dwarf Clan is not only lowly but also a bit dim-witted.¡±


    ¡°Their mouths are loose; I can¡¯t get anything out of them even with torture.¡±


    ¡°But when they do talk, they can¡¯t help but blurt everything out.¡±


    After pausing for a moment, Chen Qiu looked at the two Dwarf Clan beings in front of him. A plan gradually formed in his mind, and he whispered, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your demon race have the Soul Drawing Technique? Just read their memories directly.¡±


    ¡°Eh~¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch looked at Chen Qiu somewhat surprised, ¡°How novel! When did the demon race have such a method? Where did you hear that? It¡¯s all rumors.¡±


    ¡°But our current situation is just like that, although I don¡¯t know what kind of schemes these Dwarf Clan have, it doesn¡¯t matter. We just need to keep fighting our way through.¡±


    ¡°Under your twelve-grade Divine Domain, Sect Master Chen, all gods are as trivial as chickens and dogs, and all Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformations are yours to handle. As for us in the demon race, we¡¯ll just take care of the leftovers from you, Sect Master Chen.¡±


    ¡°These two Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformations, whenever you do act, Sect Master Chen, it¡¯s bothersome to always have to tilt my head down just to see them, it tires the eyes.¡±


    ¡­


    Seated on the chair, Chen Qiu looked towards the two Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformations but did not speak immediately.


    The situation was somewhat complex.


    He and the demon race had temporarily reached a cooperative relationship. Yes, although it was a bit rash, in a situation where both parties¡¯ interests aligned and complemented each other, this kind of cooperation was almost inevitable.


    And these two Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformations reminded him of something.


    A milestone mission.


    ¡®One of the twelve milestone missions.¡¯


    ¡°To be nominated once by the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree in both the Mortal World and the underworld.¡±


    ¡°Achiever: None.¡±


    ¨C


    He had always thought this task was a bit of a pipe dream. The underworld? Perhaps one could go there after death, perhaps even be nominated once by the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree in the underworld.


    But¡­


    If he went down there, could he come back?


    Wouldn¡¯t that mean death?


    Who can resurrect from death!


    At least so far, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone who could resurrect. Oh, there was an entry for resurrection, and it was a White entry.

 Chapter 512 - 195:

    Chapter 512: Chapter 195: ¡°Does the Dwarf Clan Have So Many Sins?¡±_4


    But that would be a trillion years later!


    ¨C


    ¡°entry name¡±: resurrection.


    ¡°entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°entry effect¡±: When you die, your Residual Soul will drift in the underworld without consciousness, and after a trillion years, you will resurrect.


    ¨C


    A trillion years, by then even the daylilies would have cooled.


    However¡­


    Based on the somewhat bizarre fearless reaction of these two Divinity Transformed dwarfs from the Dwarf Clan, he faintly felt that something was amiss. Since they could claim to unify the Xuantian Continent, they must have some confidence.


    The Dwarf Clan was just a minor clan after all.


    Facing the two great mountains of the Devil Clan and the Human Race, to declare the unification of the Xuantian Continent was certainly bold and presumably backed by some confidence.


    And the source of this confidence might very likely be some kind of¡­ resurrection ability?


    Like being able to resurrect after death, hence they were not afraid of death at all?


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t speak; he just stood up and walked towards these two Divinity Transformed dwarfs. They were only half his height, and he had to look down on them, which wasn¡¯t good for the spine if one dealt with dwarfs over long periods.


    A bluish-purple arrow slowly emerged in the palm of his hand, and he casually inserted it into the eye socket of one of the Divinity Transformed dwarfs.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Mighty Spiritual Energy exploded instantaneously throughout the entire palace, filling the space with countless roaring Thunder Dragons.


    Once the dust had settled.


    He glanced at his Cultivation Progress, which had reached 60%.


    Not bad.


    He then looked towards the other still-living Divinity Transformed dwarf, who was severely injured and was scornfully looking at him, ridiculing him.


    ¡°Congratulations, you have successfully offended the greatest race on the Xuantian Continent, the Dwarf Clan!¡±


    Chen Qiu fumbled in his chest for a while before pulling out a ¡°Transformation Token,¡± crouched down, and placed this Token on the forehead of the dwarf.


    As the blood seeped into the Token, a white light faintly flashed.


    Soon, an image of this Divinity Transformed dwarf slowly appeared on the Token.


    This was a trinket he had obtained a long time ago; he had three in total. If he now crushed this Token, he could completely transform into the likeness of this Divinity Transformed dwarf.


    Everything from the aura to the demeanor and physique would match perfectly.


    He planned to personally go to the depths of the Earth Cave to see what was going on.


    To see what the situation with the Dwarf Clan really was.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch, who had activated his Protective Spirit Qi immediately, looked towards the ruined palace interior, the shattered porcelain vases, and the floor, and muttered: ¡°Actually, all these Divinity Transformed dwarfs had been sealed in their cultivation; a direct stab would have been sufficient, no need for all this hassle.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu had already held back.¡±


    Ao Tian turned his head towards the Demon Clan Patriarch and said, ¡°Otherwise, this palace would have been reduced to ruins.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch sighed deeply: ¡°Although it¡¯s not valuable, it was meticulously arranged, so it still hurts a bit.¡±


    And at that moment,


    Chen Qiu walked back, looked at the Demon Clan Patriarch, and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t let him die. Give him some Healing Medicine, and lock him up later. I¡¯m going to check out the Dwarf Clan¡¯s situation in depth.¡±


    He then threw a Transformation Token on the table.


    As both the Demon Clan Patriarch and Ao Tian probed the Token with their Divine Sense, they quickly understood Chen Qiu¡¯s plan. Initially startled, Ao Tian then spoke with a grim look.


    ¡°Brother, this is a bit dangerous. If exposed, it would be difficult to get out.¡±


    In the depths of the Earth Cave,


    The complex terrain combined with the isolation of Divine Sense indeed made escape very challenging once exposed. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 513 - 196:

    Chapter 513: Chapter 196: ¡°I don¡¯t have much admiration for the Demon Race.


    ¡°I think so too,¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch nodded in agreement. ¡°Although the demeanor, body shape, and even the aura are exactly the same, the idiosyncrasies and memories are different, which can easily reveal the truth.¡±


    ¡°Once exposed, that would be terrible.¡±


    ¡°The Dwarf Clan does have Void Refining experts; they just haven¡¯t made a move yet, waiting for our Demon Clan¡¯s Void Refining experts to act first.¡±


    ¡°However, this indeed presents a good opportunity to probe the Dwarf Clan. Let me think¡­¡±


    ¡°No need to think further, it¡¯s settled then.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head and retook the ¡®Transformation Order¡¯ that he had placed on the table, then looked towards the Demon Clan Patriarch: ¡°Where is the entrance to the Earth Cave?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch hesitated, saying, ¡°How about we first interrogate this Dwarf of the Divinity Transformation to learn their speech habits and some basic information about their clan?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Qiu rejected the suggestion. ¡°Trying too hard to resemble them is exactly what will most likely expose us. Besides, we can¡¯t be sure the information he provides isn¡¯t a trap. If someone questions us, just pretend to have lost your memory.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch didn¡¯t say anything more. Since Chen Qiu had such a strategy and wanted to give it a try, he naturally didn¡¯t have any objections, although he was indeed a bit worried about what would happen to Chen Qiu if things went south¡­


    After all, Chen Qiu was now his ally, and he was counting on Chen Qiu¡¯s strength to push through the Dwarf Clan.


    Should anything happen,


    It would also be a loss for the Demon Clan.


    ¡­


    Dozens of breaths later,


    The Demon Clan Patriarch led Chen Qiu to the entrance of the Earth Cave: ¡°Here it is. The paths inside are complex and intertwined. The Demon Sect¡¯s army hasn¡¯t withdrawn yet, but both sides have ceased fire, creating a buffer zone.¡±


    ¡°Once there, we will stealthily escort you to the buffer zone, and from there on, it¡¯s all up to you, Sect Master Chen.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, then turned his head towards Ao Tian. ¡°Please take good care of my disciples.¡±


    He released the Chao Tian Sect disciples from the small world, including the brown bear from behind the mountain.


    ¡°Brother Qiu,¡±


    Fat Long expressed his concern, ¡°Actually, I think it would be best to send the scholar. Even if he encounters danger, he can return safely. Or perhaps, bring the scholar along for greater safety.¡±


    ¡°Fat Long is right,¡±


    The scholar said seriously, ¡°Brother Qiu, it would be better for me to go. It¡¯s dangerous for you to go in person. The material of the Earth Cave is extremely sturdy, blocking Divine Sense.¡±


    ¡°If you stir up trouble down there, we won¡¯t know and won¡¯t be able to help.¡±


    ¡°Or you could take me along.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t elaborate further. He mainly suspected that the Dwarf Clan might possess a special ability to resurrect from the underworld, or perhaps to freely travel between the underworld and the Mortal World.


    He was preparing to investigate this matter.


    After all, if the Dwarf Clan could travel freely between the underworld and the Mortal World, then, if he found the right way, he could achieve this as well.


    In that case, the milestone task might just become feasible.


    ¡­


    After saying goodbye to Fat Long and the others,


    The Demon Clan Patriarch personally escorted Chen Qiu to the buffer zone deep within the Earth Cave, watching Chen Qiu, who had transformed into a member of the Dwarf Clan, head deeper into the cave.


    The Demon Clan Patriarch suddenly sighed deeply, ¡°How exactly did such a race as the Dwarf Clan come to be?¡±


    Then he turned to the young demon beside him and smiled, ¡°How about it, son? You see, Chen Qiu is quite easy to talk to. We¡¯ve successfully reached cooperation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before.¡±


    ¡°Fortune favors the bold.¡±


    ¡°Once Sect Master Chen gathers enough information, no matter what plots or tricks the Dwarf Clan has, with the opening of Sect Master Chen¡¯s twelve-grade Divinity Domain, the Demon Clan army can just follow and roll forward.¡±


    The Demon Clan and the Dwarf Clan had temporarily ceased fighting.


    Thus, he didn¡¯t stay overlong in the Earth Cave and soon returned to the surface, looking towards Ao Tian and the disciples of Chao Tian Sect behind him, smiling amicably.


    ¡°Actually, I have long admired the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Ao Tian did not give the Demon Clan Patriarch a pleasant look, merely scoffing, ¡°If I recall correctly, most of the rumors about the Dragon Clan originated from your Demon Clan.¡±


    ¡°Including the rumor that dragon meat is delicious, which also came from your Demon Clan¡¯s mouths.¡±


    ¡°As for the Demon Clan, I do not hold much admiration.¡±


    ¡°Times have changed,¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch said earnestly, ¡°That was the Demon Clan¡¯s past. Under my leadership, the Demon Clan has stopped all that idle talk. The first battle on the Xuantian Continent was initiated by the Demon Clan!¡±


    ¡°Moreover¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I think you¡¯ve misunderstood about the Demon Clan.¡±


    ¡°These aren¡¯t just rumors.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Enough with the arguments!¡±


    In a small world within Zhongzhou,


    The Master of Xuantian Sect sat calmly on a chair, looking at the elders: ¡°Let¡¯s solve this by voting; majority rules, old practice.¡±


    Xuantian Sect had already officially isolated itself from the world not long ago.


    Not only had the entire sect entered the small world, but they also set up a great formation to isolate the Heavenly Secrets, which could prevent them from being forcibly drawn into chaotic Secret Realms by the Heavenly Dao.


    However, they still left a back door, allowing people from the Xuantian Sect to occasionally go out and gather the latest intelligence from the Xuantian Continent.


    When they received word that Chen Qiu had successfully created a twelve grade Divinity Domain, everyone appeared visibly shaken by the news, grateful that they had isolated themselves early, given Chen Qiu¡¯s fast pace of growth. In this trajectory, it seemed he would not need more than twenty years to reach the Peak of Divinity Transformation and then prepare for the breakthrough to the Void Refining Stage.


    But¡ª


    Just this morning.


    The Great Elder of the Xuantian Sect, who had been assigned to gather intelligence, suddenly brought back information on the ¡°World in Turmoil¡± version two update. This news made the elders of the Xuantian Sect restless.


    Such a great opportunity arising from the chaos.


    It would significantly strengthen the foundation of the Xuantian Sect, and it would be a pity to miss it.


    Thus, the elders of the Xuantian Sect split into two factions.


    One faction believed they should continue to remain isolated.


    After all, this was what their ancestors had instructed, and with Chen Qiu¡¯s development speed being so astonishing, they were hidden in the small world behind the great formation that shielded them from the Heavenly Secrets, making it impossible for Chen Qiu to find them in any case.


    This was truly a state of absolute safety.


    But if they were to break the formation and reappear in the world, there was a chance they would become entangled with Chen Qiu, and getting involved with the Chao Tian Sect could spell trouble. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Moreover, the content of this second version only lasted for three days.


    The other faction thought that they could indeed emerge now.


    After all, the content of this second version could significantly boost the overall strength of the Xuantian Sect, from disciples to elders, everyone¡¯s Cultivation could see significant enhancement, saving them many years of arduous cultivation.


    Furthermore,


    The Xuantian Sect had a Void Refining Expert stationed; even if they provoked Chen Qiu, couldn¡¯t a single Void Refiner suppress him?


    Soon, the other faction began to object.


    The two groups started arguing intensely.


    ¡°Those in favor of continuing isolation, raise your hands.¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡±


    After a mutual glance among the Xuantian Sect elders, exactly half raised their hands in favor of continuing isolation, including the Xuantian Sect¡¯s Great Elder.


    The Great Elder of the Xuantian Sect turned to the other elders who didn¡¯t raise their hands and said softly, ¡°Listen to me, I should be the one who has been in closest contact with Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Just entering Divinity Transformation, he killed someone at the peak of Divinity Transformation, an event unparalleled in many years on the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Also, according to the Su Family Patriarch, Chen Qiu possesses a ¡®Self-Destruction Term.¡¯ With his current level one Divinity Transformation Cultivation, just one explosion of a term could unleash the full force of the Void Refining Stage.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Though the methods of the Void Refining Stage aren¡¯t solely based on blasting people with Spiritual Energy, it¡¯s not to be underestimated.¡±


    ¡°Frankly speaking, this chaotic opportunity is just an illusion.¡±


    ¡°You are all at the Divinity Transformation Stage; how many from the Alien Clan are at Divinity Transformation? Even if you were to kill them all, how much would each person¡¯s Cultivation advancement really increase on average?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°We can quietly isolate ourselves for a few decades, wait for Chen Qiu to leave the Xuantian Continent, and then everything will return to normal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it to risk so much for so little gain.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    The Great Elder of the Xuantian Sect then turned to the Master of the Xuantian Sect, ¡°It¡¯s a tie for now, so it¡¯s up to your vote, Master. It¡¯s for you to decide.¡±


    ¡°Isolation.¡±


    The Master of the Xuantian Sect decisively raised his hand, then stood up and headed towards the exit of the Sect Hall, ¡°That¡¯s the decision, everyone can leave now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a three-day opportunity for chaos.¡±


    ¡°Even if I let you go out, how many Alien Clan Divinity Transformation practitioners can you really kill?¡±


    ¡°If you accidentally kill someone a Great Realm below your own, you¡¯ll even lose points in Cultivation, so why bother?¡±


    ¡°Everyone just go to bed.¡±


    It was not merely for isolation.


    It¡¯s just that these years as Sect Master had kept him incredibly busy without a moment¡¯s rest. Finally having a chance to take a break during this isolation, he saw no need to go out and stir up trouble.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the depths of the Earth Cave in the state of demons.


    Chen Qiu, now disguised as a member of the Dwarf Clan, looked around as the dwarfs hurriedly moved past him, feeling his heart pound with trepidation. He had made his way deep into the Earth Cave, continuously spotting active members of the Dwarf Clan.


    Mainly two groups of people.


    One group was rushing to the battlefield, while the other consisted of injured retreating from the battlefield. He was mingling among the latter group.


    Matching completely the stature and aura of a Divinity Transformation dwarf, no one along the way suspected him or questioned him as he naturally blended in with the group of injured retreating from the battlefield.


    No one spoke to him either.


    His apprehension stemmed not from the fear of being discovered, as he was protected by the ¡®Merit Defense Order¡¯ and thus not afraid, but rather he was somewhat worried should his hand tremble and inadvertently activate the ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move¡¯ in the twelve grade Divinity Domain, killing someone a Great Realm below his own and losing 10% of his Cultivation Progress.


    With so many here inferior in Cultivation¡­


    If there were no lower limit to the deduction.


    That would truly be a setback to the era of liberation.


    If there is a lower limit, such as it being impossible to drop from Divinity Transformation to Nascent Soul, then at most, he would lose 60% of his Cultivation Progress.


    Of course¡ª


    He didn¡¯t really want to test this theory.

 Chapter 514 - 197:

    Chapter 514: Chapter 197: ¡°The Death of Chen Qiu, A Grand Funeral Between Heaven and Earth.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Deep within the Earth Cave, Chen Qiu, using the ¡°Transfiguration Command,¡± had disguised himself as a Divinity Transformation member of the Dwarf Clan and quietly blended into the crowd of the injured, walking towards the deeper parts.


    On the ground, he hadn¡¯t killed another Divinity Transformation member of the Dwarf Clan.


    The concern was that if these Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation members could truly resurrect after death, that would expose him instead.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    A Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member suddenly strode up from behind, patted his shoulder, and scrutinized him suspiciously, ¡°You don¡¯t have a single injury on you, why are you with the wounded?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member beside him who had patted his shoulder, and after a blank, stupefied pause, he pointed to his head, ¡°Divine¡­ Divine Soul¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member suddenly realized and then spoke with a hint of pity in his tone, ¡°So it¡¯s the Divine Soul that¡¯s injured. Divine Soul injuries aren¡¯t easy to heal, it would have been great if your Divine Soul was damaged earlier.¡±


    ¡°There was a celestial phenomenon not long ago that could heal all injuries.¡±


    ¡°But no worries.¡±


    ¡°Once we go through the ¡®Soul Returning Gate,¡¯ even if the damaged Divine Soul can¡¯t be fully repaired, it¡¯ll be almost there.¡±


    ¡°Come, follow me.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why a Divinity Transformation member like you would be hanging out with these juniors¡ªturns out your Divine Soul is injured, and you can¡¯t find your way back.¡±


    Saying this!


    The Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member didn¡¯t wait for Chen Qiu¡¯s refusal; he grabbed Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulder, turned into a streak of light, left the group, and shot towards the deeper part of the Earth Cave.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say anything, just quietly followed this kind person, his eyes narrowing slightly.


    ¡°Soul Returning Gate?¡±


    From the sound of it, did the Dwarf Clan truly possess means to bring the dead back to life?


    This period of three days of chaotic opportunity only allowed for an increase in Cultivation progress by killing members of the Alien Clan of the same realm, and he was very interested in trying it out.


    To see if, while disguised as a member of the Dwarf Clan using the Transfiguration Command, killing a Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member would increase his Cultivation progress.


    But after careful consideration.


    He guessed the likelihood was pretty low.


    After all, the Transfiguration Command only changed his appearance and aura to that of another person, or even another race; in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, he was fundamentally still a member of the Human Race.


    Turning into a member of the Dwarf Clan wouldn¡¯t make him one in reality.


    With the help of this kind person.


    Their progress hastened considerably. Having left the wounded¡¯s main contingent, there was no need to move so sluggishly. They went at full speed.


    The Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member beside him visibly lacked one-third of his body, the right half completely blasted to dust, but he bore not a trace of concern on his face, which indicated that the Dwarf Clan did indeed have some form of resurrection means.


    A few thousand breaths later.


    After journeying through a tight tunnel akin to a birth canal, they were suddenly met with an expansive underground plaza.


    A fissure layer deep within the Earth.


    In this vast plaza, as far as the eye could see, amongst countless buildings, innumerable Dwarf Clan members were busy bustling back and forth¡ªit was evidently one of the Dwarf Clan¡¯s main bases, or one of its several bases.


    The materials surrounding the area were lustrous black, and Divine Sense couldn¡¯t penetrate through them.


    Chen Qiu surveyed his surroundings, speculating that they were probably thousands of feet below the surface, but it was only speculation without a concrete concept.


    The tunnels they had passed.


    Weren¡¯t just all descending.


    They occasionally rose.


    Twisting and winding, making it difficult to grasp a precise depth concept.


    At this moment, the guiding Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member led him through the crowd to a well at the edge of the building cluster. At present, quite a few injured were queuing to leap into the well one after another.


    Once a person finished jumping.


    The next person would wait in place for about three breaths before continuing to jump in.


    There was no sound of water splashing.


    And the well seemed like it could never be filled, as within this short while, dozens of Dwarf Clan members had already jumped in, but there was not a single sign of overflow.


    ¡­


    ¡°Here we are.¡±


    The leading Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member stopped and waited patiently, casually saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go down first, then you follow after me, don¡¯t go the wrong way.¡±


    He then looked at Chen Qiu again, seeing his blank expression.


    He joked.


    ¡°Your Divine Soul injury seems to be quite serious, you¡¯ve even forgotten where this place is. This is the ¡®Soul Returning Gate¡¯ of the Dwarf Clan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also the entry to the underworld.¡±


    ¡°The underworld is another world. If one hasn¡¯t become a resentful spirit after death, then, after seven days, they will go to the underworld to live and retain the memories from their life.¡±


    ¡°However, with the realm of yin and yang separated, there¡¯s no more connection with the Mortal World.¡±


    ¡°Hence the saying ¡®love between a human and a ghost remains unfinished,¡¯ that¡¯s exactly what it means.¡±


    This Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member lamented, ¡°I¡¯ve read quite a few human tales recently, often about unfinished love between humans and ghosts, and it truly makes one feel pensive.¡±


    ¡°I recognize you; you¡¯re from the Seven Clans, and I¡¯m from the Nine Tribes.¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Mortal World and the underworld are absolutely separated, but a hundred years ago, a Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member discovered this entrance to the underworld that had leaked from the heavens and the earth.¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It was also the time when Quzhou¡¯s sky had just collapsed. When Quzhou¡¯s sky collapsed, the ground on our Dwarf Clan¡¯s side also gave way, and later we discovered that this rift led to the underworld.¡±


    ¡°Through this wellhead, one can enter the underworld. Of course, only the dead can enter the underworld, so the moment you enter the underworld through this well, you are considered dead.¡±

 Chapter 515 - 197: The Death of Chen Qiu, A Grand Funeral Between Heaven and Earth._2

    Chapter 515: Chapter 197: ¡®The Death of Chen Qiu, A Grand Funeral Between Heaven and Earth.¡¯_2


    ¡°But generally speaking, when wandering ghosts enter the underworld, they are in the form of Yin Souls. You¡¯ll need to recreate your physical body in the underworld, which is a relatively simple process that doesn¡¯t consume any rare materials from heaven and earth.¡±


    ¡°This process can fully heal all your injuries, and then you can return to the Mortal World.¡±


    ¡°This way, you can heal all your wounds at the fastest speed and with the least cost.¡±


    ¡°This is also the greatest confidence for the Dwarf Clan to dominate the entire Xuantian Continent in the future,¡± a fervor flashed in the eyes of this Divinity Transformation dwarf: ¡°Furthermore, even if the members of the Dwarf Clan die, their Yin Souls will return to the underworld after seven days. Once their bodies are recreated, they can return to the Mortal World!¡±


    ¡°As they say, a cycle of endless life, the people of the Dwarf Clan will never perish, until they dominate the entire Xuantian Continent!¡±


    ¡°However, since your Divine Soul is damaged, you might need to stay in the underworld for a few more days to gather the heavenly materials and earthly treasures needed to heal your Divine Soul.¡±


    Chen Qiu squinted his eyes without speaking. It was indeed as he had guessed internally¡ªthe Dwarf Clan truly possessed the ability to travel back and forth between the underworld and the Mortal World, achieving an effect akin to immortality.


    And at that moment¡ª


    The Divinity Transformation dwarf turned his head to look at him, his eyes gleaming with a hint of pride, laughing, ¡°When you go to the underworld, if you have more than 1000 merit points, you will automatically condense a Merit Body.¡±


    ¡°The higher your merit points, the stronger the body you condense.¡±


    ¡°I have over 3000 merit points. When I go down there, I don¡¯t need to gather materials to create a body. It automatically condenses one for me.¡±


    ¡°A Merit Body does not consume your merit points. The higher your merit points during your lifetime, the stronger the Merit Body after your death. Merit points are useless in the underworld and cannot be used or obtained there.¡±


    ¡°However, for almost all people, going to the underworld means they can¡¯t come back. Even if it doesn¡¯t use up merit points, it¡¯s meaningless, but this is advantageous for us, the Dwarf Clan. On the entire Xuantian Continent, only our Dwarf Clan has the ability to move freely between the Mortal World and the underworld!¡±


    ¡°In just three breaths¡¯ time, you¡¯ll return to the human realm unharmed.¡±


    ¡°How many merit points do you have?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu blinked his eyes blankly and didn¡¯t speak, just dribbling a bit of saliva down from the corner of his mouth to his chin, clearly in a state of severe Divine Soul damage and somewhat unclear in consciousness.


    He suddenly felt that he had a bit of a talent for playing the fool.


    And he thought being a fool might be quite blissful.


    No need to think about anything, no need to speak about anything. No need for any facial expressions. Just maintaining a state of mind wandering, detached from the world was enough.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    Seeing Chen Qiu like this, the Divinity Transformation dwarf didn¡¯t say much, just meaningfully patted Chen Qiu on the shoulder and smiled, ¡°It seems you really have forgotten a lot of things.¡±


    ¡°No worries, follow me.¡±


    The two headed straight for the well. As a being of Divinity Transformation, being among the highest combat forces of the Dwarf Clan, he naturally had the privilege to move ahead in line.


    The Divinity Transformation dwarf jumped into the well right in front of him.


    After waiting at the well for a moment, Chen Qiu looked around then also jumped down.


    About three breaths later.


    He felt like he was falling into an extremely dense liquid, everything went pitch black, and his Divine Sense couldn¡¯t reach out. After another three breaths.


    The sticky feeling around him disappeared suddenly.


    A refreshing sensation hit him instantly.


    Chen Qiu saw a completely new world before him, brown soil everywhere, the ground scattered with lumps of dirt, the weather foggy and the sky sunless, with dim lighting.


    He looked down at his own body.


    It was semi-transparent, the so-called state of a Yin Soul.


    ¡­


    ¡°Is this¡­ death?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at his right hand, no veins or bones visible. He could even see the dirt clumps on the ground through his arm.


    His entire figure felt as if it was weightless. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A light, airy sensation.


    Just then¡ª


    A sinister laugh suddenly rang in his ears: ¡°Who would have thought, you too have your day, finally giving me the opportunity. It¡¯s time to settle our years of deadly enmity right here!¡±


    ¡°Who made you so damaged in Divine Soul that you don¡¯t even recognize me!¡±


    ¡°This is the underworld. Even if I kill you here, the Clan Leader will not know. By killing you here, you will be utterly eradicated between heaven and earth!¡±


    As the voice fell.


    He felt a strand of Divine Sense Attack pierce into his Sea of Consciousness. However¡­ This attack had absolutely no effect on him, as if he had just been bitten by a mosquito.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu turned to look at the Divinity Transformation dwarf who had been leading the way, now grinning malevolently at him with a hint of vengeance satisfied in his eyes!


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Realizing Chen Qiu did not disintegrate on the scene as he expected, the Divinity Transformation dwarf in the state of Yin Soul stiffened slightly, and then instinctively sent several more Divine Sense Attacks into Chen Qiu.


    But¡­ like stones sinking into the sea, there was no response.


    However, by then, the blank look in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes had swept away, no longer showing signs of Divine Soul damage, merely watching him calmly.


    ¡°You¡­ you fucker, you lied!¡±


    ¡°Your Divine Soul isn¡¯t damaged at all!¡±


    The Divinity Transformation dwarf quickly realized what was happening, a shadow passed over his eyes, and he immediately tried to sprint toward the distance, aiming to break through the surrounding barriers.


    However¡ª


    Faster than him was Chen Qiu¡ª with a flurry of ¡°Heart-piercing Stab¡± instantly penetrating the Divinity Transformation dwarf¡¯s body, the dwarf¡¯s Yin Soul immediately dissipated into a wisp of blue smoke in the air.

 Chapter 516 - 197:

    Chapter 516: Chapter 197: ¡°The Death of Chen Qiu, A Grand Funeral Between Heaven and Earth.¡±_3


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in place and, after a long while, looked at his Cultivation progress and suddenly broke into laughter. He then looked up at his surroundings and murmured softly, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve come to the right place.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Divinity Transformation first layer (70%).


    ¨C


    Two points.


    The first point, even if he used a transformation command to take on the appearance of a dwarf from the Dwarf Clan, to him, the Dwarf Clan still counted as Alien Clan. Killing a member of the Alien Clan at the Divinity Transformation stage would also increase his Cultivation progress by 10%.


    The second point was that in the underworld, this period of chaotic opportunities was equally valid.


    And the underworld should have accumulated quite a few Alien Clan members at the Divinity Transformation stage over the years, which, to him, counted as substantial tonics that could significantly enhance his strength.


    There were only the two of them in this place.


    After the dwarf at the Divinity Transformation stage turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared, only he was left. He looked up at his surroundings, where a milky white dome enveloped the area.


    It wasn¡¯t very big, with a diameter of only about a dozen or so zhang due to its size.


    According to what the dwarf had said, in the underworld today, if one had merit value, it would automatically condense into a physical body, yet he was still in the state of a Yin Soul.


    It seemed, then, that inside this dome was probably a sort of transfer station, and it was only by leaving the dome that one would truly enter the underworld.


    Just now, quite a few dwarfs had jumped into the well.


    But here, there was only him and that dwarf at the Divinity Transformation stage; the others were nowhere to be seen.


    Chen Qiu waved his right arm in the air.


    His Heavenly Dao Ring and other items were on his Yin Soul body, but none of them could be used. All the Spiritual Treasures from the Mortal World were of no use, and he couldn¡¯t even establish a connection with his own Heavenly Dao Ring.


    He also couldn¡¯t activate his Divine Domain.


    He didn¡¯t know if there would be changes after condensing his body.


    He surveyed his surroundings, which looked nothing more than a barren wasteland with nothing special about it, and chose a random direction to start walking forward.


    His journey in the underworld had officially begun!


    ¡­


    What Chen Qiu didn¡¯t know was,


    the moment he jumped into the entrance and entered the underworld, a Heavenly Dao Decree, ancient and ethereal, resounded across the vastness of the Xuantian Continent!


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: The Heavenly Dao has sensed that Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, the Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, and the exceptional Heavenly Pride, shall be renowned for ages to come. Alas, the heavens envy the talented. At the hour of Si, he perished completely, his soul dissipated, returning to the Dao of Heaven.


    With such a prodigy departed, all living creatures mourn; a grand funeral by heaven and earth.


    ¨C


    Subsequently¡ª


    An unprecedented celestial phenomenon covered the entire Xuantian Continent.


    It was the springtime when all things were reviving.


    But a vast expanse of white snow enveloped the entire Xuantian Continent, sprinkling in every corner, while the sound of mournful suona echoed in the ears of every living being on the Continent.


    When the snowflakes touched the ground, they turned into brilliantly vivid roses, as if tinged with fresh blood.


    Countless vibrant red roses scattered across the ground, and at a glance, it appeared as though the heavens were shedding blood and tears over Chen Qiu¡¯s departure.


    This celestial phenomenon continued for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before gradually fading away.


    This Heavenly Dao Decree, more than any before it, shook the hearts of all. Almost all creatures on the Xuantian Continent held their breath subconsciously upon hearing the decree, each with disbelief surfacing in their minds.


    How¡­how is it possible!


    How could Chen Qiu be dead! He¡¯s the unparalleled Heavenly Pride with a twelve-tier Nascent Soul and a twelve-tier Divine Domain!


    And yet¡ª


    A grand funeral by heaven and earth!


    It couldn¡¯t be false; celestial phenomena do not lie, nor does a Heavenly Dao Decree. Only after the celestial phenomenon slowly dissipated did some people gradually come to their senses, whether excited, sorrowful, confused, or disbelieving, regardless of what they truly felt inside.


    But one thing was certain,


    Chen Qiu was indeed dead, truly and utterly fallen.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Ao Tian, who was standing at the entrance to the Earth Cave, froze in place the instant he heard the Heavenly Dao Decree. After a long while, he turned his head in disbelief toward the Earth Cave entrance.


    Is Chen Qiu dead?


    Impossible! S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that Chen Qiu could die when anyone under the heavens might. Yet, the appearance of this Heavenly Dao Decree forced him to believe it. However, with the means at Chen Qiu¡¯s disposal, having been able to break through to the Peak of Divinity Transformation upon first entering, how could he possibly die here!


    At that moment,


    Fat Long, who had been standing to the side, suddenly had red-rimmed eyes and became a streak of light, shooting towards the entrance of the Earth Cave at such speed that the others hardly had time to react.


    Except for Ao Tian.


    ¡°Come back.¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s brows furrowed slightly as a surge of Spiritual Energy burst forth, catching Fat Long and pulling him back. Seeing Fat Long about to roar, Ao Tian immediately sealed his mouth with Spiritual Energy, speaking seriously and word by word,


    ¡°Brother Fat Long, calm down, don¡¯t be hasty.¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re feeling inside, but now is not the time for revenge. You, Brother Fat Long, are indeed crucial to the Dragon Clan, but the reason I¡¯m stopping you isn¡¯t because I fear for your life.¡±


    ¡°Just think about it carefully. Do you really believe that Chen Qiu could be dead?¡±


    No sooner had he finished speaking,


    The scholar cradling Qingfeng to his side showed no trace of sorrow, his calm demeanor as he shook his head and said, ¡°No, even if everyone in this world dies, Brother Qiu won¡¯t. With Brother Qiu¡¯s methods, whoever wants to kill him will have to be at the Void Refining stage, and even if Void Refining were indeed able to kill Brother Qiu, they would definitely not escape unscathed.¡±


    He knew that Brother Qiu possessed the method of a Self-Destruction Term, and should he truly face a life-threatening crisis, not to mention anything else, if all the entries on himself were to explode, there would be few who could withstand it.

 Chapter 517 - 197:

    Chapter 517: Chapter 197: ¡°The Death of Chen Qiu, A Grand Funeral Between Heaven and Earth.¡±_4


    Instead of believing that Brother Qiu is dead,


    he is more convinced that the Heavenly Dao Decree was issued by Brother Qiu himself.


    ¡°Exactly,¡±


    Ao Tian nodded earnestly and then once again looked at Fat Long and said in a deep voice, ¡°The Dragon Clan is not ungrateful, having signed an Eternal Blood Contract with Chao Tian Sect. If Chen Qiu truly died at the hands of the Dwarf Clan, without any hesitation, the Dragon Clan will join you in a massacre against the Dwarf Clan to avenge Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°But now¡ª¡±


    ¡°We need to first clarify one thing, whether Chen Qiu is truly dead, to avoid rash actions that might disrupt Chen Qiu¡¯s plans.¡±


    He could vaguely guess something because when Chen Qiu insisted on going down by himself, he had somewhat guessed Chen Qiu¡¯s thoughts, just with some uncertainty.


    After calming down Fat Long¡¯s emotions, Ao Tian turned his head and said in a soft voice to the Demon Clan Patriarch beside him.


    ¡°Could you ask a Void Refining Expert of your clan to check the truth?¡±


    ¡°If my brother truly died at the hands of the Dwarf Clan, then surely a Void Refining Expert was involved, and that expert could not be unscathed. Just finding out if the revered Void Refining of the Dwarf Clan is injured would unravel the truth.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch¡¯s face was stern; this time there were no jokes or laughter, but rather he spoke in a serious tone, ¡°I shall request the Demon Clan Ancestor to come out of seclusion right away.¡±


    If Chen Qiu truly died at the hands of the Dwarf Clan, then the situation would indeed be grave.


    Void Refining Expert not appearing.


    The Demon Clan themselves could do nothing to Chen Qiu, so did the Dwarf Clan have the capability to kill Chen Qiu without a Void Refining Expert taking action? There must be some big secret within the Dwarf Clan that the Demon Clan is unaware of, so even if Ao Tian did not say anything, he was also ready to request the Ancestor to come out of seclusion to probe the truth.


    To see what the situation really is.


    Frankly speaking,


    he also does not believe that Chen Qiu could die at the hands of such a dirty, despicable race like the Dwarf Clan. Even though he and Chen Qiu are not of the same race, the deeds Chen Qiu accomplished along the way make him quite admirable. He cannot believe that such a person would die at the hands of the Dwarf Clan!


    But¡­ an Imperial Decree cannot be faked.


    The heavenly and earth phenomenon also cannot be faked.


    And¡­


    On ¡°Xuantian Continent Merit Ranking,¡± ¡°Xuantian Continent Sin Ranking,¡± and ¡°Xuantian Continent Nascent Soul Strength Ranking,¡± Chen Qiu¡¯s name is no longer there.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu¡¯s death, a great mourning of heaven and earth.


    This heavenly and earth phenomenon, like spring rain, suddenly increased the number of top powers in the Central Continent of Xuantian, as those secluded top powers of Central Continent began reappearing one after another.


    They started announcing to the world about coming back to reality and declared their intention to join the Chaotic World Struggle.


    Instantly¡ª


    Messages, like flying feathers, radiated from Central Continent outward in all directions.


    ¨C


    Central Continent¡¯s ¡°Xuantian Sect,¡± announces the end of seclusion, formally re-emerges in the world, and officially joins the Chaotic World Struggle!


    Central Continent¡¯s ¡°Qi Family,¡± announces the end of seclusion, formally re-emerges in the world, and officially joins the Chaotic World Struggle!


    Central Continent¡¯s ¡°Luohua Valley,¡± announces the end of seclusion, formally re-emerges in the world, and officially joins the Chaotic World Struggle!


    Upper Nine Provinces, Jizhou¡¯s ¡°Xuan Palace,¡± announces the end of seclusion, formally re-emerges in the world, and officially joins the Chaotic World Struggle!


    Lower Nine Provinces, Yizhou¡­


    ¨C


    ¡°Finally coming out, eh.¡±


    In Central Continent, at the Xuantian Sect¡¯s mountain peak, which had long been abandoned due to their withdrawal from the world, numerous Xuantian Sect disciples were now bustling about, cleaning the mountain peak, officially emerging from the small world.


    And the Second Elder of Xuantian Sect, hands on hips, closed his eyes with an excited face, inhaling the air¡¯s scent, and muttered to himself.


    ¡°Indeed, the air of Xuantian Continent is sweet and fresh,¡±


    ¡°The small world was too oppressive; this old one felt truly uncomfortable there.¡±


    ¡°Now that Chen Qiu has finally died, there¡¯s no need for Xuantian Sect to hide anymore, and just in time to catch the chaotic world, there are many opportunities waiting for Xuantian Sect to seize.¡±


    Other elders nearby were also showing smiles on their faces at this time.


    ¡°It seems that sometimes ancestral teachings may not always be correct. It is said that only by hiding from the world could one avoid the calamities of Chao Tian Sect¡¯s resurgence, but now it seems that the Chao Tian Sect isn¡¯t as powerful as our ancestors said. Although they were impressive for a while, they didn¡¯t last long before dying.¡±


    ¡°I have wanted to say this for a long time, tens of thousands of years ago the Chao Tian Sect had millions of Sword Cultivators, but today¡¯s Chao Tian Sect has only Chen Qiu left, and the rest of the disciples are a bunch of old, weak, sick and disabled, nowhere near their past glory.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that the Sect Master is overly cautious, otherwise I think there was nothing to fear from that Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s to say otherwise? Hiding away made us miss out on many opportunities, and recently, there have been many Heavenly Dao Secret Realms appearing, not to mention the sealing formation of the small world, which has wasted a lot of heavenly and earthly treasures.¡±


    Unlike the smiles on the faces of many ¡®Xuantian Sect¡¯ elders here, celebrating the death of Chen Qiu and catching up on the chaotic world opportunities,


    At the peak of Xuantian Sect,


    The Master of Xuantian Sect stood with an emotionless expression, hands behind his back, standing on the edge of a cliff, gazing at the white clouds in the distance and spoke softly, ¡°Xuantian Sect only you have been in close contact with that Chen Qiu, do you think¡­ did Chen Qiu truly die?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Standing next to the Sect Master, the Sect Grand Elder remained silent for a long time before he said softly, ¡°I feel that Chen Qiu wouldn¡¯t die so easily. Only those who have seen him with their own eyes can sense his strength and that kind of¡­ conviction.¡±


    ¡°Someone like Chen Qiu, even if he died, certainly wouldn¡¯t die so quietly and unknown.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know where or how Chen Qiu died.¡±


    ¡°With Chen Qiu¡¯s strength, only a Void Refining Expert could reliably kill him.¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter which Void Refining Expert it was that killed Chen Qiu, their subordinates would definitely come forth to proclaim it. Killing Chen Qiu is a feat worth boasting about, after all, he was the most prominent Heavenly Pride of Xuantian Continent recently.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s strange is this point; to this date, no one has come forward to claim they killed Chen Qiu. As for dying in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, that seems like a far-fetched tale.¡±


    ¡°I would rather believe that Chen Qiu committed suicide than believe he died so easily.¡±


    After a while,


    The Master of Xuantian Sect finally sighed deeply and spoke in a low voice, ¡°I share your view, but the Heavenly Dao Decree and the celestial phenomena cannot deceive people.¡±


    ¡°Xuantian Sect is not one person¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°The elders and disciples want to come out after knowing of Chen Qiu¡¯s death, and it can¡¯t be suppressed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to ¡®Gua Sect¡¯, to see if there¡¯s any information on their side.¡±


    ¡®Gua Sect¡¯ is the most powerful Gua Cultivation sect in the Central Continent, a sect fully dedicated to Gua Cultivation.


    When the top forces of the Central Continent chose to hide from the world, it was ¡®Gua Sect¡¯ that was the first to choose seclusion. If the Gua Sect also confirms the death of Chen Qiu, then this matter could essentially be set in stone.


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, Central Continent, Gua Sect.


    Inside the now-reemerged Gua Sect, an Inner Sect Disciple of Gua Sect was looking at several dozen visiting sect elders, calmly stating,


    ¡°I would ask the esteemed elders to be patient. Our Sect Master is personally performing a divination and will notify everyone as soon as there is news.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Xuantian Sect that had sent people to inquire; most top forces of Central Continent had sent representatives.


    Meanwhile, in the back mountain of Gua Sect,


    The Sect Master of Gua Sect was sitting on a mountain peak, engaging in the First Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡®Gua Heaven Divination Earth¡¯, looking calmly at the divination stones in his hands.


    ¡®Gua Heaven Divination Earth¡¯,


    A Divinity Transformation Domain suitable for Gua Cultivation,


    Many of Gua Cultivation divination techniques require the expenditure of one¡¯s own lifespan,


    If one possesses this Divinity Transformation Domain, it will prioritize consuming the lifespan of living creatures in a bound state within the domain, including Spirit Grass, Spirit Trees, and Spirit Beasts.

 Chapter 518 - 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death.

    Chapter 518: Chapter 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death.


    At that time,


    around him, the Spirit Grass and Spirit Trees within his Divine Domain had all withered, and thousands of Spirit Beasts, drained of vitality, were collapsing to the ground.


    His Divine Domain was only First Grade.


    It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t create a higher grade Divine Domain, but for a Gua Cultivator, activating the Divine Domain during combat was pointless, regardless of its grade.


    After all, the grade of the Divine Domain didn¡¯t determine its power, only whether it could be suppressed.


    First Grade was enough.


    Even if elevated to Second Grade, he felt it was a waste of resources and meaningless.


    ¡­


    The Gua Sect was the strongest sect in the central region and the entire Xuantian Continent, and as its Sect Master, he naturally was the strongest Gua Cultivator of the Xuantian Continent.


    However, regarding the question of who Chen Qiu had died at the hands of, he had already conducted nine divinations.


    Each divination was different.


    Some suggested that Chen Qiu had died in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    Others proposed that Chen Qiu had suddenly fallen into a fissure that was, in fact, the Bottomless Abyss, dying instantly on the spot.


    There were also divinations that Chen Qiu was slapped to death by an Outer Realm Demon.


    And even that Chen Qiu had committed suicide due to unsuccessful relationships.


    Initially, he wanted to deduce a few more times, but when the divination mentioned Chen Qiu committing suicide over relationship issues, he knew there was no need to continue trying.


    Such a person, committing suicide because of a troubled relationship?


    What a joke.


    If it were due to relationship issues, it would be more believable if he had annihilated the girl¡¯s entire family three thousand times over.


    And at that time¡ª


    An elder in hemp clothing slowly approached him, the washed-out hemp garment almost turning white, standing not far from the Gua Sect Master and proclaimed in a weighted voice, ¡°Still, each divination is different?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Gua Sect Master nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of perplexity, ¡°Just like when Chen Qiu first came into prominence, it remains that each divination is different.¡±


    When Chen Qiu formed his twelve-grade Nascent Soul.


    They had divined about Chen Qiu, and at that time they were inconsistent in each divination, so they assumed that Chen Qiu must possess a Spiritual Treasure capable of disrupting the divination, and it wasn¡¯t of low grade.


    Such Spiritual Treasures, although extremely rare, did exist.


    Understandable.


    But¡­now that Chen Qiu was already dead, why could they still not divinate it clearly? Logically, once dead, whatever devices disrupted fate should have ceased to function, unless that which interfered with fate wasn¡¯t a Spiritual Treasure, but an entry.


    This could explain it.


    Although they had never seen such an entry, there were so many entries in the world, those they hadn¡¯t seen were too numerous to count.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The Gua Sect Master shook his head and, laying out the nine divination stones in a row, said, ¡°Although the cause of Chen Qiu¡¯s death cannot be deduced, one thing can be certain, Chen Qiu is indeed dead and is no longer in this world.¡±


    ¡°Divined nine times.¡±


    ¡°Every divination pointed to Chen Qiu¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The elder in hemp clothing remained silent for a long while before speaking hoarsely, ¡°Try the tenth divination.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Gua Sect Master, upon hearing this, was silent for a long time before he spoke quietly, ¡°Is there a need?¡±


    Gua Cultivators have a rule.


    With any matter, divination should not exceed nine times, as nine is the ultimate number.


    Divining past nine would enter an uncontrollable stage.


    It would randomly consume a considerable amount of lifespan, potentially exhausting one¡¯s remaining span completely, with no means to counteract this consumption, such as the ¡®Divine Gua of Heaven and Earth¡¯ in the Divine Domain.


    Of course¡ª


    The price paid meant that the accuracy of the tenth divination was often extraordinarily high.


    ¡°There is.¡±


    The hemp-clothed elder spoke indifferently, ¡°The more detailed the divination, the greater the consumption. I don¡¯t care about how Chen Qiu died; I just want to confirm whether he is truly dead, to avoid him fooling the Heavenly Dao and faking his death.¡±


    ¡°Tens of thousands of years ago.¡±


    ¡°The Gua Sect back then took collective action, led the million disciples of Chao Tian Sect into a trap, and nearly caused the complete destruction of Chao Tian Sect. This feud exists; if Chen Qiu is not dead, I cannot be at peace.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The Gua Sect Master¡¯s breathing became heavier, his eyes tightly shut, tossing all nine divination stones into the air, then slowly closed his eyes.


    He did not activate the Divine Domain.


    The wrinkles on his face visibly increased, his entire person turning significantly paler in just a moment.


    After a few breaths,


    a mouthful of black blood violently spurted out. The Gua Sect Master stabilized his rapid breathing before wiping the bloodstain from his mouth corner, ¡°The tenth divination confirms, Chen Qiu is dead.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, good!!¡±


    The elderly man in hemp clothing¡¯s face showed a rare flush of color, excitement apparent in his eyes as he repeated ¡®good¡¯ three times!


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    A message spread from the Gua Sect across the entire Xuantian Continent.


    The Gua Sect Master personally conducted the divination ten times, confirming Chen Qiu¡¯s death.


    This news caused a tidal wave of shock across the Xuantian Continent. Those unfamiliar with Gua Cultivation did not understand the implications of the tenth divination; however, those with some understanding of it


    knew well.


    The tenth divination, for Gua Cultivators, often required a particularly heavy price.


    And the accuracy of this tenth divination was also the highest, essentially confirming that the matter of Chen Qiu¡¯s death was conclusively irrevocable!


    For a time, even those who did not believe in Chen Qiu¡¯s death had no choice but to accept reality.


    With the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree and unusual celestial phenomena coming first, followed closely by the tenth divination, even if these people still doubted Chen Qiu¡¯s possible demise, they knew now that there was no changing this matter.


    ¡­


    ¡°Alas.¡±


    In Myriad Beast Sect, a Peak of Divinity Transformation elder stood on a mountain peak, looking complicatedly towards the direction of Quzhou, feeling an indescribable complexity within.


    He and Chen Qiu had no grievances or grudges.


    Neither favor nor feud.


    They hadn¡¯t had much interaction either, but for some reason, he felt a deep sense of regret concerning Chen Qiu¡¯s death; such a unique Heavenly Pride, to fall like this.


    S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 519 - 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death. _2

    Chapter 519: Chapter 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death. _2


    He truly didn¡¯t know who could reach the end of the Cultivation Path.


    He was well aware that he would never step into Void Refining in his lifetime, and even if he did, Void Refining was not the endpoint of the Cultivation Path. The end of the Cultivation Path was like a winding mountain road with no visible endpoint.


    When you struggled to climb for years and finally reached what you thought was the endpoint, and you looked up at the mountaintop, you would find it still out of reach.


    To attain the Dao and become an immortal, to seize eternal life.


    Even Chen Qiu, such a peerless Heavenly Pride, could not achieve immortality and eternal life, so who could?


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Xiao Yue, who had been squatting nearby with her eyes red from crying, had a last glimmer of hope in her eyes as she looked up at the old man, ¡°Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t possibly be dead, right?¡±


    ¡°Just entering Divinity Transformation makes him invincible in Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°How could such a Heavenly Pride suddenly die so inexplicably? He must not be dead, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The old man from the Myriad Beast Sect at the Peak of Divinity Transformation remained silent for a long time before he reluctantly said, ¡°Firstly, there were unusual celestial phenomena at his funeral, followed by the tenth hexagram of the Gua Sect, and even on the Heavenly Dao ranking list, Chen Qiu¡¯s name is gone.¡±


    ¡°The rule of the Heavenly Dao is, once a person dies, they are removed from the list.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s death is already determined.¡±


    ¡°This cannot be changed.¡±


    ¡°Do not be too sad, I will help you find someone better than Chen Qiu¡­¡±


    The voice stopped abruptly.


    He instinctively wanted to say he would help her find a Heavenly Pride even better than Chen Qiu. Isn¡¯t that how people usually comfort others? But he soon realized that finding a man better than Chen Qiu on the Xuantian Continent¡­ would be harder than making Chen Qiu resurrect.


    And his words


    made Xiao Yue, who already had red eyes, cry even more bitterly, looking quite pitiable.


    Meanwhile, not far away,


    the nine-tailed fox was leisurely lying on a round stone sunbathing, glanced casually at Xiao Yue and then stretched comfortably, continuing to laze in the sun.


    She could hear other people¡¯s thoughts.


    So she found it quite puzzling that Xiao Yue was genuinely sad. Weren¡¯t you and Chen Qiu merely acquainted briefly? Moreover, Chen Qiu never even looked at you directly, only sending you flying with one blow that severely injured you. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Your love and sadness, from where do they arise?


    It truly baffles one.


    She didn¡¯t know whether Chen Qiu was dead, but she did know one thing, based on her cursory and incomplete understanding of him, she thought that if Chen Qiu truly faced certain death,


    he would definitely activate the ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± with his billions of merit points, taking his enemies down with him.


    It couldn¡¯t be like now, without any disturbances.


    The logic here is akin to when you squash a cockroach, it inevitably bursts; if there¡¯s no burst, then the cockroach isn¡¯t dead.


    A rather crude but logical rationale, in her view.


    ¡°¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m the top again?¡±


    In Quzhou, Zhang Kui, who was hiding in a certain cave, looked at the ¡°Heavenly Dao Sin Value Ranking List¡± on the Xuantian Continent and mumbled in bewilderment.


    He had always been at the top of the list with 3 billion sin values, but then Chen Qiu suddenly emerged, making him second. Last night, he spent over 1 billion sin values.


    And in order to avoid the possible arrival of Chen Qiu, he hid in Quzhou.


    Planning to surprise Chen Qiu in a vulnerable moment.


    After all, at this time, there were no Divinity Transformed beings left in Quzhou, which was also Chen Qiu¡¯s place of origin; Chen Qiu would never expect that there was a Divinity Transformed being secretly hiding in Quzhou, virtually undetectable by anyone.


    Unexpectedly¡­ Chen Qiu suddenly died again.


    Even his name had vanished from the Heavenly Dao ranking list, making him the top again.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    Zhang Kui looked bewildered at the concealment array he had busily set up all night, wondering if he still needed to hide in Quzhou or if he could go home now.


    A moment later.


    As he dismantled the array, he muttered, ¡°What is this nonsense, isn¡¯t this just tormenting people?¡±


    ¡­


    Within the Buddhist Sect.


    The half-step Void Refining old man wearing a kasaya looked at the Bishan Palace old ancestor sitting opposite him on the chessboard, his smile almost uncontrollably emerging.


    ¡°It seems I won¡¯t need my backup plans after all.¡±


    ¡°Your servant hasn¡¯t made a move, and I¡¯ve only used a fraction of my power, yet Chen Qiu has brought about his own demise.¡±


    ¡°I suddenly feel very uninterested. An enemy I thought I could go all out against used just a bit of my power and it¡¯s already over.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± the Bishan Palace old ancestor frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t you think Chen Qiu¡¯s death is a bit too obscure?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor shook his head nonchalantly, picking up a white piece and placing it on the chessboard: ¡°This is called dying where he belongs. Chao Tian Sect Chao Tian Sect, with such a name, for the Heavenly Dao to see and crush him to death is quite normal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how he died.¡±


    ¡°As long as he is dead, everything is over.¡±


    ¡­


    In the underworld, wasteland.


    The entire Xuantian Continent already knew of Chen Qiu¡¯s death and reacted in various ways, but Chen Qiu himself knew nothing about it.


    The underworld and the Mortal World are absolutely isolated; he could neither use the Spiritual Treasures of the Mortal World nor contact the outside world through any means.


    And there he stood, at the edge of a milky white barrier.


    Tentatively, he extended his arm out,


    only to see his originally semi-transparent arm, like a Spiritual Body, suddenly begin to solidify rapidly, becoming like a normal physical body.


    As he retracted his arm,


    it returned to its Spiritual Body state.


    Chen Qiu shook his head without thinking too much, and immediately stepped out of the milky white light barrier, then, just at the moment he stepped out, a voice echoed across the skies of the underworld.

 Chapter 520 - 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death. _3

    Chapter 520: Chapter 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death. _3


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Heavenly Dao¡¯s response, Human Clan Cultivator, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, unparalleled Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu, illustrious in life, formidable even in death.


    With one hundred billion merits, a ¡°Heavenly Dao Top Grade Merit Body¡± was forged.


    Granting him a strand of ¡°Luck of Yin Soul¡±, may all look upon this as an example.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Chen Qiu stepped out of the milky white light barrier, he saw his body rapidly solidify into flesh, changing from a Yin Soul state to having a physical body.


    He could perform introspection on his Dantian and could see two dim green glows swirling around his Nascent Soul.


    However, there was not a trace of Spiritual Energy within his Dantian.


    Only strands of ¡°Yin Qi¡±, which were automatically absorbed by the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul.


    He was also unable to activate his Divinity Transformation Domain; his Cultivation was still at the level of ¡°Divinity Transformation First Grade¡±, but he could not activate the Divinity Transformation Domain, as if the Underworld had a different Cultivation system that did not include the Divinity Transformation Domain.


    Nevertheless¡­


    Chen Qiu looked down at his fist, feeling an unbelievably exaggerated strength in his flesh at that moment, unsure if it was an illusion or reality. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, practice reveals the truth.


    The next moment¡ª


    He squatted down and gently yet powerfully smashed his fist onto the ground.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    A large amount of dust abruptly rose into the air, the ground began to violently shake, and Chen Qiu instantly fell into a deep pit, with countless spider web-like cracks forming around him at the center.


    After a long while.


    When the dust settled and he climbed out of the pit, Chen Qiu stood at the edge of the deep pit with a complex expression looking at the web-like cracks on the ground. After remaining silent for a long time, he suddenly burst out laughing.


    ¡°Thrilling!¡±


    He had once slain countless enemies with ten thousand Thunder Dragons!


    And he had annihilated the Evil Clan with the might of his merits!


    But¡­


    This was the first time he had felt such immense physical strength; a Heavenly Dao Top Grade Twelve Merit Body forged with one hundred billion merits was damn useful!


    There was only one effect.


    It greatly enhanced his physical strength, making him a top-tier Body Cultivator; although he had been a Body Cultivator in one of his past lives, he never had this kind of physical strength then.


    If he had had this kind of strength back then, he could have directly smashed that Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet to pieces!


    After this, he turned around with a satisfied look and looked behind him, only to find that the white light barrier had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a wasteland that blended in with the surroundings.


    Chen Qiu tentatively took a few steps forward, feeling no abruptness.


    Suddenly, the smile on his face slowly stiffened.


    That Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation had only told him he could go back to the Mortal World, but hadn¡¯t they failed to explain how?


    It seems¡­ he acted too hastily.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    But soon Chen Qiu shook his head, no longer caring about this matter, although he did not know how those Dwarf Clan Divinities travelled from the Underworld to the Mortal World, since they could return, there must be a way.


    He only needed to find a member of the Dwarf Clan, then force out the method from them to solve this issue.


    It wasn¡¯t a difficult problem.


    He still appeared as a member of the Dwarf Clan; the ¡°Transformation Command¡± once used, would last for 12 hours, but during those 12 hours, he would maintain this appearance.


    And at that moment¡ª


    A Heavenly Dao Decree that only he could hear sounded again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Heavenly Dao¡¯s response, in the Underworld of the Xuantian Continent, Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu, for breaking the Yin Yang Power, has been nominated by the Heavenly Dao Decree once in both the Mortal World and the Underworld.


    Because he completed the first milestone task in the Xuantian Continent, a statue has been erected in the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±.


    And a Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette is bestowed.


    ¨C


    Almost in the instant the Heavenly Dao Decree sounded.


    Chen Qiu did not hesitate; he forcefully stomped his feet on the ground, then his whole body instantly sank into the ground, and it took dozens of breaths before he climbed out again.


    He looked up at the sky with an unsightly expression.


    Completing a milestone task meant being captured by the Heavenly Dao to be forged into a statue!


    He currently looked like a member of the Dwarf Clan, and the Dwarf appearance did not really match his aesthetic preferences; he did not want an extra dwarf statue among the six statues in the Heavenly Palace.


    That would be quite repulsive.


    It wasn¡¯t that he cared too much about his appearance, it was just¡­ his image couldn¡¯t be too poor, right?!


    He just hoped that the Heavenly Dao hadn¡¯t captured his appearance just now; even copying any random statue would do, otherwise, once he gained the strength, he would definitely smash this statue!


    So it wouldn¡¯t become a stain in his life.


    Now was not the time to think about this, he tried to establish contact with the Heavenly Palace above the Nine Heavens and discovered he could indeed make contact, which meant he could go to the Heavenly Palace at any time.


    Being in the Underworld, he couldn¡¯t even make contact with the small world, but he could establish contact with the Heavenly Palace.


    However, he did not go to the Heavenly Palace immediately; the chaotic opportunity only lasted three days, and within these three days, he needed to kill enough Alien Clan Divinities.


    Kill a group in the Underworld, then go to the Mortal World to kill another group.


    He couldn¡¯t let the statue in the Heavenly Palace affect his mood.


    It was a pity¡ª


    In the Mortal World, if not turned into a resentful spirit, it would take seven days to return to the Underworld after death.


    If there wasn¡¯t this time constraint, then the increase in Cultivation speed would have been much faster.


    This was the seventh milestone task of the Xuantian Continent that he had completed; inside the Heavenly Palace, whatever the form, the newly erected statue was the seventh statue.


    There are a total of twelve milestone tasks in the Xuantian Continent.


    He had completed seven already.


    The sixth milestone task was breaking the extreme limits of heaven and earth, which he achieved while upgrading his twelve-grade Divinity Transformation Domain to a thirteen-grade Divinity Transformation Domain.

 Chapter 521 - 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death._4

    Chapter 521: Chapter 198: Be a hero in life, and a mighty ghost in death._4


    This statue, he had likewise not gone to the Heavenly Palace to check.


    After leaving the underworld, he would go and see what these two statues looked like.


    ¡­


    He glanced around.


    Eventually, his gaze settled on a low mountain a few miles away, and he took a deep breath. Suddenly exerting force beneath his feet, his entire being immediately turned into a beam of Liu Guang and crashed straight towards the low mountain!


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°Boom boom!!¡±


    His powerful physical strength allowed Chen Qiu to seeming become the sharpest spear in this world, virtually indestructible. When Chen Qiu emerged from the dust,


    he turned to look back.


    He could only see a tunnel that had been pierced through the center of the low mountain behind him, with countless pieces of rubble still falling from above the tunnel. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Heavenly Dao Top Grade Merit Body allowed him to attain an extremely exaggerated speed without activating any movement technique, powered purely by his physical strength.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± he remarked.


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the low mountain behind and turned his head to look into the distance, the surroundings barren without a trace of life, not a single living creature in sight, while the foggy weather looked very gloomy.


    And there was not a hint of Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, only Yin Qi.


    He planned to find a city first to understand the situation. Although he was unclear about the structure of the underworld, he was certain of one thing: since these Yin Souls were living in the underworld and retained their memories from their previous lives, they would surely gather and form cities.


    He chose a direction at random.


    Then, he exerted force beneath his feet, and his entire being turned into a beam of Liu Guang, shooting forward along a straight line!


    Throughout the journey, whether it was hillocks or low mountains, all were pierced in a straight line. There was no need to take a detour; the strength of this Merit Body felt somewhat outrageous to him.


    He even thought that with just the strength of this Merit Body, he might even challenge Void Refining.


    ¡­


    Thousands of breaths later.


    As Chen Qiu was sprinting wildly through the wilderness, he suddenly saw a city standing tall in the wilderness at the end of it.


    The city walls were more than ten Zhang high.


    Colored a crimson red, at a glance it matched fairly well with the yellow-brown wasteland.


    Finally, a congregation spot was in sight.


    He gradually slowed down his pace. When he was close to the city, he slowly returned to a normal walking speed. His Merit Body on the surface didn¡¯t look any different from other people¡¯s bodies.


    All looked the same.


    At that moment, there were quite a few people queuing up at the city gate.


    Most of the people had physical bodies, with only a few remaining in the state of Yin Souls. It was apparent that in the underworld, being in the state of a Yin Soul was not particularly well-regarded.


    From time to time, those with physical bodies would cast a look of contempt as they passed by those who were Yin Souls.


    Unfortunately,


    this city seemed to be a Human Race city¡ªthose people all bore resemblance to the Human Race, neither Dwarfs nor Demon Race, and now he was in the form of a dwarf, unsure whether he would be able to enter the city smoothly.


    He wanted to gather some information about the underworld first and did not want to cause too much commotion.


    But then again, it probably didn¡¯t have any Dwarf Clan cities.


    After all, the Dwarf Clan had sneaked the methods to shuttle between the underworld and the Mortal World. Even if there were Dwarf Clan cities in the underworld, they might have been taken back to the Mortal World by the Dwarf Clan already.


    Chen Qiu quietly walked to the end of the queue and followed the slowly moving line, quietly preparing to queue up to enter the city.


    He could say he knew absolutely nothing about the underworld.


    A state of utter ignorance.


    In such a situation, he desperately needed vast amounts of information about the underworld.


    And when he joined the queue and appeared among the people, indeed quite a few threw unusual glances at him, as he was just a little over four feet tall.


    It did seem a bit conspicuous.


    But that sort of unusualness wasn¡¯t provocation nor contempt¡­ it was more like surprise.


    A kind of surprise,


    as if they wondered why a dwarf would appear here.


    Finally¡ª


    After a whole thirty minutes, it was finally Chen Qiu¡¯s turn to enter the city. There were only four or five people ahead of him, and at that moment, a lazy voice came from the front of the line,


    ¡°People at the back, take out your Yin Stones in advance.¡±


    ¡°Each person entering the city, five inferior Yin Stones.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time.¡±

 Chapter 522 - 199: Burial.

    Chapter 522: Chapter 199: Burial.


    Yin Stone¡­


    Chen Qiu silently touched his own pocket. Whether it was in the form of a yin soul or a physical body, as soon as he entered the underworld, all items from the mortal world could not be carried over, except for his clothes.


    It was considered a fairly humane setup.


    It prevented one from entering the underworld naked and shivering after death.


    He didn¡¯t have a single Yin Stone in his pocket. He could roughly guess what a Yin Stone was¡ªlikely it was a stone formed by the condensation of Yin Qi, just like Spiritual Energy.


    One was the currency of the mortal world, the other, the currency of the underworld.


    He did have quite a few Spirit Stones, but they were all in the small world and the Heavenly Dao Ring, none of which could be taken out, and even if they could, they would be useless.


    He was already considering whether to place some Spirit Stones in the Heavenly Palace in the future, so that even if he went to the underworld or some other special map, he could still retrieve the Spirit Stones from the Heavenly Palace.


    But that was prone to risks of leakage, and not small risks at that.


    The Heavenly Palace was a place in the Central Continent that no one could reach.


    But that didn¡¯t mean it was absolutely untouchable. He had once seen someone push the door open and enter while he was in the Heavenly Palace. That person was shrouded in white light, making it impossible to see their face or figure. After that, he was forcefully sent back to the Xuantian Continent by the Heavenly Palace.


    ¡­


    Seeing that it was almost his turn in the queue.


    Chen Qiu turned and looked at the Human Clan Cultivator behind him and said softly, ¡°Could you lend me ten Yin Stones?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The Human Clan Cultivator behind him looked at him as if he was looking at a fool, ¡°If I asked you for ten Yin Stones, would you lend them to me?¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu was silent for a while then crouched down and carefully touched the ground with his finger.


    Instantly, a small hole appeared on the ground.


    The area around the hole developed dozens of small spiderweb-like cracks.


    Then he spoke again, ¡°How about this time?¡±


    ¡°As it should be.¡±


    The Human Clan Cultivator knelt respectfully on the spot, lifting ten Yin Stones above his head, bowed his head towards the ground, and said in a deep voice,¡± It is my honor to serve the needs of an Elder.¡±


    Yet his legs couldn¡¯t help but tremble uncontrollably.


    A mere touch was enough to wield such formidable power. This seemingly unremarkable dwarf in front of him was at least a Nascent Soul level Ghost Cultivator!


    He was a mere Golden Core Ghost Cultivator who absolutely could not and dared not provoke such a being. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although he did not know why such a high-level Elder would ask him for ten Yin Stones, a seemingly trivial wealth, the Elder must have his reasons. And no matter the reasons, he was well aware that he dared not defy them.


    ¡°There are still good people around.¡±


    Chen Qiu mused as he took the ten Yin Stones from the Human Clan Cultivator. Just as his turn arrived, he handed five of the Yin Stones to the city guard and then stepped boldly into the city before him.


    Before stepping into the city gate¡­


    He saw the name embedded above the city gate.


    ¡®Crow Ghost City.¡¯


    ¡­


    Upon entering Crow Ghost City, Chen Qiu had no specific aims and simply wandered the streets following the flow of people, or perhaps¡­ the flow of ghosts?


    Apart from the lack of liveliness, there was no real difference from the cities in the mortal world.


    Everyone¡¯s body was ice-cold, completely lacking in liveliness, and the entire city was filled with a dense ghostly aura. The streets were also filled with numerous vendors.


    Shouting out to sell food or whatnot.


    Only¡­


    The food of the underworld did indeed look like it belonged to the underworld.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu glanced at a vendor¡¯s stall containing ¡®brownish yellow little pills¡¯ and silently quickened his pace. It was the third vendor he had come across selling these brownish yellow pills.


    At first, he was quite curious, even squatting down to ask what they were.


    After all, he sensed a kind of liveliness from these little pills¡ªa type of liveliness found only in the mortal world.


    As you know,


    in a place like the underworld, where there isn¡¯t a trace of liveliness, such a thing is truly rare. After inquiring, he learned that the underworld generally refers to it as,


    ¡®Human Pill.¡¯


    Because it carries liveliness, it gives Ghost Cultivators a feeling similar to having a full body massage when consumed, so many people like to occasionally buy some Human Pills to eat.


    The raw materials for this Human Pill come from filthy substances in the mortal world.


    It can roughly be understood as¡ª


    The mortal world and the underworld are eternally separated, but some filthy substances from the mortal world can occasionally fall into the underworld by chance. These filthy items, carrying the liveliness of the mortal world, are then made into a kind of snack with a rich flavor.


    These filthy substances come in many forms.


    The most common being¡­ human excrement.


    Of course, not just human excrement, but also excrement from the Demon Race, the Dwarf Clan, can be used. ¡®Human¡¯ is just a general term, as is ¡®liveliness.¡¯


    Specifically, it refers to Yang Qi.


    However, although this kind of food rich in liveliness is comfortable to consume, because they have ultimately become Ghost Cultivators, they cannot consume too much of it.


    Otherwise, at the very least their cultivation might regress, and in severe cases, the collision of Yang Qi and Yin Qi within their bodies could cause serious injuries.


    Therefore, the price isn¡¯t very high.


    ¡­


    Passing through the streets, Chen Qiu finally found a teahouse. At this moment, the business inside was booming, crowded to the brim, making it impossible to squeeze in.


    And Chen Qiu didn¡¯t enter either, just standing outside looking towards the storyteller passionately narrating on the high stage inside the teahouse.


    Isn¡¯t that rare.


    There are also storytellers in the underworld.


    It¡¯s unclear what they used to do in their lives, maybe storytellers in life, storytellers in death as well.


    Literally, once a storyteller, always a storyteller.


    Before coming to the underworld, he hadn¡¯t realized that merit points had so many benefits, not just allowing purchases from the ¡®Merit Value Store¡¯ of various kinds of goods.

 Chapter 523 - 199: Burial. _2

    Chapter 523: Chapter 199: Burial. _2


    It can also be used to reduce the power of Heavenly Tribulation, and it can serve as a trump card.


    Even if one died, they could still cast a Merit Body in the underworld.


    Thinking about it this way, even if he really died one day, and even if he arrived in the underworld, he would still be Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect. It seems unlikely in this lifetime to experience again the feeling of rising from obscurity.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu had no plans to squeeze into the crowd. He stood outside, seeing if he could overhear any information from the storyteller in the teahouse. Fat Long had told him that teahouses were the best method for gathering information in a strange place.


    The tales are not necessarily accurate, as storytellers often exaggerate.


    But to attract customers, storytellers tend to tell what people in the city love to hear the most, so one could determine what the people in the city have recently been concerned about.


    He found this quite convincing.


    In terms of gathering intelligence, Fat Long had his methods.


    ¡°Speaking of that day¡ª¡±


    The storyteller on the high stage of the teahouse slapped his wooden clapper onto the table, ¡°I was in Quzhou that day, I saw it with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu was just standing there while the whole world went silent because of him, facing countless members of the Evil Clan alone, turning his back on all beings. Despite being severely wounded, he carried an unstoppable aura!¡±


    ¡°You know, at that time Chen Qiu had only his Golden Core Cultivation, and among those from the Evil Clan, there were no less than four Divinity Transformation masters. Just imagine, a Divinity Transformation is much more than one Great Realm above Golden Core!¡±


    ¡°Just because Chen Qiu had utterly crushed all the Heavenly Prides of the Evil Clan, and was about to slay the most outstanding pride of the Evil Clan, a Divinity Transformation master from the Evil Clan couldn¡¯t stand by and sneak-attacked him, inflicting severe injuries on Chen Qiu and saving their own defeated pride.¡±


    ¡°Think about it, a normal person would have just endured it, right?¡±


    ¡°After all, none of the same level cultivators from the Evil Clan matched Chen Qiu, and to come back alive from the hands of a Divinity Transformation master was already something to make Chen Qiu proud!¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°The reason why Chen Qiu is called an unparalleled Heavenly Pride is that he does things beyond the ordinary!¡±


    ¡°That day!¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, with his back to all beings, invoked the Thunder Punishment with nearly a hundred billion merit points, slaughtering the entire Evil State. He sunk the entire landmass of the Evil State into the sea. Since then, the Xuantian Continent has been forever rid of the Evil State and Evil Clan!¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That scene was witnessed by everyone in the Evil State and the lower nine states.¡±


    ¡°Even to this day, the skies above where the Evil State once was still bear the marks of that day¡¯s widespread Heavenly Punishment, with the heavens scorched black, how could the Evil Clan withstand it!¡±


    ¡°That day, the Heavenly Dao Decree announced that the Evil Clan had been exterminated.¡±


    ¡°Ten days later, Chen Qiu formed a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul, officially entering the Nascent Soul Stage, declaring to the world that the entire Xuantian Continent would soon be overshadowed by Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, with an expressionless face, silently sighed after a long while.


    In Da Xia Country, those storytellers only knew to talk about him.


    In Quzhou, those storytellers also only knew to talk about him.


    Damn it, even in the underworld, these storytellers still talk about him. Don¡¯t you underworld have your own Heavenly Prides to discuss, still talking about the Mortal World¡¯s Heavenly Prides in the underworld?


    If he hadn¡¯t risen to power, would all these storytellers be out of jobs?


    He had come to hear some information about the underworld and to gather intelligence, but ended up hearing a bunch of his own exploits. Who could have anticipated that?


    He had never been to the underworld, but his reputation was already spreading everywhere down here.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    A Ghost Cultivator in the crowd loudly questioned, ¡°If Chen Qiu was so formidable, why did he die?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    As the words fell, the crowd suddenly jeered, ¡°We died early and don¡¯t know about the affairs of the Xuantian Continent. You say you died not long ago, so you should know clear about the affairs of the Xuantian Continent, then tell us, how can such a mighty Chen Qiu suddenly die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, is there anyone Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t defeat?¡±


    Just half an hour ago.


    A Heavenly Dao Decree echoed through the entirety of the underworld, and all the Ghost Cultivators in the underworld learned of one thing¡ªthat the unparalleled Heavenly Pride from the Mortal World, Chen Qiu, had suddenly died and arrived in the underworld, and moreover, with a hundred billion merit points, had formed a Merit Body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush to cause a commotion¡­¡±


    The storyteller on the high stage of the teahouse, with a complicated expression, looked at the guests and said in a very grievous tone, ¡°When Chen Qiu was in the Mortal World, he was an unparalleled Heavenly Pride, causing a huge stir throughout the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°After coming to the underworld, he formed a Merit Body with a hundred billion merit points.¡±


    ¡°He truly deserves to be called¡ª¡±


    ¡°A hero in life, and a formidable ghost in death.¡±


    ¡°The strength of the Merit Body formed with a hundred billion merit points is feared to be starting at the level of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators. Just wait, it won¡¯t be long before you can hear about Chen Qiu making a significant killing in the underworld.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu silently left the crowd, stood up, and continued to wander aimlessly along the main thoroughfare in ¡®Crow Ghost City.¡¯ It must be said, there is a real difference between the underworld and the Mortal World.


    For instance¡­


    You don¡¯t need to eat in the underworld. Even if one was a completely talentless mortal without even the first layer of Qi Refinement Realm in the Mortal World, once in the underworld, there¡¯s no need to eat.


    Things like ¡®Human Pills¡¯ are considered snacks, not meant to fill your stomach.


    And just then¡ª


    Suddenly, he saw a stall where there was a Jade Scroll, with a line of small characters written beside it.


    ¡°Complete Basic Information of the underworld.¡±


    ¡°How much for this?¡±


    Chen Qiu squatted down, grasped the Jade Scroll in his hand, and subconsciously wanted to reach out with his Divine Sense, but he found that he couldn¡¯t extend it outside his body at all. Strange¡­he had just used his Divine Sense to kill that Divinity Transformation dwarf from the Dwarf Clan moments ago.

 Chapter 524 - 199: Burial. _3

    Chapter 524: Chapter 199: Burial. _3 S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Selling?¡±


    The vendor looked up at Chen Qiu with a peculiar gaze, ¡°Are you new here?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Chen Qiu casually replied while fiddling with the jade scroll in his hand.


    ¡°If you¡¯re new, how could you have any Yin Stones? This item is only useful for newcomers, and we usually don¡¯t sell it; instead, we give it away for free after three days of work,¡± said the vendor.


    ¡°What¡¯s the price if you do sell it?¡±


    ¡°If I sell it¡­¡± The vendor pondered for a moment before hesitatingly saying, ¡°Three Yin Stones. Do you have them?¡±


    Chen Qiu clenched the jade scroll in his hand and, without bargaining, got up and took out three Yin Stones from within his robes, tossing them in front of the vendor. It was only when he stood up that the vendor hastily advised, ¡°Ghost Cultivators cannot project their Divine Sense outside their body; you¡¯ll know the information inside just by crushing the jade scroll.¡±


    After Chen Qiu had gone some distance,


    the vendor watched his receding figure with a strange expression. How could a newcomer nowadays directly forge a physical body? Could it be a Merit Body?


    That could be possible.


    With just 1,000 merit points, one can forge a body; the requirement isn¡¯t too high. As long as one was a good person in life, they could basically meet this criterion and possess a Merit Body.


    But the problem is no one knows these rules of the underworld while they are alive. If they had known about these rules, they definitely would have been exceedingly virtuous.


    Of course, those are the fortunate ones.


    Even without much merit, they didn¡¯t have much sin either. Those with a lot of sin suffer a lot when they descend here.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk,¡±


    The vendor shook his head from Chen Qiu¡¯s retreating back, not thinking much of it, but found it somewhat odd; it had been a long while since he had seen a Ghost Cultivator from the Dwarf Clan. He thought they might have all died out.


    ¡­


    ¡°Crow Ghost City.¡±


    In a quiet alley, Chen Qiu crushed the jade scroll in his hand, instantly accessing all the information within it ¨C which was quite basic and contained no deeply profound messages.


    Everyone who arrives in the underworld is someone who has died.


    And these people usually land near various cities in the underworld. Their initial state is as Yin Souls, and at that time, they need to acquire heavenly materials and earthly treasures to forge their own bodies.


    The better the heavenly materials and earthly treasures, the stronger the body forged.


    Other than clothes, nothing from the Mortal World can be brought over, so everyone starts anew in the underworld, as all belongings cease to function upon arrival. Except for the clothes, everything else will be corroded by Yin Qi and destroyed after three days.


    The weakest body only requires heavenly materials and earthly treasures worth roughly 100 Yin Stones.


    So, most newcomers


    need to work first to accumulate enough Yin Stones to forge a body.


    If, during life, they had a high Cultivation Realm like Golden Core or Nascent Soul, then after forging their new bodies and becoming Ghost Cultivators, they will become Ghost Cultivators of a corresponding Cultivation Realm, and whether they explore the Secret Realms of the underworld or through other means, they will be able to earn Yin Stones much faster.


    Of course¡ª


    Besides Ghost Cultivators, there¡¯s another type in the underworld: Soul Cultivators!


    Soul Cultivators do not forge a body, remaining as Yin Souls, able to attack with Divine Sense and lock onto their enemies to cast spells.


    Ghost Cultivators, however, cannot project their Divine Sense outside of their bodies. They mainly strengthen their physical strength and can also cast spells, but without the ability to lock on with Divine Sense, their accuracy is not very high.


    This roughly corresponds to the Magic Practitioners and Body Cultivators of the Mortal World.


    Both types cultivate by absorbing Yin Qi, but spells requiring Yang Qi cannot be used here; they have to learn new spells suited to Yin Qi.


    But overall,


    those with higher Cultivation from their previous life still have certain advantages in the underworld. Even though they can¡¯t use their spells, their Cultivation Realm remains, and after becoming Ghost Cultivators, even the most basic physical body is stronger than that of a Golden Core Cultivator.


    It¡¯s just that they no longer have access to Divine Domain techniques.


    Golden Core and Nascent Soul Cultivators also cannot leave their bodies. Once the physical body dies, the Golden Core and Nascent Soul are automatically obliterated, and there are no methods like Golden Core seizing.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the fragments of the jade scroll in his palm, calmly lifted his head to gaze at the misty sky above, though he could no longer use his spells and Divinity Transformation Domain in the underworld.


    But¡­


    It didn¡¯t seem to matter much.


    According to the information about the strength of a Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator¡¯s body that he gained from the jade scroll, it was far inferior to his Merit Body. Possessing a Merit Body that came into being through hundreds of billions of merit points meant he could act without constraint in the underworld,


    and no one could do anything about him.


    However, there was one thing to note; the ¡°Continent Under Strife¡± version had not updated in the underworld, which meant that in the underworld, killing fellow cultivators of the Alien Clan with similar cultivation did not increase training progression.


    But he had experimented, and when he killed Alien Clan cultivators of the same realm, it did indeed increase his training progression¡ªa bit like¡­ exploiting a bug.


    After all, he didn¡¯t enter the underworld through normal means.


    He had snuck in.


    Wait a second¡­


    He suddenly remembered something, glancing at an entry embedded on his Nascent Soul.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Burial.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Upon your death, a phenomenon covering the entire Continent will occur to see you off.


    ¨C


    His arrival in the underworld can¡¯t really be considered a death, can it? If it can, wouldn¡¯t that mean a phenomenon had occurred across the entire Continent to see him off?


    What a pity.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to witness that scene for himself. He hoped that Fat Long and the others had recorded it with a Memory Stone so he could watch it slowly when he returned.


    He also wondered how Fat Long and the others would react upon learning of his death.


    In the underworld, entries cannot be used, and there¡¯s no such thing as an entry jade slip. The underworld, in contrast to the Mortal World, resembles a reduced version.

 Chapter 525 - 199: Burial. _4

    Chapter 525: Chapter 199: Burial. _4


    This also meant that even if his cultivation had broken through a small realm in the underworld, the Seven-colored term ¡°Step by Step¡± would not grant him a three-choices opportunity.


    But it was unclear whether it would be issued retroactively after returning to the Mortal World.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, not dwelling much on this, but prepared to leave the city. According to the information on the Jade Scroll, there was a Devil Clan city three hundred miles away, where the Ghost Cultivators of the Devil Clan liked to feast on Human Ghost Practitioners.


    They would occasionally capture solitary Human Ghost Practitioners and turn them into delicious dishes in various ways.


    To satisfy their cravings.


    The Jade Scroll specifically warned to avoid going west to prevent encountering the Devil Clan.


    Honestly, this newcomer¡¯s manual was quite detailed.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°BEEP!!!¡±


    A piercing sound echoed throughout ¡°Crow Ghost City,¡± and a tremendous surge of Yin Qi suddenly burst from the center of Crow Ghost City, enveloping the entire city!


    A heavy and steady voice resounded in every resident¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Devil Clan army is attacking! All residents of Crow Ghost City, prepare for battle!¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly started, then couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and laugh, thinking it was good; he didn¡¯t even have to look for them.


    He only hoped more Divinity Transformation Devil Clan would come.


    Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be satisfying enough to kill.


    ¡­


    Inside Crow Ghost City.


    At that moment, a middle-aged man sat in a courtyard expressionless, his face showing no emotion even as the invasion notification of a large Devil Clan army echoed around him. He only turned his head after a long while to look at an elderly man beside him.


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the elderly man shook his head crisply.


    If someone¡¯s foot is struck by a nail, yet they don¡¯t cry out in pain, it¡¯s definitely because something more significant is happening. That was his situation now.


    He had been the Sect Master of Yuan Sect during his life.


    Of course.


    He knew that probably not many on the Xuantian Continent could remember the name of his sect, much less his name, given that his sect was just an inconspicuous small sect in Quzhou, one of the lower nine provinces,


    He only had the strength of Nascent Soul at its peak.


    Not even having reached Divinity Transformation.


    Naturally, he was insignificant.


    But¡ª


    That exceptional Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu, had his first appearance on the Xuantian Continent start with his battle originating from Yuan Sect; the last scene in his living memory was that Thunder Summoning Technique striking down from the sky.


    Although he harbored resentment towards Chen Qiu, who had destroyed his sect, he felt no pleasure upon learning of Chen Qiu¡¯s death and arrival in the underworld.


    In fact, he felt a chill down his spine.


    Damn it!


    Is it ever going to end? Was he really going to be hunted down to the underworld?


    So many days had passed.


    He had just happened to encounter a former elder of Yuan Sect and a True Disciple of Yuan Sect at the time in Crow Ghost City, so the three of them banded together for warmth. As for the other disciples of Yuan Sect, who knows where they had run off to.


    The underworld is so vast; it would be normal not to encounter them in a lifetime.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    After a long while, the Yuan Sect Master finally heaved a deep sigh, a trace of luck flashing seriously, ¡°It¡¯s okay, the underworld is so vast; Chen Qiu might not necessarily come to Crow Ghost City, perhaps he¡¯s tens of thousands of miles away from us.¡±


    ¡°And even if we meet again, he will definitely not recognize me.¡±


    Just at that moment¡ª


    Outside the courtyard, a young man pushed the door open and quietly reported, ¡°Sect Master, I¡¯ve been to the top of the city wall. The Devil Clan¡¯s army is ferocious, seemingly intent on swallowing Crow Ghost City in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°Just the Ghost Practitioners of Divinity Transformation from the Devil Clan, I¡¯ve already seen three.¡±


    ¡°It might be very difficult for Crow Ghost City to hold off, shall we retreat first?¡±


    ¡°If we delay, the City Lord of Crow Ghost City might forcefully make us join the fight, thereby directly sealing the city and preventing any retreat.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Yuan Sect Master looked at the young man before him with a complex expression. This young man was called Qi Mei and was also a former True Disciple of the Yuan Sect.


    After arriving in the underworld.


    Perhaps it was boring fate, but they met again mysteriously, and although he no longer had a sect, Qi Mei still called him Sect Master.


    His feelings toward Qi Mei were very complicated.


    Qi Mei had once been his most favored True Disciple.


    But if it weren¡¯t for Qi Mei inexplicably provoking Chen Qiu, how would their Yuan Sect have been destroyed? After meeting in the underworld, he had asked Qi Mei how he had made enemies with Chen Qiu.


    He had only received a distress call from Qi Mei and sent a Nascent Soul elder to rescue him, then received another distress call from that Nascent Soul elder before going to rescue again.


    Having returned to the sect without achieving anything, he was ambushed and killed by Chen Qiu at the mountain gate.


    Although initially in ¡°As Night Approaches¡±, because many Yuan Sect disciples died at Chen Qiu¡¯s hands, they issued a wanted notice for him, thus creating enmity.


    But¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t care about it at the time, he was already planning to leave ¡°Great Yuan City¡± to attend the Heavenly Pride gathering at the Su Family, then suddenly he came back and attacked.


    Later, in the underworld, he learned from Qi Mei¡¯s mouth.


    At the time, he did not know that Chen Qiu was the mysterious person who killed many Yuan Sect disciples during the ¡°As Night Approaches¡± incident; he just felt that this person had decent strength and was a talented Loose Cultivator.


    He wanted to recruit him into the Yuan Sect.


    But the other party did not agree, he got somewhat angry and took action, and then¡­ was then killed by the other¡¯s Golden Core.


    When he heard that the ¡°Yuan Sect¡± was destroyed because Qi Mei, unable to recruit and acted rashly, his heart nearly exploded with rage!


    Traitor, traitor!


    But after all, being unfamiliar in the underworld, and since Qi Mei had already broken through to the early stages of Nascent Soul and become a Ghost Practitioner working for him, which was also a demonstration of his strength, he forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart and squeezed out a smile saying it didn¡¯t matter, it was all because Chen Qiu was too arrogant and overbearing.


    Before the Yuan Sect Master could say anything.


    Qi Mei suddenly knelt down, his eyes red and his voice hoarse as he nearly burst out, ¡°Sect Master, that Chen Qiu broke my Cultivation, forever severing my path to immortality, and making it so when you and I met in the underworld¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sect Master, you once promised me, if Chen Qiu ever comes to the underworld one day¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sect Master, you must spare no expense to avenge me, to avenge the Yuan Sect!¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I have been pondering endlessly, and finally, Chen Qiu has fallen into the underworld!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.¡±


    With reddened eyes, Qi Mei knelt on his knees, looking up at the Sect Master sitting in the courtyard chair, his teeth clenched as he spoke word by word.


    ¡°Please, Sect Master, avenge me!¡±


    ¡°Avenge the fallen disciples of the Yuan Sect!¡±

 Chapter 526 - 200:

    Chapter 526: Chapter 200: ¡°A Top Strategist Must Immerse Himself in the Situation!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Yuan Sect Master¡¯s expression remained impassive, neither sad nor happy as he looked at Qi Mei, who knelt before him. After a long silence, he finally spoke softly.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t some of the Yuan Sect disciples already fled to the underworld, and aren¡¯t you also in the underworld? Although you can¡¯t pursue the path to immortality, you¡¯re still alive, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Can that be the same?¡±


    Qi Mei, with tears brimming in his eyes, shouted, ¡°After becoming a Ghost Cultivator, I can never return to the Mortal World. I don¡¯t even feel human anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­ But you are no longer human anyway.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, Sect Master. If Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t come to the underworld, I might let it be, but now that he is here, and this vengeance remains unavenged, I will not rest even in death!!!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I can defeat him?¡±


    ¡°We can scheme in secret. Doesn¡¯t the Devil Clan love to devour ghosts with Merit Bodies? Chen Qiu¡¯s Merit Holy Body is the finest Merit Body in the underworld. If we find out Chen Qiu¡¯s location, and leak it to the Devil Clan, their forces will surely encroach.¡±


    ¡°No matter how strong he is alone, can he be stronger than the entire Devil Clan?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡±


    The Yuan Sect Master, who was subconsciously prepared to object, suddenly paused, holding his chin thoughtfully and said, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s indeed some reason in your words.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡±


    Chen Qiu had destroyed his Sect¡¯s heritage and driven him to this neither-human-nor-ghost state. He had thought he would never have a chance for revenge, merely hiding in the darkness, unnoticed by Chen Qiu.


    But now, it seemed that such an opportunity was not completely absent.


    Indeed, his disciple¡¯s words made some sense. Although they couldn¡¯t defeat Chen Qiu, could Chen Qiu really prevail against an entire Devil Clan?


    If there was a chance, he naturally wanted to take revenge as well.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go with your plan. But how can we find Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    Qi Mei, who had been kneeling, slowly stood up, his eyes filled with determination: ¡°A top strategist must immerse himself in the game!¡±


    ¡°We just need to restart the Yuan Sect and spread our word against Chen Qiu. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take more than thirty days before Chen Qiu receives the news and comes after us.¡±


    ¡°All we need to do is contact the Devil Clan in advance and let them set up an ambush!¡±


    ¡°What do you think of this plan, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    The Yuan Sect Master, previously somewhat hesitant, now, bolstered by Qi Mei¡¯s stirring emotions, felt a surge of boldness and slapped the armrest of his chair firmly, declaring.


    ¡°Though the plan is risky, it offers a chance at survival among the cracks. Perhaps we might also secure a grand reward from the Devil Clan!¡±


    ¡°After all, we are delivering to the Devil Clan a Merit Body forged from a hundred billion merit points. Once consumed, their Cultivation will rise explosively.¡±


    ¡°Thus¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your plan is good, but there is still a slight flaw. The underworld is vast; to spread the message across half of the underworld, and even the entire underworld, to make Chen Qiu aware of our hereabouts.¡±


    ¡°We need a large quantity of Yin Stones. Luckily, the Devil Clan¡¯s forces have already pressed near the city, and we can go now to strike a deal with them. They certainly won¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Still, the Sect Master is superior.¡±¡±¡± Qi Mei, already envisioning Ji Chengshi Chen Qiu begging for mercy, his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty glint, spoke word by word.


    ¡°When the time comes, I want to personally witness Chen Qiu¡¯s anguished wails before his death!¡±


    ¡°Very well, very well, your teacher will also savor thoroughly watching it.¡±


    Having said this, the three exchanged glances and without delay, they turned into streaks of Liu Guang, leaving the city to first negotiate with the Devil Clan forces.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in Crow Ghost City, within a small alley. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu stood expressionless and silent, staring at the shattered pieces of the Jade Scroll in his hand, listening to the faint plotting whispers from a nearby courtyard.


    And the final excited cheers, as if they were already celebrating the success of their plan.


    For a moment, he didn¡¯t quite know what to say.


    It¡¯s funny how things work out in the world; he had almost forgotten about the Yuan Sect, but even after a long separation, they still ended up meeting in the underworld.


    Perhaps this was destiny, signifying an unresolved karmic relation between them.


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    He looked down at his fist, a Merit Body forged from a hundred billion merit points, making his current physical strength terrifyingly robust.


    Even Peak of Divinity Transformation individuals could be easily crushed with one punch.


    He even felt that, even if Void Refining Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators were to come here, they would still be no match for him. The gap formed by their realms, completely compensated by this Merit Body, even surpassed a bit.¡±


    Luckily, he only had three days.


    After three days, this chaotic opportunity would be gone, and there would be no point in staying in the underworld where it was so big; where would he begin to look for Alien Clan Divinity, not city by city?


    Now it seemed certain.


    He just needed to patiently stay in ¡°Crow Ghost City,¡± waiting for the Devil Clan Divinity to come seeking him out themselves. From the earlier plotting in the neighboring courtyard, it was clear that the Devil Clan deeply coveted his type of Merit Body, or even was excited by it.


    That couldn¡¯t be better.¡±


    Thinking, thinking, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud; he had just come from Da Xia Country to Xuantian Continent, finding himself alone and unsupported in the unfamiliar Quzhou, when the Yuan Sect provided him with a robust enough support.


    They gave him an opportunity, leading him to the skies.

 Chapter 527 - 200:

    Chapter 527: Chapter 200: ¡°A Top Strategist Must Immerse Himself in the Situation!¡±_2


    I never expected to bump into them again in the underworld after so many days, and for Yuan Sect to actually gift me another great opportunity.


    What a good person.


    Boundless merit.


    Along the way, there have always been many unsung heroes willing to risk their lives and ruin themselves to help me.


    I was originally prepared to leave the city and smash those three Devil Clan members at the Divinity Transformation to death outside the city, which would allow me to break through to the Divinity Transformation Second Layer. Now it seems there¡¯s no need for that.


    It¡¯s not worth missing out on the feast ahead for a little immediate gain.


    Just wait patiently for one day.


    ¡­


    Crow Ghost City.


    At this moment, the city walls were already filled with many Ghost Cultivators, and the City Lord of Crow Ghost City looked towards the distant Devil Clan army with an ugly expression.


    Although the Devil Clan would attack from time to time, they had never launched an attack on such a massive scale; this time, it seemed they were dead set on capturing Crow Ghost City.


    There were three Divinity Transformation Ghosts on the opposing side.


    And in Crow Ghost City, there was only one Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivator¡ªI was at a complete disadvantage and could only rely on the City Protection Array to see if I could hold out for a while. I had already sought help from an old friend, but it was unclear whether Crow Ghost City could hold on until then.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    The City Lord of Crow Ghost City, looking troubled but still clenching his teeth tightly, took a deep breath and roared lowly, ¡°Hold the line!¡±


    ¡°Activate the array!!¡±


    ¡­


    Not far from Crow Ghost City, hundreds of thousands of Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators were resting in place. A Devil Clan member at the Divinity Transformation, with a complex expression, looked towards Crow Ghost City for a long time before turning his head to a Human Ghost Practitioner beside him, and said with a smirk:


    ¡°The Devil Clan has long prepared to devour Crow Ghost City, and you think with just your slick words you can make the Devil Clan give up the attack? What if what you say is a lie?¡±


    ¡°By the time reinforcements arrive at Crow Ghost City, we will have to leave without accomplishing anything. Wouldn¡¯t that be a wasted trip?¡±


    Just as he was about to launch an attack¡ª


    These three Human Ghost Practitioners risked their lives to rush into the barracks, shouting along the way that they could bring forth the Human Ghost Practitioner Chen Qiu. The surrounding Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators heard this and didn¡¯t dare to make a move, so they let them through to his side.


    Human Ghost Practitioner Chen Qiu¡­


    A Merit Body forged from a hundred billion merit points. If I could consume it alone, my cultivation might skyrocket directly to the Void Refining Stage; how could I not be tempted!


    In so many years in the underworld, there has never been a Merit Body created with a hundred billion merit points.


    The most one ever had was ten billion merit points, and that person was at the Early Stage of Nascent Soul but could fight against those at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation. After being consumed by one at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation, his cultivation surged directly to the Late-stage Divinity Transformation!


    And his physical strength greatly increased. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But this time it was a hundred billion merit points¡­ Let alone a surge in cultivation to the Void Refining Stage, even a breakthrough to the Void Refining Peak might be possible.


    ¡°Certain!¡±


    Qi Mei¡¯s eyes were filled with determination as she looked at the Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivator in front of her and said word by word, ¡°Yuan Sect and Chen Qiu have deep hatred; Yuan Sect was slaughtered by Chen Qiu. As long as we slander Chen Qiu throughout Crow Ghost City, he will definitely not be able to resist coming here to silence us!¡±


    ¡°At that time, the Devil Clan just needs to set up a trap around Crow Ghost City and wait for Chen Qiu to take the bait!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    This Devil Clan Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivator didn¡¯t hesitate; after only a moment of consideration, he nodded and said, ¡°You go back to spread the word in Crow Ghost City. The other two will stay with me. If you try any tricks, the lives of these two will remain here.¡±


    Then, as the Devil Clan Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivator watched Qi Mei¡¯s retreating figure, he looked to the two other Devil Clan Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators beside him with hesitation and asked, ¡°What do you two think?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t swallow it.¡± One of the Devil Clan Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators shook his head, sighed long, and said somewhat helplessly, ¡°Even if the plan succeeds, we can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°Although a Merit Body forged from hundred billion merit points is indeed very tempting.¡±


    ¡°But Chen Qiu was a peerless Heavenly Pride in the Mortal World, at the peak of Nascent Soul, and with a Merit Body forged from a hundred billion merit points. Even the one forged from ten billion merit points was powerful enough for an Early Stage Nascent Soul to fight against an Early Stage Divinity Transformation. With a hundred billion merit points, the power is likely to be even more terrifying.¡±


    ¡°All three of us are at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation; we definitely can¡¯t handle Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°We must go back for reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°At least five at the Peak of Divinity Transformation would make it a little safer.¡±


    ¡°Even then, the Merit Body we¡¯d get from killing Chen Qiu would be much less, but there¡¯s no helping it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, even if more people share in the spoils, after all, it¡¯s a hundred billion merit points, averaging out it¡¯s still a tremendous opportunity.¡±


    The other two Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators also nodded in agreement, clearly accepting this idea.


    Soon.


    A decision was made¡ªthey withdrew their forces, ordering the main army to retreat slowly while the three went to seek reinforcements. A big opportunity like this shouldn¡¯t be lost to outsiders; they definitely had to find their own well-acquainted Peak of Divinity Transformation.


    Five at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, plus their three at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation to flank, should be enough to handle Chen Qiu, right?


    Meanwhile, the City Lord of Crow Ghost City, who was originally prepared to defend the walls to the death, looked at the suddenly retreating Devil Clan army and was puzzled, his face full of confusion.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Why are you suddenly withdrawing?


    ¡­


    One day later.


    Having reverted from his disguise as a dwarf, Chen Qiu was now sitting in a teahouse with his hat on, enjoying the story told by the storyteller with relish.


    Every once in a while, he would take a bite from the apple in his hand¡ªjuicy and sweet, quite relaxed and content.


    At this moment¡ª

 Chapter 528 - 200:

    Chapter 528: Chapter 200: ¡°A Top Strategist Must Immerse Himself in the Situation!¡±_3


    The storyteller who was fervently praising Chen Qiu just yesterday onstage now had a complete change of tune, suddenly banging the alarming wood block he held in his hand!


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the days when Chen Qiu had just risen to prominence in Quzhou and had no reputation to speak of. Qi Mei, a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect, recognized his potential and wanted to recruit him into the sect,¡± he said.


    ¡°Originally, it was a peaceful invitation. Even if he refused, at worst, they would go their separate ways. But who knew Chen Qiu would be so heartless and cruel?, considering the act of recruitment an insult, he immediately killed the True Disciple who had come to recruit him on the spot!¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Following that, he even slaughtered the entire Yuan Sect!¡±


    ¡°Today, we are fortunate enough to have Qi Mei, the True Disciple of the Yuan Sect from that day, to provide us with a detailed account of what happened!¡±


    Guided by the storyteller, Qi Mei, dressed in mourning clothes and wrapping his head with white cloth, his eyes red-rimmed, walked onto the stage with a look of profound sorrow, like a cuckoo weeping blood, and roared with eyes about to burst with rage.


    ¡°I am Qi Mei, a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect. I can testify about that day¡¯s¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, who was wearing a bamboo hat in the audience, looked up at Qi Mei on stage, who was trying hard to sell his story, and almost laughed out loud. He had to admit, Qi Mei did have a bit of the strategist¡¯s flair.


    But he¡¯d only learned a bit of the surface, missing the essence completely.


    The storytellers changed their tune overnight, naturally, because last night Qi Mei had dropped quite a sum of Yin Stones, and by dawn, all the storytellers in Crow Ghost City had unified their version of events, beginning to recount old stories of Chen Qiu¡¯s massacre of the Yuan Sect.


    As a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect, Qi Mei constantly appeared in various teahouses, giving testimony in person.


    ¡°Hey, brother.¡±


    Perhaps he heard Chen Qiu¡¯s laughter, the young man sitting next to him leaned over and whispered, ¡°That storyteller must have been bribed. Others may not know the truth, but I do, it¡¯s definitely not what happened.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, whether Chen Qiu is dead or not is still up in the air.¡±


    ¡°Most likely he¡¯s not dead at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced at the somewhat talkative young man beside him, lowered the brim of his bamboo hat a bit more, and chuckled, ¡°The Heavenly Dao Decree says Chen Qiu has already succeeded in creating a Merit Body, so why do you say Chen Qiu is definitely not dead? The logic doesn¡¯t add up.¡±


    ¡°The logic is off,¡± the young man shook his head.


    ¡°Explain where the logic is off,¡± Chen Qiu said, his eyes twinkling with amusement and curiosity.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple,¡± the young man countered, counting on his fingers and speaking earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ve just died and came to the underworld today. I should have the firsthand news about Chen Qiu, regardless of whether that person is telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°After dying in the Mortal World, if one doesn¡¯t turn into a resentful spirit, one is supposed to be pulled into the underworld as a Yin Soul seven days later.¡±


    ¡°The Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree said yesterday that Chen Qiu had formed a Merit Body, which means that eight days ago, Chen Qiu should have already died, just making it seven days before arriving in the underworld yesterday.¡±


    ¡°But the problem arises here¡ª¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu arrived in the underworld earlier than I did, so he definitely died before me.¡±


    ¡°But before I died, I hadn¡¯t heard any news of Chen Qiu¡¯s death at all. For someone as esteemed as Chen Qiu, his death couldn¡¯t possibly have been without any disturbance.¡±


    ¡°That is the biggest problem.¡±


    ¡°Besides, I happen to be from Quzhou. I know what happened that day. It was clearly a situation where the True Disciple of the Yuan Sect failed to recruit Chen Qiu, attacked first, and was ultimately killed by Chen Qiu in self-defense, resulting in the massacre of the entire sect afterward.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯ wasn¡¯t anything good; although not an Evil Sect, what they did was all in the style of evil demons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve privately given Chen Qiu a nickname, ¡®Evil Eradicator.¡¯


    ¡°It means that although Chen Qiu has killed many people, he has never killed the good ones, only the bad.¡±


    The young man went on and on, laying out his logic.


    Chen Qiu just chuckled, listening patiently without interrupting, and suddenly realized one thing¡ªthere was an information gap between the Mortal World and the underworld, a seven-day gap.


    The intel on him in the underworld was seven days outdated.


    And seven days ago, he hadn¡¯t yet broken through to the Divinity Transformation.


    That meant no one in the underworld knew he had already achieved Divinity Transformation.


    Of course¡­


    None of this mattered. Chen Qiu tossed the fruit core in his hand aside, patted the young man¡¯s shoulder casually, and said, ¡°Next time don¡¯t randomly give people nicknames, and if you do, at least choose something that sounds nicer. ¡®Evil Eradicator¡¯ is just unpleasant to the ear.¡±


    ¡°Your taste is lacking.¡±


    He then took off his bamboo hat, stood up, and walked to the front of the stage, standing before Qi Mei.


    Qi Mei, who had been speaking with great enthusiasm on stage, turned deathly pale the moment he saw Chen Qiu, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He wanted to flee, but his body went limp on the ground, his lips trembling as if wanting to say something, yet no words came out.


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± Chen Qiu crouched down, gently patted the head of Qi Mei, who had collapsed on the ground, and smiled.


    Then he applied a little force.


    Qi Mei¡¯s head exploded like a watermelon, splattering blood mist on the faces of the audience around him.


    After doing all this,


    he stood up and casually wiped his bloody hands on the storyteller who was now petrified in place: ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Qiu. I didn¡¯t scare you, did I?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± The storyteller stammered, his face ashen. He hadn¡¯t wanted to defame Chen Qiu either, but Qi Mei had threatened him using his family, so he had to obey. He had never expected Chen Qiu would be listening in the audience all along.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    Chen Qiu patted the storyteller¡¯s shoulder and walked off the stage, heading towards the city gates. He had already sensed that outside the city, several Divinity Transformation members of the Devil Clan and Ghost Cultivators were awaiting him. It was time to reap the fruits of his labor.

 Chapter 529 - 200:

    Chapter 529: Chapter 200: ¡°A Top Strategist Must Immerse Himself in the Situation!¡±_4


    Killing and fighting were prohibited within the city.


    But¡­


    no one had ever come out to stop them.


    ¡­


    ¡°Chen Qiu¡­ right next to me?¡±


    The young man below was at this moment looking in disbelief at the figure of Chen Qiu on Green Stone Street, and even felt some lingering fear; he had talked with Chen Qiu for so long and even let Chen Qiu know the nickname he had secretly given him.


    And Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t killed him?


    Was this not like getting a second lease on life?


    The surrounding guests exchanged looks and then almost simultaneously stood up and followed behind Chen Qiu from a distance, wanting to see where Chen Qiu was headed. They had always heard about Chen Qiu from the storyteller and this was their first time seeing him in person.


    Upon hearing of this commotion, the other city dwellers also found out that Chen Qiu had come to Crow Ghost City and joined the large group trailing behind, eager for a glimpse of such a Heavenly Pride.


    ¡­


    Outside Crow Ghost City.


    Having just left the city gate, Chen Qiu intended to draw the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and hold it in his hand, but since he couldn¡¯t establish contact with the Heavenly Dao Ring, he couldn¡¯t retrieve the Spiritual Treasure and instead casually grabbed a long spear from a city defense soldier beside him.


    Casually breaking it, he kept a short section and examined it.


    Somewhat dissatisfied.


    He then carelessly threw the short section aside, his hands empty as he walked out toward Crow Ghost City, looking into the distance and not seeing the several Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators appearing immediately, he laughed loudly and said.


    ¡°The four great joys of life:


    ¡°A timely rain after a long drought, a familiar face in a foreign place. A wedding night, achieving one¡¯s name on a prestigious list.¡±


    ¡°Today I, Chen Qiu, have one of these joys. Yuan Sect Master, you have been seeking me all along, why not show yourself now?¡±


    His Cultivation Progress was at 70%.


    Although he had killed Qi Mei, his Cultivation Progress had not fallen, as only killing those of the Alien Clan weaker than oneself would cause a decline. Qi Mei belonged to the Human Race, the same as him, so there was no drop.


    As his words fell¡ª


    Several Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators, without hiding, immediately shot over from a distance, hovering in the air and firmly surrounding Chen Qiu, consisting of five at the Peak of Divinity Transformation and three at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation!


    This formation was already extremely powerful.


    With no Void Refining coming forward, who in the world could escape this besiegement!?


    ¡°Very good, very good!¡±


    One of the Peak Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators of the Devil Clan, now hovering in the air, looking down at Chen Qiu below with eyes red with greed and increasingly rapid breathing: ¡°Truly worthy of a hundred billion merit value, I have already sensed that rich aroma, just by devouring you, I will be able to break through to Void Refining!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Chen Qiu, right.¡±


    ¡°Having met us today, you would be worth your death.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu merely smiled and looked upward at the several Divinity Transformation members of the Devil Clan in the sky, already having a plan in his heart. These Divinity Transformers were not enough for him; his rare trip to the underworld wasn¡¯t for settling on scraps.


    After becoming a Ghost Cultivator in the underworld, although one couldn¡¯t live longer, the lifespan was actually equivalent to three times that of the Mortal World.


    This meant, the quantity of Divinity Transformers amassed in the underworld surpassed that of the Mortal World.


    These¡­


    were all his targets!


    Since ancient times, fishing has required bait, maintaining a just-out-of-reach yet tempting state to draw in more big fish, and he, Chen Qiu, was that bait.


    Subsequently, he had grown too lazy to listen to these Devil Clan Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators¡¯ nonsense. His eyes blazing with fervor, he exerted a slight force with his feet, and his body violently shot into the sky, randomly punching one of the Devil Clan Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators into a mist of blood.


    The mist of blood exploded in the air, like fireworks ascending.


    Not even a bit of flesh could be seen, not even the size of a fingernail, as under such brutal and excessive physical strength, even the bones were obliterated into debris.


    With a body forged from trillions of merit values, who in the underworld could stand against him?!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    This punch made the nearby Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators, who appeared to be provoking casually but were actually nervous, almost simultaneously rush towards Chen Qiu the moment he stopped in the air!


    In an instant!


    All kinds of weapons¡ªgreat axes, long swords, hammers¡ªsmashed onto Chen Qiu¡¯s body almost at the same time.


    Chen Qiu was immediately pummeled to the ground by these strikes, creating a trench several dozen yards long on the ground. Clutching his chest, he appeared to be in immense pain as he staggered to his feet, seemingly quite severely injured.


    The few Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators, originally apprehensive after seeing Chen Qiu kill a Divinity Transformation with one punch, viewed Chen Qiu¡¯s miserable state and immediately felt their unease dissipate, their eyes filling rapidly with intense greed.


    They rushed towards Chen Qiu one after another, competing over who could kill Chen Qiu and thereby gain a larger share of the spoils! sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    These Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators gave their all, striking Chen Qiu with the weapons in their hands. Dust exploded instantly, and after the strike, these five Devil Clan members backed away again, their faces looking somewhat unsightly as they turned to view the blood mist that had again exploded in the air.


    Chen Qiu had just withstood their attacks and had punched another Early Stage of Divinity Transformation to death!


    Indeed, with a body forged from trillions of merit values, as unease rose again in their hearts, they saw Chen Qiu who was blown away spit out a mouthful of fresh blood on the ground. Without much thought, their eyes glowed red with greed as they rushed at him again!


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Chen Qiu was blown away again several dozen yards.


    However¡­


    How could another blood mist explode next to them? The last Early Stage of Divinity Transformation had been killed by Chen Qiu in that last collision; now, there were only five of them, Peak of Divinity Transformations, left.


    Of course¡ª


    The outcome was still quite impressive; Chen Qiu seemed more seriously injured, spitting yet another mouthful of blood.


    The five Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and charged ferociously at him again!


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was again blown away, while the remaining four Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators stood expressionlessly on the spot, watching the Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivator being relentlessly punched while held in Chen Qiu¡¯s arms.


    After hammering with a dozen punches


    The Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivator in Chen Qiu¡¯s arms also turned into a mist of blood.


    From the original eight,


    Now only four remained.


    Even a fool would now realize something was wrong; why were they losing one person after every collision?


    ¡°No way!¡±


    One of the Devil Clan Peak of Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators, looking grim, gazed at the staggering Chen Qiu who seemed about to fall at any moment, and hoarsely said,¡±We need to call for reinforcements. We can¡¯t handle this alone. A body forged from trillions of merit values is more formidable than we imagined!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Instantly, several of them crushed the Communication Tokens in their chests. They didn¡¯t approach immediately but hovered in the air, encircling Chen Qiu below.


    They were not ready to strike again.


    But they would not let Chen Qiu just escape. By this time, Chen Qiu was clearly severely injured; victory or defeat hinged on this one move. As long as reinforcements arrived, they would be able to completely devour Chen Qiu.

 Chapter 530 - 201: Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, greets everyone!

    Chapter 530: Chapter 201: ¡®Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, greets everyone!


    ¡°¡­Pain.¡±


    Outside Crow Ghost City, Chen Qiu was lying on the ground, with traces of blood at the corners of his mouth. His face expressed severe pain as he struggled to rise from the ground, nearly losing his balance in the process.


    Like a cornered beast, he trembled and ferociously looked up at several Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators in the sky.


    ¡°Come¡­ come on!¡±


    He looked as fragile as a willow in the wind, even a casual strike could have easily taken his life.


    He clenched his teeth as he looked at those in the sky, forcibly suppressing the joy in his heart.


    At this moment, his Cultivation Progress had reached¨D


    ¨C


    Cultivation: Divinity Transformation Second Layer (10%).


    ¨C


    Initially, he had only been at 70% of the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation, but after killing four Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators, he had quickly advanced to the Second Layer. Wasn¡¯t this advancement speed faster than any Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill?


    It was insanely exhilarating!


    The only downside was that he had to act a bit, to avoid showing that he was too strong, which could dissuade other Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators from coming to help. Then he would have nobody left to kill!


    The body built from a trillion Merit Points was even stronger than he anticipated!


    These Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators couldn¡¯t even make him feel pain with their full-strength hits, let alone injure him.


    If he hadn¡¯t stuffed a chunk of flesh from the first Devil Clan Ghost Cultivator he killed into his mouth amid the chaos, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to fake spitting blood.


    He even had to bite his tongue.


    It really hurt.


    He didn¡¯t want to bite.


    And now the remaining four Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators surrounding him did not make their move, clearly waiting for reinforcements¡ªthis was perfect!


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long!


    Just a hundred breaths later, several beams of Liu Guang swiftly arrived at the battlefield.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Li Yao, notifying your brother so late about such a big opportunity seems a bit unfair,¡± one of the first to arrive at Crow Ghost City, a Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivator, greedily looked at the staggering Chen Qiu and his voice trembled with excitement, ¡°I¡¯ll take his arms, nobody fight me for them!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s kill him first and talk later.¡±


    One of the first four Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators, with a grim expression, shook his head. ¡°This lad is a bit tricky; that Merit Body of his is very strong, a Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivator has already fallen to him.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s severely wounded now, we can definitely take him down together.¡±


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°You too are in luck, we lost four lives to heavily injure him, and you come to reap the benefits. When it¡¯s time to divide the spoils, we four must get a larger share.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha.¡±


    The newly arrived Devil Clan Ghost Cultivator spoke meaningfully, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss that later, no rush, no rush. Let¡¯s kill him first and then we can divide slowly.¡±


    ¡­


    One, two, three¡­


    Staggering, his face a mask of pain and desperation, Chen Qiu quietly counted the Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators who had arrived¡ªseven in total. He didn¡¯t care about their exact progression, they were all the same to him.


    As long as they were at the Divinity Transformation level, it was fine.


    Just then¡ª


    Another wave of attacks arrived, Ghost Cultivators, who were Body Cultivators that knew some spells but relied mainly on the strength of their bodies, especially those from the Devil Clan, who possessed even greater physical strength, along with the seven new arrivals to the battlefield.


    A total of eleven Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators launched an assault on Chen Qiu!


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    They struck and retreated, another mist of blood exploding, and Chen Qiu was once again blown away to the ground, creating another ten-foot-long trench.


    This mist of blood also signified another Devil Clan Ghost Cultivator reduced to a bloody mist by a single punch.


    And they didn¡¯t stop.


    The smell of blood further incited everyone¡¯s ferocity, as they once again launched their full power towards Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After several rhythmic strikes, four more mists of blood exploded in the air.


    This time, the Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators instantly regained their composure and didn¡¯t rush forward again; instead, they hung in the air, their faces grimly silent.


    This scene was somewhat familiar.


    ¡°Push a little harder,¡± one of the Peak of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators stared down at the battered Chen Qiu and gritted his teeth, ¡°A few more joint attacks should suffice; Chen Qiu won¡¯t last much longer.¡±


    ¡°Call for backup.¡±


    Another with a similarly grim expression shook his head. ¡°We had eleven just now, and now there are only six left. It¡¯s safer to call for reinforcements.¡±


    The Devil Clans looked at each other and agreed on this plan, once again crushing their Communication Tokens.


    As before¡ª


    They once again hung motionless in the air, encircling Chen Qiu, neither attacking nor allowing him to escape.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing drenched in blood and reeling, internally deliberated whether he should feign greater severity; otherwise, those at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation from the Devil Clan might not dare to come forward at all.


    And by now his Cultivation Progress had reached, Divinity Transformation Second Layer (60%).


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°Puh!¡±


    Chen Qiu, originally staggering as if he would fall at any moment, suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood. The blood shone like a long rainbow under the sun, its soul-stirring light spraying into the air like a waterfall.


    Seeing this, one of the Late-stage Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators¡¯ eyes lit up, and he immediately charged at Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A punch landed solidly on Chen Qiu¡¯s face.


    Chen Qiu fiercely thrust his left hand out, piercing the throat of this Devil Clansman and lifting him high into the air. With a ferocious look, he raised his right fist and roared as he swung it with all his might, ¡°This punch, at the cost of a hundred years of my lifespan!¡±

 Chapter 531 - 201: Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, greets everyone!_2

    Chapter 531: Chapter 201: ¡®Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, greets everyone!¡¯_2


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The blood mist exploded once more.


    Another member of the Devil Clan fell, leaving only five in the skies.


    However, upon hearing the news, the eyes of these five Devil Clan members lit up in unison. A hundred years of life as the price? Didn¡¯t this mean that Chen Qiu was already at the end of his tether, resorting to such measures? He must be on the verge of collapse!


    Soon¡ª


    Reinforcements for the Devil Clan arrived once again, this time a full sixteen!


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    With more numbers came greater confidence. A total of twenty-one Devil Clan members exchanged glances, their vicious smiles returning as they charged towards the exhausted Chen Qiu once more!


    ¡­


    ¡°This punch, I pay with a hundred years of my life!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°This punch, three hundred years of my life!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°This punch, five hundred years of my life!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡­


    A hundred breaths later.


    The remaining six Devil Clan members at the Divinity Transformation Stage hovered emotionlessly in the air, gazing at the blood-drenched ground and the staggering Chen Qiu, who seemed as if he might collapse at any moment, remaining silent for a long time.


    Wait.


    Hold on, let¡¯s think this through.


    Something felt subtly amiss.


    Hadn¡¯t Chen Qiu been in this staggering, on-the-verge-of-collapse state from the very beginning? But how was it that he was still holding on now? There had been twenty-one Divinity Transformation Stage Devil Clan members just a moment ago, and now only six remained?


    What happened to the rest, turning into blood mist?


    Initially, Chen Qiu had needed a dozen or so punches to kill a single Devil Clan member at the peak of Divinity Transformation. Later, paying with his lifespan, he started to kill with a single punch so smoothly¡ªas if even relieving themselves wasn¡¯t as effortless for them.


    ¡°Should we call for more reinforcements? Bring all your relatives and friends over.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t. They¡¯re all dead here.¡±


    ¡°Mine too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s contact the Clan Leader. Even if the Clan Leader comes, we¡¯ll only get the scraps, but it¡¯s better than getting nothing.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Come on, come at me!¡±


    At this moment, Chen Qiu was covered in blood, his clarity fading, standing in place swinging his fists at the air aimlessly, fresh blood continuously flowing from his mouth, stumbling with every step he took.


    He appeared utterly tragic on the surface.


    But inside, his joy was becoming hard to contain.


    His Cultivation Progress had now reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Divinity Transformation Fourth Layer (20%).


    ¨C


    What a place, truly an excellent place!


    This journey to the underworld was well worth it.


    Before entering the underworld, he was only at the first layer of Divinity Transformation, but in just a day, he had reached the fourth layer. And it seemed there was the prospect of even more progress¡ªmaybe, he could even break through to the sixth layer of Divinity Transformation within the next two days.


    He owed his thanks to Yuan Sect.


    If not for Yuan Sect¡¯s brilliant idea, it would have taken him days to find so many Devil Clan members at Divinity Transformation to kill. Besides, after killing too many, his fame would spread, and the other Devil Clan at Divinity Transformation wouldn¡¯t be foolish either; they would surely flee deep into the underworld.


    Not like now¡ªyoung came one by one to deliver themselves to death.


    Suddenly¡ª


    He stumbled and fell heavily onto the ground, looking utterly incapable of getting back up.


    Even so, the six Devil Clan members in the sky showed no desire to strike, patiently waiting for the Clan Leader to arrive with the reinforcements.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    On the walls of Crow Ghost City, many had gathered by now.


    Witnessing the scene unfold.


    The young man who had struck up a conversation with Chen Qiu in the teahouse earlier now had a complex expression, looking at Chen Qiu, who had fallen to the ground and not gotten back up, his fists clenched slightly, secretly anticipating Chen Qiu to stand up once more.


    He had lost count of how many Devil Clan members at Divinity Transformation had perished by Chen Qiu¡¯s hand.


    All he saw was Chen Qiu, like a war god bathed in blood, blasting out clouds of blood mist with each punch. Every time he seemed severely injured, unable to rise again, but then he would stand once more.


    That unyielding spirit, fighting to the death, touched many.


    Many people were silently cheering for Chen Qiu in their hearts, hoping he could stand up again as he had the previous times, staggering to his feet.


    Only¡­


    This time, Chen Qiu might truly be unable to continue.


    Until the sun had set, the night descended, and Chen Qiu had not risen again, lying quietly on the bloody ground, the fresh blood beneath him staining the earth red.


    Finally¡ª


    Dozens of Liu Guang rays shot towards this area! S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Demon Clan Leader had personally led a group of Devil Clan members at Divinity Transformation into the battlefield!


    There was no time to mourn the dead Devil Clan members at Divinity Transformation, as the Demon Clan Leader arrived on the battlefield!


    ¡­


    ¡°Merit Body forged with a hundred billion points of merit.¡±


    The Demon Clan Leader, radiating immense Yin Qi, looked down at Chen Qiu lying sprawled and limp on the ground, greed intensifying in his eyes: ¡°You should have notified me earlier. That way, not so many would have died.¡±


    The surrounding Devil Clan members at Divinity Transformation didn¡¯t dare to retort, lowering their heads in respectful submission.


    That¡¯s because the Demon Clan Leader was a Ghost Cultivator in the Void Refining Stage!


    Even though Ghost Cultivators didn¡¯t have access to Divine Domains like those in the Mortal World, and lacked the special abilities and entries associated with the Void Refining Stage, their combat strength was much weaker than that of those in the Mortal World¡¯s Void Refining Stage. However, this was the underworld, and a Ghost Cultivator at the Void Refining Stage could dominate those at the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    ¡°It looks like even if I hadn¡¯t come, he would be close to death.¡±


    The Demon Clan Leader gazed at Chen Qiu on the ground, a murderous grin spreading across his face: ¡°Let me finish this.¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The Demon Clan Leader instantly transformed into a ray of Liu Guang, leading the charge as he violently smashed towards Chen Qiu!


    ¡­


    Startled awake by such a heavy blow, Chen Qiu was sent flying, barely stabilizing his form mid-air. Looking towards the not-so-distant Demon Clan Leader exuding powerful Yin Qi, he inwardly sighed.

 Chapter 532 - 201: Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, greets everyone!_3

    Chapter 532: Chapter 201: ¡®Chao Tian Sect Master Chen Qiu, greets everyone!¡¯_3


    Get lost.


    You, a mere Void Refining cultivator, what business do you have here joining in the fray?


    But whether it was because the strength of his Merit Body was exceedingly high or because the Void Refining Ghost Cultivators from the underworld were exceptionally weak,


    this strike only caused him pain but inflicted no actual injury.


    However,


    Chen Qiu looked up at the several Divinity Transformation members of the Devil Clan in the sky and grinned with satisfaction.


    Everyone has gathered.


    The next moment¡ª


    All the Divinity Transformation Devil Clan members charged toward him all at once!


    ¡°Boom!¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡­


    Blood mist continuously exploded in the sky, initially Chen Qiu was still acting, but as he became increasingly bloodthirsty, he stopped pretending.


    Accompanied by trails of blood that dyed the ground red.


    When the Demon Clan Leader, gasping for breath with a missing left arm, was blasted away by Chen Qiu again and hoarsely shouted, ¡°Kill,¡± he realized none of his clan members obeyed and rushed forward. Only then did he notice that all the Divinity Transformation cultivators he brought had mysteriously died.


    Before he had a chance to react,


    he saw Chen Qiu had somehow appeared in front of him, his blood-stained cheeks forming a rather gentle smile, and placed his hand on his head, ¡°Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, sends his regards.¡±


    ¡°No¡­no¡­¡±


    The Demon Clan Leader turned deathly pale and trembled with fear as he screamed, ¡°Please¡­¡±


    However, before he could finish speaking,


    with a fierce squeeze of Chen Qiu¡¯s fingers, the Demon Clan Leader¡¯s head was twisted off in an instant and casually thrown onto the wild ground.


    With that¡ª


    All the Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators of the Devil Clan who had come here were utterly annihilated!


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu rubbed the caved-in part of his chest, the piercing pain causing him to wince and mutter, ¡°This Void Refining Ghost Cultivator does pack some punch.¡±


    However, when he saw his Cultivation Progress, he smiled with satisfaction again.


    ¨C


    ¡¸Cultivation¡¹: Divinity Transformation eight layers (70%).


    ¨C


    One day!


    From Divinity Transformation first layer to Divinity Transformation eighth layer!


    This rate of cultivation progress is rarely seen across the Xuantian Continent.


    Now it¡¯s time to go find the Dwarf Clan and start preparing to return to the Mortal World.


    Afterward, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t look back at Crow Ghost City, just steadied his footsteps, his back as straight as a pine tree, entirely devoid of the staggering, near-death appearance he had shown in daylight.


    Thus, he gradually disappeared from the sight of the crowds atop the walls of Crow Ghost City.


    He vanished.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In Crow Ghost City, on the city wall, that young man who had spoken to Chen Qiu in the teahouse afterwards was now frozen stiff in place, looking at Chen Qiu¡¯s departing figure. His whole body was trembling uncontrollably, not knowing why he was shivering, but he simply couldn¡¯t control it.


    Several Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators¡­


    A single Void Refining Devil Clan Ghost Cultivator¡­


    All died here.


    None escaped; all died at the hands of Chen Qiu.


    And seeing Chen Qiu¡¯s steady footsteps as he left, where¡¯s that appearance of being on the brink of death from earlier in the day? It meant that Chen Qiu¡¯s daytime demeanor was all an act, simply trying not to scare off the Devil Clan!


    Could this truly be Chen Qiu¡¯s real strength?


    An unparalleled Heavenly Pride in the Mortal World, now coming to the underworld and becoming utterly invincible here?


    Just then¡ª


    Among the crowd on the wall, a sudden cry of surprise was heard.


    ¡°Look at the ground.¡±


    This brutal battle lasted for an entire day, and during that period, Chen Qiu was blasted away countless times, his body plowing furrows in the ground. However, when the battle ended,


    people were shocked to realize that these furrows on the ground admittedly formed a line of rather messy characters!


    ¡®Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, sends his regards!¡¯


    Even including an exclamation mark!


    The final dot of that exclamation point was precisely the head of the Demon Clan Leader that had been twisted off, still continuously oozing a pool of blood.


    By now, the entire ground was dyed red, under the night sky the line of characters formed by countless furrows was especially striking.


    And this scene¡­


    caused everyone on the city wall to breathe more rapidly as they once again looked toward the direction where Chen Qiu had disappeared, but they could no longer see his figure.


    Though they had been standing here watching all day, their attention had been focused on the fight, without noticing the damage to the wasteland caused during the battle.


    Now it seemed, every time Chen Qiu was blasted away, he was intentionally controlling the angle and strength.


    Using his body as a pen, he wrote out that line of characters.


    With the lives of dozens of Divinity Transformation Devil Clan Ghost Cultivators as ink, he embellished that line of characters.


    Finally, with the head of the Demon Clan Leader, the finishing touch left an exclamation mark signifying the end.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The City Lord of Crow Ghost City stood rigidly on the city wall, staring in the direction Chen Qiu had disappeared, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief. It was a long while before he redirected his gaze back down to the line of characters below.


    ¡®Chen Qiu, Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, sends his regards!¡¯


    This line signified many things.


    It meant that Chen Qiu had planned from the very beginning what would happen next.


    It meant that Chen Qiu had been feigning weakness from the start, playing the Devil Clan at his own game.


    It meant a great deal.


    All of these were enough to prove one point.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s strength absolutely overwhelmed these Devil Clan Divinity Transformation Ghost Cultivators, including that Demon Clan Leader, and it was not just an overwhelming in one dimension. It can be anticipated that today¡¯s scene will spread throughout the underworld in the shortest time possible.


    ¡°The skies of the underworld¡­ are about to change,¡± he murmured, his expression distant.


    Now that the Demon Clan Leader, along with so many high-end combat powers, had died here, the underworld was bound to stir up a massacre against the Devil Clan, especially since the high-end powerhouses of the Devil Clan in the underworld had all been wiped out.


    What else could they do except wait for death?


    Unless in a short time, a large number of Divinity Transformation members of the Devil Clan die in the Mortal World and then arrive in the underworld to replenish the high-end power of the Devil Clan there, otherwise, the extermination of the Demon Clan in the underworld could not be avoided.


    But really, how could that be possible?

 Chapter 533 - 202:

    Chapter 533: Chapter 202: ¡°Chen Qiu¡­ His Mom Came Back to Life Again?


    The City Lord of Crow Ghost City shook his head, dismissing the impractical thought from his mind.


    Devil Clan members undergoing Divinity Transformation in the Mortal World weren¡¯t just cabbages.


    How could they suddenly die in large numbers? It was almost a foregone conclusion that the Devil Clan in the underworld would be wiped out or at least become homeless dogs, hiding in corners of the underworld where Yin Qi was insufficient.


    The battle had ended.


    But the aftermath of this battle had just begun!


    Instantly, countless Sound Transmission Talismans were crushed, and countless messages spread like snowflakes to other cities surrounding them, and the City Lord of Crow Ghost City was also the first to order the protection of the line of words on the ground.


    This line of words would become the most iconic building in Crow Ghost City in the future!


    ¡­


    Soon, a day had passed.


    After searching for a long time, Chen Qiu finally found a city formerly inhabited by the Dwarf Clan, which had now become a dead city with no living creatures; he could guess the reason.


    The Mortal World and underworld were eternally separated.


    However, due to an anomaly caused by a shift in the universe, a slight crack appeared between the Mortal World and the underworld, and the Dwarf Clan, who happened to control the entire passage, naturally brought all the Ghost Cultivators from the underworld to the Mortal World.


    Who the hell would prefer to stay in the underworld if they could live in the Mortal World?


    Chen Qiu still found a clue and followed it to signs of the Dwarf Clan¡¯s relocation, arriving deep in the wilderness at a mountain valley where he saw many Dwarf Clan Ghost Cultivators lining up to jump into a dry well.


    Clearly, jumping into this dry well would take them back to the Mortal World.


    There was also a dry well next to it, where at that moment, many Dwarf Clan Ghost Cultivators were emerging, obviously coming from the Mortal World to the underworld.


    And his arrival in the underworld, being stranded in the desolate wilderness, must have been due to a Dwarf Clan Divinity Transformation member having used some method to trick him into coming to this desolate wasteland.


    Without much hesitation.


    He pulled out a transformation token from his pocket again, transformed into a member of the Dwarf Clan on the spot, mingled with the main Dwarf Clan group, and queued to jump into the dry well leading back to the Mortal World.


    He suddenly appeared in the main base of the Dwarf Clan located on the surface of the earth cavern in the Mortal World.


    Glancing around, he soon saw the dry well he had used to enter the underworld.


    At that moment¡ª sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    he suddenly heard a couple of Dwarf Clan members nearby talking anxiously, ¡°What should we do? The Clan Leader said this entrance to the underworld has begun to slowly heal itself, and it will be completely closed in no more than a day. Won¡¯t the greatest asset of the Dwarf Clan disappear completely?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do but try to bring back our brethren from the underworld as soon as possible these days.¡±


    ¡°But what about the members of the Dwarf Clan who died in the past few days? What will they do when they return to the underworld and find they can¡¯t return to the Mortal World?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±


    The two spoke with evident pessimism.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, transformed into a member of the Dwarf Clan, glanced around at the few people nearby and then at the entire busy atmosphere of the Dwarf Clan¡¯s main base, shook his head slightly, and was just preparing to get up and leave. However, he suddenly fell silent on the spot with a strange expression.


    He had already completed seven milestone tasks.


    They were¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Annihilate a Clan Alone.¡±


    ¡°Possess both a twelve-grade Golden Core and a twelve-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Claim the top position in the Heavenly Dao rankings five times.¡±


    ¡°Be nominated once by the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree in both the Mortal World and the underworld.¡±


    ¡°Accumulate three hundred billion merit points!¡±


    ¡°Be nominated twenty times by the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree.¡±


    ¡°Break through the limits of heaven and earth!¡±


    ¨C


    In the Heavenly Palace, these seven milestone tasks had also transformed into corresponding statues, erected within the palace.


    Just now, he suddenly realized¡­ he seemed to have inadvertently completed another bit of progress in a milestone task.


    ¨C


    ¡°One of the twelve milestone tasks¡±


    ¡°Cause ten Celestial Phenomena.¡±


    ¡°Completer: None.¡±


    ¨C


    He had already caused three Celestial Phenomena, one for each twelve-grade Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divine Domain.


    But now¡­


    He had just had another one.


    If nothing went wrong, it was due to the effect of this entry.


    Chen Qiu looked at the Nascent Soul with the entry ¡°Burial¡± embedded in it, its entry effect being that his death would cause a Celestial Phenomenon enveloping the entire world.


    Entering the underworld, naturally counted as death.


    With that in mind¡­


    Chen Qiu turned his head and looked towards the dry well representing the entrance to the underworld, suddenly smiling. Perhaps he could also complete this milestone task. When he had chosen the entry ¡°Burial¡±, he had never imagined that one day it would provide such great assistance to him.


    Without this entry¡­


    He really wouldn¡¯t have known how to cause ten Celestial Phenomena. It sincerely seemed too difficult.


    And he wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt like the milestone tasks in Xuantian Continent weren¡¯t really intended to be completed by anyone. Not to mention these tasks he had completed; which ones could a normal person achieve?


    Moreover, besides that.


    It seemed that another milestone task could also be completed.


    ¨C


    ¡°One of the twelve milestone tasks¡±


    ¡°Appear on any Heavenly Dao ranking board a hundred times.¡±


    ¡°Completer: None.¡±


    ¨C


    This task¡¯s difficulty was outrageous. To appear on any Heavenly Dao ranking board a hundred times, where could he find so many ranking boards to be listed on? Thus, to complete this Heavenly Dao task.


    He would have to repeatedly appear on a particular Heavenly Dao ranking board.


    Such as the ¡°Xuantian Continent Sin Value Ranking Board.¡±


    He kept his sin value at the bottom of the board, then used up a little sin value to have himself fall off the board, and after dropping out, he would gain a bit of sin value to reappear on the board.

 Chapter 534 - 202:

    Chapter 534: Chapter 202: ¡°Chen Qiu¡­ His Mom Came Back to Life Again?¡±_2


    Following this logic, after repeating the process nearly a hundred times,


    one could basically complete the milestone task of entering the rankings a hundred times.


    He originally thought about using this method to complete the milestone task; but now, it seemed there was an even simpler way.


    Chen Qiu turned his head to look towards the dry well not far away, which marked the entrance to the underworld, and couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud before he strode towards the well.


    ¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s alive! Brother Qiu really isn¡¯t dead; Brother Qiu is alive again!¡±


    Xuantian Continent, Demon Province.


    Fat Long, who had been closely monitoring the Heavenly Dao Ranking, noticed the changes in the ranking immediately. His eyes, bloodshot, suddenly sprang up with excitement, ¡°Brother Qiu has returned! Brother Qiu really didn¡¯t die!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Ao Tian, standing beside him, couldn¡¯t help shaking his head and laughing, his tone carrying a hint of pride, ¡°I knew it, how could Chen Qiu die so easily in the lower Earth Cave.¡±


    The scholar, although his face didn¡¯t show much emotion, felt the tension in his heart relax, and a slight smile couldn¡¯t help but appear in his eyes.


    Although he had always had faith in Brother Qiu,


    after all, there had been no signs of Brother Qiu for two days, and doubts had begun to surface in his heart, even wondering if Brother Qiu truly had met with some misfortune. But now, everything was over.


    Everything had come back.


    The Demon Clan Patriarch, who had been staying with Ao Tian over the past few days, also breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, ¡°It¡¯s good that he¡¯s not dead. I said, how could it be that our Void Refining ancestor from our Demon Race has already tested it; that dwarf from the Dwarf Clan had no injuries on him at all, Void Refining, who could kill Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°I even thought the Dwarf Clan had some hidden trump card,¡±


    ¡°Now it looks like it was a false alarm.¡±


    ¡­


    As for the news of Chen Qiu¡¯s return to the top of the Heavenly Dao Ranking, it quickly spread throughout the Xuantian Continent, and there wasn¡¯t even a need to spread it, as long as you took a look at the Heavenly Dao Ranking, you would notice that Chen Qiu¡¯s name had reappeared at the top!


    For a moment, all the various forces of the entire Xuantian Continent fell into a state of bewilderment.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    Central Province, Myraid Beast Sect, an elder at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, who was comforting Xiao Yue, now stared blankly at Chen Qiu¡¯s name, which had reappeared on the Heavenly Dao Ranking, his mouth slightly agape and unable to utter a sound for a long time.


    Alive again¡­?


    Xiao Yue, who had been in sorrow, looked at Chen Qiu¡¯s name that reappeared on the Heavenly Dao Ranking; the sadness on her face froze in mid-air. How did her crying bring someone back to life?


    Did she actually have that kind of power?


    Only the nine-tailed fox lying not too far away swished her tail somewhat proudly; a bunch of foolish humans, she was the one who knew Chen Qiu the best. In this regard, none were her match.


    ¡­


    Jiazhou, inside a cave dwelling.


    Zhang Kui, who had just hurried back from Quzhou to Jiazhou, looked at Chen Qiu¡¯s name, which had suddenly reappeared on the Heavenly Dao Ranking. After a long silence, he muttered weakly, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    Worried about being sought out by Chen Qiu, he had fled overnight to Quzhou, preparing to take advantage while hidden in the dark.


    Just as he had laid out a concealment array in Quzhou and hidden himself, you suddenly died, and the heavens and earth held your funeral.


    If you¡¯re dead, then so be it.


    Thinking he was safe, he quickly dismantled the concealment array and hurried back to Jiazhou, but now you suddenly came back to life?


    ¡°What now¡­¡±


    Zhang Kui, who had just rushed back to Jiazhou, fell silent for a moment once more; to play it safe, he stepped out of the cave dwelling and once again transformed into Liu Guang, shooting towards Quzhou, although it meant extra trouble, but better safe than sorry.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re leaving again.¡±


    A disciple standing outside the cave dwelling looked blankly at the retreating figure of Zhang Kui.


    ¡­


    Central Province, Buddhist Sect.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An ancestor of the Buddhist Sect, dressed in a kasaya, held a white chess piece in his hand for a very long time without placing it on the chessboard. After a while, unable to contain himself, he looked up in confusion at the Bishan Palace ancestor seated opposite him, ¡°Tell me, how exactly did Chen Qiu come back to life?¡±


    ¡°First, heaven and earth buried him, then Gua Sect predicted his death with ten divinations; he was definitely dead, but how can he resurrect after dying?¡±


    ¡°Is this reasonable?¡±


    The elder of Bishan Palace shook his head silently and said, ¡°But it¡¯s also bad news for you. Haven¡¯t you been regretting these past few days that you won¡¯t get to use your backup plans? Now you can put them all to use again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± said the Buddhist Ancestor, nodding. He pondered for a long time, but the white chess piece in his hand still did not land on the board. He shook his head again and said, ¡°That¡¯s not important. What I want to ask is, if we don¡¯t figure out why Chen Qiu was resurrected, even if our plan succeeds, what will we do if they resurrect with a move of their hand?¡±


    ¡°Good question,¡± said the elder of Bishan Palace with a calm expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am a warrior, not adept at thinking. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have come to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also a point. Let me think about it.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I knew it, I knew it!¡±


    At this time in Zhongzhou, the Mountain Gate of Xuantian Sect was almost in chaos. Countless disciples of Xuantian Sect hastily gathered their belongings and, under the direction of the elders of the outer gate, gathered together, preparing to retreat to the small world once again.


    The Sect Master of Xuantian Sect, with his hands on his hips, stood on the summit of the back mountain, looking down at the busy scene below, said angrily, ¡°I knew it! How could the Chao Tian Sect, inherited from our ancestors, just perish so easily!¡±


    ¡°I always knew there was something fishy about this!¡±


    ¡°Only those foolish elders can¡¯t discern the truth. Now, immediately, retreat, and quickly!¡±


    ¡°I, damn it, will be a dictatorial Sect Master in the future, whoever doesn¡¯t listen to me, I will deal with them!¡±


    ¡°There will be no more voting!¡±


    ¡°I will have the final say alone, and if anyone disagrees, don¡¯t bother raising hands for voting, we¡¯ll settle it on the sect¡¯s life and death stage. If you win, then I¡¯ll listen to you, and I¡¯ll give you both my life and the position of the Sect Grand Master!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Great Elder of Xuantian Sect also stood by with a complex expression, for a moment not knowing what to say. Whom to blame? Actually, it wasn¡¯t the fault of those short-sighted elders.


    The main reason was that signs from heaven and earth had come forth for your funeral, and Gua Sect had divined for you ten times already.


    Who could have thought, in a situation that had been confirmed to be certain death, that you would actually revive?


    What is happening?


    ¡­


    In Zhongzhou, on the back mountain of Gua Sect.


    An elder looked at the Sect Master of Gua Sect, who was sitting cross-legged in the bamboo forest on the back mountain, and said solemnly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you divine ten times? Is this what you inferred?¡±


    ¡°I can be certain he was dead,¡± said the Sect Master of Gua Sect, shaking his head. ¡°He wasn¡¯t just feigning death; he truly died and then resurrected. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my inferences, and you know it, as a former practitioner of Gua Cultivation, the tenth divination is almost never wrong.¡±


    ¡°But how he was resurrected, I don¡¯t know. I believe there are probably not many people on the Xuantian Continent who do know.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps only Chen Qiu himself knows how he was resurrected.¡±


    After a moment of silence, the elder continued, ¡°You should divine another nine times to see how Chen Qiu resurrected.¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± said the Sect Master of Gua Sect, nodding calmly. ¡°When I open the Divine Domain ¡®Divine Gua, Earthly Divination¡¯ later, don¡¯t run away, don¡¯t set up any defenses, just sit within the range of my domain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll borrow your lifespan to deduce it elaborately; I¡¯m quite curious about how he resurrected.¡±


    ¡°Forget it,¡± said the elder, waving his hand and turning to walk out of the bamboo forest. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know that badly.¡±


    ¡­


    Almost as soon as Chen Qiu¡¯s name appeared on the ranking list of Heavenly Dao, it took less than a hundred breaths for the newly emerged top powers of Zhongzhou to issue announcements once again, perfectly reflecting the efficiency of top powers.


    ¨C


    Zhongzhou ¡°Xuantian Sect¡± announces that it will close the mountain for a hundred years. This time it is completely retreating from the world.


    Zhongzhou ¡°Qi Family¡± announces that it will close the mountain for a hundred years. This time it is completely retreating from the world.


    Zhongzhou ¡°Luohua Valley¡± announces that it will close the mountain for a hundred years. This time it is completely retreating from the world.


    In upper Jiuzhou, Jizhou ¡°Xuan Palace¡± announces that it will close the mountain for a hundred years. This time it is completely retreating from the world.


    In lower Jiuzhou, Yizhou¡­

 Chapter 535 - 203:

    Chapter 535: Chapter 203: ¡°??????????


    But just a thousand breaths later,


    a Heavenly Dao Decree once again resounded throughout the entire Xuantian Continent!


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed that Chen Qiu, Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, the unparalleled Heavenly Pride, deserved eternal recognition. Unfortunately, heaven envies the talented. At the hour of si, he completely perished, his soul vanished, returning to the Heavenly Dao.


    The passing of such a Heavenly Pride caused all living creatures to mourn; there was a grand mourning throughout heaven and earth.


    ¨C


    The next moment¡ª


    An unusual celestial phenomenon instantly enveloped the entire Xuantian Continent.


    Snowflakes, vast and ethereal, drifted in the air; the sound of a mournful suona pierced the ears of every living creature on the Xuantian Continent.


    As the snowflakes touched the ground, they transformed into roses as vivid as fresh blood.


    Countless bright red roses scattered across the ground; at a glance, they resembled rhododendrons weeping blood, subtly evoking a sense of sadness, as if one could personally feel the grief of the passing of the Heavenly Pride.


    ¡­


    Fat Long: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Ao Tian: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Scholar: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Demon Clan Patriarch: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Zhang Kui: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Xuantian Sect: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Gua Sect: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Myraid Beast Sect: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Buddhist Ancestor, Bishan Palace Ancestor: ¡°¡±?¡±


    July Cat: ¡°¡±?¡±


    Common folk: ¡°¡±?¡±


    ¡­


    If ever confusion and cluelessness could manifest as a question mark above one¡¯s head, then at this moment, a giant question mark would be floating above the heads of everyone in the Xuantian Continent.


    They were completely clueless.


    For instance¡­


    Fat Long, his eyes red, was initially stirred by the Heavenly Dao Decree and the familiar celestial phenomenon, but he froze on the spot, turned his head to look at Ao Tian, hoping to find some answers in his eyes, only to see even deeper confusion reflected there.


    The Scholar and the Demon Clan Patriarch included.


    The four stared blankly at each other, unsure what to do; primarily because their emotions were still in the midst of excitement, and it was hard to switch back to grief so quickly.


    Emotions aren¡¯t like diarrhea.


    How could one so easily and quickly transition from one extreme to another?


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhang Kui, nearly reaching the boundary of Quzhou, looked at the familiar celestial phenomenon beside him. After a long silence, he gritted his teeth and decided to turn back.


    Heading towards the direction of Jiazhou.


    This time he must surely be dead, he refused to believe otherwise!


    Two celestial phenomena, and you still don¡¯t die!


    ¡­


    ¡°Hurrah¡­ Hurrah¡­ Huh?!!¡±


    Xiao Yue, who was weeping with joy celebrating Chen Qiu¡¯s resurrection, suddenly heard the Heavenly Dao Decree and that familiar celestial phenomenon by her ear.


    She froze in place and looked towards her master, only to see that the usually benevolent smile on his face had also stiffened a bit.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor, placing the white flag back on the chessboard, looked up at the Bishan Palace Ancestor and said with a smile, ¡°It seems that some kind of Secret Technique was used for a final showing.¡±


    ¡°No big deal.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°My divination is very accurate.¡±


    The Gua Sect Sect Master calmly broke off a piece of bamboo and put it into his mouth, ¡°You don¡¯t understand me, nor do you understand divination.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    In the small world, the Master of the Xuantian Sect¡¯s expression was icy as he exuded a murderous aura, ¡°Keep avoiding the world, I¡¯m going to be a dictator from now on, abolishing the voting system!¡±


    ¡°Anyone who defies me, I¡¯ll kill them!¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°If you disagree, let¡¯s settle it on the Life and Death Platform!¡±


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    News began spreading out from Zhongzhou once again.


    Zhongzhou¡¯s Qi Family announced, out of the blue, that they no longer wished to remain hidden; they had truly returned to the world this time.


    Zhongzhou¡¯s Luohua Valley announced, suddenly, that they no longer wished to remain hidden either; they had truly returned to the world this time.


    In the Upper Nine Provinces, Jizhou¡¯s Xuan Palace also declared that they no longer wished to remain hidden; they had truly returned to the world this time.


    In the Lower Nine Provinces, Yizhou¡­


    ¡­


    But just thousands of breaths later,


    these people suddenly discovered Chen Qiu¡¯s name had once again appeared on the Heavenly Dao ranking, which meant Chen Qiu was alive again??


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°??¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°My head is a bit dizzy,¡± Fat Long muttered as he sat still, ¡°I think I might be hallucinating from too much grief, let me take a moment.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Ao Tian also sat silently next to Fat Long, muttering, ¡°I need a moment too, it¡¯s a bit overwhelming.¡±


    ¡°Count me in,¡± the scholar also sat down.


    Beside them, the bewildered Demon Clan Patriarch subconsciously joined the trio, sitting back-to-back like a lotus on the ground and whispered, ¡°Has Brother Qiu always been like this?¡±


    ¡°Not always.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Just as he rushed back to Jiazhou, Zhang Kui stood at the entrance to his cave, looking at the disciples who came to greet him. He remained silent for a few breaths before transforming into a streak of light shooting toward Quzhou.


    Leaving behind a baffled disciple wondering if their master was practicing some movement technique, why was he running back and forth?


    ¡­


    ¡°I understand you, and I also understand divination.¡±


    In the bamboo forest of Gua Sect, the elder looked expressionlessly at the Gua Sect Sect Master, who was frozen in place and said, ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    ¡­


    Buddhist Sect.


    The ancestor of Bishan Palace silently looked at the Buddhist Ancestor¡¯s hand, which was hesitating to place the white piece, and murmured, ¡°Has the issue become bigger this time?¡±


    ¡­ sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Sect Master¡­¡±


    Inside the small world of the Xuantian Sect, the Sect Grand Elder quietly approached the Master of the Xuantian Sect and whispered, ¡°Chen Qiu has resurrected again.¡±


    However, at this time, the Master of the Xuantian Sect was completely indifferent to the news. He just waved his hand and sat on the Sect Master¡¯s chair in a daze, murmuring.


    ¡°Having been a Sect Master for so many years, today is the first time I¡¯ve felt the joy of being a Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I feel we shouldn¡¯t disdain the Evil Sects too much.¡±


    ¡°The management style of the Evil Sects seems¡­ pretty effective.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell came up with this stupid elder voting system?¡±


    ¡°With all the elders voting, what¡¯s the use of a Sect Master? To be blamed for decisions?¡±

 Chapter 536 - 203:

    Chapter 536: Chapter 203: ¡°??????????¡±_2


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing that the Sect Master¡¯s mind was no longer present, the Xuantian Sect¡¯s Grand Elder also silently retreated. For some reason, he always felt that the Sect Master seemed to have realized some peculiar and strange truths.


    He felt unease stirring within him.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    One after another, news once again spread from Zhongzhou.


    Zhongzhou¡¯s ¡°Qi Family¡± announced to the outside world that they would go into seclusion for a hundred years, swearing on the Luoshui River, that this time, they were truly withdrawing from the world.


    Zhongzhou¡¯s ¡°Luohua Valley¡± declared to the outside world that they would go into seclusion for a hundred years, swearing on the Luoshui River, that this time, they were truly withdrawing from the world.


    In the Upper Nine States, Jizhou¡¯s ¡°Xuan Palace¡± announced to the outside world that they would go into seclusion for a hundred years, swearing on the Luoshui River, that this time, they were truly withdrawing from the world.


    In the Lower Nine States, Yizhou¡­


    ¡­


    An hour later.


    A Heavenly Dao Decree once again resounded throughout the entire Xuantian Continent.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed that the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, a Heavenly Dao Saint, a Heavenly Dao Evil Man, the Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, and the unmatched Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu, should be known for generations for his achievements. Alas, heaven envies the talented. At the hour of si, he completely perished, his soul extinguished, returning to the Heavenly Dao.


    As such a talent passes away, all living creatures mourn, and a grand funeral is held by heaven and earth.


    ¨C


    Natural and celestial phenomena once again arrived as expected: the sound of suona from beyond the heavens, snowfall, and blood roses sprouting from the ground.


    Heaven and earth held a funeral for him.


    Heavenly Dao: ¡°?¡±


    People: ¡°?¡±


    Before everyone could get used to the situation, Chen Qiu¡¯s name appeared again on the Heavenly Dao leaderboard an hour later. This time, people had learned to be smart, waiting patiently without doing anything, saying nothing, and not even allowing a single expression to emerge, to avoid having to change their expressions later.


    As expected.


    An hour later, Chen Qiu¡¯s name appeared again on the Xuantian Continent¡¯s Heavenly Dao leaderboard.


    Another hour later.


    The Heavenly Dao Decree sounded once more, and natural and celestial phenomena descended again.


    ¡­


    And in the underworld¡ª


    Things were even more bizarre.


    While the people of Crow Ghost City were still reminiscing about yesterday¡¯s battle, and countless ghosts were coming from deep within the underworld, attracted by Chen Qiu¡¯s name, the storytellers of Crow Ghost City were especially animated and excited as they recounted the battle from the previous day.


    This time, they had witnessed it with their own eyes.


    They spoke with more passion and authenticity than usual.


    But soon, a Heavenly Dao Decree interrupted their train of thought.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed that the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, a Heavenly Dao Saint, a Heavenly Dao Evil Man, the Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, and the unmatched Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu¡ªalive, he was an unmatched hero; dead, he is a ghostly hero.


    He has forged the ¡°Heavenly Dao Top Grade Merit Body¡± with a hundred billion units of merit.


    Granted him a wisp of ¡°Luck of Yin Soul,¡± setting an example for all living beings.


    ¨C


    An hour later, as everyone patiently waited, this Heavenly Dao Decree rang out once more.


    After hearing the same decree several times, the content of the Heavenly Dao Decree finally changed slightly.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed that the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, a Heavenly Dao Saint, a Heavenly Dao Evil Man, the Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, and the unmatched Heavenly Pride, Chen Qiu¡ªalive, he was an unmatched hero; dead, he is a ghostly hero.


    He has forged the ¡°Heavenly Dao Top Grade Merit Body¡± with a hundred billion units of merit.


    Now granted to no one, setting an example for all living beings.


    ¨C


    Yes, from the original wisp of ¡°Luck of Yin Soul¡± to now being granted to no one else, there was no other change.


    The incessant readings of the Heavenly Dao Decree left all the creatures of the underworld standing bewildered in their places.


    Youngsters: ¡°?¡±


    Crow Ghost City: ¡°?¡±


    Storyteller: ¡°?¡±


    A group of underworld creatures: ¡°?¡±


    ¡­


    In the Demon State, deep within the Earth Cave.


    Chen Qiu, who had been thoroughly enjoying himself, suddenly felt an extremely terrifying surge of Cultivation energy explode in the depths of the Dwarf Clan.


    That was the power of the Void Refining Stage!


    Clearly, the Dwarf Clan had also reacted!


    The only way to repeatedly die and come back to life, as he had done, was through this entrance to the underworld guarded by the Dwarf Clan.


    And Chen Qiu, glancing at the two milestone tasks he had already completed, did not hesitate and immediately shattered the Teleportation Talisman that he had prepared in advance within the Heavenly Dao Ring, leaving the place.


    This journey through the underworld was now perfectly concluded.


    Thanks to the Demon Race.


    Thanks to the Dwarf Clan.


    Thanks to Yuan Sect, thanks to Qi Mei, thanks to the Devil Clan of the underworld.


    Everyone is a good person.


    On the Cultivation Path, there really are plenty of good people.


    ¡­


    And on this day¡ª


    For the first time, all beings on the Xuantian Continent thought to describe the Heavenly Dao Decree as ¡°noisy,¡± because damn it, the Heavenly Dao Decree rang out over a hundred times in just one day!


    Over a hundred times!!!


    Since when the hell could a Heavenly Dao Decree go off over a hundred times in a single day? Even if you scoured the entire history of the Xuantian Continent, such a thing had never occurred before.


    That phenomenon.


    In one day, it occurred over a hundred times.


    The snowflakes that fell over a hundred times made quite a few mortals feel like they were developing snow blindness, and even though the phenomenon had stopped, they could still vaguely hear the sound of suona ringing in their ears.


    The snowflakes falling onto the Blood Roses on the ground had already driven some people a bit insane.


    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m not crazy, I¡¯m not crazy!!¡±


    A middle-aged man was howling hysterically in the snow, looking up at the sky and yelling, ¡°It¡¯s all fake, all fake, the entire Xuantian Continent is an illusion!! I must have been caught in a hallucination a long time ago!!¡±


    This day!


    All beings on the Xuantian Continent had thoroughly, permanently, and etched the name Chen Qiu deep into their bones.


    Unforgettable for life.


    Any person¡¯s name, if it appears on the Heavenly Dao Decree over a hundred times in one day, and each time the Heavenly Dao Decree is heard, it is accompanied by a world phenomenon.


    That person¡¯s name would also be firmly remembered by everyone.


    A power from the Central Region even proposed making this day a holiday, to be named ¡°Resurrection Day¡± in honor of Chen Qiu¡¯s hundreds of resurrections.


    Not easy.


    Quite good at dying.


    And equally good at living.


    ¡­


    And on this day¡ª


    Chen Qiu¡¯s name also completely reverberated throughout the Xuantian Continent in the Mortal World and the underworld of Xuantian Continent, truly making a name in both realms!


    Without a doubt, he became the number one person on the Xuantian Continent.


    Undeniably.


    Before this, no one had managed to do this, and many people became numb and bewildered on this day.


    ¡­


    ¡°Valley¡­ Valley Master.¡±


    A disciple approached the Luohua Valley Master tentatively and hesitantly said in a low voice, ¡°The Imperial Decree hasn¡¯t sounded for half an hour, should our Luohua Valley still remain hidden from the world?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡±


    The Luohua Valley Master looked vaguely at the green brick ground in front of him and muttered, ¡°I am considering.¡±


    After a long time.


    He suddenly turned his head towards the disciple and said earnestly, ¡°Have you seen it, the snowflakes falling on the ground and turning into Blood Roses?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    These top powers from the Central Region also didn¡¯t keep repeating the process of hiding from the world; they did it just two or three times before stopping.


    Things were changing too fast.


    They needed to wait, as people were a bit dazed. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Needed to think it through.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor, draped in a kasaya, calmly looked at the chessboard in front of him, the white piece in his hand not placed after a long time. Much later, he finally swept the chessboard off the table.


    With an expressionless face, he stood up to leave, saying calmly.


    ¡°I am tired today, please leave.¡±


    The elder from Bishan Palace looked at the Buddhist Ancestor¡¯s departing back, then suddenly spoke with a complex expression, ¡°These past few days, I¡¯ve realized that you actually don¡¯t know how to play Go at all. You just know how to play Gomoku.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think your contingency plans are going to be useful?¡±


    ¡°My suggestion is, why not just surrender.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor froze for a moment, then continued walking away, his voice still calm, ¡°You don¡¯t understand my contingency plans, just as you don¡¯t understand my chess skills.¡±


    ¡°Wait for my good news.¡±


    ¡°My contingency plan, Chen Qiu can¡¯t escape it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The elder from Bishan Palace looked at the departing back of the Buddhist Ancestor, his face complex and silent; he suddenly felt that this Buddhist Ancestor was really unreliable.


    Would such a person¡¯s contingency plans be useful?


    He needed to think it over.


    If he surrendered, could Chen Qiu still kill him? After all, he wasn¡¯t close with the member of Bishan Palace that died at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, so it wasn¡¯t a grudge that necessarily had to be avenged.


    It might be embarrassing, but he wouldn¡¯t be the only one from Bishan Palace losing face; this time the top powers from the Central Region had lost more face than him.


    Maybe he should just sell out the Buddhist Ancestor.


    Why did he ever believe that an old monk¡ªwho played with both black and white pieces, played Go against himself, occasionally broke the rules by moving extra steps, even sneakily played a bit of Gomoku on the chessboard, and pretended to be profound by hesitantly lifting his chess pieces¡ª


    would be a sage?

 Chapter 537 - 204:

    Chapter 537: Chapter 204: ¡°The Preacher¡±! S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Xuantian Continent, Demon State.


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡­¡±


    Fat Long looked vacantly at Chen Qiu, who had suddenly appeared beside him, and was somewhat at a loss for words.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly towards several people, ¡°I¡¯m back, got delayed a bit, ran into some trouble on the way.¡±


    He then tilted his head and said softly to the Demon Clan Patriarch.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left, only half a day till the end of this chaotic opportunity. I¡¯ve almost finished scouting the situation of the Dwarf Clan, it¡¯s not much different from yours.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to your Demon Clan whether you want to fight or not.¡±


    ¡°If you want to launch a full-scale attack, leave the Divinity Transformation to me, and your Demon Clan¡¯s Void Refining will need to handle the dwarf¡¯s Void Refining.¡±


    As his voice fell.


    A mighty cultivation from the Divinity Transformation Eighth Layer instantly radiated from Chen Qiu.


    This trip to the underworld, the biggest benefit, was that it enabled him to advance to the Divinity Transformation Eighth Layer in just two days.


    This rate of cultivation breakthrough was even faster than his time at the Nascent Soul stage.


    What Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, what Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, none could compare to this underworld journey.


    ¡­


    Divinity Transformation Eighth Layer?


    The Demon Clan Patriarch, about to speak, suddenly froze, a gleam of disbelief flickering in his eyes, and just two days had passed.


    How did you break through from the Divinity Transformation First Layer to the Eighth Layer?


    Who on the Xuantian Continent has a cultivation progression this rapid? Are you joking, or did you use the ¡°With the word spoken, the law follows¡± entry to directly alter your own cultivation realm?


    But at this moment¡ª


    ¡°Boom¡­ boom¡­¡±


    Faint sounds of thunder were heard in the distance, numerous dark clouds slowly gathering above Chen Qiu¡¯s head, a robust heavenly force perceptibly breeding within.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ao Tian looked up at the obvious signs of a forming tribulation cloud and quickly reacted, ¡°That¡¯s the tribulation cloud for a small realm breakthrough in Divinity Transformation, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Generally speaking, the tribulation cloud for a Divinity Transformation small realm breakthrough shouldn¡¯t be this huge.¡±


    ¡°Brother, this must be the tribulation cloud for your breakthrough to the Divinity Transformation Eighth Layer, it¡¯s just uncertain why it has come now. Was the tribulation cloud for your breakthrough to the Seventh Layer this formidable?¡±


    ¡°Something seems off, the magnitude is far beyond a typical Divinity Transformation small realm breakthrough.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked up at the unusually large tribulation cloud overhead and suddenly remembered that he had not undergone any tribulation clouds while in the underworld.


    Normally, progressing through a small realm in the Divinity Transformation Stage would require facing a Heavenly Tribulation.


    Now it had accumulated all together.


    The Heavenly Tribulations from the Divinity Transformation Second Layer to the Eighth Layer had all accumulated, naturally increasing the power of the tribulations.


    Breaking through small realms in the Divinity Transformation Stage while in the underworld did not require facing Heavenly Tribulations; if he had remained there, he wouldn¡¯t have faced any, but now that he had returned to the mortal world, the earlier ones had to be accounted for.


    Soon¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, suddenly recalling something as he looked at the gradually forming tribulation cloud overhead, his expression turned grim, being in the Demon State, a land of the Alien Clan.


    With the intensity of this tribulation cloud, who knows how many of the Alien Clan will die.


    These deaths of the Alien Clan couldn¡¯t all be blamed on him, could they? Or his recently achieved Eighth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Stage cultivation would instantly plummet.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch, seemingly guessing what was on Chen Qiu¡¯s mind, explained, ¡°The creatures killed by this kind of tribulation won¡¯t be counted against you; the Demon Clan just had a Divinity Transformation breakthrough these two days, and we¡¯ve already tested it.¡±


    ¡°But, if possible, I suggest we still try to avoid the Demon Clan.¡±


    ¡°The Dwarf Clan is a good choice, the Demon Clan¡¯s army is already prepared, perhaps it¡¯s time to launch a full attack.¡±


    Chen Qiu pondered briefly and looked towards the nearby Earth Cave, nodding: ¡°Let your Void Refining of the Demon Clan engage the Dwarf Clan¡¯s Void Refining.¡±


    ¡°Also.¡±


    ¡°All the wealth of the Dwarf Clan will be yours, but I¡¯ll take all their Nascent Souls; the rest, like Golden Core Foundation Establishment, will also be yours.¡±


    His disciples were only at the Nascent Soul cultivation, and there was still a long way to go to complete the milestone task of ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation.¡±


    This underworld journey had brought him quite a few gains.


    Not yet had time to check.


    After sorting out the affairs here and as this chaotic opportunity also came to an end, he could return to Dragon Island to fully assimilate his gains, for even the greatest opportunity needed time to explore.


    Like that strand of ¡°Luck of Yin Soul¡±, he hadn¡¯t seriously reviewed its effects yet.


    And the several three-choice entries he hadn¡¯t selected when breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Eighth Layer.


    And the rewards after completing those two milestone tasks, he hadn¡¯t seen either.


    ¡°Deal.¡± The Demon Clan Patriarch nodded seriously.


    ¡­


    At this time¡ª


    The tribulation cloud overhead had gradually formed, even the air shimmering with flickering arcs of lightning, indicating the Heavenly Tribulation was about to descend soon.


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t linger any longer but took the lead and plunged into the Earth Cave, sprinting towards the depths of the Dwarf Clan headquarters.


    He didn¡¯t activate the Divinity Domain.


    Nor did he use the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Merely under the Ten Layers of Spellcasting, he activated Golden Light Protection dozens of times and charged in; for every Alien Clan member whose cultivation was inferior to his that he killed, his cultivation realm would drop by 10%.


    Thus, he could only rely on the Heavenly Tribulation; this tribulation wouldn¡¯t be as powerful as the last ¡°Annihilation Thunder Tribulation¡± he faced in Central State.


    But it should be enough to disrupt the Dwarf Clan¡¯s army formation, and then he could pretty much withdraw from the battlefield; he couldn¡¯t let the tribulation kill too many, or else the gains would be greatly reduced.

 Chapter 538 - 204:

    Chapter 538: Chapter 204: ¡°The Preacher¡±!_2


    In this soon-to-be-over era of chaos, every Alien Clan member signifies a walking Cultivation Pill, the higher their Cultivation, the more precious they are. It¡¯s quite a pity whenever one dies.


    ¡°Boom¡­ Boom!!¡±


    Just moments after Chen Qiu emerged alone from the Earth Cave, hundreds of Thunder Punishments struck towards the cave, passing through it like a Spiritual Body and descending near Chen Qiu.


    The deafening sound kept erupting at the edge of the sky.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, outside the Earth Cave, the Demon Clan Patriarch had already readied the army, preparing to attack the moment the Heavenly Tribulation ceased. This was a battle for the clan¡¯s extinction, an all-out assault.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen such a splendid Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch gazed absentmindedly at the myriad of Heavenly Thunders above, each flickering with purple-blue light. The last time he saw such a splendid Heavenly Tribulation was during his own father¡¯s tribulation.


    That time was even more spectacular, except the Heavenly Thunder was not purple-blue but pure white.


    Or rather, a ghastly white.


    The kind of color of a corpse soaked in water for a month.


    His father was a very talented member of the Demon Race, breaking through to the Peak of Divinity Transformation quite early. At that time, everyone believed his father could become the second of the Demon Race to reach the Void Refining Stage, leading the Demon Race to rise completely.


    However¡­


    Things did not go as hoped.


    That day, one-tenth of the land in Evil State was cleared out specifically for his father to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation. The Demon Race¡¯s top echelon powers were all around to guard, preventing any hostile forces from attacking.


    And they even concealed the heavenly secrets to avoid being predicted by Gua Cultivation experts.


    In those years, the Demon Race also collected many Spiritual Treasures that could weaken the might of the Heavenly Tribulation, making many preparations, but, in the end, they still failed.


    This was unlike the Heavenly Tribulation for each small realm breakthrough during the Divinity Transformation Stage, divided into the First of the Nine Thunder Tribulations, Two Nine Thunder Tribulations, and so on.


    The Heavenly Tribulation for breaking through from Divinity Transformation Peak to Void Refining.


    There were only nine.


    Nine ghastly white Heavenly Thunders.


    The world also called them Nine Death Summoning Orders, akin to Yama issuing nine death summoning orders to you. If you survived all nine, you would officially break through to Void Refining, becoming a power of the Void Refining Stage.


    That is, the strongest on the Xuantian Continent.


    You would become the strongest in your force, in your clan. Your name would live forever on the first page of the family records. Your family members, because of your existence, would be flattered and courted by countless forces, simply because you are at Void Refining, the strongest in this world.


    If you wished, you could even destroy a minor state at any time if you didn¡¯t mind your sin value skyrocketing, causing the might of your next Heavenly Tribulation to also surge.


    And these nine ghastly white Heavenly Tribulations, like an impregnable barrier, kept ninety-nine percent of the Divinity Transformation Peak practitioners on the Xuantian Continent out of reach.


    There are very few on the Xuantian Continent with Divinity Transformation Peak Cultivation. Almost all Divinity Transformation Peaks are leaders or revered ancestors of various forces. Still, there are some, significantly fewer than in the Void Refining Stage.


    His father¡­


    That man, hailed as the most powerful Heavenly Pride of the Demon Race in history, widely believed to be capable of leading the Demon Race to new heights, perished under the sixth Heaven Thunder.


    Not a bone was left.


    Returned to the heavens. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Vanishing entirely into oblivion, no longer of this world.


    ¡°Splendid?¡±


    Standing beside him, the Dragon Clan Patriarch Ao Tian spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°Then you haven¡¯t seen that hundred-thousand-strong Thunder Punishment in Evil State, nor have you seen the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation caused by Chen Qiu¡¯s breakthrough to Divinity Transformation with 2.9 billion sin values and a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul in the Central State.¡±


    ¡°Both of those Heavenly Tribulations were far more magnificent than this one. Although this one is not small in scale, it pales in comparison to those two.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch nodded with a slight sense of regret, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to be like you, being a Patriarch without a single person behind me. I¡¯m quite busy ordinarily; there are many things that require my approval.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re also at the Peak of Divinity Transformation. When do you plan on attempting to break through to Void Refining?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ao Tian scanned the Demon Clan Patriarch with a cold snort but said nothing. If he had heard this before, he might have become angry, since that sort of comment was a jab at a sore spot.


    Everyone knows there aren¡¯t many of the Dragon Clan left alive.


    But now¡­


    He glanced at Fat Long nearby and a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes. The Dragon Clan was very different from before. With Fat Long, in three more months, the first batch of Dragon Pups would be born.


    In another year, these Dragon Cubs would all be grown, a year-old Divinity Transformed.


    When the time comes¡­


    The name of the Dragon Clan would once again be well-known throughout the world. Having struggled to survive for tens of thousands of years, the Dragon Clan finally found their opportunity.


    A ¡°Preacher¡± with the Twelfth Grade Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline!


    The mission of a Preacher is to spread the seeds of faith.


    And so does Fat Long.


    He didn¡¯t respond to the Demon Clan Patriarch but merely raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you at the Peak of Divinity Transformation too? When are you going to try breaking through to Void Refining? If the Demon Race had two at Void Refining, wouldn¡¯t the Dwarf Clan have been wiped out by your Demon Race long ago?¡±


    ¡°Later, it¡¯s not the right time now.¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch fell silent for a moment and then shook his head, ¡°You also know the dangers of breaking through to Void Refining, those nine Yama Ropes of death summons. Survivors are one in ten; at least for now, I don¡¯t have much confidence.¡±


    ¡°I will try when my son grows up and can stand on his own. This way, even if I die, the Demon Race would still have a backbone and a successor.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Ao Tian, about to say something else, was struck by these words and turned his head toward the myriad of Heavenly Thunders above the Earth Cave of the Dwarf Clan, lost in thought.


    He was the same.


    Long having reached Divinity Transformation Peak Cultivation, he hadn¡¯t dared to break through to Void Refining.

 Chapter 539 - 204:

    Chapter 539: Chapter 204: ¡°The Preacher¡±!_3


    Doesn¡¯t he know that breaking through to Void Refining would greatly increase both his cultivation and lifespan?


    He knows.


    But he dares not gamble.


    For the Dragon Clan, another Void Refining member is not of much significance. The Dragon Clan doesn¡¯t need combat power; the location of Dragon Island is a natural forbidden zone, inaccessible to non-Dragon Clan beings. What the Dragon Clan needs is inheritance, is dragons.


    If he lost the bet, the Dragon Clan would be left with only one male dragon, the Black Dragon.


    However¡­


    The Dragon Clan has gradually started to recover. Once everything is in place and the Black Dragon has grown, he also plans to test just how powerful the nine Yama Rope Life-Seeking Commands truly are.


    The next moment¡ª


    The heavenly tribulation that filled the sky suddenly stopped, and the tribulation clouds in the sky slowly dissipated¡ªthey had withstood the Heavenly Tribulation.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about whether Chen Qiu could successfully get through the Heavenly Tribulation.


    For most, the Heavenly Tribulation brought about by a small realm breakthrough during the Divinity Transformation Stage is indeed challenging, particularly when it¡¯s the culmination of multiple tribulations aimed at taking one¡¯s life.


    But Chen Qiu is different.


    To him, the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation is like taking a bath; it was natural that he would easily withstand such levels of tribulation.


    Very soon.


    Chen Qiu, with his clothes neatly arranged, burst out of the cave entrance as Liu Guang and waved towards the Demon Clan Patriarch and others: ¡°It¡¯s your turn to take the stage now.¡±


    ¡°Heh!¡±


    The ready-to-go Demon Clan Patriarch cracked a smile, took a deep breath, then turned to face the demonic army that had already gathered behind him and roared fiercely: ¡°Ula!! Ula!!!¡±


    Immediately after.


    The tide-like demonic army roared crazily as they surged into the depths of the Earth Cave.


    Chen Qiu, likewise, joined the battlefield with the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect!


    The dwarf army, already thrown into disarray by the Heavenly Tribulation, crumbled upon contact, retreating in defeat.


    His thirteen-grade Divinity Transformation Domain could absolutely suppress all domains of the dwarf Divinity Transformation, so he didn¡¯t need to activate the ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± Divine Domain. Although primarily a supportive domain, it also carried a slight offensive effect.


    Once this domain was activated, arcs of lightning would flicker in and out of existence within its range, much like summer cicadas. While not overwhelmingly powerful, and not strictly an attack method, it could be a deadly insta-kill to some Nascent Souls.


    The thirteen-grade ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± Divine Domain was enough for his needs.


    It did not possess any lethality, yet it could effortlessly crush all the Divinity Transformation domains of the dwarf clan.


    Every now and then, he would activate the ¡°Deadly Battle¡± entry to pull a Divinity Transformation combatant into a small world for a one-on-one duel. In the small world, he had no worries about accidentally harming other Alien Clan members, thus furthering his Cultivation Progress. However, after breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer (0%), he ceased to pull any dwarf Divinity Transformation combatants into the small world for duels.


    His cultivation had risen too quickly.


    In just two days¡¯ time.


    He had ascended from the first layer of Divinity Transformation to the ninth layer, a rate of progression he had not experienced during either the Golden Core Stage or Nascent Soul Stage.


    Even the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul struggled to keep up.


    He could feel his Cultivation Realm teetering on the edge, and further increasing his Cultivation Progress now could easily lead to madness and a significant setback in his realm, leaving irreparable hidden injuries to the Nascent Soul.


    It was time to pull back.


    In subsequent battles, he no longer killed, but simply activated ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± to suppress all dwarf Divinity Transformation domains. With high-end combatants nearly crippled, the demonic forces¡¯ advance was virtually unstoppable!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    In the midst of the battlefield, the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect were killing with frenzy.


    Although the agreement between the Sect Master and the Demon Race was that the Nascent Souls from the dwarf clan belonged to them, and the wealth of the dwarf clan belonged to the Demon Race, those dwarf Nascent Souls were not futile creatures that would just stand there waiting to be killed.


    The Demon Race could only try their best to severely wound the dwarf Nascent Souls without delivering a killing blow, leaving them for the disciples of the Chao Tian Sect.


    In the chaos of the battlefield, even this was difficult to achieve.


    ¡°Kill!!!¡±


    Zhao Dezhu, with excitement on his face, grabbed a giant axe and charged into the crowd. Such an opportunity was not to be missed.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    With just one swing of his axe, he sent a dwarf Nascent Soul, who was in the midst of a melee, flying. A terrifying wound appeared on the Nascent Soul¡¯s abdomen. Just as he was about to follow through and claim the head.


    By the side of the severely wounded, flung dwarf Nascent Soul, a Chao Tian Sect disciple holding a dagger suddenly appeared.


    With the dagger in his left hand, he stabbed into the neck of the dwarf Nascent Soul, while his right hand, like a knife, plunged into the abdomen, pulling out the Nascent Soul and storing it in a Storage Ring. He then blinked and vanished in a wisp of blue smoke on the spot.


    The whole process was as smooth as flowing water.


    It happened in the blink of an eye.


    By the time Zhao Dezhu arrived, axe swinging with excitement, the moment had passed; all that was left for him was a dwarf body, already void of life and stripped of its Nascent Soul, causing his excitement to freeze on his face.


    Then he furiously looked around the chaotic battlefield and shouted: ¡°Qu Gui, you son of a bitch, you¡¯re an animal!¡±


    ¡°When we get back, it¡¯s you and me in a deathmatch!!!¡±


    ¡­


    And such scenes were constantly unfolding on the Earth Cave battlefield.


    Qu Gui.


    Formerly of the Da Xia Country, Qu Family Supreme Elder. Later, he defected to join the Chao Tian Sect. All his entries serve stealth and Illusion Techniques. Although he did not excel in assassination, with stealth and illusions, one needn¡¯t understand the subtleties of assassination to grasp its basics.


    And this chaotic battlefield¡­


    It was practically his playground.


    In the midst of utter chaos, both Divine Sense and reflexes are significantly impaired; all he needed was the right opportunity to effortlessly take a life. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 540 - 204:

    Chapter 540: Chapter 204: ¡°The Preacher¡±!_4


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Qu Gui¡¯s complexion remained calm as he clung to the ceiling of the Earth Cave, silent and motionless like a spider overlooking the chaotic battlefield below. By now, he had merged with the rock wall, invisible to both the naked eye and Divine Sense.


    Brother Qiu and the others had already gone deep into the Earth Cave to pursue the Divinity Transformation stage dwarf of the Dwarf Clan.


    The Void Refining ancestor of the Demon Race and the Void Refining ancestor of the Dwarf Clan were engaged in a life-and-death struggle above the Earth Cave.


    The remaining frontline was composed entirely of their grassroots forces, with participants being at least at the Golden Core Cultivation level; there were almost none at the Foundation Establishment level.


    Being an expert in stealth and amidst such a chaotic battlefield¡­


    For him, there was no place more suitable for his existence.


    Especially since he acquired an entry that suited him perfectly when he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Backstab.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When you emerge from a state of hiding, the first attack you launch from behind your enemy will ignore the enemy¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi and deal full damage.


    ¨C


    A rare two-character entry.


    Mmost entry names consist of four characters; entries of other character counts are quite rare, and this entry was also neat and clean. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Its effect is simple.


    If you use a Spell to attack from a distance at the enemy¡¯s back, the entry has no effect. It must be an attack launched from close proximity, directly behind the enemy, right after exiting stealth, in order to completely ignore the enemy¡¯s Protective Spirit Qi.


    The closer you are to the enemy¡­


    Even if skilled in stealth, the probability of being detected increases with proximity. However, in such a chaotic battlefield where everyone¡¯s Divine Sense could detect a swarm of people, it was easy to overlook some details.


    Although only the first strike could ignore the Protective Spirit Qi,


    It was enough.


    In a situation where the Protective Spirit Qi was completely ignored, one strike was sufficient to be lethal. If the strike was not fatal, a quick withdrawal was necessary to avoid the enemy¡¯s retaliatory counterattack at the brink of death.


    Just like that¡ª


    As someone already adept in stealth and Illusion Techniques, and now with an entry perfectly adapted for assassination, Qu Gui had become an invisible ghost on this chaotic battlefield.


    Each appearance meant the death of a Nascent Soul of the Dwarf Clan.


    At that moment!


    Qu Gui, pressed against the ceiling of the Earth Cave, suddenly propelled himself towards a severely wounded Nascent Soul of the Dwarf Clan retreating not far away. As he closed in, he emerged from stealth and skillfully reached with his left hand to stab at the throat and with his right to grab at the Nascent Soul in the abdomen.


    His movements were proficient, so fluid that they almost seemed like an art form.


    He disappeared again in a puff of smoke.


    The next moment!


    A roar of fury erupted from deep within the Earth Cave!


    ¡°Qu Gui, are you fucking endless?¡±


    ¡°Are you freaking cheap or what!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Qu Gui¡¯s expression did not waver as he continued to lie quietly atop the cavern ceiling, waiting for the next opportunity to strike.


    Opportunity is seized, not awaited.


    He wouldn¡¯t have dared do this in the past, but when the Sect Master didn¡¯t ask how he managed to sell so many Redemption Orders and directly granted him the position of External Elder, he more or less understood the Sect Master¡¯s character.


    In the eyes of the Sect Master, the outcome mattered more than the process.


    ¡­


    The scholar stood calmly in place, barely moving his fingers, yet the three-foot green blade darted amid the central battlefield. Each flash of green light marked the instant death of a Golden Core cultivator of the Dwarf Clan, with their Golden Cores conveniently skewered on the blade.


    Soon.


    When the green blade returned, it was threaded with Golden Cores.


    Like candied haws on a stick.


    After storing all the Golden Cores into the Storage Ring, the scholar couldn¡¯t help but laugh contentedly, ¡°This method of increasing Cultivation is really exhilarating, far more pleasant than consuming Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and I don¡¯t even have to sell myself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long, standing with his arms crossed nearby, looked displeased and turned towards the scholar, ¡°Who are you mocking with that tone?¡±


    ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t have a clue. The charm of the Dragon Clan is beyond your comprehension,¡± he added.


    The scholar shrugged and laughed, ¡°But on the other hand, you¡¯ve been at the Nascent Soul peak for a while now. Why haven¡¯t you sought Brother Qiu to break through to Divinity Transformation?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s been busy; there hasn¡¯t been a chance.¡±


    Fat Long helplessly spread his hands, ¡°We¡¯ll wait until we return to Dragon Island. I¡¯m not in a hurry. Anyway, even if I achieve Divinity Transformation, it won¡¯t do much for my combat strength. I¡¯m starting to feel like there¡¯s something wrong with this Dual Cultivation path.¡±


    ¡°You see, Sword Cultivators have their swords as Attack Methods.¡±


    ¡°Magic Practitioners have Spells.¡±


    ¡°Talisman Cultivators can create talismans.¡±


    ¡°Artifact Cultivators forge Spiritual Treasures.¡±


    ¡°Alchemy Cultivators can concoct pills.¡±


    ¡°But Dual Cultivators? Seems like they¡¯re only good for fucking around, with no practical use. Ascending Cultivation Realms is fine, but what about combat methods? Cultivation Realm is high, but who can you beat at the same level?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the scholar agreed with a laugh.


    ¡°Dual Cultivation is just about that: quickly enhancing one¡¯s Cultivation Realm and then never engaging with cultivators of the same period. Just seek out those of a lower Cultivation Realm and crush them with superior realm strength,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Both of us started at Golden Core, and I was even progressing a bit faster than you. Now you¡¯re already at the Nascent Soul peak, and I¡¯m still at Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve advanced much faster than me.¡±


    ¡°Even without any Attack Methods, can¡¯t you still crush me, wielding your Nascent Soul peak Cultivation Realm?¡±


    ¡°Besides, although you lack Attack Methods, your defense is formidable. With that ¡®Shift Blame Not¡¯ entry of yours, any damage inflicted on you is evenly distributed among your offspring. With your children all being Divinity Transformation aspirants, who¡¯s capable of breaking your defense?¡±

 Chapter 541 - 204:

    Chapter 541: Chapter 204: ¡°The Preacher¡±!_5


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Fat Long suddenly smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this, ¡°You make a good point. Although my attack methods are lacking, my defense is sufficiently strong. Once those dragon cubs have grown up, taking a few little dragon cubs out with me will be my attack method.¡±


    ¡°Imagine taking dozens of Divinity Transformation Dragon Clan on a stroll down the street.¡±


    ¡°How majestic that would be!¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­¡± The scholar silently nodded. There was no helping it; Fat Long had encountered his chance and deserved to enjoy these benefits.


    ¡­


    The great battle had lasted only for three days and nights before it came to an end.


    The main battle had concluded, leaving only some mopping up and pursuing the remnant enemies.


    The outcome was the complete defeat of the Dwarf Clan.


    During a fierce battle with the Demon Clan Ancestor, the clan¡¯s Void Refining elder had his domain utterly suppressed by Chen Qiu. After being bombarded by Chen Qiu¡¯s Self-Destruction Term, the Demon Clan Ancestor seized the opportunity to close in for the kill.


    He became the first Void Refining ancestor on the Xuantian Continent to be declared dead in recent years.


    At that moment¡ª


    Chen Qiu had already bid farewell to the leaders of the Chao Tian Sect and the Demon Clan Patriarch, and was now on his way to Dragon Island to tally up his gains from these chaotic times. He didn¡¯t know about the fortunes of others,


    but as for him,


    it was definitely an opportunity maxed out.


    ¡­


    Unlike the extermination of the Evil Clan, when the Dwarf Clan was wiped out, no Heavenly Dao Decree resounded. They simply vanished into the annals of history without a trace, leaving only a small number of dwarfs that escaped. If they were fortunate enough to survive the pursuit of the Demon Race,


    perhaps they might have a chance to continue as a tribe and pass down the legacy of the Dwarf Clan.


    Standing beside the Earth Cave with a look of regret, the Demon Clan Patriarch took a long while before he took out three sticks of incense from his bosom and placed them at the entrance of the cave, then said in a trance, ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting for tens of thousands of years, and I never expected you to be wiped out so suddenly.¡±


    ¡°When I think that there will no longer be any filthy dwarfs coming to the surface to attack our race, I suddenly feel a bit lost.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Patriarch.¡±


    A young member of the Demon Race approached swiftly and reported in a low voice, ¡°The remaining fleeing dwarfs have been nearly all hunted down, with only a group currently escaping madly towards Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Chen Qiu¡¯s territory. Should we notify them in advance to avoid any troubles that the Demon Race might cause upon reaching Quzhou?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After pondering for a while, the Demon Clan Patriarch nodded, ¡°You are very considerate. We should indeed inform Quzhou about this. You continue the chase, and I will speak with Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Although Chen Qiu never claimed Quzhou as his,


    everyone on the Xuantian Continent had come to unanimously regard Quzhou as Chen Qiu¡¯s territory. Thus, even though there was no force in Quzhou that had anyone with Divinity Transformation, no such force moved in.


    ¡­


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    At the border between Quzhou and Jing State,


    a few Jingzhou Sects had gathered, looking towards the adventure secret realm that appeared on the boundary line between Quzhou and Jing State, as did several sects from Jingzhou.


    Usually,


    such adventure secret realms were assumed to offer more opportunity than danger.


    Belonging to the area they appeared in meant only sects from that area could enter, and others from different states who wanted a part had to face the pressure from all sects of that region.


    With secret realms like this one that appeared on a boundary, forces from both states often had lengthy debates before they could decide on its final ownership and distribution of benefits.


    The few Quzhou Sects nearby had already brought their Nascent Soul elders to argue their case, only to find that the sects from Jing State had no intention to compete.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    One Quzhou Sect Master squinted and coldly smirked, ¡°What¡¯s this? Are you planning to just hand over this adventure secret realm without a fight? This isn¡¯t like your sects¡¯ style at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Inside the Jing State border, the various sect masters looked at each other, seeing mutual helplessness in their eyes. After a deep sigh, one of them said, ¡°Big brother, stop joking. Who dares to provoke your power in Quzhou nowadays?¡±


    ¡°With Supreme Lord Chen Qiu in Quzhou, who would dare to encroach on the secret realms within your territory?¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°We are not here to dispute the secret realm with you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no ill intent.¡±


    ¡°We just suddenly realized that it was us who were wrong in the past. Our sects have had some unpleasant incidents, and today we mainly wanted to come and apologize. Whatever happened before, let¡¯s just wipe the slate clean.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about past grudges.¡±


    ¡°From now on, let¡¯s get along well. How does that sound?¡±

 Chapter 542 - 205:

    Chapter 542: Chapter 205: ¡°Supreme Entry¡±!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Sect Masters of the sects in Quzhou exchanged glances as they looked towards the Storage Ring tossed from the opposite side. They let their Disciples check it and discovered that the Storage Ring was indeed filled with Spirit Stones, with no traps inside.


    To their surprise,


    they knew that Chen Qiu was becoming increasingly prominent recently, just that they never expected such an effect. In truth¡­ they really wanted to say that Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t on the same side as them.


    Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Disciples had even forcibly sold them Redemption Orders before.


    If they didn¡¯t buy, they would be branded by Chao Tian Sect as having no remorse for their sins, and considered an Evil Sect.


    Unexpectedly¡­


    there was such a benefit?


    After Chao Tian Sect finished selling the Redemption Orders to them, they indeed also gave them a Token engraved with the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s symbol, signifying that this sect had received a Redemption Order.


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next moment¡ª


    A Sect Master of a Quzhou sect casually pinned a token engraved with the character ¡°Chao¡± onto his left chest, and waved his hand nonchalantly with a chuckle.


    ¡°Let bygones be bygones.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get along slowly in the future.¡±


    When the Sect Masters of the Jingzhou Sects saw that Token, their pupils suddenly narrowed. It seemed that Chen Qiu¡¯s connections with Quzhou were deeper than they had imagined.


    He had even given tokens to the Quzhou sects early on.


    Taking a deep breath, a flicker of trepidation passed through their eyes and they said in a heavy tone, ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡­


    On Dragon Island, to the west of Quzhou on the Xuantian Continent.


    Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged at the highest point of the mountain, looking down at the Chao Tian Sect Disciples cultivating below, falling into contemplation. In this stroke of chance, the Disciples of Chao Tian Sect had significantly increased their Cultivation overall.


    Especially Qu Gui.


    Making rapid progress.


    He had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul and would become a true Divinity Transformation cultivator as soon as he overcame the Heavenly Tribulation!


    He would be the second Divinity Transformation cultivator in the Chao Tian Sect after Chen Qiu, and Fat Long had also long been at the Nascent Soul pinnacle. Soon, Chao Tian Sect would have three Divinity Transformation cultivators.


    Compared to the time when they first set foot on the Xuantian Continent, when the entire Chao Tian Sect was uniformly at the Golden Core stage, without a single Nascent Soul.


    The Chao Tian Sect was now very powerful indeed.


    With him, an elder of the Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer residing here,


    with two soon-to-be Divinity Transformation Great Elders and Outer Sect Elders,


    and a host of Nascent Soul Disciples,


    But¡­


    To achieve the mission ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation,¡± there was still a long way to go. Afterwards, he enveloped Dragon Island with his Divine Sense, and soon, Fat Long and Qu Gui hurried over.


    ¡°Greetings, Sect Master!¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu!¡±


    With respectful expressions, Fat Long and Qu Gui greeted him and then excitedly waited patiently in place. Both were at the Nascent Soul pinnacle, and being called together at this time must mean they were preparing to break through to Divinity Transformation.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and took out two Spiritual Treasures that could weaken the Heavenly Tribulation from his chest pocket and threw them over: ¡°With these two Spiritual Treasures, you can essentially be assured of a safe tribulation passage.¡±


    ¡°In the Merit Value Store, there are quite a few Divinity Transformation Domains. Have you selected your respective Divinity Transformation Domain yet?¡±


    ¡°I have made a choice.¡±


    Rubbing his hands together with excitement and a beaming smile, Fat Long was the first to speak: ¡°I¡¯m planning to choose the ¡®Divine Soul Inversion¡¯ as my Divinity Transformation Domain.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, looking at the Domain in the Merit Value Store priced at one billion Merit Values. Once this Domain is activated, all cultivators within the range of the Domain who are weaker in Cultivation or Divine Sense would be so touched in their soul, their internal feelings ignited by fire, causing an inescapable restlessness.


    Furthermore, they would gain a continuous influx of strength.


    Enabling them to always be filled with vigorous power.


    It really suited Fat Long, with this entry, Fat Long would no longer feel intimidated when facing the Dragon Clan, and both his Cultivation speed and reproduction rate would increase by a great margin.


    It belonged to a supportive Domain.


    It could barely be of use in battles, even though the effect might not be too great.


    ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to the Sect Master.¡± Speaking softly with full reverence, Qu Gui said: ¡°Disciple is skilled in stealth and Illusion Techniques. When breaking through the Nascent Soul, I also gained a suitable entry for assassination. In the future, disciple plans to develop in the direction of assassination.¡±


    ¡°Even though I can¡¯t face enemies head-on,¡±


    ¡°I could still eliminate major threats for Chao Tian Sect from the shadows, and clear the path ahead for Brother Qiu!¡±


    ¡°Disciple has chosen ¡®Heaven and Earth as the Chessboard.¡¯ The effect of this Divinity Transformation Domain is to divide the battlefield into 361 small cells. Although these cells aren¡¯t powerful or obstructive, I can freely appear in any cell I choose.¡±


    ¡°Combined with my stealth, Illusion Techniques, and assassination skills, it is the most suitable Domain for the disciple.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, both of the chosen Divinity Transformation Domains by the two had no issues, all fit for their users. But there was one question in Chen Qiu¡¯s mind. After pondering for a while, he looked up at the two of them and said softly,


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect has prepared a set of materials for building the Divinity Transformation Domain for all disciples, but they are generally Grade Three. Anything above that would require something like the Luck of Human Pride.¡±


    ¡°And in my hand, I happen to have a strand of the Heavenly Pride Token.¡±


    ¡°With this Heavenly Pride Token, an Eight Grade Domain can be created.¡±


    ¡°This Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, which of you two do you think is more suitable to receive it?¡±


    Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain?


    The moment Chen Qiu¡¯s words fell, the breathing of the two became increasingly rapid. This was an Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain we¡¯re talking about. Even Ao Tian only had a Ninth Grade Domain.


    With an Eight Grade Domain, one was more than enough to stride across the Xuantian Continent.


    Not to mention, as long as they don¡¯t encounter Brother Qiu, their own Domain might be at a disadvantage against a Ninth Grade Domain, but it would definitely not be utterly suppressed.

 Chapter 543 - 205:

    Chapter 543: Chapter 205: ¡°Supreme Entry!¡±_2


    Why can Chen Qiu¡¯s combat power be called invincible in Divinity Transformation!


    The main reason is that Brother Qiu¡¯s Domain is a twelve-grade Divinity Transformation Domain, capable of absolutely suppressing all other Divinity Transformation Domains.


    The temptation of this Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain is undoubtedly immense for both of them.


    However, clarity quickly returned to Qu Gui¡¯s eyes as he slightly bowed and respectfully said, ¡°Disciple believes the Great Elder is more qualified to possess this Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain.¡±


    ¡°After all, the Great Elder has pledged himself to the Dragon Clan and has made numerous contributions to Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°At the same time, as the Sect Grand Elder of Chao Tian Sect, when representing the sect outside, if the Domain Grade is too low, it invites controversy.¡±


    Fat Long looked towards Qu Gui with some surprise, but soon waved his hand in resignation and said, ¡°Brother Qiu, give it to Qu Gui, I¡¯ve had my eye on him during the chaos of battle.¡±


    ¡°This kid has a knack for assassination.¡±


    ¡°My Divinity Transformation Domain is an auxiliary one and won¡¯t be opened during direct combat, so the level of its Grade isn¡¯t important, but Qu Gui¡¯s Domain is to be opened during battle. For him, the Domain Grade is a bit more crucial.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say much else and casually tossed the Jade Scroll of the ¡®Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯ he drew from the ¡®Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette¡¯ last time into Qu Gui¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Find a corner and overcome the Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Qu Gui, with excitement twinkling in his eyes, took the Jade Scroll with both hands and then retreated with Fat Long.


    ¡­


    Beneath the mountains of Dragon Island.


    Qu Gui, full of gratitude, excitedly said to Fat Long, ¡°Thank you, Great Elder, for giving me this opportunity. Rest assured, from now on, I am your man, Great Elder. Wherever you send me, I will go.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Fat Long waved his hand dismissively and said irritably, ¡°In Chao Tian Sect, we don¡¯t engage in factionalism. Even if you are my man, it¡¯s useless. I have no enemies. What do I need you for?¡±


    ¡°This Eight Grade Divinity Transformation Domain is indeed best for you. Now, go find a place to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation. I am leaving too.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡ª¡±


    Qu Gui suddenly spoke, halting Fat Long, and tentatively asked, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the Great Elder needs a change of appearance for the Dragon Clan. I have a bit of knowledge in Illusion Techniques, including ones that can thoroughly confuse physical sensations.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The expression on Fat Long¡¯s face slowly turned strange as he turned to look at Qu Gui, ¡°You mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s somewhat interesting. I didn¡¯t expect you to be quite amusing, kid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter, incomparable to the Great Elder¡¯s kindness.¡±


    ¡°Alright, after you¡¯ve passed the Heavenly Tribulation, I¡¯ll see if your little act is interesting.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sitting cross-legged atop the mountain on Dragon Island, Chen Qiu looked at the activities of the two undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation on Dragon Island and then withdrew his gaze, both undergoing the First of Nine Thunder Tribulations.


    Quite ordinary, no danger.


    After all, both of them are ordinary in Nascent Soul and don¡¯t have much sin value, so there¡¯s no reason for their Heavenly Tribulation to be too difficult. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then took out six Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes from his bosom.


    Two of the Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes were obtained from completing a milestone task last time, the remaining four Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes were given to him for completing two milestone tasks this time.


    When the six Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes were taken out, they quickly fused into two Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulettes.


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: The Heavenly Dao senses that in the northwest of Quzhou on the Xuantian Continent, Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu, with astonishing charm, has caused ten extraordinary heavenly phenomena.


    For completing one milestone task on the Xuantian Continent, thus a statue has been erected in the ¡®Heavenly Palace.¡¯


    And he is granted one Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    ¡®Heavenly Dao Decree¡¯: The Heavenly Dao senses that in the northwest of Quzhou on the Xuantian Continent, Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu, with deceptive tactics, has reached any Heavenly Dao ranking list a hundred times over.


    For completing one milestone task on the Xuantian Continent, thus a statue has been erected in the ¡®Heavenly Palace.¡¯


    And he is granted one Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    These two Imperial Decrees appeared three days ago.


    Afterward, Chen Qiu looked at the two Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulettes in his hands with a bit of hesitation. The Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulettes last time actually had good things coming out of them.


    One Jade Scroll of ¡®A thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡¯, one Jade Scroll of ¡®A thread of racial luck¡¯.


    The first Jade Scroll he had bestowed upon Qu Gui, the second is still in his storage ring.


    But now he hesitated a bit, whether or not to use these two Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulettes.


    Considering the level of treasures that come out of the Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulette,


    What could a Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulette possibly reveal?


    He was thinking of keeping these two Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulettes, waiting until he got another Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulette in the future before combining them into a Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    Afterward.


    He placed the two Supreme Heavenly Dao Roulettes into his storage ring, stood up, and looked up to the Nine Heavens above. With a thought, his body immediately appeared within the Heavenly Palace.


    To take a look at his new statue.


    ¡­


    Above the Nine Heavens, within the Heavenly Palace.


    Chen Qiu had not visited the Heavenly Palace in a long time; he had now completed nine milestone tasks, and there were also nine corresponding statues erected on circular pedestals within the palace.


    Essentially, each statue represented a moment of his glory.


    Heavenly Dao has applied a filter to them.


    Even those moments when he was severely injured, staggering, and quite in disarray under the Thunder Punishment in the Evil State, under the Heavenly Dao¡¯s filter, that statue exudes a sort of tragic yet beautiful aura.


    As for the time he was worried about transforming into a Dwarf Clan to complete a milestone task,


    He had dug directly underground and buried himself, thinking that he would still have a statue erected in the image of the Dwarf Clan.


    But now, it seems the situation is much better than what he had expected.

 Chapter 544 - 205:

    Chapter 544: Chapter 205: ¡°Supreme Entry!¡±_3


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that great either.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu calmly gazed at the statue standing before him, towering dozens of feet high and resembling his own visage, neatly crafted, with a distinct nose and face.


    He stood upright on the spot, his face expressionless, his body devoid of any superfluous movements, and his clothes perfectly neat.


    It looked¡­ like a dead person.


    There was an extremely standardized, stiff, lifeless feeling to it.


    ¡°Not too bad,¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t mind and continued walking towards the remaining statues. Though they felt a little stiff, they were certainly better than the entire Dwarf Clan.


    The rest of the statues were quite impressive.


    They captured key moments of glory, and under the filter of the Heavenly Dao, they looked majestic and awe-inspiring.


    He had nine statues now.


    Just three more and it would be perfect; completing three more milestone tasks, and he would graduate. It was just that the remaining three milestone tasks were indeed not simple.


    Then he walked back to the crack of the Heavenly Palace¡¯s gate, peered out through the crevice, and still saw no direction, only endless white light.


    He shook his head.


    Not lingering in the Heavenly Palace any longer, he immediately left.


    ¡­


    Reappearing on the peak of Dragon Island, Chen Qiu looked at the faint green speck of light spinning around the Nascent Soul within his Dantian.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: A Strand of Yin Soul Luck.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Awarded by the Heavenly Dao Decree upon achieving unique and astonishing feats, etc.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: When being a Ghost Cultivator, consuming a strand of Yin Soul Luck can greatly enhance the strength of one¡¯s physical body.


    2:¡­


    6: Consuming a strand of Yin Soul Luck can result in obtaining a Yin Soul Body.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows lightly, looking at the strand of Yin Soul Luck, momentarily at a loss for words. This was a reward he had gotten from the underworld¡¯s Heavenly Dao Decree.


    Under the effect of the green Heavenly Dao Decree entry, his nomination rewards were doubled each time.


    In total, he received ten strands.


    Then, three strands of ¡°Yin Soul Luck¡± automatically merged into a strand of ¡°Yin Saint Luck,¡± and the nine strands of ¡°Yin Soul Luck¡± merged into three strands of ¡°Yin Saint Luck.¡±


    Three strands of ¡°Yin Saint Luck¡± then automatically merged into a strand of ¡°Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune.¡±


    Therefore¡ª


    He now possessed a strand of ¡°Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune¡± and a strand of ¡°Yin Soul Luck.¡±


    But¡­ Dammit, this thing belonged to the underworld, completely useless in the Mortal World, at least he didn¡¯t see any uses for it in the Mortal World within those effects.


    In the underworld, it was a priceless treasure!


    In the Mortal World, it was¡­ what was left after death.


    In this way, when he died one day, even if he went to the underworld, his foundation would be profound¡ªwith a Merit Body cultivated from one hundred billion merit points, along with a strand of ¡°Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune¡± and a strand of ¡°Yin Soul Luck,¡± enough to make him invincible in the underworld.


    It was something that was of no use during life.


    Only after death could its power be unleashed.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, diverting his gaze from the ¡°Yin Soul Luck,¡± perhaps one day there would be an opportunity to use it in the Mortal World.


    It was undoubtedly a valuable item.


    After sorting out the ¡°milestone tasks¡± and the ¡°Yin Soul Luck,¡± Chen Qiu then looked up to the panel enveloped by clouds above his Dantian.


    His panel from the breakthrough from the first layer of Divinity Transformation to the ninth layer. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He hadn¡¯t checked a single one.


    All piled up here, stacked together, fortunately, he only had to select the entries from the first panel, and once his Divine Sense moved toward the next panel, the timer would start.


    Otherwise, a total of eight panels enveloped by clouds.


    Really, if he had to select from all of them within ten breaths, his mind wouldn¡¯t be able to think that fast.


    ¨C


    ¡°Your Cultivation has surged, formally advancing into the second, third, fourth layers of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°You have eight chances to make a choice from three entries, of which six ¡®three-choice¡¯ opportunities automatically merge into two ¡®Supreme¡¯ entry selection opportunities.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Thunder Technique Body (Supreme).


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Mitigates damage from Heavenly Tribulations to a certain extent.


    ¡°Supreme Effect¡±: Each time you encounter a Heavenly Tribulation, your body will undergo Body Refining under the Thunder Punishment, thereby enhancing the power of your Thunder Magic. The more frequent and stronger the Thunder Punishments, the greater the power of your Thunder Magic when cast.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Nine Bulls and Two Tigers (Supreme).


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Can summon nine bulls and two tigers in a Spiritual Body state that are one Great Realm lower than yourself.


    ¡°Supreme Effect¡±: Can sign a ¡®Beast Taming¡¯ contract with eleven Spirit Beasts and have eleven Lifebound Spirit Beasts.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Spiritual Energy Carefree (Supreme).


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Can slightly replenish Spiritual Energy when breathing.


    ¡°Supreme Effect¡±: Breathing can produce Spiritual Energy and condense into Spirit Stones, the higher one¡¯s Cultivation Realm, the higher the quality and quantity of Spirit Stones produced.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes flashed with astonishment as he looked at the panel before him.


    Originally, he had eight chances of three-choice entries.


    But the first six panels automatically merged, resulting in two ¡®Supreme¡¯ entry three-choice opportunities, in addition to two normal three-choice entry opportunities.


    Goddamnit!


    No one had ever told him that three sets of three-choice entries could automatically merge into one!


    He discovered that now!


    Is it possible that anything can be combined into one? Heavenly Pride Fortune can, Heavenly Dao Roulette can, and now even this panel selection can be combined into one.


    But he quickly came to his senses. To discover this, one must use three ¡®three-choice¡¯ entry opportunities and leave them unused in the Dantian.

 Chapter 545 - 205:

    Chapter 545: Chapter 205: ¡°Supreme Entry¡±!_4


    Gathering it three times was enough.


    But the problem was¡ª


    For most people, they only got a chance to choose one of three entries each time they broke through a Great Realm. Normally during the Qi Refining Realm, the entry was randomly fixed.


    After each Great Realm, upon breaking through, it was a choice of three.


    That meant if there were no special opportunities, one had to cultivate all the way to Nascent Soul, choosing none of the entries during the breakthroughs, and then they could automatically combine three to get a chance of choosing among one ¡°Supreme¡± entry.


    However, for most people, not choosing any entry made it very hard to cultivate up to Nascent Soul.


    It¡¯s no wonder that so many people on the Xuantian Continent had not discovered this, or maybe a few stubborn kids figured it out but kept it to themselves.


    The ¡°Supreme¡± entries were undoubtedly strong.


    With one additional Supreme effect on top of the normal one, it was like having two entries in one. And this new Supreme effect appeared to be a strengthened or mutated version of the normal effect, strongly linked and not listed separately.


    He didn¡¯t think much about it¡ª


    After all, there were only ten breaths¡¯ time.


    There really wasn¡¯t much to consider.


    The first entry ¡°Thunder Technique Body (Supreme)¡± perfectly suited him; the normal entry effect ensured he could face the Heavenly Tribulation confidently even if his merit points were exhausted.


    The subsequent ¡°Supreme¡± effect would further enhance his power when casting Thunder magic, making his path as a Thunder Cultivator irreversible.


    As for the second entry, ¡°Bull Strength (Supreme),¡± it was useless to him but actually quite suitable for Fat Long.


    A cultivator, normally, could only possess one Lifebound Spirit Beast.


    But with this entry, one could have eleven Lifebound Spirit Beasts, significantly enhancing strength in all aspects; although the Dragon Clan was considered a race of high wisdom and strength.


    They were fundamentally still Spirit Beasts.


    Beings that could be bound by contract.


    It was just that no one had ever done this before, as it was considered an insult to the Dragon Clan, more severe than beheading.


    ¡°Spiritual Energy Carefree (Supreme)¡± the third entry was also not bad; he might have chosen this entry in the earlier stages, but now it was completely useless. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite having settled on the first entry barring any accidents.


    He didn¡¯t mind spending 100,000 merit points to see what other Supreme entries might appear.


    Very soon¡ª


    The third entry ¡°Spiritual Energy Carefree (Supreme)¡± wrapped by the misty panel slowly became blurry, and when it became clear again, it had changed to a different entry.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Nine Ox Power.


    ¡°Entry level¡±: White.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Possesses the power of Nine Oxen.


    ¡°Supreme effect¡±: Accompanied by the power of Nine Yin.


    ¨C


    ¡°How great.¡±


    Chen Qiu sighed with a mixture of emotion. Though somewhat resigned to randomizing a White entry at the Divinity Transformation, the value of this entry skyrocketed with the Supreme effect!


    Perfectly suitable for Fat Long!


    Once he had the ¡°Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation¡± entry, possessing either Nine Ox Power or the Power of Nine Yin would speed up his Cultivation Progress ninefold.


    But if he collected both entries, that would make it¡­ eighteenfold.


    It was a soaring speed indeed.


    Of course, without the ¡°Heavenly Destiny Entry,¡± this entry would become completely decorative and trashy¡ªoh, not totally useless; one could apply to work at a circus.


    As the ten breaths were about to end.


    Chen Qiu contentedly selected the ¡°Thunder Technique Body (Supreme)¡± entry, with which he was quite satisfied. If only his Seven-colored entry ¡°Step by Step¡± were also a Supreme entry.


    He could even guess what the Supreme effect would be.


    Most likely, every time he had the chance to choose from three entries, they would all be Supreme entries.


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze towards the next mist-enshrouded panel.


    He had two chances to select from three ¡°Supreme¡± entries.


    And two more chances to pick from three ¡°regular version¡± entries.


    Actually, with just one more chance at a regular version entry selection, he could directly accumulate three ¡°Supreme¡± entry choices since he understood the quirks of this world so well.


    It was likely that these three ¡°Supreme¡± entry choices could also be combined to get a chance at selecting from even higher-level entries.


    But¡­


    It wasn¡¯t necessary. He didn¡¯t expect to break through to Void Refining anytime soon, at least it would take a year or two; it wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t enhance his Cultivation Progress to Void Refining within a year, nor that he lacked the confidence to endure those nine dreadful white Heavenly Tribulations.


    It was purely because he didn¡¯t want to rush into Void Refining.


    Based on what happened last time when he accrued a hundred billion merit points, after breaking through to the Void Refining Stage, he could leave the Xuantian Continent for the Vast Continent.


    He hadn¡¯t completed his milestone tasks yet; the Xuantian Continent wasn¡¯t fully explored. Why would he rush to the Vast Continent?


    If he were to go, it would only be after completing all twelve milestone tasks.


    Moreover, he had saved up two top-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes for a triple combination opportunity; if this time he saved up the ¡°Supreme¡± entry choices for a triple combination,


    It would be like¡­ no difference between having gains and not.


    Just save everything for a future triple combination, and that would be it.


    Very soon¡ª


    A panel, once again enveloped in mist, appeared before him.

 Chapter 546 - 205:

    Chapter 546: Chapter 205: ¡°Supreme Entry¡±!_5


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly increased, formally stepping into Divinity Transformation fifth, sixth, seventh level.¡±


    ¡°You have a total of eight entry ¡®three choices¡¯ opportunities, among which six ¡®three choices¡¯ opportunities automatically combine into one, turning into two ¡®Supreme¡¯ entry ¡®three choices¡¯ opportunities.¡±


    ¡°Please make a choice from the three random entries below within ten breaths of time.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Tired of the World (Supreme).


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Each time you kill a member of the opposite sex from your own race who truly loves you, you will gain thirty Spirit Stones.


    ¡°Supreme effect¡±: And there will be a random drop from the entries that person possesses, which will turn into an entry jade slip.¡±


    2:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Escape Technique (Supreme).


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Yellow.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When your physical body dies, the speed of your Nascent Soul escaping and fleeing will dramatically increase.¡±


    ¡°Supreme effect¡±: And it cannot be targeted or locked onto.¡±


    3:


    ¡°Entry name¡±: inspiration (Supreme).


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When you cultivate Bloodline Magic, its power will greatly increase, but you will experience a Blood Tide every day, and this entry is limited to female living creatures; if you are male, you will automatically get an additional ¡®Yin Yang Inversion¡¯ entry.¡±


    ¡°Supreme effect¡±: You can quickly recover your own physical strength, injuries, Spiritual Energy, etc., by absorbing the blood of other living creatures.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows knitted slightly as he looked at the entry panel in front of him with three choices, each one a Supreme Entry with an additional Supreme effect.


    The first entry, Tired of the World, had rather ordinary effects to begin with, only granting thirty Spirit Stones for each member of the opposite sex from his own race who loved him enough to kill.


    They were merely low-grade Spirit Stones.


    But its Supreme effect was quite powerful, enabling the dropping of an entry jade slip every time a woman who loved him was killed.


    If it were someone who was very good at winning women¡¯s hearts, or who had similar entries like ¡°Capable of toppling a nation and a city¡± that could increase attractiveness to women,


    this entry¡¯s effect was decent as it allowed constant harvesting of entry jade slips, but it was useless to him as he did not want to obtain entry jade slips by such means.


    It would disrupt his ethical cultivation.


    On the Cultivation Path, Spells, Spiritual Treasure, entries are all important, but having a clear conscience is the most crucial. A clear conscience means that you greatly acknowledge the path you have chosen, reducing the risk of Heart Demon invasion and gaining a clearer self-awareness.


    For example, Evil Cultivation.


    An Evil Cultivator who doesn¡¯t recognize their kin is common, but an Evil Cultivator who often shows mercy is bound to meet a tragic end. If the former ends well is not certain, but the latter definitely won¡¯t.


    A merciful butcher will ultimately meet death at the hands of the prey.¡±


    The second entry¡­ it is useful and useless at the same time. If there¡¯s nothing better to choose from, it could be selected as one more way to flee.¡±


    ¡°Nascent Soul leaving the body.


    While speeding up,


    being unable to be locked by Divine Sense simply means that Spells and Flying Swords and the like cannot catch up to her, adding a means of saving her own life.


    But for him, the effect is quite limited.


    Mainly because he has too many ways to save himself.


    For instance, things like the Merit Defense Order, if even after resorting to these means of saving his own life he still dies, he believes that the Nascent Soul leaving the body wouldn¡¯t save him either.¡±


    ¡°But it can serve as an alternative.


    After all, the third entry is completely useless.¡±


    ¡°Upon choosing this entry, there will be a Blood Tide daily. The Blood Tide is impure blood, and experiencing it every day would simply be an inconvenience, nothing more.¡±


    After all, higher-level female cultivators no longer have such issues.


    Only lower-level female cultivators still experience them.¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Upon selecting this entry, if the recipient is male, they will also automatically receive the ¡®Yin Yang Inversion¡¯ entry, kind of like a buy one get one free deal, which seems rather cost-effective. The sole effect of this entry allows you to change your gender.¡±


    ¡°If male, you change to female.


    If female, you change to male.¡±


    ¡°Bloodline Magic isn¡¯t something he needs. Frankly, he hasn¡¯t heard of it, nor seen anyone use Bloodline Magic. Including the Supreme effect that follows, this entry seems like it¡¯s made for Evil Cultivation.¡±


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu shook his head, not saying anything, but prepared to choose the second entry as a backup, ready to re-select once more. If he didn¡¯t get any good entries, then he would choose the second entry.


    The second entry might be of some slight use.¡±


    ¡°The first and third entries are completely useless.¡±


    ¡°Given that it is a Supreme Entry, if possible, he still wishes to choose something useful to himself, rather than using it for self-destruction.¡±


    ¡°After all, whether a Supreme Entry or a normal one, the power when self-destructing is the same. Using a Supreme Entry for self-destruction seems too wasteful and extravagant.¡±


    ¡°Soon¡ª¡±


    ¡°100,000 Merit points are deducted once more, which hardly affects him at all; the ¡®Merit Ranking of Xuantian Continent¡¯ doesn¡¯t change in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°And on the panel enveloped in mist in front of him, the third entry slowly became blurry, then transformed into a new entry.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Sharp eyes and quick hands (Supreme).


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: Spell casting will be faster, and if the spell is instant-cast, the speed of the spell will increase further.¡±


    ¡°Supreme effect¡±: The power of your instant-cast Spells will gain augmentation.¡±

 Chapter 547 - 205:

    Chapter 547: Chapter 205: ¡°Supreme Entry¡±!_6


    ¨C


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly; this entry was quite suitable for him. The ¡°Supreme¡± effect could enhance the power of instant-casting spells, and his Thunder Summoning Technique was an instant-casting spell.


    His Thunder Summoning Technique had once again received a boost.


    This time, he gained two Supreme Entries, both of which strengthened his Thunder Summoning Technique, and it completely swept the board.


    The main effect of this entry was still to allow a Magic Practitioner to cast spells with increased power more swiftly.


    Lower-level Magic Practitioners might not have a clear sense of this, but once Cultivation increased, the understanding of this aspect became quite clear.


    All your powerful spells have to be executed by going through a complete set of Taoist Techniques, and only then can the spell be fully cast, but this usually takes time.


    And the enemy won¡¯t give you that time.


    So generally speaking, Magic Practitioners first use instant-casting spells to envelop the enemy, then swiftly create distance and recite Taoist Techniques to cast those more powerful spells.


    Then Chen Qiu stood on the mountain peak, looked out at the distant sea, and with a casual blast, hundreds of Thunder Dragons shot out!


    They had hardly left his body before, in less than an instant, they had already struck the sea surface!


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the sea surface that had erupted with huge waves, somewhat surprised; the speed of these Thunder Dragons was faster than before.


    The Thunder Summoning Technique was an instant-casting spell, sure, but for a Thunder Dragon to hit the enemy¡¯s face still took some time. The speed of the Thunder Dragons was not slow, but the enemy could still use their movement technique to evade his Thunder Summoning Technique after breaking free from his Divine Sense lock.


    But now¡­


    The speed of the Thunder Dragons had been greatly enhanced.


    Almost as soon as he thought it, the Thunder Dragons blasted over. This speed was so much faster than before; now, not only was the Thunder Summoning Technique instant, but the Thunder Dragons were too.


    This meant¡ª


    In the face of any Magic Practitioner, or indeed any other Cultivator, he could always gain an absolute advantage.


    If they acted simultaneously, it would definitely be his attack that hit the enemy first.


    And his instant-casting spell, Thunder Summoning Technique, was not just any disturbance attack from other Magic Practitioners; it was his strongest method without resorting to his trump cards.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu looked at the sea surface not far away, where waves had been whipped up, smirked with satisfaction, then, seemingly addicted, he kept sending tens of Thunder Dragons smashing down with wave after wave of his hand.


    Nothing excessive.


    Each time just a small amount; he rarely conjured tens of Thunder Dragons at once anymore.


    In fact, if it weren¡¯t for the Ten Layers of Spellcasting entry, which made it impossible for him to send out a single-digit number of Thunder Dragons, he would have preferred to send just one.


    Just for fun.


    Once he had his fill of fun, there were already many large fish stunned by the blasts and washing up on the shore.


    Seeing this, Chen Qiu instantly enveloped the entire Dragon Island with his Divine Sense.


    ¡°Tonight, we eat fish!¡±


    Having been busy for so many days, it was time for a bonfire party to relax and take a break.


    ¡­


    Very soon¡ª


    Night fell.


    The disciples of Chao Tian Sect, including the few members of the Dragon Clan on the island, were gathered around a massive bonfire, chatting and laughing with one another, creating a scene of harmony under the night sky.


    In the midst of the music, a brothel courtesan clad in a red long dress was dancing gracefully, her robe not the slightest bit revealing, yet every move she made was full of allure.


    ¡°Bravo!¡±


    As the music ended, the surrounding disciples of Chao Tian Sect all smiled and clapped their hands, cheering and applauding.


    The moment he learned that there would be a bonfire party tonight, Ao Tian immediately went to Quzhou and invited quite a number of courtesans, a circus, storytellers, and similar entertainers to Dragon Island to perform at the bonfire party, giving everyone a chance to relax.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting on the beach, glanced at the courtesan who had begun to dance again in the bonfire and then turned his head to look at Ao Tian next to him, smiling and saying,


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Dragon Island is the biggest secret of the Dragon Clan, that it shouldn¡¯t be known by outsiders, and that¡¯s why you¡¯ve never brought any living creatures onto the island? Why have you brought so many here all at once tonight?¡±


    ¡°Are you not afraid these people will go back and reveal the location of Dragon Island, or do you not intend to let them return alive?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Ao Tian looked somewhat thoughtful as he gazed at the courtesan dancing in the middle of the bonfire: ¡°These people¡¯s Cultivation is very low, they¡¯re not even able to project their Divine Sense outside of their body, so even if they go back and want to describe the location of Dragon Island, they wouldn¡¯t know how to express it.¡±


    ¡°Besides, the path to Dragon Island involves passing through many natural barriers. Even if they know the location of Dragon Island, it¡¯s very hard to actually get here.¡±


    ¡°Not bringing living creatures onto the island in the past was because of the ¡®just in case¡¯ mentality, after all, you know what the state of the Dragon Clan used to be like.¡±


    ¡°But now it¡¯s different¡ª¡ª¡±


    After a pause, Ao Tian downed the jar of Spiritual Wine in his hand, his eyes showing signs of intoxication and with a hint of trance, he said: ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve helped the Dragon Clan so much, it¡¯s fated to rise once again.¡±


    ¡°And this rise will happen quickly. In just one year, these Dragon Pups of the Dragon Clan will come of age, and by then, with the lack of Void Refining, we could already be considered a major clan.¡±


    ¡°With this kind of confidence¡­¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m not worried about what these people might say when they go back. Besides, letting the word out a bit could be good, it¡¯ll help the world readjust to the name of the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I can call you ¡®brother¡¯, perhaps soon I¡¯ll have to call you Brother Qiu.¡±


    ¡°But whether I call you ¡®brother¡¯ or Brother Qiu¡­¡±


    ¡°Remember this, for your great kindness towards the Dragon Clan, towards me, Ao Tian, I will never forget it. In the future, no matter what you ask, if it comes from your mouth, I could never refuse.¡±


    ¡°If I ever do refuse, may the Black Dragon be skinned and deboned, suffering a terrible fate forever. And you know, the Black Dragon is my favorite son.¡±


    Chen Qiu patted Ao Tian¡¯s shoulder, took the wine jar from his hands, and said with a light chuckle, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re drunk.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop me, I¡¯m not drunk, I want to drink more, I¡­¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stopping you.¡±


    Chen Qiu casually picked up another jar of wine next to him and put it in Ao Tian¡¯s arms, ¡°Your jar was empty. Here¡¯s a new one, drink slowly, there¡¯s no rush.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Leaving only the Black Dragon lying not too far away watching the bonfire party glumly.


    He wanted to join the bonfire party, too.


    But he couldn¡¯t transform yet and wouldn¡¯t have any fun.


    When would he finally come of age? Why couldn¡¯t he have been born to Fat Long? He, too, wanted to grow up quickly and then transform.

 Chapter 548 - 206: The Dragon Clans Ultimate Treasure, Dragon Palace!

    Chapter 548: Chapter 206: The Dragon Clan¡¯s Ultimate Treasure, Dragon Palace!


    Tonight.


    No one on Dragon Island was cultivating, and the Cultivation Path is very long, so missing one night wouldn¡¯t matter.


    Meanwhile, the Chao Tian Sect disciples were quite lively.


    Surrounded by seven or eight Chao Tian Sect disciples with sullen and sneering faces, Qu Gui was encircled at the very center, their hands rubbing together in anticipation as their voices squeezed through their teeth, uttering word by word.


    ¡°Qu Gui, I heard you¡¯ve achieved Divinity Transformation? Quite impressive.¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember how many disciples¡¯ credits you¡¯ve stolen?¡±


    ¡°Beastly behavior!¡±


    Deep in the Earth Cave, amidst the chaotic battlefield between the Demon Race and the Dwarf Clan, Qu Gui lurked in the shadows, snatching the credits of severely injured Nascent Soul dwarfs, and those credits propelled his Cultivation skyward, instantly reaching the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    Qu Gui casually bit into a juicy chicken leg, then looked up and grinned at the others, ¡°I remember, but the question is, can you beat me now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As their voices fell, the Chao Tian Sect disciples who had originally intended to pick a fight hesitated for a moment and then exchanged glances, somewhat at a loss.


    It seemed they couldn¡¯t beat him now.


    But soon, these disciples sat down beside Qu Gui, grumbling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, Qu Gui, you¡¯re an outer elder after all, you should be taking care of us disciples, so you definitely owe us some compensation.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, otherwise it¡¯s hard to appease the crowd¡¯s emotions.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Qu Gui shook his head earnestly and said, ¡°I was just worried about causing public outrage, so I only targeted a few of you, I didn¡¯t touch the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s only you few looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡ª¡±


    He paused, then looked at these disciples with a mixture of remorse and impatience, smacking his lips before saying, ¡°I can understand how you feel. Look, I¡¯ll take you all out for some fun later, and then I¡¯ll think of a way to compensate you in the future.¡±


    The few Chao Tian Sect disciples exchanged a glance, their remorseful eyes resignedly accepting his proposal.


    After all, there weren¡¯t any other options.


    ¡­


    By the campfire.


    Chen Qiu sat quietly on the ground, listening to Ao Tian performing a comedic monologue beside him. It wasn¡¯t clear whether Ao Tian was so talkative because he hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone for many years and had a lot to say or if it was just his natural talent.


    Ao Tian really did talk a lot.


    And what he said was quite interesting.


    Yet Chen Qiu found himself drifting off, thinking of the three milestone tasks that had yet to be completed.


    ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°Unify Xuantian.¡±


    ¡°Equal with Heavenly Dao.¡±


    These three milestone tasks were also the last remaining ones. Once he completed these three, exactly twelve statues would be perfectly arranged in the Heavenly Palace above the Nine Heavens.


    The first milestone task wasn¡¯t too difficult.


    He was already preparing for it. With the large supply of Ninth Grade Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills from the Dragon Clan, it would take at most one year for the Chao Tian Sect to achieve All Members Divinity Transformation.


    After completing the first milestone task, with his breakthrough to the Void Refining Stage, leading an ensemble of Divinity Transformation members from the Chao Tian Sect and Dragon Clan to unify the Xuantian Continent would be a matter of course.


    The last milestone task was called ¡°Equal with Heavenly Dao,¡± which required the completion of eleven milestone tasks.


    Once the first two were completed,


    The final milestone would naturally be achieved as well.


    In essence, everything was proceeding naturally.


    Now, all he needed was time.


    To wait for the Chao Tian Sect disciples to break through to Divinity Transformation, to wait for the first batch of Dragon Pups to break through to Divinity Transformation, to wait for enough of his Nascent Souls to give birth to numerous smaller Nascent Souls, then he could open more Domains of Divinity Transformation at once.


    He still had two ¡°Divinity Transformation Domain Tokens¡± unused, which could grant him two additional Domains.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu could no longer discern what Ao Tian was saying; it sounded like the buzzing of a mosquito in his ear. He nodded subconsciously while glancing at the Merit Value Store.


    There was a Divinity Transformation Domain within it that suited him pretty well.


    Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Snow Brings Forth Life¡± purchased!


    It was an auxiliary Domain.


    After opening this Domain, his snow-related spells would be enhanced, and his recovery from injuries would improve significantly in speed.


    Quite suitable for him.


    It was somewhat similar to Ao Tian¡¯s Supreme Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest.¡±


    Just the unique material required for this Divinity Transformation Domain was ¡°Everfrost Dominion,¡± and he was not short of that.


    So far, he had acquired the Supreme Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy,¡± the Supreme Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Unlimited Thunder Movement,¡± and the Supreme Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Snow Brings Forth Life.¡±


    These three domains, along with the Thunder Summoning Technique, were his strongest Attack Methods so far, not counting his trump cards.


    He hadn¡¯t used the remaining Divinity Transformation Domain Token yet; the Merit Value Store had a Divinity Transformation Domain that he quite liked, but it required 200 billion sins.


    Far more than the sins he had; acquiring sins was several times harder than acquiring merit points.


    He planned to see if there would be a chance to obtain 200 billion sins in the future. If so, he would purchase the Divinity Transformation Domain from the sin store. If not, he would let it go. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all, slaughtering an Evil Clan member was worth only 2.9 billion sins.


    To gather 200 billion sins, he would likely need to slaughter six or seven Evil Clan members, and the Xuantian Continent didn¡¯t have enough members of the Evil Clan for such a feat.


    He then looked at the new entry he had gained for his Nascent Soul, ¡°Thunder Technique Body (Supreme),¡± which stated that the more and the stronger the Heavenly Tribulations he endured, his body would be refined by them, making his Thunder Magic even more powerful.


    It was just a pity he received it too late.


    If he had acquired this entry during his breakthrough to Divinity Transformation, it would have probably allowed him to absorb a significant amount of the power of the Heavenly Tribulations. At the very least, acquiring this entry during his tribulation in the Demon Territory would have been quite beneficial.

 Chapter 549 - 206: The Dragon Clan’s Treasure, Dragon Palace!_2

    Chapter 549: Chapter 206: The Dragon Clan¡¯s Treasure, Dragon Palace!_2


    What a pity.


    Of course, the best would have been the million Thunder Punishments in Evil State, during that grand feast, if he had rushed in, the might of the Heavenly Tribulation could probably have been fully absorbed, but¡­ the premise is whether he could survive it or not.


    Although he had the entry that could reduce the power of the Heavenly Tribulation, and he was protected by a body of merit, but¡­ whether he could withstand those million Thunder Punishments, he was honestly not certain.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu, sensing the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± and the ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± of the Heavenly Dao Ring, pondered if he released half of his merit points using the Merit Attack Order, forming an even more terrifying Thunder Punishment.


    Then activated the Merit Defense Order and rushed in.


    A spear and a shield.


    Under such circumstances, could he absorb the Thunder Punishment for his Body Refining?


    Perhaps it was somewhat unfeasible.


    Chen Qiu shook his head and did not dwell on it, there would be plenty of chances to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation in the future, the nearest being the nine desolate Heavenly Tribulations during his Void Refining breakthrough, which according to Ao Tian¡¯s description, the power was not inferior to his ¡°Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.¡±


    However¡­


    He remembered that when Ao Tian spoke of it, there was a hint of worry for him.


    For ordinary people, breaking through from the Peak of Divinity Transformation to Void Refining would be about surviving these nine desolate Heavenly Tribulations, which the world calls Yama¡¯s Death Tokens.


    Because each Thunder Tribulation was a death token thrown by Yama, and only after getting through these nine Heavenly Tribulations could one be considered to have broken through to Void Refining.


    This is refining the divine and returning to the void.


    That¡¯s how it is for normal people.


    But¡ª


    The problem is, Chen Qiu was clearly abnormal.


    Therefore, Ao Tian had a strong concern about the Heavenly Tribulations Chen Qiu would face during his Void Refining breakthrough and felt that there was an 80% chance there would not just be nine desolate Heavenly Tribulations but possibly eighteen.


    Each more formidable than the last.


    Eighteen, which is not merely twice as strong as nine.


    It must be two to three times stronger.


    Yet he was optimistic about this, as long as he conserved his merit points and didn¡¯t use them all up, he believed that with hundreds of billions of merit points, even eighteen desolate Heavenly Tribulations could be successfully weathered.


    ¡°Brother, let¡¯s agree on this then!¡±


    In the meantime¡ª


    Chen Qiu, who had been daydreaming, started to hear Ao Tian¡¯s voice blur, while Ao Tian himself was excitedly shaking his shoulders.


    Chen Qiu, not quite realizing the situation, reacted subconsciously: ¡°Yeah, okay, as Brother says.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Ao Tian was somewhat tipsy at this point, and with a heavy pat on his own thigh, he excitedly said: ¡°When you marry my daughter, the tie between our two families will grow even closer; you and I, truly in-laws.¡± S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Although unable to bear children, that¡¯s not important.¡±


    ¡°The legacy of the Dragon Clan has Fat Long, and it¡¯s just a female dragon not birthing cubs, it¡¯s unimportant. When the Dragon Clan and Chao Tian Sect have their big celebration, in front of the whole Continent, we¡¯ll go¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a second¡ª¡±


    Suddenly regaining his clarity, Chen Qiu frowned and raised his hand to interrupt Ao Tian: ¡°What¡¯s this, something about getting married?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Ao Tian was momentarily confused and said, ¡°I just talked about betrothing my daughter to Fat Long, making the Dragon Clan and Chao Tian Sect in-laws, and then you shook your head.¡±


    ¡°So I asked, ¡®Brother, would you want her?''¡±


    ¡°You nodded.¡±


    ¡°Then didn¡¯t we just agree that you would marry my daughter?¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Realizing what was happening, Chen Qiu turned seriously towards Ao Tian: ¡°Firstly¡­ I must explain something to you, there are some significant cultural differences between the Human Race and the Dragon Clan in certain aspects.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, that behavior with your daughter¡­ It¡¯s not accepted by our people, you yourself have been with her, and then you betroth her to someone else, this is seen as a great insult among our Human Race.


    ¡°I definitely cannot accept it, and I believe Fat Long cannot either. After Fat Long marries your daughter, what then? How would you three get along?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    ¡°Fat Long would definitely not accept it!¡± Chen Qiu shook his head: ¡°From what I know of Fat Long, he¡­¡±


    Just then¡ª


    The nearby Fat Long, who had somehow drawn close, said with concealed excitement, ¡°Um, Brother Qiu, actually, I can sort of accept it.¡±


    ¡°Brother Ao can give me some guidance too since he¡¯s more experienced.¡±


    ¡°No problem then!¡±


    Ao Tian embraced Fat Long excitedly, smiling at Chen Qiu: ¡°Of course, brother, I still respect your opinion. If you don¡¯t want Fat Long to marry into the Dragon Clan then, brother, I won¡¯t mention it again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    With a slightly red face, Ao Tian awkwardly and seriously said, ¡°After this batch of Dragon Cubs matures, the Dragon Clan will have a significant increase in those at the Divinity Transformation stage. I want the relation between Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan to be even closer, so that we¡¯ll truly be one family. Whatever difficulties you, brother, face, the Dragon Clan will support you with all its might.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly at the expectant Ao Tian and the subtly excited Fat Long beside him, and after a long silence, he softly spoke.


    ¡°The idea of a union between Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan is indeed beneficial, and I personally support it.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°Could we find someone more appropriate for the union? After all, it is your daughter, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Ao Tian suddenly had an epiphany, slapping his forehead, and realizing his mistake, he looked somewhat ashamedly at Fat Long: ¡°It¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s been so long since I lived among humans, I forgot about this.¡±


    ¡°So, here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°Once this batch of Dragon Cubs has matured, I¡¯ll have the female ones Transform and line up, and you can pick one for the union. They all have Flawless Bodies, after you¡¯ve chosen, then I¡¯ll let them start mating.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The previously somewhat excited Fat Long was now hesitating: ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡±

 Chapter 550 - 206: The Dragon Clan’s Treasure, Dragon Palace!_3

    Chapter 550: Chapter 206: The Dragon Clan¡¯s Treasure, Dragon Palace!_3


    Fat Long had not yet finished speaking.


    Chen Qiu, with an expressionless face, raised his hand to interrupt Fat Long, ¡°Stop, don¡¯t think about it anymore, this is even more preposterous. Brother will do as you said, let Fat Long marry your daughter.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, let¡¯s follow the younger brother¡¯s advice!¡±


    After speaking, Ao Tian, excited, could no longer stay to chat with Chen Qiu. He immediately pulled Fat Long and headed deeper into Dragon Island, planning the wedding scene as they walked.


    ¡°Brother Fat Long, I think the scene must be grand, it must feel like Ten Thousand Clans coming to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°Eh, Brother Ao Tian, I think it would be best to marry when Brother Qiu breaks through to Void Refining. You see, when Ten Thousand Clans come to celebrate and all eyes are on us, Brother Qiu can preside over the ceremony sitting in the main seat right after his breakthrough to Void Refining, and it would just perfectly highlight¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sitting on the ground, Chen Qiu looked toward the two as they walked toward the depths of Dragon Island. The sound of Fat Long¡¯s suggestions and Ao Tian¡¯s constantly excited agreements faded as they walked farther away.


    After a long while,


    he sighed softly, stood up, and moved away from the noisy crowd to stand alone on the beach, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, gazing at the horizon where the sea merged with the night, and the waves continuously crashed against the rocks under his feet. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The moist air mingled with the smell of the sea hit his face.


    So be it.


    The world is such, he had grown accustomed to it since the time in Da Xia, love what may be.


    Just then¡ª


    The scholar approached him quietly, whispering, ¡°Brother Qiu, is Chao Tian Sect planning to retreat on Dragon Island next?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu casually nodded, ¡°Probably for over a year.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of venturing out during this period. After the ¡®Heavenly Strife¡¯ version descended, many Heavenly Dao Secret Realms appeared on Xuantian Continent. I¡¯m just one step away from Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°I want to seek my own opportunities, even if I encounter some dangers, with my brother here, I can quickly escape the worst.¡±


    ¡°Moreover¡­¡±


    Before the scholar could finish articulating all the reasons he had thought of in advance,


    Chen Qiu waved his hand with a smile, ¡°No need to say so much; if you want to go, then go. Tomorrow I¡¯ll have Black Dragon send you to Xuantian Continent.¡±


    The scholar was briefly stunned, then with a solemn face he nodded, ¡°Thank you, Brother Qiu.¡±


    Then he turned and jogged away, preparing for tomorrow¡¯s journey.


    Chen Qiu watched the scholar¡¯s departing figure and didn¡¯t think much of it; it was very normal, obviously Fat Long¡¯s opportunity made the scholar somewhat restless, wanting to try and see if he could encounter his own opportunity.


    Quite good.


    He felt that with the scholar¡¯s talent in sword cultivation, going out to try might indeed allow him to find his own opportunities.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    A night passed, and by the time the sun rose, the Chao Tian Sect disciples who had been drinking all night were now fast asleep on the beach. For cultivators, unless it¡¯s spiritual wine of a particularly high grade,


    ordinary spiritual wine wouldn¡¯t really get a cultivator drunk.


    But due to the joy of the previous day, they hadn¡¯t dispelled the effects of the alcohol and had just gone with it.


    At this moment,


    Chen Qiu and the scholar were standing on the edge of Dragon Island, preparing to send the scholar to Xuantian Continent this morning. Meanwhile, Ao Tian was looking somewhat annoyed toward the distant seascape.


    ¡°Black Dragon, I don¡¯t know where he ran off to last night.¡±


    ¡°Probably went off to play again.¡±


    ¡°This kid, never giving us peace of mind, has always been like this since he was young.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll send the scholar to Xuantian Continent. Once Black Dragon returns from his frivolous adventures, help me catch him and don¡¯t let him run off again. After he¡¯s back, I need to properly deal with him.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded reluctantly, then looked at the scholar being swept up by a golden light, and waved with a smile, ¡°Take care when you¡¯re outside. If you encounter a danger you can¡¯t avoid, remember to pull out the elder token.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a seventy percent chance it will save your lives.¡±


    ¡°What about the remaining thirty percent?¡± the scholar asked impulsively.


    ¡°What else?¡±


    Ao Tian looked helplessly at the scholar, ¡°Chao Tian Sect has quite a few enemies on Xuantian Continent. The other thirty percent might mean you¡¯ll face more severe challenges, or you might even be captured to threaten Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope such a melodramatic scene doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Ao Tian said somewhat bitterly.


    ¡°I really hate dealing with rescues. It took quite a bit of my energy to rescue Black Dragon back in the day!¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu, rest assured,¡± the scholar looked earnestly at Chen Qiu, ¡°if such a situation really happens, my brother and I will commit suicide on the spot; we definitely won¡¯t cause trouble for Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    Standing on the beach with the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but be amused, waving his hand to soothe them, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary; if it really comes to that, just try to stay alive. Once I get there, they¡¯ll have to release you.¡±


    ¡°What if they don¡¯t release us?¡±


    ¡°At that point, you can start your suicide, and I¡¯ll go down there to join you.¡±


    ¡­


    After sending off the scholar, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t stay long on the beach. He returned to the mountain peak on the island, sat cross-legged on an oval rock, and entered a state of cultivation by rotating his mental method.


    Recently, his Cultivation had been advancing too quickly.


    He needed to consolidate his realm.


    He still had two normal version ¡®three choices¡¯ entries he hadn¡¯t selected, and he planned to make those selections soon.


    Just like that.


    Unknowingly, three days and nights had passed in cultivation.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Sitting cross-legged on the round rock, Chen Qiu breathed out a long breath of turbid air, his Cultivation Realm somewhat more stable now. With a further seven or eight days of effort, his realm would be completely secured.


    In his case, possessing a twelve-grade Nascent Soul, even breaking through eight small realms seemed a bit unstable. For those with lower-grade Nascent Souls, continuously breaking through the fourth small realm without consolidation might start to see their Cultivation decline.

 Chapter 551 - 206: The Dragon Clans Treasure, Dragon Palace!_4

    Chapter 551: Chapter 206: The Dragon Clan¡¯s Treasure, Dragon Palace!_4


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    A stream of Liu Guang shot forth from the depths of the Sea Island, it was Ao Tian, and at this moment, Ao Tian had none of his usual frivolity, he said hurriedly and anxiously, ¡°Black Dragon is missing, I¡¯ve been looking for him for three days, and I¡¯ve checked all his favorite places to play.¡±


    ¡°I even went to the Red Fish Group to the far west where he sometimes likes to go and scare them, but I didn¡¯t find any trace of him.¡±


    ¡°Even his two sisters said they haven¡¯t seen Black Dragon for several days now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brow furrowed as he stood up and looked at Ao Tian, puzzled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry just yet, could Black Dragon have gone to the Xuantian Continent by himself? He¡¯s always been fascinated by the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    They met the dragon under the sea, who was Black Dragon, ten days after they had annihilated the Evil State.


    ¡°Impossible.¡±


    Ao Tian paced back and forth anxiously on the spot, slapping his head, his voice full of urgency.


    ¡°He¡¯s only attained Nascent Soul cultivation and hasn¡¯t broken through to Divinity Transformation yet, he hasn¡¯t even transformed, how could he possibly go to the Xuantian Continent, wouldn¡¯t he be discovered right away?¡±


    ¡°A Nascent Soul Dragon Clan member heading to the Xuantian Continent is doomed to die!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to the Xuantian Continent these past three days to inquire, and no one along the coast has seen a black dragon come ashore, which means Black Dragon didn¡¯t go to the Xuantian Continent. Otherwise, in his untransformed state, he couldn¡¯t have gone unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu was also at a loss for a moment, ¡°If he didn¡¯t go out to play, and he didn¡¯t go to the Xuantian Continent, where could he have gone¡­ Wait, I just remembered something, that bonfire party three days ago.¡±


    ¡°You were talking to me and Fat Long the whole time, leaving Black Dragon all alone, lying off at a distance; could he have felt neglected and run away from home?¡±


    ¡°Run away from home?!¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes widened as he shook his head firmly, ¡°That¡¯s utterly impossible, the term ¡®runaway¡¯ doesn¡¯t fit with the Dragon Clan at all. There¡¯s no such thing as a ¡®runaway¡¯ in the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, I remember I did talk to him a bit, Black Dragon stopped me and said he wanted to break through to Divinity Transformation quickly, and then after Transformation, play with everyone else.¡±


    ¡°I was busy at the time so I pushed him aside. Only adults in the Dragon Clan can break through to Divinity Transformation, it¡¯s a rule of the bloodline, it can¡¯t be changed, and he¡¯s still more than three hundred years away from adulthood.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Then I didn¡¯t pay any more attention to him. Afterwards, where he went, I did not notice. I thought he had gone out to play because he was naughty, but not seeing him for three days¡­ who knew¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡ª¡±


    All of a sudden, Ao Tian froze on the spot, looking up at Chen Qiu with a voice that even trembled a bit, fear flickering in his eyes, ¡°That rascal didn¡¯t go to the ¡®Dragon Palace,¡¯ did he?¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded silently, ¡°Eliminating the options of him being playful or heading to the Xuantian Continent, it seems the only possibility left is this ¡®Dragon Palace¡¯ you speak of. I know of Dragon Island, but this is the first I¡¯ve heard of the Dragon Palace. What place is that?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ the origin place of the Dragon Clan.¡±


    Ao Tian looked out over the horizon with a grim expression, ¡°In the deepest part of the sea, long ago, the Dragon Clan from the Xuantian Continent used to live inside the ¡®Dragon Palace.¡¯


    ¡°But with the decline of the Dragon Clan, the Formation of the Dragon Palace could no longer be maintained, unable to withstand the might of the deep-sea elements, and the Dragon Clan was forced to move to live on Dragon Island.¡±


    ¡°This happened a long time ago; it is said that the Dragon Clan moved out of the Dragon Palace fifty thousand years ago.¡±


    ¡°And the Dragon Palace is not a product of the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°According to the Dragon Clan Ancient Books, it was the first Clan Leader of the Dragon Clan on the Xuantian Continent who, when expelled from the main lineage of the Dragon Clan from the Vast Continent, stole the ¡®Dragon Palace.¡¯


    ¡°It is a treasure of the Dragon Clan, even a treasure among the Dragon Clan Main Lineage.¡±


    ¡°Inside the Dragon Palace, there is a transmission ritual for the Heavenly Pride of the Dragon Clan, through which the chosen Heavenly Pride can instantly become adults, and depending on their Grade, receive appropriate dragon heritage, but the death rate is extremely high. According to the ancient books, it has been a long time since any prodigy of the Dragon Clan has ventured to this legacy.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan cannot afford to die.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu furrowed his brows in thought, forming a rough idea of the ¡®Dragon Palace,¡¯ then hesitated, ¡°Based on what you know about Black Dragon, how high do you think his chances of dying in this Dragon Clan ritual are? Is there any hope for him to survive?¡±


    ¡°Ninety-nine percent.¡±


    Ao Tian was now emanating a deep sorrow, gazing out at the sea, a tinge of regret flickering in his eyes as he spoke in a hoarse, low voice.


    ¡°Black Dragon is not one of the Heavenly Pride, he is merely an ordinary Black Dragon, it¡¯s impossible for him to clear it.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, those who die in the Dragon Clan legacy will suffer excruciating agony.¡±


    ¡°Before their death, they will endure tortures like skinning and deboning.¡±

 Chapter 552 - 207:

    Chapter 552: Chapter 207: ¡°Are you f*cking here to risk your life?


    ¡°What are we waiting for then?¡±


    Chen Qiu followed Ao Tian¡¯s gaze towards the distant sea horizon, ¡°Where is the Dragon Palace? Let¡¯s go to the Dragon Palace to see if we can find the Black Dragon, or if there¡¯s a chance to terminate the inheritance early.¡±


    ¡°The mortality rate has reached ninety-nine percent.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to let the Black Dragon take the risk then; going earlier might improve his safety just a bit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡±


    A flicker of despair crossed Ao Tian¡¯s eyes, and he seemed to age instantly, stumbling to sit on a nearby rock, his voice trembling, ¡°The ¡®Dragon Palace¡¯ is the Dragon Clan¡¯s treasure, with two states: one fixed in a place, the other wandering high-speed and irregularly at the deep sea.¡±


    ¡°When the Dragon Clan moved out of the ¡®Dragon Palace¡¯ tens of thousands of years ago, the Dragon Palace entered into the second state.¡±


    ¡°Only by holding the ¡®Dragon Palace Token¡¯ can one establish a connection with the Dragon Palace and find it in the boundless depths of the sea. This token has been passed down personally through generations of Dragon Clan Patriarchs and has always been in the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault.¡±


    ¡°After realizing this just now, my Divine Sense quickly enveloped the entire Dragon Clan Treasure Vault, only to find the ¡®Dragon Palace Token¡¯ has already disappeared, meaning Black Dragon really took the Dragon Palace Token to the Dragon Palace.¡±


    ¡°Without the Dragon Palace Token, we can¡¯t find the location of the Dragon Palace.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, the Dragon Clan inheritance cannot be interrupted.¡±


    ¡°Now the only thing that can save him¡­¡±


    ¡°is to, listen to Heavenly Destiny.¡±


    ¡°If heaven wants him to live, he will live.¡±


    ¡°If heaven does not favor him, he must die in the Dragon Palace.¡±


    Ao Tian didn¡¯t speak anymore and just sat on the stone, his eyes reddening as he stared distantly at the sea, perhaps¡­ the Black Dragon had already died.


    Three days was enough time to die back and forth in the Dragon Clan inheritance.


    Seeing Ao Tian like this.


    Chen Qiu said nothing further, just leaned on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella gazing out at the sea, silent, standing still. He wasn¡¯t very good at comforting people, and right now, he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    If he said that fortune favors the brave, Black Dragon would surely return, but hearing Ao Tian describe the Dragon Clan inheritance and that ninety-nine percent mortality rate, this comment would seem quite insincere.


    But to say ¡°please restrain your grief¡± seemed a bit like cursing, as so far there hadn¡¯t been any confirmed news about Black Dragon¡¯s death, saying this would be like organizing a premature funeral.


    Better to just start the banquet.


    All he could do was accompany him, as at such times all words of consolation seemed rather pale and powerless, and this was the first time he had seen Ao Tian so disheartened and shattered.


    To be honest.


    Ao Tian¡¯s appearance of being so disheartened and shattered because Black Dragon was in danger actually surprised him somewhat; he had thought Ao Tian¡¯s feelings for Black Dragon were merely about the need for Black Dragon to continue the Dragon Clan¡¯s legacy.


    Now that Dragon Clan had Fat Long, even if Black Dragon died, it wouldn¡¯t affect the Dragon Clan¡¯s inheritance.


    Logically speaking, Ao Tian should not have had much emotional fluctuation.


    After all, with so many Dragon Cubs, the death of one wouldn¡¯t matter at all.


    But¡­ unexpectedly, it seemed that Ao Tian did have some father-son affection for Black Dragon, which was quite a surprise; he had not expected the Dragon Clan, a race almost indifferent to blood relations, to also have such fatherly feelings.


    After all, Ao Tian didn¡¯t spare even Black Dragon¡¯s sister.


    After a long time¡ª


    Ao Tian, sitting on the rock, suddenly let out a bitter laugh, sighed deeply, and then with a strange gleam in his eyes, looked out at the turbulent waves on the distant sea and said self-mockingly.


    ¡°Black Dragon is much braver than I am.¡±


    ¡°When I inherited the position of the Clan Leader, the first thing I did was take the Dragon Palace Token to the deep sea and find the Dragon Palace, truly magnificent, a real treasure of the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°I wandered inside the Dragon Palace for a long time, but I didn¡¯t participate in any of the inheritances, because I was afraid of dying.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I knew I bore the responsibility of carrying on the Dragon Clan¡¯s legacy, I knew that if I died the Dragon Clan would be utterly finished, never expecting that the very thing I dared not do, Black Dragon would go and do.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ a bit foolish.¡±


    ¡°If he decided to sneak into the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault and steal the ¡®Dragon Palace Token¡¯ to participate in the Dragon Clan inheritance, why didn¡¯t he steal a few more of the Dragon Clan¡¯s treasures at the same time? That at least could have increased his chances of survival.¡±


    After a long silence, Chen Qiu finally spoke softly, ¡°He might have wanted to prove himself. A son will always want to prove himself in front of his father, especially when he feels he has lost his self-worth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been paying much less attention to Black Dragon lately.¡±


    ¡°His value was great before, the continuation of the Dragon Clan depended on him, and although it was exhausting every day, at least he felt his life had value, but now the Dragon Clan¡¯s inheritance doesn¡¯t need him, nor does it need his combat strength as a Nascent Soul young dragon.¡±


    ¡°He has already lost his sense of self-worth.¡±


    ¡°A person cannot feel like they are worthless, or they¡¯re not far from bringing about their own destruction.¡±


    ¡°What value does he need!¡± Ao Tian suddenly stood up in a rage, roaring, ¡°What on earth does he need in terms of value!¡±


    ¡°The situation for the Dragon Clan is greatly favorable, a revival is just around the corner!¡±


    ¡°In just one more year, the Dragon Clan will have nearly a hundred mature, mighty dragons with Divinity Transformation Cultivation!¡±


    ¡°As the Dragon Clan Patriarch, and him as my only son, the Crown Prince of the Dragon Clan, he could enjoy unlimited glory and wealth without doing anything, becoming one of the most powerful beings in the Xuantian Continent!¡±


    ¡°What on earth does he need in terms of value!¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t respond, merely turning his head to look at the distant sea horizon and muttered softly, ¡°Everyone has their own path to walk, I can understand it.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope Black Dragon can come back safely.¡±

 Chapter 553 - 207:

    Chapter 553: Chapter 207: ¡°You motherfucker, did you come here just to gamble with your life?¡±_2


    ¡­


    In the depths of the sea, where the darkness was absolute and no glimmer of light could be seen, there was a palace radiating golden light that roamed swiftly across the seabed.


    It was undetectable by Divine Sense, untraceable, and there were no fluctuations of Spiritual Energy when it moved.


    Like a ghost, it appeared and disappeared unpredictably.


    This palace was the ¡°Dragon Palace¡±!


    And at this moment¡ª


    Inside the Dragon Palace, within a trial devised for Young Dragons of the Dragon Clan, a Black Dragon was at that instant hovering in midair, panting heavily, looking in extremely bad shape.


    Half of its Dragon Scales had almost fallen off.


    The remaining scales were mostly cracked.


    Even the reverse scale had a crack on it.


    The reverse scale.


    It was the hardest part of a dragon¡¯s body, almost the Lifebound Spirit Treasure of the Dragon Clan, and the reliance for surviving the Heavenly Tribulation.


    Gushes of Dragon Blood spilled into the air, all the Dragon whiskers were broken, and due to a severe blow, the dragon¡¯s eyes were blood-filled and horrific to behold.


    Even some of the Dragon Claws were broken.


    ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡±


    The Black Dragon was suspended midair, the only sound in the silent space being its heavy breaths, while its tail occasionally slapped its wounded body.


    The pain was too much.


    The pain had gradually become numb, and the excessive blood loss had started to cloud his mind. He had to snap his tail against his body to cause a sharp pain that would help him regain sensation and clear his head.


    Only then could he ensure a reasonably fit state for combat.


    Before him lay a space engulfed in mist, with no visible end, like a small world.


    Not far ahead of him stood a mature giant dragon, which also bore injuries, but only a few. Its large eyes were staring straight at him.


    It did not make a move to attack.


    It was resting now.


    The ancestral trial crafted exclusively for Young Dragons had a total of five rounds. Passing these five rounds would mean immediate maturation and Divinity Transformation, and based on one¡¯s performance, they could obtain a Grade of Dragon Clan lineage.


    This was his first round.


    He had been attempting this round for three days, but had not passed it. The goal was simple: defeat the mature giant dragon before him.


    But he was merely a Young Dragon, and even if this mature giant did not rely on Dragon Breath, nor open its Divine Domain, its physical strength far surpassed his.


    It was at this moment¡ª


    The mature giant dragon suddenly spoke in human tongue, looking indifferently toward the Black Dragon not far away, ¡°The Dragon Clan Young Dragon trial has not been attended for tens of thousands of years. I thought the Dragon Clan had perished.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to finally encounter a Young Dragon, and it¡¯s just a little fellow with a mere seventh-grade Bloodline.¡±


    ¡°Little fellow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you, you can bow out of the first round of the Dragon Clan Young Dragon trial ahead of time. You are already at your limit. Forcing onwards will only lead to your demise. It would be wise to withdraw early.¡±


    ¡°So as not to lose your life here.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    The hovering Black Dragon laughed as it heard this, its lips curling slightly upwards, though the swollen dragon head made the smile seem rather comical.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at your own injuries?¡±


    ¡°I can hurt you too.¡±


    ¡°If I can inflict harm on you, I can also kill you.¡±


    ¡°Foolish.¡±


    The giant dragon within the mist sneered, ¡°I am of the tenth-grade Red Dragon Bloodline, naturally adept at physical strength, while you are merely of the seventh-grade Cloud Hiding Dragon Bloodline.¡±


    ¡°The Cloud Hiding Dragon Bloodline excels in stealth and assassination, challenging me in physical strength is a suicidal move.¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With that said-


    The vibrant red mature giant dragon began to attack without reserve, hurtling at incredible speeds toward the Black Dragon, its tail lashing viciously against the Black Dragon.


    Under the force of the colossal impact, the Black Dragon¡¯s body instantly curled into a ball, being struck deep into the mist.


    Back at that spot-


    More shattered Scale Armor and a great deal of Dragon Blood fell through the air.


    With just that one strike!


    The Black Dragon, already on the brink of death from severe injuries, was nearly killed on the spot.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    The mature giant dragon snorted and then turned to look into the depths of the mist, ¡°It has been long since¡­.¡±


    However, the next moment¡ª


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the mature giant dragon, as it failed to find the Black Dragon¡¯s figure; there was no sign of the Black Dragon in the fog.


    Realizing this, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled into a smile as he muttered, ¡°Turns out you¡¯re quite a talented fellow.¡±


    ¡°Cloud Hiding Dragon¡­ Cloud Hiding Dragon¡­ the mist is indeed the most suitable battlefield for you. Let¡¯s see what tricks you have mastered.¡±


    Immediately thereafter-


    Before he could react, five claw tips shimmering with cold light suddenly appeared in front of him, aiming a ferocious strike at his eye. Just as they were about to hit-


    The mature giant dragon¡¯s head retracted just in time, causing the fatal blow to miss his eye and land on his dragon face instead.


    Missing the strike-


    He quickly escaped.


    Once again, the Black Dragon vanished from the mist.


    ¡°Tsk¡­¡±


    Sensing the hot Dragon Blood flowing down his face, the mature giant dragon couldn¡¯t help but curve his lips into a smile, ¡°Good move, but your murderous intent is too strong. As a Cloud Hiding Dragon, if you can¡¯t conceal your killing intent,


    ¡°What difference is there between you and an assassin who covers his face with a black cloth under broad daylight, brandishing a sharp blade?¡±


    ¡°The Cloud Hiding Dragon excels in stealth and assassination!¡±


    ¡°The ultimate key to assassination is to strike without your enemy feeling your intent to kill, to make them perceive you as a passerby, and then land your fiercest attack into their chest as you pass them by!¡±

 Chapter 554 - 207:

    Chapter 554: Chapter 207: ¡°You motherfucker, did you come here just to gamble with your life?¡±_3


    Between his words, he couldn¡¯t help but offer some guidance, according to the rules, these were things he should not have disclosed, but no young members of the Dragon Clan had come for tens of thousands of years.


    He had been lonely for many years.


    He really couldn¡¯t help it, fortunately these were marginal violations, not too serious.


    However, before he even finished speaking,


    he suddenly felt something amiss, why was his dragon face starting to feel numb?


    First, there was a slight daze.


    Then, he quickly realized, his eyes shot towards the wound from which blood was flowing, now dark and oily, and the wound was already rapidly decaying and turning green, then finally, his expression changed dramatically.


    He raised his Dragon Claw, swiftly stabbing towards his own dragon face.


    He gouged out the decaying flesh of the wound, along with the surrounding fresh flesh, then finally breathed a sigh of relief, enduring the severe pain with a slightly awful look on his face.


    ¡°You actually poisoned your own Dragon Claw!?¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan is proud!¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Clan is a great clan, they¡¯ve never stooped to using such dishonorable methods of poisoning, why would you, as a member of the Dragon Clan, employ such despicable tactics?¡±


    Soon¡ª


    a voice from the Black Dragon echoed from within the mist.


    ¡°For a long time, I didn¡¯t understand why, as a member of the Cloud Hiding Dragons, I must hide and assassinate, just because I¡¯m good at concealing, does that mean I must always hide?¡±


    ¡°I prefer the feeling of defeating my enemies openly and honorably.¡±


    ¡°But just now, I suddenly realized.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m skilled in concealment, I naturally should push this skill to its limits, by any means necessary, winning is all that matters.¡±


    ¡°I have a compelling reason to transcend through the Dragon Clan¡¯s heritage.¡±


    ¡°Whatever the method, be it poison or stealth.¡±


    ¡°I must win.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± The mature giant dragon snorted coldly, although the toxin had severely injured him just now, it was not a major issue, he dealt with it very quickly, and the toxin didn¡¯t spread any further because he cut it off in time.


    He licked the corner of his mouth, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.


    He had been alone here for too long.


    He hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone in a long time, and now, finally, a junior was willing to debate with him, in truth, he wasn¡¯t so opposed to the idea of the Dragon Clan using poison.


    Regardless of his opinion, what he truly enjoyed now was the feeling of debate.


    Just as he was mustering his thoughts, preparing to rely on his vast knowledge to utterly crush this junior, he suddenly felt his dragon face tingling again.


    The injury that he had just dug into with his Dragon Claw.


    For some unknown reason, the wound had turned green again, while dark green blood was slowly spreading.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    A trace of confusion flickered in the eyes of the mature giant dragon, now he genuinely didn¡¯t understand, he had clearly dug out that decayed flesh, how could the toxin still spread?


    Was the toxin really that potent?


    But it didn¡¯t matter¡ª


    It was just a bit more flesh gone.


    The mature giant dragon scoffed coldly, once more raising his Dragon Claw to dig the decaying dragon flesh from his face, and was about to speak, but before he could, the wound decayed and turned green again.


    The toxin was still spreading!


    Impossible!


    He was a Red Dragon, famous for the physical strength of the Dragon Clan Bloodline, and although not immune to all poisons, the effect of toxins was very limited on them.


    Especially in this case, when he had immediately dug out the decaying injury, how could the toxin inexplicably spread?


    Disbelievingly, he raised his Dragon Claw again to gouge out the decaying wound on his dragon face!


    However, just moments after he removed the rotten flesh, the toxin began to spread again.


    After seven or eight continuous times.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The mature giant dragon fell silent, he couldn¡¯t dig any further, one third of his dragon face had been removed, digging any further, and he would die.


    The next moment!


    His Divinity Transformation Cultivation was unmasked, Spiritual Energy burst forth, driving all the dark green toxin from his dragon face away.


    Then he said expressionlessly,


    ¡°Congratulations, you have successfully passed the first round, now tell me how you did it, this will determine the Grade of the heritage you will receive if you pass the next rounds.¡±


    Straight away,


    the pitch black Black Dragon slowly emerged in the mist, a look of pride flickering in its eyes as it lifted its own Dragon Claw, which was currently emitting a dark green glow, clearly highly toxic.


    ¡°During the battle, I suddenly felt that my Dragon Claw could generate venom, so I used this method.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The mature giant dragon¡¯s face was impassive, he coldly spoke: ¡°The Cloud Hiding Dragon¡¯s exclusive Dragon Clan Secret Skill ¡®Dragon Poison¡¯, belonging to the Bloodline Secret Technique, indeed has a chance of awakening during battle.¡±


    ¡°Although the ¡®Dragon Poison¡¯ Bloodline Secret Technique is rare, and very few Cloud Hiding Dragons awaken this Dragon Clan Secret Skill because the Dragon Clan has always looked down on the act of poisoning, even if some Cloud Hiding Dragons awaken this skill, they disdain to use it and abandon the technique.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°From what I know, the ¡®Dragon Poison¡¯ of the Cloud Hiding Dragons should not be so potent. How is it that I immediately dug out the decaying flesh from my face, yet the toxin still spread?¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Although the Black Dragon was severely injured at this time, he thrashed his dragon tail excitedly against the surrounding air, his eyes full of triumph, looking up at the mature giant dragon.


    ¡°Elder, you might want to take a look at your own Dragon Claw?¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The mature giant dragon paused slightly, a trace of incredulous possibility flickering in his eyes, then he finally looked down at his own Dragon Claw, frozen in shock.


    He saw that his Dragon Claw, unbeknownst to him, was also filled with a captivating and eerie green glow.

 Chapter 555 - 207:

    Chapter 555: Chapter 207: ¡°You motherfucker, did you come here just to gamble with your life?¡±_4


    This meant that the poison had always been on his dragon claws.


    No wonder, no matter how quickly he dug out the rotting flesh, the poison would spread immediately. It turned out he had poison on his dragon claws all along.


    Every time he removed the rotting flesh, he was essentially poisoning himself again!


    ¡°How is that possible!¡±


    This time, the adult giant dragon was utterly shocked, looking up at the Black Dragon nearby with a face full of disbelief, ¡°How did you do it? How did you manage to poison my dragon claws?¡±


    ¡°You hardly touched me at all during the whole process, how did you manage to poison my dragon claws without me knowing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simply unbelievable, it¡¯s simply¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    The adult giant dragon suddenly realized, looking up at the Black Dragon¡¯s body covered with cracked dark dragon scales. A careful look revealed a hint of deep green on the surface of those scales.


    But under the pitch-black scales and the crimson dragon blood, it became extremely inconspicuous.


    Especially since the Black Dragon kept whipping his own body with his dragon tail during the ceasefire, distracting his attention from that area.


    Once he understood in an instant.


    The adult giant dragon couldn¡¯t help but gasp, his voice trembling slightly, ¡°Are you insane? Did you put poison on your dragon scales?¡±


    ¡°By now, those toxins must have entered your body!¡±


    ¡°You are not far from death now!¡±


    He had to admit, this young dragon from the Dragon Clan really had some tricks!


    He smeared ¡°dragon poison¡± on the surface of his own scales and then deliberately created multiple scenarios that made his claws more suitable for attacking. Every time his claw swiped across the young Dragon Clan member¡¯s scales, a bit more poison would accumulate on his dragon claws.


    Then, with all his might, he delivered a final blow to his dragon face!


    No need to stab the eyes, just injuring him was enough!


    Afterwards, nothing needed to be done. He would continue to poison himself with his toxin-coated dragon claws. Where the hell did this young dragon from the Dragon Clan learn such devious plots?!


    ¡­


    ¡°To kill eight hundred enemies, one must be prepared to damage oneself by a thousand.¡±


    The Black Dragon, now on the verge of death, could no longer suppress the toxins in his body, and a faintly greenish blood began to seep from his wounds.


    Although in a terrible state.


    His dragon head, however, was held higher than ever, a face full of pride and satisfaction.


    ¡°Someone once told me.¡±


    ¡°The only way to kill an enemy above one¡¯s level is to fight desperately, risking one¡¯s life to gamble for a chance.¡±


    ¡°And now I have succeeded.¡±


    ¡°I guess if I passed the first round of the legacy, even though my injuries are severe, as long as I didn¡¯t die on the spot, there must be a healing process, right?¡±


    The adult giant dragon hovered in midair, looking at the Black Dragon with a complex expression, his voice hoarse, ¡°What if there is no healing process?¡±


    ¡°Then I have lost the bet.¡±


    The Black Dragon shook his head, though somewhat disappointed, he still managed to squeeze out a proud smile, ¡°But at least I¡¯ve defeated an adult giant dragon.¡±


    ¡°Too bad, this news won¡¯t spread, no one will know of my prowess, truly a pity.¡±


    The Black Dragon¡¯s voice gradually grew weaker.


    Then, his body couldn¡¯t even stay suspended in midair anymore, and with his head slumping, he plummeted into the dense clouds below.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    The giant dragon hovering in the air sighed deeply, then transformed into human form and casually waved his hand, causing the dense mist in the sky to instantly coalesce and form a deep spring.


    It securely caught the dying Black Dragon who had fainted.


    At the very moment he fell into the spring.


    The injuries behind the Dragon Clan were healing rapidly, including the initially rotting wounds, which under the cleansing of the spring water, were slowly turning back to a healthy pink flesh.


    The middle-aged man standing by the spring water looked towards the unconscious Black Dragon with a complex expression.


    The Black Dragon had gambled correctly.


    After passing the first round, there indeed was a process for healing injuries.


    Thousands of years had passed, and it seemed that the Dragon Clan had long lost the information on the inheritance for Young Dragons; this little one had barged in without knowing anything.


    God damn it, was this basically gambling with your life?


    Dragons naturally cherish their lives, a trait inherent in all top-tier living creatures, especially in their youth, because for such top-tier living creatures like the Dragon Clan, only upon reaching adulthood did their Cultivation undergo a qualitative breakthrough. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thus, they were extremely fearful of death during their youth.


    It was their nature.


    But unexpectedly, today they encountered an anomaly.


    Subsequently¡ª


    The middle-aged man shook his head and then couldn¡¯t help but laugh, a glint of agony and satisfaction flashing through his eyes, if a Young Dragon became fearless of death in its youth¡ª


    There was only one reason.


    It was that in the eyes of this Young Dragon, there was something scarier than death pressing down on him.


    But you are just a Young Dragon, whose only task is to frolic carefreely, what could possibly be weighing you down?


    He didn¡¯t think further.


    He simply dove into the spring water and started to forcibly pluck out the remaining Dragon Scales on the Black Dragon one by one; with each scale pulled, the unconscious Black Dragon¡¯s body would twitch.


    ¡°Bone Stripping Rebirth¡±!


    This was the true meaning of the first round: to shatter all the Dragon Scales on the Young Dragon¡¯s body and then, under the soaking of the Dragon Immortal Spring, to regrow the Dragon Scales.


    The newly grown Dragon Scales would be even harder.


    He still remembered how in the past, every time a junior of the Dragon Clan challenged this round, they would come accompanied by family elders, who would always bribe him with various benefits and plead with him to be gentler so as not to cause too much pain to their juniors.


    Dragon Scales shattered.


    For the Dragon Clan, the pain was almost comparable to a Human Clan Cultivator having their testicles shattered.


    Especially since all the Dragon Scales need to be shattered, this kind of pain was not something average people could endure.


    But¡ª


    This was precisely the matter of breaking down to build up, of undergoing Bone Stripping Rebirth, so how could there be a thing as being gentler, those junior Dragons who came to challenge, only one in a hundred could grit their teeth and pass through.


    The young members of the Dragon Clan naturally cherished their lives.


    That kind of torment at the edge of death would make these junior Dragons withdraw from the first round in fear, which was normal; not every member of the Dragon Clan could successfully change their scales and undergo Bone Stripping Rebirth.


    He had always been a very strict Guardian, and he had never gone easy on anyone, even though he admired the Black Dragon, he hadn¡¯t shown any mercy when it came to acting.


    He firmly believed.


    If you can, you can; if you can¡¯t, you can¡¯t.


    Even though he hadn¡¯t seen a junior member of the Dragon Clan for thousands of years, that didn¡¯t mean he would go easy on the Black Dragon, as that would go against the reason for his existence; the reason why he chose to voluntarily become a Guardian and be forever imprisoned in this confined space was because he adored the junior members of the Dragon Clan.


    He liked children.


    Especially those with a tough character and a clever mind.


    In a trance.


    His gaze towards the Black Dragon grew even more appreciative, but of course, during the pulling of the Dragon Scales, he didn¡¯t ease his hand at all; in fact, he pressed even harder.


    He had just gotten tired of deceptions and schemes, which is why he voluntarily became the Guardian of the Dragon Clan inheritance.


    To think that in seeking the Dragon Clan inheritance, he would still encounter deceptions and schemes he had never seen before!


    It was indeed surprising!

 Chapter 556 - 208:

    Chapter 556: Chapter 208: ¡°In fact, I won the bet!


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    It was hard to tell how much time had passed.


    By the spring, the middle-aged man in the rocking chair fanned himself casually with a palm-leaf fan and said nonchalantly, ¡°Don¡¯t move too hastily, the Dragon Scales have just been stripped, it must be painful.¡±


    The Black Dragon groggily awoke in the spring water and instinctively looked at his wounds. Seeing that his wounds had almost completely healed, a glint of excitement flickered in his eyes.


    His gamble had paid off!


    But his excitement soon turned to confusion. Looking at his body, he saw that his dragon form was once again covered with pitch-black scales. He could feel that these scales were harder than before.


    But he clearly remembered that his scales had been shattered.


    Why had they grown back so quickly, and become even stronger than before?


    He quickly figured it out.


    It must be the water in the spring beneath him. He could feel the rich Life Force within it, and only then did he roll excitedly in the water several times.


    Then, with a look of eagerness, he turned to look at the middle-aged man on the rocking chair by the spring.


    ¡°Senior.¡±


    ¡°I am ready. Let¡¯s start the second round!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Second round?¡±


    The middle-aged man by the spring, lying on the rocking chair, shook his head and laughed, ¡°What second round? The first round is all there is.¡±


    ¡°To be honest with you.¡±


    ¡°The content of the first round was not to defeat me at all. It was merely to endure the pain of having all the Dragon Scales shattered. As long as one could endure it, they would pass.¡±


    ¡°And thereby receive this legacy of the Dragon Clan.¡±


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought you, little guy, would actually aim to defeat me? How could a Young Dragon dare to think of defeating a giant dragon in its prime!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ does that mean I have already passed the legacy trial?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So I can now immediately mature and achieve Divinity Transformation, and transform?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Black Dragon¡¯s breathing grew rapid and then he started to roll excitedly in the water, unable to wait to return to Dragon Island.


    Let Ao Tian see!


    Let Fat Long see!


    Let everyone see that he, the Black Dragon, has achieved Divinity Transformation! Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Those Dragon Pups still needed Fat Long¡¯s methods to achieve Divinity Transformation in a year, but he, the Black Dragon, by his own strength, without relying on anyone else, had broken through!


    The comparison of strength and weakness was clear at a glance.


    Even if that batch of Dragon Pups matured after a year, he, the Black Dragon, would still be the boss!


    Afterward, the Black Dragon lifted his head out of the water and excitedly said to the middle-aged man on the shore, ¡°Then let me share a secret with you.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I let you sense that killing intent on purpose. I can make it so that not a trace of it is revealed.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The man in the rocking chair on the shore, with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, glanced sideways at the Black Dragon, ¡°Little guy, I¡¯m already quite satisfied with you. There¡¯s no need to fish for compliments. I don¡¯t like liars.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    The Black Dragon insisted earnestly.


    ¡°Oh?¡± The middle-aged man closed his eyes, swayed the palm-leaf fan casually, and said, ¡°Then tell me why you deliberately showed your killing intent. If you hadn¡¯t, that strike could have seriously injured my eye, with no need for anything else. Why bother making it more complicated.¡±


    A smug look crossed the Black Dragon¡¯s eyes, and he said with pride.


    ¡°Because you, Senior, are a prime giant dragon with far superior strength. So, even though you are only fighting with physical strength, you still look down upon me, or rather, you underestimate me.¡±


    ¡°If I did not show any killing intent and suddenly launched an attack at your eye, you would instinctively dodge completely with your Divinity Transformation Cultivation. It¡¯s an instinct.¡±


    ¡°But on the other hand, if I revealed a bit of killing intent, allowing you to sense my attack in advance, then you would not use your Divinity Transformation Cultivation to fully avoid the attack; you would just make sure not to get your eye pierced.¡±


    ¡°This was taught to me by someone on Dragon Island.¡±


    ¡°He said, if you want to lift someone¡¯s roof off, they certainly won¡¯t agree, but if you change your proposal to adding a window, they may just accept it.¡±


    ¡°If I initially aimed to scratch you, you would definitely instinctively dodge. But if I aimed for piercing your eye, you would feel that getting scratched isn¡¯t too bad.¡±


    ¡°And at that time, I could only launch one strike.¡±


    ¡°I could only gamble.¡±


    ¡°I gambled that you wouldn¡¯t want to reveal your Divinity Transformation Cultivation just to avoid a mere scratch.¡±


    ¡°In fact¡ª¡±


    ¡°I won the bet!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The man who had been lying on the rocking chair by the shore with his eyes closed, casually waving his palm-leaf fan, suddenly froze it mid-air after hearing Black Dragon¡¯s explanation.


    He stood up.


    Sitting in the rocking chair, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the Black Dragon soaking in the water. After a while, he started laughing, ¡°Interesting, but you got one thing wrong. Even if you attacked me without revealing any killing intent, without using my Divinity Transformation Cultivation, you would still not be able to pierce my eyeball.¡±


    ¡°But what I¡¯m more curious about is this.¡±


    ¡°You said just now that you could hide all your killing intent.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what that means? Even I find it hard to do that. For a Cloud Hiding Dragon, to completely conceal one¡¯s killing intent is to become the most terrifying assassin in this world.¡±


    ¡°Tell me how you think you can do it?¡±


    ¡°Quite simple.¡± The Black Dragon said solemnly, ¡°Because I don¡¯t actually have any killing intent towards you, Senior, how could there be any to leak?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man was taken aback and then chuckled, ¡°Never mind, I thought you really had some special means. That works with me, but can you do the same with others?¡±

 Chapter 557 - 208:

    Chapter 557: Chapter 208: ¡°In fact, I won the bet!¡±_2


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The Black Dragon asked with some confusion, ¡°I have no desire to kill anyone in this world.¡±


    ¡°Then do you think you could never kill again?¡±


    ¡°Kill, yes.¡±


    ¡°How can you kill without any desire to kill? If you have no desire to kill them, why would you kill them? There has to be a reason to kill someone, right?¡±


    ¡°If I need to kill someone, then they must have done something to seek their death. Why do you need a reason to kill? Only seeking death needs a reason.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man stood silently with an expressionless face, not trying to defend himself, but just casually waved his hand, and a large amount of fog enveloped the Black Dragon.


    In almost the blink of an eye, the Black Dragon fell into unconsciousness.


    And above the Black Dragon¡¯s head, there appeared an image engulfed in clouds, where the Black Dragon, now with no conscious memory, was caught in an illusion.


    He wanted to see if the Black Dragon¡¯s performance in the illusion would be as he claimed.


    ¡­


    Inside the illusion.


    The Black Dragon was a Human Clan Cultivator, living a happy family life until the age of eighteen, until in his nineteenth year, a group of mountain bandits raided the village where the Black Dragon resided.


    They brutally murdered the villagers of the Black Dragon¡¯s village.


    They gang-raped his mother to death.


    They killed his father in front of the Black Dragon.


    And they tortured the Black Dragon for an entire year before he escaped. After he cultivated to great success, he returned and found the gang of mountain bandits.


    One sword for each one.


    As the Qingfeng sword swept through, blood sprayed across the sky and heads flew.


    There were no unnecessary moves.


    The Black Dragon killed people with utter calm; there was indeed not a trace of killing intent, giving the impression that he was like someone buying vegetables at the market, casually getting up after the purchase and beheading the vegetable vendor with one swift sword strike.


    It was like doing something very ordinary.


    Doubtful, the middle-aged man again created various difficulties for the Black Dragon within the illusion. Still, the Black Dragon always sought revenge with no trace of killing intent in his eyes, only sorrow¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°How strange¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man stared blankly at the Black Dragon, who was still unconscious in the spring water.


    In this world, there¡¯s only one kind of person born without any revealing any killing intent.


    Those who are extremely cold-blooded and ruthless!


    Such people, whether killing an enemy or someone unrelated to them, would never display the slightest killing intent; innate emotionless, they are the perfect assassins.


    And such assassins can never be controlled.


    For an entity that devours its master, there is no psychological burden when dealing with such people.


    So when the Black Dragon initially said he wouldn¡¯t reveal any killing intent, the middle-aged man was so dismissive because it was evident that the Black Dragon wasn¡¯t one of those extremely cold-blooded and ruthless people.


    If he wasn¡¯t that kind of person, then mastering this skill would require a lot of time and practice, which is not something a Young Dragon could do.


    But now¡ª


    He discovered that, aside from the extremely cold-blooded and ruthless kind, there¡¯s a second kind of person in this world naturally capable of doing this.


    That is, like the Black Dragon.


    Indeed, harboring no killing intent towards anyone, even filled with goodwill towards strangers. But if he decided it was time for someone to die, then he would kill.


    Yet, during the act of killing, there was no malice in his heart, even to the point where the person about to die would not realize that the passerby brushing past them would strike them down.


    Strictly speaking¡­


    It belongs to self-deception.


    To completely conceal one¡¯s killing intent is precisely to deceive oneself; it¡¯s just that ordinary people need to train hard to achieve this, whereas the Black Dragon was born with this ability.


    Because the Black Dragon has deceived himself deep enough.


    Natural assassin material.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long while, the middle-aged man looked at the slowly awakening Black Dragon with a complex expression. Had it been thousands of years since such talents were as common as carps leaping across the river in the Dragon Clan?


    But if that were so, why hadn¡¯t anyone visited the Dragon Palace or sought the Dragon Clan¡¯s legacy in tens of thousands of years?


    Soon.


    The Black Dragon, waking up again at a leisurely pace, raised his head and said in a murmur to the middle-aged man, ¡°I think I had a dream where I was being chased by a lot of women.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The middle-aged man, with a somewhat speechless expression, remained silent. Dragons are naturally lascivious, which is quite normal; in the illusion, he wanted to test the Black Dragon¡¯s nature, but no matter how those sirens tried to seduce him, the Black Dragon had not a single lustful thought.


    Theoretically speaking.


    Young Dragons are the most lascivious, and to restrain oneself to such an extent had nothing to do with nature; it¡¯s likely he was impotent.


    What a pity.


    Perhaps this was a case of being granted one talent at the expense of another.


    Such a Heavenly Pride, utterly uninterested in the female charm, how would he ever contribute to the Dragon Clan¡¯s legacy in the future.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Shaking his head and no longer dwelling on it, he spoke with a calm expression, ¡°Congratulations, you have passed the Dragon Clan¡¯s legacy, and for the next month, you need to stay here.¡±


    ¡°I will personally guide you until you break through to Divinity Transformation and can transform into human form.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The Black Dragon sounded somewhat unsatisfied; he had been thinking about quickly returning to Dragon Island to show off his Cultivation, but now it would take another month.


    ¡°Ah what?¡±


    The middle-aged man said irritably, ¡°What do you take the Dragon Clan for? To inherit all the Dragon Clan¡¯s legacies that suit you, one month is the shortest time. If your ability to understand is a bit weaker, it will take three months.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Although somewhat disappointed about not being able to return to Dragon Island quickly, the Black Dragon soon became excited again, his eyes shining as he said, ¡°Senior, how did I perform in the first round, and what Grade of Dragon Clan¡¯s legacy am I?¡±


    The middle-aged man glanced at the Black Dragon in the spring and then, with his hands behind his back, turned and walked away into the distance.

 Chapter 558 - 208:

    Chapter 558: Chapter 208: ¡°In fact, I won the bet!¡±_3


    ¡°The highest grade.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°So after I obtain this inheritance, can I easily beat someone at the peak of Divinity Transformation with a Ninth Grade Divine Domain ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not, but once your Cultivation reaches the late stage of Divinity Transformation, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to overpower him, after all, it¡¯s just a female dragon.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ it¡¯s a male dragon.¡±


    ¡°A male dragon? Why would a male dragon choose such a girly Divine Domain?¡±


    ¡°I think so too, maybe he was just born effeminate.¡± Black Dragon shrank his neck and muttered under his breath, had his father¡¯s Divine Domain been something only a female dragon would choose?


    At that time, his father had clearly told him that this was the strongest Divine Domain for those with Red Dragon Blood.


    He knew it, ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest¡¯ sounded like a domain meant for a female dragon.


    But he hadn¡¯t expected that his little ploy in the first round would actually fool the elder. Indeed, red dragons weren¡¯t very bright and always pretended to be clever.


    As Black Dragon scorned, he crawled out of the spring water and hurriedly ran towards the direction of the middle-aged man.


    ¡°Elder, wait for me.¡±


    ¡­


    A month passed by quickly.


    When night fell.


    Chen Qiu, who had been meditating on the peak of Dragon Island Mountain all these days, exhaled a long breath; his Cultivation Realm was now completely stable.


    Breaking through from the first layer to the ninth layer of Divinity Transformation in two days had put some pressure on his Nascent Soul.


    Today was an important day.


    Chen Qiu smiled as he looked at the small Nascent Soul in his hand; his Nascent Soul had finally spawned offsprings. Now he could activate three Divine Domains at the same time!


    He would activate one, and the two Nascent Souls would each activate another.


    With three thirteenth-grade Divine Domains activated simultaneously, with his current combat power, even if dozens of peak Divinity Transformation cultivators attacked him, they couldn¡¯t harm him. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unless those dozens of peak Divinity Transformation cultivators each possessed an Eleventh or Twelfth Grade Divine Domain.


    Without an absolute suppression by the domain.


    The fight wouldn¡¯t be so easy, and he¡¯d need to resort to some unconventional methods.


    He still had two regular entries left to choose from; he had been busy looking for Black Dragon and stabilizing his realms in the past few days. He planned to wait a while longer, for an auspicious time to choose, hoping to soak up some good fortune.


    Just then¡ª


    A streak of Liu Guang shot towards him. Seeing Ao Tian, who had become much more haggard in just a few days, forced out a somewhat bitter smile, ¡°Little brother, I¡¯m planning to hold a funeral for Black Dragon, will you come?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood up and looked at Ao Tian, softly saying, ¡°Brother, take heart. In life, we always encounter hardships. We must always look forward.¡±


    He accompanied Ao Tian searching the boundless seas for a full twenty days, but they found no trace of the Dragon Palace.


    No matter how complex the inheritance challenge was, it couldn¡¯t last so many days. This fact suggested a grim reality¡ªBlack Dragon¡­ was truly dead.


    Ao Tian stood still, silent for a long while, before forcibly squeezing out a smile and nonchalantly patting Chen Qiu¡¯s shoulder, his eyes reddening, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a kid that died.¡±


    ¡°On the path of Cultivation, there are many crises, and with Black Dragon¡¯s nature of being kind to everyone, even if he had survived, without me, he might have died in some unknown corner someday.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded lightly, and then followed Ao Tian to Dragon Island¡¯s beach to prepare for the funeral.


    He hadn¡¯t interacted much with Black Dragon.


    But indeed, Black Dragon was always kind-hearted. The first time Black Dragon met the scholar on the surface of the Evil State Sea, Black Dragon¡¯s Cultivation was far stronger than the scholar¡¯s.


    But he merely used his dragon tail to knock the scholar away without trying to kill or even injure him. It was like a gentle nudge.


    And on the ¡®Nascent Soul Combat Power Ranking Secret Realm¡¯ stage.


    Black Dragon never killed his opponents after winning a match; just like Ao Tian said, Black Dragon was an innocent young dragon who was kind to everyone.


    Such a person, within the deceitful Cultivation World, indeed had a hard time surviving.


    ¡­


    On the beach of Dragon Island.


    All the disciples of Chao Tian Sect in black robes stood on the left side, with Chen Qiu leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella at the very front.


    The few female dragons of the Dragon Clan, turned into human form, stood on the right side led by Ao Tian.


    In the center.


    There was a small mound.


    At the head of the grave was a small stele inscribed with the name of Black Dragon.


    ¡°Black Dragon.¡±


    Ao Tian walked out from the crowd with a distracted look, took out a handful of Xiao Yu fish jerky from his chest, threw it on the ground, and murmured with teary eyes, ¡°I was planning to give you an official name when you grew up.¡±


    ¡°But I never thought that I would forever lose the chance to give you one.¡±


    ¡°You used to like teasing the ¡®Red Fish Group¡¯ to the west from time to time, you said they were your best friends. I turned them into fish jerky, so they can go down with you, hoping you can recognize each other on the road to the netherworld.¡±


    ¡°In the future, during festivals¡­¡±


    Before he could finish¡ª


    ¡°What are you doing!!!¡±


    An angry roar erupted from the edge of the beach, as a young man strode to the front of the mound, looking at the pile of red fish jerky before the grave, suddenly his eyes reddened, and he burst into tears.


    ¡°Why did you have to kill them? They were my only friends, why?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back to Dragon Island ever again!¡±


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ao Tian froze, staring at this unfamiliar young man. In him, with tears rolling down, crying and burying the red fish jerky into the soil, Ao Tian didn¡¯t recognize the man, but he felt a familiar sensation emanating from him.

 Chapter 559 - 208:

    Chapter 559: Chapter 208: ¡°In Fact, I Won the Bet!¡±_4


    This habit of speaking¡­


    ¡°Black¡­ Black Dragon?¡±


    Ao Tian suddenly became emotional, gripping the shoulders of the young man before him with extreme force, as if holding onto a dream that could disperse at any moment.


    Overwhelmed with joy and shedding old tears that coursed down his face, his voice trembled uncontrollably, ¡°You really are Black Dragon, you¡¯ve passed the Dragon Clan inheritance, you¡¯ve truly broken through to Divinity Transformation!¡±


    ¡°I am not Black Dragon!¡±


    The young man, with red-rimmed and tearful eyes, knelt on the ground, looking at the dried fish in his embrace. He was quite saddened and angry as he shoved Ao Tian away, ¡°You¡¯ve always been like this, never caring about my feelings, you only care about your so-called Dragon Clan inheritance!¡±


    ¡°Actually, you¡¯re just using the excuse of caring about the Dragon Clan inheritance to cover up your true nature of being afraid of death!¡±


    ¡°The seniors all told me, only the most cowardly Red Dragon would choose the ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest,¡¯ a Divine Domain with no combat power, only the ability to quickly recover from injuries.¡±


    ¡°To kill even the only friend of your son, what kind of father are you!¡±


    Ao Tian was slightly stunned, then hurriedly picked up a piece of dried fish from the ground, stuffed it into his mouth, and while chewing frantically, he explained somewhat urgently, ¡°No, these dried fish are not from the ¡®Red Fish Group¡¯ in the west, they¡¯re dried fish I bought from Xuantian Continent, dyed red.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were dead.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to deceive you, to make you think that you could also find your own friends down there.¡±


    ¡°I know you often go to the west to play with that group of Red Fish Group, how could I possibly harm them!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Black Dragon hesitantly stuffed a piece of dried fish into his mouth, and after chewing for a while, he wiped away his tears and laughed, ¡°It¡¯s true, the Red Fish don¡¯t taste like this, Father, you didn¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    ¡°Black Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°Black Dragon!!¡±


    ¡°Father!!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Silent for a long time after putting on black clothes and preparing to offer incense, Chen Qiu expressionlessly tossed the incense aside and turned to walk towards the beach, sighing quietly.


    What a joke.


    He had finally attended someone else¡¯s funeral for the first time, and it had ended in failure.


    Fat Long looked down at the three incense sticks in his hand that hadn¡¯t been lit yet and then at the father and son who were tearfully embracing each other not far away. He pursed his lips, likewise discarded the incense, and hurried towards Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, Black Dragon has actually come back to life, wasn¡¯t there a 99% mortality rate?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Strolling casually along Heavenly Beach, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect it either. I thought Black Dragon was just an ordinary member of the Dragon Clan, but now it seems, Black Dragon is not so ordinary.¡±


    Based on Ao Tian¡¯s description of the Dragon Clan inheritance.


    He didn¡¯t believe that Black Dragon, who could pass through that inheritance, would only be an ordinary member of the Dragon Clan.


    Quite good.


    It felt like an era of greatness was coming!


    He truly felt as if the Heavenly Pride were carps leaping over the dragon gate.


    He was genuinely happy for Ao Tian from the bottom of his heart, and happy for Black Dragon as well.


    ¡°Hey, Brother Qiu, if I marry Ao Tian¡¯s daughter, Black Dragon will have to call me brother-in-law, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± Fat Long seemed to think of something and grinned with a smile.


    ¡­


    ¡°Black Dragon, ah.¡±


    After reminiscing the father and son moment, Ao Tian eventually put his arm around Black Dragon¡¯s shoulder, and after a long silence with an expressionless face, he said, ¡°Your father might have misheard just now.¡±


    ¡°It seemed like I heard you say ¡®Hundred Phoenix Nest¡¯ is the Divine Domain that only the most cowardly Red Dragon would use.¡±


    ¡°And something about¡­ ¡±


    ¡°How your father has always used caring about the Dragon Clan inheritance as an excuse, but in fact, it was just to cover up his own fear of death. Did you say that earlier?¡±


    The Black Dragon, whose emotions had subsided after flaring up just now, shrank his neck and carefully moved Ao Tian¡¯s arm off his shoulder, whispering softly.


    ¡°Father, you misheard, how could I say such things?¡±


    ¡°In my heart, Father, you are the greatest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to play now; call me if you need anything, Father.¡±


    Having said that,


    The Black Dragon hurried away toward the depths of the island like a streak of smoke.


    Meanwhile, Ao Tian watched the Black Dragon¡¯s retreating figure with a complex expression, silently for a long time without speaking, and at that moment, Chen Qiu had walked over without notice and sat next to Ao Tian.


    Picking up a pebble from the beach and tossing it into the sea, he chuckled and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, did those few words sting?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    After a long pause, Ao Tian responded with a voice tinged with a hint of loss and hoarseness, ¡°I think in this world, regardless of the race, no father can accept this kind of evaluation from his own son, can he?¡±


    ¡°Coward.¡±


    ¡°These two words negate all my achievements in life.¡±


    ¡°As if my whole life has been a failure.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu patted his shoulder and smiled reassuringly, ¡°Children are excused for their candor, don¡¯t take it too much to heart; when the Black Dragon grows up, he¡¯ll know how much you¡¯ve done for the Dragon Clan.¡±


    He actually had a hunch that ¡°Hundred Phoenix Nest¡± was not the strongest Divine Domain suitable for the Red Dragon.


    After all, it barely added any combat power and its main effect was to heal injuries rapidly.


    But he could understand Ao Tian.


    To Ao Tian, having strong combat power was completely unnecessary. Surviving at all costs and striving to continue the Dragon Clan¡¯s legacy was his most important mission, his only task.


    To the Black Dragon, however, this appeared as sheer cowardice.


    In a way, calling it cowardice wasn¡¯t entirely wrong.


    But for Ao Tian, there was no choice; sitting in his position meant he had to make that choice. The Black Dragon could afford to take risks because he didn¡¯t have to worry about the Dragon Clan¡¯s fate if he died, but Ao Tian couldn¡¯t.


    If Ao Tian died, it would mean the extinction of the Dragon Clan,


    a complete break in the lineage.


    ¡°Everyone knows children speak their mind, but when their words pierce your heart, who can truly brush them off as child¡¯s talk?¡±


    Ao Tian spoke softly after a long silence this time.


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°I need to find an opportunity to show the Black Dragon his father¡¯s mettle!¡±


    ¡°Dammit, how could the Dragon Clan lack fighting spirit? Everyone talks about the Dragon Clan¡¯s wealth, but did that wealth just fall from the sky? Without fighting spirit, how could the Dragon Clan amass so much wealth?¡±


    ¡°These years, being the Dragon Clan Patriarch has indeed been frustrating.¡±


    ¡°Next time we go to the Xuantian Continent, I¡¯ll take the Black Dragon with me.¡±


    ¡°I want him to see what true fighting spirit is.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Being afraid of death¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s infuriating!!!¡±


    Ao Tian smashed his fist into the beach with force, cursing angrily, before rising and striding toward the depths of the island.


    It was clear that Ao Tian was truly angry.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu watched Ao Tian¡¯s departing figure and shrugged his shoulders without saying much. He didn¡¯t have a son and didn¡¯t know how to handle such a father-son relationship.


    He just casually asked.


    ¡°Where are you off to?¡±


    ¡°To play.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good.¡±

 Chapter 560 - 209:

    Chapter 560: Chapter 209: ¡°Five Hundred Divine Domains!


    After Ao Tian had left, Black Dragon sneaked back from the depths of Dragon Island with a sneaky look in his eyes. Seeing Fat Long standing on the beach, his eyes lit up and he strode over.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    With uncontainable joy in his eyes, Black Dragon patted his chest, raised his arms in the air, and gesticulated, his face beaming with pride, ¡°See? Fat Long, I¡¯ve achieved Divinity Transformation, I¡¯ve successfully transformed.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ right.¡±


    With a feigned nonchalance, Fat Long nodded, responding, ¡°I¡¯ve achieved Divinity Transformation too.¡±


    Black Dragon completely ignored Fat Long¡¯s words and walked over to the Chao Tian Sect disciples, approaching each one of them with his grin stretching ear to ear.


    ¡°I¡¯ve achieved Divinity Transformation!¡±


    ¡°See? I, Black Dragon, have achieved Divinity Transformation!¡±


    ¡°Still recognize me? Feel a bit unfamiliar after Transformation, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m Black Dragon.¡±


    The disciples of Chao Tian Sect were somewhat indifferent, dimming the excitement in Black Dragon¡¯s eyes. Just as he was about to share his joy with his sisters and aunt, a voice suddenly came from behind him.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Staring at Black Dragon in disbelief, Qu Gui¡¯s voice trembled with shock, ¡°I just realized¡­ you¡¯re actually Black Dragon. I didn¡¯t recognize you after your Transformation. Don¡¯t you still have three hundred years until adulthood? How did you suddenly achieve Divinity Transformation?¡±


    ¡°This is impossible!!!¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    Black Dragon, headed towards the deeper areas of Dragon Island, stopped and turned to look at a stunned Qu Gui, his face overflowing with pride and excitement, feigned nonchalance as he spoke casually.


    ¡°Ever heard of ¡®Dragon Palace¡¯? It¡¯s the most mysterious Forbidden Land in the palace, where there¡¯s a Dragon Clan heritage. Whoever passes the heritage will instantly reach adulthood and gain the Dragon Clan heritage.¡±


    ¡°Of the Dragon Clan who participate in the heritage, less than one in a hundred survive to emerge.¡±


    ¡°Not only did I come back alive, but I also obtained the highest Grade of the Dragon Clan heritage.¡±


    ¡°Interested in hearing more?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Qu Gui was elated, ¡°Is it really okay for me to hear this? It won¡¯t leak any divine secrets, will it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Clearing his throat, Black Dragon began to enthusiastically recount his story with a dramatic flair, ¡°The first round of the Dragon Clan heritage was to defeat a giant dragon in its prime, and that¡¯s a prime giant dragon, mind you. I¡¯m just a Young Dragon, how could I possibly defeat a prime giant dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how could that be possible?¡± Qu Gui¡¯s eyes were full of concern.


    ¡°But maybe, just maybe, I do have some talent. During the fight, I comprehended the Bloodline Secret Technique of the Cloud Hiding Dragon, ¡®Dragon Poison¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Deserving of the name Black Dragon!¡±


    ¡°Then with a little trick¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, unimaginable!¡±


    ¡°Black Dragon, you¡¯re really amazing!¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Just realized not only is your strength exceptional, your strategies are truly unparalleled!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that must have hurt, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too harsh on yourself, Black Dragon. With such a resolute spirit, you¡¯re definitely destined for greatness!¡±


    ¡°If it were me, I would have just given up.¡±


    Qu Gui¡¯s exaggerated expressions and bombastic tone had become a spectacle on the beach. With such an enthusiastic audience, Black Dragon grew more excited as he recounted the challenges he faced during the Dragon Clan heritage, with Qu Gui constantly providing intense emotional responses to each point.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With a sigh of helplessness, Fat Long didn¡¯t quite know what to say as he watched this scene unfold. It had to be said, Qu Gui¡¯s skill in playing the supportive role was indeed professional ¨C if Cultivation didn¡¯t work out, he could certainly make a living as a storyteller in a teahouse.


    Perfect.


    And then¡ª¡ª


    Black Dragon, having finished his story, suddenly pulled Qu Gui over to his side, his face serious as he looked at him, ¡°Fat Long, you helped me get the ¡®Dragon Clan Bloodline Token¡¯ from my father, allowing my Bloodline to be upgraded from Grade Seven to Eight.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget your kindness to me.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been good to me.¡±


    ¡°The reason I managed to pass the heritage was that during the fight, I activated the ¡®Dragon Clan Bloodline Token¡¯, succeeded in advancing to Grade Eight Bloodline, and even comprehended the Cloud Hiding Dragon¡¯s Bloodline Secret Technique ¡®Dragon Poison¡¯.¡±


    ¡°So¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°I suggest, the three of us!¡±


    ¡°Black Dragon, Fat Long, Qu Gui, how about we, like your Human Clan Cultivators, swear brotherhood today? What do you say?¡±


    Standing behind Black Dragon, Qu Gui whispered softly, ¡°Elder, Black Dragon dragged me over here.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fat Long paused, then looked at Black Dragon in bewilderment, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to become sworn brothers with you, Black Dragon, but doesn¡¯t this relationship seem a bit¡­ mixed up in terms of seniority?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an elder of Chao Tian Sect, Qu Gui is an outer sect elder. Based on age, would I have to call him brother in the future?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m about to marry your sister, which would make me your brother-in-law. What would you call me then?¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Black Dragon shook his head, ¡°We keep each matter separate, we don¡¯t follow age order. If we did, I should be the eldest brother.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have Fat Long as the eldest brother, I¡¯ll be the second elder brother, and Qu Gui will be the third.¡±


    ¡°So, third brother it is¡­¡± Fat Long said exasperatingly.


    ¡°Third brother sounds nicer.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With a sincere tone, Black Dragon tugged at Fat Long¡¯s arm, his eyes full of anticipation as he urged, ¡°Please, Fat Long, and about marrying my sister, you don¡¯t need to take that too seriously. In the Dragon Clan, there isn¡¯t even a concept of marriage. Father was just imitating the Human Race.¡±


    ¡°He wanted to use the marriage to strengthen the bonds between the Dragon Clan and Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    ¡°So blunt?¡± Fat Long¡¯s face showed a tinge of awkwardness.


    ¡°According to stories in the human world, you and my sister are political sacrifices.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 561 - 209:

    Chapter 561: Chapter 209: ¡°Five Hundred Divinity Transformation Domains!¡±_2


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t feel like there has been any sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s no need to take this matter too seriously.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t paid much attention to it either¡­ just felt¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just agree on that!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡­


    On the beach, Fat Long picked up the incense sticks he had dropped earlier, not wasting them, each of the three men¡ªincluding Qu Gui and Black Dragon¡ªheld three incense sticks.


    They held them in both hands.


    Under the night sky, the tips of the incense sticks shimmered with a crimson glow and wisps of blue smoke drifted faintly.


    The three knelt before the grave Ao Tian had dug for Black Dragon, looking towards the tombstone in front of the mound.


    Fat Long, leading solemnly, spoke first.


    ¡°Remember Fat Long, Black Dragon, Qu Gui.¡±


    ¡°Though not born brothers, since we¡¯ve sworn to be brothers, we¡¯ll unite in heart and work together to rescue the endangered and help the needy.¡±


    ¡°Not asking to have been born on the same year, month and day, but hoping to die on the same year, month and day.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Earth, truly witness our hearts, to betray this is to be condemned by gods and men alike!¡±


    Afterwards, he was the first to get up and planted the three sticks of incense into the ground, and behind him, Black Dragon and Qu Gui did likewise, completing the ritual.


    While kneeling, Fat Long then took out a jar of wine and poured it into three porcelain bowls.


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    Qu Gui and Black Dragon also excitedly echoed together, ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Big brother!¡±


    ¡°Second brother!¡±


    ¡°Second brother!¡±


    ¡°Third brother!¡±


    ¡°Third brother!¡±


    Fat Long, too, was somewhat moved by the emotions around him; this was his first time swearing brotherhood. He exchanged looks with Black Dragon and Qu Gui, and the three of them laughed out loud under the moonlight before embracing one another.


    However, that soon changed¡ª


    Black Dragon immediately made an excited suggestion, ¡°I propose we need a battle to let the whole world know of our fame, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Great idea,¡± Fat Long nodded, looking towards the figure of Brother Qiu atop the distant peak, and clicked his tongue, ¡°But it has to wait a year, the next year is Chao Tian Sect and Dragon Clan¡¯s seclusion days.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ that works.¡±


    Black Dragon nodded, then waved goodbye to Fat Long and the others, ¡°I¡¯m heading west to deliver the good news to the Red Fish Group.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡­


    After Black Dragon had left.


    Fat Long, with an expressionless face, turned to look at Qu Gui. Although he didn¡¯t speak, Qu Gui shrank his neck a little fearfully and whispered, ¡°Ch¡­ Chief, it was Black Dragon who insisted on swearing brotherhood with me.¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t coax him; I just complimented him once, and he insisted on swearing brotherhood with me.¡±


    Just as Qu Gui was about to say something else.


    Fat Long suddenly put his arm around Qu Gui¡¯s shoulders and grinned, ¡°Damn, weren¡¯t you calling me big brother just now?¡±


    Qu Gui was momentarily stunned, but excitement soon flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°Big brother!¡±


    ¡­


    On the mountain top of Dragon Island.


    Chen Qiu sat calmly cross-legged on a round rock, watching the trio at the tomb making their brotherhood vows, smiling quietly without speaking.


    Quite lively.


    He messed with the newly born Nascent Soul in his arms and then threw it back into his Dantian. Unlike his main Nascent Soul, which was engraved all over with entry names and Heavenly Gifted Names, surrounded by countless light balls, his minor Nascent Soul was reduced by thirty percent.


    It looked almost pocket-sized, the surface of its body clean and devoid of any tattoos or similar markings.


    Then he looked towards the panel enveloped in clouds and mist above his Dantian.


    He wasn¡¯t planning on keeping it, since his next breakthrough would be into the Void Refining Stage. Using one choice from the Void Refining Stage¡¯s three options, and combining it with two choices from the Divinity Transformation Stage¡¯s three choices seemed a bit wasteful.


    ¡­


    ¡°Cultivation has greatly surged, as you¡¯ve officially advanced to the eighth layer of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from the following three random entries within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Bloodline Inheritance.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Your first-generation bloodline has a certain probability of obtaining a Bloodline Entry.


    2:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Heavenly Mission.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Purple.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Each month you will face a calamity. Surpassing it grants certain rewards, and the power of each calamity will increase monthly. The greater the calamity¡¯s power, the higher the rewards after it¡¯s surpassed, totaling one hundred and eight calamities.


    3:


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Bearing Thorns to Plead for Forgiveness


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Purple.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: When you bear thorns and kowtow to apologize, you will be sheltered by the power of heaven and earth. The person you apologize to, if not exceeding you by two great realms, will be unable to act against you.


    ¡­ S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu immediately noticed the third entry, ¡°Bearing Thorns to Plead for Forgiveness.¡± Among the three, this entry was the strongest.


    It meant that as long as you had this entry, as long as the opponent¡¯s cultivation hadn¡¯t surpassed you by two great realms,


    When you bore thorns and apologized, they wouldn¡¯t be able to act against you.


    It symbolized the power of heaven and earth.


    Two great realms,


    That means that if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had this entry, only a Nascent Soul Cultivator could act against them; a Golden Core couldn¡¯t do anything against them.


    This was indeed a strong entry, but its downside was that it could only control one person at a time. If you wanted to apologize to multiple people all at once, you¡¯d probably need to combine it with other entries or increase the frequency of bowing.


    If two people approached you from different sides,


    You would need to bow to the east, controlling the eastern side while quickly bowing again to the person approaching from the west. It was like playing a game of freeze tag.


    This entry was quite good, but the effect it might have on him was minimal.


    If he really faced someone two realms above himself, rather than beating Bearing Thorns to Plead for Forgiveness, he preferred to whip out his Merit Attack Order, unleashing all his merit points and letting the opponent see what it meant to provoke a brute.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 562 - 209:

    Chapter 562: Chapter 209: ¡°Five Hundred Divinity Transformation Domains!¡±_3


    The first entry ¡°Bloodline Inheritance¡± is completely useless for him, suitable for Family Heads and other cultivators aiming to spread their lineages, but he has no intention or thought of marrying or branching out his family.


    This entry is of no use to him at all.


    An entry like the innate one possessed by scholars belongs to the Bloodline Entry category, a rather rare entry that only a few can naturally obtain.


    It¡¯s entirely down to chance, and the probability is exceedingly low.


    Unless one¡¯s biological mother or father possesses the ¡°Bloodline Inheritance¡± entry, the chances of the Bloodline Entry appearing can be greatly increased.


    As for the second ¡°Heavenly Mission¡± entry, to be honest, it¡¯s also okay, except it¡¯s not clear how powerful the calamity it refers to is, making it an entry with unclear information.


    One hundred and eight calamities.


    That¡¯s quite a lot more than the eighty-one seen before; who could withstand that?


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t ponder long but used the ¡°Time will come¡± entry to reselect his first entry, hoping to randomly get a more suitable one.


    If that doesn¡¯t work out, he¡¯d choose the ¡°Heavenly Mission¡± entry, take some rewards when the calamities were not too strong, and when they became too overwhelming, he¡¯d just self-destruct the entry.


    It just seemed a bit wasteful.


    Self-destructing a Purple Entry would be quite distressing for him.


    Very soon¡ª


    The panel shrouded in mist in front of him started rapidly blurring the first entry, which then gradually became clear again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Endless Abyss.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: A one-time entry; upon using this entry, one will enter a solo Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. There will be countless ghosts in the Secret Realm, with five rounds, each round providing a special reward upon completion. One can exit at any time, but cannot re-enter once they¡¯ve left.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow, then after a moment of thought, ultimately chose the ¡°Endless Abyss¡± between it and the ¡°Heavenly Mission¡±.


    Compared to the latter, the difficulty of the former was somewhat predictable, just ghosts, but who knew what sort of calamities the latter entailed, and with one each month, it meant that for a long time he might be affected by all sorts of unpredictable calamities at any moment.


    He was not fond of such frequent and unexpected situations.


    After choosing this entry, he didn¡¯t linger and immediately shattered the token for this entry.


    Quite soon.


    A white vortex slowly emerged in front of him, like the entrance to the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu surveyed his surroundings; the area wasn¡¯t small at all, it was an extremely spacious Green Stone Square, completely within the range of his Divine Sense.


    The outermost part of the square was enveloped in white mist.


    And in mid-air, there was also a panel encompassed in mist.


    ¨C


    ¡°First Round.¡±


    ¨C


    At the next moment¡ª


    A thousand ghosts suddenly burst from the ground of the Green Stone Square, all with Nascent Soul peak Cultivation, now strenuously digging their way out from the ground.


    ¡°Goodness me.¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly narrowed his eyes, a hint of surprise flickering through them.


    The difficulty of each round is supposed to increase, and here in the first round, there are over a thousand Nascent Soul peak Cultivation ghosts. He is at the Late-stage Divinity Transformation, approaching the Peak of Divinity Transformation, so naturally he didn¡¯t fear them.


    But for a typical Late-stage Divinity Transformation it might not be so simple; although within their Domain they would absolutely crush any Nascent Soul, the problem is, you can¡¯t maintain the Divine Domain indefinitely.


    Once the Divine Domain ends, facing over a thousand Nascent Soul peak Cultivation ghosts wouldn¡¯t be so easy anymore; death by a thousand cuts is an objective reality.


    Following that.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s body began emitting a slow ripple of Spiritual Energy, his clothes moving without wind, as if a bunch of dark clouds had mysteriously accumulated above his head.


    Purple and blue ripples emerged from under Chen Qiu¡¯s feet, radiating rapidly outwards.


    The entire Green Stone Square¡¯s ground turned a purple-blue color.


    In the air, countless thunder arcs bloomed and vanished, like winter plums.


    The 13th-grade Divine Domain ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± activated!


    Almost at the instant his Domain opened, these thousand Nascent Soul peak Cultivation ghosts screamed and turned into wisps of green smoke, disappearing on the spot.


    ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± isn¡¯t an offensive Domain.


    Its primary effect is to greatly enhance the power of Thunder Magic. As for the thunder arcs that flickered in and out within the Domain, they were merely the power of heaven and earth that manifested upon the Domain¡¯s activation, not highly powerful, and could even be considered decorative.


    A storm of purple-blue thunder arcs, like spring snow!


    Yet¡­


    Being at the Late-stage Divinity Transformation phase, with significantly higher Cultivation, the decorative thunder arcs flickering within his Domain became overwhelming for these Nascent Soul peak Cultivation ghosts.


    From beginning to end, Chen Qiu had simply stood in place without moving, casting no Thunder Summoning Technique, invoking no Spiritual Treasure, making no Divine Sense lock-on.


    He did nothing.


    Just by opening a Domain, the world quieted down.


    At the next moment¡ª


    As all the Nascent Soul peak Cultivation ghosts turned into wisps of green smoke, a mist-shrouded panel appeared in front of him.


    There were three options on it.


    ¨C


    ¡°Successfully passed the first round.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one special reward from the three options below.¡±


    1: Specify a Spell to enhance in power.


    2: Specify a Spiritual Treasure to enhance in power.


    3: Randomly reassign all current entries at the same entry level.


    ¨C


    ¡°So this is the special reward?¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded pensively, finding the last special reward rather interesting; it presented an opportunity for those with poor luck to try again.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com


    S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 563 - 209:

    Chapter 563: Chapter 209: ¡°Five Hundred Divinity Transformation Domains!¡±_4


    Not everyone is lucky enough to randomly receive an entry that suits them.


    At such times, if one encounters this opportunity, it can be considered a good choice.


    Of course, it¡¯s of no use to him.


    In the end, he chose the first special reward to enhance the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique.


    A Thunder Summoning Technique to use until death!


    He could scarcely remember how many methods he had used to augment the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique; it felt like a lot, and he thought it might be time to rename the spell.


    The name Thunder Summoning Technique no longer seemed to match its displayed dominance.


    He didn¡¯t have much time to think.


    After he made his choice, the panel shrouded in mist before him quickly dissipated, and the second challenge arrived.


    ¡­


    Green Stone Square soon saw the emergence of over five hundred ghosts at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation.


    The difficulty soared dramatically.


    These five hundred Divinity Transformations almost matched the total number on the entire Xuantian Continent. It was clear that the Secret Realm generated corresponding ghosts based on the challenger¡¯s level of Cultivation.


    Handling ghosts with Divinity Transformation Cultivation was becoming difficult by simply activating the Thirteen Grade Domain of Three Thousand Thunders Move; it was time for action.


    Before the ghosts could fully emerge from beneath the square,


    Chen Qiu had already opened the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella that he had been leaning on without knowing when, holding it above his head, followed by the howling storm.


    The entire Green Stone Square was at once filled with flashing lightning and booming thunder, giving the impression of an apocalyptic scene.


    And his garments whipped fiercely in the storm.


    Umbrellas are an extremely charming item, especially in a storm, beneath the terrifying natural forces, a frail oil-paper umbrella standing stubbornly in the downpour like a mortal challenging the heavens, difficult and tenacious.


    It stood unwavering in the storm, like a ship cresting the skies.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve taken action.¡±


    A hint of a smile flickered in Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes, his lips curled slightly as he slowly extended his left palm, fingers spread wide and raised towards the Early Stage Divinity Transformation creatures that had just climbed up from Green Stone Square and were charging towards him.


    ¡°Boom, boom¡­¡±


    At that moment, five hundred Domain fields opened up simultaneously. The domains belonged to the ghosts and instantly turned the Green Stone Square into a place extremely eerie, the light visibly dimming.


    Five hundred Divine Domains! S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was truly terrifying.


    But the next moment¡ª


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The Thirteen Grade Domain of Unlimited Spiritual Energy and the Thirteen Grade Domain of Three Thousand Thunders Move activated at the same time.


    A blue-purple glow emerged from beneath Chen Qiu¡¯s feet, expanding instantly all around him, absolutely suppressing every Divinity Transformation Domain it encountered to dust!


    And the milky glow from the Nascent Soul beside him swiftly enveloped the whole field, subtly present and not as conspicuous as the blue-purple light.


    Two top-tier Divinity Transformation Domains activated simultaneously!


    The five hundred Divine Domains were almost instantly, utterly suppressed into annihilation. Once the Difference in Domain Grade exceeds three levels, absolute suppression occurs.


    Unstoppable by anyone.


    Chen Qiu looked at the ghosts whose Divine Domains were utterly crushed to dust, raised his palm, and started to chuckle.


    Then¡ª


    Countless Thunder Dragons roared forth from his palm, immense in size, their scales shimmering with blinding electric light, and their draconic roars deafening as if they truly formed a host of Thunder Dragons.


    Mingling with the thunder of the heavens and the earth, they composed a symphony of destruction.


    Each Thunder Dragon carried with it the momentum to destroy heavens and earth, enveloping all the ghosts within the storm.


    The moment the Thunder Dragons made contact with the ghosts, they burst forth into radiant light and ear-splitting explosions.


    Almost instantly, their bodies were torn apart into fragments, turned to scorched earth and ash, with no chance of resisting.


    The air was filled with the smell of charred matter and sulfur.


    That was¡­


    The scent of Thunder Entombment.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 564 - 210: You truly possess wisdom.

    Chapter 564: Chapter 210: ¡®You truly possess wisdom.


    As the smoke gradually cleared, not a single ghost remained on the field, only a pile of ashes on the Green Stone Square which quickly dispersed into the past under the storm.


    ¡°Not very durable,¡± he said.


    Chen Qiu shook his head, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.


    If these early-stage Divinity Transformation ghosts were like Human Clan Cultivators with their own entry sets, their own spells, and their own Spiritual Treasures, dealing with them might have required a bit more effort.


    But these ghosts had nothing.


    No entry set of their own, no Spiritual Treasures, only a Divine Domain, fragile and easily shattered, and early-stage Divinity Transformation Cultivation.


    For him, they were completely unremarkable.


    Before he could think further,


    a panel enveloped in mist quickly materialized in front of him again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Successfully passed the second round.¡±


    ¡°Please select one from the three special rewards below.¡±


    1: Obtain a top-tier Nascent Soul Spiritual Treasure.


    2: One-day blue entry.


    3: One top-tier Nascent Soul talisman.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­,¡± he muttered.


    Chen Qiu frowned slightly as he looked at the three options before him. The rewards were quite average, but that wasn¡¯t the most important thing. He felt the difficulty of this so-called solo Heavenly Dao Secret Realm was a bit excessive.


    A typical Peak of Divinity Transformation. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If they couldn¡¯t absolutely dominate with their Domain,


    it would be virtually impossible to defeat five hundred early-stage Divinity Transformations; too many ants could kill an elephant, let alone these were early-stage Divinity Transformations. If five hundred Divine Domains enveloped you, even as a Peak of Divinity Transformation, you were doomed to fall with resentment right there.


    Even if the Cultivation Realm dropped a Great Realm.


    For instance, to the Peak of Nascent Soul.


    A Peak of Nascent Soul could not possibly defeat five hundred early-stage Nascent Souls; while strength varies at each small realm within the same Great Realm, it is not so overwhelming as to fight hundreds alone.


    This level of difficulty meant that the second round was virtually impossible for a regular cultivator to pass.


    Of course¡ª


    He could feel his Divine Thought connecting with the outside world, allowing him to exit anytime he wished, which meant there was no mortal danger for a regular cultivator, even if they couldn¡¯t pass.


    It wouldn¡¯t go to the extreme of dying due to a random one-time entry.


    What truly baffled him was,


    the mismatch between difficulty and reward.


    Such difficulty for just these three rewards? Was this a joke? And it felt worse than the reward from the first round.


    Whether it was the top-tier Nascent Soul Spiritual Treasure or the one-day blue entry, they were of no use to him, far less valuable than the reward from the first round, which at least enhanced the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique somehow.


    There must be a devil lurking behind this abnormality.


    Such abnormal circumstances meant that there was definitely something peculiar about this solo Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu squinted and surveyed his surroundings, detecting nothing out of the ordinary, and finally chose the one-day blue entry among the three rewards.


    The other two items were utterly useless to him; the one-day blue entry was better after all.


    Perhaps it might even turn up something useful.


    Very soon¡ª


    a panel enveloped in mist materialized in front of him again.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry name¡±: Soul-shocking Demise (one-day version).


    ¡°Entry level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry effect¡±: When someone is frightened because of you, obtain varying progress in Cultivation depending on the number and extent of frightened individuals, and you will no longer be able to gain Cultivation Progress through any other means.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­,¡± he said emotionlessly.


    Chen Qiu was silent, the useless entry¡ªat least to him¡ªheld no value, yet it might be considered decent for someone else.


    It was only now, with no immediate means to swiftly increase his Cultivation Progress, that he didn¡¯t mind owning this one-day entry.


    If it had been a while ago, he would have likely destroyed this entry on the spot.


    He shook his head, thought no further, and prepared to use this entry for suicide bombing in the fifth round; it was useless to him after exiting the realm anyway.


    After making his choice, the third round promptly ensued, boasting one hundred cultivators at the middle stage of Divinity Transformation.


    The pressure surged.


    Of course, this is speaking about a typical late-stage Divinity Transformation, for Chen Qiu, one hundred middle-stage Divinity Transformations were no different from five hundred early-stage ones; he currently possessed an absolute dominating power during the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    Void Refining was frankly still a bit abstract, but Peak of Divinity Transformation didn¡¯t faze him.


    Very soon,


    those one hundred middle-stage Divinity Transformations turned to ashes, and the reward for the third round followed.


    ¨C


    ¡°Successfully passed the third round.¡±


    ¡°Please select one from the following three special rewards.¡±


    1: Designate to enhance the power of a specific spell.


    2: Enhance your physical strength.


    3: Increase your Spiritual Energy capacity.


    ¨C


    Well, this time it¡¯s okay.


    Chen Qiu casually selected the first reward again, and after enhancing the power of a certain spell, the fourth round descended, featuring fifty late-stage Divinity Transformations.


    The same Cultivation Realm, one against fifty, was nearly fantastical; normally, this would be the time to exit the Secret Realm.


    However¡­


    Divine Domains ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± and ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± activated together.


    Instantly crushed.


    The reward panel for the fourth round appeared once more.


    The reward panel was even more simplistic this time.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 565 - 210:

    Chapter 565: Chapter 210: ¡°You truly have wisdom.¡±_2


    ¨C


    ¡°Successfully passed the Fourth Level.¡±


    ¡°Please choose one from the three special rewards below.¡±


    1: One low-grade Spirit Stone.


    2: Ten low-grade Spirit Stones.


    3: One hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qu stood silently in place without expression, uttering not a word, which was somewhat excessive. Although you are a single-use blue entry, his expectations weren¡¯t too high, nor did he hope for any particularly good special rewards.


    But this single-player Heavenly Dao Secret Realm was supposed to adjust the difficulty according to the participant¡¯s Cultivation, wasn¡¯t it? Since the difficulty matched a person¡¯s Cultivation, shouldn¡¯t their rewards do the same?


    What was going on?


    Moreover, if you truly couldn¡¯t afford to give out rewards, you could¡¯ve simply distributed the 111 low-grade Spirit Stones evenly among the three options. Making it like this, even an idiot would choose the third option, right?


    His face remained impassive, neither sorrowful nor joyful, as he chose the first option. Then he looked at the low-grade Spirit Stone in his palm and fell into a long silence without speaking.


    Frankly speaking.


    He had indeed flickered through a possibility just now. He felt there certainly wouldn¡¯t be such a foolish reward panel, since even an idiot would know to pick the third option, which offered the most Spirit Stones.


    But it was precisely because the panel options were too foolish.


    That¡¯s why he thought the single Spirit Stone on the first option might not be just a Spirit Stone, so he went against the grain, prepared to wager on it. After all, even if he wagered wrong, he didn¡¯t lack for those Spirit Stones.


    Unexpectedly, the single Spirit Stone for the first option indeed turned out to be just one Spirit Stone, with nothing special about it.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A dismissive twitch passed briefly over Chen Qiu¡¯s lips; then he casually tossed the low-grade Spirit Stone towards the edge of Green Stone Square. He didn¡¯t lack that one low-grade Spirit Stone, and he also vaguely felt as if the low-grade Spirit Stone was mocking him in some way; there was no way he would put that Spirit Stone into his Heavenly Dao Ring.


    To him, that would be an insult!


    Before he could take any further action.


    The Fifth Level arrived as scheduled!


    This time, it was thirty Peak Divinity Transformation.


    Thirty Divine Domains were released at once, and honestly, the sense of pressure was very high. But by now, Chen Qiu no longer had the heart to continue playing. This single-player Heavenly Dao Secret Realm had disappointed him greatly. It wasn¡¯t that there were no gains at all, but the gains were so negligible that they could almost be ignored.


    The next moment!


    Two 13th rank Domains were unleashed simultaneously.


    Countless Thunder Dragons bearing a violent aura roared viciously within the Domain. The entire heaven and earth were filled with unstable Thunder, and when everything calmed down.


    On Green Stone Square, only Chen Qiu stood amidst the Storm, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    Just as Chen Qiu was prepared to carelessly select a reward and exit this single-player Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he looked towards the reward panel for the Fifth Level and was slightly stunned in place, a trace of surprise flickering in his eyes.


    ¨C


    ¡°Successfully passed the Fifth Level.¡±


    ¡°You have obtained a Token.¡±


    ¨C


    A simple sentence.


    Back on the peaks of Dragon Island, Chen Qiu looked at the Token in his hand, his expression strange and silent, not speaking. He had an entry that allowed him to see through all information about heavenly and earthly treasures.


    But this Token alone had no information. It seemed to be useless.


    But he knew.


    Since it could be the crowning reward of the Fifth Level, he decided to store it in the Heavenly Dao Ring. Then he shook his head and gazed towards the sea horizon.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Inside the palace of Da Xia Country.


    A young man dressed in white clothes was gasping for breath as he half-knelt on the ground, his originally pure white robe stained red with blood, looking rather disheveled.


    But more disheveled still was the sparring partner on the verge of death in the nearby square.


    This white-clothed young man was the Seventh Prince of Da Xia.


    He was the one who grew up under the tutelage of the State Preceptor.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    A woman standing nearby looked at the Seventh Prince with a pained expression, ¡°You have really progressed very quickly. Actually, there is no need for you to go to the Xuantian Continent, right? I think Da Xia Country is also very good.¡±


    ¡°The State Preceptors all say that Da Xia Country is a prison, but Da Xia Country is clearly so vast, how can it possibly be a prison?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Heavy breathing came from the Seventh Prince as he endured the pain and staggered to his feet from the ground, his face stern and resolute as he looked toward the direction of Boundless Snow Mountain to the west.


    ¡°The State Preceptor once told me that if I can defeat that Sword Cultivation Puppet by my own strength, then I can go to the Xuantian Continent and follow in his footsteps,¡± he said.


    ¡°Now I can already defeat a Golden Core eighth layer. My progress is miraculous. As long as I keep striving, I can behead that Sword Cultivation Puppet in a year!¡±


    ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°I want the whole Xuantian Continent to know the name of my master, Chen Qiu!¡±


    ¡°With the sword in my hand, I will spread master¡¯s fame, letting the whole world know of Chen Qiu¡¯s prestige!¡±


    ¡°Let every corner of the Xuantian Continent know the three words, ¡®Chao Tian Sect¡¯!¡±


    As he said this,


    The Seventh Prince¡¯s eyes were filled with steadfastness and anticipation. He had already begun to imagine the shock on his master¡¯s face when suddenly he heard rumors across Jianghu of a swordsman who defeated all enemies with a single sword thrust, claiming to be Chen Qiu¡¯s disciple.


    The master would surely be astonished.


    He wouldn¡¯t even believe it, would he?


    He surely couldn¡¯t imagine that his disciple had really defeated the Nascent Soul cultivation Puppet and arrived at the Xuantian Continent by his own strength.


    Thinking of this,


    The Seventh Prince was filled with even more vigor, turning his head towards the woman looking at him with pity and said coldly, ¡°Also, stop looking at me with those eyes. I hate it when people look at me with pity in their eyes.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 566 - 210:

    Chapter 566: Chapter 210: ¡°You truly have wisdom.¡±_3


    ¡°To me, this is an insult,¡±


    ¡°and¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The woman who had been standing to the side, frankly speaking, was not lacking in beauty; if she truly dressed up, even if she went to the Capital¡¯s brothel, she could snatch the title of Oiran. Upon hearing such a heartless statement from the Seventh Prince¡­


    Her body stiffened suddenly, then she forced out a smile, clutched the hem of her clothing with both hands, and shook her head: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t like me. Everything is fine.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ can you give me a reason why?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After the Seventh Prince quickly bandaged his wounds, he swallowed a Healing Pill and glanced at the woman with an indifferent expression: ¡°Because you¡¯re too weak.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The woman was stunned on the spot, and after a long while, she reacted subconsciously: ¡°By weak, do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Golden Core early stage Cultivation, too weak.¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A flicker of disbelief passed through the woman¡¯s eyes. She had imagined many reasons why the Seventh Prince might not like her: perhaps because her bottom wasn¡¯t sufficiently curvy, or her figure wasn¡¯t ideal.


    Or perhaps it was because her personality was not to the Seventh Prince¡¯s liking, her voice not sweet enough, her height not tall enough.


    It could also be that her family background did not meet the Seventh Prince¡¯s standards.


    She had thought through countless reasons.


    After all, whether it be in terms of status or power, the Seventh Prince would never lack women around him. It was only natural for him to be picky about women.


    But she had never thought that the Seventh Prince would use this reason to reject her.


    Unable to hold back her frustration, she stamped her foot in a fit of pique: ¡°Do you even understand romance? I am a woman; who has ever heard of rejecting a woman because she¡¯s weak in strength?¡±


    ¡°What else then.¡±


    ¡°What about being a woman, does that mean a woman can be weak? Can be weak and feel totally justified about it?¡±


    The Seventh Prince passed by her with a cold expression, not even turning his head as he scornfully said: ¡°If you had your master¡¯s level of Cultivation and power, even if you were a female pig, I would mount you eight times a day.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°Being weaker than me, even if you¡¯re Capable of toppling a nation and a city, in my eyes, you¡¯re no different from trash.¡±


    ¡°The true allure of a woman is her strength.¡±


    ¡°Not that stinking bag of flesh.¡±


    Leaving behind the woman, still standing in place annoyed and embarrassed, wanting to curse out loud but not daring to utter a word regarding the Seventh Prince¡¯s status and power.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    The Seventh Prince, who had walked a few steps away, suddenly paused and turned to look back at her: ¡°You may feel very angry right now but dare not show it, because you know that I could take your life at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Understand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the importance of power. If you were a female cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul, I certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to speak to you like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been coming every day to bring me food. Though I have no feelings for you, I advise you to spend more time cultivating. Be it man or woman, power is always first!¡±


    ¡°A woman¡¯s appearance is only valuable in the pleasure quarters.¡±


    ¡°I think¡ª¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to be a woman whose value is only recognized in the pleasure quarters.¡±


    With that said,


    The Seventh Prince did not linger any longer; he simply turned and left. He did not know whether the woman had taken his words to heart, but he did not care; he was sincere.


    In his eyes,


    The beauty or ugliness of a woman wasn¡¯t important, nor was her personality.


    He only liked, or rather, respected one kind of woman: those stronger than him.


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent.


    Buddhist Sect.


    The elder of Bishan Palace looked expressionlessly across the chessboard at the Buddhist Ancestor: ¡°Your move, it¡¯s been a month already, seems like you have made no progress.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor, dressed in a Kasaya, calmly placed a dozen black stones on the board, leaving just one gap, then pointed to the black stones.


    ¡°My plans are like these dozen black stones. As soon as Chen Qiu falls into this trap, I place another black stone to close the gap, then Chen Qiu will have no escape and must surely die!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡±


    ¡°The current situation is that Chen Qiu has disappeared, but don¡¯t worry, he can¡¯t hide forever. He¡¯ll have to show himself eventually.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the elder of Bishan Palace spoke slowly: ¡°Given Chen Qiu¡¯s strength, I don¡¯t think he is hiding. I would rather believe that he has found a place to retreat to, preparing to advance to the Void Refining Stage.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure your plans will work against him after he emerges as a Void Refining cultivator?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t work.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor shook his head seriously: ¡°That¡¯s why I have a contingency plan. I have already put the Buddhist Sect¡¯s True Disciple Kong Ming under house arrest. If Chen Qiu reappears in the Xuantian Continent having reached the Void Refining Stage, I will go to him with Kong Ming immediately to apologize.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another contingency plan.¡±


    ¡°After all, without actualizing those other plans, the only issue between me and Chen Qiu rests solely with Kong Ming.¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t resolve the issue with Chen Qiu, I¡¯ll have to resolve it with Kong Ming instead.¡±


    ¡°But if Chen Qiu emerges from seclusion without breaking through to the Void Refining Stage, then my plans will work.¡±


    ¡°No matter what¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Sect will remain invincible!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After taking a deep breath, the elder of Bishan Palace squeezed out a smile, looking at the Buddhist Ancestor: ¡°Your wisdom is truly profound.¡±


    ¡°I am humbled.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡­


    Time trickled by.


    Four months had passed since the ¡®World of Strife¡¯ update arrived.


    On Dragon Island in the Xuantian Continent,


    Chen Qiu was staring at the four little Nascent Souls before him, frowning deeply.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 567 - 210:

    Chapter 567: Chapter 210: ¡°You truly have wisdom.¡±_4


    Yes.


    During this time, his Nascent Soul gave birth to three more little Nascent Souls, adding to the one that remained from before, making it four little Nascent Souls in total. He was now pondering over a very important matter.


    That was¡­


    Whether or not to give these little Nascent Souls names.


    He considered naming them Little One, Little Two, Little Three, and so on.


    But these four little Nascent Souls were like they had been carved from the same mold, indistinguishable from each other, which made it really hard to remember who was who.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Ah!!!¡±


    From the beach came Fat Long¡¯s nearly despairing howl, filled with excruciating pain.


    Chen Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged atop Dragon Island Mountain, followed the sound and then saw Fat Long surrounded by nearly a hundred young dragons, which involuntarily made him laugh.


    The first batch of Dragon Pups had already been born, and it had been almost a month.


    Here on Dragon Island, the growth period for young dragons was drastically shortened. At one month old, they already had the intelligence of a four- or five-year-old human child and could even begin to speak some simple words.


    And at that age¡­


    Whether they were Dragon Cubs or human children, they were at an age that was most likely to drive their parents to despair, especially since the mothers of these Dragon Pups were still in a slumbering stage, leaving them no choice but to seek out Fat Long, their father. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Within the Dragon Clan, bloodline relations are actually not taken particularly seriously.


    Nevertheless, in their early years, young dragons still like to cling to family members with whom they share a bloodline.


    He shook his head without saying anything.


    Instead, he looked toward the panel enveloped in mist above his Dantian. Yes, he still had a ¡°three choices¡± entry he hadn¡¯t checked. This was the ¡°three choices¡± panel he received when he broke through to the ninth layer of Divinity Transformation, which he hadn¡¯t selected or looked at for the past three months.


    Mainly because he felt his luck might have been a bit off during that time.


    So he thought to choose after some time, and just like that, time had passed until now.


    Today, he felt the weather was good and his luck was fairly decent, so he decided to choose shortly afterward.


    Only then did he look at his Cultivation Progress¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer (4%).


    ¨C


    During this period, he had been practicing like a regular cultivator at the Divinity Transformation stage. The result, after three months, was a 4% increase in cultivation progress.


    Progress at the Divinity Transformation ninth layer was incredibly hard to achieve.


    Going from the Divinity Transformation ninth layer to the Peak of Divinity Transformation required a 100% increase in cultivation, just as going from Qi Refinement first layer to Qi Refinement second layer did. However, it¡¯s obvious that these two are entirely different leagues apart.


    Today¡¯s reason for leaving seclusion¡­


    Was mainly because a disciple of the Chao Tian Sect was prepared to transcend the Heavenly Tribulation today, and he planned to go and transcend it with him. He possessed the ¡°Thunder Technique Body (Supreme)¡± entry.


    The more and the stronger the Heavenly Tribulations he transcended, the more his body would be tempered by them, and as a result, the Thunder Magic he could wield would become stronger.


    Even though this disciple of the Chao Tian Sect had an unremarkable Nascent Soul grade and didn¡¯t carry any negative karma, he would most likely face the most basic First of the Nine Thunder Tribulations.


    This was nothing compared to his own ¡°Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.¡±


    But¡­


    Even a mosquito makes a meal.


    After all, the bit of Cultivation Progress gained from secluding oneself in arduous cultivation was hardly significant; it might be better to undergo some body refining instead.


    The more powerful and numerous the Guardians under the Tribulation Cloud, the greater the power of the Thunder Tribulation becomes.


    Hence, if a Guardian isn¡¯t a hundred percent certain they can fully protect the junior with their own strength, it¡¯s generally better to have the junior transcend the Thunder Tribulation alone.


    Otherwise, if the Guardian gets struck dead, the junior is unlikely to survive either.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 568 - 211:

    Chapter 568: Chapter 211: ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation.


    Xuantian Continent, west of Quzhou, Dragon Island.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    Off the coast of Dragon Island, Chen Qiu looked calmly towards a Chao Tian Sect disciple with a solemn face; today was the day this disciple of the Chao Tian Sect would break through to Divinity Transformation.


    As the Sect Master, he was there to protect the process.


    This disciple from the Chao Tian Sect, whom he had brought out from Da Xia Country, had undergone many hardships with him and was considered his confidant.


    What this disciple was called, he wasn¡¯t very sure, only vaguely remembering that he should be one of the imperial clergy from the Da Xia Palace. Other than the likes of Qu Gui, who enjoyed basking in the limelight, he couldn¡¯t really remember the names of other sect members.


    ¡°Thank you, Sect Master.¡±


    This Chao Tian Sect disciple, his face full of wrinkles, took a deep breath, and a surge of Spiritual Energy burst out from within him, followed by him sitting cross-legged in mid-air, his eyes tightly shut, clearly entering the breakthrough state.


    And the sky also echoed with the sound of thunder.


    Huge clumps of dark clouds gathered over the sea, presenting the look of an impending storm¡ªthe Heavenly Tribulation was nearing!


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Suspended in the air with one hand behind his back, Chen Qiu looked up at the occasional flashes of lightning arcs in the dark clouds above, his expression remaining calm without saying much.


    He could faintly feel a force from nature locking onto him. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And the might of the Heavenly Tribulation was also rising somewhat.


    This was why most people chose isolated places to traverse the Heavenly Tribulation; otherwise everyone within the tribulation area would be recognized as a guardian, and if one were to face the tribulation in a large city, the magnitude of the tribulation¡¯s might would be unimaginable.


    Not many could do like him, taking on the Heavenly Tribulation while fighting.


    Unless they were like him, possessing billions of merit points and specifically owning an entry where the higher the merit points, the lesser the severity of the tribulation; otherwise one strike would be lethal.


    Soon¡ª


    He didn¡¯t have to wait too long.


    Alongside the nearby Chao Tian Sect disciple who was frantically absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the Mid-grade Spirit Stones beside him, the thunderous rumble within the clouds grew even louder.


    Finally!


    The next moment!


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    Two bolts of Heavenly Tribulation fiercely struck towards both Chen Qiu and the Chao Tian Sect disciple, with nature¡¯s force locking them in, meaning they couldn¡¯t escape the reach of the tribulation cloud which would move with them.


    The power had not increased too much.


    It only shifted from the First of the Nine Thunder Tribulations to the Two Nine Thunder Tribulations, which compared to the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation¡¯s might, could be said to have almost no change.


    When the first bolt struck him, Chen Qiu¡¯s forehead suddenly creased not because of pain, but because the thunder had no effect on him, offering no Body Refining effect whatsoever.


    It wasn¡¯t because this tribulation was too weak.


    But because this tribulation was not called by him.


    Only the tribulations he summoned could refine his body, others were useless to him.


    ¡°So be it.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked up at the next bolt of tribulation about to strike from the clouds; considering it was useless, he let it be. After all, a bunch of Two Nine Thunder Tribulations together couldn¡¯t compare to his single Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.


    With his twelve-rank Nascent Soul and 2.9 billion sin points, the real show started when he would break through to Void Refining.


    A mere appetizer, not worth bothering with if it wasn¡¯t available.


    ¡­


    After accompanying the Chao Tian Sect disciple through the tribulation, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t stay long, just casually praised a few words before going back to the mountain on Dragon Island where he had been staying these days.


    No matter the weather, he had never left.


    He even got a sense of being an ascetic monk.


    Fat Long couldn¡¯t stand it and built a small wooden hut nearby with the help of the Chao Tian Sect disciple to repair it for him.


    Sitting cross-legged on the elliptical rock, Chen Qiu looked at the panel enveloped by clouds above his Dantian, ready to use this last chance today.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation surged, officially stepping into Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer.¡±


    ¡°Please choose from below three random entries within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry name: God of the Offbeat.¡±


    ¡°Entry level: Purple.¡±


    ¡°Entry effect: In the Cultivation Hundred Skills, you will randomly receive a set of entries for one of the skills ¡®tea¡¯, ¡®wine¡¯, or ¡®herbs¡¯, and you will lose the current entries you possess.¡±


    2:


    ¡°Entry name: Heavenly Dao Pays the Bill.¡±


    ¡°Entry level: Purple.¡±


    ¡°Entry effect: Any Spirit Stones you consume will be returned to you after a hundred years, limited to consuming the Spiritual Energy within the Spirit Stones, not including expenses, disposal, gifts, etc.¡±


    3:


    ¡°Entry name: Divine Hand.¡±


    ¡°Entry level: Purple.¡±


    ¡°Entry effect: The next time you choose from three entries, according to your desires, the entries that appear will be related to what you want. The simpler your desire, the more accurately the entries will match what¡¯s in your mind.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    A flicker of surprise passed through the eyes of Chen Qiu on the elliptical rock. Could it be that good luck was truly returning today? All three entries he was presented were quite good.


    Three Purple Entries.


    Three consecutive Purples, a situation that was rare indeed.


    The first entry, ¡°God of the Offbeat,¡± for at least thirty percent of the cultivators in the Cultivation World, this would be considered a Divine-level entry, even though it would shatter all his existing entries, nearly plummeting his combat power.


    But in exchange, he would receive a set of entries.


    A set of entries meant that these entries were related and had synergistic effects, and would align with one of ¡®tea¡¯, ¡®wine¡¯, or ¡®herbs¡¯.


    In the Cultivation World, most people¡¯s entries didn¡¯t have strong synergistic effects; as long as the entries he possessed all pointed to a certain aspect and had synergistic effects, he would just need to delve into that field for a few years to become the god among gods in that industry.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 569 - 211:

    Chapter 569: Chapter 211: ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation.¡±_2


    In other words,


    the name ¡°God of Side Doors¡± wasn¡¯t chosen incorrectly; it¡¯s actually quite fitting.


    Whether it¡¯s ¡®tea,¡¯ ¡®alcohol,¡¯ or ¡®grass,¡¯ they are businesses that can quickly realize gains. Of course, they can¡¯t compare to the swift realization of Pills, but they represent forever enduring demands within the Cultivation World. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    People of Cultivation,


    who doesn¡¯t indulge in a few sips of Spiritual Tea or Spiritual Wine on a regular day, and Spirit Grass is upstream in the Pill business.


    However, it¡¯s of no use to me; although it¡¯s not useful to me, one can¡¯t deny that this entry isn¡¯t a good one.


    The second entry, ¡°Heavenly Dao Picks Up the Tab,¡± made me feel a flutter of excitement. Any Spirit Stones I spent would be returned to me in a hundred years, which meant I could keep the Spirit Gathering Array running all year without worrying about the consumption of Spirit Stones.


    It¡¯s just that the return would happen a hundred years later, which stretches the timeline a bit too long.


    It¡¯s more suitable for families or cultivators with average innate talents.


    After all, even if I had the Spirit Gathering Array running all year, it wouldn¡¯t consume too many Spirit Stones; it had been on 24/7 for the past three months, but the speed of my Cultivation Progress had still been very slow, with only a 4% increase over these three months.


    It just shows that for those who cannot keep the Spirit Gathering Array running all day, their cultivation progress is even slower.


    They might seclude themselves for three months, and only see a 2% increase in Cultivation Progress.


    To increase Cultivation significantly,


    it mainly depends on waiting for an opportunity. The Spirit Gathering Array is just the icing on the cake; it can¡¯t defy the heavens and change one¡¯s fate. For example, during the ¡°Turmoil Under Heaven¡± event, it was that incident that let my Cultivation jump from the first layer of Divinity Transformation to the ninth layer in just two days.


    At that time, I broke through eight small realms within two days.


    But now, three months have passed, and the Cultivation Progress has only gone up by 4%.


    Without an opportunity, the speed at which Cultivation Progress increases is really slow. However, I suddenly remembered something. The ¡°Turmoil Under Heaven¡± version had three updates; the first two had already been completed, and only this third one had yet to arrive. I wondered when it would come.


    Chen Qiu shook his head without thinking too much and couldn¡¯t help but smile when he looked at the third entry.


    Although the first two entries were not wrong, they weren¡¯t of much use to me.


    In contrast, the last entry¡­


    ¡°Divine Hand.¡±


    This entry suits me quite well, but the entry effect is a bit vague. What does it mean by ¡®will randomly produce entries that match your thoughts according to your heart¡¯s desires¡¯?


    The lower the difficulty of the wish, the better the random entry will fit what¡¯s in your mind.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, ready to choose this entry to see its effect when he breaks through to Void Refining.


    This entry is also a one-time entry; once used, it¡¯s gone.


    However, unlike entries tagged with one-time use which automatically shatter after use, entries like this one that aren¡¯t explicitly marked remain inscribed on the Nascent Soul but without any effect.


    They can be used for self-destruction.


    It¡¯s a way of recycling waste, after all.


    Although I¡¯d already decided on this entry, I still wanted to see what other entry I could randomize, so I activated the ¡°Time Will Come¡± entry. This entry lets me spend 100,000 merits to reshuffle an entry during a three-choice selection.


    Very quickly¡ª


    The cloud-enshrouded panel in front of me blurred on the first option and within moments, a new entry appeared.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Soul-shocking Demise


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: When someone is frightened because of you, depending on the number of scared people and the extent of their fear, acquire different levels of Cultivation Progress, and you are unable to gain Cultivation Progress through any other means.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a moment, Chen Qiu was somewhat helpless; he felt he had a certain affinity for this entry. The last time in the solo Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, he had randomed this entry, but it was a one-day version.


    It seems like they thought he didn¡¯t get enough of it last time, and now they gave him a permanent version.


    He shook his head without much thought.


    He immediately chose the ¡°Divine Hand¡± entry, then began to reactivate the Spirit Gathering Array and entered a state of grueling cultivation. Although cultivation progress truly increases very little this way, there weren¡¯t any other opportunities outside, and having something is better than having nothing.


    A mosquito¡¯s bite is still flesh, after all.


    However¡ª


    Chen Qiu looked down at the seven Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills of Divinity Transformation in his hand, all that remained from the second content update of the last Heavenly Dao version.


    He hadn¡¯t used them until now, so he might as well use one at this moment.


    He then popped one Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill into his mouth, swallowed it, and began to meditate with his mental method in full swing.


    That said,


    it¡¯s about time to change my mental method.


    This method I got back in Da Xia Country is a bit outdated now. Mental methods mainly determine the speed of cultivation; they have little effect on combat ability. Since I started my journey, I¡¯ve hardly relied on strenuous cultivation through mental methods to make progress, so I¡¯ve never paid much attention to them.


    Besides deciding the mental method, high-level methods have another effect: they can change the attributes of the Spiritual Energy in your Dantian, which allows you to display more powerful Spells of corresponding attributes.


    When activating corresponding attribute Spiritual Treasures, you can also handle them more smoothly and with better effect.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    On Dragon Island, Fat Long lay listlessly on the beach, his eyes devoid of spirit as he looked up at the cloudless sky. The Protective Spirit Qi from his Divinity Transformation Cultivation enveloped him, allowing him to enjoy a rare moment of tranquility amidst the young dragons.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 570 - 211:

    Chapter 570: Chapter 211: ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation.¡± _3


    From high above, one could see Fat Long lying on the beach,


    surrounded by nearly a hundred Dragon Pups, all clamoring ¡°Father¡± and squeezing as close to Fat Long as possible.


    From time to time, they fought over who could get closer to Fat Long.


    Originally, everything was harmonious.


    Until a few days ago, for some unknown reason and on a whim, Fat Long suddenly ran into the jungle, used some huge banana leaves, and wove dragon clothes for a Dragon Pup.


    Actually, it was really just a playful act by Fat Long¡ªthe thing would crumble with a mere touch, and couldn¡¯t be worn as clothes; moreover, the Dragon Clan didn¡¯t wear clothes before they transformed.


    But¡ª


    it was this set of dragon clothes, woven from banana leaves, that directly started the most populous battle in the history of the Dragon Clan!


    Nearly a hundred Dragon Pups fought over that garment, which represented favor, from the east side of Dragon Island to its west, from north to south.


    The battle only ended when the garment was destroyed during the conflict.


    But although the battle had stopped, it was far from over; thereafter, these Dragon Pups, as if addicted, frequently fought over various trivial issues,


    including who was a little closer to Fat Long,


    including who Fat Long touched,


    and even including who Fat Long looked at.


    All of Dragon Island was never at peace.


    As the saying goes, where some despair, others rejoice.


    ¡°How wonderful.¡±


    Not far away, standing on the beach, Ao Tian looked at the scene in front of him, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes full of relief: ¡°Dragon Island hasn¡¯t been this lively for a long, long time. Now, it¡¯s truly bursting with more life than before.¡±


    Meanwhile, Black Dragon and Qu Gui exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Actually, they had thought of ways to rescue their big brother.


    After all, the three had sworn brotherhood.


    Perhaps the pledge to die on the same day, month, and year was a bit contrived and didn¡¯t sound too genuine, but when their big brother faced troubles, they still wanted to help.


    Only¡­ they couldn¡¯t help.


    Those Dragon Pups only recognized Fat Long, and no one else.


    ¡­


    Soon, another year passed.


    During this time, Xuantian Continent remained the same without much change, but for Dragon Island, it was a complete shift.


    Chen Qiu, who had been in seclusion on top of a mountain on Dragon Island for the past year, took a deep breath and looked at his Cultivation panel.


    ¨C


    ¡®Cultivation¡¯: Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer (21%).


    ¨C


    Still 80% short of reaching the Peak of Divinity Transformation. If he solely relied on everyday bitter cultivation in the Spirit Gathering Array, without any chances or Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, it would take roughly six to seven years to make a breakthrough to the Peak of Divinity Transformation, undoubtedly a prolonged process.


    Six to seven years.


    For a cultivator in Divinity Transformation, it wasn¡¯t considered too long a time.


    The lifespan of a Divinity Transformation cultivator was about two to three thousand years, so six to seven years were merely the blink of an eye, not too long. But this was only theoretically speaking, after all, no one could be sure how many years of life a Divinity Transformation cultivator might have already used up before their breakthrough.


    In any case, none of that mattered. Today was an important day!


    Having been in seclusion for so long,


    it was time to go out for a stroll.


    Chen Qiu stood up and, from the summit of the central mountain on Dragon Island, he looked down at the Chao Tian Sect Disciples below, all of whom were at the Divinity Transformation stage, and smiled contentedly.


    In just one year, under the provision of numerous Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills, almost all disciples of the Chao Tian Sect had reached the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation.


    This also meant that he had finally completed another milestone mission on the Xuantian Continent.


    After that, he rose up and transformed into a streak of light heading towards the beach.


    ¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On the beach, Chen Qiu looked at the scholar who had just returned yesterday and reached the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, ¡°It seems you¡¯ve had quite the fortune, how about I help you exchange a Divine Domain?¡±


    ¡°I need it.¡±


    The scholar, a bit embarrassed, whispered quietly, ¡°Xuantian Continent is very strict about controlling the totems for Divine Domains; I couldn¡¯t find any suitable Divine Domain totem for myself.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Chen Qiu looked at the other Chao Tian Sect Disciples on the beach and then casually said, ¡°go to the Merit Value Store and pick one out, then let me know.¡±


    Xuantian Continent, one of the twelve milestone tasks.


    ¡®All Members Divinity Transformation.¡¯


    This milestone requires a force to have a total of 50 or more members in Divinity Transformation,


    and besides fulfilling the previous condition, every single member of the sect, down to the last disciple, must be of Divinity Transformation, with no untransformed menial disciples allowed.


    While Chao Tian Sect had already fulfilled their first prerequisite, having over 50 Divinity Transformations and even a few to spare, they still hadn¡¯t met the second requirement of all members achieving Divinity Transformation.


    But that was simple.


    If they couldn¡¯t resolve the Divinity Transformations, they would resolve the ¡®all members¡¯ part.


    With the Sect Leader Token in hand, he crushed the Life Plates of those Chao Tian Sect disciples whose Cultivation was insufficient, meaning that these disciples¡¯ Life Plates had lost connection with him, and they were no longer disciples of the Chao Tian Sect, not even displayed as such on any panel.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 571 - 211:

    Chapter 571: Chapter 211: ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation.¡±_4


    The next moment¡ª


    A familiar yet long-missed voice whispered in his ear.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Per the sensitivity of the Heavenly Dao, at northwest Quzhou on the Xuantian Continent, Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu, holding the position of Sect Master, has led his sect in achieving All Members Divinity Transformation.


    For completing one of the milestone tasks on the Xuantian Continent, a statue has been erected in the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±.


    Furthermore, he is granted a Mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, listening to the Heavenly Dao Decree that only he could hear, chuckled satisfactorily. Indeed, he had not heard the sound of the Heavenly Dao Decree for quite a while.


    And the completion of this milestone task


    also meant


    that out of the twelve milestone tasks on the Xuantian Continent, he had already completed ten, leaving just two unfinished.


    One is ¡°Unification of Xuantian¡±,


    and the other is ¡°Coexisting with the Dao¡±.


    The milestone task of Unification of Xuantian would require him to break through to Void Refining before he could complete it. There was no mandatory requirement as such, but without reaching Void Refining, it was very difficult to defeat those top sects in the Central Zone that had cultivators in Void Refining.


    The remaining task, Coexisting with the Dao, required the completion of eleven milestone tasks. By just completing ¡°Unification of Xuantian¡±, the rest would automatically be completed; hence, theoretically, only one milestone remained.


    As soon as he broke through to Void Refining,


    it could be said that he had completely conquered the Xuantian Continent and could then have a look at the unknown and mystical Second Grade Vast Continent to see how it outclassed the Xuantian Continent in strength.


    But¡­


    Given his current progress, unless he encountered some special fortune, it would still take him six to seven years to reach Peak of Divinity Transformation and then begin preparations for the breakthrough to Void Refining.


    At that moment¡ª


    Ao Tian suddenly appeared on the beach and walked towards him, complaining with a sour face, ¡°Brother, I really can¡¯t hold on anymore.¡±


    ¡°These dragon cubs are purely burning money pits.¡±


    ¡°I truly can¡¯t afford them anymore.¡±


    ¡°Their maturity period has shortened, but the heavenly and earthly treasures required in their maturity period are truly too expensive to maintain. And with so many dragon cubs reaching Divinity Transformation, facing Heavenly Tribulation, using Spirit Gathering Arrays, entering Divinity Domain¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally realized why the Dragon Clan has always had so few members.¡±


    ¡°You simply can¡¯t afford to have more.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    The Dragon Clan is currently nurturing over 300 dragon cubs, out of which 100 have already achieved Divinity Transformation, but there are three more batches to come, with the second batch only six months old and still a long way from maturity.


    And the third batch only three months old, with more than half a year until maturity.


    There was supposed to be a fourth batch, but Ao Tian abruptly realized that this batch of dragon cubs might very well bankrupt the Dragon Clan, so he hastily stopped Fat Long, signaling that it was unnecessary to breed more for now, as there were already enough clan members.


    To sustain these more than 300 dragon cubs,


    the Dragon Clan¡¯s resources had nearly been depleted.


    These days, while secluding himself for Cultivation on the mountain peak, Ao Tian could occasionally be seen carrying a heavenly or earthly treasure from the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault to exchange for Spirit Stones or other necessary treasures for the dragon cubs. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even that ¡°Eternal Coral Bloom¡± that Ao Tian was greatly fond of was taken out for auction to exchange for Spirit Stones¡ªit had no effects, merely being rare and beautiful, and was always one of Ao Tian¡¯s favorites.


    And for these dragon cubs¡ª


    Ao Tian even sacrificed his favorite possessions, which meant that at this moment, the Dragon Clan was nearly being brought to financial ruin by these cubs.


    A seven-year-old kid, eating the family into poverty.


    This was no joke, especially as the Dragon Clan had so many dragon cubs!


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 572 - 212:

    Chapter 572: Chapter 212: ¡°I, Chen Qiu alone, can withstand the Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.


    However¡­


    Chen Qiu, listening to Ao Tian¡¯s complaints, had a similarly unpleasant expression and remained silent without speaking. The Dragon Clan had a bunch of hungry Dragon Pups to feed, and was not his Chao Tian Sect in the same situation?


    This batch of Chao Tian Sect disciples also consumed a tremendous amount of resources.


    He clearly remembered that the Chao Tian Sect had a lot of Spirit Stones. However, after emerging from seclusion and conducting an inspection, he discovered that the sect¡¯s Spirit Stones were almost depleted.


    The Chao Tian Sect was nearly eaten clean.


    Before his seclusion, he had instructed everyone in the Chao Tian Sect to spare no expense in breaking through to Divinity Transformation as quickly as possible. Now, seeing the results upon emerging, it seemed these individuals took his directive quite seriously.


    The Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and the Spirit Gathering Arrays had been used in tandem, with not one item missing.


    Add to that the Spirit Gathering Arrays needed for the breakthroughs to Divinity Transformation, and within a year, the Chao Tian Sect had almost its entire foundation consumed.


    But¡ª


    It was worth it.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu looked at the Chao Tian Sect disciples standing in a row on the beach. Each disciple of the Chao Tian Sect had reached the Domain of a third-grade Divinity Transformation, which also consumed a significant number of Spirit Stones.


    A third-grade Divinity Transformation Domain equaled a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones!


    Damn it!


    The Spirit Stones of the Chao Tian Sect were squandered by these people just like that.


    These individuals had all come to him to obtain their Domain, with each domain costing one billion merit points. He had arranged a domain for everyone, and it wasn¡¯t expensive.


    The price paid had resulted in the entire sect achieving Divinity Transformation.


    After Chen Qiu pulled all the disciples who had been kicked out of the Chao Tian Sect back in, he exchanged a glance with Ao Tian, each seeing the same understanding in the other¡¯s eyes.


    It was time to go to the Xuantian Continent.


    They needed to pull off a big heist.


    Otherwise, both the Dragon Clan and the Chao Tian Sect would starve to death.


    ¡­


    Quzhou.


    Chen Qiu, having just landed, kept all the Dragon Cubs and Chao Tian Sect disciples into his small world, and he, along with Ao Tian Fei Long and a few others, walked alone within Great Yuan City.


    ¡°This is where you started, right?¡±


    Ao Tian looked around, his face full of sentimentality, ¡°Who would have thought that such a small city could produce a Heavenly Pride like you.¡±


    ¡°Sort of,¡± Chen Qiu answered softly, not going into detail.


    If we¡¯re talking about origins, he should have come from Da Xia Country. This place was merely a station on the journey of his life, far from his starting point.


    Just as Ao Tian was about to say more, suddenly an ancient and elusive voice echoed throughout the Xuantian Continent!


    ¨C


    Heavenly Dao Decree: The Heavenly Dao senses, the season of all things¡¯ revival, the ¡°World Strife¡± version has officially descended. The version will be released in three phases; below are the contents of the three phases.


    1: All Void Refinement Realm cultivators will be drawn to the Superior Continent, the Second-grade Vast Continent.


    2: Additionally, cultivators above the seventh layer of Divinity Transformation may also travel to the Vast Continent by submitting a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones at the ¡®Vast Channel¡¯ in Central State.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sitting down at a roadside stall, preparing to enjoy some snacks, Chen Qiu, upon hearing the Heavenly Dao Decree, raised his eyebrows slightly without saying much.


    Rather, he did not expect that after more than a year, the third-phase content of the ¡°World Strife¡± version had finally been updated.


    But this update didn¡¯t bring opportunities.


    Instead, it forcibly drew all Void Refinement Realm cultivators to the Second-grade Vast Continent.


    Before this update, on the Xuantian Continent, only those with one hundred billion merit points or those who had broken through to the Void Refinement realm were eligible to travel to the Vast Continent, like the Holy Daughter of Xuantian Sect with her Heavenly Repairing Technique from a century ago.


    But many who broke through to Void Refinement, like the Demon Clan Patriarch, were unwilling to go to the Vast Continent for various reasons¡ªultimately, a portion of those Void Refiners remained on the Xuantian Continent.


    However, now this batch of people were all forcibly drawn to the Second-grade ¡°Vast Continent¡±, and the Heavenly Dao Decree also referred to it as the Superior Continent.


    Pedestrians on the streets of Great Yuan City, upon hearing the Heavenly Dao Decree, almost all instinctively stood still to listen attentively until it ended, then continued about their business, as if the content of the decree was completely irrelevant to them.


    After all, the decree targeted Post-Divinity Transformation and Void Refinement cultivators, a group which was exceedingly rare in the entire Xuantian Continent and had little to do with the general public.


    ¡°Little brother¡­¡±


    Ao Tian, quickly catching on to the implications, started to show a progressively peculiar expression, ¡°Um¡­ If all the Void Refiners on the Xuantian Continent are drawn to the Vast Continent, doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯re invincible on the Xuantian Continent?¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, barely holding back his laughter. It looked like their plans had to be moved up.


    Originally, his plan was to visit those sects without Void Refiners first, and after he reached Void Refinement himself, to then visit those sects with Void Refiners in residency.


    But it seemed like he could move that schedule forward a bit now.


    With no Void Refiners.


    He was invincible on the entire Xuantian Continent. Not to mention, his Chao Tian Sect had achieved full Divinity Transformation, along with the Dragon Clan¡¯s hundred adult giant dragons with Divinity Transformation Cultivation.


    ¡°So what are we waiting for?¡±


    Ao Tian stood up with a barely concealed excitement, ¡°Let¡¯s split up and start the raid!¡±


    ¡­


    If you became the strongest being on a continent, what would you do?


    Wander the world?


    Experience every beauty and maybe even give beautiful men a try?


    There may be many dreams that a man has in his lifetime, but eventually, they can all be summarized by the categories of ¡°fame¡±, ¡°fortune¡±, and ¡°lust¡±.


    As for Chen Qiu¡¯s dream, it was quite simple.


    He just wanted to make himself strong enough to see just how big this world was, to see what kind of wonderful world lay outside the prison he had spent over a thousand years escaping from.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 573 - 212:

    Chapter 573: Chapter 212: ¡°I, Chen Qiu, Alone, Can Withstand Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.¡±_2


    So¡ª


    When Void Refining was drawn to the Vast Continent, and Chen Qiu became the undisputed strongest on this land, he only did one thing.


    The first thing, knocking on every door to pay a visit.


    The second thing, after visiting, he left the name of Chao Tian Sect.


    One was for the dream, the other for the milestone task of ¡°Unifying Xuantian¡±.


    To achieve the unification of Xuantian generally meant that all forces, great and small, whether they were sects, families, or even cities, and the like,


    Must carve the inscription ¡°Governed by Chao Tian Sect¡± in numerous conspicuous places.


    Including the Demon Race, Devil Clan, and various other races.


    Only when the coverage reached over 95% could it be considered a unification of Xuantian, making this milestone task one of the most difficult among all.


    Of course!


    For Chen Qiu at this time, this was a matter of time, not difficulty.


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, Central Region.


    Within the Buddhist Sect.


    Chen Qiu was sitting calmly on the chessboard in the back mountain of the Buddhist Sect, holding a white piece in his left hand and contemplating the board without speaking.


    Kneeling beside him, the Buddhist Ancestor, dressed in a kasaya, solemnly raised three fingers: ¡°Mr. Qiu.¡±


    ¡°You have finally arrived. In fact, after the junior member of our Buddhist Sect ¡®Kong Ming¡¯ unintentionally provoked you last time, I obtained your portrait. I was unaware until I saw it, but to my surprise, Mr. Qiu, you bear a striking 70% resemblance to the Buddha!¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor did not dare to delay, immediately pulling out a golden statue of the Buddha from within his robes, raising it high in the air, and loudly saying to Chen Qiu and the surrounding Chao Tian Sect Disciples, ¡°Look, doesn¡¯t it resemble him greatly?¡±


    And indeed, the golden statue of the Buddha bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Chen Qiu.


    But¡ª


    The surrounding Chao Tian Sect Disciples, one after another, showed no expression, their overwhelming Divinity Transformation Cultivation openly manifesting, pressing down on the Buddhist Disciples within the sect, who dared not move a muscle.


    Even the Buddhist Ancestor, though he had half a step into Void Refining Cultivation, did not dare to act recklessly in the presence of Chen Qiu and the Chao Tian Sect Disciples.


    ¡°Mr. Qiu!¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although no one responded, the Buddhist Ancestor, kneeling on the ground, solemnly and devoutly looked towards Chen Qiu, then bowed deeply, kowtowing three times with sincerity.


    ¡°I never thought in my lifetime I would see the day of a living Buddha¡¯s incarnation! If Mr. Qiu does not mind, this humble one wishes to maintain the eternal light for Mr. Qiu for the rest of my life.¡±


    An eternal light is a lamp fueled with special animal oil, that must be replenished every half an hour, or else the lamp will extinguish. However, this lamp has no actual effect; whether it goes out or remains lit is not important.


    It is a way to ensure loyalty. In the mortal world, it is occasionally also spoken of as maintaining an eternal light for a departed elder, with each holding their own interpretation.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Holding a long saber and standing to the side, the Bishan Palace Ancestor had a look of disbelief as he glanced at the Buddhist Ancestor. He could indeed see nothing but genuine devotion from the Buddhist Ancestor, devotion that could not be feigned.


    Not long ago.


    The Buddhist Ancestor had suddenly spoken of creating a golden statue with a 70% resemblance to Chen Qiu, and also fashioned in the likeness of the Buddha. At the time, he had asked the Buddhist Ancestor what this meant, and the Buddhist Ancestor said it was a contingency plan.


    He thought it must be some earth-shaking method, that by attacking this golden statue of Chen Qiu, they could somehow cause harm to Chen Qiu across space.


    So this is the fucking result?!


    This is really your backup plan?


    No, what the fuck are you actually doing? Back then, he was ready to surrender, and it was this Buddhist Ancestor who kept urging him not to give up, to wait a little longer, to hold on for a possible turn of events.


    So he waited.


    But now, with Chen Qiu¡¯s arrival, he had been ready to fight to the death. With their two, half-step Void Refining Cultivations, they might have been able to break through the encirclement.


    But before he could even make a move, you fucking surrendered?!


    If you surrendered, what am I supposed to do alone?


    At that moment.


    Chen Qiu, sitting beside the chessboard, casually lifted his gaze and threw a glance at him, with his eyes momentarily lingering on the saber in his hands.


    In almost that instant.


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor suddenly felt an overwhelming terror, a coldness that seemed to seep through the corridors of time, so much so that with just one glance, he dimly saw the image of his own master who had perished under the strikes of Void Refining tribulation.


    Then, almost in the next moment¡ª


    ¡°Clang.¡±


    Without any hesitation, the Bishan Palace Ancestor threw his saber aside and, with a thud, fell to his knees. He then took out a pile of parchment paper from his Storage Ring, laying them respectfully on the ground.


    ¡°Mr. Qiu, I¡¯ve been looking for you, sir, wanting to thank you in person, but I never found the opportunity. Today I¡¯ve finally found it.¡±


    ¡°That day, at the ruins of the Three Springs Building, Mr. Qiu, you killed a Peak of Divinity Transformation individual and several Divinity Transformation elders from Bishan Palace. Everyone thought that from then on, Mr. Qiu, you had forged a deadly enmity with Bishan Palace.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°What you do not know, Mr. Qiu, is that my Taoist couple was once humiliated and tormented to death by these beasts. I had a blood feud with these individuals, but for the sake of Bishan Palace¡¯s overall stability, I never took action. I never expected Mr. Qiu to have addressed my deepest grudge!¡±


    ¡°Here are two Memory Stones, one records the tender moments I shared with my Taoist couple, and the other records the scenes of those beasts violating my Taoist couple.¡±


    ¡°This serves as proof! Thank you, Mr. Qiu, for eliminating my deepest hatred!¡±


    ¡­


    The Buddhist Ancestor, who was kneeling at a side, now looked incredulously towards the Bishan Palace Ancestor; in the entire Xuantian Continent, only their ¡°Buddhist Sect¡± could alter the images within a Memory Stone.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 574 - 212:

    Chapter 574: Chapter 212: ¡°I, Chen Qiu, Alone, Can Withstand Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.¡±_3


    ¡°This is the Buddhist Secret Technique.¡±


    ¡°It is also an important means by which the Buddhist Sect regularly deceives its disciples.¡±


    ¡°He remembered how, a few days prior, an elder from Bishan Palace suddenly sought him out, mentioning his wish to make two Memory Stones. Although he was somewhat puzzled about the purpose, the Buddhist Ancestor from Bishan Palace dismissed it with the excuse that he liked to look at such things on a regular day.¡±


    ¡°At the time, he lamented that maintaining such interests at an old age was not easy.¡±


    ¡°But now the realization hit him!¡±


    ¡°That thing, could it actually be direct evidence proving that the Bishan Palace Ancestor and Chen Qiu bore no enmity toward each other?!¡±


    ¡°This damned old thing!¡±


    ¡°But soon¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Ancestor took a deep breath and pulled out a pile of blood-sealed parchment from his bosom. His eyes reddened as he looked up at Chen Qiu beside the chessboard, his voice hoarse.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Qiu, after Kong Ming was severely injured by your hand and returned, I investigated you and found that you bore a 70% resemblance to the Buddha, which made me doubtful. Especially after learning that you possess the Heavenly Repairing Technique, it didn¡¯t sound like you were the vicious and brutal person Kong Ming described, so I subjected him to harsh interrogation!¡±


    ¡°On these parchments are the crimes Kong Ming has committed over the years¡ª78 in total, each one sealed with his blood. Moreover, he turned out to be an Anzi of the enemy sect ¡®Three Springs Building¡¯, deliberately provoking powerful adversaries against the Buddhist Sect over the years, trying to bring about our demise.¡±


    ¡°Your servant thanks you, Mr. Qiu, for helping the Buddhist Sect root out the Anzi. This traitor is currently imprisoned in the Buddhist Sect¡¯s dungeon, where he has been held until now, waiting for Mr. Qiu himself to deal the final blow!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Impressive.¡±


    ¡°The Bishan Palace Ancestor knelt on the ground, fully submitting this time. A wise man indeed, he didn¡¯t expect this old man to have so many moves left.¡±


    ¡°Only they were all used in surrendering.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Mr. Qiu!¡±


    ¡°As he was about to nod and say something,¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, seated at the chessboard, casually glanced at the two and laughed lightly, ¡®Do you mean to say that not only does Chen bear no grudge against both of you, but instead, you both owe me a favor? Is that what you¡¯re saying?''¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a great favor.¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Ancestor knelt on the ground, his expression solemn as he spoke, while the elder from Bishan Palace nodded seriously beside him.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu nodded, then casually asked, ¡®Since it¡¯s a favor, how do you plan to repay me for this kindness?''¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Ancestor¡¯s eyes brightened, sensing Chen Qiu¡¯s intention to spare his life. Clearly, if he paid a certain price, he should be able to survive. He then winced slightly in pain as he clenched his teeth, ¡®The Buddhist Sect will give up¡­ three-tenths¡­''¡±


    ¡°Before he could finish,¡±


    ¡°The elder from Bishan Palace suddenly interrupted him, raising his right hand devoutly and solemnly shouting.¡±


    ¡°All of it!¡±


    ¡°Bishan Palace will open its gates to Mr. Qiu. Everything within sight in Bishan Palace belongs to Mr. Qiu.¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Qiu wishes, your servant is willing to take the lead and help Mr. Qiu eradicate all disciples of the ¡®Buddhist Sect¡¯, and offer all wealth to Mr. Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu, interested, looked at the elder from Bishan Palace and smiled, ¡®So generous?''¡±


    ¡°This favor is beyond repayment. Your servant only regrets not having more than a hundred percent to offer, otherwise, I would offer a hundred and ten percent!¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand before turning to a few Chao Tian Sect disciples, ¡®Qu Gui, take some people to Bishan Palace and handle things as this elder said.''¡±


    ¡°Then he turned his gaze to the Buddhist Ancestor doubtfully, ¡®Did you just mention three-tenths?''¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Ancestor, his face serious, enunciated every word, ¡®What your servant meant is that three-tenths of the Buddhist Sect¡¯s wealth is far from enough. It must be a hundred percent!''¡±


    ¡°All the wealth of the Buddhist Sect will be offered to Mr. Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu got up with a smile, casually tossing the white stone he had held all along into a nearby mountain stream. Clapping his hands, he looked at the Chao Tian Sect disciples, ¡®Leave one person here to gather the goods, the rest of you come with me to the next place.''¡±


    ¡°Oh, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Suddenly recalling something, he turned to the Buddhist Ancestor and seriously said, ¡®My disciple¡¯s Cultivation is still low, but you¡¯re half a step into Void Refining Cultivation. You wouldn¡¯t consider binding him up to threaten me after I leave, would you?''¡±


    ¡°Definitely not!¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Ancestor was somewhat anxious, raising his hand to swear, ¡®I¡­''¡±


    ¡°¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if you do; I also have a certain interest in your Shariputra. Oh, I just remembered something else. A few days ago, I had a ¡®fateful encounter¡¯ with a mortal from Quzhou ¡®Death Town.¡¯ Recently, as I left seclusion, I discovered this mortal kneeling in Great Yuan City, claiming to know Chen Qiu. His wife was about to die, and he asked for Chen Qiu¡¯s help. Are you aware of this matter?''¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Ancestor froze on the spot, his body shaking like chaff, his voice beginning to tremble, ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m not aware¡­''¡±


    ¡°¡®You may want to look into it.''¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu chuckled, ¡®Handle what needs to be handled to the best of your ability. I, for one, do not take pleasure in seeing such human suffering happen.''¡±


    ¡°¡®Understood, understood¡­''¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu waved his hand and said no more, instead leading the Chao Tian Sect disciples away from the Buddhist Sect majestically.¡±


    ¡°At the Buddhist Sect¡¯s Mountain Gate, he left only the words ¡®Under the jurisdiction of the Chao Tian Sect,¡¯ and¡­ a brown bear.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡®Are you¡­ a disciple of the Chao Tian Sect?''¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The brown bear with Foundation Establishment Cultivation nodded indifferently, ¡®Summon your Sect Leader to lead me to the Buddhist Sect¡¯s treasure repository. There¡¯s no need to hide. If the number of treasures is insufficient, the Sect Master will come again.''¡±


    ¡°¡®The next visit will be different.''¡±


    ¡°¡®Of course, of course¡­''¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Ancestor, without hesitation, immediately used his Divine Sense to envelop the entire Buddhist Sect, conveying his command before respectfully watching the brown bear being led away by the Sect Leader.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 575 - 212:

    Chapter 575: Chapter 212: ¡°I, Chen Qiu Alone, Can Withstand Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.¡±_4


    After everyone had left,


    the Buddhist Ancestor stood silently in place for three breaths before walking over to the chessboard and sitting down with a sigh, ¡°Let it be, it¡¯s just as well to act as a Loose Cultivator and start cultivating anew in the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°But still, weren¡¯t you too generous, directly calling for ten percent?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Bishan Palace¡¯s Ancestor sneered as he glanced at the Buddhist Ancestor, ¡°Did you really think that giving up thirty percent of our wealth would be enough to keep us alive?¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    After heaving a long sigh, the Buddhist Ancestor sat in front of the chessboard, somewhat despondent, ¡°You say it so lightly, but this sect is the foundation passed down over so many years, and just like that, it¡¯s gone from my hands. I still feel a bit guilty and ashamed.¡±


    ¡°Feeling guilty now? Weren¡¯t you remorseless when you slandered Kong Ming?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to feel guilty about in slandering a person? We were just messing around.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re quite shameless about it. Wasn¡¯t Kong Ming your Buddhist Sect¡¯s True Disciple? Didn¡¯t your Buddhist Sect pour a lot of effort into him, even crafting a tenth-grade Nascent Soul for him, have you forgotten?¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± the Buddhist Ancestor said irritably, ¡°He was supposed to be someone we had high hopes for, but the greenhorn got his Nascent Soul dug out just after leaving the sect and came back in disgrace.¡±


    ¡°For such a useless person who took so many resources from the sect and contributed nothing, is it wrong to let him take the blame?¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really seem like it¡­¡±


    The two exchanged glances, falling into silence once more, both seeing the sorrow and helplessness in each other¡¯s eyes.


    Both of them were a half-step into Void Refining Cultivation.


    Both were the leaders of vast forces.


    Yet, after a year of plotting, both were reduced to poverty overnight, becoming Loose Cultivators.


    ¡°And another thing¡­¡±


    Bishan Palace¡¯s Ancestor suddenly looked at the Buddhist Ancestor with a face full of resentment, ¡°You always said you had a contingency plan, but you never mentioned it was all this. If I hadn¡¯t been smart too and had a backup plan for myself, wouldn¡¯t I have died here today?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the saying?¡±


    A smug glint crossed the Buddhist Ancestor¡¯s eyes, ¡°Before planning a task, first consider its defeat.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we have to first think about the consequences of failure and prepare for those outcomes. Then we can start planning.¡±


    ¡°This way, we can ensure that even if we fail, we¡¯ll still have a great chance to survive.¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Bishan Palace¡¯s Ancestor also sighed with a tinge of resignation, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to judge you ¨C call you smart, and you seem anything but normal; call you foolish, and yet sometimes you think quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor gave a high appraisal to Bishan Palace¡¯s Ancestor, with a sense of empathy, ¡°I¡¯ve found you to be open to many ideas, not stubborn at all, not like other sect leaders who are so inflexible.¡±


    ¡°Especially when it comes to kneeling, you don¡¯t drag your feet at all.¡±


    ¡°Most sect leaders who have long sat in high positions would not debase themselves as you did, dragging their feet.¡±


    ¡°I have decided¡ª¡±


    ¡°After all, the third version update of the world¡¯s turmoil has opened a ¡®Vast Channel¡¯ in the Central Continent, and for just a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, one can travel to the second-grade Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that the Xuantian Continent has a superior continent called the Vast Continent, where the Spiritual Energy is even richer, and there are more opportunities.¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Sect has nothing to do with me anymore.¡±


    ¡°I plan to go to the Vast Continent alone to see if there¡¯s any chance of breaking through to Void Refining. My half-step Void Refining Cultivation will never make it on Xuantian Continent in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°You know, half-step Void Refining is just a Peak of Divinity Transformation that failed in breakthrough. For people like us who failed yet luckily survived, it¡¯s impossible to break through to Void Refining again in Xuantian Continent, but there might be a chance on the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°Once again, I have to start over as a Loose Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°How about it, do you want to join me? The two of us can team up.¡±


    ¡°Us? Team up?¡± Bishan Palace¡¯s Ancestor looked complicatedly at the Buddhist Ancestor and said, ¡°Do you not find these four words a bit strange to your ears?¡±


    ¡°A few of us together, we don¡¯t look like we could team up.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re reliable? I feel like being with you might just lead me to my death.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± The Buddhist Ancestor said earnestly, ¡°I extend my invitation to you in all seriousness. Think about it, going to the Vast Continent where everything is unfamiliar, wouldn¡¯t you rather team up with someone you¡¯ve known for so long like me than with those Cultivators you¡¯ve never met before in the Vast Continent?¡±


    ¡°If we team up,¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s definitely better than going it alone, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine!¡± Bishan Palace¡¯s Ancestor clenched his teeth slightly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll trust you this one time, but you can¡¯t betray me!¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, a man who has left the secular world never speaks lies.¡±


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, Central Province. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s plan was straightforward ¨C visit each family one by one, with clear principles.


    Those with great enmity, execute everyone and then empty the treasure vault.


    Those with lesser grievances, if they were sensible, there would be less killing, followed by clearing out the treasure vault.


    Those with no grudges, if sensible, would just symbolically take a bit from the treasure vault.


    Along the way, everyone cooperated nicely.


    It was almost as if, knowing that he, Chen Qiu, was about to head to the Vast Continent, the elders of Guandong contributed their utmost support. Then the sects sent people to inscribe ¡°Under the Jurisdiction of Chao Tian Sect¡± on every sect¡¯s mountain gate, city walls, and everywhere else controlled by various forces including the Demon Race and Devil Clan.


    In doing so¡ª


    He would not only complete the twelve milestone tasks but also replenish the foundation of Chao Tian Sect and the Dragon Clan.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 576 - 212:

    Chapter 576: Chapter 212: ¡°I, Chen Qiu, Alone, Can Withstand Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.¡±_5


    ¡­


    Zhongzhou, Luohua Valley.


    This was an elite force that had evaded the world numerous times, only to emerge again and again. After being tricked for the last time, the Luohua Valley Master angrily remarked,


    ¡°Hide from the world, hide from the damned world!


    Cowards are the ones who hide from the world!


    I refuse to believe it! With Void Refining as our stronghold, could Chao Tian Sect truly turn the heavens upside down?¡±


    And now¡ª


    The Luohua Valley Master, with an expressionless face, looked up at nearly a hundred giant dragons with Divinity Transformation Cultivation filling the sky, almost blotting it out entirely, and seated on the leading giant dragon was a somewhat chubby man gazing down at him with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile.


    He recognized this man.


    The second-in-command of Chao Tian Sect, the Great Elder Fat Long. Although they had never met face to face, the key figures of the Chao Tian Sect had long been introduced through the Memory Stones.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence with an expressionless face, the Luohua Valley Master finally turned to his own Great Elder and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that the Dragon Clan was on the brink of extinction?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem quite like it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The Great Elder of Luohua Valley silently nodded and after a pause, hoarsely added, ¡°I was the one who suggested hiding from the world, Valley Master.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s my fault?¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, it¡¯s not mine.¡±


    The Luohua Valley Master, upon hearing these words, was momentarily so angered he almost laughed, but now wasn¡¯t the time for such conversations. With no Void Refining stronghold left, he dared not provoke Chao Tian Sect, and¡­ that damned Dragon Clan!


    Since when could the Dragon Clan reproduce like rabbits, birthing a litter at a time?


    He took a deep breath, and after deactivating the Mountain Protection Array, he looked up at Fat Long in the sky and squeezed out a friendly smile, shouting loudly, ¡°I warmly welcome the Great Elder of Chao Tian Sect to visit Luohua Valley.¡±


    ¡­


    As Fat Long descended from the sky to the ground, he waved his hand, signaling the nearly hundred Dragon Clan members in the sky to transform into human form and follow him. He then strode confidently towards the Luohua Valley Master with a friendly grin, flaunting a basket of fruit in his hand: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I have no other intentions. I¡¯ve long heard of Luohua Valley¡¯s reputation and wanted to pay a visit. I wasn¡¯t sure what you liked, so I brought some fruit. Don¡¯t despise them.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    The Luohua Valley Master replied earnestly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t despise them. However, Elder, I have a very important piece of intelligence to report.¡±


    ¡°What intelligence?¡±


    ¡°Other elite forces have already retreated into their small worlds to evade the world again. Our Luohua Valley Master¡¯s speciality is intelligence. We know the exact coordinates on the Xuantian Continent of the small worlds belonging to these elite forces.¡±


    ¡°I can lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    A gleam of surprise flashed in Fat Long¡¯s eyes: ¡°After finding the coordinates of the small worlds on the Xuantian Continent, how do we go about forcing them out of their hiding places?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, just need a top Array Repairer to take action. Unfortunately, I know a top Array Repairer on the Xuantian Continent named Zhang Kui, who once ranked second on the Xuantian Continent¡¯s sinners leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°I can take you to find him first, and then have him unravel the small worlds where those elite forces are hiding.¡±


    ¡°Sound plan.¡±


    Fat Long, satisfied, patted the Luohua Valley Master on the shoulder: ¡°I¡¯ll take care of your Luohua Valley¡¯s return gesture, consider it waived.¡±


    The Luohua Valley Master immediately smiled: ¡°Then, many thanks to you, Elder.¡±


    Ha, hiding from the world?


    If Luohua Valley can be sought out, why should the rest of you continue to hide?


    If we have to concede, let¡¯s all concede together!


    ¡­


    At that moment¡ª


    The Chao Tian Sect sent troops in four directions, calling door-to-door on the various forces in Zhongzhou. Of course, they weren¡¯t going empty-handed; when visiting, they would bring a fruit basket or something of the sort.


    They were not an Evil Sect; how could they directly resort to robbery?


    But since they accepted their fruit basket, giving something in return was only natural.


    Zhongzhou, Myriad Beast Sect.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of the Myriad Beast Sect, an old man at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, nervously looked at Ao Tian, who was sitting in front of him, and hesitantly said, ¡°My disciple Xiao Yue had some fate with the Sect Leader of Chao Tian Sect, I wonder if that might¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the young girl standing awkwardly behind the old man. His brows furrowed slightly; the girl was indeed quite beautiful, maybe she really had some fate with Chen Qiu. If that was the case, then the Myriad Beast Sect might be spared for now.


    However, the Sound Transmission Ring he had with Chen Qiu was out of range, and he couldn¡¯t contact him at the moment.


    After a moment of hesitation, he asked, ¡°Have you shared a bed?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The Sect Master of the Myriad Beast Sect froze for a moment before instinctively replying, ¡°No, that hasn¡¯t happened. My disciple said they only held hands.¡±


    ¡°Just holding hands? That counts for nothing.¡±


    Ao Tian looked annoyed and then waved his hand to take a basket of fruit from Black Dragon behind him and placed it in front of the Myriad Beast Sect Leader.


    ¡°Here, a gift from Chao Tian Sect, even with a greeting written by Sect Master Chen himself. You decide on the return gift.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s common courtesy to reciprocate,¡± he added.


    ¡­


    Thirty minutes later.


    The Myriad Beast Sect Master watched as Ao Tian and his company walked away, looked up at the words ¡°Under the jurisdiction of Chao Tian Sect¡± carved on his Mountain Gate, then down at the basket of Spirit Fruits.


    After a long silence,


    he finally shakily took out a Spirit Fruit and placed it in his mouth: ¡°Taste it. This might be the most expensive Spirit Fruit you¡¯ll eat in your lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Standing by his side, Xiao Yue said lowly, with a hint of guilt, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault. If I had captured Chen Qiu that time, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation today.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh¡­¡±


    The old man chuckled bitterly before throwing a fruit core into the distance: ¡°Taste it; it¡¯s delicious. Truly a good fruit.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 577 - 212:

    Chapter 577: Chapter 212: ¡°I, Chen Qiu, Alone, Can Withstand Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.¡±_6


    ¡­


    For a moment!


    Apart from some top forces that hid in their ¡°small worlds,¡± all other forces in Zhongzhou had been visited by the Chao Tian Sect and were tasked with visiting other states, house by house.


    Moreover, at the mountain gate and city walls of every force, the words ¡°Governed by Chao Tian Sect¡± would be engraved.


    These Zhongzhou forces would then delegate tasks to various states, like the most powerful force in ¡°Jing State,¡± and these forces would further distribute the tasks to other forces, which would continue the distribution.


    In the process of passing down these tasks layer by layer,


    the meaning gradually changed.


    With tacit approval from upper levels, the task evolved from initially engraving that line of text on the mountain gates and city walls of each force to engraving that line on every household and shopfront in every city.


    Thus¡ª


    a grand engraving movement spread from Zhongzhou, at the center of Xuantian Continent, outward.


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, Mo State.


    ¡°That¡­


    The Demon Clan Patriarch, looking at Chen Qiu approaching from not far away, shuddered subconsciously, his voice laden with a thread of fear, forcibly squeezing a smile, ¡°Sect Master Chen, we were supposed to collaborate, practically as allies.¡±


    Now¡ª


    Some people with high cultivation levels on the entire Xuantian Continent had all heard a random event name.


    On Xuantian Continent, random events would occur from time to time, such as the ¡°Long Night Approaching¡± in Quzhou the other day, and now there was another random event name.


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Fruit Basket.¡±


    If you see someone from Chao Tian Sect carrying a fruit basket towards you, congratulations on encountering a special random event. Accepting the basket means you accept the goodwill of Chao Tian Sect and should prepare a return gift.


    If you refuse the fruit basket.


    Congratulations, you have been judged by Chao Tian Sect as belonging to an Evil Sect.


    And now.


    He saw Chen Qiu¡¯s face brimming with a gentle smile, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella as he walked towards him, while the scholar following behind held a sword in his left hand and a fruit basket in his right, the entire group swiftly approaching.


    That smile was full of goodwill, yet for some reason, he felt an extreme fear within.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    Soon, Chen Qiu arrived in front of the Demon Clan Patriarch, waved his hand, and signaled the scholar to hand the fruit basket to the Demon Clan Patriarch, smiling and saying, ¡°We¡¯ve fought side by side before, so let¡¯s skip the formalities, I¡¯m here just to ask for a small favor, to engrave some words on your Demon Race¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch heaved a sigh of relief, thumping his chest with a trembling voice, ¡°You scared me to death, this trivial matter I will definitely handle clearly and transparently for Sect Master Chen, rest assured!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Before preparing to leave, Chen Qiu suddenly turned his head toward the Demon Clan Patriarch and raising his eyebrows asked, ¡°The ¡®Vast Channel¡¯ in Zhongzhou has already been opened, have you considered going to the Vast Continent to seek breakthrough opportunities?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Demon Clan Patriarch paused for a while before shaking his head, ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet, there are many matters here in the Demon Clan I can¡¯t let go of, and if I were to go, it would probably be after my son has grown up.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, asked no more, and turned to leave.


    He still had several other places to visit, busy as he was.


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, south of the lower nine states, above the Demon Clan¡¯s sky.


    This was a tough nut to crack.


    With nearly a hundred Divinity Transformation Demon Cultivators, the small team from Chao Tian Sect couldn¡¯t handle it, so after visiting all surrounding forces, everyone from Chao Tian Sect met in Zhongzhou, and then under the leadership of Chen Qiu,


    a group of people grandiosely moved towards the sky above the Demon Clan Forest.


    At this moment, they were confronting each other.


    Behind Chen Qiu were over fifty disciples of Chao Tian Sect at the early stage of Divinity Transformation, and beside them was Ao Tian with Peak of Divinity Transformation Cultivation, and nearly a hundred mature giant dragons with Divinity Transformation Cultivation, altogether over a hundred and fifty with Cultivation.


    Such a massive force,


    along with Chen Qiu at the Late-stage of Divinity Transformation.


    And in the sky above the Demon Clan Forest, a young man standing on the treetops eyed the group warily, ¡°Could it be that you truly intend to swallow up our Demon Clan with just your sect?¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What if we Demon Clan don¡¯t agree?¡±


    ¡°Do you still dare to start a war?¡±


    ¡°Just a bunch of early-stage Divinity Transformation, we have many more at the Peak of Divinity Transformation on our side.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu paused for a moment then sighed, ¡°I am not here to demand wealth from the Demon Clan, nor am I here with the intention to wage war; the only thing I seek is to engrave a few phrases like ¡®Governed by Chao Tian Sect¡¯ in your Demon Clan Forest, you can even erase these words after a while.¡±


    ¡°Such a trivial matter, what harm is there in agreeing?¡±


    ¡°Must some people die before you comply?¡±


    ¡­


    In the forest of the Demon Clan, the young man standing on the treetops turned and looked at the gathering crowd of Divinity Transformation Demon Cultivators, now nearly two hundred strong, and felt slightly bolder, scoffing at Chen Qiu, ¡°What if I just don¡¯t agree?¡±


    ¡°You humans have an ancient saying.¡±


    ¡°Today they take one city, tomorrow two, the day after they¡¯ll want a hundred.¡±


    ¡°The Demon Clan Forest is Human Race¡¯s Forbidden Land, to think of engraving ¡®Governed by Chao Tian Sect¡¯ in the Demon Clan Forest is ludicrous, do you from Chao Tian Sect really think you can govern the Demon Clan?¡±


    ¡°Or do you Chao Tian Sect believe that by engraving these words, this whole world becomes yours?¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    Chen Qiu waved his hand, and without further ado, turned to Ao Tian, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you have some friends in the Demon Clan? Call them out first, to avoid harming our own people later.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Ao Tian shook his head, ¡°My Demon Clan friends aren¡¯t here, they are in the sea near Dragon Island, this place is a hundred eighty thousand miles from my Dragon Island, how could I possibly make friends so far away.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 578 - 212:

    Chapter 578: Chapter 212: ¡°I, Chen Qiu, Alone, Can Withstand Ten Million Transformations of the Divine.¡±_7


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, then slowly opened the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella and held it in his hand, stepping forward.


    The dense clouds once again spread rapidly over the Demon Beast Forest.


    It was originally noon, the sun blazing, but at that moment, the sky suddenly darkened visibly to the naked eye, and a storm howled in, causing Chen Qiu¡¯s clothes to flutter and rustle in the tempest, the whole world brewing with the unstable aura of thunder and lightning.


    Innumerable thunder dragons roared and churned within the dark clouds.


    Chen Qiu lifted the umbrella¡¯s brim, looking towards the group of Devil Clan Divinity Transformations in the nearby Demon Clan Forest, his face calm as he spoke, ¡°So today, you really won¡¯t cede this city to the Devil Clan?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t cede!¡±


    Standing above the Demon Clan Forest, the young man with a grim face felt the might of heaven and earth, his voice hoarse, enunciating each word, ¡°Chen Qiu, you may have one hundred and fifty in the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation on your side!¡±


    ¡°But I have over two hundred here, all in the peak of the Late-stage Divinity Transformation!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t cede, what can you do?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head, suddenly let out a light chuckle, then his Divine Sense instantly locked on to all of the Devil Clan¡¯s transformation divine beings, his body surface flowing with a faint blue thunder light.


    Standing in the storm, he shook his head again.


    ¡°You all¡ª¡±


    ¡°Will never know that I, Chen Qiu alone, can withstand ten million transformations of the divine.¡±


    As his words fell!


    A purple-blue ring of light instantly appeared beneath Chen Qiu¡¯s feet, rapidly expanding outwards.


    The Thirteenth-Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± activated!


    One large and one small Nascent Soul soon appeared beside him again.


    A milky white ring of light centered around one Nascent Soul expanded rapidly outwards, the Thirteenth-Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± started, and another snowy white ring with the other Nascent Soul at its center swiftly enveloped all of the Devil Clan transformations.


    The Thirteenth-Grade Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Snow Brings Forth Life,¡± activated.


    In an instant¡ª


    Three Thirteenth-Grade Divinity Transformation Domains activated simultaneously!


    The air was filled with numerous pale snowflakes and thunder arcs that flickered in and out of existence.


    And those Devil Clan Divine Domains hadn¡¯t even come into being, already completely suppressed, unable to be activated at all.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Seeing this, the young man standing atop the Demon Clan Forest treetops drastically changed color; he had long known that Chen Qiu possessed a Twelve-Grade Divine Domain, as announced by the Heavenly Dao Decree, but he held a Ten-Grade Divine Domain!


    This was unknown to the Human Race!


    This was also the source of his confidence; a Twelve-Grade Divine Domain might be strong, but it couldn¡¯t absolutely suppress his Ten-Grade Domain. At most, it would weaken his Divinity Transformation Domain slightly, and as long as it could not absolutely suppress his domain, he would still be able to exert his own strength!


    But just now, he discovered that his domain couldn¡¯t be manifested at all.


    That meant Chen Qiu¡¯s domain was a Thirteenth-Grade Divinity Transformation Domain, but how could that be, a Twelve-Grade Divinity Transformation Domain was the limit, how could there be a Thirteenth-Grade Domain, it was simply impossible!


    However, no matter how impossible he thought it was, at this moment, it was already too late to consider any of that!


    ¡°We¡¯ll cede, we¡¯ll cede!¡±


    The young man¡¯s eyes were splitting with rage as he roared, simultaneously shooting rapidly towards the outside of the domain, attempting to flee its range.


    However¡ª


    ¡°Too late.¡±


    Chen Qiu extended his left palm and slowly clenched it. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next moment.


    Accompanied by countless thunder dragons carrying the ferocity of profound cultivation surging out from his left palm.


    A blinding flash swept instantly across the sky above the Demon Clan Forest.


    In that instant fixed by the lightning, the storm and the blood mist from numerous exploding Devil Clan beings in the air merged, creating an extremely dazzling scene, and¡­


    There stood Chen Qiu in the storm holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, his face calm, his features shifting from dark to light under the flashing lightning.


    ¡°Ants, all of you.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 579 - 213:

    Chapter 579: Chapter 213: ¡°Rainy days are the best for a killing.


    Just this one strike!


    Under the blanket of thunder light and storm, the frenzy of wind and rain seemed to halt mid-air, with the flash of lightning bringing a moment of intense brightness.


    It turned the exploding mists of blood from countless Devil Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformation, like ink splashed in a painting, scattered across the heavens and earth!


    One strike!


    Almost all the Devil Clan¡¯s collective Divinity Transformation had perished violently.


    ¡­


    Standing to the side, Ao Tian, although his expression seemed calm, his right hand at his back had started to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes filled with shock. This technique was too horrific.


    Even a Void Refining powerhouse couldn¡¯t dominate over those in Divinity Transformation to such a degree.


    One could even say that at this moment, Chen Qiu¡¯s combat strength was absolutely invincible among those in Divinity Transformation, as everyone knew, a Divinity Transformation without their Divine Domain was essentially just a Nascent Soul in the late stage with abundant spiritual energy.


    The Divine Domain is the strongest method of a Divinity Transformation, almost the only turning point for absolute dominance.


    He had thought he would need to intervene and sweep through the battlefield, but he didn¡¯t even need to make a move, entirely reduced to a spectator. What a joke, he was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, a member of the Dragon Clan, inherently stronger than the Human, Devil, and Demon Races within the same realm, a Dragon Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformation!


    By relying on Bloodline Secret Technique, Dragon Clan¡¯s exclusive Divine Domain, the physical strength of the Dragon Clan, Dragon Breath, and other means, he was confident in taking on three enemies without any issue.


    Before coming here¡ª


    He had even prepared to let his unworthy son, Black Dragon, witness just how formidable his father was!


    See your father fight with blood and valour!


    But then¡­


    Ao Tian¡¯s eyes widened in horror, his throat moving slightly as he could only think that it was fortunate he and Chen Qiu were allies; otherwise, even if the Dragon Clan could reproduce abundantly, if they provoked Chen Qiu, it would be difficult to survive.


    And looking at Chen Qiu¡¯s goal, had the Dragon Clan not been allies with him, it¡¯s almost certain they would have been adversaries, and he definitely wouldn¡¯t allow the words ¡°Governed by Chao Tian Sect¡± to be inscribed all over his Dragon Island.


    ¡­


    The thunderstorm raged, with miles of dark clouds.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, holding the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stood suspended in mid-air, his eyes calm and indifferent as he looked towards the blood mist that filled the sky and the few struggling Divinity Transformation members of the Devil Clan at the brink of death not far away.


    One of them was that young man.


    Now reverted to his Devil Clan¡¯s true form, a weasel with bone-deep bloody wounds all over, he looked at Chen Qiu with eyes filled with fear and spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°Chen Qiu! Must you really exterminate us to the last?¡±


    ¡°The Devil Clan permitted it.¡±


    ¡°Kill the others if you must, but spare my life, I can be your Lifebound Spirit Beast.¡±


    Chen Qiu said nothing. The index finger at his back trembled slightly, and in an instant, tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons roared out from within him, curving and enveloping the remaining few Devil Clan Divinity Transformation members.


    After several breaths.


    Quiet fell upon the world.


    Not a single Devil Clan Divinity Transformation was seen above the Demon Clan Forest; among the storm, those towering trees made howling noises like beastly cries, as if mourning or wailing.


    The Devil Clan, who had contended with the Human Race for tens of thousands of years.


    After the refining void pulled them to the Vast Continent of the rank 2 Central Continent, the remaining Devil Clan Divinity Transformations had all surrendered their lives to the heavens.


    ¡­


    ¡°Do you like rainy days?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Upon hearing the question from Chen Qiu beside him, Ao Tian was first stunned, then hesitantly replied with some confusion.


    ¡°I do, there¡¯s a refreshing scent in the rain.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded his head, pausing for a moment before he let out a light chuckle, ¡°I also like rainy days; the storm washes away all traces clean.¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s blood fog, shredded flesh, or severed limbs.¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Or¡­ enemies.¡±


    ¡°Rainy days are perfect for killing, there¡¯s a unique charm to it.¡±


    He then fell silent, simply waving his hand and saying softly, ¡°All members of Chao Tian Sect, enter the forest and inscribe.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s one Devil Clan member who obstructs, kill one.¡±


    ¡°If there are ten who obstruct, kill ten.¡±


    ¡°If there are a hundred¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then exterminate the clan.¡±


    In those calm words, a hint of indifferent chill was revealed.


    Just as Chen Qiu had said, the night of rain was a night fit for murder.


    He did not know who the enemy was.


    He only knew.


    On the path ahead of him, whoever blocked him was an enemy, and that was the great enmity of life and death.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    With solemn faces, the disciples of Chao Tian Sect responded in unison, then transformed into beams of light, shooting towards the Demon Clan Forest; without the Devil Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformation,


    the Devil Clan was akin to an empty shell, with no one able to block or dare to block them.


    ¡­


    And so¡ª


    Seven days quickly passed.


    In these seven days, almost every corner of the Xuantian Continent had been inscribed with the words ¡°Governed by Chao Tian Sect,¡± including all nineteen provinces of the Xuantian Continent, as well as the Demon Clan, Demon Race, Dragon Island, and some hidden nooks and crannies.


    However.


    Standing aloft above Quzhou looking down at the entire region with a calm expression, his hand rested behind his back, Chen Qiu remained silent; he had tread across almost every corner of the Xuantian Continent.


    But, the milestone task of ¡°Unifying Xuantian¡± had still not been completed.


    This meant that the words ¡°Governed by Chao Tian Sect¡± had not yet covered 95% of all forces on the Xuantian Continent.


    He had traversed all significant locations, leaving some minor areas to be handled by sects from the Central Continent of Xuantian, delegating the task further down.


    It now seemed that progress was a bit slow.


    Given the vast expanse of the Xuantian Continent, the task indeed required some time to be executed, and he did not mind waiting a little longer.


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 580 - 213:

    Chapter 580: Chapter 213: ¡°Rainy days are the best for a murder.¡±_2


    Moreover¡­


    Chen Qiu looked towards the huge pile of Spirit Stones and various heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the Heavenly Dao Ring, then, with a tilt of his head, he smiled at Fat Long beside him, ¡°This time, you have truly made a great contribution. I initially planned to let those reclusive top forces be, but I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d still find a way to pull them out from their small worlds.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Fat Long scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t do much, it was all thanks to the Luohua Valley Master who led the way efficiently, and Zhang Kui is truly worthy of being a top-notch Array Repairer, everyone worked hard.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, then after estimating for a while, he turned his head towards Fat Long and the others, ¡°Get prepared. We¡¯ll head to the Vast Continent in a month.¡±


    He didn¡¯t plan to break through to the Void Refining Stage in the Xuantian Continent anymore, as there were no longer any opportunities worth pursuing there, and his Cultivation Progress was increasing at a rather slow pace.


    He had been cultivating hard for a year.


    His Cultivation Progress had only reached¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer (21%). S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    He was ready to go to the Vast Continent to see if there were any new opportunities, even though it was an unknown continent and even though it was a higher-ranked continent than the Xuantian Continent, with doubtlessly many strong individuals.


    But with his power, and with the support of his Chao Tian Sect disciples, including the Dragon Clan, he would definitely not be at the bottom upon arriving at the Vast Continent.


    The only thing to do now was to wait.


    To wait for the completion of the milestone task ¡°Unifying Xuantian¡±, to wait for the completion of the milestone task ¡°As One with the Heavenly Dao¡±.


    Once all twelve milestones were completed, the time to leave Xuantian Continent would come, the day to head to the Second Grade Vast Continent.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile.


    On the Second Grade Continent, the Vast Continent, within a mountain valley of one of its states, an old man with a face full of white beard and red hair was pacing anxiously back and forth in the valley.


    From time to time, he would lift his head to glance at the azure sky above.


    It seemed as though he was anxiously awaiting something.


    The Second Grade Vast Continent has twelve lower continents, like the Xuantian Continent, and historically, any who had acquired over one hundred billion merit points or reached the Void Refining Stage could travel from these lower continents to the Vast Continent.


    And recently¡ª


    The Vast Continent faced the third content update of the ¡°Chaotic Heavenly Struggle¡± version, which not only forcibly pulled all cultivators at the Void Refining Stage from all lower continents to the Vast Continent, but also lowered this threshold to the Seventh Layer of the Divinity Transformation Stage.


    This meant that.


    A large number of core combatants from the lower-grade continents would be heading to the Second Grade Vast Continent.


    There are twelve states in the Second Grade Vast Continent, with each state corresponding to one of the lower continents. This old man with a face full of white beard and red hair was from a state called ¡°Xuantian State¡±, which corresponded to the Xuantian Continent.


    By now, quite a few Void Refining Experts from Xuantian Continent had been forcibly pulled over, including several with Cultivation at the Divinity Transformation Seventh Layer or above.


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Finally, the old man couldn¡¯t help himself, stopped pacing, and looked anxiously up at the azure Heavenly Palace, as if expecting someone to suddenly fall from the sky.


    Cultivators pulled up from the Xuantian Continent would randomly land in any corner of the ¡°Xuantian State¡± on the Vast Continent.


    But if they had something to anchor their arrival, they could land at the location of that object.


    The person he was waiting for was naturally the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu.


    He was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation Cultivation and was the Clan Leader of a small family in the ¡°Xuantian State¡± on the Vast Continent. Although his clan wasn¡¯t very successful in ¡°Xuantian State¡±, it was still not too bad.


    His ancestor was an elder of the ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡±.


    Thousands of years ago, when his ancestor broke through to the Void Refining Stage on Xuantian Continent and went to the Vast Continent to spread his seeds, he passed down an elder token of Chao Tian Sect before his destined end, saying that in times of crisis, if one met anyone from Chao Tian Sect, this token would ensure their assistance.


    This object was also an anchor for the Chao Tian Sect members from Xuantian Continent.


    Any member of the Chao Tian Sect arriving on the Vast Continent would land near this object.


    This elder token and will of ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡± had been passed down from generation to generation, and when it reached him, he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it since the name of Chao Tian Sect hadn¡¯t been heard for a very long time.


    Moreover, it had been a long time since anyone from Xuantian Continent had come to the Vast Continent.


    There was indeed someone who claimed to be the Saintess of Xuantian Sect who came to the Vast Continent with one hundred billion merit points a hundred years ago, but he didn¡¯t know much about Xuantian Continent due to the huge information barrier.


    However, recently.


    A major event occurred in Xuantian State!


    In the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡± of the First Grade Xuantian Continent located in Xuantian State, the twelve milestone tasks that hadn¡¯t been completed for tens of thousands of years were unexpectedly completed one after another. As of today, ten have already been completed.


    And the one who completed these ten milestone tasks was none other than¡ª


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect Sect Master, Chen Qiu¡±!


    While others were still in shock and discussing when such a Heavenly Pride emerged from the lower-grade continent, only he began to breathe rapidly, suddenly remembering the Chao Tian Sect elder token handed down tens of thousands of years ago, and the old ancestor¡¯s instruction that in times of trouble, anyone from Chao Tian Sect could be called upon for help with this token.


    He originally thought that even if so, it would be an unknown number of years before Chen Qiu could break through to the Void Refining Stage.


    Who knew that the third coming of the Chaotic Heavenly Struggle version directly lowered the threshold for all the First Grade continents to head to the Vast Continent, meaning that you didn¡¯t need to reach the Void Refining Stage to travel to the Vast Continent.


    It was at that moment¡ª


    A young member of the clan suddenly ran towards him with an urgent expression, ¡°Clan Leader, the Zhang Family from Tai City has sent people to propose marriage again, saying that today they must take our Liu Family¡¯s young miss away.¡±


    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 581 - 213:

    Chapter 581: Chapter 213: ¡°Rainy days are the best for a murder.¡±_3


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    The old man with a full face of white beard and red hair, after taking a deep breath with a gloomy expression, managed to suppress the fury in his heart: ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll go now.¡±


    His Liu Family was currently facing a crisis.


    That was why he had been waiting for Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, to arrive. Given that Chen Qiu had completed so many milestone tasks within the ¡°First Grade Xuantian Continent, Central Heavenly Palace,¡± his strength was certainly not to be underestimated.


    If they could get his help, perhaps the Liu Family would be able to escape this disaster.


    After all, they were descendants of Chao Tian Sect elders, and they possessed an elder token passed down from their ancestors. There was no reason for them not to help.


    ¡­


    Vast Continent, ¡°Xuantian State¡±.


    In a mountain ravine.


    The Buddhist Ancestor and Bishan Palace Ancestor who had just set foot on the Vast Continent exchanged glances, both seeing the lingering fear in each other¡¯s eyes, especially the Bishan Palace Ancestor who kept patting his chest, his face full of fortuitous survival.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    With a complex expression, the Buddhist Ancestor turned to the Bishan Palace Ancestor: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were the only one on Xuantian Continent who possessed a tenth-grade Divinity Transformation Domain?¡±


    And that Chen Qiu¡¯s twelfth-grade Divinity Transformation Domain could absolutely suppress the Domain of everyone else on Xuantian Continent, except it couldn¡¯t suppress yours.¡±


    ¡°Why is the Devil Clan¡¯s weasel also a tenth-grade Divinity Transformation Domain?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± The Bishan Palace Ancestor merely shook his head with residual fear: ¡°That weasel from the Devil Clan never really made a move, nor has he declared it outwardly, so who could know he was a tenth-grade Divinity Transformation Domain.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for creating the tenth-grade Domain for the first time but instead slowly upgrading to it without a Heavenly Dao Decree, then who could know.¡±


    ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t make a move back then.¡±


    Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand here now.¡±


    Only those who have walked on the edge of death can know the true value of life, and now he truly understood the value of life.


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor shook his head: ¡°None of that matters now. We¡¯ve already come to the Vast Continent, what are your plans?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking,¡± said the Bishan Palace Ancestor with a serious expression: ¡°Right now, both of us are half-step Void Refining, and what we desire most is the chance to make a breakthrough in Void Refining, but I think that can wait.¡±


    ¡°Back on Xuantian Continent, I didn¡¯t even know.¡±


    ¡°But after coming to ¡®Xuantian State¡¯ in the Vast Continent, I found that quite a few people here also knew of Chen Qiu¡¯s name. Those twelve milestones on Xuantian Continent had been unknown for ten thousand years, yet Chen Qiu has quietly completed ten of them.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s true strength is probably more terrifying than either of us can imagine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just ask you this, do you think someone like him will come to ¡®Xuantian State¡¯ and be docile?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor shook his head firmly: ¡°Chen Qiu is stronger than me in ten thousand ways, with one exception ¨C his legs are not as soft as mine. I can kneel, he cannot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor took a deep breath, emphasizing each word: ¡°So when Chen Qiu arrives in Xuantian State, unless something unexpected occurs, there¡¯s likely to be another storm of blood and carnage.¡±


    ¡°What we need to do is try not to stick out too much and quietly hide here. When Xuantian State has been thrown into enough chaos by Chen Qiu, we¡¯ll stealthily slip out ¨C won¡¯t there be plenty of opportunities lying around for us to pick and choose from?¡±


    ¡°Ever since leaving Xuantian Continent, I suddenly feel like I¡¯ve understood something,¡± he continued.


    ¡°On the path of cultivation, seeking opportunities has no great significance. Just struggle to survive, live long enough, and opportunities will be plentiful enough to overwhelm you.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, great minds think alike,¡± the Buddhist Ancestor said, touching his bald head with satisfaction: ¡°This monk thinks the same.¡±


    Afterward¡ª


    The two exchanged a look, fully aligning their thoughts.


    First, they would hide in this ravine, going nowhere, waiting for Chen Qiu to arrive.


    Half-step Void Refining ¨C even such strength was nothing to scoff at on the Vast Continent. Possessing such powerful cultivation and combat power, hiding in this ravine may have seemed somewhat ludicrous.


    But if you had confronted Chen Qiu and lived to tell the tale, you would understand how fortunate it is to be able to hide in a ravine.


    ¡­


    Vast Continent, Xuantian State.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhang Kui stood emotionlessly in front of a city, looking upon the towering walls that pierced the clouds, with every brick exuding immense spiritual energy.


    This city had the Formation carved into sections and embedded into every brick of the walls, making the Formation more stable.


    A very cumbersome and difficult way to arrange a Formation.


    But, he knew how.


    After all, he was also a top Array Repairer from Xuantian Continent; he knew these methods. He just felt a bit at a loss inside and unsure of what to say at the moment.


    He had never met Chen Qiu, and they had no grievances.


    But¡ª


    Ever since the Sect Master of his sect was abducted by Chao Tian Sect, he felt an ominous unease, worrying that Chao Tian Sect might come for him at any time, considering he was an even stronger top Array Repairer.


    So, in the midst of this completely unexpected crisis, he hid away like he was fooling himself, for a long time, especially during that day when Chen Qiu kept reviving and dying again and again. He had forgotten how many times he ran back and forth between Quzhou and Jing State.


    Even his disciples thought he had gone mad.


    But he didn¡¯t care!


    He was cautious!


    He was prudent!


    He always believed that on the path of cultivation, even a ninety percent certain opportunity might not come to fruition. But if there was a ten percent chance of crisis, it would almost certainly happen. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 582 - 213:

    Chapter 582: Chapter 213: ¡°Rainy days are the best for a murder.¡±_4


    Thus, due to unease in his heart, he hid throughout the Xuantian Continent, setting up a Divinity Transformation First Grade stealth formation and spent his days tucked away within the formation, going nowhere, just hiding.


    Even when Chen Qiu secluded himself in the Xuantian Continent for a year, he didn¡¯t go anywhere but stayed within his own formation.


    His heart was still uneasy.


    He was prepared to wait until the day Chen Qiu died, or advanced to Void Refining and moved to the Vast Continent, then he would come out. After all, he had a long life ahead and didn¡¯t mind waiting a few more years.


    Whoever came would find no fault in him.


    He considered himself cautious enough.


    Until¡ª¡ª


    Seven days ago.


    He saw the Sect Grand Elder Fat Long of the Chao Tian Sect followed by nearly a hundred Peak of Divinity Transformation giant dragons and the Valley Master of Luohua Valley, including the Sect Master of the Gua Sect, appearing above his formation.


    At that moment, his world collapsed.


    Even though he was a top-tier Array Repairer in the Xuantian Continent and quite adept with formations, his Cultivation was merely at the late-stage of Divinity Transformation. He had never imagined that one day he would be captured with such grandeur.


    The Valley Master of Luohua Valley, using intelligence agencies, roughly pinpointed his location.


    The Sect Master of Gua Sect, personally invoking the First Grade Divine Domain ¡°Prediction of Heaven and Earth,¡± sought divine guidance through nine hexagrams to locate him.


    The Sect Grand Elder of the Chao Tian Sect, bringing with him a hundred Divinity Transformation giant dragons, came to request his emergence.


    This grand spectacle, to put it unpleasantly, at that moment he felt that he could die without regrets. How many people in the entire Xuantian Continent deserve such a spectacle?


    He, Zhang Kui, had enjoyed it!


    Without any resistance, he didn¡¯t even activate his Divine Domain ¡°Instant Formation¡±; it was completely pointless. Resigned to his fate and ready for a swift end, he then deactivated his Divinity Transformation First Grade stealth grand formation.


    Kneeling on the ground, he raised both hands.


    He only said two phrases.


    ¡°I submit.¡±


    ¡°Give me a swift end.¡±


    However¡ª¡ª


    Unexpectedly, he did not die. The Sect Grand Elder Fat Long merely took him to the link points in the Xuantian Continent of the secluded small worlds of top forces in the Central State, instructing him to force these people out with his formations.


    Naturally, he had no objection and no room to refuse.


    Just like that.


    He diligently pulled out all the top forces that were hiding in Central State. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Afterward, he was released. However, as those top forces exited, the looks they cast him seemed somewhat resentful, obviously blaming him, Zhang Kui, rather than resenting the Chao Tian Sect.


    Suitably so.


    After that, he came to the Vast Continent, planning to start anew and see if he could find an opportunity to break through to Void Refining.


    He then took a deep breath, looking up at the towering city before him, clenching his fists and cheering himself on.


    Hang in there! You¡¯re the best! You¡¯re the top-tier Array Repairer!


    You will kick off your magnificent and lengthy new life here!


    With those thoughts, he stepped toward the long queue entering the city, intending to keep a low profile initially, just to get a feel of what this continent was like.


    As the perspective gradually widened.


    The two characters engraved at the city gate entrance also gradually shrank.


    ¡°Cloud City.¡±


    ¡­


    Vast Continent, Xuantian State, Cloud City.


    In the bustling streets filled with noisy crowds, cultivators frequently entered and exited the shops lining the roads. Amid such lively streets, there was one shop with its doors tightly shut and empty inside.


    Inside the shop, a gaunt elderly man, content with his work, held a brush as he skillfully wrote four characters on the signboard.


    ¡°Myraid Beast Sect¡±!


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    The elderly man, quite pleased with himself, placed the brush aside and looked at the three characters on the signboard, admiring them by himself for a long while before turning to his dazed assistant, Xiao Yue, sitting on a chair beside him: ¡°The three characters written by your master aren¡¯t too bad, right?¡±


    ¡°This shop will be the new starting point for the Myriad Beast Sect on the Vast Continent!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve looked into it. There are only three shops specializing in Spirit Beasts in this city, but their techniques of nurturing Spirit Beasts are far inferior to mine.¡±


    ¡°Just you watch.¡±


    ¡°Once I have nurtured the batch of Spirit Beasts I just picked up from the market, I¡¯ll open for business and surely make a splash!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Xiao Yue, seated beside him, listlessly nodded, mumbling after a moment, ¡°I thought we were doing well enough in the Xuantian Continent. Why did we have to come to the Vast Continent? Back in Xuantian, we were at least a second-tier force, but here we are just a shop.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    The elderly man, somewhat discontent, scolded, ¡°In Xuantian, our prospects were limited, but here we have ample opportunities to climb higher. People always strive for higher places; why would anyone want to stay low after being low for so long?¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t just look at us as a small shop.¡±


    ¡°Your master is still at the peak of Divinity Transformation, which is not weak in this Cloud City. It¡¯s just that being new, it¡¯s wise not to be too conspicuous. A small shop is just right. You know nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The nine-tailed fox lying nearby overheard this mentor-apprentice exchange and rolled her eyes, saying nothing.


    Her name is July Cat.


    She suddenly realized this life was bizarre enough.


    She had literally done nothing.


    Even her Cultivation hadn¡¯t increased.


    But she had run from Da Xia Country to the Xuantian Continent and then from the Xuantian Continent to the Vast Continent. In her past lives, she tried hard to survive but ended up dead. This life, she started off just awaiting death, yet unexpectedly found she kept not dying.

 Chapter 583 - 213:

    Chapter 583: Chapter 213: ¡°Rainy days are the best for a murder.¡±_5


    It even increased again.


    Although the Cultivation didn¡¯t rise, the interface rank went up.


    Quite good.


    Just then¡ª


    Suddenly, a bustling noise came from outside the shop. The elder of the Myriad Beast Sect at the Peak of Divinity Transformation subconsciously pushed the shop door open to look outside, only to see that the shop across, which had been empty, was now having a construction team move in to refurbish it.


    The neighboring shop, unhappy with the daytime renovation affecting their business, was sending someone out to argue, while a middle-aged man, who was clearly the owner of that shop, was now stepping forward to talk.


    ¡°Zhang Kui?¡±


    The Myriad Beast Sect elder at the Peak of Divinity Transformation paused for a moment when he saw the middle-aged man¡¯s back, then seemed to think of something, his expression becoming somewhat distant, and he muttered under his breath.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Zhang Kui, who had been discussing the renovation of his own shop with a neighboring shop, was caught off guard when he saw the elder from across the street and paused for a moment.


    Then he quickly tried to placate the shopkeeper from next door with a gentle tone, handed over a Storage Bag, and after calming things down, he strode towards the elder from the Myriad Beast Sect, his words tinged with excitement.


    ¡°Xiao Qi, what are you doing here?¡±


    At that moment, Xiao Yue, who was peeking out from beneath the door, asked in confusion, ¡°Zhang Kui, the second on the Xuantian Continent¡¯s list of crimes, Master, you know him? Why haven¡¯t you told me?¡±


    ¡°And Master, why does he call you Xiao Qi? It sounds so ambiguous.¡±


    After a few moments.


    Inside the shop of the Myriad Beast Sect.


    Zhang Kui, his face filled with emotion, lifted a jar of wine and drank it down in one go before turning to Xiao Yue and sighed, ¡°Your master used to be called Wang Qi, and I was Zhang Kui, back then we were known as the black and white deadly duo!¡±


    ¡°We were the type who went mad killing in various Heavenly Dao Secret Realms.¡±


    ¡°Your master was in charge of luring the Spirit Beasts, and once my array was set, no one in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm could stop us. Back then you weren¡¯t even born yet, and your master wasn¡¯t the Sect Master of the Myriad Beast Sect yet, but still an Inner Sect Disciple wandering the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Back then I was a Loose Cultivator and after meeting your master, we ventured through Jianghu together.¡±


    ¡°Later on¡­¡±


    ¡°Things happened to me afterward, and my reputation was ruined. Your master was about to be selected as a True Disciple and went back to the sect. Afterwards, we went our separate ways and didn¡¯t see each other again. As for later on, I topped the Xuantian Continent¡¯s list of criminals and couldn¡¯t meet your master again to not tarnish his reputation.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Xiao Yue nodded thoughtfully, turning to look at her master, who since Zhang Kui¡¯s appearance had been sitting silently to the side, lost in his own thoughts and drinking heavily, looking extremely troubled.


    Just moments ago he had been excitedly anticipating the grand opening of the Myriad Beast Sect¡¯s first shop on the Vast Continent, but now he seemed quite downcast.


    No one in the room spoke for a moment.


    The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.


    Just then¡ª


    Zhang Kui suddenly lifted another jar of Spiritual Wine and drank it down, his body slightly tipsy as he forcefully slammed his fist on the table, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and then said hoarsely, ¡°Xiao Qi, I know you¡¯ve been suffering all these years.¡±


    ¡°I have never looked for you.¡±


    ¡°Although I am the strongest Array Repairer on the Xuantian Continent, I never stepped into Zhongzhou because I know you don¡¯t want to face me or meet me, but I¡¯ve been holding back this issue for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I must speak.¡±


    ¡°I know, six hundred years ago, the ordeal that those villains put you through pained you, but I don¡¯t mind, I truly don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Six hundred years ago, I told you I didn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°You said I was deceiving you, but time will prove everything.¡±


    ¡°Six hundred years have passed, and I still want to tell you, I don¡¯t mind!¡±


    ¡°For you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I am willing to be an enemy of the world!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ wait¡­¡± Xiao Yue became frozen in place, a look of disbelief flashing across her eyes as she turned to look at her master, who was quietly drinking to the side, his entire demeanor quite off. His gaunt appearance¡­ his distinctly masculine face¡­ his wrinkled visage¡­ his white hair¡­


    Then turning her gaze to Zhang Kui¡¯s equally masculine Adam¡¯s apple and his rugged, square-jawed face.


    Her voice even began to tremble, ¡°Master¡­ you¡­ you guys¡­¡±


    At the moment the words fell!


    July Cat, who had been sprawled on the floor with little interest, suddenly brightened, scurrying under the table.


    Secretively, she moved a jar of wine placed on the ground under the table, took a big sip.


    Then dragged a plate of edamame to the table¡¯s underside as well.


    With a sip of wine and a mouthful of edamame, she pricked up her ears, listening intently.


    There¡¯s gossip, she loves gossip.


    The evil lord of the world and the romantic tragedy of a major orthodox force¡¯s Sect Master in Zhongzhou, delicious gossip, please continue.


    Earlier, feeling somewhat gloomy due to the severed bond with Chen Qiu, Xiao Yue was instantly frozen on the spot. She looked at Zhang Kui, then at her master, then back at her master, and again at Zhang Kui.


    For a moment, she even lost the heart to think about Chen Qiu.


    You elders, seem to know how to play even more than us younger ones.


    ¡­


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    Perhaps it had been pressing on him for a full six hundred years, Zhang Kui now seemed ready to let everything out as he fiercely smashed the empty wine jar on the ground, his eyes red as he hoarsely said. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Six hundred years ago, your master was still a fair maiden, as beautiful as a flower, and it was only after that ordeal, filled with despair, that she used the term ¡®gender reverse¡¯ to change her own gender.¡±

 Chapter 584 - 213:

    Chapter 584: Chapter 213: ¡°Rainy days are the best for a murder.¡±_6


    ¡°At that time, I remember your Master was very petite and beautiful, with long hair.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to describe it, just that at the first glance, I thought she epitomized unsurpassed beauty in this world.¡±


    ¡°Your Master had a very kind heart.¡±


    ¡°I was just a Loose Cultivator back then, severely injured in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and unconscious in a gorge, rescued by your Master. When I awoke, I asked your Master why she saved me, and she furrowed her brows in confusion and said, ¡®You were injured, why else would I save you?''¡±


    ¡°In my life, I had never trusted anyone else nor had anyone been kind to me, that sentence from your Master made me decide, I would devote my life to her.¡±


    ¡°Your Master was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Myriad Beast Sect, out on a training expedition when she encountered me.¡±


    ¡°Afterwards¡­¡±


    ¡°Afterwards, your Master and I traveled together. At that time, my cultivation was only at the peak of Nascent Soul, seeking opportunities to reach a higher realm of Divinity Transformation. We went to many secret realms together, and wherever we went, there was chaos and bloodshed, leaving behind quite a reputation.¡±


    ¡°There was just this one time¡ª¡±


    ¡°I separated from your Master because I went to find a certain opportunity, heading to a solo Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, while your Master¡­ once again saved a mortal. That mortal had only the Foundation Establishment cultivation, while your Master then had the peak Nascent Soul cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps seeing that your Master was gentle and kind, the mortal, instead of being grateful to your Master, started spreading rumors, claiming that your Master had stolen a jade pendant left by his ancestors.¡±


    ¡°And because of this, he demanded compensation.¡±


    ¡°Your Master naturally refused and earnestly explained that she had stolen nothing, but the more your Master explained, the more wildly the mortal spread his claims.¡±


    ¡°I do not know the specifics of what happened in between.¡±


    ¡°All I know is, when I came back from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm three days later, your Master was standing dispiritedly at the city gates, with a crowd of mortals behind her throwing rotten vegetables and eggs at her.¡±


    ¡°Those people¡¯s eyes and pupils were flickering with extreme excitement and agitation.¡±


    ¡°Those people were furiously cursing, their voices trembling with excitement. They didn¡¯t care whether your Master had actually stolen the jade pendant or not, they were just enjoying the thrill of recklessly cursing a fairy.¡±


    ¡°That city had quite a number of mortals, almost all gathering at the city gates for the spectacle.¡±


    ¡°Defamation¡­¡± Xiao Yue suddenly realized, murmuring, ¡°Is it this kind of defamation? Not the physical kind?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Zhang Kui, looking distant, shook his head: ¡°But this kind of defamation to her reputation, for your Master, was even worse than a physical violation. She had always been very kind-hearted before.¡±


    ¡°She had never killed a mortal.¡±


    ¡°Seeing me after I arrived, your Master, reeking and with tearful eyes, just said, ¡®Brother Kui.''¡±


    ¡°I said nothing.¡±


    ¡°It took me three days to set up a large formation that enveloped the entire city.¡±


    ¡°Once the formation started,¡±


    ¡°A sky-high stench of blood reddened the entire sky. I told your Master, it¡¯s okay now, it will all be okay from now on.¡±


    ¡°But her mental state was extremely poor by that time, and after my massacre, many famous and upstanding sects wanted me, and during the escape, I couldn¡¯t protect your Master adequately, so I sent her back to the Central State.¡±


    ¡°But before returning her to the Central Region, I sensed that your master¡¯s mental state was really not right, feared she might come to harm, and forced to share a bed with her, hoping to let her know that she was still loved by someone in this world.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Xiao Yue suddenly stood up from the table, her face full of disbelief as she looked at Zhang Kui, ¡°You bastard, isn¡¯t this taking advantage of someone at their weakest?!¡±


    ¡°Sit down first.¡±


    Zhang Kui shook his head, ¡°The situation back then was complicated. Your master¡¯s heart has always been kind, and under such circumstances, after being overwhelmed by such slander, her spiritual heart indeed could have shattered. I had no choice at the time because your master was even contemplating suicide, and I had to find a reason for your master to continue living.¡±


    ¡°Afterwards¡­¡±


    ¡°Afterwards, I was constantly on the run, and later your master used the ¡®Inverse Yin and Yang¡¯ entry, became a True Disciple, and step by step reached the position of Sect Master of the Myriad Beast Sect.¡±


    ¡°After that.¡±


    ¡°Your master sent people to deliver a message to me, saying she did not wish to see me in this lifetime. I hadn¡¯t realized that the mortal slander had such a huge impact on your master.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t mind, I told your master, I can wait for her.¡±


    ¡°One hundred years passed, two hundred years passed, until six hundred years had passed.¡±


    ¡°My feelings for your master, heaven and earth can witness.¡±


    ¡°I thought I would never have the chance to meet her again in my lifetime, but unexpectedly, today we met again. This time, I will not back down.¡±


    Zhang Kui¡¯s eyes reddened as he looked up at Wang Qi, who was drinking alone across the table, ¡°Xiao Qi, I know that the mortal slander back then greatly affected you, but so many years have passed, it¡¯s time to move on.¡±


    ¡°Will you accept me again?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Yue¡¯s eyes were also brimming with tears at this point; she was quite emotional herself, and hearing this love story spanning six hundred years, she felt immensely moved.


    And just then¡ª


    Throughout, the Sect Master of the Myriad Beast Sect, who had been drinking sullenly on her own, suddenly also had red eyes and hoarsely said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been avoiding you all these years not because of that mortal slander.¡±


    ¡°What is it then?¡± Zhang Kui asked, somewhat excitedly.


    ¡°Because you forced yourself on me that time.¡±


    Zhang Kui was slightly stunned, obviously not expecting this to be the reason, his voice excited and incredulous, ¡°Just because of that? But we¡¯ve been through so much together, hadn¡¯t we already developed a deep connection?¡±


    ¡°Before I entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm alone, you kissed me on the forehead, wishing me a safe return.¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°We walked hand in hand through mountains and rivers, watched sunrises together, saw sunsets together, walked barefoot in the rain together, went to the market to pick rouge for you, went fishing by the sea together.¡±


    ¡°You even fed me grapes with your mouth, I thought we had already¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his words,


    The Sect Master of the Myriad Beast Sect once again interrupted him hoarsely, ¡°Because before I left the Myriad Beast Sect six hundred years ago, to experience life as a disciple down the mountains, I had already used the ¡®Inverse Yin and Yang¡¯ entry once.¡±

 Chapter 585 - 214:

    Chapter 585: Chapter 214: ¡°Greetings to Chen Qiu as He Ascends the Xuantian Throne!


    Zhang Kui: ¡°¡­¡±


    July Cat: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Yue: ¡°¡­¡±


    At the moment the words of the Myriad Beast Sect Sect Leader fell, everyone in the room was stunned momentarily before they realized what was happening and froze on the spot.


    She had already used the ¡°yin and yang reversal¡± entry before descending the mountain.


    Doesn¡¯t that mean¡­


    She must have been male before going down the mountain???


    ¡­


    The July Cat hiding under the table, now completely drunk, still had a glint in her fox eyes. She took another fierce gulp of Spiritual Wine, her ears standing up straight.


    This melon is getting juicier and juicier.


    She knew that as long as she lived long enough, she would be able to enjoy plenty of juicy gossip.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhang Kui¡¯s mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but her body remained rigid in place for a long time without uttering a word.


    The atmosphere in the room sank into silence once more.


    Only then did the Sect Leader of the Myriad Beast Sect, with reddened eyes and a hoarse voice, say, ¡°Six hundred years ago I left the sect to gain experience. Since I was quite playful at that time, I wanted to try wandering the Jianghu in a daughter¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Your tenderness back then was something I had never experienced. There were many times when I even gradually forgot that I was a man. Being with you, I felt a sense of security like never before.¡±


    ¡°I really enjoyed the days I spent with you.¡±


    ¡°Many times, I even told myself that maybe spending a lifetime with you as a woman wouldn¡¯t be so bad.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°In the end, I failed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°For making you wait all these years, and for deceiving you for so long.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Yue¡¯s jaw dropped slowly as she incredulously turned to look at her master beside her, feeling at a loss for words. Though the face was extremely familiar, today it somehow looked quite strange.


    ¡­


    In the room.


    Aside from the occasional chewing sounds from under the table, the entire room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop to the floor.


    After a long while,


    Zhang Kui finally looked up with a hoarse voice toward Wang Qi: ¡°Xiao Qi, tell me, is all of this true?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Myriad Beast Sect elder lowered his head, not daring to meet Zhang Kui¡¯s gaze, and after a long silence, said in a low voice: ¡°It¡¯s true, I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I¡­¡±


    Before he could finish,


    Zhang Kui suddenly interrupted Wang Qi¡¯s words with an expressionless calm: ¡°Look at me.¡±


    Wang Qi instinctively looked up.


    He saw Zhang Kui suddenly place a finger on her own brow, and then her cheeks began to crack like shattered porcelain. Shortly after, her entire face shattered,


    Revealing the face that had been hidden beneath it.


    A delicate and stunning face appeared.


    Black hair flowed behind her head.


    Though not breathtakingly beautiful, there was an allure of a mature woman.


    Zhang Kui then undid her robe in front of Wang Qi and removed the cloth binding her chest, revealing her female characteristics, her voice becoming crisp as she looked at Wang Qi with a complex expression and gentle eyes.


    ¡°Actually, I lied to you back then too.¡±


    ¡°I was born a woman, but after surviving the massacre of my family, it was dangerous for a woman to travel alone in the Jianghu, so I used the Secret Technique to make myself appear as a man.¡±


    ¡°Over the years, I have often asked myself whether I really loved you.¡±


    ¡°And now, finding out that you were originally a man, I feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°Wait a second¡ª¡±


    Xiao Yue, with an expressionless face, held her temples and closed her eyes as she calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk, let me think for a bit.¡±


    ¡°So now, my master was originally a man, and you actually have a woman¡¯s body, right?¡±


    ¡°Good, great.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very curious, since you have a woman¡¯s body, how did you manage to force yourself on my master back then?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking,


    Zhang Kui¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment as she took out a jade Dragon Root from her chest: ¡°This¡­ I¡¯ve treasured it for six hundred years, sometimes even using it myself¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Myriad Beast Sect elder, who had been expressionless and silent, suddenly spoke up: ¡°I was wondering why it hurt a bit back then.¡±


    ¡°Let me get this straight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit confused.¡±


    ¡­


    A hundred breaths later,


    Xiao Yue, holding a nine-tailed fox, sat on a stool and looked at Zhang Kui, hugging her master and tearfully in the distance, murmuring in a daze, ¡°It¡¯s nice, although the process was somewhat twisted, the end result was correct.¡±


    ¡°True lovers have finally become devoted to each other.¡±


    Then she looked down at the little fox in her arms: ¡°What do you think, little fox?¡±


    July Cat nodded her little head affirmatively. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Wait a second¡ª¡±


    Xiao Yue suddenly reacted: ¡°Did I just suddenly get a stepmother?¡±


    ¡°And the second most notorious female demon of the Xuantian Continent?¡±


    ¡°A top-tier Array Repairer?¡±


    Not bad.


    With such a luxurious lineup, perhaps it really might make a name for themselves in Cloud City of the Vast Continent¡¯s Xuantian State.


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent, the underworld.


    Since Chen Qiu had almost wiped out the Devil Clan¡¯s Divinity Transformation beings and Void Refining ancestors in the underworld last time, the Devil Clan, lacking high-end power, quickly went from being a major race in the underworld to being an entity that everyone attacked on sight.


    The cities that belonged to the Devil Clan were also being taken back one after another.


    Any discerning person could see that the Devil Clan in the underworld was on the verge of extinction ¨C without the high-end power of Divinity Transformation beings, what remained was essentially nothing noteworthy, unless a large number of Divinity Transformation beings could suddenly emerge from within the clan.


    But how could that ever happen!


    Breaking through to Divinity Transformation was not so easy; it was not like you could just breakthrough en masse.


    However¡­ as they say, miracles always happen, just in ways you can¡¯t comprehend!

 Chapter 586 - 214:

    Chapter 586: Chapter 214: ¡°Welcome Chen Qiu to Ascend the Xuantian Throne!¡±_2


    Just as the Devil Clan of the underworld was retreating incessantly on the battlefield,


    a miracle occurred¡ª


    Hundreds of Devil Clan Divinity Transformation members, each radiating intense murderous intent and wearing gloomy, ugly expressions, suddenly emerged and under the call of a young member of their race, they launched a counterattack!


    No one knew where these hundreds of Divinity Transformations of the Devil Clan had sprung from.


    It was simply inconceivable.


    But one thing was clear to everyone: the Human Clan of the underworld was about to be at a disadvantage again, damn it.


    Unless¡­ the Human Clan could also produce a batch of Divinity Transformations.


    But how could that be possible? Achieving Divinity Transformation wasn¡¯t so easy, let alone en masse.


    ¡­


    In Xuantian Continent, in its central region,


    at this time, many late-stage Divinity Transformations of the Xuantian Continent had already passed through the ¡°Vast Channel¡± to head for the Vast Continent, leaving only some who did not wish to go to the Vast Continent and preferred to remain in Xuantian.


    Three days later,


    while Chen Qiu was sunbathing on the seaside of Quzhou, he suddenly heard a Heavenly Dao Decree by his ear.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Perceived by Heavenly Dao, in Quzhou of Xuantian Continent, the Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu, with supreme might, has unified Xuantian Continent.


    For completing one of the milestone tasks of Xuantian Continent, a statue has been erected in the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±.


    He is also granted a mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    Following that¡ª


    Another Heavenly Dao Decree echoed in Chen Qiu¡¯s ear once more!


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Perceived by Heavenly Dao, in Quzhou of Xuantian Continent, the Human Clan Cultivator Chen Qiu, with unparalleled means, has completed eleven milestone tasks.


    For completing one of the milestone tasks of Xuantian Continent, a statue has been erected in the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±.


    He is also granted a mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    ¨C


    As the two consecutive Heavenly Dao Decrees sounded by his ear, Chen Qiu, who was lying on the beach of Quzhou and sunbathing, slightly curved the corners of his lips and stretched himself with a contented expression.


    Not bad.


    All twelve milestone tasks have been completed; the Xuantian Continent is fully illuminated now.


    ¡°Exterminate a clan singlehandedly.¡±


    ¡°Possess both a twelfth-grade Golden Core and a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul simultaneously.¡±


    ¡°Seize the first place in the Heavenly Dao ranking five times.¡±


    ¡°Be nominated by a Heavenly Dao Decree in both the Mortal World and the underworld simultaneously.¡±


    ¡°Accumulate a total of three hundred billion merits!¡±


    ¡°Be nominated by a Heavenly Dao Decree twenty times.¡±


    ¡°Break through the ultimate limits of heaven and earth!¡±


    ¡°Cause ten celestial phenomena.¡±


    ¡°Rank on any Heavenly Dao leaderboard a hundred times.¡±


    ¡°Achieve Divinity Transformation for all members of the clan.¡±


    ¡°Unify Xuantian.¡±


    ¡°Stand shoulder to shoulder with the Dao.¡±


    Every single one of the twelve milestone tasks was lit up, and by then, twelve statues had already been erected in the Heavenly Palace. He had no intention of checking them out right away but planned to do so later.


    It was time to prepare for the journey to the Vast Continent.


    Before completing these two milestone tasks, he had already possessed two top-tier Heavenly Dao Roulettes. After completing the ¡°All Members Divinity Transformation¡± milestone task, two more mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes were awarded.


    Just now, he was awarded four more mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes.


    Now these Heavenly Dao Roulettes have automatically merged.


    Into.


    A supreme-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette and a top-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    At that moment¡ª


    Another Heavenly Dao Decree resounded, but this time the decree thundered across the entire Xuantian Continent! S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Perceived by Heavenly Dao, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, the Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, the unmistakable Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu, with heaven-shocking, ghost-weeping methods, has successfully completed the twelve milestone tasks of Xuantian Continent!


    Such a heavenly pride is the fortune of Xuantian.


    He is granted a thread of the ¡°Xuantian Fortune¡±, and the common people need not take it as a precedent, simply observe.


    ¨C


    The next moment!


    An unprecedented majestic celestial phenomenon enveloped the entire Xuantian Continent. Heavenly music began to play overhead, countless golden fragments fell like snowflakes from the sky, drifting into the bodies of every cultivator.


    Following that¡ª


    Suddenly a black hole appeared above their heads, full of golden light, and then out from the black hole extended a Heavenly Ladder formed by arcs of lightning, reaching down to his feet.


    Right after.


    On both sides of this Heavenly Ladder, numerous fairies made of Spiritual Energy appeared, kneeling on either side of the ladder, their heads bowed as they continuously chanted the celestial melody.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the Heavenly Ladder which had abruptly appeared before him. He felt deep inside that stepping onto it would lead him to the Vast Continent.


    And as the golden fragments fell like snowflakes from the sky into his body,


    he saw his merit value skyrocketing.


    And his Cultivation Progress was also soaring rapidly.


    40%.


    60%.


    Soon reaching¡ª


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer (99%).


    ¨C


    Just one step away from the Peak of Divinity Transformation, he had toiled for a year, with his cultivation progress almost stagnant, but this celestial phenomenon had nearly brought him straight to the peak!


    This celestial phenomenon.


    It didn¡¯t heal any external injuries nor any hidden wounds; it had only one effect, which was to boost Cultivation Progress.


    No matter if you were at 70% of the third layer of Foundation Establishment or at 0% of the fourth layer of Divinity Transformation, everyone was elevated to 99% of their current realm,


    No matter the starting point of Cultivation Progress or the level, it was fixed at 99%.


    Clearly, for those who had just made a breakthrough in their cultivation, this celestial phenomenon had the greatest effect, but it was also quite good for those higher-level Divinity Transformation cultivators because their difficulty in advancing their Cultivation Progress was much more considerable than that of Nascent Souls.


    And at this time¡ª


    Ao Tian and others also rushed over, and upon seeing this Heavenly Ladder, they instantly grasped something, their faces faintly excited as they looked toward Chen Qiu.

 Chapter 587 - 214:

    Chapter 587: Chapter 214: ¡°Welcome Chen Qiu to Ascend to the Xuantian Throne!¡±_3


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu looked towards the crowd with a smile, then took the lead, stepping onto the Heavenly Ladder composed of arcs of lightning, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.


    And Ao Tian Fei Long, along with the others, hastily followed behind, staring at the Heavenly Ladder beneath their feet, appearing somewhat at a loss for a moment.


    Chen Qiu walked at the front of the Heavenly Ladder, looking up towards the black hole at the end, moving forward with firm steps.


    On the other side of this black hole was the Vast Continent, a second-grade land.


    It was a brand-new world, where one could only wonder what fresh stories would unfold.


    At this moment, he could vaguely sense¡ª


    Above the Nine Heavens, within the Heavenly Palace, after the twelve statues slowly stood up, there appeared a throne, a throne prepared just for him.


    ¡­


    This celestial spectacle lasted for a full thirty minutes.


    All the people of Xuantian Continent watched in a daze, their gazes lifted towards that phenomenon above their heads, fully witnessing the birth of a legend.


    The Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu.


    That man perfectly demonstrated to them what it means to be a true Heavenly Pride, a true legend.


    Everyone knew¡ª


    Chen Qiu had already gone to the Vast Continent, and countless sects breathed a sigh of relief; the mountain that had been pressing down upon their heads had finally departed, leaving them feeling decidedly unburdened.


    Meanwhile, in an unnoticed corner¡ª


    In Quzhou, next to Boundless Snow Mountain, in the ¡®Desperate Town,¡¯ a middle-aged man with a full beard was calling out anxiously to his teammates, preparing to dig out a youngster buried by heavy snow.


    Another young man, poorly dressed, attempting to gamble his life away on Boundless Snow Mountain.


    ¡°Wife, get the chicken soup ready, we need to nourish this young brother!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡­


    After walking the length of the Heavenly Ladder and entering the black hole, Chen Qiu saw only a flash of white light before his eyes, and when the light reappeared, he found himself in a mountain ravine.


    This place was the second-grade land, the Vast Continent.


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath; the Spiritual Energy here was indeed thicker than that of Xuantian Continent, even an unremarkable and deserted ravine like this one had a concentration of Spiritual Energy on par with that of central states.


    He then took Ao Tian and the rest into his small world.


    Being new here, it was better to keep a low profile at first.


    He planned to visit the Heavenly Palace first to see what the situation was with his throne, and then take Ao Tian Fei Long and the others to explore this world.


    Otherwise, a group of Divinity Transformation stage individuals would be too conspicuous.


    But before that, he turned his gaze to the two strands of golden light that were incessantly revolving around his Nascent Soul¡ªthis was the Xuantian Fortune, awarded for completing twelve milestone tasks.


    ¨C


    ¡®Treasure Name¡¯: A Strand of Xuantian Fortune.


    ¡®Acquisition Source¡¯: Can be obtained upon completing twelve milestone tasks in a given land, earning the fortune of that continent.


    ¡®Usage Effect¡¯:


    1: Can significantly enhance the effect of the Void Refining Domain.


    2:¡­


    6:¡­


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at this panel in front of him. Xuantian Fortune had many uses, the simplest being that it could substantially increase the power of a spell.


    The term ¡®significantly¡¯ wasn¡¯t further specified, but the degree of enhancement was surely not small.


    After all, the harder it was to acquire a strand of Xuantian Fortune, it was widely accepted, the more powerful it would be.


    Beyond that, it could significantly enhance the effects of the Void Refining Domain.


    The main Attack Method of Void Refining was also through a domain; it was an advanced version of the Divinity Transformation Domain, only its might was much greater than that of the latter.


    Once the Domain was activated, heaven and earth would transform.


    However, the grade remained the same as the Divinity Transformation Domain, only it obtained a new name after one broke through to Void Refining.


    For example¡ª


    A 10th-grade Divinity Transformation Domain could absolutely suppress a 6th-grade Void Refining Domain.


    The strict hierarchy of grades did not change simply because you had broken through to Void Refining, and it was through his 13th-grade Divinity Transformation Domain that Chen Qiu, back with the Demon Race, managed to completely suppress the Void Refining Domain of the Dwarf Clan¡¯s Void Refining ancestor. He then, along with the Demon Clan Patriarch, sent the dwarf ancestor to his death.


    And one of the effects of this strand of Xuantian Fortune was that it could greatly enhance the effect of one of his Divinity Transformation Domains. It didn¡¯t raise the grade but directly enhanced the effect of the Divinity Transformation Domain.


    He had three Divinity Transformation Domains.


    ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy,¡± ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move,¡± ¡°Snow Brings Forth Life.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t decided which Divinity Transformation Domain¡¯s effect to strengthen, but among these three, he was more inclined towards the effect of the ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± Divinity Transformation Domain.


    With a thought, his body reappeared inside the ¡°Heavenly Palace.¡±


    ¡­


    Second-grade Vast Continent, Xuantian Sect, Heavenly Palace.


    At this moment, the gates of the Heavenly Palace were tightly closed. Only Chen Qiu stood alone inside the Heavenly Palace. The ground was covered with a long red carpet, and on both sides of the carpet stood six huge statues, each towering dozens of zhang high.


    And each statue¡ª


    represented a highlight of his time on Xuantian Continent.


    Chen Qiu stepped onto the red carpet, his expression calm, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella as he walked towards the throne at the end of the carpet, composed of arcs of lightning, passing by each statue.


    In the depths of heaven and earth¡¯s power, he was always brought back to the highlights of those days, replaying them, allowing him to relive those moments once again.


    In front of an entire army of the Evil Clan, the rage hidden beneath his severely injured body.


    During the celestial phenom, the face full of mercy. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The sunlight fell upon his face, back against the darkness, the interplay of light and shadow upon his visage.


    The highlights quickly dissipated.


    When everything vanished, he had reached the throne at the end of the carpet made of arcs of lightning.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu, with an expression calm, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stood silently in front of the throne for a while before suddenly laughing, slowly taking his seat.


    The next moment.


    The entire Heavenly Palace burst into golden light, and between heaven and earth, a rumbling chant of Chen Qiu¡¯s name echoed continuously.


    The tightly shut gates of the Heavenly Palace suddenly began to open slowly.


    And seated on the throne, Chen Qiu¡¯s first sight as the gates of the Heavenly Palace opened was countless cultivators with complicated expressions standing outside, looking on.


    These cultivators had faces of disbelief, confusion, shock, jealousy ¨C a myriad of human expressions, each distinct and unique!


    Immediately after¡ª


    An Imperial Decree of the Heavenly Dao boomed across the skies of the Vast Continent.


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: Sensing of the Heavenly Dao, Human Clan Cultivator, Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, peerless Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu with his matchless methods, has become the King of Xuantian.


    Congratulations on the birth of the Xuantian King.


    With supreme authority, he has proven worthy of the title ¡®King of Xuantian,¡¯ and has become the first on the Vast Continent to secure the ¡®Throne.¡¯


    A strand of ¡®Emperor¡¯s Fortune¡¯ is hereby bestowed as a principle for all under heaven.


    ¨C


    And at the moment the Heavenly Dao Decree resounded, the cultivators who had been watching outside the Heavenly Palace were suddenly pressed by an irresistible force of heaven and earth, uncontrollably kneeling in place, facing towards Chen Qiu seated on the throne inside the palace.


    Their hoarse voices roared in unison.


    ¡°Welcome Chen Qiu to ascend the Xuantian Throne!¡±


    ¡°Welcome Chen Qiu to ascend the Xuantian Throne!¡±


    For a moment¡ª


    The entire Vast Continent, everyone within the Xuantian State, regardless of their Cultivation, was forced by an unstoppable celestial momentum to kneel on the spot, facing the direction of the Heavenly Palace, their faces grim with uncontrollable shouts.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    On the throne made of lightning arcs, Chen Qiu, with an expression of calm, leaned back on the chair of the throne, looking at the multitude of cultivators who were kneeling and shouting at the entrance of the Heavenly Palace.


    Before he took his seat on the throne, a panel enveloped in mist popped out, clearly informing him what he would gain and what he would face upon sitting down.


    He knew clear as day what would come after sitting on the Xuantian Throne.


    But¡­


    He still sat down.


    The reason was simple.


    He felt he was meant to be the King of Xuantian.


    If he didn¡¯t sit¡­ there was no one in the world who could.

 Chapter 588 - 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldnt Want It?

    Chapter 588: Chapter 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldn¡¯t Want It?


    The Vast Continent is a Second Grade continent, divided into twelve states, each corresponding to a lower-level continent.


    And those cultivators traveling from these lower-level continents to the Vast Continent will correspondingly arrive in a state of the same name.


    For example, the Xuantian Continent corresponds to ¡°Xuantian State¡± on the Vast Continent!


    These twelve states also correspond to twelve thrones!


    However¡­


    For tens of thousands of years, none has been able to obtain these twelve thrones. In fact, the people of the Vast Continent do not even know of the existence of the twelve thrones.


    But now¡ª


    The master of the first throne has been born!


    ¡°Xuantian Throne¡±!


    The winner¡­ The Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu.


    A Heavenly Dao Decree enveloping the entire Vast Continent has informed all cultivators that there is now a king in ¡°Xuantian State¡± of the Vast Continent, a Xuantian King!


    The cultivators from the other states of the Vast Continent look towards Xuantian State with shock and bewilderment, not knowing what the Xuantian King signifies or what this throne means, simply feeling¡­ quite shocked.


    After all, such a thing doesn¡¯t seem to be trifling!


    It is not something ordinary people can possess.


    And within Xuantian State, all cultivators, regardless of their cultivation, were forced to their knees by an unstoppable force of heaven and earth, facing the direction of the Heavenly Palace in Xuantian State, their faces grim as they continuously kowtowed, shouting loudly.


    ¡°We welcome Chen Qiu to ascend the Xuantian Throne!¡±


    ¡°We welcome Chen Qiu to ascend the Xuantian Throne!¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Among them were some cultivators of profound cultivation. Reaching their level of practice, when would they have ever thought that one day they would be forced to kneel? Some had heard of Chen Qiu, knew he was a junior from a lower-level continent, while others had never heard the name Chen Qiu and did not know when such a figure had emerged.


    At this moment¡ª


    A Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree once again resounded throughout the entire Vast Continent!


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree: The King of Xuantian has been born, and the twelve noble thrones of the Vast Continent have officially descended!


    Effective immediately, all twelve states of the Vast Continent shall be sealed off, and no cultivator may leave their state by any means. Once all twelve noble thrones have a sitter, and they have all firmly held their position for one year, the states¡¯ barriers will be lifted, and the struggle for the Unique King will begin!


    Anyone who kills a person in possession of a throne can seize the throne for themselves.


    The person in possession of a throne will experience a tenfold increase in the speed of their practice.


    Additionally, while holding a throne, one¡¯s Divine Domain Grade will rise by one grade and receive a special Divinity Transformation Domain totem ¡®Ascension of the Commonplace¡¯, and a ¡®Divinity Transformation Domain Token¡¯.


    Those in possession of a throne cannot conceal their whereabouts, the Heavenly Dao will always guide others to their location.


    ¨C


    When this Heavenly Dao Decree was issued!


    The force of heaven and earth oppressing all the cultivators of Xuantian State gradually dissipated. After awkwardly rising from the ground, they looked towards the direction of the Heavenly Palace with complex expressions, while some cultivators of profound cultivation had already shot toward the Heavenly Palace!


    The Throne of the Heavenly King!


    Who wouldn¡¯t desire it?


    At once, countless people in Xuantian State crazily approached information agencies, paying high prices for all information regarding this so-called ¡®Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, Chen Qiu¡¯, especially cultivators who had come from Xuantian Continent to the Vast Continent, who were sought after and wooed by countless forces at high prices.


    Attempting to obtain more detailed information.


    ¡­


    In the Vast Continent, at the central Heavenly Palace of Xuantian Continent, located at the very center of ¡°Xuantian State¡±.


    The ¡°Heavenly Palace¡± is merely the core area within a vast array of buildings.


    Right now, outside the Heavenly Palace, many cultivators stood. Nearly all of these cultivators were at the Divinity Transformation Nascent Soul cultivation level, holding various Spiritual Treasures in their hands, their eyes gleaming fiercely and maliciously at Chen Qiu, who sat on a throne made of thunderous arcs within the palace.


    Previously, they had no grievances with Chen Qiu.


    But¡­


    Now that Chen Qiu sat upon the throne, a grudge had thus arisen. What right did a person from a lower-level continent have to become the Xuantian King of Xuantian State? They also lusted after the throne¡¯s special effects.


    For a moment¡ª


    The countless cultivators blockading the gate of the Heavenly Palace now had their breaths quickening with greed written all over their flushed eyes, and yet, despite this, no one rushed forward. The threshold of the Heavenly Palace Gate was already piled with dozens of corpses, those who had rushed forward earlier.


    The pools of blood had already stained the entire threshold of the Heavenly Palace Gate crimson.


    Although their eyes were filled with greed and malice, when they looked inside the Heavenly Palace at the twelve statues that were dozens of meters tall, they still felt a trace of fear. It was these statues that had struck down the cultivators who had barged in earlier.


    They had not even crossed the threshold before they were killed on the spot, their Nascent Souls crushed instantly, leaving them no chance for a turnaround.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Inside the Heavenly Palace.


    Chen Qiu sat on the throne with a calm expression, placing the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella horizontally in his arms, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the throne¡¯s armrest. A tension brimming with a murderous aura seemed ready to burst forth within the entire palace at any moment.


    When he chose to sit on this throne,


    He was clear,


    That as soon as he took his seat, he would become the target of everyone, with each person wanting to snatch away his throne. Yet he still chose to sit down. This was how he had always proceeded on his path; if he were to shrink back due to fear of the consequences that opportunity might bring,


    It would damage the integrity of his spiritual path.


    Upon sitting on the throne, a panel surrounded by clouds emerged with more detailed information than contained in the second Heavenly Dao Decree.


    The Vast Continent has had twelve thrones for tens of thousands of years, but no one has been able to obtain them, and no one knew of them.


    The conditions for seizing a throne were simply too harsh!

 Chapter 589 - 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldnt Want It?_2

    Chapter 589: Chapter 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldn¡¯t Want It?_2


    One must complete all twelve milestone tasks of one of the twelve subordinate continents on the Vast Continent for the first Throne to be born.


    The person who completes these twelve milestone tasks has the priority to choose whether to ascend to the Throne.


    If they renounce it,


    the Throne will then be freely contested within the Xuantian State.


    And when the first Throne appears, the remaining unfinished milestone tasks of the other eleven states will become void, and the competition for the Throne will officially begin; that is, the other eleven states do not need anyone to complete twelve milestone tasks to initiate competition for the Throne!


    The one who holds the Throne will also receive an extremely powerful enhancement!


    It goes without saying that the speed of Cultivation is ten times faster, a straightforward, and clear numerical increase. Back on the Xuantian Continent, he chose a green entry that had no side effects and only had the benefit of a tenfold increase in Cultivation progress for one month.


    Here, when you hold the Throne, you can enjoy this effect.


    The only difference, however, is that one is ¡®Cultivation speed ten times faster,¡¯ and the other is ¡®progress in Cultivation by any means will be ten times faster.¡¯ The former applies only to the speed of Cultivation when revolving the mental method and absorbing Spiritual Energy.


    The latter means that the progress in Cultivation will be ten times faster no matter what means are used, be it Dual Cultivation or through deceitful means.


    In terms of effects, the latter is still a bit stronger.


    But the former is permanent without any time limit, of course, if you can always hold onto the Throne.


    Besides that¡ª


    During the period one holds the Throne, the Grade of the Divinity Transformation Domain will rise by one grade, and Chen Qiu¡¯s three thirteen-grade Divinity Transformation Domains had already become fourteen-grade Divinity Transformation Domains after he obtained the Throne!


    Fourteen-grade Divinity Transformation Domains!


    Even an eleven-grade Divinity Transformation Domain would be absolutely suppressed by it. This doesn¡¯t directly increase his combat power because the improvement in the Domain Grade does not directly affect combat power, but if in the future he encounters an exceptional powerhouse with an eleven-grade Divinity Transformation Domain,


    then¡­


    the fourteen-grade will become an absolute kill!


    The increase in Domain Grade is an enhancement of one¡¯s absolute suppression over stronger opponents. For weaker ones, there is no change.


    In addition, he was also rewarded with a special Divinity Transformation Domain totem, ¡°Ascension of Dogs and Chickens,¡± and a ¡°Divinity Transformation Domain Token.¡± He hadn¡¯t looked closely at the former¡¯s Domain effect, but the latter was an old friend, allowing for the possession of an additional Divinity Transformation Domain.


    He currently has three Divinity Transformation Domains.


    They are ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy,¡± ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move,¡± and ¡°Snow Brings Forth Life.¡± He still had one more unused Divinity Transformation Domain Token, and with this one, he now has two in total. This means he can select two more Divinity Transformation Domains.


    After he has chosen these two Divinity Transformation Domains, he will be able to activate five Divinity Transformation Domains at the same time.


    Whether it¡¯s the Divinity Transformation Domain totem reward or the Divinity Transformation Domain Token, they are the rewards bestowed by Heavenly Dao to those who win the Throne and do not fall under the rewards of the Heavenly Dao Decree, therefore they are not doubled by the green entry ¡°Imperial Decree Regular.¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Above are all the rewards after obtaining the Throne.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, sitting on the Throne, glanced at the red pillar of light above his head. A faint red beam of light pierced through from above his head into the Heavenly Palace, ascending above the Nine Heavens.


    This is the guidance of the Heavenly Dao.


    From now on, he cannot even enter places such as small worlds, the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, or any place not part of the Xuantian Continent.


    This red beam of light will constantly indicate his location until his death, and the title of King of Xuantian will pass to the next person.


    However¡ª


    He withdrew his gaze from the red pillar of light above and looked down at the cultivators outside the Heavenly Palace Gate who held various Spiritual Treasures, their eyes alight with ferocity and greed, then glanced at the Palace Gate threshold stained with blood. He paused for a moment and then suddenly chuckled lightly.


    Raising the perspective.


    Within the vast Heavenly Palace, the entrance was crowded with cultivators whose eyes flickered with brutality, and beyond the blood-red threshold was a long, wide red carpet.


    From the threshold of the Heavenly Palace, it stretched straight to in front of the twelve-stepped pedestal inside the Palace, and on the pedestal sat a Throne made of lightning arcs.


    Chen Qiu was the one seated on the Throne.


    Surrounding this red carpet were twelve neatly arranged statues, each tens of meters tall.


    At that moment, each statue pulsed with surging and penetrating Void Refining Cultivation, every one of them a Void Refining Puppet!


    This was an honor granted to the first King!


    Without the birth of the first King, the other eleven states would have no qualifications to contend for the Throne, and all the cultivators on the Vast Continent wouldn¡¯t even be aware of the existence of the twelve Thrones. All these opportunities arose because of the birth of the first king.


    Therefore,


    The first King has certain privileges other kings do not have.


    Privilege one!


    Each statue, forged by the Heavenly Dao after completing the milestone tasks, will become an initial-stage Void Refining Puppet, standing guard in the Heavenly Palace, annihilating the unworthy.


    The reason why those cultivators at the gate of the Palace desired the Throne yet did not dare to step inside, despite their intense covetousness, was because of this.


    Privilege two!


    For the next month, cultivators above the Peak of Divinity Transformation Cultivation will not be able to step into this Heavenly Palace.


    These are the unique privileges of the first king.


    This means that, for the next month, Chen Qiu can sit on the Throne with great stability, but after one month, it¡¯s uncertain. He needs to sit securely on the Throne for at least one year, and even if he wanted to give the Throne away now, there¡¯s no way to do so.

 Chapter 590 - 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldnt Want It?_3

    Chapter 590: Chapter 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldn¡¯t Want It?_3


    The throne cannot be ceded through negotiation; it can only be relinquished upon death.


    That is the price of ascending to the throne.


    But¡­


    He still took his seat.


    ¡­


    Within the small world¡ª


    At this moment, Ao Tian and the others were already stunned, standing in place, and it was only after a long while that Ao Tian muttered in shock, ¡°I remember Brother Qiu saying that since we have just arrived, we should keep a low profile first.¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem very low-profile¡­¡±


    Upon their arrival, a Heavenly Dao Decree was directly issued, making the name Chen Qiu known throughout the Vast Continent!


    Chen Qiu personally initiated the battle for the throne, confronting all cultivators of Xuantian State in the ring.


    It was almost a one-against-an-entire-state situation!


    This has got damn nothing to do with being low-profile anymore, right?!


    This is just short of having the word ¡®arrogant¡¯ branded on his face!


    Although he was much older than Chen Qiu, he had already started addressing him as Brother Qiu. The term ¡®little brother¡¯ was something he couldn¡¯t bring himself to utter anymore; it used to come naturally, but now the mere attempt made his face flush with embarrassment.


    ¡°It seems¡­ a bit¡­¡± Fat Long muttered next to him, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit dangerous? Under the guidance of the Heavenly Dao, Brother Qiu will become the target of the entire ¡®Xuantian State¡¯!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve just arrived on the Vast Continent and are unclear about the situation here. How could we possibly stand against the entire Xuantian State!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The scholar by the side slightly twitched his mouth and said nothing. In the year and a half he had been out experiencing the world, his Cultivation had already broken through to the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation, and Brother Qiu had chosen for him the ¡®Blade Convergence¡¯ Divine Domain that suited him well.


    He was eager to face his first battle on the Vast Continent and to demonstrate his strength before Brother Qiu.


    Initially, when Brother Qiu mentioned starting with a low-key approach, he felt somewhat disappointed, guessing that his first battle might be a long way off.


    But he didn¡¯t expect the first battle to come so quickly.


    And¡­ so fiercely.


    The first battle was to be a decisive one!


    Had they not just arrived at the Vast Continent? Wasn¡¯t it absurd to start fighting an entire state right away? He was looking forward to his first battle, but damn it, he didn¡¯t expect it to also be his last!


    If Brother Qiu was unable to overcome and lost.


    None of them, not a single one, would survive.


    At that moment¡ª


    A force enveloped them, and Chen Qiu released them from the small world.


    ¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t all look like you¡¯ve just lost your mothers.¡±


    In the Heavenly Palace, seated upon the throne, Chen Qiu looked calmly at Ao Tian and the others, ¡°There¡¯s always a way out when we reach the mountain, and the boat will go straight to the bridgehead. For the coming month, the Heavenly Palace is absolutely safe.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°During this month, focus on improving your own strength.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk after a month.¡±


    After that, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say much more. He just sat cross-legged on the throne, set up a Spirit Gathering Array, and started cultivating right in front of all the cultivators at the Heavenly Palace Gate, as if no one else was around. With the tenfold speed of cultivation, his Cultivation progressed at no slow pace.


    It was estimated that in two or three days, he would break through to the Peak of Divinity Transformation.


    Then he could prepare for the breakthrough to the Void Refining Stage.


    If it¡¯s fated to rain and the mother is fated to remarry, many things can¡¯t be stopped. Even if one is aware of the inevitable death after a month, one should still focus on cultivating and achieving a breakthrough to the Void Refining Stage first. At least¡­ whose deer it will be is still unknown.


    ¡­


    And at this time¡ª


    The entire Xuantian State was already in chaos, with numerous powers sending people to the ¡®Xuantian State¡¯ Heavenly Palace Gate to gather intelligence.


    Among them,


    There was a power called ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯, which had located a Late-stage Divinity Transformation cultivator who had recently arrived on the Vast Continent from the Xuantian Continent.


    In Xuantian State, Duoduo City.


    This city was located in the central region of Xuantian State, and it was also the closest to the Heavenly Palace. At the moment, in a teahouse, an old lady with a head full of silver hair was sitting in a private room with her fingers delicately holding a teacup. After a light sip, she spoke indifferently.


    ¡°Tell me, what kind of reputation did Chen Qiu have on the Xuantian Continent?¡±


    The old lady¡¯s silver hair was already piled up on the floor, with each strand emanating a chill. Despite being past her prime, her actions and gestures were those of a coquettish young woman, giving off an odd impression.


    Inside the private room, there sat a Late-stage Divinity Transformation cultivator with terror flickering in his eyes.


    ¡°Reporting to the old madam,¡±


    the middle-aged man, with Cultivation at the Late-stage Divinity Transformation, spoke respectfully and with a low voice, his tone filled with awe as he whispered, ¡°Chen Qiu is the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect, and on the Xuantian Continent, his reputation was quite prominent.¡±


    ¡°The first time he made an appearance on the Xuantian Continent, he was at the Golden Core Peak and single-handedly slaughtered an entire Evil Clan in Quzhou. At that time, although the Evil Clan was small, it had four Nascent Souls, far from something Chen Qiu could contend with at the time.¡±


    ¡°It is said that on that day, at the cost of nearly ten billion merit points, Chen Qiu used some unknown method to draw out a hundred thousand Thunder Punishments, annihilating the entire Evil Clan along with Evil State into dust.¡±


    ¡°Thereafter, he manifested the Nascent Soul Great Path with a Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul!¡±


    ¡°Later, with a mid-Nascent Soul Cultivation, he swept through and claimed the top spot of the ¡®Nascent Soul Power Rankings,¡¯ then went on to forge a Twelfth Grade Divine Domain which, in Zhongzhou, brought about the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation.¡±


    ¡°After that¡­ he came to the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The old lady¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise, and her hand holding the teacup trembled unintentionally. A Twelfth Grade Nascent Soul? Twelfth Grade Divine Domain? Could these things really be achieved on a First Grade Continent?


    Could all the resources of a First Grade Continent combined suffice to gather these opportunities?

 Chapter 591 - 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldnt Want It?_4

    Chapter 591: Chapter 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldn¡¯t Want It?_4


    Let¡¯s not mention anything else.


    How could a First Grade Continent possibly gather a strand of Unrivaled Genius Fortune?


    A strand of Luck of Human Pride is something that those with outstanding talent in the Vast Continent can hope to obtain after encountering special opportunities, and it takes eighty-one strands of Luck of Human Pride to form a single strand of Unrivaled Genius Fortune.


    That is to say¡ª


    One would have to come across such fortunes eighty-one times in succession to obtain a single strand of Unrivaled Genius Fortune.


    And this single strand of Unrivaled Genius Fortune is just the prerequisite for forging a twelve-grade Divinity Transformation Domain, not the only condition, with the remaining conditions each being harder and more demanding than the last.


    Seven-colored entries, twelve-grade Golden Core, twelve-grade Nascent Soul¡­


    These things are nearly impossible to gather even in the Vast Continent, a Second Grade Continent!


    Let¡¯s not mention anything else.


    As a cultivator born and raised in the Vast Continent herself, she had only managed to upgrade her Void Refining Domain to an Eighth Grade Void Refining Domain after so many years; if she pooled all her resources, she might be able to reach a Ninth Grade Void Refining Domain.


    But the cost would be too great.


    To expend so much and yet barely affect one¡¯s combat strength, merely to raise the grade of one¡¯s Domain by one level, was a losing deal for her or, in reality, for most beings without incredibly profound foundations.


    As long as a Domain Grade is sufficient, as long as it ensures one won¡¯t be utterly suppressed by others, that is enough.


    Yet, facing Chen Qiu, her Eight Grade Void Refining Domain would mean absolute suppression in an instant; relying on her early-stage Void Refining cultivation, she could currently subdue Chen Qiu, but once Chen Qiu broke through to Void Refining, on equal cultivation grounds, she would certainly be no match for him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long time,


    The trembling hands of the elderly woman finally stabilized. Although she could not comprehend how a lower-ranking continent nurtured such a monstrous existence, it was not entirely incomprehensible.


    After all, he was someone who could complete twelve milestone tasks all by himself. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He possessed both strength and Heavenly Destiny in one individual.


    To accomplish twelve milestone tasks, one needs not only strength but also a certain amount of fortune, and you must also ensure that none of these milestone tasks is completed by anyone else before you complete them.


    Late, after a prolonged silence, the old woman raised her head and looked at the middle-aged man sitting opposite her, ¡°Any rise to power comes with certain signs, like Chen Qiu¡¯s first battle, where with a peak Golden Core cultivation, he annihilated a clan single-handedly.¡±


    ¡°Prior to this battle, where did his twelve-grade Golden Core come from? Didn¡¯t the Heavenly Dao Decree sense it?¡±


    ¡°And his near hundred billion merit points? They can¡¯t just appear out of nowhere, right?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that he was born at the peak of Golden Core cultivation and the first thing he did upon birth was to wipe out the Evil Clan, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The middle-aged man firmly said, ¡°Reporting back to the matriarch, Chen Qiu just suddenly appeared on the Xuantian Continent. Chen Qiu has been the most prominent individual in the Xuantian Continent in recent years, which is why many forces have been probing for information on him.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu¡¯s first battle in the Xuantian Continent, to be precise, was not about single-handedly annihilating a clan; that was his first great war.¡±


    ¡°The first battle occurred during a special event ¡®The Long Night is Coming¡¯ in Quzhou!¡±


    ¡°In that special event, Chen Qiu claimed nearly all the rewards, and on the next day, when he was wanted by ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯, he doubled back after leaving Great Yuan City and annihilated the entire ¡®Yuan Sect¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Then, he made his mark at the Su Family¡¯s Heavenly Pride gathering in Quzhou, and only after that was his solo clan annihilation in the Evil State.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that these earlier deeds were too minor, not widely known to most people.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yuan Sect?¡±


    The old lady refilled her cup with tea, her lips slightly parting as she quietly repeated this all too familiar name; she herself was a Supreme Elder of Yuan Sect in the Vast Continent.


    She had never heard whether the long-dead patriarch of the sect originated from the Xuantian Continent, or whether there might be some connection, or perhaps it was coincidence.


    But none of this mattered.


    Even if there was a connection, she felt no deep sorrow; a relationship that was too distant did not concern her. What concerned her was¡­ that Chen Qiu.


    ¡°What is Chen Qiu¡¯s combat prowess like?¡±


    ¡°At the peak of his Golden Core cultivation, he was invincible among his peers and even defeated those at the early stage of Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable.¡±


    ¡°At the middle stage of Nascent Soul, he defeated a host of Nascent Soul peak competitors to claim the top spot on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard.¡±


    ¡°Impressive.¡±


    ¡°After reaching the late stages of Divinity Transformation, he killed hundreds of Nascent Soul Devil Clan cultivators in a single move, many of whom were late-stage Divinity Transformation, and included several at the Peak of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°Quite good.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Inside the private room of the tea house, the old woman fell silent once again. She, too, had wanted to try for the opportunity to succeed the Xuantian Throne, as the effects were indeed enticing enough for anyone to covet, but it seemed that this opportunity had little to do with her now.


    Not to mention, her cultivation in the entire Xuantian State was not among the most outstanding.


    She was merely at the early stage of Void Refining.


    As far as she knew, several cultivators at the late stages of Void Refining and even at the Void Refining Peak had already left seclusion for this opportunity.


    Among these people, her cultivation held no advantage.


    Even without them, the Heavenly Palace would be inaccessible within a month, and now that Chen Qiu was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation and clearly preparing for a breakthrough to Void Refining, she would definitely not stand a chance against Chen Qiu, who was also at the early stage of Void Refining.


    If that¡¯s the case.

 Chapter 592 - 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldnt Want It?_5

    Chapter 592: Chapter 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldn¡¯t Want It?_5


    This opportunity can be completely forsaken.


    Only then did she raise her head to look at the middle-aged man in the private room and said indifferently, ¡°When you were in the Xuantian Continent, to which power did you belong?¡±


    ¡°Replying to the esteemed elder,¡±


    ¡°In the Xuantian Continent, I was the Family Head of a small clan in the Central Continent, the Cao Family. I had always been at the Middle Stage of Divinity Transformation. After passing through the Vast Channel, I was fortuitous to break through to the Late-stage Divinity Transformation, and only then did I dare to seek fortune in the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The old woman nodded slightly, her tone casual, ¡°Would you be willing to join my Xuantian Yuan Sect? I offer you a position as an external endorser with access to the resources of an Inner Sect endorser. After you have established merits or when your seniority is sufficient, I will promote you to the position of Inner Sect endorser. In the future, a position as an official elder of the Inner Sect is also not impossible to achieve.¡±


    ¡°Should one day you prove to have mastered Void Refining, even the position of Sect Master is not an impossibility.¡±


    To be Late-stage Divinity Transformation seemed to be merely one step away from Void Refining.


    But this single step was enough to thwart the majority of people.


    The Heavenly Tribulation of Void Refining was no joke; since ancient times, who knows how many at the Peak of Divinity Transformation didn¡¯t die at the hands of enemies but perished under the Heavenly Tribulation of Void Refining.


    ¡°Thank you for your high regard, esteemed elder!¡±


    The Cao Family Patriarch, with a sincere expression, immediately knelt down: ¡°If the esteemed elder does not abandon me, I am willing to stay at Yuan Sect for the rest of my life to serve you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The elder, about to say something upon seeing the Cao Family Patriarch¡¯s somewhat overly respectful demeanor, twitched the corner of her mouth unintentionally, at a loss for words for a moment before finally speaking faintly, ¡°When did people from the Xuantian Continent learn to be so flexible?¡±


    In the past, people from the Xuantian Continent had come here too.


    However, those who came were mostly very stubborn and hard to convince, not just from the Xuantian Continent but the same was true for other lower continents from the eleven states.


    After all, to ascend from a lower continent meant that they were far ahead of others in their own lands.


    Who would so easily succumb and kneel?


    She was truly witnessing for the first time someone kneel so proficiently and naturally, without a hint of psychological burden. Normally speaking, a cultivator at the Late-stage Divinity Transformation wouldn¡¯t kneel so readily, even before one who had mastered Void Refining.


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    The slightly embarrassed Cao Family Patriarch, getting up from the ground, sat back down in a chair and spoke softly, ¡°In fact, there are still many from the Xuantian Continent who can¡¯t be so flexible, such as those from the Devil Clan at Divinity Transformation, who would rather be shattered than cede a city. But later¡­¡±


    ¡°Later what?¡±


    ¡°Later¡­ all these people died.¡±


    Before leaving the Xuantian Continent, Chen Qiu had visited each power in the Central Continent with a basket of fruits in hand. All sects that would rather break than return a salute ended up having their wishes fulfilled¡­ they were all shattered.


    Those who survived to reach the Vast Continent were basically those who knelt decisively and cleanly back in the day.


    As for him¡­


    He was different. Chen Qiu had visited most of the forces in the Central Continent with a basket of fruits, but he had never come to his Cao Family. Consequently, his Cao Family had escaped disaster. At the time of the Three Springs Building¡¯s destruction, Chen Qiu had already visited the Cao Family once following the guest list of the Three Springs Building.


    However, the Cao Family had behaved well that day, throwing a feast to celebrate Chen Qiu¡¯s Divinity Transformation breakthrough. Although it was somewhat false, they still won Chen Qiu¡¯s approval, escaping disaster and also being marked as a ¡®friendly power¡¯ by the Chao Tian Sect¡­


    After a half-moment of silence in the teahouse private room, the old woman nodded, ¡°I understand.¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then she stood up.


    The hair piled on the ground seemed to come to life, quickly shortening until it withdrew to her waist, and then she walked out of the private room, ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll take you back to the sect.¡±


    ¡­


    Xuantian State, Cloud City.


    A city situated at the westernmost edge of Xuantian State, it could also be deemed the farthest city from the Heavenly Palace.


    At this moment, in the most bustling street of this city, within the partly open doors of the Myriad Beast Sect shop¡­


    The Sect Leader of Myriad Beast Sect and Zhang Kui, along with a few others, were full of shock. Only after the dissipation of heaven and earth¡¯s energy did they slowly get up from the ground, tremblingly sat on stools, and exchanged silent looks for a long time, no one speaking for a while.


    After who knows how long,


    Zhang Kui, having regained her female appearance, finally showed a flash of fear in her eyes, ¡°This Chen Qiu¡­ can¡¯t he be a bit more low-key when he first comes to the Xuantian Continent?¡±


    ¡°Does this guy even understand what it means to bide his time?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    The Sect Leader of Myriad Beast Sect, who was sitting opposite her, caught the fear in Zhang Kui¡¯s eyes and after a slight start, hardly able to believe, said, ¡°Kui¡¯er, don¡¯t scare me, you don¡¯t have a grudge against that Chen Qiu, do you?¡±


    ¡°Suddenly, I feel like I really don¡¯t have any feelings for you.¡±


    ¡°Please leave!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I have a grudge,¡± Zhang Kui gave the Myriad Beast Sect Leader a resentful glance, then told her story with Chen Qiu in a mournful tone.


    ¡­


    ¡°I understand now.¡±


    The Myriad Beast Sect Leader nodded, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that Chen Qiu doesn¡¯t know you at all, doesn¡¯t even know your name. It was you who got scared and ran around, ultimately getting captured by the dragon cultivators of the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s Great Elder to be used as a tool, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± said Zhang Kui, looking a bit aggrieved.


    Only the July Cat hiding under the table felt somewhat perplexed, glancing up at Zhang Kui. Why are you feeling aggrieved, aren¡¯t you still alive? The one who should really feel aggrieved should be her.


    She was truly aggrieved, okay?


    She swore!


    Chen Qiu definitely didn¡¯t know her name, nor did he know of her existence. She never thought of harming Chen Qiu nor of getting close to him; she just wanted to live quietly, yet she always seemed to die at Chen Qiu¡¯s hand, either directly or indirectly.

 Chapter 593 - 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldnt Want It?_6

    Chapter 593: Chapter 215: The Position of Heavenly King! Who Wouldn¡¯t Want It?_6


    Who can make sense of this? S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even if you wanted to blame Chen Qiu, you couldn¡¯t, after all, Chen Qiu had no idea of her existence.


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    The Sect Leader of Myriad Beast Sect sighed deeply, ¡°Xuantian State is not like the Xuantian Continent. Xuantian State is a place where dragons lie hidden amidst tigers, where mighty ones abound, and even those higher than Void Refining exist.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu will face the assaults of all the powerhouses of the entire Xuantian State.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible for him to survive.¡±


    ¡°Even if Chen Qiu breaks through to Void Refining, how will he deal with those at the Void Refining Peak or even greater experts?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Unless¡­ a miracle happens.¡±


    The July Cat, who had been lying carelessly under the table, unbothered about her image, stiffened for a moment when she heard this sentence. She suddenly got up, scattering all the sunflower seed shells that had piled up on her from the floor, and then she stood still with a flash of shock in her eyes.


    Damn it!


    She felt like she had forgotten something very important!


    She knew that Chen Qiu still held a ¡°Merit Attack Order¡± in his hands.


    And when she left the Xuantian Continent, Chen Qiu had nearly 200 billion merit points. With so many merit points, if he used them all to activate the entire ¡°Merit Attack Order¡±, even the nearly 100 billion merit points from the past could annihilate the entire Evil State.


    With the 200 billion merit points of today, wiping out Xuantian State doesn¡¯t seem like too big a problem.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fine.


    The July Cat, who had just stood up, flashed an indifferent look in her eyes and lazily lay back down on the pile of sunflower seed shells, relaxing her body and assuming a quite comfortable position.


    She could wait for death again.


    Not bad, this she was familiar with.


    ¡­


    In the vast Vast Continent, a few hundred miles away from Cloud City, in a small valley.


    An old man from Bishan Palace, who was hiding in a cave, looked at the Buddhist Ancestor with a thumbs-up, emotion coloring his voice, ¡°You really called it. That Chen Qiu is non-stop, fighting at every moment.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just arrived on the Vast Continent and hasn¡¯t rested for a moment, already engaging in battle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s tantamount to declaring war against the entire Xuantian State.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor, quite pleased with himself, pinched a white piece and casually placed it on the chessboard in front of him, ¡°This is called Buddhist wisdom. Next, those with a bit of strength in this area will surely want to try their luck at the Heavenly Palace.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean the opportunities in this area will become ownerless for a while?¡±


    ¡°Both of us have half a step into Void Refining Cultivation. We may not be tyrannical, but we¡¯re stronger than most. The stage is set for us now.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡± The old man from Bishan Palace hesitated, ¡°Do you think Chen Qiu can survive? It feels very difficult for him to make it this time. After all, he¡¯s making an enemy of the entire Xuantian State. As long as Chen Qiu lives, his Xuantian Throne will be coveted.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the others,¡± but if you had the Void Refining or even Void Refining Peak Cultivation, would you not covet the Xuantian Throne?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor shook his head solemnly, ¡°Even if I possessed Void Refining Peak Cultivation, I would absolutely not covet the Xuantian Throne, let alone covet it, I wouldn¡¯t even glance at it. Glancing one more time would be a disrespect for death.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a saying that the person who knows you best is always your enemy.¡±


    ¡°When we were setting up our backup plans to deal with Chen Qiu, I personally went to Boundless Snow Mountain and actually found an entrance to an unknown small world at the peak. There was a seal at the entrance, and breaking that seal would allow entry into this small world.¡±


    ¡°And the entrance to this small world was not far from ¡®Desperate Town,¡¯ which is where Chen Qiu arrived at the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, the Xuantian Continent was cultivating in this small world until breaking through the Golden Core Peak.¡±


    ¡°The problem lies here.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor looked meaningfully at the old ancestor of Bishan Palace, ¡°I tried the seal of that small world, and I could clearly feel that even if I were at the Void Refining Peak Cultivation, it would be impossible to break that seal.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what that means?¡±


    ¡°It means that it would be impossible for cultivators with Void Refining Peak Cultivation to ever exist on the Xuantian Continent, because the Xuantian Continent, in terms of the density of nature¡¯s spiritual energy or the level of opportunities, is incapable of nurturing a cultivator with Void Refining Peak Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°And yet, the strength of that seal far exceeds Void Refining Peak Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Then who set up this seal?¡±


    ¡°Who was it meant to seal?¡±


    ¡°And Chen Qiu, who emerged from this seal, what kind of existence is he?¡±


    ¡°Having understood this point that day, I actually had the idea of retreating. It¡¯s impossible for Chen Qiu to die, even when engulfed in a crisis that almost guarantees death, he won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Because I have a hunch deep inside¡­¡±


    ¡°Inside the seal of the Xuantian Continent, it is very possible that something indescribable is sealed, and among these entities, the strongest one, Chen Qiu, came to the Xuantian Continent through some means.¡±


    ¡°At first, I thought the seal was set by Chao Tian Sect tens of thousands of years ago as a means for them to hide from the world, but later I realized that it¡¯s completely impossible. The Chao Tian Sect of the past did not possess the power to set such a seal, nor the need.¡±


    ¡°Under these circumstances, even if the entire Xuantian State now believes Chen Qiu is doomed to die, I believe that he can survive.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Bishan Palace stood still, and after long moments, spoke unbelievably, ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be on the same side? Why didn¡¯t I know any of this information? Didn¡¯t you say we would share information?¡±


    ¡°Cough.¡±


    The somewhat embarrassed Buddhist Ancestor cleared his throat lightly, ¡°At that time, I was still hoping you were a tenth-grade Domain, thinking there might be a sliver of chance.¡±


    ¡°But later, after Chen Qiu came to visit, I completely faced reality.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, you didn¡¯t activate your tenth-grade Domain back then; otherwise, we might be meeting in the underworld right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡±


    Seeing the old ancestor of Bishan Palace about to explode in rage, the bare-shouldered Buddhist Ancestor hurriedly went over to pat him on the shoulder, ¡°Let bygones be bygones. We¡¯ll take it slow from here on. Just watch my performance.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to go shirtless.


    But his Kasaya had been¡­ taken away by the brown bear who claimed to be a disciple of Chao Tian Sect.

 Chapter 594 - 216: Will Win.

    Chapter 594: Chapter 216: ¡®Will Win.


    At that moment¡ª


    In the heart of Xuantian State on the Vast Continent, outside the gates of the Heavenly Palace, a new group of cultivators with higher Cultivation had replaced the initial batch that had been blocking the entrance.


    Most of them possessed Void Refining Cultivation.


    The unintentional leak of immense Spiritual Energy made the air seem to twist as if scorched by high temperatures.


    Such Void Refining Experts were rarely seen in Xuantian State on any given day.


    Yet now, they had almost all gathered at the great gates of the Heavenly Palace.


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    At the forefront of these cultivators, a middle-aged man wielding a giant axe, his eyes glinting coldly, slowly said as he stared at Chen Qiu who was sitting on the throne inside the Heavenly Palace, ¡°Do you really want to waste a month¡¯s time?¡±


    ¡°Come out and die now, and I can ensure your Yin Soul remains intact, allowing you a second life in the underworld.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, once my patience runs out, I will ensure your Divine Soul is annihilated, destined never to rise again.¡±


    The man held a giant axe as tall as a man, with an extremely long handle, all in a striking red color. The occasional flash of red light flowing across the axe blade was especially soul-stirring.


    The terrifying aura emanating from the man momentarily made everyone there pause their breathing.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    A young man next to him, dressed in an ornate robe and sporting a string of jade necklace around his neck, standing straight as a pine and pinching his fingers together delicately, covered his mouth with a fan and chuckled softly, ¡°Oh dear, how annoying. You, a mere lower-ranking continent¡¯s Peak of Divinity Transformation, how dare you sit on this Xuantian Throne?¡±


    ¡°Ever heard of the phrase ¡®unworthy of one¡¯s station¡¯?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Not far from them, a stunning woman cultivator who stood in front of some other Void Refining Cultivators, flashed a look of disdain and said, ¡°A pubescent boy who probably hasn¡¯t even played with a few women in his life?¡±


    ¡°Dares to sit on this Xuantian Throne? Doesn¡¯t your backside feel the slightest bit scorched, your face terribly burnt?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite right to say though.¡± A robed elder with a kind face quietly muttered Amitabha before smiling warmly, ¡°After all, he is the Heavenly Pride from a lower-ranking continent, who has reached twelve milestones. Young and famed, naturally, there is some arrogance in his heart.¡±


    ¡°However, young benefactor.¡±


    ¡°After a month, when the shackles of the Heavenly Palace are lifted, these twelve Void Refining Puppets won¡¯t be able to ensure your safety. It would be better for you to come out and die now, at least then you can still live another life in the underworld.¡±


    These four represented four different powers.


    Behind these four, several other Void Refining Experts stood, some belonging to these four powers, others from different forces, and some were Loose Cultivators. They weren¡¯t from the same sect, but everyone¡¯s goal was the same: to seize the Xuantian Throne.


    Opportunities always occurred on the Vast Continent.


    And an opportunity like the Xuantian Throne was a large one, typically enough to disturb many secluded ancient demons.


    Just like¡­ now.


    ¡­ Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Behind this group of cultivators, a crowd of Xuantian State cultivators had gathered to watch the excitement and started whispering among themselves.


    ¡°That man with the giant axe, isn¡¯t he the Sect Master from the Heavenly Axe Sect? This sect¡¯s every disciple uses an axe-shaped Spiritual Treasure as their Lifebound Magical Artifact, especially the sect¡¯s inherited Spell, the Peak Divinity Transformation Spell ¡®Sky Splitting Axe,¡¯ each axe strike stronger than the last, and the Sect Master is a pinnacle of Void Refining Cultivation, one of the most powerful forces in Xuantian State!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± A man sporting a mustache in the crowd stroked his little beard and said, ¡°It¡¯s said that this Sect Master from the Heavenly Axe Sect was also an unparalleled Heavenly Pride in his earlier years, who improved the ¡®Sky Splitting Axe¡¯ into a Divinity-grade Spell perfectly suited for himself, the ¡®Fourth Axe¡¯!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s said that no one has ever forced this Sect Master to use his Fourth Axe, an unmatched Body Cultivator with a ¡®Hundredfold Gravity¡¯ Ninth Grade Void Refining Domain, practically unbeaten amongst his peers.¡±


    ¡°This man has been in seclusion for more than three hundred years; all matters of the sect have been managed by the Deputy Sect Master, but today, for this opportunity, he has come out of seclusion.¡±


    ¡°And that one¡­¡± An old man with a felt hat nearby, his eyes filled with a trace of fear, looked at the young man wearing a jade necklace and ornate robe, his overall demeanor somewhat effeminate.


    ¡°This person is a powerful member of the Devil Clan, supposedly born from a blade of grass.¡±


    ¡°Already possessing five thousand years of cultivation, he somehow, not long ago, obtained a blessing through a curious twist of fate after being urinated on by a Divine Beast, which then embarked him on the Path of Seeking Immortality.¡±


    ¡°This individual, too, is at the Peak of Void Refining Cultivation, not to be underestimated, his ¡®Resurgence¡¯ Void Refining Domain is quite frightening.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± An elderly woman among the crowd looked towards the group of Void Refining at the gate of the Heavenly Palace and murmured in shock, ¡°And that stunning woman is the Supreme Elder of the Female Sword Sect, the only sect in Xuantian State made entirely of female Sword Cultivators, where all members practice the Heartless Sword.¡±


    ¡°To learn the Heartless Sword, one must personally slay their beloved, their closest kin.¡±


    ¡°Their swordsmanship is not only superb, but their nature is also extremely ruthless. It¡¯s said that the sect possesses a legacy item that gifts each Sect Disciple the ¡®Heartless Person,¡¯ a blue entry highly suitable for practicing the Heartless Sword.¡±


    ¡°And that old monk, currently the head of the Buddhist Sect, is filled with an immense righteous aura; his knowledge of Buddhist Secret Skills is unfathomably deep, warding off all demons, and both individuals are also at the Peak of Void Refining Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°These figures have also been in seclusion for many years, especially that powerful member of the Devil Clan who was last seen two thousand years ago¡ªmany thought he had exhausted his lifespan. Unexpectedly, he too has left seclusion this time.¡±

 Chapter 595 - 216:

    Chapter 595: Chapter 216: ¡°Will win.¡± _2


    ¡°Four mighty Void Refining Peak experts leading the team, and over twenty Void Refining experts lurking around with a watchful eye.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Such a pity¡­¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu in the lower Continent was also a peerless Heavenly Pride, boundless in glory on the Xuantian Continent, yet who would have thought that upon arriving at the Vast Continent he would be suppressed and killed here, when Chen Qiu had just reached Divinity Transformation Peak Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Even if he were to break through to Void Refining after the monthly meeting, with the cultivation of early-stage Void Refining, facing such a luxurious lineup, he would still be unable to escape death!¡±


    Having said that,


    this old woman shook her head expressionlessly: ¡°After all, he¡¯s too young, even a Heavenly Pride has no way out before such a lineup, if he wisely comes out to die now, he¡¯ll even get to live another life in the underworld.¡±


    All at once,


    many in the crowd couldn¡¯t help but take pleasure in others¡¯ misfortunes; there¡¯s nothing more delightful in this world than witnessing the fall of a Heavenly Pride.


    Just then¡ª


    Streaks of pink mist suddenly appeared on the horizon, followed by the sound of celestial music from afar, as four pink unicorns stepped on the void, pulling behind them a carriage crafted from various precious materials and radiating golden light.


    And behind the carriage, nearly a hundred extremely beautiful women followed.


    These nearly hundred gorgeous women, each nearly naked, covered only with a thin veil concealing their essential parts, appeared as if both hidden and visible.


    Soon enough,


    the four pink unicorns slowly stopped at the gate of the Heavenly Palace, and those Void Refining Cultivators who were gathered at the gate frowned slightly, making room for them as the carriage, constructed from various precious materials, landed solidly on the ground.


    Behind the carriage,


    the nearly hundred extremely beautiful women quickened their pace, walked to the front of the carriage, and lay down in unison.


    This turned the square, originally paved with blue bricks, into a plain made up of a sea of flesh.


    One of the women carefully stood at the carriage door and lifted the curtain.


    Immediately after!


    A young man with handsome features, barefoot, wearing only a pair of shorts, jumped down from the carriage, stepping nonchalantly onto the plain of flesh and stretched lazily.


    Then he quickly¡­


    knit his brows, glancing at the slightly bulging belly of one of the women underneath him.


    Noticing the young man¡¯s gaze, terror flickered in the woman lying on the ground¡¯s eyes as she shook her head frantically: ¡°My lord, my lord, this is your child, please spare my life, spare my life!¡±


    But as the young man waved his hand,


    the woman with the slightly bulging abdomen was swiftly pulled away by two other women, and amid her terrified pleas for mercy, a head flew up into the air.


    After doing all this,


    the young man stepped over a few other women¡¯s abdomens and nodded in satisfaction before turning to look at the crowd and exhibiting a smile that seemed quite congenial: ¡°A woman¡¯s belly truly is the softest thing in this world.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Sect Master of the ¡®Heavenly Axe Sect¡¯ said with a slightly troubled expression, ¡°I just don¡¯t know, Qi Sir, what brings you here today, as this is Xuantian State¡¯s opportunity. You don¡¯t seem to be from Xuantian State, are you?¡±


    The young man in front of them also had Void Refining Peak Cultivation.


    But he was deeply wary of this man, who was not a local of Xuantian State, but the third son of an Eternal Dynasty from another state. Although both had Void Refining Peak Cultivation, Qi Sir¡¯s trump cards were so numerous they were virtually unfathomable, and in a fight to the death, he was not confident that he could defeat Qi Sir.


    After all, he hailed from a prestigious family.


    Moreover, this person was quite twisted in nature. All these beautiful women were the treasured possessions of Qi Sir, each one breathtaking in her own right, and he had named them Meat Girls.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a laughable statement.¡±


    Standing on the flesh carpet, Qi Sir casually stirred his toes in the mouth of a Meat Girl a few times, then turned his head towards the Sect Master of the ¡®Heavenly Axe Sect¡¯ with a smile, ¡°Do you think I want to stay in this godforsaken place?¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that Heavenly Dao Decree that prevents states from interacting until the twelve kings are chosen, I¡¯d have returned to my own territory long ago.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that staying in Xuantian State would bring such an opportunity.¡±


    ¡°This opportunity is meant for those who are destined for it.¡±


    ¡°If you can seize it, why can¡¯t I, Qi Sir, seize it too?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The statement silenced the Sect Master of the ¡®Heavenly Axe Sect¡¯, leaving him sullen and speechless where he stood.


    In the twelve states of the Vast Continent, overall strength does not vary significantly from state to state, however, a few states, due to the presence of several top-tier powers, have greater high-end combat power than others.


    For example, the ¡®Qi Family¡¯, the world family behind Qi Sir, is one such top-tier family in the Vast Continent.


    One step beyond Void Refining Peak is the ¡®Unification Realm¡¯, the stronghold of a sovereign ruler.


    Xuantian State originally had two Unification Realm experts, but when the Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree was issued, both of them happened to be training in other states. This presented him with an opportunity; otherwise, the Xuantian Throne would not have been within reach.


    The Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree had come too suddenly.


    Many people training in other states simply did not have the time to return to their own state, which meant that of the twelve thrones, several would inevitably be suspect, while a few would be extremely valuable.


    It was destined to be so.


    ¡°Of course it is.¡±

 Chapter 596 - 216:

    Chapter 596: Chapter 216: ¡°Will win.¡± _3


    Standing to the side, the enchanting lady, Supreme Elder of the Female Sword Sect, looked at Young Master Qi with a meaningful smile and said, ¡°This opportunity, of course, belongs to the one fated for it.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°You might not have noticed that Chen Qiu is at the top of the ¡®Merit Points Ranking of the Vast Continent¡¯ with over 400 billion merit points.¡±


    ¡°After killing Chen Qiu, the merit retribution could be overwhelming. I wonder if Young Master Qi can withstand it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t withstand it,¡± Young Master Qi said indifferently, shaking his head and turning to look at the beautiful woman who spoke, ¡°Can you?¡±


    ¡°Giggle, naturally, I can¡¯t bear it either, but¡­¡± S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before she could finish, she was interrupted.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t withstand it, what are you here for? To sell something?¡±


    A hint of disdain flashed in Young Master Qi¡¯s eyes as he looked at the enchanting lady, whose complexion had turned ugly, and scoffed, ¡°We¡¯re all old-timers in Jianghu; let¡¯s not beat around the bush with each other.¡±


    ¡°All we need to do is to seriously injure him, then find someone at random to kill him, and kill that person afterward. There¡¯s no need to bear any merit retribution, and one could seize the Xuantian Throne. Do I really need to spell out such a simple process?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, if we involve more people and keep changing the holder of the Xuantian Throne, we can obtain dozens of ¡®Divine Domain Orders,¡¯ which is another great opportunity.¡±


    As he spoke,


    a spark of realization suddenly flashed through the eyes of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master and others; they hadn¡¯t thought of this. Indeed, by rotating the Xuantian Throne among some weaklings, they could accumulate many ¡®Divine Domain Orders.¡¯


    As long as one seizes the Xuantian Throne, they will definitely acquire a Divine Domain Order.


    A Divine Domain Order itself is a significant opportunity, and even if one doesn¡¯t obtain the great chance of the Xuantian Throne, having this smaller chance is still good.


    For a moment¡ª


    everyone exchanged glances and without speaking further, they all sat down cross-legged, blocking the grand entrance of the Heavenly Palace.


    Clearly, Chen Qiu had no intention of willingly coming out to his death.


    So, they could only wait.


    Wait for a month until the shackles of the Heavenly Palace disappeared, then they could move forward to kill him. They weren¡¯t afraid of Chen Qiu escaping; with the guidance of the Heavenly Dao, where could he run?


    ¡­


    Inside the Heavenly Palace.


    Chen Qiu sat alone on the Xuantian Throne, his expression calm as he closed his eyes and circulated his mental method, methodically advancing his cultivation progress, despite the imminent crisis outside.


    Yet Chen Qiu seemed completely unconcerned about these dangers,


    no hint of panic on his face.


    ¡°¡­Sigh.¡±


    In a corner of the Heavenly Palace, Ao Tian, with a slightly ugly expression, let out a deep breath. He was preparing for his Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation, ready to break through to Void Refining.


    A predictable grand battle was on the horizon, and having a peak Divinity Transformation Cultivation was of no use in such a fight.


    Even though he had no confidence in his breakthrough to Void Refining, he had to attempt it now!


    As long as he could break through to Void Refining within a month, once the restraints of the Heavenly Palace vanished, he would at least¡­ have the power to fight.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    The human-formed Black Dragon approached Ao Tian with a hint of concern, ¡°Shall we offer the Dragon Palace as a bargaining chip to ask for help from the dragons of the Vast Continent?¡±


    Before leaving the Heavenly Continent, they had taken many things with them, including Dragon Island and the underwater Dragon Palace.


    ¡°No,¡±


    Ao Tian shook his head, ¡°After that Heavenly Dao Decree, the twelve states of the Vast Continent have been sealed off directly. Even if we were willing to give up the Dragon Palace, the dragons of the Vast Continent couldn¡¯t break through the heavenly and earthly constraints to come to Xuantian State.¡±


    ¡°Right now, we can only rely on ourselves; apart from us, nobody else is dependable.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    After pondering for a while, the Black Dragon said in a low, somewhat sad voice, ¡°Father, do you think we can win?¡±


    Ao Tian didn¡¯t speak and only looked towards the few peak Void Refining cultivators blocking the entrance of the Heavenly Palace. After a long silence, he forced a bitter smile and gently patted the back of Black Dragon¡¯s head, ¡°We¡¯ll win.¡±


    Meanwhile, Fat Long Scholar and the others were seizing every minute to cultivate. The phenomenon they experienced before heading to the Vast Continent had brought everyone¡¯s current small realm cultivation strength to 99%, and with diligent practice, they were bound to break through to another small realm within the month.


    A whole small realm advancement might not be particularly useful, but¡­


    it was certainly better than nothing.


    ¡­


    Inside the Heavenly Palace.


    Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on the Xuantian Throne immersed in cultivation, opened his eyes and looked at the group of peak Void Refining cultivators blocking the Heavenly Palace Gate. He laughed softly, didn¡¯t say anything, just shook his head, and submerged himself in cultivation once more.


    He was preparing to quickly push his cultivation progress to 100% first.


    He had yet to employ many of his methods, including two strands of ¡®Xuantian Fortune,¡¯ two strands of ¡®Emperor¡¯s Fortune,¡¯ numerous Nascent Souls, a Self-Destruction Term, two Divine Domain Orders, the Fourteenth-grade Divine Domain, and so on.


    This list didn¡¯t even include top-tier trump cards like the ¡®Merit Attack Order¡¯ or the ¡®Merit Defense Order.¡¯


    Everyone thought his loss was certain.


    But he didn¡¯t know how he was supposed to lose.


    Just peak Void Refining.


    These people¡­ perhaps hadn¡¯t heard the story of Chen Qiu.


    For Chen Qiu, no matter which realm he broke through, even if it was just the initial phase, he was invincible within that domain!


    Back on the Heavenly Continent when he entered Divinity Transformation, that was the day he became invincible at Divinity Transformation.


    It was the same with Void Refining.


    The primary Attack Methods of Void Refining are ¡®Void Refining Domain¡¯ and ¡®External Incarnation.¡¯ His Void Refining Domain was invincible, and though he hadn¡¯t delved into External Incarnations, meaning a slight shortfall in combat power in that area,


    it was still enough.


    Even if he couldn¡¯t be invincible at Void Refining, then all the cultivators in Xuantian State should start praying¡ªpraying they could survive the Thunder Punishment from the 400 billion merit points.

 Chapter 597 - 216:

    Chapter 597: Chapter 216: ¡°Will win.¡± _4 sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn¡¯t mind that there were only their group of people in Xuantian State.


    He also didn¡¯t mind living on top of ruins.


    After all, someone always has to die.


    Then why did it have to be him?


    ¡­


    Xuantian Continent.


    After Chen Qiu was taken away by the Heavenly Ladder formed by arcs of lightning,


    the Xuantian Continent welcomed a long-lost peace.


    No more Imperial Decrees of the Heavenly Dao sounded, no more clans were annihilated, and no more widespread Thunder Punishments rained down; the whole world seemed to suddenly harmonize, and when occasionally two cultivators fought over a Spiritual Treasure, leading to one cultivator dying on the spot,


    people would just remark, ¡°Ah, someone died,¡± noting how the world had become more harmonious and their lust for killing had lightened.


    Fighting over a Spiritual Treasure and only one person dying? These two really were of great benevolence.


    And when occasionally encountering a sect tragedy, remarks would follow, ¡°At least it wasn¡¯t a clan annihilation.¡±


    Raising the moral standards of all the cultivators on a continent is an extremely difficult task, but if one insists on doing it, it¡¯s not impossible.


    There are two methods.


    The first method requires a Holy Daughter, spending thousands of years to influence the cultivators of the continent to stop fighting and killing.


    The second method requires a Devil Child, taking a few years to lower the bar of everyone¡¯s moral standards.


    Clearly,


    the second method is more efficient.


    And in this thriving Quzhou, within the back mountain of the ¡°Qian Nu Sect,¡± a sect composed of female cultivators, a woman wearing thin gauze lay beside a mountain stream in a daze, caressing the scar on her abdomen.


    This scar was left by Chen Qiu.


    It was the wound from when he crudely removed her Golden Core for inspection before leaving her; her name was Mei Ya.


    After Chen Qiu¡¯s departure, she suddenly felt the entire Xuantian Continent, despite still being bustling, became instantly silent. Often, she felt she should also have an Imperial Decree of the Heavenly Dao.


    After all, wasn¡¯t she on the Xuantian Continent, the only woman Chen Qiu had been rough with? With this honor, didn¡¯t she deserve an Imperial Decree of the Heavenly Dao?


    Which other woman could claim this honor?


    At that moment¡ª


    A mature woman emerged from the jungle beside the stream, sighing lightly as she looked at Mei Ya lying in a daze on the grass, then sat next to her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think about Chen Qiu anymore, being able to get your life back from his hands is already your great fortune.¡±


    ¡°Such a figure is not within your reach.¡±


    ¡°One must accept their fate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mei Ya, lying on the ground, was silent for a long while before she murmured softly, ¡°Master, I have never indulged in such hopes, but I just feel that, in the future, it might be very difficult for me to find another suitable match.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡±


    the attractive woman nodded and said, ¡°Having experienced such a Heavenly Pride, it¡¯s indeed difficult to accept an ordinary person afterward.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡±


    ¡°Decided on what?¡±


    ¡°I want to diligently cultivate and strive to one day appear before Chen Qiu again.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The attractive woman chuckled dryly, said awkwardly, ¡°Or how about you fantasize that one day Chen Qiu suddenly remembers you and comes back to the Xuantian Continent to take you away?¡±


    ¡°I feel that might be more achievable, compared to your previous thought.¡±


    ¡­


    Likewise, in Xuantian Continent, Quzhou.


    At the foot of the Boundless Snow Mountain, outside a little-known small town called ¡°Desperate Town.¡±


    The Seventh Prince, gravely injured, groggily woke up from his bed and surveyed his surroundings, not knowing when he was in a stone house with a warm blanket over him.


    At that moment¡ª


    The stone door was pushed open, and a man dressed in animal skins with a full beard strode in. Upon seeing the Seventh Prince sitting up on the bed, he set aside the water skin he was carrying and cracked a smile.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re really lucky, kid, being a commoner and surviving a snow avalanche for who knows how long.¡±


    ¡°When I found you, you were completely buried under deep snow, not even appearing to breathe heavily; I almost had no hope.¡±


    ¡°Never thought you¡¯d actually pull through.¡±


    ¡°Big fate you¡¯ve got there, you¡¯re bound to have great fortune. I¡¯ve heated some water for you to warm up; my wife¡¯s gone to stew some chicken soup for you. Warm yourself with some chicken soup later on, you¡¯ll feel a lot more comfortable.¡±


    ¡°The last guy with a fate as big as yours is now flying high.¡±

 Chapter 598 - 217: Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 598: Chapter 217: Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°The Ascension of Chickens and Dogs¡±!


    ¡°Where¡­ Where am I?¡±


    The Seventh Prince felt as if his body had fallen apart, suffering unbearable pain, his abdomen, which initially had a horrific wound, now hastily bandaged.


    He surveyed the inside of the hut, which could almost be described as bare walls and poverty-stricken.


    ¡°A small town at the foot of a mountain, called Desperation Town, not a very auspicious name, inhabited by hunters.¡±


    The middle-aged man with a beard carefully brought a half-bowl of water to the Seventh Prince, ¡°Drink some warm water to warm your body first. How did you, a mere mortal, think of going to the Snow Mountain alone?¡±


    ¡°Encountered a Snow Beast, did you? That wound on your abdomen looks dreadful.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Seventh Prince said nothing, merely took a sip of the hot water to moisten his lips.


    Mortal?


    He had already reached the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivation, but had been heavily injured and subsequently knocked unconscious by a force of heaven and earth after leaving Da Xia Country. This must be the Xuantian Continent.


    However, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to the man before him. He could sense that the man was at the Foundation Establishment Cultivation level, and without revealing his own cultivation, this man would not be able to sense it.


    These were all trivial matters.


    For him, the most important thing right now was to find his master and to establish his master¡¯s reputation as well as the reputation of the Chao Tian Sect.


    However¡ª


    Before that, he knew nothing about the Xuantian Continent; he needed to gather some basic information about this world first.


    A moment later.


    The hitherto silent Seventh Prince suddenly said with a hoarse voice, ¡°I seem to have lost my memory¡­¡±


    The instant the words fell.


    The middle-aged man with a beard, who had been sighing at the difficult times, stiffened on the spot, forced a smile more miserable than crying, and slowly raised his hands as he backed away.


    ¡°Wait¡­ this scene seems somewhat familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    The Seventh Prince¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. While he did not understand why the bearded man was reacting so, he was not in the mood to dawdle. He immediately unleashed his peak Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivation, and a streak of golden light swept the bearded man away, disappearing inside the hut.


    Just then¡ª


    A plump middle-aged woman, carrying a jar of chicken soup, briskly entered the hut and looked towards the empty bed. She stood still for a long time before murmuring, ¡°Gone again?¡±


    ¡°This scene¡­¡±


    ¡°Seems somewhat familiar, doesn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡­


    Outside Desperation Town, at the foot of the Boundless Snow Mountain. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The bearded man knelt in the snow, raising both arms high, looking at the young man sitting on the snow, radiating immense Spiritual Energy, not daring to delay a moment, his eyes filled with fear, and his voice trembled with a cry.


    ¡°Immortal, spare my life, Immortal, spare my life!¡±


    ¡°I understand the rules, you ask a question, I answer one!¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s right, everything was right.


    Last time it was the same process.


    Although there were some changes during the entire process this time, it was more or less consistent with the last.


    Could it be that Desperation Town was some special place?


    Why did such scenarios repeat themselves every now and then?


    ¡­


    Several hundred breaths later.


    The Seventh Prince seated on a pile of snow waved his hand, indicating that the bearded middle-aged man could withdraw. Then he sat blankly, looking at the sword in his hand and found himself momentarily at a loss for words.


    He was the Seventh Prince of Da Xia Country.


    His master had taught him swordsmanship since he was young.


    He always knew that in his master¡¯s heart, his talent for the Sword Dao was far inferior to that of the scholar, but he was not convinced. He wanted to show his master that his talent for the Sword Dao was not weak, that he was Da Xia¡¯s number one Sword Cultivator.


    He trained hard for more than ten months.


    Finally, he advanced to the peak of Golden Core Great Perfection, becoming the youngest aside from his master in the history of Da Xia Country to reach this stage. He had his father forcibly collect all the Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills of Golden Core from Da Xia and the Hundred Countries for him to rapidly break through his cultivation barriers.


    He spent just over a year to successfully cultivate to the peak of Golden Core Great Perfection, becoming a true number one Sword Cultivator in Da Xia.


    In the meantime¡ª


    He also found the cave dwelling of ¡®Jian Yi,¡¯ an exceptional Sword Cultivator from a hundred years ago in Da Xia. In the cave dwelling, he found Jian Yi¡¯s legacy, as well as a swordsmanship technique that Jian Yi had created.


    This swordsmanship required cultivators to show the courage to face death, to wield their sword without activating the Protective Spirit Qi, betting everything on that one strike.


    There were only two techniques in that swordsmanship.


    The first technique was called the Minor One Sword.


    Once executed, it depleted the Spiritual Energy, leaving no strength to strike again, rendering one vulnerable to enemies.


    The second was the Great One Sword.


    Once executed, it drained one¡¯s lifeforce, reducing one¡¯s lifespan significantly.


    However, for some reason, ¡®Jian Yi,¡¯ despite creating this swordsmanship, seemed to disdain it, not even willing to name it. But for him, this technique was treasured; hesaliliation in the Snow Mountain of Da Xia Country, challenging the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppets nine times.


    Each time, he returned severely injured, and on several occasions, he came close to death.

 Chapter 599 - 217: Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 599: Chapter 217: Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Chicken and Dogs Ascend to Heaven¡±!_2


    The Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet was simply not an entity he could contend with.


    In his last attempt, he had gone all out, staking ninety-nine percent of his lifespan into that strike with the ¡°Heavenly Sword¡± second style. He unleashed the strongest sword strike of his life. Yet, it only managed to sever one arm of the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet. That was the strongest move he was capable of, also the strongest move of his life.


    Without destruction, there cannot be construction.


    With that sword strike, he was left with just one year of life.


    He was gambling that this strike would slay the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet. If he won the gamble, he could travel to Xuantian Continent and achieve a breakthrough from the Nascent Soul, thus extending his lifespan. But¡­ he lost the gamble.


    His strongest strike of a lifetime was but child¡¯s play in the eyes of the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet.


    It was then that he truly understood how vast the chasm between the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul was. For a Golden Core cultivator, the Nascent Soul was an almost invincible entity, and that Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet, being a Sword Cultivator itself, had many methods to counter Sword Cultivators. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Returning in failure for the ninth time, severely wounded and falling through the clouds, he had plunged into utter despair.


    Because he knew that without a miracle, he could never defeat that Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet in his lifetime.


    He finally understood the despair his master felt facing this same Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet.


    The Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet stood there quietly, though it said nothing, it clearly conveyed that with its presence, no one could leave Da Xia Country.


    He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how his own master had once defeated the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet.


    At least¡­ he could not!


    He was at the peak of the Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivation, the first Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, trained in the Heavenly Sword Second Styles, stepping into the realm of Human Sword Unity, he had almost reached the peak that could be achieved within the boundaries of Da Xia, yet even so, he was utterly unable to defeat that Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet.


    Leaving Da Xia, following in his master¡¯s footsteps, gaining his master¡¯s recognition were the greatest obsessions of his life.


    For that, he was willing to sacrifice everything.


    But nine consecutive failures seemed to mock his lifelong obsession. He couldn¡¯t even accomplish the first step, let alone the subsequent two.


    But, as he fell through the clouds on his ninth failure¡ª


    Divine music resounded from the horizon, and he saw countless golden particles like snowflakes falling from the Boundless Snow Mountain, a tiny wisp, very small, yet he sharply captured that the originally tranquil Sword Cultivation Puppet sensed this celestial anomaly.


    Suddenly, its body froze in place, all its Protective Spirit Qi dissipated, and it looked up towards that celestial anomaly.


    He seized this opportunity.


    He channeled his final year¡¯s lifespan into his last sword strike, leaving himself only three days to live, abruptly halting his falling figure, and then explosively shot toward the platform¡¯s Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet.


    A strike to end life.


    He succeeded.


    Although he didn¡¯t understand why the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet had suddenly frozen at the sight of the celestial anomaly, nor did he understand where that celestial anomaly came from, but¡­ none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that he finally managed to leave Da Xia Country to chase his master¡¯s footsteps.


    Only¡­


    The Seventh Prince sat somewhat blankly on a pile of snow; he had just heard many stories about his master from this bearded man¡¯s mouth¡ªTwelfth Grade Nascent Soul, Twelfth Grade Divine Domain, a man who could annihilate a clan single-handedly, the Heavenly Repairing Technique, hundreds of billions in merits, and so forth.


    Each tale could be a legendary story passed down for centuries!


    And all these legendary deeds happened to one person¡ªhis own master.


    Just over a year had passed, and his master had already reached the Peak of Divinity Transformation Cultivation.


    Some time later.


    The Seventh Prince staggered up, clutching his stomach wound as he walked toward the distance. He had less than two days to live. He needed to achieve a breakthrough in the Nascent Soul, even if it was the lowest Grade Nascent Soul; otherwise, he would die.


    ¡­


    Several hours later, the Seventh Prince, having achieved a First Grade Nascent Soul, began his own journey.


    He traveled through Quzhou for ten days, visited many cities, and called on many forces.


    But those cities and those forces all had a line of small text embedded in the most conspicuous place:


    ¡°Governed by Chao Tian Sect.¡±


    He wanted to make his master proud, to raise the reputation of Chao Tian Sect, only to find that both Chao Tian Sect and his master seemed entirely unneeded for him to make famous. Everyone in Xuantian Continent knew about Chao Tian Sect, everyone knew of Chen Qiu.


    Finally¡­


    The disheartened Seventh Prince walked into a city teahouse in a daze. He felt his obsessions collapse in an instant. He had almost exhausted all his energy, and only with the protection of destiny had he managed to leave Da Xia Country and arrive in Xuantian Continent.


    He initially thought he could finally be closer to his master.


    But after arriving in Xuantian Continent, he realized that he might never catch up to his master¡¯s strides in this lifetime.


    Meanwhile, on the stage, a storyteller was passionately recounting the deeds of Chen Qiu. Throughout these days, he had lost count of how many times he had listened to these stories, every storyteller in every teahouse in every city spoke of his master¡¯s deeds.


    Without exception.


    If there were any exceptions, those individuals were merely stepping stones for his master, ultimately ending up slain by his own master.


    All those miraculous stories often left him truly baffled about how his master could have accomplished such feats.


    Just then¡ª


    A middle-aged man next to him suddenly leaned over and joked, ¡°Young man, you look quite downcast. Did your wife run off, or did your son die?¡±

 Chapter 600 - 217: Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 600: Chapter 217: Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Chicken and Dogs Ascend to Heaven¡±!_3


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Seventh Prince, who was lost in despair, glanced at the middle-aged man and paid no attention to the offense in his words. After pausing for a long while, he finally spoke in a daze, ¡°My master has left the Xuantian Continent and headed to the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°It seems¡­ I might never catch up to him in this lifetime.¡±


    As these words fell.


    The surrounding teahouse patrons suddenly stiffened. At least a cultivator at the late stage of Divinity Transformation could leave the Xuantian Continent. Could it be that this lad¡¯s master was actually a powerhouse of late-stage Divinity Transformation?


    But as far as they knew, there wasn¡¯t a single late-stage Divinity Transformation powerhouse in Quzhou.


    Could it be someone from another state?


    And the middle-aged man who had initially joked, also hurriedly spoke in a respectful and soft voice, ¡°Please forgive me, young master. I didn¡¯t realize your master was such a formidable Divinity Transformation cultivator. May I ask for your master¡¯s name? And whether he is part of any force in Zhongzhou?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Seventh Prince shook his head in despair, ¡°It¡¯s a power from Quzhou.¡±


    ¡°A power from Quzhou.¡±


    The middle-aged man was slightly stunned, then helplessly straightened up and said in irritation, ¡°Look here young brother, I was just trying to comfort you seeing how out of sorts you were. There¡¯s no fun in playing jokes like this on all of us.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The surrounding patrons also burst into a round of raucous laughter.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a single power in Quzhou that has a late-stage Divinity Transformation cultivator, not even the Su Family Patriarch who is only at the early stage of Divinity Transformation. Oh, there is indeed one, but that power isn¡¯t just about a single Divinity Transformation¡­ ¡±


    Before he could finish.


    The Seventh Prince pulled out a ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡± token from his bosom and emotionlessly tossed it onto the table.


    The next moment!


    The entire teahouse fell silent instantly.


    Then, almost in an instant, all the patrons who had just laughed bowed down to the ground led by the middle-aged man, and started kowtowing and begging for mercy with voices trembling in fear.


    ¡°Young master, please forgive us, it¡¯s our fault for being blind and not recognizing Mount Tai. Please spare our lives!¡±


    You should have fucking said you were from the Chao Tian Sect earlier!


    Why the hell put on so much damn drama?!


    If you had said you were from the Chao Tian Sect, who would dare to laugh at you?


    The dread of the Chao Tian Sect was deeply ingrained in the hearts of all cultivators on the Xuantian Continent, and the Quzhou cultivators had the deepest understanding of it. While cultivators from other states had mostly heard it through rumors, the Quzhou cultivators had witnessed it with their own eyes.


    Those Heavenly Thunder punishments, the marks they left between heaven and earth still hadn¡¯t dissipated.


    It looks like those marks won¡¯t fade away within a hundred years.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The originally dispirited Seventh Prince, seeing how all the patrons in the teahouse, including the storyteller, were kneeling and kowtowing to him, suddenly gained a clearer understanding of the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s influence on the Xuantian Continent.


    These people¡­


    They didn¡¯t even verify the authenticity of his token; they simply knelt as soon as he produced it.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    The Seventh Prince suddenly took a deep breath, and the look of despair vanished from his face instantly. Then, he picked up the token from the table and marched out of the teahouse. He had decided to break through to the late stage of Divinity Transformation as soon as possible!


    And then head to the Vast Continent to continue following in his master¡¯s footsteps.


    One day¡ª


    He would appear before his master as an unrivalled Sword Cultivator, and he would see astonishment in his master¡¯s eyes, astonishment that he was there!


    Da Xia Country was merely a starting point for him, the Seventh Prince!


    Just you wait¡­ the day isn¡¯t far off!


    ¡­


    In Da Xia Country, within the Capital, ¡°Chunfeng Shili Building.¡±


    The Fei City Lord looked contemplative as he turned to his companion, the Flying Fish City Lord, and tossed a peanut into his mouth before saying, ¡°Have you heard? The Seventh Prince of Da Xia, after failing eight times in a row, finally succeeded on his ninth attempt. He defeated the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Puppet and has headed to the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°What a pity.¡±


    ¡°At first, there were several people who wanted to leave Da Xia Country with the Seventh Prince, but after seeing him fail so many times, they gave up. Who would have thought that on his ninth try, the Seventh Prince would be successful.¡±


    ¡°But those who have already retreated can¡¯t catch up now.¡±


    ¡°The Seventh Prince of Da Xia indeed received personal guidance from the State Preceptor; his progress is nothing short of miraculous. He was actually able to leave Da Xia Country by his own efforts. Speaking of which, didn¡¯t you think of leaving with the Seventh Prince back then?¡±


    ¡°I never considered it,¡± the Flying Fish City Lord shook his head, ¡°One has to know one¡¯s own limits. With my strength, I¡¯m quite comfortable in Da Xia Country, but if I went to the Xuantian Continent, I might just be at the bottom.¡±


    ¡°Going there would mean death.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m curious to know whether the State Preceptor has made a name for himself on the Xuantian Continent, but¡­ I¡¯ll wait until the State Preceptor has unified the Xuantian Continent, and then he will surely come to pick us up from Da Xia Country. That would be safe. I am well aware of my limitations; this is probably as far as I go in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Unify the Xuantian Continent,¡± the somewhat drunk Fat City Lord shook his head with a wry laugh, his speech slightly slurred, ¡°You¡­ really dare to dream. I don¡¯t doubt the State Preceptor¡¯s capability to unify the Xuantian Continent; I only wonder if you¡¯ll live long enough to see it.¡±


    ¡°But lately, it does feel like many more people in Da Xia Country are spouting strange and bizarre things.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, there indeed used to be some, but not nearly as many as now.¡±


    ¡­


    In the Vast Continent, within the Heavenly Palace.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the Xuantian Throne, exhaled a long breath. Today was the fourth day, and his Cultivation Progress had finally reached¡ª

 Chapter 601 - 217: Divinity Transformation Domain

    Chapter 601: Chapter 217: Divinity Transformation Domain ¡°Chickens and Dogs Ascend to Heaven¡±!_4


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer (100%).


    ¨C


    I¡¯ve reached the peak of Divinity Transformation!


    Next, I need to start preparing for the breakthrough to the Void Refining realm. I was originally unsure about the strength of my Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation and whether my nearly two hundred billion merit points would be enough to protect me, especially since this Heavenly Tribulation is said to be far more formidable than average, and mine will definitely be even greater.


    After all, there are 2.9 billion sin points, and a twelve-grade Nascent Soul blatantly present.


    But¡ª


    Before leaving the Xuantian Continent, that celestial phenomenon sent my merit points soaring to a full 400 billion!


    With so many merit points, I could easily buy everything in the Merit Store and still have plenty to spare.


    Then I looked up at the group of Void Refining cultivators meditating at the entrance to the Heavenly Palace. It was clear that this group was very persistent, with no thoughts of giving up at all.


    Good.


    Having so many people cultivating alongside me feels quite lively; I don¡¯t feel lonely at all.


    Then I turned my attention to the two threads of Xuantian Fortune revolving around the Nascent Soul. These were granted to me after completing twelve milestone tasks and possess various usage effects, with the most common and straightforward being ones that significantly enhance the power of a spell or a Divine Domain.


    There are only two such effects.


    One can greatly enhance the power of a given spell, and the other can greatly enhance the efficacy of a given Divine Domain of Divinity Transformation.


    Without hesitation, a thought passed through my mind, and the two threads of ¡°Xuantian Fortune¡± merged into the Nascent Soul.


    One thread was used to significantly increase the power of the Thunder Summoning Technique, while the other was used to enhance the ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move¡± Divine Domain, whose sole effect is to significantly increase the power of Thunder Magic.


    The combination of these two means that the power of my Thunder Summoning Technique has been dramatically and exaggeratedly increased once more.


    Perfect.


    There¡¯s no need to enhance Divine Domains like ¡°Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡± or ¡°Snow Brings Forth Life.¡± The effect of Unlimited Spiritual Energy is quite straightforward: it¡¯s simply unlimited energy. Even if this effect were to be enhanced, it would still be infinite, which is the limit already.


    There¡¯s no point in enhancing it further.


    And the ¡°Snow Brings Forth Life¡± Divine Domain primarily aids in healing, so enhancing it is far less cost-effective compared to ¡°Three Thousand Thunders Move.¡± After all, I prefer making my enemies need healing rather than myself.


    Chen Qiu looked down at the leaping arc of lightning in his palm, smiled lightly without speaking, and felt an overwhelming and terrifying aura from that wisp of lightning. Those two threads of Xuantian Fortune were part of his foundation.


    What makes me stronger than the average cultivator is not just a ¡°Step by Step¡± Seven-colored term.


    It¡¯s more about rare treasures, such as ¡°Xuantian Fortune,¡± ¡°Emperor¡¯s Fortune,¡± and ¡°Unrivaled Genius Fortune,¡± which others can almost never obtain. And while these weren¡¯t directly brought by the ¡°Step by Step¡± term, without it, I¡¯d have likely had a hard time acquiring them.


    Just as I¡¯ve said.


    ¡°Step by Step¡± is never the strongest Seven-colored term.


    But it is definitely the most suitable for the Qi Refinement Realm and for beginners.


    Thanks to ¡°Step by Step.¡±


    The combination of terms I now have easily outperforms nearly 99% of cultivators.


    I looked up once again at the group of Void Refining Cultivators blocking the Heavenly Palace Gate. Over the past few days, I¡¯ve used the ¡°True Eye¡± term to scan and identify all the terms these people possess.


    I must say.


    It¡¯s worthy of Void Refining cultivators; the opportunities on the Vast Continent are clearly much greater than on the Xuantian Continent, and their terms are almost always linked in groups, each with strong synergistic effects.


    Unlike on the Xuantian Continent, where many Divinity Transformation cultivators have weakly related groups of terms.


    They¡¯re strong.


    But¡­ that¡¯s all they are.


    In the multitude of foundations I have, some seem insignificant, and ¡°Emperor¡¯s Fortune¡± is one of them. I received this as a reward for becoming the first to ascend to the Xuantian King¡¯s throne, a reward only available to the first person who claims the throne.


    With the effect of the green entry ¡°Imperial Decree Regular,¡± it doubled into two threads of ¡°Emperor¡¯s Fortune.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: A Thread of Emperor¡¯s Fortune.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: The first person to claim the throne.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Other people who have obtained the throne will suffer more damage when facing the spells you release.


    2:¡­


    5: You can materially forge the Xuantian Throne and make it into a growing Spiritual Treasure.


    7¡­


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at the treasure panel before him. Those with Emperor¡¯s Fortune could seize a greater advantage in the struggle for the position of ¡®Unique King¡¯ in the future, and besides him, nobody else could possibly have this thing.


    Besides, you can materially forge the Xuantian Throne as well.


    The Xuantian Throne is ethereal¡ªpractically just a title.


    But using a thread of Emperor¡¯s Fortune, you could really create a throne, a throne for the King of Xuantian. Even though he didn¡¯t know what the effect would be, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be weak. The throne he was sitting on, forged from arcs of thunder, was just the ethereal form of the Xuantian Throne.


    When the shackles of the Heavenly Palace vanish in twenty-six days,


    It will lead to a twelve-hour defence battle for the Heavenly Palace. If he successfully defends the Heavenly Palace within these twelve hours, then the ¡°Heavenly Palace¡± will separate from the complex of buildings in Xuantian State, becoming his exclusive building.


    Similar to the existence of the Dragon Palace.


    Transforming into a building-type Spiritual Treasure.


    This ¡°Heavenly Palace,¡± including the statues it contains, would be exclusively his. Even if he dies at the hands of another and the Xuantian Throne is taken, these statues and the Heavenly Palace will turn to ash and won¡¯t fall into the hands of others. After all, these statues represent his shining moments on the Xuantian Continent and are irrelevant to anyone else.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, preparing to consolidate his Cultivation Realm before beginning his breakthrough to Void Refining.


    But before that¡ª


    He pulled out an emblem of the Domain of Divinity Transformation, a special domain for those who had obtained the throne. After checking its effects, he raised his eyebrows.


    Domain of Divinity Transformation ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡±.


    Domain Effect: Once the domain is activated, all living creatures within the domain¡¯s range will enjoy a double boost to their cultivation speed.


    A special Domain of Divinity Transformation has virtually no effect in combat and serves as a domain for empowering a force. It could be added to his Xuantian King¡¯s tenfold increase in cultivation speed, which is not too bad.


    Only¡­


    He only had two emblems of Divinity Transformation Domain left, allowing for at most two more domains. Using one for this domain felt like a bit of waste, since whoever holds this domain, everyone can benefit from its effects.


    Chen Qiu looked up at the crowd from Chao Tian Sect. His gaze finally rested on Zhao Dezhu, who had just made a breakthrough to Divinity Transformation and hadn¡¯t yet chosen a domain, before tossing the domain emblem to him.


    Without saying anything.


    Because a thought came to Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes as he squinted slightly.


    An ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡± domain is honestly so-so in effect.


    But what if¡­ there were ten ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡± domains? That would stack up to a twentyfold cultivation speed bonus, even higher than the boost from his status as the Xuantian King!


    This Domain of Divinity Transformation emblem is a one-time use and can only give one Divinity an ownership of the domain.


    But¡­


    That¡¯s not important.


    As long as the Xuantian Throne changes hands, he can get another ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡± special domain emblem. He¡¯s definitely not going to die, but if he can capture someone with the throne alive, he could, by such means, gain a large number of ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡± special domain emblems.


    As long as more than ten ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡± domains are activated at the same time!


    He hardly dared to imagine how fast his cultivation progress would be!


    The only issue is that he isn¡¯t sure whether multiple ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡± domains activated at the same time can stack their effects. And the ¡°All Under Heaven Ascending¡± Domain of Divinity Transformation emblem shouldn¡¯t just disappear into thin air like that time in the underworld, right?


    Last time, when he traveled back and forth between the underworld and the mortal world, he acquired many ¡°Luck of Yin Soul¡± and even synthesized a ¡°Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune,¡± but so far, he hadn¡¯t found any use for these two things.


    ¡°¡­Not bad.¡±


    Chen Qiu turned to look at the crowd of Void Refining cultivators blocking the entrance to the Heavenly Palace and suddenly smiled. He was already looking forward to the chaos that would unfold once all twelve thrones were claimed.


    His original plan was to develop low-key for a while after coming to the Vast Continent.


    It seems unlikely that he will get his wish now. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 602 - 218: The First Red Entry!

    Chapter 602: Chapter 218: The First Red Entry!


    Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the Void Refining experts blockading the entrance to the Heavenly Palace Gate and looked down at the two roulettes in his hand.


    One was a supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    The other, a high-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    These two items had been rewarded to him after he completed twelve milestone tasks in the Xuantian Continent. The supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette was synthesized automatically after he had saved up three high-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes.


    He was quite expectant of the contents within the supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    After all, from the high-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette, he had once drawn a treasure of the caliber of ¡°A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune Jade Scroll.¡± Wouldn¡¯t a supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette possibly yield a treasure such as ¡°A Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune Jade Scroll¡±?


    Although he currently had no use for an Unrivaled Genius Fortune, he didn¡¯t mind having an extra one; who knew when it might come in handy?


    Such supreme treasures would always be useful later on.


    Just like the treasure ¡°A thread of Yin Emperor¡¯s luck¡± from the underworld, while currently of no use, he believed it would certainly be useful in the future. At the very least, even if it proved useless in the Mortal World, it would become his foundation in the underworld once he died.


    Both roulettes had been obtained from the twelve milestone tasks in the Xuantian Continent.


    Now, there were no new milestone tasks.


    It was highly likely there would be no more chances to obtain Heavenly Dao Roulettes, so there seemed no point in keeping the high-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette. It would be better to just activate it.


    Completing a milestone task actually rewarded only a mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette. It was under the effect of the green entry ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡± that he was able to receive two mid-grade Heavenly Dao Roulettes each time, which then combined into a supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    To be honest.


    Although ¡°Imperial Decree Regular¡± was merely a green entry, with its help along the way, he had gained considerable foundation. Despite being a green entry, its assistance was greater for him than many purple entries¡¯ effects.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu let out a light breath, put aside his thoughts, and crushed a high-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette without any further ado, preparing to use it as a primer before crushing the supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    Shortly afterward¡ª


    A panel enveloped in mist appeared in front of him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make your selection within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    1: A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune Jade Scroll.


    2: A Thread of Heavenly Dao Fortune Jade Scroll.


    3: A Thread of Racial Luck Jade Scroll.


    4: A Thread of Heavenly Thunder¡¯s Might Jade Scroll.


    5: A Thread of Luck of Yin Soul Jade Scroll.


    ¨C


    Similar to the rewards of the previous high-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette, after a brief contemplation, he immediately chose A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune Jade Scroll and A Thread of Heavenly Dao Fortune Jade Scroll.


    There was no particular reason.


    It was simply that these two treasures were the most frequently used.


    The Heavenly Pride Fortune Jade Scroll was extremely handy whether he kept it for his own use or helped scholars like Fat Long to upgrade their Divinity Transformation Domain Grade to Eight Grade. Last time he chose A Thread of Racial Luck because it was difficult to obtain that treasure, but as of now, it hadn¡¯t proved particularly useful. This time he chose the Heavenly Dao Fortune Jade Scroll, since Heavenly Dao Fortune was often a handy treasure.


    This was just an appetizer.


    After making his choices hastily, Chen Qiu took a deep breath and pulled out the Memory Stone that the lad had sold to him at the city gate of Kai Mountain City in Da Xia Country, holding it in his hand.


    He had always believed that the old master of the Wang Family was a lucky man. The only one he had seen so far who could use the entries ¡°Nine Ox Power¡± and ¡°Self-extinguishing Root¡± to create effects akin to perpetual motion machines was the old master of the Wang Family.


    Thereafter, he had heard of others trying to emulate this, but those who did often ended up in a sorry state.


    Especially when they were down to their last chip and, in a bid of desperation, went all-in, only to lose everything they had.


    After borrowing a bit of good luck, he immediately crushed the supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette he held in his hands.


    The next moment!


    Another panel enveloped in mist appeared before him.


    ¨C


    ¡°Please make your selection within a hundred breaths, choose two out of five.¡±


    1: A Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune Jade Scroll.


    2: A Thread of Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune Jade Scroll.


    3: A Random Red Entry Jade Scroll.


    4: A Void Refining supreme grade special building.


    5: A thousand Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for Divinity Transformation.


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the five options before him without speaking and didn¡¯t make an immediate choice. With a hundred breaths of time to decide, he was not in a hurry, having plenty of time to think.


    It must be said.


    The items from the supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette were indeed an entire grade higher than those from the high-grade Heavenly Dao Roulette.


    A Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune Jade Scroll was indeed an excellent item; it required three Threads of Heavenly Pride Fortune to combine into one Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune. Many cultivators would never have the chance to obtain even one Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune in their lifetimes, let alone Supreme Genius Fortune.


    And the Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune was undoubtedly a great treasure too, requiring nine Threads of Luck of Yin Soul to combine, which was an extremely rare treasure of the underworld. However, it was useless to him as he already had one, so that option was the first to be eliminated.


    But through the ¡°A Thread of Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune¡± obtained from the supreme grade Heavenly Dao Roulette and the ¡°A Thread of Luck of Yin Soul¡± from the high-grade one, he could almost confirm one thing: these two precious treasures of the underworld must have their uses in the Mortal World.


    Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Mortal World to even obtain these underworld treasures. Since there was a chance to obtain them, it meant they were certainly useful. He just wasn¡¯t yet clear on where exactly in the Mortal World they could be used.

 Chapter 603 - 218: The First Red Entry!_2

    Chapter 603: Chapter 218: The First Red Entry!_2


    The third option, a random Red Entry Jade Slip, was something he felt a faint desire for.


    Red Entries, second only to Seven-colored and Golden Entries, were even more rare and of a higher grade than Purple Entries. He didn¡¯t possess a single Red Entry so far.


    As for that top-grade Void Refining special building, to be honest, although he wasn¡¯t clear on what building he would get, he also had a faint desire for it.


    As for those thousand Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills for Divinity Transformation, they were completely useless to him.


    He was now hesitating between ¡°A Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride¡± and the Red Entry Jade Slip, as well as the top-grade Void Refining special building.


    For a time, he was somewhat undecided.


    After a long while¡ª


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath and eliminated ¡°A Thread of Unrivaled Heavenly Pride¡± from his choices, although this item was good, it wasn¡¯t immediately useful to him; it was rare yet useless.


    He then immediately chose the top-grade Void Refining special building and the Red Entry Jade Slip.


    Right after that.


    He took out a miniature version of the Linglong Pagoda from the Heavenly Dao Ring, with a total of thirteen levels; this was the special building he had randomly obtained.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Demon Suppression Tower.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Heavenly Dao Blessing, etc.


    ¡°Treasure Level¡±: Void Refining top-grade.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: The Linglong Pagoda has a total of thirteen levels, each capable of holding a Divine Domain totem. When the pagoda is fully activated, up to thirteen Divine Domains can be opened simultaneously, and the effect of the domains is closely related to the grade of this treasure.


    2: Each level of the Linglong Pagoda can imprison up to a thousand living creatures. When the pagoda is activated, these creatures will gradually be refined, and their Cultivation will be crushed, thereby significantly enhancing the Cultivation speed of those near the Linglong Pagoda, with better effects for higher Cultivation of the imprisoned.


    5:¡­


    ¨C


    ¡°It seems¡­ quite powerful,¡± Chen Qiu gazed at the miniature Linglong Pagoda in his hand, somewhat dazed. This special building seemed perfectly suited for their Chao Tian Sect; firstly, the effect where up to thirteen Divine Domain totems could be placed within the pagoda.


    This meant that if you placed thirteen offensive type Divine Domain totems, when the Linglong Pagoda was fully activated, it would instantly open thirteen Divine Domains. One could imagine the power that would bring!


    If the domains were combined effectively and placed at the sect¡¯s Mountain Gate, it would serve as a major defensive structure!


    Once activated, it would be unstoppable!


    And it could complement the Mountain Protection Array.


    For their Chao Tian Sect, however, the effect was greatly reduced, since they were within a small world. But the Linglong Pagoda perfectly matched the ¡°Heavenly and Earthly Division¡± Divine Domain. Just place thirteen Heavenly and Earthly Division Divine Domain totems right in the Chao Tian Sect!


    By simply filling the Linglong Pagoda with enough Spirit Stones, it could ensure the structure was constantly activating the thirteen ¡°Heavenly and Earthly Division¡± domains, significantly increasing their Cultivation speed.


    Originally, his plan was to find thirteen Divinity Transformation Cultivators and have each of them construct a ¡°Heavenly and Earthly Division¡± Domain. It would have been much more challenging.


    Moreover, domains can¡¯t be constantly activated, as opening them consumes the Spiritual Energy within the body. When the Spiritual Energy is depleted, the domain will close. Then, it would have to be fully restored before reopening.


    This constant opening and closing would, in fact, greatly diminish the effects.


    But with the ¡°Demon Suppression Tower,¡± there is no issue. As long as there are enough Spirit Stones, the thirteen ¡°Heavenly and Earthly Division¡± domains can be constantly active and highly stable.


    Plus, the ¡°Demon Suppression Tower¡± itself, by refining living creatures, can increase the Cultivation speed of those nearby. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As long as they fill the ¡°Demon Suppression Tower¡± with enough enemies.


    Lastly, by installing a high-grade Spirit Gathering Array near the Demon Suppression Tower, combined with his Twelve-Ranked Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul and the tenfold Cultivation speed bonus from the Xuantian Throne, his Cultivation speed post Void Refining breakthrough would crush his peers.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction; he liked this special building very much. It was just that now wasn¡¯t the time to use it. It could only be placed in one location and not just anywhere. He intended to place it within the bounds of the Chao Tian Sect in the small world. Right now, he was locked by the Heavenly Dao and could not enter the small world.


    However, the ¡°Demon Suppression Tower,¡± being a top-grade Void Refining level treasure, could refine living beings with Cultivation up to the Void Refining Peak at most. To refine beings of higher Cultivation, the Tower¡¯s Grade would need to be raised.


    This would require a substantial amount of rare heavenly materials and an exceptionally skilled Artifact Cultivator.


    After all, as the Demon Suppression Tower is not a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, it can¡¯t, like Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, naturally increase in grade with just enough heavenly materials. But¡­ it was not a big issue. After this matter is settled, he planned to find a top Artifact Cultivator.


    ¡­


    After storing the Demon Suppression Tower in the Heavenly Dao Ring, he finally turned his attention to the Red Entry Jade Slip. This was the first Red Entry he had ever received, marking a milestone in his life.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    After taking another deep breath, he tenderly stroked the Memory Stone in his hand, then crushed the random Red Entry Jade Slip.


    Soon.


    As he crushed the Red Entry, a great amount of mist surged out, and immediately thereafter, a panel, shrouded in mist, appeared in mid-air.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: God of Unique Skill.

 Chapter 604 - 218: The First Red Entry!_3

    Chapter 604: Chapter 218: The First Red Entry!_3


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Red.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Each time you cultivate a spell of the same Cultivation Realm to Great Perfection, you can use the spell as nourishment to significantly enhance the power of a certain spell.


    ¨C


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    When Chen Qiu saw the effect of this entry, his eyes turned red. The entry effect might sound complex, but it was actually quite simple to understand.


    Take his current state, for instance, being at the peak of Divinity Transformation.


    All he had to do was cultivate a Divinity Transformation Grade spell, whether it was a lower grade or highest grade, to the Great Perfection Realm. Then he could use that spell as nourishment, significantly enhancing the power of another spell.


    And naturally, the spell he would enhance would be his Thunder Summoning Technique. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If this were the only entry, it might not seem too strong, since cultivating a spell to Great Perfection could take years of effort, especially as the grade of the spell got higher, the longer it would take to reach Great Perfection.


    Unless there was something like the Enlightenment Stone. And while the Enlightenment Stones for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core weren¡¯t too expensive, those corresponding to the Divinity Transformation Grade or even the Void Refining Grade were quite dear.


    He was now at the Divinity Transformation Peak, about to make the breakthrough to Void Refining. But once he broke through to Void Refining, the time it would take to cultivate a Void Refining Grade spell to Great Perfection would be considerable.


    However¡ª


    Chen Qiu took out a heap of lower-grade Divinity Transformation spell Jade Scrolls from his Heavenly Dao Ring and suddenly smiled mischievously.


    When the ¡°Merit Value Store¡± first appeared.


    There were many lower-grade spell Jade Scrolls.


    For example¡­


    ¡°Divinity Transformation lower-grade spell ¡®Eight Directions Fire Tribulation¡¯ Jade Scroll¡±: One million merit points.


    ¡°Divinity Transformation lower-grade spell ¡®Black Sea Destruction¡¯ Jade Scroll¡±: One million merit points.


    The prices weren¡¯t too steep.


    He bought a hundred of them.


    These Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll spells only required one to crush them to directly cultivate them to great achievement, without the need for the usual learning and cultivating process. Among the hundred he bought, many were given to the Chao Tian Sect disciples, and he only had a dozen or so left.


    But that wasn¡¯t important. These weren¡¯t limited purchases, and he could buy more whenever.


    What mattered most was that even if he cultivated a spell to great achievement, he couldn¡¯t use the Red Entry, which required Great Perfection Realm. The problem was that in the last Merit Value Store there were¡­


    Plenty of Enlightenment Stones for Divinity Transformation Grade.


    Selling at one million each.


    Limited to a hundred pieces.


    He bought them all!!


    Now, a hundred Divinity Transformation Grade Enlightenment Stones lay peacefully in his Heavenly Dao Ring. This meant he could at any time use a hundred Divinity Transformation spells as nourishment to greatly enhance the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique!


    Damn it¡­


    Now things were getting serious.


    This Red Entry, ¡°God of Unique Skill,¡± yielded its greatest effect in his hands. After all, Enlightenment Stones of Divinity Transformation Grade cost a full million merit points each, and not everyone had a million merit points to spend.


    He wasn¡¯t sure about the market price as he hadn¡¯t looked into it, but it was certainly valuable.


    This also meant that he had maximized the effect of this Red Entry, boosting his combat power significantly and pushing the power of Thunder Summoning Technique to an incredulously high level.


    Of course¡ª


    If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator acquired this entry, the effect would be even greater, since the prices of both Foundation Establishment spells and Enlightenment Stones were much lower than those of Divinity Transformation Grade.


    But¡­ generally speaking, it was nearly impossible for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to obtain a Red Entry.


    Secondly, the method of using a Great Perfection spell as nourishment to enhance another spell also depended on the grade of the nourishment spell. A hundred Foundation Establishment spells might not provide an enhancement effect as good as one Divinity Transformation spell used as nourishment.


    Chen Qiu then took a deep breath. He was in no hurry to break through to Void Refining. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the Xuantian Throne with a Divinity Transformation spell Jade Scroll in his left hand and Divinity Transformation Grade Enlightenment Stone in his right, and began to cultivate.


    Once he broke through to Void Refining, these methods would be of no use to him.


    With these hundred Divinity Transformation spells as nourishment, once he broke through to Void Refining, the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique would reach a ludicrously exaggerated level. By then¡­ perhaps he wouldn¡¯t even need the ¡°Merit Attack Order,¡± and could annihilate all those at the Void Refining with his own methods!


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    Another sixteen days passed.


    Now only ten days remained until the shackles of the Heavenly Palace dissipated, and more and more people were gathering outside of it, most of whom were there to watch the excitement. Everyone was clear that the real chaos would begin after Chen Qiu was killed.


    Then, the struggle for the Xuantian Throne might touch off a bloodbath involving half of the Xuantian State and commence a thorough battle!


    Most people wouldn¡¯t dare to accept the Xuantian Throne even if it were handed to them, aware that not everyone is confident enough to withstand the covetous glances of all the cultivators in the Xuantian State.


    ¡°First Grade Heavenly Continent, the central Heavenly Hall.¡±


    This place was located in the very heart of the Xuantian State, and surrounding the Heavenly Hall were many structures. All these buildings were Heavenly Dao Buildings, which were indestructible. Countless cultivators went there every day.


    The entire area was referred to as ¡°Heavenly Hall.¡±


    Regions like this existed in all twelve states of the Vast Continent, each centrally located within its respective core area. And each ¡°Heavenly Hall,¡± at the center¡¯s corner, housed a ¡°Heavenly Palace,¡± whose main purpose was to record the completion of milestone tasks for the lower continents.

 Chapter 605 - 218: The First Red Entry!_4

    Chapter 605: Chapter 218: The First Red Entry!_4


    However, for the most part, the Heavenly Palace was largely ignored.


    After all, in the lower continents of ¡°Xuantian State,¡± the milestone tasks hadn¡¯t been completed for tens of thousands of years, and no one paid attention to them. It was only recently, when someone accidentally entered the Heavenly Palace and discovered this scene, that Chen Qiu¡¯s name began to spread. Eventually, when Chen Qiu took his place on the Xuantian Throne, his fame skyrocketed throughout the Vast Continent!


    And now¡ª


    Inside the ¡°Heavenly Hall¡± of Xuantian State, most people gathered here, the majority of whom came for the excitement, while the rest were on their way to the Heavenly Hall and decided to join in the fun.


    The Heavenly Hall is a massive complex of buildings piled together, classified as Heavenly Dao constructions, built not by human hands but by the Heavenly Dao itself.


    Each Heavenly Dao building has its own marvelous uses.


    For example, the Heavenly Dao Restaurant serves delicacies infused with rich Spiritual Energy; a mouthful gives a warm sensation throughout the body. It¡¯s a prestigious place to host guests or conduct business.


    Of course.


    These are not the highlights of the ¡°Heavenly Hall,¡± as such Spirit Energy-enriched delicacies could also be made elsewhere, and perhaps even tastier. These are merely ancillary products, not unique offerings.


    The truly commendable places are the Heavenly Dao buildings like the ¡°Hidden Technique Pavilion,¡± ¡°Taoist Heaven Pavilion,¡± ¡°Heavenly Treasure Pavilion,¡± and others.


    In the ¡°Hidden Technique Pavilion,¡± you can consume Spirit Stones to enhance the power of a particular spell, and even break through the spell¡¯s power limit ¨C a much cruder route than arduous cultivation. But the number of Spirit Stones required is not insignificant.


    The ¡°Taoist Heaven Pavilion,¡± for example, allows entry into a space no larger than a pigeon¡¯s cage by paying Spirit Stones, where one can choose a retreat space offering up to five times faster cultivation progress, though at a correspondingly large expense.


    This is geared toward Loose Cultivators or newly risen families with insufficient heritage, as similar facilities already exist within some powers.


    Then there¡¯s the ¡°Heavenly Treasure Pavilion,¡± another Heavenly Dao building, which allows for a lottery draw in exchange for Spirit Stones.


    The prize pools are varied.


    There¡¯s an ¡°entry prize pool¡± that offers a chance to win an entry jade slip.


    There¡¯s a ¡°Treasure Prize Pool¡± with a chance of netting a Heavenly Dao Treasure.


    With ¡°Magic Pool,¡± ¡°Spiritual Treasure Prize Pool,¡± ¡°Building Prize Pool,¡± ¡°Domain Prize Pool,¡± and more, most are empty, only a small chance for a lucky individual to win big and come out ahead.


    A multitude of Heavenly Dao buildings with various effects, gathered together, form the ¡°Heavenly Hall,¡± where countless Cultivators converge daily. But ever since the incident with the Heavenly Palace, even more Cultivators have flocked to the Heavenly Hall.


    And now¡ª


    In a restaurant inside the Heavenly Hall, a few individuals sat around a table sipping tea.


    ¡°Sect Master¡­¡±


    An elder suddenly muttered softly, ¡°You can¡¯t really blame me for this. I was the one in our sect who supported your choice to retreat from the world the most.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The middle-aged man sitting by the window nodded noncommittally without saying anything, just looking out at the crowd teeming outside.


    He is the Master of Xuantian Sect, a top-tier power on the Xuantian Continent!


    A hundred years ago, the Holy Daughter with the Heavenly Repairing Technique came from their Xuantian Sect.


    Their Xuantian Sect was actually the most resolute about retreating from the world among all the top forces of the central regions. But¡­ it didn¡¯t help. Led by the beast of Luohua Valley Master and deciphered by that idiot Zhang Kui the Array Repairer, they were forced out of their small world.


    What awaited them was the Great Elder of Chao Tian Sect, following close behind with nearly a hundred sturdy giant dragons, holding a fruit basket with a beaming smile.


    What could they do?


    The visitors had arrived at their doorstep.


    They could only accept the fruit basket, offer a corresponding gift in return, and consider it paying off bad luck.


    Heartbroken afterwards, they followed the ¡°Vast Channel¡± to the Vast Continent, got in touch with the old Void Refining ancestor of Xuantian Sect, who had been forcibly pulled up earlier, and after gathering together, they prepared to make a name for themselves on the Vast Continent once more.


    After all, their old ancestor with the initial stage of Void Refining Cultivation wasn¡¯t considered weak on the Vast Continent.


    However, it seemed like the old Void Refining ancestor wasn¡¯t willing to struggle anymore¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°That Chen Qiu won¡¯t be able to survive this time, right?¡±


    The initial stage Void Refining elder from Xuantian Sect, with a complex expression, gazed out the window at the distant Heavenly Palace. He did not extend his Divine Sense; after all, within the Heavenly Hall there were too many individuals he couldn¡¯t afford to provoke. But just with his naked eyes, he could clearly see the bustling crowd around the Heavenly Palace Gate.


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± replied the Master of Xuantian Sect shaking his head, ¡°I sneaked a peek at Chen Qiu by the Heavenly Palace Gate yesterday, he didn¡¯t seem panicked at all, but rather composed.¡±


    ¡°Generally, even those with the best composure fall into a panic when disaster looms, but there was none of that on Chen Qiu¡¯s face.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling something is off; perhaps in ten days, Chen Qiu might give Xuantian State a pleasant surprise.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Surprise or not,¡± sighed the Void Refining elder from Xuantian Sect, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to it anyway. I just hope the people of Xuantian State can get used to it too. Although I can¡¯t see, even if Chen Qiu reaches Void Refining¡­¡±


    ¡°How can he, with Void Refining Cultivation, withstand several dozen Void Refining powerhouses, especially when some of them are top-tier experts at the Void Refining Peak? But¡­ for some reason, I have a feeling deep down that Chen Qiu could win.¡±

 Chapter 606 - 218: The First Red Entry!_5

    Chapter 606: Chapter 218: The First Red Entry!_5


    ¡°If this miracle had happened to someone else, I would not have believed it,¡±


    ¡°But for someone who has already created a dozen miracles, creating another one doesn¡¯t seem that astonishing, and it¡¯s completely understandable.¡±


    Just then¡ª


    The waiter at their side, holding a tray with three delicious dishes on it, placed all three on the table before retreating with a beaming smile, showing quite good service attitude.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Master of the Xuantian Sect looked at the retreating waiter with a complex expression, then turned to the nearby Void Refining Ancestor and after remaining silent for a long while, finally said hoarsely, ¡°Ancestor, have you really decided on applying for the position?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a commitment of at least a hundred years, and you won¡¯t be able to leave the Heavenly Hall during that time!¡±


    The Heavenly Hall is a collection of a large number of Heavenly Dao Buildings which often cannot operate autonomously and need staff, and the cultivators of the Xuantian State can come to apply for jobs.


    Different positions, different levels of cultivation, and different lengths of service all determine the rewards you receive upon leaving the Heavenly Hall.


    But the minimum term of service is also a hundred years, during which you can¡¯t leave the Heavenly Hall. Of course, no matter how long you work in the Heavenly Hall, your lifespan is not consumed. Even if you only have one year left to live, after working for a hundred years in the Heavenly Hall, you will still have that one year left upon departure.


    For instance, this waiter is just such a case.


    ¨C


    ¡®Waiter¡¯: Eligible for Golden Core Cultivators and above, with a minimum commitment of a hundred years, after which they can leave with three thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    ¨C sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That¡¯s considered a good position.


    After all, not every Golden Core Cultivator can earn three thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones within a hundred years, especially considering expenses during that century. Even if one does manage to earn that amount, there¡¯s little left over.


    But inside the Heavenly Hall.


    All living expenses are covered, and there are hardly any opportunities for expenditures.


    Moreover, in the Heavenly Hall, your lifespan isn¡¯t depleted, and there aren¡¯t many ways to consume Spirit Stones, except that the work is somewhat tedious and you must satisfy the Heavenly Dao rules and be dedicated enough, there are hardly any downsides.


    The ¡®waiter¡¯ position offers a maximum term of a thousand years, with fifty thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones as the reward after a millennium.


    And Heavenly Hall employees are protected by the power of heaven and earth, with no threat to their lives.


    Therefore¡ª


    It has almost become a place coveted in the Cultivation World, where one can avoid enemies¡¯ pursuit, extend lifespan, have an easy job conducive to slacking off, and receive a hefty reward upon completion.


    Though one cannot leave the Heavenly Hall for at least a hundred years,


    But¡­ this negative aspect is negligible compared to the several positive ones.


    And this month each year is when the Heavenly Hall recruits staff; this year there are only thirty-seven positions available, and the total number of vacancies across all positions is around 200. Yet there are over ten thousand competitors, with even more on their way¡ªa very fierce competition indeed.


    It¡¯s rare for positions at the Heavenly Hall to become vacant.


    Unless¡­ There are employees dismissed due to poor performance. For example¡­ if a waiter constantly wears a frown and occasionally verbally abuses customers, they would be deemed by the Heavenly Dao as unqualified and then dismissed, completely returned to the ways of heaven.


    Or when an employee fulfills their term of service and leaves the Heavenly Hall, their position becomes available.


    In previous years, there were only about a dozen or so vacancies, but thirty-seven this year is already quite a high number.


    ¡­


    ¡°Yes, I have made up my mind,¡± said the Void Refining Ancestor of Xuantian Sect with a solemn nod. ¡°My lifespan isn¡¯t much longer. It¡¯s unlikely for me to break through to the Body Integration Realm in this lifetime. Although I¡¯ve lived for a long time, much of it was spent in closed-door cultivation.¡±


    ¡°In my whole life, I haven¡¯t had one or two years to do nothing at all, just peacefully lying in the stream and sleeping.¡±


    ¡°After being forcibly attracted to the Vast Continent, I felt like I suddenly understood. With the remaining life I have, the chance of breaking through to the Body Integration Realm is almost none. It¡¯s better to join the Heavenly Hall, where I can live many more years.¡±


    ¡°And to be freed from the strife of the world.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long silence, the Master of the Xuantian Sect nodded lightly and said, ¡°Ancestor, I understand what you mean, but becoming an employee of the Heavenly Hall requires maintaining work for a long period, year-round without any breaks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of just being able to slack off and lie in the stream without moving.¡±


    ¡°If you take on the waiter¡¯s role, Ancestor, jobs like serving dishes, you will need to do it for at least a hundred years. You must serve continuously for a hundred years and greet each customer with a smile on your face.¡±


    ¡°This is different from closed-door cultivation, where a hundred years pass in the blink of an eye. This is truly experiencing the passage of a hundred years, which is extremely tedious and dull.¡±

 Chapter 607 - 219:

    Chapter 607: Chapter 219: ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re as strong as I am?


    Their ancestor had achieved Void Refining Cultivation.


    For Void Refining Experts, it wasn¡¯t unusual to spend decades, even nearly a hundred years, in secluded cultivation¡ªespecially on the Xuantian Continent, where hardly any opportunities existed for such experts.


    If a Void Refining Expert wanted to improve their cultivation without the aid of heavenly and earthly opportunities, they had no choice but to engage in intense solitary cultivation.


    There were no other methods or ways.


    But in the absence of heavenly and earthly fortune, to rely solely on one¡¯s own arduous practice to progress in cultivation, one can only imagine the difficulty.


    ¡­


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    the Void Refining elder of Xuantian Sect stroked his beard with a somewhat smug expression upon hearing this, ¡°Before coming here, I had already inquired and fully understood everything.¡±


    ¡°So, I have two requirements for my position.¡±


    ¡°The first requirement is that it has to be interesting, not dull or monotonous, to ensure I maintain a very high enthusiasm for work throughout these long years of employment.¡±


    ¡°The second requirement is¡­ to have as little work as possible.¡±


    ¡°Through a lifetime of cultivation, to find in the end that the Path of Seeking Immortality is but an illusion, a mirage,¡± he said with a complex and somewhat wistful expression, ¡°The lifespan of a being in the Void Refining Stage is a full 5,000 years, which should logically be enough to explore this world.¡±


    ¡°However, if we wish to live even longer, we must spend those 5,000 years desperately cultivating, trying to break through to a higher realm before our lifespan runs out to extend it.¡±


    ¡°After breaking through the next realm, if we want to extend our lifespan again, we must cultivate fiercely once more with a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°Day after day.¡±


    ¡°Year after year.¡±


    ¡°Until one day, we suddenly realize that the remainder of our life is not enough for us to break through to the next Great Realm. Only then do we awaken to the fact that our path of cultivation has come to an end, and we look at the few decades of life we have left.¡±


    ¡°It then dawns on us that we have always been cultivating, always breaking through, always searching for opportunities in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realms, never truly living for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°We could traverse hundreds of miles with a single breath, undoubtedly viewed as absolute Immortals in the eyes of mortals.¡±


    ¡°Yet, it has been a long time since we have measured land with our feet.¡±


    ¡°Ultimately, we find that we¡¯re even less efficient in using our lifespan compared to mortals; although our lives are long, most of it is spent in solitary cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Path of Seeking Immortality¡­ Path of Seeking Immortality¡­¡±


    ¡°In the end, we realized it¡¯s all but a mirage; what¡¯s the end of the Path of Seeking Immortality if beyond Void Refining there is Unification, and what lies beyond that?¡±


    ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    the Void Refining elder of Xuantian Sect looked towards the direction of the Heavenly Palace with a complex expression, ¡°Unless one can achieve what Chen Qiu has, advancing from Nascent Soul to the peak of Divinity Transformation within a year. Such Heavenly Prides are the ones who are truly meant to walk the path of seeking immortality.¡±


    ¡°As for us, it¡¯s a different story; since we cannot reach the end anyway, what¡¯s the point of continuing?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The corners of the Master of Xuantian Sect¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, at a loss for words. He felt the elder had an epiphany that was a bit too much¡ªhe was talking as if he had given up on everything, as if he no longer had any aspirations and just wanted to squander the rest of his life in idle pursuits.


    He didn¡¯t know how to react to this.


    ¡°Oh, right!¡±


    The Void Refining elder of Xuantian Sect suddenly smiled, ¡°I got a bit off-topic and almost forgot to mention the position I¡¯ve chosen. The job I¡¯m planning to apply for is called ¡®Heart Demon Removal Master.¡¯


    ¡°The main responsibility of this job is to listen to the client¡¯s true thoughts, then affirm them, helping clients remove their inner Heart Demons so they can face themselves correctly.¡±


    ¡°Very simple.¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°When I came here, I understood everything. This job only requires sitting each day, and I can hear many gossips. All that¡¯s necessary is to affirm the clients. Not only is the job interesting, but it also has no difficulty. I plan to sign up for a thousand years first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost noon.¡±


    ¡°You see, the work location is in the wooden hut across from the inn. After noon, the current ¡®Heart Demon Removal Master¡¯ who has been working for a hundred years there will retire, and then it¡¯s my turn to take over his duties.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not sure if I can get the job.¡±


    ¡°But after all, here is my cultivation. I feel that someone like me in the early stages of Void Refining should be able to get the job quite easily.¡±


    One could see it.


    There was a hint of anticipation and excitement in the eyes of the Void Refining elder, clearly ready to embrace a new life.


    The Master of Xuantian Sect and the elders seated beside him displayed complex expressions and remained silent. They had thought that after meeting with their ancestor on the Vast Continent, they would have some confidence as they traversed this unfamiliar land.


    They didn¡¯t expect¡­


    Their ancestor was voluntarily checking himself into a retirement home.


    They were primarily here to see the elder off on his journey.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in the wooden hut across from the inn, a guest had just pushed the door open, where a wooden sign that read ¡®Heart Demon Removal Hall¡¯ hung over the entrance.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist, please take a seat.¡±


    After entering, within the slightly dim and cramped wooden hut, a girl wearing a veil was looking at the older man who had just entered with a stiff smile on her face.


    Her name was Ling Yue.


    A name that sounded pleasant but was somewhat complex.


    However, she had another title widely known by people: the Saintess of the Xuantian Sect on the Xuantian Continent, possessor of the Heavenly Repairing Technique and a hundred billion points of merit, the Xuantian Sect Saintess!

 Chapter 608 - 219:

    Chapter 608: Chapter 219: ¡°I wonder, are you as strong as me?¡±_2


    In the span of a century,


    after accumulating nearly a hundred billion virtue points, she resolutely arrived at the Vast Continent, ready to witness this brand-new world with her own eyes. Just as she landed, she was engulfed by a terrifying crisis. In her panic, she rushed into a Heavenly Hall nearby and became a ¡°Heart Demon Removal Master,¡± signing a century-long contract with the Heavenly Hall.


    Today is the day the contract will come to an end.


    This client before her is her last one; as long as she helps the person in front of her eliminate their Heart Demon, she¡¯ll be completely free.


    No one knows.


    No one knows how she spent these hundred years. The main task of her position is actually only one: sincerely affirm the client¡¯s actions as extremely correct, to allow the client to achieve unity of knowledge and action, thereby reaching harmonious internal logic, and smoothly overcoming the Heart Demon Tribulation in the future.


    For instance¡­


    A righteous cultivator from a famous orthodox sect had been taught from a young age not to slaughter mortals, but one day, due to some special reason, the righteous cultivator killed thousands of defenseless women and children, which constitutes a discrepancy between knowledge and action.


    Some with an extremely extreme mentality will crazily fabricate excuses for themselves, glorify the misdeeds they have committed, harmonize their internal logic fully, and lay the blame on others.


    But¡­ for those whose natures are not so extreme, after committing acts that don¡¯t align with their values, their whole being may gradually suffer from Divine Soul Inversion, or even be unable to calm their minds for cultivation, let alone face the Heart Demon Tribulation afterward. That¡¯s where she comes in.


    Admittedly¡ª


    it is indeed a job where one could hear a wide variety of gossip, but it is not at all easy.


    ¡°Hmm,¡±


    under the dim light, the old man in the cloak sat silently in the chair and hoarsely said, ¡°I have killed many people, and I find it hard to get over this obstacle. I have a premonition that I will die in the next Heart Demon Tribulation.¡±


    Heart Demon Tribulation!


    A type of Heavenly Tribulation, which is not only limited to Heavenly Tribulation but also includes Wind Tribulation, Fire Tribulation, and all kinds of Heart Demon Tribulation that utterly disregard Spiritual Energy and Protective Spiritual Treasures, and can only be withstood by one¡¯s own strength.


    However, the Heart Demon Tribulation only appears after the Void Refining stage; those in the Divinity Transformation Stage only face Heavenly Tribulation, with no presence of Wind Tribulation, Fire Tribulation, or Heart Demon Tribulation.


    The Heart Demon Tribulation is actually easy to understand.


    For example, if you feel increasingly guilty toward someone, the more intense your guilt, the stronger that person¡¯s illusion will be during the Heart Demon Tribulation.


    ¡°And then?¡±


    Behind the table, Ling Yue, veiled, quietly heaved a sigh of relief. Eliminating the Heart Demon of someone who has killed is easier, not a big deal. It seemed her last assignment in her career could end smoothly like this.


    Good.


    ¡°But there¡¯s one person I¡¯ve always remembered, impossible to forget.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a pause, the old man continued, his voice becoming hoarse, ¡°I am in the early phase of Void Refining, and have lived for more than three thousand seven hundred years. When I was sixteen, I was just a little ruffian at the third layer of Qi Refinement.¡±


    ¡°Every day, I only knew how to fight and cause trouble on the streets.¡±


    ¡°Back then I had a childhood sweetheart; we loved each other, until I was nineteen. I was ready to formally take her back home and marry her when I found out that she had already been taken by a son of a wealthy family.¡±


    ¡°I was furious.¡±


    ¡°Everyone in that village was laughing at me, laughing that my fianc¨¦e had been defiled.¡±


    ¡°In a fit of rage, I fled the village, wandering alone. By chance, I encountered many opportunities and it took less than twelve years for my Cultivation to reach the late phase of Golden Core. By then I had long forgotten these childhood humiliations, even the face of that woman.¡±


    ¡°But then, on the street one day¡ª¡±


    ¡°I met that woman again. By then, she was nearly thirty, still charming at a glance, with only the peak level of Qi Refinement.¡±


    ¡°Memories of my youth resurged, and a sinister desire emerged from within me.¡±


    ¡°I abducted that woman and took her to my cave where I brutally violated her. That day, I felt like I found a long-lost happiness. I realized she couldn¡¯t speak, only waved her hands pleading for mercy, but I ignored her and continued.¡±


    ¡°After I tortured her to death, I found a carefully wrapped Foundation Establishment pill and a letter in her embrace.¡±


    ¡°The content of the letter was about her worry for me being alone outside, without a Foundation Establishment pill to not be able to enter Foundation Establishment, so she left the village alone to find me.¡±


    ¡°And I¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s voice began to tremble, ¡°She still cared for me; none of it was her fault, yet like a beast, I tortured her to death. This matter has haunted me for many years!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ling Yue, behind her veil, paused for a long time before gently and crisply speaking, ¡°This matter is not your fault, blame it on the wealthy family who took her in marriage back then. You should go back and seek revenge.¡±


    ¡°Your woman died because of them, this way you can settle your Heart Demon.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s expression gradually turned distracted, ¡°That¡¯s what I did. After discovering the truth, I was overwhelmed with grief and immediately returned to that village and slaughtered the entire village, including that wealthy family.¡±


    ¡°But then¡ª¡±


    ¡°I realized that I was actually the bastard son of that wealthy family, and she was their bastard daughter. The reason that wealthy family snatched her away was simply because they didn¡¯t want us together¡ªwe couldn¡¯t be together.¡±

 Chapter 609 - 219:

    Chapter 609: Chapter 219: ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re as strong as I am?¡±_3


    ¡°And all the opportunities I encountered afterward were secretly prepared for me by my father, out of guilt,¡± he said.


    ¡°After that wealthy family took my woman to marry, they did not let anyone touch her, her body was untouched,¡± he explained.


    ¡°My father loved me,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Yet¡­ I mistakenly killed the woman who loved me, and my father, including my family members,¡± he lamented.


    ¡°This obstacle has become even harder to overcome,¡± he reflected.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ling Yue, her face veiled, fell into silence. After a long time, she spoke softly, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s all because your father kept it from you. What you did was right, there¡¯s no problem. If I were in your position, I would have done the same.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but I didn¡¯t know that at the time, and I still raped¡­ raped¡­¡± he stammered.


    ¡°Raped all the women of that wealthy household?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, I raped the Family Head of that wealthy household,¡± he corrected.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long while,


    Ling Yue let out a long sigh, her eyes lifeless as she leaned on the chair back, looking up at the ceiling. In her heart, she really wanted to say, can¡¯t someone as beastly as you just go and die?


    But she couldn¡¯t.


    It went against professional ethics and wasn¡¯t recognized by the rules of heaven and earth. Her job was to confirm the clients, to help them eliminate the Heart Demon, not to argue with them.


    Then she spoke again softly, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s only human. When people are angry, they do many things that are hard for ordinary people to understand. But that does not mean you were wrong.¡±


    ¡°Instead, you were right.¡±


    ¡°Because if they hadn¡¯t made you so angry, you definitely wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing.¡±


    ¡°The mistake is not yours, it¡¯s theirs.¡±


    As her words fell,


    the old man seemed much calmer. He then stood up, took out a bag of Spirit Stones from his bosom, and placed it on the table, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve never spoken to anyone about this before, speaking about it now, I feel much better.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll die in the next Heart Demon Tribulation,¡± he mused.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ling Yue watched the old man¡¯s departing figure with a blank expression, silently not speaking. That was her job responsibility in this position¡ªmany times she felt she was going mad.


    Every time she had to go against her conscience to confirm the actions of these beasts,


    she felt as if it were no different from eating a lump of dung raw.


    Just then¡ª


    She suddenly felt the power of heaven and earth that had been binding her disappear, and her whole body slumped into the chair weakly. It was only after a long, long time that she stood up from the chair and walked out of the wooden hut!


    She was finally released!


    The payment for these hundred years was a good six thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, not too low. Compared to the ¡°innkeeper,¡± it was a full double, but she swore she would never take on the role of a ridiculous Heart Demon Removal Master in her life again.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Only ten days remained until the shackles of the Heavenly Palace would dissipate.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the Xuantian Throne, exhaled a long breath of turbid air, looking at the flickering arc of lightning in the palm of his hand, his lips curling into a slight smile.


    In this time,


    he had cultivated as many as a hundred Divinity Transformation Techniques to Great Perfection Realm and used all the Divinity Transformation Techniques that he had cultivated to Great Perfection Realm to nourish and enhance the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique.


    Now his Thunder Summoning Technique, under numerous methods, had reached an incredibly exaggerated level.


    He was eager to try breaking through to Void Refining and then to test the power of his Thunder Summoning Technique.


    He only knew that his Thunder Summoning Technique, having been enhanced by the ¡°Xuantian Fortune¡± and two other significant enhancements, should have already broken through to another level, but he couldn¡¯t be sure since he had never tested it.


    Then Chen Qiu turned his head to look at Ao Tian and others, ¡°I¡¯m preparing to traverse the Heaven-traversing Tribulation. You all go to the small world first.¡±


    During this period, he could not enter the small world but could establish a connection with it to bring Ao Tian and others back to the small world first. Otherwise, with so many people around, there was no telling how powerful his Heavenly Tribulation would become.


    ¡°Alright,¡±


    Ao Tian looked at Chen Qiu with a complicated expression, ¡°Brother, are you sure you don¡¯t need my breakthrough to Void Refining to help you?¡±


    He had initially changed his way of addressing Chen Qiu to Brother Qiu, but¡­ Chen Qiu had forcefully corrected it, saying it sounded awkward, so he took the advice and kept the previous form of address.


    But although the form of address was the same as before, his demeanor when speaking with Chen Qiu was now much more cautious, after all, strength was evident.


    ¡°Hmm,¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded casually, ¡°After this matter is done, you breakthrough to Void Refining. With so many people here, it¡¯s not easy to pass the Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    Without waiting for Ao Tian and the others to say more, he immediately gathered them into the small world. Then he started running his mental method and setting up a Spirit Gathering Array, ready to begin the breakthrough to Void Refining.


    Before leaving the Xuantian Continent, Chao Tian Sect had visited almost every notable household, it was hard to say about other things, but they certainly wouldn¡¯t lack Spirit Stones.


    ¡­


    Soon¡ª


    The obviously erratic fluctuations of Spiritual Energy within the Heavenly Palace alerted those Cultivators practicing outside the Heavenly Palace Gate.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to forcefully break through to Void Refining!¡±


    A mid-phase Void Refining Cultivator¡¯s eyes flashed with joy, ¡°This guy actually dares to traverse the Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation right here in the open. When ordinary people face the Heavenly Tribulation, don¡¯t they find a deserted place?¡±


    ¡°The power of the Heavenly Tribulation is already immense!¡±


    ¡°All we have to do is stay here and let the Heavenly Tribulation envelop us. Its power will grow greater, and then won¡¯t Chen Qiu be effortlessly obliterated by it?¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 610 - 219:

    Chapter 610: Chapter 219: ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re as strong as I am?¡±_4 S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect looked expressionlessly at the cultivator who had just spoken, and without saying a word, shot off into the distance.


    The old Buddhist monk draped in a kasaya also put his palms together, uttered ¡°Amitabha,¡± and like a streak of light, vanished from the spot.


    The remaining cultivators at the peak of Void Refining also dispersed one after another.


    In the blink of an eye.


    It was completely clear in front of the gate of the Heavenly Palace.


    Indeed, their presence there did enhance the power of the impending Heavenly Tribulation of Void Refining, but the tribulation would also lock onto them. Although they were no weak cultivation levels, that Chen Qiu was dealing with a twelve-grade Nascent Soul plus a Heavenly Tribulation of Void Refining triggered by 2.9 billion sin points, which was inherently more powerful than a typical one, further intensified by their involvement.


    The power would likely be even greater!


    Whether Chen Qiu would be struck dead was one thing, but surviving for them would definitely be difficult.


    Most importantly¡ª


    They were here to vie for the Xuantian Throne. If Chen Qiu were to be killed by the Heavenly Tribulation, wouldn¡¯t the Xuantian Throne just dissipate into ashes? Who would they seize the Xuantian Throne from then?


    If it wasn¡¯t for the Xuantian Throne, had they lost their minds, coming over to mindlessly kill Chen Qiu for no reason?


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    The sky above the Heavenly Palace was gradually filling up with dense black clouds, the thunder rumbling vaguely between heaven and earth, and arcs of lightning faintly visible in the air began causing many to feel a slight numbness in their bodies.


    Several miles away from the Heavenly Palace, Qi Family¡¯s Young Master stood barefoot and suspended mid-air, squinting slightly as he observed the signs of the impending Heavenly Tribulation forming above him.


    The Heavenly Tribulation had not yet fully formed.


    Yet, it was enough to start making people feel numb, indicating the terrifying intensity it was likely to unleash!


    This was far more powerful than the tribulation he faced when breaking through to Void Refining¡­


    ¡°Killing such a Heavenly Pride does make one a bit apprehensive,¡±


    Qi Family¡¯s Young Master, looking slightly dazed toward the direction of the Heavenly Palace, eyes flickering with a hint of murderous intent, suddenly grinned, and had to admit, even the pre-formed power displayed by this Heavenly Tribulation of Void Refining was indeed enough to cause apprehension!


    The power of a Heavenly Tribulation of Void Refining is often directly proportional to a cultivator¡¯s previous achievements.


    A normal cultivator at the peak of Divinity Transformation breaking through to Void Refining would not face a tribulation of this magnitude.


    Twelve-Grade Golden Core, Twelve-Grade Nascent Soul, Twelve-Grade Domain of Divinity Transformation, plus the boost from the Xuantian Throne, that becomes a Thirteen-Grade Domain of Divinity Transformation.


    Twelve milestone quests, genocide of one¡¯s entire clan, an equal path with heaven, thirty billion merit points¡­


    To be honest.


    The miracles surrounding Chen Qiu were simply too numerous; contending against such a Heavenly Pride indeed makes one quite wary. If there is no way to completely crush him to death, allowing him to escape, then sooner rather than later, he may return in a more formidable form.


    The potential of such a Heavenly Pride is exceedingly terrifying.


    Even he, even being the Third Young Master of one of the strongest clans from the Vast Continent, felt some trepidation when facing such a Heavenly Pride.


    However¡­


    So what?


    Qi Family¡¯s Young Master¡¯s eyes reflected both apprehension and anticipation, continuously rubbing the ¡°Merit Defense Order¡± in his hand. Even for a Heavenly Pride, what of it? Is he not a Heavenly Pride too?


    Not yet a century old in bone age, but already at the peak of Void Refining in cultivation. Is he not a Heavenly Pride?


    With his family background, his foundational strength certainly would not be weaker than Chen Qiu¡¯s, and in fact, should be much stronger, considering Chen Qiu had always stayed on a lower-ranked continent. Even if he took all the opportunities from that lower continent, those were merely chances.


    The grade of the continent matters, as the potential opportunities of a continent are not the same.


    Moreover¡­


    He looked at the entry embedded on his own Nascent Soul.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry Name¡¯: Spiritual Treasure True Monarch.


    ¡®Entry Level¡¯: Pink.


    ¡®Entry Effect¡¯: For every Spiritual Treasure you carry of the same cultivation grade as yourself, the power of your spells will receive a slight enhancement, the degree of which is influenced by the grade of the Spiritual Treasure.


    ¨C


    This pink entry was almost the greatest source of his combat strength.


    And in all the storage rings he carried, he had nearly a hundred Spiritual Treasures of lower-grade Void Refining.


    This was his foundation.


    ¡°I hear you are also a Magic Practitioner¡­¡±


    No longer able to suppress his anticipation, Qi Family¡¯s Young Master¡¯s body trembled slightly with excitement as he muttered, ¡°I wonder if you are as strong as I am?¡±


    As long as he seized the Xuantian Throne.


    The Xuantian Throne would be his, and no one would dare kill him. Being the Third Young Master of the Qi Family, anyone who killed him would face the full vengeance of the Qi Family.


    So all he needed to do was to kill Chen Qiu instantly with the strongest means available when the shackles of the Heavenly Palace disappeared, and he didn¡¯t need to worry too much about what would happen afterward.


    He was not afraid of Chen Qiu¡¯s Thirteen-Grade Domain of Divinity Transformation!


    Because Qi Family¡¯s Young Master¡¯s Domain of Divinity Transformation was of the Eleventh Grade. Although it would be at a disadvantage, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be completely suppressed. This slight disadvantage in the domain could be fully compensated for by his superior cultivation.


    ¡­


    ¡°Something seems off,¡±


    The Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect, who had been silently standing miles away, suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice after a long silence, ¡°This Heavenly Tribulation of Void Refining seems a bit too powerful.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried Chen Qiu will be struck dead?¡±


    ¡°No, I suddenly worry that if Chen Qiu can survive such a level of Heavenly Tribulation, then once the shackles of the Heavenly Palace are lifted in ten days, it might not be impossible for him to strike us dead.¡±


    ¡°With so many of us at the peak of Void Refining, we shouldn¡¯t fear a mere early-stage Void Refining.¡±


    The Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect did not speak further, merely hovering silently in mid-air; logically, that was indeed the case, but for some reason, he was suddenly feeling somewhat uneasy, perhaps because¡­ Chen Qiu hadn¡¯t shown any signs of hysterical despair these days?

 Chapter 611 - 220: Void Refining First Level, World Shocked!

    Chapter 611: Chapter 220: Void Refining First Level, World Shocked!


    Heavenly Palace interior.


    Accompanied by the surging Spiritual Energy within the Heavenly Palace, growing increasingly violent and frenzied, the gaze of countless individuals inside the Heavenly Hall was drawn over.


    Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation!


    An extraordinary Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation!


    The next moment¡ª


    The obscure black clouds that had been faintly exuding the majesty of heaven and earth suddenly spread rapidly, covering the entire sky above the Heavenly Hall with an endless Heavenly Tribulation, plunging the entire Heavenly Hall into utter darkness in an instant.


    Lightning arcs that flickered in and out of existence in the air caused one¡¯s body to tingle with numbness before the Heavenly Tribulation had even fully arrived.


    ¡°This is bad¡­¡±


    Upon witnessing this, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master didn¡¯t hesitate a second longer and once again shot towards the distance. A few miles away had already been a relatively safe distance, but now it seemed, that distance wasn¡¯t quite safe enough.


    Still had to escape!


    For a moment, everyone inside the Heavenly Hall frantically scattered in all directions, no one wanted to be swept up in someone else¡¯s Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation, especially one that was clearly no small matter.


    While the Heavenly Tribulation had not yet fully formed, there was still a chance to flee, but once the Heavenly Tribulation completely materialized, and the force of heaven and earth locked in, it would truly be impossible to escape.


    Suddenly.


    The entire Heavenly Hall looked as if a mother spider carrying ¡°egg sacs¡± had been crushed, with countless little spiders scattering frantically in every direction from the center!


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Along with a deafening sound, a devastatingly powerful white Heavenly Tribulation laced with the force of heaven and earth struck directly towards the direction of the Heavenly Palace, and at the same time, the white Heavenly Tribulation was wrapped in strands of black light, faintly emitting dark smoke.


    ¡°What¡­ what is this?¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, who had retreated dozens of miles away, stared at the scene from afar, slightly stunned in place.


    Normally, a Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation consisted of nine bolts, nine white Heavenly Tribulations, also known as the Yama King¡¯s nine summoning commands!


    But¡­


    The black light enveloping the white Heavenly Tribulation was unmistakably the Heart Demon Heavenly Tribulation! S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Heart Demon Tribulation could shake the cultivator¡¯s mind. Usually, Heart Demon Tribulations occurred separately, and here it was coming together with the Void Refining lightning. This meant the cultivator would have to transcend the Heavenly Tribulation in a state of mental distraction.


    The difficulty of which could only be imagined!


    Furthermore, this Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation was clearly much more powerful than a normal one. After such a combination punch, could Chen Qiu still be alive?


    ¡°¡­Huff.¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master took a deep breath in shock, secretly deciding that if Chen Qiu died in this Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation, he would say nothing, but if Chen Qiu managed to survive this level of tribulation¡­


    He would not say a word and just turn and run.


    Any hesitation would mean he had water for brains.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Palace.


    ¡°Heart Demon Tribulation.¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing in the center of the Heavenly Palace, looked up calmly at the second bolt of Heavenly Tribulation that was hurtling down towards him; the first bolt had not caused him any harm.


    He didn¡¯t even activate his Protective Spirit Qi.


    Merely relying on his merit points, he blocked the Heavenly Tribulation without a scratch.


    As for the Heart Demon Tribulation mixed within the first bolt of Heavenly Tribulation, he could feel it crazily searching for a Heart Demon at the bottom of his heart.


    But¡­ it was in vain.


    Chen Qiu chuckled softly and shook his head. Along his journey, he had no Heart Demons.


    Heart knots¡ªsuch things were always settled on the spot by him, never left to linger overnight, thus, all Heart Demon Tribulations were ineffective against him.


    The so-called Heart Demon.


    It really is just a lack of unity between knowledge and action, doing things that differ from one¡¯s thoughts, believing to have done wrong, possessing strong feelings of guilt or regret, or perhaps having experienced significant humiliation, leaving a deep psychological shadow. All these negative emotions psychologically can be understood as a Heart Demon.


    In everyday life, it might not be an issue, but during a Heart Demon Tribulation, such emotions would be released a thousand, even ten thousand times over.


    And because the Heart Demon Tribulation cannot be resisted by any Spiritual Treasure or Protective Spirit Qi, it could only rely on one¡¯s mental fortitude. Therefore, many cultivators call the Heart Demon Tribulation an unpredictable heavenly ordeal. It¡¯s just¡­ completely ineffective against him!


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    The second bolt of white Heavenly Tribulation mingling with black fog crashed down through the Heavenly Palace right above his head, still without any sensation. Not to mention any injury to his body, he didn¡¯t even feel the slightest bit of discomfort, on the contrary, he felt slightly comfortable.


    Under the ¡°Thunder Technique Body (Supreme)¡± entry effect, his body was being furiously Body Refined by the Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation, and with each bolt of tribulation he endured, his control over Thunder Magic became stronger, and hence the power he could unleash increased correspondingly.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The third, fourth, and fifth bolts!


    Three consecutive bolts of Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation smashed down towards Chen Qiu¡¯s head!


    This time, his body started to feel a slight numbness, but not because he was struck by the tribulation¡ªrather, the Body Refining was a bit too intense, and his whole body had become numbed.


    For a time¡ª


    Looking from a distance towards the direction of the Heavenly Palace, one could only see streaks of white Heavenly Tribulation lightning breaking through the utter darkness, like hail pounding incessantly with deafening thunder, continuously bombarding the Heavenly Palace!


    ¡°Rumble!!¡±


    After countless bolts, that deafening thunder finally ceased, but the Tribulation Clouds did not disperse. They were slowly gathering, and the force they emitted from heaven and earth grew stronger.


    Clearly¡­


    The Tribulation Clouds were preparing for the final strike!


    Dozens of breaths later.

 Chapter 612: 220: Void Refining Level 1, Shocking the World!_2

    Chapter 612: Chapter 220: Void Refining Level 1, Shocking the World!_2


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    A Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation, almost instantly illuminating the entire heavens, tore through the night sky with a crimson streak, slamming directly towards the direction of the Heavenly Palace!!!


    And in the moment this Heavenly Tribulation appeared in the present world, many Cultivators outside the Heavenly Hall had already fallen to the ground in fear, their bodies weakened. They did not recognize what rank this crimson Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation was, they only sensed an extremely terrifying aura from it.


    That aura of death.


    After this strike, the Tribulation Clouds above the Heavenly Hall started to dissipate slowly, followed by an announcement echoing through the Vast Continent!


    ¨C


    ¡°Heavenly Dao Decree¡±: The Heavenly Dao has sensed, within the central Heavenly Palace of the Vast Continent, the Human Clan Cultivator, Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect, Heavenly Dao Saint, Heavenly Dao Evil Man, Human Clan¡¯s Guardian God, Unmatched Heavenly Pride Chen Qiu, King of Xuantian, has successfully passed the ¡®Void Refining Ninety-Nine Tribulations¡¯!


    He is the first in the history of the Vast Continent to pass the ¡®Void Refining Ninety-Nine Tribulations¡¯!


    He is granted a wisp of ¡®Tribulation Thunder Fortune¡¯, let all living beings take this as a precept.


    ¨C


    The moment this announcement sounded.


    The Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect, who had been stationary dozens of miles away from the Heavenly Palace, watching, didn¡¯t hesitate for a second, turned around, and shot away to escape!


    Although he had not seen Chen Qiu in person, the sounding of the Imperial Decree meant Chen Qiu had survived.


    Since Chen Qiu had lived through such a powerful Heavenly Tribulation, there was no reason for him not to flee.


    The reason was simple.


    His own powers were not of the magnitude of the Void Refining Ninety-Nine Tribulations; if those Tribulations couldn¡¯t kill Chen Qiu, how could he possibly kill Chen Qiu!


    Seeing the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect make such a decisive choice to flee on the spot, the surrounding noble son, old monk, and beautiful lady all stood silently in their spots with ugly expressions. Though they did not run away, they no longer blocked the gate of the Heavenly Palace.


    Everyone¡¯s thoughts were simple.


    With so many at the Void Refining level here if they were to rush him together, even if that Chen Qiu was a monstrous talent, he shouldn¡¯t be able to handle it, right?


    Moreover¡­


    As long as they didn¡¯t go first, it would still be possible to escape if the situation turned dire.


    Also, even if Chen Qiu survived such a Heavenly Tribulation, he must have been gravely injured, as there were less than ten days left before the constraints of the Heavenly Palace would dissipate. Chen Qiu¡¯s injuries surely wouldn¡¯t fully heal within these ten days.


    Being severely injured, outnumbered, and outclassed in Cultivation.


    The advantage was theirs!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Palace.


    ¡°It still hurts a bit though.¡±


    Standing on the spot, Chen Qiu slightly furrowed his brows as he looked at the wound on his arm, about the length of a pinky finger and currently seeping blood. Spiritual Energy surged out, and the wound healed in the blink of an eye.


    The injury was not large.


    But the pain was intense; this round of his Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation consisted of eighty-one strikes.


    Each strike was stronger than the last.


    The first eighty strikes of the Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation hadn¡¯t caused him any harm, but it was the last one, the eighty-first strike, the crimson Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation that made him feel something was wrong. He had activated his Protective Spirit Qi to the fullest.


    ¡°Golden Light Protection¡± was also activated.


    And when the Heavenly Tribulation reached right above his head, he subconsciously raised his hand to block, which resulted in the wound on his arm.


    He was protected by a full four hundred billion merits, imagine that¡ªif he had two hundred billion merits less, he would likely have been gravely injured by now; three hundred billion merits less, and he might already have returned to the Heavenly Dao.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked up somewhat dazedly, his gaze piercing through the roof of the Heavenly Palace, staring at the Tribulation Clouds that were gradually dissipating in the sky.


    He only had 2.9 billion sin values and a Level Twelve Nascent Soul, would that warrant such a Tribulation?


    This Heavenly Tribulation was clearly intended to kill him!


    If a Level Twelve Nascent Soul and 2.9 billion sin values warranted such a Tribulation, then even if he were to give the Level Twelve Nascent Soul to someone else, nobody would dare accept it, as they would almost certainly be struck dead during the Heavenly Tribulation.


    Afterward, he shook his head, looked up at the Cultivation Progress in his Dantian, and smirked.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation¡±: Void Refining Level One (0%).


    ¨C


    He had finally reached Void Refining, not an easy feat!


    He looked immediately at the wisp of ¡°Tribulation Thunder Fortune¡± bestowed by the Heavenly Dao Decree right below the green entry ¡°Imperial Decree Regular,¡± which had successfully split into two. This thing had a simple effect; it could give his Thunder Magic the might of Tribulation Thunder, or make his Lifebound Spirit Treasure more powerful against Thunder Magic.


    Without any hesitation.


    He gave one wisp to ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique,¡± the other to ¡°Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella.¡±


    The perfect allocation was complete!


    Afterward, he licked his slightly dry lips and took a big gulp of rice wine from the bottle he pulled out of his chest, thoroughly enjoying the way that Heavenly Tribulation had refined his body. He felt that his physical strength had greatly increased, but it had also almost sapped his body¡¯s moisture, leaving him quite thirsty.


    Less than ten days remained until the Heavenly Palace¡¯s constraints closed.


    But he did not plan to wait any longer. He had already achieved a significant increase in his fighting strength. He intended to take the initiative to strike, to see the progress of his hard work during this period. It was essential to have an opponent to gain a clearer understanding of his strength!


    Of course¡­


    Before that, he needed to choose the entry that came with his breakthrough in Cultivation. This would be his first time selecting an entry after breaking through to Void Refining. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A panel covered in mist was floating above his Dantian at this moment.


    But he did not look at it straightaway.


    Instead, he turned his attention to the entry engraved on his Nascent Soul, Divine Hand.


    ¨C


    ¡°entry name¡±: Divine Hand.


    ¡°entry level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°entry effect¡±: The next time you make a choice of three entries, they will be randomly based on what you have in mind. The simpler your wish, the more accurately the random entries will fit your thoughts.

 Chapter 613: 220: Void Refining First Level, World Shocked!_3

    Chapter 613: Chapter 220: Void Refining First Level, World Shocked!_3


    ¨C


    This was the entry he had chosen during his last breakthrough into the Divinity Transformation Ninth Layer, specifically prepared for this time.


    It would ensure that this time, during the three choices, he could randomly generate entries related to whatever he desired most.


    Which aspect did he most need related entries for¡­


    Attack? Defense? Support?


    After pondering briefly, Chen Qiu took a deep breath, closed his eyes slowly, and thought, ¡°Bring forth an entry that can quicken the pace of Cultivation, bring forth an entry that can quicken the pace of Cultivation¡­¡±


    He repeated this in his mind seven or eight times!


    Only then did he open his eyes and gaze towards the panel floating just above his Dantian, enveloped in clouds and mist.


    ¨C


    ¡°Cultivation greatly enhanced, officially advancing into Void Refining First Layer,¡± the panel announced.


    ¡°Please choose from the three random entries below within ten breaths.¡±


    1:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Rapid Progress.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: The Cultivation progress obtained through any means will be tripled, but your small realm will be elevated to the eleventh level.


    2:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Fame Spreads Far and Wide.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Pink.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: For every person who knows your name, your Cultivation speed receives a slight boost.


    3:


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: One Step to the Heavens.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Your Cultivation speed will be enhanced tenfold until the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, but you will be unable to advance into the Transcendance Tribulation Stage through any means.


    ¨C


    These three entries were his options upon entering Void Refining!


    Under the effect of the ¡°Divine Hand¡± entry, the three randomly presented entries were all related to increasing Cultivation speed, exactly what he desired.


    What he needed most now was Cultivation speed.


    He was not lacking in attack, as he had many ways to improve it; he was also well-supplied in defense and support. What he truly lacked was an even faster speed of Cultivation.


    Indeed¡­


    With the effects of the ¡°Xuantian Throne,¡± a multitude of ¡°Livestock Rise to Divinity¡± Domains, the special building ¡°Demon Suppression Tower,¡± and the Spirit Gathering Array, his speed of Cultivation was hardly slow.


    It was almost skyrocketing.


    But still¡ª


    He wanted it to be faster, faster, faster!!!


    Only by reaching a high enough realm quickly could he feel a stronger sense of security and see that more beautiful view!


    Thus¡­


    these three entries appeared.


    ¡­


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t help grinning as he looked at the three newly presented entries. The Pink Entry ¡°Fame Spreads Far and Wide¡± was a perfect fit; needless to say, he was confident about his own popularity!


    Throughout Da Xia Country, the Hundred Countries, his name, Chen Qiu, was known to all!


    Throughout the Xuantian Continent, among the Demon Race, Devil Clan, Human Race, his name, Chen Qiu, was known to everyone!


    Even as a newcomer to the Vast Continent.


    Following several successive Heavenly Dao Decrees, countless living creatures across the Vast Continent must have heard of his name too.


    It was a bit regretful,


    that this Pink Entry¡¯s description mentioned that every person who knew his name would incrementally boost his Cultivation, which seemed to only account for the Human Race, not including Demon Race, Devil Clan, or other beings. However, that was sufficient since the Human Race was the largest clan by number.


    Races like the Evil Clan and Dragon Clan were scarce in comparison, and only the Devil Clan was a bit better, but still far from matching the Human Race.


    The first entry was also good.


    ¡°Rapid Progress.¡±


    Not only could it multiply the Cultivation progress gained through any means by three but also had eleven small realms, providing two more chances to choose entries, If he hadn¡¯t randomly generated the ¡°Fame Spreads Far and Wide¡± entry, he would have definitely chosen the first one.


    But¡­ in comparison to such a gem, this entry seemed less appealing.


    Unfortunately, the ¡°Heavenly Dao Retrospection Order¡± at its highest grade could only retrospect the choices from the Nascent Soul Stage. Divinity Transformation didn¡¯t have a corresponding grade of the Heavenly Dao Retrospection Order, let alone Void Refining.


    As for the third entry ¡°One Step to the Heavens,¡± the drawback was too significant for him. His ambition wasn¡¯t just limited to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t need to leave Da Xia Country, for he could already reign supreme there.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    But Chen Qiu didn¡¯t choose immediately; he decided to reshuffle the third entry once more to see if he could get a better one.


    Very soon¡ª


    The panel enveloped in clouds and mist began to blur the third entry, and subsequently, a new entry appeared:


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Nascent Soul Awakening.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Blue.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: Your Nascent Soul can awaken a consciousness of its own and continuously maintain Cultivation at a pace equal to using the mental method to absorb Spiritual Energy, but the awakened consciousness cannot control morality and may vie for control of the body.¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly regretted reshuffling, as this too was a fitting entry; although not as optimal as the Pink Entry ¡°Fame Spreads Far and Wide,¡± it was still exceedingly suitable for him. The pain of watching a highly fitting entry pass by unchosen was excruciating.


    He had previously generated this entry as well.


    But back then, it had been of no use to him.


    But¡ª


    Times had changed now!


    In his Dantian now were a whopping 18 Nascent Souls, as densely packed as a case of tonsillitis, one of which was the primary Nascent Soul, with the remaining 17 being smaller Nascent Souls birthed by the former.

 Chapter 614: 220: Void Refining First Level, Shocking the World!_4

    Chapter 614: Chapter 220: Void Refining First Level, Shocking the World!_4


    If he had this entry,


    all his 18 Nascent Souls could maintain cultivation at all times, which would be like having an auto-cultivation cheat activated.


    Although the cultivation progress made by the autonomous cultivation of the Nascent Souls isn¡¯t high, even pitifully low, the key is¡­ he has many Nascent Souls, producing 12 a year. Give him a hundred years, and that would make 1200!


    1200 Nascent Souls sitting cross-legged above his head, each diligently cultivating, the speed is simply unimaginable.


    Skyrocketing!


    Of course, because the Nascent Souls awaken their consciousness, there is a chance they could fight for control, but that doesn¡¯t matter. He had the ¡°Endless¡± entry that allowed for the creation of Nascent Souls, and another effect of this entry was the ability to self-destruct the Nascent Souls. The power of a small Nascent Soul¡¯s explosion was a third of a large Nascent Soul¡¯s.


    This way, he could simply blow up any Nascent Souls that began to awaken their consciousness.


    There would be no future troubles, and the effect of mass cheating was achieved.


    A few moments later.


    ¡°¡­sigh.¡±


    Chen Qiu took a deep breath, and at the last moment, chose the ¡°Fame Spreads Far and Wide¡± Pink Entry. The ¡°Nascent Soul Awakening¡± entry was strong too, but only in the later stages, requiring enough time for the Nascent Souls to produce sufficient offspring.


    It would take a long time to fully activate this entry.


    However, for the ¡°Fame Spreads Far and Wide¡± entry, no time was needed; once obtained, it was almost at peak condition.


    Since he had decided, he didn¡¯t ponder further.


    Frankly speaking,


    when he chose the ¡°Divine Hand¡± entry, he had no idea it would be so powerful, and now, after he had used it, it had naturally disappeared.


    He hoped he would randomly encounter this entry again in the future.


    He was beginning to fall in love with it.


    He wondered if, after selecting this one-time use entry once, there was any chance to select it again. If there were a chance, his chances would certainly be greater than others. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then glanced at the Pink Entry ¡°Fame Spreads Far and Wide¡± engraved in his Nascent Soul.


    ¨C


    ¡°The current enhancement in cultivation speed is 90 times.¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s lips stretched to his ears instantly, a 90 times cultivation speed, not bad at all, barely acceptable. Together with his other methods, the cultivation speed could easily exceed a hundredfold!


    It means if ordinary people cultivate for a hundred days, it equates to him cultivating for one day!


    Ordinary people cultivate for a hundred years, it equates to him cultivating for one year!


    Pretty good!


    So, what was he waiting for?


    He couldn¡¯t wait to rush out and test his capabilities, and incidentally capture those Void Refining experts into his Demon Suppression Tower.


    The next moment!


    Chen Qiu¡¯s figure instantly vanished from the spot. Although the confinement of the Heavenly Palace had ten days before disappearing, who said he must wait until the Heavenly Palace¡¯s confinement was gone to leave?


    ¡­


    At this time!


    The entire Heavenly Hall was empty except for some staff who could not evacuate. Of course, these staff were ignored by the Heavenly Tribulation and were not enveloped in it.


    Almost everyone had fled far away the moment the Heavenly Tribulation formed.


    As for that group of Void Refining Experts blocked at the Heavenly Palace Gate, they now stood in place, looking at each other uncertainly.


    ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    The old monk draped in a kasaya, with his palms pressed together, spoke calmly and indifferently, ¡°Throughout my life, I have been serving heaven, bearing 2.9 billion sins, certainly a heinous evildoer. If I do not kill him here, I will not rest easy.¡±


    As his words fell,


    nobody in the surrounding group of Void Refining spoke, everyone knew this was just an excuse, but what to say wasn¡¯t important, what mattered was how to act. This old monk, after all, was a Void Refining Peak expert; his unwillingness to back down gave others a bit more confidence.


    Next to him, a young, flamboyantly dressed man with a string of jade necklace chuckled and covered his mouth, ¡°Brother makes a good point.¡±


    This person was also a Void Refining Peak expert!


    ¡°I¡¯m a woman and I¡¯m not scared, can you men stop dilly-dallying?¡± A beautiful woman among the crowd, who was also a Void Refining Peak expert, expressed her impatience.


    Suddenly¡ª


    Everyone quickly unified their opinions again, preparing to head back to the front of the Heavenly Palace Gate to trap Chen Qiu within the palace, waiting to rush in as soon as the Palace¡¯s confinement disappeared. But Qi Gongzi, followed by nearly a hundred women, sneered and took the lead towards the direction of the Heavenly Palace!


    As the third son of the strongest family on the Vast Continent, he didn¡¯t understand what these people were afraid of. As long as he activated the ¡°Merit Defense Order,¡± those ninety-nine Void Refining tribulations were not an obstacle for him.


    Meanwhile, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect, who had already retreated hundreds of miles away, extended his Divine Sense into the vicinity of the crowd. Seeing that they were still preparing to head to the Heavenly Palace, he couldn¡¯t help but silently display a complex expression.


    These people¡­


    Could it be that they think they could withstand the power of the ninety-nine Void Refining tribulations themselves, without ever considering that they couldn¡¯t possibly trigger these tribulations?


    That¡¯s a different concept.


    Just then!


    Miles away from the Heavenly Hall, a large dark cloud suddenly gathered quickly above the heads of the people.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hello, everyone.¡±


    Chen Qiu supported the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella overhead, floating mid-air, and stood before the gathering of Void Refining experts ready to move, displaying a rather amiable smile, ¡°Why hide in such a godforsaken place? It took me some effort to find you.¡±


    Above his head, dark clouds had again amassed, and a storm raged violently.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s black robe fluttered in the fierce wind, his entire posture upright and hands behind his back, making him appear very neat.

 Chapter 615: 220: Void Refining First Level, Shocking the World!_5

    Chapter 615: Chapter 220: Void Refining First Level, Shocking the World!_5


    Following that.


    A group of Void Refining experts also slightly changed their expressions, as they all felt that they had been locked onto by Chen Qiu¡¯s Divine Sense. To be targeted by a Magic Practitioner¡¯s Divine Sense meant that they could face a storm-like attack from a Magic Practitioner at any moment.


    ¡°Chen Qiu?!¡±


    Master Qi was slightly stunned, then suddenly burst into furious joy, his eyes filled with excitement as he fiercely said, ¡°Good, good, good!!!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really got guts to confront us directly!¡±


    ¡°Do you think just because you broke through to Void Refining, you are invincible in Void Refining? Do you have the courage to face so many of us in Void Refining, including the four of us at the Void Refining Peak, with just your early Void Refining cultivation?¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    ¡°¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯ Void Refining Domain!¡±


    With Master Qi¡¯s roar, a milky-white ring of light rapidly spread out from beneath his feet, enveloping the surroundings. It was a top-tier Domain of Magic Practitioners, the ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy,¡¯ where, once activated, he would possess boundless Spiritual Energy!


    No further words needed.


    Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of Spiritual Energy burst forth from the group of Void Refining experts!


    ¡°Amitabha.¡± The old monk in a Kasaya softly said, ¡°¡®Buddha¡¯s Palm¡¯ Void Refining Domain, young benefactor, please enlighten me.¡±


    A golden ring of light rapidly spread outwards from below the old monk¡¯s feet, encapsulating the surrounding area, and amidst the heaven and earth, Buddha¡¯s texts slowly floated up, with a giant Buddha¡¯s palm gradually emerging beneath the monk¡¯s feet.


    The beautiful woman and the enchanting young man beside looked at each other and did not activate their domains; both their domains were of the Tenth Grade, which seemed insignificant compared to Chen Qiu¡¯s Thirteenth Grade domain.


    Activating them would just be suppressed, serving no purpose.


    It was unexpected that this old monk, who kept a low profile, had upgraded his domain to the Eleventh Grade without anyone¡¯s knowledge.


    Matching Master Qi¡¯s Domain Grade.


    Instantly!


    The murderous intent surged as the group of Void Refining experts entered a state of combat readiness, preparing to follow with a second round of attacks after Master Qi and the old monk made their moves.


    ¡­


    ¡°Quite interesting.¡±


    Chen Qiu, standing hands behind his back in mid-air amidst the storm, was comfortably holding the Heavenly Umbrella and looking towards the Buddha¡¯s Palm Domain of the old monk, couldn¡¯t help but chuckle lightly, ¡°Quite impressive effects.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit weak in grade.¡±


    Following that, two Nascent Souls, each sharing thirty percent of his facial features, emerged beside him.


    Accompanied by a crisp snap of his fingers.


    A milky-white light emanated rapidly from Chen Qiu¡¯s feet, blanketing the surroundings, followed by a purple-blue light originating from the Nascent Souls beside him and also a cold, snow-white ring of light.


    In an instant!


    The entire heavens and earth were filled with cold snowflakes falling down, and the sky was filled with flickering arcs of lightning.


    Fourteenth Grade Void Refining Domain ¡®Unlimited Spiritual Energy¡¯!


    Fourteenth Grade Void Refining Domain ¡®Three Thousand Thunders Move¡¯!


    Fourteenth Grade Void Refining Domain ¡®Snow Brings Forth Life¡¯!


    All activated simultaneously!


    Only in a mere moment, Master Qi and the old monk, who had just activated their domains but hadn¡¯t had the chance to utilize them, were utterly suppressed into oblivion, with the entire heavens and earth dominated only by the immense Spiritual Energy fluctuations of Chen Qiu¡¯s Void Refining Domain.


    ¡°This¡­ this¡­ how the hell is this possible!¡±


    Master Qi, in utter disbelief, stared at Chen Qiu, hysterically cried out, ¡°The highest grade for a domain is Twelfth Grade, and with the Xuantian Throne you only achieved Thirteenth Grade, while mine is an Eleventh Grade Void Refining Domain, how come you can absolutely suppress me?!¡±


    ¡°Why?!¡±


    The old monk, although not shouting, wore an equally displeased expression as he looked towards Chen Qiu: ¡°Fourteenth Grade Void Refining Domain, and even able to activate three Void Refining Domains simultaneously, no wonder¡­ no wonder¡­ no wonder you dared to confront us alone!¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t think just because you can suppress us with your Void Refining Domain that you can definitely defeat us, right!¡±


    Then, the entire Kasaya on the old monk began to emit a golden light, and the Buddha¡¯s texts started detaching from the Kasaya and fluttering around in mid-air, with the surrounding overflow of Spiritual Energy rapidly escalating.


    The old monk, looking ferocious, roared out loud.


    ¡°Buddhist Secret Skill, and¡­¡±


    Before he could finish.


    Horror suddenly flashed in the old monk¡¯s eyes as countless Thunder Dragons, carrying terrifying power, appeared out of nowhere in front of him, engulfing him and the backing group of Void Refining experts.


    ¡°Boom boom!!!¡±


    The deafening explosions echoed throughout the heaven and earth!


    Even a hundred miles away, one could still feel the mighty and violent Spiritual Energy fluctuations and the terrifying power of the Heavenly Thunder!


    With just this one strike!


    Almost all the Void Refining experts were annihilated, with only those four at the Void Refining Peak barely injured but otherwise in stable condition, glaring furiously at Chen Qiu in the sky!


    The group of Void Refining experts in the late, middle, and early stages, after just one attack, had all met the King of Hell.

 Chapter 616: 221: Heaven’s Thunder Verdict!

    Chapter 616: Chapter 221: Heaven¡¯s Thunder Verdict!


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Standing with his hands behind his back amidst the storm, Chen Qiu looked toward the old monk, whose Kasaya was somewhat tattered, and chuckled with a sigh, ¡°The Buddhist Secret Skill is indeed powerful, but¡­ could you not have such a long windup?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to cast instantly?¡±


    ¡°Your lengthy windup leaves me standing here feeling quite awkward. Surely I can¡¯t just watch you finish it, can I?¡±


    His Thunder Summoning Technique was an absolutely instant cast spell.


    Especially after acquiring the ¡®Sharp eyes and quick hands (Supreme)¡¯ entry, it had become an instant cast among instant casts, granting him absolute initiative.


    This was his first appearance since breaking through to Void Refining.


    The effects were not bad at all.


    Just a single wave of Thunder Summoning Technique almost wiped out all those in Void Refining; only four at the peak of Void Refining survived. Oh, and a few in the late stages of Void Refining too, but by then, they were already unconscious on the ground, completely still.


    Honestly speaking,


    before this, he didn¡¯t have a clear idea of his own combat power and didn¡¯t know how strong he was, given that he had acquired so many enhancements during this period. After this trial, he discovered¡­ he seemed even stronger than he had imagined. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Afterward, he smiled, decided not to waste any more words with these people, nor did he plan to give them any means to retaliate.


    Unlimited Spiritual Energy, Three Thousand Thunders Move.


    Both Void Refining domains were fully activated!


    His Divine Sense could not lock onto these four individuals, they had means to avoid Divine Sense detection, but¡­ these all did not matter.


    ¡°Boom!!!¡±


    Under Chen Qiu¡¯s full activation, countless terrifying Thunder Dragons instantly enveloped everyone. It wasn¡¯t just one wave, but like tides, one after another endlessly.


    He knew no other offensive spells.


    Just one ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique.¡±


    But¡­


    That was enough, and very useful too!


    ¡­


    The spell of absolute instant cast forced Mr. Zi and the others to quickly activate their Protective Spirit Qi for direct defense, unable to dodge. With endless Thunder Dragons filling the sky, they wanted to counterattack, but the situation didn¡¯t give them a chance to activate their strongest spells.


    They also had instant cast spells, but those were so light. They couldn¡¯t even shatter a few Thunder Dragons, let alone attack Chen Qiu beyond the dragons.


    The advantage of high-grade spells was their great power, but activation took several breaths of time at the least and consumed more Spiritual Energy.


    The advantage of instant cast spells was their immediacy and less consumption of Spiritual Energy, but they were much weaker.


    If,


    a single instant cast spell possessed all the advantages of an instant cast without its disadvantages, and also drew on the advantages of high-grade spells, then that spell would be the strongest in the world!


    However, just as the laws of nature decree,


    ¡®Big booty, thick thighs; big chest, broad shoulders.¡¯


    Nothing in the world is perfect, every gain has its loss, and such a spell was nearly impossible to exist; the Vast Continent had never seen a spell of such a level.


    But¡­


    With Chen Qiu¡¯s arrival, such a spell appeared on the Vast Continent!


    Chen Qiu¡¯s version of ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique.¡±


    If the creator of the ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡± knew that not only could it serve as a practice spell in the early stages of Foundation Establishment but also have such a deterrent effect, would he regret why he had initially given such a down-to-earth name as ¡°Thunder Summoning Technique¡±?


    It should at least be something like ¡°Heaven¡¯s Thunder Verdict.¡±


    ¡­


    A hundred breaths later.


    As countless Thunder Dragons gradually faded into the heavens and earth, the world finally quieted down. That beautiful woman and that enchanting man, both at the peak of Void Refining, were almost imperceptibly struck dead by the forces of heaven and earth.


    Besides this,


    the old monk now lay on the ground in a pool of shattered Kasaya, severely injured and on the brink of death, completely motionless.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu arched an eyebrow and let out the members of the Chao Tian Sect from the small world, instructing Fat Long to take all these dying or unconscious Void Refining practitioners into custody to later throw into the ¡®Demon Suppression Tower,¡¯ so they could still be useful and not go to waste.


    It was a pity that those initial Void Refining practitioners weren¡¯t tough opponents, otherwise his Demon Suppression Tower could have housed even more inmates.


    Only Mr. Zi still stood proudly amidst the world.


    ¡°Mr. Zi, right?¡±


    Chen Qiu tilted his head to look at Mr. Zi in his robe and said with a light laugh, ¡°I heard them calling you Mr. Zi these days. Using your ¡®Merit Defense Order¡¯ like this is a bit of a waste, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mr. Zi¡¯s expression was cold as he stared at Chen Qiu and spoke word by word, ¡°Do you think you have me completely under your control today? If I want to leave, nobody in this world can stop me!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and snapped his fingers without saying anything.


    Just a moment later¡ª


    The two abruptly vanished from the world, arriving in a newly created small world.


    ¨C


    ¡®Entry name¡¯: Deadly Battle.


    ¡®Entry level¡¯: Blue.


    ¡®Entry effect¡¯: Select any one person within a hundred miles to pull into a temporarily created small world, where they must remain until one party dies, releasing the other.


    ¨C


    He had acquired this entry some time ago, but this was the first time he was using it.


    ¡°How about it?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at Mr. Zi, who was somewhat panicked, and chuckled, ¡°You must be feeling it now. In this small space, only after one of us dies can the other leave. I know you have two strong survival entries, but here, how will you manage?¡±

 Chapter 617: 221: Heaven’s Thunder Verdict!_2

    Chapter 617: Chapter 221: Heaven¡¯s Thunder Verdict!_2


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    Before the words could fully escape his lips, they abruptly came to a halt. In Young Master Qi¡¯s field of vision, Chen Qiu had suddenly vanished from the small world.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­How long can your Merit Protection Order last.¡±


    Tens of miles away from the Heavenly Hall, Chen Qiu appeared high in the sky. After subconsciously finishing his earlier sentence, he fell into a daze, silently standing in place.


    It seemed¡­


    A small problem had arisen.


    He had used the entry ¡°Deadly Battle¡± to pull Young Master Qi and himself into a newly opened small world, preparing for a fight to the death. He was confident he could kill Young Master Qi.


    But at that moment¡ª


    He was suddenly and forcefully expelled from the small world.


    Somehow he understood, it was because he possessed the Xuantian Throne. Until the Xuantian Throne was firmly secured, he could not enter any small world, Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, or any place not belonging to Xuantian State.


    Naturally, this included the newly opened small world.


    However¡­ he was expelled, but Young Master Qi had not been. Young Master Qi was still inside that small world. The rule to leave a small world was the death of the other party. But since he was no longer inside, Young Master Qi, even if he wished to fight to the death, wouldn¡¯t find anyone to fight against.


    The current situation seemed¡­ like Young Master Qi was forever banished to an unknown small world.


    And it was a permanent exile.


    Perhaps, one day in the future when he dies, Young Master Qi might be able to live and come out of that small world, of course¡­ assuming he was still alive by then.


    After grasping the situation,


    Chen Qiu stood in silence for a long time before a somewhat strange smile crept across his lips. He suddenly felt a desire to see Young Master Qi¡¯s expression at this moment, which must have been very interesting.


    Then he glanced around.


    All was quiet, yet he still had to stay in the Heavenly Palace for another eleven days, after which he could take the entire palace with him, turning the Heavenly Palace into his special building.


    But with those Void Refining experts gone, he didn¡¯t need to stay in the Heavenly Palace all the time. He could wander around the Heavenly Hall, where he sensed that all the buildings were Heavenly Dao Buildings, indestructible of its kind.


    To see if there was anything special about these kinds of Heavenly Dao Buildings.


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡± S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fat Long looked towards Chen Qiu, who had landed on the ground, and said breathlessly, ¡°I got some Dragon Suppressing Nails from Ao Tian. They are treasures once used by the Dragon Clan to imprison sinful dragons, directly suppressing the Dantian completely. They are the treasures of the Dragon Clan Main Lineage, capable of suppressing living creatures with Void Refining Peak cultivation or below.¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Chen Qiu smiled satisfactorily and said, ¡°Have Xing Dou heal them. Don¡¯t let them die. They need to live at least another ten days or so, so we can stuff them into the Demon Suppression Tower.¡±


    Fat Long took a deep breath before saying solemnly, ¡°Understood.¡±


    He then quickly changed his expression, looking at Chen Qiu excitedly.


    ¡°Brother Qiu, that move you used to suppress dozens of Void Refining experts was simply too exaggerated. This news will spread fast, and there shouldn¡¯t be anyone stronger than those at the peak of Void Refining in Xuantian State, otherwise, they would have come after us.¡±


    ¡°With initial Void Refining cultivation, in one move you suppressed dozens of Void Refining experts!¡±


    ¡°Once you enter Void Refining, you are unmatched!¡±


    ¡°Before all twelve Thrones on Vast Continent are decided, does that mean we¡¯re unmatched in Xuantian State?¡±


    ¡°No rush.¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s chuckling voice was filled with a profound meaning, ¡°You have to sit steady on the Throne for one year to truly secure it. By the time all twelve Thrones on Vast Continent are decided, I might have already reached the peak of Void Refining.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s take the brothers and visit the Heavenly Hall. There¡¯s no such thing as Heavenly Dao Buildings on Xuantian Continent, which is quite curious. And we should also learn about the information of the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡­


    And so, the events at the Heavenly Hall quickly spread throughout the entire Xuantian State!


    The presiding monk of the Buddhist Sect, dead!


    The supreme elder beautiful lady of the Female Sword Sect, dead!


    The seductive young man from the Devil Clan with five thousand years of cultivation, dead!


    Qi, one of the sons of the most powerful families on Vast Continent, dead!


    All four of them had cultivation at the Void Refining Peak!


    Without the emergence of Unification powers,


    Void Refining Peak was the strongest in ¡°Xuantian State,¡± and now these four individuals had all returned to the heavens. In addition to this, the remaining multitude of Void Refiners were either dead or captured alive.


    In just half a day,


    This news had spread throughout the entire Xuantian State.


    From then on¡ª


    All the Void Refining experts who had gone to encircle Chen Qiu had turned to ash, and Chen Qiu had firmly secured his place as the ¡°Xuantian King.¡± No one in the entire Xuantian State dared to covet the Xuantian Throne again, except¡­


    In Duoduo City.


    The city closest to the Heavenly Palace was the territory of the Heavenly Axe Sect, where the sect master of the Heavenly Axe Sect was now sitting with an ugly expression, patiently waiting in a room of a teahouse in the city.


    Among that day¡¯s group,


    Only he had survived!


    But he felt no joy, solely because Chen Qiu¡¯s strength had far exceeded his expectations. This meant that while he had survived, having blockaded the door for more than twenty days, once Chen Qiu came to his senses and remembered him, death would still be waiting for him!


    He was the sect master of the Heavenly Axe Sect. He couldn¡¯t just abandon the entire sect and hide, could he?


    Chen Qiu¡¯s strength was too exaggerated. He had just stepped into the Void Refinement Realm, so how could he become unbeatable in Void Refining so quickly? Wasn¡¯t the leap across realms a bit too much? Not only had he jumped that many realms, but he also defeated so many people?

 Chapter 618: 221: Heaven’s Thunder Verdict!_3

    Chapter 618: Chapter 221: Heaven¡¯s Thunder Verdict!_3


    And it felt as though even adding another two hundred Void Refinings would be utterly meaningless.


    Domain, absolutely suppressed.


    Spells, while others cast instantly, you¡¯re still chanting, and countless Thunder Dragons are already smashing into your face.


    How the hell are you supposed to fight this?!


    So¡­ he spent quite a few hours specially inviting Chen Qiu¡¯s two fellow villagers over to try to find out some information.


    Just then¡ª


    There was a knock at the door.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master hurried to his feet, his expression respectful as he looked towards the Bishan Palace Ancestor and the Buddhist Ancestor who pushed the door open, ¡°I apologize for the intrusion, sirs. It really is a disturbance, but there are some matters that I absolutely need your opinions on.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the fear within him. Although the Heavenly Axe Sect Master held a Void Refining Peak Cultivation and was utterly respectful towards them, making them feel somewhat frightened, that wasn¡¯t important. What was important was he didn¡¯t know if he would leave here alive today.


    Both of them were only half-step Void Refining.


    If this person wanted to make a move against them, they would definitely not escape.


    Especially after knowing that Chen Qiu alone had annihilated a group of Void Refinings, he was even more suspicious. You damn beast, you probably can¡¯t beat Chen Qiu and are planning to vent your anger on Chen Qiu¡¯s fellow villagers, right?


    God damn you!


    And the two of them were clearly hiding in a corner, not going anywhere, so how were they still found?!


    ¡°We both have deep hatreds with Chen Qiu.¡± The Buddhist Ancestor said solemnly, the implication being quite clear¡ªthey were on the same side, there was no need to kill them to vent your anger.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master was slightly stunned, then his eyes brightened, ¡°Then that¡¯s even better. Please, please, take a seat.¡±


    ¡°A few days ago, a Buddhist monk mentioned the two of you to me during a casual conversation. He sensed that a half-step Void Refining Buddhist Disciple from the Xuantian Continent had come to the Vast Continent, but hadn¡¯t visited the Buddhist Sect. He also told me he planned to look for both of you once this matter was settled.¡±


    ¡°At the time, I secretly remembered the coordinates that Buddhist monk mentioned and sent people to bring you here.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the situation, I¡¯ll make it brief.¡±


    ¡°How did the two of you manage to survive despite having deep grudges with Chen Qiu? Is there any trick? Or does Chen Qiu possibly spare some people who have grudges against him?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor and the Bishan Palace Ancestor glanced at each other, both detecting the peculiarity in each other¡¯s eyes. Then the Bishan Palace Ancestor hesitatingly said, ¡°Perhaps, senior, you wish to know how to survive from Chen Qiu¡¯s hands?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master¡¯s pupils flashed with regret as he grit his teeth, ¡°You must have already heard, Chen Qiu alone easily suppressed countless Void Refinings. Although I fled before the battle began, I did block Chen Qiu for nearly twenty days to avoid being settled with later on.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I originally just wanted to ask about Chen Qiu¡¯s personality.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the two of you, despite having grudges with Chen Qiu, still survived. That¡¯s even better, please share how you managed it?¡±


    He had indeed survived.


    But he was constantly living in fear, unlike those Void Refinings who were suppressed by Chen Qiu the moment he made a move, who died before they could even react. His situation was different; he was now fearful of when Chen Qiu might come to their Heavenly Axe Sect.


    Especially since ¡®Duoduo City¡¯ is the closest city to the Heavenly Palace!


    ¡­


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    Once it was clear that the Heavenly Axe Sect Master was really fearful about this matter, the Buddhist Ancestor coughed lightly, picked up his teacup, and took a light sip. After chewing the tea leaves for a few moments and swallowing them down, he couldn¡¯t help but put on airs.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite a long story. Back in the Xuantian Continent, the Buddhist Sect and Chen Qiu were deadly enemies!¡±


    ¡°At that time, a Buddhist Disciple provocatively challenged Chen Qiu, and I even personally took action to set many traps to try and kill Chen Qiu. Tell me, isn¡¯t that a big grudge?¡±


    ¡°Big!¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, with hopeful eyes, nodded vigorously, ¡°If such a grudge can be survived, then can¡¯t I also survive?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing.¡±


    On one side, the Bishan Palace Ancestor somewhat disdainfully said, ¡°Speaking of grudges, who could have a bigger grudge than Bishan Palace and Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Back in Xuantian Continent, the Bishan Palace Sect Leader personally ordered a manhunt for Chen Qiu and led several Bishan Palace elders to ambush and kill him. After Chen Qiu killed them all, I came out of seclusion and jointly set up traps to execute Chen Qiu.¡±


    ¡°Is that grudge big?¡±


    ¡°Big.¡± The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, somewhat astonished, turned his head towards the Bishan Palace Ancestor, ¡°Such a big grudge, and you managed to survive!?¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor and the Buddhist Ancestor glanced at each other again and then coughed lightly, ¡°Firstly, you need to decompose the hatred, you know about debt decomposition, right? It¡¯s a common technique used by moneylenders.¡±


    ¡°You need to manage to extract yourself from the sect, letting Chen Qiu know that it¡¯s the sect he has a grudge against, not us.¡±


    ¡°For instance, I set up contingencies that defined the Buddhist Disciples who had a feud with Chen Qiu as traitors to the Buddhist Sect. This way, where is the grudge between the Buddhist Sect and Chen Qiu? Clearly, Chen Qiu is a benefactor for the Buddhist Sect for eliminating traitors.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± The Bishan Palace Ancestor said meaningfully, ¡°I created a Memory Stone that defined those Bishan Palace elders and the Sect Leader, who were executed by Chen Qiu, as traitors who held deep grudges against me. Thus, Chen Qiu also counts as my benefactor, how could there be any grudge?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master suddenly had a flash of understanding, muttering vaguely, ¡°I think I understand, I can completely claim that I was forced by those people and had a change of conscience at the last moment?¡±

 Chapter 619: 221: Heaven’s Thunder Verdict!_4

    Chapter 619: Chapter 221: Heaven¡¯s Thunder Verdict!_4


    ¡°No, I had spoken harshly to Chen Qiu at the beginning.¡±


    ¡°At that time, I even yelled that Chen Qiu should come out and die now, otherwise I would ensure his Divine Soul was utterly annihilated, never to rise again.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This is too fake, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Fake, no problem,¡± the Buddhist Ancestor said seriously, ¡°Ours was very fake too. You don¡¯t really think Chen Qiu would believe it, right? This is mainly to give both sides a way out and to show that we are admitting defeat.¡±


    ¡°Show that you¡¯re admitting defeat.¡±


    ¡°Next, we need to show some sincerity.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    The Buddhist Ancestor patted his thigh, then suddenly knelt down smoothly: ¡°This is the key to survival. Not to hide it from you, my Cultivation on the Xuantian Continent is also top-notch. There are a few others with the same level of Cultivation, but not many can kneel as smoothly as I can.¡±


    ¡°And only after I offered up all ten parts of the Buddhist Sect¡¯s possessions, did I manage to retrieve my life.¡±


    ¡°Not to speak of others, if Chen Qiu were right here before you, could you kneel?¡±


    ¡°Kneel?¡±


    The expression of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master turned slightly ugly; indeed, he found it somewhat difficult to kneel. He was at the Peak of Void Refining, a sect leader, an exceedingly famous strong cultivator in Xuantian State, the creator of ¡®Fourth Axe¡¯ on top of the supreme Spell ¡®Sky Splitting Axe¡¯. Since childhood, he had been a Heavenly Pride!


    He had never knelt before anyone in his life!


    If he really had to kneel, indeed, there were some truths he couldn¡¯t kneel to.


    ¡°Must I kneel?¡±


    ¡°Not really; at that time, many people on the Xuantian Continent didn¡¯t kneel.¡±


    ¡°Then how did they survive?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they all died.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After taking a deep breath, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master grimaced slightly, immediately stood up from his chair, walked to the side, and suddenly knelt down. This kneel seemed to strip him of the dignity of his entire life.


    However¡­


    It was this kneel that seemed to relieve him of all his mental burdens.


    The second kneel, the third kneel, the fourth kneel ¡ª each one became more natural.


    Afterwards, he rose and looked towards the Buddhist Ancestor: ¡°Is this enough?¡±


    ¡°As long as the attitude is good and no trouble arises, it should basically be no problem.¡±


    ¡°What constitutes trouble?¡±


    ¡°Try not to let your disciples see you kneeling.¡±


    ¡°Afraid of losing face?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about losing face; I worry that your disciples might suddenly jump out and say, ¡®Our Sect Leader would never submit to you, Evil Demon.¡¯


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡­


    After respectfully sending off the Buddhist Ancestor and Bishan Palace Ancestor, they hid in a private room of a tavern in Duoduo City, exchanged glances, and looked at the Storage Ring filled with Spirit Stones on the table.


    After a long time, the Buddhist Ancestor finally said somewhat emotionally, ¡°Who would have thought that my first fortune in the Vast Continent would come like this, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master is quite generous.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­¡±


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor propped his chin thoughtfully with one hand: ¡°I think we could start a school specifically for those forces who have offended Chen Qiu and don¡¯t know what to do, to perform risk mitigation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the Buddhist Ancestor pondered for a moment before shaking his head, ¡°Let¡¯s forget it, the risk is too high. This seems a bit like living off Chen Qiu¡¯s reputation, and I worry that Chen Qiu himself might come to us for risk mitigation.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    After another exchange of glances, both saw the shock in each other¡¯s eyes and lapsed into silence.


    After a long time.


    The Buddhist Ancestor finally said with a complex expression, ¡°How does Chen Qiu manage it, to become invincible upon just entering a Great Realm?¡±


    ¡°I remember it was like this back on the Xuantian Continent, right? Once into Nascent Soul, Nascent Soul was invincible, once into Divinity Transformation, Divinity Transformation was invincible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The elder from Bishan Palace said solemnly, ¡°Back then, our Sect Leader of Bishan Palace was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, and when Chen Qiu had just broken through to Divinity Transformation, just at the first level of Cultivation, he too was mercilessly killed by Chen Qiu on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Actually, when those who were refining voids blocked the Heavenly Palace Gate, I had roughly guessed the outcome.¡±


    ¡°Because this scene is all too familiar.¡±


    ¡°Indeed familiar,¡± the Buddhist Ancestor nodded and said with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the Buddhist Sect host of Xuantian State was foolish enough to give up his life like that. Luckily, I was smart enough not to run off to the Buddhist Sect back then.¡±


    ¡­


    At that moment, the Heavenly Hall was empty, except for staff!


    Only Chen Qiu and his group were there, everyone else had long avoided the place, not daring to come near the Heavenly Hall.


    ¡°Heart Demon Removal Hall?¡±


    Chen Qiu, leading a group of Chao Tian Sect disciples, looked toward a small cabin within the Heavenly Hall and nodded thoughtfully. The Vast Continent truly lived up to its status as a second-tier continent, even having a special place for removing Heart Demons, which indeed could help the cultivators effectively remove their Heart Demons.


    He then pushed the door and entered.


    ¡°Creeeak¡­¡±


    Accompanied by the creaking sound of the wooden door, a burnt smell immediately wafted through.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly frowned, only to see inside the cabin lay a body, charred and shrunken to the extent it was unrecognizable, before he waved his hand and looked towards the girl sitting behind the table: ¡°What¡¯s the situation with this corpse?¡±


    The space inside was rather cramped.


    There was only one table, behind which sat a girl wearing a veil.


    At that moment, the girl, uncontrollably trembling as she sat in the chair, looked towards Chen Qiu with a voice full of fear and stuttered, ¡°He¡­ he was struck dead by your Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation¡­ He was recounting his story at that time and had left shortly after finishing, but then he returned again, saying there was another Heart Demon.¡±


    ¡°Just then, your Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation started¡­¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have time to leave.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head somewhat regretfully, ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that the Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation became stronger because of him?¡± the girl sitting in the chair said, trembling.


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh oh.¡± Perhaps realizing that Chen Qiu wasn¡¯t as ruthless as she had imagined, the girl¡¯s fear somewhat lessened, ¡°Actually, you¡­ don¡¯t need to feel too much regret. He wasn¡¯t a good person, and you were executing Heaven¡¯s will, not killing an innocent person recklessly.¡±


    Chen Qiu nonchalantly waved his hand and glanced around the cabin casually, ¡°No, I¡¯m regretting that he died so easily; otherwise, I could have put him in my Demon Suppression Tower.¡±


    There was nothing inside the cabin.


    Just only one table.


    Then he sat at the table, looking towards the girl with the veil: ¡°Heart Demon Removal Master? What¡¯s that and what use does it have?¡±


    ¡°It removes your Heart Demons¡­¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t have a Heart Demon?¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s useless¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Chen Qiu nodded and then walked outside, waving towards the group of Chao Tian Sect disciples behind him, ¡°Line up one by one, go in and have your Heart Demons removed, to avoid being struck dead by Heart Demons in the future.¡±


    Soon¡ª


    The first Chao Tian Sect disciple, with a serious expression, sat inside the cabin, looking towards the girl with the veil, patiently waiting.


    ¡°Fellow Daoist¡­ what Heart Demon do you have?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiu¡¯s Cultivation is advancing too rapidly, I worry I can¡¯t keep up with Brother Qiu and will be abandoned by him later. Does this count as a Heart Demon?¡±


    ¡°It does.¡±


    ¡°So, how do we resolve it?¡±


    How to resolve¡­?


    In the cabin, the girl with the veil remained silent in her spot for a long time, thinking how on earth to resolve this; she could only affirm it but damn sure can¡¯t help you improve your cultivation. After a while, she finally spoke softly.


    ¡°Plan ahead for what you can do to shine even after being abandoned.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Work hard in your cultivation, strive for improvement every day.¡±

 Chapter 620: 222:

    Chapter 620: Chapter 222: ¡°Chen Qiu, hold on, I¡¯m coming to save you!!!


    Heavenly Hall, next to the ¡°Heart Demon Removal House¡±.


    Chen Qiu stood aside, chatting casually with Ao Tian, while the disciples of Chao Tian Sect were lined up to rid themselves of their Heart Demons. The entire process was quite simple: just recount their experiences and obtain affirmation from the other party. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was a kind of self-deception.


    ¡°Qiu¡­ little brother.¡±


    Ao Tian looked at the disciples of Chao Tian Sect with a complex expression, ¡°After I break through to Void Refining, and once the thrones of the other states of the Vast Continent have been decided, I plan to return to the Dragon Clan Main Lineage.¡±


    ¡°Thousands of years ago, the Dragon Clan fled from the main lineage of the Dragon Clan on the Vast Continent. After all these years, I want to go back and see.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Chen Qiu, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella casually, ¡°Feeling homesick?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Ao Tian shook his head, ¡°There¡¯s been no contact for tens of thousands of years, there¡¯s no sentiment left, it¡¯s just that I want to try to return the Dragon Palace, so as to regain recognition from the main lineage, and then obtain the Dragon God inheritance.¡±


    Chen Qiu chuckled lightly, remained silent, and after a moment, said softly, ¡°Do you want me to accompany you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. As long as I return the Dragon Palace to them, the main lineage should have no hostility towards our lineage.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded and did not say anything else. However, he could probably guess what would happen next. Voluntarily returning the Dragon Palace meant showing submission, and submission often led to humiliation and oppression.


    That was the law of nature.


    If you don¡¯t bully those who submit to you, do you bully those you can¡¯t provoke instead?


    But since Ao Tian thought this could solve the problem, Chen Qiu didn¡¯t mind. He was quite interested in the wealth of the Dragon Clan Main Lineage, but after all, it was the Dragon Clan, and Ao Tian belonged to the same clan. If he reached out for their wealth without any reason, it might make Ao Tian feel uncomfortable.


    But¡­


    If there was the reason that Ao Tian was being oppressed, then him, as a brother, stepping in to help his brother out would seem perfectly reasonable, right?


    That would be good.


    He just hoped that the Dragon Clan Main Lineage would play the game, be a bit too proud, and the more they bullied Ao Tian, the more justified he would be when the time came to raid the Dragon Clan Main Lineage for his brother¡¯s sake.


    To act out of greed for the wealth of the Dragon Clan was avarice.


    But to fight bloodily for one¡¯s brother was righteousness.


    The difference between the two was significant.


    At this time¡ª


    Fat Long and a few others also came out of the ¡°Heart Demon Removal Hall¡± and walked straight towards Chen Qiu.


    ¡°Brother Qiu.¡±


    Fat Long looked upset and said, ¡°This thing feels like a scam, it¡¯s utterly useless. After I went in, they read me some motivational talk and then charged me 10 Mid-grade Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°Is it really that easy to make money?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a Heart Demon?¡± Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long with a hint of surprise. He thought that the disciples of Chao Tian Sect would have many Heart Demons since they had fought their way to the Golden Core Peak and Great Perfection in Da Xia Country, possibly doing things against their conscience.


    Like killing one¡¯s brothers for personal gain.


    This was not uncommon.


    As for Fat Long, Chen Qiu thought he must have done many unscrupulous things but was surprised to find he had no Heart Demon at all.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Fat Long said with a determined shake of his head, ¡°I don¡¯t even understand why there should be such things as Heart Demons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded. Heart Demons often plagued those with a moral baseline, whereas those with lower moral standards rarely suffered from them. He dropped the subject and looked towards Fat Long and Ao Tian.


    ¡°They seem to need some more time; shall we continue to browse around?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡­


    In Heavenly Hall, all the cultivators who were originally there had dispersed, leaving only their group from Chao Tian Sect. The place seemed quite empty, and they could enter any Heavenly Dao Building without needing to queue.


    Chen Qiu, accompanied by his group, including Fat Long, ambled leisurely along the cobblestone path and came to the front of a shop.


    The shop¡¯s door was wide open.


    A sign hanging above read ¡°One thought controls all¡±.


    And at the shop¡¯s entrance, there were six wells, with each well¡¯s edge inscribed with an inscription: ¡°entry prize pool¡±, ¡°Treasure Prize Pool¡±, ¡°Building Prize Pool¡±, ¡°Domain Prize Pool¡±, ¡°Magic Pool¡±, and ¡°Spiritual Treasure Prize Pool¡±.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Chen Qiu paused in front of the shop, studying the six wells thoughtfully, as they seemed to be something like prize pools.


    At that moment¡ª


    The shopkeeper hurried out from the back room, looking towards Chen Qiu and his companions, his eyes filled with awe as he said respectfully, ¡°Gentlemen customers.¡±


    ¡°These six wells each correspond to one prize pool and are the six most famous prize pools in the entire Heavenly Hall.¡±


    ¡°On normal days, many cultivators from Xuantian State come here daily to try their luck. Usually, there would be a crowd gathered here, but today¡­ everyone has gone back to collect their laundry.¡±


    ¡°Depending on the respective Cultivation of the cultivators, the prize pools will yield treasures of different Grades. Of course, this isn¡¯t absolute, it¡¯s still up to luck.¡±


    ¡°Foundation Establishment Cultivators only need to invest 1 Mid-grade Spirit Stone to get a treasure roughly corresponding to the Foundation Establishment Grade.¡±


    ¡°As for Golden Core cultivators, it costs 10 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, Nascent Soul requires 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, Divinity Transformation needs 1000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and Void Refining requires 10,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.¡±


    He naturally recognized these few people.


    They were his benefactors!


    Working in Heavenly Hall meant no days off. But thanks to Chen Qiu¡¯s Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation, he actually got half a day off, and looking at the current situation, this vacation might get extended a bit further, maybe even by a day or two.

 Chapter 621: 222:

    Chapter 621: Chapter 222: ¡°Chen Qiu, hold on, I¡¯m coming to save you!!!¡±_2


    After so many years,


    it was the first time he had witnessed such a powerful Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation. It was also the first time he had seen someone who had just stepped into the Void Refining stage, with the cultivation of just the first layer, forcefully slaughtering countless others at the same level.


    ¡°Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones?¡±


    Fat Long, standing to the side, furrowed his brows slightly, ¡°Are you sure, these ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones can be thrown down and break even?¡±


    Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones was no small sum, not something to joke about.


    ¡°Er¡­¡± The shopkeeper did not dare to deceive them and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s very likely you won¡¯t break even. Out of ten people, probably two or three might break even, and among thirty people, one might be exceptionally lucky and gain an incredible opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly narrowed his eyes and nodded, looking at the strands of light around the Nascent Soul. He now had one thread of Luck of Human Pride, Earth Pride Luck, Heavenly Pride Fortune, and Supreme Genius Fortune each.


    He lacked Unrivaled Genius Fortune, which required three threads of Supreme Genius Fortune to synthesize, and was far too difficult.


    He still had two threads of Heavenly Dao Destiny.


    Besides that, he had one thread of racial luck, one thread of Heavenly Thunder Fortune, an entry jade slip of racial luck, an entry jade slip of Heavenly Pride Fortune, an entry jade slip of Heavenly Dao Destiny, a thread of Luck of Yin Soul, a thread of Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune, and two threads of Emperor¡¯s Fortune.


    All of these were the foundation he had accumulated over this period.


    As for the Emperor¡¯s Fortune, he was planning to use one thread to forge the Xuantian Throne and one to confront the remaining eleven kings. He hadn¡¯t found a use for the Yin Emperor¡¯s Fortune and the Luck of Yin Soul yet; the effect of Heavenly Thunder Fortune was to enhance the power of Thunder Magic.


    He had originally had two threads of it. He had used one to enhance the Thunder Summoning Technique, and he was still looking for a use for this remaining thread.


    But the most important was¡­


    With a thought, a panel wrapped in clouds emerged above his Dantian. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¨C


    Treasure Name: A thread of Luck of Human Pride.


    Acquisition Source: After achieving astonishing feats, rewarded by the Heavenly Dao Decree, etc.


    Usage Effect:


    1: After consuming a thread of Luck of Human Pride, you can boost your luck to a certain extent for the duration of a cup of tea.


    2:¡­


    7: Three threads of Luck of Human Pride can be synthesized into one thread of Earth Pride Luck.


    ¨C


    Whether it¡¯s ¡°A thread of Luck of Human Pride¡± or ¡°A thread of Earth Pride Luck,¡± or even something like Heavenly Pride Fortune, they all share a common effect; after consumption, they can increase your luck to a certain extent for the duration of a cup of tea.


    The specific amount by which luck is boosted isn¡¯t clear, it¡¯s just a broad term.


    One thing is for sure, though. The higher the grade, the more luck it can enhance.


    He was somewhat eager to try it out, to consume ¡°A thread of Luck of Human Pride¡± and then gamble to see what good things he could draw. If the effect was good, he would wait until he was about to break through to the second layer of Void Refining and try again.


    After all, the boost in luck could last for the duration of a cup of tea.


    Within that time, he could finish six gambling draws and also choose an entry; and if there was something like ¡°Heavenly Dao Roulette,¡± he could use it all up during that same period of time, aiming for no waste.


    ¡­


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    Ao Tian, who was beside him, found this quite novel, as there was nothing like this on the Xuantian Continent. He promptly took out a thousand mid-grade spirit stones from his chest and looked at the six wells in front of him. After hesitating for a moment, he tossed the thousand mid-grade spirit stones into the ¡°Building Prize Pool.¡±


    The well looked unremarkable,


    but after he threw in a thousand spirit stones, not even a splash was made, as if they were directly swallowed up. Three breaths later, a flash of white light emerged from the well and then it returned to calm.


    ¡°What is this¡­¡± Ao Tian looked up at the Shopkeeper, somewhat puzzled, ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    The Shopkeeper somewhat grudgingly explained, ¡°It means that you got nothing, the draw is over.¡±


    ¡°What the hell!¡±


    Ao Tian was faintly angry, ¡°At least give me a consolation prize, right? You just gobbled up my thousand mid-grade spirit stones without a trace, are you f*cking robbing me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the rule of the Heavenly Dao, I¡¯m powerless to change it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it!¡±


    Fat Long rolled up his sleeves and took a deep breath, then likewise took out a thousand mid-grade spirit stones from his chest and threw them into the ¡°entry prize pool.¡± After three breaths, white light flared again.


    And then¡­ calm returned.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence with an expressionless face, Fat Long looked up at the Shopkeeper, ¡°Can I get a refund?¡±


    ¡°My turn!¡± The scholar stepped forward from behind. He was also visibly nervous as he invested a thousand mid-grade spirit stones into it. After three breaths, with the rise of white light, it returned to calm again.


    The scholar silently stepped back down afterward.


    This prize pool is a real damn scam!


    It¡¯s no different from robbery!!


    Oh no, there is a difference. This isn¡¯t illegal.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu watched as Fat Long and the other two were defeated. He raised his eyebrows slightly, then consumed ¡°A thread of Luck of Human Pride.¡± Next, he boldly took out ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones from his chest and tossed them into the ¡°entry prize pool.¡±


    Without any hesitation, he took out another fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones and threw them into each of the remaining five prize pools.


    Before he left the Xuantian Continent, his looting had netted him countless treasures and a great many spirit stones. Currently, he had over 1.6 million mid-grade spirit stones. With so many spirit stones, treasures, and entry jade slips still in his storage ring, the Shopkeeper from the Chao Tian Sect was working his ass off.


    The visit before leaving the Xuantian Continent had greatly bolstered the Chao Tian Sect¡¯s foundation, but they hadn¡¯t had the chance to assimilate it yet. Once the matters at hand were settled, he would find a place to thoroughly assimilate these newfound assets.

 Chapter 622: 222:

    Chapter 622: Chapter 222: ¡°Chen Qiu, hold on, I¡¯m coming to save you!!!¡±_3


    Though he was short on Spirit Stones, Chen Qiu could still afford the 60,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Very soon¡ª


    After these 60,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones were thrown in, an entry jade slip immediately appeared in the ¡°entry prize pool¡±.


    ¨C


    ¡°entry name¡±: Body Convert Technic.


    ¡°entry level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°entry effect¡±: You can activate ¡®Close Combat Stance¡¯, during which you cannot use any Spells, and your physical strength will be greatly enhanced. The extent of the enhancement depends on your overall Spell prowess; the stronger your Spells and the higher the grade of your Nascent Soul, and the more Spiritual Energy in your Dantian, the greater the increase in physical strength!


    ¨C


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu gazed at the entry in front of him, slightly stunned, then soon broke into a rather satisfied smile.


    Not bad at all, buying such an entry for 10,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones¡ªhe was quite fond of it.


    Although he wasn¡¯t keen on becoming a pure Body Cultivator, he didn¡¯t mind moonlighting as one occasionally.


    This way, in case he ever went to a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm where Spells couldn¡¯t be used, with this entry, he could easily transform into a Body Cultivator and swing his 12th Grade Nascent Soul from start to finish¡ªit would be quite thrilling.


    Then he didn¡¯t even look at the other pools¡¯ rewards, and once again took out 10,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones from his bosom and threw them into the well marked ¡°entry prize pool¡±.


    The increase in luck could only last the time it took for one stick of incense to burn; there was no time to waste. Anyway, as far as he could see, as long as he consumed a thread of ¡°Luck of Human Pride¡±, the items that came out shouldn¡¯t result in a loss. Better to draw several more times first and look at them together later.


    However¡­


    This time, his 10,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, after being thrown in, did not sink as usual but just floated on the surface.


    The Shopkeeper, already shocked and incredulous in his spot, subconsciously mumbled, ¡°If you don¡¯t receive a prize, you can draw countless times, but once you receive a prize, you cannot draw again within the same day.¡±


    The prize rates in these six pools were very low, and having worked here for nearly a hundred years, he knew it all too well.


    Most of the time, it was a blank prize; nothing at all, just empty.


    Only a few lucky ones would take away the grand prize amidst the envy and jealousy of others.


    But¡ª


    The situation where one could draw six times and all six pools yielded prizes was indeed quite rare. Nearly a hundred years had passed, and he had only seen it four times; this was the fifth.


    This Shopkeeper, before joining the Heavenly Hall, was just an ordinary Loose Cultivator.


    Of course, he had no chance to come into contact with the ¡°Luck of Human Pride¡±, much less to know what its effect was.


    Luck of Human Pride, although the lowest grade in Heavenly Pride Fortune, was not something that just anyone could access.


    ¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s such a rule?¡±


    Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows lightly and then looked up at the sky. He didn¡¯t think too much about it; instead, he looked at the prizes that had floated up in the other five pools, starting with the ¡°Treasure Prize Pool¡±, where an old friend had surfaced.


    A Pill Bottle containing 20 Divinity Transformation Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.


    Useless to him, but somewhat useful to the Chao Tian Sect disciples, they were an utter waste. And wasn¡¯t it agreed that prizes corresponding to the drawer¡¯s level would appear? He was at the Void Refinement Realm, so it should have been Void Refinement Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, right?


    Were they making up for the insufficient Grade with quantity?


    Next was the ¡°Building Prize Pool¡±.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Stone Lions (a pair).


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Heavenly Dao Blessing, etc.


    ¡°Treasure Level¡±: Void Refinement Lower-Grade.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Place at the Mountain Gate to exert a certain deterrent effect and connect with the Mountain Gate Formation.


    2: Equivalent to an early-stage Void Refinement Puppet, its strength can increase with the Grade of the Mountain Gate Formation.


    ¨C


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Not bad, this one¡¯s okay. Trading 10,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones for something like this isn¡¯t a loss; it looks quite nice placed in front of the Mountain Gate, and it¡¯s also an early-stage Void Refinement Puppet, which would be pretty imposing as a gatekeeper.


    Chen Qiu continued to look at the next one.


    ¡°Domain Prize Pool¡±.


    A one-time use Divinity Transformation Domain Totem ¡°Instant Formation¡±, hard to evaluate. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Magic Pool¡±.


    A Heavenly Dao Jade Scroll for an early-stage Void Refinement level Swordsmanship, ¡°One Sword Reaches the Heavens¡±. It was a profitable deal in terms of price, but in terms of effect, it was of no use to him.


    ¡°Spiritual Treasure Prize Pool¡±.


    This one was quite useful¡ªit gave a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure, a set of bracers, with the effect of¡­ shortening the casting time.


    Pretty good.


    The effect was completely irrelevant to him, but it was still a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasure. He had just completed a set.


    He originally had five Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures. Ao Tian once mentioned there were many Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures in the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault, but later, after a long search, they couldn¡¯t find any, and it was embarrassingly stated that they might have been sold by the previous Dragon Clan Patriarch, which was uncertain.


    He didn¡¯t mind.


    Later, while visiting the Xuantian Continent, he happened to find two more Heavenly Dao Spiritual Treasures, and with this pair of bracers, he now had eight in total, ready to activate the set.


    Once this matter was settled, he planned to deal with this as well.


    These six prizes were all his gains.


    To say that he had lost¡­ that was indeed not the case.


    Just the ¡°Body Convert Technic¡± entry alone had basically covered his costs; 60,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones for an extremely fitting Purple Entry¡ªhe considered it a gain. Not to mention 60,000, even if it were 300,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones for a direct purchase, he would be willing.


    After all¡­


    Spirit Stones could be stolen.


    But Entries perfectly suited to oneself, those were hard to come by.


    One was a renewable resource, the other non-renewable. He was clear on which was a little more valuable.

 Chapter 623: 222:

    Chapter 623: Chapter 222: ¡°Chen Qiu, hold on, I¡¯m coming to save you!!!¡±_4


    However, the rewards from the remaining five prize pools were to be frank, a bit underwhelming. In terms of value, they were basically a profit, but for him, they had very limited use.


    It was evident¡ª S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Luck of Human Pride,¡± could only satisfy the assurance that you wouldn¡¯t leave empty-handed from the six prize pools, at most guaranteeing one prize wouldn¡¯t be a loss, but it couldn¡¯t ensure that the prize would be of high quality or exceptionally good.


    If it were¡­ ¡°A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune,¡± or even ¡°A Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the six wells before him, feeling a faint urge stirring within. ¡°A Thread of Heavenly Pride Fortune¡± was worth a try, as he still had a Jade Scroll of Heavenly Pride Fortune, but he was somewhat reluctant to use ¡°A Thread of Supreme Genius Fortune,¡± of which he had only one.


    It seemed like too much of a waste.


    If it were ¡°Unrivaled Genius Fortune¡±¡­


    He began to breathe more and more rapidly, convinced that it would definitely yield premium goods, the cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me!


    ¡­


    ¡°Not bad at all!¡±


    At this moment, Fat Long, who was nearby and couldn¡¯t contain his excitement, blurted out, ¡°Brother Qiu, are you really so lucky that all six prize pools delivered goods?¡±


    ¡°No, I have to try again!¡±


    Immediately, Fat Long couldn¡¯t resist anymore and took out another 1,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. This time he chose a different prize pool, tossing them into the ¡°Treasure Prize Pool.¡± After three breaths, accompanied by a flash of white light that soon returned to calm.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fat Long fell silent on the spot again.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡±


    Ao Tian, who was beside him, couldn¡¯t help but interject with advice, ¡°You can¡¯t switch prize pools like that. You chose the entry prize pool last time, and this time you switched to the treasure prize pool¡ªyour luck got scattered. You should steadfastly stick to one prize pool.¡±


    ¡°Look at me, I chose the building prize pool last time, and I¡¯m choosing it again this time. That greatly increases the probability of getting a prize.¡±


    With that, Ao Tian took out another 1,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones from his embrace and smashed them in.


    Three breaths later, white light flared, and then everything went calm.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a while of silence, Ao Tian pulled out another 1,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, ¡°At this moment, we can¡¯t lose momentum, maybe the luck accumulates on the third try. If you leave now, the next person might take your place and win.¡±


    He tossed them in again.


    Three breaths, white light, calm.


    ¡°Heh, I refuse to believe this!¡±


    He threw again.


    Three, white, calm.


    ¡°Another one!¡±


    Three, calm.


    ¡°Come on!¡±


    Calm.


    Finally¡ª


    After Ao Tian had thrown in 7,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, on the eighth attempt, something finally surfaced. Accompanied by a flash of white light, a miniature straw doll slowly floated to the surface.


    ¨C


    Chen Qiu glanced at it and then said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s quite nice. Placed in the spirit field, it can ensure that medicinal herbs grow robustly and remain unharmed by pests. It¡¯s a decent building.¡±


    ¡°Keep it, we¡¯ll place it in the Chao Tian Sect later.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After a long silence with an expressionless face, Ao Tian finally calmly tucked the miniature straw doll into his chest, ¡°Only 8,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, not a loss at all, quite a profit indeed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Fat Long nodded with a broad smile of approval, ¡°You never lose.¡±


    Just as Chen Qiu was about to leave and continue checking out the special-effect Heavenly Dao Buildings in the Heavenly Hall, he suddenly noticed a group of people slowly approaching him from not far away on Green Stone Street.


    About seven or eight people.


    The leader was a middle-aged man with a bald head and bare chest, his arms wrapped in chains made of some unknown material, the ends of the chains dragging on the ground. At this moment, he approached Chen Qiu with a murderous look, his expression deadpan.


    The sound of the chains scraping against the ground was gratingly loud.


    The level of Cultivation leaking from his body indicated that this man was at the peak of Void Refining.


    And he was likely a Body Cultivator.


    Following him were several middle-aged men with similarly murderous expressions, none of them carrying chains, but each holding a giant axe that was taller than a man, all looking quite terrifying and exaggerated.


    ¡°Chen Qiu.¡±


    Before long, the group came within a few dozen feet of Chen Qiu and his companions and stopped. The bare-chested, bald middle-aged man looked at Chen Qiu and suddenly smiled, ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m dressed like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m telling everyone, I¡¯m a Body Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡±


    ¡°The common misconception about Body Cultivators is that they don¡¯t have brains, and now it seems you think the same.¡±


    ¡°If I charged at you from the start, you¡¯d likely react quickly and I wouldn¡¯t be able to get close to you. But by just slowing my pace, I can easily get close to you, and within ten feet.¡±


    ¡°This is strategy.¡±


    The next moment¡ª


    The middle-aged man suddenly roared without hesitation, his face twisted in a vicious smile, ¡°Tenth-grade Void Refining Domain ¡®Annihilation of All Laws,¡¯ open!¡±


    Suddenly!


    An ancient yellow light spread swiftly from beneath the man¡¯s feet, and a cloud of dust instantly enveloped the entire world. And almost at the same instant, the man continued to bellow.


    ¡°Purple Entry, Self-Destruction Domain!¡±


    As soon as the words fell.


    The ancient yellow domain swirling with sand visibly increased in might, stepping up a level and enveloping Chen Qiu and the others in an instant.


    After doing all this.


    The bare-chested, bald middle-aged man slowly clenched the chains in his hands and looked at Chen Qiu with a victory-assured sneer, ¡°No need to struggle. Before I came, I learned all about you¡ªa Fourteenth-grade Domain.¡±


    ¡°Completely overpowering my Domain.¡±


    ¡°But do you know of an entry called Self-Destruction Domain? At the cost of sacrificing your own domain and that entry, your domain¡¯s grade can be forcibly raised by two levels!¡±

 Chapter 624: 222:

    Chapter 624: Chapter 222: ¡°Chen Qiu, hold on, I¡¯m coming to save you!!!¡±_5


    ¡°Now, my Domain Grade is twelve!¡±


    ¡°Can you still absolutely suppress me?¡±


    ¡°I forgot to tell you, the effect of my domain is that no one within the range of my domain can use spells, talismans, or array plates! Now I¡¯m quite curious, as a Magic Practitioner, how you plan to survive today without the use of spells and domains?¡±


    ¡°Although the price is quite high, obtaining the Xuantian Throne is worth it!¡±


    He considered himself a clever man and didn¡¯t block the Heavenly Palace Gate with the group from the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, because he knew that even if he killed Chen Qiu immediately, it would ultimately lead to a chaotic battle. He could simply hide in the shadows, like a mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.


    In fact¡ª


    That¡¯s exactly what he did, and everything was correct. Those who blocked the gate were almost all killed, and he also tested Chen Qiu¡¯s strength, so now it was his time to appear on the stage!


    Chen Qiu was a definitive Magic Practitioner!


    For such practitioners, his domain was absolutely overpowering. The only issue was that Chen Qiu¡¯s Domain Grade was too high. His own domain couldn¡¯t even unfold, but he happened to have the ¡°Self-Destruction Domain¡± entry.


    He had thought he would never have the chance to use this entry.


    After all, a Grade ten domain, having consumed a large amount of heavenly and earthly treasures, was too costly to self-destruct unless it was a matter of life and death. He didn¡¯t think there was any opportunity worth such a high cost.


    But¡­


    Now there was.


    The opportunity of the Xuantian Throne was enough to warrant such a cost, and it could also make him famous!


    Chen Qiu, with early-stage Void Refining Cultivation, had killed countless others with Void Refining, yet he easily subdued Chen Qiu. Wouldn¡¯t this further demonstrate his power? In this world, a man seeks two things.


    One, fame.


    The other, profit.


    By killing Chen Qiu, he would have both!


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the Purple Entry Jade Scroll in his hand labelled ¡°Body Convert Technic¡±, and then lifted his head to look at the several Body Cultivators a few feet away. How to put it¡ªit felt like just as he wanted to till the land, a hoe had fallen from the sky.


    Quite good.


    He silently crushed the Purple Entry Jade Scroll. His heart was somewhat unsure whether this entry could enhance the strength of his body greatly, but even if the physical strength could not rival the others, it did not matter.


    Even without domains or spells, he still had other attack methods.


    For instance¡­ self-destructing Nascent Soul, Self-Destruction Terms, and so on.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    Next to him, Ao Tian¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he conducted a Divine Sense Transmission, ¡°What do we do? Should you go out and stall them for a while, brother? I¡¯ll try to make a breakthrough to Void Refining on the spot to see if I can use the Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation to drive them back. Once we leave this domain, there won¡¯t be any problem.¡±


    ¡°Or I could recover my dragon form first, relying on my physical strength, to see if I can block them for a moment while you quickly leave the domain range. Once you¡¯re out of this domain range, with your strength, brother, it should be no problem.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Chen Qiu casually shook his head. Ao Tian and the others didn¡¯t know the effect of the entry jade slip he had just received, which was why they had such reactions, but none of these matters were important. He was quite keen to get some practice as well.


    Just then¡ª


    ¡°Go die!!!¡±


    Accompanied by a roar, a middle-aged man beside him with Void Refining Cultivation suddenly raised a huge axe and struck fiercely towards Chen Qiu. The terrifying blade of the axe swung forcefully at Chen Qiu¡¯s head!


    An ear-piercing sound of cutting through the air followed immediately.


    And the blade also flowed with a terrifying red light. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In this domain¡ª


    The strength of Body Cultivators would be significantly enhanced, it can even be said that this domain was the most powerful for Body Cultivators, of course, as long as the Grade was high, otherwise it could be easily obliterated, and this strongest method would nearly lose its effect.


    Just as the axe blade was about to smash into Chen Qiu¡¯s head¡ª


    Chen Qiu, who stood there motionless, suddenly raised his hand, and at this moment, the axe blade landed heavily into the palm of his hand, but not only did it not sever his entire hand and even not a single trace of blood appeared.


    The man holding the giant axe was slightly stunned, subconsciously pulling the handle backwards, however, he discovered the blade was tightly held in Chen Qiu¡¯s palm, immovable.


    ¡°How¡­ how is it possible!¡±


    The man then realized, looking incredulously at Chen Qiu¡¯s hand that held his own blade: ¡°You¡¯re a Magic Practitioner, how could you possibly withstand my strike with your body? This is impossible!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s mind moved, and a Grade twelve Nascent Soul instantly floated in mid-air, he casually held the Nascent Soul¡¯s leg, swung it in the air before looking at the man before him and grinned.


    Then, with his right arm holding the Grade twelve Nascent Soul, he swung it roundly and smashed it forcefully on the man¡¯s head.


    ¡°Boom!!¡±


    A loud rumbling sound followed, and the man wielding the giant axe instantly turned into a blood mist, not a single piece of flesh larger than a fingernail was visible, even that giant axe broke into several pieces.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the Nascent Soul in his hand, now dyed red with blood, and stood silently without any expression. He actually wanted to spin the man away, but it looked like his bodily strength was a bit too much; how had he directly turned the man into blood mist?


    After all, wasn¡¯t it an early-stage Void Refining Body Cultivator? Was he that weak?


    He subconsciously searched in the Heavenly Dao Ring.


    The Grade twelve Nascent Soul was very useful, indestructible, but the problem was it felt too light and insubstantial, lacking the sense of impact and touch, swinging it felt quite uncomfortable. He wanted to find in the Heavenly Dao Ring to see if he had collected any Spiritual Treasures that were both sturdy and heavy.

 Chapter 625: 222:

    Chapter 625: Chapter 222: ¡°Chen Qiu, hold on, I¡¯m coming to save you!!!¡±_6


    But just at that moment¡ª


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The bare-chested, bald middle-aged man who had been spouting threats for a while had already charged over, his entire form instantly passing through the blood mist to arrive above Chen Qiu¡¯s head, the two iron chains smashing down towards Chen Qiu with ferocity!


    The terrifying power carried by those iron chains even seemed to tear through the very fabric of the world, in the fleeting gap, one could catch a glimpse of the soul-snatching black hole beyond; if these chains were to smash down on any Magic Practitioner, even one at the Void Refining Peak, they would likely be severely injured on the spot!


    However¡ª


    Once again, Chen Qiu raised his hand to catch the two iron chains, but this time it wasn¡¯t as easy; under this immense force, Chen Qiu¡¯s body was pushed back several steps, and even his arms turned red all over.


    ¡°Damn, that hurts!¡±


    Chen Qiu tossed the twelfth-grade Nascent Soul to one side, his eyes reddened as he stretched out his other hand to grab the chain, looking towards the end where the bare-chested, bald middle-aged man was now full of shock and bellowed with anger.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see I was in deep thought?! Who the fuck let you charge over this fast?!¡±


    Following that, Chen Qiu, standing on the cobblestone street, grabbed the chain and threw it heavily towards the other side, causing the middle-aged man at the end of the chain to smash heavily onto the ground!


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    This strike left the middle-aged man dizzy and disoriented.


    Yet this was only the beginning.


    In pain, one¡¯s fighting strength surges!


    Having been researching entries and contemplating if there was any Spiritual Treasure fitting for Body Cultivation, Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t afford to care about that at the moment, being in such pain.


    Not waiting for the man to react, Chen Qiu once again tightened his grip on the chains and swung them to the side, the middle-aged man at the end of the chain was once again hurled into the air and smashed heavily onto the ground on the other side!


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    For a moment¡ª


    The ground of the Heavenly Hall trembled, a rhythmic banging sound echoing from above!


    ¡­


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Outside the Heavenly Hall, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect, now in a linen robe, took a deep breath before carefully storing several Storage Rings into his chest, preparing to go to the Heavenly Palace to apologize to Chen Qiu.


    The advice from Chen Qiu¡¯s fellow villagers made sense.


    But he had added another point of his own.


    Instead of waiting for Chen Qiu to come to him to beg for mercy, it was better to take the initiative. That would clearly show his good attitude, which should suffice.


    However¡­


    Just as he stepped into the Heavenly Hall, he felt the ground trembling beneath him. There was the commotion of a Void Refining Cultivation battle nearby, and the rhythmic banging sounds that continued to resonate almost made him instinctively spread his Divine Sense to investigate, but he immediately refrained.


    After all, Chen Qiu was also in the Heavenly Hall.


    If the Hall felt he was intruding, the situation could turn quite unfavorable.


    After a brief hesitation,


    he quickly headed towards the location of the battle, curious as to when there would be anyone at the Void Refining stage daring to fight within the Heavenly Hall. Didn¡¯t they know Chen Qiu was here? This couldn¡¯t be the noise from Chen Qiu¡¯s fighting; that¡¯s not how he fought.


    The whole sky filled with Thunder Dragons left an unforgettable impression!


    Black clouds bearing down, a storm raging, and countless roaring Thunder Dragons in every part of the heavens and earth. It was such an unforgettable sight that, having witnessed Chen Qiu¡¯s battle once, one would remember it for a lifetime without any trouble.


    Of course, you¡¯d need to be sure that you¡¯re merely a spectator, not a participant in the battle¡ªalthough you¡¯d remember it for a lifetime either way, the latter case might significantly shorten that lifetime.


    Very soon¡ª


    The Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect looked to the ancient yellow Domain in front of him and suddenly realized this was the ¡°Destruction of All Magic¡± Domain, belonging to that man!


    That man from Xuantian State, known as the Magic Practitioner Buster, the top Body Cultivator, Kui Shisan!!


    He¡¯d assumed that this man had secluded himself, giving up the chance for the Xuantian Throne, but it turned out to be a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.


    That man was actually here.


    He clearly remembered that this man¡¯s Domain Grade was at the tenth Grade, but this Domain far exceeded that level. He didn¡¯t understand how Kui Shisan managed to elevate his Domain Grade so quickly past the tenth Grade.


    But he knew one thing clearly!


    The one fighting against Kui Shisan must be none other than Chen Qiu!


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect was momentarily taken aback, then his expression turned to joy¡ªthis fucking awesome!


    Chen Qiu was a Magic Practitioner and must be struggling, probably getting the shit beaten out of him on the ground!


    After all, this Domain was a nemesis to Magic Practitioners!


    But it was different for him; he was a genuine Body Cultivator. This Domain would allow him to unleash his full power. If he dashed in there and rescued Chen Qiu in the nick of time, that would be a huge favor¡ªa life-saving one!


    What need was there to consider begging for mercy? He would be Chen Qiu¡¯s honored guest!


    As for whether to join forces with Kui Shisan and completely execute Chen Qiu right there and then, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect hesitated for a moment before discarding the thought. Chen Qiu, with his early stage Void Refining Cultivation being able to fight for so long with Kui Shisan, who had methods to counteract Magic Practitioners, without dying was already quite impressive. His potential could even be said to be limitless.


    Meanwhile, Kui Shisan was at the peak of the Void Refining stage; his potential could be seen with little room for growth.


    What mattered most was¡ª Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he saved Chen Qiu, there would be no issues afterward.


    But if he joined Kui Shisan in utterly slaughtering Chen Qiu, he would still have to fight Kui Shisan afterward; after all, it wouldn¡¯t be clear who would hold the Xuantian Throne.


    After swiftly sorting through his thoughts,


    the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect, having made his decision, immediately drew a blood-red giant axe from his chest, excitedly sneered, and charged into the Domain, while shouting loudly: ¡°Chen Qiu, my friend, hold on! I¡¯m coming to rescue you!!!¡±


    ¡°I, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect!¡±


    ¡­


    ps: There will be another chapter at midnight; I¡¯m working overtime tonight.

 Chapter 626: 223:

    Chapter 626: Chapter 223: ¡°Arrogant and Despotic, Full of Bandit Air?


    The next moment¡ª


    The rhythmic thumping that had filled the sky above the Heavenly Hall suddenly stopped.


    The face of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master lit up with excitement as he rushed in wielding the Scarlet Giant Axe, but the first scene that met his eyes was Chen Qiu, standing amidst a pool of blood, his body stained red from head to toe, like a devil crawling up from piles of corpses.


    He was now looking calmly towards him.


    In his hands, he was holding two chains, with their ends connected to a middle-aged man who was a bloody blur and gasping for breath.


    Those familiar chains¡­


    Who else could that middle-aged man be but Kui Shisan?


    The body of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master suddenly stiffened in place, and as he saw the looks in the eyes of Chen Qiu and his people staring at him, along with the blood mist filling the sky and the shattered giant axes scattered on the ground resembling his axe in both design and color, his mouth twitched slightly. He then slowly knelt on the spot, lifting the huge axe across his hands, and cried out with a voice laced with sobbing tremors,


    ¡°Elder!¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I swear, I really came here to save you!¡±


    ¡°Although I am a Body Cultivator, and although those damn axes look somewhat similar to mine, elder, I truly came to rescue you!¡±


    At that moment, he felt like dying.


    He had intended to rush in and make a name for himself, but looking at Chen Qiu¡¯s gaze, it felt like he was being mistaken for a cohort, especially since those people¡¯s weapons looked extremely similar to his own. It would be reasonable to assume they were all part of the same group.


    However¡­


    What he couldn¡¯t understand was how Chen Qiu, a clear Magic Practitioner, could rely solely on his physical strength to beat a Body Cultivator nearly to death on the spot?


    How could that make sense?


    Don¡¯t tell me you practice Dual Cultivation of magic and body?


    Dual Cultivation isn¡¯t surprising; Gua Cultivation and Array Repairer dual practice makes sense, as they share many similarities. Magic Practitioner and Alchemy Cultivator dual practice is also reasonable because they also share commonalities, especially if one is proficient in Fire Magic, which is very helpful for Alchemy.


    But¡ª


    Who the hell practices body and magic Dual Cultivation?


    These two are not the same at all; there¡¯s no common ground between them, so don¡¯t tell me you punch from up close and use spells from afar, striking effectively at any range, right?


    He didn¡¯t understand why.


    But one thing was clear to him, that if he had shown even a slight poor attitude today, he might not have left alive.


    ¡­


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stopped what he was doing and stood up straight, frowning as he shook his left arm. To be honest, that chain had hit his arm just now and it really hurt, although he wasn¡¯t injured, dammit, it hurt!


    He then looked down at the middle-aged man gasping at the end of the chain, squatted down and unwound the chain from the middle-aged man¡¯s wrist, before gesturing to Ao Tian and the others not to let him die, ¡°Save him for the Demon Suppression Tower.¡±


    Having done all this, he turned his head to glance at the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, who was kneeling at the end of the street with the axe raised high, before withdrawing his gaze, looking contently at the two chains in his hand.


    He had just tried them out.


    Very handy.


    They were not some Spiritual Treasure, but rather a natural treasure. They had not been processed in any way, just taken and used as is, very hard and heavy. If he hadn¡¯t activated the Purple Entry ¡°Body Convert Technic¡± to enter a melee state, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to lift the chains at all, they were that heavy.


    And he could guess why the middle-aged man had such a strong natural treasure and hadn¡¯t forged it into a Spiritual Treasure but simply carried it around; the chains were just too hard to refine.


    They could only be used this way.


    ¨C


    ¡°Treasure Name¡±: Heavenly Chain.


    ¡°Acquisition Source¡±: Born of Heaven and Earth.


    ¡°Usage Effect¡±:


    1: Can be used to forge a Spiritual Treasure that¡¯s extremely suitable for Body Cultivation.


    ¨C


    Yes.


    These two chains have been like this since their emergence, not having been forged into this state in latter days.


    After pondering for a while, Chen Qiu suddenly thought of something.


    He tied the ends of the chains onto the calves of his Nascent Soul, then tried swinging them contently.


    Perfect.


    The strength of his Nascent Soul was definitely beyond that of the Heavenly Chain, as it wasn¡¯t the same Grade; he could feel the difference. However, the flaw of the Nascent Soul was its lightness, which lacked a solid feel and impact when swung.


    But these two chains were incredibly heavy on their own, and when swung, both the impact and the grip felt perfect.


    The combination formed the ideal weapon for him in a ¡°melee state,¡± nothing could be more fitting.


    As for the remaining subordinates of that middle-aged man, in the effort to come to his rescue, Chen Qiu had swung the chains and turned them into a blood mist.


    It must be said, although Body Cultivators are not as efficient as Magic Practitioners of the same strength in killing enemies, in terms of the sense of impact, Body Cultivators are certainly more outstanding.


    Meanwhile¡ª


    The ¡°Domain of Laws Decay¡± also slowly dissipated, and next to him, Fat Long considerately took out a chair from his bosom and placed it under Chen Qiu, who then promptly sat down and turned his head towards the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, who was kneeling on Green Stone Street, and waved at him.


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, seeing this, didn¡¯t dare hesitate a moment longer.


    He immediately raised the axe with both hands, still keeping his kneeling posture, and slowly moved toward Chen Qiu. After a few breaths, he had wriggled beside Chen Qiu, with a voice filled with fear and grievance, he whispered, ¡°Elder, I truly came to rescue you.¡±

 Chapter 627: 223:

    Chapter 627: Chapter 223: ¡°Arrogant and Despotic, Full of Bandit Air?¡±_2


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu lightly nodded his head, sizing up the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect before him, and after a long pause, he softly said, ¡°I remember you. You were blocking the entrance to the Heavenly Palace Gates a few days ago, saying if I came out to court death, you would grant me a swift end, otherwise, you would torment me until my Divine Soul perished.¡±


    ¡°Did you say that?¡±


    ¡°It was a misunderstanding!¡±


    The fear flashed deep in the eyes of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, and his voice was full of anxious explanations, ¡°I never wanted to go, but I couldn¡¯t withstand the threats from Young Master Qi, who forced me. He said if I didn¡¯t go, he would slaughter the entire Heavenly Axe Sect.¡±


    ¡°So I was forced to go. I really didn¡¯t want to take action against you, senior, because you are unaware¡­ we in the Heavenly Axe Sect are Buddhists; we do not kill.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded, his Divine Sense probing into the bundle of unrestricted Storage Rings handed over by the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect. After a moment of silence, he nodded and softly said, ¡°It seems you are a good person.¡±


    He then waved his hand dismissively.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you may leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and one more thing¡ª¡±


    Chen Qiu suddenly pulled out a Token of the Chao Tian Sect from his bosom and tossed it into the chest of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, ¡°This is a token from the Chao Tian Sect. If anyone bothers you in the future, show them this token.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, senior, thank you so much.¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master immediately heaved a sigh of relief, his eyes flashing with excitement as he respectfully picked up the token, ¡°I will definitely not cause any trouble for the Chao Tian Sect, senior, rest assured.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then got up and slowly retreated.


    This meant that everything was safe now; damn, that was frightening. Chen Qiu¡¯s power was far more terrifying than any of them had imagined. No, it was time to go into hiding. It was too dangerous!


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu slightly furrowed his brows, watching the fading figure of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master and waved his hand dismissively again.


    Fat Long quickly nodded to show that he understood and only when the Heavenly Axe Sect Master was about to leave Green Stone Street, he quickly followed him.


    ¡­


    ¡°Heavenly Axe Sect Master?¡±


    In a small alley of the Heavenly Hall, Fat Long looked meaningfully at the slightly pale-faced Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect.


    ¡°Did the senior have any orders?¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master cautiously looked at the plump man before him. Although this man was only at the stage of Divinity Transformation Cultivation, he still represented the senior, and naturally, he dared not underestimate him.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Fat Long paused for a while and then meaningfully said, ¡°Why do you think Brother Qiu gave you a token from the Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master hesitated for a long moment before hesitantly saying, ¡°Because my sincerity was substantial?¡±


    The token was equivalent to getting the recognition of the Chao Tian Sect. If other sects troubled them in the future, he could display this token, signifying that the Heavenly Axe Sect was under the protection of the Chao Tian Sect.


    Could there be any other use?


    But he definitely wouldn¡¯t use it because he did not want to trouble Chen Qiu and thus be despised by him. That kind of disdain was not the sort found in romantic relationships; it was the kind that could get someone killed!


    ¡°Because you are sensible.¡±


    Fat Long patted the shoulder of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master and grinned, ¡°Tell me, the Chao Tian Sect is new here, what do they need the most?¡±


    ¡°Territory?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Resources.¡±


    ¡°Right, and what¡¯s the quickest way to obtain resources?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Rob?¡± A spark of realization appeared in the eyes of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master.


    Without saying a word, Fat Long just chuckled and straightened the Sect Master¡¯s collar, ¡°The Chao Tian Sect, being a righteous sect, definitely won¡¯t rob other sects for resources. But if¡­ it¡¯s to stand up for a friend, then killing a few people is quite normal.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master suddenly understood and took a deep breath, his expression serious, ¡°Thank you for the reminder; I get it.¡±


    ¡°Elsewhere might not work, but this¡­ fits the bill!¡±


    Just then¡ª


    A brazen laugh suddenly echoed in the skies over the Heavenly Hall, as dozens of cranes transformed into streaks of Liu Guang shot across the sky towards the Heavenly Hall, and a monstrous and mighty Cultivation instantly enveloped the entire hall.


    ¡°Oh no¡­ this is bad!¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, his eyes filled with horror, looked towards the sky. Among those dozens of cranes, the leading crane had an elderly man in Daoist robes, holding a willow branch standing on it, and the brazen laugh was coming from this elder¡¯s mouth!


    Under this terrifying power,


    The legs of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master were trembling. He was at the Body Integration Realm!


    After breaking through the peak of Void Refining, one reaches the Body Integration Realm, but although it sounds simple, it is actually filled with immense difficulties.


    ¡°This is bad¡­¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master looked up at the group of cranes that were now flying over the Heavenly Hall, his voice trembling. ¡°After breaking through to the Body Integration Realm, one can learn a ¡®Killing Move,¡¯ also known as a Unification Killing Move!¡±


    ¡°Xuantian State only has two Body Integration Realm powerhouses, but when the senior was obtaining the Xuantian Throne, both were not in Xuantian State. I recognize this person; he is ¡®Taoist Bai He,¡¯ the Supreme Elder of the Bai Family in Xuantian State, originally at the peak of Void Refining, but I never expected he had already broken through to the Body Integration Realm.¡±


    ¡°Those cranes are the Spirit Beasts painstakingly raised by this Taoist Bai He.¡±


    ¡°The fluctuations in the Spiritual Energy around Taoist Bai He are not stable, indicating he must have just broken through.¡±


    ¡°Coming to the Heavenly Hall, he must be here to kill the senior!¡±


    ¡°Senior¡­ do you have a plan?¡±


    Who would have thought, Xuantian State would see the emergence of a third Body Integration Realm powerhouse? Though the senior was invincible as soon as he entered Void Refining, facing a Body Integration Realm powerhouse, that is truly helpless. Against a Unification Killing Move, all Void Refining are ants.

 Chapter 628: 223:

    Chapter 628: Chapter 223: ¡°Arrogant and Despotic, Full of Bandit Air?¡±_3


    Now he could only pin his hopes on the fact that Taoist Bai He had just broken through and hadn¡¯t mastered his killing move yet; otherwise, his senior was undoubtedly doomed.


    If it had been two hours earlier in the morning, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered to him whether his senior lived or died. In fact, he¡¯d have been relieved to finally be rid of his concerns.


    But¡­


    He¡¯d just managed to establish a good relationship with his senior, offering up almost all his family¡¯s wealth¡ª200,000 mid-grade spirit stones¡ªand even pilfered a bit from the sect¡¯s foundations. Just when he was about to secure support from such a powerful figure, if his senior died like this, wouldn¡¯t all his expenditures have been for nothing?


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it!¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, quickly coming back to his senses, grabbed Fat Long¡¯s sleeve and prepared to return the way they came, urgently saying, ¡°Quick, get the senior back to the Heavenly Hall. The shackles of the hall haven¡¯t disappeared. As long as he can return there, he¡¯ll be absolutely invincible, and we won¡¯t have to worry about this matter for at least ten days. Maybe there¡¯ll even be a chance for a turnaround.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Fat Long didn¡¯t panic; his expression was complex as he looked up at the elder stepping on the white crane.


    When that bald, shirtless man charged at them earlier, he was somewhat worried that Brother Qiu might get injured, but¡­ with a Body Integration Realm expert, he wasn¡¯t worried at all. Under the Merit Attack Order, the entire Xuantian State would be reduced to dust.


    Nothing would grow here.


    It was just a pity that so many treasures and rarities of heaven and earth would turn to ash.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The Heavenly Axe Sect Master was briefly stunned by Fat Long¡¯s reaction, and asked subconsciously, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you panicking?¡±


    ¡°Why panic,¡±


    Fat Long casually glanced at the Sect Master, ¡°Ants will be ants.¡±


    Ants¡­ ants?


    That was a Body Integration Realm expert, with a lifespan of ten thousand years! Any clan possessing such an expert almost certainly ensured that their lineage would carry on for ten thousand years!


    Even a loose cultivator!


    It signified a legend enduring for ten thousand years!


    Countless infants, from birth, would know of a protector in this world who had lived for thousands of years. What level of powerhouse was this that, in the mouth of Fat Long, became merely ¡°ants will be ants¡±¡­


    The Sect Master subconsciously looked up at the Body Integration Realm expert standing on the white crane above him. Could it be¡­ could it be that the senior could actually defeat this Body Integration Realm expert?


    ¡­


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    A bout of wild laughter echoed between heaven and earth.


    Taoist Bai He, who had flown up above the Heavenly Hall on the white crane, held a willow branch as he looked down at Chen Qiu standing on Green Stone Street, his eyes brimming with delight as he laughed loudly, ¡°Youth, why aren¡¯t you running? Scared? Since¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking,


    both he and Chen Qiu disappeared from their spots, leaving only several dozen white cranes flapping their wings and hovering in midair.


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh?¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taoist Bai He, forcibly pulled into this specially created small world, quickly understood its purpose, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes as he faced Chen Qiu opposite him.


    ¡°Interesting, a forced duel entry ability.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ what¡¯s the use?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that young friend believes he, in the early stages of Void Refining, can rival me in the Body Integration Realm?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in place without expression and shook his head, ¡°There was a pangolin who once told me something, it said¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking,


    his figure instantly vanished from the spot, permanently disappearing from the small world.


    At first,


    Taoist Bai He thought Chen Qiu had used some sort of invisibility technique, and when he couldn¡¯t find Chen Qiu even after releasing his divine sense, his expression gradually turned serious. But after his Unification Killing Move had cleansed the entire space of the small world, and he still hadn¡¯t found any trace of Chen Qiu, his face visibly contorted with a ghastly expression.


    Chen Qiu couldn¡¯t have escaped out using some method, could he?!


    But the rules of this small world were that one side had to die before the other could leave. If Chen Qiu had somehow escaped, then how on earth was he supposed to leave this small world?!


    ¡°Damn it, damn it!¡±


    ¡°To hell with this!!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    By this time, Chen Qiu, who had reappeared on Green Stone Street, breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head. Luckily, the old man was wordy; otherwise, it could have been slightly difficult to handle.


    Using the entry ¡®Deadly Battle,¡¯ he had dragged himself and the Body Integration elder into a small space to duel. But since he was the King of Xuantian, unable to enter any small world or the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm,


    this resulted¡­


    in the entry ¡®Deadly Battle¡¯ turning into ¡®Permanent Exile¡¯ in his hands.


    Anyone who couldn¡¯t instantly kill him would be permanently exiled to a small world by him, unless they had the power to break the heavenly rules, or if Chen Qiu himself suddenly died.


    Otherwise, the rest of their lives would be spent in that unknown small world.


    But there was a drawback.


    After entering the small world, one wouldn¡¯t be ejected immediately; there was a delay of about two or three breaths. If the Body Integration elder had attacked during that time, there might have been some chance, or it might have forced him to use a Merit Defense Order.


    Instead¡ª


    the valuable two or three breaths were spent by the elder on taunting!


    Yes, he could understand that you¡¯ve just broken through to the Unification Realm and discovered that the entire Xuantian State has a grand opportunity waiting for you. You¡¯re excited, happy, and now you can spend your time in joy in this small world.


    This taught him a lesson.


    In the future, even if he wanted to boast, he¡¯d do it after securing the victory. Otherwise, it was very easy to end up like now, overturning the situation.

 Chapter 629: 223:

    Chapter 629: Chapter 223: ¡°Arrogant and Despotic, Full of Bandit Air?¡±_4


    Afterward, he glanced at the still nervous Ao Tian and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s okay now, let¡¯s go and continue our stroll.¡±


    ¡°Right, Scholar, go find Fat Long and tell the Heavenly Axe Sect Master that I need detailed intelligence on the Xuantian State, any information will do, especially about the Body Integration Realm experts, keep a close eye on that.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The scholar nodded solemnly and immediately turned into a streak of light, shooting away.


    After finishing all this, Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow and continued walking down Green Stone Street with his Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to see if there were any Heavenly Dao Buildings with special effects.


    If possible.


    He planned to exile all the strong individuals from Xuantian State with his ¡®Permanent Exile¡¯ ability while he had it. Unfortunately, the shackles of the twelve states of the Vast Continent had not yet disappeared. Otherwise, he could have given all the strong individuals on the Vast Continent an unprecedented, splendid experience.


    This ability was limited in time.


    To be accurate, it was not his ability, but a loophole produced by the collision of his ¡°Deadly Battle¡± entry with the rules of heaven and earth.


    When all the thrones of the twelve states were obtained and occupied for over a year,


    The shackles between the states would disappear, and the struggle for the Unique King would begin. At that moment, there would be no restrictions like those preventing him from entering the small world or the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. Then, this special ability would also vanish.


    That is to say¡­


    It was nearly impossible for him to use the ¡®Permanent Exile¡¯ ability to exile the strong individuals from other states, as the very moment the state shackles were removed was when his ability ceased to exist.


    ¡°It¡¯s rather a pity.¡±


    Chen Qiu shook his head regretfully. Unless he had some way to smuggle himself out, which was nearly impossible, the Imperial Decree clearly prohibited using any means to leave one¡¯s own state.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master stood incredulously on the ground for a long time before looking up at the sky, which only contained a white crane, and murmured, ¡°Where is Taoist Bai He?¡±


    ¡°Good question.¡±


    Fat Long nodded emotionlessly, probably guessing the answer. He was likely permanently exiled just like Qi Gongzi, but who would have thought that even a Body Integration Realm expert could be exiled?


    Just then¡ª


    The scholar arrived, bringing with him Chen Qiu¡¯s command.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The voice of the Heavenly Axe Sect Master trembled slightly as he stood straight and said, ¡°I will ensure the task is completed.¡±


    Only then did he turn and walk somewhat soullessly towards the external complexes of the Heavenly Hall; he felt this world must have gone mad, otherwise how could a person who had just broken through the initial stage of Void Refining possibly kill a Body Integration Realm expert?


    How could he!!!


    Just as he was about to leave the Heavenly Hall, he clenched his teeth and turned back towards the hall!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡ª


    Inside the Heavenly Hall, at the ¡°Heart Demon Removal Hall,¡± Ling Yue, who had just removed the Heart Demons of all Chao Tian Sect disciples, stood at the door of the wooden hut, looking at the people in front of her as she weakly said, ¡°Congratulations, you are now employed.¡±


    Although she was physically exhausted, there was still a hint of joy in her voice, meaning she was finally relieved.


    The people in front of her were also from her hometown,


    None other than.


    The old Void Refining ancestor of Xuantian Sect, the Master of Xuantian Sect, and a group of elders.


    However¡­ it was not the old ancestor who was employed, but the Master of Xuantian Sect.


    ¡°Sect Master.¡±


    A few elders from Xuantian Sect looked unwillingly at the Master of Xuantian Sect, trying their best to retain him by saying, ¡°The old ancestor has already given up, why do you insist on taking the job?¡±


    Originally, they had come to help the old ancestor take the job.


    The old ancestor was also very determined at first and had already chosen a position for himself, specifically that of a ¡®Heart Demon Removal Master,¡¯ but as he was about to apply for the job, Chen Qiu¡¯s Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation suddenly enveloped the entire Heavenly Hall.


    Everyone ran away.


    They were naturally no exception.


    And the old ancestor, who was originally determined to take the job, suddenly felt that with so many Heavenly Prides in the world and anomalies like Chen Qiu also existing, how could he live a life unnoticed and continue seeking opportunities for breakthroughs.


    Quite good.


    But the Master of Xuantian Sect, the man who was determined to rebuild Xuantian Sect on the Vast Continent, upon witnessing Chen Qiu survive the Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation and slay dozens in the initial stages of Void Refining, had his entire belief system shattered.


    ¡°No need to say more.¡±


    The Master of Xuantian Sect, with a face full of sorrow, shook his head: ¡°I have made up my mind. Remember to bring the Holy Daughter with you; she too has struggled hard for the past hundred years. I, myself, consider a Heavenly Pride, young and yet I advanced to the Peak of Divinity Transformation before a thousand years old!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I simply cannot accept living in the same era as Chen Qiu. As long as he lives, we others might as well not even be stars that set off the sun. I can¡¯t find the meaning of my existence.¡±


    ¡°Chen Qiu steps into Void Refining and can slay dozens at Void Refining.¡±


    ¡°And me?¡±


    ¡°A poor life, not even fully confident of surviving that Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation!¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I am determined to seclude myself here for a hundred years. After a hundred years when I come out, Chen Qiu will surely have broken through the void by then. Sharing an era with such a person is my misfortune.¡±


    ¡°Do not say more.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet again in a hundred years.¡±


    Farewell.


    The Master of Xuantian Sect did not hesitate at all; he immediately lifted the curtain and entered the wooden hut, while the several elders of Xuantian Sect along with the old Void Refining ancestor looked at each other, seeing the sorrow in each other¡¯s eyes¡ªthe Sect Master¡­ was gone!

 Chapter 630: 223:

    Chapter 630: Chapter 223: ¡°Arrogant and Despotic, Full of Bandit Air?¡±_5


    What¡¯s happening here?


    Without further discussion, they swiftly left the Heavenly Hall with the Xuantian Sect Saintess they happened to meet. They didn¡¯t expect that the Xuantian Sect Saintess, who had disappeared during the Heavenly Repair a century ago, had been in the Hall of the Vast Continent all along, serving as a Heart Demon Removal Master.


    Not long after these people had left,


    a somewhat distraught middle-aged man walked up to the cabin, lost in thought.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Inside the cabin of the Heart Demon Removal Hall, the Master of Xuantian Sect looked towards the cramped cabin with a complex expression. The moment he stepped inside, he felt that he had somehow signed a contract with the Heavenly Dao.


    One hundred years of employment.


    These hundred years wouldn¡¯t consume his lifespan; it was like being gifted a hundred years, and after these hundred years, he would be granted fifty thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones all at once.


    He wasn¡¯t particularly concerned about these fifty thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    After all, he hadn¡¯t come for the Spirit Stones; he simply couldn¡¯t stand living in the same era as Chen Qiu anymore. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t understand what it felt like to be in the same era as Chen Qiu.


    It was being utterly crushed from start to finish, a sheer cliff-like crushing!


    If he were just an ordinary person, that would be one thing, but he wasn¡¯t. He was a Heavenly Pride, a Peak of Divinity Transformation powerhouse in the Xuantian Continent, and the master of a top-tier power. He had his own pride, his own dignity!


    He couldn¡¯t stand being completely crushed by one person!


    Chen Qiu had indeed become his Heart Demon.


    Even if he didn¡¯t take up this job, hearing about Chen Qiu from time to time in the future would make him distraught. He needed to isolate himself in an environment completely unrelated to Chen Qiu, and this little cabin was a perfect choice.


    In this way, after a hundred years, not only could he live without losing any lifespan, but he could also welcome an era without Chen Qiu.


    This was his perfect life.


    Just then¡ª


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the cabin. The Master of Xuantian Sect quickly sat behind a table with a veil, ready to earnestly attend to his first visitor. He had thought that there would be no one in the Heavenly Hall today, but unexpectedly, there was a visitor.


    Soon


    a distraught man walked into the cabin, deftly took a seat, and began to speak.


    ¡°I am a sect master of a sect.¡±


    ¡°From childhood, everyone said I was a Heavenly Pride, saying I was naturally suited for Body Refining. Later, I happened to come across a Divine-level entry related to Body Cultivation, and thereafter, even more people started calling me a Heavenly Pride.¡±


    ¡°I slaughtered all over in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, and I created the ¡®Fourth Axe,¡¯ stunning everyone in Xuantian State.¡±


    ¡°I went to the Netherworld and seized countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures to forge this supreme treasure in my hand, the ¡®Heaven Slaying Axe.¡¯ Countless people in Xuantian State imitated my Heaven Slaying Axe to create Spiritual Treasures. My Heaven Slaying Axe is also recognized by everyone as the treasure of Body Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°I also gradually became a Void Refining Peak powerhouse and became the master of one of the strongest sects in Xuantian State!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is it that I have always been first, always far ahead, but then I met someone who could crush me completely in all aspects? I feel like I might have developed a Heart Demon. I can¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Why is this happening?¡±


    ¡°I clearly¡­¡±


    Just then, the distraught man suddenly froze, looked up at the Heart Demon Removal Master behind the table, who now had red-rimmed eyes and seemed a bit off emotionally, ¡°What¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    It was then he realized the Heart Demon Removal Master had changed; it wasn¡¯t the same young girl anymore.


    The Master of Xuantian Sect, his eyes red-rimmed, voice trembling, said, ¡°Is the person you mentioned named Chen Qiu?¡±


    ¡°Is it that easy to guess?¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    As soon as the words fell, the Master of Xuantian Sect immediately burst into tears, his eyes red, ¡°I¡¯m from the same hometown as Chen Qiu in the Xuantian Continent, let me tell you, I was also a renowned Heavenly Pride back on the Xuantian Continent!¡±


    ¡°I was born in the state with the richest Spiritual Energy, I had the best resources. All along, I almost got calluses in my ears from always hearing the words Heavenly Pride. But then one day, an Imperial Decree of the Heavenly Dao informed everyone on the Xuantian Continent that someone had stepped into Nascent Soul with a twelfth-grade Nascent Soul.¡±


    ¡°After that, my doom began¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I clearly isolated myself from the world¡­¡±


    ¡°But that Chen Qiu¡­ Twelve-grade Divinity Domain¡­ Annihilation Thunder Tribulation¡­¡±


    ¡°Why that Chen Qiu¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Hundreds of breaths later.


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, somewhat ruefully, embraced the Xuantian Sect Master who had rushed into his arms, ¡°It turns out you were also a master of a top-tier force in the Xuantian Continent, stop crying, stop crying, it¡¯s all over now.¡±


    ¡°Our paths are indeed quite similar.¡±


    At that moment, the suddenly enlightened Master of Xuantian Sect, quickly sat up in his chair, his eyes showing a flash of shame as his voice became hoarse, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making a fool of myself before you. Let me think¡­ how I should affirm you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t seem to find a reason to affirm you, and if I could find a reason, I wouldn¡¯t have come here myself. I came here because I couldn¡¯t find a reason to affirm myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master placed a Storage Bag at the corner of the table, ¡°I feel much better about my Heart Demon, especially after hearing everything you said.¡±


    ¡°Until we meet again.¡±


    ¡°I will come to visit you whenever I have time.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As he lifted the curtain and stepped out of the cabin, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master felt refreshed, his hands on his hips as he looked up into the sky, feeling extremely uplifted. This was truly a Divine Doctor!


    Before coming here, he felt his self-esteem had been severely damaged, being a Heavenly Pride always seemed somewhat insignificant in front of Chen Qiu!

 Chapter 631 223:

    But... after talking.


    He felt much better.


    On this journey, there had been many Heavenly Pride crushed by Chen Qiu, not just one, and now he was in a cooperative relationship with Chen Qiu who quite admired him. This compared to other Heavenly Pride, especially the Sect Master of Xuantian Sect, was much better.


    The gloominess in his heart vanished instantly.


    Then, with a content smirk, he stretched his body before transforming into Liu Guang and darting towards the distance, thinking about today''s earnings from the spirit stone flower, "This Heart Demon Removal Master, you must admit, is quite adept at tailoring the remedy to the ailment."


    Professional!


    ...


    Xuantian State, Bai Family.


    In a courtyard at the summit of a mountain, all the descendants of this family were excitedly waiting with clasped hands for the sound of the Heavenly Dao Decree from the sky, announcing to the world that the Taoist Bai He, an elder of their family, had seized the Xuantian Throne.


    But for some reason...


    The Heavenly Dao Decree was slow to sound.


    "Master."


    A middle-aged woman, somewhat anxious, paced back and forth in the family shrine before raising her head to look at the Family Head who sat in the master''s chair, saying urgently, "The elder has been gone for three hours, why is there no sign at all?"


    "Logically speaking."


    "The elder, being a cultivator in the Body Integration Realm, should not need three hours to kill someone in the early stages of Void Refining, right?"


    "What''s the rush?"


    Sitting in the master''s chair in the family shrine, a middle-aged man clad in fur, smoking a dry pipe, dismissively said, "What would a woman know? The elder has already broken through to the Body Integration Realm; killing someone in the early stages of Void Refining is easy, what could possibly go wrong?"


    "The elder must have his reasons."


    "Besides, look here¡ª"


    The man pointed with his dry pipe towards the "Life Plate" placed on a nearby altar, "Isn''t the elder''s Life Plate still intact? What could possibly happen to him?"


    "Really, such an impatient woman."


    "Moreover, you''re merely at the Golden Core Stage, both the initial Void Refining and Body Integration stages are as unfathomable to you as they are distant. You simply can''t comprehend what the Body Integration Realm signifies to those in the Void Refining stage."


    "Just wait calmly for the Imperial Decree to sound, declaring to all of ''Xuantian State'' that the Bai Family elder has seized the throne of the King of Xuantian!"


    "Hmph!"


    "This grand opportunity has come to the Bai family, barring any mishaps, the family will certainly flourish for at least another ten thousand years!"


    ...


    At this time¡ª


    In a separately created small space on the vast Continent,


    the disheveled Master Qi, with a dazed expression and depleted of spiritual energy, slumped to the ground. He had been trapped in this small space for three hours already!


    By now.


    He had fully understood the situation.


    He might... be permanently trapped in this small world, never able to leave again, as the rules of this small world dictated that between him and Chen Qiu, only when one died could the other leave.


    But Chen Qiu had somehow left earlier, meaning he could never kill him, and was trapped here forever.


    Unless... unless Chen Qiu died, then perhaps he could leave.


    Thinking this.


    The originally disheartened Master Qi suddenly sat up, a flicker of hope in his eyes. Yes, once the state''s constraints disappeared and his family learned of today''s events, they would surely seek revenge for him.


    At that time, with the intervention of the Body Integration Realm practitioners from his family, Chen Qiu would surely be annihilated, and he could then leave this small world.


    With this thought, Master Qi''s hope was renewed. He pulled a Charcoal Stone from his pocket and walked to a corner of the small world, squatted on the ground with a stern and vindictive face, and forcefully scratched a line into the ground.


    Representing one.


    He had inwardly decided to mark each day of his imprisonment here.


    Once he got out, he would kill one of Chen Qiu''s friends or relatives for every mark here; once his friends and relatives were gone, he would kill those sharing his surname!


    That was the only way to quench his raging heart!


    He had already tried; this small world was not something he could shatter. What prevented him from leaving wasn''t the world itself, but the cosmic laws, and with his cultivation, how could he possibly shatter cosmic laws!


    Let alone at the Void Refining stage, even in the Body Integration Realm, it was absolutely impossible to break cosmic laws.


    This meant, he could only wait next.


    Master Qi sat cross-legged on the ground, a flash of fiercity in his eyes, his heart already secretly looking forward to what would happen once he got out.


    ...


    In many situations, people might think alike.


    For example... in another unknown small world. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The grim-faced ''Taoist Bai He'', squatting in a corner of the small world, similarly pulled out a Charcoal Stone from his robe, similarly scratched a line in the corner with tense fingertips.


    He needed to remember how many days he had been trapped here, so after getting out, he could pulverize Chen Qiu''s bones into dust that many times!


    He had already experimented.


    With his own strength, he would never be able, nor was it nearly possible, to leave this prison; all he could do was patiently wait... wait for the day Chen Qiu died at the hands of someone he shouldn''t have provoked.


    He didn''t believe Chen Qiu could live forever!


    Given Chen Qiu''s arrogant nature, he would surely provoke someone he shouldn''t in the future.


    He had a full six thousand years left to live!


    He could wait!


    He just didn''t believe that Chen Qiu could live peaceably for six thousand years!


    ...


    At this moment, in Xuantian State, inside the Heavenly Hall.


    Chen Qiu and others were sitting in a tea house, looking at yesterday''s issue of the Xuantian Daily in his hand; at that time he hadn''t broken through the Void Refining yet. The newspaper described him as arrogant and unruly, utterly disregarding the rules, filled with banditry, a minion of evil demons.


    "..."


    Chen Qiu sipped lightly at the cool tea in his hand, then threw down the newspaper on the table, turning his head to look out the window at the hovering white crane, and said casually.


    "Arrogant and unruly, filled with banditry?"


    "It''s truly regrettable. I distinctly remember that I am quite ethical. Go and find out which power publishes this Xuantian Daily; I should pay them a visit one of these days."


    "Oh yes¡ª"


    "Catch that white crane and bring it here; we''re roasting it for dinner tonight."

 Chapter 632: 224: One is

    Chapter 632: Chapter 224: One is ¡°Chao Tian Sect,¡± the other is different.


    Soon¡ª


    Night fell, and in the vast Heavenly Hall, dotted with countless buildings, there were still only a few people around. Everyone was still watching and waiting; they wouldn¡¯t easily step into the Heavenly Hall without being sure of the situation, and there was no rush in these few days.


    Why do cultivators have such long lifespans?


    It¡¯s not really to let you thoroughly enjoy so much life.


    It¡¯s so you can have the patience to wait a few more days when facing events.


    To put it bluntly,


    as long as you¡¯re not at the end of your life and you have Void Refining Cultivation, that means you have a lifespan of five thousand years. Even if you only encounter an opportunity once every hundred years, you can still come across it fifty times.


    What¡¯s the rush?


    And in most cases, just one opportunity is enough to change your life. Opportunities and such don¡¯t really matter; as long as you live long enough, what opportunities won¡¯t you encounter? Staying alive is the most important thing.


    Therefore, many high-level cultivators often act quite cautiously, except for a certain type like ¡°Kui Shisan¡±, who, having never been defeated, is quite confident in himself. Most people are still pretty cautious.


    Under the night sky.


    The stars twinkled above the Heavenly Hall, where the people from Chao Tian Sect were sitting on the roof of a tavern, drinking wine and eating cranes, clinking glasses and enjoying themselves¡ªso lively. The crane meat was personally cooked by the tavern¡¯s chef, and the taste was genuinely good.


    Whether it was blanched or stir-fried, each had its own unique flavor.


    This tavern¡¯s chef, it is said, had been employed here for eight hundred years, having signed a thousand-year employment contract from the start.


    ¡°I say,¡±


    At this time, Chen Qiu, sitting on the roof of the tavern, holding a cup of clear wine, turned his head to look at the burly man with a full face of fat, dressed in a chef¡¯s gown, and chuckled, ¡°Your cooking is really good, but working continuously for eight hundred years without a break, how have you persisted?¡±


    He invited him into the conversation.


    If it were him being asked to cook in this place for eight hundred years, without being able to leave the Heavenly Hall, he would go mad.


    Although meditating in seclusion for eight hundred years seems long, if you have enough resources and nothing in the outside world disturbs your emotions, those eight hundred years would pass in the blink of an eye. After all, when immersed in cultivation, your perception of the passage of time greatly weakens.


    But living a normal life for eight hundred years, that would be extremely long. However, if you don¡¯t encounter anything too tough, you could still experience all the sceneries of the human world.


    It¡¯s just¡­


    Staying in one place, doing the same thing for eight hundred years, it¡¯s like being in prison, especially doing something that offers no positive feedback.


    ¡°If it were about persistence, I certainly couldn¡¯t do it,¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    the burly man with a face full of fat wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a naive smile, ¡°I¡¯ve never been very ambitious since I was a kid. I just liked to cook, to make all kinds of delicacies, to handle all kinds of ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Especially when customers say my food tastes good, I feel happy.¡±


    ¡°Staying in the Heavenly Hall is safe, protected by the laws of heaven and earth, and it doesn¡¯t consume lifespan either. I can continue pursuing what I like to do; this place really suits me.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Chen Qiu looked at the burly man before him with a complex expression, and after a moment, suddenly chuckled, ¡°Then you really do love cooking.¡±


    His reason for asking this.


    It was because he just used the entry ¡°Time will come,¡± consuming 100,000 points of merit to check the chef¡¯s entries. He initially wanted to see if this chef¡¯s delicious cooking was due to some special entry that could enhance his culinary skills.


    But then¡­


    He saw a Purple Entry.


    ¨C


    ¡°Entry Name¡±: Ten Layers of Spellcasting.


    ¡°Entry Level¡±: Purple.


    ¡°Entry Effect¡±: When you cast any spell, it will be cast ten more times without any consumption.


    ¨C


    This chef actually possessed this Purple ¡°Ten Layers of Spellcasting¡± entry. On his journey, he seemed to have only seen one person with this entry, and he hadn¡¯t seen any Magic Practitioner with it.


    This is a top-tier entry for Magic Practitioners.


    Even beyond that, Sword Cultivators, Evil Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, and the like could all use it.


    It¡¯s a top-level Attack Method entry.


    No matter what your primary Attack Method is, as long as you use spells, this entry would greatly enhance your combat power.


    So when he saw a chef with this entry, he was quite astonished and specifically invited him to dine with them. The disparity was like seeing a Magic Practitioner with a top-tier Sword Cultivator entry.


    Heaven itself had decided you were cut out to be a Magic Practitioner, yet you¡¯re hell-bent on being a chef.


    Such a waste of talent.


    Although he was somewhat shocked, he could understand. After all, everyone has a different path they wish to take. Some people are dead set on being a chef, and you might give them a Seven-colored entry, but they might still want to be a chef.


    Of course¡­


    This assertion remains to be proven. When he breaks through to become an Immortal Emperor and has an extra Seven-colored Jade Scroll, he¡¯ll come back to see if this person is really so steadfast in the path of a chef.


    ¡­


    The night enveloped the entire Xuantian State.


    At this time, even though Xuantian State had entered nightfall, many people were still extremely busy, especially¡­ ¡°Beiling Sect.¡± At this moment, everyone at the Mountain Gate of Beiling Sect was running about in a frenzied rush.


    Beiling Sect is a top force in Xuantian State, albeit a neutral one.


    What¡¯s called a neutral force can roughly be understood as not competing with other top forces for opportunities, only with other less influential sects.


    The principle of this sect is,


    Rather than risking much for the possibility of maximum gain, better to take little risk for a moderate profit.

 Chapter 633: 224: One is

    Chapter 633: Chapter 224: One is ¡°Chao Tian Sect,¡± the other is different. _2


    In layman¡¯s terms,


    it means they never provoke forces that are on the same level as their own. They only bully those whose power is inferior and lack a significant background. However, precisely because they do not come into conflict with other top forces, they have become an exceptional, neutral power.


    The ¡°Xuantian Daily¡± is published by this sect.


    At this moment, the Beiling Sect Master is personally on the front lines, writing the manuscript for tomorrow morning¡¯s newspaper.


    ¡°I hope everything is fine.¡±


    The Beiling Sect Master¡¯s face looks slightly grim as he quickly writes with a brush on the rice paper. He originally criticized Chen Qiu simply because he thought Chen Qiu was as good as dead.


    After all, a Peak of Divinity Transformation, especially one who climbed up from a lower-lying continent, being blocked by so many Void Refining at the entrance to the Heavenly Palace, it wasn¡¯t just him¡ªeveryone thought Chen Qiu was doomed to die.


    But who would have known, Chen Qiu triggered the ¡°Ninety-Nine Void Refining Tribulations¡± and successfully broke through to the first level of Void Refining!


    Then, with the early stage cultivation of Void Refining, he suppressed dozens of Void Refiners, including several at the Peak of Void Refining. Now, the situation seemed problematic¡ªthe strongest of their ¡°Beiling Sect¡± was no more than a Void Refining Peak.


    What if Chen Qiu saw the newspaper? Wouldn¡¯t their sect be annihilated?


    Chen Qiu sure didn¡¯t seem like a kindly gentleman.


    So he quickly came up with a remedial plan!


    First, he found a newly admitted servant Disciple outside the sect, promoted him to an Inner Sect Disciple overnight, and then imprisoned him in the back mountain. If Chen Qiu really came looking for them one day, they could put this disciple out front, claiming that the previous reports were all handled by this Inner Sect Disciple.


    They were completely unaware of this matter. The Xuantian Daily business line had always been in charge of this Inner Sect Disciple.


    The second remedy was, of course, to write a new draft overnight, lavishing praise upon Chen Qiu.


    It had been a long time since he had personally written for the newspaper. These matters had always been taken care of by the sect¡¯s elders. He just had to give his daily comments, but this time the situation was quite serious and he did not quite trust others to handle it, so he had to write it himself.


    Just then¡ª


    The study door was suddenly pushed open, and a disciple hurriedly entered, saying, ¡°The ancestor of the Bai Family, ¡®Taoist Bai He¡¯, who broke through to the Body Integration Realm, has gone missing during a fight with Chen Qiu, and there has been no sign of him since.¡±


    ¡°Although the Bai Family¡¯s Life Plate shows there¡¯s no danger to the old ancestor¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°However, according to what the Heavenly Axe Sect Master has revealed to the public, Taoist Bai He has been utterly killed by Chen Qiu. Even if not dead, he was definitely imprisoned permanently somewhere, and the cranes he had meticulously cared for were caught and eaten by Chen Qiu and his group.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a ninety percent chance Taoist Bai He is done for.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Beiling Sect Master, who was writing intensely, paused for a moment without expression before looking up at the disciple who had come to report and hoarsely said, ¡°A first-layer Void Refiner, who has just broken through, not only can suppress dozens of Void Refiners but can also permanently imprison a Body Integration Realm powerhouse?¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ at least that¡¯s the intelligence we have now.¡±


    After a long silence, the Beiling Sect Master sighed, crumpled up the nearly finished rice paper on the table, threw it to the side on the floor, and then gestured for the disciple to leave. He was preparing to draft a new version.


    It wasn¡¯t just a matter of adding this event to the ¡°Xuantian Daily¡± and calling it done.


    The space allotted to each event needed to be revised, especially since this matter should be the highlight.


    Of course, the most important thing was, the adjectives used to praise Chen Qiu needed to be replaced.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    This disciple, who had come to report, glanced at the dozens of crumpled rice papers in the room, then bowed and carefully retreated.


    ¡­


    In Xuantian State, ¡°Handsome City.¡±


    This was a city in Xuantian State that was not considered very prominent or conspicuous. The city had not produced any Heavenly Prides, nor was it within the territory of any top forces. It had no particular Secret Realm of the Heavenly Dao nearby, nor any special mines or the like.


    Its only feature might be its beautiful scenery, which was nurturing.


    Especially nurturing for men.


    The men of this city, one and all, had watery eyes, skin delicate enough to burst from a puff, and their appearance mainly handsome and delicate¡ªa rare contrast to the men from other cities.


    At this moment¡ª


    In the city, an elderly man with white beard and red hair sat in the Liu Family Patriarch¡¯s chair, looking grimly at several burly men standing inside the ancestral hall!


    He was the Liu Family Patriarch.


    His ancestor was an elder of the Chao Tian Sect and had left behind a token and a will. The will stated if they encountered a disciple of the Chao Tian Sect, they could seek help from the sect with this token.


    Their Liu Family was facing a crisis these days.


    So when he heard that the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect from the Xuantian Continent was an exceptionally evil genius, he was extremely excited, looking forward to this Sect Master¡¯s arrival, hoping to use the relationship between his ancestors and the Chao Tian Sect to seek rescue from peril.


    Everything had been well-planned.


    The elder token of the Chao Tian Sect they held was a strong karmic object connected to the Sect Master, so if the Sect Master came to the Vast Continent, he would definitely appear nearby.


    But who knew¡ª


    The Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect went directly to the Heavenly Palace, initiated the struggle for the twelve thrones of the Vast Continent, took the lead in seizing the Xuantian Throne, and then began to be blocked by numerous top powerhouses with Peak Void Refining cultivation at the entrance to the Heavenly Palace.

 Chapter 634 224: One is

    It had come to an inescapable deathtrap.


    But who would have known... After Chen Qiu had broken through to the Void Refining Cultivation, with his strength alone, he once again slaughtered dozens of Void Refiners, suppressing all the peak Void Refining experts on the spot, stunning the entire Xuantian State!


    Very powerful.


    But, he couldn''t get in touch with Chen Qiu!


    "...sigh!"


    The elderly man with a face full of white beard and red hair, his face ugly with anger, stared at the forcefully intruding burly men: "Do you from Tai City''s Zhang Family really have to start a war with our Liu Family of Handsome City?"


    "What are you talking about,"


    Standing inside the Liu Family Ancestral Hall, several burly men said with a carefree smirk, "We are here to propose marriage, not to start a war. The ancestor of our Zhang Family truly adores Miss Liu very much. Please, Family Head Liu, do not hinder your daughter''s chance at happiness anymore."


    "To speak unpleasantly, not every woman is fortunate enough to become the concubine of a Void Refining expert."


    "But I must remind you of something."


    "Our Zhang Family''s ancestor merely hopes that Miss Liu genuinely accepts him, which is why we have been constantly bringing substantial gifts to propose marriage, otherwise if our Void Refining ancestor personally takes action, can your Liu Family withstand it?"


    "After all, the outcome is already inevitable, you can choose the process yourself."


    "If all else fails, a ghost marriage is also possible."


    The burly men looked at each other and burst into laughter, their words showing utter disregard for the Liu Family.


    "Impudence!"


    The elderly man with the white beard and red hair, his face flushed with anger, slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, but he dared not utter too harsh words. He had to admit, the strongest in their Liu Family was him, in the Late-stage Divinity Transformation, while the ancestor from Tai City''s Zhang Family had just broke through to the first layer of Void Refining.


    In terms of strength, they definitely were no match for the Zhang Family.


    However, he also knew that what the Zhang Family said was not wrong, the outcome was indeed inevitable. The only difference was choosing the process, but how could he possibly send his daughter into such a den of thieves!


    If things really reached an uncontrollable point,


    He would rather kill his daughter first, then lead all his clan members to fight to the death with the Zhang Family rather than let his daughter be dishonored by these beasts!


    Subsequently, he took a deep breath, deciding to try a desperate remedy, his expression grim as he pulled out a token from his bosom and held it up, "Have you ever heard of Chao Tian Sect? Our Liu Family is under the protection of Chao Tian Sect! Your brazen provocation here at the Liu Family, aren''t you afraid of bringing disaster upon yourselves?"


    He also felt somewhat unsure.


    But now, with the reputation of Chao Tian Sect being so prominent, he could only put on a brave face and try, as he had never tested whether the current Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect recognized this token. Carelessly showing it now could potentially lead the Liu Family into even more dangerous affairs.


    But the Liu Family had already reached such a pass, soon to be driven into a battle where the entire clan would fight to the death, so they no longer cared about these things.


    If it could intimidate them, best; whatever happened thereafter, they would weather through, but if it did not scare them... then they only had the option to fight to the death!


    As soon as he finished speaking.


    The disciples from Tai City''s Zhang Family, who had been laughing boisterously inside the Liu Family Ancestral Hall, instantly froze their laughter. They stared at the Chao Tian Sect token in the hands of Family Head Liu, their bodies rigid on the spot, their eyes filled with disbelief.


    Chao Tian Sect?


    How could they possibly not have heard of Chao Tian Sect? Just in half a day, the news of Sect Master Chen Qiu slaughtering countless Void Refiners with the power of one day had already spread to many ears. Ordinary people might not be fully aware, and their news channels were slower, but these individuals had already received the news the first time.


    Their ancestor was still sighing today, stating that the peak of Void Refining was a cultivation realm he might never step into in his lifetime. Suddenly, several had died at once, lamenting that the path of cultivation was such that no one knew when they would die or whose hand they would die by.


    Even if their cultivation was high, they could still perish in the wilderness due to one wrong decision. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If the Liu Family really was under the protection of Chao Tian Sect, then they indeed dared not provoke the Liu Family. Furthermore, they would have to treat the Liu Family with utmost respect as distinguished guests, or else the calamity of extermination might descend upon them in an instant!


    At once¡ª


    These disciples of Tai City''s Zhang Family, their expressions slightly changed, they pulled out Memory Stones from their bosoms, and recorded all angles of the Chao Tian Sect token held by the Liu Family Patriarch. Only then did they apologize respectfully and leave.


    They needed to go back and verify the authenticity of this Chao Tian Sect token.


    But... the likelihood of it being fake was minute. After all, in the Cultivation World, there was an unspoken rule that rashly forging the tokens of other forces to bluff and deceive carried the risk of a grudge over reputation. Once this news got out,


    They wouldn''t need to take any action themselves, as Chao Tian Sect would personally seek out and annihilate the Liu Family completely.


    ...


    "A token of Chao Tian Sect?"


    In Tai City, within the Zhang Family.


    The Zhang Family''s ancestor, who was sitting in the backyard, played with the Memory Stone in his hand, his expression uncertain. To be honest, he could not distinguish its authenticity since he had never seen a Chao Tian Sect token before.


    But one thing he knew:


    Typically, top-tier forces all had sect tokens, which, although varied in style and material, had one common aspect: these sect tokens bore only the name of the sect.


    They didn''t carry any inscriptions like ''Outer Sect Disciple'' or ''Inner Sect Disciple''.


    Such sect tokens generally indicated that an entity or individual was protected by that sect.


    However,


    On this Memory Stone, the token bore the words ''elder'' indicating that it was undoubtedly an elder token of Chao Tian Sect. What a joke, how could a Chao Tian Sect elder token be out in circulation, unless you had killed a Chao Tian Sect elder.

 Chapter 635: 224: One is

    Chapter 635: Chapter 224: One is ¡°Chao Tian Sect,¡± the other is different._4


    He was almost certain it was fake.


    After all, the Chao Tian Sect originated from the Xuantian Continent and had always been in the Heavenly Hall. They had never been to ¡°Handsome City¡± and couldn¡¯t possibly have any interaction with the Liu Family. Neither the time nor the place matched up.


    But¡­ it¡¯s not the myriad of possibilities one fears, but the one in a million chance!


    Even if logically there didn¡¯t seem to be any issues, what if the Token was real? If the Chao Tian Sect got wind of this, their Zhang Family in Tai City would face the danger of annihilation.


    Without any hesitation, the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor immediately gave a few instructions not to provoke unnecessary trouble today and transformed into a streak of light, shooting off into the distance. He was set to personally verify the authenticity of the Token.


    He had plenty of life left, well over a thousand years, so there was no rush over these few days.


    ¡­


    Two hours later.


    The Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor, after rushing all night at full speed, finally arrived in ¡°Duoduo City,¡± the nearest city to the Heavenly Palace, which was under the dominion of the Heavenly Axe Sect. Long ago, he had a close friend who now owned a shop in Duoduo City.


    It was said he owned many, and had already amassed a vast fortune.


    He had come to seek help, to see if his old friend could discern the authenticity of this Token. Being closer to the Heavenly Palace, this friend could access the most timely news and was better equipped to judge the matter than he was.


    Soon¡ª


    He located a ¡°Thorny Shop¡± in the market district of Duoduo City, where his old friend was currently sitting inside drinking tea. Fortunately, his friend wasn¡¯t in seclusion; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to find him.


    After exchanging pleasantries,


    ¡°This¡­,¡±


    the Shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop, uncertainly examined the Memory Stone in his hand for a long time before finally raising his head to look at the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor with confusion, ¡°I¡¯m temporarily unable to determine whether this Chao Tian Sect Token is real or fake, but what I don¡¯t understand is, it¡¯s just a woman.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just assume it¡¯s real and then stop provoking the Liu Family in Handsome City? Isn¡¯t that the end of it?¡±


    ¡°Why take such a huge risk for a woman?¡±


    ¡°Have you cultivated to the point you¡¯ve become brainless? Aren¡¯t you satisfied with all those brothel courtesans? If not, you could always take advantage of some backgroundless mortal women, who could possibly do anything about it?¡±


    He too was from Tai City, and in the past had a close relationship with the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor, which indeed was good. However, since then, he had made a name for himself, and his Cultivation had reached the sixth layer of Void Refining.


    Moreover, he managed seven high-end shops and more than thirty low-end shops in Duoduo City.


    His Cultivation was much higher than that of the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor, so he spoke without much reservation.


    ¡°It¡¯s different,¡±


    the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor explained anxiously, ¡°At my age, what woman haven¡¯t I been with? To speak indelicately, I¡¯m even tired of playing with the pretty men in Handsome City. The reason I¡¯ve long coveted the Liu Family¡¯s young Miss is that I have a method of discerning that the Liu Family¡¯s young Miss is actually a Heavenly Dao substitute beauty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re aware of what a Heavenly Dao substitute beauty is, right? There are many substitute beauties, and ordinary people cannot see through this by any means. When there¡¯s a vacancy on the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking, a substitute beauty will fill in the spot.¡±


    ¡°And that Liu Family¡¯s young Miss is one of the Heavenly Dao substitute beauties, moreover, she¡¯s the fourth-ranked substitute beauty. If four beauties on the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking were to suddenly die, she would take their place.¡±


    ¡°And the effect of her being a Heavenly Dao Beauty fits me extremely well.¡±


    ¡°You tell me, shouldn¡¯t I be anxious? This concerns my very path of Cultivation!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± The Shopkeeper of Thorny Shop¡¯s expression gradually turned peculiar. If that was the case, then it could be understood. It was indeed a great opportunity. He had not expected that there would still be someone who could see through the method of determining who the backup Heavenly Dao Beauty was.


    Truly, the world is full of wonders.


    ¡°But if I remember correctly, becoming a Heavenly Dao Beauty requires the other party to fall in love with you willingly,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve tried both coercion and bribery; are you sure the young Miss Liu can fall in love with you? And what innocent young girl would fall for an old geezer like you? To speak frankly, your old crook must have a history of four thousand years.¡±


    ¡°Which innocent young girl would want to share a room with an old geezer with a four-thousand-year-old crook?¡±


    ¡°Think about it yourself, is that not the case?¡±


    ¡°It is indeed!¡± said the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor, growing anxious. ¡°So I didn¡¯t dare to force her, fearing that she would completely despise me, leaving no room for recovery. I genuinely pursued her, but the young Miss Liu has no interest in me at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have been pressuring the Liu Family Patriarch, hoping he could persuade his daughter.¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t killed a single person from the Liu Family; otherwise, with my Cultivation, I would have taken her as my wife long ago.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± the Shopkeeper of Thorny Shop nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t determine the authenticity of this Chao Tian Sect Token, but I can take you to someone who can, someone who has a real Chao Tian Sect Token¡ªthe Heavenly Axe Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°This Duoduo City is also under the Heavenly Axe Sect¡¯s influence.¡±


    ¡°Just last night, the Heavenly Axe Sect announced that they are under the protection of Chao Tian Sect, and I believe the Heavenly Axe Sect Master will definitely be interested in your Token. I¡¯ll take you to meet him to see what the Heavenly Axe Sect Master has to say.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Axe Sect?¡± The Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of shock. ¡°Isn¡¯t the Heavenly Axe Sect one of the top forces in Xuantian State? They¡¯ve announced that they are under the protection of Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    ¡°Could it be¡­ Chao Tian Sect is that exaggerated?!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The Shopkeeper of Thorny Shop spoke with a complex expression. ¡°You¡¯re a bit out of the loop in Tai City. The latest news is that Taoist Bai He of the Bai Family, who just broke through to the Body Integration Realm, has completely fallen, and he fell at the hands of Chen Qiu. This news has been personally confirmed by the Heavenly Axe Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ponder the implications of this yourself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost certain about one thing.¡±


    ¡°That is, for quite a long time from now, there will only be two forces in Xuantian State¡ªone is ¡®Chao Tian Sect,¡¯ and the other is everyone else.¡±


    ¡°They say that a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local tyrant, but now it seems that this mighty dragon who has stormed onto the Xuantian Continent is not to be underestimated.¡±


    ¡°When you meet the Heavenly Axe Sect Master later, don¡¯t speak recklessly. Answer only what he asks, don¡¯t lie, and don¡¯t butt in with unnecessary comments. If he doesn¡¯t ask you anything, keep your mouth shut tight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Heavenly Axe Sect, not something you and I can afford to provoke. I¡¯m still begging for food on his turf.¡±


    ¡°Take heed of your surroundings and be smart.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor quickly replied with a serious nod, knowing full well that while he might be able to throw his weight around in that smaller place, arriving in the Heavenly Axe Sect¡¯s domain meant he had to be on his best behavior.


    That was why he disliked leaving ¡®Tai City.¡¯


    No one likes to be subservient in someone else¡¯s territory. It was also why he had parted ways with this old friend; the friend wanted to venture out, while he preferred to stay in his hometown.


    ¡­

 Chapter 636: 225:

    Chapter 636: Chapter 225: ¡°Merit Golden House¡±.


    Xuantian State, Duoduo City. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master was staring solemnly at the Memory Stone in his hand, remaining silent for a long time. Inside the Memory Stone was recorded none other than an elder token from the Chao Tian Sect!


    Truth be told, it was somewhat frightening.


    In terms of rank, this Chao Tian Sect elder token was even higher than the token that Chen Qiu had personally handed to him.


    But this thing was said to be in the hands of a certain family in an inconspicuous small town called Handsome City.


    After a long while.


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master set the Memory Stone aside, took out his own Chao Tian Sect token, and observed it up and down, frowning as he shook his head, ¡°Something¡¯s not quite right. The token Chao Tian Sect gave me is made of Evil Wood, while the one in this Memory Stone appears to be merely white jade.¡±


    As the words fell.


    The shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop tentatively whispered, ¡°Does that mean this token is a fake?¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master¡¯s brow furrowed but he did not speak. He most likely believed this thing to be a fake, but the token had a primitive aura and clearly seemed to have been around for a while, not like it had been recently forged.


    And, to put it less politely, who would have the audacity to forge a Chao Tian Sect token? They must be tired of living, right?


    But¡­


    This matter was too important to be taken lightly.


    His expression indifferent, he glanced at the two who had come to pay their respects, ¡°As for whether it¡¯s real or fake, I¡¯ll have to personally make a trip to the Heavenly Hall and ask the Chao Tian Sect. I¡¯ll need the two of you to stay here for the time being.¡±


    Without any hesitation, he then walked out of the hall and transformed into a beam of Liu Guang, shooting off!


    ¡­


    After the Heavenly Axe Sect Master had left.


    The Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor spoke with a trembling voice, ¡°This isn¡¯t right, is it? I just came to find out whether this thing is real or fake. If it¡¯s real, I go back and treat the Liu Family as honored guests; if it¡¯s fake, then I continue to put pressure on the Liu Family. It was such a simple matter. How did it turn into going directly to the Chao Tian Sect now?¡±


    Before he came.


    He never expected this affair to directly alarm the Chao Tian Sect; he had only come to scout out information.


    As a minor character with a minor Void Refining Cultivation, he would have no issues in his own territory, but in front of the recently rising Chao Tian Sect, he seemed rather insignificant!


    To a power of such caliber, even a grain of sand falling would be like an unblockable boulder.


    They were not on the same level at all!


    ¡°The situation has gotten a bit big,¡± the shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop said darkly, ¡°I must remind you that if that token is real, and that Handsome City¡¯s Liu Family really is under the protection of the Chao Tian Sect, then your life is likely to be forfeited here, along with your entire Zhang Family, none spared.¡±


    ¡°Just from what you¡¯ve done to the Liu Family, that¡¯s enough!¡±


    ¡°How can all this be blamed on me?¡±


    The Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor explained hurriedly, ¡°The Liu Family didn¡¯t take out the Chao Tian Sect token right away either. If they had shown it earlier, would I have been able to pressure them? The moment they took it out, didn¡¯t I stop? Besides, our Zhang Family hasn¡¯t killed a single person from the Liu Family. Apart from putting pressure, we haven¡¯t done anything too excessive, and the dowry I offered was also the best possible!¡±


    ¡°Explaining to me is useless,¡± the shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop shook his head with an ugly look, ¡°Go explain to the Chao Tian Sect. What¡¯s the point in explaining to me? You shouldn¡¯t have sought me out. If you had assumed the Chao Tian Sect token to be real from the outset and not bullied the Liu Family anymore, would there be so much trouble now?¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about!¡±


    The Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor roared angrily, ¡°How can this be blamed on me?! I just came to ask you for information, and you took me straight to the Heavenly Axe Sect. How is this any different from leading me to turn myself in?¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you!¡±


    ¡°If I really die, before I die, I have to splash some dirt on you too. Besides, it was you who brought me here. Do you think you can get away?¡±


    After a round of cursing at each other, the two did not come to blows, but after exchanging a look, they stood up and walked towards the entrance of the hall.


    They couldn¡¯t stay here any longer.


    They were preparing to flee for their lives now since if that token turned out to be real, waiting here was like waiting for death. If they acted quickly to sell off the shop at a low price, they could still recover some of their capital.


    But just then¡ª


    A tremendous Cultivation suddenly emerged outside the great hall.


    No one was seen.


    But it could be clearly felt that an elderly man with late-stage Void Refining Cultivation was sitting out in front of the hall, basking in the sun and lazily saying, ¡°The Sect Master has ordered that before he returns, the two of you are not to leave the hall!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The two men stood silently in place with changing expressions, and then sat down again. Clearly, there was no escaping now; the Heavenly Axe Sect Master had made arrangements against them before leaving.


    That must have been his intention all along.


    If that token was real, then they would require special handling.


    They could now only hope that the token would be fake.


    Just then¡ª


    Two old men suddenly approached from outside the hall, one a white-bearded elder with eight moles on his head, draped in a kasaya, and the other appeared to be a kindly old man in a green robe.


    ¡°Amitabha.¡±


    This white-bearded elder in the kasaya bowed and uttered the Buddhist incantation before speaking softly, ¡°Benefactor seems to be in trouble, let me introduce myself.¡±


    In the next moment!


    Spiritual Energy surged out, turning into threads in the air, forming rows of small characters.


    ¡°Buddhist Ancestor, half-step into Void Refining Cultivation, was once a sworn enemy of Chen Qiu on the Xuantian Continent, but ultimately, through careful scheming, returned to good terms with Chen Qiu, adept at¡­¡±

 Chapter 637 225:

    "Success Case: Heavenly Axe Sect Master."


    "The Heavenly Axe Sect Master once blocked the entrance to the Heavenly Palace, bellowing for Chen Qiu to come out and meet his death. After our guidance, not only was the hatred resolved, but they also formed a close cooperative relationship. Moreover, the Heavenly Axe Sect obtained the protective token from the Chao Tian Sect."


    "..."


    Rows of small characters made of spiritual energy slowly appeared in the air.


    "..."


    The shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop gazed at these lines of small characters and after being lost in a daze for a while, finally murmured, "When did such a service begin in Xuantian State? Come, you two, please, sit down and explain in detail what this ''Qiu''s Disciples'' is all about?"


    These two, who had just claimed to be Qiu''s Disciples, said that the meaning of being ''Qiu''s Disciples'' was that they had once provoked Chen Qiu but later reformed successfully under his guidance and managed to eliminate the hatred.


    Put plainly.


    The two of them were in this line of business, mainly helping those who were about to be killed by Chen Qiu to find ways to reduce their punishment.


    Such as...


    The shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop and the Zhang Family''s Ancestor.


    ...


    "I understand."


    The Buddhist Ancestor had an epiphany and nodded his head knowingly, then closed his eyes, leaned back in the chair without speaking, seemingly dozing off as he fell into deep thought. This grudge was not too big, after all, there was no murder or strong-arming involved.


    But...


    "No hope."


    The Buddhist Ancestor immediately shook his head and then pulled the Bishan Palace Ancestor towards the exit of the grand hall without any hesitation or delay, completely ignoring the cries of shock and pleas for help from the two behind him, and without any intention of pretending to consider, directly left the City Lord Mansion of Duoduo City.


    They had just been invited to the mansion by the Heavenly Axe Sect Master for an exchange, and then they happened upon this situation. They had originally been thinking whether they could make some extra money out of it.


    "Aren''t you going back?"


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor anxiously said with some confusion, "Put up a facade to a reasonable extent, I know you''re jacking up the price, but it''s clear they''ve been restrained inside and can''t chase us down, right?"


    "No." The Buddhist Ancestor let out a helpless sigh, "The Buddha only saves those who have fate with him, these two are truly beyond help."


    "How can there be no hope?"


    The Bishan Palace Ancestor said with some doubt, "After all, the Zhang Family''s Ancestor didn''t kill anyone or strong-arm anyone, so the grudge shouldn''t be too significant, right? As long as he hands over all his wealth at the first opportunity and shows a good attitude in admitting his mistakes, he should be able to save his own life."


    "You forgot that the Heavenly Axe Sect Master once openly defied Chen Qiu to his face, and in the end, he still survived, didn''t he?"


    "It''s different."


    The Buddhist Ancestor gave the Bishan Palace Ancestor a displeased look, "Please use your blockhead brain for once. Though these two''s hatred isn''t severe, they are easily taken as an example, especially since this is the first time the Chao Tian Sect''s token has surfaced among the civilians in Xuantian State. If at this time the Zhang Family''s Ancestor just apologizes and gets away with it, where would the Chao Tian Sect''s face be put?"


    "Oh, so in the future, the whole Xuantian State will know that offending the Chao Tian Sect can be resolved by just an apology?" sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This is the first time the Chao Tian Sect''s token has appeared; these two are definitely going to be made examples of."


    "As for the Heavenly Axe Sect Master openly defying Chen Qiu, it seems to be of no serious consequence because it doesn''t involve any principles. As long as Chen Qiu isn''t in a terrible mood and the attitude of apology is appropriate, there''s generally no problem."


    "But this case is different."


    "The only defense is that when the Zhang Family was oppressing the Liu Family, they had no knowledge of the Liu Family possessing the Chao Tian Sect''s token. When the Liu Family took out the Chao Tian Sect''s token, the Zhang Family immediately withdrew respectfully. This is the only point that can be defended."


    "Right! Isn''t there a point that can be defended? Why not defend it?" The Bishan Palace Ancestor pondered.


    "Go to hell with your defense!"


    The Buddhist Ancestor looked at the Bishan Palace Ancestor expressionlessly, "Are we fucking lawyers? What are we defending here, are you sure you dare to argue with Chen Qiu face to face with that thing?"


    "What we mainly have to do is to save those who are likely to survive. For those who are certain to die, involving yourself with them might mean being implicated when the Chao Tian Sect clears the account and swept away together."


    "Alright, you don''t need to understand, it''s too difficult for you. Just do as I say, we''re in this together, and I wouldn''t deceive you even if I deceived anyone else."


    ...


    Meanwhile¡ª


    The sun had slowly risen from the horizon. Chen Qiu, who had done nothing all night, just sat in the chair, calmly watching the morning sun


    The night breeze was comfortable.


    He liked this kind of life¡ªthere was no enemy that could kill him, and he could live freely in this world.


    Actually, he didn''t have any grand dreams; his dream was modest.


    He just wanted to see as much of the vast world as possible, and within that vastness, to be free to do whatever he wished.


    Immortality.


    To him, it was not a necessity. Whether he achieved immortality or not had no impact on him. If he could reach that certain point in his heart, even dying the next evening after hearing the Way would not matter.


    If he couldn''t reach that point, couldn''t do what his heart desired, immortality would be meaningless.


    He cultivated not seeking immortality, but seeking freedom of will.


    At that moment, Fat Long sidled up and reported in a low voice, "The Void Refining individuals captured these past few days are being well controlled. Last night, the disciples took turns watching them, and nothing unexpected happened."


    "Mhm."


    Chen Qiu nodded indifferently. In the past few days, he had not captured many Void Refining individuals; those with lower cultivation couldn''t withstand even a casual strike from him and died upon contact.

 Chapter 638: 225:

    Chapter 638: Chapter 225: ¡°Merit Golden House¡±. _3


    As for those with high cultivation, several Void Refining Peak and late-stage practitioners were still alive, but the rest, including Young Master Qi and Taoist Bai He, were imprisoned in some small world.


    He planned to keep these people to serve as nourishment for his Demon Suppression Tower.


    Once the ¡°Demon Suppression Tower¡± was placed somewhere, it could no longer be removed. He originally wanted to place it within the small world of the Chao Tian Sect, but now it was clear that, at least for a short time, within a year, he would not be able to enter the small world.


    It wouldn¡¯t do to have the Demon Suppression Tower just sit there, unused, for a year.


    Thus, he planned to install the Demon Suppression Tower inside the Heavenly Palace. The space in the Heavenly Palace was large enough; after all, it could accommodate those dozens of sculptures tens of meters high, so it could certainly fit a Demon Suppression Tower.


    Once the shackles of the Heavenly Palace disappeared and twelve hours passed, the Heavenly Palace would completely belong to him.


    That was also fine.


    However, he now had to find a place in Xuantian State with dense spiritual energy for his upcoming period of seclusion. With the aid of the Pink Entry ¡°Fame Spreads Far and Wide¡± and other methods, his cultivation speed had already reached more than a hundredfold.


    Meaning, one day of his cultivation was equivalent to others¡¯ hundred days.


    His progress was incredibly fast.


    But¡­


    This, after all, was achieved through the act of cultivating to improve the Cultivation Progress, not using things like Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and it consumed a tremendous amount of Spirit Stones. The current assets of the Chao Tian Sect¡­


    Not counting Top-grade Spirit Stones, low-grade Spirit Stones, heavenly materials, earthly treasures, talismans, pills, etc., just counting Spirit Stones alone, were only one million and nine hundred thousand.


    Originally, there were only one million and six hundred thousand, but he had spent some yesterday at the reward pool.


    Later, the Shopkeeper managed to crack two Storage Rings, finding another eighty thousand Spirit Stones, plus the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect, quite sensibly, offered up two hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones straight away.


    Suddenly, his ¡°little treasury¡± reached nearly one million and nine hundred thousand.


    However¡­ for him, this many Spirit Stones were completely insufficient.


    So¡ª


    Before officially beginning his seclusion for cultivation,


    Chao Tian Sect had three major tasks at hand.


    The first, to find more master decipherers skilled in restrictions, since the Shopkeeper was about to be worked to death and still couldn¡¯t cope with all the work. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The second, to occupy a piece of land with the richest spiritual energy, to serve as the territory for collective seclusion.


    The third, after assessing the overall strength of Xuantian State, to start delivering gift baskets house by house.


    The people of the Vast Continent were clearly much more fruitful than those of the Xuantian Continent; just the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect alone was able to easily, without any difficulty, hand over two hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.


    Tsk tsk, quite good.


    And the area of Xuantian State was not small at all, amounting to half the size of the Xuantian Continent.


    A Void Refining beginner-level expert would need four hours, nearly half a day, to run from the southernmost to the northernmost point of Xuantian State, and bear in mind, the movement technique speed of a Void Refining expert was certainly not slow.


    With such an enormous territory, just how many forces could there be¡­


    A satisfied smile couldn¡¯t help but emerge on Chen Qiu¡¯s face, just as in the Xuantian Continent, as long as the demands of Chao Tian Sect were never too great each time, the others generally wouldn¡¯t have any objections, and they wouldn¡¯t band together either. Of course, Evil Sects were another story.


    In the Vast Continent,


    Different powers, families, and sects often had complex emotional ties and loyalties. The daughter of a small family might be the legitimate wife of a True Disciple of a Major Sect.


    In such a complex environment, large sects generally wouldn¡¯t easily swallow up smaller sects. There were many concerns, after all, fearing the smaller sect might have other backgrounds, requiring advance investigation.


    And indiscriminate annexation would also ruin a sect¡¯s reputation in the Cultivation World, provoke dissatisfaction among other powers, and their disciples might encounter silent assassination when venturing out.


    It included the possibility that some disciples of the small sect might escape and return for revenge years later.


    The reasons were many,


    But when combined, there was only one: the price to pay, the unknown costs to bear, and the benefits gained were not proportional. With that effort, major sects could simply send their Inner Sect Disciples to plunder in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, which would yield even more rewards.


    After all,


    There are many Heavenly Dao Secret Realms in the Vast Continent, and often, the output of cultivation resources is actually from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realms, making Secret Realms often a better choice.


    Of course, all these premises are based on mutual restraint among everyone, without any power being unrivaled. But if such a power were to emerge, what would follow would be, undeniably, plundering.


    After all, even if the heavens were torn apart, plundering would always be the fastest way to obtain resources, bar none.


    The effort spent towards Heavenly Dao Secret Realms¡­


    Would be a waste of time.


    And now, on the Vast Continent, where the twelve states were unable to communicate due to the Heavenly Dao Shackles, the seemingly imprisoned Xuantian State welcomed such a singularly dominant force.


    ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡±!


    And the practices of Chao Tian Sect, ever since its debut in Da Xia Country, have never forgotten their original intention.


    ¡­


    Just as Chen Qiu was preparing to return to the Heavenly Palace to test his cultivation speed and see how long more than one million Mid-grade Spirit Stones would last for his personal use, suddenly a stream of Liu Guang shot across the sky.


    As soon as the Heavenly Axe Sect Master was about to arrive at the Heavenly Hall,


    He descended from the sky.


    Hurrying down Green Stone Street towards the tavern where Chen Qiu was, he carefully stopped a Chao Tian Sect Disciple and signaled him to help pass a message.


    All of this was naturally seen from the rooftop of the tavern by Chen Qiu, and the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect certainly knew he could see clearly, it was just for show, but such performative behavior was comforting to people¡¯s hearts.

 Chapter 639: 225:

    Chapter 639: Chapter 225: ¡°Merit Golden House¡±._4


    Even if someone doesn¡¯t have much ability, if they show you respect, it¡¯s hard to truly dislike them from the bottom of your heart.


    Moreover, this was none other than a Sect Master with Void Refining Peak Cultivation from one of Xuantian State¡¯s top powers.


    To be able to achieve such a demeanor, it truly wasn¡¯t something an ordinary person could do.


    And there was no awkwardness at all, his posture extremely natural, his mentality indeed not weak.


    ¡°Bring him up,¡± Chen Qiu casually waved his hand.


    ¡­


    ¡°Senior, it¡¯s like this¡­¡±


    After respectfully handing over the Memory Stone to Chen Qiu, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master quickly explained everything.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, skimmed through the Memory Stone in his hand, then frowned and fell into deep thought without speaking. The Chao Tian Sect Token was of course fake, or to say, not one of the batch he had made.


    But¡­ it looked quite unadorned.


    If it were said that it was from 30,000 years ago when an elder of the Chao Tian Sect had broken through to Void Refining and went to the Vast Continent, it wasn¡¯t impossible.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu slowly got up, patted off the nonexistent dust on his clothes, and said softly, ¡°Fat Long, you¡¯ll come with me on a trip, and Scholar, you lead the other disciples back to the Heavenly Palace to cultivate. We need to step up our cultivation soon.¡±


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be stepping out for a bit, but when I return, I¡¯ll accompany you through your Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    Brother?


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, who was reporting at the side, was taken aback for a moment, involuntarily turning his head to look at the middle-aged man standing aside, who only had Divinity Transformation Peak Cultivation and seemed somewhat unremarkable. The senior was actually calling this man brother?


    Noticing the Heavenly Axe Sect Master¡¯s gaze, Ao Tian immediately adopted a serious and exceedingly respectful demeanor, clasping his fists in salute, ¡°Thank you, Brother Qiu, I¡¯ll await your triumphant return.¡±


    Normally, it wouldn¡¯t matter much if he called him that, especially since Chen Qiu insisted, and he wasn¡¯t in a position to refuse.


    But today, with an outsider present, if this outsider truly couldn¡¯t tell who was the greater or lesser king, then the matter would be serious.


    In this world, almost all rulers,


    when an outsider couldn¡¯t differentiate between the greater and lesser, would first kill the outsider, and the second one to kill would be the lesser king, so his attitude had to be abundantly clear to prevent the Heavenly Axe Sect Master from making a mistake in judgement.


    Especially those rulers who fought their way up by themselves valued these details more, and there was no need to make such minor mistakes.


    Seeing Ao Tian¡¯s reaction, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master instantly realized and roughly guessed the relationship between the two. He didn¡¯t say anything, simply quietly standing to the side, watching and contemplating.


    The senior did not directly answer whether the token was real or fake.


    But since the senior was personally undertaking the journey, it seemed that this matter wasn¡¯t going to be small.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Chen Qiu took out a Flying Boat from his bosom, stepped aboard first, and the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, knowing the situation, waited for everyone to board and then took the pilot¡¯s seat. He activated the Flying Boat and first went to Duoduo City to pick up the two before heading to Handsome City and Tai City to investigate further.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu, leaning on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, stood on the deck of the Flying Boat, looking calmly at the clouds on the horizon, the reason he came in person was to see if that token was authentic.


    He wanted to see if the Chao Tian Sect elder who came to the Vast Continent 30,000 years ago had left behind something special.


    That was what he was concerned about.


    After all, the Chao Tian Sect elder of that time was a genuine transmigrator, and could be considered his senior. Although he didn¡¯t know if he was one of the first batch, he must have been one of the older ones.


    Approaching Duoduo City, he also learned why it was named so.


    For hundreds of miles around Duoduo City, the sky was always dotted with distinctly marked clouds, and indeed, it was just like one after another.


    ¡°Senior.¡±


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master whispered beside him, explaining, ¡°For tens of thousands of years, the skies above Duoduo City have always been like this, with the exception of severe storms and other bad weather. At all other times, the skies above Duoduo City are such, also one of Xuantian State¡¯s great wonders.¡±


    Standing to the side, Fat Long hesitated.


    ¡°When something is unusual, there must be demons at work. This phenomenon clearly isn¡¯t normal. Have you never thought that there might be some heavenly treasures or something of the sort beneath Duoduo City?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡±


    The Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect nodded solemnly, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve thought about it, but this scene has persisted for tens of thousands of years. It has been like this for a very, very long time. Many people have dug around and even beneath Duoduo City, but they¡¯ve found nothing out of the ordinary. We can only describe it as naturally so.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, in Xuantian State, there are many such inexplicable cities.¡±


    ¡°For example, ¡®Handsome City,¡¯ the city we are about to visit. Many newborn boys there are born with delicate and handsome features. And then there¡¯s ¡®Cloud City,¡¯ where the skies are perpetually clear for thousands of miles above the city.¡±


    ¡°But honestly, no one has found any reasonable explanation for these things over the years.¡±


    ¡°We can only conclude that¡­ it¡¯s just the way it is.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Chen Qiu, who stood on the deck of the Flying Boat, nodded slightly without speaking, his eyes slightly narrowed. He seemed to notice something that only he could see within his line of sight.


    It was above Duoduo City, not far away.


    There was a small wooden cottage, quietly perched upon the clouds.


    But he had paid attention to the expressions of Fat Long and the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect, and none of them had lingered on that spot, which meant the cottage was visible only to him.


    This was odd.


    He didn¡¯t know why only he could see the small wooden cottage, but¡­ since he had seen it, he decided to go in and have a look.


    Just at that moment¡ª


    The Flying Boat stopped above Duoduo City, almost a step away from the small wooden cottage.


    And the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect respectfully asked, ¡°Senior, shall I now bring the two of them up?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    After the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect left, Chen Qiu turned to Fat Long, ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk. If the Sect Master of the Heavenly Axe Sect comes back early, tell him to wait for me on the Flying Boat.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡­


    After giving his instructions, Chen Qiu transformed into a streak of light and vanished on the spot.


    He appeared near the small wooden cottage almost instantly.


    He didn¡¯t enter right away, but instead looked back at Fat Long and noticed Fat Long seemed to be completely unable to see him, looking around in search of him. It appeared that as long as one was near this small cottage, they would be invisible to the outside world.


    At that moment, a line of small characters was carved upon the cottage.


    ¡°Merit Golden House.¡±


    Besides that, there was no other information, and not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation spread from the whole cottage. Just as he was about to push the door and enter, the door to the small wooden cottage was suddenly pushed open from the inside.


    A maiden in a Daoist robe was just stepping out.


    The two looked at each other, and the maiden, who had been bouncing around, instantly stiffened in place, the smile on her face frozen as well. She bowed respectfully and anxiously with a soft voice, ¡°Junior has the honor of meeting the Senior.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s brow slightly furrowed with confusion, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    He knew this woman; she was the Heart Demon Removal Master from the Heart Demon Removal Hall in the Heavenly Hall at the beginning.


    ¡°Reporting to the Senior, only those with nearly one hundred billion in virtue value can see this cottage. This cottage is the Merit Golden House.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it used for?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be of much use. There are eighty-one Merit Golden Houses in the Vast Continent. You can consume virtue value to travel quickly between them, which is useful for traveling quickly. There¡¯s a very nice old woman inside.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s eyes suddenly narrowed slightly, ¡°You mean to say¡ª¡±


    ¡°One can travel to the Merit Golden House of other states and city territories through this Merit Golden House?¡±

 Chapter 640: 226:

    Chapter 640: Chapter 226: ¡°Da Xia Evil Demon¡±.


    At that moment, Chen Qiu had no desire to interact much with the Saintess of the Xuantian Sect and strode into the ¡°Merit Golden House¡± in front of him.


    An existence only visible to those with nearly a trillion merit points.


    Nearly a trillion merit points.


    This was no small amount, and it wasn¡¯t the case that the higher one¡¯s cultivation, the higher their merit points would be.


    The main source of the Xuantian Sect Saintess¡¯s merit points came from nearly a trillion merit points used for repairing the heavens, while the origins of his merit points were more complex¡ªnearly a trillion merit points from repairing the heavens, twelve-grade Nascent Soul, twelve-grade Divine Domain¡¯s celestial phenomena, and the celestial phenomenon from completing the twelve milestone tasks after leaving the Xuantian Continent, which brought him the highest merit points.


    A full two trillion merit points!


    On the ¡°Vast Continent Merit Points Leaderboard¡±, he ranked first with over four trillion merit points, no one had higher merit points than him, after all, if you did not have adventures like repairing the heavens, twelve-grade Nascent Soul, and such.


    Four trillion merit points.


    If calculated by doing a daily good deed, consider a lifespan of over four trillion years, assuming that performing one good deed gains you one merit point, living for four trillion years might just accumulate that many merit points.


    Of course, the rules for acquiring merit points from a good deed are very complicated and consider many factors, but for some most basic good deeds, it is indeed one good deed per merit point.


    And the second place on the Vast Continent Merit Points Leaderboard belongs to the Xuantian Sect Saintess.


    Ranked second with nearly a trillion merit points, the third place only had over four hundred billion, though it¡¯s unclear how the third place acquired those four hundred billion merit points, it¡¯s already quite spectacular among ordinary people.


    Unless¡­


    Unless the sky of the Vast Continent also collapses, then there might be a chance.


    That is to say, in the entire Vast Continent, only he and this Xuantian Sect Saintess could see this Merit Golden House.


    It¡¯s somewhat strange to say, the Xuantian Continent¡¯s sky collapsed twice, even the underworld shattered, giving off a sense that the whole Xuantian Continent was about to collapse.


    ¡­


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t think much and simply pushed open the wooden door of the ¡°Merit Golden House¡± in front of him. What caught his eye was a small wooden house, truly just a small wooden house, without any hidden realms within. As large as this wooden house appeared from the outside, that¡¯s exactly how large it actually was inside.


    A very small house.


    It could fit at most about thirty people shoulder-to-shoulder, but because there weren¡¯t any excessive decorations, it didn¡¯t feel cramped at all. There was a counter, on which sat an open bottle of strong liquor, and behind the counter was a white-haired, seemingly kind elderly woman sitting there.


    This elderly woman must be the kind old grandma the Xuantian Sect Saintess mentioned.


    ¡°Senior.¡±


    Chen Qiu stood respectfully in place, performed a bow, and although unclear about the elderly woman¡¯s identity, since she was an elder, calling her senior wasn¡¯t wrong. Facing the unknown, he didn¡¯t mind showing a bit more humility.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal, young man.¡±


    The old grandma sitting behind the counter, eyes full of tenderness, took a sip of the strong liquor in her hand before smiling kindly and speaking, ¡°I know, you might think you¡¯ve stumbled upon some amazing adventure, or perhaps you think I am some profound senior, or maybe something like a Heavenly Dao Opportunity.¡±


    ¡°But unfortunately, it¡¯s none of those.¡±


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    ¡°However, if you are willing to chat with this old lady, that would be wonderful.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu did not pick up on that but directly got to the point, ¡°I heard that there are eighty-one Merit Golden Houses on the Vast Continent, through which one can quickly shuttle to other Merit Golden Houses by using merit points.¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­ if it is possible to shuttle to Merit Golden Houses in other continents?¡±


    The old woman shook her head, ¡°Normally it is possible, but recently the continents have been shackled by the Heavenly Dao, which is a rule of the Heavenly Dao. How could this Merit Golden House possibly break through the Heavenly Dao¡¯s shackles.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Chen Qiu felt a slight disappointment, as he could have used this method to sneak across, then use the ¡°Permanent Exile¡± measure to expel all the Unification powerhouses from other continents, thereby making the entire Vast Continent his domain.


    This method was only usable before the Heavenly Dao Shackles dissolved.


    Once the Heavenly Dao Shackles dissolved, it would become unusable.


    But soon he somewhat tentatively asked, ¡°This Merit Golden House, isn¡¯t it similar to a Heavenly Dao Building or something of that sort?¡±


    He initially thought this Merit Golden House was like the Heavenly Palace, Heavenly Hall, belonging to a Heavenly Dao Building or perhaps a Heavenly Dao Encounter, but now it seemed more like private property.


    Naturally not.¡±


    The old woman looked meaningfully at Chen Qiu, paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed, ¡°Let me tell you a story, thirty thousand years ago I was a female cultivator on the Xuantian Continent at the Peak of Divinity Transformation.¡±


    ¡°Xuantian Continent ¡­?¡± Chen Qiu was slightly startled.


    ¡°Yes, but hear me out first.¡±


    ¡°Thirty thousand years ago, I had a Taoist couple on the Xuantian Continent, named ¡®Liu Sanqian¡¯. We were deeply in love, almost inseparable, becoming an enviable couple in everyone¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°To maintain such pure love at our level of cultivation was quite rare.¡±


    ¡°At that time, my man was also at the Peak of Divinity Transformation, just a step away from breaking through to Void Refining. Actually, the cultivation of Peak of Divinity Transformation was already considered quite good on the Xuantian Continent, although not the strongest in the world, but quite something indeed.¡±


    ¡°To put it bluntly, or maybe a bit crudely, if you were the strongest in the world, wouldn¡¯t you want to sleep with all the women in the world?¡±

 Chapter 641: 226:

    Chapter 641: Chapter 226: ¡°Da Xia Evil Demon¡±._2


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Qiu silently shook his head, ¡°That is not my ambition.¡±


    ¡°But most people would,¡± said the old woman sitting behind the counter, looking somewhat dazed, ¡°Think about it, you could control the lifespan of nearly everyone under the heavens, everyone would have to act according to your mood, you could do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°What kind of scene would that be?¡±


    ¡°You could have all the women of an entire city serve you, and those who resist would have to die.¡±


    ¡°You could forcibly bully any man or woman you desire.¡±


    ¡°The Xuantian Continent was very chaotic 30,000 years ago. I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like now, but there were a lot of those with depraved thoughts among the evil demons then, because it was a period of eruption. Countless opportunities from the Heavenly Dao emerged during that period, perhaps because we arrived, or perhaps because the time had come.¡±


    ¡°In any case¡­¡±


    ¡°The entire Xuantian Continent saw countless Human Cultivators suddenly surge in Cultivation. Primitive cultivators who would struggle for years to progress from the Nascent Soul¡¯s first layer to the second could now, if they seized an opportunity, shorten this process to a mere month, or even less.¡±


    ¡°Even though Cultivation soared rapidly, their disposition could not keep up, not resembling immortals in the slightest, but more like evil demons who suddenly possessed great power.¡±


    ¡°It was madness.¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Later, my husband and I grew uncomfortable with this state of affairs, so we decided to kill any evil demon we encountered. The two of us obtained a large amount of merit, which was another version of the Heavenly Dao back then, where killing a person with negative karma would reward you with equivalent merit points.¡±


    ¡°For example¡­¡±


    The old woman looked at Chen Qiu with a smile, ¡°If I had killed you back then, I could have directly obtained 2.9 billion merit points, especially during that chaotic era when everyone was killing in frenzy.¡±


    ¡°Afterwards, my husband and I broke through to the Void Refining stage and were drawn to the Vast Continent.¡±


    ¡°When you break through to Void Refining on the Xuantian Continent, you are drawn to the Vast Continent, though you can agree or¡­ refuse.¡±


    ¡°We chose to agree at that time.¡±


    ¡°Later, when my time was nearing an end, I was fortunate enough to break through to the Body Integration Realm. Yet, he remained at the peak of Void Refining and passed away when his lifespan ran out. I then turned myself into the eighty-one Merit Golden Palaces.¡±


    ¡°To live eternally between heaven and earth, waiting for his return.¡±


    ¡°He has an entry that allows him to revive after a million years; I just need to wait another 980,000 years to see him again.¡±


    ¡°Immortality?¡± Chen Qiu slightly furrowed his brow. He had many questions in his mind right now, but he was more curious about this matter of immortality. One could live forever without becoming an Immortal Emperor?


    ¡°Mhm, or you could also call it eternal imprisonment.¡±


    The old woman laughed, ¡°There are eighty-one Merit Golden Palaces throughout the Vast Continent. These eighty-one palaces are a grand formation laid out with the merit I¡¯ve accumulated from my lifelong Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°These eighty-one Merit Golden Palaces constantly absorb nature¡¯s spiritual energy to maintain their operation and are completely invisible within the Vast Continent. I can also shuttle freely between these Merit Golden Palaces. Of course, I can¡¯t do that now, at least not until the shackles of the continental land disappear.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu lightly raised an eyebrow and did not speak. After a long while, he suddenly smiled, ¡°You have seen that I am from the Chao Tian Sect?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, the causality behind you from the Chao Tian Sect is heavy.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Senior, could you tell me about your times? For example, how everyone would collectively transmigrate over.¡±


    The information was quite clear.


    This old woman was a disciple of the Chao Tian Sect from 30,000 years ago, a transmigrator, who with the means of self-imprisonment, allowed herself to live long within this heaven and earth. As long as the spiritual energy of the Vast Continent did not run dry, she could live on indefinitely.


    Until¡­ 980,000 years later, her husband would be revived¡ªcertainly not a short period of time.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Without speaking immediately, the old woman was silent as if extracting something from her memories, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there are any other transmigrators here now, but¡­ we were the first ones.¡±


    ¡°And it seems that only the Xuantian Continent had them; the Vast Continent didn¡¯t have any transmigrators at all.¡±


    ¡°Based on our speculation at the time, it might be because the Xuantian Continent was gradually approaching fragmentation, like a world exploding and being destroyed. And the reason for this situation emerging¡­¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t found the specific cause. There were many conjectures, like¡­ the Xuantian Continent might be suppressing some terrifying Evil Demon.¡±


    ¡°This Evil Demon that was about to break free, in its struggles, caused the world of the Xuantian Continent to start crumbling.¡±


    ¡°And each time the Xuantian Continent crumbled, a batch of transmigrators would descend. It¡¯s roughly like¡­ walking on a glacier, and suddenly a crack tens of thousands of feet deep appears below the ice, and then you fall into it, just like that.¡±


    ¡°At that time, nearly everyone from the Chao Tian Sect, which is to say during the cracks opening in the world of the Xuantian Continent, arrived unintentionally.¡±


    ¡°A lot happened afterwards. We don¡¯t know the specifics because we had arrived on the Vast Continent before that and couldn¡¯t return to the Xuantian Continent. We only used some methods to contact the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect who was still on the Xuantian Continent.¡±


    ¡°It is said¡ª¡±


    ¡°That a terrifyingly great battle broke out.¡±


    ¡°Then the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect led the remaining disciples into a very special small world to hide. That small world was incredibly solid, showing no signs of spatial collapse.¡±

 Chapter 642: 226:

    Chapter 642: Chapter 226: ¡°Da Xia Evil Demon¡±._3


    ¡°After that, we lost contact.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu stood in silence within the wooden hut, not saying a word. This was his first time facing a Chao Tian Sect disciple from thirty thousand years ago, which brought him much information from that time. However, having been confined here for too long, he tended to understand some things even better.


    For example, a hundred years ago, the sky of Xuantian Continent had collapsed once, which was mended by the Xuantian Sect Saintess.


    And when he left the Xuantian Continent, the sky had collapsed once again, that time repaired by himself.


    Furthermore, the underworld of Xuantian Continent was originally completely separated from the mortal world, but just before he left the Xuantian Continent, another rift appeared. This time, it healed slowly on its own.


    From these three points,


    one could roughly speculate that Xuantian Continent was in a state of insecurity or on the verge of collapse. Any world that constantly suffered from falling skies and sinking grounds was likely nearing its end.


    Thirty thousand years ago, the Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect had taken the remaining members and hidden in an extremely stable small world, which naturally turned out to be Da Xia Country.


    In addition to that¡­


    Before he left Xuantian Continent, he had inspected the Boundless Snow Mountain and, with his Divine Sense fully extended, could vaguely sense the presence of that small world. However, the durability of this small world was incredibly astonishing; not to mention Void Refining, he even doubted that someone in the Body Integration Realm could break through it.


    All things considered, in combination with the conjecture from tens of thousands of years ago, there might be a powerful Evil Demon sealed beneath Xuantian Continent. Its violent struggle was causing Xuantian Continent to gradually crumble and break apart.


    ¡°¡­¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s lips twitched slightly. Damn it, he now had good reason to suspect that the Evil Demon was suppressed under Da Xia Country, and that the former Sect Master of Chao Tian Sect had directly led people into it, setting up a great formation seal from the inside.


    What came next¡­


    need not be spelled out. When that Evil Demon emerges, everyone in Da Xia Country would be the first to die.


    Just then¡ª


    The old granny behind the counter spoke up again, ¡°However, all of these are still speculations. Since you could come from Xuantian Continent, it at least indicates that there aren¡¯t any major problems with Xuantian Continent at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded silently in agreement. There weren¡¯t any major problems, except for the sky collapsing twice and the underworld leaking once. Everything was under control.


    After chatting for a little while longer, they said their goodbyes.


    And after he left the ¡®Merit Golden House,¡¯ the whereabouts of the Xuantian Sect Saintess were unknown.


    ¡­


    It was indeed not an opportunity.


    It was purely an eternal closure site for an old granny, not much different from those exiled within the small world. The only difference might be that this granny could still shuttle back and forth between different Merit Golden Houses and had the chance to meet with people from outside, albeit with a high threshold for merit points required.


    This threshold wasn¡¯t set by the old granny herself; it was simply because she had constructed this Merit Gold Palace with nearly a hundred billion merit points at that time. Hence the belief that only those who had nearly a hundred billion merit points could see this Merit Gold Palace.


    Pity.


    He had originally thought he might be able to travel to other continents using this Merit Gold Palace, but now it seemed that was no longer possible.


    Indeed.


    The shackles of the continents were after all Heavenly Dao Shackles. There might be existences capable of breaking through the Heavenly Dao Shackles, but certainly not an old granny who had secluded herself a thousand years ago in Unification.


    Once back on the Flying Boat, Chen Qiu looked at Fat Long and the others. By then, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master had brought the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor and the Shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop over.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t say much, merely issued a casual command to set off. Afterwards, he stood alone on the deck of the Flying Boat, deep in thought.


    Now that he thought about it again.


    Da Xia Country was more special than he had imagined.


    For instance, he had not encountered such things as Seven-colored Jade Scrolls in either Xuantian or the Vast Continent. At most, there would be a daily version of it, including that one day in Da Xia Country when Evil Wood appeared across the entirety of Fat State and Satisfied State. Although the reason found was the presence of a large number of resentful spirits beneath Fat State,


    the origin of those vast numbers of resentful spirits remained unclear, and the details of how the deep cavern below them was formed were also murky.


    Including Boundless Snow Mountain.


    Now it seemed that he would probably have to revisit Da Xia Country again, although other means would be necessary, as he could no longer easily return to Xuantian Continent after reaching the Vast Continent. When the time came, he would see if there was some other way to make a trip back to the Xuantian Continent.


    If¡­ supposing that there was indeed an Evil Demon, with terrifying Cultivation, sealed under Da Xia Country that could break free at any time,


    then he naturally wanted to ensure that, before the Evil Demon broke free, he could return to Da Xia Country to help these people relocate. After all, many of his old friends and the families of the Chao Tian Sect disciples were still in Da Xia Country; he couldn¡¯t just watch Da Xia Country be destroyed.


    ¡­


    On the deck, Fat Long and the others had no idea where Chen Qiu had been, merely exchanging glances without speaking.


    This trip,


    only included Chen Qiu, the scholar, and the scholar¡¯s brother as the familiar crew. As for the other remaining Chao Tian Sect disciples, they were all cultivating within the Heavenly Palace.


    The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, who initially wanted to approach for a chat, saw that Chen Qiu did not seem inclined to talk and sheepishly retreated, just glaring at the trembling Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor beside him to signal not to stir up any trouble.

 Chapter 643 226:

    ...


    In Xuantian State, Handsome City, within the Liu Family Ancestral Hall.


    An elderly man with white beard and red hair was kneeling inside the hall, his face slightly anxious as he held three sticks of incense and looked towards the most prominent tablet on the offering table, whispering softly, "Ancestor, please bless us with peace."


    And the clansman to whom this tablet was dedicated was named "Liu Sanqian."


    He didn''t know how his ancestor had become involved with the Chao Tian Sect ten thousand years ago, nor was he clear on whether his ancestor truly came from the Xuantian Continent. He had no wish to know these things right now.


    He just wanted to know whether the elder token from the Chao Tian Sect in his hand could truly ensure the safety of his Liu Family.


    If it couldn''t...


    Then he and the Liu Family would have nothing left but to fight to the death!


    Although the Liu Family lacked a Void Refining Expert and could not match the Zhang Family of Tai City, they were, after all, a lineage with a long history, having had Void Refining Experts in the past and still possessing some heritage. If they really had to fight to the death, the Zhang Family of Tai City would not fare much better!


    Just then¡ª


    Outside the ancestral hall, a woman in a white dress and a veil entered slowly. After respectfully offering three sticks of incense, she looked up, her pupils tinged with a hint of red as she spoke softly, "Father, if it means the Liu Family can be at peace, I am willing to give myself to the Zhang Family''s Ancestor."


    "Don''t speak nonsense,"


    the white-bearded red-haired old man shook his head, "Those words should not be spoken again. You know it''s impossible. It''s not just about you, it''s about the dignity of the entire Liu Family."


    "Even if I could accept, the elders and descendants of the Liu Family would not be able to."


    "Rather than be mocked by others when we step outside, it''s better to fight to the death and at least leave behind a good reputation."


    Afterward.


    The elderly man with the white beard and red hair sighed deeply and remained silent. Since he had shown the Chao Tian Sect''s token, the group from the Zhang Family had retreated. He obviously knew why they had backed off; they were going to verify the authenticity of his token.


    But...he himself wasn''t certain about the actual status of that token, all he could do was to hope for divine providence, wishing for its protection.


    ...


    On the Flying Boat.


    The Zhang Family''s Ancestor from Tai City, currently a cultivator at the early stages of Void Refining, was trembling in a corner of the Flying Boat as if suffering from a chill. His own clan members would be shocked if they saw him like this.


    But...


    Anyone else would be the same in this place. On this boat were all top-tier individuals; the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, who usually took the seat of honor, was now merely an attendee here.


    The Chao Tian Sect Master, standing here alone, was a match for a Unification Realm expert.


    Truly evil. How had the world come to this, where one fresh into the early stages of Void Refining could directly kill a Unification expert?


    Just then. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He suddenly thought of something and transmitted his Divine Sense to the Shopkeeper of the Thorny Shop, sitting on the ground, "You said that although Sect Master Chen possesses the power to kill a Body Integration Realm expert, he is after all only at the first level of Void Refining. Surely his defenses aren''t as absurd as his Attack Methods, right?"


    "You think if attacked by surprise, Chen Qiu would be able to react in time?"


    "Even if he could react, given that he is only at the first level of Void Refining, his defensive measures shouldn''t be too strong, right?"


    No sooner had he spoken than the Zhang Family''s Ancestor saw the color drain from the Shopkeeper''s face. Then, despite being bound hand and foot, he desperately moved away from him.


    The Zhang Family''s Ancestor quickly realized his mistake, his own face going pale. A low-level cultivator''s Divine Sense Transmission could be intercepted, but he had been out of touch with high-level cultivators for so long that he had forgotten this detail.


    Shortly after, he turned his trembling gaze towards the others on the deck of the Flying Boat.


    He saw the Heavenly Axe Sect Master turning to look at him, eyes filled with disbelief, as if admiring his courage.


    This is it.


    The Zhang Family''s Ancestor''s first thought was that everything was over, wait... perhaps not completely over. After all, Chen Qiu was only at the first level of Void Refining and couldn''t intercept his transmission; as long as the Heavenly Axe Sect Master didn''t speak out, there wouldn''t be a problem.


    Just then¡ª


    He saw Chen Qiu, standing on the deck of the Flying Boat, also turn to look at him calmly.


    Great.


    Now it''s completely over.

 Chapter 644: 227:

    Chapter 644: Chapter 227: ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of killing me, are you?


    However¡ª


    Chen Qiu quickly shifted his gaze from the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor, merely glancing back out of idle curiosity.


    About two hours passed.


    Chen Qiu and his entourage finally came to a majestic halt above Handsome City. They then descended into the city, led by Chen Qiu himself, bypassing the city gates. The Guard Team of Handsome City was just about to come forward to inquire, but seeing the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor trailing behind the group with his head bowed low, they quickly realized who he was and skulked away.


    ¡­


    ¡°Boss.¡±


    In the alley, a man clad in armor whispered to his companion as he watched the procession move away: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we symbolically stop them? After all, this group is quite disrespectful of the rules. If the City Lord blames us later, it might be difficult to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Even if we symbolically stop them and they decide to force their way through, we don¡¯t have to actually stop them. That way, the City Lord can¡¯t really blame us. After all, we would have tried to stop them but just failed to do so,¡± replied the other.


    ¡°Stop what nonsense!¡±


    The captain of the Guard Team smacked his subordinate on the head, irritated: ¡°Your pumpkin head needs some fixing. Did you see who that was? The Ancestor of the Zhang Family from Tai City, a notable figure around here, with a Cultivation at the early stages of Void Refining.¡±


    ¡°But now he¡¯s scurrying behind the group, not even daring to lift his head.¡±


    ¡°Guess who those people leading the group might be?¡±


    ¡°Are they someone we can afford to provoke, or even someone Handsome City can afford to provoke? Moreover, the man in the lead looks quite young¡ªa likely chance he¡¯s some young master from a major family. People of this stature, you think they would need to force their way through? I suspect they are more likely to turn us into ash with a slap than anything else!¡±


    Chen Qiu¡¯s name, although it had resounded throughout the Vast Continent via the Heavenly Dao Decree,


    And Chen Qiu¡¯s recent deeds had also spread quickly throughout Xuantian State,


    The distribution of Memory Stones containing his image didn¡¯t spread as swiftly. So, there was a situation where nearly everyone had heard of Chen Qiu but had no idea what he looked like.


    ¡­


    ¡°Senior.¡±


    Within the group, Chen Qiu, followed by Fat Long and several others acting as attendants on the left rear side, and the Heavenly Axe Sect Master accompanying on the right, walked leisurely at the forefront under an umbrella in the sky, as the Sect Master explained in a low voice.


    ¡°This is Handsome City. I¡¯ve looked into it when I came here before. The City Lord has a Cultivation at the early Void Refining Stage and is a Loose Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°This territory belongs to the Seeking Dao Sect, a small sect with less than five hundred years of inheritance. Their Sect Master was formerly an Inner Sect Disciple who left the Heavenly Axe Sect, so there¡¯s some connection between the two sects. I believe my words should carry weight with him.¡±


    ¡°Even after you leave Handsome City, Senior, there¡¯s no need to worry. I¡¯ll remind him to take good care of the Liu Family,¡± the Sect Master assured.


    By now,


    He no longer doubted the authenticity of the Token from the Chao Tian Sect in the hands of the Liu Family. If a Senior like him personally visited and seemed to have no intent to kill, then the Token was most likely genuine. If it were fake, the Senior¡¯s reaction would have certainly been different.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Chen Qiu nodded slightly, remaining silent. He just wandered forward as he pleased, not asking where the Liu Family was located nor heading in their direction. The city intrigued him.


    Most men in this city had a delicate and handsome appearance.


    Almost all the native men born here grew up to look this way, which didn¡¯t change much with age. Typically, men grow more rugged with time.


    But the middle-aged men here looked cherubic and amicable.


    If one had to choose a companion inside a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm,


    The men of Handsome City would be preferred over those with fierce exteriors, even though their combat abilities were not guaranteed. They didn¡¯t seem like the type to stab someone in the back, providing a sense of security.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    His eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed the passing men. He had a basic understanding from the explanation given by the Heavenly Axe Sect Master before reaching Handsome City, but it was only upon arriving that he could truly appreciate its uniqueness.


    Could there be something special about the feng shui of Handsome City?


    That causes every male infant born here to be unusually handsome?


    But why only male infants? The female infants seemed normal, with no special attributes. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and after wandering around to his satisfaction, he signaled the Heavenly Axe Sect Master to lead the way to the ¡°Liu Family,¡± which was his prime reason for coming here.


    ¡­


    A hundred breaths later,


    Chen Qiu stood with a calm demeanor in front of a household. The gate bore a plaque with the words ¡°Liu Family,¡± clearly marking his destination for this trip. At that moment,


    The gate was wide open.


    Family Head Liu, with all the Liu Family Disciples, knelt before him on the ground to greet him, respectfully shouting: ¡°We pay our respects to the esteemed Senior.¡±


    Especially Family Head Liu¡ªa burly man with a face full of white whiskers and red hair¡ªnow knelt on the ground with a face full of reverence and panic, his voice trembling slightly.


    He never imagined that such a trivial matter in their locale would attract Chen Qiu.


    Chen Qiu, the Sect Master of the Chao Tian Sect and the recent powerful figure in Xuantian State, who, just at the beginning of his Void Refining Stage, had slain dozens of cultivators at the same stage. Their Liu Family, merely an insignificant small clan in the broader Xuantian State, especially one that hadn¡¯t seen the emergence of a Void Refining cultivator for many generations, had never dared to dream of having any dealings with such a prominent figure.

 Chapter 645: 227:

    Chapter 645: Chapter 227: ¡°You¡¯re Not Planning to Kill Me, Are You?¡±_2


    And at this moment¡ª


    Kneeling on the ground, a little girl in a white dress slightly bit her lip and then got up to walk to Chen Qiu¡¯s side. She carefully supported his arm, and though she didn¡¯t explicitly say anything, her actions clearly conveyed her message. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu glanced casually at the woman beside him and didn¡¯t dwell on her too long. She had just been kneeling next to Family Head Liu, so if she wasn¡¯t a maid, she must be the Liu Family¡¯s young miss.


    ¡°Everyone, get up.¡±


    After he spoke carelessly, he stepped over the Liu Family¡¯s threshold with the woman¡¯s support, passing through the front hall and heading straight towards the back hall.


    Upon entering the Liu Family¡¯s residence, he felt that the Spiritual Energy here was noticeably denser than outside, clearly due to the Spirit Gathering Array activated throughout the entire family compound. Moreover, it was the type that was always active; otherwise, the water in the compound wouldn¡¯t be so clear, and the lotus flowers would not grow so well.


    Rich indeed.


    He couldn¡¯t help but muse internally. Even a minor family on the Vast Continent, seemingly inconsequential, had the power to always keep a Spirit Gathering Array activated. Although the array was not of a high grade and the Spiritual Energy wasn¡¯t much denser than the outside world, it was still a reflection of their strength and heritage.


    The Chao Tian Sect he belonged to.


    Even now, they were somewhat reluctant to always have their Spirit Gathering Array active.


    A low-grade one was useless to him.


    But he couldn¡¯t afford to operate a high-grade one either.


    It seemed that he truly needed to make an effort. Before his next retreat, he would need to quickly visit the various forces of Xuantian State, Chen Qiu made a mental decision and continued on, leading the way with the Liu Family¡¯s young miss supporting him, towards the depths of the Liu Family residence.


    In the Liu Family Reception Hall.


    Chen Qiu sat in the seat of honor while Fat Long and the Heavenly Axe Sect Master and his entourage sat on either side. The Liu Family Patriarch, along with a group of elders, stood in the center of the reception hall with faces full of apprehension, while the Liu Family¡¯s disciples did not have the privilege to be within earshot.


    The Liu Family¡¯s young miss was now sitting quietly by the seat of honor, resembling a small attendant.


    It was somewhat puzzling.


    One might think she was trying to climb the social ladder through her body, but there was nothing overtly suggestive in her behavior or actions, and apart from that intention, it was hard to guess any other purpose.


    ¡­


    From his seat of honor, Chen Qiu casually glanced at this Liu Family young miss. Sometime earlier, she had removed her veil, revealing her inherently beautiful face, outstanding in both figure and appearance.


    In his life, he had only shared a room with one woman, and that was Mei Ya of the Xuantian Continent. But this Liu Family young miss excelled over Mei Ya in both figure and appearance.


    She had that delicate demeanor typical to the women of the southern regions.


    Overall, she appeared very fragile, with a petite stature. With her cherry lips, when viewed from the front or the side, she was quite appealing.


    Although she was not a Heavenly Dao Beauty, her looks were far superior to many of those who held that title. After all, being named a Heavenly Dao Beauty was not solely based on appearance¡ªit was more like a random selection process.


    But most importantly¡ª


    Her Cultivation level was impressive, at the Early Stage of Divinity Transformation.


    To an ordinary person, beauty meant less; to the sensitivities of a Cultivator¡¯s Divine Sense, things like large pores or body odor were magnified countless times.


    That¡¯s also why you rarely heard of a Divinity Transformation powerful practitioner humiliating an ordinary woman.


    But once one breaks through to the Golden Core, the entire temperament undergoes a different transformation, especially upon reaching Divinity Transformation, possessing a body that did not leak, free from impurities, devoid of pores and seeming wholly natural, as if created by the heavens.


    He had to admit, she was quite impressive.


    Chen Qiu¡¯s gaze shifted from the young miss of the Liu Family, who was sitting on her knees beside him, and then he turned towards the people standing in the reception hall of the Liu Family and spoke indifferently, ¡°Where is the token?¡±


    The Liu Family Patriarch, standing in the middle of the hall, carefully took out a token from his chest. He was just about to step forward to hand it to Chen Qiu


    when he saw his daughter, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly stand up and take the token from his hand. She walked over with a grace that reminded one of willow leaves dancing lightly in the breeze and handed the token to Chen Qiu, only to kneel down once again.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow subtly as he took the token from the hands of the Liu Family¡¯s young miss. He played with the white jade-carved token in his hand, which felt smooth and warm with an ancient aura to it.


    If this were a thousand years ago, there might still be remnants of Chao Tian Sect¡¯s aura in this token.


    But with the passing of time, whatever essence might have been present had disappeared.


    On the front of the token was carved the words ¡°Chao Tian Sect¡±, and on the back was etched the word ¡°Elder¡±, denoting it as an elder token of the Chao Tian Sect.


    After a long pause,


    he finally looked up at the Liu Family Patriarch and asked softly, ¡°So the Zhang Family of Tai City is forcing a marriage with your young miss, right? How do you wish to deal with this? Shall we eliminate them all?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken,


    the Zhang Family¡¯s Ancestor¡ªwho was standing behind the Heavenly Axe Sect Master¡ªturned pale instantly. He knelt down on the ground and turned to Family Head Liu with eyes full of terror as his trembling voice carried a whine, ¡°Family Head Liu, our Zhang Family is at fault, but the crime does not warrant extermination, does it?!


    ¡°Although I¡¯ve oppressed your family, no matter what you say, we haven¡¯t had any actual conflicts, have we?!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you please speak on our behalf.¡±


    ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t know of the relationship between the Liu Family and the Chao Tian Sect. Family Head Liu, you know, when you presented the Chao Tian Sect token, didn¡¯t our Zhang Family¡¯s people also withdraw immediately?¡±


    Standing in place, the Liu Family Patriarch did not meet the gaze of the Zhang Family Ancestor and instead looked up at Chen Qiu, biting his lip slightly with a hoarse voice, ¡°I leave it all to the senior¡¯s discretion.¡±

 Chapter 646: 227:

    Chapter 646: Chapter 227: ¡°You¡¯re Not Planning to Kill Me, Are You?¡±_3


    Chen Qiu gave no response but turned his head towards the Liu Family¡¯s young miss, who was kneeling at the side, and said indifferently.


    ¡°What do you think should be done?¡±


    The kneeling Liu Family¡¯s young miss beside the main seat hesitated for a moment before saying tentatively, ¡°The Zhang Family of Tai City indeed has not made any substantial physical aggression against the Liu Family. If it were up to me, I think some actual compensation is needed. Annihilation seems a bit too severe.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Chen Qiu immediately stood up, looked towards the crowd, and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s settle it this way. You all can negotiate the compensation among yourselves. Family Head Liu, come with me. Let¡¯s talk in detail about this matter of your ancestor.¡±


    ¡­


    Liu Family, Ancestral Hall.


    ¡°Your Liu Family¡¯s ancestor¡¯s name was Liu Sanqian?¡±


    Chen Qiu stood inside the ancestral hall, looking contemplatively at the tablets on the offering table, as the name sounded familiar to him. After all, he had heard it not so long ago, and even if he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t forget it so soon.


    It seems the husband of the old woman in the Merit Golden House was called Liu Sanqian.


    Strange¡­


    According to the old woman, after following Liu Sanqian from the Xuantian Continent to the Vast Continent thirty thousand years ago, she broke through to the Body Integration Realm, while Liu Sanqian¡¯s cultivation halted at the late stage of Void Refining, and his life was near its end.


    But here lies the problem: who left behind the inheritance? Whose child was it? The old woman¡¯s?


    That old woman certainly didn¡¯t mention anything about bearing a child, and it seemed like she didn¡¯t bring it up at all.


    He shook his head and stopped pondering. He had originally thought that the Merit Golden House could lead to other continents, but given that it couldn¡¯t break through the shackles of the Heavenly Dao, he lost interest in it.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Chen Qiu turned his head toward Family Head Liu, ¡°Didn¡¯t your ancestor leave behind anything else aside from this Chao Tian Sect elder token?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else.¡±


    Family Head Liu firmly shook his head and said, ¡°We can be certain of that because it has been passed down for so many years. The Liu Family has changed through many cities, so even if there were other things, they would have been lost over the long years.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Qiu nodded slightly and did not speak further. He then expanded his Divine Sense rapidly encompassing the entire Handsome City. Finding nothing of interest, he had no intention of staying any longer.


    He prepared to quickly return to the Heavenly Palace for cultivation.


    Having said that, S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    he left Family Head Liu alone in the ancestral hall and stepped out himself, ready to start his journey.


    Just as he walked out of the Liu Family¡¯s Ancestral Hall, passing through a small courtyard with a pond, in which lotuses were planted and beside which stood an unidentified tree with extensive shade,


    he had barely stepped into the courtyard,


    when the Liu Family¡¯s young miss in a white dress came to meet him.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The Liu Family¡¯s young miss, blocking Chen Qiu¡¯s path, summoned her courage and looked at him with earnest eyes, biting her lip slightly, she said, ¡°I am the fourth substitute for the Heavenly Dao Beauty; this is my value. Although I don¡¯t know what my Heavenly Dao Beauty effect is, as long as you¡¯re willing, I can let you, Senior, enjoy this Heavenly Dao Beauty effect.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Dao substitute beauty?¡±


    Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly, hearing this term for the first time which piqued his curiosity, and then he inquired, ¡°How do you know that you are the fourth Heavenly Dao beauty?¡±


    Even though it was the first time he had heard this term,


    he could guess what it implied.


    The Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking is fixed, and when someone on the ranking dies, someone else emerges as the new Heavenly Dao Beauty; in any case, the Heavenly Dao Beauty Ranking is always full, never vacant.


    Still, he didn¡¯t know that these substitute Heavenly Dao Beauties were pre-selected and even numbered; the fourth position likely meant that this Liu Family¡¯s young miss was ranked fourth among the candidates.


    If four on the list die, she would ascend to the ranking.


    ¡°I have my ways,¡± the Liu Family¡¯s young miss shook her head, not elaborating, but looked intently at Chen Qiu, ¡°But I am clear on one thing¡ªif I become an official Heavenly Dao Beauty one day in the future,¡±


    ¡°it will certainly bring a lot of trouble to the Liu Family.¡±


    ¡°Even if I were to have the protection of the Chao Tian Sect, there would still be many who would do harm in secret.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, I want to be with you, so that in the future, Senior, you can enjoy that Heavenly Dao Beauty effect. In return, all you need to do is leave an opportunity for my father to break through the Void Refining stage.¡±


    ¡°I know what you are worried about, Senior. I know the Heavenly Dao Beauty effect can only be enjoyed if one truly loves a person. Don¡¯t worry, I will try my best to sincerely fall in love with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Qiu looked calmly at the white-dressed woman before him, realizing what she was up to but¡­


    ¡°No need.¡±


    He pushed the woman aside and continued through the courtyard, saying indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t quite like such transactions. If it¡¯s about love, I have no feelings for you. If it¡¯s about value, you¡¯ve set your price too high.¡±


    ¡°As for Heavenly Dao Beauty,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need that thing much; it¡¯s more of a burden to me.¡±


    Having said that,


    Chen Qiu didn¡¯t pause at all and immediately passed through the courtyard to the guest hall where he would meet with Fat Long and others, ready to set off.


    No matter how good the Heavenly Dao Beauty effect, he wouldn¡¯t want it because to gain a Heavenly Dao Beauty effect often means receiving a woman¡¯s heartfelt love, which would make him feel bound.


    And it would lead to many kinds of trouble.